The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 31

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Page 14 

Issue No : 42 

Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 April 20, 2018 | Pages 16 

Modi warns Pak on terrorism 

Indo-Asian News Service 

London : In a veiled message 

to Pakistan, Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi 

said on Wednesday that 

antics of those exporting 

terror and trying to backstab 

will not be tolerated 

and they will be answered 

in language they understand. 

He said Islamabad 

had been informed of the 

2016 surgical strikes before 

these were announced to 

the media. 

Taking part in an interactive 

session 'Bharat 

ki Baat, Sabke Saath' at 

the historic Central Hall 

Westminster here, Modi 

BRAMPTON: Vic Dhillon 

was nominated this evening 

to run for reelection 

as the Ontario Liberal Party 

candidate for Brampton 

West. 

“As MPP, I’ve worked 

hard for Brampton, whether 

to support the coming 

postsecondary campus, to 

increase investments in 

our hospitals and to ensure 

our community benefits 

from improved transit and 

expresses concern over rape incidents 

referred to the outrage 

over multiple rape cases 

of minor girls in India and 

said such incidents cannot 

be tolerated. 

He took several digs at 

the opposition, particularly 

the Congress, and said 

that the pace of work of 

his government was much 

faster than of the previous 

UPA government. 

The interaction, which 

lasted for more than two 

hours, saw Modi highlighting 

achievements of his 

government in the past 

about four years to build 

electoral momentum for 

the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 

Modi termed the surgical 

strikes of September 29, 

2016 an answer to the exporters 

of terrorism. 

Vic Dhillon nominated to run for 

re-election in Brampton West 

transportation infrastructure,” 

said Dhillon. 

“I’m honoured to be 

running for reelection on 

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s 

team, to invest in the care 

and supports Brampton 

residents need, including 

free tuition for nearly 

a quarter of a million 

students, a $15-an- hour 

minimum wage and free 

prescriptions for children 

and youth and soon for seniors.” 

Continued on page 02 

Referring to the Uri 

terror strike, Modi said: 

"We will not tolerate those 

who like to export terror 

and those who try to stab at 

the back. We know how to 

give back strong answers 

and in the language they 

understand. Some cowards 

come and kill our jawans. 

Do you want me to stay 

quiet? Shouldn't they be 

replied in the same coin?" 

"The surgical strike 

was an answer to the exporters 

of terrorism, sending 

message (to Pakistan) 

that India has changed and 

their antics will never be 

tolerated. 


The Canadian Press 

TORONTO: Ontario Premier Kathleen 

Wynne says her Tory opponent is just 

like U.S. President Donald Trump, calling 

Doug Ford a bully and a coward who 

"traffics in smears and lies." 

Wynne pushed back Wednesday 

when asked about comments Ford made 

a day earlier in which he suggested some 

Liberals could face jail time if they pulled 

what he described as "shady tricks" with 

taxpayer dollars. 

The premier said Ford is borrowing 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an audience with 

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in London on Wednesday. This is 

Modi's second audience with the Queen in less than three years 

since his visit to Britain in November 2015. Modi arrived here on 

Monday from Sweden on the second leg of his three-nation tour 

of Europe that will also see him going to Germany. ians 

Ontario Premier Wynne calls Ford 

a 'bully,' says he's just like Trump 

from Trump's playbook, and predicted 

the spring election campaign will be "vicious." 

"Doug Ford sounds like Donald 

Trump and that's because he is like Donald 

Trump," she said. 


KLF chief dies of 

‘cardiac arrest’ in jail 

Agencies 

Patiala: Khalistan 

Liberation Force (KLF) 

chief Harminder Singh 

Mintoo died under mysterious 

circumstances 

at the Central Jail here 

on Wednesday. He was 

accused of having links 

with Pakistan’s Inter- 

Services Intelligence 

(ISI) and was facing trial 

in at least 15 cases of terror 

and other crimes. 

Jail officials claimed 

Mintoo, 50, suffered a 

cardiac arrest in his barrack. 

Since Mintoo was 

an undertrial, a judicial 

probe under a court-deputed 

magistrate would 

be conducted. 


Punjab Sikh woman pilgrim converts to Islam, remarries in Pakistan 


Chandigarh: A Sikh woman 

pilgrim from Hoshiarpur 

district has reportedly converted 

to Islam and married a Lahorebased 

Pakistan national, reports 

reaching her family in Punjab 

have indicated. 

Her old father-in-law, Tarsem 

Singh, alleged on Thursday that 

his daughter-in-law could have 

fallen into the hands of Pakistan's 

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), 

and may have been forced to convert 

and remarry there. 


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The International News Weekly REGIONAL 

April 20, 2018 | Toronto 02 

Ontario: Three members of ragi jatha 

disappear from Windsor Gurdwara 

The Canadian Parvasi 

Windsor : Three members of a 

four-member Ragi Jatha who were to 

return to Punjab, India, on March 29 

disappeared from the gurdwara the 

night before their flight from Toronto 

Airport on March 29, 2018. 32-year-old 

Gurinder Singh, 26-year-old Satnam 

Singh and 25-year-old Navdeep Singh, 

along with their fourth companion 

Bhai Joginder Singh had been invited 

for the Kirtan services at the Windsor 

Gurdwara run by Sikh Cultural Society 

of Metropolitan Windsor, in Ontario, 

Canada. The group was given a 

formal farewell on March 28 with paying 

Honorarium and presentation of 

Siropas by the Executive Committee 

at the Gurdwara during the evening 

diwan. 

When the Jatha was about to be 

picked up for going to Toronto Airport 

on Thursday morning, Bhai Joginder 

Singh informed the management that 

three of his colleagues went away from 

the gurdwara the night before and did 

not return. The Gurdwara’s Executive 

Committee immediately reported the 

disappearance to the local police and a 

case was registered by the police. Bhai 

Joginder Singh, the leader of this Kirtani 

Jatha has been sent to Punjab on 

the advice of the police. The Executive 

Committee expressed apprehension 

that the three missing preachers may 

have deliberately slipped away to live 

illegally in Canada. 

Gurdwara Committee President 

Harjinder Singh Kandola said that 

this incident is very “unfortunate, 

shameful and condemnable.” 

He said that the search for these 

missing persons is continuing by both 

the police and the gurdwara management 

that has appealed to the Sikh 

community living in Canada to help 

find these three people and expressed 

the hope that they would be arrested 

soon. The Windsor Gurdwara executive 

committee has announced a reward 

of $5,000 that will be given as a token 

of appreciation to the tipster that 

helps find he three absconding men. 

Sikh Heritage Month: NDP 

leader to give keynote 

speech on April 26 

BRAMPTON, ON – On Thursday, April 26th from 6pm- 

8pm, the City of Brampton will host its official Sikh 

Heritage Month reception, with NDP Federal Leader 

Jagmeet Singh confirmed as the keynote speaker. 

“April is Sikh Heritage Month in Ontario and the 

City of Brampton will proudly celebrate the significant 

contributions of its Sikh community,” said Councillor 

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon. This year, the City will be recognizing 

three outstanding Sikh- Bramptonians: 

Constable Manjit Singh Basran (Sikh Sewa Society): 

2018 Peel Police Service award winner, and outstanding 

contributions to the Brampton community by 

providing food to homeless through mobile food truck. 

Fateh Singh (Music): Brampton-based singer, rapper, 

and internationally renowned recording artist, with 

multiple hits and albums. 

Palvinder Kaur (Langar Seva): Her organization deliver 

meals to homes of those in need who cannot cook 

due to complex medical issues and to also provide support 

services including house calls and recreational activities 

to relieve loneliness. 

“The reception is open to the public and all residents 

are invited to attend as Brampton celebrates its 

great diversity,” said Councillor Dhillon. Attached are 

pictures of the honourees and a poster for the event. 

NDP promises $12-a-day child care and lower deficits if elected 

Brampton: The child 

care promise is the cornerstone 

pledge of party’s ambitious 

97-page platform, 

Change for the Better, 

launched Monday. 

Ontario NDP Leader 

Andrea Horwath: “Our 

plan is not based on your 

little one’s age; it’s based 

on making sure everyone 

has childcare they can afford,” 

said Horwath, taking 

a shot at the Liberals’ new 

free daycare plan, which 

is limited to pre-schoolers 

aged two-and- a-half years 

until junior kindergarten 

Andrea Horwath is promising 

affordable child care — 

free for families who earn 

$40,000 or less and an average 

of $12-a- day for most 

others — if the NDP wins 

the June election. 

“Our plan is not based 

on your little one’s age; it’s 

based on making sure everyone 

has childcare they 

can afford,” said Horwath, 

taking a shot at the Liberals’ 

new free daycare plan, 

which is limited to preschoolers 

aged two- and-ahalf 

years until junior kindergarten. 

About 70 per cent of Ontario 

parents would either 

have free child care or pay 

an average of $12 a day in a 

licensed not-for- profit daycare 

— considerably lower 

than the $100-daily- rate, 

now paid by some. 

The NDP leader, who 

also vowed to increase by 

50 per cent the number of 

child-care places in her 

first four-year mandate, 

said change is in the offing 

June 7 after almost 15 years 

of Liberal governance. 

Vic Dhillon nominated to run for 

re-election in Brampton West 

Ontario Premier Wynne calls Ford a 

'bully,' says he's just like Trump 


Vic Dhillon was first 

elected to the Ontario legislature 

in 2003. Dhillon served 

as Parliamentary Assistant 

to the Minister of Transportation, 

the Minister of 

Government Services and 

the Minister Responsible for 

Seniors. He has served on 

the Health, Education and 

Social Policy Committee. 

Before his election, Dhillon 

established a familyowneda 

business and was executive 

assistant to Colleen 

Beaumier, MP for Brampton 

West—Mississauga. He led 

many non-profit fundraising 

campaigns for thelocal food 

bank, the Korean War Memorial 

and a local group that 

helps after natural disasters. 

He and his wife, Shaminder, 

are raising their children 

in Brampton, where he has 

lived most of his life. They 

have two sons, Robin and 

Sajjan, and a daughter, Taj. 

Dhillon holds a business 

administration degree from 

Lakehead University and is 

a Bowhay Institute for Legislative 

Leadership Development 

Fellow. 

Under the leadership of 

Premier Kathleen Wynne, 

the Ontario Liberal Party 

has a plan to create opportunity 

and fairness during 

this period of rapid economic 

change. Ontario's 

economy is growing, but too 

many families still feel like 

they can't get ahead. 

Our plan includes building 

a stronger, healthier Ontario 

through historic new 

investments in health care, 

including through free medications 

for everyone under 

25 and a committed expansion 

to serve those over 65 

through OHIP+; providing 

free tuition for over 225,000 

students and on-the- job 

learning opportunities to 

help land a great job; and 

helping 100,000 kids access 

quality, licensed child care, 

including a commitment to 

free preschool child care. 

The Conservatives 

have vowed to halt the $15 

minimum wage. They have 

backed away from the fight 

against climate change, and 

have promised billions of 

dollars in cuts to critical 

public services. While the 

Ontario Liberal Party is focused 

on investing in the 

services and infrastructure 

people rely on, the Conservatives 

remain focused 

on gutting healthcare and 

education, denying working 

people a decent paycheque, 

and threatening much- needed 

public infrastructure 

projects. 


"He believes in ugly, 

vicious brand of politics 

that traffics and smears 

and lies. He'll say anything 

about anyone at 

any time because just 

like Trump, it is all about 

him." 

Wynne said the only 

way to fight that kind of 

behaviour is to stand up 

to it. 

"I'm not going to go 

high. I'm not going to go 

low. I'm going to call that 

bullying behaviour out 

for what it is," she said. 

The Progressive Conservatives 

dismissed the 

comparison to Trump as 

a bizarre and desperate 

election ploy meant to 

distract from the Liberals' 

political record. 

"Desperate, desperate 

person," Ford said when 

asked about Wynne's comments. 

"We've seen this trick 

before, she's trying to 

hoodwink the people, she 

thinks she's smarter than 

the people." 

Ford repeated his 

promise to order a full 

outside audit of government 

books if elected premier. 

"We'll find out all her 

buddies that she's made 

rich for 15 years, all the 

backroom deals Kathleen 

Wynne's made on your 

backs," he said. 

Ford announced the 

proposed audit Tuesday, 

saying he didn't trust the 

Liberals' accounting and 

referencing the gas plants 

scandal that saw former 

premier Dalton Mc- 

Guinty's ex-chief of staff 

sentenced to four months 

in jail for deleting documents. 

"If Kathleen Wynne 

tried to pull these kinds 

of shady tricks in private 

life, then there would be a 

few more Liberals joining 

David Livingston in jail. 

Ontario deserves answers 

about how big Kathleen 

Wynne's mess really is," 

Ford said Tuesday. 

The Tories have repeatedly 

criticized the 

Liberals for what they call 

reckless spending of public 

funds. 

A key ratings agency, 

Moody's Investor Services, 

downgraded its outlook 

on Ontario's finances 

Wednesday to "negative" 

from "stable" in light of 

the Liberal government's 

plan to run six consecutive 

multibillion-dollar 

deficits.

The International News Weekly REGIONAL 

April 20, 2018 | Toronto 

03 

Doug Ford promises to cut Ontario's 

corporate income tax to 10.5 pc 

The Canadian Parvasi 

TORONTO : Ontario's 

Progressive Conservatives 

promised Wednesday to 

cut the provincial corporate 

income tax if they win 

the spring election, saying 

the move would stimulate 

job growth and boost the 

economy. 

Newly minted Tory 

Leader Doug Ford said his 

party would cut the rate 

from the current 11.5 per 

cent to 10.5 per cent. 

"We're going to create 

the environment to make 

sure this province is the 

most prosperous province 

anywhere in Canada," he 

said. "We'll make sure we 

have the most competitive 

region in North America 

to do business." The pledge 

came shortly after Moody's 

downgraded its outlook on 

Ontario's finances to "negative" 

from "stable" following 

the release of the Liberal 

government's budget, 

which featured a $6.7-billion 

deficit in 2018-2019, followed 

by five consecutive 

multibillion-dollar deficits. 

"While this budget may 

not be implemented postelection, 

in Moody's opinion 

it highlights growing 

spending pressure that will 

need to be addressed in the 

near future," the Moody's 

forecast said. 

The agency also expressed 

concern about the 

cost of servicing the province's 

net debt, which is 

projected to be $325 billion 

this year — or more than 

$22,500 per Ontarian — and 

grow to $360.1 billion by 

2020-2021. Interest on debt 

is the government's fourthlargest 

spending area at 

$12.5 billion this year, and 

is projected to grow to $13.8 

billion by 2020-21, and $16.9 

billion by 2025-26. 

If the current trend 

continues, the agency said, 

Ontario's interest expenses 

could "consume" nine per 

cent of government revenues 

by 2020-2021. 

"An increasing interest 

expense is expected to further 

challenge the budget 

planning of the province," 

the forecast said. 

Premier Kathleen Wynne 

defended the government's 

pre-election budget, 

saying Moody's outlook 

change wasn't a credit 

downgrade, which would 

effect borrowing costs for 

the province. Ontario is 

leading economic growth 

in Canada, she said, and 

unemployment is the lowest 

it's been in 20 years. 

"Not everyone's feeling 

the benefit of that," Wynne 

said. "And so my responsibility 

is to look at that and 

say, 'OK what is it that people 

need at this moment?' 

And what we hear from 

people around the province 

is that investment in them 

is what's needed." 

Moody's maintained 

Ontario's Aa2 issuer and 

Aa2 senior unsecured longterm 

debt ratings despite 

the change in outlook. 

Ontario heads to the 

polls on June 7. 

Canadian drug mule sentenced 

in Australia for cocaine cruise 


CANBERRA : A Canadian 

drug mule broke down in 

tears in an Australian court 

on Wednesday when she 

was sentenced to eight years 

in prison for her part in an 

attempt to smuggle cocaine 

worth $16 million into Sydney 

in luggage aboard a luxury 

cruise ship. 

Melina Roberge, 24, 

told the New South Wales 

state District Court that she 

risked a life sentence in an 

Australian prison for the 

opportunity to take selfies 

"in exotic locations and post 

them on Instagram to receive 

'likes' and attention" during a 

$17,000 vacation she couldn't 

afford. 

Three Quebecers have 

pleaded guilty to smuggling 

95 kilograms of the drug in 

suitcases aboard the MS Sea 

Princess during a sevenweek 

cruise in 2016 from 

Britain to Ireland, the United 

States, Bermuda, Colombia, 

Panama, Ecuador, Peru, 

Chile then Australia. 

Roberge was sentenced to 

a non-parole period of 4 years 

and 9 months in prison before 

she is likely to be deported to 

Canada. 

Judge Kate Traill condemned 

Roberge's motivation 

for crime as a "very sad 

indictment" on her age group 

who "seek to attain such a 

vacuous existence where 

how many 'likes' they receive 

are their currency." 

"She was seduced by lifestyle 

and the opportunity to 

post glamorous Instagram 

photos from around the 

world," the judge said. "She 

wanted to be the envy of others. 

I doubt she is now." 

Roberge's accomplice 

with whom she shared a cabin, 

Isabelle Lagace, 29, was 

sentenced in November to 7 

1/2 years in prison backdated 

to their arrest. Lagace will 

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Police with sniffer dogs 

found 35 kilograms of cocaine 

in their cabin on Aug. 28, 

2016, when the liner, operated 

by California-based Princess 

Cruises, berthed in Sydney. 

Lagace told the court she 

took part to settle a debt in 

Canada. 

Roberge did not admit 

her guilt until days before 

her trial was due to begin in 

February. 

Traill said Roberge was 

recruited by a wealthy Canadian 

benefactor, whom 

Roberge described in court 

as her "sugar daddy" but 

never identified for fear of 

repercussions for her family 

in Canada, with the lure of a 

free vacation. 

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The International News Weekly CANADA 


Carr downplays tanker traffic risk, 

says legislation not developed yet 


OTTAWA : The federal 

Liberal government hasn't 

yet "landed" on its promised 

legislative option to 

push the Trans Mountain 

pipeline expansion forward, 

says Natural Resources 

Minister Jim Carr. 

Justin Trudeau's government 

is "actively pursuing" 

legislation that will 

reassert Canada's constitutional 

authority to build 

and expand pipelines, the 

prime minister promised 

Sunday after an emergency 

meeting with the feuding 

premiers of B.C. and Alberta. 

However, it hasn't yet 

figured out what it will look 

like. 

"We're looking at legislative 

options," Carr said 

Wednesday on his way into 

the daily question period. 

"We haven't landed on one 

yet." 

Government officials 

say it's not even yet clear 

which department will take 

the lead on the bill — Natural 

Resources, Finance or 

Justice. 

The plan, Carr said, is 

for legislation that would 

enhance the federal jurisdiction 

over pipelines 

— something the government 

says is already crystal 

clear, which is why it 

has balked at the idea of 

launching a time-consuming 

reference to the Supreme 

Court of Canada. 

Trudeau also dispatched 

Finance Minister 

Bill Morneau to strike a 

deal with pipeline builder 

Kinder Morgan to assuage 

investors now skittish 

about a project laden with 

possible court delays. 

Kinder Morgan declared 

earlier this month 

it was halting all non-essential 

spending on the expansion, 

giving the government 

until the end of May 

to ensure the project would 

go ahead. 

The expansion would 

build a second pipeline 

alongside an existing one, 

doubling its capacity to 

carry diluted bitumen 

from Alberta's oilsands to 

Kinder Morgan's Westridge 

Marine Terminal in Burnaby, 

B.C., where it would be 

loaded onto oil tankers for 

export. 

The hope is most of it 

would be shipped to Asia, 

opening up new markets 

for Canada's oil beyond 

the United States, Canada's 

only real oil customer — a 

situation Trudeau says 

forces Canada to take a big 

hit on the price it gets for 

the resource. 

Fearing the many environmental 

unknowns that 

surround diluted bitumen, 

B.C. wants to restrict the 

pipe's capacity until more 

is understood about how 

the material might behave 

in a marine environment, 

how it can be cleaned up 

and how a major spill 

might impact ocean life. 

B.C. Attorney General 

David Eby said his government 

will file a court reference 

by the end of April to 

determine if it can to stop 

the flow of dilbit, as diluted 

bitumen is known, on the 

grounds of its own jurisdiction 

over environmental 

concerns. 

Not only does the oil 

itself pose a risk while in 

transit, environmental 

critics say, the expansion 

would increase oilsands 

development, exacerbating 

climate change. On 

Wednesday, Greenpeace activists 

welcomed Trudeau 

to London in a protest that 

featured a mock pipeline 

carrying "Crudeau oil." 

Many environmental 

groups fear an increase in 

tanker traffic out of Burnaby 

along marine routes 

that are at times extremely 

narrow, worsening the risk 

of a major spill. 

Carr played down that 

risk Wednesday, saying the 

expansion would only increase 

traffic by about one 

tanker a day, "surrounded 

by the most stringent marine 

policy in Canadian 

history." 

Trudeau has said he 

only approved the pipeline 

in the context of balancing 

the need for environmental 

protections with the need 

for economic growth. The 

government's $1.5-billion 

Oceans Protection Plan 

is designed to account for 

such spills, he said, suggesting 

the government 

would make additional investments 

if need be. 

Meanwhile, a new online 

survey by Angus Reid, 

conducted over the two 

days following Trudeau's 

Sunday meeting with the 

premiers, shows a modest 

increase in the number of 

respondents who support 

the pipeline, compared to 

a similar survey taken in 

February. 

The polling industry's 

professional body, the Marketing 

Research and Intelligence 

Association, says 

online surveys cannot be 

assigned a margin of error 

as they are not random and 

therefore are not necessarily 

representative of the 

whole population. 

Despite Trudeau's progressive 

rhetoric, Canada not immune to 

populism: Experts 


OTTAWA : Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might 

see his country as a beacon of hope in a roiling sea 

of polarization and angry nationalist sentiment, but 

Canada is far from immune, experts warn. 

Just as he did Tuesday at the French National 

Assembly, Trudeau likes to portray Canada as a 

place where progressive values flourish — free 

trade, ethic diversity, immigration, environmental 

protection and gender equality. "At a time when the 

political movements exploit the real anxiety of their 

citizens, Canada has chosen to be against cynicism 

and embrace audacity and ambition," he said. 

A sizable proportion of the Canadian public believes 

otherwise, research suggests. 

Ekos Research and The Canadian Press teamed 

up earlier this year to gauge populist sentiment in 

Canada. Fewer than half of respondents — 46 per 

cent — expressed views that reflected an open-minded 

perspective of the world and each other, while 

30 per cent landed in the "ordered" category, which 

means feeling economically and culturally insecure. 

25 per cent expressed "mixed" views. 

The survey, an aggregation of polls conducted 

with more than 12,000 Canadians, carried a margin 

of error of plus or minus 0.9 percentage points, 19 

times out of 20. Its results suggested there is indeed 

fertile ground in Canada for a populist movement to 

take hold. Canada has largely staved off the negative 

politics of pessimism and xenophobia that are major 

areas of concern in the U.S. and parts of Europe, said 

Ekos president Frank Graves. But that doesn't mean 

populist sentiment isn't brewing north of the border. 

"Those forces are very much at work," Graves 

said, noting the icy reaction to Trudeau's remarks 

from right-wing National Front leader Marine Le 

Pen. 

Health committee cheers idea of national pharmacare program, but cost an issue 


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OTTAWA : A parliamentary 

committee is recommending 

that prescription medications 

be publicly funded across Canada 

under a universal pharmacare 

program. 

After two years of work 

that included hearing from 99 

witnesses, the House of Commons 

health committee 

says it believes a 

national pharmacare 

program would deliver 

better health 

care for Canadians at 

a better cost. 

The report includes 18 

recommendations that it describes 

as a blueprint for establishing 

a single-payer, publicly 

funded prescription 

drug coverage program 

for all Canadians. 

But there was 

disagreement among 

the all-party committee about 

just how much such a program 

would cost and how it should 

be implemented. 

Committee chair Bill 

First 

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05 

Trudeau govt rejects Liberal MPs' call 

for decriminalization of all drugs 


OTTAWA : The Trudeau 

government is rejecting 

a call from its own backbenchers 

to decriminalize 

all illicit drug use in Canada 

— just days before Liberals 

are set to debate the idea at 

a national convention in 

Halifax. 

A so-called priority resolution 

put forward by the 

national Liberal caucus for 

debate at the convention 

calls on the government to 

treat illegal drug use as a 

public health issue, not a 

criminal issue. 

It urges the government 

to adopt the model instituted 

in 2001 in Portugal, 

where treatment and harm 

reduction services were expanded 

and criminal penalties 

eliminated for simple possession and consumption of illicit drugs. 

Anyone found in possession 

of an illegal drug 

in Portugal is ordered to 

appear before something 

called a dissuasion commission, 

which can refer 

the person for treatment or 

impose administrative sanctions, 

such as fines. 

But Health Minister Ginette 

Petitpas Taylor says 

what works for a small country 

like Portugal wouldn't 

work in large country like 

Canada, where 10 different 

provinces have sole responsibility 

for delivering health 

care. 

Moreover, she notes 

that Prime Minister Justin 

Trudeau has repeatedly 

drawn the line at legalizing 

recreational marijuana and 

doesn't intend to go further 

down that road with other, 

harder drugs. 

'She was fantastic:' Funeral 

held for Broncos team 

trainer killed in bus crash 


HUMBOLDT: Brenden Prokopchuk wrote Dayna 

Brons a love letter for their five-year anniversary, not 

knowing she would die a few weeks later. 

He told her that he was lucky to have her as his best 

friend and he looked forward to their next 50 years together. 

Prokopchuk read the letter aloud at her funeral 

Wednesday in Humboldt, Sask. 

He broke into sobs as he walked off a stage in the 

arena and was enveloped in hugs from family and 

friends. 

Brons, 24, was the athletic therapist for the Humboldt 

Broncos junior hockey team. She was injured 

after the team's bus and a semi truck collided as the 

Broncos were on the way to a playoff game in northeastern 

Saskatchewan on April 6. 

She died five days later in hospital, the 16th person 

to be killed in the crash. Nine others remain in hospital, 

including two in critical condition. 

People filed into the Humboldt rink wearing 

Brons's favourite colour, green, as well as green Humboldt 

Broncos jerseys to honour the young woman described 

as sunny, independent and tenacious. 

Brons was raised on a farm in nearby Marysburg 

and attended school in Lake Lenore, Sask., where her 

family says she loved sports and was one of the few 

girls to play hockey. 

She also played the saxophone. And she was an altar 

server at her family's Catholic church. 

After graduation, Brons studied kinesiology at the 

University of Regina, where she met Prokopchuk. 

It took her four months to notice him, he told those 

gathered. He asked her out for sushi and they became 

an instant couple. 

Brons eventually moved to Calgary to study athletic 

therapy and, when she was finished, moved to 

Saskatoon with Prokopchuk. She worked there for an 

elite lacrosse team and at a Saskatchewan Roughriders 

football training camp in 2016. She joined the Broncos 

the same year. 

Ottawa and Quebec reach agreements 

to ease tensions over asylum seekers 


OTTAWA: Rising tensions 

between Quebec and the federal 

government eased Wednesday 

night after new agreements 

were struck aimed at 

helping the province deal with 

an ongoing surge in asylum 

seekers crossing the Canada- 

U.S. border. 

Following a meeting of 

the ad hoc intergovernmental 

task force on irregular migration 

in Ottawa, Quebec Immigration 

Minister David Heurtel 

said he felt some progress 

had finally been made on measures 

he has been calling for 

to help his province deal with 

mounting pressures caused 

by the spike in irregular migrants. 

"We've been proposing solutions 

and tonight there was 

a real openness for solutions." 

A working group has been 

struck to reach an agreement 

on how Quebec will be reimbursed 

for $146 million in unanticipated 

costs it says it has 

shouldered as a result of the 

influx of border crossers last 

year. 

A triage system will be 

also set up to ask asylum seekers 

arriving in Quebec where 

in Canada they are ultimately 

hoping to stay — something 

Heurtel said he has also been 

pushing for. 

He wants Ottawa to help 

those aiming to settle outside 

of Quebec to get where they 

want to go. For those who 

want to stay, work permits 

are now being issued faster 

thanks to a recent cut in wait 

times. 

"All of these measures will 

lessen the pressure on Montreal, 

because in Montreal 

the resources are saturated," 

Heurtel told reporters. 

Transport Minister Marc 

Garneau, who chairs the task 

force, said work will continue 

to continue diplomatic efforts 

with the U.S. to stop the flow 

of irregular migrants, which 

border officials expect to spike 

again this summer. 

Crossings into Canada 

outside legal border checkpoints 

exploded in 2017. 

Last year, Quebec received 

roughly 25,000 asylum 

seekers who entered through 

legal and illegal border crossings, 

representing half of the 

total in Canada. 

So far this year, 6,074 people 

have entered the province 

from the United States — triple 

the number of people compared 

with the same period in 

2017. 

Tensions between Ottawa 

and Quebec were sparked this 

week after federal Immigration 

Minister Ahmed Hussen 

seemed to chastise the province 

for its current handling 

of asylum seekers in a letter 

responding to Quebec's calls 

for help.

The International News Weekly World 


Trudeau to meet Queen, compare notes 

with British PM Theresa May in London 

Agency 

LONDON : An audience 

with the Queen will highlight 

Prime Minister Justin 

Trudeau's first full day 

in the United Kingdom on 

Wednesday, as he nears 

the end of a three-country 

tour that has already taken 

him to Peru and France. 

The real work will 

come when the prime minister 

sits down with his 

British counterpart, Theresa 

May, as the two leaders 

look to compare notes 

on everything from Syria 

and Russia to Brexit and 

the Commonwealth. 

Trudeau arrived in 

London on Tuesday night 

following a two-day stop 

in France where he and 

French President Emmanuel 

Macron appeared to 

strike up a solid political 

alliance aimed at advancing 

progressive policies on 

the world stage. 

The U.K. is one of Canada's 

most important allies, 

and Trudeau has been 

steadfast in supporting 

May's criticism of Russia 

following the poisoning of 

a former Russian spy last 

month and last week's airstrikes 

in Syria by British, 

French and U.S. forces. 

However, Trudeau 

isn't on the same wavelength 

with May the way 

he is with Macron, which 

suggests the tone and substance 

of the discussion 

could be very different. 

The focus will be on 

laying the groundwork 

for a Canada-U.K. free 

trade agreement after Britain 

leaves the European 

Union, as well as mutual efforts 

to push back against 

Russian aggression and 

defending democracy in 

Europe. 

Trudeau will also seek 

to get May to buy into Canada's 

priorities for the G7, 

which includes stepping 

up the fight against climate 

change and advancing 

Trudeau's push for progressive 

trade and gender 

equality. 

Success would give 

Trudeau two key allies — 

May and Macron — at a 

time when U.S. President 

Donald Trump has withdrawn 

from a key climatechange 

agreement and 

launched unprecedented 

attacks on free trade. 

The prime minister 

is also expected to meet 

with London Mayor Sadiq 

Khan, New Zealand Prime 

Minister Jacinda Ardern 

and representatives from 

various island states in 

advance of Thursday's 

Commonwealth leaders' 

summit. Trade will top the 

summit's agenda — particularly 

in the face of Britain's 

imminent departure 

from the EU and a natural 

impulse to look to its former 

colonies as new trade 

partners. 

Brexit is also being 

seen as a potential catalyst 

for re-energizing the Commonwealth, 

thanks to a 

newly engaged British government, 

following years 

of questions about the organization's 

importance. 

The meeting, whose 

participants include a 

number of African and 

Asian countries such as 

Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, 

Pakistan and Bangladesh, 

is also expected to tackle 

concerns about human 

rights and democracy. 

One issue close to 

Trudeau's heart that won't 

get individual billing during 

the London meeting, 

however, will be LGBTQ 

rights; member states have 

taken it off the agenda. 

Bodies of Indian family 

missing in US found 


Washington : The bodies of all four members of an 

Indian family, which perished when their sport utility 

vehicle plunged into a river in California earlier this 

month, have been found, 

the authorities said. 

Searchers recovered 

the submerged bodies of 

Sandeep Thottapilly, 41, 

and his daughter, Saachi, 

9, from the Eel River in 

Leggett, California, on 

Sunday, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said in a 

statement on Monday. A body recovered last week was 

later identified as Thottapilly's wife, Soumya, 38. The 

body of the couple's son, Siddhant, 12, was discovered 

around 4 p.m. on Monday. He was the last to be found, 

ABC-owned TV station KABC cited the authorities as 

saying. 

The family were on a road trip to Oregon and were 

returning to their home in California, when they went 

missing. They were reported missing on April 8 when 

they failed to show up for a visit at their relatives place 

in San Jose. Bodies of Thottapilly and his daughter were 

found inside the SUV lying submerged between 4 and 

6 feet of water. The smell of gasoline coming from the 

water led divers to the vehicle, the Mendocino County 

Sheriff's Office said. The vehicle was encased in a large 

amount of sediment from the river current and it took 

hours for the car to be towed out, leading to the removal 

of the two bodies, the sheriff's office was cited as saying 

by the New York Times. 

The boy's body was found about six miles north of 

where the family's vehicle was said to have crashed. 

The California Highway Patrol said it did not believe 

there was any foul play. 

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The International News Weekly World 


07 

India's foreign policy done 

with level eyes, says PM Modi 

Trump will walk out' if North 

Korea talks not fruitful 


London : Indian Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi on 

Wednesday said that India's 

foreign policy is done with 

level eyes and that New Delhi 

has emerged as the key 

voice for the Third World on 

the global platform. 

"Neither do we look at 

countries with raised eyes 

nor with lowered eyes," 

Modi said in response to a 

question at "Bharat Ki Baat, 

Sabke Saath", an interaction 

with the Indian diaspora 

here organised by the Europe 

India Forum. 

Around 2,000 people of 

Indian origin attended the 

event at the Central Hall 

Westminster where Prasoon 

Joshi, Indian lyricist, 

screenwriter, poet and marketer, 

acted as the moderator. 

Explaining India's foreign 

policy initiatives, Modi 

said he went to Palestine in 

February this year with confidence. 

The visit came after 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 

Netanyahu's visit to 

India in January this year. 

Modi visited Israel in 

July last year in what was 

the first ever prime ministerial 

visit from India to the 

West Asian nation. 

"Why did not any Indian 

Prime Minister go to Israel 

in 70 years?" Modi asked as 

Israel marked its 70th Independence 

Day on Wednesday. 

Modi's standalone halfday 

visit to Ramallah signified 

New Delhi's dehyphenation 

of Israel and Palestine. 

"I went to Saudi Arabia 

as also I went to Iran," Modi 

said. He visited oil-rich 

Saudi Arabia in April 2016 

and then the Gulf kingdom's 

rival Iran the very next 

month. 

Modi also referred to 

comments he heard about 

how he, a former state Chief 

Minister, could not handle 

India's foreign policy. 

He referred to Operation 

Raahat in 2015 during which 

India rescued over 5,000 Indian 

nationals and citizens 

from 41 other countries from 

war-hit Yemen. 

Closer home, the Indian 

Prime Minister spoke of 

how New Delhi has played 

its role in the Rohingya refugee 

crisis by sending aid to 

Bangladesh. Hundreds of 

thousands of Rohingya fled 

from Myanmar's Rakhine 

State in the wake of a security 

crackdown there in August 

last year. 

"India is today the 

spokesperson for the third 

world countries," Modi said. 

"For this, we are working 

with the G20 countries." 


Washington :US President Donald Trump has said 

that if his planned talks with North Korean leader Kim 

Jong-un are not fruitful he will "walk out", media reported. 

He said this during a joint news conference with visiting 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the BBC reported. 

Trump said if he did not think the meeting would be successful 

he would not go, and if the meeting went ahead but 

was not productive, he would walk out. 

"Our campaign of maximum pressure will continue 

until North Korea denuclearises," he added. Abe is at 

Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for talks. Earlier, 

Trump had confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo 

had made a secret trip to North Korea to meet Kim over 

the easter weekend. He said Pompeo had forged a "good 

relationship" with Kim -- whom he called the "little rocket 

man" in 2017. Trump said the Pompeo-Kim meeting had 

gone off "very smoothly". The visit marked the highestlevel 

contact between the US and North Korea since 2000. 

We are happy to host Sikh 

pilgrims: Pak’s Deputy HC 

New Delhi : Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner 

Syed Haider Shah on Tuesday underscored that Islamabad 

is “always happy to host Sikh pilgrims”. 

“We are always happy to host them, we deal with 

these issues in the light of our bilateral agreements and 

protocols,” Haider Shah said.His remarks came in the 

backdrop of the ongoing controversy regarding the denial 

of consular access to Sikh pilgrims visiting Pakistan. 

The Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner was 

summoned on Monday to lodge a “strong” protest over 

the attempts of inciting the Indian pilgrims.Last week, 

around 1,800 Sikh pilgrims from India had travelled to 

Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi at Gurdwara Panja Sahib. 

However, Pakistani authorities reportedly blocked 

the Indian High Commission from performing basic 

consular and protocol duties for its citizens. 

Pakistan opens first school for transgenders 


Lahore : Pakistan's first school for the 

transgender community was launched 

here with its first classes slated to begin 

from Monday, a media report said. 

The school, 'The Gender Guardian', 

was inaugurated on Sunday by the NGO 

Exploring Future Foundation (EFF), 

which has attempted its first project, 

Dawn News reported. "We will be providing 

skill-based training and curriculum 

to the transgender community 

that has enrolled with us," said Moizzah 

Tariq, EFF Managing Director. 

"Most of them have shown interest 

in sectors of the fashion industry including 

learning about cosmetics, fashion 

designing, embroidery, and stitching 

while some have also shown interest in 

graphic designing and culinary skills. 

Having gained information from them 

first we designed our courses for them," 

added Tariq. Asif Shahzad, the owner of 

the school, said there are 30 people enrolled 

in the school. 

"I was moved after seeing the bomb 

blast in Indonesia in 2016 at a transgender 

school. It was the only such school in 

any Islamic country in the world. After 

that we decided to provide them education 

and bring them to the mainstream," 

he said.The plan is to provide a diploma 

course so that the students will be able 

to either work or set up their own businesses, 

and the NGO will facilitate them 

with both procedures. 

There is no age limit for those who 

want to get enrolled in the school. 

Pakistan's total population of transgender 

people reported in the sixth 

Popu lation and Housing Census in 2017 

was 10,418, reports Dawn news. Punjab 

province has 64.4 per cent of the country's 

transgender population with 6,709 

people registered in the category 

Pakistan calls India's claims 

on surgical strike 'baseless' 

Agency 

Islamabad : Pakistan on Thursday rejected as 

"false" and "baseless" Indian Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi's claims of having launched a surgical strike on 

terrorist camps in Pakistani territory. At an interactive 

session at the Central Hall Westminster in London, 

Modi said on Wednesday that Islamabad was informed 

about the 2016 surgical strike before this was made 

known to the media. Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson 

Mohammad Faisal told the media that the claims 

about the surgical strike by the Indian military was a 

"lie" and "repeating it doesn't turn it into the truth". India 

said its special forces conducted the surgical strike 

across the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Jammu 

and Kashmir between the two countries, on September 

29 and inflicted heavy casualties on terrorists preparing 

to infiltrate into Indian Kashmir. In a veiled message 

to Pakistan, Modi said in London that "antics of those 

exporting terror and trying to backstab us will not be 

tolerated" and "they will be answered in a language they 

understand". Spokesperson Faisal said: "Repeating a lie 

doesn't turn it into the truth... It is the other way around 

and India is backing terrorists in Pakistan. 

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08 


The 

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Sexual crimes against 

minors in India up 

500%: CRY 

Crimes against minors have soared 500 

per cent over the past 10 years in India, says 

a new analysis by Child Rights and You 

(CRY). 

CRY has done a cumulative analysis 

which revealed a rise of sexual crimes 

against children to 106,958 in 2016 as against 

18,967 in 2006. 

"More than 50 per cent of crimes against 

children have been recorded in just five 

states: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya 

Pradesh, Delhi and West Bengal," said 

a CRY statement. 

According to the NGO, while Uttar 

Pradesh topped the list with 15 per cent of 

recorded crimes against children, Maharashtra 

and Madhya Pradesh came close at 

14 and 13 per cent respectively. 

"It is also a matter of grave concern that 

in 11 out of 36 states and union territories 

(UTs), more than 50 per cent of the offences 

against children are sexual offences and in 

25 out of 36 states and UTs more than onethird 

of the crimes against children are sex 

crimes," it added. 

The National Crime Records Bureau 

data of 2016 suggests that crimes against 

children in India have increased by 14 per 

cent from 2015. 

As per a 2016 analysis of crimes under 

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences 

(POCSO) Act, sexual offences accounted 

for one third of all crimes against children 

in India. 

According to it, a sexual offence is committed 

against a child in India every 15 minutes. 

All crimes under POCSO Act constitute 

around 33 per cent of total crimes against 

children. The number of sexual offences 

registered against children increased by 

an alarming 300 per cent over the last five 

years. 

The report comes amid widespread anger 

over incidents of rape throughout the 

country. 

An eight-year-old girl from a nomadic 

group in Jammu and Kashmir was found 

raped and murdered in January while the 

body of a nine-year-old girl was found in Gujarat 

with 86 injury marks. 

Two incidents of rape of minors were reported 

on Thursday -- from Uttar Pradesh 

and Odisha. 

Women's Health in India still 

facing a recognition challenge 

According to the "OECD 

Health Statistics 2014: How 

Does India Compare" report, 

the overall health spending 

accounted for only four per 

cent of the GDP in India in 

2012, out of which only 33 per 

cent of health spending was 

funded by public sources. 

Further, health accounted 

for only 4.8 per cent of total 

government spending in 

2012. India ranks extremely 

high even among other developing 

countries in out-ofpocket 

costs on healthcare. 

The "Global Adult Tobacco 

Survey 2016-17" says that 

tobacco smoking is a major 

preventable risk factor for a 

number of causes of death. 

In India, 10.7 per cent adults 

smoked daily in 2010 and 

it remains so even in 2016. 

When measuring the exposure 

of second-hand smoke 

in households, women are at 

a higher risk (39.3 per cent) in 

comparison to men (38.1 per 

cent) but unfortunately our 

policies remain passive on 

this issue. 

With the dismal condition 

of healthcare in India, 

the provisions for healthcare 

are even worse when 

it comes to women-specific 

diseases. Generally, women's 

health receives attention 

only during pregnancy; this 

comes from our patriarchal 

understanding of women's 

role in society. 

Cardiovascular disease, 

stroke, kidney disease, respiratory 

diseases and trauma 

are major causes of death 

for women worldwide. The 

health profile of India by 

WHO reveals that women 

have a higher life expectancy 

in comparison to men, but 

this is marred by disorders 

like musculoskeletal diseases, 

depression, etc. Social 

structures and prejudices 

also create an environment 

in which women's health and 

well-being are further compromised. 

Due to a lack of diseasespecific 

data on gender differences, 

there is a complete 

absence of evidence about 

preventive care for women, 

along with issues like increased 

consumption of 

tobacco, alcohol and drugs. 

The much-dreaded trade 

war has come dangerously 

close to fruition after the titfor-tat 

exchanges between the 

United States and China over 

the course of the past week. 

Last Tuesday, the US, blaming 

China for intellectual 

property theft, released a list 

of 1,300 products that could 

possibly be imposed with a 

tariff of 25 percent -- worth 

a total of $50 billion -- unless 

China mends it ways. The 

very next day China came up 

with a list of US imports that 

could be charged with a 25 

percent tariff, again worth approximately 

$50 billion. 

Trump retaliated the following 

day saying that the 

US government is considering 

imposition of tariffs on 

another $100 billion of Chinese 

imports. In response, 

China warned on Friday that 

it was ready with a "fierce 

counter-strike" of fresh trade 

measures if Trump follows 

through on his threat and 

that it would fight the US "at 

any cost". 

At the time of writing 

(April 9), neither of the two 

nations had followed through 

on their threats and, hopefully, 

a more conciliatory tone 

will be adopted this week. 

What needs to happen is 

quite straightforward. China 

should recognise that some 

of the US claims have merit. 

Beijing has long demanded 

that US businesses relinquish 

their intellectual property 

rights if they want to gain access 

to Chinese markets. For 

instance, if a US car manufacturer 

wants to sell cars in 

China, it has to team up with 

a local manufacturer and 

transfer all the technology or 

face steep import tariffs. China 

has been benefiting from 

this rule for decades. In case 

China ends this, Trump could 

withdraw his threats of tariffs 

and both sides would be in a 

position to disengage. 

It is also more in China's 

interests to avoid a full-blown 

trade war. The country is still 

an export-dependent economy 

and it sells more goods 

to the US than it buys. But 

China, with its ambitions of 

being the next superpower, 

might not back down so easily. 

It would prefer not to be 

seen as yet another developing 

economy with no option 

but to do as Washington dictates. 

It also has some damning 

arsenal in its kitty to pose 

a credible threat to the US: A 

massive reserve of US Treasury 

bills. If it plans to dump 

these bonds on the world markets, 

it would mean catastrophe. 

Therefore, it is in everyone's 

best interests that sense 

prevails, and a trade war is 

avoided at all costs. 

A positive outcome from 

this affair has been the resilience 

shown by the emerging 

economies around the world. 

If history is any indication, 

a situation like a tit-for-tat 

trade war between two of the 

world's largest economies 

should have sent capital 

rushing towards safe assets 

in the US, leaving the emerging 

economies high and dry. 

That was the case until quite 

recently. A case in point is the 

"taper tantrum" of the US Federal 

Reserve which took place 

in 2013 and a similar flight of 

capital destabilised the developing 

world economies. 

Morgan Stanley famously 

coined the phrase "fragile 

five" to describe the precarious 

situation in which Brazil, 

India, Indonesia, South 

Gender disparities have also 

crept into healthcare delivery 

and women's access to 

treatment. 

Traditionally, much of 

the work done by women is 

performed within the context 

of the family. As women 

move beyond their traditional 

occupations in today's 

era, they meet new health 

hazards which add to the existing 

occupational hazards. 

Globally, psychological 

violence at work, especially 

bullying, violence, mobbing 

and harassment (including 

sexual harassment) are reported 

to be major concerns 

for women. Many studies 

show that women are at particular 

risk of physical and 

psychological violence both 

in and outside the workplace. 

But this is rarely considered 

under the banner of occupational 

safety and health. Appropriate 

indicators must be 

established when examining 

compensation for work accidents 

and injuries in such 

cases. 

As a result of the neglect 

of women's occupational injuries, 

women are reported 

to be at much lower risk of 

occupational injuries and 

accidents. For instance, till 

recently, deteriorating respiratory 

health due to pollution 

from household cooking 

was not considered an occupational 

health issue. Whatever 

little data is available on 

women's occupational health 

and safety issues is mostly 

aggregated and this ignores 

many important aspects of 

women's health profiles. 

A UN study of 31 countries 

shows women are working 

10 to 30 per cent more 

hours than men and that 

two-thirds of women's work 

is unpaid, unvalued and 

invisible. Yet our national 

health programmes fail to address 

health issues pertinent 

to women. 

Low participation rate of 

women in the labour market 

is also attributed to uncertain 

occupational health and 

safety. Thus, there is a high 

urgency for a comprehensive 

plan for women's health 

whether in the workplace, 

household, or other spheres. 

Trade war fears and the 

resilience of emerging markets 

Africa and Turkey found 

themselves. Now, the emerging 

economies are seeming 

more like safe havens. Since 

the turmoil of 2013, these nations 

have worked towards 

strengthening their balance 

sheets and making themselves 

resilient to global 

shocks. 

As a result, considerable 

confidence is being shown 

towards the assets of these 

countries. Emerging Portfolio 

Fund Research data shows 

that in the first quarter of this 

year $43 billion has flown 

into equity funds of emerging 

markets. These inflows already 

account for two-thirds 

of their value in the whole of 

last year. In contrast, equity 

funds in the developed markets 

have attracted merely 

$25.5 billion in the first quarter 

of this year and the flows 

have also been more volatile 

than in emerging economies. 

The emerging market currencies 

have also been up four 

per cent against the dollar 

this year. These trends go on 

to show the strength of the 

emerging markets in sharp 

contrast to the dire situation 

just a few years ago. 

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advertisement Publised in this newspaper. The Canadian Parvasi is in the business of selling space and the clains made by the advertisement are not tested/confirmed by an independent source.

The International News Weekly INTERVIEW 


09 

I need some 'me time' to recuperate, 

says Kapil Sharma as show goes off air 


New Delhi : He was 

the reason behind spreading 

smiles galore with his 

comedy shows. But of late, 

controversies surrounding 

his temperament, 

love life and uncertainty 

around his show have engulfed 

the life of 'comedy 

king' Kapil Sharma. 

He says his work will 

always be his motivation 

and he will bounce back 

soon after he takes some 

"me time" to recuperate. 

"I think I need some me 

time and need to recuperate. 

I've been working too 

hard for too long. There is 

a lot in the pipeline and lot 

of new exciting projects 

which I will talk about 

soon," Kapil told IANS in 

an e-mail interview when 

asked about the reason behind 

his absence from the 

small screen so abruptly. 

"The reality right now 

is that I have worked very 

hard and I love what I do. 

I just need some time off 

and I promise you that I 

will be entertaining you 

again, as that is what I 

thrive on," he added. 

Kapil made headlines 

recently drawing bad 

press when an audio call 

in which he is heard hurling 

abuses at a journalist, 

was made public. Many of 

his fans were shocked to 

see this side of their favourite 

entertainer. 

Last year, Kapil had a 

mid-air fight with his colleague, 

comedian Sunil 

Grover. The fight led to a 

widely talked about controversy, 

after which they 

parted ways professionally 

from "Comedy Nights 

With Kapil" which had 

brought both of them unprecedented 

fame. 

Kapil also featured in 

films, but then returned 

to television with his new 

show "Family Time With 

Kapil Sharma", which 

didn't get the expected response. 

The show went off 

on a break after only two 

episodes, soon after the 

controversy with the journalist 

broke. 

While his former 

girlfriend Preeti Simoes 

commented on his "deteriorated 

mental health", 

his former colleague Ali 

Asgar said after a recent 

meeting with him that 

Kapil was in tears, could 

not speak and had Simoes' 

name written on his hand. 

Kapil, who is now dating 

Ginni, said he was 

very happy together with 

her (Ginni). 

"What is most damaging 

and hurtful is when 

comments are made by 

those people that you consider 

your friends and 

your well-wishers. Over 

the years, I have always 

been about my work and 

that is what continues to 

drive me. Irrespective of 

what is said, my work will 

continue to be my biggest 

motivation," Kapil told 

IANS. 

He says that in stressful 

times, he tries to take 

short breaks to spend 

some quality time with his 

loved ones. 

"It is hurtful to read 

things which are not true. 

I am learning to focus only 

on my work and not pay 

heed to any negativity. 

My work is my worship 

and that's what means the 

most to me," said the comedian. 

There has been much 

talk about whether Kapil 

will ever reunite with 

his former colleagues of 

"Comedy Nights With 

Kapil". 

"I am very happy for 

them, and in the same 

way, I would just want 

them to be happy for me 

too. There is ample space 

for them to grow in the 

industry and I wish them 

the very best," he says 

Kejriwal discharged in 

DDCA defamation case 


New Delhi : A court here 

on Thursday discharged 

Chief Minister Arvind 

Kejriwal and suspended 

BJP parliamentarian Kirti 

Azad in a criminal defamation 

complaint filed by the 

Delhi and District Cricket 

Association (DDCA) and its 

then Vice-President Chetan 

Chauhan. 

Additional Chief Metropolitan 

Magistrate Samar 

Vishal allowed Kejriwal's 

application for discharge, 

saying that there was not 

an iota of evidence that the 

DDCA or any official were 

personally defamed by his 

statement. 

Chauhan, in February 

2016, filed a defamation case 

against Kejriwal and Azad 

and accused them of defaming 

the cricket body by passing 

"scandalous" remarks. 

Referring to Kejriwal's 

interview to a news channel 

wherein he allegedly said 

that sexual favours were 

sought for selecting players, 

the complainant alleged 

that "false" charges were 

levelled against the cricket 

association. 

The plea claimed that 

Kejriwal's "false" statements 

were immediately 

endorsed and repeated by 

Azad. The complainant said 

the accused (Kejriwal and 

Azad) had severely damaged 

the credibility and 

reputation of the complainant 

(DDCA) in the eyes of 

thousands of cricket lovers 

and citizens of India as well 

as internationally.

The International News Weekly india 

10 


KLF chief dies of 

‘cardiac arrest’ in jail 

Continued from page 01 

Additional DGP (Prisons) IPS Sahota has asked 

IG (Prisons) Roop Kumar Arora to oversee the proceedings. 

Mintoo, sources said, was being treated for a 

heart ailment for the past three years and was to be 

taken to the PGI for a checkup on April 20. 

Mintoo was grilled by multiple agencies over 

the past few years. 

He attended proceedings from the jail premises 

via video conferencing in a court case in Jalandhar 

at 2 pm on Wednesday. After he returned to his cell, 

he complained of chest pain and uneasiness around 

4.15 pm. 

“The doctor confirmed that Mintoo had suffered 

a cardiac arrest and we shifted him to Government 

Rajindra Hospital, where he was declared brought 

dead,” said Jail Superintendent Rajan Kapur. 

“Since Mintoo was an ‘A’ category accused, he 

used to undergo trial through video conferencing,” 

he said. 

A post-mortem would be conducted on Thursday. 

In November 2014, Mintoo was arrested by Punjab 

Police from the IGI airport on his return from 

Thailand. At the time, he was accused of involvement 

in 10 terror cases. Mintoo had used Thailand 

as a base to mobilise funds to enlist support for 

Khalistan and radicalise youth. 

He travelled across Europe and South-East Asia 

on a fake Malaysian passport and frequented Pakistan. 

In November 2016, Mintoo escaped from the 

Nabha jail along with five others, including gangster 

Vicky Gounder who was killed in an encounter 

earlier this year. Mintoo, with a trimmed beard 

and moustache, was arrested the next day. 

Modi warns Pak on terrorism 

Continued from page 01 

I am proud of my soldiers. 

The soldiers executed 

the surgical strike 

without making a single 

mistake and with 100 per 

cent perfection. And they 

returned before sunrise," 

Modi said. 

He said he had told 

the Army to announce the 

strikes to media after informing 

Pakistan. He said 

Pakistani authorities were 

initially hesitant to take 

the calls but came on line 

around 12 noon the next 

day after which the media 

was informed about them. 

"...And look at our good 

intention. I told the army 

officer in-charge that before 

announcing the news 

in India, he should inform 

the Pakistan army first 

about the strike and they 

may remove the bodies if 

they want to," he added. 

Pakistan has maintained 

that no surgical 

strikes were carried out 

by India. New Delhi has 

been accusing Pakistan of 

sponsoring cross-border 

terrorism. Referring to the 

foreign policy, Modi said 

India was dealing with all 

countries in the world on 

equal terms and was taking 

independent decisions 

in its dealings with countries 

such as Israel, Saudi 

Arabia and Iran. He said 

India has made its place in 

international fora and was 

setting the agenda. 

Referring to outrage 

over rape incidents, Modi 

said: "A rape is a rape. How 

can we tolerate this exploitation 

of our daughters?" 

He said comparing statistics 

of rapes in different 

governments was a worse 

way to deal with the issue 

and referred to his speech 

from the the Red Fort 

where he said people need 

to teach their sons to treat 

girls with respect. 

Modi took veiled potshots 

at Congress President 

Rahul Gandhi. "I do 

not need to read books 

to understand poverty. I 

have lived in poverty, I 

know what it is to be poor 

and belong to the backward 

sections of society. I 

want to work for the poor, 

the marginalised and the 

downtrodden," he said. 

Modi said a wrong tendency 

had developed over 

the years of people getting 

overly dependent on the 

government. "Mahatma 

Gandhi made the struggle 

of freedom a people's movement. 

I am making development 

a people's movement," 

he said. 

He said people have 

more expectations from 

the BJP-led government as 

they have faith that it can 

deliver. Modi also accused 

the Congress of promoting 

legacy of one family and 

said many people of the 

country were not aware 

of contribution of Lord 

Basaveshwara. Lord Basaveshwara 

hailed from 

Karnataka where assembly 

polls will be held next 

month. 

Modi said he welcomes 

criticism as it makes democracy 

strong. 

Modi referred to his 

government's initiatives 

including Ayushman 

Bharat and doubling farmers 

income by 2022. He said 

he was not born with an 

aim to be in history books 

and that 125 crore people 

of India were his family. "I 

am like any common citizen." 

Referring to his personal 

life, Modi said: My 

life at the Railway Station 

taught me so much. It was 

about my personal struggles. 

When you said Royal 

Palace, it is not about me 

but about the 125 crore 

people of India," he said. 

Punjab Sikh woman pilgrim converts to Islam, remarries in Pakistan 


The woman, Kiran 

Bala, who left for Pakistan 

on a pilgrimage as part of 

the Shiromani Gurdwara 

Parbandhak Committee 

(SGPC) delegation on April 

12, reportedly went missing 

on April 16. 

She went to Pakistan 

on her Indian passport 

with Pakistan visa valid 

till April 21. 

As per Pakistani media 

reports, the woman embraced 

Islam from Darul- 

Aloom Jamia Naeemia 

in Lahore on April 16 

and later performed 'nikah' 

(marriage) with Muhammed 

Azam, a resident 

of Hanjarwal Multan Road 

in Lahore. 

However, what is curious 

is that in her application 

for extension of the 

Pakistan visa, her name is 

typed as Amna Bibi while 

the signature has been 

done as Amina. 

She has applied for 

extension of visa, citing 

"threats of assassination" 

to her life in India, before 

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs in Islamabad, 

a report in Daily Times 

said. 

The News also posted 

pictures of the woman and 

her visa extension application 

on its website. 

Around 1,700 Indian 

pilgrims had gone to Pakistan 

to visit Sikh shrines, 

including Panja Sahib 

Gurdwara near Lahore 

and Nankana Sahib -- the 

birth place of Sikhism 

founder Guru Nanak Dev, 

on the occasion of Baisakhi 

on April 13. 

Kiran Bala, 31, a widow, 

is the mother of three. 

She was living with her inlaws 

at their village house 

in Garhshankar sub-division 

of Punjab, around 90 

km from Chandigarh. 

The children are with 

their aged grandparents. 

Their father had passed 

away in 2013. 

"I had dropped my 

daughter-in-law with 

SGPC officials in Amritsar 

on April 10 for the pilgrimage 

in Pakistan. The 'jatha' 

is expected to return on 

April 21. 

"I cannot believe what 

has happened. No one has 

contacted us officially 

from the SGPC and the 

foreign ministry. I want 

my daughter-in-law to be 

returned safely," Tarsem 

Singh, a Sikh religious 

preacher in his village, 

told the media. 

Tarsem Singh alleged 

that Kiran Bala could be in 

touch with the Pakistani 

man (whom she has reportedly 

married) through 

social media, particularly 

Facebook. 

He alleged that she 

was using social media 

frequently on her mobile 

phone in the past one 

month. 

The visit of the Indian 

pilgrims to Pakistan has 

been mired in controversies 

in the past one week 

with Pakistani agencies 

and officials denying permission 

to Indian embassy 

officials there from meeting 

the visiting delegation 

members. 

SC rejects plea for SIT probe into 

Judge Loya's death 

New York : The Supreme Court on 

Thursday dismissed petition seeking SIT 

probe into the death of Judge Loya who was 

earlier holding trial in the Shorabuddin 

Sheikh staged shoot out case. 

Holding that there was absolutely no 

merit in the petition, a bench of Chief Justice 

Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar 

and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, said that 

Judge Loya had met a natural death. 

The judgment pronounced by Justice 

Chandrachud took exception to the way the 

Public Interest Litigation was filed and the 

insinuation were levelled against the committee 

of administrators of Bombay High 

Court and the judges of the Supreme court 

in the course of the hearing of the matter. 

However, the court said that it was not 

initiating civil contempt against the petitioner 

for scandalising the judiciary.

The International News Weekly india 


11 

All 5 accused in Makkah Masjid blast acquitted 


Hyderabad: Eleven years after 

a powerful explosion killed nine 

people and injured over 50 during 

Friday prayers near the iconic 

Charminar here, a National Investigation 

Agency (NIA) court here on 

Monday acquitted all five accused 

in the Makkah Masjid case. 

A lawyer for one of the accused 

told reporters outside the Nampally 

criminal court complex that the 

court held that the prosecution had 

failed to prove the charges. 

Hindu right-wing group Abhinav 

Bharat members Nabakumar 

Sarkar alias Swamy Aseemanand, 

Devender Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, 

Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar alias 

Bharat Bhai and Rajender Chowdhary, 

who were charged by the NIA, 

were all acquitted. 

The explosion ripped through 

the mosque on May 18, 2007. Two 

live IEDs were also recovered by 

police and defused. Later, five more 

people were killed in subsequent 

police firing on a crowd outside the 

mosque. 

There were a total of eight accused 

in the case. One, Sunil Joshi, 

a RSS pracharak, was murdered 

during the course of investigation. 

Two other accused, Sandeep V. 

Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra, 

both RSS activists, still elude the 

investigators. Monday's judgement 

was about five accused who were 

chargesheeted by NIA. 

A total of three chargesheets 

were filed by the Central Bureau of 

Investigation (CBI) and the NIA in 

the sensational case that took many 

twists and turns. 

The city police, which initially 

took up investigation, blamed Harkatul 

Jihad Islami and rounded up 

about 100 Muslim youths. All those 

arrested and jailed were acquitted 

in 2008 and the subsequent investigations 

by the CBI in 2010 revealed 

that the blast was the handiwork 

of Hindu rightwing group Abhinav 

Bharat. The case was handed over 

to NIA on April 4, 2011. 

The fact-finding committee of 

the National Minorities Commission 

found that the innocent youth 

were arrested on charges of terrorism 

and police kept them in illegal 

confinement and tortured them. 

In 2012, the government of then 

united Andhra Pradesh paid a compensation 

of Rs.3 lakh each to 26 

people who were acquitted and Rs 

20,000 each to 50 people others were 

let off the police after questioning. 

According to the chargesheet, 

the accused were "angered by terrorist 

attacks committed on Hindus 

and their temples" and conspired to 

"avenge" such acts with attacks on 

Muslim places of worship and places 

densely populated by Muslims. 

The chargesheet also mentioned 

that Aseemanand made a 

confessional statement before a 

metropolitan magistrate in Delhi. 

He had allegedly disclosed 

the conspiracy behind the bomb 

blasts in different places, including 

Makkah Masjid. Aseemanand 

allegedly retracted the statement 

later. 

Internet and satellite existed 

since Mahabharata era: BJP leader 

AGARTALA : Tripura 

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar 

Deb claimed that internet 

and satellite are not 

something new but existed 

since the Mahabharata era. 

Speaking at a Regional 

Workshop on Computerisation 

and Reforms at Pragna 

Bhawan in Agartala, Deb 

said that the internet was 

invented by India lakhs of 

years ago. 

"Internet and satellite 

communication had existed 

in the days of Mahabharata. 

How could Sanjaya (the 

charioteer of King Dhritarashtra) 

give a detailed account 

and description to the 

blind king about the battle 

of Kurukshetra? It means 

internet was there, the satellites 

and that technology was 

there in this country at that 

time," he said. 

The BJP leader said that 

the European nations and 

the United States may claim 

that it is their invention, but 

it is actually India's technology. 

"Internet and satellite 

system had existed in India 

during lakhs of years ago. 

The richest culture belongs 

to our nation and I feel proud 

of it. Even today in internet 

and software technology, we 

are ahead. See Microsoft, it 

may be a U.S. company but 

most of its engineers are all 

from our country," he added. 

The Tripura Chief Minister 

viewed that since the era 

of the Mahabharata, India 

was top in technology but 

somehow in the middle, it 

got lost. 

"But, again today India 

has regained its position in 

technology in the world and 

it can be proved from the fact 

that a large number of software 

engineers play a vital 

role in the US companies," 

the Chief Minister said. 

Deb further said that 

Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi has given a big push to 

digitisation by making it accessible 

to citizens across the 

country. 

Security up in Pathankot after 

suspected terrorist movement 

Pathankot: Security has been beefed 

up and search operations are being carried 

out around the border belt of Punjab, particularly 

in Pathankot district, following 

reports of terrorist movement in the vicinity. 

Acting on a tip-off on Thursday morning, 

the security forces immediately spread 

out in large numbers and searched various 

locations in the region.The ITI building, 

where the suspects were reportedly spotted, 

was also thoroughly checked. Suspicious 

men stopped a Maruti Alto car belonging 

to a Maskin Ali late on Sunday night asking 

for a lift. However, Ali who was with 

his relatives, suspected that the hitchhikers 

could be terrorists; hence he left the car and 

ran away.Ali later informed Punjab Police 

about the same after which the search operation 

was launched on Monday morning.“ 

Some men claiming to be a part of Army 

asked me for a lift. I let them in but soon realised 

they weren’t armymen. As we tried to 

escape they attacked us, during our tussle 

they fled with my car. We informed police 

about this at night (on Sunday) itself,” Ali 

said.Talking to ANI, Inspector General 

Border Zone SPS Parmar said, “There were 

such inputs since past three to four days 

that some suspicious movement has been 

spotted. We reacted accordingly but till now 

nothing substantial has been found. We are 

collaborating with other agencies too and 

the search is on.”The security has been 

beefed up and check posts have been alerted. 

1993 blasts death row convict Tahir 

Merchant dead 


Pune: M Tahir Merchant 

alias Tahir Takla, one of 

the convicts in the March 

1993 Mumbai serial blasts 

who was sentenced to 

death, died of a heart attack 

here on Wednesday, a 

police officer said. 

Merchant, who was 

lodged in the Yerawada 

Central Jail, suffered a 

heart attack in the prison 

around 3 a.m. and was 

rushed to the Sassoon Hospital. 

However, he failed to 

respond to the treatment 

and breathed his last 

around 3.45 a.m., said Additional 

Director General 

of Police (Prisons) B.K. 

Upadhyay. 

On September 7, 2017, 

Merchant, 55, was sentenced 

to death by a Special 

TADA Court here for 

conspiring, facilitating 

and knowingly commissioning 

acts of terror leading 

to the March 1993 serial 

bomb explosions which 

rocked Mumbai. 

But in December 2017, 

the Supreme Court stayed 

the sentence. 

Despite his unassuming 

appearance, Merchant 

was a part of the 'inner 

circle' of confidantes of 

absconder mafia don Dawood 

Ibrahim Kaskar 

and Tiger Memon, the two 

prime accused in the serial 

bomb blasts. Like the 

Memons family and other 

accused, he too fled the 

country shortly after the 

blasts but was caught in 

Abu Dhabi in 2010. 

Soon after the blasts, 

a Mumbai court issued a 

non-bailable arrest warrant 

against him. 

Merchant had taken 

part in the blast conspiracy, 

hatched at Dawood's 

homes in Dubai, along 

with Tiger Memon. 

Besides, Merchant 

was found guilty of sending 

some of the accused to 

Pakistan to acquire training 

in handling weapons 

and explosives, according 

to the investigators. 

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The International News Weekly India 


President in J&K, condemns Kathua rape 


Jammu : President Ram 

Nath Kovind arrived here 

on Wednesday and strongly 

condemned the gang rape 

and murder of an eight-yearold 

girl in Kathua in Jammu 

and Kashmir. 

"Such an incident happening 

in our country after 

70 years of independence 

is shameful. We have to decide 

what kind of a society 

we are developing into," the 

President said at the sixth 

convocation of the Shri Mata 

Vaishno Devi University at 

Katra town. 

"It is our duty to ensure 

that such a thing does not 

happen in future to any of 

our daughters or sisters." 

The President, who is on 

a two-day visit to the state, 

said the success of a society 

lay in the kind of protection 

it provides to its children. 

He said the greatest 

achievement of any human 

being is tolerance and respect 

for others. 

Asking students to draw 

inspiration from his predecessor 

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 

who inaugurated the university, 

Kovind asked them 

to learn from the life and 

struggles faced by the former 

President. 

"Respect and tolerance of 

fellow human beings makes 

one a good human being. If 

one becomes a doctor or an 

engineer tomorrow, he will 

be a better doctor or engineer 

only if he is a good human being," 

the President added. 

Kovind said Kalam did 

not just prove to be a great 

scientist, but he was a great 

human being who always 

supported the right to education 

for children. 

Chief Minister Mehbooba 

Mufti, also speaking on 

the occasion, lamented that 

something was wrong with 

a society where men indulge 

in the rape and murder of a 

child who is a manifestation 

of the Mother Goddess. 

"How can someone do 

such a cruel thing to a small 

girl who is a manifestation 

of Mata Vaishno Devi, there 

is something wrong with the 

society," she said. 

Kovind arrived here earlier 

amid tight security. He 

was received by Governor 

N.N. Vohra and Mehbooba. 

All eight men accused in 

the brutal rape and murder 

of the girl from the nomadic 

Media houses to pay Rs 10 lakh 

each for identifying rape victim 

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed 12 media organisations 

to pay Rs 10 lakh each as compensation for disclosing the identity 

of an eight-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Jammu 

and Kashmir's Kathua district. The media houses are The Times Of 

India, The Indian Express, NDTV, The Hindu, Republic TV, Deccan 

Chronicle, Navbharat Times, The Week, The Pioneer, Firstpost, The 

Statesman and India TV, court documents showed. 

Ex-J&K minister stages protest march 

Former Jammu and Kashmir minister Choudhary Lal Singh staged 

a protest march demanding a CBI probe in the Kathua rape and 

murder case. Singh stepped down as the Forest Minister along with 

Chander Prakash Ganga, who held the industries portfolio in the 

PDP-BJP government, after a public outcry over their participation 

in Hindu Ekta Manch rally which was held in defence of the accused 

in the crime. 

Bakerwal community in January 

have been arrested. 

The case will be heard on 

April 28 in the court of the 

Chief Judicial Magistrate of 

Kathua. 

Girl gets parents booked 

for accepting money to 

‘settle’ rape case 

New Delhi: An 18 year old girl from Delhi got her parents 

booked for accepting money to settle a rape case. The girl, who 

had been raped by two men in 2017, showed great resolve and 

courage and decided not to stay quiet. 

After she was raped, she filed a case against the two men, 

who were subsequently arrested. One of the men, who got out 

on bail, offered the parents of the girl 20 lakh rupees on condition 

that they withdraw the case against the men. The parents, 

who are financially weak, readily accepted. Their daughter, 

however, approached the police and informed them about this 

‘settlement’. 

The girl told the police that she had been raped by two 

men, who kidnapped her and after raping her, left her in an 

abandoned spot. Sunil Shahi, one of the accused who was out 

on bail, approached her parents and made the offer. The parents 

readily agreed and even took an advance of 5 lakh rupees 

in order to convince their daughter to take back the case. 

“I completely denied taking back the case, but my parents 

didn’t back out either. They kept trying to convince me and 

I stuck to my stand. The next morning they thrashed me and 

blackmailed me, saying that they were poor and needed that 

money,” she said. 

After thrashing her, the parents left for the court. The 

girl came out of the room she was hiding in, and finding the 

bag that contained the money, rushed to the Aman Vihar Police 

Station. After narrating the entire incident to the police, 

a case under IPC Sections 195 (A) (threatening any person to 

give false evidence), 506 (threatening any person to give false 

evidence) and 120 (B) (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 

Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act was registered. 

A team was formed to investigate the matter, and upon 

reaching the girl’s house, arrested the mother. The father, who 

heard the commotion, fled from the spot. Efforts are underway 

to locate him and arrest him as well.An 18 year old girl from 

Delhi got her parents booked for accepting money to settle a 

rape case. The girl, who had been raped by two men in 2017, 

showed great resolve and courage and decided not to stay quiet. 

After she was raped, she filed a case against the two men, 

who were subsequently arrested. One of the men, who got out 

on bail, offered the parents of the girl 20 lakh rupees on condition 

that they withdraw the case against the men. The parents, 

who are financially weak, readily accepted. Their daughter, 

however, approached the police and informed them about this 

‘settlement’. The girl told the police that she had been raped by 

two men, who kidnapped her and after raping her, left her in 

an abandoned spot. Sunil Shahi, one of the accused who was 

out on bail, approached her parents and made the offer. The 

parents readily agreed and even took an advance of 5 lakh rupees 

in order to convince their daughter to take back the case. 

Do not teach me how to run Punjab after 

ruining it for 10 years, Capt to Sukhbir 

Chandigarh: In a hardhitting 

reaction to Akali 

president Sukhbir Singh 

Badal’s ridiculous and uncalled 

for statement on his 

style of functioning, Punjab 

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder 

Singh on Sunday said 

he did not need any lessons 

from the former deputy chief 

minister, who had devastated 

the state with his mis-governance 

during the 10-year 

SAD-BJP rule. 

Given his own total failure 

on the governance front, 

as was evident from the 

complete mess into which 

the erstwhile government 

had plunged the state, Sukhbir 

had no locus standi to 

comment on anyone’s governance 

style, said the Chief 

Minister, in a statement issued 

here. 

Captain Amarinder 

Singh said Sukbir’s statement 

was totally senseless, 

conveying nothing more 

than his frustration over his 

party’s virtual effacement 

from the state’s political 

85-yr-old man booked on charges of 

raping pregnant Ludhiana woman 

scene. It was not his (Captain 

Amarinder’s) control 

(or lack of it) that Sukhbir 

should worry about, but his 

own loss of control in SAD, 

and more importantly, in 

Punjab’s political dispensation, 

said the Chief Minister. 

Unlike the Akalis, led by 

the Badals, the Chief Minister 

said he believed in giving 

a free hand to his civil 

and police administration to 

function efficiently without 

fear or favour so that they 

can deliver effectively in line 

with the promises and policies 

of his government. 

The bureaucrats and 

police officials had been totally 

stifled by the Badals, 

he pointed out, adding that if 

that was the ‘control’ Sukhbir 

was referring to, then he 

was happy and proud not to 

be exercising the same, added 

the CM. Had he not given 

a free hand to the police, the 

gang wars, the targeted killings 

and the desecrations 

that had destroyed the state’s 

law and order under the Akali 

regime would still have 

been continuing, the Chief 

Minister pointed out. 

The bureaucracy was 

also now functioning more 

transparently than it was 

every allowed to do during 

the decade-long SAD-BJP 

rule, said Captain Amarinder 

Singh, pointing to 

the successful implementation 

of various government 

schemes by the bureaucrats. 

The Chief Minister also 

challenged Sukhbir to come 

out with even one legal remedy 

which could have enabled 

the government to reverse 

its stand before the Supreme 

Court in the Navjot Singh 

Sidhu case. 

Instead of wasting time 

in such falsehoods and propagation 

of mis-information, 

Sukhbir should invest his 

energies in securing the interests 

of Punjab with the 

central government, led by 

the SAD ally, the Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP), said the 

Chief Minister. 

Meanwhile, Finance 

Chandigarh : In a 

hard-to-believe incident, an 

85-year-old man has been 

accused of raping a married 

woman who lives in his 

neighbourhood in a village 

in Ludhiana district. 

The octogenarian man 

was booked by the police on 

Saturday for allegedly raping 

a 29-year-old woman who 

lives in his neighbourhood 

in a village in the Ludhiana 

district, Times of India reported. 

According to the police, 

the victim woman has given 

a complaint to the police on 

the helpline number 181. The 

victim alleged that the octogenarian 

man raped her last 

month when she had gone 

to his house to get water in a 

bucket. 

The investigating officer 

(IO) of the case sub-inspector 

(SI) Devinder Singh reportedly 

said the victim has four 

children and was expecting 

another child. “We are yet to 

Minister Manpreet Singh 

Badal has also lambasted 

Sukhbir for trying to mislead 

the people of Punjab with his 

blatantly false statements on 

the state’s financial situation. 

If the Badals had managed to 

generate some funds it was 

by mortgaging the state’s assets 

and not through fiscal 

management and revenue 

accretion, he said. 

Manpreet accused the 

Akalis of mortgaging not just 

the state’s properties but the 

future of its youth for many 

generations to come. They 

sold out Punjab and its interests 

in every possible way, 

leaving behind a trail of devastation, 

capped by a Rs. 2.08 

lakh crore debt burden, said 

the Finance Minister. 

Instead of apologising to 

the people or trying to make 

amends by supporting the 

Congress government’s efforts 

to bring the state back 

on the growth track, Sukhbir 

continued to behave in 

a shockingly irresponsible 

manner, said Manpreet. 

record the statement of the 

complainant, as she was not 

at home when a police party 

reached there,” SI Devinder 

Singh was quoted as saying. 

The police have lodged 

an FRI under section 376 

(rape) of the Indian Penal 

Code (IPC). Further investigation 

is on in this regard.

The International News Weekly April 20, 2018 | Toronto 

13 

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Vidya Balan adds weight 

to fight against piracy 

Shilpa Shetty to make digital 

debut as blind dating show host 


Mumbai : Actress Vidya Balan says the film industry 

needs to come together to try and put a stop to piracy, 

which continues to hamper the entertainment business. 

"I am happy to be part of this important initiative 

for the film industry. All of us need to come together and 

work towards putting a stop to piracy," Vidya tweeted 

on Wednesday. She retweeted a link shared earlier by 

Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu of a video in 

support of a campaign launched in collaboration with 

the Producers Guild of India on anti-piracy. 

In the video, Vidya takes viewers on a nostalgic trip 

about the cinema-watching experience in theatres. 

She says: "Think back of a time when you watched 

a film in a theatre with your entire family. The lights 

going dim, the flicker of a projector, the entire collective 

human experience made better by crunchy popcorn 

and hot samosas as you settled in your seat. When was 

the last time when you enjoyed such a time basking in 

this kind of a glorious cinematic experience? Cinema's 

conception in itself lies on this very principle of warmth 

and togetherness." "Indulging in piracy through easy, illegal 

downloads brutally robs us of this very experience 

which cinema was created for. Let's come together and 

pledge to stop piracy." 


Mumbai : Actress-entrepreneur 

Shilpa Shetty Kundra is set to make 

her digital debut as host "Hear Me. 

Love Me.", reality show that aims to 

redefine the concept of blind dating. 

Amazon Prime Video announced 

the show on Tuesday. 

Thrilled about her digital debut, 

Shilpa said in a statement: "I am sure 

all of us have wondered if looks are 

everything when it comes to dating. 

"'Hear Me. Love Me.' puts this 

concept to the test. The format of 

this unusual and edgy reality 

show revolves around dating 

through the heart. The show 

tries to uncover what each 

contestant values the most 

in their date." 

The show combines 

modern day technology 

with the rules of old 

world romance to uncover 

the perfect recipe 

for love. 

The format takes 

a single young 

woman looking for 

love and sets her 

up on three dates 

in a single day. The 

catch? She is not allowed 

to see what 

her dates look like. 

Produced by FremantleMedia 

India, the series provides a 

window into what contemporary 

India thinks of 

love, romance and dating. 

Vijay Subramaniam, 

Director, Content, 

Amazon Prime 

Video India, said: 

"This show is fun and 

fresh. It is based on 

the premise of choosing 

a date, but with a 

big twist and in a never 

before seen format in India." 

The makers considered 

Shilpa a "great fit" to host the 

show, in which young women between 

21 to 32 years of age, with different 

aspirations and from different 

walks of life, make an attempt to find 

love and companionship. 

"Shilpa's innate warmth and 

joie de vivre blend beautifully 

with the show format to create 

irresistible entertainment, said 

Aradhana Bhola, Managing Director, 

FremantleMedia India. 

"Hear Me. Love Me." is produced 

in seven countries, and was 

originally devised by Fremantle- 

Media's Israeli production company 

Abot Hameiri. 

Helping a cause makes me 

happy: Akshay Kumar 


Mumbai : Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, 

who is increasingly supporting social 

causes and cinema with a 

purpose, says helping a cause 

and spreading awareness 

among people makes him 

happy. 

Akshay has come on 

board as the face of a Happy 

Heart India campaign by 

Asian Heart Institute and 

The Times of India. It aims to 

promote a healthy lifestyle for a 

healthy heart and happy life. As part 

of this, 200 underprivileged children 

will get free heart surgery, read a 

statement. 

"Seeing a child suffer 

an ailment and have 

little or no power to help 

them makes parents feel 

hurt. I am glad that this 

initiative will help 200 

children and their families 

live a happy life. Helping 

a cause and reaching 

out to people for the same 

is what makes me happy," 

Akshay said. 

The actor has himself 

been a long-term advocate 

in spreading a word on the 

importance of a healthy lifestyle. 

"I have always wanted to be a part of 

something that spreads smiles and joy to 

people who need it the most. I personally 

believe that having a healthy heart guarantees 

a happier and longer life," said 

Akshay, urging people to come forward 

and help in making sure that 

"a heart reaches to the deprived". 

The campaign allows people 

to nominate patients from 

humble backgrounds, less than 

12 years of age and in need for 

heart surgery.

The International News Weekly April 20, 2018 | Toronto 

15

The International News Weekly Sports 


CWG gold-medallist had to sit on the 

floor at her own felicitation ceremony 

Chandigarh : Haryana’s 

sports sensation 

Manu Bhaker, the 15-yrold 

shooting prodigy who 

has consistently made India 

proud by settling for 

nothing less than gold in 

any sports event she has 

participated till now, most 

recently winning gold at 

the just concluded Commonwealth 

Games in Gold 

coast got a taste of humiliation 

in her own state, despite 

her laurels. 

At a felicitation ceremony 

organised by Phogat 

Khap in the town of 

Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, 

Manu had to sit on the ground to vacate chairs for the local VIPs who had come to felicitate her. 

As per visuals released 

by TV channels, she was 

first seen sitting on a chair 

with garlands but she had 

to vacate the chair when 

more local district officials 

arrived for the ceremony. 

According to mediapersons 

present at the event, 

the District Public Relation 

Officer, asked the TV 

journalists to delete video 

footage of Manu sitting on 

the floor. One of the cameramen 

had the photos, 

that is how the incident 

could come in public domain 

for everyone to see 

how sportspersons are 

treated at the grassroots 

level, despite tall claims by 

the state machinery. 

However, terming it as 

her daughter’s ‘traditional 

values’, Manu Bhaker’s father 

tried to play it down 

by saying that the goldmedalist 

left her chair for 

the elders and presented 

an example for today’s 

younger generation. It is to 

be mentioned her mother 

too was seen sitting on the 

floor with her. 

Earlier, this week the 

Haryana government had 

given cheques of Rs 1.5 

crore to the winners from 

the state who won at the 

Commonwealth Games. 

Ready to roar for my next 

fight, says P.V. Sindhu 

New Delhi : On the back of her gruelling 

final match at the 21st Commonwealth 

Games (CWG), ace shuttler 

P.V. Sindhu says no loss is ever 

enough to stop her from believing 

in herself, and she is once again 

ready to roar. 

Sindhu, who led the Indian 

contingent at the glittering opening 

ceremony which launched the 

CWG in Gold Coast, Australia, 

was defeated by Indian star shuttler Saina 

Nehwal in the much-anticipated women's 

singles summit clash. Nehwal won the gold 

medal while Sindhu bagged the silver. 

Now that Sindhu, brand ambassador of 

sports drink brand Gatorade, is back in the 

country, she has penned an open letter on 

her never-say-die attitude. 

"One more down but many more to go! 

As much as I had given my all to this game, 

I am once again ready to roar for my next 

fight, to finish and win. This is my journey, 

the journey of a sportsperson, every 

feat accomplished is followed 

by zeroing on the next target. 

"No loss is ever enough, neither 

one nor many to stop me 

from believing in myself. Every 

time I miss a return, every time 

my shot fails to clear the net and 

every time I hit it long -- I remind 

myself, it is not done until I am done," Sindhu 

wrote. 

Sindhu, who had earlier made India 

proud at the Rio Olympics, where she 

thrashed Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the 

women's singles badminton semi-final, becoming 

the first Indian woman to win a silver 

medal at the quadrennial event, said it 

was a proud feeling to stand on the CWG podium 

and receive a medal for the country. 

Late Ronaldo strike boosts Real Madrid 

Madrid : An outstanding 

performance by the goalkeeper 

Real Madrid coach 

Zinedine Zidane passed on 

during the January transfer 

window left the multiple 

European champions 

needing some Cristiano 

Ronaldo magic in the final 

minutes to avoid a loss to 

Athletic Club Bilbao. 

With the domestic title 

out of reach, La Liga has become 

almost a distraction 

for Real Madrid as they 

pursue their third consecutive 

Champions League 

crown, reports EFE news 

agency. 

But the man guarding 

the Athletic goal here on 

Wednesday, Kepa Arrizabalaga, 

focused exclusively 

on the task at hand and the 

display he put on at the 

Bernabeu is likely to give 

Zidane second thoughts 

about his decision against 

signing the visiting goalkeeper 

when he had the 

opportunity. The hosts got 

chances early. The crossbar 

repelled a thunderous 

header by Ronaldo, while 

Kepa made an initial stop 

against Marco Asensio before 

denying Cristiano's 

rebound try. 

In the 14th minute, Athletic's 

Iñigo Cordoba spotted 

a gap in the Blancos defense 

and got the ball deep 

to Iñaki Williams, who beat 

keeper Keylor Navas to put 

the visitors up 1-0. 

Real Madrid responded 

and Kepa continued to 

meet the challenge, stopping 

Cristiano from close 

range and Marcelo's effort 

from distance. Asensio was 

the protagonist of the final 

play of the first half, racing 

down the field to catch 

up with a deep ball to the 

corner flag and beating the 

last defender to deliver the 

shot, only to see Kepa make 

the save. 

Novak Djokovic earns 1st Masters win of 2018 

Monaco : Serbia's Novak Djokovic earned his first Masters 1,000 win this year 

after defeating fellow Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-0, 6-1 in the first round of the Rolex 

Monte-Carlo Masters. World No.13 Djokovic needed just 56 minutes to beat his rival 

and concluded the Monday night's match without giving up a single break point of 

the four his opponent had, reports EFE news agency. 

The 30-year-old Serbian, ninth-seed, competes at the Monte-Carlo Masters for the 

12th time, after claiming the title in 2013 and 2015. Djokovic, who reunited with coach 

Marian Vajda, is set to play the next round against Indian Wells semi-finalist Borna 

Coric of Croatia, who defeated Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-3 on Monday. 

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