ONTARIO ELECTIONS: NDP , PC NECK-TO-NECK, LIBERALS …southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/1-24-2.pdf · Ford campaign spokeswoman Melissa Lantsman has told media investigation

NDP37%

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

PRINCE HARRY GOT MARRIED TO MEGHAN MARKLE AT WINDSOR CASTLE AND THE EVENT REPORTEDLY COST AND ESTIMATED$45 MILLION, ACCORDING TO CBS. MARKLE NOW BECOMES DUCHESS OF SUSSEX. ABOUT 1.9 BILLION PEOPLE FROMACROSS THE GLOBE WATCHED THE WEDDING AND NUMEROUS DIGNITARIES AND CELEBRITIES INCLUDING BOLLYWOODSTAR, PRIYANKA CHOPRA ATTENDED THE EVENT.

ONTARIO ELECTIONS: NDP, PCNECK-TO-NECK, LIBERALS LAGGING BEHIND

LIBERAL23%

PC36%

MISSISSAUGA - A new Ipsos Reidsurvey conducted for Global Newsshows the New Democrats are gain-ing momentum and PC par ty is los-ing ground. If the election were heldtomorrow, 37 per cent of decidedvoters in Ontario would vote NDP, uptwo points since last week, accord-ing to a new Ipsos poll conducted onbehalf of Global News. Thirty-six percent would vote for the PCs, which isdown four points since last week."This [trend] has been happening forthe last few weeks; the last pollshowed NDP picking up and it con-tinues to surge across the province,"pollster Darrel Bricker, CEO of Ipsos

Public Affairs, explained. "It seemslike the Conservatives reached apeak." He added that the Liberalscontinue to see trouble in the polls.The new poll showed Liberals arestill holding relatively steady in therace, with 23 per cent of the popularvote. Meanwhile, four per cent of therespondents said they would vote foranother party, like the Green Par ty.Nearly two in 10 were unsure.The poll suggested that Doug Ford's"Tory tumble" was largely due to erod-ing support in the 905-region ofToronto. Typically those with this areacode live in some of Toronto's popu-lous suburbs, including

Mississauga, Vaughan, Newmarket,Richmond Hill and Durham. "Conser-vatives usually tend to be strong in905 area, and it disappeared in thispoll," Bricker said. The collapse ofLiberal par ty suppor t in the area isprobably the reason why NDP aregaining ground in the area, he added.The poll also said the link betweendemographics and vote preferenceis "very clear in this election." Forexample, men favour the Tories (42per cent), while women strongly pre-fer the NDP (40 per cent). Brickersaid women tend to lean towards theNDP because Doug Ford is not ap-pealing to this demographic. While

more than two weeks remain beforethe June 7 vote, four in 10 of Ontariorespondents believe that NDP leaderAndrea Horwath is gaining the mostpopularity and momentum in thiselection.Despite the fact that the NDP contin-ues to gain while the PCs have wit-nessed their first measurablestumble in the horserace, a majority(55 per cent) of Ontarians still be-lieve the Tories will win the election,while two in 10 believe the Liberalsor the NDP will win. Most NDP vot-ers also do not think the party willactually win, according to the poll.Among NDP voters, 48 per cent thinkthe Tories will win, while 38 per centthink the NDP will take the election.However, a big question remains:can any of the par ties can get votersto turn up on election day?

Y MEDIA ORGANISED ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBATE AT CHANNEL Y STUDIOS ON SATURDAY. FROM L TO R: NDP BRAMPTONCENTRE CANDIDATE SARA SINGH WITH YUDHVIR JASWAL, GROUP EDITOR AND CEO OF Y MEDIA AND LIBERAL CANDIDATE FROMTHE SAME RIDING SAFDAR HUSSIAN PARTICIPATED IN IT. PC CANDIDATE FROM THIS RIDING COULD NOT JOIN THE DISCUSSION.CHANNEL Y IS ON FREE PREVIEW ON ROGERS 857 AND BELL 828.

INDIA-PAKISTAN SPY AGENCY CHIEFS FORPEACE IN REGION

NEW DELHI - In what is billed as a first-of-its-kind book, former Research andAnalysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat and ex-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) headAsad Durrani feature in conversation and discuss everything related to India-Pakistan ties: the surgical strikes, Kulbhushan Jadhav, Nawaz Sharif, Kashmir andBurhan Wani. "The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace" is writtenjointly with Aditya Sinha and also touches upon other key issues like a comparisonof RAW and ISI, Hafiz Saeed and even a freewheeling talk on the idea of 'AkhandBharat', among many others.

CANADIAN HERITAGE MINISTER DISCUSSESFUTURE OF MEDIA AT CHANNEL Y

DESK REPORTMISSISSAUGA - Canadian HeritageMinister Melanie Joly visited ChannelY studios recently and gave anexclusive interview to Yudhvir Jaswal,Group Editor and CEO of Y MediaGroup. She spoke about thefuture of media and digital space in theworld where print and broadcasting isdiminishing. Staff is being cut in both TV newsrooms and print industry. Shesaid the print industry faces challenges but the government is offering evenplaying platform to all players. Joly opined that businessmen related to this tradeare at risk but they must hard work to keep up with changing times, adding thegovernment is ready to help. When asked why has the government stopped itsads, Joly replied while on the campaign trail in 2015, the Liberals promised to stopall ads because it was found that the Conservative government was usingthem to promoting themselves. She was also questioned on a policy toprotect Canadian companies from huge US giants such as yahoo and google.Her detailed interview can be viewed on Channel Y. CHANNEL Y IS ON FREEPREVIEW ON ROGERS 857, BELL 828, ALL THE IPTVS AND YUPPTV.

I CONTD. ON PAGE 6

INVESTIGATION ON IN THE 407 DATA LEAK CASEDESK REPORT

BRAMPTON - PC candidate Simmer Sandhu has resigned after "alle-gations anonymously made against me" but added he will absolutely denythem. Sandhu said amid these allegations and ongoing investigation it is not rightto stay a candidate. An investigation has been initiated by York Region depar tment'sMajor Fraud Unit. NDP had asked Elections Ontario to investigate the matter also.Ford campaign spokeswoman Melissa Lantsman has told media investigation isbeing conducted on the issue and party has accepted Sandhu's resignation. Mean-while, Sudeep Verma, a local businessman has been announced as Ontario PCCandidate in Brampton East. According to details, the 407 complained of some datebreach. About 60,000 customers were affected and so investigation has beenlaunched. But questions are being asked how that data was stolen and was it usedfor election purposes. Details show only address and phone numbers were leakedand not the financial details like credit card information. Simmer Sandhu has beenworking for 407 for long but left after February this year. Ontario Liberal cam paignchair Deb Mathews has called these allegations disturbing.

INDIA 6TH RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD;US WORLD'S WEALTHIEST

NEW DELHI - INDIA HAS BEEN RANKED SIXTH IN THE LIST OF WEALTHIESTCOUNTRIES WITH TOTAL WEALTH OF $8,230 BILLION, WHILE THE UNITEDSTATES TOPPED THE CHART, SAYS A REPORT. ACCORDING TO A REPORTBY NEW WORLD WEALTH, THE US IS THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY WITHTOTAL WEALTH OF $64,584 BILLION. I DETAILS ON PAGE 11

AAP LEADERS - HS WALIA, COL CD SINGHKAMBOJ (RETD) AND HANS RAJ RANA JOINED

AKALI DAL ON MONDAY

THE NEW YORK POLICEDEPARTMENT GETS FIRST FEMALETURBANED SIKH POLICE OFFICER,

GURSOACH KAUR

I DETAILS ON PAGE 11

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018

MidWeek 3MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


PAGE 3 UK AMONG BIGGESTMARKETS FORPUNJABI FILMS:SARGUN

SINGER MIKA SINGH AT THE LAUNCH OF HIS SONG 'SAMA THE SUMMER LOVE', IN GURUGRAM.

RANVEER SINGH AT THE SPECIAL SCREENING OF FILM, DEADPOOL 2, IN MUMBAI.

I like my beard, won't get rid of it: KohliBENGALURU, (PTI) IndiaCaptain Virat Kohli said he doesnot want to get rid of his beardas it suits him. "I really like it. Ithink it suits me. So I don't want toget rid of it," the dynamicbatsman, who is currentlycaptaining IPL franchiseRoyal ChallengersBangalore, said replying toa query at a promotionalevent here. The Indianplayers have beenspor ting beardsthroughout the homeseason, but Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja shavedoff theirs recently. Earlier too, Kohli had refused to shave off his beard inresponse to Jadeja's #breakingthebeard challenge on Instagram.Posting the picture on Instagram, Kohli had said, "Sorry boys, but I am notready to break the beard yet. Great job on makeovers though. Kudos." Tothis, his actress wife Anushka Sharma had replied: "You cannot!" Kohlialso said it is easy to look after the beard because of the availability ofspecialised oils for it. "Looking after it is not that difficult because thebeard oils have come in and it's very easy. A little bit of beard oil and it'sin place," he said. "When it gets too big and thick then obviously I have totrim it. That is the only thing. But no, I would not get rid of it," he reiterated.

OH NO: SALMAN SAYS PRIVILEGED IF HISIRS 100 CR FILM IS CALLED 'FLOP'

MUMBAI, (PTI) Superstar Salman Khan's movie "Tubelight" waspanned by critics but the actor says if a film of his makes more thanRs 100 crore and is still called a "flop", then he is honoured. Releasedlast year, "Tubelight" did a business of over Rs 100 crore in India. Thefilm, however, was panned by critics and went on to incur losses,which Khan later compensated. The actor was supposed to make afather-daughter dance drama film with Remo D'Souza post "Tubelight"but there were rumours he shelved that project as he didn't want to doanother emotional film.Asked if the failure of "Tubelight" was the reason for not doing the film,Khan told repor ters, "Yeah. It did very badly. But it has still done muchbetter than rest of the films, which I am really happy about. Eventhough we returned a lot of money, we had a lot of money to make in'Race 3'. "So, if you consider that a disaster, then I am really honouredand privileged to be in that position that my Rs 100 core plus films areconsidered disasters," he said. Asked again about why the dance filmwith D'Souza was shelved, the superstar said, "So, first I worked withMunni (Harshaali Malhotra in 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan') then with Matin

(Rey Tangu in 'Tubelight'). So, I thought let's give kids a break and letme work with adults. Kids will grow up and can anyway work later."

AFTER WILD WILDCOUNTRY, SUBHASHGHAI ANNOUNCES A FILMON OSHO, THECONTROVERSIALSPIRITUAL LEADER.

Sushmita Sen's Nineties hit song Dilbar is all set for a revamp. NoraFatehi will recreate the superhit song of late Nineties, which origi-nally featured the former beauty queen and was par t of Sir f Tum. Therevamped version wil l be recreated as par t of upcoming fi lmSatyameva Jayate, will also feature John Abraham. An excited NoraFatehi had tweeted: "An epic song coming your way! I just finishedshooting this beautiful iconic 1990s song Dilbar with John Abraham!I'm so excited guys! I have a feeling you are going to love this one.Blessed." The latest version of the song will have an Arabic themeand the ex-Bigg Boss contestant will be seen doing belly dance (whichshe is well-known for) in the latest version of the song.

SUSHMA OUT, NORA IN

UK among biggest markets forPunjabi films: SargunBIRMINGHAM, (IANS) Actress Sargun Mehta, who hasstarred in Punjabi films like "Love Punjab" and "Angrej",says the UK is one of the biggest markets for the genre.She had attended the first edition of BritAsia PunjabiFilm Awards, presented by Metatron Global Fund, hereon May 12. The winners, including her, were acknowl-edged for their work and contribution to putting Punjabi cin-ema on the global map."The Punjabi film industry is a growing industry, and weneed people to watch, love and suppor t our movies. Thisis the only way the industry will grow. And I'm happythat the UK is one of the biggest markets for the Punjabifilm industry," Sargun said in a statement to IANS. Shefeels the reason for the popularity of Punjabi films in theUK and their growing popularity elsewhere in the world isthat they connect. "When we are out of India, we crave for Indianfood, we crave something like going back 'home'. So anybody outsideof Punjab who watches our films, they tell them a narrative about theold Punjab or how their grandparents used to live in Punjabor how and what happened during, before or af ter Par tition.It's a great way to know these stories, and we are storytell-ers. I think when you tell a story with a heart, it connectswith the audience," she said. She won the Best Actressaward for her work in "Lahoriye".

Kartik Aaryan enjoys movie date with rumoured girlfriend.

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan might have ruled theIndian acting industry for decades, but it is his daughterShweta Bachchan Nanda's turn now to do the same. Shwetahas finally made her acting debut in a television commer-cial. And guess who is she sharing the screen with? Well,none other than her father himself.

Shweta in showbiz, really?





MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 o n t a r i o e l e c t i o n s p e c i a l

HARINDER MALHI, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FROM BRAMPTON NORTH MADE A HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR DRIVERS IN BRAMPTON: NO MORE INSURANCE RATE HIKES BASED ON POSTAL CODE. HARINDERMALHI ADDED THE LIBERALS WOULD "LEGISLATE" THE BAN IF NEED BE. THE LIBERAL PARTY SAID THIS NEW STEP WOULD PROVIDE PEOPLE LIVING IN COMMUNITIES LIKE BRAMPTON "IMMEDIATERELIEF" FROM THE HIGH COST OF AUTO INSURANCE. SEEN IN IMAGE ARE FROM R TO L: VIC DHILLON, LIBERAL CANDIDATE BRAMPTON WEST; SAFDAR HUSSAIN, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FROM BRAMPTONCENTRE; AND DR PARMINDER SINGH, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FROM BRAMPTON EAST.

PC CANDIDATE FROM BRAMPTON SOUTH, PRABMEET SINGH SARKARIA WITH HIS TEAM.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018o n t a r i o e l e c t i o n s p e c i a l

MP SONIA SIDHU ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH LIBERAL CANDIDATE FROM BARMPTON SOUTHSUKHWANT THETHI.

NAVDEEP BAINS, MINISTER OF INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTINGSUKHWANT THETHI ON HIS CAMPAIGN TRAIL.

CONTD. FROM PAGE 1"We know that cer tain groups have a stronger tendency to participate [on election day] and those people tend to beconservative," Bricker said. "The people who are less sure of their choice and less likely to par ticipate are voting forthe NDP. So can Andrea Horwath galvanize the suppor t she has? A low turn out in the election will be an advantage forthe Conservatives," he added.Abacus Data says its surveys show Doug Ford is most likely to become Ontario's next premier, although AndreaHorwath could potentially pull off an upset win. With two weeks to go before the Ontario election, a new poll puts theNDP neck-and-neck with the Progressive Conservatives, and suggests that Kathleen Wynne's Liberals have littlechance at forming government again. Thir ty-five per cent of decided voters told Abacus Data they would support DougFord's PCs, while 34 per cent said they would vote NDP, and 24 per cent said they'd cast a ballot for the Liberals.Suppor t for Andrea Horwath's NDP rose by five percentage points in the last two weeks, according to Abacus. In thesame timeframe, the Liberals saw suppor t drop by five points and while it held steady for the PCs. "The Tories areholding onto much of their suppor t, the NDP is conver ting undecideds and attracting some Liberals, while the Liberalsare leaking support to the NDP and undecided category," Abacus Data's David Coletto wrote in a blog post. Ford is stillthe favourite to become Ontario's next premier, Coletto wrote, although it's "absolutely" possible that the NDP will pulloff an upset. Coletto said the PCs are likely to win for four reasons:" They lead among those 45 and older, who are more likely to vote than younger people" The party leads among people who voted in the last election, suggesting its suppor ters can be counted on to showup and vote again" Support for PC candidates is consistent across the province" Left-wing voters are divided between the Liberals and the NDP, while right-wing voters are united in suppor t for the PCs.However, Horwath has seen support for her par ty rise by a total of 10 percentage points since April, Abacus Datashows. "There are still two weeks left in this campaign and two thirds of the electorate is open to voting NDP," Colettowrites. In a contentious election, the Abacus poll suggests an NDP win would be the least divisive. More than 50 per centsaid they are "dismayed" at the prospect of a Wynne government, compared to 41 per cent who said so about a one led by Fordand just 19 per cent about Horwath in power. The Abacus survey was conducted online with 2,824 Ontarians over the age of18. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 1.9 per cent, 19 times outof 20. The data was weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Ontario's populationaccording to age, gender, educational attainment, and region, said the company.

ONTARIO ELECTIONS: NDP, PCNECK-TO-NECK, LIBERALS LAGGING BEHIND

PC LEADER DOUG FORD STOPPED BY CAPPUCINO BAKERY TO TALK TO PEOPLE ENJOYING THEIRVICTORIA DAY LONG WEEKEND.

ONTARIO NDP LEADER ANDREA HORWATH WAS JOINED BY FEDERAL NDP LEADER JAGMEETSINGH AT A RALLY AT BOMBAY PALACE IN BRAMPTON ON MONDAY.

INDIRA NAIDOO-HARRIS ATTENDED HALTON SIKH CULTURAL ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL KHALSADAY PARADE AND CAUGHT UP WITH HER FRIENDS AT OAKVILLE GURDWARA.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 c o m m u n i t y

JUSTIN TRUDEAU WAS AMAZED AT THE UNBELIEVABLE WORK BEING DONE AT THE MIT MEDIALAB AND INNOVATION EXHIBITION IN USA.

Ontario Liberals to Lower Car InsuranceRates Regardless of Where You Live

Ramgarhia Sikh parents seek a suitable match for theirdaughter 1986, 5' 5" tall, Canadian born, slim, extremely goodpersonality and beautiful. BA-B.ED, MA-M.ED professional,employed in government sector. The boy should beprofessionally qualified, tall , slim / athletic built, born or raisedin Canada, from a reputed family, preferably Toronto area.Please send your bio-data and recent p ictures to:[email protected] or call: 289 499 6718

MATRIMONIAL

City Of Mississauga's AerialSpray Program BeginsMISSISSAUGA - With the warmer weather conditions,the City of Mississauga has tentatively scheduled itsaerial spray program to begin next week to manage can-kerworm and gypsy moth caterpillar populations. Pri-vate and public lands in specific areas of Wards 1, 2, 6,7, 8 and 11 will be sprayed. The City has drafted a de-tailed FAQ to address specific questions regarding thespray. The City will continue to share information aboutthe spray at mississauga.ca/2018spray and via socialmedia. Residents are also encouraged to sign up foraerial spray news aler ts."The spray is contingent on leaves being at least 30 percent expanded and caterpillar hatch out as close to 100per cent as possible," said Jamie Ferguson, Aerial SprayProject Lead for the City of Mississauga. "When thoseconditions are met, we then need to monitor weather forthe right temperature, humidity, low wind and no pre-cipitation in the immediate forecast."As a result, spe-cific spray dates are chosen 48 hours in advance andthey can be cancelled up to 12 hours in advance if weatherconditions change. The City will issue notice to the pub-lic 48 hours before each treatment on the aerial spraywebsite and provide up-to-date information through 3-1-1 and through the Ci ty 's Twit ter channels(@CityMississauga and @MississaugaPF) and onFacebook (facebook.com/citymississauga).Spray LocationsTo find out if your home is in the spray area, please visit:mississauga.ca/2018spray. Spray areas include:" Birch Glen" Credit Reserve" East Collegeway" Erin Woods" Erindale Park" Erindale Village" Erindale Woodlands" Gordon Woods" Lakeview" Lorne Crest" Lorne Park Estates" Meadow Wood - Rattray" Mississauga Oakridge" Mississauga Road" Owenwood" Por t Credit Village" Riverwood" Sawmill Valley Drive" Sherwood Forest" Sir Johns Homestead" Upper Parkland" Whiteoaks Lorne ParkSPRAY METHODThe City has contracted Zimmer Air Services to imple-ment the spray. Two applications will occur over a three-day period between the hours of 5 to 7:30 a.m. Twohelicopters with a spray system will fly about 15 to 30metres above the treetops. Spraying is weather depen-dent and will only be done under the right conditions.CLOSURES AND TRAFFIC DISRUPTIONSThe City will be implementing a traffic plan that requirestemporary roads, parks and trails closures, includingRattray Marsh. The closures are necessary to meet ap-proval requirements from Transpor t Canada. Road clo-sures are expected to last less than 30 minutes, be-tween 5 to 7:30 a.m. All emergency services will havefull access to all proper ties within the spray zones.PREPARING FOR THE AERIAL SPRAYThe City is committed to ensuring all possible steps aretaken to keep Mississauga healthy and habitable for allresidents. The safety and health of residents and theprotection of the environment are top priorities. The pub-lic may hear helicopter noises during the early morning.All necessary safety precautions are taken to ensureminimal risk to the public, staff and the applicators.Residents are unlikely to experience any health effectsand no special precautions are necessary or required.Individuals who would like to avoid exposure during aspray program may wish to consider the following mea-sures:" Remain indoors during the spray and up to 30minutes thereafter" Close doors and windows when the spraying istaking place" Bring in laundry, toys and pets indoors beforespraying begins" Practice good personal and food hygiene (e.g. handwashing after outdoor activities, especially after gar-dening; leave outdoor shoes at the door; washing allfruits and vegetables before eating or cooking)" Cover lawn furniture, automobiles, outdoor tables,pools, BBQs, play equipment and sandboxes and/or rinsethem with water after spraying is finished" Leave heating units/air conditioners on, with ventsset to the closed position, or selecting the recirculatefunction" Contact Peel Public Health or your family physi-cian if you are concerned that a personal medical condi-tion may be aggravated by the spraying.

TORONTO - Ontario Liberals have announced that a re-elected Lib-eral government will ban the practice of insurance companies charging higherauto insurance rates for cer tain communities solely based on a driver's postalcode. This effort will provide immediate relief to the people living in places likeBrampton and communities across the GTA.The Ontario Liberals will also put in place initiatives that allow driv-ers to save money by requiring discounts for drivers who use anti-distracted driving apps and by making it easier to purchase usage-based insurance products. The Ontario Liberals are the only par tywith a reliable, credible plan to fur ther reduce car insurance costs forOntario drivers. The Ontario NDP have no explanation or details intheir platform to back up their promise to lower rates by 15%. Withoutsuch details we can only guess what the NDP might do based on theirhistorical approach in other provinces.

For example, the NDP could meet their goals by lowering benefits forvictims or subsidizing already profitable insurance companies or cre-ating a public system like the one that is in financial crisis in BC.Ontario Liberals have already taken real steps to lower rates. Since2013, rates have come down approximately 10 per cent across theprovince, when considering the Consumer Price Index. We created aSerious Fraud Office to tackle a major problem in auto insurance thatthe NDP would cut due to their major platform mistake. We are cur-rently implementing the Fair Auto Insurance Plan which will reducerates by providing credible neutral independent medical examina-tions and common programs of care to help people get healthier faster.But we understand there is more work to do to help families. TheConservatives don't have a plan to lower auto insurance rates. Theydon't have a plan at all.

MP Sonia Sidhu consults with local seniors, seekinput in developing National Seniors Strategy

BRAMPTON - More than 20 localseniors' organizations had an op-por tunity to discuss many of theissues of importance to them ata well-attended Town Hall Meet-ing hosted by MP Sonia Sidhu at

the Chr is Gibson CommunityCentre on Wednesday, May 16,2018. Joining MP Sidhu was MPfor Nickle Belt (Sudbury), MarcSerre, who presented a motion inParliament that was passed last

May to develop a National Se-niors Strategy.Many of the issues discussed in-cluded:*Access to housing for seniorsincluding aging in place and af-

fordable, accessible housing*Income security for vulnerable Seniors*Overall quality of life and well-being for seniors including com-munity programming, socia linclusivity and social determi-nants of health*Addressing Ageism and chang-ing the perception in our societyof the role that seniors can play*Improved homecare and men-tal health care initiatives*Enhanced suppor t programs - Guar-anteed Income Supplement, Old AgeSecurity with automatic enrollment andCanada Pension Plan* The New Horizons Program for Se-niors for community-basedprojects eligible to receive up to$25,000 per yearA detailed slide presentation was madeby MP Sidhu and MP Serre that wasfollowed by a question and answer pe-riod where seniors gave their com-ments concerns and ideas to beincluded in a submission to theNew National Seniors Council(NSC) in order to advise Cabineton implementation. "Our seniorshave earned the right to live theirlives with dignity and respect.That's why it is one of my priori-ties to advocate on their behalf inOttawa for better income sup-por ts, access to affordable hous-ing, improved healthcare servicesand community programming. Iam proud of the progress that ourgovernment has made and wewill continue to work hard to doeven better for our seniors". - MPSonia Sidhu, Brampton South


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018opinion

Published By

Asian World Today Inc.1310, Midway Blvd, Unit # 31, Mississauga Ontario L5T 2K5

Direct Line - 647-272-8182Tel: 905-670-3687 Fax: 905-670-5344

YUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALCHIEF EDITOR & CEO

yudhvir@southasiandaily.com647-272-8182647-272-8182647-272-8182647-272-8182647-272-8182

All Rights Reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be printed without the written consent of thepublisher. DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: Asian World Today Inc. assumes all advertisers to be reliable and responsible for anyand all liability from their claims. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement he may see unfitfor publication. The opinions expressed in Midweek may not be those of the publisher.

Published By

Asian World Today Inc.1310, Midway Blvd, Unit # 31, Mississauga Ontario L5T 2K5

Direct Line - 647-272-8182Tel: 905-670-3687 Fax: 905-670-5344

E-mail : For [email protected]

Newspaper

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLYPublished in English every Tuesday

Radio

SOUTHASIAN PULSEPrime Time Mon to Fri - 10:00 AM to 12 Noon

on 770AMDrive Time Mon to Fri - 3:00 PM to 4 PM

on 770AMLISTEN TO SOUTH ASIAN PULSE RADIO

ON YOUR MOBILELocal Number Toronto: 647-557-1017

Local Number Montreal: 438-795-9000To Listen in US: 213-493-2020

Television

CHANNEL YRogers 857

Bell 828Yupp TV

Online

WWW.SOUTHASIANDAILY.COMONLY News Portal for Southasian-Canadians

Cricket

CANADIAN PROFESSIONALCRICKET (CPC)

6th AnnualCPC Inter-City Cricket Cup Starting June 2013

6 Months of Non-stop cricket action

Events

AnnualMidweek Southasian Awards

MidWeek

SUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMAGRAPHICS DEPARTMENT BASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIR

PHOTOGRAPHERS

THAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWOFFICEOFFICEOFFICEOFFICEOFFICE

LEGAL ADVISOR

NAVEEN SHARMANAVEEN SHARMANAVEEN SHARMANAVEEN SHARMANAVEEN SHARMA INDIA MARKETING HEAD

DR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARCONTRIBUTING WRITER

ALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYPHOTOGRAPHERS

SHAZIA MALIKSHAZIA MALIKSHAZIA MALIKSHAZIA MALIKSHAZIA MALIKASSOCIATE EDITOR

DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE THE PERSONAL OPINIONS OF THE AUTHORS.THE INFORMATION, FACTS OR OPINIONS APPEARING IN THEARTICLES DO NOT REFLECT VIEWS OF MIDWEEK AND ITS MANAGEMENT AND SO THE PAPER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE SAME.

GURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAOPERATIONS MANAGER

Karnataka verdict makes Congress'task harder for 2019 elections

BY PRASHANT SOOD

E-mail : For [email protected]

'Bengal violence fallout of economicclashes and ruling party aggression'

BY MILINDA GHOSH ROY

The results of Karnataka assembly polls must have came as adisappointment for the Congress par ty and its ambitions for the2019 Lok Sabha polls, but it can take some solace from the factthat it was able to deny the Bhar tiya Janata Par ty an outrightvictory in the crucial southern state. The results are likely toboost the present churning to forge an anti-BJP front for the nextgeneral elections with opposition par ties expected to exer tmore pressure on the Congress to go for state-specific alli-ances even in states where it is the main force against the BJP.The par ty's decision to suppor t Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in thegovernment formation in Karnataka to prevent BJP from comingto power has implications for the par ty's preparations for the2019 elections. While it will be required to share political spacewith JD-S in Karnataka when a coalition government is formed,there will be demands from other par ties for alliances in statessuch as Madhya Praesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which willgo to the polls later this year. The Karnataka elections werecrucial for the Congress to build momentum for the 2019 LokSabha polls and for three assembly polls later this year.It was also significant to raise morale of Congress workers asthe par ty is in power now only in two other states -- Punjab andMizoram, besides the union ter ritory of Puducherr y. The resultswere also seen as crucial to boost Congress President RahulGandhi's image as an effective campaigner against PrimeMinister Narendra Modi in view of their likely run-in in the 2019polls. The election saw the Congress put its hear t and soul inthe campaign, with Gandhi campaigning in a large number ofconstituencies but the results showed par ty's vulnerability toBJP's skills at executing social coalitions, micromanagement

and giving intensity to campaign.Gandhi had spearheaded the par ty's campaign in Karnatakawith frontal attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi but itapparently did not have the kind of impact the par ty was hopingfor -- far from it. Gandhi repeatedly hammered the issues ofjobs, atrocities against Dalits and women and the multi-crorebanking frauds during his campaign. During the campaign, healso expressed his willingness to become the prime minister ifthe Congress or a coalition led by the par ty wins next year'sLok Sabha elections.The Congress suffered a sharp drop in its numbers in Karnatakadespite favourable factors such as apparent lack of anti-incumbency and the par ty having a strong state leader inSiddaramaiah whose government was seen to have deliveredon pro-poor schemes in the last five years. But it was success-ful in garnering more votes than the BJP, while getting 26 lessnumber of seats at 78. Also, had it fought jointly with JD(S) in apre-poll alliance, the total tally of the two par ties, at over 54 percent of votes, would have overshot BJP's by a large number.This shows a lack of planning or political vision.It was cold comfor t for the par ty its vote share had risencompared to 2013 elections when it had won 122 seats. Thepar ty had polled 36.79 per cent votes in 2013 and 38 per cent inthe Tuesday's results. Like in Gujarat where Congress had alsoput up a spirited fight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi energisedthe BJP's campaign in Karnataka in the last phases holding 21rallies in a span of nine days. The Congress will continue toface challenge of meeting BJP's formidable election machine inMadhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh with Modiexpected to help the BJP governments beat anti-incumbencywith his oratorical skills.The Congress also apparently miscalculated that the Dalit

community, which has a sizeable presence in Karnataka, wasquite upset with Modi government on a range of issues includ-ing the "delay" in filing review petition in the Supreme Cour tover "dilution" of the SC/ST Act. The Congress decision torecommend minority status to the numerically strong Lingayatcommunity and spur sub-nationalism in the form a separatestate flag also apparently did not work in the desired way forthe par ty. Gandhi has largely been unable to come up with ananswer to Modi's oratorial and Amit Shah's managerial skills.He will get three more oppor tunities this year where he can atleast show political acumen of bringing together the rightcoalitions -- before polls -- to challenge the main weapon thatthe BJP has. If he cannot, then 2019 would turn out to be abigger disappointment for him and his par ty.

Dearth of effective employment, aggressive political campaigns anda common tendency of the ruling par ties to throttle the voice of theopposition are the major factors in the culture of political violence inWest Bengal, say exper ts and politicians.Despite being largely free from caste conflicts and sectarian strife,the state has for decades topped the char t in political clashes whichhave lef t hundreds dead and maimed and caused loss of proper tywor th crores of rupees.While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's denunciation of the widespreadviolence and killings focussed around the state rural polls as "murderof democracy" has brought the malady more into national limelight,analysts feel the recent political disturbances -- in which at least 22people have died since the star t of the poll process -- are no flash-in-the-pan happenings.Political science teacher Udayan Bandopadhyay termed the violencein Bengal as a by-product of unemployment and over dependence ofpeople on political parties for different governmental projects."People depend a lot on the local power nexus, mainly from the rulingdispensation, to get some sor t of disguised employment, like theHundred day's work scheme (MGNREGA)," said Bandopadhyay, anassociate professor in Bangabasi College."We are boasting over MGNREGA (the rural jobs scheme). But itproves that the state is actually the last in creating effective employ-ment. It clearly shows that in rural areas, the state has not been ableto produce anything apar t from seasonal agricultural employment,"he added. The violence that often seems like a battle of political ide-ologies from outside is actually driven by economic reasons in astate like West Bengal that lacks proper ways to earn livelihood. "Ithas nothing to do with political ideology; these are absolutely localisedclashes over the spoils. I think it will increase in terms of number ofclashes and casualties in the coming days if the employment sce-nario in the state does not change," Bandopadhyay claimed.According to another political analyst, Anil Kumar Jana, violence dur-ing an election process is not just limited to Bengal but is prevalentacross the country. The aggressive campaigning by the political lead-ers is largely responsible for this. "Some of their actions are provok-ing the people more as in India a section of people still look up to theleaders. The violence in West Bengal is nothing new. But this timearound, it became murkier as the election campaign by the BJP was

very aggressive," he said."On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress lacks political or ideo-logical persuasion and heavily banks upon the politics of anti-estab-lishment. So, the par ty's aggression naturally flows down to the work-ers at the grassroot level," said Jana, head of Vidyasagar University'spolitical science depar tment. Refer ring to the massive inflow of moneyto the panchayats, he pointed out that the competition to win is fiercebecause those who would come to power would be able to lay theirhands on money.The political parties blamed each other."Election or no election, the Trinamool has always tried to destroy theopposition. Before the rural polls the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee)herself implied that 100 percent seats should be won by TrinamoolCongress. So the police and state administration took it as a mandatefrom the Chief Minister to annihilate all opposition forces. As a result,there was a series of violence by organised goons, ably aided andabetted by the police and the state administration," said CPI-M polit-buro member and MP Mohammad Salim.BJP Secretary Rahul Sinha targeted both the communists andBanerjee. "This trend of state sponsored terrorism has been intro-duced in Bengal by the communists. I won't say that violence wasnon-existent during the time of the Congress but it is mostly an inven-tion of the Left regime. To address this fear of losing their suppor tbase, the CPI-M introduced a trend to throttle the opposition voices,"Sinha contended. "This has been fur ther promoted by Mamata whogave the hooligans an open licence. She is also openly using thepolice force as a par t of her cadre base. More than clashes, it ismostly attacks on the opposition by the ruling par ty," Sinha added.State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury regretted that Bengal heldthe number one tag in political violence. "Some places have commu-nal tension or unrest over social, racial or religious issues but inBengal it is a tradition to throttle the voice of the opposition throughattacks and violence. Now it seems that doing politics for a par ty likeCongress is a criminal offence," Chowdhury maintained.The Trinamool, however, refused to accept that political atrocitieshave increased during its rule."The violence that's happening now is largely orchestrated by the oppositionparties like BJP and CPI-M who are instigating unrest among people to show thecurrent government in a bad light. "Some parties are even bringing in goons fromstates like Jharkhand that has a more severe history of political violence thanBengal. However, the state administration is doing its best to handlethe adversities," Trinamool Secretary General Par tha Chatterjee said.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 c a n a d a

General Accounting & Bookkeeping

JUSTIN TRUDEAU WITH WAYFAIR CEO NIRAJ SHAH IN BOSTON, USA.

Trudeau calls for inquiryinto Gaza deathsOTTAWA, (AFP) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeauhas called for an "independent investigation" after the deathof 60 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army during pro-tests on Monday."Repor ted use of excessive force and live ammunition isinexcusable," he said. "It is imperative we establish thefacts of what is happening in Gaza." "Canada calls for animmediate independent investigation to thoroughly exam-ine the facts on the ground -- including any incitement,violence, and the excessive use of force."Monday's violence coincided with the controversial inau-guration of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, which brokewith decades of international tradition. Israel justified theuse of force against Palestinian protesters by citing theneed to defend its borders, which the demonstrators weretrying to overwhelm. Tens of thousands of Palestinianshad gathered near the border while smaller numbers ap-proached the fence and sought to break through.Tr udeau offered Canadian assistance in the probe, whilevowing to work with par tners and multilateral institutions"to address this serious situation." The prime ministeralso said he is "appalled" that a Canadian doctor, TarekLoubani, was among at least 2,400 unarmed protestors,media, first responders and children wounded. "We aredoing everything we can to assist Dr Loubani and hisfamily, and to determine how a Canadian citizen came tobe injured," he said."We are engaging with Israeli officials to get to the bottomof these events." Canada has been a longstanding allyand suppor ter of Israel, but the Trudeau administrationhas been more critical of some of its policies regardingsettlements and refugees than the previous Conservativegovernment. Now in opposition, the Conservatives saidin February that they would recognise Jerusalem as Israel'scapital if they win power in the next election in 2019.

Prime Minister concludesvisit to the United StatesBOSTON - Prime Minister Justin Tr udeau has concludedhis visit to the United States, which included stops in NewYork City and Boston. During his visit, the Prime Ministermet with several business leaders to underscore the impor tance ofthe Canada-U.S. partnership, promote Canada as one of the bestplaces to invest, and create more jobs for Canada's middle class.In New York City, the Prime Minister addressed graduates at NewYork University's 186th commencement ceremony. During his re-marks, he encouraged graduates to embrace diversity, includingdiversity of opinion, and stressed that the leadership we need mosttoday is leadership that brings people together. He also met withCanadian graduating students and was awarded an honourary Doc-tor of Laws degree. At the Economic Club of New York, the PrimeMinister participated in an armchair discussion and underscoredhow the Canada-U.S. par tnership creates good, middle class jobson both sides of the border, and that Canada is open for business andan outstanding place to invest. In Boston, he took par t in a roundtablediscussion with members of the Canadian Technology AcceleratorBoston-Cambridge, where research and innovation were at the fore-front of discussions. On the last day of his visit, the Prime Ministerparticipated in the annual Solve at MIT meeting, an event that bringstogether hundreds of leaders and innovators from various fields, toexplore groundbreaking solutions to global challenges. He then vis-ited the MIT Media Lab and Innovation Exhibition for a first-handaccount of the innovative research and technological advances thatare defining the future.Trudeau said: "Over the past few days, I have had the oppor tunity tomeet with inspiring graduates and business leaders who are findingsolutions to age-old problems and shaping our future inways we couldn't have imagined even five years ago.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU WITH DAVID ALWARD, CANADIAN CONSUL GENERAL IN BOSTON.

BY VS CHANDRASEKARVANCOUVER, (IANS) British Columbia, the Canadian provincethat is a leader in technology and has one of the fastest growingtech ecosystems in the world, is looking at a shor tfall of 30,000skilled individuals to fill tech-related jobs, with India as animpor tant catchment area for recruiting immigrant talent."India, the Philippines and Nigeria are the countries we arelooking for tapping talent in the Information Technology (IT)sector," says Patrick Mackenzie, CEO of the Immigrant Employ-ment Council (IEC) of British Columbia, the south westernprovince in Canada which accounts for more than 10,000companies and approximately $29 billion (Canadian dollars) inrevenue. Speaking to IANS on the sidelines of the third annual BCTECHSummit here, Mackenzie said there are huge openings for immigrantsas information system analysts, consultants, software engineers anddesigners and computer system managers."The current supply cannot meet the industry's growing de-mands for tech talent. By 2021, there will be an anticipatedshor tfall of over 30,000 skilled individuals to fill tech-relatedjobs in the province," he noted. Unless immediate action wastaken by the provincial and federal governments, tech employ-ers, the settlement and integration sector and other key share-holders, this employment gap will severely limit the potentialgrowth of the industry, Mackenzie added. The "2016 Tech TalentBC Repor t" identifies three talent pools -- new entrants orrecent graduates, immigrants and other local supply to includecareer transitioners and people from under-represented groups.The focus of the repor t was immigrants and the country needsto source 8,500 more immigrants than are currently projected toarrive in BC by 2021 to meet the growing tech sector demand.British Columbia's Premier John Horgan, in his remarks at theplenary session on Wednesday, put the figure at 9,600 whichthe province needs to bring people from across the world intothe tech sector. The tech and innovation sector in BC has grownrapidly over the past 10 years, transforming its economy inmany ways that people could not have imagined. It is evident inthe increase of technology jobs from 66,000 in 2002 to morethan one lakh in 2016.

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVITES SKILLED INDIANSTO JOIN THRIVING TECH INDUSTRY

Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, BritishColumbia, said the province is home to globally-recognisedtalent, trained at international renowned post-secondaryinstitutions and some of the most successful and innovative compa-nies in the industry. Ralston said the government of British Columbiaactively suppor ted the tech sector to build the good, highly-skilled jobsof tomorrow and to keep their traditional sectors stay efficient,sustainable and globally competitive."However, we know the government cannot grow the techsector alone, and we need strong par tnerships --within theprivate sector, with other levels of government, with educators,and between our traditional industries and innovative techcompanies- to continue to develop the emerging economy," headded. Mackenzie says even this year, despite the high numberof openings, actually over 3,600 jobs will get unfilled till 2020-21 if we don't find ways to fill them. "We need 8,500 immigrantswith skills," he added.Asked about the emphasis the IEC would have on India as apool for scouting talent, he said: "India is a leader in the techsector and the Council has a very clear picture how to rope intalent and to tell the immigrants what they can look for and doin Canada. India would be a very crucial market for us. Thereare many international immigrants including Indians inVancouver." It is not just tech jobs and there are openingseverywhere, the IEC CEO stressed. One of the key findings ofthe IEC repor t on "Employer Challenges in Attracting and IntegratingImmigrant Talent into BC's Tech Sector" was that most employers hadused at least one of the programmes to source international talent andhad mixed reviews.The other was the alignment between immigrant talent and techemployer needs as they relate to soft skills (language) and hard skills(technical). With a few exceptions, most employers felt thatimmigrants' sof t skills were in shor t supply and, in par ticular,their interpersonal communication styles often do not align withCanadian employers' expectations. The final theme of the repor tinvolved settlement and integration services and suppor t fornewcomers and their families. British Columbia is home tointernational tech giants like Microsoft, Google and others.





MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 i n d i a

INDIA, RUSSIA AGREE ON BUILDINGMULTIPOLAR WORLD ORDER

BIHAR CONGRESS WORKERS DEMONSTRATED AGAINST BS YEDDYURAPPA'S SWEARING-IN AS KARNATAKA'S CHIEF MINISTER.

SOCHI (RUSSIA), (IANS) India and Russia on Monday agreed on buildinga multipolar world order after an informal summit between Indian PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin here. "Thetwo leaders agreed that the Special and Privileged Strategic Par tnershipbetween India and Russia is an impor tant factor for global peace andstabilit," the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement, addingthat they agreed both nations "have an important role to play in contribut-ing to an open and equitable world order"."In this regard, they recognised each other's respective roles as majorpowers with common responsibilities for maintaining global peace andstability." According to the statement, Modi and Putin held indepth discus-sions on major international issues, agreeing "to intensify consultationand coordination with each other, including on the Indo-Pacific region."This decision assumes significance after India, along with Japan, the US,and Australia revived a quad to work for the peace and prosperity in theIndo-Pacific region."Both leaders expressed their concern over terrorism and radicalisation,and their determination to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifesta-tions," the statement said. "In this context, they endorsed the importanceof restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan in an atmosphere free fromthe threat of terrorism, and agreed to work together towards achieving thisobjective." According to the statement, Modi and Putin held detailed ex-

change of views on national development plans and priorities."They expressed satisfaction over the deep trust, mutual respect and good-will that characterizes relations between India and Russia," it said. "Whileexpressing their satisfaction at the positive momentum since the lastbilateral Summit in St. Petersburg in June 2017, the two leaders directed theirofficials to prepare concrete outcomes for the forthcoming Summit in India laterthis year." India and Russia also agreed to institute a Strategic Economic Dialoguebetween India's NITI Aayog and Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, toidentify greater synergy in trade and investment."They (Modi and Putin) noted with satisfaction the expanding cooperationin the energy sector and, in this regard, welcomed the arrival of the firstconsignment of LNG under a long-term agreement between Gazprom andGAIL, next month," the statement said. "The two leaders also reiterated thesignificance of longstanding par tnership in the military, security and nuclearenergy fields and welcomed the ongoing cooperation in these areas. Ex-tremely productive discussions with President Putin," Modi tweeted fol-lowing the informal summit earlier on Monday."Friendship between India and Russia has stood the test of time. Our tieswill continue to scale newer heights in the coming years. I am happy that today Igot the oppor tunity to be a guest of President Putin and that too in Sochi," Modi saidafter being received with a warm hug by Putin at his summer residence, BocharevCreek, in this resort city on the Black Sea coast.

NIA files charge sheets in ShivSena's Punjab leaders killingsNEW DELHI, (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA)has filed two separate charge sheets against 15 accused inconnection with killings of Shiv Sena's Punjab leaders DurgaGupta and Satpal Sharma, an offcial said on Sunday. Sharmaand his son Ramesh Sharma were killed on February 25,2017 while Gupta was murdered on April 23, 2016.The charge sheets were filed in the special cour t in Mohalion May 19 under various charges dealing with criminal con-spiracy, murder, and common intention under the IndianPenal Code and under various provisions of the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act. NIA has namedHardeep Singh alias Shera, Ramandeep Singh alias Bagga,Dharminder Singh, Ani l Kumar, Jagtar Singh Johal ,Amaninder Singh, Manpreet Singh, Ravipal Singh, PahadSingh, Parvez alias Far ru, Malook Tomar, Harmeet Singh,Gurjinder Singh, Gursharanbir Singh and Gurjant SinghDhillon as accused in the case."During investigation it was found that killings of SatpalSharma, his son Ramesh Sharma and Durga Gupta werepar t of a trans-national conspiracy hatched by senior lead-ership of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). Eight inci-dents of targeted killings/attempted killings were executedas par t of this conspiracy between January 2016 and Octo-ber 2017 in Punjab," it said. "All the persons targeted be-longed to cer tain specific communities and organization.

Dera chief close aide declaredproclaimed offenderPANCHKULA, (PTI) A cour t here today declared fugitive DeraSacha Sauda spokesperson Aditya Insan, a close aide ofjailed sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, as a proclaimedoffender (PO). "Aditya Insan has been declared PO by thecour t of Chief Judicial Magistrate Rohit Vats," PanchkulaPolice Commissioner A S Chawla said. The Panchkula police hadannounced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on information leading to the arrest ofAditya Insan. Aditya Insan has gone into isolation which made it difficultto arrest him, Chawla said. He said the police will soon initiate proceed-ings to declare at least 12 dera suppor ters as proclaimed of-fender. In August last year, a special CBI court sentenced Dera chiefGurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in prison for raping two womenin 2002. The Dera head is lodged in a jail in Rohtak. After his conviction,dera followers indulged in violence at Panchkula and Sirsa leaving 41dead and scores injured.

India 6th richestcountry in the world;US world's wealthiestMUMBAI - India's Gross DomesticProduct (GDP), the wor th of theeconomy, clocked in at $2.6 trillion for2017, according to the database of theInternational Monetary Fund's WorldEconomic Outlook (WEO) for April 2018.That is well over the $2.5 trillion mile-stone that supposedly separates bigeconomies from pretenders. India isnow the world's sixth largest economy,displacing France. The five economiesahead are the United States, China, Ja-pan, Germany and United Kingdom."This is a landmark development forIndia," said an official in the financeministry in New Delhi, and insistedthat though it might look symbolic,implications were more far-reach-ing than immediately apparent.

INDIA-PAKISTAN SPY AGENCYCHIEFS FOR PEACE IN REGIONNEW DELHI: With two days to go for the India launch of hisbook, ISI ex-chief Asad Durrani is yet to get a visa. If it does not comethrough, Durrani will have to miss the May 23 launch of his bookThe Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace co-authoredwith former RAW chief A S Dulat and journalist Aditya Sinha.In an email response, Durrani said, "I applied over a month ago;never heard from the "authorities" (except for the Indian High Com-mission here that they were pursuing the case)." Durrani has visitedIndia on two previous occasions, but he said the visa was given at thelast minute. "Since I was member of a group invited by its counterpar tin Delhi, I too got the visa -- at the eleventh hour," he said.Harper Collins, publisher of the book, said they did not know ifDurrani would be able to attend his own book launch. ''We expecta speech read out in his absence if he is not able to come. But itpromises to be an interesting event,'' Krishan Chopra, publishersaid. The book which has been styled as a conversation betweentwo spymasters covers a wide range of subjects including NSAAjit Doval's way of functioning, the Kashmir issue and severalthorny issues between India and Pakistan including KulbhushanJadhav, Balochistan and surgical strikes.The former Pakistan intelligence chief has Durrani has beenvocal in his opinion of NSA Ajit Doval describing him as''quiet, observing and difficult to read." Referring to DovalDur rani says, ''He hasn't changed policy. He's just a littlemore hardline but it's still what I believe has been Indianpolicy for a long time. He shouts more, like Tr ump does, alot of hot air. He provides that masala… The upshot is he'sjust doing what his boss wants done. Maybe more muscu-larly, more vocally."


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018i n d i a

PUNJAB GOVERNOR SEEKS DETAILSOF BEAS CONTAMINATION FROM CM

BJP WORKERS CELEBRATED THE PARTY'S PERFORMANCE IN THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED KARNATAKA ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS,AT PARTY HEADQUARTER IN MUMBAI. HOWEVER, THAT CELEBRATION DID NOT LAST LONG.

CHANDIGARH, (PTI) Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore todayexpressed concern over the contamination of the Beas riverfollowing the release of molasses by a sugar mill, and soughtfull details from Chief Minister Amarinder Singh about thedamage to the environment. In a written communique to Singh,Badnore said the river water is used for drinking in downstreamdistricts of Punjab and Rajasthan.He urged the state government to immediately take steps toreverse the situation and address the long-term issue ofpollution of rivers in Punjab, which roughly means "the land offive rivers" - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas. Mean-while, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badalaccused the Amarinder Singh government of "patronising anenvironmental massacre" by not addressing the ecologicalissue "caused by Chadha Sugar Industries and owners of thedistillery." In a letter to Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan,Badal described the contamination as "a shocking example ofthe brazen insensitivity of the offending par ties with activepatronage of the state government."

He demanded the immediate arrest of people responsible forthe contamination. He said the Centre should directly addressthe issue as it has become a "multi-state calamity". The formerdeputy chief minister also demanded that an environmentministry team carry out an on-the-spot study of the situation."That team should assess the extent of damage...and determinethe scale of compensation to be paid to the affected people," hesaid. The burden of the compensation should be borne by theindustrialist, he said.A large number of fish were found dead in Beas river on May 17after molasses from the sugar factory leaked into the river inPunjab's Beas town, about 40 km from Amritsar. The molasseswas leaked from Chadha Sugar Mill of Kirri Afgana inGurdaspur. The mill repor tedly belongs to Jasdeep KaurChadha, daughter of former Delhi Gurdwara Sikh ParbandhakCommittee chief Harvinder Singh Sarna. Jasdeep Kaur Chadha'slate husband Hardeep Singh Chadha was the brother of liquorbaron Ponty Chadha. Both brothers were killed allegedly in acrossfire in 2012.

Punjab governmentpatronising environmentalmassacre: Sukhbir BadalCHANDIGARH, (IANS) In the wake of death of a largenumber of fish in the Beas river, Shiromani Akali DalPresident Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday accused thePunjab government of "patronising an environmentalmassacre by turning a bl ind eye to massive andmanmade ecological disaster" caused by industries.In a letter to Union Minister for Environment, Forests andClimate Change Harsh Vardhan, Badal said the pollutionof Beas river water and the scale of death of aquatic lifein water bodies in Punjab was a "shocking example ofthe brazen insensitivity of the offending par ties with ac-tive patronage of the state government. An offending sugarmill is owned by a highly connected political leader whois also a religious adviser to Chief Minister AmarinderSingh. The grave irony of the tragedy is that it has led tothe contamination of the sacred Kali Bein which is asso-ciated with first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev," Badalsaid in a statement here. Demanding the immediate ar-rest of the mill's management and directors, the formerDeputy Chief Minister said that they should be proceededagainst under the law for endangering the lives of mil-lions of people in Punjab and Rajasthan, apar t from caus-ing the death of aquatic life. He said that the governmentof India should directly address the crisis as it has al-ready become a multi-state calamity.

Any peace overture fromPakistan is taken seriously: IndiaNEW DELHI, (IANS) India takes seriously any commentthat calls for peace with it, Defence Minister NirmalaSitharaman said on Monday, days af ter Pakistan Armychief General Qamar Javed Bajwa favoured talks to re-solve all disputes, including Kashmir, between the twocountries. "Any comment on wanting peace will defi-nitely be taken seriously," Sitharaman said in reply to aquery about Bajwa's comments indicating that the Paki-stan Army would suppor ting peace talks to resolve In-dia-Pakistan disputes.She was speaking to repor ters after inaugurating a work-shop on ar tificial intelligence in national security anddefence of India. According to Pakistan media reports,Bajwa last month said a peaceful resolution of disputes,including Kashmir, would be possible through talks be-tween the two countries. Bajwa last month was repor tedto have said it was Pakistan Army's "sincere belief" thatall issues between Pakistan and India, "including thecore issue of Kashmir", could be solved peacefully by"comprehensive and meaningful dialogue.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 i n d i a

PUNJAB CM ORDERS CRACKDOWNAGAINST ILLEGAL TRAVEL AGENTS

DELHI DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER AND FINANCE MINISTER MANISH SISODIA DURING A MEETING WITH THE FINANCE MINISTERSOF ANDHRA PRADESH, WEST BENGAL, PUNJAB AND KERALA - YANAMALA RAMAKRISHNUDU, AMIT MITRA, MANPREETSINGH BADAL AND THOMAS ISAAC RESPECTIVELY, AT HIS RESIDENCE IN NEW DELHI.

Compensation for 14 killed inBengal Panchayat pollsKOLKATA, (IANS) The West Bengal government will givecompensation of Rs 2 lakh to families of each of the 14people killed in political violence during the Panchayatpolls, Secretariat sources said quoting Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee. The sources said IRs5 lakh compensa-tion will be given to the family of late Rajkumar Roy, apresiding officer during the May 14 polls. While Roy's fam-ily has lodged a police complaint claiming he was killedand did not commit suicide, Banerjee on Thursday said theofficer was run over by a train. The government would alsoprovide a job to Roy's widow, the sources said. The ChiefMinister had on Thursday said her government would pro-vide compensation to the families of all those who were"martyred" during the polls. The chief minister has claimedthat 10 of those killed belonged to her Trinamool Congress.

Chief Secretary assault case: Policequestion Kejriwal for 3 hoursNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Delhi Police on Friday questionedChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with an al-leged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by twoAAP MLAs and sought to know from him about the se-quence of events that took place on February 19, said asenior police officer. The police also sought to know fromhim whether the assault on Prakash was pre-planned, hesaid. Chief Minister may again be questioned and if neededit will also question Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodiaas Kejriwal did not give "satisfactory answers", AdditionalDeputy Commissioner of Police Harendra Singh told themedia after about three-hour-long questioning. Reacting tohis questioning, Kejriwal hit out at the Union governmentand said the Bharatiya Janata Par ty (BJP) is behind themove. On February 20, the Chief Secretary alleged that he wasassaulted by two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs in the presence ofKejriwal at the Chief Minister's residence. The two, Amanatullah Khanand Prakash Jarwal, were arrested and later released on bail. TheChief Minister alleged that the cases against the AAP were "fake andpolitically motivated." Singh said that Kejriwal did not give satisfactoryanswers to some of the questions, adding that Kejriwal was ques-tioned in the room in which the Chief Secretary was allegedly as-saulted. "He was evasive of some questions." The Additional DCPsaid that the whole process has been videograhped, but added that asper law, a copy of the recording could not be given to the Chief Minister.He also said that there were two advocates with Kejriwal during hisquestioning. Meanwhile, Kejriwal said in a written statement after thequestioning that the BJP was letting loose Lt. Governor Anil Baijal andDelhi Police after the AAP, to stop the good work being done bythe AAP government in Delhi. "For the first time in the his-tory of India, a Chief Minister was questioned for fake casesand a raid was conducted by police. There is only onereason behind it - to disturb us and to defame us," thestatement said. The Chief Minister's interrogation beganaround 5 p.m at his residence on Flagstaff Road of nor thDelhi and went on till 8.15pm.

CHANDIGARH, (PTI) The Punjab government has directed top civiland police officials to identify unregistered travel agents and takestern penal and legal action against them. Orders in this regard wereissued by Punjab Home Secretary N S Kalsi on the chief minister'sdirective, an official spokesman said. Top officials have been directedto crackdown on illegal travel agents through a series of measures toensure strict compliance with laws and legislations governing thelicensing and operations of such agents, he said.The measures include regularly updating the list of all the licensedand registered travel agents and conducting their physical verifica-tion at least once every year, the spokesman said. In this drive, thegovernment has come out with a new set of guidelines and instruc-tions to ensure strict compliance with the laws and legislations gov-erning the registration and functioning of travel agents in Punjab, hesaid. The directions were issued after several instances of peoplebeing defrauded by illegal agents were reported, the spokesman said.The government is concerned about the unscrupulous persons andtravel agents carrying out illegal activities by giving false promisesto citizens, especially the youth, for getting them settled abroad by

charging huge amounts, according to a Punjab government advisory.In the process, citizens are getting defrauded and sometimes landingin foreign prisons as illegal entrants, the advisory said, adding thatmost of these agents are fly-by-night operators.Sometimes, even more heinous crimes such as kidnappings andconfining people in illegal custody have also been repor ted, the advi-sory said. To ensure strict compliance with the rules and regulationsgoverning the registration and conduct procedures of the travel agents,it has been decided that all registered travel agents would provide areceipt to their clients against services provided by them, the spokes-man said.The receipt would include the receipt number, amount, mode of pay-ment, name and complete address of the registered premises, andthe GST number as well, he said. It is also required that all registered travelagents should display their registered license number prominently at their offices,the spokesman said. Further, deputy commissioners have been directed toensure that district web por tal include the details of all registeredtravel agents, he said. Legal action against illegal agents will betaken under the Indian Penal Code, the advisory said.

Punjab Cong submitsmemorandum againstK'taka governorCHANDIGARH, (PTI) The Punjab Con-gress, led by Chief Minister AmarinderSingh and party president Sunil Jakhar,today submitted a memorandum to thePresident through Governor V P SinghBadnore, protesting against "subver-sion" of the Constitution by the governorof Karnataka, and sought his interven-tion to "save" the democratic polity ofthe countr y. The chief minister lam-basted the BJP-led government at theCentre for allegedly leaving no stoneunturned to subvert the Constitution. "Agrave violation of the Constitution hastaken place in Karnataka and the Su-preme Cour t has already intervened touphold the Constitutional principles ofthe country, but we have appealed toPresident Ram Nath Kovind, through thememorandum, to protect the democraticvalues on which India is founded," thechief minister said after meeting the gov-ernor at the Punjab Raj Bhawan here.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018w o r l d

11 SOLDIERS KILLED IN SYRIA'SHAMA AIR BASE EXPLOSIONS

SUPPORTERS OF VENEZUELA'S PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO ATTEND HIS CLOSING CAMPAIGN RALLY IN CARACAS, VENEZUELA.

DAMASCUS, (IANS) At least 11 soldiers and pro-government fighterswere killed on Friday in five explosions that rattled the arms depot inthe air base of the central province of Hama, a monitor group re-por ted. Tens of others were wounded and missing as a result of theexplosions in the arms depot of Hama air base, said the Syrian Ob-servatory for Human Rights. It added that the death toll could likelyrise as some of the wounded are in critical conditions.The Britain-based watchdog group said it's not yet clear what causedthe explosions in the arms depot and fuel storage area in the air base,noting that it could either be a foreign strike or a malfunction. The

observatory said the air base is used by the Syrian army for launch-ing strikes on rebel-held areas in the countryside of Hama and thenor thwestern province of Idlib. The state media outlets repor ted theexplosions but stopped shor t of giving any more details.Pro-government activists posted a video online showing the smokerising from the air base. Iranian media outlets said the blasts took place insidethe arms depot near the base, adding that it was possible due to overheating andwas not an attack. The incident took place as the Syrian army has made newprogress in Hama, retaking areas in the southern countryside afterthe evacuation of the rebels towards nor thern Syria.

Pakistan tests 1st metro train in Lahore under CPECISLAMABAD, (IANS) Pakistan on Wednesday made a test run ofits first metro train service in Lahore, the capital of thecountry's eastern Punjab province, from Dera Gujran toLakshmi Chowk on a 12-km por tion of the total 27.1-km route.According to a statement from the Punjab government, ShahbazSharif, Chief Minister of Punjab, inaugurated the test run of theOrange Line Metro Train (OLMT), which has been tested onceear l ier."The OLMT is Pakistan's first mass rapid transit train projectlaunched by the Punjab government. It will prove to be a real game

changer for the people of Lahore and Punjab, who will experi-ence a comfor table, secure and economical travelling facility,"said the statement. The test run was free of cost for travellers.The chief minister also took a tour of the train along withChinese consular general in Lahore and senior officials of thePunjab government."The OLMT project will transform people's lives. The projectwill become the basis of an interaction between differentclasses of society by creating a sense of equality and owner-ship in social terms," said the chief minister. A total of 27 sets

of trains, each comprising fivecars, will be used for theservice in the project, a par tof the China-Pakistan Eco-nomic Corridor (CPEC).An energy-saving air-condi-tioning system suitable for theconstant high summertemperature and unstablevoltage in Lahore is the maintrait of the train, said theofficials, adding that the train hasheat-resistant bogies, which willincrease its durability. The OLMT isthe first of the three rail lines ofthe proposed Lahore Metroproject that is expected totranspor t half a million peopledaily. The OLMT, with anoperating speed of 80 km perhour, is expected to be usedby up to 250,000 passengers aday at 26 stations.

Mumbai terror attack trialresumes in PakistanISLAMABAD, (IANS) An Anti-Ter rorism Cour t here resumedhearing of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case on Wednesday,summoning the last two Pakistani prosecution witnesses and askingthe government about the availability of 27 Indian witnesses in thenext hearing "so as to conclude the trial expeditiously." District PoliceOfficer Dera Ghazi Khan Sohail Habib Tajik recorded his statementbefore Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, the Dawn repor ted.The statements of two more Pakistani witnesses, FederalInvestigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director General Wajid Ziaand another official, Zahid Akhter, needed to be recorded. Theprosecutors, however, sought adjournment due to engagementsat the accountability cour ts. The court asked Zahid Akhter toappear in the next hearing while Wajid Zia will be summoned forprosecution evidence on May 23. The prosecution completedthe testimonies of 68 Pakistani witnesses last year.The cour t "observed with concern that since January 2016 uponthe request of the prosecution, government functionariessitting at the helm of affairs were directed repeatedly forproducing 27 Indian nationals so as to give evidence ininstant case, but till date no serious and final responsehas been given by the government." In January 2016, thegovernment had contacted New Delhi asking it to send thewitnesses to Pakistan to testify against the Mumbai attacksuspects. A total of 166 Indians and foreigners were killedin the bloodbath. Lakhvi and the other suspects - AbdulWajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid JameelRiaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younus Anjum - are being tried bythe ATC since 2009. Earlier , the Lahore High Cour t releasedprime suspect Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi on post-arrest bailin 2015 after he furnished IRs2 million in surety bonds.Lakhvi's request for exemption from appearing in the cour twas also accepted on last Wednesday.

NAWAZ CAMPAIGNING FORPTI THROUGH LOVE FESTWITH MODI: IMRANISLAMABAD, (IANS) Taking a jibe at former Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman ImranKhan has said that he "appreciates" the PML-N leader for"campaigning" for the PTI through his "love fest" with IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modi. The cricketer-turned-politiciansaid on Wednesday that he was "alarmed at the rate Sharif wasspeaking Modi's language". "Much as I appreciate Nawazcampaigning for the PTI through his now-obvious love festwith Modi to save his corruption and business interests, Iam a la rmed tha t a t the ra te he i s speak ing Mod i ' slanguage… the PTI may not be able to take in the massiveexodus from the PML-N," Khan tweeted. Sharif is facingflak in Pakistan following his controversial statement onthe Mumbai attack in which he admitted that Pakistaniterrorists were behind the 2008 carnage in which 166Indians and foreigners were ki l led. His statement wasunanimously rejected by Pakistan's top civil-military bodywhich termed it "incor rect and misleading." However, PrimeMinister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi later put a spin on the statement,saying that Sharif was misquoted in the media.

COURT DISMISSES PLEAFOR TREASON CASEAGAINST NAWAZ SHARIFISLAMABAD, (IANS) The Lahore High Cour t (LHC) on Thursdaydismissed as "non-mainta inable" a pet i t ion seekingregistration of a treason case against former Pakistan PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif after his recent remarks on the 2008Mumbai ter ror attack that lef t 166 people dead. The cour tasked the petitioner, advocate Af tab Virk, to approach therelevant forum with his complaint, Dawn repor ted. Earlier inan interview, Sharif said: "Militant organisations are active.Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to crossthe border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me.Why can't we complete the trial?" Virk, in his petition, allegedthat Sharif's remarks on the Mumbai attack amounted totreason as he had maligned national institutions as well asthe country. The cour t is yet to decide on the admissibility ofanother similar petition filed by Pakistan Awami Tehreek'sKhurram Nawaz Gandapur.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 w o r l d

ExpiresAPRIL 2018

10 KILLED IN TEXAS SCHOOLSHOOTING, TRUMP UPSET

TENS HAVE BEEN KILLED AND THOUSANDS WOUNDED IN ISRAELI ATTACK BUT USA BLOCKED A UN PROBE IN GAZA VIOLENCE.

TEXAS, (IANS) Between eight and 10 people died in a school shooting on Friday in the southeasternTexas city of Santa Fe, a sheriff told the media. The shooting began shor tly af ter 7.30 a.m., at SantaFe High School in Galveston County, Ed Gonzalez, the sheriff of neighbouring Harris County, said,Efe repor ted. "There are multiple fatalities that have been confirmed," Gonzalez said, adding: "Thenumber varies but it could be anywhere be tween eight and 10 fatalities at the school, including studentsand some adult staff as well."There was also an injured Santa Fe ISD (Independent School District) police officer… that's being treatedat a hospital. I don't know the extent of his injuries," the sheriff said. Gonzalez also told the reporters thatone suspect was in custody and that a second "possible person of interest" also had been detained. Hesaid police were combing the school to make sure no additional students were injured or hiding and thatno explosive devices were on the premises. President Donald Tr ump commented on the shooting onTwitter. "School shooting in Texas. Early repor ts not looking good. God bless all!" he wrote.Gun violence is a major political issue in the US. Tr ump said in a speech at the National Rifle Association'sannual leadership meeting in Dallas, Texas, earlier this month that the Second Amendment to the USConstitution, which protects citizens' right to bear arms, would never be "under siege" while he is presi-dent. Speaking about a February mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people,Trump said the solution was to allow "highly trained teachers to car ry concealed weapons" in the class-room. The President also said then that making schools gun-free zones was an invitation to mentallydisturbed people to "come in and take us."

US will crush Iran throughsanctions: PompeoWASHINGTON, (IANS) The US will aim to "crush" Iran witheconomic and military pressure by imposing the "stron-gest sanctions in history" unless it changes its behaviour in theMiddle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday.Pompeo, unveiling the Trump administration's new policy on Iran justweeks after President Donald Trump dumped the 2015 Iran nucleardeal, said the US will work to counter Tehran's activities and curb itsinfluence in the Middle East and make sure that it never gains anuclear weapon, CNN reported. The top diplomat said that "Iran wouldbe battling to keep its economy alive" after the sanctions take effect.He said he would work closely with the Pentagon and regional allies"to deter any Iranian aggression. Sanctions are going back in fulleffect, and new ones are coming," Pompeo said, adding he will beworking with the Defence Department and allies to push back on Iran."We will ensure freedom of navigation on the waters in the region. Wewill work to prevent and counteract any Iranian malign cyber activity.We will track down Iranian operatives and their Hezbollah proxiesoperating around the world and crush them. "Iran will never againhave carte blanche to dominate the Middle East… The Iranian re-gime should know this is just the beginning," he said. However, inexchange for a change in behaviour, the US would be willing to endsanctions, re-establish commercial relationships and allow Iran tohave advanced technology, Pompeo said. He also made it clear thatthe Trump administration was ready to par t ways with allies and evenuse sanctions against them if necessary. "We understand our re-imposition of sanctions and the coming pressure campaign on theIranian regime will pose financial and economic difficulties for anumber of our friends," Pompeo said. "But you should know thatwe will hold those doing prohibited business in Iran to account."Pompeo criticized the nuclear deal for its "fatal flaws" and theObama administration for pursuing it."Strategically, the Obamaadministration made a bet that the deal would spur Iran tostop its rogue-state actions and conform to internationalnorms… That bet was a loser with massive repercus-sions for all people living in the Middle East.

9 HAQQANI MILITANTSKILLED IN AFGHANISTANKABUL, (IANS) At least nine militants of the Haqqani mili-tant group were killed following air strikes in Afghanistan'sPaktika, officials said on Monday. "Afghan Special Opera-tions Forces-related air strikes targeted militants ofHaqqani terrorist network in Paktika province Sunday, kill-ing nine Haqqani gunmen and destroying two motor-cycles," Xinhua news agency repor ted citing the Opera-tional Coordination Group Afghanistan's statement. As aTaliban-linked group of militants, the Haqqani network wasdesignated as a terrorist group by the US in 2012.

Pakistan generalelection proposedon July 25-27ISLAMABAD, (IANS) Pakistan's Elec-tion Commission on Monday recom-mended holding general election in thecountry between July 25 and 27. Thepoll panel forwarded a summary inthis regard to President MamnoonHussain, requesting him to set oneof the proposed dates for balloting,Dawn online repor ted. The an-nouncement came just days beforethe term of the PML-N governmentis set to expire on May 31. The pro-cess to select a caretaker set upwas on with Prime Minister ShahidKhaqan Abbasi holding talks withLeader of Opposition KhurshidShah. According to the Election Com-mission, as many as 86,436 polling sta-tions will be set up, including 48,667 inPunjab and 18,647 in Sindh.



CHENNAI SUPER KINGS BEAT SUNRISERSHYDERABAD BY 2 WICKETS TO REACH

THEIR 7TH IPL FINAL

FEEL VERY NERVOUS WHENI DANCE: RANBIR KAPOOR

MANJOT SINGH ON A MISSION TOBREAK SIKHS' IMAGE IN BOLLYWOODNEW DELHI: Actor Manjot Singh of "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" fame sayswhenever he expresses his desire to do serious and romantic roles inBollywood, he is told that a "Sardar will only be accepted in a comic role".The young actor believes only Sikh actors can break this perception.The audience has seen his comic side in films like 'Student of the Year'and 'Fukrey'. He agrees that he has done many comic roles but "not theones where I have had to humiliate myself. The kind of roles that I havetaken up were more like situational comedy." And he wants to exploremore genres. "I wish to do a serious role and a romantic role but when-ever I express what's on my mind, I am told that a Sardar will only beaccepted in a comic role. People cannot imagine a Sardar wearing apagdi (turban) romancing an actress," Manjot told. "What they do not realizeis that this perception about Sardars has been set by Bollywood itself and only wecan break it. Most of the Sardars in the industry face this. That perception isslowly changing with actors like Diljit Dosanjh and me who are taking upmore serious roles." In fact, he is also planning to produce a movie on a

"Sardar who has a dream to become an actor but each time he goes for auditions,he is turned away because there is no comic character in the movie". He was lastwidely praised for his role in the 2017 film 'Fukrey Returns', which will air onand pictures on May 20. It is his first sequel.

Harshvardhan, Sonam's films to clash on June 1MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Harshvardhan Kapoor's vigilante film "Bhavesh Joshi Super-hero" is set to clash at the box office with his sister and actress Sonam Kapoor'smovie "Veere Di Wedding" on June 1. "Bhavesh Joshi Superhero" was earlier sched-uled to hit the screens on May 25. The makers believe June 1 is a better date from adistributional point of view. It has a greater audience potential and is a safe distanceaway from holdover Hindi and English releases. The film will get better and morenumber of shows and June 1 as a date has a greater audience potential, a statementsaid. The film promises some intense action and well-crafted hand combat fights andis shot at some never before seen locations in and around Mumbai.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) ActorRanbir Kapoor, who will beseen hosting and perform-ing at the upcoming 19th edi-tion of The International In-dian Film and Academy(IIFA), says he is very ner-vous when he per forms infront of a live audience. "Iam very nervous when Idance. When we dance forfilms there is a camera andthere are takes but whenyou dance for a live au-dience there is justthat one take so youhave to give yourbest. There are nocuts," Ranbir toldthe the pressconference forIIFA here.The 35-year- old actor saidhe l ikes to keep practising the dance steps." I want to re- hearse more because I want to better myself," headded. The 19th edition of IIFA is returning back to Bangkok, Thailandafter a decade. Ranbir said he was extremely excited for this edition."Bangkok is the place where I first won my IIFA award for my debutfilm 'Saawariya'. I am looking forward," he said. The "Ae Dil HaiMushkil" actor was joined by filmmaker Karan Johar, actor ShahidKapoor and Kar tik Aaryan. Ranbir praises Shahid and said that the"Padmaavat" star is impeccable on stage.Karan, who was one of the hosts for the 18th edition of IIFA, will againreprise his role as a presenter this year. He says that this year theevent will be grander as several Bollywood stars will be seen per-forming. "I think the IIFA stage is always the most glamorous. It islarge and has all the epicness… Also this year we have so manyper formances… We have Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor and manyother movie stars who are going to light up the stage in Bangkok andI can't wait to get back," the filmmaker said.Asked who hosts the best af ter par ties, Karan said: "It's always SalmanKhan, who has the best after par ties. He is definitely the man whobrings everyone together in one room. So everytime there's IIFA andSalman is there, there's always a big af ter par ty in his room." Shahid,who will be per forming and seen as a host at the three-day gala,which will be held on June 22-24 at the Siam Niramit Theatre inBangkok, said he was not sure if his wife Mira Kapoor and daughter Mishawould join him. "I'd definitely be there," he said. Kartik, who will make a debut asa host in the event, says he is excited for the event.

SONAM KAPOOR, KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN, SWARA BHASKARA IN A STILL FROM VEERE DI WEDDING THAT GOT AN A CERTIFICATE.

RAM NAYYAR, HEAD COACH FOR THE CANADIAN NATIONAL BADMINTON TEAM AS WELL AS THE HEAD COACH FOR THE VANCOUVERLAWN TENNIS AND BADMINTON CLUB (CENTRE) VISITED CHANNEL Y STUDIOS AND TALKED ABOUT HIS CAREER PATH. SEEN IN THEIMAGE ARE FROM L TO R: ASHRAF MASIH, TECHNICAL LEVEL THREE BADMINTON COACH; HARPAL, BADMINTON PLAYER; RAMNAYYAR; YUDHVIR JASWAL, GROUP EDITOR AND CEO OF Y MEDIA AND IMRAN MAHMOOD, BADMINTON PLAYER.

MUMBAI (IANS) A fighting unbeaten half-century under pressure from Faf duPlessis helped Chennai Super Kings edge past Sunrisers Hyderabad by twowickets in the first qualifier here on Tuesday to enter the final of the IndianPremier League (IPL). Needing 140 runs to win, Chennai made heavy weatherof what should have been a comfor table chase before crossing the line withfive balls to spare.Chennai have reached the final seven times in the nine seasons they havecompeted in the IPL. They had missed out on the previous two seasons asthey were banned following the spot fixing and betting scandal. Du Plessisbatted through the innings to remain not out on 67 runs, with five hits to thefence and four sixes studding his 42-ball knock. The opener kept on playingsensibly throughout even as no other batman clicked at the other end.For Hyderabad, spinner Rashid Khan, Siddar th Kaul and Sandeep Sharmascalped two wickets each. Hyderabad will now face the winner of the matchbetween Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier 2 onMay 25 in Kolkata. Chasing a modest total, Chennai lost their first wicket onthe fifth ball of the first over. Wicket-keeper Shreevats Goswami took a bril-liant catch to dismiss opener Shane Watson (0) off pacer BhuvneshwarKumar. In-form Suresh Raina was playing beautifully, hitting four well-timedboundaries on his way to 22 off 13 balls. But he was bowled by pacer Kaul inthe four th over when he shuffled across and exposed his leg-stump. Off thevery next ball, Ambati Rayudu (0) was also clean bowled by Kaul. Rayudu'sdismissal was largely due to poor shot selection as he misjudged a slowyorker only to see the ball crash into the base of middle and off-stump.Unperturbed by the fall of wickets, du Plessis kept on playing sensibly. Newbatsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni (9), then joined in the middle and the duorotated the strike perfectly. But just when the duo star ted timing the ball well,leg-spinner Rashid Khan delivered one that turned the wrong way to dismissDhoni. With Chennai struggling at 39/4 after eight overs, all eyes were onthe lower-middle order But it failed as Dwayne Bravo (7), RavindraJadeja (3) and Deepak Chahar (10) went back to the pavilion in quicksuccession. Du Plesis, on the other hand, star ted unleashing his shotsand hammered few sixes but lack of suppor t from other batters.



10songs

AE WATAN RAAZI

MUNDIYAN BAAGHI 2

BACHCHE KI JAAN 102 NOT OUT

TERE THUMKE SAPNA CHOUDHARY NANU KI JAANU

PATOLA BLACK MAIL

O SAATHI BAAGHI 2

THEHER JA OCTOBER

BEWAFA BEAUTY BLACK MAIL

TERI ZAAT ZARA OMERTA

top

SONG

MIDWEEK HIT OR FLOPRAAZI 15 CR

102 NOT OUT 7 CR

OMERTA 7 CR

ANGREZI MEIN KEHTE HEIN 2.2 CR

DAAS DEV 2 CR

MIDWEEK BOX OFFICEANGREZI MEIN KEHTE HEIN HIT

RAAZI HIT

102 NOT OUT HIT

OMERTA HIT

DAAS DEV AVERAGE

FILM

SANU IK PALCHAINRAID1

Oscar Award winner Marc Baschet co-produces IsmatChugtai's LIHAAF, poster unveiled in Cannes film festival

b o l l y w o o d

I'm a Salman Khan fan: Upen PatelMUMBAI, (IANS) Model-actor Upen Patel says he is aSalman Khan fan and loved the trailer of the superstar'supcoming film "Race 3". "I loved the trailer of 'Race 3'. Iam a Salman Khan Fan, so obviously I loved it. I am alsoa fan of 'Race 3' and the trailer is looking very stylish withlots of action and lots of one-liners. So, I really enjoyedit," Upen said on the sidelines of the Lonely Planet Maga-zine India Travel Awards 2018 here on Thursday. An avidtraveller, Upen says he loves India the most.On his favourite travel destination, he said: "I like to travelto London as my family is there and every time I get achance, I try and visit London. But other than London, Ilove Dubai. It is beautiful and close to India. But honestlyI love India the most. India is my favourite." The "NamasteyLondon" actor is an eligible bachelor in Bollywood. Butwhen asked if he would take an actress to his favouritetravel destination and who would it be, Upen said: "Even IfI could take an actress with me, I think I won't take any. Iwould take my mother, you know… I would take my fam-ily, why would I want to take an actress?"

Alia is an extremely secureactor: Amruta KhanvilkarNEW DELHI, (IANS) Actress Amruta Khanvilkar had funworking with Alia Bhatt in "Raazi", and says the fact thatshe is grounded reflects her upbringing. "Apar t from thestory line, Meghna Gulzar was one of the key reasons forme to do the film. I have never played the role of a Paki-stani Muslim before, and that too playing a real-life char-acter was very intriguing," Amruta told IANS. "Every daywas an enriching learning experience - be it speakinglanguage (Urdu dialect) or being around Meghna ma'amor shooting scenes with Alia. The entire experience wasenthralling."Based on Harinder Sikka's book "Calling Sehmat", the storyof the film "Raazi" revolves around a young Kashmiri girlwho gets married to a Pakistani Army officer and be-comes a spy to give inside information about theneighbouring country to protect her own. On working withAlia, she said: "I believe she is an extremely secure actorand an extremely receiving and giving actor. Her per for-mance in 'Raazi' speaks volumes of her talent. This girlwho in just 25 years of age has achieved so much in suchless time and has seen stardom like no one else her age- but despite all this, she is so grounded, which truly re-flects her upbringing."Amruta finds Alia "a friendly and jolly person. There aretotally no airs about this girl. She makes all her co-starsfeel extremely comfor table - I too shared a good bondwith her throughout the shoot," added the actress, whohas featured in projects like "Golmaal", "Nach Baliye 7",season two of "24". Amruta says working with Meghnawas on her bucket list.

MUMBAI - The first look poster of award winning director RahatKazmi'sfeature film based on IsmatChugtai's most celebrated and most controversialstory "Lihaaf"(The Quilt) Launched in Cannes Film Festival at India Pavilionon 12th May. Oscar winning producer of "No Man's Land"Marc Baschet hasjoined hands with Indian producers of "Lihaaf". "I am very happy to be par t ofa film with such a strong theme with universal appeal, " said Marc.Showman of Bollywood SubhashGhai was present as a special guest to unveil theposter, while speaking he congratulated the team and French producer for such apower ful subject which generally filmmakers don't dare to touch, he also addedthat IsmatChugtai was such a strong woman and much ahead of her times whoraised voice about such strong issues through her stories.Marc added: "I first heard the story of Lihaaf (The Quilt ) when I met Namita inthe film bazaar in Goa in November last year. I was struck by the theme of thestory and decided to follow the development of the film as a mentor. Golda,who also heard the narration from Namita in Goa was happy to be a consult-ant to this team. Apar t from the story, I was also very impressed with thisyoung team of professional film makers who bring such sensitive, delicatestories to life on the big screen."Tannishtha Chatterjee best known in the west for Bafta nominated Brick Laneand many other international productions has played the role of Ismat Chugtaiand is very excited about the film. Apar t from Tannistha, Sonal Sehgal whoplays the character of Begum and is also the co-writer of the film with RahatKazmi has put her blood and sweat to get her character right. NamitaLal is theother most impor tant character ; the ladylove of Begum (Sonal), Namita hadalready played the character of Rabbo in theatre in Singapore and that wasthe reason that she bagged the role of Rabbo. Shoib Nikash Shah playsManto, who was earlier seen and acclaimed for Mantostaan.While talking to media Marc says: Lihaaf, is based on a shor t story by acelebrated Indian female Urdu writer - Ismat Chugtai . She wrote it in 1942.The story itself is a narrative of a true event in the life of Ismat when she was

in her teens and stayed in a feudal family for a shor t while. The story dealswith a subject which is still considered taboo in large parts of the world. Inthis, Ismat was much ahead of her times. Not surprisingly, she was slappedwith a legal case for depicting obscenity in her story. However she refused toapologize and defended herself for 3 years in a Lahore court.It still ranks as one of the landmark cases in suppor t of freedom of thoughtand expression in literature; reminiscent of another celebrated case, of D.H.Lawranc's "Lady Chatterly's Lover".Rahat Kazmi, the director of the movie adds Lihaaf (The Quilt) looks at anemotional and physical relationship of a neglected woman (Begum) with herlady masseur borne from a suffocating feudal environment as seen throughthe eyes of a teenager (Ismat). In her innocence, she cannot even makesense of it. But her story becomes a powerful critique of the contemporarysociety of rich land owing men lost in the pursuit of their male- centricpleasures to the utter neglect of their women folk, who then sought their joysfrom their female company.Ashishwagh from Indian film studios, who has been in distribution and productionsince more then a decade makes his point that the story of Lihaaf remains relevanteven today. We are still battling with irrational rejection of same-sex love. Even inIndia, an otherwise fast developing country it is crime inviting a jail term. TheSupreme Court of India is reviewing its earlier adverse judgment and will hopefullystrike down the relevant law soon. The story of Lihaaf (The Quilt) should be able toengage large thinking sections of society everywhere in the world. Issues ofacceptance of alternate sexuality and freedom of artistic expression were never sorelevant as today, because we see them endangered everywhere.Javid Banday, the Canadian film maker and co-producer of the movie considersLihaaf as one of the most controversial works of Ismat Chugtai that got her draggedin to the cour t on charges of obscenity. The story was written way ahead of its timeand it's more relevant in the contemporary world. The story takes you behind thecurtain, plays in the shadows of same-sex desire, and lifts the veil off the longings

of women in Muslim households. IsmatChhugtai's Lihaaf has been one of hermost controversial works, one that gother summoned to the court on chargesof obscenity.About the Director - Rahat KazmiRahat star ted his directorial venturewith his film Identity Card - based onthe Kashmir conflict. It wins criticalacclaim and awards including bestfilm and best director at San Fran-cisco global movie festival. par ts ofthis film were shown in the Europeanparliament in Brussels as a contextto the discussions on Kashmir. Hismost recent film Mantostan wasawarded best director at LondonAsian film festival 2017.About the ActorsTanishta Chatterjee plays the role ofIsmat Chugtai . She is an acclaimedactress and known for Bafta nomi-nated Brick Lane. She has acted inmany international films includingacademy nominated Lion. She is alsojury member of many A-listed festi-vals. Sonal Sehgal plays Begum Jaan. She has acted in many films and isknown for her per formance inNagesh Kuknoor's acclaimedAashayein.Namita Lal plays Rabbo. She is anacclaimed theatre actress havingperformed in multiple English andIndian language productions inSingapore and Mumbai. Mir Sarwarplays Nawaab. Mir is known for hisperformance in Kashmir Daily and HalfWidow. Shoib Nikash Shah plays Manto.Shoib has done many films includingMillion Dollar Nomad and MantostanThe film has been co-written by RahatKazmi and Sonal Sehga. The produc-ers are Rahat Kazmi, Tariq Khan,Zeba Sajid, Namita Lal (Singapore),Umesh Shukla, Utpal Acharya andAshish Wagh. It is co-produced byOscar winning producer MarcBaschett (known for Oscar winning"No Man's Land" and "Lunch Box"and Javid Banday, a Canadian film-maker and CEO Mediamark Interna-tional Corporation. Golda Sellam ofCinelink France is a consultant onthis project.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


I'M DONE WITH MY QUOTA OF SMALLROLES: NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI

SHRADDHA KAPOOR, RAJKUMMAR RAO AND SUSHANT AT WRAPUP PARTY OF FILM STREE AT BASTIAN IN MUMBAI.

b o l l y w o o d

Ranbir, Ajay Devgn notbothered about one or twoheroes in films: Luv RanjanMUMBAI, (IANS) Director Luv Ranjan and producer AnkurGarg are excited to have Ranbir Kapoor and Ajay Devgnon board for their next project, and say the actors lovedthe script. The film is all set to go on the floors next yearand is being produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg ofLuv Films. "Luv Films is looking forward to this project.We do a lot of work with T-Series and will continue to doso. However, as far as Luv's next with Ajay and Ranbir isconcerned, it's too early to talk about it. Discussions areon but nothing has been finalised yet," Garg said in astatement to IANS. Garg says they are elated to haveRanbir and Ajay on board. Ranjan said: "When an actor isexcited about their role and their character in the film -things like whether it's a one hero or two hero film isimmaterial. The fact is that both the actors found the scriptamazing." The film will bring back Ajay and Ranbir to-gether on-screen after "Raajneeti".

CHITRANGADA SINGH CUTSSHORT 'DID' JOURNEYMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Chitrangada Singh, who madeher debut in television earlier this year as a judge on apopular dance reality show, says she has had to cut herjourney on it shor t due to her other work commitments."I enjoyed this first time experience of being on a realityshow. It was an oppor tunity to connect with the audi-ences like I haven't before."But due to my commitments with my upcoming projects,I have had to cut shor t my journey with DID ('Dance IndiaDance li'l Masters')," Chitrangada said in a statement. "Itwas an emotional experience seeing the contestants com-pete against all odds. I would miss the contestants andwish them all my love and best wishes! They rock," sheadded. This year, Chitrangada has a line-up of three films,including Nikkhil Advani's "Bazaar" with Saif Ali Khan andTigmanshu Dhulia's "Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster 3" withSanjay Dutt. She is also producing "Soorma", starring DiljitDosanjh and Taapsee Pannu.

Working with Salman thebest experience: YogitaMUMBAI, (IANS) Newcomer Yogita Bihani says workingwith superstar Salman Khan has been the best experi-ence of her life. She had featured in the promo of the upcomingshow "Dus Ka Dum" with Salman. And now, she has bagged arole in "Dil Hi To Hai". She has also completed shooting for acommercial with Telugu star Nagarjuna. "Though I have beentrying my luck in acting for some time, scoring such big oppor-tunities in a month has put me on cloud nine. Working withSalman has been the best experience of my life till date, whichevery actor wishes for at least once in their career," Yogita saidin a statement. "Then being chosen to play the female lead forEkta Kapoor's show and now I am in seventh heaven after work-ing with superstar Nagarjuna....Looking back at this month, allmy effor ts have paid off really well," she added. "Dil Hi Toh Hai"is air soon on Sony Enter tainment Television.Have worked for three years on 'Batla House': Nikhil AdvaniMumbai, May 16 (IANS) Filmmaker Nikhil Advani, who is col-laborating with actor John Abraham for the upcoming film "BatlaHouse", says it is a story he has been working on for over threeyears. Advani on Wednesday tweeted: "An association that be-gan way back in 2005. I am so thrilled to be collaborating withRitesh Shah once again after 'D-Day' (and) 'Airlift'."We have worked for three years on this story and are so happyto have John Abraham help us tell it. 'Batla House'." A post fromthe official Twitter page of Emmay Entertainment read: "We arethrilled to announce Nikkhil Advani's next directorial venturestarring John Abraham in story of one of the most talked-aboutpolice operation in recent times, the encounter at L-18 Batlahouse. This one's going to be big!" Other details related to thefilm are still under wraps. The real life incident took place onSeptember 19, against Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists in BatlaHouse in Delhi. Two suspected ter rorists, Atif Ameen and MohammadSajid, were killed while two other suspects Mohammad Saifand Zeeshan were arrested, and one accused Ariz Khanmanaged to escape. Mohan Chand Sharma, who led thepolice action, was killed in the incident.

Shooting for 'Happy PhirrBhag Jayegi' wraps upMUMBAI, (IANS) The shooting of "Happy Phirr BhagJayegi" has concluded and actress Sonakshi Sinha saysit has been an amazing journey for her. Sonakshi on Tues-day n ight thanked ther film's director Mudassar Azizand the entire team for the oppor tunity. "And its a filmwrap for 'Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi' It has been an amaz-ing jou rney w i th an amaz ing t eam! Thank youMudassar Aziz for giving me the oppor tunity to bringHappy to life! And the entire cast and crew for one ofmy funnest shoots ! Cannot wai t for August 24! "Sonakshi tweeted.Aziz thanked the entire cast for the fi lm. "SonakshiSinha, Jass Gill, Jimmy Sheirgill, Piyush Mishra, AliFazal, Diana Penty Aparshakti... Thank you all! AanandL. Rai, this is for you! August 24! Here we come!" hewrote. "Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi", a sequel to the hit2016 film "Happy Bhag Jayegi", is set to release onAugust 24. Actress Diana Penty, who played a run-away bride in the first par t of the film, has returned forthe sequel. She is joined by Sonakshi, whose characteralso runs away from her wedding, in "Happy Phirr BhagJayegi." Aziz had also helmed the first par t.

BY RANVIR S. NAYAR

MUMBAI, (IANS) Having risen from an actor who began his careerwith small bits in various films, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has clearlyreached a point where he has shown not only his versatility, but alsothe ability to hold films on his own. The actor, who will be seenplaying writer Saadat Hasan Manto and late Shiv Sena supremo BalThackeray in separate films, says he's done with cameos.Here for his film "Manto", which features in the Cannes Film Festival'sUn Cer tain Regard section, Nawazuddin was all praise for the film'sdirector Nandita Das' "impeccable research". He shies away fromnaming a favourite director or even sharing his wish list. "If I takenames, the others will feel bad about it. As an actor, I only look atstories, script and most impor tantly my character in the film. There isalso a selfishness that works and I think it's quite normal that I lookfor characters that will challenge me and push me to the limits,"Nawazuddin told this correspondent.He is clear that there is no room for any more cameo appearances forhim. "No, I will not do it anymore (laughs). It's as simple as that, whywill I do them? I am done with my quota of small roles," he said.Nawazuddin is also venturing into production, taking on projects suchas "Manto" as a co-producer. "There are some upcoming films that Iam co-producing as well. My brother is very much into this doing thescouting for me. I definitely want to produce films as well," he said.He rules out exploring foreign shores for roles, saying he is contentwith India and the diversity of roles he is getting to do."For the time being, I am satisfied that all my directors in India aregiving me characters that are pretty challenging and I am happy doingthose. Just for the sake of a branding that I am an international star, Iwould not do that. How many films in the world are like 'Manto'? Veryfew. So, I have no such predetermined affiliation for internationalprojects. I am proud of Nandita and a film like this is no way less thanany international film."On him getting typecast, Nawazuddin said: "I think it's completely awrong conception. If I am doing (playing) Bal Thackeray and Manto atthe same time, how can one say that I am typecast? The Bollywoodheroes are typecast, they do the same thing all their life and they arenever asked these questions. "Now the films made in India are allow-ing actors like us to step in the shoes of lead characters and thatmakes us versatile. So, those who are still doing this (stretches hishand) are typecast, not me," he said.The heavy downpour that accompanied the interview perhaps re-flected the emotional response of the viewers to "Manto" at the screen-ing here in Cannes. The actor says the period film clearly touched achord with the audience at Cannes. "I have seen people crying in the

audience, there were people who came out with a very satisfied face.And the best par t was I think the film has tried to hit the conscience ofpeople very hard. There were many who came up to me and said thatthe film was very well timed," Nawazuddin said.That should not be surprise as the film's director, Nandita, has alwaysfound a warm reception at Cannes, where she has had her filmsscreened and also been a par t of the jury. Nawazuddin said a lot ofhard work and impeccable research has gone into the making of"Manto", which was not the typical rapid production in Bollywoodstyle. He compliments his director's attitude towards the script andthe film. "See when Nandita told me that the film is just not the storiesof Manto but his life as well, I was hooked to it."Manto's life in itself is very interesting. This was perhaps four yearsback and we tried all these years to make the concept that she wasbuilding come true. I just understood that this character will let meachieve a lot and will take away a lot of things that I always wanted togive as an actor. Nandita's research was impeccable and what I got inmy hands was almost half baked. It was a pleasure working withher," he said.On his own preparation for the role, he said he had already readManto's stories and had also enacted one of them, which made iteasier for him to cast himself in the role. "I am not a writer, so I canonly behave like a writer...It's not possible to be a writer. What I coulddo was create an impression of a writer on-screen. I have tried tothat. I have always tried to por tray theground reality of a character when-ever I acted."Manto's writing in itself is depic-tion of truth in every form andNandita has always told us to ex-ercise that in our per formances.Not only had I, but each one of ustried not to be a cliche whenpor traying their par ts in thefilm. I can't specifically sayone I like all the stories ofManto. I read them and Ilove them. I had done'Toba Tek Singh' maybetwenty years back, so I re-late to it. Otherwise, sto-ries like 'Khol Do', 'KaliSalwar' or 'ThandaGosht' are all myfavourites."

MADHURI DIXIT NENE AT HIGH FEVER DANCE KA NAYA TEVAR LAUNCH IN MUMBAI.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018b o l l y w o o d

hollywood

ROMANCE NOT JUST FOR A BOY AND A GIRL: SANJAY MISHRANEW DELHI, (PTI) In a country where PDA continues to be taboo, Sanjay Mishra says his upcoming film "Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain" isan endearing effort to make showing love to one another, especially for the older couples, more acceptable.The veteran actor says people have a skewed notion about the idea of love and romance and how it belongs only to youth. "Romanceis not just for a boy and a girl, the romance which takes place around the trees and flowers... Some people have a romance with food,so different things for different people. That's how even Mira and Khusro came to be. We have very limited notion of romance. We havemade it like that."Love is beyond all this. It is ageless. You see an older couple sitting in a cafe sharing coffee and you know that's love when they lookat you with those eyes. That's romance," Mishra told PTI in an interview. Directed by Harish Vyas, the Banaras-set film is a story of acouple, played by Mishra and Ekavali Khanna - married for over 30 years. They try to find love and spark back in their lives with thehelp of the younger generation - Anshuman Jha and Shivani Raghuvanshi.Pankaj Tripathi also stars in the film. Asked why love stories focus on youth, the actor says it is a question that needs to be asked."Does it mean that after 20 life is over? That all good things will happen below the age of 30? After that you're done? Maybe someonewakes up late. They would want to achieve something at the age of 60. Will you discourage them? How much of a struggle would thatbe? To establish oneself in one's own society?"The actor says language may have been created for the humans to express themselves but people have learnt "more cusswords" thansaying 'those three lovely words'. In the film, Mishra plays Yashwant Batra, a conservative middle class man who tries reigniting hisrelationship with his wife Kiran, whom he realises he has taken for granted for a long time. "We need to add a little language in our dailylives to acknowledge these gestures, we have learnt so many cusswords, this is also possible. Why does 'I love you' has to have sucha short shelf life?"Language is necessary. We express through it. The language of love has become silent. The world would have been different had itbeen the other way," the actor says. Mishra says it is unfor tunate that the societal norms do not even let people freely expressthemselves to their mother. "We don't even feel the need to say it to mothers. This attitude that has been given to us by the society. Forthat language to emerge, we need to be in touch with ourselves. Then profess love to the other person. But you should not say 'I loveyou' to everyone," he quips.

Ryan Reynolds doesn't wanthis kids in 'crazy' showbizLOS ANGELES, (PTI) "Deadpool 2" star Ryan Reynoldssays he is uninterested in pushing his children into theglitz and glamour world of show business. The 41-year-old actor, who has two daughters James (three) and Inez(19 months) with wife actor Blake Lively, feels it will be"cruel" to make kids deal with the pressures of fame.When asked why he does not want to put his children inshowbiz, Reynolds said, "Mostly because I'm againstchild abuse. Show business, for a little kid, that's a crazypursuit. "Acting is great. Theatre school, that kind of (thing)- amazing. I don't know why you would put your kid inshow business." The actor appeared on "Good MorningAmerica" to promote his upcoming film "Deadpool 2",which releases this Friday.

Benedict Cumberbatch toplay Dominic Cummings inBrexit-based dramaLOS ANGELES, (PTI) "Avengers: Inf inity War" starBenedict Cumberbatch is a l l set to p lay DominicCummings, the strategist who was the campaign di-rector of 2016's "Vote Leave" campaign in the UK. Thedrama "Brexit" (working title), based on EU referen-dum, is a two-hour project, which will be directed by"Black Mir ror" fame Toby Haynes, according to TheHollywood Repor ter.A Channel 4 venture, the show is being described asan "utterly timely and compelling new political thrillerfrom Olivier- and Royal Television Society-winningscreenwriter James Graham. Unpacking the anatomyof the historic, high-stakes campaign to win the hear tsand minds of the British people, this one-off drama setprimarily during the referendum will, for the first time, ex-plore the myriad tactics employed to swing one of the mostsurprising referendum results in living memory," the chan-nel said in a statement. Haynes, who has earlier workedwith Cumberbatch in "Sherlock", said the drama will "ex-plore the data-driven political campaign behind one of themost contested, controversial government referen-dums in modern history." Writer Graham said he isboth excited and nervous to decipher the historic ver-dict and bring the process alive on screen. "I'm so excited - not tomention a little nervous - to have this chance to try and getunder the skin of what happened during that historic vote.

DIA MIRZA, SHAHID KAPOOR, KARTIK AARYAN, RANBIR KAPOOR AND KARAN JOHAR AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE19TH EDITION OF IIFA WEEKEND AND AWARDS 2018, IN NEW DELHI.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


'Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain': Simple, sincere, sweet story

'HIGH JACK': FAILS TO GIVE YOU A HIGH

CAST: SANJAI MISHRA, EKAVALI KHANNA,

PANKAJ TRIPATHI, ANSHUMAN JHA

DIRECTOR: HARISH VYAS

RATING: ****

b o l l y w o o dM O V I E R E V I E W

M O V I E R E V I E W

SONAKSHI FOUND DRIVINGMINI TRUCK TIRINGMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Sonakshi Sinha says driving aheavy manual mini truck for a sequence in "Happy PhirBhaag Jayegi" was extremely tiresome. "I do have somepractice driving manual cars but this mini truck was nocakewalk. It was a very old and heavy vehicle and becauseit was manual, the steering and gears were extremely tire-some and required a lot of strength to manuver," Sonakshisaid in a statement to IANS."Since it was a chase sequence, I had to accelerate thespeed but with enough skill to guide my course safely onthe roads. Having to burn rubber with that massive beastwas quite the challenge but when we got it, the feeling wasincredible," she added. "Happy Phir Bhaag Jayegi" is a se-quel to "Happy Bhag Jayegi", featuring Diana Penty, Ali Fazaland Abhay Deol that was released in 2016. The romanticcomedy nar rated the story of a girl named Happy, who runsaway from her wedding and reaches Pakistan by mistake.Diana features in the sequel too. She is joined by actressSonakshi whose character also runs away from her wed-ding. Mudassar Aziz, who helmed the first par t, is back on thedirector's chair for the sequel. The scene for which Sonakshi drove thevehicle was crucial. "It was a rather crucial scene that was being shotin Kuala Lumpur recently. The scene was a chase sequence for whichSonakshi was required to drive a mini truck as a means for hercharacter to escape.

I DON'T MIND KISSINGON-SCREEN: RANDEEP RAINEW DELHI, (IANS) "Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai" actorRandeep Rai has no qualms about kissing his co-stars fora project. He says he will do it only if there is a require-ment. In the show set in the 1990s, he plays a studentnamed Sameer who has won over the hear ts of manywomen by his charm. According to a report, he and and hisco-star Ashi Singh will "kiss in public" as par t of the show.Asked about it, Randeep told IANS over phone from Mumbai:"There is no kiss but I don't mind (kissing on-screen). Thereis no issue. If there will be a requirement then I will be okaywith it. If not in this show then in another show. I won't minddoing it." He is currently excited about the show's collegetrack which will begin soon on Sony Enter tainment Televi-sion. "Costume changes are basic. The major changes arein the character. Sameer is getting older, his responsibili-ties will increase, lifestyle will change, he will becomemore mature. These are the changes that count," he said.Sameer had shifted base to Delhi but is now back inAhmedabad. "His hear t was always in Ahmedabad but dueto a situation, he had to stay in Delhi. Finally, he is back inAhmedabad," Randeep said about his character.

CAN'T WAIT FOR SANJU'SPROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGNTO UNVEIL: DIA MIRZAMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Dia Mirza, who is excited aboutthe release of the trailer of her for thcoming film "Sanju",says that she can't wait for it's promotional campaign tounveil. Environmental conservation enthusiast, Dia Mirzaalong with Sameera Reddy, Zayed Khan, Bhagyashree, andSussanne Khan, was present at the launch of Farah KhanAil's new jewellery collection on Wednesday.Dia, who will be seen alongside Ranbir Kapoor in the biopic, wasasked about her excitement over the film to which she replied: "We areall very excited for 'Sanju' and we can't wait for the ( promotional)campaign to unveil. the trailer will be out soon and every-one will see it together." Dia said. When asked if she hashad the chance to check the "Race 3" trailer released onWednesday, Dia said, "'Race 3' is looking big and the actionin the trailer is looking amazing. I am very sure that in thegenre, 'Race 3' will be one of the best films."

MUSIC HAS ABILITY TOSEND ACROSS A MESSAGE:VISHAL DADLANIMUMBAI, (PTI) Composer Vishal Dadlani bel ievesBollywood films and its music can be a power ful tool tosend across an impor tant message to people. The iconictrack "Dil Toh Paagal Hai" from Yash Chopra's cult classicof the same name has been re-rendered. The new version,in collaboration with Dadlani, has been sung by 6 PackBand 2.0 comprising six specially-abled children.Asked if such causes can be highlighted through Bollywoodfilms and songs, Dadlani said, "It can and it should be done,it's very impor tant. Music is not just enter tainment it alsohas a quality to send a message to people's hear ts. If wecan make impor tant things reach people through this me-dium, it'll be very nice," he told repor ters.The composer was speaking at the song launch last evening.The track has been recreated by Shameer with addi-tional lyrics by Kumaar. Dadlani said though he wouldhave never touched the song, he is glad to be a par t of itbecause of the cause and how the "message has comeout so organically and reached people." The composersaid he was impressed by children's talent and felt theysounded like playback singers."When I was offered the song and I heard it, I told the teamthey sound like playback singers. I honestly thought theysing better than me. They actually didn't need me, I amhonoured to be par t of this," he said. 6 Pack Band 2.0 iscurated by Shameer Tandon and conceived and producedby Ashish Patil of Y-Films. The project hopes to effect apositive social change through the inspiring and fascinat-ing stories of the six band members.

That sage who opined that it's very difficult to be simple, must have seen"Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain" coming. This sweet, slender, supple, brittle andtender film about a mid-life marital crisis cuts deep. It leaves us with a smileand a tear and with a resolve to be nicer and more demonstrative of ourfeelings towards those who matter in our lives. While recalling two of SanjaiMishra's finest films in recent times, "Ankhon Dekhi" and "Masaan" (theformer for the theme of a man past his prime suddenly seeking to extend theconscripted parameters of his life, and the latter for its Varanasi setting), thisfilm is another beast altogether.It is a much happier film than "Masaan" and far less philosophical in tone than"Ankhon Dekhi". It avoids a heaviness of the hear t but doesn't shun emotions.It just keeps the proceedings uncomplicated. The matter-of-fact tone rips itsway gently through the narrative creating a world of office, home, wife anddaughter... It's all so mundane that the drama would almost seem intrusive.When the crisis happens it doesn't take us by surprise. It only reaffirms ourfaith in the power of serendipity to strike and subjugate human desire even inthe most prosaic lives. So there he is, Yashwant Batra residing in a ram-shackle ancestral home in Varanasi with his wife Kiran and daughter Preeti.There are ripples of upheaval when Preeti shows more than a passing inter-est in the boy-next-door (played with endearing unassumingness by AnshumanJha). You would think this is a river-bank comedy about an over-possessivefather of the bride fuming as the loverboy whisks her away. But nothing hereis as uncomplicated as it seems. In a sequence performed with masterlycontrol and exceptional restraint by the redoubtable Sanjai Mishra and EkavaliKhanna (who is undoubtedly the surprise of the mellow drama), all the seams

CAST: SUMEET VYAS, SONNALLI SEYGALL,

KUMUD MISHRA, MANTRA

DIRECTOR: AKARSH KHURANA

RATING: *

High on substance abuse and low on content, that is howone would describe this "stoner" comedy - 'High Jack',directed by Akarsh Khurana. With this film, the credibility ofits producers - Phantom films co-founded by AnuragKashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena andVikas Bahl, is definitely at stake! The company was formedto promote meaningful cinema. One needs to find a meaninghere! This loud, dull-witted comedy begins to grind on theaudience from the very beginning because it was dependingon its sad and pathetically unfunny characters rather thanthe funny logic for its laughs.The writing as well as the direction is purely slapdash, toomundane and far-fetched to digest. The title puns on theterm hijack and literally ensures that much of the actiontakes place on the Udaan Air flight number QY75T from Goato Delhi. The said fight is hijacked to Kochi by somedisgruntled employees of the airline. How Rakesh an out-of-luck DJ who was recently duped in Goa along with someinconsequential but quirky co-passengers and the flightcrew endure the journey, forms the crux of the tale.

BY TROY RIBEIRO

BY TROY RIBEIRO in the carefully woven pastiche of a working class marriage come apar t.What lies exposed is the hollowness and the veiled insensitivity of a house-holder who thinks providing for the family is all that his responsibility amountsto. Though as calm as the Ganga waters that Faroukh Mistry's camera glidesover with gladdening serenity, the family drama lays bare some painfulhome truths and then fights back the tears to instead create some light,bantering moments as Yashwant tries to win his hurt and withdrawn wifeback. Sanjai Mishra takes Yashwant's character through his journey of hypo-critical gender-dominance to a state where he provides an equal status to hislife par tner without reducing his character to an illustrative puppet. Sanjai iseloquent and excursive. In a sequence where he tries to bear with his wife'soverbearing family for her sake, he mixes conflicting emotions in a cocktailof fluctuating expressions that a lesser actor would make a mess of.The greatness of the central per formance and the film lies in making the mosttangled situation appear simple and soluble. Sanjai is Everyman and yet hisown person. As his wife, Ekavali Khanna is powerful. In her most revealingmoments, she blends an easy grace with a bedrock of unexpressed hur t. Herflashes of rebellion against her husband's arrogant domination are quicklyreined-in to convey a dignified resignation.The supporting cast, specially Pankaj Tripathi as a doting husband nursing adying wife and Brajendra Kala as the wacky father of the groom who takesgenerosity of spirit to another level, are first rate. This is a small film with avery big hear t, enduring in its statement on the erosion of mutual respect in amarriage of convenience, and endearing in its susceptibility to keep thenarrative clutter-free when the stakes are piled heavily against a friction-freecondition of existence. Oh, and yes. This is a two-hero film. Sanjai Mishraand the city of Varanasi.

Being a comedy - obviously the seriousness of the subject isnot taken into consideration and thus the plot meanders withgags and action that has no depth. Among the quirky passen-gers are a crying infant, an androgynous airhostess whodoubles up as a Black Cat Commando, a disgraced cricketer,an inquisitive author and a bored-of-themselves couple. Thefilm has a happy ending and the finale song irritatinglyreinforces it with its lyrics. The per formances of everycharacter is per functor y. The hijackers are dumb, emotionaland ill-equipped to carry out the task.Their inter-actions and idiosyncrasies seem to be bankruptof humour thus plunging the film to its nadir. Leading theteam of hijackers is Mantra Mugdh as Vinit, who is accom-panied by Sar thak Kakar as Nakul, Sarang Sathaye asDheeraj and the character Ty. Sumeet Vyas gives a fair showas DJ Rakesh who is doped throughout the film. He isabused and irritated by co-passengers on either side, but hedoes nothing to elevate and make his character memorable.Kumud Mishra and Natasha Rastogi as Mr. and Mrs. Tanejaare natural and interesting and they hold your attention for awhile. Overall, with moderate production values, the filmfails to excite.

THE CHENNAI SUPER KINGS DUGOUT CELEBRATES TEAM'S WIN IN THEIR FINAL LEAGUE MATCH OF THE IPL 2018 SEASONAGAINST KINGS XI PUNJAB, IN PUNE.

Ganguly against toss abolition in Test cricket

VIRAT KOHLI HAVING FUN WITH CHRIS GAYLE DURING AN IPL 2018 MATCH.

TEST DISCARD MOEENSAYS IPL STINT WILL MAKEHIM BETTER ODI PLAYERBENGALURU, (PTI) Axed from the England squad for theTests against Pakistan, all-rounder Moeen Ali says his IPLstint will make him a better one-day player and improve hisgame. "I have really worked on my game and I feel goingfur ther in the future for RCB and for England, hopefully it willhelp me become a better one-day player. Hopefully, it isgoing to improve my game," he told repor ters here.Ali has been instrumental in keeping Royal ChallengersBangalore's chances of qualifying for playoffs intact. Hepicked up two wickets and in the company of AB de Villiersthen, smashed a match-winning half century againstSunrisers Hyderabad. The English player hammered a 34-ball 65, which was studded with two boundaries and sixsixes, to guide RCB to 218 for 6. He credited RCB suppor tstaff, including Gary Kirsten and Trent Woodhill, for his im-proved batting."Yeah Gary and Trent Woodhill. I have worked the most withthem on my batting. I am trying to hit the ball and be consis-tent in hitting boundaries. They have really opened my gameand I feel going further for England, it will help me becomea better ODI player and improve my game," he said. Pleasedafter being able to express himself with the bat, Ali hopedthat his team's confidence gets a boost going ahead.

Kolkata, (IANS) Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Mondayjoined Bishan Singh Bedi and Dilip Vengsarkar in opposing the pro-posal to abolish the toss from Test cricket. Opinion has been di-vided among former cricketers since a newly-formed committeeof the International Cricket Council (ICC), one that includes ex-international cricketers and coaches, el i te panel umpires andmatch-referees, has mooted the idea of doing away with the tossin Test cricket."It remains to be seen whether it is implemented or not. Person-ally, I am not in favour of toss abolition," Ganguly told repor tershere. If toss is done away with, the game's global governing body will

alter a 140-year old tradition of the game, all in the name of protectingthe five-day format's following. The committee headed by former In-dia captain Anil Kumble will debate whether or not the toss should beremoved in an attempt to reduce home advantage held by the hostteam. This will be discussed in an ICC meeting in Mumbai later in themonth. Asked about home advantage, Ganguly said, "If the home teamloses the toss, the advantage does not stay." Former Australia cap-tains Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have backed a move to scrapthe toss, while West Indies pace great Michael Holding and formerPakistan captain Javed Miandad also felt it would encourage an evencontest between bat and ball.

Toss-less Tests: No harm in experimenting, says MiandadKARACHI, (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has backed the proposal to abolish toss from Test cricket. While Miandadsaid such a move would force the home team to prepare better pitches instead of focusing on preparing tracks that suit them, anotherformer captain, Salim Malik said the International Cricket Council should not tinker with the traditions of the game. "I don't see anyharm in trying out this experiment of abolishing the toss," Miandad told PTI.It might ultimately lead to matches par ticularly Test cricket being played on good standard pitches, he said as the ICC's cricketcommittee meets in Mumbai this month to debate on whether the toss should be abolished from the game. The committee can onlymake recommendations to the ICC chief executives committee. Since it was disclosed that the cricket committee was considering amove to recommend abolishing the toss from cricket there has been a mixed reaction to the proposal.Miandad, a veteran of 124 tests and 233 ODIs, said there was no harm in the experiment to get better results. Toss has always beenan integral par t of cricket but times are changing and one needs to try out new things to make the spor t more attractive and better, hesaid. He pointed out that in recent years home sides had resor ted to preparing sub-standard and one-sided pitches to gain advantageand win matches against touring sides and this didn't help the game. In recent times we have seen Pakistan win in UAE conditionswhere pitches are low bounced and slow and than go and struggle in Australia or New Zealand. The answer is to ensure they are goodquality pitches wherever cricket is played.

MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Preity Zinta has apologised on be-half of her team Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for "not being up to themark" and losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongo-ing Indian Premier League (IPL). The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK knocked out KXIP from the play-offs race of the IPL,after defeating them in the last league match by five wicketsin Pune on Sunday. Reacting to the loss, Preity said in atweet: "Who would have thought that after winning five out ofsix games in the beginning, Kings XI Punjab would have endedthe IPL on this note. I am sorry to all our fans and suppor tersfor not being up to the mark this season. Next year we won'tlet you down. Disappointed," she added. The Punjab sideunder new skipper Ravichandran Ashwin managed to win sixout of their 14 league games to end their campaign at thepenultimate spot in the IPL tally with 12 points.

Mumbai knocked out; DelhiDaredevils win by 11 runsMUMBAI, (IANS) In the 55th match of the VIVO Indian Pre-mier League (IPL) 2018, Delhi Daredevils defeated MumbaiIndians and ended their journey in their year's IPL. On thepenultimate evening of the league games, Delhi had nothingto lose while for Mumbai, everything was at stake. Mumbai'sselection for the playoffs was hanging in balance after therecent turbulence in the VIVO IPL points table and they couldnot secure a place for the playoffs. Earlier, DD won the tossand decided to bat first against Mumbai Indians at the FerozShah Kotla in Delhi. The star t went well for Delhi and they putup quick 30 runs in the first 3 overs A careless action fromShaw cost him his wicket and Delhi for no reason, lost one ofits in-form batsmen. Bumrah got Maxwell's wicket soon andDelhi suffered the second blow. After suffering two setbacks,Delhi was looking for a recovery.Iyer and Pant did manage to get DD on the track to someextent. The par tnership came to an end as Iyer ended upgiving a catch. DD dropped big hits and settled for collectingruns through singles and doubles. The run-a-ball approachwas reaping benefits for DD as it minimised risk and both thebatsmen looked comfortable. Meanwhile, Rishabh pant completedhis fifty and changed the gear but perished after a crucial 64-runknock, Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma added runs and tookthe score to 174 runs, a decent score overall. SuryakumarYadav succumbed to the temptation of hitting boundaries inthe first over after smashing Lamichhane initially.

IPL 2018: Chennai beat Punjabby five wickets in final leaguegame; Preity Zinta apologised

Thomas and Uber Cup: India hammer Australia; Malaysia, Denmark winBANGKOK, (IANS) After going down to Canada in their opening match, the India women's badminton team came all guns blazing onMonday to thrash Australia 4-1 in the second group match of the Thomas and Uber Cup here on Monday. Bar ring the women's doublesmatch, the Indian team led by ace shuttler Saina Nehwal won all their matches.Saina kicked off the proceedings with a straight game win over Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen. She outclassed her opponent 21-14, 21-19 inthe 35-minute opening match, and provide India a 1-0 lead. However, Australia equalised the issue in the women's doubles affair asGronya Somerville and Renuga Veeran defeated Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram 21-13, 21-16 within half an hour. In ananother women's singles match, Vaishnavi Reddy Jakka bought back India in the contest as she hammered Jennifer Tam 21-17, 21-13. Later, another women's pair comprising Sanyogita Ghorpade and Prajakta Sawant extended India's lead by beating Louisa Ma andAnn-Louise Slee 21-19, 21-11 in the second doubles match. The 19-year-old Anura Prabhudesai finally sealed the issue for India 4-1as she got the better of Zecily Fung 21-6, 21-7 in just 18 minutes. India will now face top seeds from Japan on Wednesday. In otherclashes of the day, Japan's women and Malaysia's and China's men's teams all secured 5-0 victories in the tournament, repor ted Efe.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


MidWeek 2018IPL

DWAYNE BRAVO AND AMBATI RAYUDU OF CHENNAI SUPER KINGS DURING A PRACTICE SESSION AHEAD OF AN IPL 2018MATCH AGAINST DELHI DAREDEVILS IN NEW DELHI.

BCCI has not marketed Test cricket well: Gambhir

BEAST UNVEIL MOSTEXCITING FAN-FRIENDLYSCHEDULE IN TEAM HISTORYBRAMPTON - The Brampton Beast Hockey Club is proudto announce their 2018-19 regular season schedule. Theschedule is highlighted by 10 Saturday home games andfor the first time a heavy dose of Canadian competition.Saturday nights in Brampton are about to get a whole lotmore exciting beginning with the Home Opener on October13th. The Beast have listened to their fans' requests formore weekend games, and will play a total of 10 Saturdaysat the Powerade Centre.New Great Canadian RivalryFor the first time in team history the Beast will have afellow Canadian team to battle against. The ECHL recentlyannounced that St. John's, Newfoundland will be joiningthe league. The Newfoundland Growlers will be a frequentvisitor to the Powerade Centre, as the Canadian squadswill face off a total of 13 times. The pride of St. John's willmake their first appearance in Brampton Saturday, October27th and Sunday, October 28th.Making Our Way to MaineThe St. John's team won't be the only new squad competingagainst the Beast. The Maine Mariners, playing out ofPortland, Maine and led by former NHL superstar DanielBriere makes their way into the ECHL's Nor th Division.The Mariners make their first foray into Canada on Friday,November 16th and Saturday, November 17th.Sunday Skates With the Beast are BackWhile Saturday nights will be a new experience at thePowerade Centre, Beast fans can still look forward tothe beloved Sunday Post-Game Skates. The Beast willplay a total of 16 Sunday afternoon games, beginningat 2pm. As always, the Beast players will join fans onthe ice for a skate immediately following the games, inwha t has become one o f the g rea t GTA hockeytraditions. While full details on themes and promotionalnights will be released shor t ly, Beast fans can lookforward to some of their favourite game nights returningfor another season.Home Opening Weekend Against the MonarchsThe Home Opening weekend will feature back-to-backgames against a fierce rival, the Manchester Monarchson October 13th, with the second game being playedSunday, October 14th at 2pm. Of course, that will bethe season's first Post-Game Skate with the players.Honouring Our Armed ForcesThe Beast will once again honour Canada's military withArmed Forces Appreciation Day on Sunday, November11th. Last season saw Nainesh Kotak of Kotak PersonalIn jury Law purchase 1,000 t ickets for the use bymembers of the Canadian Armed Forces and theirfamilies, and the Beast look forward to continuing thegreat tradition this season.Decking the Halls with the Teddy Bear TossBeast fans made the 2017 Teddy Bear Toss the best inteam history, and the Beast look forward to making itbetter than ever this season on Sunday, December 9that 2pm. Lock it in your calendar and be ready for allsorts of holiday-themed activities at the game.Youth Hockey Takes the SpotlightAnother event that was better than ever last seasonwas Hockey Day in Brampton, with over 1,000 minorhockey players and their families taking par t in thefestivities. The event will return to the Powerade CentreSaturday, January 26th, and early bookings promise tomake the event bigger and better than ever.Families First on Family DayFamil ies in Brampton no longer have to search forsomething to do together on Family Day, because theBeast are bui ld ing another great Brampton fami lytradition. The Beast will be facing off against the rivalKalamazoo Wings Monday, February 18th.Saving the Best for LastWhile the Beast plan on making a return to the playoffsin the 2018-19 season, the annual Fan Appreciation Daywill continue to be a special date on the calendar. Thisseason the Beast are putting plans together for the bestFan Appreciation Day yet to salute their fans, facing offagainst their rival Toledo Walleyes on Sunday, April 7.School Kids TakeoverIn addition to these exciting events, the Beast are proudto continue the groundbreaking School Day program!The Beast have scheduled four games for the secondstraight season and wil l be working with corporatepar tners throughout the GTA to pack the PoweradeCentre with school kids from throughout the Region ofPeel. The ful l schedule can be found at the Beastwebs i t e a t www.b ramptonbeas t .com, as caninformation on season ticket memberships, multiplegame packages, and unbe l ievab le group out ings.Alternatively, fans can call the Beast Front Office at 905-564-1684 for fur ther information.

NEW DELHI, (PTI) The BCCI may have created extremely popular andsuccessful Indian Premier League (IPL) but the Indian board has notdone "enough" to market Test cricket, revered by the purists, saysformer India opener Gautam Gambhir. Known for his straight talking,the two-time World Cup winner put for th his point in presence of CoAchief Vinod Rai and CEO Rahul Johri. "I don't think BCCI has marketedTest cricket as well as they have done with ODIs and T20s. I remem-ber a Test match at Eden Gardens against West Indies (in 2011). Indiabatting on the first day and there were 1000 people," Gambhir said."Imagine Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman playingand there are only 1000 people," the senior opener said during launchof cricket historian Boria Majumdar's book 'Eleven Gods and Billion

Indians'. Seasoned spinner Harbhajan Singh felt Test cricket shouldbe taken to tier-2 cities but Gambhir said it's hardly a solution. "I don'tknow but they have messed it somewhere. May be cut down on T20sand ODIs," the veteran of 58 Tests and 147 ODIs. The former ICC 'Testbatsman of the Year' also feels that playing white ball cricket beforeTest matches will be of little help.India are schedule to play three Twenty20 and three ODIs beforethe five-Test series against England during their upcoming tour,star ting June 27. "Playing with red dukes in Test is completelydifferent from playing white ball cricket. The three T20s and threeODIs isn't an indicator of how well you are prepared for the Tests,"said the two-time IPL winning captain.

ZIMBABWE RECRUITS RAJPUT AS INTERIM HEAD COACHHARARE, (IANS) Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) on Thursday named former India opener Lalchand Rajput as the interim headcoach after ex-national skipper Heath Streak was sacked from the position in March. "The 56-year-old is expected tostar t work immediately ahead of the triangular Twenty20 international (T20I) series involving Zimbabwe, Australia andPakistan in Harare in July," read a ZC statement. Rajput, a former India opener, has previously been in-charge of India'scoaching set-up during their World T20 triumph in 2007. He has also coached Afghanistan, after having coached MumbaiIndians and serving as the director of India's National Cricket Academy. Rajput's first challenge in his new role will be Zimbabwe'striangular T20I series involving Australia and Pakistan in Harare in July.

GOT TO LEARN NEW THINGS EVERYDAY IN MUMBAI INDIANS: HARDIKNEW DELHI, (PTI) When a squad is full of legends, a young cricketer can learn a thing or two everyday, says Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya. "There are so many legends in the team and every day, we get to learn a new thing. So, it is a dreamcome true for me to play for Mumbai Indians," Pandya said at a promotional event when asked about his association with MI.Mumbai Indians are the the defending champions and they have won the IPL title three times. They are pitted against DelhiDaredevils in their last match here on Sunday, which will decide whether they qualify for the the play-offs or not. TheRohit Sharma-led side is coached by former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene. Former New Zealand fast bowler ShaneBond is their bowling coach while ex-India batsman Robin Singh is their batting coach.Hardik's Mumbai Indians team-mates Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan were also present at the event held at theTaiwan Excellence Pavilion at the Taiwan Expo here. The trio visited the pavilion to check out the latest gizmos put up ondisplay by some of the top Taiwanese brands. Last year, Taiwan Excellence made their debut as sponsors for IPL by tying upwith Mumbai Indians franchise as their official partner.

THE DELHI DAREDEVILS SQUAD HAVING FUN WITH SOURAV GANGULY AT THE EVENT ORGANISED BY DTDC INDIA.



Documents

ONTARIO ELECTIONS: NDP , PC NECK-TO-NECK, LIBERALS …southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/1-24-2.pdf · Ford campaign spokeswoman Melissa Lantsman has told media investigation