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Issue No : <strong>52</strong><br />
Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 June 29, 2018 | Pages 12<br />
Navdeep Bains becomes 1st Liberal<br />
candidate to be nominated<br />
<strong>The</strong> Liberals have nominated<br />
their first candidate for next year’s<br />
federal election. At a Toronto-area<br />
rally Wednesday evening that included<br />
a speech by Prime Minister<br />
Justin Trudeau, Navdeep Bains was<br />
acclaimed as the Liberal candidate in<br />
Mississauga-Malton.<br />
<strong>The</strong> minister of innovation, science<br />
and economic development says<br />
he will run a positive campaign and<br />
will steer clear of fear-based politics.<br />
He says the economy will be the party’s<br />
number-one priority.<br />
Trudeau, meantime, doubled<br />
down on his positive approach and the<br />
Ford will build Memorial to<br />
Honour <strong>Canadian</strong> Heroes of<br />
the War in Afghanistan<br />
TORONTO: Premier-Designate<br />
Doug Ford today<br />
committed to building<br />
Ontario’s first provincial<br />
public memorial to honour<br />
<strong>Canadian</strong> heroes of<br />
the war in Afghanistan.<br />
Ford made this announcement<br />
while addressing<br />
a joint Federal-<br />
Provincial-Territorial<br />
meeting with the Department<br />
of National Defence<br />
and <strong>Canadian</strong> Armed<br />
Forces.<br />
“A new generation of<br />
heroes, who fought bravely<br />
against the terrorists<br />
of Al Qaeda and the Taliban,<br />
walk among us,” said<br />
Ford.<br />
Continued on page 02<br />
Punjab: Mass movement against drugs launched on<br />
social media, Amarinder under fire for staying mum<br />
Divya Goyal (<strong>The</strong> Indian Express)<br />
Chandigarh: With<br />
several drug-related<br />
deaths reported from various<br />
districts in Punjab in a<br />
week, a non-political mass<br />
movement against drugs<br />
especially chitta (heroin)<br />
has been launched by the<br />
people on social media.<br />
<strong>The</strong> movement has been<br />
named ‘Chittey De Virodh<br />
Vich Kaala Hafta- Maro<br />
Jaan Virodh Karo’(Black<br />
Week Against Drugs- Either<br />
Die or Protest).<br />
“sunny ways” campaign that brought<br />
his party to power in 2015.<br />
He says negativity will surround<br />
both him and the party in the year<br />
ahead.<br />
“Around the world, the politics<br />
of division, of polarization, of populism<br />
are taking more and more hold,”<br />
Trudeau said to a cheering crowd of<br />
hundreds at a convention centre in<br />
Mississauga, Ont.<br />
“We have to demonstrate here in<br />
Canada, for ourselves, for our communities,<br />
for our kids — but also for the<br />
world — that those don’t always work.”<br />
Continued on page 02<br />
Consulate General of<br />
India, Toronto hosted<br />
an Interactive Open<br />
House Session<br />
<strong>The</strong> Consulate General of India, Toronto hosted an Interactive<br />
Open House Session with the Indian and Indo-<strong>Canadian</strong><br />
community organizations on 19 June 2018 at Etobicoke.<br />
Continued on page 12<br />
Last week, a video<br />
from Faridkot’s Kotkapura<br />
went viral in which<br />
a youth Balwinder Singh<br />
was seen lying in a garbage<br />
dump with a syringe<br />
injected in his veins. Another<br />
video of Gurbhej<br />
Singh from Tarn Taran’s<br />
Dhotian village also went<br />
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U.S. Supreme Court rules in<br />
Trump's favour on travel ban<br />
<strong>The</strong> U.S. Supreme<br />
Court handed Donald<br />
Trump one of the biggest<br />
victories of his presidency<br />
on June 26, upholding<br />
his travel ban targeting<br />
several Muslim-majority<br />
countries.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 5-4 ruling, with the<br />
court's five conservatives<br />
in the majority and Chief<br />
Justice John Roberts writing<br />
the decision, ends for<br />
now a fierce fight in the<br />
courts over whether the<br />
policy represented an unlawful<br />
Muslim ban.<br />
Continued on page 04<br />
Padma Shri Dr SS Johl (centre) takes oath during a seminar on drugs in<br />
Ludhiana. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)<br />
Faith leaders<br />
denounce ruling<br />
<strong>The</strong> pastor of the church that<br />
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.<br />
once led has condemned the<br />
decision.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rev. Raphael Warnock of<br />
Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta<br />
said the ban was about<br />
imposing a "religious test"<br />
on those entering the United<br />
States.<br />
He said, "<strong>The</strong> Supreme Court's<br />
decision today was not only an<br />
injustice committed against our<br />
Muslim sisters and brothers, it's<br />
a threat to justice everywhere."<br />
Warnock stood with faith leaders<br />
from Atlanta's other religious<br />
communities in front of<br />
the church to denounce the<br />
ruling.<br />
viral in which his son was<br />
seen lying beside the body<br />
asking his father to drop<br />
him to school.<br />
Continued on page 09<br />
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<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly Canada<br />
02<br />
June 29, 2018 | Toronto<br />
Brampton MPs raise alarm with Peel police<br />
about videos of 'escalating violence'<br />
Brampton : Brampton federal<br />
MPs are raising the alarm<br />
about what they describe as "escalating<br />
violence" after several<br />
violent incidents involving local<br />
youths were reported recently.<br />
Those incidents happened<br />
particularly in the areas of Shoppers<br />
World Plaza and Sheridan<br />
College, the MPs said in a statement.<br />
Raj Grewal, the MP for<br />
Brampton East, Kamal Khera,<br />
who represents Brampton<br />
West; Ruby Sahota of Brampton<br />
North; and Sonia Sidhu, the MP<br />
for Brampton West, attended<br />
a meeting with Peel Regional<br />
Police Chief Jennifer Evans Sunday<br />
to discuss the <strong>issue</strong>.<br />
"Videos of the incidents are<br />
Navdeep Bains becomes<br />
1st Liberal candidate to<br />
be nominated<br />
Continued from page 01<br />
<strong>The</strong> Liberals said last week that more<br />
nominations will take place at “a very quick<br />
pace” throughout the summer. For most, if not<br />
all, of the 183 sitting Liberal MPs, the process<br />
will be a simple acclamation, after the party<br />
decided that incumbents won’t have to fight<br />
open nomination contests.<br />
That’s provided they meet certain conditions<br />
on fundraising and voter engagement.<br />
For the 155 ridings where the governing party<br />
isn’t in control, a number of conditions need<br />
to be met before a nomination meeting can be<br />
held.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y include: documenting that a thorough<br />
search for female candidates has been<br />
conducted; having at least 15 per cent of the<br />
election expenses limit in the bank; having<br />
at least 150 registered Liberals in the riding;<br />
and having recruited at least 15 new monthly<br />
donors. <strong>The</strong> next federal election is set for Oct.<br />
21, 2019.<br />
widely being circulated on social<br />
media and our offices have<br />
received several calls and emails<br />
regarding the escalating violence,"<br />
the statement said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most recent incident<br />
caught on video appears to<br />
have occurred at College Plaza,<br />
near Sheridan College's Brampton<br />
campus at the corner of<br />
McLaughlin Road South and<br />
Steeles Avenue West on June 20.<br />
It shows more than a dozen<br />
people throwing punches and<br />
kicking at each other, with at<br />
least one person being dragged<br />
with a group of people tugging at<br />
his shirt.<br />
Issue a priority for Peel police,<br />
superintendant says<br />
Brampton town hall on youth<br />
violence attracts hundreds<br />
More than 150 people crammed<br />
a sweltering recreation centre in<br />
Brampton on Sunday, June 24,<br />
with the hope of finding a solution<br />
to escalating incidents of violence<br />
involving youth. About 200 others<br />
had to be turned away from Jim<br />
Archdekin Recreation Centre by security<br />
guards because the room had<br />
been filled to capacity.<br />
People milled around outside,<br />
some sitting in cars, while others<br />
pressed themselves against the front<br />
door, with the hopes of getting into<br />
Sunday’s town hall meeting and<br />
panel discussion on youth violence.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event was organized by the<br />
Ontario Gurdwara Committee and<br />
United Sikhs in response to growing<br />
concern from the community as<br />
social media videos have gone viral,<br />
depicting people engaging in violent<br />
acts in the middle of the streets and<br />
parking lots in Brampton, mostly<br />
At Sunday's meeting, Supt.<br />
Stephen Blom of 22 Division said<br />
the <strong>issue</strong> is a priority for police<br />
and they have increased patrols<br />
using officers from their neighbourhood<br />
policing unit, uniform<br />
patrol and community mobilization<br />
teams.<br />
He said investigators in the<br />
Criminal Investigation Bureau<br />
are also working diligently to<br />
identify those involved.<br />
"We need to teach our young<br />
people that these are not the<br />
near the Sheridan College Davis<br />
Campus. “Everyone knows this is<br />
a complex <strong>issue</strong>,” said Peel Supt.<br />
Stephen Blom. “Everyone shares<br />
the same concerns and fears where<br />
this may be going.” As the temperature<br />
rose in the standing-room-only<br />
meeting room, tempers flared as<br />
people shouted at each other. Shouting<br />
is counteractive, said organizer<br />
Mandeep Grewal. “Let’s listen to<br />
what people have to say.”<br />
A lot of the discussion focused<br />
on whether the violence was being<br />
caused by international students or<br />
domestic students. “I don’t think it’s<br />
fair to blame it on any one <strong>issue</strong>,”<br />
said Ward 9/10 Peel District School<br />
Board (PDSB) trustee Harkirat<br />
Singh, adding that parent <strong>issue</strong>s,<br />
abuse and culture are part of the<br />
problem. “It’s complex,” Singh added.<br />
“That why the solution is going<br />
to be complex.”<br />
ways to resolve conflicts, and we<br />
need to do that together," Blom<br />
said. "I'm well aware that policing<br />
is a huge part of the solution<br />
but it's not all of it. We need your<br />
help." Meanwhile, Evans urged<br />
the community to report any violence<br />
to police.<br />
"I share the concerns of the<br />
community and want to assure<br />
the public that we are working<br />
diligently to identify those responsible<br />
for these violent acts,"<br />
she said. "We are committed to<br />
keeping our community safe, but<br />
we cannot do it alone. We need<br />
the community to help us by calling<br />
police with any information<br />
that might help us find those responsible".<br />
Police Arrest Male in Fraud Scam<br />
Peel Region : Investigators from the<br />
Fraud Bureau have arrested and charged a<br />
42 year-old Brampton man for defrauding a<br />
female resident of the City of Brampton.<br />
In August 2017 the accused Darshan<br />
DHALIWAL met the victim and advised her<br />
that he would be able to double her money if<br />
she invested in him.<br />
Darshan DHALIWAL obtained a large<br />
quantity of money and jewelry from the<br />
victim and after not receiving anything in<br />
return the victim contacted Police.<br />
Darshan DHALIWAL, a 42 year-old male<br />
from Brampton was arrested and charged<br />
on Wednesday June 27, 2018 for Fraud over<br />
$5000.00. Darshan DHALIWAL was held for<br />
a Bail Hearing and will appear before an Ontario<br />
Court of Justice in Brampton.<br />
<strong>The</strong> approximate total of $74,000.00<br />
in cash and jewelry was defrauded by<br />
Darshan DHALIWAL. Investigators believe<br />
there may be further victims who have<br />
not come forward and are requesting they<br />
contact police.<br />
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Ford will build Memorial to<br />
Honour <strong>Canadian</strong> Heroes of<br />
the War in Afghanistan<br />
Continued from page 02<br />
“Too many of those heroes are struggling with the<br />
scars of their sacrifice. As a province and as a country,<br />
we must always remember the 159 <strong>Canadian</strong>s<br />
who never returned from Afghanistan.”<br />
Ford announced<br />
that he intends to locate<br />
the Memorial to<br />
the <strong>Canadian</strong> Heroes<br />
of the War in Afghanistan<br />
within the legislative<br />
precinct at Queen’s<br />
Park. Additional details<br />
about the cost, the design<br />
and the timeline<br />
for completion will be<br />
shared with MPPs during an upcoming sitting of the<br />
legislature.<br />
“Supporting our troops and our military families<br />
should unite all <strong>Canadian</strong>s,” said Ford. “This memorial<br />
will send a clear message about the sacrifices our<br />
fellow <strong>Canadian</strong>s made to protect our values and our<br />
freedoms, lest we forget.”<br />
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<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly cANADA<br />
June 29, 2018 | Toronto<br />
03<br />
City Council unanimously passes motion<br />
to create community safety plan<br />
BRAMPTON, ON : At<br />
Council meeting, Mayor Jeffrey<br />
presented a motion that<br />
was seconded by all Council<br />
members to create a community<br />
safety and well being<br />
plan for the City of Brampton.<br />
Local Brampton MPs,<br />
Raj Grewal, Sonia Sidhu and<br />
Ramesh Sangha, delegated<br />
to City Council today in response<br />
to the disturbing social<br />
media videos that have<br />
recently gone viral. <strong>The</strong>y expressed<br />
their interest to partner<br />
with the City to address<br />
public safety and in turn<br />
advocate at the Federal level<br />
for more resources to help<br />
tackle crime. Mayor Jeffrey,<br />
along with Council, agreed<br />
that public safety is everyone’s<br />
responsibility and that<br />
all levels of government need<br />
to work together.<br />
“I believe this motion<br />
is a collective call for action<br />
and demonstrates our intention<br />
to create a local community<br />
safety and well being<br />
plan that addresses Brampton’s<br />
needs,” said Mayor<br />
Jeffrey. “Community safety<br />
must start in the community<br />
and we at the City of Brampton<br />
will work together with<br />
our regional, provincial and<br />
federal partners in an integrated<br />
approach.”<br />
Mayor Jeffrey noted that<br />
Peel Regional Police Chief,<br />
Jennifer Evans, will be appearing<br />
at Regional Council<br />
on Thursday. Regional<br />
Region of Peel : Investigators<br />
from the Peel Regional<br />
Police Homicide and Missing<br />
Persons Bureau are investigating<br />
the 8th homicide of 2018<br />
which claimed the life of a<br />
Brampton man. March 19, 2018,<br />
at approximately 5:50 p.m., officers<br />
responded to reports of an<br />
assault taking place in the area<br />
Councillors will have the<br />
opportunity to discuss public<br />
safety concerns directly<br />
with the Chief during that<br />
time. Mayor Jeffrey noted<br />
that at last week’s Police Services<br />
Board meeting, Chief<br />
Evans agreed to increased<br />
participation in all local<br />
media to address this <strong>issue</strong><br />
directly with residents.<br />
With the passage of<br />
today’s motion, City staff<br />
will begin working on a<br />
community safety and well<br />
being plan and will report<br />
back to Council with recommendations.<br />
Police Issue Warrants for Break & Enter Suspects<br />
Region of Peel : Investigators from the 12<br />
Division Criminal Investigation Bureau are<br />
investigating numerous commercial break<br />
and enter incidents in Peel and Halton Region.<br />
Between Wednesday February 28 and<br />
Tuesday June 19, 2018, three male suspects<br />
committed twelve commercial break and<br />
enters. <strong>The</strong> suspects stole approximately<br />
$200,000 in merchandise, including cellphones<br />
and cigarettes, and caused significant<br />
damage to commercial properties in<br />
the cities of Mississauga, Brampton and the<br />
town of Oakville.<br />
Arrest warrants have been <strong>issue</strong>d for<br />
Family's Request to Keep<br />
Brain Dead Brampton Woman<br />
on Life Support Denied<br />
Bramptonian Taquisha McKitty has been on life<br />
support since September, and after months of fighting, a<br />
judge has denied McKitty’s family’s request to keep her<br />
on life support any longer.<br />
According to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Canadian</strong> Press, Ontario Superior<br />
Court Justice Lucille<br />
Shaw ruled that individual<br />
values cannot<br />
interfere with medical<br />
findings on June 26, 2018.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 27-year-old woman<br />
was ruled dead on September<br />
20, 2017, after<br />
a drug overdose. "<strong>The</strong><br />
medical determination of<br />
death cannot be subject to an individual's values and beliefs,"<br />
reads Shaw’s report. "Death is a finding of fact. To<br />
import subjectivity to the definition of death would result<br />
in a lack of objectivity, certainty and clarity."<br />
McKitty was reportedly found on a Brampton sidewalk.<br />
Her parents argued that the Christian faith defines<br />
death as when the heart stops, and that doctors should<br />
take people’s beliefs into consideration before delcaring<br />
them dead. McKitty’s family was hoping the hospital<br />
would rescind the death certificate, something that’s<br />
fairly unprecedented in Canada.<br />
Shaw dismissed the faith-based arguments in her<br />
findings. While there is no legal definition of death in<br />
Ontario, doctors generally follow the principle that that<br />
a person is considered deceased when his or her brain<br />
or heart ceases to function. According to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Canadian</strong><br />
Press, McKitty's family has 30 days to appeal. An injunction<br />
keeping her on life support will remain in place for<br />
the 30-day period. <strong>The</strong> family's gofundme page claims<br />
that legal expenses are costing them $80,000.<br />
Brandon Dawson, William Barreira and<br />
Christopher Travassos-Alves for twelve<br />
counts of Break and Enter and Commit Indictable<br />
Offence. Brandon DAWSON and<br />
William BARREIRA are also wanted for one<br />
count of Dangerous Operation of a motor<br />
vehicle. Christopher TRAVASSOS-ALVES<br />
is also wanted for one count of Breach of<br />
Probation. Brandon Dawson, a 24 year-old<br />
male of Brampton, is described as male,<br />
white, 6’3’’ tall, 305 lbs, heavy build, blonde<br />
short hair, green eyes, with multiple tattoos<br />
including a moneybag with dollar sign on<br />
right ear, tear drop on his right cheek, and<br />
“DD” on left cheek.<br />
William Barreira, a 34 year-old male<br />
of Brampton, is described as male, white,<br />
5’6’’ tall, 190 lbs, heavy build, left eyebrow<br />
pierced, and multiple tattoos including “Isabella”<br />
over his right eyebrow, teardrops on<br />
his right cheek, and neck tattoo.<br />
Christopher Travassos-Alves, a 27 yearold<br />
male of Halton Hills, is described as 5’6’’<br />
tall, 122 lbs, thin build, black straight hair,<br />
brown eyes, and numerous tattoos including<br />
“Trust No One” with two ace cards on<br />
his forearm, “RACA” on his left hand, and<br />
stars on side of left hand.<br />
Fifth Arrest Made in 8th Homicide of 2018<br />
Councillor Dhillon: City Of<br />
Brampton Does Not Understand<br />
Community’s Violence Concerns<br />
BRAMPTON, ON : Councillor<br />
Gurpreet Dhillon has<br />
expressed his disappointment<br />
that Brampton City<br />
Council rejected his proposal<br />
for an immediate, shortterm<br />
strategy into the recent<br />
spike of criminal activity in<br />
the city. Instead, a motion<br />
was passed which directed<br />
the formation of a ‘Community<br />
Safety and Well-Being<br />
Plan’ for the entire Region of<br />
Peel, including Mississauga<br />
and Caledon, but not specific<br />
to Brampton. <strong>The</strong> plan<br />
passed by Council on June<br />
27th, which did not give a set<br />
timeline, will include school<br />
boards, volunteer and faith<br />
groups, community and<br />
social agencies, Peel Police,<br />
as well as the City of Brampton.<br />
<strong>The</strong> requests made by<br />
Councillor Dhillon were<br />
amendments to the approved<br />
motion, and would<br />
have directed staff to provide<br />
a short-term strategy<br />
to respond to the immediate<br />
crime and nuisance concerns<br />
raised by residents<br />
recently. However, Council<br />
deemed these amendments<br />
‘out of order’, and only<br />
of Sandalwood Parkway East<br />
and Cedarcliff Trail in the City of<br />
Brampton. Upon arrival, officers<br />
located the victim suffering from<br />
life-threatening injuries. Paviter<br />
Singh Bassi was rushed to a Toronto<br />
Trauma Centre where he<br />
later succumbed to his injuries.<br />
On June 27, 2018 investigators<br />
arrested and charged Harman<br />
Singh, a 23 year-old male<br />
from Caledon, for First Degree<br />
Murder. Harman Singhwill appear<br />
at the Ontario court of Justice<br />
in Brampton on Thursday<br />
June 28, 2018 for a bail hearing.<br />
This is the fifth person to be<br />
charged in this case. Homicide<br />
investigators previously arrested<br />
and charged the following<br />
Councillor Dhillon voting<br />
in favour after it was challenged.<br />
<strong>The</strong> amendments<br />
proposed by Councillor<br />
Dhillon would have directed<br />
staff to report back at the<br />
July 11 Council meeting<br />
with an immediate action<br />
plan related to violence and<br />
safety, cracking down on<br />
lodging houses holding 20+<br />
people, increased loitering<br />
and loud music <strong>issue</strong>, urging<br />
the Province to investigate<br />
illegal private colleges, and<br />
for the Peel Police to provide<br />
updates on recent attacks.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> City of Brampton has<br />
made it clear that it does not<br />
understand the community<br />
and its needs,” said Councillor<br />
Dhillon. “Hundreds of<br />
residents protested over the<br />
weekend, and are fearful for<br />
their safety.”<br />
Over the past few<br />
months, there has been escalated<br />
violence, mob attacks,<br />
intimidation of residents,<br />
and many videos containing<br />
the violence have circulated<br />
throughout international<br />
and social media. Staff has<br />
indicated they were made<br />
aware of the <strong>issue</strong> only last<br />
week.<br />
parties from the City of Brampton,<br />
with First Degree Murder:<br />
Karanvir Singh Bassi, a 22<br />
year-old male, Guryodh Singh<br />
Khattra, a 23 year-old male, Gurraj<br />
Bassi, a 20 year-old male, Harminder<br />
Bassi, a 24 year-old male.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no familial relationship<br />
between the victim and any of<br />
the accused parties.
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly world<br />
04<br />
June 29, 2018 | Toronto<br />
Canada's refugee claims process 'ill-equipped'<br />
to handle surge in claims, says report<br />
Canada must overhaul its<br />
refugee claim system or create<br />
a new agency that reports<br />
to the immigration minister<br />
in order to streamline and<br />
expedite the asylum process,<br />
an independent review has<br />
concluded.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 147-page report<br />
makes 64 recommendations<br />
— among them calls for a<br />
more aggressive approach<br />
and increased resources to<br />
tackle the backlog of refugee<br />
cases over two years.<br />
Neil Yeates, a retired<br />
long-time senior civil servant<br />
in the federal and Saskatchewan<br />
provincial governments,<br />
led the government-commissioned<br />
review. He said Canada's<br />
refugee determination<br />
system is now at a crossroads.<br />
"Once again, it is dealing<br />
with a surge in claims that<br />
it is ill-equipped to manage,<br />
running the risk of creating a<br />
large backlog that, if not tackled<br />
promptly, may take years<br />
to bring to final resolution,"<br />
he wrote in his report.<br />
Under the current system,<br />
various federal departments<br />
and agencies have a<br />
role in refugee intake, adjudication,<br />
removal or permanent<br />
residence approval, and the<br />
appeals process, but the Immigration<br />
and Refugee Board<br />
operates as an arm's-length<br />
body making independent<br />
decisions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> report recommends<br />
either maintaining that<br />
structure under an Asylum<br />
System Management Board,<br />
or shaking it up with major<br />
structural reforms under an<br />
integrated Refugee Protection<br />
Agency that reports directly<br />
to the immigration minister.<br />
A spokesperson for the<br />
IRB told CBC News it has "significantly<br />
improved efficiencies<br />
at the Refugee Protection<br />
Division" and reported "an<br />
increase in refugee claim finalization<br />
by 40 per cent over<br />
the past year."<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Canadian</strong> Council for<br />
Refugees said it's "alarmed"<br />
by the proposals, arguing<br />
they could undermine the<br />
independence of the IRB. It<br />
called on the government to<br />
maintain the IRB as an independent<br />
quasi-judicial tribunal<br />
responsible for refugee<br />
determination.<br />
"People's lives hang on<br />
decisions on refugee claims,"<br />
said CCR president Claire<br />
Roque in a statement. "We<br />
are not talking about traffic<br />
violations, we are talking<br />
about a decision that may<br />
determine whether a person<br />
lives or dies. When we make<br />
such important decisions, we<br />
need to guarantee due process<br />
and the basic protections<br />
of an expert and independent<br />
tribunal."<br />
<strong>The</strong> CCR said the current<br />
system — created in the wake<br />
of a 1985 Supreme Court decision<br />
that found refugee claimants<br />
are entitled to charter<br />
rights and a fair hearing — is<br />
a regarded as a model around<br />
the world.<br />
<strong>The</strong> CCR said any changes<br />
must be in line with the<br />
principles of fairness, respect<br />
for due process and compassion.<br />
A spokesman for Immigration<br />
Minister Ahmed<br />
Hussen said the government<br />
is committed to upholding<br />
Canada's "proud humanitarian<br />
tradition" of providing protection<br />
to those fleeing persecution<br />
while ensuring the<br />
asylum system is not abused.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> findings in the final<br />
report will inform our review<br />
of Canada's asylum system<br />
as we determine how best to<br />
maximize efficiency while<br />
ensuring that the system remains<br />
fair and continues to<br />
be in line with international<br />
standards," said Mathieu<br />
Genest in an email.<br />
"IRCC is studying the<br />
recommendations and will<br />
be consulting stakeholders,<br />
and provincial and territorial<br />
partners, on the findings over<br />
the course of the summer. It<br />
is premature to speculate on<br />
any changes that may be considered."<br />
Asylum over immigration<br />
In his report, Yeates noted<br />
the growing trend of people<br />
using the asylum process instead<br />
of regular immigration<br />
channels.<br />
"With the advent of human<br />
capital immigration<br />
models that place a high<br />
emphasis on education, language<br />
and skilled labour,<br />
asylum systems in countries<br />
like Canada risk becoming<br />
avenues of last resort for lower<br />
skilled economic migrants,<br />
who generally do not have access<br />
to other pathways to permanent<br />
residence," the report<br />
reads.<br />
Current approval rates<br />
for protection are about 65 per<br />
cent, so there are "ever present<br />
concerns" that the asylum<br />
system can be vulnerable<br />
to misuse, Yeates warned.<br />
"When there are lengthy<br />
waiting times for an initial<br />
protection hearing there are<br />
Trump again lashes out at Trudeau and G7<br />
summit: ‘What’s your problem, Justin?’<br />
U.S. President Donald Trump again<br />
complained about Prime Minister<br />
Trudeau and his G7 Summit speech while<br />
boasting about how many televisions Air<br />
Force One has.<br />
During a campaign rally in South<br />
Carolina on Monday, Trump launched<br />
into a rant about the North American Free<br />
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Canada’s<br />
dairy industry and the G7 summit. “Canada!<br />
Nice guy, nice guy, prime minister<br />
Justin. I say, ‘Justin, what’s your problem,<br />
Justin?’” Trump tells the crowd. “So,<br />
Canada. Oh Canada, I love their national<br />
anthem, O Canada. I like ours better, however.<br />
No, Canada’s great, I love Canada.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> president told the crowd that the<br />
world leaders at the G7 summit were “in<br />
love” and how he made “some change” to<br />
an agreement signed by the world leaders<br />
during their meeting in Quebec earlier<br />
this month. “I left and everybody was<br />
happy,” Trump said. “I get onto Air Force<br />
One, and he doesn’t understand that Air<br />
Force One has 22 televisions. <strong>The</strong>y have<br />
televisions in closets they have televisions<br />
in areas that no place has televisions, unlimited<br />
budget Air Force One.<br />
“So I get onto the plane and I see Justin<br />
Trudeau, prime minister of Canada,<br />
saying ‘Canada will not be bullied by the<br />
United States,’ I said ‘What are we doing<br />
here?’” Trump said.<br />
Following Trump’s departure from<br />
the G7 summit, the president launched<br />
into a multi-day tirade over trade and<br />
Canada’s response to tariffs imposed by<br />
the Trump administration. <strong>The</strong> <strong>issue</strong> of<br />
trade was the most controversial heading<br />
into the G7 summit in La Malbaie,<br />
with Trump launching multiple barbs in<br />
Canada’s direction in the days leading up<br />
to his arrival. “That fact is that Canada<br />
has a 275 per cent tariff on dairy products,<br />
little thing called dairy products,” Trump<br />
told the crowd Monday.<br />
Canada’s dairy sector is heavily sheltered<br />
under a government system which<br />
controls how much it produces and also<br />
sets prices that are far above those in<br />
the United States for domestic consumers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> system falls outside of the North<br />
American Free Trade Agreement. Trump,<br />
who has frequently threatened to walk<br />
away from the pact, is now threatening<br />
tariffs on auto imports. “So, lumber is<br />
a disaster, energy is a disaster and I see<br />
Justin saying ‘We fought World War One<br />
together. We fought World War Two together,’<br />
that’s true,” Trump said. “We love<br />
Canada, but Canada is charging almost<br />
300 per cent tariffs on dairy products and<br />
many other things.<br />
“I said, ‘Look if you wanna do that,<br />
we’re gonna put a little tariff on your cars<br />
coming in.’ And you know cars are a biggie,”<br />
the president said.<br />
further concerns that the asylum<br />
system may be abused to<br />
prolong temporary stays in<br />
Canada for healthcare, work<br />
permits, public schooling,<br />
direct access to <strong>Canadian</strong><br />
citizenship for children born<br />
while in Canada and other<br />
benefits, all of which make future<br />
removal from Canada of<br />
many unsuccessful claimants<br />
difficult," the report reads.<br />
A series of reforms in 2012<br />
aimed to expedite the claims<br />
process, but the system is<br />
still strained by spikes in<br />
asylum claims and resources<br />
stretched thin.<br />
IRB spokeswoman Anna<br />
Pape said claims intake has<br />
been exceeding operational<br />
capacity by an average of<br />
2,300 cases per month for the<br />
last year, creating a growing<br />
backlog. As of May 31, 2018,<br />
there were about 57,235 pending<br />
cases. She said the IRB<br />
has taken steps to improve<br />
efficiency, and the number<br />
refugee claims finalized increased<br />
by about 40 per cent<br />
in 2017-18 compared to the<br />
previous year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> IRB is currently<br />
funded to finalize approximately<br />
24,000 claims per year.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> IRB continues to explore<br />
new and innovative ways to<br />
improve efficiency, with the<br />
objective of improving the<br />
timeliness of decisions," Pape<br />
said.<br />
Given the current caseload<br />
and existing resources,<br />
the projected wait time for<br />
claims for refugee protection<br />
before the IRB has increased<br />
to approximately 20 months.<br />
<strong>The</strong> report recommends<br />
stronger financial controls<br />
and tracking of overall system<br />
spending rather than<br />
incremental funding. It estimates<br />
that, following the<br />
reforms, the federal government<br />
has spent an average<br />
of $216 million a year on processing<br />
claims, social supports<br />
such as health care and<br />
legal costs. That figure does<br />
not include costs for the Federal<br />
Court and downstream<br />
provincial costs.<br />
Courtesy: Globe and Mail<br />
<strong>The</strong> report also recommends that<br />
• <strong>The</strong> minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship table an annual report in Parliament on the<br />
system as a whole;<br />
• <strong>The</strong> federal government develop an annual plan and budget based on forecasted intake and<br />
targets, with tracked expenditures, and establish an external advisory committee of experts;<br />
• Ottawa streamline the hearings process, using plain language on forms and making better use of<br />
technology;<br />
• <strong>The</strong> federal government integrate permanent residence processing of non-accompanying spouses/<br />
dependents into the asylum intake process to minimize repetitive processes;<br />
• Government prioritize removals as soon as a removal order comes into effect;<br />
• specialized staff be tasked with asylum intake at major points of entry, and;<br />
• Ottawa establish a rapid-response contingency workforce to handle increased claim volumes.<br />
U.S. Supreme Court rules in<br />
Trump's favour on travel ban<br />
Continued from page 01<br />
Trump can now claim vindication after lower<br />
courts had blocked his travel ban announced in September,<br />
as well as two prior versions, in legal challenges<br />
brought by the state of Hawaii and others.<br />
<strong>The</strong> president quickly reacted on Twitter: "SU-<br />
PREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN.<br />
Wow!"<br />
<strong>The</strong> White House followed up with a statement<br />
from Trump touting the decision as a "tremendous<br />
victory for the American people and the Constitution."<br />
"This ruling is also a moment of profound vindication<br />
following months of hysterical commentary from<br />
the media and Democratic politicians who refuse to do<br />
what it takes to secure our border and our country,"<br />
the statement added. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote<br />
in a dissent that based on the evidence in the case, "a<br />
reasonable observer would conclude that the proclamation<br />
was motivated by anti-Muslim animus."<br />
She said her colleagues arrived at the opposite<br />
result by "ignoring the facts, misconstruing our legal<br />
precedent, and turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering<br />
the Proclamation inflicts upon countless families<br />
and individuals, many of whom are United States<br />
citizens."
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly world<br />
05<br />
June 29, 2018 | Toronto<br />
What <strong>Canadian</strong> travellers need to know<br />
about U.S. travel ban upheld by the SC<br />
U.S. President Donald<br />
Trump’s travel ban, which<br />
doesn’t allow people from<br />
some predominantly Muslim<br />
majority countries to<br />
enter the U.S., has been upheld<br />
by the Supreme Court<br />
of the United States.<br />
<strong>The</strong> current version of<br />
the ban (announced in September)<br />
prohibits most people<br />
from seven countries —<br />
Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria,<br />
Yemen, North Korea and<br />
Venezuela – from entering<br />
the U.S.<br />
While the ban has been<br />
largely in place since December,<br />
a legal challenge<br />
continued until Tuesday<br />
when the Supreme Court<br />
voted 5-4 to uphold it.<br />
Civil rights groups have<br />
denounced the ban, saying<br />
it amounts to religious<br />
discrimination, as five of<br />
the seven countries are<br />
Muslim-majority countries.<br />
Trump has said the ban was<br />
necessary for security reasons<br />
and to stop the spread<br />
of terrorism to the U.S.<br />
<strong>Canadian</strong>s who are permanent<br />
residents and are<br />
from the countries affected<br />
by the ban will now have to<br />
apply for a “waiver” to enter<br />
the United States.<br />
“Case-by-case waivers<br />
could be appropriate in<br />
circumstances such as the<br />
following… the foreign national<br />
is a landed <strong>Canadian</strong><br />
immigrant who applies for<br />
a visa at a location within<br />
Canada,” the executive order<br />
reads.<br />
However, it’s not clear<br />
what the case-by-case exceptions<br />
may or may not be.<br />
What a “waiver” could<br />
look like also remains unclear.<br />
Currently, <strong>Canadian</strong>s<br />
travelling to the U.S. with<br />
criminal records need waivers<br />
to get across the border.<br />
When the policy was announced,<br />
American immigration<br />
lawyers told Global<br />
News the waivers can cost<br />
USD $585 and take roughly<br />
six months to be <strong>issue</strong>d.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Canadian</strong> government<br />
advises that those<br />
travelling to the U.S. contact<br />
the U.S. embassy or<br />
consulate to confirm entry<br />
requirements.<br />
According to the order,<br />
waivers “could” be granted<br />
if “the foreign national<br />
has demonstrated to the<br />
officer’s satisfaction that<br />
denying entry during the<br />
suspension period would<br />
cause undue hardship, and<br />
that his or her entry would<br />
not pose a threat to national<br />
security and would be in the<br />
national interest.”<br />
<strong>Canadian</strong>s with dual<br />
citizenships involving any<br />
of the named countries<br />
are not expected to be affected<br />
by the ban. However,<br />
there may be some <strong>issue</strong>s<br />
if you’ve been to one of the<br />
named countries, Molnar<br />
said. Again, that’s because<br />
of the discretionary nature<br />
of the rules.<br />
“You can always be<br />
turned away based on your<br />
travel history. I’ve had that<br />
done to me because I’ve<br />
worked in some of those<br />
countries,” Molnar explained.<br />
She recommends making<br />
thorough preparations<br />
for border crossings<br />
– whether that’s preparing<br />
additional documents or allotting<br />
additional time for<br />
screenings.<br />
Molnar also said the<br />
court ruling could cause<br />
confusion and delays at the<br />
border – and even those<br />
with a <strong>Canadian</strong> passport<br />
could be affected.<br />
“It’s basically going to<br />
cause widespread confusion,<br />
both from the policy<br />
and operational side,” Molnar<br />
said.<br />
That could mean “huge<br />
lines, for example, and extra<br />
questioning and searching.<br />
And that is always the<br />
potential now, being denied<br />
entry into the United<br />
States.”<br />
Recently released internal<br />
notes from the U.S.<br />
Department of Homeland<br />
Security reveal <strong>Canadian</strong><br />
government officials didn’t<br />
understand the impact of<br />
the ban either.<br />
World's most costly cities<br />
Trudeau Slammed for paying $17,000<br />
to chef for meal during India visit<br />
<strong>The</strong> annual Mercer survey ranked<br />
more than 209 cities, based on factors<br />
such as the cost of housing, transportation,<br />
food, clothing and other expenses<br />
compared to New York City as the base.<br />
This year’s ranking places Calgary<br />
at 154 — 11 spots lower than the previous<br />
year. Similar cities to Calgary in terms of<br />
their cost of living are Warsaw, Poland;<br />
Quito, Ecuador; Limassol, Cyprus, and<br />
Belfast, United Kingdom.<br />
Toronto advanced 10 spots to 109 and<br />
Vancouver fell two spots to tie with Toronto.<br />
To no surprise, both cities are the<br />
top two most expensive places to live in<br />
the country. Montreal’s ranking dropped<br />
18 spots to 147. Ottawa was listed as the<br />
fifth-<strong>Canadian</strong> city on the list, coming in<br />
at 160. Mercer says the drop comes due to<br />
relatively stable market conditions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> survey says Hong Kong, Tokyo,<br />
Zurich, Singapore and Seoul are the top<br />
five most expensive cities in the world.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most expensive city to live in<br />
across North America — New York City,<br />
which came in at No. 13 on the list. <strong>The</strong><br />
least expensive city listed is Tashkent, Uzbekistan.<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Canadian</strong> Conservative<br />
Party's tweet came<br />
soon after uproar over his<br />
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him for taking advantage<br />
of his office's itinerary,<br />
Sputnik reported.<br />
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India.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Canadian</strong> Prime<br />
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Vij, a chef from Vancouver<br />
to prepare a meal<br />
for a meeting in New Delhi.<br />
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EDIT<br />
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly June 29, 2018 | Toronto 06<br />
<strong>The</strong><br />
w w w . canadianparv asi. c o m<br />
Publisher & CEO<br />
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Recent evidence suggests India is<br />
beginning to crack its poverty problem<br />
India has held, for the longest possible time,<br />
the unenviable record of having the largest<br />
number of people living in extreme poverty.<br />
Recent research suggests that’s no longer the<br />
case, and if current trends persist the absolute<br />
number of Indians in extreme poverty – defined<br />
as an income below $1.90 per person per<br />
day – will also drop sharply. That, of course,<br />
would be reason to celebrate. <strong>The</strong> aim should<br />
also be to quickly enhance the living standard<br />
of large numbers who remain economically<br />
vulnerable.<br />
If all this is to be realised, policy makers<br />
need to heed lessons from domestic as well as<br />
global experience. Poverty has declined since<br />
the 1970s but the watershed was 1991-92. Since<br />
then poverty not only reduced at a faster pace,<br />
urban growth has emerged as a significant<br />
influence in reducing rural poverty. A couple<br />
of conclusions are inescapable. Economic<br />
growth matters. It influences poverty reduction<br />
through two channels. One, it increases<br />
the purchasing power of large swathes of population.<br />
Two, it provides governments with<br />
additional revenue to make strategic interventions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> rapid expansion of India’s social<br />
safety nets over the last two decades is an<br />
outcome of economic growth.<br />
Another positive phenomenon benefiting<br />
India has been globalisation. A fact seldom<br />
acknowledged is that globalisation has<br />
decreased global inequality, particularly in<br />
the last decade. Poverty declines in India and<br />
China have contributed substantially to this<br />
trend. In this context, it is in India’s interest<br />
to do all that it can to preserve a system which<br />
created the best living standards we have ever<br />
experienced.<br />
<strong>The</strong> primary vehicle to raise overall living<br />
standards will remain economic growth. In an<br />
evolving situation where globalisation is under<br />
attack, policy has to focus on unshackling<br />
wellsprings of growth at home. It is self-defeating,<br />
for instance, to shackle the farm economy<br />
with laws restricting cattle trade and slaughter<br />
or retain an overbearing regulatory structure<br />
for business.<br />
A lesson from China’s success needs to be<br />
emulated. Around 40 years ago, China was<br />
overwhelmingly poor. If every percentage<br />
point of growth in China has lifted more people<br />
out of poverty it is partly because people<br />
were better equipped to tap opportunities.<br />
Put simply, education will be the key to India’s<br />
future economic growth and well-being.<br />
Government needs to get its education<br />
policy right. Times news Network<br />
Most Dangerous For Women?<br />
Foreign media constantly single out India for more<br />
opprobrium than other countries<br />
Amrit Dhillon<br />
New Delhi: So India is<br />
the most dangerous place<br />
in the world for women,<br />
according to a survey of<br />
550 experts on women’s<br />
<strong>issue</strong>s by the Thomson Reuters<br />
Foundation. One of<br />
the reasons for this assertion,<br />
apparently, was the<br />
level of sexual violence<br />
against Indian women.<br />
So, let’s start with<br />
some comparative statistics.<br />
Most comparisons<br />
are odious, rape comparisons<br />
are more odious than<br />
most, and no comparison<br />
in this article is intended<br />
to minimise the magnitude<br />
of the crime. But<br />
comparisons are the only<br />
way to understand whether<br />
it is right for India to<br />
be constantly singled out<br />
for more opprobrium than<br />
other countries.<br />
Something very odd<br />
has been going on in the<br />
Western media’s perception<br />
and portrayal of rape<br />
in India, something that<br />
is matched only by their<br />
own positively skewed image<br />
of themselves. <strong>The</strong> 550<br />
experts seem to have been<br />
hiding under a rock, reading<br />
only the papers that<br />
give wall-to-wall coverage<br />
of rape in India while quietly<br />
ignoring the epidemic<br />
in their own backyard.<br />
<strong>The</strong> per capita figures<br />
for rape for 2010 (nothing<br />
more recent is available<br />
on the net) are: India – 1.8<br />
(per 1,00,000 population);<br />
Germany – 9.4; the UK –<br />
17; Norway – 19.2; the US<br />
– 27.4; Sweden (yes, the<br />
most advanced society<br />
on earth) – 63.5. <strong>The</strong> last<br />
beggars belief, even if we<br />
assume that the definition<br />
of rape is much more<br />
stringent and reporting is<br />
infinitely easier than elsewhere.<br />
So what are we talking<br />
about when we say<br />
India is ‘the most dangerous<br />
place in the world for<br />
women’? India is deemed<br />
by much of the foreign media<br />
to be the rape capital<br />
of the world but the same<br />
media seem to be able to<br />
handle high rape figures<br />
in their own countries<br />
without experiencing the<br />
same outrage and horror.<br />
Even after taking into<br />
account the fact that the<br />
real figure for India is undoubtedly<br />
much higher<br />
owing to the factors that<br />
stop women from reporting<br />
it, statistics for the<br />
other countries are troublingly<br />
high.<br />
On Tuesday, the CNN<br />
website reported the ‘India<br />
is the most dangerous<br />
place in the world’ story<br />
and said: “India has long<br />
grappled with the <strong>issue</strong><br />
of sexual violence.” Oh<br />
yeah? Pity America hasn’t<br />
started grappling with its<br />
rampant epidemic.<br />
When UK figures reported<br />
a 20% rise for rape<br />
in London, there was no<br />
BBC World bulletin running<br />
a headline story on<br />
this shocking figure and<br />
what might be the social<br />
and cultural factors<br />
that produced the British<br />
beasts who committed<br />
these crimes against<br />
women. Yet the same<br />
programme often holds<br />
discussions on rape in India<br />
with anchors shaking<br />
their heads mournfully<br />
about the vileness of it all<br />
and asking what exactly<br />
is it about Indian society<br />
that can produce such villainy.<br />
In reporting the 20%<br />
rise in February, the Independent<br />
merely noted<br />
the news quietly with a<br />
headline that went: “London<br />
sees 20% rise in rape<br />
reports in a year, but<br />
police admit they ‘don’t<br />
understand’ the reason:<br />
‘<strong>The</strong>re is something going<br />
on with sexual offending<br />
in London that we don’t<br />
fully understand’ said the<br />
police.”<br />
What a temperate,<br />
calm response to an astonishing<br />
surge in rape.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was no broad discussion<br />
or analysis of culture<br />
or male behaviour,<br />
no hand wringing, no<br />
anguished revulsion, no<br />
self-hating editorials. But<br />
when it’s rape in India,<br />
journalists and anchors<br />
hammer away confidently<br />
at everything they find to<br />
be retrograde about Indian<br />
society, namely its<br />
brutish men and sickening<br />
patriarchy.<br />
While the British press<br />
have been bemoaning<br />
rape in India for several<br />
years now, the Rape Crisis<br />
Centre website says that<br />
“Approximately 85,000<br />
women and 12,000 men<br />
are raped in England and<br />
Wales alone every year;<br />
that’s roughly 11 rapes (of<br />
adults alone) every hour.”<br />
This, just a year after<br />
the 2012 Nirbhaya gang<br />
rape in New Delhi. Yet<br />
in their reporting of this<br />
crime – admittedly singular<br />
because of the sheer<br />
inhumanity of her tormentors<br />
– no one thought<br />
to say ‘Oh, and by the way,<br />
we’ve got a bit of a problem<br />
here at home too.’ <strong>The</strong><br />
same depiction of India<br />
as demon country continued,<br />
notwithstanding the<br />
results in 2014 of a major<br />
EU survey showing one in<br />
three EU women experienced<br />
some form of physical<br />
or sexual abuse since<br />
the age of 15.<br />
It is bewildering why<br />
educated and well-informed<br />
journalists in Europe<br />
and America fail to<br />
be aware of what they are<br />
doing when they report on<br />
rape in India in one fashion<br />
– with great blasts of<br />
moral righteousness – and<br />
on rape in Europe and<br />
America in another.<br />
Is it the desire for easy<br />
sensationalism? Is it a<br />
certain latent racism that<br />
makes it easier for the media<br />
to portray India as a<br />
rapists’ paradise? Is it ignorance?<br />
Surely not when<br />
the statistics are available<br />
on all manner of reliable<br />
websites? Is it some nefarious<br />
strategy to deflect<br />
attention from their own<br />
shortcomings?<br />
None of these seems<br />
in the least bit plausible.<br />
It remains a mystery. <strong>The</strong><br />
purpose of making this<br />
comparison is not to suggest<br />
for a moment that,<br />
just because America or<br />
anyone else has a higher<br />
per capita figure of rape<br />
than India that it somehow<br />
lets India off the<br />
hook. Not at all. Each rape<br />
in each country is a loathsome<br />
crime.<br />
<strong>The</strong> tragic fact is that<br />
rape is widespread all over<br />
the world and the West is<br />
no exception. So the sooner<br />
the Western media start<br />
treating it as a universal<br />
crime found (sadly) in all<br />
cultures and societies at<br />
present, the better it will<br />
be – for efforts to deal with<br />
the crime and for the sake<br />
of intellectual honesty.<br />
<strong>The</strong> writer is a freelance<br />
journalist<br />
Source Credit: This article<br />
was first published in <strong>The</strong><br />
Times of India.<br />
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<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly iNDIA<br />
June 29, 2018 | Toronto<br />
07<br />
Amid Haley's visit, US-India<br />
2+2 Dialogue postponed<br />
Missing SPO joins Hizbul<br />
Indo-Asian News Service<br />
New Delhi : <strong>The</strong> first India-US<br />
strategic 2+2 Dialogue<br />
involving External<br />
Affairs Minister Sushma<br />
Swaraj and Defence Minister<br />
Nirmala Sitharaman<br />
and their US counterparts<br />
that was scheduled to have<br />
been held in Washington<br />
on July 6 has been postponed,<br />
the External Affairs<br />
Ministry said on Wednesday.<br />
<strong>The</strong> news came even as<br />
US Permanent Representative<br />
to the UN Nikki Haley<br />
met Prime Minister Narendra<br />
Modi and External<br />
Affairs Minister Sushma<br />
Swaraj here.<br />
External Affairs Ministry<br />
spokesperson Raveesh<br />
Kumar tweeted that US<br />
Secretary of State Mike<br />
Pompeo spoke to Sushma<br />
Swaraj "to express his regret<br />
and deep disappointment<br />
at the US having to<br />
postpone the 2+2 Dialogue<br />
for unavoidable reasons".<br />
According to him,<br />
Pompeo sought Sushma<br />
Swaraj's understanding<br />
"and they agreed to identify<br />
new mutually convenient<br />
dates to hold the<br />
Dialogue at the earliest, in<br />
India or the US".<br />
Though unconfirmed,<br />
speculations are rife that<br />
the postponement must<br />
have come after the US asserted<br />
its position on pulling<br />
out of the Iran nuclear<br />
deal during the course of<br />
Haley's visit. <strong>The</strong> 2+2 Dialogue<br />
format was agreed<br />
to between the two sides<br />
during the visit of Prime<br />
Minister Narendra Modi<br />
to Washington in June last<br />
year when he met US President<br />
Donald Trump for the<br />
first time.<br />
Minister of State for External<br />
Affairs V.K. Singh<br />
and US Deputy Secretary<br />
of State John Sullivan discussed<br />
the agenda for the<br />
2+2 Ministerial Dialogue<br />
on the sidelines of the G20<br />
Ministerial Meeting in<br />
Buenos Aires last month.<br />
During their meeting,<br />
they affirmed the strong<br />
US-India strategic partnership<br />
and India's status as a<br />
Major Defence Partner of<br />
the US.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 2+2 Dialogue was<br />
to have been held in April,<br />
but was postponed because<br />
of changes in the leadership<br />
of the State Department<br />
after Rex Tillerson<br />
resigned and Pompeo was<br />
in the process of taking<br />
over.<br />
Pompeo and Secretary<br />
of Defense James Mattis<br />
were supposed to host the<br />
Indian ministers at the<br />
meeting that was to focus<br />
on strengthening strategic,<br />
security, and defence cooperation<br />
with both countries<br />
confronting global<br />
challenges.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dialogue was being<br />
looked at as a centrepiece<br />
of the growing ties between<br />
India and the US which<br />
Washington wants to scale<br />
up by extending the strategic<br />
vision from the Pacific<br />
to the Indian Ocean.<br />
During his meeting<br />
with Haley on Wednesday,<br />
Modi voiced his appreciation<br />
for Trump's policies<br />
on South Asia and the Indo-Pacific<br />
region.<br />
According to a statement<br />
<strong>issue</strong>d by the Prime<br />
Minister's Office, Haley,<br />
the first person of Indian<br />
descent to hold a cabinetlevel<br />
position in the US,<br />
noted the deepening relations<br />
between India and<br />
the US particularly in strategic<br />
and defence sectors.<br />
Indo-Asian News Service<br />
Srinagar : <strong>The</strong> Hizbul<br />
Mujahideen militant<br />
group has claimed that<br />
the Special Police Officer<br />
(SPO) who went missing<br />
with his AK-47 service<br />
rifle from Jammu and<br />
Kashmir's Pampore police<br />
station on Wednesday has<br />
joined the militant group.<br />
<strong>The</strong> KNS news agency<br />
quoted the operation<br />
spokesman of Hizbul Mujahideen<br />
Burhan-u-Din as<br />
saying, "SPO Irfan Ahmad<br />
Dar, a resident of Nehama<br />
Kakapora of south Kashmir's<br />
Pulwama district,<br />
who fled with the rifle has<br />
joined Hizb-ul-Mujahideen."<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hizbul spokesman,<br />
quoting Bin Qasim,<br />
appealed to the cadres of<br />
the Jammu and Kashmir<br />
Police to give up their jobs<br />
and "join Hizb-ul-Mujahideen<br />
to give a push to the<br />
resistance struggle." Muhammad<br />
Zahid Malik, the<br />
Superintendent of Police<br />
Awantipora had earlier<br />
confirmed that SPO Dar<br />
had been missing since<br />
last evening and that they<br />
had contacted his family in<br />
Kakapora, Pulwama.<br />
<strong>The</strong> disappearance of<br />
SPO Dar comes just days<br />
after an Army rifleman<br />
Aurangzeb, also belonging<br />
to Kashmir, was abducted<br />
and killed by terrorists in<br />
Kashmir. Aurangzeb had<br />
been allegedly tortured by<br />
Hizbul Mujahideen militants<br />
for being a part of the<br />
team that neutralised Hizbul<br />
commanders Sameer<br />
Tiger and Saddam Paddar.<br />
A video of Aurangzeb<br />
before his death was also<br />
released, allegedly by the<br />
militants.<br />
In the wake of the<br />
death of Aurangzeb and<br />
murder of Rising Kashmir<br />
senior editor Shujaat<br />
Bukhari, BJP withdrew<br />
from the PDP coalition<br />
government in Jammu<br />
and Kashmir, after which<br />
Chief Minister Mehbooba<br />
Mufti resigned and Governor's<br />
rule was brought in<br />
to the state.<br />
BJP will target Kashmiris ahead<br />
of Lok Sabha polls: CPI-M<br />
Vijay Mallya Offers To Sell Assets<br />
Worth 13,900 Crores To Repay Loans<br />
Indo-Asian News Service<br />
New Delhi : After bringing<br />
down the PDP-led government<br />
in Jammu and<br />
Kashmir, the BJP will target<br />
Kashmiris as anti-national<br />
and harbourers of terrorists,<br />
the CPI-M has said.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> BJP decision to<br />
bring down the government<br />
is a conscious political move<br />
keeping in mind the forthcoming<br />
Lok Sabha elections<br />
in 2019," said an editorial in<br />
the CPI-M journal "People's<br />
Democracy". "<strong>The</strong> BJP is going<br />
to target the Kashmiris<br />
as anti-national and harbourers<br />
of terrorists. It has<br />
already accused the PDP-led<br />
government of having failed<br />
to tackle terrorism."<br />
<strong>The</strong> Communist Party<br />
of India-Marxist said that<br />
the <strong>issue</strong> of Kashmir was<br />
necessary for the Bharatiya<br />
Janata Party for its political<br />
platform for the Lok Sabha<br />
elections in the whole country.<br />
"It wants to project a communal<br />
campaign that while<br />
it has relentlessly sought to<br />
suppress 'terrorism' and protect<br />
national security, it was<br />
thwarted in this effort by the<br />
PDP and the Kashmiri Muslims<br />
who are soft on terrorism<br />
and Pakistan."<br />
<strong>The</strong> reality, the editorial<br />
said, was the reverse.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> BJP has done the<br />
most damage to national<br />
unity and national security<br />
by alienating the Kashmiri<br />
people as a whole and driving<br />
hundreds of youth to<br />
militancy and taking up the<br />
gun... All told, the Modi government's<br />
Kashmir policy<br />
has been a disastrous failure.<br />
"For the BJP, Kashmir<br />
is expendable, for the larger<br />
design of mobilizing Hindu<br />
sentiments around the country,"<br />
it said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> CPI-M said that now<br />
that Governor's rule had<br />
been imposed in Jammu and<br />
Kashmir, the situation in the<br />
Valley had never been as bad<br />
as it was now.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> bulk of the people,<br />
especially the youth, are not<br />
only alienated but do not<br />
want to have any truck with<br />
India.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> reason for this lies<br />
squarely with the brutal repressive<br />
policy pursued by<br />
the central government and<br />
by its dictates to the state<br />
government."<br />
It accused the Modi government<br />
of consistently refusing<br />
to initiate a political<br />
dialogue with all the political<br />
forces, including the separatist<br />
leadership of the Hurriyat.<br />
Fugitive tycoon Vijay<br />
Mallya said in a statement<br />
that he had sought<br />
approvals from a court in<br />
Karnataka to sell assets<br />
worth Rs. 13,900 crore to<br />
repay creditors including<br />
banks. He also released<br />
a two-year-old letter to<br />
Prime Minister Narendra<br />
Modi and said he was<br />
"making every effort" to<br />
settle his dues but he had<br />
been made the "Poster<br />
Boy" of bank default and<br />
a lightning rod for public<br />
anger. In a statement<br />
from the UK, where he<br />
has based himself in the<br />
past two years, Mr Mallya<br />
said he had appealed<br />
before the court on June<br />
22. If agencies like the CBI<br />
or Enforcement Directorate<br />
objected to his appeal,<br />
he said, it would demonstrate<br />
"an agenda against<br />
me beyond recovery of<br />
dues".<br />
"I respectfully say that<br />
I have made and continue<br />
to make every effort, in<br />
good faith to settle with<br />
the Public Sector Banks.<br />
If politically motivated extraneous<br />
factors interfere,<br />
there is nothing that I can<br />
do," said the 62-year-old.<br />
According to him, the<br />
two agencies were "determined"<br />
to frame criminal<br />
charges against him. He<br />
also alleged that two past<br />
offers to settle were rejected<br />
by banks, the second<br />
time by a junior SBI (State<br />
Bank of India) officer.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> surprising fact is<br />
that the ED has objected<br />
in court to my Group's<br />
applications for sale of assets<br />
in order to allow me to<br />
repay creditors," he said,<br />
questioning "whether the<br />
government wants me to<br />
repay the Public Sector<br />
Banks or not".<br />
"I wrote letters to both<br />
the Prime Minister and<br />
the Finance Minister on<br />
15th April 2016 and am<br />
making these letters public<br />
to put things in the<br />
right perspective. No response<br />
was received from<br />
either of them," Mr Mallya<br />
said.<br />
He also claimed that<br />
the bulk of his dues were<br />
on account of interest,<br />
which kept rising either<br />
because his properties<br />
were seized or because he<br />
was denied permission to<br />
sell assets.
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly india<br />
June 29, 2018 | Toronto 08<br />
First batch of Amarnath<br />
pilgrims leave for Kashmir<br />
Indo-Asian News Service<br />
Srinagar/Jammu: Heavy rainfall today<br />
delayed commencement of annual Amarnath<br />
Yatra to the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas<br />
from Pahalgam and Baltal base camps.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> yatra has not commenced yet from either<br />
Baltal or Pahalgam base camps due to rain,” a<br />
spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board<br />
(SASB) said. He said the yatra will commence<br />
only after weather improves and the tracks are<br />
safe for the pilgrims to move on.<br />
Amid tight security, the first batch of nearly<br />
3,000 Amarnath pilgrims from Jammu reached<br />
the twin base camps at Baltal and Pahalgam in<br />
Kashmir last evening. Of this group of pilgrims,<br />
1,904 have opted for traditional Pahalgam route<br />
while 1,091 choose the Baltal route to reach the<br />
Himalayan cave shrine in south Kashmir. <strong>The</strong><br />
batch comprises of 2,334 men, <strong>52</strong>0 women, 21 children<br />
and 120 Sadhus, officials said. <strong>The</strong> pilgrims,<br />
coming from across the country, were taken to<br />
their respective base camps as security forces<br />
Indo-Asian News Service<br />
New Delhi,: Prime Minister<br />
Narendra Modi on<br />
Wednesday, noting that the<br />
second phase of Gram Swaraj<br />
Abhiyan is now underway<br />
in over 40,000 villages in the<br />
aspirational districts, called<br />
upon officers to work towards<br />
achieving the best possible<br />
outcomes in this context by<br />
August 15.<br />
Modi on Wednesday<br />
chaired his 27th interaction<br />
through PRAGATI - the ICTbased,<br />
multi-modal platform<br />
for Pro-Active Governance<br />
and Timely Implementation<br />
- and reviewed the progress<br />
of eight infrastructure projects<br />
in the railway, road, and<br />
power sectors.<br />
According to an official<br />
statement, he called upon all<br />
officers, both from the state<br />
and Central governments,<br />
involved with this effort to<br />
work towards achieving the<br />
best possible outcomes in this<br />
dotted the 400-km road length from Jammu to<br />
Baltal and Pahalgam. <strong>The</strong> government is for the<br />
first time using radio frequency (RF) tags to track<br />
Amarnath-bound vehicles, while the CRPF has<br />
introduced motorcycle squads with cameras and<br />
various life-saving equipment. Around 40,000 security<br />
personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir<br />
Police, paramilitary, National Disaster Response<br />
Force and the Army, have been deployed for this<br />
year’s pilgrimage. A total of 2.60 lakh pilgrims offered<br />
prayers at the shrine last year. Considering<br />
the carrying capacity of the existing tracks and<br />
other available infrastructure in the pilgrimage<br />
area, the SASB has decided to allow 7, 500 pilgrims<br />
on each route daily.<br />
Ensure best outcome of Gram Swaraj<br />
Abhiyan by Aug 15: Modi tells officers<br />
context (Gram Swaraj Abhiyan),<br />
by August 15.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 26 PRAGATI meetings<br />
so far have seen a cumulative<br />
review of projects with<br />
a total investment of over Rs<br />
11 lakh crore. Resolution of<br />
public grievances has also<br />
been reviewed across a range<br />
of sectors.<br />
"In the twenty-seventh<br />
meeting, the Prime Minister<br />
reviewed the progress of eight<br />
infrastructure projects in the<br />
railway, road, and power sectors.<br />
"<strong>The</strong>se projects are spread<br />
over several states including<br />
Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,<br />
Madhya Pradesh, Himachal<br />
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,<br />
Uttarakhand, Maharashtra,<br />
Odisha, Chandigarh, Andhra<br />
Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan,<br />
West Bengal, Sikkim<br />
and Arunachal Pradesh," said<br />
the statement.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister reviewed<br />
the progress in implementation<br />
of the scheme for<br />
establishment of new medical<br />
colleges attached with existing<br />
district/referral hospitals.<br />
Mentioning that the<br />
Union Government is taking<br />
many initiatives in the health<br />
sector, Modi called for expeditious<br />
upgradation of health<br />
infrastructure.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister said<br />
that the first phase of the<br />
Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, which<br />
ran from April 14 to May 5<br />
2018, had achieved great success<br />
in the implementation<br />
of seven key schemes of the<br />
Union Government in over<br />
16,000 villages," said the statement.<br />
BJP raising Vadra <strong>issue</strong> to<br />
divert attention from Nirav,<br />
Lalit, Mallya: Congress<br />
Indo-Asian News Service<br />
New Delhi : <strong>The</strong> Congress<br />
on Wednesday said<br />
BJP was raising the Robert<br />
Vadra <strong>issue</strong> just to divert<br />
attention from the questions<br />
being raised against<br />
the Narendra Modi government<br />
over "4Ms -- Nirav<br />
Modi, Lalit Modi, Vijay<br />
Mallya and Mehul Choksi".<br />
Days after the I-T Department<br />
served notice to<br />
Robert Vadra to pay Rs 25<br />
crore for evading taxes,<br />
the BJP on Wednesday alleged<br />
that his close aide<br />
Krishnan Srinivasan was<br />
appointed AICC Secretary<br />
as a "quid pro quo" for his<br />
services to the Gandhi family.<br />
Responding to the<br />
charge, Congress spokesperson<br />
Priyanka Chaturvedi<br />
said: "<strong>The</strong>y are doing<br />
this just to divert attention<br />
from the questions being<br />
raised against Modi government<br />
on Nirav Modi,<br />
Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya<br />
and Mehul Choksi."<br />
Giving details of IT<br />
Returns filed by Robert<br />
Vadra's company Skylight<br />
Hospitality, she said that<br />
on September 18, 2013, it<br />
disposed off 3.53 acre land<br />
for Rs 58 crore and there<br />
was "no corruption involved<br />
in selling a piece of<br />
land".<br />
"In the same year, Skylight<br />
filed Tax Return and<br />
said that its Capital Gains<br />
Tax is Rs 8.<strong>52</strong> crore and<br />
also paid it. <strong>The</strong> tax return<br />
was also accepted."<br />
"This is also above<br />
board. <strong>The</strong>y followed the<br />
guidelines at a set for the<br />
every single individual<br />
in this country and every<br />
single entity who files<br />
an income tax return in<br />
this country. Now, pressure<br />
is put on him by the<br />
Income Tax authorities<br />
at the behest of BJP<br />
on the retrospective tax,"<br />
she added.<br />
Chaturvedi said: "<strong>The</strong>y<br />
are arbitrarily telling him<br />
that this will be shown as<br />
business income and he<br />
cannot pay Capital Gains<br />
Tax. Now, attempts are<br />
being made to change the<br />
rules and norms for one individual."<br />
"Skylight has filed an<br />
appeal with the Income<br />
Tax Commissioner and<br />
has deposited Rs 3 crore<br />
under due protest," she<br />
said, adding Income Tax<br />
returns can't be leaked in<br />
this manner.
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly Punjab<br />
June 29, 2018 | Toronto<br />
09<br />
Punjab: Mass movement against drugs launched on<br />
social media, Amarinder under fire for staying mum<br />
Continued from page 01<br />
Gurbhej’s mother said<br />
in the video that his son<br />
was an addict and went to<br />
washroom to inject himself<br />
and died minutes later.At<br />
least nine deaths have been<br />
reported leading to public<br />
anger against Chief Minister<br />
Amarinder Singh whose<br />
pre-poll promise was to<br />
eliminate drugs from Punjab<br />
within ‘four weeks’ after<br />
assuming office.<br />
<strong>The</strong> mass movement<br />
is already gathering massive<br />
support from youths,<br />
Punjabi singers, actors, advocates,<br />
theatre artistes besides<br />
others across the state<br />
who are planning to launch<br />
it as a mass movement on<br />
the ground as well. Initially,<br />
a map of Punjab in black<br />
colour is being circulated<br />
to protest the deaths and<br />
people have already made it<br />
their display photograph on<br />
Facebook and WhatsApp.<br />
Speaking to <strong>The</strong> Indian<br />
Express, advocate Hakam<br />
Singh from Chandigarh,<br />
one of the initiators of the<br />
movement said, “We have<br />
launched this non-political<br />
movement after witnessing<br />
the recent spate of<br />
deaths and ground level<br />
situation in Punjab. Nothing<br />
has changed in a year<br />
and youths are dying taking<br />
drugs. We are getting<br />
support of many Punjabi<br />
singers, actors, advocates,<br />
retired IAS and IPS offices,<br />
philanthropists among others.<br />
From July 1-7, there<br />
will be massive protests and<br />
demonstrations on roads<br />
against drugs. We will be<br />
reaching villages where<br />
people will be encouraged to<br />
come out and speak against<br />
drugs. If government is doing<br />
nothing, we cannot sit<br />
and keep mum. If they cannot,<br />
we have to save the<br />
youths of Punjab. People<br />
should wear black turbans,<br />
suits, dupattas, ribbons to<br />
show their protest.”<br />
Questioning why Chief<br />
Minister has not visited a<br />
single drug death family<br />
till now, he said, “Sitting<br />
in Chandigarh is not going<br />
to give him a real picture<br />
of what is happening in villages<br />
here. Why not a single<br />
word of sympathy for such<br />
families from our CM,” he<br />
asked.<br />
Mahinder Pal Loomba,<br />
a government employee<br />
(health supervisor) from<br />
Moga who too has joined<br />
the movement said, “After<br />
seeing the ground reality<br />
in Punjab, I am not afraid<br />
of anything. Even if I lose<br />
my job, I will speak against<br />
drugs and this government.<br />
I have done some ground<br />
work before declaring this<br />
war against drugs. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are 22 rehabilitation centers<br />
for addicts in the state<br />
and shockingly, there are<br />
not more than 10 inmates<br />
in any of them. <strong>The</strong> centers<br />
have failed to provide any<br />
skill development to addicts,<br />
thus failing the entire<br />
purpose of their existence.<br />
In Civil Hospital Moga, we<br />
have seen addicts injecting<br />
openly but none is there to<br />
help them. Where is Captain<br />
Amarinder Singh? Is<br />
he so busy that he cannot<br />
see what is happening in<br />
Punjab? Why he cannot<br />
travel and see condition of<br />
these families whose children<br />
have died injecting<br />
drugs?”<br />
Padma Bhushan awardee<br />
Dr Sardara Singh Johl,<br />
a world renowned food<br />
economist, who too has announced<br />
support for the<br />
movement said that he has<br />
failed to find any difference<br />
between Congress and SAD-<br />
BJP government.<br />
“If not 10, then Captain<br />
could have met at least one<br />
or two families where drug<br />
deaths happened. His promise<br />
of eliminating drugs<br />
within four weeks was anyways<br />
untenable. But now<br />
why this insensitivity? He<br />
did not even express two<br />
words of sympathy for families.<br />
Visibly, government<br />
has no plan ahead to tackle<br />
this menace because they<br />
are catching patients with<br />
small quantities of drugs<br />
not main suppliers. Both<br />
Captain and Badals are traditional<br />
politicians. According<br />
to me, entire Punjab<br />
should wear black badges<br />
and ribbons till drugs do not<br />
end because nothing can be<br />
expected from SAD-BJP or<br />
Congress both.”<br />
It was on March 11 that<br />
<strong>The</strong> Indian Express reported<br />
that government has no<br />
official data on drug deaths<br />
in Punjab.<br />
Health minister Brahm<br />
Mohindra maintains that<br />
due to social stigma, families<br />
hide actual cause of<br />
death and thus there is no<br />
data available.<br />
Punjab Groundwater Severely<br />
Depleted, State Will Have No<br />
Water in 15 Yearas, Says CM<br />
Indo-Asian News Service<br />
Chandigarh: Punjab<br />
may mean the land of five<br />
rivers but the agrarian state<br />
may not have any water left<br />
in the next 15 years, Chief<br />
Minister Amarinder Singh<br />
warned June 26.<br />
"Punjab would have<br />
no water left in the next 15<br />
years unless immediate<br />
steps are taken to control<br />
the situation.<br />
"With the highest rate<br />
of decline in ground water<br />
level, Punjab has the highest<br />
percentage of dark zones<br />
in the country," Amarinder<br />
Singh said, expressing serious<br />
concern over the depleting<br />
water levels.<br />
Mission Director of the<br />
Directorate of Ground Water<br />
Management Arunjit<br />
Singh Miglani said: "Punjab,<br />
which has the highest<br />
rate of groundwater exploitation,<br />
had during 2008-2013<br />
on an average withdrawn<br />
28.2 Million Acre Feet<br />
yearly, with yearly average<br />
replenishment of only 18.9<br />
MAF, thus causing a severe<br />
shortage." <strong>The</strong> chief minister<br />
underlined the need for<br />
a master water conservation<br />
plan and suggested including<br />
water conservation<br />
in school curriculum to create<br />
awareness among children<br />
about the importance<br />
of saving ground water.<br />
Assessing the critical<br />
situation, Amarinder Singh<br />
appealed to farmers to minimize<br />
the use of tube-wells<br />
and shift to canal-based irrigation.<br />
Miglani, who made a<br />
detailed presentation to the<br />
Cabinet highlighting the<br />
gravity of the problem, said:<br />
"Punjab uses 73 percent of<br />
its groundwater for irrigation,<br />
while only 27 percent<br />
of surface water is utilized<br />
for irrigation purposes.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> number of tubewells<br />
in the state had gone<br />
up exponentially – from 2<br />
lakh in 1971 to 12.50 lakh in<br />
2015-16 – with 41 percent of<br />
these having the availability<br />
of water at the depth of<br />
beyond 60 meters."<br />
<strong>The</strong> chief minister also<br />
exhorted farmers to diversify<br />
their crops, instead<br />
of sowing water-guzzling<br />
crops like paddies, which<br />
require 150 cm of water,<br />
though the actual requirement<br />
for plant growth is<br />
only 60 cm, as the remaining<br />
90 cm water is lost due to<br />
evaporation, a spokesman<br />
said here.
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly June 29, 2018 | Toronto 10<br />
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<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly June 29, 2018 | Toronto<br />
11
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly June 29, 2018 | Toronto 12<br />
Indo <strong>Canadian</strong> Golf Association raises $250,000<br />
for Trillium Health Partners Foundation<br />
Toronto: Indo <strong>Canadian</strong><br />
Golf Association (ICGA)<br />
raised $250.000.00 for Trillium<br />
Health Partners Foundation<br />
(Cardiology and Cancer<br />
Wings) from its 21st Annual<br />
Charity Golf Tournament,<br />
which was held on June 19,<br />
2018 at Glencarin Golf Club<br />
in Milton. Over 175 golfers<br />
participated in the event<br />
from Greater Toronto Area,<br />
Niagara Falls, BC, USA,<br />
India, England. Pakistan<br />
and Australia. <strong>The</strong> team of<br />
George Saggu, Nazir Chaudhary,<br />
Azhar Bajwa and Balwinder<br />
Singh Daniel lifted<br />
the winner’s trophy and<br />
won the ICGA Blue Jacket.<br />
<strong>The</strong> golf was played under<br />
the perfect golfing conditions.<br />
Gian Paul, Communication<br />
Director of Indo <strong>Canadian</strong><br />
Golf Association added<br />
that the cheque for the<br />
raised funds was provided<br />
to Steve Hoscheit President<br />
& CEO of Trillium Health<br />
Partners Foundation.<br />
During his speech to the<br />
attendees, sponsors, media<br />
and other dignitaries, Mr.<br />
Hoscheit added that “working<br />
with our community,<br />
Trillium Health Partners<br />
Foundation is dedicated to<br />
raising the critical funds<br />
needed to address the highest<br />
priority needs of Trillium<br />
Health Partners—Credit<br />
Valley Hospital, Mississauga<br />
Hospital, and Queensway<br />
Health Center—one<br />
of the largest communitybased,<br />
academically affiliated,<br />
acute care facilities in<br />
Canada. Our intention is to<br />
achieve the highest quality<br />
of care that is easily accessible<br />
for our community, at<br />
the lowest cost. We are committed<br />
to creating an exceptional<br />
experience for everyone<br />
who walks through our<br />
doors.“<br />
He further added<br />
that financial support of<br />
$250,000.00 from ICGA Canada<br />
would further boost efforts<br />
to extend health services<br />
for all. <strong>The</strong> money will be<br />
used for purchasing critical<br />
equipment for the cardiology<br />
wing.<br />
Speaking on behalf of<br />
Mr. Rai Sahi, chairman and<br />
CEO of Morguard Corporation,<br />
Mr. John Finlayson<br />
appreciated the services of<br />
ICGA and its members for<br />
its of kindness and extended<br />
his support for the future<br />
such events of the organization.<br />
At the end of the event,<br />
Mr. Mohinder Singh, chairman<br />
of ICGA thanked all the<br />
players, sponsors and media<br />
outlets who supported the<br />
event and encouraged everyone<br />
to keep supporting future<br />
events and worthwhile<br />
causes.<br />
Indo <strong>Canadian</strong> Golf Association<br />
(ICGA Canada)<br />
was formed in 1996 is a<br />
non-profit charitable organization<br />
whose mission<br />
is to serve the community<br />
by raising funds for local<br />
charities through annual<br />
golf tournaments across<br />
the Greater Toronto Area.<br />
More than 21 years ago a<br />
group of young Indo Canada<br />
Consulate General of India, hosted<br />
an Interactive Open House Session<br />
entrepreneurs and professionals<br />
got together and<br />
organized their first charity<br />
golf tournament. Golf<br />
at that time was a relatively<br />
new game for the immigrant<br />
Indo <strong>Canadian</strong> community.<br />
Although we only had approximately<br />
50 participants,<br />
there was a great deal of<br />
enthusiasm in the community<br />
for both the game and<br />
for the cause. ICGA Canada<br />
has now established itself<br />
as a <strong>Canadian</strong> charitable<br />
organization that is always<br />
ready to help and serve the<br />
community through volunteerism,<br />
philanthropy and<br />
promotion of the game of<br />
golf.<br />
Over the last 21 years,<br />
ICGA Canada has donated<br />
close to $500,000 to various<br />
established <strong>Canadian</strong>,<br />
international and Indian<br />
charities who work hard<br />
to address needs in our<br />
community ranging from<br />
healthcare to child welfare.<br />
U N V E I L I N G<br />
I N F I N I T Y<br />
Toronto: <strong>The</strong> Consulate<br />
General of India, Toronto<br />
hosted an Interactive Open<br />
House Session with the<br />
Indian and Indo-<strong>Canadian</strong><br />
community organizations<br />
on 19 June 2018 at Etobicoke.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Session was well<br />
attended by representatives<br />
of over 100 organizations<br />
registered with<br />
the Consulate. It was also<br />
well attended by the local<br />
media, particularly the Indian<br />
vernacular media in<br />
various languages.<br />
Consul General Dinesh<br />
Bhatia addressed the gathering<br />
of over 275 people<br />
present in a packed hall<br />
and answered their queries<br />
and took note of their<br />
suggestion on various consular<br />
and community matters.<br />
In his address, he highlighted<br />
the efforts made by<br />
the Consulate in the last<br />
two years to reach out to<br />
the community as well<br />
as to provide smooth and<br />
prompt services the Consulate.<br />
Discussions also took<br />
place on deepening the relations<br />
and coordination<br />
between the community<br />
and the Consulate as well<br />
as to connect younger Indian-origin<br />
generation with<br />
their roots back in India,<br />
through culture and language.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Consul General<br />
also unveiled the forthcoming<br />
India Day Parade<br />
to be held on 19 August<br />
2018 to commemorate India’s<br />
Independence Day.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Parade will be organised<br />
by Panorama India.<br />
<strong>The</strong> last year 2017 India<br />
Day Parade was attended<br />
by over 60,000 peoplein<br />
which the Bollywood star<br />
Shilpa Shetty participated<br />
as the Parade Marshal.<br />
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