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CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON AAP tsunami routs BJP, Congress in Delhi; Hazare says it's Modi's defeat AAM AADMI PARTY LEADER ARVIND KEJRIWAL WHO WON A LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN DELHI STATE ELECTION. I CONTD. ON PAGE 11 I CONTD. ON PAGE 24 New Delhi, (IANS) In one of the most stunning comebacks in Indian political history, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Arvind Kejriwal Tues- day scored a landslide win in Delhi, delivering to the BJP its first electoral defeat since its historic Lok Sabha triumph and reducing the Congress, that had ruled the capital for 15 years till 2013, to a virtual nonentity. As thousands of AAP activists broke into celebrations all over the capital, election officials counting the votes polled Saturday said the party was tipped to end up with a staggering 65 of the 70 assembly seats -- the highest victory margin for any party in Delhi so far. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had led an aggressive campaign against Kejriwal and had called him an "anarchist" and had even compared his ideology to that of Maoist extremists, congratulated the AAP leader as it became clear that the BJP was headed for a humili- ating rout, winning at best just four seats. Modi promised the central government's full cooperation to the AAP government, which is ex- pected to take oath at the Ramlila Maidan Sunday -- exactly a year after Kejriwal quit after ruling the capital for 49 tumultuous days. An emotional Kejriwal, 46, who founded the AAP only in 2012, be- came teary eyed as his colleagues repeatedly hugged him and lifted him in the air at his house at Kaushambi in Ghazibad bordering Delhi. Outside, activists kept a steady chant of "Paanch Saal, Kejriwal!" Kejriwal later reached the AAP office in central Delhi where he told thousands of boisterous supporters waving party flags and brooms - - the AAP election symbol -- that the AAP sweep was "a victory for truth and honesty". There were traffic jams in many parts of Delhi as AAP supporters, a majority of them young people, celebrated on the streets. The Congress suffered an unprecedented washout, with all its 70 candidates losing. Its chief ministerial aspirant, Ajay Maken, resigned as general secretary. So massive was the AAP sweep that even BJP veterans, including some household names in Delhi, were on the losing track. The party's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, who was person- ally picked by Modi and BJP president Amit Shah to lead the party's charge -- a move that created deep fissures within the party -- was struggling to win. "This is incredible. We can't believe it," AAP leader and former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia told IANS. Senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav called it a victory of proverbial David over Goliath. Other party leader cautioned AAP members not to go overboard. As expected, the AAP win created ripples across the country. In remarks clearly aimed at Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had asked people in Delhi to vote for the AAP, said it was a "big defeat for the arrogant" BY SHAZIA MALIK Ontario - Y Media is embarking on the most ambitious plan by bringing to its readers and listeners minute to minute action of 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup matches across all its platforms - Midweek newspaper (weekly published every Tuesday), Southasian PULSE radio channel (Mon-Fri from 10am to 12 noon), online on southasiandaily.com, Southasian 360 TV and app, YMedia. For more information visit southasiandaily.com Yudhvir Jaswal, Editor-in-Chief of Midweek newspaper and CEO of YMedia will bring on air and on TV experts from the cricketing world to share their predictions and startling stories from a sports that puts half of the world in awe. The stories will be flashed online and covered in the newspaper in a way that Yudhvir calls "sports at its best." The experts will review the previous game and give insights into the 2015 World Cup that is slated to be different from the games of yester years in wake of new rules, daunting challenges posed by stylish cricketers, innovations in bowling and batting styles and much more. Though all matches will be thrashed out across the myriad of YMedia portfolios and performance of individual crickets dis- cussed, the high-voltage game between arch rivals - India and Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on February 15 will hog all the light initially. The fast and furious game that is highly unpredictable will give edge to the team that gets early breakthroughs and YMedia will be focusing on key players that employ attacking strategies and threat the opponent. YMedia to walk the 2015 Cricket World Cup talk DELHI ELECTIONS 2015 MIDWEEK ANSWERS ALL YOUR QUESTIONS REGARDING DELHI ELECTIONS * BJP'S DELHI DEBACLE A PERSONAL DEFEAT FOR MODI? * DOES THIS MEAN END OF POLITICAL ROAD FOR KIRAN BEDI? * IS KEJRIWAL'S SOFT EXTERIOR HIDING A MAN OF STEEL? * DID AAP'S DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING WIN VOTERS' HEARTS? * IS CONGRESS IN A FREE FALL? * AFTER VICTORY WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR AAP? * WILL DELHI DEFEAT HIT BJP HARD? 'NOTHING WILL CHANGE IN INDIA' - THINK AGAIN Aam Admi Party(AAP) has won a historic majority mandate in Delhi Elections. Congress could not even open it's account and BJP has been decimated to just 3 seats. More than a victory of any political party this is a victory of democracy. In a democratic political system an Aam Admi(Common Man) can not only fight the mighty and powerful but can also defeat them with a huge margin. Those who always said ' Nothing will change in India' may think again. BJP won the majority at the national level and the mandate is for Development. In Delhi elections Arvind Kejriwal has proved that elections can be won without the misuse of money and support high profile Politicians to campaign. This is a New India where politics based on religion, caste or region is being left behind as the aspirations of more than a billion cannot wait any longer for delivering good and inclusive governance. The future belongs to those who are honest, have the courage to fight the wrong and vision for the betterment of the community. A movement is only successful if there is no loss of public life or Public Property. I personally believe that peaceful and democratic way to bring the change in the society is the best way. India is changing and at a much faster pace than we may anticipate. Yudhvir Jaswal - Group Editor (Midweek Newspaper & Southasian Pulse Radio) ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON P12 AND P13 Celebrate the Ultimate Cricket World Cup Kick Off Pepsi hosts FREE HD Screening of the India vs. Pakistan Match at the Hershey Centre The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup starts February 14, with a faceoff between rival teams, India and Pakistan. The match is slated to be epic, and if you love cricket, get hyped - the largest live cricket screening in Canadian history is headed to the Hershey Centrein Mississauga courtesy of global ICC Cricket World Cup sponsor PepsiCo. I CONTD. ON PAGE 3

AAM AADMI PARTY LEADER ARVIND KEJRIWAL WHO WON A …southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/part_1.pdf · Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had led an aggressive campaign against

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CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON

AAP tsunami routs BJP, Congress inDelhi; Hazare says it's Modi's defeat

AAM AADMI PARTY LEADER ARVIND KEJRIWAL WHO WON A LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN DELHI STATE ELECTION.

I CONTD. ON PAGE 11

I CONTD. ON PAGE 24

New Delhi, (IANS) In one of the most stunning comebacks in Indianpolitical history, the Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP) of Arvind Kejriwal Tues-day scored a landslide win in Delhi, delivering to the BJP its firstelectoral defeat since its historic Lok Sabha triumph and reducing theCongress, that had ruled the capital for 15 years till 2013, to a vir tualnonentity.As thousands of AAP activists broke into celebrations all over thecapital, election officials counting the votes polled Saturday said thepar ty was tipped to end up with a staggering 65 of the 70 assemblyseats -- the highest victory margin for any par ty in Delhi so far.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had led an aggressive campaignagainst Kejriwal and had called him an "anarchist" and had evencompared his ideology to that of Maoist extremists, congratulated theAAP leader as it became clear that the BJP was headed for a humili-ating rout, winning at best just four seats. Modi promised the centralgovernment's full cooperation to the AAP government, which is ex-pected to take oath at the Ramlila Maidan Sunday -- exactly a yearafter Kejriwal quit after ruling the capital for 49 tumultuous days.An emotional Kejriwal, 46, who founded the AAP only in 2012, be-came teary eyed as his colleagues repeatedly hugged him and liftedhim in the air at his house at Kaushambi in Ghazibad bordering Delhi.Outside, activists kept a steady chant of "Paanch Saal, Kejriwal!"Kejriwal later reached the AAP office in central Delhi where he told

thousands of boisterous suppor ters waving party flags and brooms -- the AAP election symbol -- that the AAP sweep was "a victory fortruth and honesty".There were traffic jams in many par ts of Delhi as AAP suppor ters, amajority of them young people, celebrated on the streets.The Congress suffered an unprecedented washout, with all its 70candidates losing. Its chief ministerial aspirant, Ajay Maken, resignedas general secretary.So massive was the AAP sweep that even BJP veterans, includingsome household names in Delhi, were on the losing track.The par ty's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, who was person-ally picked by Modi and BJP president Amit Shah to lead the par ty'scharge -- a move that created deep fissures within the par ty -- wasstruggling to win."This is incredible. We can't believe it," AAP leader and former Delhiminister Manish Sisodia told IANS. Senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadavcalled it a victory of proverbial David over Goliath. Other par ty leadercautioned AAP members not to go overboard.As expected, the AAP win created ripples across the country.In remarks clearly aimed at Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee, who had asked people in Delhi to vote for the AAP, said itwas a "big defeat for the arrogant"

BY SHAZIA MALIK

Ontario - Y Media is embarking on the most ambitious plan bybringing to its readers and listeners minute to minute action of2015 ICC Cricket World Cup matches across all its platforms -Midweek newspaper (weekly publ ished ever y Tuesday),Southasian PULSE radio channel (Mon-Fri from 10am to 12 noon),online on southasiandaily.com, Southasian 360 TV and app,YMedia. For more information visit southasiandaily.comYudhvir Jaswal, Editor-in-Chief of Midweek newspaper and CEOof YMedia will bring on air and on TV exper ts from the cricketingworld to share their predictions and star tling stories from a spor tsthat puts half of the world in awe. The stories will be flashedonline and covered in the newspaper in a way that Yudhvir calls"sports at its best." The exper ts will review the previous gameand give insights into the 2015 World Cup that is slated to bedifferent from the games of yester years in wake of new rules,daunting challenges posed by stylish cricketers, innovations inbowling and batting styles and much more.Though all matches will be thrashed out across the myriad ofYMedia por tfolios and performance of individual crickets dis-cussed, the high-voltage game between arch rivals - India andPakistan at the Adelaide Oval on February 15 will hog all the lightinitially. The fast and furious game that is highly unpredictablewill give edge to the team that gets early breakthroughs andYMedia will be focusing on key players that employ attackingstrategies and threat the opponent.

YMedia to walk the 2015Cricket World Cup talk

DELHI ELECTIONS 2015

MIDWEEK ANSWERS ALL YOUR QUESTIONSREGARDING DELHI ELECTIONS

* BJP'S DELHI DEBACLE A PERSONAL DEFEAT FOR MODI?* DOES THIS MEAN END OF POLITICAL ROAD FOR KIRAN BEDI?* IS KEJRIWAL'S SOFT EXTERIOR HIDING A MAN OF STEEL?* DID AAP'S DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING WIN VOTERS' HEARTS?* IS CONGRESS IN A FREE FALL?* AFTER VICTORY WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR AAP?* WILL DELHI DEFEAT HIT BJP HARD?

'NOTHING WILL CHANGE ININDIA' - THINK AGAINAam Admi Par ty(AAP) has won a historic majoritymandate in Delhi Elections. Congress could not evenopen it's account and BJP has been decimated to just 3seats. More than a victory of any political party this is avictory of democracy. In a democratic political systeman Aam Admi(Common Man) can not only fight themighty and powerful but can also defeat them with ahuge margin.Those who always said ' Nothing will change in India'may think again. BJP won the majority at the nationallevel and the mandate is for Development. In Delhielections Arvind Kejriwal has proved that elections canbe won without the misuse of money and support highprofile Politicians to campaign.This is a New India where politics based on religion,caste or region is being left behind as the aspirations ofmore than a billion cannot wait any longer for deliveringgood and inclusive governance. The future belongs tothose who are honest, have the courage to fight thewrong and vision for the betterment of the community.A movement is only successful if there is no loss ofpublic life or Public Property. I personally believe thatpeaceful and democratic way to bring the change in thesociety is the best way. India is changing and at a muchfaster pace than we may anticipate.Yudhvir Jaswal - Group Editor(Midweek Newspaper & Southasian Pulse Radio)

ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON P12 AND P13

Celebrate the Ultimate Cricket World Cup Kick OffPepsi hosts FREE HD Screening of the India vs. Pakistan Match at the Hershey Centre

The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup star ts February 14, with a faceoffbetween rival teams, India and Pakistan. The match is slated to beepic, and if you love cricket, get hyped - the largest live cricket

screening in Canadian history is headed to the Hershey CentreinMississauga cour tesy of global ICC Cricket World Cup sponsorPepsiCo. I CONTD. ON PAGE 3

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015

MidWeek 3MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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PAGE 3 INDIA'S 'THELUNCHBOX' LOSES TOPOLISH FILM AT BAFTA

India's 'The Lunchbox' losesto Polish film at BAFTALondon, (IANS) Internationally acclaimed Indian movie "TheLunchbox" missed the trophy for the Film Not in the EnglishLanguage category of the BAFTA Awards 2015 to Polish-Danishdrama movie "Ida", which was named the winner at the cer-emony here Sunday night. The list of winners for the 68th editionof the annual gala was announced on the official website of theBritish Academy of Film and Television Ar ts (BAFTA) Awards.Indian actress Nimrat Kaur, the leading lady of "The Lunchbox" -- a unique love story of a lovelorn wife and a lonely man -- wasseen on the red carpet in a pink gown.

Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams score bigat Grammy; Indian artists win too

Los Angeles, (IANS) Singers Sam Smith, Beck, Beyonce Knowlesand Pharrell Williams Sunday night dominated the 57th GrammyAwards ceremony, which saw Indian ar tists Ricky Kej and NeelaVaswani winning too.The "Stay with me" fame singer Smith had a huge night as hescooped four Grammy awards -- Record of the Year, Song of theYear, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best New Ar tist.Williams's single "Happy" gave him a reason to smile as he gotBest Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video for the song.Best Urban Contemporary Album award also went to Williams forhis album "G I R L".The award ceremony had another surprise package with musician

Beck nixing popular names like Beyonce, Ed Sheeran and SamSmith to take away the Album Of The Year trophy for his album"Morning Phase". Beck took home another trophy in the BestRock Album category for his album. The album was alsoawarded with the Best Engineered Album in the non-classicalcategory as well.Kej's collaborated album with South African musician WouterKellerman "Winds Of Samsara" won the Best New Age Albumtrophy, and Vaswani walked away with an award in the BestChildren's Album category for being the narrator of the audioversion of book "I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up ForEducation And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai)."

SouthAsian 360 TV covers AAP celebrations in Toronto

I FOR MORE DETAILS WATCH VIDEO ON WWW. SOUTHASIANDAILY.COM

CONTD. FROM PAGE 1To celebrate the kick off of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup,Pepsiwantsto provide Canadian cricket fans with a unique cricketviewing expe-rience, something that provides fans with the same level of excite-ment as watching the game in person.The live HD screening of the match is the main draw, emceed byCanadian Indo-Pakistani band, JoSH who will also per form.Cricket fans can also enjoy over 20 different activations insidethe Hershey Centre arena.One lucky fan will walk away with the ultimate prize - a pair oftickets for an all-expense paid VIP trip to Melbourne, Australiafor the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup Finals.The best par t? The event is FREE!Limited t ickets at the door - v is i t www.facebook.com/PepsiCanada and click on the Get Hyped for Cricket event forticket information. Event details below:WHAT:Live HD Screening of the Cricket World Cup India vs. Pakistanmatch, featuring hosts and exclusive performance by JoSHWHERE:The Hershey Centre5500 Rose Cherry Place, Mississauga, ONWHEN:Doors open: Saturday, February 14 9:45PMOpening ceremonies: Saturday, February 14 10:10 PMGame begins Saturday, February 14 10:20 PM - Sunday February 156:00 AM

Celebrate the UltimateCricket World Cup Kick Off

4 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015s p e c i a l r e p o r t

OTTAWA- Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced the following changes to the Ministry at aswearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall:The Honourable Rober t Douglas Nicholson, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, will continue the Government’seffor ts to ensure that Canada's foreign policy reflects true Canadian values and advances Canada'snational interests.The Honourable Jason Kenney, as Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism, will continue theGovernment’s work to defend our values, interests and sovereignty at home and around the world. He will alsocontinue promoting Canada’s cultural heritage and the ability of all Canadians to integrate into Canadian societyand take an active par t in its social, cultural, economic and political affairs.

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER SHAKES HANDS WITH ROB NICHOLSON UPON HIS SWEARINGIN AS MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AT A CEREMONY AT RIDEAU HALL.

PMO PHOTO BY JASON RANSOM

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER SHAKES HANDS WITH JASON KENNEY UPON HIS SWEARINGIN AS MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE AND MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURALISM AT A CEREMONYAT RIDEAU HALL. PMO PHOTO BY JASON RANSOM

The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, as Minister of Employment and Social Development and Ministerfor Democratic Reform, will continue the Government’s effor ts to help ensure that Canadians arewell prepared to par ticipate fully in the labour market of the future. He will also continue theGovernment’s work to fur ther strengthen government accountability. Mr. Poilievre will also serveas the Minister responsible for the National Capital Commission.“Our Government is delivering real results for Canadians by growing the economy, making commu-nities safer, and standing up for Canadian values at home and abroad. The changes to the Ministryannounced today will help ensure that key por tfolios continue to have the strong leadership required toadvance Canadian priorities.” – Prime Minister Stephen Harper

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPERANNOUNCES CHANGES TO THE MINISTRY

LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA WELCOMES MP EVE ADAMSOTTAWA - The Leader of the LiberalParty of Canada, Justin Trudeau, to-day welcomed Eve Adams, Mem-ber of Parliament for Mississauga-Brampton South, to the Liberal Cau-cus. "Eve Adams entered public ser-vice to be her community's voice inOttawa - not Stephen Harper's voice inher community - and today I am pleasedto welcome her to the Liberal Caucus,"said Trudeau. "Ms. Adams has demon-strated passion and commitment to herconstituents as a City Councillor, Mem-ber of Parliament, and ParliamentarySecretary. But she has also seen herwork restrained by a party focused onthe politics of meanness and division.""I am very concerned for the directionour country is heading in under Stephen

Harper, and I strongly believe that it istime for a leader who can steer Canadain a more positive, productive direc-tion. I believe that leader is JustinTrudeau," said Adams. "I am proud tostand behind a leader like Mr. Trudeau,who has demonstrated humanity, com-passion, and decisiveness when seri-ous issues present themselves."Adams was appointed by StephenHarper as Parliamentary Secretary fortwo portfolios since her election to theHouse of Commons in 2011, and to-day she resigns as ParliamentarySecretary to the Minister of Health.Previously, Adams served for eightyears as City and Regional Council-lor for Ward 5, Mississauga, Ontario.During that time, she also held sev-

eral senior positions on City and Re-gional Councils, including Chair of theAudit and Management Committeesand Vice Chair of the Court of Revi-sion. "The Liberal Party of Canada isfor inclusion. Our growth depends onbringing people together to grow themiddle class, and it depends on bring-ing people together who believe thatthrough hope and hard work we canand will achieve great things," saidTrudeau. "We are building the teamand the plan that will give hard-working Canadians a real chanceat success and a more prosperousfuture. I am very pleased thatAdams is joining us today to ac-complish just that."Source: liberal.ca

ICCC SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETEDITS INDIA MISSION 2015

Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce’s (ICCC) India Mission 2015 visited Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and NewDelhi. The mission achieved its desired goals through its active participation in PBD India 2015 and Vibrant Gujarat2015 convention under the leadership of Mr. Dharma P Jain with close to 50 small and medium business ownersrepresenting Chamber. ICCC Report on “Unlocking the Potential of Canada-India Partnership: Present Initiatives andFuture Agenda” was re-launched by Honorable Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to The Minister of ForeignAffairs in Ahmedabad, India on 10 January 2015, in a business reception hosted by GCCI. The business reception wasattended by Canadian Ministers, MPs, HC to India, Staff and several other international trade bodies and chambers.Mr. Jain said that the Indian government is focused to attract new investment in the sectors such as healthcare,automobile, aerospace, renewable energy, mega projects, sustainable development, information technology, rail-ways, infrastructure, small scale industries, biotechnology, service sectors and with special focus on manufacturingwith the slogan of ‘make in India’. This is an attractive time for the Canadian businesses to start investment in a bigway to get the maximum return. ICCC delegation held a successful business meeting with Mr. Gajendra Singh,Minister of Industry, Government of Rajasthan. Rajasthan is an emerging state with its robust growth in Agriculture,Mining and stones & granite. Over 30 delegates also had a very good interactive session with Mr. Arjun RamMeghwal, Member of Parliament from Bikaner, Rajasthan. Mr. Meghwal is also Member of Business AdvisoryCommittee, Government of India. Both the leaders discussed the scope of the Canada India trade and business tiesin general and particularly the Canada Rajasthan trade ties. President, Dharma Jain also had a meeting with Mr.Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh. Both leaders had a fruitful discussion. President invited CMto bring a business delegation to Canada.

ICCC PRESIDENT WITH MR. SHIVRAJCHAUHAN, CM, MADHYA PRADESH

MidWeek 5MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 breaking news

GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL IN CANADA

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper held a productive meetingwith Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, who was visiting Ottawa.Discussions during Chancellor Merkel's second bilateral visit toCanada focused on the ongoing situation in Ukraine and the next stepsto help bring an end to the conflict. Preparations for the G-7 Summitbeing hosted by Germany this year in Schloss Elmau, Bavaria, alsofeatured in discussions. Items on the agenda for this year's Summitwill include traditional G-7 issues such as international security,development, health and the global economy, in addition to sev-eral new initiatives being championed by Germany. Prime Minis-ter Harper congratulated Chancellor Merkel on hosting a success-ful replenishment conference for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, akey component of Canada's effor ts to improve maternal, newbornand child health.The leaders also discussed a number of other pressing securityissues such as the Middle East and the ongoing fight against ter-rorism, including the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Le-vant (ISIL).

They also reaffirmed the robust relationship between the two coun-tries, emphasizing the oppor tunities offered by the Canada-EuropeanUnion Trade Agreement.Quick Facts" Canada and Germany enjoy close relations, underpinnedby active international cooperation, healthy trade and investmentrelations, and long-standing people-to-people ties. Roughly 3.2 mil-lion residents, or 9.8 per cent of Canada's population, indicate "Ger-man" as their ethnicity." With bilateral merchandise trade totalling $19.1 billion in2014, Germany was Canada's thir teenth-largest merchandise expor tmarket, and ranked four th among Canada's suppliers of merchan-dise impor ts." Germany is an impor tant ally and multilateral player withinthe G-7, the G-20, the United Nations, the Organization for Security andCo-operation in Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), theInternational Atomic Energy Agency, the Organisation for Economic Co-op-eration and Development, and the World Trade Organization.

" Chancellor Merkel attended the June 2010 G-8 and G-20summits in Muskoka and Toronto. She also took par t in a bilateralvisit to Ottawa in August 2012." Prime Minister Harper attended the Canada-EU Summit in Berlinand the G-8 Summit in Heiligendamm in June 2007. He participated in a bio-diversity conference in Bonn in 2008 and the NATO Strasbourg-Kehl Summitheld in France and Germany in 2009. He also visited Berlin in May2010 and Munich and Berlin in March 2014.Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: "Canada and Germany enjoya very strong and stable friendship, underpinned by common in-terests, shared values and robust commercial ties. ChancellorMerkel and I had highly productive discussions today, focused onthe international community's response to the crisis in Ukraine,the global fight against terrorism, and preparations underway forthe upcoming G-7 Summit. We also discussed bilateral rela-tions, including tapping into the enormous potential of the Canada-EUTrade Agreement. I look forward to continuing to work alongside ChancellorMerkel to tackle these and other pressing issues."

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER MEETS WITH ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY, IN HIS CENTRE BLOCK OFFICE ON PARLIAMENT HILL. (PHOTO BY JASON RANSOM)

6 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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MasterCard Opens New Technology Hub in India

ONTARIO - MasterCard celebrated the official opening of a new TechnologyHub in India today. The facility in Pune, together with its Vadodara counter-part, represents the company's largest Tech Hub outside of the US. It will bea key part of the company's strategy to drive the development of cutting-edgepayment technologies aimed at enabling a cashless world.The opening of the India Tech Hub also demonstrates MasterCard's supportfor the India government's focus on growing technology opportunities throughinitiatives such as "Digital India" and its emphasis on promoting financialinclusion through digital and mobile services."India is renowned for its technology leadership, focus on innovation andentrepreneurial spirit," said Rob Reeg, President, MasterCard Operationsand Technology. "The Tech Hub gives MasterCard the opportunity to bring intalented technologists and a wealth of creative new ideas that will help shape

the future of payments."India currently represents approximately ten percent of MasterCard's globalworkforce, across various business units. The new Tech Hub allows forincreased collaboration between engineers and developers based in Indiaand MasterCard's global innovation teams. Teams in India will be developingsolutions that enhance online transactions and the payments value chain, aswell as innovations around mobile and contactless payments services. Withthe rich pool of skilled talent available in India, the company intends tosignificantly increase the number of technologists in the near future.Building on a foundation of innovating in IndiaMasterCard has been a key contributor to building the payments ecosystemin India from its inception, and has worked closely with local partners toensure customized solutions for the country. The 2014 acquisitions of Vadodara-

based C-SAM and Pune-based ECS brought MasterCard development andprocessing expertise in India. Several innovations developed in India arealready being integrated into MasterCard solutions."MasterCard approaches innovation with the customer in mind, creatingsolutions that address not only business opportunities but the needs of emerg-ing markets," said Ari Sarker, MasterCard Division President, South Asia andCountry Corporate Officer for India. "The Tech Hub teams in India will beplaying an important role in creating and supporting payments innovationsthat will be used around the world."As a leader in the global payments industry, MasterCard is using innovationsin payments such as prepaid and mobile to break down barriers to accessand make everyday commerce activities easier, more secure and moreefficient. Since entering the Indian market more than 30 years ago, the com-pany has become a key contributor to building the Indian payments ecosys-tem. Also, MasterCard has partnered with the government on multiple fronts,from creating electronic payments ecosystems to constructing specific pay-ment programs for government payments to citizens as well as employees.

INDIA TECH HUB - COMPANY'S LARGEST OUTSIDE THE US;COMPANY COMMITTED TO GROWING EMPLOYEE PRESENCE IN THE REGION

MasterCard senior executives at the grand launch of MasterCard's Global Tech Hub in Pune, India.From L to R: Michael Manchisi, President, Integrated Processing Solutions, Global Products & Solu-tions; Ram Chari, Group Head & CEO - MasterCard Payment Transaction Services (MPTS) India Hub;- Rob Reeg, President, Operations and Technology, MasterCard; ArvindJangi, Group Executive, Busi-ness Information Officer Corporate and Marketing Functions, MasterCard Technologies & Operations;Ari Sarker, Division President, South Asia, Country Corporate Officer, India, MasterCard

Rob Reeg, President, Operations and Technology, MasterCard lights the traditional oil lamp, signifyingthe inauguration of MasterCard's Global Tech Hub in Pune, India - the largest outside the US.

Rob Reeg, President, Operations and Technology, MasterCard checking out the demos of innovativeproducts and services that demonstrate how MasterCard is at the forefront of payments technology.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 community

REALITY DANCE SHOWFOR KIDS AGED FIVE TO 15TORONTO - Glitterati Enter tainment and Sanskriti Ar ts presentNAACH MERI JAAN (NMJ), a Reality Dance Competition takingplace for the first time in Toronto. Brought to Nor th America byPria Haider and Naved Jaffrey, the Dance Competition was cre-ated to promote the awareness of talent revolving around theSouth Asian dance forms including Bhangra, Bollywood, Fusion,etc. The highlight of the event will be to find the next DancingSuperstars from thousands of contestants in Toronto and 11 cit-ies in the USA. While Toronto finalists will receive a gift hamperand dance scholarships, the New York Grand Finale winner willget to be par t of a Bollywood Movie and receive a Por tfolio shotby a renowned Bollywood photographer. "Naach Meri Jaan willbe the first of its kind and the biggest dance competition in Nor thAmerica. We will be challenging this year's ar tists to interpretBollywood music, to explore classical, freestyle and new formsof cultural fusion in performance," says Puja Amin of GlitteratiEnter tainment who is bringing this Reality Dance Competition toTorontonians. Auditions begin March 6, 2015 and contestants'performances in the following categories will be judged by thelikes of Javed Jaffrey, Rujuta Diwekar and Vatsal Sheth.

BRITISH SIKHS VYING FOR 50SEATS IN WEST LONDONLondon (IANS): The British Sikh community has launched a first-of-its-kind political campaign targeting 50 seats nationwide, in-cluding three in west London, for the impending 2015 generalelections.Hundreds of people from gurdwaras and British Sikh organisationsattended a campaign launch in support of a 10-point manifesto atthe Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall Jan 31, getwestlondon.co.ukrepor ted.Sikh Federation (UK) chairman Amrik Singh said" "Our mani-festo topics are of such importance to the British Sikh commu-nity that the response of par ties and candidates to them willdetermine how many in the community vote." He said big issuesrelated to the community need to be addressed."We are looking for firm commitments from each political par tyon the big issues." Labour par ty's Ed Miliband said: "I think theSikh Manifesto 2015-2020, written by the Sikh Federation UK,demonstrates the commitment of British Sikhs to be activelyinvolved with the political process, and is a great way of empow-ering the British Sikh community."Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, said: "I warmly welcome theSikh Federation's ambition to encourage the British Sikh com-munity to engage with politics at all levels and I congratulate thefederation for all the hard work it has already done to increasethe awareness and impor tance of social and political activismwithin the British Sikh community."

ONTARIO LAUNCHES UPDATEDPLAN FOR HEALTHCARE

OTTAWA - Ontario is introducing the next phase of transformation to theprovince's health care system to improve results for patients and sup-port the needs of an aging population.The new plan - Patients First: Ontario's Action Plan for Health Care -outlines how the province will increase access to better and more coor-dinated care, and ensure the health care system is sustainable for gen-erations to come.This action plan focuses on four ambitious but achievable goals:1. Access: Providing patients with faster access to the right care,including:" Faster access to appointments with primary care providersand specialists" Ensuring that every Ontarian who wants one has a primarycare provider" Increased investments and shorter wait times for mental healthservices, including housing and employment supports to help peoplewith their recovery" Exploring appropriate expanded scope of practice for providersand more models for collaborative care2. Connect: Connecting people with the services they need toreceive better coordinated and more integrated care in the community,closer to home, including:" More nursing, personal support, home-making and rehabilita-tion therapy services at home" Expanded use of technology and telemedicine, particularly inrural and remote communities" Improved and better coordinated end-of-life care" Improved dementia supports, including new memory clinics3. Inform: Providing people with the education, information andtransparency they need to make the right decisions about their health,including:" Additional measures to discourage harmful smoking behaviourand proposed legislation to require restaurants to post calorie informa-tion on menus" New online resources to help people prevent illness, includinga tool that assesses cancer risk and provides a personalized preventionplan" Expanded patient engagement and consultation across thehealth care system4. Protect: Protecting our universal public health care system for genera-tions to come, ensuring that decisions are based on value and quality, including:

" Best-in-class public reporting on areas like wait times, publicdrug programs and mental health to measure how the health system isperforming, improve transparency and shine a light on where improve-ments are necessary" A new Patient Ombudsman to resolve complaints and ensurethat the system is always focused on patients' needsPatients First: Ontario's Action Plan for Health Care is part of the Ontariogovernment's four-part economic plan to build Ontario up by investing inpeople's talent and skills, building new public infrastructure like roadsand transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where businessthrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford toretire.Quick Facts" Since 2003, 5,650 more doctors and 24,060 more nurses arepractising in Ontario." Ontario has doubled funding for home care since 2003." There are now 67 Health Links across Ontario, to bring togethercommunity health care providers to better coordinate care for patientswith complex needs." By 2017, the government will have increased annual fundingfor mental health and addictions by a total of $176 million since the 2011launch of its Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy." The new action plan builds on the successes of the 2012 ActionPlan for Health Care.Source: yasirnaqvi.onmpp.ca

PATIENTS FIRST: ACTION PLAN FOR HEALTH CARE TOIMPROVE THE HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE

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ACTIVE VOICE

WHY AAP BOUNCED BACK ANDCONGRESS IS FALTERING

BY AMULYA GANGULI

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had said after the Aam AdmiPar ty's (AAP) success in the 2013 Delhi elections that there wasmuch to learn from the fledgling outfit and that the Congress will do so"in a way you cannot imagine". More than a year later, when the AAPis again expected to fare well in Delhi, there is no sign that the Con-gress has learnt any lessons.The AAP's resurgence is all the more surprising because the par tywent into a decline during 2014 after its government in Delhi re-signed. The reason for its debility was the par ty's misreading of itsearlier popularity which made it contest more than 400 parliamentaryseats and win only four. In Delhi itself, it lost all the seven Lok Sabhaconstituencies to the BJP. The AAP suffered other setbacks, too, in-cluding the deser tion from its ranks of some prominent par ty mem-bers.Yet, the par ty returned to the battlefield with all the drums beating andbanners flying while the Congress remains in a stupor. The reasonwhy a par ty which is less than two years old has been able to over-come its reverses while a 130-year-old Grand Old Par ty continues tobe in a moribund state says something about the factors which deter-mine political for tunes.The obvious element in the difference between the new kid on theblock and the elderly uncle is public perception. While the youngsterhas a cer tain freshness which evokes a willingness to give him a

second chance notwithstanding his missteps, the grey-haired politi-cal contender's jaded looks compound a rather dismal record of sleazeand non-performance in office.At the centre of the contrary images is the ar t of communication. TheAAP leader, Arvind Kejriwal, has proved to be a master of effectiveinteraction with the masses. Arguably, he is helped by the fact that hisimage is still untainted in terms of failures in governance because thepar ty has never been in power for any length of time.A longer than 49-day stint - the period of the AAP's last tenure in office- may take some of the sheen off its rhetoric. For the present, how-ever, it can take advantage of its untested reputation since it hasn'tyet had the time to renege on its promises. As such, the voters areprepared to place their trust in its words -- for the time being.The century-old par ty, however, is a poor communicator. While itschief, Sonia Gandhi, remains a reader rather than a leader - she is ascript-writer's slave with no spontaneity in her speeches - the sec-ond-in-command, Rahul, gives the impression of being a dilettantewho is going through the motions of making speeches, even with asimulated show of passion, for the sake of the family. He doesn't have"fire in the belly", as former Congressman Natwar Singh said in hisautobiography.But that's not all. The Congress lacks fresh ideas. Its image in thepublic mind is of a par ty with a Soviet-style statist approach to poli-tics with little scope for individual enterprise. It suffers as a result incomparison with both the AAP and the BJP. While the former flaunts itsintention to remould the system by weeding out the vested interestsin politics, the bureaucracy and the private sector, the BJP is bent onunleashing what Manmohan Singh once called the "animal spirits" of

the entrepreneurial class in order to breathe new life into the economy.Both these approaches have their appeal, though not always to thesame sections of the people. The AAP's combative attitude towardsthe establishment, ensconced in a gated world immune to the travailsof the common man, is appreciated by the underprivileged who are atthe receiving end of an insensitive and condescending officialdom.The party's purpor ted honesty also had an appeal for the better-offsegments of the population till Narendra Modi was able to suc-cessfully woo them with the promise of a buoyant economy.The AAP also has the knack of grabbing headlines which is anasset in the days of 24x7 news channels. Earlier, it did so bylevelling accusations of corruption against the bigwigs, whetherpolit icians or industrialists, much in the manner of what R.K.Karanjia's sensationalist tabloid, Blitz, did in the 1960s and '70s.Like the latter, the AAP occasionally faces defamation cases, butapparently believes that the publicity compensates for the legalexpenses.Now its gimmicks involve cautioning the Election Commissionabout the possibility of the BJP tampering with the electronic vot-ing machines or inviting the Modi government to arrest Kejriwal ifthe charges of money laundering against the party are true.There is little doubt that such belligerence has put the BJP on thedefensive. Compared to the vir tual cakewalk which the BJP had inlast year's parliamentary polls against the palpably weak Congress,the AAP's insolence and pugnacity have tended to put the ruling partyoff balance.There is a saying that when elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.The Congress is proving to be somewhat like the grass in this context.

Modi's 'I, me, myself' style may have hurt BJPBY AMULYA GANGULI

What the Delhi poll outcome has confirmed is that the Bharatiya JanataPar ty (BJP) can be stopped in its tracks by a determined opponent,even one not as well-entrenched as established regional par ties likethe AIADMK, the Biju Janata Dal or the Trinamool Congress were intheir respective states in last year's general election.In contrast to what happened in Tamil Nadu and the two other states,the BJP has been routed in Delhi by an adversary like the Aam AdmiPar ty (AAP) which entered the fray with a lot of baggage - its hastydepar ture after 49 days in power in the capital last year, the boast-ful asser tion of anarchist tendencies by its leader Arvind Kejriwal,and an economic outlook which ranged from being "Left of Left" toa claim of being sensitive to the concerns of traders since Kejriwalharked back to his 'bania' (trading community) background.Understandably, the BJP made full use of these deficiencies withNarendra Modi urg ing the AAP leader to jo in the Naxa l i tes(Maoists) in the jungles since he is a self-proclaimed anarchist.Earlier, the prime minister had stressed the same point by desig-nating Kejriwal as AK-49, the automatic rifle that is a favourite ofinsurgents.To buttress Modi's offensive, the BJP threw in nearly all its cen-tral ministers, headed by Arun Jaitley, and as many as 120 MPsinto the campaign, a classic case of a sledgehammer being usedto swat a seeming fly.But the reason why none of it helped the ruling par ty at the centrewill be palpable to any discerning observer. Ever since Modi'aassumption of power last summer on the basis of heady rhetoric,the ruling par ty has been all words and vir tually no deeds. Apar tfrom scrapping the Planning Commission, it has done preciouslittle to fulfil its promises of a turnaround of the economy even ifthe initial signs are favourable considering that a seven percentgrowth is being forecast.However, as Tuesday's results show, the so-called aspirationalmiddle class has not been satisfied. It is wor th remembering thattoday's generation is far more impatient than their forbears. Theylook for quick results and explanations that it takes time for thereforms to bear fruit are rejected as ineffectual quibbling.But an inability to show results on the economic front is not theonly reason for the rebuff which the BJP has suffered after itstriumph in the general election and the successive victories inMaharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand with the possibility that itmight form a government in Jammu and Kashmir as well with thePeople's Democratic Front as a par tner.One explanation for the voters' snub to the BJP in Delhi lies in itsAchilles heel of communalism, for large sections of the elector-ate must have been aghast that despite having come to power onthe promise of development for all - sabka saath, sabka vikas -the BJP was letting the saffron extremists, including two of itsMPs, Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj, to run amok.Apar t from their divisive campaigns, what has apparently hur tthe BJP is Modi's "dangerous silence", as the New York Timescalled it, on these Hindu extremists.Since Modi is widely perceived as a "strong" leader, the silencehas been considered strange. Even if he appears to have actedbehind the scenes to rein in some of the hotheads, in addition totelling the par ty members not to cross the Lakshman rekha (aprescribed limit), the apprehension among the minorities havenot gone away.There is little doubt that the AAP has been a major beneficiary ofthis unease not only among the Muslims, but also the Christianswho have been per turbed by the recent spate of at tacks on

churches in Delhi. Since the Congress is vir tually fading awayfrom the electoral scene, it could not avail of the minority votes,which went to the AAP.The AAP also gained from the perception of its honesty. It's wor threcalling that the Indian voter has long been looking for a personof integrity at the top, whether it was Mr Clean, V.P. Singh, in1989, or Mr Cleaner Rajiv Gandhi in the first three years of hisreign.Now, the AAP fits the bill, especially in view of its success duringits brief stint in power in curbing the police "practice" of collect-ing haftas or weekly al lowances from petty traders and eventhreatening bigwigs - the Ambani brothers were named - if theyinsisted on high user charges on electricity and other amenities.All these asser tions, made with a touch of hauteur, made the AAPa darling of the underclass. With the minorities, too, in their catch-ment area and the middle class disappointed with the s lowprogress on the economic front, the BJP was always fighting alosing battle.Besides, Modi's "I, me, myself" style of governance may havebegun to jar on the voter. The par ty may have to become a greatdeal more moderate if it has to succeed in the next round of elections,notably in Bihar. Modi's call to Kejriwal for a tete-a-tete over tea - chai pecharcha - is probably a sign of the toning down of attitudes.As for the AAP, it is too early to say now how it will fare outside Delhiconsidering that its fielding of 432 candidates in the last general elec-tion was something of a disaster since it could win only four seats.But it may have learnt its lessons from that misadventure, especiallythat governance matters and not a display of belligerence against alland sundry.

MidWeek 9MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015

416-907-4420

canada FOSTERING STUDENTENTREPRENEURSHIPIN OTTAWA IP10

Canada's Supreme Courtscraps assisted suicideToronto (IANS): Canada's Supreme Cour t Friday struck down aban on doctor-assisted suicide for mentally competent patientssuffering from an incurable disease, Xinhua news agency reported. Ina stunning reversal of its ruling in 1993, the court declared that theCriminal Code's absolute ban goes too far in its attempt to protect the livesof "vulnerable people" by preventing competent, consenting adults suffering"grievous and irremediable medical conditions" from making core decisionsabout how they live and die. The judges said the ban breached three of themost basic rights: to life, liberty and security of the person, all enshrined insection 7 of the Charter, and cannot be justified in a free democratic society.The court concluded the right to life is not limited to a "right not to die."

PM ANNOUNCES CONTINUED SUPPORTTO FUTURPRENEUR CANADA

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joined by Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Bramalea-Gore-Malton,Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism, and Agriculture), Parm Gill, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministerof International Trade and Member of Parliament for Brampton-Springdale, and Julia Deans, CEO of Futurpreneur Canada, announcescontinued support to Futurpreneur Canada to help young entrepreneurs succeed in business. (Photos by Jason Ransom)

Unemployment ratedeclines 0.1 percentageONTARIO - Employment increased by 35,000 in January, the re-sult of more par t-time work. The unemployment rate declined 0.1percentage points to 6.6%.In the 12 months to January, employment increased by 128,000(+0.7%) with most of the growth in the second half of the period.In January, par t-time employment increased by 47,000 and fulltime was little changed.Compared with January 2014, full-time employment rose by108,000 (+0.8%), while there was little change in par t-time work.Over the same period, the total number of hours worked was upslightly (+0.3%).In January, employment increased among women aged 55 and over,while there was little change in the other demographic groups.Provincially, employment rose in Quebec, Alberta, New Brunswickand Prince Edward Island in January. At the same time, there wasa decline in Saskatchewan.There were more people working in professional, scientific andtechnical services in January, while employment declined innatural resources.The number of self-employed workers increased in January andthere was little change in the number of private and public sectoremployees.More employed women aged 55 and olderThere were 19,000 more women aged 55 and older working inJanuary and their unemployment rate edged down to 4.8%. Em-ployment for men in the same age group was little changed.However, their unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage pointsto 6.2% as more of them were searching for work.While youth employment was unchanged in January, their unem-ployment rate fell 0.7 percentage points to 12.8% as fewer youthslooked for work.There was little employment change in January for men andwomen aged 25 to 54 and their unemployment rates remained at5.6% and 5.3%, respectively.In the 12 months to January, employment growth was driven bygains among men 25 and older (+79,000) and youths (+30,000).Provincial summaryIn Quebec, employment increased by 16,000 in January, the firstnotable gain since March 2014. In the 12 months to January 2015,overall employment in the province was vir tually unchanged.The unemployment rate was 7.4% in January. Employment inAlber ta rose by 14,000 in January, bringing gains over the past 12months to 67,000 or 3.0%, the fastest growth rate among the prov-inces. Year-over-year employment gains in Alberta were in healthcare and social assistance as well as in transportation and ware-housing, while there was a decrease in retail and wholesale trade.Employment in natural resources was little changed on a year-over-year basis, but it was down 13,000 (-7.2%) from the most recentpeak in September 2014. The unemployment rate in the provincewas 4.5% in January. In January, employment increased by 3,400 inNew Brunswick. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 10.0%as more people participated in the labour market. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province was unchanged.Employment in January was also up in Prince Edward Island (+1,000)and the unemployment rate declined 0.9 percentage points to 10.2%.In Saskatchewan, employment decreased by 8,400 in January andthe unemployment rate increased 0.8 percentage points to 4.5%.Despite fewer people working in January, employment was un-changed compared with 12 months earlier. Employment in theremaining provinces was little changed between December andJanuary.Industry perspectiveThe number of people employed in professional, scientific andtechnical services rose by 22,000 in January, the first notableincrease since July 2013.Employment in natural resources fell by 8,800 in January andwas little changed from 12 months earlier.The number of self-employed increased by 41,000 in January.Compared with January 2014, employment for this group of work-ers rose by 59,000 or 2.2%.For public and private sector employees, employment was little changedfor both January and on a year-over-year basis.

Jagdish Grewal to contest FederalMississauga-Malton Conservative nomination

MISSISSAUGA: Well-known face of the Indo-Canadian communityJagdish Singh Grewal has declared his intention to contest Conserva-tive nomination election for the federal riding of Mississauga-Malton.Jagdish is well known within Canada’s ethnic journalistic circles ashost of Radio Khabarsar and Chief Editor of the Canadian PunjabiPost.Jagdish Grewal came to Canada in 1987 as a youngimmigrant from India. Like all new immigrants, hejuggled through many survival jobs while upgradinghis skills and education by completing his educationat the Frazer Valle College, British Columbia & Cen-tennial College Toronto. He had a secure job withNor th America’s one of the largest automobile com-pany, Chrysler as a technician where he served forover 8 years. However his vision was motivatinghim to do something unique and purposeful in life. Hequit his job with Chrysler to realize his dream of launch-ing Canada’s first daily newspaper in Punjabi in theyear 2002. His newspaper in fact became first dailynewspaper to be published in any language out of Peel Region.His views and ideas have attracted many appreciations from hisfriends and foes alike. During his distinguished career as a journalist,he has interviewed top notch Canadian leaders that include PrimeMinister Stephen Harper, Premier Kathlyn Wynne, former premierDalton McGuinty, a number of federal and provincial ministers, spor tspersons , ar tists and others. He accompanied Prime Minister StephenHarper twice on a business promotion tour of India and similarlyvisited India twice with the premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty for

the similar purposes. As a journalist, he has also covered ‘Parvasi BhartiyaDiwas’ on various occasions at the invitation of government of India.A believer that good eventually attracts the good, Jagdish has playeda pioneer role in building a stronger and safe community in Peel. Overthe years, Jagdish has contributed immensely to cause good to the

public that include being an impor tant member ofthe Credit Valley Hospital’s 50 million dollar cam-paign. He also held numerous successful fund rais-ing and awareness events to suppor t the cause ofphysically/mentally challenged individuals throughCanadian Paraplegic Association and C-SASIL (Ca-nadian-South Asians Suppor ting Independent Liv-ing).A past president of the Peel Multicultural Council,Jagdish has also been on the board of directors ofthe Can-Sikh Spor ts and Cultural Centre, foundingmember of the Guru Nanak Car Rally and memberof the Brampton Civic Hospital’s Sikh Sub commit-tee tasked to raise $ 10 million. Jagdish is an advi-

sor of the Punjabi International Film Festival, Toronto besides beingthe founding director and coordinator of Punjabi Broadcasters Asso-ciation. His services to the community have been widely recognizedthrough numerous medals and awards such as Queen Elizabeth IIDiamond Jubilee awards, National Ethnic Press and Media council ofCanada award presented by Lt. Governor of Ontario (awarded twice),Peel Regional Police’s 2010 Media Award for the best Ethnic Newsand two gold medals for his contributions to the development of spor tof Kabbadi in Canada.

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has recently announcedthe Government's intent to provide continued suppor t to FuturpreneurCanada, a not-for-profit organization that helps young entrepreneursacross Canada launch and sustain businesses. The Prime Ministermade the announcement at the UTi Canada Shipping Solutions Ware-house in Brampton. He was joined by Bal Gosal, Minister of State(Spor t) and Member of Parliament for Bramalea-Gore-Malton, MaximeBernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism, and Agricul-ture), and Parm Gill, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Inter-national Trade and Member of Parliament for Brampton-Springdale.The suppor t for Futurpreneur Canada will go to enhance the ability ofyoung entrepreneurs to star t small businesses across the country byproviding both mentoring and business financing.Futurpreneur Canada works with young entrepreneurs to help thembecome the business leaders of tomorrow through mentoring, expertadvice, learning resources and star t-up financing. It delivers its pro-grams through a national network of 250 community par tners andmore than 2,800 volunteers, including business mentors.This announcement builds on the Government's commitment to en-

courage and suppor t entrepreneurship by connecting young entrepre-neurs with the tools and resources they need to succeed. Small busi-nesses represent 99 per cent of all businesses in Canada and ac-count for about 50 per cent of jobs in the private sector.Quick Facts" Since i ts incept ion in 1996 to December 31, 2014,Futurpreneur Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Youth Busi-ness Foundation, has helped more than 7,500 young entrepreneurslaunch over 6,200 businesses and create 29,800 jobs." Since 2006, the federal government has providedFuturpreneur Canada over $58 million in suppor t." Since 2006, our Government has taken significant steps toimprove suppor t for small businesses and entrepreneurs, including:o Reducing the small business tax rate to 11 per cent;o Increasing the income limit for the small business tax ratefrom $300,000 to $500,000;o Implementing the one-for-one rule to cut unnecessary red tape, savingCanadian businesses over $22 million in administrative burden as of June 2014, aswell as 290,000 hours in time spent dealing with red tape;

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FOSTERING STUDENTENTREPRENEURSHIP IN OTTAWA

Ontario Partnering with Local Universities and Colleges to Create Innovative Programs

Ontario is helping student entrepreneurs in Ottawa learn business skills,access mentorship opportunities and gain hands-on experience to start andgrow a business.The province is investing $2 million in the University of Ottawa, CarletonUniversity and Algonquin College to support their commitment to entrepre-neurship through the $20 million Campus-Linked Accelerators (CLA) pro-gram. The CLA program builds on world-class innovation and entrepreneur-ial programs at campuses across the province.The academic institutions have partnered to create the Capital EntrepreneursProject, a venture to encourage and cultivate youth entrepreneurship. Theprogram will work to make Ottawa the best place to start and grow a busi-ness through the development of a common brand, educational standards,enhanced outreach and continued support of youth-led companies.It will support job creation and economic development opportunities by en-couraging on-campus entrepreneurship and innovation, with strong ties toentrepreneurial mentors.The CLA program is part of Ontario's Youth Jobs Strategy and is beinglaunched at universities and colleges across the province.Supporting entrepreneurship - at any age - is part of the government's eco-nomic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investingin people's talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roadsand transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where businessthrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire. "Helping young entrepreneurs is another example of Ontario's Youth JobsStrategy at work in Ottawa and across the province. These programs willhelp harness their ideas, their vision and their enthusiasm and turn them intojobs for today and for tomorrow. Their innovative spirit will build Ontario'sfuture."- Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation"We want to build the most entrepreneurial postsecondary system in NorthAmerica. That's why we're pleased that academic institutions, like AlgonquinCollege, University of Ottawa and Carlton University are working to make thathappen through the Campus-Linked Accelerator program. They are helping

nurture our business visionaries and igniting their entrepreneurial spirit,helping them to succeed and to expand our economy."- Bob Chiarelli, MPP, Ottawa West-Nepean"Thanks to the partnership and collaboration of Carleton University, AlgonquinCollege and the University of Ottawa, we are proudly making a $2 millioninvestment in youth entrepreneurialism. Ottawa's Campus Link Acceleratoris an investment in the entrepreneurs of tomorrow and will help build astronger local economy and work force."- Yasir Naqvi, MPP, Ottawa Centre"Ontario has some of the best-educated, hardest-working and most creativeyoung people anywhere. Increasing campus-linked entrepreneurship activi-ties will help student transfer skills and knowledge from school to the mar-ketplace. Helping these young people launch companies and find jobs is partof the Ontario government's economic plan."- Madeleine Meilleur, MPP, Ottawa-Vanier"Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver these projectsas a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario. I look forward to putting ouryears of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-goingsupport of young entrepreneurs in Ontario to good use in making theseinitiatives a tremendous success."- Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence"Through the Capital Entrepreneurs program, we can engage more studentsand youth in hands-on entrepreneurial opportunities, says Algonquin CollegePresident Cheryl Jensen.Algonquin is proud of the way we open our doors to the Ottawa community,and we thank the government for supporting our efforts. We look forward toworking with Carleton University and the University of Ottawa to grow theinnovative spirit and mindset within our community."- Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College"This collaborative program puts students first, said Carleton PresidentRoseann O'Reilly Runte. It will provide support to launch and grow youth-ledbusinesses, strengthen Ontario's ecosystem for young entrepreneurs, andenhance the educational and training experiences of our students. We expect

the main outcomes to be more jobs for youth and a more competitive Ontario."- Roseann O'Reilly Runte, President, Carleton University"The support of the CLA program to the Capital Entrepreneurs program en-hances the uOttawa investment in our Entrepreneurship Hub programs. Thisregional partnership complements the entrepreneurship strengths of threepostsecondary institutions. Together with Invest Ottawa, we are committedto driving creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and community engage-ment for our youth, our students and our region,"- Allan Rock , President, Ottawa UniversitySource: yasirnaqvi.onmpp.ca

CANADIANS IN THEIR GOLDENYEARS ARE STRIVING FOR

'FREETIREMENT'TORONTO /CNW/ - For many people, retirement no longer marksthe official end to their working lives, but rather the star ting pointfor fulfilling the dreams they want to accomplish. Whether it'svolunteering for a favourite charity, star ting a small business orworking par t-time at something they're passionate about, Cana-dians have big plans for their "freetirement.""The idea of retirement has changed dramatically as people areliving longer and want the freedom to do meaningful things intheir later years," said Linda MacKay, Senior Vice President, TDRetail Savings and Investing. "This is why more and more peopleare coming to think of it as 'freetirement' rather than retirement.Retirement may have been viewed as an end goal in the past, butmany retirees and pre-retirees now see it as another one of life'smilestones. People still want to travel and spend time with fam-ily, but a significant number also want to stay productive andengaged during their retirement and are looking for the financialmeans to do it."A recent TD survey found that more than a third of people aged18-64 want to work par t-time or casually at something they loveafter they retire, one in five wants to volunteer and one in 10wants to star t a small business. The survey also found that themost popular ways to finance these 'freetirement' dreams arewith RSPs, general savings, pensions, and investments."For many Canadians, saving for retirement - and goals beyond retire-ment - may seem daunting and talking to an expert can help to make it feelmore approachable," adds Lee Bennett, Senior Vice President, TD WealthFinancial Planning. "Regardless of where you're at in your savings journey,it's important to figure out, while still working, how much money is needed forthe future so that you can develop and follow a financial plan to make it areality. A financial planner can help find the best options for individual circum-stances and dreams, and also help make the most out of savings andinvestments once in retirement."Bennett and MacKay have some other tips to help people save for theirfuture:Contribute regularly to an RSP: Setting up a series of regular paymentsinto an RSP is one of the easiest ways of saving money for the futureand possibly reducing tax obligations, yet nearly half of Canadians aged18-64 don't contribute to one and more than a third of those who do waituntil close to the annual deadline. While every contribution is a step inthe right direction, making it a regular habit every week or month canhelp people reach their 'freetirement' dreams even faster.Build savings faster with a TFSA: Tax-Free Savings Accounts helpbuild savings faster as the investment income or growth earned inthem is not taxed. The current maximum annual contribution limit is$5,500, but any unused contribution room can be carried forward.Turn tax returns into ongoing returns: 70 per cent of Canadians ex-pect to get a tax return this year and many of them plan to save atleast part of it in an RSP, TFSA or other savings account. An easyway to boost retirement funds is to consider increasing the amountof the refund saved, as well as saving any bonuses or monetarygifts received during the year.

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DELHIELECTIONS 2015IP12india

AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) LEADERS CELEBRATE PARTY'S PERFORMANCE IN THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED DELHI ASSEMBLYPOLLS IN MUMBAI (IANS)

AAP tsunami routs BJP, Congress inDelhi; Hazare says it's Modi's defeatCONTD. FROM PAGE 1"This is a victory for the people and a big defeat for thearrogant and those who are doing political vendetta andspreading hate... The election is a turning point... The countryneeded this change."Gandhian Anna Hazare added: "The result is a defeat forNarendra Modi. What did the BJP do in the past nine months?The BJP made promises to tackle corruption. Instead theytook anti-people, anti-farmer decisions. They lost publicconfidence."Hazare, who mentored Kejriwal when he launched an anti-corruption campaign here in 2011 that shook India, urged theAAP leader not to repeat the mistakes he committed duringhis earlier stunt as chief minister.In Kerala, former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan called thevote for AAP a blow to "Modi's arrogance". Former Bihar chiefminister and JD-U leader Nitish Kumar echoed him. The CPI-Mhailed the people of Delhi for "decisively rejecting the BJP".One af ter another, BJP leaders accepted defeat and congratu-lated the AAP and Kejriwal. "As the par ty's Delhi leader, Iaccept moral responsibility for the defeat," said Satish

Upadhyay. "Clearly, we made a mistake in understanding thepeople's mood."Election officials said the AAP was poised to grab as many as65 of the 70 seats, leaving just four to the BJP. Even lesserknown AAP activists won easily. AAP leaders who had joinedthe BJP just before the polls were also routed. The IndianNational Lok Dal (INLD) was set to win one seat."Kejriwal is teary eyed," AAP leader Pankaj Gupta told IANS."None of us could sleep properly last night because we weretense. Now, we just cannot believe these unbelievable results."The AAP is set to bag an incredible 54 percent of all votes,officials said. The AAP swept all across the capital, includingboth in the middle class areas and low income neighbourhoods.Kejriwal hiself was headed for victory in New Delhi constitu-ency, where he created history in 2013 by defeating three-timechief minister Sheila Dikshit.Senior AAP leaders, including Somnath Bhar ti, Manish Sisodiaand Rakhi Birla, who were ministers in the earlier Kejriwalgovernment, were also poised to win.Earlier, Kejriwal tweeted: "All the very best Delhiites. Do pray.Prayers are very power ful."

INTERESTING QUOTESABOUT DELHI POLLS

MUMBAI - The following are a few quotes by politicians after theannouncement of results of the Delhi assembly election:Narendra Modi (prime minister): "Spoke to Arvind Kejriwal andcongratulated him on the win. Assured him centre's completesupport in the development of Delhi."Arvind Kejriwal (Aam Aadmi Party chief): "This is a victory ofpeople. This is a victory of truth and honesty."Sonia Gandhi (Congress president): "Spoke to Kejriwal and con-gratulated him on the party's victory."Rahul Gandhi (Congress vice president): "My congratulationsto Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Par ty on their victory. Thepeople of Delhi have chosen the Aam Aadmi Par ty and we re-spect that. I wish Kejriwal and his team the very best."Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP leader and communications minis-ter): "We accept our massive defeat. The par ty will think over it."Kiran Bedi (BJP leader): "Full marks to Arvind. Congratulations.Now take Delhi to the heights it belongs to. Make it a world classcity."Ajay Maken (Congress leader): "We want to congratulate Kejriwaland hope the promises he has made and the dreams he hasoutlined, he will fulfil them in Delhi. For strengthening of democ-racy, I hope that he will fulfil his promises."Anna Hazare (social activist): "This was expected. The result isa defeat for Narendra Modi. Kejriwal must not forget the anti-corruption crusade and should work for public benefit. He mustavoid his past mistakes and work with simplicity."Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena president): "This is a great dayfor democracy. It was not just a wave. It was a tsunami whichswept Delhi. I agree with Hazare's view that this is a defeat forModi, not (Kiran) Bedi."Akhilesh Yadav (Uttar Pradesh chief minister): "Congratula-tions to AAP, good wishes for the new AAP government."Omar Abdullah (Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister):"Wow, well done Delhi and well done Aam Aadmi Par ty. Goodluck to Arvind Kejriwal for the next 5 years."Mufti Muhammad Sayeed (PDP leader): "The Delhi electionshave asserted the diversity of our country and the need to re-spect it which the BJP should learn not to ignore."Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal chief minister): "This is a vic-tory for the people and a big defeat for the arrogant and thosewho are doing political vendetta and spreading hate amongpeople."Nitish Kumar (Janata Dal-United leader): "People want devel-opment with justice. They never accept arrogance. This is re-flected in the AAP's victory in Delhi."Oommen Chandy (Kerala chief minister): "The traditional Con-gress vote has gone to the AAP and what happened was therewas a strong anti-BJP wave in Delhi."K. Chandrasekhar Rao (Telangana chief minister): "The resultsshowed that people want a corruption-free and transparent gov-ernance."V.S. Achuthanandan (Former Kerala chief minister): "This isbecause of a strong stand taken by the people against the anti-people policies of the arrogant Modi's autocratic style of ignor-ing the people."

INDIA'S GDP FOR 2014-15PEGGED AT 7.4 PER CENTNew Delhi, (IANS) The government Monday said it expects theannual gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 7.4 per cent inthe current fiscal under a new method for computing nationalaccounts, thereby resulting in the upward economic growth rate."Real GDP at constant (2011-12) prices in the year 2014-15 islikely to attain a level of Rs.106.57 lakh crore, as against thefirst revised estimate of GDP for the year 2013-14 of Rs.99.21lakh crore, released on Jan 30, 2015," the central statisticsoffice (CSO) said in its advance estimates of national in-come 2014-15."The growth in GDP during 2014-15 is estimated at 7.4 per-cent as compared to the growth rate of 6.9 per cent in 2013-14," it added.The CSO, under the ministry of statistics and programmeimplementation, had shifted base year from 2004-05 to 2011-12,and had come out with the new annual estimate of national incomeand other macroeconomic aggregates on Jan 30, 2015.Under the new method, CSO measures GDP by market prices in-stead of factor costs, to take into account gross value addition (GVA)in goods and services and indirect taxes.The base year of national accounts was last revised in January2010.The CSO had earlier said that following international practice, in-dustry-wise estimates will be presented as gross value added (GVA)at basic prices, while GDP at market prices will henceforth bereferred as GDP.The CSO has also revised growth rate for the first half of 2014-15 at7.4 per cent, from 5.5 per cent it had reported earlier under the oldmethod. At constant prices of 2011-12, the CSO has revised theOctober-December gross domestic growth (GDP) rate at 7.5 percent. While the growth rate calculated under the new system forsecond quarter has been revised to 8.2 per cent, that for first quarterhas been pegged at 6.5 per cent.The CSO said these estimates are based on the anticipated level ofagricultural production, index of industrial production (IIP), monthlyaccounts of union government expenditure and of state governmentexpenditure. The data furnished by CSO shows that financial, realestate, professional services, trade, hotels, transport, communica-tion and services related to broadcasting, public administration,defence, electricity, gas, water supply and other utility servicesgrew at the rate of over seven percent.

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DELHI ELECTIONS 2015He campaigned like a local leader, handpicked his own chief ministe-rial candidate for Delhi and made it a personal referendum on hisleadership. Yet Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not halt the AAPjuggernaut in these assembly polls and in the process lost his firstelection since his winning streak began with the Gujarat assemblypolls in 2002.Modi delivered Gujarat for his par ty for three consecutive terms in2002, 2007 and 2012 after he was parachuted to the state from Delhiin 2001. His por trayal as the par ty's prime ministerial candidate inthe 2014 general election was a direct result of this winning spreeand he managed to win yet again with the BJP for the first time gettinga full majority in the Lok Sabha.Despite assiduous effor ts by the par ty to firewall him from the defeat,the facts are inescapable that the BJP - and Modi personally - haspaid the price for putting his own image and reputation at stake in aprovincial poll.In fact Kiran Bedi's defeat in the Krishna Nagar constituency shouldbe a personal defeat for Modi, who not only chose her in spite of hernot even being a primary member of the par ty, but campaigned ag-gressively for her in ways no prime minister has done for a local poll.The BJP campaign bypassed local leaders and focussed solely onModi's supposedly personal charisma. It was obvious that Bedi asthe chief ministerial candidate was just a proxy and Modi intended toexploit his own larger than life image in this election.Such was his hubris that Modi stuck his neck out and put himself loudand large in every advertisement of the par ty in the election - frombus shelters to billboards to newspapers.All posters and full page adver tisements in newspapers even on theday of polling had full blown pictures of Modi with Bedi, the par ty'schief ministerial candidate, occupying only inset space at the bottom.In a personal letter to voters on election day Feb 7, Modi promised a"world-class city" and said it was his under taking that he would makeDelhi a city that its citizens would be proud of.Modi held four rallies in the run up to the Delhi polls, stretching fromAmbedkar Nagar to Rohini, but his par ty could not manage to wineven four seats. Kejriwal raced home in 67 of the 70 assembly seatswith his "paanch saal Kejriwal (Five years to Kejriwal)" slogan.But will Modi be held accountable for the massive drubbing his par tygot in the Delhi polls?Not if the par ty leaders and spokesmen are to be believed. Despitethe call by Kir ti Azad, a medium-level leader of the par ty, that "headsshould roll", most of the par ty faces that came on television sought toshield Modi and declared that it was "not a referendum on his primeministership".BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said it was not a national electionand did not reflect on Modi. In fact, BJP President Amit Shah in aninterview last week seems to have sought anticipatory bail for hisleader saying: "Delhi polls will not be a referendum on Modi".Modi's Rs.10 lakh suit with his name written on it during US PresidentBarack Obama's visit and his supposedly arrogant style of function-ing seem to have rubbed people the wrong way.Most political analysts have blamed his arrogant style for BJP's mas-sive defeat in the Delhi election. Veteran journalist and commentatorKuldip Nayar told IANS: "The way the BJP carried out a Modi-centriccampaign, any loss is of course a reflection on him (prime minister)."H. K. Dua, MP, who has been an editor of some leading dailies, saidthat the Delhi elections reminded of 1977 election in which IndiraGandhi was defeated."This election verdict reminds of 1977 when the electorate stunnedthe then prime minister Indira Gandhi by inflicting a resounding de-feat to her after her (authoritarian) emergency rule. People of Delhihave delivered a somewhat similar message this time," he said.Kejriwal's win seems to be the beginning of a new political era for thecountry with a focus on local leaders and local issues - bijli, paani,sadak - instead of high voltage foreign policy initiatives which Modiseems to have shown a flair for.The common man or the 'Aam Aadmi' seems to be asking the primeminister how his life can change even if Obama was Modi's bestfriend.As Congress leader Manish Tewari summed it up: "People wanted toteach BJP (read Modi) and its arrogance a lesson, they decided AAPis the instrument of their choice rather than Congress.""It is not my defeat, it is a defeat of the BJP." With this telling statementfollowing her humiliating defeat in the Delhi assembly election, thedecorated police officer-turned-political debutante may well havewritten off her shor t-lived political flir tation - and probably burnt her

political boats - that saw her being pitchforked surprisingly as theleader of the par ty's campaign in Delhi to being roundly rejected bythe people of the capital - all in the space of a heady for tnight." Does this mean end of political road for Kiran Bedi?In a career spanning over three decades in policing, India's first womanIndian Police Service officer Kiran Bedi faced many challenging tasks.But in her new political avatar of leading the country's ruling par ty inthe Delhi polls, she faced probably her life's toughest test with theBJP banking on her 'tough taskmaster' image to win power in thecapital that witnessed arguably the most interesting electoral battlesince its first assembly election in 1993.But Bedi's defeat has been all the more humiliating especially in herlosing the BJP's bastion of Krishna Nagar, considered a safe seat. Theseat has been represented by Harsh Vardhan, who is now a unionminister, since 1993.She lost by 2,277 votes. The winner is the vir tually unknown AamAadmi Par ty (AAP) member S.K. Bagga, an advocate, who polled65,919 votes to her 63,642 votes.Bagga, in his 60s, is described by his suppor ters as a soft-spoken,confident man. He pitched his battle against Kiran Bedi as an "insidervs outsider" contest.When BJP par ty president Amit Shah named Bedi as chief ministerialcandidate, foisting her over the heads of the senior par ty workerswho have toiled long years on the ground for the par ty, it triggeredseething resentment in the ranks over her surprise entry.Bedi, 65, was viewed as an "outsider" in the par ty having never risenfrom the ranks. The election rallies by Bedi, known for her unconven-tional and outspoken ways, were mostly lacklustre events though theBJP top brass including Prime Minister Narendra Modi canvassed forher.Bedi, known for her no-nonsense ways as a top cop in New Delhi inthe 1980s and 1990s, was called Delhi's Iron Lady and Crane Bedi, forhaving repor tedly towed away former prime minister Indira Gandhi'scar parked outside a shop in Connaught Circus on Aug 5, 1982.But doubts were cast on her having actually towed away Gandhi'scar. In a recent TV interview she clarified that a "DCP (Deputy Com-missioner of Police) never tows a vehicle."Bedi, who was a key member of Team Anna during the Lokpal move-ment and worked closely with AAP's Arvind Kejriwal, described herformer colleague as a "liar" and as someone whose influence was"toxic".After she joined the BJP, social media re-tweeted her previous criticalcomments against the BJP and especially about Modi over the 2002Godhra riots. After joining the BJP, Bedi has been extolling Modi andthe BJP repeatedly at every oppor tunity,She said her defeat and the par ty's was "not a referendum on Modi".Asked about her defeat, Bedi retor ted quickly 'I did not lose. The BJPlost. They should introspect why'. And added, for good measure: 'I amcore member of BJP."Winner of the Ramon Magsaysay award, Bedi was credited with re-forming the lives of inmates of Tihar Jail as Inspector General (Pris-ons), Delhi." Is Kejriwal's soft exterior hiding a man of steel?For one dubbed a maverick and written off politically less than a yearago, Arvind Kejriwal has proved to be more wily than his seasonedpolitical rivals who underestimated this slightly built, doughty fighterwho has made an incredible comeback by scripting his second sen-sational election victory in the space of just 15 months.After being a lone ranger for years when he battled corruption bycontractors and officials in a Delhi slum, the former government offi-cial-turned activist-turned-chief minister has become a householdname across India with his direct style and unconventional dressingthat earned him this time the sobriquet of "Muffler man" because ofthe way he campaigned through Delhi's severe winter wrapped incolourful mufflers.But those who have known him for long say Kejriwal is much morethan an activist-turned-politician devoted to battling corruption. Heknows his mission."AK is really focussed," said Pankaj Gupta, a former IT professionalwho has known the 46-year-old leader for 15 years. "He has clearthinking. He is a very tough taskmaster."Gupta, who has been with the Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP) since it wasborn in 2012, says the former Delhi chief minister, otherwise a dia-betic, is very energetic -- a trait he shares with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.But what friends like about Kejriwal is that despite his stunning politi-

cal success, he lives and dresses simply, has no airs about himself,has a spiritual bent of mind and respects elders. In fact he displayeda puckish sense of humour when he reportedly told the online chatshow The Viral Fever: "Political par ties criticise me for my politicalstatement; you are criticising me for my fashion statement. At homemy wife criticises me for my bank statement. Everyone just criticisesme."After the AAP was routed across the country in the 2014 Lok Sabhaelection, and Kejriwal personally lost a prestigious battle to NarendraModi in Varanasi, there was gloom in the par ty. Kejriwal - who hadearlier quit as Delhi's chief minister after just 49 days - became a buttof jokes.The I-care-a-damn Kejriwal was the first to come out of the shock.Showing uncommon resilience for a political rookie, he immediatelybegan to rebuild the bruised AAP, now determined to claw back topower in the capital. His personality ensured that despite some de-ser tions, the bulk of AAP's volunteers remained with him, sharing hisidealism and confidence that the the par ty could bounce back.And when it did in Saturday's Delhi election, the BJP and the Congress-- who had mocked at him a "bagoda" (quitter) -- had egg on theirface. There was also a grudging respect for the born fighter.Much before embracing politics, Kejriwal for years fought for therights of the urban poor as he took up issues -- from transparency tocorruption. But few knew him, even after he got the Ramon Magsaysayaward in the Philippines, an honour often described as Asia's NobelPrize.It was Kejriwal who dramatically transformed the anti-corruptionmovement of social activist Anna Hazare into a successful politicalpar ty in just two years and took to politics much against his mentor'swishes as he knew that, if he had to change things in the country,there was no other way but the political route.Kejriwal was born Aug 16, 1968 in a middle class family in Siwanvillage in Haryana where he had early education in English-mediummissionary schools. The eldest of three children grew up with a Hindureligious mindset. But religion faded away in college.Kejriwal wanted to be a doctor. But he went to the Indian Institute ofTechnology at Kharagpur instead, studying mechanical engineering.He went on to join the Indian Revenue Service. He married a col-league, and they have two children, Harshita and Pulkit.As an officer in the income tax depar tment notorious for corruption,Kejriwal did what few would have dared -- he tried to clean up thesystem within. A chastened income tax depar tment was forced toimplement his reforms to make itself more transparent and less ca-pricious.While on leave, Kejriwal unleashed a "Don't Pay Bribes" campaign atthe electricity depar tment. He asked visitors not to pay bribes andoffered to facilitate their dealings for free.By then, he had founded an NGO, Parivar tan (Change), which put touse the Delhi Right to Information Act of 2001 to expose mind-bog-gling swindling of money by corrupt officers and contractors atSundernagari, a slum area.His dedication fetched him the Ramon Magsaysay award in 2006 --for "emergent leadership". But it was his decision to join forces withHazare that made Kejriwal a household name in Delhi in 2011.While Hazare returned to his village in Maharashtra after the govern-ment caved in to mass protests, Kejriwal kept up the tempo, branch-ing off from the India Against Corruption group to form the AAP inNovember 2012.The AAP steadily expanded its influence in Delhi as it took up onepublic issue after another, undermining the Congress and the BJP.Kejriwal was not content with just fighting petty officials. He calledCongress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Rober t Vadra corrupt.And he also targeted then BJP president Nitin Gadkari.In December 2013, the AAP stunned everyone by bagging 28 of Delhi's70 seats, reducing the then ruling Congress to a single digit and pre-venting the Bharatiya Janata Par ty from getting a majority.Kejriwal himself created history by defeating three-time chief minis-ter Sheila Dikshit by over 25,000 votes.But the 49 days he was chief minister with Congress backing provedto be tumultuous. Kejriwal lost much of middle class suppor t as hetook to the streets against Delhi Police and did a two-night long 'dharna'(sit-in) close to Rajpath just before Republic Day 2014. Critics de-clared the man would always be a street fighter and an anti-establish-ment protester, never an administrator.Kejriwal re-invented himself after the Lok Sabha debacle, rebuildingthe AAP brick by brick, with the help of close associates and dedi-cated volunteers. By the time Delhi elections were announced for February2015, the man had gained much of the goodwill he had lost.For all his activism and politics, Kejriwal is a movie buff and loves to crack andhear jokes. Friends say he would often pull others' legs. "He is honest to the core,"says Manish Sisodia, who was a minister in Kejriwal's government. "And coura-geous. It is not often you find a man both honest and courageous."" Did AAP's door-to-door campaigning win voters' hearts?It was the AAP's door-to-door campaigning, along with a slew of innovativemeasures like flash mobs that helped the over two-year-old party build atrust relationship with people across all spectrums of society in the run-up tothe Delhi assembly elections.From flash mobs and nukkad nataks to musical gatherings and door-to-doorcampaigning across the 70 constituencies - the Aam Aadmi Party cadresand volunteers equally toiled to spread the party's vision and listen to thewoes of the people."They used to visit us regularly and because of this they managed to build atrust relationship with us. They knew our problems and our issues. Theysoon became a part of our families due to their frequent visits," Indu Devi, aresident of the Yamuna Khadar slum cluster in east Delhi, told IANS.For someone like Sudip Ray, a businessman, who usually commutes in acar, AAP volunteers braving the winter cold left a deep impression on hismind."I was born in this city. But never did I see so much enthusiasm among youngparty workers, who ensured that their party's voice reached the voters," Raytold IANS."Many times I saw volunteers wearing the party caps and holding placardsasking the people to 'vote for Kejriwal' and this left a deep impression on mymind and the verdict is a testimony to this," he added."In fact, they campaigned in shopping malls and posh markets to catch theattention of the middle and affluent classes," he added.The party cadres for whom the "hardwork has finally paid off", this well-designed campaigning has been a major part of their game plan to win thehearts of Delhi voters after their brief 49-day stint in the government last year."We used to go to the houses in our constituency, usually on week-ends and spent a lot of time with the people, discussing their prob-lems. Corruption and the lack of basic amenities were the key is-sues... and that is where we star ted from," Hafizuddin, a 32-year-oldvolunteer from Okla, told IANS.

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AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) LEADERS ARVIND KEJRIWAL AND KUMAR VISHWAS CELEBRATE PARTY`S PERFORMANCE IN THE RE-CENTLY CONCLUDED DELHI ASSEMBLY POLLS AT PATEL NAGAR IN NEW DELHI (IANS).

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AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) WORKERS CELEBRATE PARTY'S VICTORY IN THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED DELHI ASSEMBLY POLLS INGUWAHATI (IANS)

He added that this feedback was then taken to the candidate in theconstituency."We became the voice of the people and acted as a bridge betweenthe candidate and the masses," he added.And, to connect to the youth and elite, the par ty organised flashmobs, street plays and musical gatherings across the city."Singing songs while walking for campaigning helped us inconnecting with the masses because it directly struck a chord," avolunteer told IANS, adding the par ty had organised around 200flash mobs in Delhi."We never believed in preaching. Music and dance has a universalappeal and using these mediums were extremely successful asthey helped us to strike an emotional chord with the people," headded.In addition, the par ty also organised jan sabhas, campaignedthrough posters at public places and on the transpor t system likethe most-used Metro system and radio spots." Is Congress in a free fall?The results in Delhi were worse than the Congress could haveimagined. The par ty failed to open its account in the nationalcapital, where it ruled for 15 years till December 2013, raisingquestions about the par ty's electoral tactics, vote-catching ability ofthe par ty leadership and its dwindling electoral base.As the trends became evident, despondent par ty workers againmade demands to bring Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's daughterPriyanka Gandhi Vadra to the forefront to check the par ty's slidingfor tunes. The rout in Delhi was evidently another failure of thepar ty's young leader Rahul Gandhi, who has not been able tochange for tunes of the Congress much since he became the vice-president about two years back.Delhi is the fifth straight loss for the Congress in an assemblyelection after its debacle in the Lok Sabha polls last year and is itsworst. The par ty lost in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and

Jammu and Kashmir. The par ty has finished third or four th in allthese polls, pointing to the level of depths the par ty is sinking.All par ty candidates lost in the Delhi elections - in some cases, noteven getting into five figures of the votes they received."I have not seen such condition of Congress (in Delhi). Congress isnowhere. This is something new," a party functionary, who hasbeen with the par ty for over five decades, told IANS.The problems and challenges appear to be mounting for theCongress by the day. Its adversaries are far more nimble footed andsocial media-savvy. The 129-year-old par ty has struck to itstraditional methods of campaigning with Congress president SoniaGandhi and Rahul Gandhi addressing only a handful of rallies ineach state going to polls.In Delhi, AAP's youthful leadership brought a freshness to itscampaign and presented a people-centric approach to governance.The Bharatiya Janata Party was able to galvanise the youth in theLok Sabha polls under Narendra Modi. But the Congress does notappear to have a plan to catch the imagination of the aspirationalclass or the youth who comprise a large section of the country'spopulation.Rahul Gandhi has been trying to democratise Congress for the lastseven years and the approach has not led to any many major gainsfor the Congress in the last few years. His talk of opening up thepar ty structures has largely remained an idea to be implemented.Congress campaign for Delhi appeared jaded. During his campaignin Delhi assembly polls, mainly in areas where Congress has beentraditionally strong, Rahul Gandhi largely targeted the BJP even asAAP was the par ty on the rise in Delhi and posed the most directthreat to the traditional vote base of the Congress, including theminorities and weaker sections.All top guns of the Congress lost the polls. Par ty's chief for cam-paign Ajay Maken finished third in Sadar Bazar and could get onlyabout 16,500 votes. Maken resigned as par ty general secretary

owning responsibility for the debacle. Par ty leaders had hoped towin 12-15 seats.Congress ruled Delhi for 15 years in succession since 1998 and itsvote share all these years did not fall below 40 percent. It camedown to 24.55 percent in the last polls following rise of AAP andhas now fallen to below 10 percent. Congress won 43 seats in 2008Delhi elections, eight in 2013 polls and has now been reduced tozero.In states such as Bihar and Tamil Nadu, where Congress vote sharewas less than 10 percent in the last assembly polls, the party hasfound it difficult to forge a revival.While the AAP appears to have squeezed out the Congress fromDelhi, it appears poised to do so in Punjab which will go to the pollsin 2017. AAP already has four MPs from Punjab.AAP, which has national ambitions, aims to become a viableopposition to the BJP in all the states ruled by it and push theCongress to the third place.Congress par ty spokesperson Rajeev Gowda said that people votedto defeat the BJP in Delhi and there was positive vote for AAP."There was also anti-incumbency against us. It is the lowest pointand a turnaround will star t," Gowda told IANS.He said that party will evolve a firm road map for revival.Political analyst and senior journalist S. Nihal Singh said thatCongress was supposed to do badly in Delhi but even minorityvoters deser ted it in favour of AAP as there was no hope of thepar ty winning.He said Congress had a difficult road ahead and Rahul Gandhi hadproved a "non-star ter"."In my view, Congress faces a dilemma. Without Nehru-Gandhifamily, the Congress will split. With Rahul as its leader, they willdrown," he said." After victory what are the challenges ahead for AAP?Fulfilling its poll promises might be an uphill task for the new AAPgovernment following the par ty's sweeping victory in the Delhiassembly polls Tuesday.It would be interesting to see how the par ty would bring the keylegislation like Jan Lokpal and Swaraj. The previous 49-day AamAadmi Party government had resigned over the failure to introducethe anti-graft Jan Lokpal bill. The par ty has won 67 of the 70 seatsin the Delhi assembly."Lokpal and Swaraj (self-rule) are as impor tant as electricity andwater," a senior AAP leader told IANS.He, however, did not give an outline of the bills.Besides, fulfilling their other promises like building 20 newcolleges, two lakh public toilets and 47 fast-track cour ts andproviding WiFi across Delhi will not be easy since the land owningagency comes under the central government.On the issue of slashing power rates, the par ty will tread cautiouslyand take a decision only after analyzing the audit report of thepower discoms, a party source said.Though in its last stint the par ty had halved the power rates byproviding subsidy within three days of coming to power in 2013, theexperts had criticized the move saying the subsidy would cost theexchequer hugely." Will Delhi defeat hit BJP hard?A defeat in the Delhi assembly elections, as predicted by exit polls,is bound to hit the BJP hard and shatter the aura of invincibility ofPrime Minister Narendra Modi, analysts say.Although the Bharatiya Janata Par ty has declared that the Delhioutcome cannot be considered a referendum on Modi's govern-ment, few think that it won't dent his or the ruling par ty's shine. Theresults of the fiercely contested election for the 70-member Delhiassembly will be known Tuesday.Most exit polls released after Saturday's polling have said the AamAadmi Par ty of Arvind Kejriwal would win. The BJP, however, is stillhopeful it will edge out the AAP.Political analyst Aswini K. Ray told IANS that if the BJP lost theDelhi battle, its perceived invincibility under Modi will be under-mined."(It will send out a message that the) Modi government is notinvincible. The Modi juggernaut, which appeared invulnerable, is nolonger invincible. It will have a major impact across the country."A former professor of political science at the Jawaharlal Nehru University,Ray said a BJP defeat would be a personal blow to the party's presidentAmit Shah, considered a master election strategist.Veteran journalist and former diplomat Kuldip Nayar agreed.He said it was the BJP which made the election a kind of referen-dum on the Modi government by splashing his photograph andappeal to voters all over the capital.Nayar told IANS that if the BJP was defeated by the AAP, it wouldsignal that "the Modi wave has stopped".BJP leaders themselves admit that this will par tly be so because itwere Modi and Shah who picked Kiran Bedi, India's first womanIPS officer, as the par ty's chief ministerial candidate, stunning theBJP unit in Delhi.As a former Kejriwal colleague in the anti-corruption movement ofAnna Hazare, Bedi's selection was tipped to be a "masterstroke". Inretrospect, party sources say, the move failed to click with voters.Subrata Mukherjee, who taught at Delhi University, said if theresults mirrored the exit polls, the BJP may have to rethink itsslogan of "Congress-mukt Bharat" (Congress-free India)."They will realize that a Congress-mukt Delhi is working to itsdisadvantage," he said, because the city has been handed over tothe AAP, which, like the old Congress, has a Left-of-centre outlook.In its maiden election December 2013, the AAP stunningly won 28seats compared to 31 of BJP and formed a government withCongress backing after a hung assembly. The AAP governmentresigned after 49 days.Mukherjee said the AAP had made promises to provide cheapwater and power but it will have to find resources to meet theexpectations of the electorate."If they are in power, the law of diminishing returns will set in aftera few months. Criticism will be much more than what Modi facedtill now (in eight months)," he said.A BJP loss would force Modi to reinvent himself and go for a morecollective leadership rather than leave the par ty affairs solely toShah, Mukherjee said.But if the BJP wins Delhi, Modi will reign supreme.A BJP defeat will become a wake up call for the party, added A.S.Narang, a professor of political science at the Indira GandhiNational Open University here.Modi led the BJP to a historic triumph in the Lok Sabha election lastyear. The BJP then won power in Jharkhand, Haryana andMaharashtra and an unprecedented number of seats in Jammu andKashmir.An AAP victory in Delhi would halt the blitzkrieg.

i n d i a

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JORDANIAN QUEEN RANIA IN A PROTEST WALK IN AMMAN AGAINST THE IS GROUP THAT BURNED ALIVE JORDANIAN PILOTMUATH AL-KASSASBEH (IANS)

RUSSIAN INFLATIONHIGHEST IN 16 YEARSMoscow (IANS): Russia's inflation rate in January has hit a 16-year-old high record, according to statistic agency Rosstat. Theagency said recently that inflation rate in January amounted to3.9 per cent, comparing to 2.6 per cent in December 2014. Therate was considerably higher than Rosstat's forecast of 2.7 percent and economists' consensus outlook of 2.6, Xinhua reported.The statistics showed a 6.5-time growth year-on-year as in Jan2014 inflation was only 0.6 per cent. This is the highest pace ofinflation in Russia since February 1999, when consumer pricesgrew by 4.1 per cent in one month. According to Rosstat, con-sumer prices in Russia rose by 4.4 per cent in January 2015,including food prices by 5.7 percent, as the annual growth ratesof the two indexes reached 15.9 per cent and 20.7 per cent re-spectively.

Japan to discuss prevention ofterrorist funding at G20 meetTokyo (IANS/EFE): Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said Fri-day he will discuss how to prevent the financing of terrorist groupswith his G20 counterpar ts at their for thcoming Istanbul meeting."Two Japanese citizens were victims (of terrorism). Terroristscannot act without funds," said Aso at a press conference. Aso'scomments came after the Islamic State sent videos Jan 24 andFeb 1 showing the beheading of two Japanese nationals it hadcaptured in Syria and threatened to kill more Japanese citizens"wherever they are".Before the execution of the hostages, Japan had already approveda law to freeze financial and real estate transactions by individu-als and organisations involved in international terrorism, includ-ing the IS and Al Qaeda. Aso also said in statements to Kyodonews agency that during the meeting of the heads of finance andcentral banks at the G20 Summit Feb 9 in Istanbul, Japan wouldshow its gratitude to all the Middle East countries which cooper-ated in the attempts to free the two hostages.In the macroeconomic field, Aso said that in Istanbul "economicrecovery" in Japan would also be up for discussion thanks to thereform programme championed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, aprogramme popularly known as "Abenomics". Aso also said thathe would explain his government's effor ts to improve Japan'sfiscal health which was the worst in the developed world withpublic debt more than double its GDP.

Mass rallies in Jordan against ISAmman (IANS): Thousands of Jordanians took to the streetscalling for revenge for the killing of a Jordanian pilot by theIslamic State (IS) terrorist group. After midday prayers indowntown Amman, more than 5,000 Jordanians held a demon-stration with the par ticipation of Queen Rania Al Abdullah ofJordan, Xinhua news agency repor ted."Death to the Islamic State. Death to their suppor ters. We willtake revenge," chanted the demonstrators, holding Jordanianflags and pictures of King Abdullah II of Jordan and the killed

pilot. Yehua Soud, a lawmaker who took par t in the event, said,"We are here to send a message to the terrorists of the IS. Wewill kill them and take revenge."As the demonstration star ted, several media repor ts indicatedthat the Jordanian fighter jets launched airstrikes against the ISin Mousel in Iraq, killing 35 IS terrorists. In Karak, the home-town of the pilot, Moaz Kasasbeh, who was burnt alive by the ISin a cage, thousands took par t in a demonstration. He was capturedlate last year after his plane crashed in Raqqah in Syria.

Syrian army retakes 16 villages from IS; launched60 airstrikes against rebel positions in Damascus

Damascus (IANS/EFE): The Syrian army has seized control of 16villages and farms in the nor theastern province of Hasakah from theIslamic State (IS) terrorist group, official news agency SANA repor tedrecently. In a large-scale offensive against the militants which beganlast week, Syrian troops retook the villages of al-Zaraza, Shamasa,Tal Mohamed, al-Tiben, Khaled, Howedka, Akoula and nine farms inthe area.During the attacks, a large number of IS fighters were killed or wounded,SANA said, without providing a precise number. In the same prov-ince, at least 13 militants were killed Thursday in airstrikes by theUS-led international coalition, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights(SOHR) said. The alliance launched 20 attacks in the Shadadi areaagainst arms dumps and vehicle storage areas used by the IS tocarry out its operations.In a related development, Jordanian warplanes resumed hitting IS

positions in Syria ending a 40-day hiatus in their bombing campaignThursday. The Jordanian Air Force had indefinitely suspended the raidson IS strongholds Dec 25, the day after pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh wascaptured when his F-16 fighter crashed while on a mission againstthe group. Following failed negotiations to swap the lieutenant for aterrorist jailed in Jordan, he was burned alive by the IS terrorists,triggering a vow by Jordan to resume and increase its attacks on thegroup. The Syrian air force earlier carried out as many as 60 airstrikesagainst rebel positions in the eastern countryside of the capital Dam-ascus repor tedly killing 70 people, including 11 rebel fighters, a moni-toring group said Friday. The strikes Thursday targeted the tense sub-urbs of Arbeen, Douma, Kafr Batna and Ayn Tarma, Xinhua news agencyrepor ted citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It said chil-dren and women were among those killed, adding that dozens of peoplewere wounded as well, some of whom are in critical conditions.

Female suicide bombersthreaten Nigeria electionsAbuja (IANS): As the West African country of Nigeria preparesfor presidential and general elections Feb 14 and 28, it is emerg-ing that female suicide bombers are being prepared by the Is-lamic insurgency group Boko Haram to blow up polling stationsbut the continental body African Union (AU) says it has deployedabout 7,500 troops from the member nations of the Lake ChadBasin Development Commission (LCBDC) to combat terrorthreats.The member countries of the LCBDC are Cameroon, Chad, Niger,Nigeria, Algeria, Central African Republic, Libya and Sudan. Brief-ing media here, Mike Omeri, coordinator of the National Infor-mation Centre (NIC) and director general of the National Orienta-tion Agency (NOA), said: "The 7,500 AU-backed multinationalforce is to be composed mainly in the Lake Chad Basin Commis-sion areas. The modalities of the operation of this force arebeing worked out at a tactical meeting that star ted in the Repub-lic of Cameroun."Omeri said the Chadian chief of defence staff Major-GeneralIbrahim Seid Mahamat has arrived in Nigeria to consolidateplans to effect a trans-border operation with his Nigerian coun-terpar t, Air Marshall Alex Badeh. Meanwhile, the National Coun-cil of State have, after a seven-hour meeting Thursday to delib-erate on the general elections and security issues in the country,became divided along par ty lines and could therefore not decideon whether to postpone the elections following renewed threatsto peace in some par ts of the country.

Eurogroup to discuss Greece'ssituation on Feb 11Brussels (IANS/EFE): Finance ministers of the eurozone mem-ber states will hold a meeting next Wednesday in Brussels todiscuss the situation of Greece, European Union (EU) sourcessaid. The meeting will take place tomorrow, Feb 11 and be thefirst to be attended by Greece's newly-appointed Finance Minis-ter, Yannis Varoufakis, who has already met with some of hiscounterpar ts on a European tour.The Brussels meeting will be held just one day before EU headsof states and governments convene an informal summit, whichwill be the first time for Alexis Tsipras to join them as primeminister of Greece. The 19 eurozone ministers are set to listento Greek proposals regarding the future of European assistanceto the country, as Athens is keen on reaching a temporary "bridg-ing" deal that would allow its financial system to function untilJune. Such an agreement would give more time for Greece tonegotiate a more comprehensive deal on debt restructuring anddebt swaps, including two types of new bonds -- one indexed tonominal economic growth and other bonds to replace EuropeanCentral Bank-owned Greek bonds. The bridging agreement isnecessary because the current European suppor t agreement isset to expire Feb 28. The eurogroup meeting was convened following aseries of high-level meetings this week by the Greek prime minister and hisfinance minister in Paris, London, Rome, Brussels, Frankfurt and Berlin.During those talks, Greece's European partners insisted that Athenscomply with commitments made by the previous government andcontinue with reform measures. They also underlined the importanceof respecting the outcome of Greece's recent elections and democracyin the country. Earlier, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeublesaid in a meeting in Berlin Thursday that he and his Greek counterpartYannis Varoufakis, "agreed to disagree".

Taliban suicideattackers

assault Afghanpolice station

KABUL: Taliban suicide at-tackers assaulted an Afghanpolice station Tuesday, killingone officer as a separate road-side bombing targeted aprominent female politician inthe country's east, authoritiessaid.The attack on a police head-quar ters in Afghanistan 'snor thern Kunduz province sawinsurgents first detonate a sui-cide car bomb followed by asuicide bomber on foot, Inte-r ior Ministry spokesmanSediq Sediqqi said. Threemore gunmen attacked follow-ing the bombings and died ina shootout with police, Sediqqisaid.A statement from PresidentAshraf Ghani condemned theattack, saying it kil led onepolice officer.Taliban spokesman ZabihullahMujahid claimed the attack ina message on Twitter.Meanwhi le, the roadsidebomb in Jala labad near aschool exploded as AngezaShinwari, a Nangarhar prov-ince counci lwoman, drovepast. The blast k i l led herdriver and severely woundedShinwari and another person,said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, aspokesman for the provincialgovernor.

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80 PERTOSA DRIVE, UNIT 12,BRAMPTON ONT., L6X 5E9

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Why Bhaai is Worried?Salman cancelled 'Bajrangi

Bhaijaan' shoot

Actor takes a break from his film's shoot to be with his ailing dogSalman Khan's love for dogs is almost legendary - on reel as well asin real life. So when he received news about his pet dog Sandy beingunwell, he apparently decided to put the shoot of 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'on hold and fly back home to Mumbai for a day. Director Kabir Khanhas been shooting with Salman and Kareena Kapoor in Mandawa, atown in Rajasthan.A source says, "When Salman got to know that Sandy was ill and noteating, he wasted no time in flying down to Mumbai on Saturdaymorning. He spent the entire day by his pet's side and flew back toRajasthan late evening. Though he is away, he has constantly beenenquiring about his dog's health."Before Sandy, the actor had two Bull Mastiffs - Myson and Myjaan.After Myson's death in 2009, Myjaan took ill a few months later andpassed away. It is said that his debut production venture, Chillar Par ty,was a tribute to his own dogs. The film was centered on a bunch ofkids doing unbelievable things to save their society dog from theclutches of the municipal corporation.In 2011, Salman donated a photograph with his two pets to the BombaySociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) to spreadawareness about animal welfare.

After revealing Ranbir Kapoor's rugged look as a fighter Johnny Balraj,and Anushka Sharma's retro avatar as a jazz singer Rosie Noronha,makers of 'Bombay Velvet' have unveiled Karan Johar's villainous sideas Kaizad Khambatta.Karan Johar took to Twitter to release the first glimpse of his look as thebaddie, Kaizad Khambatta, in Anurag Kashyap's 'Bombay Velvet'.Karan Johar plays a baddie, Kaizad Khambatta, in Anurag Kashyap's'Bombay Velvet'. Picture cour tesy: Karan Johar's Twitter account@karanjohar While revealing his look on the micro-blogging website,Karan tweeted, "The villain in @anuragkashyap72 's #BombayVelvet...Kaizad Khambatta essayed by yours truly!!!".On January 28, makers of 'Bombay Velvet' had released a teaser posterfeaturing Ranbir Kapoor that gave us a sneak-peek into his look andcharacter of Johnny Balraj in one of the most anticipated films of 2015.In the look unveiled by director Anurag Kashyap on Twitter, we see RanbirKapoor holding on to a wire wall of a fighting cage, while parts of words'Bombay Velvet' can be seen glowing in the background.Anushka Sharma's smoldering look as the jazz singer, Rosie Noronha,has become the talk of the town ever since it was released on February3. An adaption of historian Gyan Prakash's book 'Mumbai Fables','Bombay Velvet' is set in the Bombay of 1960s and revolves around thestory of Johnny Balraj and Rosie.'Bombay Velvet' is slated to release on May 15.

KJO'S FIRST LOOK ASVILLAIN IN 'BOMBAYVELVET' UNVEILED

THE STUNNING HIZ N HERZ BRIDALSHOW HELD IN MISSISSAUGA

WORLD CUP CRICKET CONTESTSMIDWEEK SUPER SELECTOR CONTEST (20 PRIZES)

For the Cricket World cup all the selectors have selected their respective cricket teams. Now you have a chance to become theMidweek Super Selector. Select any 3 players from any team and send it to [email protected]

For every run scored by your selected player you will get 1 point and for every wicket taken you will get 20 points. Points will beadded at the end of the World cup and top 20 will become the Midweek Super Selectors and win the prizes. Last date for submitting

entries is Sunday, February 15 till 10 pm. (Dinner for 2 at The HOST or Movie Passes for 2).For more details of this contest visit www.SouthasianDaily.com or visit our facebook page SouthasianDaily.com

WIN FREE TICKETS TO India vs. PakistanMatch at the Hershey Centre

CELEBRATE THE ULTIMATE CRICKET WORLD CUP KICK OFFPepsi hosts FREE HD Screening of the India vs. Pakistan Match at the Hershey CentreThe 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup star ts February 14, with a faceoffbetween rival teams, India and Pakistan. The match is slated to beepic, and if you love cricket, get hyped - the largest live cricket screen-ing in Canadian history is headed to the Hershey Centrein Mississaugacour tesy of global ICC Cricket World Cup sponsor PepsiCo.To celebrate the kick off of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup,Pepsiwantsto provide Canadian cricket fans with a unique cricketviewing experi-ence, something that provides fans with the same level of excitementas watching the game in person.The live HD screening of the match is the main draw, emceed byCanadian Indo-Pakistani band, JoSH who will also perform. Cricketfans can also enjoy over 20 different activations inside the HersheyCentre arena.Midweek newspaper will give 10 tickets free , for details of this con-

test visitv is i t www.SouthasianDai ly.com or v is i t our facebook pageSouthasianDaily.comWHAT:Live HD Screening of the Cricket World Cup India vs. Pakistan match,featuring hosts and exclusive performance by JoSHWHERE:The Hershey Centre5500 Rose Cherry Place, Mississauga, ONWHEN:Doors open: Saturday, February 14 9:45PMOpening ceremonies: Saturday, February 14 10:10 PMGame begins Saturday, February 14 10:20 PM - Sunday February 156:00 AM

INDIA CRUSH MINNOWS AFGHANISTAN BY 153 RUNSAdelaide, (IANS) India crushed minnows Afghanistan by 153 runs in theirsecond and last warm-up fixture at the Adelaide Oval here Tuesday, aheadof the World Cup which starts Feb 14. Opting to bat, India piled on 364/5 intheir 50 overs backed by opener Rohit Sharma's 150. In reply, Afghanistanmanaged 211/8 in their allotted 50 overs. India had a poor start earlier inthe day as they lost opener Shikhar Dhawan (4) and vice-captain ViratKohli (5) cheaply by the fourth over. However, Rohit combined well withleft-hander Suresh Raina (75) to hit a 154-run third-wicket partnership.After Raina got out, with India's score at 174 in the 29th over, Rohit thenjoined hands with Ajinkya Rahane, who went on to score an unbeaten 88.Rohit's splendid innings came to an end in the 40th over, after a 95-runpartnership with Rahane, who blasted the Afghan bowlers in the deathovers to propel India to a mammoth total. Afghanistan captain MohammedNabi tried out eight bowlers of which four took a wicket apiece.It was too much to ask for Afghanistan to chase down the monumentaltarget. Though they played relatively well to go past the 200-mark, theynever looked like they were really up to the task. Top-order batsman NawrozMangal top scored with 60, the only half-century of the Afghanistan innings.

India pacer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja picked uptwo wickets each. Brief scores: India 364/5 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma150, Ajinkya Rahane 88 not out, Suresh Raina 75) beat Afghanistan 211/8 in 50 overs (Nawroz Mangal 60, Usman Ghani 44; Ravindra Jadeja 2/38, Mohit Sharma 2/40).

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2 Hawaizaada Maaza My Lord

3 Lingaa Chalke Re

4 Roy Tu Hai Ki Nahi

5 Shamitabh Pidly

6 Dolly Ki Doli Fashion Khatam Mujhpe

7 Shamitabh Sha Sha Mi Mi

8 Dolly Ki Doli Phatte Tak Nachna

9. Baby Main Tujse Pyaar Nahi Karta

10 Sharaffat Gaye Tail Lene Selfiyaan

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HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEKPK SUPERHIT

BABY HIT

DOLLY KI DOLI AVERAGE

KHAMOSHIYAN AVERAGE

HAWAIZAADA AVERAGE

FILM

songsSONG

KHAMOSHIYANFilm: Khamoshiyan

MIDWEEK BOX

OFFICE REPORTBABY IRS88 CRORESDOLLY KI DOLI IRS20 CRORESSHAMITABH IRS14 CRORESKHAMOSHIYAN IRS10 CRORESHAWAIZAADE IRS2.5 CRORES

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BECOMING LEELA WAS TOUGH:SUNNY LEONE

Mumbai (IANS): Actress Sunny Leone, who will be seen in atotally different avatar in Bobby Khan's for thcoming film "Ek PaheliLeela", said it was very challenging for her to transform herselfinto the character of Leela.Sunny was present at the trailer launch of film here Friday whenshe was asked how challenging it was for her to get into the skinof the character. She said: "It was a very challenging role. WhenI read the script I loved it. But the process of actually becomingLeela would take 2-3 hours. On the first day, I took 6 hours tofinalise the look.""I received a lot of suppor t in the form of good people in myteam. The dialogues for Leela were difficult as well. So learning all thatwas difficult. But I think when people watch it they will see all the hard workthat was put into this role," she added. "Ek Paheli Leela" also stars JayBhanushali, Rajneesh Duggal and Rahul Dev in prominent roles. Largelyshot in Jodhpur, the film is slated to hit theatres April 10.

Movie Review

'DOLLY KI DOLI': THIS DOLI IS

DODDERINGIt works on the idea level. A spunky spirited girl whounapologetically cleans up unsuspecting bridegrooms on thewedding night. And by cleaning up, we don't mean what youthink.There is no sex, not even a kiss. This one helluva feisty conwoman is out to take revenge on mankind after being dumpedby a guy. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, they say.Scornfully presumptuous as it rolls up the wedding tent overand over again to facilitate our Dolly's wicked designs (and wedon't mean the luscious lehngas and the alluring cholis), "DollyKi Doli" is the sor t of cinema where laughter at a social evil(the girl child's lack of options in life) drowns the din of implau-sibil i ty.The plot works its way through three episodes, each displayingSonam Kapoor's vivacious charms in oodles of opulent 'show-sha-giri '.This is Nor th India where everyone has to be loud and coarse.Archana Puransingh leads the banshee bandwagon. Shescreams even the punctuations between her lines. And expectslaughter for pronouncing 'Bra' as 'Buhraa'.Sonam gets to create humour out of even 'woh auraton waliproblem' to get away from doing the needful with husband no.2on her wedding night.Husband No.2 is played by the cherubic Varun Sharma who waslast seen raising a laugh riot in "Fukrey". Here Sharma and therest of the very talented cast must make do with paper-thin witlining the spoken lines. They stubbornly cling to the hope ofhumour.What carries the slim film up that hill to the finishing line arethe actors. They all seem to be extra-protective of the flimsymaterial. The plot about a girl who cons her way throughnumerous marriages is constantly treading shaky grounds. It'sthe actors who keep the humour from sagging. Specially goodare Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma as the two jilted groomsbonding over their betrayal.There is a sequence where Varun over drinks asks Rajkummarif she gave 'it' to him. Rajkummar pretends to have done 'it'.Male bonding at its most delusional. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayubas the guy who secretly loves Dolly while he must pose as herbrother at sham weddings is the only actor who introduced asense of seriousness to this tale filled with a mocking rageover a social system that doesn't allow a cer tain section ofwomen to choose whom they want to sleep, or not sleep, with.What works for "Dolly Ki Doli" is Sonam in the title role.Sonam's character belongs to the cattle class and yet refuses

to be cowed down. Spirited till the end, she plays the film'shero in every respect, owning up to the conning game thatmen have played from days of Dev Anand in "Jaal" to RanveerSingh in "Ricky Behl Versus The Ladies".Why should the boys have the fun? Dolly seems to ask withthat mischievous glint in her eyes.If only the character had been provided with a better place tospread her wings."Dolly Ki Doli" works in par ts, those par ts where the runawaybride doesn't have to justify her waywardness even to herclosest associates.The take-it-or-leave-it attitude suits Sonam's Dolly fine. Itdoesn't work for the film, though.For a film filled with fun festivity and frolic, the music andsongs including the item song filmed on the queen of the genreMalaika Arora Khan, are poorer for their vapidity.Incidentally, producer Arbaaz Khan was not quite telling thetruth when he claimed his superstar brother had no place inthis film. Salman Khan not only makes a surprise appearanceat the end, Pulkit Samrat seems to be aping the star allthrough.

CAST: SONAM KAPOOR, RAJKUMMAR

YADAV, PULKIT SAMRAT, VARUN SINGH

DIRECTOR: ABHISHEK DOGRA

RATING: ***

CELEBS AT MUSIC LAUNCH OF FILM BADMASHIYAAN IN MUMBAI (IANS)

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VARUN DHAWAN DURING THE PROMOTION OF FILM BADLAPUR (IANS)

Mumbai (IANS): At a time when the success graph of a moviedepends on whether it enters the IRs100 crore club, actor VarunDhawan says he wants people to appreciate "Badlapur" for itscinematic values, rather than focus on the business it gener-ates. "Badlapur is a film I have not done for money and for methe film will work only if the public appreciates what we havedone cinematically," the actor tweeted.

Son of filmmaker David Dhawan, Varun took to micro-bloggingsite Twitter to clear the air about an ar ticle, in which he says, he hasbeen misquoted. With just three films in his kitty -- "Student Of TheYear", "Main Tera Hero" and "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", Varun willbe seen in a different avatar in Sriram Raghavan's dark, intenserevenge drama. "Badlapur", which is all set for release Feb 20, alsostars Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam and Vinay Pathak in key roles.

Haven't done 'Badlapur' for money: Varun Dhawan

'Razia Sultan' zooms in on women's empowermentNew Delhi (IANS): "Razia Sultan", a new historical show on the first woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, aims to bring the message of women'sempowerment to viewers through her inspirational tale.Actors Sooraj Thapar and Pankhuri Awasthi were in the capital Wednesday to promote the show, which will be aired on new Hindi generalentertainment channel &TV starting March 2. The intent is to empower the women of modern society by showcasing the life of Razia Sultan,tracing how from an emperor's daughter, she went on to rule a dynasty. Pankhuri, who has been a part of shows like "MTV Fanaah" and "Yeh HaiAashiqui" in the past, will be seen playing the titular role in the show.Talking about her understanding of the character, Pankhuri told IANS: "Razia is just like any other normal girl. She is fun-loving, but on other hand,she is scared too. Even though her father is the king, she doesn't have any dream to take over his dynasty. But as time will pass, her father willrealise that she is best person who he can rule the Sultanate dynasty."Sooraj, who will essay the role of Razia's father, Iltutmish, said he's lucky to be part of the show. "In recent times I've mostly played negativecharacters, but Iltutmish is a protagonist. People loved me as the evil king Dhana Nanda in 'Chandragupta Maurya'. So (I feel) they will love mein this show too," he said.Apart from Sooraj and Pankhuri, the show will also feature actresses Seema Kapoor and Sambhavna Seth as Shamshad Begum and Shah Turkanrespectively. The channel gave a glimpse into the show at an event here, with Sooraj and Pankhuri - dressed as their respective characters -performed a scene from the show.The time is ripe for such a show as the country is buzzing with discussions over women's safety, said Rahul Kumar Tewary of SwastikProductions, that's producing the show. 'Razia Sultan' talks about women empowerment. It talks about the time of a male-dominated society. Itshows how a father seeks trust in his daughter, who goes on to rule Delhi. "The Indian society is facing issues related to women security, so theshow is an effort to aware people about the status of women in the society," he said.The shooting of "Razia Sultan" took place in Gujarat, on the same set where the producers filmed their popular mythological show "Mahabharat".Asked why the show was filmed in Gujarat when the story of the show deals with the history of Delhi, Tewary said: "The show talks about the 13thcentury. Delhi and other metro cities have transformed and developed to a big extent.

PRIYANKA CHOPRAENCHANTED BY MUSICMumbai (IANS): Actress-singer Priyanka Chopra doesn't needmagic wands, potions or fairies to take her to a magical land-- music does the trick. "Studio day!!! So much fun!! As al-ways! Making music is magical!! It never ceases to amazeme!!" she tweeted. The actress, who has been applauded forher per formances in movies like "Fashion" and "Mary Kom",stepped into the music world with her international single "Inmy city". Last year, her track "I can't make you love me"bagged the seventh position in the top 100 international songsand albums.

HRITHIK ROSHAN'SHAPPINESS MANTRAMumbai (IANS): Bollywood actor with Greek god looks, Hrithik Roshan,seemed to be in a philosophical mood when he shared the secret offinding true happiness!"Finally happiness is nothing more dan becoming d best version ofurself. Rise," the actor tweeted. After making his acting debut in 2000with "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai", Hrithik went on to treat his fans with avariety of roles in films as diverse as "Mission Kashmir", "Lakshya","Dhoom 2", "Koi... Mil Gaya", "Krrish", "Jodhaa Akhbar", "Guzaarish","Agneepath", "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" and "Bang Bang!".

Akshara Haasan's Hindi woesMumbai (IANS): Veteran actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika'syounger daughter Akshara Haasan, who is making her debut inBollywood with "Shamitabh", says she had star ted workingon her Hindi diction six months before the film went on floors."I really worked hard. I had star ted working on my Hindidiction almost six months before the shooting of the filmbegan. I attended the diction classes in Delhi and now it hasimproved a lot," Akshara said at a press meet organised topromote her film here Wednesday."Shami tabh" , d i rec ted by R. Ba lakr ishnan, a lso s ta rsmegastar Amitabh Bachchan and southern star Dhanush inkey roles. The film, which revolves around two individualswho come together for a purpose but drif t apar t due to theirego, is set to hit big screens Feb 6.

Why is Huma missing from'Badlapur' promotions?Curiously enough, the actress has been skipping the promotions ofher upcoming thriller 'Badlapur'Varun Dhawan and Yami Gautam are on a publicity blitzkrieg forSriram Raghavan's upcoming thriller, 'Badlapur', but strangely theirco-star Huma Qureshi has been missing from the promotional ac-tivities.Varun and Yami recently travelled to Amritsar and Chandigarh for thepromotions. They were also part of a music reality show and havebeen spotted at various events in the city - all sans Huma. Lastmonth, Huma had visited a radio station to promote the film with co-stars Varun and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, but after that she has beenconspicuous by her absence at the film's events.Says a source, "She is prominently featured in the film's trailer, buthas been skipping the promotional events of late. She has not beengiving any interviews either."

Sonam Kapoor hospitalisedBollywood star Sonam Kapoor,who was hospitalised aboutthree days ago after sufferingfrom respiratory infection onthe sets of 'Prem Ratan DhanPayo', has been dischargedBollywood star Sonam Kapoor,who was hospitalised aboutthree days ago after sufferingfrom respiratory infection onthe sets of 'Prem Ratan DhanPayo' at ND Studio in Karjat,was discharged on Monday

from Kokilaben Ambanihospital in Mumbai.Sonam, who last appeared onthe big screen in 'Dolly kiDoli', tweeted an image of herin the hospital on Mondayevening. She wrote on themicro-bloggin site, "Hatebeing sick... Oowie."A source close to the actresssaid, "She star ted gettingnausea and uneasiness on thesets. She was immediately

rushed to Mumbai andadmitted to the hospital."Another friend of the actresssaid, "The doctor has told usthat it was like an asthmaattack and the condition wassevere respiratory infection,which led to whizzing anduneasiness, for which shewas treated."Sonam was shooting solo forthe film when she suffered theattack.The actress, accompanied byher managers, is set to returnto the sets today to continueshooting for the SoorajBarjatya-directed film.

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'THE DIRTY POLITICS' RELEASEPOSTPONED TO HOLIMumbai (IANS): Mallika Sherawat-starrer "The Dir ty Politics",which was earlier slated to release Feb 13, will now hit thescreens March 6, which happens to be Holi. The reason behindthe delay is to avoid a clash with other films, and to record onemore song. The film's director K.C. Bokadia told IANS: "Earliermy film was supposed to release on Feb 13, but since my song'Ghaghra' is doing really well, we have decided to record onemore song for this film. So, Mallika will be shooting for thissong on Feb 13, 14 and 15." Bokadia says March 6 gives thema "good window" due to the festival of Holi, which also falls onthe same day. "It's better to release your film separately than tohave two to three releases the same day," he said. The directoralso clarified that Mallika will not be shooting an item song forthe movie, and that it will be a situational number.

'COMEDY NIGHTS...' SPECIALTREAT FOR MAHASHIVRATRIMumbai (IANS): The makers of popular show "Comedy NightsWith Kapil" have planned a special treat for all its fans aroundMahashivratri festival which will be celebrated Feb 17. Theshow makers have brought in nine ar tistes from different showsof Colors channel for a Mahashivratri special episode, whichwill surely act as a perfect family reunion.Star comedian Kapil Sharma will be seen per forming hisantics with telly stars from the channel. The episode willsee cha rac te rs Chakor f rom "Udaan" , Ashoka f rom"Chakravar tin Ashoka Samrat", Anandi from "Balika Vadhu",Roli and Simar from "Sasural Simar Ka", Anushka and Rajatf rom "Shas t r i S i s t e rs " and Swara and Rag in i f rom"Swaragini". "Today shooting a grand episode with all thecolors family... #cnwk," tweeted Kapil recently.. The epi-sode will be aired Feb 15.

Sonam Kapoorunveils CirocFilmfare Style &Glamour AwardsMumbai (IANS): Actress Sonam Kapoor Thursdayunveiled the official logo of the first Ciroc FilmfareStyle & Glamour Awards, a new event to honour thestars of the enter tainment world.Sonam was accompanied by Filmfare editor JiteshPillai and Diageo India marketing and innovationsdirector Bhavesh Somaya. The first Ciroc FilmfareGlamour & Style Awards will be held Feb 26 at theTaj Lands End here. Movie stars will be nominatedin categories like Most Glamorous Star, EmergingFace of Fashion, Global Icon of the Year, Trendsetterof the Year and so on."Thanks to movies, fashion has become more main-stream. Today, stars are becoming brand ambas-sadors of various fashion por tals and are involvedin designing pret lines that mirror their personality,"Pillai said. "Karan Johar has launched his own luxelabel and the lines between movie and couture cul-tures are indeed blurring. Keeping all this in per-spective, Filmfare has come out with a brand newproperty that reflects these changes."Pillai said the awards "will pay tribute not only tothe oomph quotient of our stars but also the overallaesthetics of films as well. It's our homage to allthat's haute in tinsel town," he added.

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DAVID BECKHAM PRESENTSBAFTA AWARDLondon, (IANS): Retired English footballer David Beckham took tothe stage at the BAFTA Awards ceremony along with actors HenryCavill and Julie Walters to hand out an allocade. Actors HollidayGrainger, Mark Strong and Martin Freeman also attended the star-studded EE British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA)ceremony at London's Royal Opera House. Brunette beauty HayleyAtwell and Chris Evans, with whom she shared a lip kiss in "CaptainAmerica", were in attendance as well as "Game of Thrones" beautyNatalie Dormer and "The Hunger Games" hunk Sam Claflin. Nomi-nees who attended the ceremony include Benedict Cumberbatchand Eddie Redmayne, who are competing in the Best Actor category,as well as Michael Keaton and Ralph Fiennes. Redmayne's leadinglady in "The Theory of Everything" Felicity Jones, who has receiveda nod for Best Actress, will also be in attendance as well as JulianneMoore, Amy Adams and Rosamund Pike, who are up for the cat-egory. Funnyman Stephen Fry, who tied the knot with Elliott Spencerlast month, also hosted the ceremony.

ANISTON'S DAD 'BEGGED' HERNOT BE AN ACTRESSLos Angeles (IANS): Actress Jennifer Aniston's father John Aniston,known for starring in daytime drama "Days of Our Lives", "begged"her not to become an actress. The former "Friends" star said herfather wanted her to become a lawyer because he feared she wouldn'tbe able to handle the rejection that happens in the industry, reportsfemalefirst.co.uk."I was hell-bent because my dad was just begging me not to be inthe industry. He said, 'I do not want your heart broken. The rejectionis brutal. Please, please, please don't do that. Become a lawyer.'"That was my one rebellion. I was hoping that I was going to make it,so that I could prove him wrong. I just kept going. I'm happy he madethat claim that he didn't want me to do it," the 45-year-old actresstold website Collider. Jennifer was hooked on being in the entertain-ment industry as soon as she saw the musical "Annie". However,her dreams of appearing in a musical were quickly cut short be-cause she realised she couldn't sing.She said: "I grew up in New York City, and I was born into a family ofactors. I remember going to see my first play, which was 'Children ofa Lesser God' on Broadway. And then, I saw 'Annie', and forget aboutit. "It was me, my hairbrush and my record player, for hours on end.But I couldn't sing, so that wasn't going to happen."

JOHNNY DEPP, AMBERHEARD MARRYLos Angeles (IANS): The much-awaited nuptials of actors JohnnyDepp and Amber Heard have reportedly already happened at theirhome here. A source confirmed the news of their marriage hereTuesday to people.com. A bigger wedding celebration is still to comethis weekend on Depp's Little Hall's Pond Cay private island in theBahamas. Depp, 51, and Heard, 28, got engaged over the holidaysin 2012 after meeting on the set of 2011's "The Rum Diary."They stepped out as a couple in 2012 after the actor split with longtime partner Vanessa Paradis, and though Depp and Heard weath-ered split rumours late last year, the two have seemed better thanever as of late. "They're great together," said a source.

BARRYMORE 'AWESTRUCK'BY HUSBAND'S MAN CAVELos Angeles (IANS): Actress Drew Barrymore says she was awe-struck when her husband Will Kopelman showed his space to her.Kopelman's private residence that he shares with his wife and twochildren isn't just a place composed of ordinary rooms.Each space is complete with creative and unique items, reportseonline.com. "I wanted to create a space that is a completely unfil-tered expression of my aesthetic. It's my own personal bubble ofpeace."," he told Architectural Digest. He showcased his organisedcloset as well as his man cave complete with art, books, familyphotographs and beloved keepsakes. "I was awestruck when hefinally showed the space to me. It was so beautiful and modern, in acompletely unexpected way that is pure Will," said Barrymore.

HOLLYWOOD

AMITABH BACHCHAN WITH FILMMAKER R BALKI DURING THE PROMOTION OF FILM SHAMITABH AT THE MUMBAI INTERNATIONALMOTOR SHOW (IANS)

SHOOTING 'JAZBAA' WITH AISHWARYA'FABULOUS': SANJAY GUPTA

Mumbai (IANS): Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, who has star ted theshoot ing of h is nex t f i lm "Jazbaa" , s tar r ing A ishwarya Ra iBachchan, has described working with the actress as "fabulous".Aishwarya, who was last seen on the big screen in the 2010 film"Guzaarish", is making her comeback with Jazbaa. "I'm sure someof you wanna know what it was like to shoot with ARB today(Tuesday). Putting it mildly, it was FAB. We're on a roll & it's agood one," Gupta tweeted. He had even shared a photograph of

the actress while filming. Even though the photograph is a backshot, she is seen spor ting a black leather jacket with her hairneatly tied up and looking at a computer in a laboratory. Guptacaptioned the image: "She is back." He was upbeat about anotherday of shooting of "Jazbaa", which is an action thriller. "On myway to another killer day of shooting JAZBAA. Some intense scenesto shoot today. Will be fun," he tweeted. It also stars Irr fan Khanand Shabana Azmi.

Mumbai (IANS): Actress Jacqueline Fernandez's for thcoming film"Roy" will hit the screens Feb 13, a day before Valentine's Day. The SriLankan beauty says it will be the perfect treat for the audiences as ithas an interesting love story. "I'm very excited that 'Roy' is re-leasing in Valentine's Day week. 'Roy' is actually a suspensedrama but it's also a very romantic love story. I think it wouldbe the per fect watch to go for on Valentine's Day," Jacquelinesaid at an event. "Roy" is love triangle starring Arjun Rampaland Ranbir Kapoor in key roles. Jacqueline is playing a doublerole in it. Meanwhile, when asked about her V-Day plans, shesaid: "I don't have a Valentine's Day plan...I mean not any romanticplan because I'm going for the premiere of 'Roy'. I think that willprobably the best way I can celebrate my Valentine's Day."

'ROY' PERFECT FILMFOR VALENTINE'S DAY

BIG B'S 'FAST ANDFURIOUS' DELHI VISITNew Delhi (IANS): MegastarAmitabh Bachchan, who washere for the promotion of hisfor thcoming film "Shamitabh",says his visit was "fast and fu-rious". The 72-year-old veteranactor took to his official blog topost his perspective followingthe film's promotions. "Con-sumed by eternal promotions,running through the 658th - per-haps - interview, saddled in thecomfor t of repetitive question-ing and visits of personal andprivate meetings. It has beenwhat trips to Delhi have been… fast and furious," he wrote onsrbachchan.tumblr.com.Amitabh also paid a "personal visit" to the Commander in Chief of theArmy at the Army House. "There is a personal visit to the Commanderin Chief of the Army and a pleasant moment with him in the ArmyHouse -- a destination not too unfamiliar. Many memories of theyounger days spent within the precincts with friends and its occu-pants during those wondrous University and College days and be-fore," he wrote. At present, the thespian is gearing up for "Shamitabh",which revolves around two individuals, who meet up for a reason, but driftapart due to their ego. The R. Balakrishnan-directorial, which also featuressouthern superstar Dhanush in a key role and marks debut of Kamal Haasan'sdaughter, Akshara Haasan. The film hit theatres last Friday.

Los Angeles (IANS): Singer Justin Bieber says he is "passion-ate" about being a "better" person and wants people to remem-ber that he is only a "human".The "Believe" hitmaker recently made a video for fans in whichhe apologised for his recent conduct -- which has included wildpartying, driving offences and throwing eggs at a neighbour'shouse -- and he wants people to realise he is only "human" andgets upset by criticism, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Speaking onthe "Ellen DeGeneres Show" Thursday, he told the host: "Peopleoften forget that, even with their comments and stuff, they think itdoesn't get to me. But it gets to me. Things that people saybother me and I gotta be strong enough to just keep it pushing.That's why I just wanted to make a video to just let people knowthat I'm human."I love people. I love love. I'm passionate about things and I'mpassionate about being better and growing, so I think that this isgoing to be an awesome chapter in my life and I'm so glad that Ihave you guys supporting me." The 20-year-old singer'sappearance on the show is just over a week after he made thevideo and he admits he was feeling anxious about people'sattitude towards him."It was the first time I was on television for a long time, and I justwas worried about what people were thinking about me. Like Isaid last time, I did a lot of things over the past few years thatI'm not proud of. I was just nervous to be in front of people againand talk in front of them. Remember," he added. Asked why hewent on to make the video, he said: "I thought I just looked reallyextra nervous and I kinda just wanted to explain myself."

JUSTIN BIEBER WANTSTO BE A BETTER PERSON

VIDYA BALAN DURING THE DIAMOND JUBILEE YEAR CELEBRATION OF KISHINCHAND CHELLARAM COLLEGE IN MUMBAI (IANS)

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AFGHANISTANAfsar Zazai (wk), Aftab Alam, Asghar Stanekzai,Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, JavedAhmadi, Merwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi (capt),Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Nawroz Mangal,Samiullah Shinwari, Shapoor Zadran, Usman Ghani.AUSTRALIAGeorge Bailey, Michael Clarke (capt), PatrickCummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, AaronFinch, Brad Haddin (wk), Josh Hazlewood, MitchellJohnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith,Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.Injured Clarke named in Australia squadBANGLADESHAl-Amin Hossain, Anamul Haque, Arafat Sunny,Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), MominulHaque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Nasir Hossain, RubelHossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, SoumyaSarkar, Taijul Islam, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.ENGLANDMoeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell,Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), StevenFinn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan (capt),Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, ChrisWoakes.Ballance recalled by EnglandMorgan replaces Cook as captainINDIARavichandran Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Shikhar Dhawan,MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli,Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Akshar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane,Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami,Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.Yuvraj left out of India squadIRELANDAndrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, GeorgeDockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney,Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien (wk), William Porterfield(capt), *Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thomp-son, Gary Wilson (wk), Craig Young.*replaced the injured Tim Murtagh on 18 JanuaryIreland name unchanged squadNEW ZEALANDBrendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, TrentBoult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham,Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills,Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi (wkt), Tim Southee, RossTaylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson.New Zealand recall all-rounder ElliottPAKISTANAhmed Shehzad, Ehsan Adil, Haris Sohail, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan,*Rahat Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, SohaibMaqsood, Sohail Khan, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz,Yasir Shah, Younus Khan.*replaced the injured Junaid Khan on 6 FebruaryMisbah to retire from ODIs after World CupRahat Ali replaces Junaid KhanSCOTLANDRichie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer (vice-capt), FreddieColeman, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, AlasdairEvans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask,Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Preston Mommsen(capt), Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw.Mommsen to captain ScotlandSOUTH AFRICAKyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien,Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers (capt & wk), JPDuminy, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Morne Morkel,Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander,Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir.SRI LANKADinesh Chandimal (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan,Rangana Herath, Mahela Jayawardene, DimuthKarunaratne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal,Lasith Malinga (subject to fitness), Angelo Mathews(capt), Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, DhammikaPrasad, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), SachithraSenanayake, Lahiru Thirimanne.UNITED ARAB EMIRATESShahzad, Khurram Khan, Krishna Karate, ManjulaGuruge, Mohammed Tauqir (capt), MuhammadNaveed, Nasir Aziz, Roshan Mustafa, Saqlain Haider,Shaiman Anwar, Swapnil Patil.WEST INDIESSulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Car ter,Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder (capt),*Nikita Miller, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kemar Roach,Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels,Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.*replaced the withdrawn Sunil Narine on 29 JanuaryMiller replaces Narine in World Cup squadGayle accuses West Indies of 'victimisation'ZIMBABWERegis Chakabva (wk), Tendai Chatara, ChamuChibhabha, Elton Chigumbura (capt), Craig Ervine,Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, StuartMatsikenyeri, Solomon Mire, Tawanda Mupariwa,Tinashe Panyangara, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor(wk), Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.Teams were required to name a 30-man provisional squadbefore finalising a 15-strong squad for the competition by 7January. Injured players can only be replaced with specialdispensation from the International Cricket Council.

2015 CRICKET WORLDCUP SQUADS

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where south asians meet daily

CHRIS WOAKES DISMISSED CHRIS GAYLE FOR A GOLDEN DUCK, ENGLAND V WEST INDIES, WORLD CUP WARM-UP MATCH, SYDNEY.

ICC approves Rahat Ali'sinclusion in Pakistan squadDubai (IANS): The International Cricket Council (ICC) Fridayapproved Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) request to replaceinjured pacer Junaid Khan with Rahat Ali in their World Cupsquad. The World Cup's Event Technical Committee acceptedAli as a substitute for Junaid for the tournament which beginsFeb 14. Junaid had failed to recover from a hamstring injury hesustained before Pakistan's One-Day International (ODI) tourof New Zealand.The 26-year-old Ali played his only ODI against Sri Lanka atPallekele in June 2012, but has 31 wickets from 11 Tests. Paki-stan had Thursday named left-arm medium pacer Ali as the replace-ment. Pakistan head to the World Cup having suffered home and awayseries losses to New Zealand. They open their campaign againstarch-rivals India at the Adelaide Oval Feb 15.

ICC World Cup ticket salesheading for million markDubai (IANS): Cricket fans from around the world are rushingto get their tickets and with just nine days before the star t of theICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, ticket sales isheading for the million mark.The 14 ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 venues around Australiaand New Zealand are filling up for what promises to be themost intense competition ever for the silver and gold trophy.According to the ICC, more than 750,000 tickets have been soldto date, well on the way to a predicted total attendance of morethan a million. While there are plenty of good seats left to greatmatches, organisers are urging fans to get their tickets now toavoid disappointment.ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: "The ICC CricketWorld Cup is on track to be the most open and competitivetournament ever. I'd urge everyone who can to get out andsuppor t their team." Australia and New Zealand last hosted theevent 23 years ago and the lure of some of the world's bestcricket grounds and the chance for a great holiday is attractingtens of thousands of visitors.

Cricket World Cup game launchedSydney (IANS): Disney India has launched the official game ofthe ICC World Cup 2015 titled 'ICC Pro Cricket 2015'. The gamecan be played on computers with a cut-down version also madefor smar tphones. The announcement was made at the SydneyCricket Ground (SCG) in the presence of speedster Brett Lee."It's a great honour to launch this videogame in conjunctionwith the ICC and Disney India. The graphics are incredible andI love the fact that this game can be played on not just yourcomputer but on your phone as well. I'm sure lots of people willbe hitting their own sixes and taking the prized wicket of DavidWarner with this game," said Lee. The game is available oniOS and Android platforms. Computer users can download thegame from www.procricket2015.com for $9.99 while forsmar tphones, users can download it for free.Sri Lanka hire psychologist SnapeColombo (IANS): The Sri Lankan cricket team have acquiredthe services of spor ts psychologist Jeremy Snape for a secondspell with the team during the World Cup which star ts Feb 14.The former England off-spinner previously worked with Sri Lankaduring their home series against England in November 2014."Jeremy Snape will be with the Sri Lankan team for 14 days,from Feb 24 to March 9. Jeremy will be able to enhance indi-vidual performance of the national team," said an official re-lease. "This move is bound to add value to the system at thiscrucial stage and will suppor t to derive the maximum output ofplayers to face any challenges in the upcoming World Cup inpar ticular." One of the reasons behind the decision has beenSri Lanka's pattern of failing in high pressure matches over thepast few years. They have lost four major finals between 2007and 2012 but then won the World Twenty20 in 2014. Snape hasplayed 10 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and a T20 for Englandin addition to 121 first-class matches. He also has a mastersdegree in spor ts psychology and has worked with England,South Africa, as well as with Indian Premier League (IPL) andBig Bash League (BBL) teams.

World Cup opening events Feb 12MELBOURNE (IANS): Christchurch and Melbourne will host the opening events of the ICC World Cup on Feb 12. The Christchurchevent will be a free, family-friendly event featuring appearances by leading New Zealand ar tists Solo3 Mio, Ginny Blackmore andHayley Westenra, as well as cricketing legends Richard Hadlee, Stephen Fleming and current New Zealand captain BrendonMcCullum. The Melbourne celebration wil l involve former and current World Cup players and legends, cultural and musicper formances, a fireworks display and a yet to be revealed 'special moment'. It will reflect the diversity and excitement of the 14competing nations and include some icons from Australian enter tainment. The Christchuch event will be held at Nor th HagleyPark while the Melbourne event will be hosted at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Linlithgow Ave.

SHASTRI, KOHLI ENJOY YOGA AND MASSAGEAdelaide (IANS): Indian team director Ravi Shastri and vice-captain Virat Kohli rejuvenated themselves ahead of the World Cup byindulging in yoga and massage. They headed to Authenticity Health and Wellness Retreat at Por t Elliot, South Australia, for somemuch needed rest and relaxation, enjoying yoga and massage throughout the week. "It's been nothing shor t of amazing. Just theambience here, it's so positive, yet it's so relaxed," Shastri was quoted as saying. "The two months in Australia were drainingmentally. We needed some time off and this has been brilliant for the boys, it will sharpen them up -- mentally even more thanphysically." While Kohli and Shastri tried their hands at yoga, other members of the squad enjoyed themselves at a boot camp(adventure camp). India play their first match of the World Cup here Feb 15 against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Kallis, Jayawardene, Afridi picked up in CPL draftPort of Spain (IANS): Cricket legends Jacques Kallis, Shahid Afridi, Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga have been picked up in theCaribbean Premier League (CPL)'s draft for this year's edition. Kallis, who retired from international cricket last year, was purchased byTrinidad Red Steel for $100,000, while Kevin Pietersen was retained by St Lucia Zouks for $80,000. Other big international names to bedrafted were veteran Pakistan all-rounder Afridi, star New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor and Sri Lankan pair Jayawardene and Malinga.They join the cream of West Indies cricket in the competition, headlined by Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo, while Test greatShivnarine Chanderpaul will take par t in the tournament for the first time. Two Australians were picked up in the draft. Brisbane Heatbatsman Chris Lynn was purchased by Jamaica Tallawahs for $70,000, while Adelaide Strikers veteran Brad Hodge was purchased byGuyana Amazon Warriors for $20,000.

CONTD. FROM PAGE 1The YMedia coverage of the world cup will also talk about theswings and seams of a bowler on bouncy Australian wickets,aggression of batsmen who would cope with pressure of thegame and keep calm, players who are not part of a country'ssquad but could have made a difference, mistakes made by thelosing side in a par ticular game, and expectations from cer tainteams. Needless to say that performance of the Indian team willbe under scanner if the side does not do well and plug early itsgorging holes as revealed in the recent tri-series played be-tween India, Australia and England and must be drilled.On one hand the BCCI is trying to deal with the injuries of theplayers, on the other they are frowning on the team's bowling.All this and the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian teamwill make it to the pages of Midweek, hit the screen of Southasian360 TV, published online, aired on Southasian PULSE radio andplaced on its app. Happy viewing and listening!

YMedia to walk the 2015Cricket World Cup talk

TIME FOR ENGLAND TO LIFTPERFORMANCE: BUTTLERMelbourne, (IANS) Young batsman Jos Buttler Monday said hismight be a new generation of English cricketers who are"exciting", but they need match-winning per formances nowrather than hopeful talk of what the future might hold.Experienced players such as Alastair Cook, Graeme Swann,Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen have all depar ted, andalthough there is genuine excitement about the new generation,they face the prospect of being taught a cricketing lesson DownUnder."It is a much younger but probably more inexperienced andexciting side. 'Exciting' and 'development' are great words butnow we know we have to per form," the 24-year-old was quotedas saying by espncricinfo.com."That doesn't really wash any more. It is about being in atournament, winning games of cricket, getting to a quar ter-final

and then getting as far as we can."The right-handed batsman wants to be consistent, and moreimpor tantly, wants to deliver for his country at the spor t'sbiggest event."I want to be a consistent per former, not somebody who couldbe a good player for England. It's great to have potential, it'sgreat to have talent but there comes a stage where you want sobe someone where media and commentators talk about youbeing a per former for England. That's the stage you have got toget to," he said."Someone like Virat Kohli has played a lot more games but heis only 26 and he per forms on a stage which is the world'sbest, so age is irrelevant, it is about per formance. Kohli is notthe finished ar ticle but he per forms at a level which is whateveryone aspires to get to as fast as they can."

Australia beat India in WorldCup warm-up match

Adelaide, (IANS) India were beaten by 106 runs by hosts Australia intheir first warm-up match for the World Cup here Sunday.Chasing a huge target of 372 runs, India folded for 265 uns in 45.1overs. Middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane top scored with a fluent66 for the defending World Cup champions.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (59) and middle-order batter Ambati Rayadu(53) were also among runs but it wasn't enough to help India's cause.Earlier, twin centuries from opener David Warner (104) and No.4 bats-man Glenn Maxwell (122) helped Australia hammer India to post ahuge total of 371 in 48.2 overs.

'Sri Lanka's bowling attack notsolely dependant on Malinga'

Christchurch, (IANS) Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews Sundaydismissed the notion that Sri Lanka were a one-man bowlingattack, relying on pacer Lasith Malinga to carry his team'sbowling hopes.Sri Lanka have depended heavily on Malinga in their recentmajor-tournament for tunes. But Mathews suggested they have

other match winners in their attack too."You can't write off the rest of the bowlers that we have,"Mathews was quoted as saying by espncricinfo. com."We've got fairly experienced bowlers, but Lasith is the X-factor. It's just that in a one-off game, the others can alsocome into the par ty.

We all expect Lasith to dowell but I'm pretty sure withthe amount of talent thatwe've got in the side, anyonecan do the job for us."Veteran batsman MahelaJayawardene also echoedhis captain's point of view,but added that Malinga is thespark that the bowling unitrequires. "The others willfeed off him," Jayawardenesaid."Because of his experience,his presence will give usthat extra 10 percent to winthe matches we had beenlosing. We're a small nation,so it's impor tant we geteveryone on the park."Sri Lanka's preparation forthe World Cup was damp-ened by a 2-4 loss to NewZealand in a seven-matchOne-Day International (ODI)series recently.Mathews demanded moreconsistency in all depar t-ments from his team but wasunper turbed by the loweredexpectations."We're happy to walk into theWorld Cup as underdogs. Noone really expects us towin."Sri Lanka begin their finalWorld Cup preparations witha warm-up match againstSouth Africa (Feb 9) beforeplaying their final tune-upgame against Zimbabwe(Feb 11).They begin their Cup cam-paign in the opening matchof the tournament againstNew Zealand at ChristchurchFeb 14.

PAKISTAN'S HAFEEZREPLACED BY NASIR

Adelaide, (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Sun-day approved left-handed opening batsman Nasir Jamshedas a replacement for Mohammad Hafeez in Pakistan'sWorld Cup squad."The ICC has confirmed that the Event Technical Commit-tee of the World Cup has approved Nasir Jamshed as areplacement player for Mohammad Hafeez in Pakistan'ssquad for the tournament, which star ts Feb 14," said anICC statement.All-rounder Hafeez is suffering from a calf injury which hepicked up while batting in the second One-Day Interna-tional (ODI) against New Zealand in Napier Feb 3.The 25-year-old Nasir has played 45 ODIs in which he hasscored 1,413 runs with three centuries and eight half-cen-turies. His last match was against New Zealand in AbuDhabi in December 2014.Pakistan is in Pool B of the World Cup along with defendingchampions India, former winner the West Indies, Africanrivals South Africa and Zimbabwe, and qualifiers Irelandand United Arab Emirates. They will play their openingmatch against India at the Adelaide Oval Feb 15.

New Zealand gung-hofor World Cup: TaylorChristchurch, (IANS) New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor Sun-day exuded optimism about his team's chances for the WorldCup, having hit upon a rich vein of form in the build-up to themega tournament by beating sub-continental powerhouses Srilanka and Pakistan.New Zealand beat Sri Lanka 4-2 in a seven-match series andthen defeated Pakistan 2-0 in a two-match series to emerge asone of the early contenders for the World Cup they are co-hosting with Australia."Everyone's going in with a bit of form. The batters and bowlers,and the way we've fielded has been outstanding and got betteras the series went on," Taylor was quoted as saying bynzherald.co.nz Sunday.New Zealand's final World Cup preparations star t with a prac-tice match against Zimbabwe Monday followed by another tune-up game against South Africa Wednesday at the Hagley Ovalground.Taylor said his team was itching to get going and continue withthe same momentum they have gained playing against Sri Lankaand Pakistan.

ICC approves Mohit asIshant's replacementAdelaide, (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Sun-day approved pacer Mohit Sharma as a replacement for in-jured Ishant Sharma in India's World Cup squad."The ICC has confirmed that the Event Technical Committee ofthe World Cup has approved Mohit Sharma as a replacementplayer for Ishant Sharma in India's squad for the tournament,which star ts Feb 14," said an ICC statement.Ishant is suffering from a knee injury he sustained during theBoxing Day Test against Australia. The 26-year-old Mohit hasplayed 12 One-Day Internationals (ODI) in which he has taken10 wickets.Defending champions India are in Pool B of the World Cupalong with former champions Pakistan and the West Indies,African rivals South Africa and Zimbabwe, and qualifiers Ire-land and United Arab Emirates (UAE). India will play their open-ing match against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval here Feb 15.

SACHIN TENDULKAR HOLDS THE ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2011 TROPHY DURING A PROMOTIONAL EVENT IN MUMBAI (IANS)

TAKE A PICTUREWITH AN NBA STARTORONTO - Nav Bhatia, better known as the Toronto Raptor'sSuperfan and President of Mississauga & Rexdale Hyundai, iscelebrating his back to back - 2013 & 2014 Canada's NumberOne Volume Dealer awards by bringing Canadian Basket-ball and NBA Champion, San Antonio Spurs Cory Joseph toMississauga Hyundai (3045 Glen Erin Drive) on February8. Cory Joseph will be bringing his championship ring withhim and for two hours, from 12pm - 2pm, Cory will betaking pictures with those in attendance. This is a free eventso arrive early to avoid disappointment. Nav Bhatia wasinfluential in Cory's early years and he looks to inspiretoday's youth by giving them an oppor tunity to interact withan NBA Champion who grew up right in our community.Nav Bhatia said: "I want to impact the kids, I want to teachthem from an early age to see no colour. It is our responsi-bility to have kids of all backgrounds interact with eachotherand not have to go through the prejudice I went through. Bas-ketball has always been a uniting factor in my life and I want togive that to the community."

26 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015

where south asians meet daily

TEAM MEMBERS BACK ROW: HEAD COACH RAJ SHARMA, HARLEEN SOHI, EMMA BELLANTE, SAMANTHA HOLMES, CATARINAMEDERIOS, JOSEPHA TSHISUAKA, SOPHIA INGELSE, CHANTELLE NANCO, JULIA SAMMUT, LISA VITALE, ASSISTANT COACH SCOTTHOLMES, CAIYA MASCOLL-SYLVESTER.FRONT ROW: NICOLE IRWIN, CAROLINE MAJCHER, MEGAN FOSTER, ALYAH SPENCE, ISHANI SHARMA, LEAH PAIS AND SARAH PEREIRA.

ONTARIO - The Brams United U14A Rebels were crowned 2015Ontario Indoor Cup Champions recently. The Rebels went 5-0giving up only 2 goals in the tournament winning 1-0 in thesemi-final and 2-0 in the final game. The team showed great

skill using their possession style game to their advantagecontrolling the play throughout the tournament. The girls playedexceptionally well and look to carry this success into theoutdoor season.

U14A REBELS SWEEPTHROUGH ONTARIO CUP

GOLFER LAHIRI TO PLAY ININDONESIAN MASTERJakarta (IANS) Three top golfers, including India's AnirbanLahiri, will take par t in the 2015 Indonesian Master herefrom April 23-26, a tournament official said.. ArwinRasyid confirmed that among the world's professionalgolfers who would join the tournament are British LeeWestwood, Lahiri and Danish veteran Thomas Bjork,repor ts Xinhua. The golfers would vie along with 24Indonesian golfers and 123 other golfers from othercountries and regions at the Royale Jakar ta Golf Club."We hope this tournament can inspire Indonesian younggolfers to vie better in other international tournaments,"said Rasyid. Rasyid said the tournament has a prizemoney of $750,000. Westwood, World No.30, had tri-umphed in the event in 2011 and 2012.

PIETERSEN PART OF BBC'SWORLD CUP RADIO COVERAGELondon (IANS) Sacked England batsman Kevin Pietersenwill be par t of the British Broadcasting Corporation's(BBC) radio coverage of the cricket World Cup, beginningFeb 14. The former England batsman will feature on theTest Match Special programme from the quar ter-finalsonwards.Pietersen recently played for the Melbourne Stars at theBig Bash T20 League. He was left out of England's WorldCup squad last month. "I'm really looking forward toworking with the Test Match Special team at the WorldCup," Pietersen was quoted as saying by guardian,co.ukWednesday."I really enjoyed having a go at some commentary duringthe Big Bash and it will be good to return to Australia forthe climax of what should be a really exciting tourna-ment." Pietersen also confirmed he will play the 2015Caribbean Premier League T20, star ting in April, for theSt. Lucia Zouks.

GUARDIOLA COULD COACHQATAR FOR 2022 WORLD CUPMunich (IANS): German club Bayern Munich's coach PepGuardiola could take over as Qatar's football coach for the2022 World Cup, repor ts in Germany suggested Wednes-day.Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 home draw by SchalkeTuesday. Despite dropping points, they maintain an eight-point lead over their second placed VFL Wolfsburg at thetop of the Bundesliga. Guardiola signed a three-yearcontract with Bayern in 2013. There are no repor ts of bothpar ties agreeing to a new deal. German newspaper Spor tBild Wednesday speculated that he could be tempted tocoach the 2022 Cup hosts by a lucrative deal, repor tsguardian.co.uk.The 44-year-old spent two seasons at the end of hisplaying career at Qatar Stars League side Al-Ahli. TheGerman paper also suggested that the former FCBarcelona player and coach retains strong links with thecountry having also been an ambassador for theirsuccessful 2022 Cup bid. Guardiola has voiced his beliefearlier that hosting the World Cup in the Middle Eastwould be a success. Guardiola has also fanned thespeculation, expressing his intention of wanting hismanagerial career to "pass through England star ting fromBayern and culminate in a national team."

VANI KAPOOR CLAIMSWOMEN'S GOLF TITLEKolkata, (IANS) Overnight leader Vani Kapoor recorded a six-stroke victory at the four th leg of the Hero Women's Profes-sional Golf Tour at the par-70 Tollygunge Club.Vani's score of three-over took her total 214. This win alsohelped the Delhi golfer to comfor tably consolidate herposition atop the Hero Order of Merit with two wins from fourappearances this season. Bengaluru golfer Sharmila Nicolletgot a total of 220 to finish second, while local golfer NehaTripathi finished third with a total score of 221.Vani had an indifferent star t Friday, carding a bogey on thefirst hole. She holed two more bogeys on the seventh andeighth with a lone birdie on the ninth in her front nine. She,however, played a watchful back nine, carding just one bogeyon the 14th. Sharmila played a controlled round with twobogeys on the fifth and 10th and a double bogey on the 13thhole. Her lone birdie came on the third to help her finishahead of Kolkata's Neha with a total score of 220.Neha had an off day in the park, as she carded six bogeys onthe first, eighth, ninth, 14th, 16th and 18th, with three birdieson the third, fifth and 15th.She also carded a double bogey on the seventh hole to finishthe day with a score of five-over 75. Pune's Shweta Galande,Kapurthala's Gursimar Badwal and Indian origin golfer KiranMatharu finished tied four th with identical scores of 223.Veteran golfer Smriti Mehra finished seventh followed byDelhi golfers Ankita Tiwana and Gauri Monga at the eighthand ninth places, respectively. The fif th leg of the Tour will beplayed at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club Feb 18-20.

South Africa overcome pressure testSOUTH AFRICA 188 FOR 5 (DE KOCK 66, HERATH

3-22) BEAT SRI LANKA 279 FOR 7 (DILSHAN 100,MATHEWS 58) BY FIVE WICKETS (D/L METHOD)“

South Africa got the pressure situation they wanted to practice aheadof a major tournament - they were without regular captain AB deVilliers due to tightness in the hip, were under the cosh for 44.4 oversin the field, weathered three rain delays and two reduced targets -andthey rose above it.They were 116 for 0 after 15 overs and the chase seemed fairly simple,but South Africa lost 5 for 51 and seemed in serious danger. Calm wasneeded and was found in Rilee Rossouw and Vernon Philander, whotook them home with three balls to spare.Sri Lanka will not be happy with how they let things slip, especiallyafter Tillakaratne Dilshan scored his fourth century in eight matchesagainst international opposition, albeit not in an official ODI, to set upa solid total. He set the platform for Angelo Mathews to accelerateand Sri Lanka would have soared above 300 had rain not cur tailedtheir innings.That didn't matter when they left Lasith Malinga with just four to de-fend in the final over.Malinga made his return after almost five months out of the game torecover from ankle surgery, bowled three overs upfront and two at thedeath but could not pull off the toe-crunching paralysis he is knownfor. Although he maintained his pace and showed no discomfor t, heconceded 12 runs in his second over and 13 in his four th, whichswung the pendulum South Africa's way at the beginning and end ofthe match.Hashim Amla was the first to take advantage of Malinga's rustinesswith a couple of fours to kick off a 116-run opening stand. De Kock,his par tner, appeared at ease coming back from his own ankle injuryand was par ticularly harsh on Sachithra Senanayake, plundering 19runs before the rains came down.Repetitive showers were a theme for the day and they meant SriLanka were unable to bat their full 50 overs and South Africa's targettoo had been reduced to 224 off 30 overs and then to 188 off 25 overs.Rangana Herath removed de Kock and Amla immediately after thesecond delay to leave Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy with a trickysituation.Conscious of the required rate rising towards eight, Duminy steppedout to Herath and was stumped in the 20th over. When David Millerwas bowled in the next and South Africa needed 40 off the last fourovers.Du Plessis eased some of the nerves by taking 10 runs off the firstthree balls of Malinga's penultimate over under the revised condi-tions. Du Plessis was dismissed after that but had done the bulk ofthe damage and left it to the lower middle-order to finish off. This

time, they did exactly that. Sri Lanka, though, would be concernedabout their middle and lower order. Dilshan anchored the first half oftheir innings, the rest failed to push on against a South African attackthat looked like they'd rather be anywhere but bowling in 13 C weatherand swirling wind. Dilshan raced from 63 off 69 balls to a century 13deliveries later, with the spinners taking punishment at a venue withinviting straight boundaries. Dimuth Karunaratne also took advantageof that oppor tunity and broke through a lean patch with a composed 46, butwas caught off the bowling of Wayne Parnell, who also accounted for DineshChandimal. Mathews pushed on though. He was batting in his first innings fornearly three weeks after injury and illness, but will remain concerned aboutSri Lanka's inability to seize the big moments in New Zealand, especially asthe World Cup draws nearer.

TILLAKARATNE DILSHAN'SFOURTH CENTURY IN

EIGHT MATCHES AGAINSTAN INTERNATIONAL

OPPOSITION WAS NOTENOUGH FOR SRI LANKA

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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28 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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RUNNING SUCCESSFULLYACROSS CANADA