Part_1 - South Asian Daily

Transcription

MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2014
1
Average Home price UP
by more than 9% in GTA
AHANA AND VAIBHAV WEDDING RECEPTION
H
MORE PICS ON PAGE 3 & 25
OPERATION BLUE STAR - UK's assistance was
purely advisory & limited: Foreign Secretary
U
K's Foreign Secretary
William
Hague
statement to Parliament
on the Indian Operation at Sri
Harmandir Sahib in 1984.
The House will recall that on
13th January concerns were
raised regarding two documents
released to the public in the
National Archives.
The documents relate to the
painful events that followed the
occupation of the Temple site by
Sikh dissidents in December
1983, which led to a six-month
standoff with the Indian
authorities.
In June 1984 a three-day military
operation by Indian forces
known as 'Operation Blue Star'
took place. Official Indian
government figures estimate that
575 people died. Other reports
suggest as many as 3,000 people
were killed, including pilgrims
caught in the cross-fire.
This loss of life was an utter
tragedy.
Understandably,
members of the Sikh community
around the world still feel the
pain and suffering caused by
these events.
Given this, we fully understand
the concerns raised by the two
documents. They indicated that
in February 1984, in the early
stages of the crisis, the-then
British government sent a
military officer to give advice to
the Indian government about
their contingency planning.
Many in this House and the
whole country rightly wished
to know what connection, if
any, there had been between
this giving of advice and the
tragic events at Amritsar over
three months later.
Wi t h i n
hours
of
the
documents coming to light,
the Prime Minister instructed the
Cabinet Secretary to carry out
an urgent investigation in four
critical areas: why advice was
provided to the Indian
authorities, what the nature of
that advice was, what impact it
had on Operation Blue Star,
and whether Parliament was
misled.
The Cabinet Secretary was not
asked to investigate Operation
Blue Star itself, or the actions of
the Indian government, or other
events relating to the Sikh
community in India.
While the Cabinet Secretary has
investigated these specific
matters, I can make clear that
during his investigation no
circumstantial evidence has
been offered, or has surfaced, of
UK involvement in any
subsequent military operations
in the Punjab.
This investigation has been
rigorous and thorough.
The Cabinet Secretary and
officials have met Sikh
organisations to ensure that
their concerns informed the
investigation.
They have spoken to individuals
associated with the two
documents, although some
officials are now deceased.
They have examined Hansard
records from 1984 to the present
day.
CONTD. ON PAGE 8
MICROSOFT'S NEW CEO: SATYA NADELLA
Saty a N a d e l l a , w h o h a s
worked for Microsoft for the
past 22 years, is the new CEO
of the company as of this
week, as the former CEO Steve
Ballmer is out.
Meanwhile, the founder of the
company, Bill Gates, will now be
"technology advisor" playing an
active role in development of
Microsoft products.
"Satya is a proven leader with
hard-core engineering skills,
business vision, and the ability
to bring people together," Gates
said in a prepared statement.
"His vision for how technology
will be used and experienced
around the world is exactly what
Microsoft needs as the company
enters its next chapter of
expanded product innovation
and growth."
Nadella has degrees in electrical
engineering, computer science
along with MBA. He has led
Microsoft's Online Service
Division and its Business Solution
group in the past.
"I came here because I believed
Microsoft was the best company
in the world. I saw then how clearly
we empower people to do magical
things with our creations and
ultimately make the world a better
place. I knew there was no better
company to join if I wanted to
make a difference.
DETAILS ON PAGE 5
ome ownership in the Greater Toronto Area remains
affordable and there are many people looking to purchase a
home. In January, the number of homes listed for sale was
down quite strongly compared to last year, which means that it was
difficult for some buyers to find a home.
Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,135 sales through
the TorontoMLS system in January 2014. This result was down by
2.2 per cent in comparison to January 2013. New listings entered
into the system were down over the same period by 16.6 per cent to
8,822.
"Looking forward, it is possible that strong price growth, and
therefore an increase in home equity, will act as a trigger for more
households to list their homes for sale. This is especially the case
for households whose life styles are changing, including those with
an expanding family looking for a larger home or empty nesters
looking to downsize," said Dianne Usher, President, Toronto Real
Estate Board.
The average selling price for January 2014 sales was $526,528 - up
by more than nine per cent compared to $482,080 in January 2013.
"The pace of price growth will remain strong in 2014. Similar to last
year, competition between buyers for singles, semis and town homes
in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions will continue to exert
upward pressure on selling prices. At the same time, mortgage rates
will remain near historic lows, so despite strong price growth, home
ownership will remain affordable for the average household in the
GTA," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Senior Manager of Market
Analysis.
CONTD. ON PAGE 5
ASHUTOSH MAHARAJ DEAD OR ALIVE ?
Ashutosh Maharaj, spiritual
preacher and Chief of sect
Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan
(DJJS) has been motionless
since past one week, but his
followers maintain that he is
alive and is in deep stage of
mediation.
PTI has reported Ashutosh
Maharaj, spiritual preacher and
Chief of sect Divya Jyoti Jagriti
Sansthan (DJJS), is "clinically
dead" as per the medical
reports, Punjab Police
informed the Punjab and
Haryana High Court on
Wednesday.
Harinderpal Singh Parmar,
Deputy Superintendent of
Police (DSP) of Nakodar in
Jalandhar district today
submitted a status report,
along with the medical report
of Ashutosh Maharaj making it
clear that the Dera head is
"clinically dead" to the High
Court, on its direction.
Former driver of DJJS founder
Pooran Singh had on February
3 filed a petition in the High
Court alleging that the spiritual
leader was being kept hostage
and the Dera was not letting the
truth come out about the
godman's health.
Following this, the HC had
sought a status report from
Punjab government on the
habeas corpus petition.
After considering the report,
Justice MMS Bedi directed the
petitioner to clarify that how his
petition to release Ashutosh
Maharaj from alleged illegal
custody of dera follower is still
maintainable.
The high court has now
adjourned the case till the next
hearing on February 11.
DETAILS ON PAGE 5
CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON
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MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
page 3
HEMA MALINI AND DHARMENDRA'S YOUNGER DAUGHTER AHANA DEOL IS GOT MARRIED TO DELHI BASED BUSINESSMAN VAIBHAV VORA.
Shocked after
Supreme Court
verdict, says
Celina Jaitly
Soon after the Supreme Cour t refused
to review its verdict on Section 377,
actor and gay rights activist Celina
Jaitly, currently stationed in Singapore
with her husband and twin children, expressed shock at the verdict. “The
honourable cour t has -rejected the petition as it found no merit in it... No merit
in it? Millions of lives are at stake and
the cour t finds no merit in the petition?”
asked Celina.
She also said people shouldn’t be made
guilty of what they are because nature has
made them that way. “People with gay -tendencies cannot be held guilty for going
against the order of Nature. Who decides
what the order of Nature is? To me child
marriages and marital rapes are unnatural,”
she added.
The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, dismissed
a plea filed by the central government and
some NGOs seeking a review of its December 11, 2013 verdict that declares gay
sex an offence.
However, Celina is still hopeful of getting
support form other government bodies on
the issue. “I hope Parliament will address
the issue and all the political -parties, regardless of their -political and religious -affiliations, will come together to uphold the
constitutional -guarantee of life and liberty
to all citizens of India. And that includes those
affected directly by Tuesday’s judgment,”
she opines. The No Entry film actor also
said that her heart reaches out to the gay
community in India.
Priyanka Chopra
opens up about
Krrish 3 BO figures
Priyanka Chopra has finally broken her
silence on the controversy surrounding the trade figures of her last release, Krrish
3. While it was reported that the box-office
figures for the Hrithik-PeeCee starrer were
bloated, she makes it clear that there was no
fudge-up. “Kisi flop film ko toh hit nahi
banaya tha na (we didn’t turn a flop into a
hit, did we?). The question was not
whether the film was a hit or not, but how
big a hit it was. And -honestly, even I
don’t know that. The fact is that it was a
successful film, and that is all that matters. I’ll always be proud of being part of
Krrish 3. I am happy that it was well accepted by the audiences,” says the 31year-old.
This comes after Hrithik’s stern statement against those who claimed that the
official -collections of the 2013 film, given
out by Rakesh Roshan (Krissh 3 director and
Hrithik’s father), were -manipulated. “Some
from the industry and cer tain -sections
of the media are hell-bent on putting
me, my father and Krrish 3 down.
MidWeek
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PRIYANKA CHOPRA
OPENS UP ABOUT
KRRISH 3 BO
FIGURES
MORE PICS ON PAGE 25
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MidWeek
special report
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the country's highest civilian award Bharat
Ratna to eminent scientist Professor C. N. R. Rao at Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the country's highest civilian award Bharat
Ratna to Legendary Cricketer Shri Sachin Tendulkar at Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Thousands join Panorama India’s 65th Indian Republic Day in Toronto
EMINENT SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR, PHILANTHROPIST & PRAVASI BHARTIYA SAMMAN AWARD RECIPIENT VASU CHANCHLANI & HIS WIFE
DR. JAYA CHANCHLANI ACKNOWLEDGED BY CONSUL GENERAL AKHILESH MISHRA & PANORAMA INDIA CHAIR JIBANJIT TRIPATHY.
TORONTO: Indo-Canadian Unity in Diversity. That’s was the theme
of Panorama India-organized celebrations of India’s 65th Republic
Day on Sunday at the Pearson Convention Center in Brampton on
Sunday February 2nd.
The new Consul General Akhilesh Mishra, Canada’s Minister
of State (Multiculturalism) Tim Uppal, Canada’s Minister of State
(Sport) Bal Gosal, Senator Asha Seth, MP Brad Butt, MP Kyle
Seeback, MPJohn McCallum, MP Kirsty Duncan, MP Andrew
Cash,MPPDipika Damerla, MPP AmritMangat, MPP Bob Delaney,
Councilor Dr. Raymond Cho, Toronto Police Services Board Chair
Alok Mukherjee and other dignitaries joined the local Indo-Canadian
community in the celebrations.
The ceremonies began, with Jake Dheer introducing the guests
to the audience and Toronto born Bollywood singer Natalie Di
Lucciosinging India & Canada national anthems, supported by
Panorama India Idol contestant Shradha Ganesh.
Jibanjit Tripathy, Chairperson of Panorama India, welcomed
dignitaries and remembered this remarkable day in the history of
India completing India’s transition to become an independent
republic with a democratic governing system. Tripathy said, for IndoCanadians it’s an immense pride of a rich background and history of
Indian Independence struggle, gaining freedom and then becoming
largest democracy in the world. Through social and cultural
celebrations or, otherwise, we have an opportunity and responsibility
to share a great piece of our history with millions of Canadians that
make up diversity. This is why Panorama India as umbrella
organization for Indo-Canadian community organizations for last
more than 14 years, making consistent endeavor to preserve, promote
and share the diversity of India through Republic Day Celebrations
and Independence Day Celebrations.
To emphasize the unity in diversity,he added, indo-Canadians
are proud of their unique heritage and culture as well as being part
of Canadian mosaic of multiculturalism. Today’ event, he said, is
keeping with Panorama India’s mission to Educate (others about
India), Celebrate (India’s diversity and rich heritage with others)
and Collaborate (with the mainstream).
Addressing the gathering Consul General Akhilesh
Mishraoffered his best wishes to the community on India’s 65th
republic day celebration, he congratulated Panorama India on staging
the Republic day celebrations and Indian diaspora in Canada to
promote Indian culture and keeping its traditions alive. The Consul
General acknowledgedeminent Indo-Canadian serial entrepreneur,
philanthropist and trans-nations builderVasuChanchlani on being
bestowed upon PravasiBhartiyaSamman Award, the highest honour
for non-resident Indians by His Excellency Pranab Mukherjee,
President of India at a glittering ceremony in New Delhi.
In his speech, Tim Uppal, Canadian Minister of State for
Multiculturalism, praised the immense contribution made by IndoCanadians & organizations like Panorama India to Canada.
The Canadian Prime Minister praised Panorama India, the
umbrella body of various Indian organizations, for organizing
Republic Day celebrations in Toronto.
“I would like to commend members of Panorama India for their
effort in organizing this popular event and for their commitment to
fostering fellowship amongst Indo-Canadian Community. On behalf
of the Government of Canada, I offer my best wishes for a memorable
celebration,’’ Prime Minister Harper said.
Addressing the gathering, BalGosal, Canada’s Minister of State
for Sport, congratulated the gathering and Panorama India for their
contributions.
In her congratulatory message Premier Kathleen Wynne said,
“As Premier, I am proud of the province we are building-togetherguided by the values of diversity, fairness, collaboration and
creativity. I wish to commend the members and leaders of Panorama
India for your commitment to building a dynamic and engaged IndoCanadian community within a strong Ontario. Please accept my best
wishes for a meaningful day.” Premier Wynne said.
In his congratulation message read by MP John McCallum,
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said, “Today’s activities will recognize
the many contributions that Indo-Canadians have made, and
continue to make, to Canada’s landscape. It is hoped that through
today’s celebrations, present and future Canadians will be reminded
about the positive impact that Indo-Canadians have had in our
communities.”
The highlight of the day was the traditional Folk Dance
Competition involving various Canadian dance schools competing
for the best folk dance presentation.There was also a Children
Drawing Competition, taking place at the same time.
The cultural extravaganza included invocation dance Ganesh
Vandana by Konkani Association, Rajasthan folk dance, Gujarati
Garba, classical fusion-unity in diversity, Mix Bollywood Songs,
stand-up comedy, skit on unity in diversity, Bollywood fusion, Lavani
dance, and a host of crisp choreographed medleys.The grand finale
was Bhangra by Naach De Jawani.
The day-long ceremonies came to an end after the presentation
of trophies and the announcement of Idol Contest winners,
sponsored by State Bank of India (Canada). AkhilElarumparam was
crowned 5th Panorama India’s Idol in adult category while Linton
Pinto was crowned in junior category. State Bank of India President
& CEO Sunil Tandon, Panorama India Chair JibanjitTripathy gave
away the awards.
For the expatriates in Toronto, the day brought sweet memories
and nostalgia of such ceremonies back home in India.Overall, the
event was a resounding success. Panorama India would like to thank
you all.
Panorama India was established in 1999 with the support of
Consulate General of India as a non-profit umbrella organization
with a goal to help unite all Indo-Canadian cultural associations and
groups in the GTA and to project a common identity based on their
Indian heritage and celebrate Unity in Diversity.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
breaking news
WE WANT PEACE: Condemnation of the
protest against Pakistani Band in Mumbai
It has been repor ted that a group of 50 people hailing from political
par ty Shiv Sena had barged into the press conference of Pakistani
Sufi band Mekaal Hasan held in the Mumbai Press Club today and
demanded that the musicians return immediately to their country.
They were carrying placards with anti-Pakistani slogans and saffron
flags.
The Sufi rock band was scheduled to announce the first ever IndoPak band with members from both Pakistan and India. This initiative that would have been first of its kind was aimed to create
positive interaction between the musicians of both India and Pakistan.
We have seen storming of high commissions, then the stopping
the Indo-Pak friendship bus, the LOC tensions and now when efforts for
recreating the lost bond of music are made, such mindsets are again
halting our ways. We condemn this action by Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena and
other Hindu fascist groups have in the past taken similar steps to disrupt
peace initiative between India and Pakistan.
We want peace, not war. Culture bonds the people of both the
countries. The people of India and Pakistan share common language, religion, culture and values. It is a widely-known fact that
it is quite common for Indians and Pakistanis to bond in foreign
countries. It is also a fact that despite fluctuating political relations and military clashes, indo-pak cultural ventures have always seen great enthusiasm from the people of both sides of the
border. Promoting these cultural ventures can definitely be a way
to bring people of both sides together and wipe out mutual suspicion and hatred. It is for the shared history of India and Pakistan
that from generations the melodies sung in the subcontinent have
touched and romanticized the hear ts of millions both sides of the
border. Classical music of the two countries has similar origins.
Songs by Kanan Bala, Devika Rani, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Reshma
and Pankaj Malik and many others have kept the generations
singing to their tunes.
The young generation is hopeful that contemporary music exchanges will strengthen cross border relations. This is when our
governments are trying to control cross border terrorism, we must
give in our endeavor to enhance cross border concer ts. We think
that there is a need to increase these cultural ventures and effor ts
for people-to-people communications as it will lessen miscommunications and change mindsets on both sides. They can play a
big role in harnessing good relations between India and Pakistan.
We thus consider these actions as actions against peace and prosperity. Also, who is Shiv Sena to protest against Pakistani band when
the people of India welcomes and loves Pakistani bands and ar tists?
We do not think that Shiv Sena represents the voice of Indians. People
in India, like in Pakistan, desire for peace, not war.
Aaghaz-e-Dosti is an initiative for Indo-Pak peace and friendship. It is
an initiative of India-based Mission Bhar tiyam and Pakistan-based
The Catalyst - TC.
Visit us at http://aaghazedosti.wordpress.com
MICROSOFT'S NEW CEO: SATYA NADELLA
CONTD. FROM PAGE 1
This is the very same inspiration that continues to drive me today," said Nadella in an email to the company employees on his first
day.
"It is an incredible honor for me to lead and serve this great company of ours. Steve and Bill have taken it from an idea to one of the
greatest and most universally admired companies in the world. I've been fortunate to work closely with both Bill and Steve in my
different roles at Microsoft, and as I step in as CEO, I've asked Bill to devote additional time to the company, focused on technology
and products. I'm also looking forward to working with John Thompson as our new Chairman of the Board."
"Many who know me say I am also defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning.
I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. I fundamentally believe that if you are not
learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things. So family, curiosity and hunger for knowledge all define me," he adds in
the email.
Nadella is 46, married for 22 years and has three kids. Wikipedia states Nadella was born in Hyderabad, in India and was a planning
commission member during 2004-2009 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He has attended Manipal Institute of Technology and
Mangalore University. While growing up, he was passionate about cricket.
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Average Home price UP by
more than 9% in GTA
ASHUTOSH MAHARAJ DEAD OR ALIVE ?
CONTD. FROM PAGE 1
The HC also recalled its earlier order of February 3 and said that in
view of the status report there was no need to issue notices to the
Dera followers who as per the petitioner are responsible for illegal
detention of sect's head, expected to be in 70s, for usurping the Dera
property. The DSP has also mentioned in its report that after visiting the
spot there was no report of illegal detention of Ashutosh Maharaj.
On behalf of DJJS one Narinder Singh told the officers that Maharaj
is in deep samadhi (meditation) inside the freezer kept in the room.
FACEBOOK TURNED 10
Over the last ten years, Facebook has become par t of many
lives, whether you're an everyday user, or an occasional one, or
perhaps you decided to deactivate your account for whatever
reason. Facebook's tenth bir thday was this week. To celebrate
its bir thday Facebook put up a notification of a "look back video" for users
to look back at their 10-year journey with Facebook. The video includes
most-liked pictures, status' and life events. Leading the project is Nick Kwiatek,
who said, "One of the things that motivated us was that there's really only a
handful of companies that could take on something like this - that could
render videos for as many people as we can." Some facts from around the
web Facebook was first launched in 2004 open only to Harvard. Today it is
the second most visited website in the world falling right after Google. Last
year the website revealed users post over 3.5 million pictures every day. In
total Facebook stores 250 billion images. A law firm declared Facebook is
the most cited evidence of Divorce. The reasons are unknown.
MidWeek
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community
BEAST HOST SOUTH ASIAN DAY IN BRAMPTON
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
ONTARIO INCREASING
MINIMUM WAGE
New Legislation Would Tie Minimum
Wage to Consumer Price Index
O
n Sunday January 26, the Brampton Beast Hockey Club
hosted South Asian Day at the Powerade Centre with the
game themed to commemorate the Republic Day of India.
Prior to puck drop, the Indian national anthem was sung by
SumeetRaju. Following, the Beast and thousands of fans welcomed
honourable guests for the ceremonial puck drop: Dr. Pravir Patel
from Churchill Meadows Dental Centre, Dennis Pabla from Brar's,
and from CBC's Hockey Night in Punjabi, Parminder Singh and
Amarinder Singh.
This matinee game featured the Brampton Beast and the Quad City
Mallards from Moline, Illinois playing the rubber match of a three
game series. A game which ended in a stellar 4-3 victory for Brampton
during the back and forth affair.
Brampton entered the game tied at 43 points with the Mallards. A
win would keep their fifth place rank in the League. Quad City started
the scoring but fortunately, the Beast responded before the period
ended with a Tylor Michel goal.
The first intermission featured Bipasha Roy, a solo classical dancer.
Heading into the middle frame tied at one, Brampton's point leader,
Rob Collins, added to his total scoring. Then, the Mallards found a
way to tie up the game again. Before the period ended, Steve
Makway'sslapshot found the back of the net and extended the Beast
lead. During the second intermission, Bhangra dancers took the ice
for a Bhangra dance and dohl performance. The Shaan Punjab
deeBhangra group stole the show, while Brar's served tasty ethnic
cuisine on the concourse.
In the final frame of the game, a late goal by Mallards' Duffy knotted
it at three to take the teams into overtime hockey. With the fans on
their feet, leading goal scorer Andrew Fournier found the net in the
last few seconds of overtime to secure the win for the Brampton
Beast. Fans then joined their favourite players on ice for the postgame skate, which occurs after every Sunday home game this season.
The Beast will see their next home series on February 14, 16, and 17
when the Wichita Thunder visit Brampton for the first time this
season. February 14 will feature Hearts 'N' Hockey night for
Valentine's Day, the 16th will host Tim Hortons' Jamboree, and the
17th will welcome Boomer's mascot friends for fun intermission and
concourse activities on Family Day.
Tickets can be purchased at bramptonbeast.com or by calling (905)
564-1684. Be sure to use the promo code GAMENOTES to save 25%
off walk-up prices and be entered to win a team autographed stick at
the end of the season.
CONSERVATIVE POLICY WILL END
FAMILY-FOCUSED IMMIGRATION
New Conservative immigration
measures that came into effect
this year will make it harder for
families to reunite in Canada.
"The
Conservative
government has abandoned
Canada's commitment to help
reunite families who have
emigrated here," said the Official
Opposition critic for immigration
and
citizenship
Ly s a n e B l a n c h e t t e - L a m o t h e
(Pierrefonds - Dollard). "I
regularly meet constituents
who are doing everything they
can to reunite with their family
and feel like they are not being
treated
fairly
by
this
government.
These
new
Conservative measures will
only aggravate the situation."
Changes implemented as
of January 2nd 2014 include:
" Increasing required
income by 30% for sponsoring
families;
" Increasing liability and
relevant costs from 10 to 20
years;
" Cutting by three years
the
age
of
admissible
dependants of emigrating
parent leaving some youth
behind;
" Capping the number
of sponsorship applications at
5,000 after completely blocking
them for two years.
"As of a week ago 7,000
people had applied, so for the
vast majority of those who will
apply this year the moratorium
remains in effect," said Andrew
Cash (Davenport). NDP critic
for
Multiculturalism,
"Additionally new requirements
increase the level of income and
liability required to sponsor a
parent or grandparent, making
sponsorship a luxury."
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne during the announcement
of the province's wage increase to $11/hour.
Cour tesy: Instragram Pictures
Ontario is increasing the minimum wage from $10.25 to $11 per
hour on June 1, 2014. This new rate reflects the rise in the
Consumer Price Index (CPI) since the last minimum wage
increase in 2010 and is par t of the provincial government's
commitment to fairness.
"Increasing the minimum wage will help improve the standard of living for hardworking people across the province,
while ensuring that businesses have the predictability necessary to plan for the future," said Kathleen Wynne, Premier
of Ontario in a statement.
The government will also introduce legislation that would
tie future minimum wage increases to the CPI. This will ensure the minimum wage keeps up with the cost of living, and
that increases are predictable for businesses and families.
Under the proposed legislation, increases would be announced by April 1 and come into effect on Oct. 1.
The proposed legislation would act on the recommendations
of Ontario's Minimum Wage Advisory Panel, which included
business, labour, youth and anti-pover ty representatives.
Ensuring the minimum wage is fair and predictable for both
workers and business is par t of the Ontario government's
economic plan to invest in people, build modern infrastructure and suppor t a dynamic and innovative business climate.
"Our government is focused on helping hardworking
Ontarians by ensuring fairness for people living on minimum wage and predictability for business. By establishing
a transparent, fair and responsible method of setting minimum wage in the future, we are taking the politics out of
minimum wage. This will provide fairness for Ontario workers and their families and predictability and transparency
for our businesses to remain competitive and succeed,"
saidYasirNaqvi, Minister of Labour in a statement.
QUICK FACTS
" The 75 cent increase reflects the annual change in Ontario's
Consumer Price Index (CPI) since the last increase on March
31, 2010.
" The province's Minimum Wage Advisory Panel recommends
that the province per form a full review of its minimum wage
rates and revision process every five years.
" The panel held 10 public consultations across the province
and received more than 400 submissions from organizations,
businesses, and individual Ontarians.
" Increasing the minimum wage suppor ts Ontario's Pover ty
Reduction Strategy. In the first three years of the strategy,
approximately 47,000 children and their families were lifted
out of pover ty.
" The current minimum wage is $10.25 per hour. It has increased nearly 50 per cent since 2003.
BRAMPTON'S DOWNTOWN
LANDMARK REOPENS
AFTER ICE STORM
CELEBRATION IN GAGE PARK ON FEBRUARY 8
The City of Brampton has
reached a milestone in its ice
storm recovery and cleanup
with the re-opening of Gage
Park - a historical landmark in
the city's downtown. On
Saturday, February 8 from noon
to 4 pm, residents are invited to
lace up their skates and
celebrate!
Skate outdoors to a live DJ,
enjoy free food and warm up
by the fire pit. Free skate
rentals are available with the
donation of a non- perishable
food item. Raffles will be held
throughout the day for free
swim and skate passes.
The skating trail is open 10 am
to 11 pm.
"A few days after the ice
storm hit our city, we were
faced with what seemed like
an insurmountable amount of
damage to our parks and
trails system. With heavy
hearts, the City's Emergency
Control Group acknowledged
the possibility that all parks
might be closed for the
season," says Mayor Susan
Fennell.
"Public safety is always our
number one priority - and
we've accomplished exactly
that. Cleanup activities
continue, and we're now able
to expand to our recreational
amenities. I am very pleased
that Gage Park and the
skating trail are now open for
the rest of our winter season."
Following the December 2013
ice storm, more than 50,000
trees were damaged or
destroyed throughout the
city.
Cleanup first focused on
ensuring safe passage of
streets and sidewalks from
fallen trees and icy
conditions. Since December
21, residents have been
advised to avoid parks and
trails. Ongoing updates about
parks and trees are available
at www.brampton.ca
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
community
Nach Balliye's Lohri For Her 2014
LOHRI FOR HER 2014 ORGANIZERS
N
ach Balliye is a non-profit organization made up of young,
passionate, and inspirational females, who promote gender
equality through the power of dance and music. For the
third year in a row, NachBalliye had taken the initiative of
celebrating "Lohri for Her" - a night to celebrate all daughters
and an opportunity to honor families who have been blessed
with daughters. It's a night to celebrate the joy and love that
all babies, boys and girls, bring to our world.
Lohri is a celebration of new beginnings, a time to
appreciate what we have in our lives and for the new ventures
yet to begin.The Punjabi culture celebrates special occasions
with the company of loved ones, sweets, songs, and dance.
Given NachBalliye's vision, we believe that creating this
enriching experience would encourage families to celebrate
gender equality as they welcome their girl child so festively
i n t o t h e w o r l d . We a r e d o i n g t h i s b e c a u s e w e w a n t t h e
community to embrace this gift of life with joy.
On Sunday, January 26 families came together for a special
Lohri to honour those who have been blessed with beautiful
daughters. NachBalliye'sLohriFor Her was a night of
extravagant dinner, traditional Lohri dances, interactive
activities and family fun.
MidWeek
7
OFBJP Canada ‘Run For Unity’
and mission 272+ Modi
Hundreds of Overseas Friends of Bhar tiya Janata Party (OFBJP)
Canada supporters of Narendra Modi braved through the winter storm
to ‘Run For Unity’ on February 1, 2014 at Swami Narayan Mandir and
Cultural Centre, Mississauga.
The program began with greetings from Dr. Rajesh Shukla, BJP
Central Committee member and Shri Vijay Jolly, convener of OFBJP.
The Convener of OFBJP Canada Toronto, Dr. Azad Kaushik read the
message of Bhartiya Janata Party President Shri Raj Nath Singh
and the par ty’s Prime Ministerial Candidate Shri Narendra Modi,
specially sent for the occasion, who stated that this historic program
shall further cement Indo-Canadian friendship. The rally in support
of Modi was also an occasion to reconnect with Canadian Citizens of
Indian Origin with the cultural and historical heritage of India. The
participants took a pledge to support for 272+ Mission of the BJP in
the upcoming 2014 parliamentary elections in India through their
friends and relatives in India.
A booklet ‘Overseas Friends of BJP on the Path of Global Progress’
and a compact disc ‘Priya Pravasi’ by the famous poet Gajendra
Solanki were released to mark the occasion. The official OFBJP
Canada Website (www.ofbjpcanada.org) developed by kaushikbhai
Patel was launched given the overwhelming support for Modi and
need for an accurate source of information, apart from existing interactions through social media like Twitter and Facebook. The CoFounder of Canada-India Foundation, Mr. Ajit Someshwar in his keynote address highlighted the community’s concern with regard to
decline of India during the decade long Congress led UPA government misgovernance at cultural, defense, economic, and foreign
policy fronts. He mentioned that such a situation was unacceptable,
as it had lowered the stature of India as a modern nation and a
mature democracy. While Mr. Pankaj Dave exhorted all the participants to actively join 272+ movement, Mr. Naresh Chavda outlined
how NRIs and Canadian Citizens of Indian Origin could contribute
towards the movement. The program host Mr. Anil Shringi added to
the spirits with the special anecdotes together with Mrs. Premal
Niak, a celebrated singer in GTA, who enthralled the audience with
inspiring songs. Two special video presentations ‘Bhajapa Ke
Bhadhte Kadam’ and poem recitation by former Prime Minister Shri
Atal Bihari Vajpayee moved the audience. Mr. Vipul Jani, Editor Gujarat
Abroad, spoke about the moral responsibility of the media in being
truthful, objective and fair to be able to meet the aspirations of people.
The program ended with a reception for the participants, hosted by
Mr. Naresh Patel, a young entrepreneur, where Parth Pandya and
Khanjan Patel provided logistical support. The OFBJP Canada noted
increased and unexpected grass roots level support for Mr. Narendra
Modi since large number of people in the community registered for
free OFBJP Canada membership to support mission 272+ Modi in
2014 parliamentary elections.
For addional information contact: Azad K. Kaushik, Convenor,
OFBJP Canada Toronto at +1 519 760 2297.
MidWeek
8
opinion
A PrincipledPosition on
Israel and the Middle East
P
rime Minister Stephen
Harper's historic trip to
Israel and the Middle East
delivers on our Conservative
Government's commitment to
being a strong and credible voice
on key issues in the global
community by promoting
Canadian
values.
The
significance of this trip is
furthered by the fact that it is the
first visit to Israel by a Canadian
Prime Minister since 2000 and
more significantly, the first time
a Canadian Prime Minister has
been given the opportunity to
address Israel's Knesset.
Prime Minister Harper
reiterated Canada's principled
position to support Israel's
right to exist and defend itself,
a position that is based on our
convictions
and
values.
Despite daily attacks on these
rights, Israel is an extraordinary
nation built on freedom,
democracy,
justice
and
innovation. It is the only
country in the Middle East that
has allowed human rights,
political stability and economic
prosperity to flourish.
Israel and Canada have a
strong relationship rooted in
history that is reinforced by
our shared values and
interests.Prime Minister Harper
told Israel's Knesset that it is
MidWeek
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"a Canadian tradition to stand
for what is principled and just,
regardless of whether it is
convenient or popular,"and
that "therefore, through fire
and water, Canada will stand
with you."
Prime Minister Harper and
Israel's
Prime
Minister,
Benjamin
Netanyahu,also
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
witnessed the signing of a
Canada-Israel
Strategic
Partnership Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) that will
serve to further strengthen our
bilateral
relationship
by
renewing our commitment to
work together in facilitating our
shared interests. The MOUwill
help stimulate economic growth
in both countries and commits
us to greater cooperation in the
area of energy, security, the
promotion of human rights,
international
aid
and
development. Our shared
expertise will improve lives at
home and in our global
community.
Subsequently, Canada and
Israel launched negotiations to
expand and modernize the
Canada-Israel Free Trade
Agreement. Our Government is
committed to an ambitious and
balanced trade agenda that will
provide Canadians with the
market access to compete in a
global economy and helpensure
Canada's long-term economic
prosperity.
In 2012, Canada and Israel's
bilateral trade was valued at
$1.41 billion; an expanded and
modernized free trade agreement
will help create jobs and
economic growth in Canada and
in Israel. In strengthening our
commercial relationship, we are
also strengthening our close
relationship with one of our most
natural of allies.
Canada and Israel's close
friendship
was
further
demonstrated as Prime Minister
Harper received an honourary
doctorate from Tel Aviv
University and laid the
cornerstone at the future
Stephen J. Harper Hula Valley
Bird Sanctuary Visitor and
Education Centre. This state-ofthe-art facility named in his
honour and funded by the
generous members of Canada's
Jewish community will connect
the scientific community and
tourists from around the globe.
Just as Canada supports
Israel, we have been clear that
we also support a just and secure
future for the Palestinian people.
It is our hope for a democratic
Palestinian state to one day live
peacefully alongside the Jewish
State of Israel. Our Government
is providing support for the
Palestinian people to help further
the peace process, promote security
and the rule of law, generate
sustainable economic growth and
deliver humanitarian assistance.
Our Conservative Government
is proud of Prime Minister Harper's
leadership on the world stage.
Through this historic trip to Israel
and the Middle East, he has
delivered on our commitment to
strengthen
our
bilateral
relationships and promote
economic prosperity, while
promoting Canadian values of
freedom, democracy and rule of
law at home and abroad.
OPERATION BLUE STAR - UK's assistance was
purely advisory & limited: Foreign Secretary
CONTD. FROM PAGE 1
And they have carried out an extensive and thorough search of the files held
by all relevant Departments and Agencies from December 1983 to June1984.
Their search through some 200 files and over 23,000 documents found a
very limited number of documents relating to Operation Blue Star.
The Report notes that some military files covering various operations were
destroyed in November 2009, as part of a routine process undertaken by the
MOD at the 25 year review point. This included one file on the provision of
military advice to the Indian authorities on their contingency plans for Sri
Harmandir Sahib. However, copies of at least some of the documents in the
destroyed files were also in other departmental files; and taken together
these files provide a consistent picture of what happened.
The Cabinet Secretary's investigation is now complete. Copies of the report
have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and it is now being
published on the government website.
The report includes the publication of the relevant sections of five extra
documents that shed light on this period, but which would not normally
have been published.
We have taken this step because the whole investigation has been based on
a commitment to the maximum possible transparency. We want to be as
open as possible with the British public, in so far as that does not undermine
the principle upheld by successive British governments of not revealing
any information relating to Intelligence or Special Forces.
The main findings of the Cabinet Secretary's report are as follows:
First, on why the UK provided advice to the Indian government, the Cabinet
Secretary has established that in early February 1984, the-then government
received an urgent request to provide operational advice on Indian
contingency plans for action to regain control of the temple complex. The
British High Commission in India recommended that the government respond
positively to the request for bilateral assistance, from a country with which
we had an important relationship. This advice was accepted by the thengovernment.
Second, the Cabinet Secretary then examined the nature of the advice that
was provided to India following that decision. He has established that a
single British military adviser travelled to India between 8th and 17th February
1984 to advise the Indian Intelligence Services and Special Group on
contingency plans that they were drawing up for operations against armed
dissidents in the temple complex, including ground reconnaissance of the
site.
The adviser's assessment made clear that a military operation should only
be put into effect as a last resort, when all attempts at negotiation had failed.
It recommended including in any operation an element of surprise and the
use of helicopter-borne forces, in the interests of reducing casualties and
bringing about a swift resolution.
This giving of military advice was not repeated. The documents show that
the decision to provide advice was based on an explicit recommendation to
Ministers that the government should not contemplate assistance beyond
the visit of the military adviser, and this was reflected in his instructions. The
Cabinet Secretary found no evidence in the files or from discussion with
officials involved that any other form of UK military assistance - such as
equipment or training - was given to the Indian authorities.
The Cabinet Secretary's report therefore concludes that the nature of the
UK's assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian
government at an early stage in their planning.
Third, the report examines what actual impact UK advice had on the Indian
Operation, which took place between 5th and 7th June 1984, over three
months later.
The report establishes that during that time the planning by the Indian
authorities had changed significantly.
The number of dissident forces was considerably larger by that time, and the
fortifications inside the site were more extensive.
The documents also record information provided by the Indian Intelligence
Co-ordinator that after the UK military adviser's visit in February, the Indian
Army took over lead responsibility for the operation and the main concept
behind the operation changed.
The Cabinet Secretary's report includes an analysis by current military staff
of the extent to which the actual operation in June 1984 differed from the
approach recommended in February by the UK military adviser. Operation
Blue Star was a ground assault, without the element of surprise, and without
a helicopter-borne element.
The Cabinet Secretary's report therefore concludes that the UK military
officer's advice had limited impact on Operation Blue Star.
This is consistent with the public statement on 15th January this year by the
Operation commander, Lieutenant-General Brar, who said that "no one helped
us in our planning or in the execution of the planning".
It is also consistent with an exchange of letters between Mrs Gandhi and
Mrs Thatcher on 14th and 29th June 1984 discussing the operation, which
made no reference to any UK assistance. Those parts of the letter relevant to
Operation Blue Star are published with the Cabinet Secretary's report today.
The Cabinet Secretary has also examined two other concerns raised in this
House and by the Sikh community, namely that Parliament may have been
misled, or that the decision to provide advice may have been linked to UK
commercial interests.
The report finds no evidence to substantiate either of these allegations. The
investigation did not find any evidence in the files or from officials of the
provision of UK military advice being linked to potential defence or helicopter
sales, or to any other policy or commercial issue. There is no evidence that
the UK, at any level, attempted to use the fact that military advice had been
given on request to advance any commercial objective. The only UK request
of the Indian government, made following the visit, was for prior warning of
any actual operation, so that UK authorities could make appropriate security
arrangements in London. In the event, the UK received no warning from the
Indian authorities before the operation was launched.
The Cabinet Secretary also concludes that there is no evidence of Parliament
being misled. There is no record of a specific question to Ministers about
practical British support for Operation Blue Star, and he concludes that the
one instance of a Written Question to Ministers related to discussions with
the Indian government on behalf of the Sikh Community after the Operation.
In sum, the Cabinet Secretary's report finds that the nature of the UK's
assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian
government at an early stage; that it had limited impact on the tragic events
that unfolded at the Temple three months later; that there was no link between
the provision of this advice and defence sales; and that there is no record of
the government receiving advance notice of the operation.
Nonetheless, we are keen to discuss concerns raised by the Sikh community.
The Minister responsible for relations with India, My Rt Hon Friend the
Member for East Devon, will discuss these with Sikh organizations when he
meets them later today. This reflects the strong, positive relationship the
government has with the British Sikh community which plays such a positive
role in so many areas of our national life.
Nothing can undo, Mr Speaker, the loss of life and the suffering
caused by the tragic events at Sri Harmandir Sahib. It is quite
right that the concerns that were raised about UK involvement
have been investigated. It is a strength of our democracy that we
are always prepared to take an unflinching look at the past.
But I hope this investigation and the open manner in which it has
been conducted will provide reassurance to the Sikh community,
to this House, and to the public, and in that spirit I present it to
the House.
Read detailed report on British Foreign office website h t t p s : / / w w w. g o v. u k / g o v e r n m e n t / o r g a n i sations/foreigncommonwealth-office
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
canada
Brazeau and Harb to face charges
9
TRAVELLERS TO
BENEFIT FROM
CANADA'S SHIFT TO
MULTIPLE-ENTRY
VISAS
IP10
WIND MOBILE TO LAUNCH
UNLIMITED U.S. DATA, TALK AND
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WIND'S UNLIMITED DATA, TALK AND TEXT
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CONNECTED WHEN TRAVELLING IN THE U.S.
COURTESY: FLICKR COMMONS
SUSPENDED SENATOR PATRICK BRAZEAU
R
eports confirmed RCMP may lay fraud and breach of trust
charges against former senator Mac Harb and suspended
senator Patrick Brazeau.
The charges come their way in the wake of Senate expense scandal
that gripped the entire country last year. Harb retired in August last
year while Brazeau was suspended along with two other senators.
Before retiring in August Hard repaid $230,000 to the Senate for
claiming two different homes as his primary residence for many years.
His homes were in Cobden, about 123 kms from Ottawa and bought
another home in Westmeath, northwest of Ottawa, reported the Star.
RCMP alleges Harb lived in neither of those homes, reported CTV
News.
Brazeau was suspended after being arrested and charged with assault
and sexual assault in February last year. In November last year,
Brazeau along with Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy were suspended
without pay.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT FUND CREATING JOBS
More Than 5,700 Young People Find Jobs, Gain Work Experience
Ontario's Youth Employment Fund is helping young people across the
province get training, find jobs and gain valuable work experience.
Since launching in September 2013, the fund has helped employers
across Ontario offer 5,792 four- to six-month job and training placements
to young people looking for employment. The fund is well on its way to
meeting its two-year target of creating 25,000 job opportunities.
Under the fund, Ontario is providing up to $7,800 to cover a range of
supports and services for each eligible young worker. That includes up
to $6,800 to help cover wage and training costs, and up to $1,000 to help
young workers pay for job-related costs like tools and transportation to
work. Eligible youth aged 15 to 29 and employers can apply online to
access the fund through Employment Ontario's Employment Service.
The fund is part of the Ontario Youth Jobs Strategy, which is helping
more young people find work or start their own businesses, and ensure
that employers can find the skilled workers they need to grow their
businesses. The province is investing $295 million over two years
through the strategy to create employment opportunities for 30,000
young people aged 15-29.
Helping young people find jobs and gain valuable work experience is
part of the Ontario government's plan to invest in people, build modern
infrastructure, and support a dynamic and innovative business climate.
QUICK FACTS
Since its launch, the Youth Employment Fund has created an average
of 386 job placements per week.
The fund is available in all regions of the province with greater support
for communities with higher youth unemployment.
The fund also provides support to youth facing multiple barriers to
employment, including Aboriginal youth, recent immigrants and visible
minorities, youth with disabilities, rural and northern youth, and youth
leaving care or on social assistance.
Earlier this week, Ontario launched a Youth Jobs Strategy advertising
campaign.
Statement by the Prime Minister of
Canada on Black History Month
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
today issued the following
statement marking Black
History Month:
"February is Black History
Month, a time to reflect on the
history of a community whose
legacy can be traced back to the
origins of our country. Black
History Month is also an
oppor tunity to recognize the
accomplishments of people of
African and Caribbean descent
who, throughout our history,
have distinguished themselves
by their commitment to making
Canada the culturally diverse,
free, prosperous and proud
nation it is today.
"Under this year's theme, "Proud
of Our History", we celebrate
the achievements of black
Canadians who helped build and
define our great country.
"As we prepare this year to
commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the beginning of
the First World War and the 75th
anniversary of the beginning of
the Second World War, we
remember and pay tribute to the
black Canadians who bravely
served our country.
"During Black History Month
this year, our Government will
also be highlighting the histori-
cal impor tance of two black
communities: Africville in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, and
Hogan's Alley in Vancouver,
British Columbia. Canada Post
is issuing new stamps throughout the month to honour these
communities.
"This month, I encourage all
Canadians to learn more about
the impor tant role that black
Canadians have played, and
continue to play, in building our
great country and shaping our
national identity, and to par ticipate in the events and activities
taking place to mark this
impor tant par t of our heritage."
TORONTO: Beginning Monday, February 3, 2014, Canadians
can stop worrying about roaming fees and star t enjoying travel
more as today WIND Mobile announcesits Unlimited U.S. Roaming add-on, that will give customersunlimited data, talk and
text across the
United
States.
WIND Mobile's Unlimited U.S. Roaming add-on will be
available for only
$15 per month and
will offer subscribers complete piece
of mind and worryfree travel, anywhere in the USA.
"With more and more Canadians visiting the United States for
work or pleasure, we know how impor tant it is for them to
keep in touch with family and friends or take care of business
back home," said Mirko Rugarli, Chief Marketing Officer, WIND
Mobile."This new add-on givescustomers the freedom to stay
connected to their world while travelling. Consumers will be
able to use their smar tphone however they like, without limits:
check maps if they get lost; update Facebook and Twitter; send
photos of their trip; check the local weather - and all for only
$15 a month. No more headaches, no more surprises."
This historic new offering is the latest innovative step by WIND
Mobile as they continue to revitalize the Canadian telecom
industry.As the first Canadian wireless company to bring true
mobile freedom to consumers travelling south of the border,
WIND continues to offer customers real value at a time when
the telecom industry continues to experience fluctuating rates1
and as more Canadians are hoping to benefit from increased
competition2.
"While wireless prices in the Canadian marketplace remain
very high, we at WIND Mobile continue to challenge expectations and offerour customers real value" said Pietro Cordova,
Chief Operating Officer, WIND Mobile. "As par t of the
VimpelCom group, a global company that covers 17 countries
and serves nearly 220 million users, WIND Mobile has the
exper tise, international perspective and the capability to provide Canadianconsumers with this value and flexibility."
Both new and existing customers will be able to subscribe to the
Unlimited U.S. Roaming add-on star ting Monday, February 3,
2014. More information will be available on www.windmobile.ca
About WIND Mobile
WIND Mobile is dedicated to improving the Canadian wireless
experience by offering customers simple and transparent plans,
including real unlimited voice/data/text with no-term contracts
and no hidden fees. Committed to becoming the country's four th
national carrier, WIND has more than 650,000 happy customers in Canada and is a par t of Amsterdam-based VIMPELCOM
Ltd., a global company with nearly 220 million customers. Learn
more about WIND Mobile at www.windmobile.ca.
10
MidWeek
canada
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT:
ENDING PARTISANSHIP AND
PATRONAGE IN THE SENATE
Canadians want their leaders to
be open and straight with them,
to tell them the truth. They
expect us to come forward with
practical solutions that address
problems directly.
The Senate has become one
of those problems. That, I have
heard clearly from Canadians. The
Senate is broken, and needs to be
fixed. At the same time, Canadians
do not want to re-open the
Constitution. They don't want a
long, rancorous, and likely
pointless debate with the
provinces that would distract us
from focusing on more important
problems.
They want leaders who'll help
build an economy that works for
all of us, in which everyone has a
real and fair chance to succeed.
They want us focused on their
jobs, their pensions, and a good
future for their kids.
So today, I propose an
immediate remedy that will not
only quell many of the distractions
that the current senate is causing,
but actually improve its capacity
to serve all Canadians.
You see, the Senate is
suffering from two central
problems: partisanship and
patronage.
Let
us
begin
with
partisanship.
The Senate was once referred
to as a place of sober, second
thought. A place that allows for
reflective deliberation on
legislation, in-depth studies into
issues of import to the country,
and, to a certain extent, provide a
check and balance on the
politically-driven House of
Commons.
It has become obvious that
the party structure within the
Senate interferes with these
responsibilities.
Instead of being separate
from political, or electoral
concerns, Senators now must
consider not just what's best for
their country, or their regions, but
what's best for their party.
At best, this renders the
BY LIBERAL LEADER
JUSTIN TRUDEAU
Senate redundant. At worst - and
under Mr Harper we have seen it
at its worst - it amplifies the Prime
Minister's power.
That is why I have come to
believe that the Senate must be
non-partisan. Composed merely of
thoughtful
individuals
representing the varied values,
perspectives and identities of this
great country.Independent from
any particular political brand.
And since I believe that real
leadership is not just about making
campaign promises, I'm taking
immediate action, today.
As of this morning, only
elected Members of the House of
Commons will serve as members
of the Liberal Caucus. The 32
formerly Liberal Senators are now
independent of the national
Liberal Caucus. They are no longer
part of our parliamentary team.
Let me be clear, the only way
to be a part of the Liberal caucus
is to be put there by the voters of
Canada. Further, I challenge the
Prime Minster to match this action.
As the majority party in the Senate,
immediate and comprehensive
change is in Conservative hands.
I'm calling on the Prime Minister
to do the right thing. To join us in
making Senators independent of
political parties and end
partisanship in the Senate.
And by ending partisanship
now, we can also end patronage,
going forward.
The Senate of Canada is a
public institution. It should not be
run like the Prime Minister's
private club.
Here's what I'm going to do
about it.
I'm committing today that, if I
earn the privilege of serving
Canadians as their Prime Minister,
I will put in place an open,
transparent, non-partisan public
process for appointing and
confirming Senators.
No more closed doors. No
more secretive deliberations. No
more announcements the week
before Christmas, under the cover
of darkness.
We are all poorly served by
the way in which Senators are
appointed. Canadians especially,
yes, but also Members of the
House of Commons, even
Senators
themselves
are
discredited by the antiquated
convention that sees Senators
appointed by one person, and one
person only.
Eight years ago, Mr Harper
railed against this convention as
Leader of the Opposition, and
committed to change it.
As we know all too well: he
didn't. In fact, he embraced this
archaic process.
As Prime Minister, he has
made 59 appointments, despite his
promise to appoint zero. In fact,
Mr Harper is the only Prime
Minister in our country's 147 year
history to appoint the same two
people to the Senate twice.
All of these people share one
characteristic. The Prime Minister,
and the Prime Minister alone,
judged them to be useful to
himself, and to his party. Mike
Duffy, Pam Wallin, Patrick Brazeau,
Irving Gerstein are particularly
egregious examples of where that
leads.
It shows that Mr Harper and
the Conservatives have been in
power so long that they can no
longer tell the difference between
their party's interest, and the
public interest.
That's poor judgment. More
than that, it's just plain wrong.
That is why I call upon the
Prime Minister to publicly commit,
as I have today, to be guided in all
future Senate appointments by an
open, transparent, non-partisan
process, and once appointed, have
senators sit independent from the
political parties that serve in the
House of Commons.
And in so doing, we will
remove
partisanship
and
patronage from the Senate,
reforming it and improving it in a
deep and meaningful way, without
ever having to touch the
Constitution of Canada.
Which brings me to my final
point. As an unelected body, there
are - and ought to be - limits on the
Senate's power. These limits have
expanded over time and have
become conventions. These
proposals are in keeping with that
direction.
As you all know, the Supreme
Court of Canada will rule sometime
soon on the exact limits of the
House of Commons power as it
relates to Senate Reform. Let me
be clear on this point: these
proposals, while bold and
concrete, are not the final word.
They represent our judgment of
how far we can go in the absence
of guidance from the Supreme
Court.
In other words, I believe this
is the most meaningful action
possible without opening up the
Constitution. If the Supreme Court
says more can be done, we will be
open to doing more.
In closing, let me say that
there has been a lot of loose
rhetoric from the other parties
about Senate Reform.
Mr Harper would still have
you believe that he is a reformer at
heart, despite 8 years of hard
evidence to the contrary.
Canadians elected his party to
bring change to this place.
Instead, they got a more virulent
version of the status quo: a hyperpolitical, hyper-partisan Senate
that is, more than ever, the Prime
Minister's private plaything.
As for MrMulcair, his promise
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
to abolish the Senate, as if he had
a magic wand, is either
deliberately and cynically
misleading, or empty and foolish.
He knows, or ought to know, that
his promise would require the
most significant amendment to the
Constitution since the creation of
the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms. MrMulcair may want
to spend the next decade arguing
about the Constitution. I prefer to
spend it helping Canadians solve
their problems.
At our best, Liberals are
relentless reformers. When public
institutions fail to serve the public
interest, we take bold steps to
change them.
We want to build public
institutions that Canadians can
trust, and that serve Canadians.
This requires real, positive change.
These proposals are the next step
in our Open Parliament plan to
do just that.
They won't be the last.
Thank you.
Travellers to benefit
from Canada's shift to
multiple-entry visas
MULTIPLE-ENTRY VISAS MAKE IT EASIER FOR
TRAVELLERS TO VISIT CANADA
OTTAWA - Visitors to Canada will automatically be considered
for a multiple-entry visa, star ting on February 6, 2014. Multipleentry visas allow qualified visitors to come and go from Canada
for six months at a time for up to 10 years without having to
reapply each time.
The fee for the temporary resident visa (TRV) program will now
be reduced from $150 to $100 for the processing of either a
single- or multiple-entry visa.
"As par t of our plan to grow the Canadian economy and create
jobs, our government is committed to attracting more visitors and
business people to our country. By making the multiple-entry visa the
standard visitor visa, we are evolving to meet the needs of international
travellers who are looking for flexible, fast and convenient options to
come to Canada."
Chris Alexander, Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister.
By harmonizing the single- and multiple-entry visa fees, the visa application process will become simpler for applicants and promote tourism and trade by increasing the number of eligible travellers who are
able to make multiple visits to Canada.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will increase other fees (link to
backgrounder) in the temporary resident program, effective February
6, 2014. These changes will reduce the burden on Canadian taxpayers
and ensure that fees closely reflect the real cost of processing
applications.
These increases include (all figures in CAD $):
o $25 for study permits and renewals;
o $5 increase for work permits and renewals;
o $25 increase for extensions to remain in Canada as a visitor;
o $100 as the maximum fee for a family to apply for TRVs; and
o $15 as the maximum work permit fee for a group of performing artists and their staff.
Quick facts
"
Every year more than 35 million people visit Canada.
"
In 2012, Canada issued a record number of visitor visas
with almost one million visas approved, representing an increase of almost 40 percent since 2004.
"
The multiple-entry visa is par ticularly popular with visitors
from China, India and Mexico who hold 10-year passpor ts and
have been eligible to apply for a 10-year visa.
"
Similarly, visitors from the Philippines and Brazil, who
hold five-year passpor ts, have been issued multiple-entry visas for up to five years.
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india
11
PM AT 101ST INDIAN
SCIENCE CONGRESS
IN JAMMU IP12
ONE MONTH OF AAP GOVT. IN DELHI
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PM SPEEDS UP DELHIJAIPUR EXPRESSWAY
The Delhi-Jaipur Expressway is one of the announcements of
the Prime Minister in November 2013 which has been taken up
as a priority project of the government. As on date, there is no
expressway built by the Central Government and the Delhi-Jaipur
Expressway would be the first.
Ministry of Road Transpor t & Highways has estimated that the
total project cost for the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway will be approximately Rs. 9,460 crore and with land acquisition and preconstruction activities, the cost is estimated at Rs. 11,750
crore. The total road length will be 272 km. The Ministry plans
to sign the State Support Agreement by 28.2.2014 and the Project
would be awarded by Sept 2014 after completing all the intermediate steps. Ministry of Road Transpor t & Highways has
examined multiple financing options for the expressway and
will proceed with the most viable one. If successful, the DelhiJaipur Expressway model can be replicated for all other expressways in the country, which are by and large parallel to
existing National Highways. Ministry of Road Transpor t & Highways has been asked to bring a Note to Cabinet seeking inprinciple approval by 28.2.2014.
Courtesy: Facebook
T
he AamAadmi Party Government in Delhi completed one month
in office recently. During this one month, it has worked
tirelessly towards its promise to the people. In a press
conference today, Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal addressed the media
today and spoke about some of things done by Delhi government
as well as its plan for the coming weeks. He also requested the media
to help raise the awareness of some such initiatives launched in the
interest of the people. Corruption &Janlopkal - An Anti-corruption
helpline was launched a few weeks back, encouraging the citizens to
identify instances of corruption and report them to law enforcement.
This has resulted in several officials being caught. More importantly,
there is credible deterrence amongst the officials, which has brought
about a decrease in the acts of corruption in the city. Moreover, the
draft of Janlokpal is ready and will be presented for cabinet review this
week. It will be brought as a bill in the assembly session in the coming
days. Swaraj Bill - February is a critical month as far as critical legislations
for the people of Delhi are concerned. In addition to the Delhi Janlokpal
bill, the Swaraj bill is all set to be brought forward in the Delhi Assembly
session in the coming days. Ending of VIP culture - The "VIP" culture,
a legacy from the British Raj, has been abolished. No cars with red
beacons, no special privileges for ministers are just some of the things
that have been brought to a halt by the AAP govt. Electricity related
issues - Prices upto the first 400 units of Electricity consumed have
been slashed by half. A CAG audit, which the people have been
demanding for months now, has finally been initiated to investigate the
accounts & functioning of the discoms. Most importantly, independent
agencies have been identified to investigate the cases of faulty/fast
running electricity meters. People who face issues related to their
electricity meters can approach their SDM's office and launch a complaint
for getting the meters investigated. Water tariffs & distributions - 20
kilo litre of water has been made free for every household. We recognize
that this is only a start and the benefit of water has to reach many more
people. Work is going on towards achieving that. We are also working
with the Delhi Jal board CEO to determine implementable ways of water
conservation & harvesting. The order to move the DTC millennium
depot from the banks of the Yamuna is one way of restoring the flood
plains and encourage natural water conservation. Finally, the schedule
of water tanker operations is now publicly available for the benefit of
the citizens. Working with the NGOs - Several NGO's have taken up the
cause of the people and environments. Some of these are in the intrest
of the people & the city. We have adopted a policy of working with
such NGO's as opposed to engaging in legal battles. Ultimately, we
need to bring all people & organizations, genuinely working for the
betterment of the city together. Nursery Admissions - have been a long
standing problem for parents in Delhi. The Delhi govt. recently launched a
helpline that encourages parents to report cases of wrong doing during the
admissions processes. Contract workers - (As the time of writing this, the
on-going protests by the contract workers have ended with people returning
back to work). The Delhi Govt. is committed to the cause of people working
on contracts and is well aware of the injustice suffered by them. The chief
minister has met these workers on multiple occasions and has set up a
committee to look into genuine grievances. The govt. has also ensured
these workers that no jobs will be terminated until the recommendation
of this committee are announced. This addressees the immediate
concerns of the people and also provides time to the Govt. to look at a
long term solution for the problem. Transportation - 5500 new permits
have been issued for Auto rickshaws to commute in the NCR region.
This will make traveling between Delhi and near-by NCR areas easier
for people. Earlier, auto rickshaws were not permitted outside of the
Delhi city limits. Social justice - The cabinet will meet next week to
approve the recommendation of the formation of a SIT to review the
cases of violence against the Sikh community in the 1984 riots. Right
after that, this recommendation will be sent to the LG of Delhi who has
already been briefed on the matter.
Rahul Gandhi's Manifesto
consultation with Labour and
Street Vendors' Representatives
Shri Rahul Gandhi seeks inputs from labour groups and
workersfrom the organized and unorganized sectors for the Congress manifesto.
Congress par ty to take the voice of labourers and workers to
the VidhanSabha and LokSabha through their par ticipation in
the par ty processes.
"We must create a floorunder the 70 croreIndianswho are above
the pover ty line but below the middle class threshold;ensuring
that they have access to basic health, education and income standards, says Shri Rahul Gandhi" Congress Vice President, Shri Rahul
Gandhi today told representatives of labourgroups and workers from
the organized and unorganizedsectors that he will push for the clearance of Street Vendors Bill in the upcoming session of the parliament.
He added that he will
also push for the implementation of the recommendations to empower the denotified
and nomadic tribes
(DNTs) in the country.
Shri Rahul Gandhi was
interacting and seeking
inputs from people who
had gathered in New
Delhi for the open manifesto meeting of the Congress party. Shri Rahul
Gandhi stressed upon the need to take the voices of the roughly 70
crorepeople whoare the daily wage earners, carpenters, painters and
construction workersbuilding India to the VidhaanSabha and LokSabha.
He added that if we want to see these 70 croreIndiansmove into
the middle class in the next 5-10 years, we need to create a
floor under them that assures them basic health, education and
income standards.
12
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PM at 101st Indian Science Congress in Jammu
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh meeting the Scientist of the Indian Science Congress, in Jammu on February 02, 2014
india
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
"
The 2013 Science, Technology and Innovation Policy reflects
our ambitions and outlines our broad approach. We have
strengthened the research and academic base of the country
as a critical foundation to achieve these goals. We have also taken
a number of measures to make a career in science more attractive.
We have worked to create a synergy of academia with research,
research with industry, industry with economy and economy with
the well-being of our people. All this has made our progress in science
in the last ten years very substantial.
"Our ability to contribute to the world of science depends
crucially on the quality and the strength of our educational system.
Science education in our country requires much more attention. In
the next few years, we will have the largest young population entering
higher education. We must find, therefore, ways and means of
encouraging them to take up the right path that will provide them
not only productive employment but also excitement in their
profession. We need to ensure that the best among our young
people take up science as a career and to do this we must
ensure that it is attractive enough for them to do so.
"This would require greater support for education both
a t s c h o o l a n d u n i v e r s i t y l e v e l . We a r e s u c c e e d i n g i n
expanding quantitatively at both the school level and in the
higher education. The Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher
education has more than doubled in ten years and now stands
at 19 percent. However, we must recognise that the quality of
education being imparted needs much more attention."
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman
on BPL Gujarat and
AAP allegation
Congress par ty, without even a second thought, jumps onto everything apparent oppor tunity to target ShriNarendraModi, the
Gujarat BJP and the Gujarat Government. This time too, without
as much as doing minimum homework, they have jumped into
using an issue which upon closer study, only highlight Congress' own failure.
Determining pover ty level- based on income or consumption
expenditure - is entirely the Union Government's job. Even if a
revised rate has been arrived at by the Central Government,
State Governments are not authorized to have a revised criterion unless instructed by the department concerned, at the Center. The figures of Rs. 501/ 324 as monthly per capita income
criteria for urban/rural respectively is a criteria set in 2004 by
the Government of India; this was communicated by the Food
and Civil Supplies Depar tment by the Government of Gujarat as
criteria prescribed by the GoI. These criteria ARE NOT determined by the Gujarat government. Not just income, but based
on other assets, such as television, radio or cycle are used in
determining those below poverty line. This methodology is briefly
referred to as asset-based criterion.
Based on the Central Government's asset-based criterion, only
21 lakh families come under the BPL in Gujarat. However, clearly
understanding that this does not adequately represent all those
who should be under the category, the Gujarat Government extended this very same criterion and has brought in 11 lakh more
families under the BPL, on its own expenditure. In other words,
the 11 lakh families receive grains fully subsidized by the Gujarat
government. Therefore a total of 32 lakh families and just 21
lakh, receive benefits. This approach has been appreciated by
the Supreme Cour t as an effective poverty alleviation program.
Several letters of request written by the Gujarat Government
since 2004, to the Central Government, underlining the need for
urgently revising the criteria for those below pover ty line has
gone unheeded. Committees after committees have sat on the
issue without a change in the criteria now for 10 years. If Shri.
NarendraModi had pulled up the Planning Commission, as the
Congress Par ty rightly observes now, that pulling up also is a
par t of the 10 year long request that has gone unacknowledged.
So the sense of outrage with which the Congress Party has started
criticizing the Gujarat CM, they have done so without properly realizing
that the flak is on them. The BJP is sure that the Government of Gujarat
will release the dates of the various reminders that were sent to the
Union Government to review the criteria, if only just to prove the point.
Right to Insinuate and Right to State Falsehood
The AamAadmi Party is gloating under something we feel they have
appropriated unto themselves. This seems to be a Right that the Constitution has not provided to anyone in this country. They have given
themselves, in the name of providing alternative politics, a Fundamental Right to insinuate and lay false charges at their opponents. In their
desperation to acquire credibility, recognition and instant attention,
they do not hesitate to handpick names of eminent leaders of the BJP.
But it is totally condemnable, that the very AAP leaders who refer to the
BJP leaders' names, do not substantiate their claims with adequate
proof of evidence. This clearly verges on insinuation, false propaganda
and defamatory allegations.
AAP, which did not shy away from taking support of the corrupt Congress, whom they had chosen to call "chor", and the CM of Delhi who
chose to swear in the name of his children, that he shall never form a
Government with the support of the Congress today is repeatedly
doing a U-turn on every count.
They survive in power with the support of a corrupt Congress.
Their flexible list of corrupt does not dare to name Sheila Dixit
Till date, no action has been taken by the AAP against the Congress and
its leadership. They are now asking evidences from the people. So did
they, before coming to power, allege only without evidence?
Electricity prices are going up in Delhi. Where are the promises made
by AAP?
Milk price has gone up in Delhi. Both the Congress and the AAP have
to answer as to why this is happening in Delhi.
Where is the AAP which raided the Ugandan residents? Why are
they absent in suppor ting our brethren from the Nor th-East?
The BJP wishes to remind the AAP that they have to focus their
attention on governing Delhi through the institutionalized administrative mechanism. A press conference a day with fancy
lists which are not substantiated with evidence or false claims
cannot make up for good governance. The people of Delhi are
feeling even more helpless after this new Government has come
into power.
(ER. ARUN KUMAR JAIN)
Office Secretary
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
world
13
THE STATE OF THE
UNION FACT SHEET
I P14
Canada Outraged by Torture of Ukrainian Activist
SECRETARYGENERAL CALLS
ON COMBATANTS
EVERYWHERE TO
RESPECT
OLYMPIC TRUCE
EVOKING HOPE FOR MORE LASTING
CEASEFIRES, DURABLE PEACE, PROSPERITY
Protests in Ukraine still continue
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER JOHN BAIRD TODAY ISSUED
THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:
"Canada is outraged by reports of the kidnapping and particularly
barbaric torture of prominent Ukrainian civil society leader
DmytroBulatov. Our ambassador, together with representatives of
like-minded countries, has checked on his condition and expressed
Canada's concern. "The abduction and abuse of pro-democracy
activists is a cruel and crude attempt to deter peaceful protest through
fear. We call for an independent investigation into this case and all
other crimes against protesters. "We also urge the Ukrainian
government to work constructively with the opposition and the
Cour tesy: IvBogdan/Flickr Commons
Ukrainian people to resolve the crisis in Ukraine peacefully.
"We have already barred Ukrainian officials responsible for
repression from entering Canada. Canada will continue to monitor
developments in Ukraine and, with our international partners, we
will consider further options if necessary."
Last week Baird, said Canada strongly urge the Ukrainian
government to find a political solution by engaging in a real dialogue
with the people of Ukraine. "Continued violence will further
undermine democracy and freedom in Ukraine and bring serious
consequences. Canada, together with our international partners, is
considering all possible options," he said.
Tourist dilemma for polar scientists
Meeting and greeting thousands
of tourists each year is getting in
the way of scientific work, say
researchers at China's Great Wall
Station in Antarctica.
This comes after polar scientists were
host to nearly 100 Chinese tourists
on the first day of the Chinese New
Year. The Great Wall Station, China's
first research base in Antarctica, is
visited by thousands of tourists including a growing number of
Chinese - every Antarctic summer,
Xinhua news agency reported, citing
a station staff member. But whether
to continue to welcome tourists to
the base on the Fildes Peninsula,
King George Island, or instead
devote their time to scientific
work has become a dilemma for
researchers. "Emotionally, we
should warmly welcome our
compatriots who have come all
the way to Antarctica," the staff
member was quoted. "But on the
other hand, the research station
is not a tourist spot."The group
arrived last Friday, the first day of
the Year of the Horse, on a cruise
ship from Ushuaia, Argentina.
Originally, passengers were told that
it would not be possible to visit the
station as staff would be unloading
cargo from China's Xuelong
icebreaker, said Sun Youjun, CEO of
tourism website easy2world.com,
who was part of the group. However,
in the end, they managed to pay a
visit and wish researchers Happy
New Year as two members of the
group knew the Xuelong captain and
the head of the Great Wall Station,
Sun
wrote
on
his
SinaWeibomicroblog.
"Tourists took great care not to
damage the environment and
researchers at the Great Wall
Station also welcomed a lot of
visiting old friends during the
holiday," he wrote.
National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice's
Meetings with Pakistani National Security
and Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz
National Security Advisor Susan
E. Rice hosted Pakistani National
Security and Foreign Affairs Advisor Sar taj Aziz yesterday for a
meeting at the White House.
During the meeting, they reaffirmed
both countries' commitment to
strengthening the U.S.-Pakistan relationship and advancing shared
interests in a stable, secure, and
prosperous Pakistan. They discussed ways to increase the effec-
tiveness of counterterrorism cooperation, and reiterated the importance of combating extremism and
promoting peace and stability
throughout the region.
They also reiterated their support
for an Afghan-led peace process
and acknowledged the importance of advancing Afghan
peace and reconciliation. They
discussed ways to deepen and
enhance the U.S.-Pakistan par t-
nership based on the common
recognition that this par tnership is vital to regional and international security and discussed their countries' shared
dedication to nuclear security.
The United States will continue
to work with the Government of
Pakistan to advance development, promote security, and
help create lasting peace and
prosperity for all Pakistanis.
BAIRD HAILS BREAKTHROUGH IN YEMEN
Foreign Affairs Minister John
Baird issued the following statement congratulating the Yemeni
people on the National Dialogue
Conference:
"I applaud President Abdrabbuh
Mansour Hadi and the delegates
to the National Dialogue Conference on their historic breakthrough in Yemen's political transition. While the country faces
extremely difficult economic and
security challenges, the people of
Yemen have clearly spoken for a
more open society that respects
freedom, democracy, human
rights and the rule of law.
"Canada congratulates Yemen on
the Conference's impor tant recommendation to ban child, early
and forced marriages, a subject
on which I co-hosted a signature
event during the 68th Session of
the United Nations General Assembly. This and other recommendations, including those to
establish an anti-corruption
agency and to ensure that more
women are included in public office, are key steps in building an
inclusive democracy and assuring the rule of law.
"Canada remains staunchly suppor tive of Yemen in this transition. Yemen's new commitment
to federalism is a key step toward
free and fair democratic elections,
one that Canada strongly suppor ts."
Experts have urged for regulations
to be introduced as polar tourism
has been gaining popularity in
China, even though China hasn't
listed the Antarctic as a tourist
destination for its citizens.
Antarctic trips carry risks to the
local environment and tourists'
safety, and there is an urgent need
for government agencies to
coordinate to regulate the sector,
an official from the State Oceanic
Administration said.
Following is UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon's message
calling for the observance of the
Olympic Truce for the Winter
Olympic and Paralympic Games
in Sochi, Russian Federation,
from 7 to 23 February and 7 to 16
March:
On the eve of the Winter Olympic
and Paralympic Games in Sochi,
I join the International Olympic
Committee in
calling on all
those engaged
in
armed
hostilities
around the world
to lay down their
weapons and
observe
the
Olympic Truce.
T
h
e
participants in
the
Sochi
Games
may
carry the flags of many nations,
but they come together under
the shared banner of equality, fair
play, mutual respect and nondiscrimination. I encourage all
those involved in the games Governments,
groups,
organizations and individuals to uphold and defend these core
Olympic ideals.
In calling for this year's Truce,
my thoughts are with the people
of Syria, the Central African
Republic, South Sudan and all
others suffering from senseless
violence, including the families
who lost loved ones in the recent
bombings that took place in
Volgograd, not far from Sochi.
I call on all combatants
everywhere to respect the
Olympic Truce, which has been
adopted by all 193 United
Nations
Member
States.
Overcoming conflict is a constant
struggle, but we must persist in
doing our utmost to win
adherence to it.
The Olympic Truce is rooted in
the hope that if people and
nations can put aside their
differences for one day, they can
build on that to establish more
lasting ceasefires and find paths
towards
durable
peace,
prosperity and human rights. For
these next few weeks, may the
torch of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games in Sochi
remind us what is possible when
nations unite.
14
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world
THE STATE OF THE
UNION FACT SHEET
OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
T
he President's top priority
remains ensuring middle
class Americans feel
secure in their jobs, homes and
budgets. To build real, lasting
economic security the President
will work with Congress and act
on his own to expand
opportunity for all so that every
American can get ahead and
have a shot at creating a better
life for their kids.
Middle Class Security &
Opportunity at Work
Raising the Minimum Wage
through Executive Order to
$10.10 for Federal Contract
Workers. The President will also
continue to urge Congress to
raise the minimum wage to $10.10
across the nation because no one
who works full-time should have
to raise their family in poverty.
Creating "myRA" - A New
Starter Savings Account to Help
Millions Save for Retirement.
The President will take executive
action to create a simple, safe
and
affordable
"starter"
retirement savings account
available through employers to
help millions of Americans save
for retirement. This savings
account would be offered
through a familiar Roth IRA
account and, like savings bonds,
would be backed by the U.S.
government.
Building a 21st Century
Workplace for America's
Working Families. The President
will host a summit on Working
Families to highlight the policies
that will ensure America's global
economic competitiveness by
supporting working families;
showcase companies doing
exemplary work in this space; and
highlight model laws and policies
from cities and states across the
country in areas such as
discrimination, flexibility and paid
leave.
Jobs & Economic Opportunity
Launching
Four
New
Manufacturing Institutes in 2014.
American manufacturers are
adding jobs for the first time in
over a decade. To build on this
progress, the President will
launch four new institutes
through executive action this
year. These institutes will build
on the four the President has
already announced.
Government-wide Review of
Federal Training Programs to
Help Americans Get Skills in
Demand for Good Jobs. The
President is directing the Vice
President to conduct a full
review of our federal job-training
system to make sure programs
are higher performing and driven
by the needs of employers which
are hiring so that they lead to
well-paying jobs. In the coming
months, we will help community
colleges build partnerships with
businesses so that as industries'
skills needs change community
colleges can quickly adapt.
Partnering With Many of
America's Leading CEOs to Help
the Long-Term Unemployed.
Later this week, as part of an
ongoing effort that the
Administration began several
months ago, the President will
convene a group of CEOs and
other leaders around supporting
best practices for hiring the longterm unemployed.
Expanding Apprenticeships
by Mobilizing Business,
Community Colleges and Labor.
This year the President will
mobilize business leaders,
community colleges, Mayors
and Governors, and labor leaders
to increase the number of
innovative apprenticeships in
America.
Increasing Fuel Efficiency
for Trucks. The President will
propose new incentives for
medium- and heavy-duty
trucks that run on alternative
fuels like natural gas and the
infrastructure needed to
deploy them, and the
Administration will set new
fuel efficiency standards for
heavy duty vehicles.
Partnering with States,
Cities and Tribes to Move to
Energy Efficiency and Cleaner
Power. The President has directed
his Administration to work to cut
carbon pollution through clean
energy and energy efficiency.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
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IKEA's Soft Toys for Education
campaign raises over $15 million
for children in developing nations
The annual IKEA Soft Toys for Education campaign ran from
November through January 2014 in all 12 IKEA stores in
Canada. For each soft toy or children's book purchased, approximately $1.50 CAD was donated to UNICEF and Save the
Children by the IKEA Foundation.
Since the star t of this annual campaign in 2003, the IKEA
Foundation has donated over $90 million CAD, which has
helped improve the educational oppor tunities of more than
11 million children in 46 countries. The donations help
UNICEF and Save the Children train teachers in childfriendly teaching approaches, improve child protection
systems, supply educational materials, and increase
school attendance rates.
Thanks to this year's donation, the IKEA Foundation will
suppor t 19 UNICEF and Save the Children projects in 18
countries. UNICEF's por tion will fund the Schools for Africa initiative in eight countries and the Schools for Asia
initiative in China. Save the Children's share will suppor t
education for children of the most marginalised groups in
Asia and Eastern Europe.
By purchasing any soft toy in store, IKEA Canada customers contributed over $500,000 CDN to the global campaign
this year. At all 12 Canadian stores, customers also had
the oppor tunity to be involved in a 'Give Twice' incentive,
donating IKEA soft toys to local children's charities.
"UNICEF would like to thank every individual who had purchased an IKEA soft toy and/or book and to the co-workers who
made the campaign such a tremendous success." said David
Morley, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada. "The remarkable
support and generosity from the IKEA Foundation, IKEA customers, and IKEA co-workers will ensure we continue to make
strides in ensuring children will have better access to quality
education and an oppor tunity for a better future."
"This year marks the 20th anniversary of Save the Children's
long term strategic collaboration with the IKEA Foundation. It's
also the 8th consecutive year that we have par ticipated in the
IKEA Soft Toys for Education campaign. Through the IKEA
Foundation's commitment to helping vulnerable children gain
access to a quality education, Save the Children aims to ensure children around the world can recognize their right to
education, helping children fulfills his and/or her potential,
globally," said Patricia Erb, President and CEO, Save the Children Canada.
CHINA AUTHORIZES 8
BABY FORMULA TESTERS
The China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) announced
on Tuesday that it has authorized eight testing centers for baby
formula products to improve security.
The eight are located in cities including Beijing, Shanghai,
Guangzhou, Wuhan and in the provinces of Shandong, Anhui
and Heilongjiang, the CFDA said.
In production license examinations, local food and drug authorities first make inspections of company premises. They
then send the samples collected to at least two of the centers
for testing.
The CFDA ordered the centers to use strict rules in accord
with national standards for baby formula products and food
security.
The credibility of China's dairy industry was damaged in 2008
when milk laced with melamine, a chemical added to milk
products to make the protein content seem richer, made
300,000 children sick and killed six.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
MidWeek
80 PERTOSA DRIVE, UNIT 12,
BRAMPTON ONT., L6X 5E9
15
16
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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
17
OMG! It's Online Leak
Behind 'Jai Ho' Disaster?
BOLLYWOOD ACTORS SIDHARTH MALHOTRA AND PARINEETI CHOPRA PROMOTING THEIR UPCOMING FILM "HASEE TOH PHASEE"
FEELS GREAT TO SEE WOMEN
DIRECTORS: MADHURI DIXIT
T
hree years after she
returned to Mumbai from
Denver (she had moved
there after marrying Dr Sriram
Nene in 1999), Madhuri DixitNene is back on the big screen.
She’s just had one release, Dedh
Ishqiya, and her next releases in
March.
With these two female-centric
films under her
belt, Madhuri talks to us about
issues pertaining to Indian
women and what it’s like being a
married actress in Bollywood.
Are you making a conscious
attempt to do women-centric
films? What is your take on their
current status in society?
It isn’t as if things weren’t
happening
earlier,
but
nowadays, people are more
aware of w h a t ’s g o i n g o n
around them. Newspapers
and
TV
channels
are
reporting
such
stuff
regularly. My new film too
fights for women and to
change the society’s point of
view towards them.
Where do you think the
problem lies?
Wo m e n
need
to
be
empowered through the
strongest tool — education.
They don’t need to be
subservient to anyone, but at
the same time, men must
change their mindset towards
women. If they are more
respectful towards them, then
things will change at the
grassroots level. It will
happen slowly, but everyone
has to move together. Selfdefence classes are also vital
for girls. With those, they can
protect themselves without
getting hurt.
Do you see a change in
Bollywood for female actors?
Things
are
definitely
changing. From the start, I’ve
been lucky to have got films
like Dil (1990), Beta (1992),
Mrityudand (2000) and even
Lajja (2001), where the
women’s parts were equally
strong.
I
feel
that
participation of women is the
way forward in Indian
cinema.
What makes you think so?
Today, it’s heartening to see
female make-up artistes,
assistant directors and even
directors. It’s great to see that
we aren’t just actors in our
film set-up. In terms of roles
too, our cinema has come a
l o n g w a y, a n d t h a t ’s w h y
women are not just eye candy
in the films. New directors
have come in with fresh
sensibilities.
TWINKLE KHANNA UNDERGOES SURGERY
TWINKLE KHANNA WAS ADMITTED AT BREACH CANDY
HOSPITAL LATE ON SATURDAY AFTER SHE COMPLAINED
OF AN UNBEARABLE PAIN IN HER STOMACH. THE DOCTORS
HAVE GIVEN HER THE NECESSARY MEDICATION AND WILL
KEEP HER UNDER OBSERVATION THROUGH THE NIGHT.
A friend of the couple told media that Akshay Kumar was by his
wife's side all through and so was Twinkle's mother Dimple Kapadia.
"In the morning when the repor ts came in it was diagnosed that
there was a stone in her kidney and a quick decision was taken to
get an immediate surgery done." The operation was performed on
Sunday after noon and went off well. Said the friend, "Tina bhabhi is
feeling much better and she might get discharged in a couple of
days if all goes well. Akshay had a prior commitment on Sunday
evening. He made a quick appearance at the Race Course before
dashing back to the hospital."
Well, well well! nothing could be more disturbing for "Dabangg" of
Bollywood, Salman who these days seems to be trying hard to come
out of the after-effects of Jai Ho's disastrous reception.
If recent repor ts per taining to, Salman's, "Jai Ho" are to be believed
then soon after its release on 24th of January the entire two and a half
hour movie found its way on internet. And the video literally went viral
among the netizens and fetched almost 1,08,151 views till the time it
was taken off from the net.
Repor tedly the the pirated print of entire movie was uploaded on a
video sharing site by a Dubai based user on January 28th. Subsequently it was removed by the por tal. But to everyone's surprise another better quality video of the movie was re-uploaded on Sunday.
It is noteworthy to mention that, contrary to everyone's expectations,
"Jai Ho" bombed on BO despite the huge fan following of Salman
spread all across the globe.
If verdicts of one of the trade analysts are to be believed, then it says
that if the pirated version of movie which went viral among the netizens
has secured over one lakh views, then probably the movie would
have lost approximately 10-15 crores on the ticket window.
Parineeti stayed away
from her favourite food
for 'Hasee Toh Phasee'
‘
SHOOTING FOR DHARMA PRODUCTIONS & PHANTOM FILMS'
CUCKING FRAZY 'HASEE TOH PHASEE' WAS NO EASY TASK
FOR PARINEETI CHOPRA, AS THE ACTRESS WAS GIVEN
STRICT INSTRUCTIONS TO STAY AWAY FROM HER FAVOURITE
FOOD, ESPECIALLY CHOCOLATES, CUPCAKES AND PIZZA,
WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE QUITE CHALLENGING GIVEN THAT
PARINEETI IS A COMPLETE FOODIE.
If sources are to be believed, cer tain scenes in the film required
Parineeti Chopra to spor t a lean look and director Vinil Matthew, who
makes his big Bollywood directorial debut with the film , took personal interest in her diet and supervised her meals.
So impressed was the director with her dedication and discipline that
he gifted the actress a huge box of her favorite cupcake treats on the
last day of the shoot.
Director Vinil Mathew, "Yes I
had banned Parineeti from eating junk food which is her favorite as I wanted her to maintain her look in the film. However, I felt bad about depriving
her from her comfor t food and
rewarded
her with a
box of
c u p cakes
on the
last day
of shooting".
18
MidWeek
bollywood
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
MidWeek
bollywood
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Movie Review
19
Upcoming
BOLLYWOOD Movies
HEARTLESS
RELEASE DATE:
February 07, 2014
STAR CAST: Adhyayan Suman, Ariana Ayam, Om Puri, Deepti Naval,
Madan Jain, Shekar Suman
ESAI,
DEOL, PREETI D
AY
H
B
A
T:
S
A
C
I,
, RATI AGNIHOTR
LILLETE DUBEY
AGI,
LA, GEETIKA TY
PREETIKA CHAW
IWALA
DARSHAN JAR
IKA BHAGAT
DIRECTOR : DEV
RATING: *1/2
DIRECTOR(S): Shekhar Suman
'ONE BY TWO' IS AN
ABSOLUTE 'PAKAOED'
O
ver the years, Abhay
Deol has fetched for
himself a repute that, he
is one such cine performer of
Bollywood, who doesn't believe
in being a part of the herd. And
this Abhay has proved number
of times by his choice of cine
flicks, where he has not only
performed his characters with
utmost conviction, but at the
same time has exhibited that he
is the one who loves to sail
against the tides.
Be it "Socha Na Tha", "Oye
Lucky! Lucky Oye!","Dev.D",
"Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" or
even "Shanghai", every time this
sinewy Deol scion has not only
proved his mettle, but has raised
the bar tremendously. But
unfortunately this time this
bravura performer seemed to be
alien to that "marvelous sense"
of
picking
up
those
unconventional yet entrancing
cine themes. After seeing Abhay
excelling in numerous avatars,
it's quite obvious for his fans to
get apprehensive about the
movie in which besides acting he
is leading the producing front
too, but after watching this hohum affair, probably many of
those Abhay Deol's die-hard
fans will be left heartbroken.
As soon as the plot of "One By
Two" starts crawling, (that too
at a pace of 1/2 miles per day), it
unfurls the story of a simpleton,
Amit Sharma (Abhay Deol) who
after being dumped by his
girlfriend Radhika (Geetika
top
10
songs
1
Film: Dedh Ishqiya
ZABAAN
JALE HAI
FILM
SONG
2
Dedh Ishqiya
Dil Ka Mizaaj Ishqiya
3
Yaariyan
Baarish
4
Dhoom 3
Malang
5
Yaariyan
Meri Maa
6
Hasee Toh Phasee
Ishq Bulaava
7
Gunday
Mann Kunto Maula
8
Hasee Toh Phasee
Zehnaseeb
9
Gunday
Tune Maari Entriyaan
10
Heartless
Main Dhoondne Ko Zamaane Mein
MOVIE COLLECTIONS
HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEK
JAI HO
AVERAGE
YAARIYAN
SEMI HIT
DEDH ISHQIYA
FLOP
DHOOM 3
BLOCKBUSTER
Tyagi), could not come out of her
thoughts and has only one aim
and that is to get her back in his
life. On the other hand we have a
parallel running story of Samara
Patel (Preeti Desai) who aspires
to make it big in her life, but at
the same time have to deal with
an alcoholic mother back at
home. With the frames rolling
ahead, both these leading
protagonists who are trying hard
to deal with their own set of
problems, many a times cross
each other's path, but never get
an opportunity to have a
rendezvous till the culmination.
Ever-since the inception of
cinema, it is seen that, many a
times cine anecdotes belonging
to
the
purview
of
unconventionality
despite
having a low earning potency
have thoroughly succeeded in
making a place for themselves
among the diehard cineastes at
the power of its captivating
potency. But this rule doesn't
holds true for "One By Two",
which certainly have an
unconventional idea beneath it
accompanied by tonnes of
tedium. From the very onset of
narration of "One By Two" looks
like an aimless nomad ignorant
about its final destination. With
no stable idea flowing beneath
it, "One By Two" takes tonnes
of your effort to understand and
comprehend this irrational
enmeshed saga, and even after
putting so much of yours
voracious labor in doing so, you
completely fail in drawing any
entertaining relief out of it.
Garnished with some stinky
flatulence humor and lack of
smartly fitted story couplings,
narration of of "One By Two"
looks nothing more than an
irritating bunch of ideas which
simply adds to your frustration.
So only a "one by two" score for
Devika Bhagat for coming up
with such a doleful premise,
which
certainly
has
unconventionality but too
stodgy to entertain.
Even the dialogues of "One by
Two" are more of a sorry affair
which seems to be totally
detached from entertainment
quotient and completely fail in
arousing any emotion in you,
except the boredom.
Not satisfied with her efforts of
adding dreariness to "One By
Two" movies director, Devika
Bhagat, further consummated
her desire by sketching a
crumbling
and
ill-paced
screenplay. In fact it won't be
wrong to say that in both halves
of the movie it's screenplay
which
maintained
its
consistency by remaining
shoddy throughout the time. As
far as flow and pace of the
narration of "One By Two" is
concerned, then it's such that
even a lame snail can
outmanoeuvre it by miles. Well,
what to say about the editing of
a tale which neither has a plot
nor a screenplay, so no
denouncement
for,
Shan
Mohammed
of
editing
department who too fails in doing
any graceful job for the movie.
So far it is seen that movie
which
have
an
unconventional idea latent to
them are often full of pleasing
musical carols, but "One By
Two" flunks on that front too.
Starting from "Kaboom" till
"I'm Just Pakaoed" every
track of the movie is strictly
forgettable. And so is the
music of Shankar Ehsaan
Loy.
HASEE TOH PHASEE
RELEASE DATE:
February 07, 2014
STAR CAST: Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra, Adah Sharma
PRODUCER(S): Karan Johar, Phantom Films
GENRE : Romance, Comedy
GUNDAY
RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2014
STAR CAST: Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka
Chopra, Irr fan Khan, Sushant Singh
PRODUCER(S): Aditya Chopra
DIRECTOR (S): Ali Abbas Zafar
GENRE : Action, Romance
GULAAB GANG
RELEASE DATE:
Mar 07, 2014
STAR CAST: Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Mahie Gill, Shilpa
Shukla, Tannishtha Chatterjee
DIRECTOR(S): Soumik Sen
PRODUCER(S): Anubhav Sinha
WRITER(S): Soumik Sen
Kangana Ranaut 'Queen' to the core
Kangana Ranaut has amazed the audience with her de-glam look,
donning simple salwar-suits to por tray the role of 'Rani', in Viacom
18 Motion Pictures' upcoming film, 'Queen'. The actor helped the
makers in shaping up the character of 'Rani'. Her look in the film
is similar to her real-life look, when she used to live in Manali.
Director Vikas Bahl said, `I wanted to make a film on a simple
character. I think simple characters have bigger journeys.` Rani's
journey takes her to Paris on her honeymoon, all alone. On this
solo trip, as she meets new people, she
rediscovers life. Designers
Manoshi & Rushi were responsible for the styling of the characters in the film.
Being from a small-town herself, Kangana could easily
relate to her character. Designer
Rushi
says,
`Kangana comes from a
small town. So, when we
gave her the salwarkameez and churidars.
She said 'Oh! I use to
wear this when I was in
11th and 12th standard!` Talking about Kangana's look, Designer
Manoshi said `Clothes are specially
designed and styled to make her look
like 'Rani'. This is where Kangana really helped us out, and she looks beautiful in everything that you make her
wear.`
Kangana's involvement played a vital role
in evolving the character of 'Rani'. As Rushi
rightly points out `Kangana is 'Queen'. She is
Rani to the core.`
20
MidWeek
bollywood
BEING A MOTHER IS CLOSEST TO ME:
SHILPA SHETTY
S
he has been a part of
showbiz for more than
two decades but family
still takes precedence for actress
Shilpa Shetty. Playing the role of
a doting mother to her one-anda-half-year-old son Viaan is
something that the actressproducer enjoys more than any
other roles in her life.
Shilpa, who is currently judging
celebrity dance reality show
"Nach Baliye 6" with filmmaker
Sajid Khan and choreographer
Terence Lewis, said she
constantly thinks about her son
even when she is shooting for
the show. "Being a mother is the
closest to me. Even when I am on
the sets, I am still a mother and I
keep checking on my son,"
Shilpa, who tied the knot with
businessman Raj Kundra in 2009,
told IANS on the phone from
Mumbai.
As the season is nearing its end,
the actress is excited to be able
to go back to being a "full-time
mother" to her son.
"I have my hands full with Viaan.
I will get back to being a full-time
mother once the season finishes.
I will get more time with my son.
As much I love 'Nach Baliye', I
am looking forward to spending
more time with my son," she said.
After acting in films like
"Baazigar", "Rishtey", "Dus"
and "Life In a...Metro", Shilpa's
acting career took a backseat. But
she is glad that she is still
remembered by her fans who
continue to adore her - but is
in no hurry to return to the
big screen. "I am still a part
of the audiences and am
happy that they give me a
lot of love. I am really
enjoying playing the role
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Salman still open to
do Southern remakes
Superstar Salman Khan's recent release "Jai Ho", a hindi remake
of Southern film "Stalin", may have received mixed response at
the box office but that doesn't mean that he has lost interest in the
genre. Post the release of "Jai Ho", there were repor ts that Salman
is no longer keen on working in Southern remakes but the 48year-old denied this by saying: "Who said I will not do any Southern remake ? Did I say that ? No."
"Whenever a good remake will come up I will do it," he added.
So far, Salman has worked in four Southern remakes including
"Wanted", "Bodyguard" and "Ready". While these three raked in
hefty amounts, "Jai Ho" managed to pull in approximately Rs.61
crore in the opening weekend of it's release. However Salman
emphasised that his next films will have new to give to the audience. "All my next films are of different kinds," said the superstar
who will be next seen in "Kick", being directed by Sajid
Nadiadwala.
of a mother to my
son right now. That
role is the most
important of
my life,"
she said.
WHY ALIA HASN'T
SIGNED A BHATT
CAMP MOVIE YET
EVERY ACTOR HAS A FAILURE:
PREITY ZINTA
Preity Zinta who turns a year older
this week is back in the thick of
Bollywood. In a freewheeling
interview with Subhash K Jha she
talks about her voluntary
decision to take a sabbatical
from acting to focus on her
stint as the owner of an IPL
team. With characteristic
candour she evaluates
her current film
career and also lays
bare her inner
thoughts on matters
pertaining to money and
the heart.
What plans for your
birthday?
I think I'll only invite
those friends who
bring expensive
gifts along.
Do you feel
your career as
a movie actor
has suffered
because of
y o u r
participation
in
the
IPL?
O
f
DEEPIKA SHINES THIS
AWARDS SEASON
2013 has undoubtedly been Deepika Padukone's year with four
major blockbusters at the box-office starring the talented diva.
2014, too, has begun on a high note for her. The actor was all
smiles, as she graced the red carpet of Filmfare Awards 2014,
winning the Best Actor Trophy for her per formance in 'Goliyon Ki
Raasleela: Ram-leela'.
Deepika made a million heads turn at the star-studded night, with
her daring golden gown by designer Gaurav Gupta. Deepika was
nominated as the best actor for two of her films - 'Goliyon Ki
Raasleela: Ram-leela' and 'Chennai Express' for Filmfare Awards.
On receiving the prestigious black lady, Deepika said, `Thank
you Idea and Filmfare. This is for my mother. I missed her during
the shoot. This award is very special for me. As a child, Filmfare
Awards was one thing we would sit and see together in family. I
never thought one day I'll be here receiving an award. Thank you
Sanjay Leela Bhansali for giving such an oppor tunity. Thank you
Ranveer for being a good co-star. 2013 was a good year for me"
Deepika is cer tainly on a winning streak this awards season. The
Filmfare award seemed to be the icing on the cake, after having
bagged the Best Actor trophies at two other prestigious award
ceremonies.
At the Screen Awards, the gorgeous diva won Best Actress (Jury
Award) and Best Actress (Popular) for 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ramleela' and 'Chennai Express'. At the Star Guild Awards, Deepika
was nominated in the Best Actress category for three of her films- 'Chennai
Express', 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-leela' and 'Yeh Jawaani Hai
Deewani'. It was 'Chennai Express' that won her the 'Best Actress'
Star Guild award.
The BIG Star Enter tainment awards also saw Deepika Padukone
walking away with three BIG trophies, for 'Best Actress', 'Most
Enter taining Comedy Actress' & 'Best Jodi' with her Chennai Express co-star Shah Rukh Khan.
course it has. But it was extremely
conscious decision. It was a new
challenge that I wanted to take on.
Having done so, if I were to do it
half-hearted I'd have been accused
of taking on more than I could
handle.But I must say this film
industry
has
given
me
everything.And I owe my entire
success to it. I wouldn't have wanted
to shoot for three das and then taken
off for a foreign country with the IPL
for a fortnight.I couldn't balance both
careers. Now that the IPL is settled I
am back to doing movies.I am now
entering the most interesting phase
of my career.
Last year you produced Ishkq In
Paris which went horribly wrong?
I wouldn't say it went horribly work.
But yes, it didn't work out.
Everything that could possibly go
wrong went wrong. On our very first
day of shooting temperatures fell to
minus 23 degrees in Paris.It was the
coldest European winter in 65 years.
Then the train we were shooting on
broke down, someone committed
suicide.Every mistake I could make,
I made. I am someone who has an
opinion and I like to assert myself. I
should have been more assertive.
Khatron Ke Khiladi:
Gauhar happy to
be with Kushal?
Alia Bhatt, daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, is yet to work
with her family production house and the young actress says
she will wait till the right film comes her way.
The 20-year-old actress, who made her Bollywood debut in
2010 with Karan Johar's Student Of The Year, did work in
Mukesh Bhatt's Sangharsh where she played the young Preity
Zinta.
Ever since making her debut, Alia has signed three other big
banner films but none of them are with Vishesh Films production.
"I am not being offered any film. They are launching other
people... giving 100 crore to other people. But jokes apar t I
think they are waiting for the right project and the right time.
Till now nothing has come my way. It will happen. And when it
does it will be with a bang," Alia said. The actor will be next
seen in director's Imtiaz Ali's road drama Highway, in which
she will be seen in a de-glamourised avatar in the film as city
girl Veera, who gets kidnapped and eventually finds freedom
in her bondage. When asked how she researched for her character, Alia said, "My only training came from Imtiaz. I don't like
to get reference from anyone because the spontaneity goes
away. Unless it really requires like if I play a lawyer or something then I will do some research for body language.
"This film required my character to be me. This urban city girl,
who has been untouched. The character really fascinated me,
especially her transition," she added.
I NEVER START MY DAY WITHOUT HAVING BREAKFAST
A
ctress Gauahar
Khan, whose
relationship with
television actor Kushal
Tandon helped grab many
eyeballs on their recent
show "Bigg Boss Saath-7",
is happy to share the screen
with him again in "Khatron
Ke khiladi 5".
The two will be competing
with each other and Gauahar
is excited to spend time with
her boyfriend.
"I am very nervous and
excited at the same time. We
will be shooting in South
Africa and I will get to
spend more time with
Kushal," Gauahar told IANS
on the phone from Mumbai.
The two were seen cozying
up together in the "Bigg
Boss" house and the actress
said that they have managed
to remain close, once out of
the show as well. "Our
relationship is exactly how it
was on camera. We were
very real in the 'Bigg Boss'
house. We are happy being
together," she said.
Sakshi Tanwar, who is a brand ambassador for Kellogg’s Corn
Flakes took the breakfast pledge initiative at an event in Mumbai
last week. She impressed upon people the
impor tance of breakfast
amongst Indians. She
said, “Since childhood
my mother insisted that
I have a balanced breakfast every single day before I left the house. And
that has become very
impor tant for me today.
Irrespective of my hectic schedule, I just can’t
star t my day, without
having it. I was shocked
when I first heard that
one in four people skip
breakfast, and even among those who eat it, 72% have a nutritionally inadequate meal. I’m getting all my friends, relatives
and colleagues to take the Kellogg’s Breakfast Pledge and ensure they star t their day in a healthy fashion.”
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
hollywood
I am tired of dying in every
movie: KEIRA KNIGHTLEY
A
ctress Keira Knightley is tired of her characters dying in movies and said
that is why she decided to take a fun part in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
The 28-year-old actress, who appeared on the red carpet for the European
premiere of the film here, said she chose to appear in the action film because it was
more fun than some of her recent roles, reported Daily Mirror. "I got to the end
of Anna Karenina and I sort of
realised that I'd either been dying
in every film or something
horrific was happening to
me in every film, and I
wanted to do something
where that didn't happen."
"I wanted goodies and
baddies ... this is a piece of
wonderful, totally pure
Hollywood entertainment,
which I fancied. And then I
did two more movies - one
called Can a Song Save Your Life
and one called Laggies - that are
just incredibly positive and fun,"
she said.
MidWeek
21
Jennifer Lawrence features
in 'Mystique' makeup on
magazine cover
Anne Hathaway took break from limelight
IN 2013 DUE TO
'INTERNET BEATING'
Anne Hathaway has
revealed that she took a
break from show business in
2013 in the aftermath of the
public backlash she
received over the internet
after her hugely successful
awards season. While
talking about her upcoming
film Song One, the Les
Miserables star explained to
MTV's Josh
Horowitz that she followed
her Oscar-winning
performance with a lowbudget film because she had
taken a beating from the
Internet, Us Magazine
reported.
Talking about the internet
beating, the 31-year-old
actress had previously told
a US publication that she
believed that people needed
a break from her.
Jennifer Lawrence has featured in her X-Men makeup on the
March 2014 cover of the Empire Magazine.
The 23-year-old American actress is seen staring ahead in
her blue X-Men Mystique makeup in one of the 25 limited
edition collector's covers for Empire Magazine's March 2014
issue.
Other stars on the cover are Evan Peters as the speedy Quicksilver, Hugh Jackman as the angry Wolverine, Halle Berry as
the master ful Storm, and Anna Paquin as the silver-haired
Rogue.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is set to release later this year.
Lupita Nyong'o gets a kiss
from DiCaprio
12 Years a Slave star Lupita Nyong'o, who had earlier expressed
her fondness for Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, was recently in shock when the Titanic star kissed her on her cheek.
Nyong'o, dressed in a Stella McCar tney gown, caught the attention of DiCaprio at a recent awards ceremony.
While the Kenyan actor was posing for shutterbugs, he went up
to her to plant a kiss on her cheek, said a statement.
Nyong'o had previously said that DiCaprio was one of the first
stars she was desperate to meet after making her debut in
Hollywood.
12 Years A Slave will release in India Jan 31.
DiCaprio has already won a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice
statuette for his role in the film.
HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS ANNE
HATHAWAY ARRIVES AT THE
NATIONAL BOARD OF
REVIEW AWARDS IN NEW
YORK. HATHAWAY AND THE
CAST OF THE FILM LES
MISERABLES WON THE BEST
ENSEMBLE AWARD
Katy Perry crosses 50
million followers on Twitter
Pop star Katy Perry has hit a
new record in his Twitter fan
following, which has risen to
over 50 million.
The 29-year-old singer, who
has beaten Britney Spears (35
million), Rihanna (34 million)
and Justin Timberlake
(30million), expressed her
happiness to become the most
popular celebrity on the
micro-blogging site.
"Oh yeah and we grew to 50
million Katycats! Eh, regular
day at the office," she posted.
After Perry, second in line is
Justin Bieber with 49,200,172
followers, while Lady Gaga,
who made Twitter history
when she became the first
person to claim 20 million
followers, is now in four th
place with 41,026,779
followers.
BEYONCE KNOWLES SACKS
GENERAL MANAGER AND
BECOMES OWN BOSS
Beyonce Knowles has reportedly sacked her general manager
and she looks to take charge of her career.
The 'Drunk In Love' hitmaker and her
hubby Jay Z are now in total control
of her career after ditching Live
Nation executive Faisal Durrani,
the Mirror reported.
A source said that Jay Z has been
heavily involved in Beyonce's
career for years, and was
instrumental in organising the
'Mrs Carter Show' World
Tour, but he isn't officially
regarded as her manager
and she really is
independent.
According
to
reports the change
in focus is to make
sure her career is
handled with
her family
in mind.
FOR BEST DEALS AND INFORMATION SEE PAGE 31
The Wolf of Wall Street was
fun, says Leonardo DiCaprio
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio enjoyed filming the raunchy and wild
scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street.
The 39-year-old actor, who plays stockbroker Jordan Belfor t in
the drama, enjoyed depicting his wild ways on screen and didn't
even mind baring all on camera.
"Much of the film depended
on creating a wild and reckless atmosphere. I didn't hold anything back. There were no stunt doubles for me either - it's all
me. That's all me flopping around naked,” contactmusic.com
quoted him as saying.
"It was fun (filming the scenes). I didn't think about the nudity
much because I was trying to por tray what this guy's life was
like and it all really happened,” he added.
Australia demolish England one last time
“
AUSTRALIA 6 FOR 195
(BAILEY 49*, BROAD 3-30)
BEAT ENGLAND 111
(MORGAN 34, MUIRHEAD
2-13) BY 84 RUNS
There was talk that England
had chartered a plane to fly
them
out
of
Sydney
immediately after this match.
Who could blame them?
Beaten, bullied and broken by
the Australians in the Tests and
ODIs, England finished their
tour with another heavy loss,
this time by 84 runs, in the final
T20. It meant another clean
sweep for Australia. It meant
across all formats, Australia
had crushed England 12-1 this
summer. The 1 was an ODI in
which Australia rested several
key players.
That England were bowled out
for 111 - English cricket's
unlucky number - seemed
somehow
appropriate.
Anything that could go wrong
for England on this trip has,
although that has as much been
due to Australia's outstanding
cricket as English misfortune.
In this final game, the
difference between the sides
was evident from the way
Australia
finished
their
innings, when the captain
George Bailey plundered 26
runs off the last over from Jade
Dernbach. It pushed the target
into seriously difficult territory,
although with the exception of
Eoin Morgan, England's
batsmen looked incapable of
chasing down 150, let alone 196.
Michael Lumb had been
dropped, which meant a new
opening combination of Luke
Wright and Alex Hales but
neither man reached double
figures. Wright pulled a catch
to deep square leg off Mitchell
Starc for 8 and Hales was also
caught in the deep off Nathan
Coulter-Nile for 6.
England's 2 for 19 became 3 for
25 when Ben Stokes, in for his
first match of the series, was
caught for 5 off a leading edge
from the offspin of Glenn
Maxwell. Joe Root did not have
the time he required to get
himself in, and consequently
ate up 21 balls scratching along
to 11 before he holed out to
deep midwicket to give Maxwell
his second wicket and Cutting
his second catch.
By then, the required run rate
had inflated so much that the
result was inevitable. Morgan
struck a couple of sixes but was
caught in the deep for 34 off
20, and the final overs were
notable not for anything
England did but for the young
legspinner James Muirhead
continuing to impress the
Australian selectors, picking
up two wickets by drawing Tim
Bresnan out of his crease for a
stumping and bowling Stuart
Broad with a big legbreak.
All England could do was avoid
their biggest ever T20 loss. The
90-run defeat against India in
Colombo in 2012 remains their
worst, but this occupies equal
second on their all-time list. It
was Bailey who really sunk
them with his unbeaten 49 off
20 deliveries towards the end
of
Australia's
innings.
Dernbach finished with 0 for 49
from his four overs when his
last was wrecked by Bailey. All
six balls seemed in the slot for
Bailey, who struck three fours
and two sixes, including a long
and high one over long-on,
before the last ball produced a
slash to third man for two, and
England couldn't even finish
with a run-out as Jos Buttler
missed trying to flick the bails
off. Bailey had good support
from Matthew Wade, who
finished on 19 from 10 balls, in
a 56-run partnership that came
after Broad threatened to peg
the Australians back with two
wickets in the 16th over. Broad,
who finished with 3 for 30, had
the veteran Brad Hodge caught
at deep fine leg hooking for 7
and two balls later bowled
Daniel Christian for a duck to
leave Australia at 6 for 139 with
four overs to go.
Again Australia's opening
partnership of Cameron White
and Aaron Finch set a strong
platform with a 48-run stand they started the series with a
106-run partnership in Hobart
and followed it with 48 in
Melbourne - and Finch was the
more threatening of the two,
crunching Stokes for a pair of
sixes in his first over. But, on
30 from 21 balls, Finch mistimed
a pull and lobbed a catch up to
midwicket off Bresnan.
Maxwell cleared the boundary
twice, including a searing flat
six over long-off, before he was
caught at long-on from the
bowling of Broad for 14.
Australia promoted Cutting as
a pinch hitter and the ploy
worked reasonably well as
Cutting showed his power with
three sixes in his 29 off 16 balls
before he was sharply caught
by Root off his own bowling.
ALEEM DAR WANTS BETTER PAY
FOR PAKISTAN'S UMPIRES
KARACHI: Pakistan's top
umpire Aleem Dar has called on
the country's cricket board to
take a leaf out of India's book and
improve the pay scales for
officials in the country.
"You
look
at
our
neighbouring country, their
umpires in domestic cricket get
paid double of what Pakistani
umpires are paid and don't forget
our currency value is lesser than
theirs," Dar said on Geo Super
channel.
Asked about the concerns
over the declining standard of
umpiring in the country, Dar, who
twice won the ICC Umpire of the
Year award, said things would
not improve unless more former
players don't join the profession.
"In other countries more
former players are becoming
umpires but we don't see this
trend in Pakistan because the
umpires are not well paid neither
are they given required facilities
and benefits by the board," he
said. Dar said he had advised the
PCB to review the pay structure
and facilities given to umpires.
"I have told them they need
to give central contracts to
umpires, improve their fee
structure and also provide them
with other facilities," he said.
"I recently told the Board
that umpires must be given stay
in the best hotels while on duty
because if an umpire can't have
a peace of mind and get proper
sleep how can he function
properly physically and mentally
since umpiring is a taxing and
thankless job," Dar said.
The Pakistani umpire also
defended his fellow officials who
have come under criticism for
their poor decision-making
during the ongoing domestic
cricket tournaments.
"I have been hearing a lot
of criticism about the umpiring
but I think players need to focus
on their own job, umpires are
human beings and can make
errors. And in cricket players
usually tend to have luck both
ways so they shouldn't complain
and blame the umpires," he said.
But Dar, at the same time,
advised the Board to have proper
fitness, eye and aptitude tests
for umpires every six months.
"Umpires need to be
mentally very strong and have
strong mental aptitude and good
eye sight. These are the most
requirements for a successful
umpire."
Warne to 'think about' England coaching job
SYDNEY: Australian bowling great Shane Warne, so often the cause
of England's demise, offered Monday to think about reviving the old
enemy as the country's next coach.
As England players flew home in the early hours following a final
defeat in Sydney, Warne took to Twitter in answer to calls for him to
apply for the role.
"To my English followers, I'm flattered that you would like me to consider the England job," Warne tweeted.
"All I can say is -- I will think about it!!!" The comment could of course
be a wind-up from the 44-year-old who, at the end of January, was
named as spin consultant ahead of Australia's World Twenty20 campaign star ting in Bangladesh in March.
Cricket Australia said Warne would suppor t head coach Darren
Lehmann, providing specialist training for the squad's spinners.
The England job has been vacant since Andy Flower quit a week ago
after losing the Ashes 5-0 on a disastrous tour Down Under.
Warne, who retired in 2007 with a then world-record 708 Test wickets, tormented England during his celebrated career, including a 1994
hat-trick, but was also well-known for off-field antics.
Melbourne's Herald Sun urged Warne to think again about his offer.
"You should be dismissing hare-brained ideas like that without a second thought," it said on its website.
"Surely you wouldn't coach the Poms mate??" tweeted former batsman and colleague Michael Slater.
England's one-day coach Ashley Giles is among the favourites to take
over from Flower.
Valiant Lancers bow to
Delhi Waveriders
BHUBANESWAR: On paper they were undoubtedly the better
side but on Sunday, the Delhi Waveriders realized Terry Walsh's
wards were no pushovers as a valiant Kalinga Lancers pushed
them all the way before going down 3-4 here in their HIL tie on
Sunday.
On Saturday, ahead of their match against the Mumbai Magicians, the Lancers coach had said that back-to-back matches
would be tiring for his team. Captain Prabodh Tirkey & Co,
though, fresh from their triumph against Mumbai, exhibited no
signs of tiredness as the home team star ted on a positive note
against Waveriders.
Delhi took the lead through their first penalty corner. Rupinder,
known for his superb drag-flicks, then, unleashed a ferocious
one which caught Lancers custodian Harjot Singh napping in
the fifth minute of the first quar ter.
The Lancers, though, answered back soon. Looking enterprising in their midfield the Lancers built up the pressure upon the
Delhi defence and soon were rewarded with a penalty which
was converted by Lucas Vila. The evening, though, belonged
to Simon Child of New Zealand. Declared Man of the Match, the
experienced Delhi midfielder produced two brilliant reverse
flicks to get his side 2-1 up in the second and third quar ter,
respectively.
The Lancers, led by the brilliance of Ryan Archibald and Lucas
Vila in the midfield, roared back into the contest with Gonzalo
Peillat conver ting their fourth penalty corner. Vila then scored
the equalizer in the four th quar ter, only for veteran Arjun
Halappa to tap in the winning following a goalmouth melee in
the Lancers defence.
Stockmann shines for
Punjab Warriors
LUCKNOW: Jaap Stockmann turned out to be the 'Stopman' as
the Punjab Warriors goalkeeper helped his team keep Uttar
Pradesh Wizards to a 2-2 draw in their Hockey India League
match at Dhyanchand stadium on Sunday.
The Dutch goalkeeper made at least eight smar t saves to save
the day for the Warriors. He kept the Wizards' forwards at bay
till the very end, palming away a cracking hit from S Uthappa in
the dying minutes of the game to keep it even-stevens. He was
named Man of the Match.
Punjab Warriors took the lead in the sixth minute through Jake
Whetton's field goal. Punjab's joy, however, was shor tlived as
the Wizards drew level six minutes later when David Alegre
(12th minute) equalized for the visitors.The Warriors surged
ahead once again when Satbir Singh (50th minute) scored in
the third quar ter but the Wizards managed to draw level four
minutes later through S K Uthappa (54th).
Karnataka lift Ranji Trophy
title after 15-year wait
HYDERABAD: There was little drama as Karnataka expectedly
capped their remarkable season with their seventh Ranji title.
The seven-wicket victory over Maharashtra at the Rajiv Gandhi
International Stadium on Sunday was an apt culmination to the
run that saw them trot up six consecutive victories en route to
the final and remarkable for the manner in which they got on
top of the two-time finalists and maintained their grip on a
benign surface till the final day.
Maharashtra tried everything they could to set Vinay Kumar
and Co a stiff target when they star ted the final day 62 runs in
front and batted till 25 minutes before lunch. But their 366 meant
Karnataka needed only 157 runs from 68 overs for an outright
win; openers Robin Uthappa (36; 69min, 47b, 6x4) and man of
the match KL Rahul (29, 66b, 3x4, 2x6) saw off the three overs
to lunch and their 65-run opening wicket stand (94b) put the
issue beyond doubt.
It's not that Maharashtra didn't have their chance. But in what
has been a tale of missed oppor tunities for the runners-up,
skipper Rohit Motwani failed to latch on to an Amit Verma edge
off the first ball he faced from left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar.
Promoted up the order, the southpaw played a deft hand after
Rahul (1033 runs this season) succumbed to Shrikant Mundhe,
and ensured Karnataka ended their 15-year title drought. They
had finished runners-up to Mumbai in Mysore in 2009-10 and
Sunil Joshi was the last Karnataka skipper to hoist the trophy
in 1998-99 at the expense of Madhya Pradesh in Bangalore.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
MidWeek
23
24
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

Part_1 - South Asian Daily

Transcription

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