MINDLESS FRENZY IN HARYANA Liberals sent wrong message by ...southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/part_112.pdf · member from Samrala subdivision has joined the Aam Aadmi

Liberals sent wrongmessage by withdrawingCF-18s: Deepak Obhrai

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

HARYANA REMAINED TENSE ON MONDAY WITH JATS DEMANDING JOB QUOTAS INDULGING IN FRESH VIOLENCE THAT LED TOCURFEW. THE STATE HAD TO TAKE THE HELP OF SECURITY FORCES TO MAINTAIN LAW AND ORDER. THE TOLL IN THE NINE-DAYAGITATION HAS MOUNTED TO 16 AND OVER 200 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INJURED. THE STIR HAS ALREADY CAUSED IRS 22,000CRORES OF LOSSES IN NORTH INDIAN STATES (PTI). My name is Umar Khalid and I

am not a terrorist: JNU student

Sarbans Singh Manki joins AAP

SINGER AND FORMER SHIROMANI AKALI DAL LEADER HANS RAJ HANS JOINS CONGRESS PARTY IN THE PRESENCE OF PUNJABCONGRESS PRESIDENT CAPTAIN AMARINDER SINGH IN CHANDIGARH (IANS).

I DETAILS ON PAGE 11

CALGARY - At a time when the world faces a growingthreat from terrorists around the world, we have agovernment which signals that Canada will be a minorplayer in this fight, said Deepak Obhrai, Member ofParliament for Calgary Forest Lawn and International De-velopment Critic for the Official Opposition. "Withinthe last month alone, seven Canadians havebeen killed by jihadist terrorists overseas. TheLiberal government's announcement of to-day is nothing more than a smokescreen tohide a real agenda of a campaign promisemade, without assessing its deeper con-sequences. Our Conservative governmenthad a balanced approach that included di-plomacy, humanitarian assistance and mili-tary engagement. Our approach was hav-ing a major impact. Canada has a long, proudhistory of defending innocent and vulner-able populations by taking on those who commit mass atrocities. However,we are now leaving to others to fight for us," said Obhrai.Source: deepakobhrai.com

I CONTD. ON PAGE 9

NEW DELHI, (IANS) Umar Khalid, one of the six students accused of raisinganti-national slogans at the JNU on February 9, late on Sunday said he was"not a terrorist", adding the BJP government "needed an excuse to target thecampus." "My name is Umar Khalid and I'm not a terrorist," Khalid, who fled

the campus after the matter became seri-ous, said, condemning the media trial thatbranded him a terrorist. "The attack (on theuniversity) is not because of the programwhich was organised on Feburary 9, butbecause the government needs an excuseto attack us," Khalid said, addressing stu-dents in front of the admin bloc at the cam-pus. Khalid, along with four other accused,

Anant Prakash Narayan, Ashutosh Kumar, Rama Naga, Anirban Bhattacharya,returned back to the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus late on Sunday."The media, all this while, presented a lot of things about me. The media trial,this propaganda... I know what my family is going through," he said.He also refuted the media reports that he made 800 calls to 'Gulf or Kashmir' a fewdays before the program was organised. JNU has been on the boil over the arrestof its students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges after somestudents organised a meet to mark the anniversaries of executions of Parliamentattack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front co-founderMaqbool Bhat. Anti-India slogans were raised at the gathering.

DESK REPORTLUDHIANA - Sarbans Singh Manki, former Akali Dal and SGPCmember from Samrala subdivision has joined the Aam AadmiPar ty (AAP). He had resigned from his previous posts in protestagainst the sacrilege incidents. Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mannhas commended the effor ts of Manki saying the leader is held inhigh esteem by the people in Punjab. He added Manki's entry inAAP will fur ther solidify the par ty's position in Punjab. Mean-while, the national structure building head Durgesh Pathak hasinformed that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will be inPunjab for a five-day visit on February 25 and hold a meetingwith all the members to devise plan for Punjab 2017 elections.

MINDLESS FRENZY IN HARYANA

Federal budget on Mar 22; projected deficit $18.4 b butnew direction for middle class: Minister Bill MorneauOTTAWA - With its first budget, the Government of Canada will char ta new course, and signal its intention to adopt a different approach toeconomic and fiscal policy. At the heart of this approach is a commit-ment to strengthen the middle class and create condi-tions for economic growth that benefit all Canadians.In a pre-budget townhall in Ottawa, Finance MinisterBill Morneau reaffirmed his belief that when you havean economy that works for the middle class, you havea country that works for everyone.By strengthening the middle class and growing theeconomy, Canadians who work hard can look forwardto a good standard of living, a secure retirement, andbetter prospects for their children. It also helps to en-sure that the government has the resources it needs tolift the vulnerable out of poverty, invest in research andinnovation, and provide economic security to all Canadians.The new government will take action to ensure that economic growthis shared equally with the middle class and those working so hard tojoin it. In challenging economic times, the government has an impor-tant role to play. Now-more than ever-is the time to make invest-ments to build a stronger middle class and foster sustainable, clean

growth. The next budget, to be released on March 22, 2016, will be thefirst major step in enacting this new direction and plan.In his townhall, the Minister set the stage for a longer-term growth

strategy, which will be delivered by the end of thecalendar year.In suppor t of that strategy, the Minister announced theappointment of Dominic Bar ton-Global Managing Di-rector, McKinsey & Company-as the Chair of the newAdvisory Council on Economic Growth. The Council,which will be selected shortly, will provide advice onpolicy actions to help create the long-term conditionsfor economic growth with a focus on the middle class.The Depar tment of Finance has also updated projectionsfor the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 fiscal years, indicat-ing that economic and fiscal developments since the No-

vember 2015 Update of Economic and Fiscal Projections have resulted in adownward adjustment to the fiscal outlook."The Government is moving forward with a fundamentally newapproach-a new plan to transform the economy for the benefit ofevery Canadian.

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016

MidWeek 3MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


PAGE 3 SANJAY DUTT TOWALK FREE ONTHURSDAY

SALMAN NOT MARRYING IULIA VANTURBUT PROMOTING HER NEW SHOW, WHY?MUMBAI, (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who is rumouredto be dating Romanian TV presenter Iulia Vantur, promoted her newshow "Ferma vedetelor" over social media. The show is an adapta-tion of internationally acclaimed reality show "The Farm". Vantur, whois returning as a host of the show for its second season, posted avideo of herself on Instagram in which she can be heard speakingin Romanian. In the caption, she wrote that the show star ts onWednesday. Salman, who is repor tedly planning to host the In-dian version of the show, took to Twitter recently to share thesame video of Vantur. "Samaj mein aaya? (Did you understand?),"Salman wrote in the caption. In another tweet, he wrote: "Theshow I've been wanting to do for longest time. It's like 'Bigg Boss' buton Farm. So many things you can do with this."

BIPASHA, KARAN TO TIE KNOT SOON, BUT WHEN?DESK REPORT

MUMBAI - For a long time Bipasha Basu and Karan SinghGrover have been seen together and news is Bipasha appar-ently took Karan home to introduce him to her family. According tounconfirmed reports, this just 'good friends' tag will soon go away as thetwo might tie the knot next month, that is March.

Is Preity Zinta finally gettingmarried to American boyfriend?

DESK REPORTMumbai - Finally it hasbeen repor ted thatPreity Zinta, who wasdat ing industr ia l istNess Wadia for long, isnow repor tedly gettingmarr ied to f inancia lconsul tant GeneGoodenough in an inti-mate ceremony in Los Angeles in April. She was also linked to cricketerYuvraj Singh ealier. Marriage with Gene will be a quiet affair and only afew friends and family members will be flying down to LA for theceremony. However, she has not confirmed the repor t.

TROUBLE BREWING INSALMAN'S FAMILY, ANOTHER

DIVORCE ON THE CARDS?

DESK REPORTMUMBAI - Trouble does not seem to be ending for SalmanKhan's family. First there were rumours of split betweenArbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan, and now it is aboutyounger brother Sohail Khan and his wife Seema. In fact itis being said that Seema Khan has moved out of Sohail'sflat and is currently living with her parents. Sohail has, how-ever, not confirmed the news.

Sanjay Dutt to walk free on ThursdayPUNE, (IANS) Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt is all set to bereleased from the Yerawada Central Jail here in Maharashtraon Thursday morning, an official source said on Monday. The56-year-old celebrity prisoner will be released after servingthe remainder of his five-year sentence for possession of ille-gal arms in the March 12, 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blastscase. Dutt is scheduled to step out of the jail around 9 a.m. onFebruary 25 and will be received by his wife Manyata, chil-dren and other family members. The jail authorities have re-jected a request for a small 'welcome ceremony' planned bythe family on security grounds, in view of a large number ofthe actor's fans and media contingent expected there, said theofficial requesting anonymity. The release date of Dutt wasfirst announced by his spokesperson in June last year amidspeculation that the actor would be reward with an early exitfrom prison for his good conduct.



NEW DELHI, (IANS) While the world kept asking questions and Indi-ans remained puzzled, the Noida-based star tup, promising a Rs.251(less than $4) "Make in India" smar tphone, on Friday claimed to havereceived nearly five crore registrations in just two days of opening upfor online pre-orders.In a chat with IANS over phone, Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd president AshokChadha said that since the company will hand over 25 lakh "Freedom251" phones to the people who have registered for it online, the firm isnow considering whether to stop the registration process or not asthere are two more days left to pre-order the phone till 8 p.m. onFebruary 21."The pre-booking numbers we received are sheer humongous. I amhappy that so many Indians have responded to our 'Make in India'smar tphone call. Now the onus is on us to deliver on the promise andI am hopeful that we will be able to star t delivery latest by April 10and finish well before the June 30 deadline," Chadha told IANS.The smar tphones will be handed over via first-come-first-serve ba-sis, he announced. According to Chadha, the company is looking toset up two more units - one each in Noida and Uttarakhand. But howfast the company is going to star t the manufacturing and churn outdevices is a big question.Chadha fur ther said that while the manufacturing cost of the phone ishigh, it will be recovered through a series of measures like econo-mies of scale, innovative marketing, reduction in duties and creatingan e-commerce marketplace.However, how well the little-known firm is placed to achieve this taskis yet to be known. "We are only looking at slim margins here. Theaim is to first empower people especially from rural par ts of thecountry to connect with the mainstream with this cheap yet powerfulsmar tphone," he added.Reacting to the controversy that all the icons of the built-in app werealmost a replica of Apple's iOS icons, he said the phones that wereshown just as samples during the launch on Wednesday were "ofsome other brand" and the company will provide people "Freedom

s p e c i a l r e p o r t

HOW WILL INDIA PROTECT NUCLEARLIABILITIES OF US FIRMS?

THE CURIOUS CASE OF 'FREEDOM 251'

BY AMIT BHANDARI

A $48-billion (Rs 3.26 lakh crore) penalty claimed by the US govern-ment from Volkswagen for cheating on diesel-car emissions is about200 times as large as the $225 million (Rs 1,500 crore) insurancepool set up by Indian insurance companies to compensate US nuclearcompanies for mishaps in India.If a US nuclear company were to build a reactor in India thatsuffered a catastrophe, and people were to die in India, the USgovernment 's posi t ion seems to be that American suppl iersshouldn't face civil or criminal liability. The US believes the In-dian civil nuclear liability law, which calls for both penalties, isunduly harsh. Rather than say so directly, US officials keep re-peating that the "Indian law is inconsistent with the internationalliability regime".The Indian civil nuclear liability law holds the equipment supplierresponsible for any incident caused by the supplier or its employ-ees. The Indian liability law differs from those of other countriesbecause it was drafted keeping in mind the 1984 Bhopal tragedy -where, despite 5,000 deaths and effects across generations, noone was held criminally liable.The penalty demanded in the Volkswagen case is about 100 timesthe compensation of $470 million - ($907 million in 2014 dollars)- paid by US firm Union Carbide af ter the Bhopal Gas tragedy,which also lef t 70,000 people maimed or injured. Volkswagen'scover-up caused no injuries or deaths.Although the Indian government wants to protect US nuclear com-panies against the Indian liability law, critics argued that thesecompanies are using India's eagerness to avoid any liability, ifsomething goes wrong. India wants to build more nuclear powerplants in an attempt to reduce the share of coal in electricitygeneration. Increasing the use of nuclear power is also a par t ofthe country's strategy to tackle climate change.India currently has 5,780 MW of nuclear power in operation and

plans to add another 17,400 MW, making it possibly the largestmarket for nuclear power after China, and a financially lucrativeprospect for Western firms faced with limited domestic sales.However, the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster has heightenedconcerns of nuclear safety and accident costs. The fallout of thatdisaster will also make it hard to change India's liability laws.The US' large settlements extend to corporate wrong-doing be-yond its bordersLarge settlements in the US are a regular feature. In October 2015,the Justice Depar tment arrived at a settlement with oil major BP,which will pay a penalty of $20.8 billion to cover the economicand environmental damage arising from a 2010 oil spill in theGulf of Mexico.Volkswagen could, in theory, face fines of as much as $37,500 pervehicle for each of two violations of the law; up to $3,750 per"defeat device"; and another $37,500 for each day of violation, aReuters repor t said. In April 2010, a deepwater oil-dril l ing rigoperated by BP, the Deepwater Horizon, suffered an explosionwhich killed 11 men, and the well it was drilling leaked over fivemillion barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.This was the largest-ever settlement in the history of the Depar t-ment; the Volkswagen penalty could be larger. A number of com-panies have paid tens of billions of dollars in fines over the pastdecade for breaking US law. Top US banks, such as Bank ofAmerica, JP Morgan, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, have paidmulti-billion dollar fines for their roles in the 2008 global financialcrisis, caused by reckless business practices of large Westernbanks.The remit of the US Justice Depar tment extends beyond its bordersand to foreign firms as well. In May 2015, five global banks-Citicorp, JPMorgan, Barclays, UBS and the Royal Bank of Scotland-agreed to payfines adding up to $2.5 billion, for manipulating a widely-used financialbenchmark set in London. This brings the total penalty paid by thesebanks for their role in this manipulation to $9 billion.

UK-based HSBC was fined for "illegally conducting transactions on be-half of customers in Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma"-countries un-der US economic sanctions. During the financial year 2015, the USjustice depar tment collected $23 billion in penalties in various civiland criminal cases, slightly lower than the collection for 2013, whenit had a record haul.

Indian firms also fined in the USWhile the US nuclear industry wants to avoid any liability inIndia for acts of omission or commission, Indian companieshave often been slapped with large fines for violations of USlaw. Drug manufacturer Ranbaxy paid penalties of $500 mil-lion (Rs 3,400 crore) in 2013 for falsifying data about its drugsand for not following proper manufacturing practices-more thantwice the value of the nuclear liability insurance pool to becreated in India. In 2013, tech firm Infosys paid a $35 millionpenalty in a civil settlement on allegations of visa misuse; thefirm maintained that the "claims are untrue and remain un-proven".

INDIA HAS STARTED LEVYINGPENALTIES TOOIndia, too, has star ted levying big fines. For instance, in 2013,a group of Indian cement companies was fined Rs 6,698 croreby the Competition Commission of India for working as a car-tel and over-charging consumers. This amount, levied for un-fair business practices rather than causing deaths and inju-ries, is 4.4 times the proposed liability cap for nuclear inci-dents. Similarly, Delhi-based real estate firm DLF has beenrecently ordered to pay a penalty of Rs 630 crore for unfairbusiness practices.

5 CRORE REGISTRATIONS, 25 LAKH SETS PROMISED

251" with all promised features.With such tall promises, the road ahead for the "Freedom 251" mak-ers is not easy though. The Indian government is keeping a closewatch on its four-day booking offer that star ted from 6 a.m. on Thurs-day. The Indian Cellular Association has also written to the telecomministry, urging the government to get to the bottom of the issue asselling a smar tphone this cheap is not possible. Earlier on Thursday,

Ringing Bells claimed to have received 30,000 confirmed orders andover six lakh hits per second on its website on the first day.But hours later, the firm stopped taking orders after its servers crashedowing to a huge rush to book the device online. The much-hypedlaunch of the world's cheapest smar tphone "Freedom 251" was alsothrown into disarray as there was utter chaos at the company's Noida-based head office on Thursday.

INDIA TO RECEIVE PAKISTANI INVESTIGATORS IN PATHANKOT ATTACKISLAMABAD, (IANS) India has agreed to receive Pakistani investigators for probing the involvementof any group or people from Pakistan in Punjab's Pathankot airbase attack, Pakistani Interior Minis-ter Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said.Chaudhry Nisar on Sunday said the only condition India made was that it should be informed at leastfive days before the visit of the Pakistani investigators, Dawn online repor ted. He provided theinformation in reply to a question about the registration of an FIR in Pakistan against the Pathankotairbase attackers, believed to be from Pakistan. "Our SIT (Special Investigation Team) will visit Indiain the next few days. India has already been informed through a letter by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.India has agreed to it," he said.Chaudhry Nisar did not say if India also agreed to allow the investigators to visit the Pathankotairbase as there were repor ts that New Delhi would not allow them to enter the base area. He was ofthe opinion that the registration of the FIR was necessary to fulfil cer tain legal requirements to holdinvestigations and verification of the information shared by India with Pakistan.The FIR was also necessary to acquire data from service providers of those telephone numbersthrough which the attackers had talked to someone in Pakistan from inside the Pathankot airbase."These (phone) numbers have been made par t of the FIR," he said, adding that "fur ther investigationswill be held on the basis of this FIR." The minister recalled that an FIR was also lodged in Pakistanfollowing the 2008 Mumbai attacks.He said some arrests were made in connection with Pathankot attack but investigations were still onto establish their links with the telephone numbers or with those people whose names were providedby India. He refused to give details about those arrested, saying it was a "sensitive matter".



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 s p e c i a l r e p o r t

India's economy a stable haven, firm anti-terror steps underway: PresidentNEW DELHI, (IANS) Terming India a haven of stability in an increas-ingly turbulent global economy, President Pranab Mukherjee onTuesday cited the government's initiatives for ending pover ty andboosting employment and said women will be inducted in all fight-ing streams of the armed forces.In his address to the joint sitting of the two houses of parliamentat the star t of budget session, Mukherjee said that firm and effec-tive steps will be taken to deal with any situation arising out ofcross-border terrorism.With the past two sessions marred by repeated adjournmentsover a range of issues, the president said that democratic temper

calls for debate and not disruption and urged MPs to dischargetheir duties in a spirit of mutual accommodation.Noting the government's fundamental tenet was "Sabka Sath,Sabka Vikas" (taking along everyone, progress of everyone), healso said it has pursued a bold and proactive foreign policy.Oppos i t i on pa r t i es sa id tha t t he p res iden t ' s add ress was"uninspiring" and did not mention any of the raging controversiessuch as concerning the Jawaharlal Nehru University but Environ-ment Minister Prakash Javadekar defended it, saying it reflectedgovernment's commitment to the welfare of villages, poor, farm-ers and youth.

The over one-hour address washeard wi th rapt a t tent ion bymembers of Lok Sabha andRajya Sabha assembled in thecentral hall of parliament. PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and Con-gress president Sonia Gandhiwere among those present.Gandhi, who was seated next toBJP l eade r L . K . Advan i ,thumped her desk twice duringthe p res iden t i a l add ress -firstly when he mentioned therole of security forces in foilingthe terror attack at the IAF baseat Pathankot, and then he spokeabout the induction of womenas fighter pilots.The president said innovativein i t ia t ives have he lped Ind iajump up 12 places in the latestrankings by the World Bank onease of doing business."India is a haven of stability inan increasingly turbulent globaleconomy. GDP growth has in-c reased mak ing I nd ia t hewor ld ' s f as tes t g row ingeconomy among large econo-mies," he said, also noting thatthe country recorded the high-est ever sof tware expor ts, thehighest generation of electric-ity and the highest foreign ex-change reserves in 2015.The president said that govern-ment has taken a number ofmeasures for a progressive taxregime, is engaged in simplify-ing procedures, apar t from un-locking infrastructure develop-ment oppor tunities.He said generating employmentwas a top priority and it is be-ing done through initiatives likeMake in India, Star tup India,Mudra scheme and Skill India.On agriculture which has suf-fered two successive seasonsof inadequate rainfall, the presi-dent said the government wastaking steps to usher in a sec-ond Green Revolut ion in theeastern region.Mukher jee congratu la ted thesecurity forces for successfullyfoi l ing the terror ist at tack atPathankot air base and said "firmand effective steps will be taken todeal with any situation arising outof cross-border terrorism".Noting 'Shakti ', which meanspower, was the manifestation offemale energy which "defines ourstrength", he said that inductionof women as Shor t Service Com-mission officers and as fighterpilots in the Indian Air Force hasbeen approved.Noting that the overriding goal ofthe government was pover tyeradication and the poorest of thepoor have the first claim on thenation's resources, he said thePradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojnawas the world's most successfulfinancial inclusion programmeand of the over 21 crore bank ac-counts opened, 15 crore wereoperational with an aggregatedeposit of over Rs.32,000 crore.He listed the government's par-ticular focus on pover ty eradica-tion, farmers' prosperity and em-ployment generation for youth.On Pakistan, he said that the gov-ernment is committed to forginga "mutually beneficial relation-ship and creating an environmentof cooperat ion in combat ingcross-border terrorism."Congress leader Ashwani Kumarhowever said the address was"utterly uninspir ing and com-pletely directionless", while CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury saidthe address did not refer to burningissues such as the government actionin JNU and its plan to "replace historywith Hindu mythology".


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016c o m m u n i t y

Energy Literacy to Help Fight Climate ChangeONTARIO - Ontario is investing $1.35 million over the next threeyears to educate students on ways to conserve energy and helpfight climate change through the EcoSchools program. OntarioEcoSchools is an environmental education and cer tificationprogram for students in kindergar ten to grade 12. Programresources help students and schools develop ecologicalliteracy and environmental practices to become environmen-tally responsible and reduce their environmental footprint.Funding will suppor t four new initiatives including:" Providing suppor t to schools going through theEcoSchools cer tification process" Encouraging schools to attain Platinum cer tification,the highest level achievable in the Ontario EcoSchools program" Conducting a pilot to test student-friendly, onlineenergy dashboards which monitor and display school energyconsumption" Expanding public outreach effor ts through increasedschool events and media exposure

"Early outreach for students and engagement with teachers andparents helps make energy conservation and environmentalstewardship a priority for everyone in Ontario. Thanks to

Ontario EcoSchools, we are raising today's students tobetomorrow's conservation and environmental leaders." - BobChiarelli, Minister of EnergyQUICK FACTS" The EcoSchools program was developed by the TorontoDistrict School Board in 2002 and subsequently expandedacross the province in 2005." Ontario EcoSchools is the largest environmental educationprogram in the province, reaching 95 per cent of studentsenrolled in Ontario." Ontario is providing close to $450,000 per year for threeyears to suppor t Ontario EcoSchools projects that are helpingfuture generations continue to save energy and fight climatechange." School boards access the EcoSchools program free ofcharge. Ontario EcoSchools operates with suppor t from theMinistry of Education and the Ministry of Energy and is admin-istered by York University." For every $1 invested in energy efficiency, Ontario hasavoided about $2 in costs to the electricity system." Ontario has set a conservation target of 30 TWh in 2032, equivalent to morethan all the power used by the city of Toronto in 2014.

Scarf Drive for Kindness WeekBY MPP YASIR NAQVI

OTTAWA - Kindness Week is here and this year will be one toremember! Through a motion of the OntarioLegislature, the third week of every Feb-ruary is declared Kindness Week inOntario. This year, it ran until Friday,February 19. This year, Kind Canadalaunched a very important initiativethat I'm excited to be a part of Sharethe Warmth focuses on ensuring awarm welcome for all refugees com-ing to Canada. They are inviting all Ca-nadians to unite in kindness and knit ascarf for our new neighbours and friends.You can also donate a store-purchased scarf - all warmness iswelcomed! Get your knitting needles together and knit for agreat cause! Our Share the Warmth campaign will run fromFebruary 16-March 4.

MPP Dipika Damerla HostsHealthy Eating Event

MISSISSAUGA - MPP Dipika Damerla hosted a healthy eatingevent in her riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville on February20, 2016. The event was held at the Jerry's No Fri l ls incoordinat ion with Eatr ight Ontar io. Eatr ight Ontar io(eatrightontario.ca) is a provincial government suppor tedprogram which provides easy-to-use nutrition information to helppeople make healthier food choices.Registered Dietitians provide EatRight Ontario visitors withfeature ar ticles on food and nutrition, meal planning advice,healthy eating tips and recipes.MPP Damerla interacted with a large number of residents anddiscussed healthy eating activities. Registered dieticians werealso on hand to answer any nutrition related questions.MPP Damerla is planning to host this program at other venues inthe riding in the near future.

Mayor Crombie Meets with Peel Police ServicesBoard Chair Amrik Singh Ahluwalia

MISSISSAUGA – I welcome theoppor tunity to work alongsideChair Ahluwalia, and all BoardMembers, to implement policysolut ions that e levate PeelPolice’s reputation as a modern,effective and respected policeforce, Mayor Bonnie Crombie saidtoday.Mayor Crombie made the com-ments following her first meetingwith new Peel Police ServicesBoard Chair, Amrik SinghAhluwalia, held at City Hall. InJanuary 2016, the Board unani-mously elected Ahluwalia chair.Of note, Mayor Crombie and ChairAhluwalia discussed the provin-cial government’s effor ts to mod-ernize the delivery of communitysafety with the launch of the Min-istry of Community Safety andCorrection Services’ Strategy fora Safer Ontario - a new blueprintfor effective, sustainable, andcommunity-based policing.

Chair Ahluwalia said: “The deci-sions made by the Board haveprofound impacts on two of

Canada’s largest c i t ies –Mississauga and Brampton. TheBoard must ensure that openness,

accountability, and public confidenceguide our efforts to keep families andneighbourhoods safe.”



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 c o m m u n i t y

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M AT R I M O N I A L

ONTARIO - Ontario is increasing choice and convenience for con-sumers and suppor ting wine producers by making wine available onthe shelves of up to 300 independent and large grocery stores. Fol-lowing the historic introduction of beer in grocery stores last Decem-ber, 70 grocery stores across Ontario will be able to star t sellingwine, beer and cider this fall.Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement today as the gov-ernment accepted the final recommendations from the Premier's Ad-visory Council on Government Assets, chaired by Ed Clark. Theserecommendations conclude the council's review of the beverage al-cohol sector.Other key aspects of the recommendations include:" Allowing cider to be sold wherever beer is sold in grocery stores" Including fruit wines and craft cider in a program that allows Vintners QualityAlliance (VQA) Ontario wines to be sold at farmers' markets" Reducing red tape and eliminating unnecessary regulations to in-crease oppor tunities and deliver cost savings for producers and theircustomers, including new oppor tunities for craft distillers.Impor ted and domestic wines will be sold at up to 150 grocery stores.As well, up to 150 existing winery retail stores that are currently justoutside a grocery store checkout will be permitted to operate theirstore inside that grocery store, with a shared checkout, and broadentheir assor tment to sell the wines of any Ontario producer. Ultimately,up to 300 grocery stores will sell beer, cider and wine.Ontario is expanding access responsibly. As with beer, restrictionswill apply to ensure safe and responsible retailing in grocery stores,

including restricted hours of sale and rigorous training for staff. Ontariois also developing a comprehensive, province-wide alcohol policy tosuppor t the safe and responsible consumption of alcohol."Finally, people in Ontario will be able to buy their wine and groceriesat the same place, at the same time, at the same checkout. This is awin-win-win scenario - more choice and greater convenience forOntar io 's wine lovers, increased oppor tuni t ies for Ontar io 'swinemakers and the many farmers who suppor t them, and a brand-new sales channel for wine producers from around the world." --Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario"Ontario is expanding oppor tunities and increasing competitivenessfor our domestic wine producers, along with international wines.Ontario's innovative wine industry is an economic driver contributingto agriculture and tourism, building our economy and creating jobs."- Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance"Ontario has an emerging craft cider and wine sector and ourgovernment's announcement today will ensure that the sector contin-ues to thrive, while providing a boost to our local producers and thefarmers who suppor t them. By increasing the oppor tunities for craftcider and wines in stores and farmers' markets we are creating morechoice for consumers, suppor ting a local industry and creating goodlocal jobs." - Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs"Following the government's successful implementation of the beerrecommendations, the Council worked carefully to deliver an approachthat strikes a sensible balance in a very complex arena." - Ed Clark,Chair of the Premier's Advisory Council on Government Assets

WINE COMING TO GROCERY STORES ACROSS ONTARIOGOVERNMENT TO OPEN UP WINE SALES IN 300

LOCATIONS, STARTING WITH 70 THIS FALL

TORONTO - Toronto has mailed 2016 interim proper ty tax bills toproper ty owners - the first of two regular tax bills that will bemailed this year. The 2016 final tax bill will be mailed in May.Payment due dates for the interim tax bills under the regular three-instalment plan are March 1, April 1 and May 2.There are severalways to pay a proper ty tax bill, including:o At banks or financial institutions that offer internet banking,telephone banking, automatic teller or in person. If paying tax bills

by automatic teller, telephone or internet banking, customersshould pay early to ensure payment reaches the City's office by thedue date.o By cheque using the business reply envelope included with theinterim tax bill.o In person at the enquiry and cashier counters at Toronto City Hallor any civic centre from 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday. Extended hoursof 8:30am to 6pm will be offered from February 26 to March 1.

SHERIDAN SIGNS MOU WITH BABA BANDA SINGHBAHADUR ENGINEERING COLLEGE

BRAMPTON - Dr Jeff Zabudsky, President and Vice Chancellor ofSheridan College, was a member of Premier Wynne's recentMission to India, which took place from January 31 to February 5.During the mission, Dr Zabudsky held discussions with BabaBanda Singh Bahadur Engineering College (BBSB), which isbased in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab. The meeting was facilitatedby Amrit Mangat, MPP for Mississauga-Brampton South.As a result of these discussions, the two institutions signed aMemorandum of Understanding (MOU) earlier this week thatopens the door to student and staff exchanges, development ofjoint programs, and ar ticulation of BBSB students into Sheridan'sengineering, IT and technology programs."We look forward to collaborating closely with BBSB to developoppor tunities that will benefit students in both institutions," said Dr

Zabudsky. "As the Premier'sMission demonstrated, Ontarioand India share many of thesame priorities, includingeducation and skills develop-ment. As an institution whichalready attracts many interna-tional students from India, weare well positioned to build afruitful par tnership withBBSB."Baba Banda Singh BahadurEngineering College wasestablished in 1993 by BabaBanda Singh Bahadur Educa-tion Trust formed under thepatronage of the ShiromaniGurdwara ParbandhakCommittee with the approvalof the Government of Punjab.The college is affiliated withPunjab Technical University,Jalandhar.

Indian-American directornominated for Oscar

BY NATALIA NINGTHOUJAMNEW DELHI, (IANS) Sanjay Patel's animated short, "Sanjay'sSuper Team", which tells the story of an immigrant communityand "a family of colour", is up against movies like "Bear Story"and "World of Tomorrow" for the Best Animated Short Film atthis year's Oscars. The Indian-American Pixar artist anddirector says it feels special just to be in the company of"incredibly deserving" nominees.The world is eagerly waiting to see who will walk away withthe prestigious statuette at the 88th Academy Awards, to beheld in Los Angeles on February 28. And Indians have areason to cheer as Patel, who has roots in Gujarat, ispitted against "Bear Story", directed by Gabriel Osorio,"World of Tomorrow", helmed by Don Her tzfeldt, RichardWilliams's "Prologue" and "We Can't Live WithoutCosmos", directed by Konstantin Bronzit."I was confident (of winning) until I saw the other nominees. Ibecame even less confident after I met the nominees. They areso incredibly deserving. All the films are so unique andspecial. It feels special just to be in that company," Patel toldIANS over the phone from Los Angeles.The US film production studio Disney-Pixar's film shows a boy,modelled on Patel, who wants to watch superhero cartoons ontelevision. It goes on to present the boy's daydreams -- boredwith his father's religious meditation -- who imagines Hindugods as superheroes. "John Lasseter (chief creative officer,Disney-Pixar) was the one who gave me the confidence andpermission (to make the film). I had a story about a little boyfrom India who didn't have a father and it was more about himbeing absorbed in western comics and kind of ignoring thestories from his own culture. I told that story to John. He likedit. Then he asked me about how I grew up."I told him about my experience with my father. John straightaway loved the idea. The same ideas got communicated, but itgot richer and more universal. Initially, the concept wassomething that may be only a certain amount of people mighthave been able to relate to. But the idea of generational strugglebetween a young person and his parents is way more univer-sal and emotional," he said.He feels proud that Pixar was "so supportive in letting me tell astory from an immigrant community... a story of family ofcolour and give me that opportunity to tell the truth".

Indian Sikh appointed KualaLumpur police chief

KUALA LUMPUR, (IANS) AnIndian-origin Sikh officer hasbeen appo in ted Kua laLumpur 's commissioner ofpol ice - the h ighest pol icerank achieved by a Sikh inMa lays ia , med ia r epo r tssaid. Amar Singh will replaceTajuddin Mohamed, who willmove to federal headquar tersas the deputy director of com-merc ia l C ID on March 14,f reemalays ia today.com re-po r t ed on Sunday. AmarSingh he ld the pos i t ion ofdeputy director of CID when his new appointment was an-nounced last week. According to the Malaysia Samacharwebsite, the highest police rank previously achieved by aSikh was senior assistant commissioner-I when SantokhSingh became police chief of Selangor state. Amar Singh'sfather and maternal grandfather were both policemen. Hisfather Ishar Singh joined the Federated Malay States Policein 1939, a year after coming to Malaya from Punjab. Hismaternal grandfather, Bachan Singh, was a constable whojoined the force in the early 1900s.


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BY GOKUL BHAGABATI

BY JAIDEEP SARIN

JNU REPRESENTS HOPE AND CHANGE

VIOLENCE-HIT AREAS OF HARYANARESEMBLE A WAR ZONE

Why the iconic university cannot be shut down?Much water has flowed under the Yamuna bridge -- dir ty though --since the February 9 "cultural" event inside the Jawaharlal NehruUniversity (JNU)campus, against what the organisers called the "ju-dicial killing" of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. That this snow-balled into a major controversy is a reflection of the times we live in.With horror, one witnessed Kanhaiya Kumar, a student leader, gettingarrested under the colonial-era sedition law, while the police are look-ing for other student organisers of the event where "anti-India" and"pro-Pakistan" slogans were allegedly raised.At the same time, police showed supreme inaction when it came tobooking lawyers who assaulted journalists and the arrested studentleader, while he was being produced in court following his arrest. Asection of the media too indulged in manufacturing lies and spreadingrumours, which may in turn have incited political goons to raise frenzyagainst students of this premier institution who were merely exercis-ing their democratic right of dissent.The mud-slinging by politicians and a malicious #ShutDown JNUcampaign, that star ted even before the "cultural" event, appears to begathering steam, pushed assiduously by social media trolls. But is itfeasible -- or desirable -- to shut down a historic institution like theJNU, perhaps the finest place for higher education in social sciences?For an alumnus of JNU, the move to tarnishing an institution witheverything that it is not is extremely sad. The fallout is such that evenin Facebook News Feeds one sees posts favouring JNU's destruction,with some writers suggesting that stadiums be built in its place toencourage spor ts.Tracking the #ShutDown JNU trail in Twitter shows the type of "na-tionalism" that is being promoted at the cost of this nation. Samplethese: Rahul MahajanVerified account @TheRahulMahajan Feb 15#ShutDownJNU: JNU Campus should be declared as prison complexASAP

Sir Ravindra Jadeja @SirJadeja Feb 10: Before JNU Becomes JihadiNur turing University #ShutDownJNU. JAY @YesIamSaffron Feb 10:The same #JNU Goon who Had Protested RohitVemula Death got inScuffle with Cops in suppor t of Afzal #ShutDownJNUThe nation that is imagined in most of these tweets is clearly that ofan India which is exclusive for only those who believe in a par ticularideology. Contrary to what the so-called nationalists -- many self-confessed NaMo fans -- preach, the university, through its longstruggle, had created a space for India's diversity to flourish andopinions of various sections of the population to be discussedand debated without intimidation or fear of being humiliated.Far from being a mouthpiece of the terrorists, JNU has becomethe voice of the marginalised, the oppressed and the outcasts. Ifthe university has become a laboratory of anything, it is as aspearhead for social transformation. Yes, JNU is not only for those

who can afford a higher education; it is an institution that enablesthe wretched of the ear th to aspire.And No. To get selected to JNU, you do not have to give a deliber-ate "Marxist twist" -- as commonly believed -- to your answers inthe entrance examination. The topper in my class at the Centre forPolitical Studies (CPS) was openly rightist.The teachers at the university do not grade you on the basis of theideology you believe in. The current JNU Students Union has amember from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyar thi Parishad (ABVP), astudent wing of the RSS.What JNU represents is hope. And I strongly believe that evenwith the might of the coercive apparatus of the state and suppor tof the rumour mongering mills, it will be impossible to destroywhat the university stands for -- change. And that's something youjust cannot stop.

ROHTAK, (IANS) The main market of Haryana's Rohtak town was abustling place till last week. In just three days, it looks devastated.Shops and malls have been looted and set on fire. The area resemblesa war zone as troops and security forces patrol the area.Be it the markets in Rohtak, located just 75 km from national capital Delhi, orJhajjar or Bhiwani, or buildings and roadways buses in the violence-hit areasof Haryana, everything looks like they are in a war zone."The losses of traders and businessmen could run into hundreds ofcrores due to this mindless violence. This is no way to seek reserva-tion in a democratic set up. There is hardly any sign of HaryanaPolice in the last one week. The government has abandoned people tofend for themselves," Rohtak-based trader Rakesh Gupta told IANS.Despite the army'd deployment in eight districts - Rohtak, Bhiwani,Jhajjar, Hisar, Jind, Kaithal, Sonipat and Panipat - and cur few im-posed in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Hisar, Jind and Hansi, unruly mobshave been on the rampage in several areas, especially in Rohtak andJhajjar towns.With hundreds of Jat youths taking control of the agitation and indulg-ing in arson and looting, the focus of the Jat agitation, which was todemand reservation in government jobs and educational institutions,has led to mindless destruction of government and private proper ty."In Rohtak town, despite the army, the mobs looted several shops andset them on fire. No one stopped the mobs. There is total anarchy. Weare stuck in our houses for four days. Our food supplies are finishingfast," said Sarita Kumari, a housewife in Rohtak's Civil Lines area.Hooligans, who have joined the ranks of Jat demonstrators, have runamok by setting government and private proper ty on fire, burningbuses and private vehicles, blocking roads and highways, disruptingtrains and uprooting tracks and indulging in looting and arson.Be it police stations at some places, isolated railway stations, statetranspor t buses and private vehicles and even railway coaches -immovable and movable proper ty have been torched and damaged atseveral places. With people in affected areas accusing the HaryanaPolice of inaction in the past one week, the state government is on thebackfoot. "A large number of police officials and personnel are fromthe Jat community. Many are refusing to act against the Jats since itis an emotional matter for them. The police is divided on this matter,"said a senior Haryana Police official told IANS in Chandigarh.Haryana Home Secretary P.K. Dass said the police was being askedto control the situation. "We have been conveyed the apprehension ofJat officials ot taking action. We have issued strict directions to all

officials. If they refuse to do so, they will face action," Dass told themedia on Sunday.Demonstrators uprooted the Delhi-Ambala railway track at Rajlu Garhiin Panipat district, disrupting the crucial rail line which connectsDelhi with nor th India. The NH-1 was blocked in Sonipat district, 50km from Delhi, stranding thousands of people and hundreds of ve-hicles on the busy highway.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 c a n a d a

416-907-4420

CONSUMER PRICES ROSEBY 2% IN JANUARY

OTTAWA - The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.0% in the 12 monthsto January, after increasing 1.6% in December.In January, gasoline prices were up on a year-over-year basis for thefirst time since October 2014; this occurred despite a monthly declineof 6.0%. The upward contribution of gasoline to the change in the CPIclosed the gap between the all-items CPI and the all-items CPI ex-cluding gasoline.Prices rose in seven of the eight major components on a year-over-year basis in January, with the food and transpor tation indexes con-tributing the most to the rise in the CPI. The clothing and footwearindex was the only major component to decline on a year-over-yearbasis in January.Food prices were up 4.0% in the 12 months to January, after rising3.7% in December. This acceleration was attributable to a gain inprices for food purchased from stores, which rose 4.6% year overyear in January, after increasing 4.1% the previous month. Prices forfresh vegetables were up 18.2% in the 12 months to January, follow-ing a 13.3% increase in December. The other fresh vegetables index,which includes broccoli, cauliflower, celery and peppers among other

products, registered its largest year-over-year increase (+22.7%)since April 2009. Meat prices rose less in the 12 months to Januarythan in December. Prices for food purchased from restaurants wereup 2.5% year over year in January, following a 2.8% increase theprevious month.The transpor tation index rose 2.2% year over year in January, follow-ing a 0.6% increase in December. The acceleration was led by thegasoline index, which was up 2.1% in the 12 months to January, afterdeclining 4.8% the previous month. In addition, the purchase of pas-senger vehicles index was up more on a year-over-year basis inJanuary than the previous month.The clothing and footwear index decreased 0.3% year over year inJanuary, after posting a 0.7% increase in December. The decline wasled by the men's clothing index, which was down 1.4% in the 12months to January, following a 0.8% increase the previous month. InJanuary, consumers paid 1.4% less for footwear compared with thesame month a year earlier. Among the provinces, consumer pricesincreased the least in Quebec, up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis inJanuary.

$100 MILLION TO BOOST CLEANTECHINNOVATION, CREATE JOBS

ONTARIO - Ontario is putting its new Climate Change Strategyinto action by investing nearly $100 million from the OntarioGreen Investment Fund into projects that will reduce green-house gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and suppor tcleantech innovation and jobs.Premier Kathleen Wynne was at Morgan Solar to announce thetwo new programs for business.The government will invest $74 million in a cleantech innova-tion initiative, which will help reduce greenhouse gas pollutionby encouraging large industrial plants to adopt leading-edgetechnologies, while suppor ting entrepreneurs in developingcreative solutions. For this initiative, the government ispar tnering with the Ontario Centres of Excellence, which drivethe development of Ontario's economy by helping create newjobs, products, services, technologies and businesses.The government is also investing $25 million in a Green Smar tenergy efficiency program to help small and medium-sizedbusinesses reduce emissions and become more energyefficient. The program will be delivered by Canadian Manufac-turers & Expor ters, Canada's largest trade and industryassociation.Ontario's new $325-million Green Investment Fund commitsmoney to projects that fight climate change while growing theeconomy and creating jobs. These investments will helptransform the way we live, move, work and adapt to ourenvironment by building strong and sustainable communities.Fighting climate change while suppor ting economic growth,efficiency and productivity is par t of the government's plan tobuild Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to growthe economy and create jobs. The four-par t plan includesinvesting in people's talents and skills, making the largestinvestment in public infrastructure in Ontario's history,creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business

thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan."Our government is taking action to stop climate change byhelping our business sector create prosperity and jobs fortoday and tomorrow. Through these two new programs, wewill help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while promotingthe innovative and disruptive technologies that will improveproductivity and secure our economic future."- KathleenWynne, Premier of Ontario"Our government understands the incredible oppor tunity thatexists to create good jobs and grow our economy in theinnovative sectors that are helping us move towards agreener environment. By par tnering with Ontario Centres ofExcellence to promote the next generation of clean technolo-gies that reduce emissions and increase efficiency, we canimprove Ontario's environment and our thriving innovationecosystem at the same time." - Reza Moridi, Minister ofResearch and Innovation"We are pleased to par tner with Canadian Manufacturers &Expor ters on the Green Smar t program - a new way topromote innovative energy efficiency technologies andenvironmental best practices throughout businesses inOntario. We are committed to suppor ting a cleaner, healthierenvironment, while growing our economy and creating newjobs." - Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employ-ment and Infrastructure"Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and our futuredepends on the choices we make today. It's imperative we takeaction on all fronts to effectively reduce greenhouse gas pollutionwhile building a stronger economy. By helping industry and busi-nesses adopt homegrown clean technologies, we'll protect the air webreathe and create the jobs that foster economic growth and buildstronger communities." - Glen Murray, Minister of the Environ-ment and Climate Change.

RETIRED CANADIANS ONAVERAGE LIVE ON 62% OFTHEIR OLD WORKING WAGETORONTO - Retired Canadians, on average, live on 62% ofthe salary which they earned in the period just prior to their retire-ment, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of SunLife Financial. Atlantic Canadians, on average, live on 67% of theirold working wage, which is higher than the percentage of the oldworking wages retirees live on in the other regions: Manitobaand Saskatchewan (65%); Quebec (64%); British Columbia(63%); Ontario (60%) and Alberta (59%). Being aware of one'sfuture financial situation when they're retired has led some toseek professional advice from financial advisors, and for mostthe service appears to be beneficial. Six in ten (62%) retireesthat work with an advisor say they have saved enough moneyfor retirement compared to only four in ten (38%) that say thesame but do not have a financial advisor.With income being reduced significantly in retirement, it islogical that when asked what advice retirees would give work-ing Canadians, the number-one response is to star t saving/investing early (88%). Also among the top three pieces ofadvice are taking care of your health (88%) and living withinyour means (85%). In the chart below are more words of wisdomthat retirees have shared with working Canadians.

PCs Lead Ontario, HorwathMost Popular LeaderTORONTO - A new Mainstreet/Postmedia poll finds the PCPar ty continuing to lead in Ontario - albeit by a narrow marginwith the Liberals and NDP separated by just 3 percentagepoints. The Mainstreet/Postmedia Poll has a margin of error of+/- 1.91%, 19 times out of 20."For the Ontario Liberals this is some good news on the heels of losing theWhitby-Oshawa by-election," said Quito Maggi, President of MainstreetResearch. "But at the same time Kathleen Wynne is the least popularleader in Ontario which limits their room for growth."Among Decided and Leaning Voters: PCs 36% (-4%), OntarioLiberals 33% (+5%), NDP 26% (+1%), Greens 5% (-2%) -compared to the results from November 1st."Some of this is likely a bounce from the Trudeau governmentand the positive press that surrounds it - but this could also be otherissues playing out including beer sales in supermarkets and thePremier's positions on Energy East and transit infrastructure. For thePCs these numbers show that while Patrick Brown has had a suc-cessful tenure so far, Ontarians still don't know who he is. This will bean ongoing liability, if the PC Party doesn't introduce Brown to Ontariansthe other two parties certainly will. While Brown has notched twoby-elections wins and now has a seat in the legislature, thetwo wins came from solid PC ridings. ""For the NDP these numbers signal strong room for growth.Andrea Horwath is the most popular leader in the province.However, the NDP is third not only among all voters but alsoamong undecided voters who lean in a certain direction. Theyare faring best in Nor thern and Southwestern Ontario but theirToronto number is low - though if it is concentrated in thedowntown core it could translate into new seats. "Patrick Brown: 32% Approve, 26% Disapprove, 42% Not Sure.Approval - Disapproval: +6Andrea Horwath: 43% Approve, 26% Disapprove, 31% Not Sure.Approval - Disapproval: +17Kathleen Wynne: 29% Approve, 60% Disapprove, 11% Not Sure.Approval - Disapproval: -31Source: mainstreetresearch.com

Federal budget on Mar 22;projected deficit $18.4 b butnew direction for middle class:Minister Bill MorneauCONTD. FROM PAGE 1Now is the time to make investments to build a stronger middleclass and foster long-term growth. At its core, this approachwill be about middle class Canadians-our quality of life, thekind of communities in which we live and work, the standardof living we can expect to enjoy, and the kind of oppor tunitiesour children will have in the coming decades."- Bill Morneau,Minister of FinanceQUICK FACTS" The Government remains committed to strengthening themiddle class, enhancing benefits for low- and middle-incomeCanadians, and making historic investments in infrastructureto help the economy grow." Global economic uncer tainty and low commodity prices con-tinue to weigh on the Canadian economy. As a result, Canada'seconomic and fiscal outlook has deteriorated since the No-vember Update of Economic and Fiscal Projections." With interest rates at historic lows, the Government will seizethe oppor tunity to make targeted investments that accelerategrowth in the shor t run, create jobs and raise Canada's long-term growth potential." The Government's plan to achieve its objectives will be de-tailed in Budget 2016. The budget will be tabled in the House ofCommons on March 22, 2016.





MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 i n d i a

DELHI BJP PRESIDENT SATISH UPADHYAY WITH OTHER BJP LEADERS DURING A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST KEJRIWALGOVERNMENT AT JANTAR MANTAR IN NEW DELHI (IANS).

ROHTAK/CHANDIGARH, (IANS) Haryana saw relative calm for the firsttime in nine days on Tuesday as Jats seeking job quotas withdrew fromthe streets or were chased away. Highway and rail traffic was restoredeven as security forces were on aler t to foil clashes between Jats andnon-Jats.In a sign of people's anger over the mindless violence that rocked thestate, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar faced angry tradersand residents in Rohtak town and was forced to retreat and leave forDelhi. Khattar, who reached Rohtak for the first time after widespreadviolence during the Jat agitation devastated many par ts of the town,vowed not to spare those guilty of rioting and arson that crippled Haryana."A high-level probe will be conducted into the (violence) and strict actiontaken against officers and employees of police and administration in-volved in this," Khattar told the media in Rohtak. In a fine balancing act,he said the Jat community will get job quotas under a special provisionand the OBC quota of 27 percent won't be disturbed. The OBC communi-ties don't want Jats to be included in the OBC bracket."The government will make a separate provision for (Jats) reservation,"said a stern-looking Khattar, whose government has drawn widespreadflak for failing to contain the frenzy on the streets. In New Delhi, Khattarattended a meeting with union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. VenkiaihNaidu and other ministers who are part of a high-powered panel studyingthe issue of reservation for Jats in other states.Nineteen people were killed and nearly 200 injured in the nine days whenJats held Haryana to ransom, and in the process disrupted life in largeparts of northern India. As Monday was a holiday on account of SantRavidas Jayanti, Tuesday was the first working day after the Jat agitation.Most schools were, however, shut.Traffic was restored on the busy Delhi-Ambala national highway (NH-1)after three days. Three people were killed when Jat protesters blockedthe highway on Monday, forcing security forces to open fire. Traffic wasalso restored on the Delhi-Hisar NH-10, especially near Sampla town,police said.Curfew was relaxed in Rohtak town and some other places. Some vil-lages and towns were tense as some members of Jat and non-Jat com-munities headed for a clash on Monday. The worst affected districts inthe Jat agitation were Rohtak, Bhiwani, Hisar, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Jind, Panipatand Kaithal.The government has an ex-gratia of Rs.10 lakh to the next of kin of theinnocents killed in the agitation and employment to a member of thefamily of the deceased. The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industryhas pegged the loss to Haryana and other states due to the violence at

Rs.34,000 crore.The India-Pakistan train and bus services, which pass through Haryana,are expected to resume operations on Thursday. Referring to an audioclip in which a close aide of a Congress leader is heard inciting people toindulge in violence, Khattar said those who damaged property would beidentified and strict action taken against them. The government has prom-ised to compensate those who lost property in the agitation.The chief minister said 'dharnas' across the state had been lifted andblockades on all roads cleared. Earlier, Khattar was shown black flags bya section of traders and residents who raised slogans against him andquestioned his government's failure to deal with the Jat agitation.The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed the Haryanagovernment to submit a status report on the Jat agitation by next Monday.The Jat community wants reservation under the OBC category in govern-ment jobs and educational institutions.

Haryana calm, eyes normalcy,CM faces residents' ire

Kejriwal's five-day Punjabvisit starts on Feb 25CHANDIGARH, (IANS) With his par ty in a buoyant mood inPunjab, AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalwill begin a five-day visit to the state from Thursday. "Kejriwalwill try to cover the length and breadth of the state com-prising the Malwa, Majha and Doaba regions. He will begin fromSangrur and Bathinda districts," an AAP spokesman said here onTuesday. Kejriwal will visit Ferozepur and Faridkot districts on Febru-ary 26, Khadoor Sahib, Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts on February27, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar districts on February 28 and finally goto Ludhiana, Fategarh Sahib and Patiala districts on February 29."Kejriwal will interact with various sections of the society compris-ing families of distressed farmers who have been committing sui-cides, members of Dalit families and unemployed educated youthand know the concerns of the women folk about their safety andsecurity," the spokesman said. Kejriwal will also interact with sec-tions of youths who have taken to drugs, the spokesman said. He willmeet the business community, comprising traders and captains ofindustry, to know the problems faced by them in the state. The Con-gress in Punjab had earlier said that it will oppose Kejriwal's visit ifthe Aam Aadmi Party does not change its agenda for the state. "Kejriwalshould not play with fire by instigating the sentiments of the people ofPunjab. This is a very dangerous style of politics being done by theAAP," Congress leader and Ludhiana MP Ravnit Singh Bittu had said.Kejriwal had addressed a major AAP rally last month at the Maghireligious fair in Punjab's Bathinda district. The AAP is posing a seri-ous political challenge to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP allianceand the Congress, which have dominated Punjab's political space fordecades, in the run up to next year's assembly polls.

HC hears other students plea, seeksstatus report on Kanhaiya pleaNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Delhi High Cour t on Tuesday, whileagreeing to hear a plea filed by JNU students Umar Khalid andAnirban Bhattacharya seeking security before they surrender to court,asked them to "secretly" provide the place and time where they wantto surrender. It also issued notice to Delhi Police, asked to file astatus report on bail plea of Jawaharlal Nehru University StudentsUnion president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on charges of sedition.Justice Pratibha Rani refused to provide safety to the students till theysurrender, and declined to allow them to surrender in the high court.On providing safety in police custody, the court said: "It is for the trialcourt to decide." After advocate Kamini Jaiswal, appearing for thestudents, told the court that students need safe passage to surrender,Justice Rani retorted: "What do you mean I should give you safepassage? Why this court (not trial court)? Let us go by the procedure.Everything can't be at your whims and fancies.""Tell me where you want to surrender. Just give me the place (otherthan the high court) and time (details of which will be between peti-tioners' advocate, and court)," said the court, adding that she willappoint an officer for their surrender.

BJP GETS MAJORITY IN 15 OF27 GUJARAT MUNICIPALITIESAHMEDABAD, (IANS) The ruling BJP in Gujarat on Tuesdayretained control in the urban areas by getting majority in 15 ofthe total 27 municipalities that went to the polls. This comes tothe BJP about two months after a serious drubbing in the ruralbelt to the Congress in elections to local self-government bod-ies held in November-December last year.The BJP won 395 of 660 seats in 27 municipalities across 21districts. While the party got a clear majority in 15 municipalities onits own, it was locked in a tie with the Congress in Sutrapada munici-pality, the constituency of Agriculture Minister Jasabhai Barad. TheBJP and the Congress bagged 12 each of the 24 seats. The Congresswon eight municipalities, while the Nationalist Congress Party, theSamajwadi Party and an Independent won one municipality each."The Congress has not even been able to open its account in Savli,Kathlal, Thasra, Bayad, Bhabhar and Damnagar municipalities.

Parrikar reviews defence proposals,seeks irrelevant ones be axedNEW DELHI, (IANS) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tues-day asked the three services to review the pending acquisitionproposals and weed out those which are no more relevant, anofficial said. He gave the direction while chairing a meetingof the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), where he reviewedprogress of all proposals cleared by the council since theNDA government came to power."The defence minister advised the service chiefs to reviewtheir pending acquisition proposals which have not fructi-fied for a long time for their contemporary relevance," saida defence ministry official. "The defence minister said wemust progress only on relevant schemes. He also soughtreview of proposed capital acquisition proposals and bud-getary requirement for next 10 years," the official said.The review of the proposals cleared by the DAC meanwhilerevealed that there are at least 314 cases in which have not"fructified. A total of 81 capital acquisition schemes havematured since June 2014," the official said. Maturing of anorder means the contract has been signed or supply orderhas been g i ven . The c l ea red p roposa ls cos t a roundRs.1,50,000 crore.


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016i n d i a

RSS trying to pass their bigotedideology as 'nationalism': Congress

BJP, Modi should explain anti-national's definition: Bihar CM

AIDSO ACTIVISTS STAGE A PROTEST TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH JNU STUDENT LEADER KANHAIYA KUMAR, ARRESTED ON ASEDITION CHARGE IN NEW DELHI (IANS).

NEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Friday hit out at the RSSand its affiliated groups for trying to "camouflage their bigotedideology as nationalism". "The RSS is now trying to projectits bigoted ideology and it is camouflaging this bigoted ideol-ogy as 'nationalism'... trying to pass off their fake view ofIndia as 'nationalism' and they are doing it through repres-sion and coercion," said senior Congress spokespersonAbhishek Manu Singhvi."The Indian National Congress is deeply concernedthat outfits like RSS, Sangh Parivar and ABVP aretrying to fit their square ideology into the circular

PATNA, (IANS) Amid a political furore over JNUSU president KanhaiyaKumar's arrest, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asked theBJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain their definition of 'desh-drohi' (anti-national). "One week has passed (since Kanhaiya's arrest)but government agencies concerned have failed to come out with evi-dence against Kanhaiya. Is it not a fact that the government has no evi-dence against him? What is the definition of anti-national; pleaseexplain it to the people," Nitish Kumar told the media here. He said somepowerful people were trying to defame and destroy the unique characterof JNU, one of the best educational institutions in the country."If talking of and slogan-shouting against the hanging of parlia-ment attack convict Afzal Guru and freedom of Jammu and Kashmir arecrime and anti-national, why is the BJP again keen to form a governmentin that state with the Peoples Democratic Party, whose leaders openlyopposed the hanging of Guru." Nitish Kumar also questioned the meet-ings of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Madhav with

PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti. "Is it not a fact that Ram Madhav met lead-ers of the PDP which openly talked against Guru's execution and the rightto self-determination in Jammu and Kashmir."Nitish Kumar asked the BJP to explain to the people what their definitionof nationalism was. "Is it not a fact that the PDP openly hails AfzalGuru as a Shaheed (mar tyr) but BJP has no problem for sake ofsharing power to join hands with them." The chief minister saidwhat happened in the wake of incidents on the Jawaharlal NehruUniversity campus in Delhi "is a par t of a deliberate attempt of theNarendra Modi government to diver t attention from the poor con-d i t i on o f t he coun t ry ' s economy" . He sa id the Rash t r i yaSwayamsevak Sangh and like-minded organisations were out todestroy the countr y. "People l ike Nathuram Godse (MahatmaGandhi's assassin) are being glorified and the BJP leaders areopenly attending such functions. No action is being taken againstanyone," the chief minister said.

India trying to rescue hijackedIndian, Pakistani sailorsNEW DELHI, (IANS) India is trying to rescue two sailors --an Indian and a Pakistani -- after a ship was hijacked bypirates near Africa, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajsaid on Sunday. The ship, Maximus, that had 11 Indiansamong its crew members was hijacked off Ivory Coast onSaturday. Ten of the 11 Indian crew members on board havebeen rescued. "On our request, the ship was followed byGhana and Nigerian navy," Sushma Swaraj stated on Twit-ter. "We have rescued 10 Indians with the help of NigerianNavy. We are trying to rescue the 11th Indian and a Pakistanicrew member from the pirates," she added.

Nepal's stability l inked toIndia's security: ModiNEW DELHI, (IANS) Nepal's stability is linked to India's secu-rity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday at a jointpress conference with his Nepalese counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli."It is clear that the stability of Nepal is linked to India's security.Prime Minister Oli and I agree that we need to face together therising extremism and terrorism in the two countries," Modi said."We will not allow terrorists and criminals misuse the open bor-ders between the two countries. Security agencies of both coun-tries will collaborate closely in this context," the Indian prime min-ister said in his statement. He also said that peace and stability inNepal is in "mutual benefit" of the two countries."I and whole India is in favour of economic development of Nepal....I am confident under your able leadership, India-Nepal relationswill further strengthen and attain new heights," Modi told Oli. Modialso mentioned that the two countries have decided to open twomore transit points along the border which he said will increaseconnectivity and push regional development.Modi and Oli together tele-inaugurated a power transmission linebetween Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Dhalkebar in Nepal. "We areworking on hydro projects with combined capacity of 7,000 mwand their quick and successful completion can be a gateway toNepal's economic prosperity," Modi said. Oli, who arrivedhere on Friday, is the first Nepalese prime minister to pay abilateral visit to India since 2011 when Baburam Bhattaraihad travelled to New Delhi.

Use water judiciously, crisismay worsen: Delhi ministerNEW DELHI, (IANS) Terming the water crisis in the national capitalas "unprecedented", Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday warnedthat the situation might worsen in the next few days if the supplyfrom Haryana is not immediately restored.He said the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had almost run out of water andadvised people to use water judiciously. "The present crisis isunprecedented. We are somehow trying to manage that all thepeople should at least get water for drinking," Mishra told reportershere. He said that the DJB has introduced 14 new filling points fortankers that would become operational late in the night to ensuresufficient water supply on Monday. "These new points would caterto 423 tankers that would be supplied to different areas in westDelhi early morning on Monday. The tankers would refill dur-ing the day and go to more areas.

democratic tradition of this country. In other words, they are try-ing to achieve a misfit," he added. Singhvi said his party was "inthe first line of condemnation of anti-national activities"."We are not here to give justifications, defences and cer tifi-

cates... we stand rock solid on issues of 'nationalism' butwe also stand equally rock solid against the bogey of 'na-

tionalism' and when that bogey is used to repress stu-dents to carry on campaigns to infiltrate the RSS andABVP ideology into our institutions, we will rise andspeak up because we think it is utterly unac-ceptable to the idea of India," he added.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 w o r l d

IRANIAN WOMEN HOLD UP POSTERS DURING A REFORMISTS CAMPAIGN MEETING IN TEHRAN, CAPITAL OF IRAN (IANS).

US, Israel start joint drill on ballistic missile defenceJERUSALEM, (IANS) Israel and the US star ted a joint exercise onSunday focusing on defence against the threat of ballistic missiles,the Israeli army said. The US European Command and the IsraeliDefence Forces (IDF) commenced the exercise known as JuniperCobra 16 in an eighth of a series of biennial exercises between thetwo countries since 2001, an IDF spokesperson said.Overall 1,700 military men and civil contractors are expected to takepar t in the exercise, which is set to end on Thursday, Xinhua newsagency repor ted. "This exercise is par t of a planned training schedulethat seeks to enhance interoperability between the militaries in thecontext of exercising defensive capabilities," an IDF statement said.Commander of the Aerial Defence Division, Brigadier General ZvikaHaimovich, said the drill is a "significant milestone" in Israeli-USdefence cooperation. Although military officials say the drill is notrelated to any current developments, the US has recently implementedsanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile program, shortly afterlifting sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program upon a deal reached

in July 2015. Israel is currently at the process of finalising a ten-yearmemorandum of understanding with the US regarding defence assis-tance. As one of the largest US aid recipient, Israel receives around$3 billion annually in defence aid from Washington.Whereas both Israel and the US officials stress the strong security-related cooperation, diplomatic relations have been strained in recentyears. Most of the tensions have surrounded the different approachestowards Iran's nuclear deal which Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu has vocally objected,calling it a "historic mistake".The US government has also re-cently deplored Israel for its poli-cies towards the Palestinians inthe occupied territories in theWest Bank, and for a wave of right-wing legislation against left-wingorganisations.

5D black hole may 'break'Einstein's general relativityLONDON, (IANS) A team of British researchers has success-fully simulated a black hole shaped like a very thin ring, whichgives rise to a series of 'bulges' connected by strings that be-come thinner over time. These strings eventually become sothin that they pinch off into a series of miniature black holes -similar to how a thin stream of water from a tap breaks up intodroplets. This bizarrely shaped black hole could cause Einstein'sgeneral theory of relativity, a foundation of modern physics, tobreak down. However, such an object could only exist in auniverse with five or more dimensions, say the researchersfrom University of Cambridge and Queen Mary University of London.Ring-shaped black holes were "discovered" by theoret icalphysicists in 2002 but this is the first time that their dynam-ics have been success fu l l y s imu la ted us ingsupercomputers. Should this type of black hole form, itwould lead to the appearance of a "naked singularity", which wouldcause the equations behind general relativity to break down.A singularity is a point where gravity is so intense that space, time,and the laws of physics, break down. General relativity predicts thatsingularities exist at the centre of black holes, and that they are sur-rounded by an event horizon -- the "point of no return" where thegravitational pull becomes so strong that escape is impossible, mean-ing that they cannot be observed from the outside."As long as singularities stay hidden behind an event horizon, they donot cause trouble and general relativity holds -- the 'cosmic censor-ship conjecture' says that this is always the case," explained studyco-author Markus Kunesch from Cambridge's Department of Ap-plied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP). But whatif a singularity existed outside of an event horizon?If it did, not only would it be visible from the outside, but itwould represent an object that has collapsed to an infinite den-sity, a state which causes the laws of physics to break down.Theoretical physicists have hypothesised that such a thing,called a "naked singularity", might exist in higher dimensions.

ECONOMISTS WARN OF RECESSION IN THE USWASHINGTON, (IANS) A very possible recession within the next three years would take place in theUS, economists warned at a meeting of US governors.There is a "100 per cent cer tainty" of arecession between now and 2018, President of Fosler Group Gail Fosler said on Saturday at the2016 National Governors Association Winter Meeting, which gathers more than 30 state governorsacross the country. Urging governors across the country to prepare in advance, Fosler said it is notonly because of the economic cycle, but also because what she foresees a financial shock in theupcoming years, Xinhua repor ted. The speculation of the US economy entering a recession has beenlong, given the uncer tainty of the stock market and the downward trend of manufacturing, saidJoseph Lake, Global Economist from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Though there is no needto worry about a recession now, the chance for the US economy to enter into recession is morethan 50 percent in the next two to four years, he noted. "There is already a recession in the energysector," Mark Finley, General Manager of Global Energy Markets and US Economics from BP AmericaInc., said at the panel discussion.



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



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 w o r l d

Pakistan lifts sanctions against Iran

TURKISH PRIME MINISTER AHMET DAVUTOGLU (C FRONT) ATTENDS THE FUNERAL AT THE KOCATEPE MOSQUE IN ANKARA,TURKEY. A TOTAL OF 28 PEOPLE DIED IN LAST WEEK'S CAR BOMBING IN THE CAPITAL (IANS).

ISLAMABAD, (IANS) Pakistan on Friday decided to lift sanctions against Iranand devise a strategy to promote trade ties with the oil rich country, a minis-terial meeting decided here, Dawn reported. According to a notification is-sued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad will revive all economicand commercial relations with Tehran, including in trade, investment,technology, banking, finance and energy. All the previous notificationsgiving effect to sanctions imposed on Iran by the UN Security Councilstand repealed with the issuance of this new notification by the for-eign ministry, in keeping with the Security Council resolution 2231.The meeting chaired by Minister of Finance Ishaq Dar ruled that Paki-stan welcomed the Joint Comprehensive Programme of Action (JCPOA)

agreed between Iran and world powers and it appreciates the stepstaken by Iran for the implementation of the JCPOA. With the lifting ofrestrictions, economic and trade relations between the two neighbourlycountries will receive a new boost. It will enable the two countries tofully reinvigorate various bilateral and multilateral arrangements forpromoting investments and cooperation across all sectors includingbanking, finance, industry and energy.Diplomatic effor ts to reach a comprehensive, long-term and propersolution to the Iranian nuclear issue culminated in the JCPOA on July14, 2015 by China, France, Germany, Russian, Britain, the US, theHigh Representative of the European Union and Iran.

IRANIAN ARMY WARNS BBCAGAINST MEDDLING IN POLLSTEHRAN, (IANS) A senior Iranian military official on Mondaywarned the BBC against interfering in the country's upcomingelections, urging the foreign ministry to react immediately.Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of Iran's Armed Forces,was responding to alleged recent attempts by the BBC to per-suade Iranians not to vote for cer tain candidates running for theAssembly of Exper ts elections slated for February 26, Xinhuanews agency repor ted. "The foreign ministry's silence on theBritish inter ference in our country's internal affairs raisesdoubts," Jazayeri said, urging the ministry to show "decisiveand propor tional" reaction to the British government and itsembassy in Iran because of what he described as BBC's"brazen inter ference" in the country's domestic issues. Iran'sAssembly of Exper ts is a deliberative body of Islamic theo-logians or Mujtahids, elected for eight-year terms, andcharged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader ofIran and supervising his activities.

40 militants killed in IraqBAGHDAD, (IANS) At least 40 militants were killed on Mondaywhen security forces repelled an attack by the Islamic State(IS) terror group in Iraq's Anbar province. The incident occurred whenthe IS militants attacked a military base in Hamdhiyah area, but wererepelled by the troops and air strikes, an official told Xinhua news agency.Ten security personnel were injured, the official added.

F-16 sale to Pakistan to helpfight terrorism: US envoyNEW DELHI, (IANS) US Ambassador to India Richard Verma onMonday reiterated that Washington's decision to sell F-16 combataircraft to Pakistan was to help it fight terrorism. "Our security part-nership with Pakistan was made clear," Verma said while answeringquestions after delivering a lecture on "Indo-US strategic partnership:Present status and future trends""The tools that were provided were to address a specific counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency threat," he said. The Barack Obamaadministration's decision to sell eight F-16 combat aircraft to Pakistanearlier this month had riled the Indian establishment. The externalaffairs ministry said in a statement that India was "disappointed" at thedecision of the US to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.

Seoul urges Tokyo to stopprovocations over disputed isletsSEOUL, (IANS) South Korea on Monday urged Japan to stop provocationsover disputed islets lying halfway between the two countries as Tokyo senta government official to attend the controversial "Takeshima Day" event.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet has dispatched a viceministerial-level official to the event for four straight years. This year, SakaiYasuyuki, parliamentary vice minister of the cabinet office, attended theceremony, Xinhua reported. The Takeshima Day was launched in 2005 byJapan's Shimane prefecture to lay territorial claims to the disputed islets,known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

Syria truce should not benefit terrorists: Javad ZarifTEHRAN, (IANS) Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Mondaysaid that any ceasefire in Syria should not give an advantage to terrorist groupswreaking havoc in the Arab country. "A ceasefire (in Syria) does notmean allowing IS, al-Nusra Front, and other Al Qaeda-affiliatedgroups to carry on their activities," Zarif was quoted by Press TVduring a joint press conference here. Zarif said that Iran has alwayssupported any kind of truce in Syria, adding, however, that thedetails of such a plan should be discussed. "Iran has always be-lieved that the crisis in Syria has no military solution," the Iranianminister said, adding, "the plans presented so far have broughtabout (the issue of) ceasefire, and Iran has emphasized the matterin addition to the delivery of humanitarian aid since the first negotia-

tion meeting in Vienna."The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed in the German city of

Munich on February 12 to a "cessation of hostilities" inSyria and to implement a ceasefire in a week. However,acts of terrorism continues unabated in the country. TheISSG said in a statement that the ceasefire in Syria doesnot include areas held by groups designated as terroristorganisations by the UN Security Council, including ISand al-Nusra Front. The ISSG members also asked theUN to resume the collapsed peace talks between theSyrian government and the Saudi-backed Syrian opposi-tion group known as the High Negotiations Committee.



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Subhash Ghai regrets Hollywoodimitations in Indian cinema

YUVRAJ SINGH WITH CHILDREN DURING A PROGRAMME ORGANISED TO UNVEIL ICC WORLD T20 TROPHY AT FEROZ SHAH KOTLAGROUND IN NEW DELHI (IANS). I CONTD. ON PAGE 22

FILMMAKER ABHISHEK SHARMA WITH ACTORS MANISH PAUL, SIKANDAR KHER AND PRADHUMAN SINGH AT A PRESSCONFERENCE OF THEIR UPCOMING FILM, TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE IN NEW DELHI (IANS).

INDIA HAS INGREDIENTSTO WIN ASIA CUP,

WORLD T20: DHONI

MUMBAI, (IANS) Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who has given cinematicgems like "Karz", "Ram Lakhan", "Khalnayak" and "Pardes", says it'sa big shame that even names of different regional cinema have be-come a shadow of Hollywood. The filmmaker, known for spinningmagic on the silver screen in the 1980s and 1990s, also questionedwhy can't the names be more specific to the region it belongs to."It's a big shame for any state of India and its regional cinema whenthey call themselves Tollywood, Bollywood, Gollywood losing theirown entity. Why can't they be proud to name their regional cinema onstates like Bengali cinema, Punjabi cinema, Gujarati cinema thanHollywood imitations," Ghai tweeted on Sunday. Ghai also took a digat the events unfolding in the country with no reference to one par ticu-lar incident. He said that there is no reason to fret as India is headingtowards progress.His Facebook post read: "Babuji says - student unrest is an age oldphenomena led by cer tain student leaders called "politicians in themaking" like other students as scientists/ economists/ ar tistes inmaking at college campuses at formative age.These leaders stand out by going against current establishment what-soever. Even todays top politicians once upon led student movementsin their younger age. Right? So no worry! India is at its progress". Inthe recent times, Ghai has failed to recreate his cinematic magic withhis last few movies -- "Yuvvraaj" and "Kaanchi: The Unbreakable"turning out to be damp squibs at the box office.

KOLKATA, (IANS) India's limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhonion Sunday said his 15-member squad selected for the Asia Cup andWorld Twenty20 has the ingredients and talent to win the two bigupcoming tournaments."Yes (India can win World T20). I have the belief that we have thetalent required to win a big tournament. This team has all the ingredi-ents but what will be impor tant is to keep the team fit and try to giveas many games to all the individuals who are par t of the side," Dhonisaid in his press conference before depar ture for the Asia Cup inBangladesh."But that will depend on where we are positioned in the tournament, inAsia Cup especially. After that we have two games before the WorldT20 star ts. If everyone gets a chance, it will be good for the team."India team depar ts on Sunday for Bangladesh where they will playthe Asia Cup, being played in the T20 format for the first time. Thetournament will be played from February 24 to March 6 with all matchesbeing held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Follow-ing the tournament, India will return home to take par t in the all-impor tant World T20, which will be played across seven cities fromMarch 15 to April 3."Two (World T20) warm-up games -- we will definitely try to play all

MUMBAI, (IANS) Amitabh Bachchan says he is troubled with a mild bodyailment which has laid him low. The megastar added that he has beendealing with it for many days now, and hopes to be back on his feet soon.The cine icon shared through his official blog early on Sunday his healthupdate with his fans and admirers, who he fondlycalls his 'extended family'. "It is not alarming...but it is... and it puts me horizontal, with mini-mum movement... and grief... grief for regret-ting my appearance (sic) at the Zee Awardswhere I was to present the lifetime award toVeeru Devgn, the master action director, pro-ducer and father to our Ajay Devgn," Big B shared.The 73-year-old added: "When the body is troubled,so is the mind, so is the soul and so the desire to writeto communicate with the loved ones, the Ef... Ithas been so for many days now and Ido feel a disconnect each day, but itshall repair soon I hope and we shallbe back to winning ways as they say."

AWARDS DON'T MATTER MUCHIN MY LIFE: SALMAN KHANMUMBAI, (IANS) Superstar Salman Khan, who won accoladesfor his performance in films like "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Prem RatanDhan Payo", and even got nominated at various award functions this year,feels that the "young generation should be given a chance to win awards" as"awards don't matter much in my life". The actor was present at the redcarpet of Zee Cine Awards 2016, held here on Saturday night. Stating that heloves attending award functions and performing, he said: "I feel very happywhen others get awards but they don't matter much in my life. I like awardfunctions as the whole industry comes together," "We all keep busy so, ataward functions, we get to meet our friends and it feels nice," he added. Hefurther said that he should be kept out of the competition so that the youngergeneration can get a chance and move forward.


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016b o l l y w o o d

American TV series 'Limitless'gets Bollywood touch

'Neerja' inspires Aamir KhanMUMBAI, (IANS) Bollywood star Aamir Khan found SonamKapoor starrer "Neerja" inspirational and moving.The actor, who watched the movie here on Monday, tweeted:"Loved 'Neerja'. Very inspirational and moving!Sonam is out-standing! Shabanaji has given a performance of a lifetime! Welldone Ram! Must watch!" The film, directed by Ram Madhvani,tells the real life story of Neerja Bhanot, an air hostess who losther life while saving others on a hijacked plane. Sonam featuresin the lead role, while Shabana Azmi essays her mother's role.

MUMBAI, (IANS) The star cast of popular American TV series"Limitless" will be seen shaking a leg on the Bollywood song "Dilbole hadippa" in an upcoming episode of the show. Actor JakeMcDorman, who plays the role of Brian Finch on the show, willbe seen dancing along with his co-stars on the song from the2009 film, which featured Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukerji, ofthe same name.The stars of the show will be seen donning colourful Indianwedding dresses in the special sequence, read a statement.

American choreographer John Carrafa has choreographed the songfor McDorman. In the episode, which will be aired on AXN onSaturday, Finch (McDorman) will develop a personal connectionwith FBI Agent Lucy Church (Christina Vidal), a tenacious rule-breaker and helps her finish a field case before she's exposed."Limitless", which also features actor Bradley Cooper, revolvesaround Finch and his journey to discover the brain-boosting powerof the mysterious drug NZT. He is coerced by the FBI into using hisextraordinary abilities to solve complex cases for them.

ARJUN KAPOOR FEARS LOS-ING OUT ON LOVEMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Arjun Kapoor says he is scared of los-ing out on his loved ones -- both on screen and off-screen --and adds that it is one of the reasons he is hesitant to watchSonam Kapoor's "Neerja". Sonam, who is Arjun's cousin, playsthe role of Neerja Bhanot, an air hostess who lost her life whilesaving passengers from terrorists on boardhijacked Pan Am Flight 73 in September1986. And perhaps, that's why Arjuncan't make himself watch the biopic.The "Gunday" star made the revela-tion in a video via Twitter on Thursday.In the video, he said: "To tell you myfear, which I have avoided and not confessedand not put it out there is that I have afear of losing out my loved ones.And you remain somebody I lovetremendously that half a part of mecould not see your film because Iknow how things pan out."Arjun is proud of his sister,and hopes that Sonam's tal-ent gets noticed with thefilm. He added: "But I am veryproud of you for choosing tobe part of something like 'Neerja'and I really hope people get to seehow wonderfully talented you areand may you get even better with every passing film. Love you lotsand all the best for tomorrow."

MUMBAI, (IANS) Kareena Kapoor Khan says she's still a"baby" when it comes to acting as she is a "director's actor".The 35-year-old actress' next film is R. Balki's directorial "Ki andKa", and this is the first time that she has worked with the acclaimedfilmmaker. Asked about the preparations she did for the film, theactress said: "I am a director's actor. I work best with amazingdirectors and work really badly with bad directors. I am an instinctiveperson and my director has to take me through that road. I am still a baby."The actress spoke at the trailer launch of "Ki and Ka" here on Monday.Balki, who was present there too, interrupted and said: "It's all rubbish...She is a fabulous actor, and she is possibly the finest actor that industryhas produced. She doesn't do the normal preparation... She understandsthe script better than anybody else. All I have to do is to give her a nod. Allgreat actors say that I am director's actor." In the film, Kareena plays thecharacter of Kia, an ambitious and a career-oriented woman. On theother hand, Arjun Kapoor plays the character of Kabir, an IIT graduateand a house husband who has grown up wanting to be like hismother and not like his father. Veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan andJaya Bachchan also have a special appearance in the film.

FAMILY DOESN'T JUDGE ME:MANOJ BAJPAYEE ONPLAYING GAY CHARACTERMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who has por trayedthe life of gay professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras in theupcoming film "Aligarh", says his family members didn't havea problem with him playing the role as they love and don'tjudge him. The Hansal Mehta film stars Manoj as a professorwho is filmed while getting intimate with another man, andthe video leads to his suspension. How he gets back his job,but loses his life in the process, forms the rest of the story.Asked what was his family's reaction when he decided to do thisfilm, Manoj said: "One, they were okay with the fact that I amgoing to become an actor and then, they were okay that I will notbe playing conventional roles... So, then why will they have aproblem with me playing this role? They love me. They don'tjudge me. This is the beautiful relationship that I have with myfamily. My parents, my wife and child... They love me and adoreme for doing what I am doing," he added. "Aligarh" also starsRajkummar Rao as a journalist. Manoj is happy that the trailer of the filmhas garnered a positive response.

I'm a director's actor: KareenaFilms, celebrities influence fans: SRKNEW DELHI, (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan admits that filmsand celebrities can impact lives in many ways, but he hopes the influence ismore positive than negative. His comment surfaced during a press confer-ence here on Tuesday when he was asked about the effects that celebritiescan have, in the wake of a recent abduction case in which the accused hasclaimed he was inspired by Shah Rukh Khan's role in the movie "Darr"."I have never really understood the kind of effects celebrities have on people,"Shah Rukh said, as he began to narrate the story of a girl from Germany whowasn't able to walk once upon a time. He said that she fulfilled her desire ofmeeting him, and today, she's a married woman and has a child."So, celebrities can have an amazing effect on fans. I have 50 to 100 suchincidents of positive impact which I don't talk about because these are per-sonal instances. But it is strange how close we get to people... How our workinfluences them in a bigger way than we can ever think."When you become a star, how people react to your every move." Shah Rukh,in fact, said one of his fans -- a lady perhaps in her mid-50s -- met his at anairpor t and tied a thread of love on his wrist. And which is why, he feels, thathopefully, celebrities impact people more "positively than negatively" as hebelieves that films do "touch lives".The abduction incident involved a hardened criminal, who kidnapped a youngwoman executive with whom he had fallen in love with over a year ago anddesperately wanted to marry. SRK's film "Darr" was about a man (Shah Rukh)obsessed with a woman (essayed by Juhi Chawla) and stalks her to a pointwhich results in scary outcomes.

JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ, SOORAJPANCHOLI WANT TO WORK TOGETHER

MUMBAI, (IANS) Actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Sooraj Pancholi,who recently featured in a music video, are eager to do a film witheach other.About the possibility of doing a film together, Jacqueline said, "I hopeso. We had a great time working together. It was amazing. He re-hearsed a lot with me, so we used to go to Remo's studio. It's greatbecause then you have someone prepared and ready when the shoottime comes, he worked really hard." GF BF, the song composed andsung by Gurinder Seagal, also has Jacqueline showcasing her vo-cals. The song, directed by Remo D'Souza sees Sooraj trying to makeJacqueline his girlfriend with his dance moves."It's really impor tant that the people you work with have a nice andpositive vibe around them, and with whom you can have a good time.

Especially, with a music video the atmosphere needs to be good. Wewere able to work till 6 in the morning and we didn't even feel ittowards the end of it. We were happy and taking pictures," Jacquelinesaid."He was able to bring that to the team. For the fact that he's done justone movie, it was really commendable. Working with Remo is noteasy. But he really brought his game on, brought his swag," she added.Sooraj said, "Jacqueline is fun to work with, she never made me feelthat she's my senior. But of course I want to work with her, hopefullysoon."Numerous actors from the industry including Hrithik Roshan, SonamKapoor, Emraan Hashmi, Ayushmann Khurrana among others havealso featured in the series of singles from the music company.

Bhushan Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sooraj Pancholi and Remo D'souza during the launch of video song of film GFBF in Mumbai (IANS).



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 b o l l y w o o d

hollywood

AJAY DEVGN AND BRITISH CHILD ACTOR ABIGAIL EAMES ENJOY A BREAK DURING THE SHOOTING OF SHIVAAY. THE ACTOR-FILMMAKER IS CURRENTLY IN BULGARIA SHOOTING HIS SECOND DIRECTORIAL VENTURE, IN WHICH HE PLAYS FATHER TO12 YEAR OLD GAURA, ESSAYED BY ABIGAIL.

KATY PERRY ACCUSED OFBULLYING ASPIRING SINGER

MUMBAI, (IANS) Aditi Rao Hydari, who after "Wazir" has teamed up once againwith director Bejoy Numbiar for a music video, finds him stubborn but enjoysworking with him. "I enjoy working with Bejoy a lot because he is stubborn.When an artiste is stubborn, then it is an incredible thing in him. As an artiste,you are open to suggestion but you are also clear about what exactly you want todo. "And I think in our field, people keep telling us do this and do that to makethe film hit but to go with your conviction is very big thing and I have immenserespect for him to have that. Whatever he has made until now reflected hisconviction. Working under such director gives you confidence," she said at thelaunch of song 'Arachar' for Kerala-based band "Thaikkudam Bridge".On the contrary, Nambiar spoke of an incidence from the shoot where he almostreduced her to tears. "The shoot was almost over and Aditi packed up already asshe wanted to go home. There was one more sequence left which required Aditito get wet in the rain. When I told her, she was close to tears and said 'I can't dothis. I am going home'." "I kept on convincing her but she said 'No, that's it I amdone' and left. And then unexpectedly I saw Aditi walking slowly to the set. Shepromised me that she will do the sequence but only for one time," Nambiar saidat the launch of music video. He added that Aditi gave multiple takes for thesequence and stood 20 minutes in the rain.

Enjoy working with Bejoy: Aditi Rao Hydari

LOS ANGELES, (IANS) Aspiring singer and songwriter Ryn Weaverhas accused pop star Katy Perry of being a bully. In her a series oftweets, Weaver made a comment on Perry's tweet of Hilary Clintonand said it was nothing but a paid endorsement and spoke about herbullying behaviour, reports aceshowbiz.com."Lol, sorry not sorry olease (sic) open your eyes... This tweet isignorant if not funded... Bye," Weaver tweeted and added a link to thevideo with the title "Hillary Clinton lying for 13 minutes straight".Weaver, who has since deleted her tweets, added later: "No offense@katyperry but considering how much of a bully you were to me... Ihope you don't mind my mindful disagreement with your $ endorse-ment." The budding singer explained how the bad blood escalated atrapper Drake's gig at 2015 Coachella festival. "If you must know... Shecame up to me and my friends... knowing I played... After we were friends...Then stared at me the whole time. She spoke to my friend waiting for meto speak...," Weaver recalled. "Anytime I spoke, she started turning herhead around pretending she heard something... Then said 'do you hearsomething?' While staring at me... Anytime I spoke. After we were al-ready friends. Did this the entire night..."

Lady Gaga makes runway debutNEW YORK, (IANS) Singer Lady Gaga made her runway debut atdesigner Marc Jacobs' Fall 2016 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show dur-ing the New York Fashion Week. Gaga stole the spotlight as she hitthe runway wearing an oversized floor-length gray coat with green furarm cuffs over a neck-tie blouse and a pair of sky-high platform bootson the ramp on Thursday, reports aceshowbiz.com. The "Bad romance"singer looked unrecognisable sporting rockstar-inspired makeup withdark lipstick and bleached eyebrows. Gaga later uploaded on Instagramsome photographs which show her preparation for her runway debut.



Movie Review

b o l l y w o o d

'NEERJA' - A GLORIOUS TRIBUTETO THE BRAVEHEART

BY TROY RIBEIRO

JHALLI PATAKHA SAALA KHADOOS

GAZAB KA HAI YEH DIN SANAM RE

JEETE HAIN CHAL NEERJA

MAIN WOH CHAAND TERAA SURROOR

ROM ROM ROMANTIC MASTIZAADE

ATRANGI YAARI WAZIR

SOCH NA SAKE AIRLIFT

TERE BIN WAZIR

TERE BAGAIRE CHANNO

HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEKGHAYAL ONCE AGAIN HITFITOOR HITNEERJA HITSANAM RE AVERAGESANAM TERI KASAM AVERAGE

MIDWEEK BOX

OFFICE REPORTGHAYAL ONCE AGAIN 35 CR

FITOOR 23 CR

NEERJA 14 CR

SANAM RE 10 CR

SANAM TERI KASAM 6.8 CR

10songs

SONG

top

FILM

FILM:SANAM RE1

CAST: SHABANA AZMI, SONAM KAPOOR, SHEKHAR

RAVIJANI AND YOGENDRA TIKKU

DIRECTOR: RAM MADHVANI

RATING: ***1/2

SANAM RE

Neerja, a biopic, encapsulates the life of Neerja Bhanot, headpurser, Pan Am flight 73, which was hijacked in Karachi in Sep-tember 1986 where she laid down her life heroically, trying tosave the passengers.Set inside Pan Am Flight 73 and Bombay's Navjeevan Society, thisis a well made, crisp film that takes the audience through Neerja'sshor t life of 23 years. And as Neerja, a die-hard Rajesh Khanna fanused to say, "Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin (Life should begrand, not long)". She lived her life to the fullest and brought joy tothose whose lives she touched, till the very end.Director Ram Madhvani adroitly showcases Neerja's life andthe actual incident of the plane getting hijacked in a brilliantnarrative. He gives viewers a peak into her life with her family,her strong bond with her mother, her attachment to her father,the lessons she learnt from them and her traumatic marriage,in a smooth flowing plot, the focus of which never wavers.The hijacking incident and the manner in which Neerja attendsto the passengers, rescues them with single-minded devotionand confidence, remains the centre stage of the film. Yet, weget glimpses of her life, which tell us the kind of person shewas.Sonam Kapoor as Neerja Bhanot slips into the role with ease.Whether it is playfully mouthing the dialogues of her favouritesuperstar Rajesh Khanna, chiding her mother for her unneces-

sary concern, or staring adversity in the face as a composedflight purser, she makes it all look effor tless as an actor.But it is Shabana Azmi as Rama Bhanot, Neerja's spirited andloving mother, who steals your hear t with a natural and hear t-rending per formance. She is every inch Neerja's mother whetherit is waking her up lovingly before a flight or promising her ayellow salwar kameez for her bir thday. The last scene where shegives an emotional speech on the first death anniversary of Neerja,is easily one of the highlights of the film.Shekhar Ravijani, of the Vishal-Shekhar music director duo, makeshis debut as an actor and plays Neerja's love interest, Jaideep,who dotes on her. Unfor tunately the character does not offer himmuch scope by way of per formance.The actors playing the hijackers too are competent and displaytheir anger, frustration, nervousness and unleashing of terror, in aconvincing manner. The rest of the actors too are natural, notindulging in unnecessary histrionics. Nothing in the film appearsstaged or ar tificial. It is truly a slice of Neerja's life.The only aberration in this otherwise well told engaging tale, isthe jerky camera movement and poor lighting, which barely al-lows you to see the face of the actors with clarity, giving it the feelof a film with compromised production values.The music has been skilfully used to create the right mood incer tain scenes and does not seem out of place. Overall, Neerja isbound to engage you emotionally owing to the nature of its sub-ject and its adept treatment.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 b o l l y w o o d

ANUPAM KHER AND TELEVISION ACTOR SHWETA KAWATRA DURING THE LAUNCH OF BOOK THICKER THAN BLOOD BY MUNMUNGHOSH (R) IN MUMBAI (IANS).

Hrithik Roshan to work oncreating games for his fans

Kolkata's SRK thinks his lifestory part of 'Fan'KOLKATA, (IANS) Popular as 'Kolkata Shah Rukh', superstarShah Rukh Khan's doppelganger and self-confessed fanShahnawaz Khan claims there is something about him in SRK'sfor thcoming film, Fan. "I can't say now but I am sure there issomething about my life in the film," Shahnawaz told a televi-sion channel here.Busy with his SRK mimicry acts, Shahnawaz who keenly fol-lows the "Dilwale" actor's style, says he has impressed bothhim and his wife Gauri with his impersonations. "He has jok-ingly said, 'aaisa mat kar warna log mujhe nahi pasandkarengey. Tu meri carbon copy hai (don't copy me or else peoplewill not like me. You are my carbon copy). He knows me verywell. I visit his Mumbai residence Mannat every year on hisbir thday," said Shahnawaz, who gave up his studies to pursuehis dream of being SRK."The film's dialogue 'Gharwale bhi na mere... samjhte nahi hain...Wo sir f star nahi hai... Dunia hai meri (My family doesn't un-derstand. He is not just a star, but he means the world to me)...'reflects my situation. My parents don't understand why I am sointerested in him," added the performer, who is in his earlythir ties. "Fan", which also stars Waluscha De Sousa, IlleanaD'Cruz and Shriya Pilgaonkar among others, is slated to re-lease this year.

Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Khanreunite for Pakistani adMUMBAI, (IANS) Actors Sonam Kapoor and Fawad Khan, whowowed fans through their chemistry in romantic comedy film"Khoobsurat", have come together for a new Pakistani com-mercial. In the adver tisement made for the brand Tarang, thetwo look quite similar to their roles in "Khoobsurat". Fawad,who made his debut in Bollywood with "Khoobsurat", playsPrince Charming in the video, while Sonam can be seen asCinderella. "Khoosurat", directed by Shashanka Ghosh, receivedgood response from viewers upon its release. Fawad will nextbe seen in "Kapoor and Sons" alongside Sidhar th Malhotra andAlia Bhatt. Meanwhile, Sonam's film "Neerja", a biopic basedon the life of air hostess Neerja Bhanot who was shot dead byplane hijackers, was released on February 19.

Raveena Tandon becomes'highest paid' Bollywoodactress on TVMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Raveena Tandon, who will next beseen as a judge on upcoming dance reality show "Shine ofIndia", will repor tedly get Rs.1.25 crore per episode thus mak-ing her the "highest paid Bollywood actress on TV".Raveena, who has previously appeared on shows like "SahibBiwi Gulam", "Chhote Miyan", "Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala"and "Simply Baatien With Raveena", will co-judge the showalong with actor Govinda and ace choreographer Saroj Khan.According to a source close to the actress, she will get a hugeamount from the makers. "Bollywood actors starring in TV se-ries has now become an old saga. No doubt that these actorsare paid a hefty amount as their presence not only doubles theenter tainment quotient, but also it adds the much needed starvalue to the show. And maybe that's the reason why Raveenahas been paid a whopping amount of Rs.1.25 crore per episodefor the reality show," the source said. "This will make her thehighest paid Bollywood actress on television," the source added.Interestingly, actress Shilpa Shetty and Madhuri Dixit, who pre-viously appeared as judges on other reality shows, were saidto have been paid Rs.1 crore per episode.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) Hrithik Roshan has taken astep towards the gaming arena by joining handswith a mobile gaming company to make gameson his action-filled onscreen life in Bollywood.The actor says it's a way to get close to his fansin the vir tual world.Hrithik has joined hands with Nazara Games, amobile game publisher, and the alliance wasannounced on Monday via a statement. "Gaminghas become a major influence in the lives oftoday's youth and knowing that, I have decidedto use that platform to engage with my fansthrough my digital avatar. My kids are going tolove it and so will my fans. So look forward tobeing a par t of it," Hrithik said.The actor, who is busy shooting "MohenjoDaro", will work with Nazara Games as a par tof a multi-year par tnership to developdifferent digital gaming experiences for hisfans, extending his engagement in a newinteractive format. Hrithik, who has two sons,also added that he is sure that his children willlove his digital avatar and hopes to get the sameresponse from his fans as well.

Why is Aamir Khan waitingfor Gippy Grewal's film?MUMBAI, ( IANS)Bollywood super-star Aamir Khan isimpressed with thetra i ler of Punjabisinger-actor GippyGrewal's directorialdebut film "Ardaas",which touches uponseveral societal is-sues l ike farmersuicides and fe-male foeticide. The actor, who has earned the tag of Bollywood's'Mr. Perfectionist', also said that he is eagerly waiting to watchthe film, which will make its way into the theatres on March11. "All the very best Gippy on your directorial debut! Superbtrailer! Can't wait to see the film. Love. a," Aamir tweeted. Thefilm, which also features Ammy Virk, Gurpreet Ghuggi, MandyTakhar, Rana Ranbir and Sardar Sohi, brings together severalfacades of the problems prevailing in society to narrate an emotionalstory. With the rural setting of Punjab as the background, the film talksabout issues like drug use, farmer suicides and female foeticide. Afterwriting and directing, Gippy, who made his debut in Bollywoodwith "Second Hand Husband" last year, also features in thefilm, though his par t is small.

Scared about what is happening to country: Anupam KherMUMBAI, (IANS) Bollywood actor Anupam Kher on Wednesday said he was scared about what was happening to the country in the wake of ahuge political controversy over the happenings in Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and subsequent developments. He said the raging JNU row hadtransformed into an ideological fight between the BJP and its Left rivals, as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi offered support to JNU students. "...itangers me, shocks me as an Indian. I don't believe 1.3 billion people will let them destroy our country. There is much more in this country than thepolitical games of certain parties," he said at the launch of Munmun Ghosh's novel 'Thicker Than Blood'. "...what happened at Jawaharlal NehruUniversity. Whatever I have watched on video is frightening. In the capital city of our country, some groups are raising slogans about 'desh ki barbadi'and 'azaadi'. It angered me as a countryman." Kher, 60, said freedom of speech does not mean people have the right to create disunity in the country.

Entertainment industry doesn't exist for government: Prakash JhaMUMBAI, (IANS) Filmmaker Prakash Jha says he doesn't have any expectations for the enter tainment industry from thegovernment's budget, since he feels the industry doesn't exist for them. "We are not expecting anything because our governmentdoesn't think about the enter tainment industry. For them, perhaps we don't even exist."For the enter tainment and the film industry, I don't think this government will do anything, or that any government has doneanything till now," said Jha when asked about his expectations from the budget for the industry. "Why should I simply make awishlist of mine, why should I waste my time and energy on it, I know nothing is going to happen," Jha said at an event at aradio station to launch the second song from his film "Jai Gangaajal".Recently, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav blamed Jha for por traying the state in a bad way. "I respect hissentiment, I respect everybody's sentiment, in this country everyone has the freedom to put for th their thoughts, so with fullrespect, I accept his comment," Jha said.Asked if such comments upset him, considering his films are based on reality, and he hailed from Bihar, Jha said: "(My)films are complete on their own, they talk. I don't need to talk about it." Jha again clarified why "Jai Gangaajal" was not asequel to Gangaajal. "Both films are on the same subject - the relation between police and the society. The titles are similarbecause there is the ideology of crime-free society because we all want that there should be a crime-free society.""And I believe and even the English dictionary believes that a sequel means either the character moves forward or the storymoves forward. Or they're based on events which are similar to each other. Even that's not true since that ("Gangaajal") wasbased on the Bhagalpur blinding, while this is a completely different society, different period from 2003 to 2016, centre haschanged, so terming it a sequel is not right, but maybe of the same genre," the director added.

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PUNJAB WARRIORS THIRD TIMELUCKY, CLINCH MAIDEN HIL TITLERANCHI, (IANS) Having lost the final in the last two seasons, theJaypee Punjab Warriors finally struck gold to become third-time luckyand clinched the Hockey India League (HIL) title in the four th editionof the six-team tournament at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium hereon Sunday.The Chandigarh-based outfit beat Kalinga Lancers 6-1 in the summitclash where Armaan Qureshi, Matt Gohdes and Satbir Singh scored afield goal each for the Warriors. Skipper Moritz Fuerste scored theLancers' lone goal of the match, coming in a penalty corner. Theunique feature of the tournament was that each field goal counted fortwo. The Warriors were on the gas right at the star t as their forwardArmaan Qureshi gave the Punjab team exactly what they needed byscoring a goal as early as in the four th minute. Qureshi got past twodefenders and at the right moment reverse flicked the ball past Lanc-ers' goalkeeper Andrew Char ter, becoming the Warriors' top goal-scorer of the tournament with four.The Warriors were clearly the dominant team in the first half of thematch, keeping possession and regularly playing in the Lancers' halfof the pitch. Australian Char ter was a busy man in the evening as hehad to make multiple saves to keep his team in with a chance.Lancers' skipper and two-time Olympic champion Fuerste of Ger-many showed his class in the 24th minute when he managed to putthe ball past Warriors goalie Clemons Tristan to make it 1-2 for the

Lancers, who qualified for the knockouts for the first time in the HIL.After the mid-way break, the Warriors came out even more aggres-sively, continuously pressing the Lancers' defence deeper into thescoring arc. The effor ts finally bore fruit in the 39th minute whenforward S.V. Sunil worked out a brilliant ball and passed it to Australia'sGohdes, who had no difficulty in conver ting it into a goal.The score went up to 4-1 in favour of the Warriors thanks to somebrilliant work from Sunil and a nice finishing touch from 2014 WorldCup-winner Gohdes. The Warriors did not have to wait long enough asthree minutes later Satbir built a fantastic ball, moving past the Lanc-ers' defenders with quick pace to finally score the last of the match tomake it 6-1 in the 42nd minute.By now the game was beyond the reach of the Bhubaneswar-basedteam, who seemingly appeared jaded in the last quar ter of the match.Just moments later, the hooter blew loudly in the stadium to give theWarriors their first trophy in the four-year history of the tournament.Earlier in the day, 2014 edition winners Delhi Waveriders defeatedlast year's champions Ranchi Rays 2-0 in the third place match.Mandeep Singh's lone field goal was enough for the Delhi-based teamto seal third position in the tournament. The Waveriders had lost thesemi-final 1-3 to Jaypee Punjab Warriors here on Saturday. Waveriders'defender and penalty corner exper t Rupinder Pal Singh was namedthe player of the tournament.

Viv Richards lauds McCullumfor quickest Test tonMUMBAI, (IANS) West Indian batting legend Vivian Richardsheaped praise on swashbuckling batsman Brendon McCullumafter the New Zealand skipper registered the fastest hundredin longest format of the game off just 54 balls playing in hislast Test. Richards, who until Saturday held the record for thequickest ton in Tests off 56 balls jointly with Pakistan'sMisbah-ul-Haq, was lavish in his praise for McCullum for hisrecord-breaking feat.Walking in when New Zealand were tottering at 32/3 on theopening day of the first Test against Australia at Christchurch,McCullum smashed 100 runs off just 54 deliveries to pull thehosts out of trouble and break Richards' record set againstEngland in 1986. McCullum, who completed his century witha boundary, scored 145 off 79 balls before Nathan Lyon pulledoff a superb catch off James Pattinson's bowling to send himback to the pavilion."Let me take this oppor tunity to congratulate Brendon...(I've)been a great fan of yours for many years. Well done on yourachievement," Richards said in the video on Twitter, postedby Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Quetta Gladiators onSaturday. "And if there was going to be an individual who youwould've liked to have surpassed whatever you would'veachieved in life, cer tainly it would be you. You're one of thoseindividuals who help to put bums on seats. Long may thatcontinue. Well done, man."

Rohit and I can match Ganguly-Tendulkar's success: DhawanKOLKATA, (IANS) India batsman Shikhar Dhawan believesthat he and Rohit Sharma have the ability to not just matchbut also surpass the records achieved by the legendary open-ing pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in interna-tional cricket. "Me and Rohit have been opening the battingfor a long time. We know each other's nature and understandwhat the other is trying to do. We are now quite comfor tablewith each other. We both have all the shots in the book so ifhe is hitting the ball well, I choose to be the rotator," Dhawansaid here on Sunday."Sachin and Sourav have had a long career while opening thebatting for India. We two are getting there slowly. Maybewe can break more records. I am optimistic about it. Itwill be beneficial for both of us and overall it will benefit thecountry."A few days earlier, Rohit too had spoken of emulating thesuccess that Tendulkar and Ganguly achieved. Having donewell in the last few Twenty20 Internationals against Australiaand Sri Lanka, the left-handed Dhawan says he will look tostretch his good form till the time he can."I am enjoying that I am scor-ing runs at the moment.Looking forward to con-tinue in the same wayand do better in AsiaCup. I want to continuestretching that goodform till the time I can,"he said. "It's a journey,getting more experienceand mature with time. I amalso getting to know whatworks for me. I learn fromthe good and the bad times,especially the bad patches.I believe my per formancenow is up to the mark and it ishelping my team."

MORE PRESSURE IN COMEBACK THAN WHEN DEBUTING: NEHRAKOLKATA, (IANS) After making a return to the Indian cricket team afteralmost five years, fast bowler Ashish Nehra said that it is much moredifficult to make a comeback than making a debut. The veteran last fea-tured for the Indian team in the 2011 World Cup semi-final and then missedthe ultimate showdown with a finger injury. He was recalled to the outfitafter almost five years to play in Australia in the recent Twenty20 Interna-tional series which India won 3-0. "It's very difficult to make a comeback.There is more pressure than when debuting. After a comeback, there is alot of pressure to perform. But when I was away from the game, I wastraining to play international cricket and now I've made a comeback at 36,"Nehra said here on Sunday. "It's not easy for pacers to keep performingday in and day out. There will be pressure. You have to keep working hard."After his return to the international scene, Nehra has been impressive,

picking up seven wickets in the six matches he has played in againstAustralia and Sri Lanka. The left-arm pacer said the Indian Premier League(IPL) has been of great help.

PUNJAB WARRIORS CELEBRATE THEIR VICTORY AGAINST KALINGA LANCERS IN THE HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE 2016 FINALMATCH IN RANCHI (IANS).

LUXURY VEHICLES: AUDI, BMW, MERCEDES, SPORTS CARS ANDCONVERTIBLE CARS. WE ALSO HAVE 7, 8, AND 9 PASSENGERS VEHICLES

MALINGA, MATHEWS BACK INLANKA'S WORLD T20 SQUAD

Colombo, Feb 18 (IANS) Defending champions Sri Lanka onThursday announced a 15-member squad for the WorldTwenty20 and Asia Cup, which precedes the former. Veteransincluding the likes of Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews andpacer Nuwan Kulasekara have been roped into the outfit -- all ofwhom are making comebacks af ter injury.Malinga, who led the side to victory two years ago inBangladesh, will once again captain the team while all-rounderMathews will be his deputy. Newcomer wicketkeeper-batsmanNiroshan Dickwella has also been brought in. Leg-spinnerJeffrey Vandersay, off-spinning all-rounder Shehan Jayasuriya,and Dasun Shanaka have been named to the squad butSeekkuge Prasanna and Kasun Rajitha -- who featured in therecently concluded three-match T20 series in India -- have notmade the cut.The bowling outfit has a combination of experience and youth.

Fast bowler Malinga will lead the attack while old war horseRangana Herath will head the spin depar tment. PacerDushmantha Chameera and Vandersay -- both relatively new tothe international scene -- now have the biggest stage in front ofthem to prove their mettle.Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mathews will have to carry the battingon their experienced shoulders with Jayasuriya, Dickwella andDinesh Chandimal in suppor t. Sri Lanka begin their Asia Cupcampaign in Mirpur, Bangladesh, on February 25 and theirWorld T20 commences in Kolkata on March 17.Sri Lanka squad: Lasith Malinga (captain), Angelo Mathews(vice-captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan,Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardena,Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekera,Dushmantha Chameera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake,Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay.

India have a very balanced teamfor World T20: DhoniNEW DELHI, (IANS) India's limited overs skipper MahendraSingh Dhoni believes he has a very balanced 15-membersquad for the upcoming Asia Cup and the all-important WorldTwenty20.While the Asia Cup, for the first time being held in the T20format, will be held in Bangladesh in February-March, Indiawill host the World T20 in March-April."Overall it looks like a very balanced squad and in any eventu-ality we have replacements (in the squad). The good thing isthat we star ted playing T20s in Australia and continuing fromthere, we now have a platform and our game has reached anauto-pilot mode. We have to keep injuries away and therecould be 1-2 changes depending on the wicket," Dhoni saidhere on Friday."Our bowling in T20s has always remained strong. The play-ers have a lot of experience. We are looking very good as ofnow. We have shown the consistency whether you talk aboutdeath bowling or the first six overs, whether in India or abroad;overall it is looking like a very balanced bowling attack."The wicketkeeper-batsman, who launched a lifestyle brandSeven, fur ther said that he has a wide variety of options toselect from the 15-member outfit but more impor tantly, he hasback-ups available.

Pacer Shami ruled out of Asia CupMUMBAI, (IANS) Pacer Mohammed Shami has been ruled outof the Asia Cup scheduled to star t on February 24, the Board ofControl for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Friday. "TheBCCI medical team confirms that Mohammed Shami has beenruled out of Asia Cup, 2016.The decision has been taken togive him more time to recover from the Grade II injury to hisleft hamstring," a release from BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakursaid. Shami sustained an injury to his left hamstring during atraining session in Australia during the limited overs serieslast month, and missed two warm-up games before flying backhome. He was originally said to be out for around four to six weeks,but the medical staff feel that he will need more time to recover.Right-arm seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been roped in asShami's replacement. "The All-India Senior Selection Committee hasnamed Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the replacement," the release added.The last time Shami donned the Indian colours was in the World Cupsemi-final against Australia in March 2015. The 25-year-old's ab-sence could be quite a setback for India who are still trying to figureout their best bowling line-up before the World T20 next month.

Chhattisgarh to play Ranji Trophyafter BCCI gives full membershipMUMBAI, (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)on Friday awarded full membership status to Chhattisgarh StateCricket Sangh (CSCS), making the state eligible to take part in theRanji Trophy next season.The state will be a part of the Central Zone for all BCCI tournaments."The members approved the recommendation of the affiliation com-mittee of BCCI to grant full member status to Chhattisgarh State CricketSangh. They will be a par t of the Central Zone for all theBCCI tournaments," the BCCI said in a release. The BCCI'sspecial general meeting, where the decision was taken,was attended by CSCS president Baldev Singh Bhatia. "Weare happy that BCCI has awarded us full membership sta-tus and we can now play in the Ranji Trophy. The talented boyswho are in our state are eager to perform well in the competition andaim for a place in the national side soon," Bhatia told reporters hereon Friday. "I thank BCCI for this and I am sure cricket in Chhattisgarhfrom now on will make the country proud," the CSCS chiefadded. The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) led by secretaryMrityunjay Tiwary, was also allowed to participate in the workingcommittee meeting on Friday.

ACTOR AND OWNER OF JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS ABHISHEK BACHCHAN DURING A PROGRAMME IN JAIPUR (IANS).

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MINDLESS FRENZY IN HARYANA Liberals sent wrong message by ...southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/part_112.pdf · member from Samrala subdivision has joined the Aam Aadmi