Part 1 - South Asian Daily

2
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
Kohinoor should be
returned to Sikhs: SGPC
AMRITSAR, (IANS) Claiming that the Sikh community was the "legitimate" owner of the Kohinoor diamond, the Shiromani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday demanded that the priceless stone should be handed back to the Sikhs.
In a statement issued here, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar expressed surprise over the Centre's stand in the Supreme Cour t on
Monday that the Kohinoor was "neither stolen nor forcibly taken away
but was gifted" to the British East India Company by Maharaja Duleep
Singh, who was aged only nine at that time.
"To say that the Kohinoor was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away
by the British but was given as a present by Maharaja Duleep Singh to
the East India Company is a gross misrepresentation of historical
facts. This stand seems to suppor t the deceitful ways and means of
the British," Makkar said in the statement.
The SGPC said the Kohinoor was taken away through "deceitful means"
by the British from a young Maharaja Duleep Singh, who was the last
Sikh ruler of Punjab. Makkar demanded that the ministry of culture,
which put the Centre's stand before the Supreme Cour t, should review its stand on the issue.
Ecuador quake toll rises to 350;
two Canadians among dead
FIREWORKS AT QUEEN'S PARK
OPPOSITION CALLS FOR TRANSPARENT REVIEW
PROCESS ON POLITICAL FUNDRAISING
DESK REPORT
ONTARIO - At queen's Park on Tuesday, all three opposition leaders
Ontario's opposition leaders - NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown and Green Par ty of
Ontario Leader got together to press the Liberal government of the
province for a more transparent review process on political
fundraising.
The three leaders held a joint news conference and talked to media saying they wish the panel to have representatives from all
four par ties and those representing the public, labour, business
and academia before formulating any new rules.
Talking at the press conference, Hor wath said: "It's very clear
that the Liberal majority on committee is often used to shut down
ideas and opposition amendments. We need something that is
broad, that's open and that's transparent, and that is not managed
by or controlled by or directed by the premier's office and the
governing par ty."
Presenting his views, Brown said: "One of the reason that our
initial meeting with the premier went so badly, is the premise of
our first request was that this be non-par tisan. The rules of our
democracy are not set by one political par ty. We still believe a
separate discussion needs to take place on what has happened in
terms of a full examination of (government) contracts and grants,
a spotlight on the ethical questions that have been raised. I think
the fact you have the three of us standing here shows how important this issue is."
On the other hand Schreiner said: "It needs to be non-par tisan
with broad public input and not just in committee hearings where
people are responding to legislation, but actually in drafting the
legislation."
ONTARIO PREMIER KATHLEEN WYNNE WITH DINESH BHATIA, NEWLY APPOINTED CONSUL GENERAL OF INDIA IN TORONTO AT A
VAISAKHI EVENT ORGANIZED AT THE ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
I DETAILS ON PAGE 6
QUITO, (IANS) The toll in the deadly 7.8-magnitude ear thquake that
struck Ecuador on Saturday evening rose to 350 on Monday, with
authorities stepping up relief effor ts and activating all resources to
cope with the disaster. A mother and son from Quebec were among
the 262 people killed during a powerful ear thquake in Ecuador Saturday night.
According to Vice President Jorge Glas, nearly 2,500 people were
injured and an unknown number are missing in the quake that has
generated at least 189 aftershocks. The government declared a state
of emergency in the provinces of Manabi, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Santo
Domingo de los Tsachilas, Los Rios and Santa Elena, EFE news reported.
Officials said the toll was likely to rise as information began to pour
in. The whole country has begun to take stock of the situation and
collect medicines, water, blankets, tents and food in order to send
these to the hardest-hit places like the coastal Manabi province where
about 200 people died, said Ricardo Penaherrera of Ecuador's national emergency management office.
The Ecuador government has deployed 10,000 soldiers and 4,600
police officers to the affected areas. "The lack of water and communication remains a big problem," Penaherrera told CNN en Espanol.
Kirpal's body reaches India;
family alleges foul play
AMRITSAR, (IANS) The body of
Indian prisoner Kirpal Singh, who
died under suspicious circumstances in a Lahore jail last week,
arrived in India on Tuesday. His family
members alleged that his body bore
injury marks and foul play led to his
death, but doctors who conducted an
autopsy denied this.
Alleging foul play in his death,
Kirpal's family members said the
body bore injury and blood
marks. Contrary to the claims, the
medical board which conducted
the post-mor tem examination
here after his body was brought
back to India on Tuesday, said there were no external or internal injury
marks on the body.
Ashok Sharma, head of the three-member medical board, however,
told the media after the post-mor tem examination that the cause of
death has not been established yet. The doctor said some organs
from his body were missing, as an autopsy has already been done (in
Pakistan).
"In the post-mortem examination, it was found that there was no external or internal injury on the body. Post-mortem of this body has already been
done (in Pakistan) because stitches were present on the body and the head. When
we opened the body, we found that some of the organs were missing because
when post-mortem is done, some organs are taken to test to find out whether
there is any disease or not," Sharma said.
DETAILS ON
PAGE 23
CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON
4
MidWeek
bollywood gossip
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
Big B: Abuse, hate keep us
alive and worthy, what??
MUMBAI, (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan feels people
who don't admire us and rather abuse and hate us are
equally impor tant in our lives as they keep us up and running. "Abuse, disdain and hate shall keep us alive and worthy... For if we were not, there would be no abuse," Amitabh
posted on his blog on Thursday night.
"Some shall never ever ring the door bell to announce that
you are good or liked... There will be some though that shall
ring that bell to admire love and perhaps give you some
affection... Blessed are they that do so... And blessed are
they that do not," the "Piku" actor said. The 73-year-old said
people who stand against you should also be "encouraged".
He said: "The 'do not' is better blessed... For they are the
ones that need to be encouraged... Their encouragement
shall provoke... Provocation is most impor tant in life... It
creates strength... Will and power to disprove to stand alone
and win and to without demonstrating any power or status,
be lifted to the glory that others shall believe they had possessed... That then is victory." On film front, Amitabh will
next be seen in "TE3N"
JIMMY SHERGILL, SHRUTI SODHI, SUNIL GROVER AND PRODUCER RAJESH BANGA DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE THEIR
UPCOMING PUNJABI FILM VAISAKHI LIST IN NEW DELHI (IANS).
SALMAN STARRER 'SULTAN' TO
BE SHOT IN UP NEXT WEEK
LUCKNOW, (IANS) Filmstar Salman Khan's next flick "Sultan",
which is to be released on Eid this year, is going to be shot in
western Uttar Pradesh next week, officials said. The film being
produced by Yash Raj Films will be shot in and around the Morna
area in Muzaffarnagar from April 20 onwards, the makers of the film
informed the state government.
Gaurav Dwivedi, vice-chairman of the UP Film Development
Council told IANS that senior officials of the YRF have informed in
writing of their film shoot to the state government. "The film
fraternity at large is endeared by the recent initiatives taken by
chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to promote film shoots in the state
and these have now star ted yielding results" said Dwivedi.
B-town goes gaga on 'Udta Punjab' trailer launch
EMRAAN HASHMI:
SUCCESS, FAILURE DON'T
STRESS ANYMORE, REALLY?
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Emraan Hashmi says that hits and
flops are transient for him when he see small children battling for their illness. Emraan, who has penned a book about
his struggles with his son Ayaan's cancer treatment, says
that life is more then success and failures.
"Hits and flops seem so transient when I saw all those kids
battling their illness when Ayan was in hospital. Children
don't deserve this. With grownups we often badger our bodies, smoke drink and destroy our immunity system. But
what do children do to deserve this? This question transformed my outlook towards life. I can't stress about success and failure any more," he said.
Ayaan is Emraan and his wife Parveen Shahani's first child.
He was diagnosed with first stage cancer at the age of four
in early 2014. Emraan also says that during her son's
struggle with Cancer, work was the actor's painkiller. "Work
was a painkiller , a numbing agent. For a few minutes in
front of the camera I could let go of the pain. For a while I
ceased to be father of a seriously ill son," he said.
IS FARHAN AKHTAR DATING
ANYONE?
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, who has
been linked up to many of his co-stars post his divorce from
wife Adhuna, has denied all dating rumours and says that
such stories are "fabricated". "There is so much untruth in
these stories that I don't know where to star t in denying
them. Fabricated details of events that did not occur astound me," Farhan, who separated from Adhuna in January
earlier this year after 16 years of marriage, said in a statement. The "Rock On!!" star has requested all to stop speculating about his personal life. "I sincerely request all who
are creating these rumours to please act responsibly and
desist from doing so," he said. On film front, Farhan will
next be seen in "Rock On!! 2"
MUMBAI, (IANS) B-town celebrities showered praise for the trailer of
Abhishek Chaubey's film "Udta Punjab" which highlights the rampant
issue of drug abuse among youth in Punjab. While actor Anupam Kher
called the trailer "raw, real and on fire", director Madhur Bhandarkar
called it "reality packed".
Here is what the tinsel town had to say about the trailer:
Anupam Kher: Shahid Kapoor, loved the trailer of 'Udta Punjab'. Raw,
Real and on fire. I love everyone in it, but you seem lethal in the film.
Madhur Bhandarkar: Wow! Reality packed trailer of 'Udta Punjab'.
Riteish Deshmukh: Brilliant actors, Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Diljit
Dosanjh. Kareena in a brilliant promo. Stakes just got high, high,
higher. Bravo.
Emraan Hashmi: Alia Bhatt, awesome promo of 'Udta Punjab'. Loved
it... Way to go!
Prashant Singh: It takes you inside a disjointed world on a trippy train
and you don't even realise it! Wow! So gritty, intriguing and edgy with
all the eccentricities! Mind blowing!
Raj Kummar Rao: Phenomenal. Can't wait to watch (the film). Brilliant team.
Ken Ghosh: This I want to see.
Nikkhil Advani: Garv se bolo yaar (Proudly say) 'Bollywood is growing up?' (sic) Bloody, what a year!
Satish Kaushik: Congrats Abhishek Chaubey and team of 'Udta Punjab'
for this powerful trailer.
Soni Razdan: This is one story that needs to be told and understood.
Obama to watch 'Game of
Thrones' season 6 before
anyone; aren't we jealous!
LOS ANGELES, (IANS) US President Barack Obama will get
to watch season 6 of HBO's popular fantasy drama TV series "Game of Thrones" before any die-hard fans are able to.
Showrunners David Beinoff and D.B. Weiss have confirmed
that Obama wanted advanced copies of upcoming season
of the TV series, repor ts aceshowbiz.com. "For both of us
finding out that the President wanted advanced copies of the
episodes, that was an 'ah-ha moment'," Weiss said at the
premiere event of the series, adding that "was a very strange
moment". Asked if they granted his wish, Weiss replied:
"Yes. He's the leader of the free world." Beinoff chimed in,
saying, "When the commander-in-chief says, 'I want to see
advance episodes,' what are you gonna do?" Game of
Thrones season 6 will premiere on April 26 in India on Star
World Premiere HD.
Why is Aishwarya silent over
Panama Papers leaks?
UNION MINISTER AND SINGER BABUL SUPRIYO WALKS THE RAMP SHOWCASING FASHION DESIGNER AGNIMITRA PAUL (IN RED
DRESS) DURING INDIA RUNWAY WEEK IN NEW DELHI (IANS).
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who
launched the trailer of her film "Sarbjit" on Thursday, decided to maintain silence over her name figuring in the
Panama Papers leaks for allegedly having links with offshore entities. When one of the repor ters asked her about
the Panama Paper leaks during the trailer launch of the film,
she said: "The statement has been made to all of you already. Hope you all are aware about it."
The "Panama Papers" -- based on an investigation by
the International Consor tium of Investigative Journalists
(ICIJ) and over 100 other news organisations around the
world -- is a global list revealing offshore links of over
500 Indians, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan and
Aishwarya. In India, The Indian Express released pages
of the investigation repor ts, alleging among other names
that Amitabh and Aishwarya were directors in companies in
Panama. Aishwarya's media adviser previously told the newspaper that the information was false.
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
community
RESORT-STYLE
LIVING IN THE
CENTRE OF THE CITY
AT SONIC
CONDOMINIUMS
T
he option to play or party,
or to read or relax, was
behind the design
inspiration of the impressive
amenity spaces at Sonic
condominiums, Lindvest’s new
development coming soon to
Eglinton Ave. and Don Mills
Rd. in the hear t of the GTA.
These options are most
evident in the generous 4th
Floor Rooftop Terrace,
designed by award-winning
NAK Design Strategies, who
has been bringing visionary
design solutions to Toronto,
Ontario, and internationally,
since 1988.
“The design of these outdoor
spaces was influenced by the
people we anticipate will live
at Sonic,” said Rober t Ng,
Principal at NAK Design
Strategies. “We expect many
young urban professionals
and small families to gravitate
to Sonic, and these people
will want options in their
activities, just like you may
experience at a resor t.”
Sonic condominiums will have
more than 25,000 sq. ft. of
indoor and outdoor amenity
spaces, all designed to encourage a social and active lifestyle,
or provide private spaces for
quiet contemplation.
The 4th Floor Rooftop Terrace
features private cabanas and
secluded seating spaces,
outdoor BBQ and dining area, a
soothing waterfall and generous
greenery and trees, creating a
garden-like environment in the
centre of the city.
Because the 4th Floor Rooftop
Terrace will eventually sit
between two residential towers,
NAK had the design challenge of
creating privacy between both
the residential units and the
terrace itself.
“People inside their suite do not
want to feel as if anyone can
see them, so we created what
we call ‘buffer green spaces’ to
ensure privacy,” said Ng. “This
is done by adding in generous
trees and greenery which act as
fences in separating the outdoor
terrace from the adjacent
residential units so that these
are distinctive areas within the
development.”
The location of Sonic condominiums also played a role in
the design of its outdoor
spaces. Adjacent to Sunnybrook
Park and its many trails,
Flemingdon Park Golf Course
and the greenery of the nearby
Don Valley, NAK Design’s
thought process was to link the
surrounding ravines and parks
at ground level to the upper
terrace within the development
itself.
A highlight of Sonic condominiums was the creation of a large
landscaped outdoor public park,
complete with a figure eightshaped walking path, fitness
stations, a children’s playground and intimate and
secluded seating alcoves.
“This was a rare oppor tunity in
a city of sidewalks and concrete
such as Toronto,” said Ng. “This
is called ‘POPS’, or privately
owned public spaces – owned
by the developer but made
available for public use and
access. Naturally, we expect
this to be very well received by
the entire neighbourhood.”
Prices at Sonic condominiums
star t in the low $200s. For more
information on resor t-style
living at Sonic condominiums,
visit lindvest.com/sonic or call
416-532-6636.
MidWeek
5
6
MidWeek
PREMIER KATHLEEN WYNNE ATTENDS VAISAKHI AND SIKH HERITAGE MONTH EVENTS IN ONTARIO.
community
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
community
MidWeek
$1.5 MILLION FOR DAVE
SMITH YOUTH TREATMENT'S
NEW FACILITY
DINESH BHATIA, NEWLY APPOINTED INDIAN CONSUL GENERAL IN TORONTO RECEIVED BLESSINGS AND SIROPA AT THE
NORTH YORK GURDWARA.
ENERGY RETROFITS COMING TO
SOCIAL HOUSING IN HALTON
Ontario Invests $213,726 in Retrofits to Fight Climate Change
BY MP YASIR NAQVI
OTTAWA - As par t of the 2016 Budget, Ontario is providing
$1.5 million to the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre in Ottawa
to suppor t the construction of a new 30-bed youth residential
treatment facility, helping more young Ontarians and their
families from across the province overcome substance abuse
and related issues. The new centre, combining the existing
three campuses in Ottawa in a state of the ar t facility, will
increase access to impor tant substance abuse services for
youth and ensure client needs are met in a safe and
comfor table environment.
This project is par t of the gover nment's $51.8 billion
commitment to give Ontarians faster access to the right care,
now and in the future. Other highlights of the 2016-17 Budget
include:
"
Investing more than $345 million in all publicly funded
hospitals, including a one per cent increase to global base
funding.
"
As par t of the 10-year Mental Health and Addictions
Strategy, investing an additional $4 million for 248 new
suppor tive housing units.
"
Keeping Ontarians healthy by using $5 million of
increased revenues from new tobacco tax to suppor t
investments to enhance priority populations' access to
smoking cessation services.
"
Providing $12 billion over 10 years to continue
building modern hospital infrastructure, including $50 million
in new annual funding to help hospitals keep their facilities in
good repair. Through recent actions to transform health care, the province
has increased patients' access to primary care, provided more care for
people at home, and reduced wait times for surgeries, diagnostic
procedures and emergency department care.
Increased investment in health care is part of the government's plan to
build a betterOntariothrough its Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care,
which provides patients with faster access to the right care; better home
and community care; the information they need to live healthy;
and a health care system that is sustainable for generations to
come.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact
my office: [email protected] or 613-722-6414.
MIWAY FARE CHANGES TAKE
EFFECT MAY 1 - SOME
FARES FROZEN
ONTARIO - Ontario continues to put its new Climate Change Strategy
into action by investing $213,726 in social housing retrofits in Halton.
When complete, these improvements will provide immediate benefits to tenants and long-term benefits in the fight against climate
change. As par t of the Green Investment Fund, the province is investing $82 million across the province into social housing apar tment
retrofits to take advantage of the economic oppor tunities in clean
technologies, improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. An additional $10 million will fund electrical retrofits in
social housing single-family homes.
Many of Ontario's social housing towers were built in the 1960s and
1970s and can use up to 25 per cent more energy per square metre
than a house. To help ensure they can better meet the challenges of
climate change, the province is funding energy retrofits for high-rise
social housing towers of 150 units or more. The retrofits will include
installing energy-efficient boilers, insulation and windows. It's expected 35 to 50 of Ontario's social housing apar tment towers can be
retrofitted through this program.
In Halton Region, $213,726 will be distributed based on Halton's Building Condition Assessments to maximize the impact of this funding
and ensure it is invested where it is needed most. Throughout Ontario,
this investment will help lower greenhouse gas emissions by about
3,600 tonnes over a 20-year period.
Ontario's $325-million Green Investment Fund, a down payment on
the province's cap and trade program, is already strengthening the
economy, creating good jobs and driving innovation while fighting
climate change - a strong signal of what Ontarians can expect from
proceeds of the province's cap and trade program. These investments
will help secure a healthy, clean and prosperous low-carbon future
and transform the way we live, move, work and adapt to our environment while ensuring strong, sustainable communities. Green Investment Fund projects include: more electric vehicle fast-charging stations; energy retrofits for single-family homes and affordable housing; suppor t for Indigenous communities, industry and small and
medium-sized businesses, and helping local organizations fight climate change.
"This initiative brings needed upgrades to older, energy inefficient
buildings to reduce energy costs and better serve tenants, while helping Ontario meet the climate challenges of today and tomorrow." -Ted
McMeekin Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
"This investment is going to have a significant impact on the lives of
local families using social housing. By funding energy retrofits in
these units, we are improving the quality of life for many Halton residents and doing our par t to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is
a great initiative and I'm please our government is responding to
climate change." -Indira Naidoo-Harris, MPP for Halton
AAP SUPPORTERS FAMILIES PRAY FOR PUNJAB
VOLUNTEERS' WELL BEING, CHARDIKALA
TORONTO - AAP Toronto team organized a path for the well being of AAP volunteers who are working on ground in Punjab in very difficult political
situation for a corruption-free, drug-free state. AAP senior volunteer in Toronto, Mall Singh Bassi, Vikram Singla, Surinder Johal and Darsbara Singh
coordinated the efforts and brought all the supporters' families to pray for the volunteers. In the volunteers meet Bassi said: "AAP is not a political party
but a movement for us to make Punjab a corruption -free, drug-free and a prosperous state. We need people who are ready to take the pain, work
tirelessly and sacrifice the comfort of life for the next 10 months." Hundreds of volunteers and suppor ts with their families attended the path.
People who want to join the movement can contact +1 (416) 995-4546. For fur ther information contact: [email protected]
MISSISSAUGA - On May 1, some MiWay fares will increase
while cash, student and child fares remain the same. "Some
MiWay fares are increasing to offset the cost of system enhancements and maintain the sharing of transit costs between
riders and taxpayers. MiWay remains an affordable transportation option in Mississauga with fares that compare to other
Greater Toronto Hamilton Area transit systems," said Geoff
Marinoff, Director of Transit. "About 50 per cent of our customers use PRESTO as their choice of fare payment and we continue to encourage this transition to PRESTO with more PRESTO
choices beginning on May 1."
Fare Change Details:
" Cash fares will remain at the 2015 rate of $3.50
" The student fare will remain the same for students aged 13 to
19 years old. Rates are frozen at the 2009 rate
" High school student tickets that have been purchased prior
to May 1 will still be accepted as valid fare
" All MiWay monthly paper passes will be discontinued on
May 1 and are no longer available for purchase
" A new senior monthly PRESTO Pass can be purchased beginning April 17 for May 2016 at the price of $61
Required 1 position- Home Support Worker-Private home
in Markham, full time
Salary- Can$ 13.76/hour, language known – English,
qualification: secondary (high) school. Elderly Care.
Experience: 1 year to less than 2 Yrs.
Duties: Administer bedside and personal care, Assume
full responsibility for household (in absence of
householder), Provide companionship, Provide personal
care, Launder clothing and house linens, Perform light
housekeeping and cleaning duties.
Work Location: 394 Elson Street, Markham, ON, L3S
4R9. Contact Balvinder Kaur at
[email protected] your resume.
Cook wanted for an Indian Restaurant in
Whitby Oshawa area. Experience 3-5 years in
Indian Cooking and Tandoor required . Pay
$18-22 per hour. Accommodation can be
arranged for deserving candidate. Call right
now at 905 556 1416
Or email resume to [email protected]
7
8
MidWeek
opinion
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
A DECADE AND RS.26,000 CRORES ON,
JHARKHAND'S WATER WOES PERSIST
BY NITYANAND SHUKLA
RANCHI, (IANS) Over the past decade, respective governments in
Jharkhand have spent more than Rs.26,000 crore ($4 billion) but,
instead of giving respite to the people, the water scenario in the state
is far from rosy as ground water levels in most par ts of the state have
sunk to an alarming 800-1500 feet.
Of the Rs.26,000 crore, more than Rs.20,000 crore has been spent in
the rural areas and the remaining in the urban areas. Despite this, at
the time the state was created in 2000 from Bihar, the number of wells
that had stood at 75,000 declined to 10,000.
The number of ponds in the state capital Ranchi alone declined from
40 to 28 while the four rivers that pass through the capital have been
all but conver ted into drains.
This apart, there is the lack of coordination among different depar tments. The drinking water depar tment only looks after projects in
rural areas. The urban areas are the responsibility of the respective
municipal bodies, while the water resources depar tment is responsible for conservation and maintenance of dams, ponds and rivers. To
be fair, the water resources depar tment has initiated some steps to
enhance the water level in the reservoirs.
"A joint technical committee of the water resources and drinking water departments has been formed to study how to enhance the supply
of drinking water to Ranchi," Sukhdeo Singh, principal secretary of
the water resources depar tment, told IANS.
The committee will study how to enhance the water level of the existing reservoirs. The committee will also suggest how to augment the
water level by recharging the reservoirs and creating new reservoirs
on the outskir ts of Ranchi in a periphery of 40 km to 100 km, he
added. Ranchi's main source of water, the Hatia Dam, is left with just
about enough water to quench the city's thirst for another 20 days.
Such is the bleak water scenario in the state that warnings have been
issued that if underground sources continue to be indiscriminately
MidWeek
Published By
Asian World Today Inc.
1310, Midway Blvd, Unit # 31, Mississauga Ontario L5T 2K5
Direct Line - 647-272-8182
Tel: 905-670-3687 Fax: 905-670-5344
E-mail : For Advertising
[email protected]
[email protected]
YUDHVIR JASWAL
SHAZIA MALIK
CHIEF EDITOR & CEO
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
[email protected]
647-272-8182
DR. PUSHPINDER BRAR
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
GURPREET SINGH LOONA
MEDIA COORDINATOR
ALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHERS
SUNIL VERMA
BASHIR NASIR
GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT
PHOTOGRAPHERS
NAVEEN SHARMA
THAPLIYAL & RAI LAW
OFFICE
INDIA MARKETING HEAD
LEGAL ADVISOR
Newspaper
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Published in English every Tuesday
Radio
SOUTHASIAN PULSE
Prime Time Mon to Fri - 10:00 AM to 12 Noon
on 770AM
Drive Time Mon to Fri - 3:00 PM to 4 PM
on 770AM
LISTEN TO SOUTH ASIAN PULSE RADIO
ON YOUR MOBILE
Local Number Toronto: 647-557-1017
Local Number Montreal: 438-795-9000
To Listen in US: 213-493-2020
Television
SOUTHASIAN 360TV
Rogers basic Cable Channel 10 Every
Thursday from 9:30-10:30pm
Friday from 8-9pm
Saturday from 5-6pm
Online
WWW.SOUTHASIANDAILY.COM
ONLY News Portal for Southasian-Canadians
Cricket
CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL
CRICKET (CPC)
6th Annual
CPC Inter-City Cricket Cup Starting June 2013
6 Months of Non-stop cricket action
Events
Annual
Midweek Southasian Awards
All Rights Reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be printed without the written consent of the
publisher. DISCLAIMER: Asian World Today Inc. assumes all advertisers to be reliable and responsible for any
and all liability from their claims. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement he may see unfit
for publication. The opinions expressed in Midweek may not be those of the publisher.
tapped, these would run dry.
This apar t, leave in the water resources depar tment has been cancelled, control rooms have been established and toll free numbers
activated to register complaints regarding water crisis. In the needy
areas, water is also being sent through tankers. Exper ts have pointed
out that without proper planning, crores of rupees have been spent on
installing hand-pumps while the bottling plant industry too has been
busy taking out the ground water and supplying it in the guise of
mineral water.
The monthly sales of mineral water in the state capital alone is estimated at Rs.10 crore. The state government has failed to take action
against these bottling plants as only 22 are operating with proper
licences while some 70 others are illegal.
The state government has made rainwater harvesting mandatory for
apar tment blocks and other highrises but typically, the municipal
corporation rarely ensures builders stick to the rule. The only saviour
now seems to be the monsoon and people across the state say that
predictions of above average rain will come true.
KASHMIR VIOLENCE BEGINS TO
CHALLENGE MEHBOOBA MUFTI'S RULE
BY SHEIKH QAYOOM
SRINAGAR, (IANS) Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti could not
have asked for a more troubled star t to her innings as the head
of the government in Jammu and Kashmir, one of India's most
troubled states. Two major incidents -- first a trouble at National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar and then deadly
clashes in nor th Kashmir that left four people dead in police
firing -- have bogged Mehbooba since April 4 when she took
over as the chief minister of the only Muslim majority state
of India.
The NIT trouble, which began as locals versus outsiders over
the nationalism debate, pitted Jammu against the Kashmir
Valley. Reducing the communal wide between the two highly
polarised regions of the state formed an impor tant par t of the
ruling agenda of the Peoples Democratic Par ty (PDP) and the
Bharatiya Janata Par ty (BJP) combine.
The agenda was authored by Mehbooba's father Mufti
Mohammed Sayeed last year after the two ideologically
different par ties came together to rule the state, which has been
battling an armed separatist campaign since late 1980s. Mufti
died on January 7, leaving the PDP with its natural choice of
Mehbooba to replace him as the chief minister. But she was
initially reluctant to shake hands with the BJP before she
agreed to head the government with no new concessions
promised by the central government in Delhi.
On April 4, when Mehbooba, 56, finally took oath, NIT erupted
violently after celebrations by Kashmiri students of India's loss
to West Windies in the semifinal of the T20 cricket World Cup.
Outsiders objected violently and took out a march carrying
national flags and shouting pro-India slogans.
They demanded that the college be shifted outside of the valley
over their safety concerns after police allegedly used force to
quell the demonstration. As the trouble continued for the entire
week, Mehbooba began her trip to Delhi on Tuesday to meet
BJP leaders with whom she had refused to break bread earlier.
As she landed in the capital, violence began in nor th Kashmir
Handwara town after rumours that a college girl was allegedly
molested by an army man. People protested and security forces
opened fire. Two boys and a woman were shot dead.
A day later, more protests er upted in the nearby Drugmulla
village of the Kupwara district, some 100 kms from Srinagar.
Police fired tear gas shells. One of the cannisters fatally hit a
25-year-old man on his dead.
In both cases, it appeared that forces had not followed the laid
down Standard Operating Procedures on controlling the crowd
and heading Mehbooba a major security challenge in only 10
days of her in the office. And the criticism against her, par ticularly on social media networks, was abound.
Her bête noire and a usual critic led from the front. "People died
as a result of firing by security forces and what does the
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister do? She continues her selfpromoting tour of Delhi," opposition leader Omar Abdullah
tweeted. "This is the same person who until a year ago would
rush anywhere in the valley to shed contrived tears at the
slightest provocation," the former chief minister added, throwing the criticism back at Mehbooba who would tear into
Abdullah over civilian deaths during his rule.
But on Thursday, when Mehbooba returned to the valley she
ordered restraint in dealing with mobs. No civilian should be
harmed while managing angry crowds, she told police. But the
damage had already been done, giving a peak into what she
may have to contend with in the coming years of governance.
The NIT and the Handwara killings are still burning. How she
deals with the crises -- both politically as well as administratively -- will set the tone of her new role and will also lay the
path for the uneasy ties between the "soft separatist" and the
"saffron" streams in the state. Amid the crises, PDP leaders
privately admit that Mehbooba is missing her father -- a shrewd
politician who had seen and battled such challenges during his
nearly 50 years in politics.
DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE THE PERSONAL OPINIONS OF THE AUTHORS.THE INFORMATION, FACTS OR OPINIONS APPEARING IN THE
ARTICLES DO NOT REFLECT VIEWS OF MIDWEEK AND ITS MANAGEMENT AND SO THE PAPER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE SAME.
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
canada
PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES $50 MILLION
INVESTMENT FOR PERIMETER INSTITUTE
PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU ANNOUNCES A $50 MILLION INVESTMENT IN WATERLOO'S PERIMETER INSTITUTE.
WATERLOO - Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has announced that
the Government of Canada will invest $50 million, over five years,
in Waterloo's Perimeter Institute so that it can continue its
world-leading research in theoretical physics.
In Budget 2016, the Government defines a new vision for
Canada's economy: to build Canada as a centre of global
innovation. Canada will be propelled by its globally competitive
companies-like the Perimeter Institute-that suppor t entrepreneurs and seize global market oppor tunities to grow the
economy.
This investment-which will be strengthened by investments
from the Perimeter Institute's other par tners-will help the centre
continue its work in scientific research, training, and education
outreach in foundational theoretical physics, a branch of physics
that focuses on understanding the nature of our universe.
The Government of Canada understands the central role science
plays in a thriving economy. In addition to today's announcement,
Budget 2016 boosted federal funding for science, and made
significant investments in federal and university research labs to
ensure Canada remains a world leader in global innovation.
"The Perimeter Institute and its researchers prove every day that
Canada is a global leader in innovation and research. The work they
are doing will lead to the technological discoveries of tomorrow
that will contribute in tangible ways to our understanding of the
universe around us. This is an investment in our future."- Justin
Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Widening Highway 401 in Mississauga
to cost $81 million; Project part of $2.1
billion in road, bridge construction
ONTARIO - Ontario is widening the four-kilometre stretch of Highway 401
from Hurontario Street to the Credit River in Mississauga from six to 12 lanes.
One of more than 230 highway construction projects starting this year, the
401 expansion will improve traffic flow and support 800 construction jobs.
Premier Kathleen Wynne was in Mississauga today with Transportation
Minister Steven Del Duca to announce the start of construction on the $81million project. This stretch of the 401, which is targeted for completion by fall
2019, will have 10 general purpose lanes and two High Occupancy Vehicle
lanes. Ontario is investing more than $2.1 billion in road and bridge construction projects this year, creating or sustaining more than 21,000 jobs. Widening Highway 401 is part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario's
history -- about $160 billion over 12 years. This investment is supporting
110,000 jobs every year across the province, with projects such as roads,
bridges, transit systems, schools and hospitals. In 2015, Ontario announced
support for more than 325 projects that will keep people and goods moving,
connect communities and improve quality of life.
Investing in infrastructure is part of the government's economic plan to build
Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and
create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding
access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making
the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario's history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, exportoriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a
more secure retirement.
To build Ontario up, transportation infrastructure is critical. Families and
businesses rely on highways like the 401 every day. By expanding and
improving our highway network - including the 401 widening in Mississauga
- we are helping to grow our economy and create jobs and new opportunities
all across our province. - Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario
Adding six lanes on this stretch of Highway 401 will help improve traffic flow
for residents and businesses. This project, and many other construction
projects this summer, is further proof of our government's commitment to
provide accessible, modern transit infrastructure that will reduce commute
times, create jobs and improve the quality of life for Ontarians. - Steven Del
Duca, Minister of Transportation
For Ontario to remain a world-class jurisdiction, it requires world-class infrastructure. Widening Highway 401 will reduce commute times and improve
the flow of goods, and will also boost productivity and attract new businesses
to the region. This is another example of our government's long-term commitment to rebuild and revitalize infrastructure across the province. - Brad Duguid,
Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure
MidWeek
$65 MILLION INVESTMENT TO
CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES
FOR CANADIANS
OTTAWA - It has been announced that over 8,000 Canadians
will benefit from job training, work experience in new projects across
Canada. MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce
Development and Labour, has said 198 new training projects aimed at
helping thousands of Canadians get the skills needed to overcome
barriers to employment and join the middle class.
The funding, which totals $65 million, will be provided to organizations
across the country for projects to help under-represented groups,
such as Indigenous people, youth, and people with disabilities, build
their skills and prepare for the workforce of the future.
Many of the projects will provide instruction in to develop or enhance
skills, such as workplace safety, as well as offer hands on experience
in a job category of interest, such as a skilled trade, retail, hospitality,
the food industry or business services. Examples of projects include:
"
Up to 50 Indigenous youth in Calgary will improve their
financial literacy and workplace skills. They will attend workshops to
develop their computer skills, take courses on life management and
receive certificates in first aid. This will be followed by months of
work experience in the not-for-profit sector, retail, food industry or
trades.
"
Eight youth in Plum Point, Newfoundland and Labrador will
participate in employment skills workshops on topics such as teamwork and First Aid/CPR. Participants will also gain work experience
in industries such as fishing, forestry and tourism.
"
In Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, up to 48 youth will participate
in workshops to upgrade employment skills, such as teamwork and
workplace communication. They will also have the opportunity to
gain work experience in industries common to the region, including
agriculture and retail.
More lists of approved grants and contributions projects will be
publically released periodically. "These collaborative partnerships between community organizations and our government are helping Canadians who face extra challenges to employment. These projects will certainly help individual Canadians gain the skills, abilities and work experience they need to find and maintain good employment, and they will also
help strengthen and grow Canada's middle class." - MaryAnn Mihychuk,
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
Canada announces over $75
million support for women
education, health, countries
hosting Syrian refugees
WASHINGTON - Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International
Development and La Francophonie, has announced $75.4 million in support of projects in health, education and nutrition, as
well to a financing mechanism that can assist countries hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees.
This aims at increasing women's social and economic participation; improving access to health, education and nutritious food in developing countries; and promoting the empowerment of women and girls around the world. Minister Bibeau
also announced suppor t for the Middle East and Nor th Africa
Concessional Financing Facility that will help Jordan and Lebanon respond to the refugee crisis and assure the well-being of
vulnerable populations within their borders.
The announcement was made during Minister Bibeau's visit
to Washington, DC for meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development
and La Francophonie said: "We are in 2016 and yet one billion
women and girls around the world are malnourished. Canada
recognizes the impor tance of investing in projects that will
assist them. Canada is committed to finding new systems to
help Jordan and Lebanon address the challenges of hosting
large numbers of Syrian refugees. We recently presented an
innovative, multi-year funding approach that will help them
plan ahead and work with communities living alongside Syrian refugees. Canada has also been an advocate for and direct
sponsor of preferential rates for loans from multilateral development banks to neighbouring countries."
OSLER FOUNDATION'S
CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF FOR
NEW PEEL MEMORIAL
PREMIER WYNNE MET WITH STUDENTS AND FACULTY OF MORRISH PUBLIC SCHOOL DURING FORMER UN HIGH COMMISSIONER
NAVI PILLAY'S VISIT TO THE SCHOOL (PREMIERPHOTOS).
9
TORONTO - Recently William Osler Health System (Osler)
Foundation kicked off the public por tion of its $30 million
fundraising campaign for the new Peel Memorial Centre for
Integrated Health and Wellness (Peel Memorial) at Brampton
City Hall. While the government will pay 90 per cent of the
cost of construction, Osler Foundation must raise $30 million through the community to help complete the construction and to provide 100% of the funds to equip the facility.
That represents everything from the waiting room chairs
to high-tech diagnostic equipment. Peel Memorial is a new,
state-of-the-ar t hospital that is currently being constructed
in downtown Brampton.
416-907-4420
canada
MidWeek
ICCC'S NEW TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS COMMITTEE
10
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
TORONTO - Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) launched a Transpor tation and Logistics
committee recently. Rajneesh Walia will be the Chair of this committee and Mahmood Lalani the
Vice Chair. This Committee will be a catalyst for bringing together players engaged in this sector
in Canada, and provide a platform for a common vision, innovation and growth. The committee
will work closely with several prominent Canadian and Ontario trucking.
Its mission is to uphold the positive image of ICCC, and to suppor t its pole position among
stakeholder groups. The committee's chair will identify new approaches to augment the
Chamber's strategy. The committee will pursue the following activities:
"
Work with and optimize the marketing and public outreach plan and strategy for
communities
"
Ensure the look and feel of the corporate website and graphics used keep in line with the
brand image and standing of ICCC
"
Ensure standard branding collaterals for ICCC
"
Suppor t committees in marketing events
"
Ensure events are consistent with the purpose and brand image of ICCC
"
Work with and optimize the Media & PR Bank for the organization
"
Ensure consistent process for feedback on events of ICCC
"
Create awareness and the development of a 'transpor ter business community' for
sharing information between ICCC, and other likeminded groups in India and Canada to 'connect'
with each other
(L TO R) MAHMOOD LALANI, SANJAY MAKKAR AND RAJNEESH WALIA.
"
Arrange seminars to educate transpor ter, drivers and other stakeholders
"
Connect with the corporate world, ongoing consultations with other allied organizations,
federal and provincial governments in Canada and union and state governments in
India, ICCC sponsors and key stakeholders
"
Deliver value by personally visiting and/or meeting every member Institution at least
once a year to share sector updates, discuss membership benefits, solicit feedback and
share potential oppor tunities.
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
MidWeek
india
11
Modi asks J&K youth to
share growth India story
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Tuesday asked the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to carry
forward India's growth story invoking Atal Bihari Vajpayee's
refrain of "humanity", "democracy and "harmony" for peace
and development of the troubled-state that is still limping to
normalcy after days of violence last week left five people
dead in alleged shootings by security forces.
On a hectic day-long visit to the state's Jammu region, Modi
inaugurated a spor ts complex, a super-specialty hospital, held
a public meeting and addressed the fifth conclave of the Shri
Mata Vaishno Devi University at Kakryal near Katra -- the
town at the base of the famed hill temple.
"People of Jammu and Kashmir had enormous faith in
Vajpayee. He used to say 'insaniyat (humanity), Kashmiriyat
(Kashmir's composite culture) and jamhooriyat (democracy)
are key to progress of (the state). We have to take it to the
new heights through these pillars." Addressing the students, Modi said the 21st Century belonged to India because "the energy that is required which is knowledge is
with India. India has 800 million youth power which is below
35 years. Dream of every youth can become a progress story
of the country," he said.
PUNJAB MINISTER BIKRAM SINGH MAJITIHIA AND OTHER SHIROMANI AKALI DAL LEADERS BURN AN EFFIGY OF DELHI CHIEF
MINISTER AND AAP LEADER ARVIND KEJRIWAL IN MAJITHA NEAR AMRITSAR (IANS).
Curfew clamped in Gujarat town
as Patel stir turns violent
AHMEDABAD, (IANS) A 'jail bharo' programme by agitating Patidar
(Patel) leaders turned violent on Sunday, forcing the authorities to
clamp curfew and deploy the Border Security Force (BSF) in Gujarat's
nor thern town of Mehsana.
Unruly mobs attacked the camp offices of Minister of State for Home
Rajni Patel and Health Minister Nitin Patel, who is also the head of the
committee of seven ministers constituted by Chief Minister Anandiben
Patel to hold talks with the two Patidar outfits -- Patidar Anamat Andolan
Samiti (PAAS) and Sardar Patel Group (SPG). The two ministers were
also targeted during the violence on the night of August 25 last year
following police action at a massive rally in Ahmedabad.
The committee has submitted its repor t to the chief minister and a
decision is expected soon. Porbander BJP Lok Sabha member Vitthal
Radadia, who is also a Patel, has been mediating between jailed
Patidar leader Hardik Patel and the government and had recently said
a rapprochment was around the corner. Facing sedition charges, Hardik
Patel has been in jail for the last eight months.
The SPG and the PAAS have agitating for reservation for Patels in
government jobs and educational institutions under the Other Backward Classes category. Sunday's 'jail bharo' programme was in suppor t of the demand for the release of jailed Patel leaders and withdrawal of cases against them. The SPG had earlier announced its
second round of agitation if its demands were not met by April 17.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in all nor th Gujarat
towns, besides Ahmedabad and Surat, which are known strongholds
of the pro-quota Patels, following incidents of arson and stone-pelting
in Mehsana as well as Surat.
More than 1,000 agitators from the Patel community in Mehsana and
over 500 in Surat were taken into preventive custody as large crowds gathered
near the district jails in both places in defiance of prohibitory orders.
Surat Police Commissioner Ashish Bhatia told TV channels that most
of those detained were from the Patel-dominated Varachha area.
Indian Army chief assesses Kashmir security situation
JAMMU, (IANS) Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh visited Jammu and Kashmir where he met senior commanders amid fresh
bouts of violence in the state that have left five people dead. Army spokesperson Colonel S.D. Goswami said the chief met commanders of 14, 15 and 16 Corps at Nor thern Command headquar ters at Udhampur near here "to take stock of the situation" in the state
following deaths of civilians in alleged firing by army men in nor th Kashmir's Kupwara district. The general arrived on a day-long visit
to the state. The Kashmir Valley has been on the boil since Tuesday after the death of at least five civilians in clashes with security
forces. The trouble began after rumors that a soldier molested a college girl in Handwara of the border district.
Kejriwal government seeks LG's intervention on auto stir
NEW DELHI, (IANS) The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on Sunday stepped up its attack on the RSS and BJP for trying to sabotage
the odd-even traffic scheme and sought Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung's intervention in the matter. The Aam Aadmi Par ty government had
earlier urged Jung to direct the Delhi Police to ensure safety of those auto-taxi drivers who would not participate in strike call on Monday.
"In last two days I met representatives of several auto-taxi unions in Delhi which do not want to par ticipate in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS) and BJP-sponsored strike. But they expressed apprehension of violence and vandalism if they stay away from the strike,"
Delhi Transpor t Minister Gopal Rai said in a letter to Jung. The Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) -affiliated autorickshaw and taxi union of
Delhi on Friday announced strike on Monday, demanding "uniform charges" for cab operators like Ola and Uber and their compliance with
the Delhi government rules on fares. Observing that the auto-taxi unions who were against Monday's strike had also expressed apprehension that the agitation would not be in their interest, Rai requested the Lt. governor "to direct Delhi Police to issue necessary directions for
the safety of auto-taxi drivers and to avoid any untoward incident during odd-even traffic scheme."
MODI SLAMS MAMATA FOR
ANTI-EC RANT; EC TO
EXAMINE MODI'S SPEECH
KRISHNANAGAR/KOLKATA, (IANS) Ridiculing West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her rant against the Election Commission (EC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused her of misusing the state machinery.
On his third round of electioneering for the state assembly
polls, Modi alleged a nexus between the Left, the Congress
and the Trinamool Congress in parliament to save "leaders of
Didi's (elder sister, as Banerjee is affectionately called) par ty
seen accepting money" in the footage released by the Narada
news por tal.
Charging the three -- Congress, Left Front and Trinamool -with misgovernance during their respective periods of rule in
the state, Modi said that due to lack of jobs, Bengal has now
become an "old age home" with the youths going elsewhere
to earn a living, leaving behind their parents.
"In Bengal, the Left and the Congress are in alliance. In Kerala,
they are taking on each other. But in Delhi, the Congress and
the Left are together. The happenings in parliament over the
past two years prove this," Modi said in Kolkata. He said the
Narada issue was handed to the Lok Sabha ethics committee
as the BJP had majority there. "But that did not happen in the
Rajya Sabha, because we are not in majority there. Didi, Left
and the Congress call the shots there. The issue was not
handed over to the Rajya Sabha ethics committee to save
those involved in the Narada scam."
India seeks support of Russia,
China to fight terrorism
MOSCOW, (IANS) India's External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj on Monday said that she looked forward to working
with her counterparts from Russia and China in the fight against
terrorism after she took up with the Chinese foreign minister
the issue of Beijing vetoing New Delhi's move in the UN to ban
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar.
Sushma Swaraj said in a media statement following the 14th
Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting that international terrorism remained the foremost threat to international peace and security. "I stressed the need to craft an
effective global strategy to counter terrorism, including at the
UN. I look forward to working with both my colleagues, in this
regard," she said.
12
MidWeek
india
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
Protests over new PF withdrawal
rules turn violent in Bengaluru
BENGALURU, (IANS) A massive strike on Tuesday by thousands of garment workers over restrictions on withdrawal of
provident fund (PF) turned violent in Bengaluru, leading to burning of buses, as police caned and arrested many of them.
Outraged by the caning and forcible eviction of protesters at a
demonstration on Monday, thousands of garment and other factory workers blocked two national highways (NH-4 and NH-7)
passing through Bengaluru, causing massive traffic jams for
over five hours.
"As some anti-social elements among protesters took advantage of the tense situation and set three state-run buses on fire,
damaged our vehicles and hurled stones at our force, injuring
many of them, we fired tear gas shells and caned them to
disperse them from the highways to restore traffic," a police
official told IANS. The protests, which began in the city's southern side on Monday, spread on Tuesday to the nor thern side
where a cluster of garment units are located, employing thousands of workers, 90 percent of them women.
256 districts hit by drought,
government tells SC
YOUTH CONGRESS WORKERS STAGE A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST NEWLY APPOINTED KARNATAKA BJP CHIEF BS
YEDDYURAPPA IN BENGALURU (IANS).
Court moves to kickstart IRs1,400-crore
Chandigarh international airport's operations
BY JAIDEEP SARIN
CHANDIGARH, (IANS) Opened with much fanfare as the city's link to the
world, the Chandigarh International Airport is under the scanner of the Punjab
and Haryana High Court, with the Rs.1,400 crore ($210 million) facility failing
to deliver to people in the City Beautiful and the region.
The civil aviation ministry, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Director
General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other central government agencies are
now facing a rap on the knuckles from the High Court, which is questioning
the basis for spending so much money when no international operations
have been started from here so far.
A high court bench, comprising Justice S.S. Saron and Justice Gurmit Ram,
has even told the authorities concerned, especially the AAI, that it could even
ask the CBI to probe the issue. The high court came into the picture after the
Mohali Industries Association knocked on its doors, saying there was more
to it than met the eye. "Forty per cent of those living abroad are from this
region. If Chandigarh airport is allowed to operate international flights, Delhi
(airport) would lose business and hence the delay," a lawyer for the petitioner
contended before the high court recently.
Sources linked to the airport project told IANS that officials in Delhi did not
want the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, which gets a lot of passenger traffic from Punjab and this region, to lose its business if international
flights started from Chandigarh. They said that facilities for immigration,
customs check and even security checks are yet to be put in place for
international operations.
The authorities concerned have so far failed to give a committed deadline to
the high court on when international flights will start from Chandigarh. The
high court has been told that 48 airlines have been approached to start
international flights, especially on the Dubai sector. But only Indigo and SpiceJet
have indicated that they could start operations later in 2016.
"What the high court is questioning is justified. The domestic terminal of the
Chandigarh airport was renovated after spending a few hundred crore rupees
just 2-3 years ago. If the international terminal, which is now catering to
domestic operations, was to be built for Rs.1,400-crore, why was money
earlier wasted on the domestic terminal? That terminal is lying useless now,"
Manu Aggarwal, a realtor who has been waiting for the Chandigarh-Dubai
flight to start, told IANS.
Congress seeks court-monitored CBI probe into Punjab food grain scam
NEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Friday demanded a high court-monitored, Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the alleged
Rs.20,000 crore food grain scam in Punjab. "The Akali Dal-BJP government in Punjab has the dubious distinction of first emptying the
coffers of the state and now even food grains are disappearing from the state. This is a very serious situation as it is connected with the
food security of the country," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari at a press conference here. "Punjab is a producing state from
where procurement takes place, a large amount of storage takes place and if the reports of disappearance of food grains is true, it calls for a court
monitored CBI enquiry. This definitely calls for at least a HC-monitored CBI inquiry," he added. The Punjab government, however, on Friday refuted the charge of
any disappearance of foodgrains from godowns in the state. It also said that all stocks procured over the years have been duly accounted for and handed over to
Food Corporation of India (FCI), through well-documented audited transactions.
NEW DELHI, (IANS) The government on Tuesday conceded in
the Supreme Cour t that 256 districts with a population of about
33 crore spread over 12 states were affected by drought, even
as NGO Swaraj Abhiyan argued that the budget allocation of
Rs.38,500 crore to the rural job guarantee scheme for 20162017 was far short of the actual requirement. As the government it has released Rs.19,000 crores under the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme as a
relief measure, the bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice N.V. Ramana said that the affected population was about
25 percent of the country's population. At this, Additional Solicitor General P.S.Narasimha told the cour t that it was not that
everyone living in these drought-affected district was hit by
the calamity.
Rai declares odd-even a success,
Uber says it ran fewer cabs
NEW DELHI, (IANS) The fifth day of the Delhi government's
odd-even traffic scheme saw Delhi Transpor t Minister Gopal
Rai declaring it a "success story so far" even as online appbased taxi operator Uber sought to blame the Delhi government
for a shor tage of its cars to serve commuters. The Delhi government said 18 taxis belonging to Ola and Uber have been
impounded for over-charging commuters.
Rai said the transpor t depar tment had on Monday evening
impounded 18 vehicles of Ola and Uber for over-charging and
permit violation. "The action was taken after commuters complained on the helpline provided by the Delhi government," Rai
said. On Tuesday, Uber ran a message: "Dear rider, if you are
seeing no cars available or longer wait time, that's because of suspension of surge. Surge ensures there is a car availability at all time." On its
part, the Delhi Police continued its vigil against those violating the oddeven restriction, booking 195 car drivers, while the transpor t
depar tment separately booked 372 violators. In a related development, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed as "bizarre"
the reports that pollution levels in the city had increased despite fewer number of vehicles plying on the roads.
General Accounting & Bookkeeping
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
MidWeek
world
Kabul suicide bomber kills 28, 327 injured
13
Sharif calls for coordinated
anti-terror approach after
Kabul attack
ISLAMABAD, IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
condemned the deadliest suicide attack on Tuesday in Kabul
and called for coordinated approach with Afghanistan to counter
the common threat. Taliban claimed the responsibility for the
attack on a sub office of the Afghan intelligence agency, the
National Directorate of Security.
Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told repor ters that
death toll has risen to 28 while 327 others wounded. Nawaz
Sharif sent condolences to President Ashraf Ghani over the
human losses in what he called as the "heinous terrorist attack in Kabul".
"On behalf of the people and the Government of Pakistan and
my own behalf, I strongly condemn this brutal act and offer my
hear tfelt condolences to Your Excellency and the bereaved
families, " Sharif said. He said such incidents continue to remind us that the scourge of terrorism remains a major threat
to peace and stability of the two countries, societies and the
region. "It serves as a tool for perpetuation of senseless violence in our
societies inflicting immense pain and suffering to the people. Eliminating
this menace requires firm resolve as well as coordinated approach on our par t," the Pakistan prime minister said.
AFGHAN SECURITY FORCE MEMBERS INSPECT THE SITE OF A DEADLY ATTACK IN KABUL, CAPITAL OF AFGHANISTAN (IANS).
KABUL, (IANS) At least 28 people were killed and more than
300 injured when a suicide bomber exploded near the Afghan
presidential palace here on Tuesday, officials said. Many of the
dead were civilians, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahini
said, confirming the 28 deaths.
The deafening explosion was followed by heavy gunfire as
Taliban militants launched an attack. The intended target
appeared to be a Secret Service Unit tasked with protecting
VIPs, officials were quoted as saying. Some repor ts said
gunmen managed to enter the unit's perimeter.
Ismael Kawosi, head of the media depar tment at the ministry of
public health, said 327 people were wounded and rushed to
hospitals following the explosion. Tolo News repor ted that
security forces cordoned off the area as heavy gunfire raged for
some two hours after the blast. The Secret Unit's compound is
situated close to the ministry of defense in Pul-e-Mahmood
Khan area. By late morning, the security forces had largely
managed to bring the situation under control, officials said.
President Ashraf Ghani condemned the incident and labelled it a
terrorist attack. The Taliban group claimed responsibility.
A statement issued by the president's office said such attacks
showed the insurgents' inability to tackle security forces on the
battlefield face to face. Interior ministry spokesman Sediq
Sediqqi said one of the attackers had been killed by security
forces.
A Tolo News correspondent at the scene repor ted that special
forces were deployed to the area to bring the situation under
control. Security forces were also seen on the roofs of surrounding government offices. Widespread damage was repor ted
to buildings and houses in the vicinity.
150,000 children affected by Ecuador earthquake: UNICEF
UNITED NATIONS, (IANS) At least 150,000 children have been affected by April 16 ear thquake in Ecuador, the strongest tremour
to strike the Andean country in decades, according to initial estimates by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). "We are in a race
against time to protect children from disease and other risks common in such emergencies," said Grant Leaity, the UNICEF
representative in Ecuador, on Tuesday, Xinhua repor ted.
An ear thquake of 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale struck Ecuador April 16 night, killing at least 413 people and injuring more
than 2,500 others, repor ts said. According to the preliminary government repor ts, the ear thquake damaged 119 schools, affecting 88,000 children. Some 805 buildings have been destroyed and 608 have been damaged. Two hospitals have entirely collapsed in Por toviejo and Chone.
In some of the worst hit areas, mudslides are causing fur ther damage to infrastructure and hindering access of relief teams and
supplies. Some cities are still without full power and only 40 per cent of communication lines are working. UNICEF is concerned
about health, water and sanitation conditions in the coastal areas, which are already considered hotspots for Zika, Dengue,
Malaria and Chikungunya. UNICEF teams are in Pedernales and Esmeraldas -- two of the hardest hit areas -- assessing children's
needs and coordinating the response. Ecuador, which has declared a state of emergency in six provinces, has mobilised around
14,000 army and public security personnel in affected areas.
Turkish military
kills 32 IS
militants in
northern Iraq
ANKARA, (IANS) Turkey's
military killed 32 Islamic
State (IS) militants in Iraq's
Mosul province on Tuesday in
retaliation to their attack on a
Turkish tank in the Bashiqa training camp. Ten militants were
killed during the operation and
an additional 22 got killed as
they escaped and hid in one of
their buildings which was detonated, reported local NTV news
citing anonymous Turkish military sources, according to
Xinhua.
IS militants struck a Turkish
Armed Forces tank with an antitank weaponry on Tuesday, according to NTV news. No casualties were reported in the attack however. IS militants
launched their first attack
against the military camp on
December 16 right after Turkey
deployed 150 troops into the
camp to train an Iraqi Sunni
militia to fight the IS.
During another assault on later,
five Turkish soldiers were injured. Turkish soldiers killed 17
IS militants on January 8 as IS
militants tried to sneak into the
camp. Ankara also struck IS
targets on March 22 as several
IS militants attempted to attack
the camp. A Turkish soldier was
killed on March 26 during an
armed conflict between IS
militants and Iraqi Kurdish
Peshmerga forces and
Turkish militar y retaliated
by attacking IS posts.
Kate, William to host
Obama for queen's birthday
LONDON, (IANS) The British royal family will host US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at a dinner
at Kensington Palace on Friday, said a tweet posted on the
palace's verified account. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
-- Prince William and Kate Middleton -- as well as Prince Harry
will greet the couple, the tweet said on Monday.
Barack and Michelle Obama will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's
90th bir thday on Thursday with lunch at Windsor Palace on
Friday followed by dinner at Kensington Palace the same day.
"Their Royal Highnesses are very much looking forward to
welcoming President and Mrs. Obama to Kensington Palace,"
said a statement on the palace's Twitter account. The two
couples have met before, while Michelle Obama and Prince
Harry have collaborated on the Invictus Games, a paralympicstyle multisport competition for veterans. The Obamas' stops at the two
palaces are part of a scheduled diplomatic visit to Britain, Saudi Arabia and
Germany. Barack Obama will also join a press conference with British
Prime Minister David Cameron, where he is expected to urge British voters
to cast their ballots to stay in the EU in a referendum set for June.
TRUMP'S NATIONAL FIELD
DIRECTOR RESIGNS
WASHINGTON, (IANS) Republican front-runner Donald Trump's
national field director has resigned amid major changes to the
campaign's top leadership. Stuar t Jolly, 52, said in an interview on Monday night that he decided the time had come for
him to leave the campaign.
He resigned in a letter on Monday where he thanked the business mogul for hiring him, even though he had never worked
on a national campaign before, The Washington Post reported.
"As your National Field Director, my guidance to the states'
staff and strike teams was to always to focus, keep moving,
grow the base, love on your volunteers, and take care of your
people," Jolly wrote in the letter, which he shared with The
Washington Post.
"We did these simple things, we won, and we continued to win
because we followed a winning formula. You know my advice
to you, and my advice has not changed since the beginning.
My hope is that you will continue to listen to those who have
propelled you to victory," he added. According to the letter, as
Trump's chances of locking up the Republican nomination
before the convention in July have faded, Lewandowski saw
his role in the campaign lessened.
RULES RELAXED TO HELP
MUSHARRAF'S DEPARTURE
ISLAMABAD, (IANS) Defence lawyers in the case against
former president Pervez Musharraf told a Pakistani cour t that
the government allowed the defendant to leave the country by
"relaxing the rules". An application filed by Major General
Rashid Qureshi (retd) on Monday claimed that the Pakistan
government had the power to restrict Musharraf's movements,
which "has not been exercised" in this case.
Qureshi, former spokesperson for Musharraf, filed an application to
swap the property he pledged as a surety bond to ensure the defendant's
presence during the treason trial, Dawn online reported. The court had
attached the registry of his house in Islamabad but he wanted it to release
the registry and replace it with prize bonds worth Rs.2.5 million. In the
application, Qureshi said he was not solely responsible for regulating the
movements of his former boss, and the government was also charged
with monitoring his movements. "Exit from Pakistan (Control) Rules 2010
provide a complete mechanism for the situation, which needs to restrict
movement of any person from going abroad."
14
MidWeek
world
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
23 killed in Afghan floods
KABUL, (IANS) At least 23 people were killed as heavy
rainfall and floods hit Afghanistan's Badghis province on
Saturday night and Sunday morning. "Based on the repor ts
we have received so far, 23 people, including women and
children, have been confirmed dead due to downpour and
flooding in Jawand, Balamurghab and Abkamari districts," a police official told Xinhua news agency. Rainstorm and flooding hit several par ts of Afghanistan,
including the capital city Kabul, on Saturday night and
par ts of the country were still receiving heavy rain.
Three injured in Germany
Sikh temple explosion
INDIAN SIKH PILGRIMS WAVE AS THEY ARRIVE AT THE WAGAH RAILWAY STATION IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN. ABOUT 460 INDIAN
SIKH PILGRIMS ARRIVED IN PAKISTAN FOR VAISAKHI'S CELEBRATIONS, THE SIKH NEW YEAR, AT THE SIKH SHRINE OF
GURUDWARA PANJA SAHIB AND NANKANA SAHIB, THE BIRTHPLACE OF SIKH FAITH FOUNDER GURU NANAK DEV (IANS).
OIC losing relevance, says Pakistani daily
ISLAMABAD, (IANS) The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
has not only achieved nothing of substance over five decades but
now risks losing whatever relevance it may have, a Pakistani daily
said recently.
"In its nearly five-decade existence, the organisation has achieved
hardly anything of substance in any field - political, economic, cultural - and has served as little more than a talk shop for the Muslim
world's princes, potentates and rulers," the Dawn said in an editorial.
"Sadly, by allowing itself to be used in intra-Muslim bilateral and
geopolitical disputes, the OIC risks losing whatever relevance it retains," it added. The editorial followed a statement that was issued
after the recent summit in Istanbul in which "harsh, undiplomatic
tone" was used against Iran.
"Buried in between rhetoric about Palestine and Kashmir in the lengthy
statement is a scathing attack on Iran," Dawn said. Iran was flayed
for interfering in the internal affairs of other states in the region and
for suppor ting "terrorism". "This development, unfor tunately, reflects
the deep polarization that is today threatening to tear the Muslim
world apar t."
The editorial said that while the Saudis had dominated the OIC, which
is headquar tered in Jeddah, "yet perhaps rarely has the organisation
been used to lambaste a member state in this fashion. "Iranian displeasure was indicated by the fact that President (Hassan) Rouhani
did not attend the closing meeting."
Protests against Egypt's Red Sea islands transfer to Saudi Arabia
CAIRO, (IANS) Hundreds of Egyptians gathered Friday afternoon outside the press syndicate here to protest against the official
transfer of two controversial islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia. The protesters chanted slogans against giving up what they
believe to be "Egyptian territory" to the oil-rich kingdom, claiming the Egyptian leadership gave up Tiran and Sanafir islands in
return for Saudi aid, repor ted Xinhua.
Meanwhile, police fired tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters in Cairo, nearby Giza and coastal Alexandria cities, while some
protesters were repor tedly arrested. Police warned citizens on Thursday against taking par t in the protests after the outlawed
Muslim Brotherhood group announced par ticipation, yet liberal activists joined the Friday protests outside the press syndicate
here. Last Saturday, the cabinet announced, during Saudi King Salman's visit to Cairo, a maritime border demarcation accord that
put the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi waters. The transfer of the two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia has triggered
criticism against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
BERLIN, (IANS) At least three people were injured in an
explosion at a Sikh temple (Gurudwara) in Germany's
western city of Essen, police said. The attack took place late
Saturday during a celebration at the temple (Gurudwara),
The Independent.UK repor ted. Spokesman of Essen police
Lars Lindemann said the explosion was "quite violent",
blowing out several windows. One of the injured was said
to be in a serious condition. The media repor ted that
three people were arrested in connection with the
incident. Sikh groups said the incident took place as
people were celebrating the festival of Baisakhi.
Lindemann said the police were working on the assumption that the explosion was caused deliberately but there
were no indications of a terrorist incident.
Oil producers fail to reach
deal at Doha talks
DOHA, (IANS) World's key oil producing countries failed
to deliver any concrete agreement to freeze production at
the end of their ministerial meeting here on Sunday amid
disagreements on the wording of the agreement. Qatari
Oil Minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada said in a
press conference that "the meeting reached a result
which we all need more time for more consultations and
talks."
Major oil producing countries, except Iran, gathered in
the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday discussing a possible
crude production freeze in a bid to shore up the floundering global oil markets and the sluggish prices, Xinhua
news agency repor ted. Altogether 23 countries, both
within and outside the Organization of the Petroleum
Expor ting Countries (OPEC), sent their delegates to the
Qatari capital for the "Oil-Producing Countries Ministerial
Meeting". Sunday's meeting came after oil prices fell
more than 60 percent since June 2014 to as low as $27 per
barrel in January due to the widening glut in the supply.
80 PERTOSA DRIVE, UNIT 12,
BRAMPTON ONT., L6X 5E9
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
MidWeek
world
15
UAE joins GCC-EU political
dialogue in Brussels
ABU DHABI, (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
par ticipated in the Gulf Cooperation Council-European Union
(GCC-EU) political dialogue held in Belgium's capital Brussels. The UAE was represented during the meeting on Thursday by Ahmed Ali Al Balooshi, director of the GCC at the
foreign affairs ministry and, and Sulaiman Hamed Al
Mazroeui, head of the UAE Mission to the EU and NonResident Ambassador to Luxembourg. The two sides discussed progress in GCC-EU relations and ways to enhance them, as well as issues of common interest. They
also exchanged views on regional and international developments. The two groups noted the identical views on
political positions and expressed their keenness to fur ther
ties between the EU and GCC.
PEACE TALKS WITH INDIA
TO GO AHEAD: PAKISTAN
THOUSANDS OF WORKERS ESPECIALLY FROM THE FAST-FOOD, HOMECARE AND CHILDCARE INDUSTRIES HOLD A PROTEST, DEMANDING A NATIONWIDE $15-AN-HOUR MINIMUM WAGE IN LOS ANGELES, USA (IANS).
HIGH LEVEL MEETINGS SHOW GOOD
MOMENTUM IN CHINA-INDIA TIES
BEIJING, (IANS) The ongoing meetings between Chinese and Indian
officials demonstrate the good momentum of relations between
New Delhi and Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesperson said here
on Monday.
Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Indian National Security
Adviser Ajit Doval will hold a 19th round of talks between special
representatives on boundary issues on Wednesday and Thursday,
Xinhua quoted spokesman Lu Kang as saying.
Earlier on Monday, Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister
Chang Wanquan held talks with visiting Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar in Beijing. The foreign ministers of the two countries will
meet each other during the 14th meeting of the foreign ministers of
China, Russia and India on Monday in Moscow.
The meetings show that mutual political trust between China and
India have increased, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation are
advancing, Lu said. The two sides also maintain good coordination
and collaboration in global and regional affairs, he said. Although
China and India have some differences, both sides are willing to
effectively control and solve the issues through friendly negotiations
and consultations, according to Lu.
IS plotting summer attacks on Europe's Mediterranean beaches
ROME, (IANS/AKI) The Islamic State jihadist group is planning massacres of tourists vacationing on Europe's Mediterranean coast this
summer, German tabloid Bild repor ted Tuesday, citing Italian and German intelligence chiefs. IS will deploy suicide bombers and
gunmen disguised as beach hawkers and plant bombs beneath sunbeds at Italian, Spanish and French resor ts, taking advantage
of lax security, according to Bild. Germany's BND intelligence service learned of the terror plans from its Italian counterpar t,
which was informed of the plot by a "credible" source in Africa, the daily said. The threat stems from the Nigerian terrorist group
Boko Haram, whose leadership has allied itself with IS and plans to use sympathisers to carry out attacks on crowded,
unguarded beachfronts, Bild said. "It is understood that regular African travellers to Europe, who so far have disguised their loyalty
to the fanatics will be activated for the murder campaign," the daily said. "It could be a whole new dimension of terror. Holiday beaches
cannot be protected," Bild cited an unnamed high-ranking official as saying.
ISLAMABAD, (IANS) The Pakistani foreign office has rejected
a notion that the peace process between Islamabad and India
was suspended, saying it remained engaged with New Delhi.
"We need to look ahead and not think in terms of foreclosing
any options. Both sides are in contact with each other," foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on Thursday during a weekly media briefing.
The spokesman was referring to media repor ts quoting
Pakistan's High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit as having said that the peace process was "suspended", Dawn
online repor ted recently. "Dialogue is the best option. Diplomacy is for interaction and engagement between countries,"
Zakaria said.
Last December, the two countries had agreed to restar t the
peace dialogue, which was named Comprehensive Bilateral
Dialogue. It was agreed during Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's surprise stopover in Lahore on Christmas
Day that the foreign secretaries would meet to decide the
schedule and other details of the first round of talks.
96 MILITANTS KILLED IN
AFGHANISTAN CLASHES
KABUL, (IANS) At least 96 militants were killed and 93 others injured in clashes and airstrikes across Afghanistan within
a day, the defence ministry said on Monday. "The Afghan
national security and defence forces launched several operations in Nangarhar, Ghazni, Khost, Kandahar, Zabul,
Badghis, Nimroz, Jawzjan, Balkh, Faryab, Baghlan, Kunduz,
and Helmand provinces within the last 24 hours, killing 96
militants," Xinhua cited the ministry as saying. The statement also confirmed that five army soldiers were killed during the operations.
16
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
NO PATRIOT GREATER
THAN ME IN INDIA:
SHAH RUKH KHAN
ALIA BHATT AND KAREENA KAPOOR DURING THE TRAILER LAUNCH OF FILM UDTA PUNJAB IN MUMBAI (IANS).
'SARBJIT' TRAILER GRIPPING: MAKES
STRONG INDIA-PAKISTAN MENTIONS
MUMBAI, (IANS) The trailer of "Sarbjit" is out and it shows Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's struggle with justice to secure release her brother
Sarabjit, played by Randeep Hooda, from a Pakistan prison. The trailer also depicts the sweet and sour relation of India and the neighbouring
country via dialogues.
"Sarbjit" is a biopic on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who was convicted of terrorism and spying in Pakistan and was sentenced to death.
He was attacked by inmates at a prison in Lahore in April 2013 and died a few days later. The film features Aishwarya playing the role of
Sarbjit's sister, who dedicated her entire life in getting her brother back home as a free man.
The two-minute long video begins with a search operation for Sarbjit by Aishwarya, who can be seen in a de-glam bespectacled avatar. One
of the dialogues in the trailer goes: "Kyun har Hindustani dushman aur har Pakistani aatankwadi hai (Why is every Indian an enemy and a
Pakistani a terrorist?". It has been mouthed by Aishwarya. The trailer ends with Randeep saying: "Myself Sarbjit Singh Atwal, India." "Sarbjit",
which also features actors Richa Chadha and Darshan Kumar in key roles, is slated to release on May 20.
No cold war with Anurag Kashyap: Ram Gopal Varma
NEW DELHI, (IANS) His remark on "intolerance" in India
propelled many political par ties and social media users to
speak against him. Calling it an "obscurantist issue", Bollywood
superstar Shah Rukh Khan says it's not good to question his
nationality as he feels there is "no patriot greater than me" in the
country.
Shah Rukh said at an event in November last year that there was
"nothing worse than religious intolerance and that it would take India to
the Dark Ages". After his remarks, while some tagged him as an "antinational", others called it a political statement.
But Shah Rukh has a whole different story to tell. "Sometimes I feel
very sad, I even feel like crying, that I should be made to say that I
belong to this country, I am a patriot. I will tell all young people to be
tolerant, be happy, work hard and take this nation forward," Shah Rukh
said on TV show "Aap Ki Adalat", aired on India TV.
"We should just move forward with positivity as we live in the
greatest country in the world. We are one of the safest and most
beautiful nations of the world. We should not tie up ourselves in
petty obscurantist issues. "I want to say for the last time, I will
not repeat it again, that there is no patriot greater than me in
this country," he said.
Shah Rukh fur ther stated that he considers himself as "the most
proud Indian in the world." Fur ther clarifying his remark, he
said that through his thoughts, he had only "advised the young
not to be intolerant in matters
relating to regionalism,
religion, caste, colour and
creed. My father was one of the
youngest freedom fighters.
How can I think this country
has not been fair to any of
us? A man like me, who
has got everything
from this great
country, I'll be last
one to complain,"
Shah Rukh
said.
MUMBAI, (IANS) Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma says that he never had a cold war with his former protégé Anurag Kashyap. At the
trailer launch of Varma's latest film "Veerapan", when he was asked about his love-hate relationship with his former student
Anurag, he said: "I never had a cold war but always had a hot war. We have a bonding, I love him and he hates me. "...We both
are not making films together. He hates all my film and I like some of his film. I liked 'Gangs of Wasseypur' a lot." Varma was
once a mentor to Anurag in his films like "Shool", "Kaun" and "Satya", where Anurag was the writer. But they had a fallout after
that. Varma's last Hindi film was "Satya 2" which released in 2013.
KKR grab convincing
six-wicket victory
over Kings XI
SPECTATORS AT AN IPL MATCH BETWEEN ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE AND DELHI DAREDEVILS AT M CHINNASWAMY
STADIUM IN BENGALURU (IANS).
MOHALI, (IANS) Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir's 82-run opening stand paved the way for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to grab a
six-wicket victory against Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier
League (IPL) encounter at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Tuesday.
Uthappa scored a quickfire 28-ball 53, while Gambhir got to a runa-ball 34. For Kings XI, Axar Patel and Pardeep Sahu bagged two
wickets each. Earlier, the Knights led by mystery spinner Sunil
Narine's 2-22 once again put up a brilliant per formance with the
ball to restrict Kings XI Punjab to 138/8. Besides Narine, South
African speedster Morne Morkel returned 2-27. For Kings XI, Shaun
Marsh top-scored with an unbeaten 41-ball 56.
In pursuit of 139, KKR star ted off on a canter with Uthappa being
the aggressor. He smacked Sandeep Sharma first and then took
on South African pacer Kyle Abbott. Skipper Gambhir, meanwhile,
concentrated on running hard between the wickets. Kings XI could
have got him run out in the fifth over but David Miller failed to hit
the stumps with Gambhir stranded in the middle of the strip.
After six overs, KKR had raced to 65/0, with Uthappa going strong.
The Karnataka-born batsman managed to get to his fifty but then
was adjudged leg-before-wicket off a Sahu leg-spinner. But the
dismissal could not cur tail the scoring rate. A few overs later
against the r un of play, Gambhir skied one in the air and was
brilliantly caught by Glen Maxwell in the deep.
With only 29 runs left, Manish Pandey (12) who was looking good,
missed a straighter one from Axar Patel which crashed onto his citadel. He was followed by Shakib Al Hasan (11) who holed out at third
man. Yusuf Pathan (12) and Suryakumar Yadav (11) then took their
side across the line with 17 balls to spare.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
CALL ROGERS AT 1.800.929.5723 & BELL FIBE AT 1.888.748.9196
18
MidWeek
bollywood
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
KAREENA'S LOOK FOR
'UDTA PUNJAB' UNVEILED
SHAH RUKH KHAN DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANISED TO PROMOTE HIS FILM FAN IN NEW DELHI (IANS).
AYAAN OBSESSED WITH
SUPERHEROES: EMRAAN HASHMI
NEW DELHI, (IANS) Actor Emraan Hashmi, who is receiving
rave reviews for "The Kiss of Life: How a superhero and my son
defeated cancer", a book that talks about his family's struggle
with his son Ayaan's cancer treatment, says that his little child
is "fascinated" and "obsessed" with superheroes.
Emraan keeps on sharing the six-year-old's photographs
donning superheroes costumes over social media. He says
Ayaan likes Batman and Iron Man very much. "Ayaan is very
fascinated about superheroes. He has always been since the
age of two or two and a half. That's how we get him to do most
of the things," Emraan told IANS.
"His favourites are Batman, Iron Man, he loves all of them. But
these two are his most favourite. So we used that to our
advantage whenever we wanted to do things. He is always
asking for superheroes par ties. His room is full of superhero
posters and toys. So he is pretty obsessed with them," he
added. Ayaan is Emraan and his wife Parveen Shahani's first
child. He was diagnosed with first stage cancer at the age of
four in early 2014. Emraan shared that one reason for writing
"The Kiss of Life" was to make Ayaan feel proud of himself. "I
wrote this for Ayaan. After he gets a little older, he can just read
the book and be happy and proud of himself that he has been
able to fight the disease," Emraan said.
'OK Jaanu' near completion:
Aditya Roy Kapur
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Aditya Roy Kapur, who will next be
seen onscreen in Karan Johar's production "OK Jaanu", has
revealed that 50 percent of the film's shoot has been completed. Directed by Shaad Ali, the film is a remake of Mani
Ratnam's Tamil film "Ok Kanmani". "The shoot is on and we
have finished 50 per cent of the shoot. It is a romantic film
based in Mumbai. We are having great time shooting the film,"
Aditya said here. "OK Jaanu", which also stars actress
Shraddha Kapoor, revolves around a young couple and deals
with issues like live-in relationships.
Films should not
be termed male/
female-centric:
Anushka Sharma
RUNNING
SUCCESSFULLY
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan's look as a
doctor from the upcoming neo-noir drama thriller "Udta
Punjab" directed by Abhishek Chaubey has been unveiled.
Kareena will be seen essaying the character of Dr Preet
Sahani, who leaves her cushioned life to move to the hear tland of Punjab to tackle the drug menace in the state. The
film has been generating a lot of buzz among the fans and
after actors Shahid Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh's looks from
the movie were unveiled. Produced by Phantom Films and
Balaji Motion Pictures, "Udta Punjab", which also features
actress Alia Bhatt, is slated to release on June 17.
NEW DELHI, (IANS) The trend of female centric films finding a place in
Bollywood is hailed by many, but
Anushka Sharma has an entirely different point of view. The actress says
films should not be differentiated on
the basis of gender as the key to a
good movie lies in its storyline.
"I don't think that a film should be
known as 'male-centric' or 'femalecentric', but it should be known for
the story. That would be really nice
and viable too. I think 'NH10' could
have been done equally well by anybody else and it's not a 'female-centric' or 'male-centric' film. It's the story
that will appeal to the audience,"
Anushka, who is brand ambassador
of 7UP Nimbooz Masala Soda, told
IANS in an email interview.
After strutting on the ramp as a model,
Anushka walked in Bollywood with
Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Rab Ne
Bana Di Jodi" in 2008, and went on to
carve a name for herself in showbiz.
The journey in the Hindi filmdom for
Anushka was not smooth as she had
her share of setbacks with films like
"Patiala House", "Badmaash Company" or her last release "Bombay
Velvet". The common string that ties
all her films together be it "Band Baaja
Baaraat", "Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl",
"Jab Tak Hai Jaan", "PK", "NH10",
" B o m b a y Ve l v e t " o r " D i l
Dhadakne Do" is the presence
of strong female characters.
She opted for a film with a
strong message about honour
killing and respect for women
as she went behind camera as a producer last year with "Nh10". When asked
about her criteria while picking projects
as an actor or producer, the 27-year-old
said she is inclined towards role she
can relate to.
AZHAR NEVER OFFERED TO
ME: HUMA QURESHI
NEW DELHI, (IANS) Actress Huma Qureshi, who was popularly tipped to play badminton star Jwala Gutta in the upcoming biopic "Azhar" starring Emraan Hashmi, says it is a
"rumour" and the film was "never offered" to her. Asked if she
will be essaying the role of Gutta in the film, Huma told IANS:
"That's a rumour. It is false. I am not playing Jwala Gutta. It
('Azhar') was never offered to me. I was never approached for
it." "I wonder where these rumours come from," the "Badlapur"
actress added. "Azhar" will narrate the highs and lows of
Mohammad Azharuddin's life as the captain of the Indian
cricket team for most of the 1990s and being tainted by a
match-fixing scandal in 2000, and getting banned for life.
Emraan will be seen playing the titular role of former Indian
captain Azharuddin in the film. Directed by Tony D'Souza,
"Azhar", which is jointly produced by Balaji Motion Pictures
and MSM Motion Picture, also stars Prachi Desai, Nargis
Fakhri and Lara Dutta in pivotal roles and is slated for a worldwide release on May 13.
DEEPIKA'S NEW TREND FOR
HOLLYWOOD VENTURE
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Deepika Padukone, who is currently
shooting her Hollywood debut film "xXx: The Return of Xander
Cage" in Hamilton, Canada, says she and her co-star Ruby
Rose are setting "a new trend". Rose shared an image of
herself along with Deepika on Instagram. The two can be
seen wearing their jackets "backwards". "Cool people wear
their jackets backwards... No really... Freezing cold... People
wear their coats anyway they can! Toronto, why (are) you so
freezing(?)! Ok, it isn't Toronto, it's Hamilton... That's why it's
colder," Rose captioned the image. The "Bajirao Mastani" star
took to Twitter where she mentioned that the duo have a "lot
more" trends in their kitty. "We're probably setting a new trend
Ruby Rose and definitely a lot more of this coming up!" Deepika
tweeted. Directed by DJ Caruso, "xXx: The Return of Xander
Cage" also stars Hollywood's celebrated name Vin Diesel.
HERE BECAUSE OF MY
FANS: VARUN DHAWAN
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Varun Dhawan has credited his success to his fans, saying he is what he is because of them. The
28-year-old actor also mentioned that the opinion of his fans
matters the most to him. The "Main Tera Hero" actor had
treated his fans on a question and answer session on Twitter,
where he was asked a "word" to descibe his fans. "I am what
I am because of my fans they made me and only their opinion
matters," Varun tweeted on Wednesday night.
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
MidWeek
bollywood
19
Will meet Sylvester Stallone
as a true fan: Hrithik Roshan
MUMBAI, (IANS) Hrithik Roshan says living Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone is his inspiration and the Bollywood
actor will only meet him as a "true fan" and not as a star.
Hrithik, who often indulges in a conversation with his fans
and well-wishers on Twitter, was asked by a Twitter user
about who inspires the "Bang Bang!" star the most.
The 42-year-old actor quickly replied to the user saying:
"Sylvester Stallone the only person I will meet as a true fan."
On the professional front, Hrithik, who ventured into Hindi
movies with "Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai" in 2000, has two films in
his kitty -- "Mohenjo Daro" and "Kaabil". Directed by Ashutosh
Gowariker, "Mohenjo Daro" is an upcoming Indian epic adventure-romance, which also features actress Pooja Hegde.
"Kaabil" is directed by Sanjay Gupta and is being produced by Hrithik's
father, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan. Its plot has been kept under the wraps.
"Kaabil" will also feature actress Yami Gautam, who will be seen sharing
screen space with the "Krrish" actor for the first time.
'Cabaret' tribute to courage of
Indian women: Director
TIGER SHROFF AND SHRADDHA KAPOOR DURING THE PROMOTION OF FILM BAAGHI IN MUMBAI (IANS).
YAMI GAUTAM TAKING QUES FROM
KAJOL'S 'FANAA' CHARACTER
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Yami Gautam, who is all set to por tray a blind girl in the
upcoming film "Kaabil", says she is taking ques from actress Kajol's character Zooni
from the 2006 released film "Fanaa". "I have always been a fan of Kajol Ma'am. The
way she por trayed Zooni's character in 'Fanaa', is etched in my memory. I have
watched the film several times and each time I have learnt something new
from her per formance," Yami said in a statement. Yami Gautam, who will
be starring opposite Hrithik Roshan in the film for the first time, wants
to be completely prepared before the commencement of the shoot. The
film is directed by Sanjay Gupta and produced by Hrithiks filmmaker
father Rakesh Roshan. "Kaabil" is slated to release early next year.
HAD A BALL SHOOTING THIS ONE:
AKSHAY KUMAR ON 'RUSTOM'
MUMBAI, (IANS) Akshay Kumar will wrap up the shooting of the
Tinu Suresh Desai directorial "Rustom" on Friday. He says he "had
a ball" shooting this one. Akshay, who will star alongside Ileana
D'Cruz in the film, will return to his action avatar as a naval officer.
"It's time to rest the cap because its a wrap. Last day of #Rustom
today, had a ball shooting this one! Mixed feelings," Akshay posted
on Twitter on Friday alongside an image of the officer's cap that he
is wearing in the film. This isn't the first time that Akshay is playing a defence officer in films. He had essayed the role of an Army
officer in "Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty". He was also seen in films like "Airlift" and
"Gabbar Is Back" that experimented with the theme of patriotism. The film is set to release on August 12.
MUMBAI, (IANS) Debutante filmmaker Kaustav Narayan
Niyogi, who is debuting with "Cabaret" which features Richa
Chadda in the lead role, says this film is a tribute to the
courage of Indian women. "'Cabaret' is a story of a girl who
begins her journey from a small village in Jharkhand. Something very traumatic happens to her in the village and then
she comes to Mumbai in search of work and she is on the
run." "'Cabaret' is a tribute to the courage of Indian women. I
have lot of respect to women who are struggling and who
come from various par ts of the country for their livelihood.
This is a journey of a bold and courageous woman," Niyogi
told IANS. Produced by Pooja Bhatt, the film features Richa
Chadda, Gulshan Devaiah and S. Sreesanth.
SRK creates a character that will
be remembered for years: KJo
MUMBAI, (IANS) Karan Johar has lauded superstar and good
friend Shah Rukh Khan for his film "Fan", saying he has "created a character that will be remembered for years. Shah
Rukh Khan creates a character that will be remembered for
years ahead....Gaurav in 'Fan' is a result of the performance
extraordinaire of SRK!" Karan tweeted. Karan, who has worked
with Shah Rukh in popular films such as "Kuch Kuch Hota
Hai", " Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." and "My Name Is Khan,"
also "saluted and applauded" the Maneesh Sharma directorial. "Adrenalin pumping....cinematically brilliant and a huge
achievement...SRK is absolutely genius and beyond! Salute
and applaud 'Fan'," he added. The film, which has the 50year-old actor playing a double role, released on Friday.
'Bhaiyyaji Superhitt' half complete: Ameesha Patel
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Ameesha Patel said her film "Bhaiyyaji Superhitt", opposite Sunny Deol, is
halfway to completion and will soon be done with a new schedule star ting in a week."Post 'Gadar', Sunny
Deol and me team up for 'Bhaiyyaji Superhitt', we have already finished 50 percent of the filming and we
star t our next star t-to-finish schedule in another week. People are waiting for the 'Gadar' pair, so they'll
see us back very soon, so a lot of interesting things happening," said Ameesha at Babloo's Zorang Pet
Show, which claims to be largest pet show of Mumbai.
"It's not 'Gadar 2', it's a completely different film, it's a comedy, it's got no connection to 'Gadar', except that
the hit pair is back after 14 years." After debuting with a big hit opposite Hrithik Roshan in "Kaho Naa...
Pyaar Hai", her second film, "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha" with Sunny was also a blockbuster, and is considered among the biggest hits in the industry.They also acted together in another film, "Teesri Aankh: The
Hidden Camera", but weren't paired opposite each other in it.
"Bhaiyyaji Superhitt" was first announced in 2012, but has been delayed due to numerous reasons.
According to repor ts, there has been a new producer on board, after which the shooting has been going on
smoothly. Recently-married Preity Zinta had also repor tedly said that she was also a par t of the film. The
film, directed by "Right Ya Wrong" fame Neeraj Pathak, repor tedly sees Sunny in the role of a gangster
who wants to be an actor.
Randeep Hooda reveals reason behind
his 'slow' progress in Bollywood
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor
Randeep Hooda says
that being straightforward was the reason
for his "slow" progress
in the industry.
In an interview for the
film "Laal Rang",
Randeep said: "I am a
'muhfat (outspoken)'
and that is the reason I
have a slow progress
in the industry. I try to
be diplomatic but you
can get the boy out of
Haryana but not the
Haryana out of the boy. People don't understand my humor and misunderstand me. Sooner or later
people know I mean no harm and am a good man." About his success in the industry despite being
"an outsider", he said: "Actors from small time can deal with failure but they don't know how to
deal with success. In success, how to fake humbleness and fake respect, the industry kids know
it very well. But I can't do such things. I achieved success on my own and that has brought about
a different confidence." Randeep, who started out with films like "D", and "Monsoon Wedding", is
in a good space recently having delivered critically acclaimed films like "Highway", "Rang Rasiya"
as well as the commercial successes like "Kick". He is also a par t of some big projects like
"Sarbjit" and even Salman Khan's "Sultan". He will next be seen as a 'blood mafia' from Haryana
in the upcoming relationship drama "Laal Rang". Directed by Syed Ahman Afzal, the film also stars
Akshay Oberoi and Pia Bajpai in prominent roles and is slated to release on April 22.
RUNNING SUCCESSFULLY
RELEASING WORLWIDE ON 8TH APRIL 2016
20
MidWeek
bollywood
Movie Review
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016
hollywood
Guy Ritchie spotted visiting
Madonna's house with son
A DE
KHAN, WALUSCH
CAST: SHAH RUKH
AMIN,
AONKAR, DEEPIKA
LG
PI
YA
RI
SH
A,
SOUS
SAYANI GUPTA
YOGENDRA TIKU,
SH SHARMA
DIRECTOR: MANEE
RATING: ***1/2
'FAN': INSIGHTFUL
AND THRILLING
BY TROY RIBEIRO
In a star-struck country, where hero
worshipping is a norm, "Fan" is an
insightful film looking into the obsessive, delusional behaviour of a
star admirer and his love for his
matinee idol. It is a reality check
for both, stars and their fans. Basically, the film is a battle of wills
between Gaurav Chandna, the fan,
and Aryan Khanna, the star.
Delhi-based Gaurav is the reigning
hear t-throb
Aryan's
doppelganger and a die-hard fan. It
is his dream to meet his idol. So
crazy is he that he follows the same
trail as his idol to Mumbai and goes
to any lengths to protect his star.
How he meets his star and the disillusionment that follows, forms
crux of the tale. The story written
and directed by Maneesh Sharma,
is uncomplicated, but of course
exaggerated and zooms into a noire
zone, pushing the boundaries of acceptability. The first half of the film
is well-balanced and taut. It is the
second half that is far-fetched, and
though thrilling, strains.
Although treated as a dramatic thriller,
the film is more of drama than a
thriller. Narrated from Gaurav's point
of view, the film brings to fore, the
pragmatic issues of stardom and
how stars deal with their crazy fans.
Your heart bleeds for Gaurav, but at
the same time makes you realise
that one needs to be rational. The pace
of the film though racy, drags in parts,
especially in the stretched action sequences, which is well-choreo-
graphed. With well-etched characters, the performance of each actor
is noteworthy. The film belongs to
Shah Rukh Khan, who in a dual role,
is a treat for his fans. In both his characters, Gaurav and Aryan, he is distinct in his sartorial style, speech and
mannerisms. With his overt histrionics, sincerity and simplicity, his
obsession is palpable. He steals the
show as Gaurav. As Aryan, Shah
Rukh Khan is merely an extension
of himself. Of the rest of the suppor ting cast, Deepika Amin and
Yogendra Tiku, as Gaurav's parents
are fairly competent. Waluscha de
Sousa as Aryan's wife and Shriya
Pilgaonkar as Gaurav's love interest Neha, in small roles make their
presence felt. With great production values, the sets are realistic
and the locales impressive.
Visually, Director of Photograohy
(DOP) Manu Anand's images are
impressive. He captures the hysteria of the fans and their gawking
at their star, with precise acuteness. His frames seamless mesh
with the computer generated images. It
is in the initial scenes where the shots
with grainy images are chaotic and thus,
disorienting, but once the narration
settles, the visuals are realistic and
appealing. Namrata Rao's razor sharp
edits are crisp and note-worthy. She
aptly layers the visuals and Andrea
Guerra's background score to make
the film a sound and visual delight.
Interestingly, despite with no songs
in the narration, "Fan" keeps you
entertained with Shah Rukh's gusty
performance.
WHY SRK had to play a girl for wife Gauri Khan?
NEW DELHI, (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has been married to
entrepreneur Gauri Khan for over 24 years now, says it was not easy for him to get in
touch with his wife before marriage and he even used to fool her family by speaking to
them in a girl's voice. Shah Rukh shared his personal life on the first episode of ace
comedian Kapil Sharma's upcoming "The Kapil Sharma Show", which was shot in the
capital recently. When Kapil asked the "Chennai Express" star about the 'Selfie'
culture, Shah Rukh said: "Unlike today where we have mobile phones, earlier during
our times there were only landline telephones. So whenever I wanted to talk to Gauri, I
used to speak in a girl's voice as her brother Vikrant used to pick the phone."
"So I used to say, 'Hello, can I please speak to Gauri' in a girl's voice and he used to
think that I'm her female friend. Even till today he (Vikrant) doesn't know that it was
me who used to call every time. But after watching this episode he will get to know
that," he added. Shah Rukh will be seen playing a double role in "Fan", which is
directed by Maneesh Sharma. The film will release on Friday. SRK earlier played a
double role in the 1998 film "Duplicate", which also starred actress Juhi Chawla.
LONDON, (IANS) Filmmaker Guy Ritchie was photographed
visiting former wife Madonna's house here along with their
son Rocco Ritchie. In some photographs obtained by
dailymail.co.uk, Guy was seen entering the front door. He
repor tedly emerged some time
later. Rocco was seen in the
doorway of the house, hinting he
was already at his mother's
place and would stay there
for the night. Madonna's reunion with Rocco came
after the former partners
got warned by a High
Court judge that they
could ruin what is left
of their son's childhood if they failed
to settle their bitter custody battle. Judge Macdonald ruled
that the English proceedings could be halted, after analysing
the latest round of the row at a private hearing in the Family
Division of the High Cour t here in March. The judge urged the
exes to resolve their differences over where Rocco should
live. He ruled their legal battle would be held in a New York
cour t, rather than in London. Rocco repor tedly agreed with
his mother's decision to withdraw the proceedings.
Liam Hemsworth 'not
engaged' to Miley Cyrus
LOS ANGELES, (IANS) Actor Liam Hemswor th has revealed
he's not engaged to singer Miley Cyrus following months of
speculation. Rumours began to swirl when the former Disney
star star ted wearing what appeared to be the same engagement ring Hemswor th gave her before they split in 2013. But
Hemswor th has now rubbished the repor ts in an interview
with TV Week, repor ts mirror.co.uk. "I am not engaged, no,"
Hemsowr th said. However, the pair are definitely back together and were recently spotted in public together for the first time since
reports began to surface that they had rekindled their romance. The pair
were seen enjoying a night out with friends and family after attending the premiere of "The Huntsman: Winter's War" here.
MIDWEEK BOX
OFFICE REPORT
KAPOOR & SONS
120CR
FAN
60 CR
KI & KA
59 CR
ROCKY HANDSOME
45 CR
LOVE GAMES
10 CR
top
10
songs
SONG
1
FILM:
FAN
JABRA FAN
FILM
MOST WANTED MUNDA
KI & KA
HIGH HEELS
KI & KA
BOLNA
KAPOOR & SONS
KAR GAYI CHULL
KAPOOR & SONS
SANAM RE
SANAM RE
ROCK THA PARTY
ROCKY HANDSOME
BEKHUDI
TERAA SURROOR
AWARGI
LOVE GAMES
AYE KHUDA
ROCKY HANDSOME
HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEK
ACTOR AND STAND-UP COMEDIAN KAPIL SHARMA AND ACTOR SHAH RUKH KHAN DURING THE KAPIL SHARMA SHOW (IANS).
FAN
KI & KA
ROCKY HANDSOME
KAPOOR & SONS
LOVE GAMES
HIT
HIT
HIT
HIT
FLOP
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, AUGUST
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19,
28, 2012
2016
MidWeek
bollywood
21
Who is lauding Alia's 'dramatic'
look in 'Udta Punjab'?
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Sidhar th Malhotra has praised actress
Alia Bhatt's look from the upcoming movie "Udta Punjab". Alia's
look from the film was revealed on Friday morning in which
she can be seen running from something or someone dangerous and Sidharth has called it a "dramatic and imapctful" one.
"Dramatic impactful transformation awaiting trailer Udta
Punjab Alia In Udta punjab," Sidhar th tweeted along with the
poster. Alia will be seen playing a Bihari migrant in "Udta
Punjab". The film also features actors Shahid Kapoor, Kareena
Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh. The looks of the other actors
were unveiled earlier.
Alia's father and fillmaker Mahesh Bhatt too shared the motion
poster and captioned it: "Anything is possible if you have got
enough nerve." Udta Punjab, a neo-noir drama thriller, is directed by Abhishek Chaubey. co-produced by Phantom Films
and Balaji Motion Pictures, the movie tells the story of substance abuse in the Indian state of Punjab. The film is slated to
release on June 17.
Tamannaah Bhatia quashes
marriage rumours
PRIYANKA CHOPRA AND RAJINIKANTH WITH TENNIS PLAYER SANIA MIRZA DURING CIVIL INVESTITURE CEREMONY AT
RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN (IANS).
IT'S COMMON FOR MEN TO SHY AWAY FROM
RESPONSIBILITIES AT HOME: IRRFAN
NEW DELHI, (IANS) Internationally acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan,
who has been married to writer Sutapa Sikdar for over two decades
now, feels all men have a common habit of running away from
doing household work. He says men should help their wives in
sharing their work load.
"It's common for men to shy away from responsibilities at home.
However, it is even more impor tant to make the effor t to share the
load. If not for our par tners, then at least for our kids, who we need
to ensure are raised in a world of equal oppor tunities both outside
and within the home," Irrfan, who was here on Monday with his
wife to launch detergent brand Ariel Matic's "ShareTheLoad" pack,
said in a statement.
"Something as simple as doing the laundry can go a long way in
making a difference. It's okay to struggle with the tasks at first. As
did I," Irrfan said. The brand has come up with a first of its kind
"Odd-Even" laundry calendar, which encourages men to do laundry
on odd days and women on even days.
BIG B ON DILIP KUMAR'S
IMPROVING HEALTH
Shraddha, Tiger to appear on Kapil Sharma's show
MUMBAI, (IANS) Actors Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor will be
seen promoting their for thcoming film "Baaghi" on ace comedian Kapil
Sharma's show "The Kapil Sharma Show". Shraddha took to Twitter to
share a photograph of her dress that she is going to be seen wearing on the
show. "On 'The Kapil Sharma Show'! Stylist Tanya Ghavri and make-up/hair
Shraddha Naik and Amit Thakur," Shraddha wrote alongside the image.
The duo shot for the episode on Monday. Comedian Sunil Grover, who is part
of the show, also took to the micro-blogging site to thank the "Baaghi"
stars for appearing on "The Kapil Sharma Show". "Thanks 'Baaghi'
NEW DELHI, (IANS) "Baahubali: The Beginning" actress
Tamannaah Bhatia on Tuesday dismissed rumours that she is planning to get married and said she is currently busy with her professional life. The actress also shared that she will "let the world" know
when she decides to get hitched. "This is a false news. I am not
getting married. The day I get someone in my life I will let the world
know about it first. I am currently busy shooting for Prabhudeva's next
and few south films," Tamannaah said in a statement.
Many reports had surfaced suggesting that the actress is getting
married to a computer engineer. And reports were also rife that the
actress, who has made a name in the southern film industry as well
as Bollywood, might not continue working after her marriage. On the
work front, the actress has earned accolades for her latest release
"Oopiri", which also stars Akkineni Nagarjuna and Karthi. She will
reportedly be seen now in Rohit Shetty's next with Ranveer Singh.
family. Such happy and positive energy. Had lots of fun," Sunil tweeted.
"The Kapil Sharma Show" will
star t on April 23 on Sony Entertainment Television. The first episode will feature Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Shraddha and Tiger will appear
on the second episode of the show
which will be aired on April 24.
MUMBAI, (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says it is a moment of
"joy and pride" to know that the health of legendary actor Dilip Kumar,
who was hospitalised after suffering from high fever and nausea in
the wee hours of Saturday, is improving and becoming better.
Amitabh, who worked with Dilip Kumar in the 1982 film
"Shakti", took to Twitter to share a photograph of the thespian from the hospital, which was sent to him by Dilip
Kumar's wife Saira Banu. "Moment of joy and pride... Saira
ji sends me this: 'from Dilip saab to you with love from the
hospital'," Amitabh wrote alongside the image. The same image was
shared by Dilip Kumar on the micro-blogging site on Monday.
Ali Abbas Zafar shoots 'Sultan' at Jama Masjid
NEW DELHI, (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's upcoming film "Sultan" will feature the
360-year-old Jama Masjid of Delhi. Ali Abbas Zafar, who is directing the film, took to Twitter on
Tuesday to share photographs from the set. "Shooting in 40 degrees 'Sultan' at beautiful Jama
Masjid, last three weeks (sic)," Zafar captioned the images. In one photograph, Zafar can be seen
posing in front of the camera with Jama Masjid in the backdrop. The second image shows the view
of the iconic red sandstone mosque on the screen of the video camera. After Delhi, the whole cast
of the film will shoot in western Uttar Pradesh from Wednesday onwards. The film, being produced
by Yash Raj Films, will be shot in and around the Morna area in Muzaffarnagar.
Resting on wrist: Priyanka's favourite pose?
MUMBAI, (IANS) It seems that Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is not ready to give up one of her
habits - resting on her wrists while posing in front of the camera. Priyanka, 33, took to Instagram on
Tuesday to compare one of her recent photograph to an 16-year-old image when she was 17. "I've
always seemed to like resting on my wrist... 17 to now... Time flies," she captioned the image. In
both the images, Priyanka can be seen posing in front of camera while resting her face on her wrist.
Priyanka, who was honoured with Padma Shri, the four th highest civilian award earlier this month,
can be seen playing the lead role in popular American TV series "Quantico".
AAMIR KHAN WITH MAHARASHTRA GOVERNOR C VIDYASAGAR RAO PRESENTING HRIDAYNATH
AWARD TO INDIAN CHESS GRANDMASTER VISWANATHAN ANAND IN MUMBAI (IANS).
To Advertise or to feature your business on the show Please call 647-242-4746 / 905-670-3687/ 647-965-6370
VIJAY, VOHRA HELP PUNJAB
TO FIRST IPL WIN
MOHALI, (IANS) Openers Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra produced excellent batting performances as Kings XI Punjab posted
their first win of the season, outclassing Rising Pune Supergiants
by six wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Sunday. This was the
first win for Punjab this season. They suffered a poor start as they
were beaten comprehensively in both their earlier matches.
Pune, who are in their debut season in the IPL, suffered their
second defeat. The visitors had an excellent start to their campaign when they thrashed defending champions Mumbai Indians
by nine wickets in the tournament opener. But they lost their second game to fellow IPL debutants Gujarat Lions by seven wickets.
Needing 154 runs for a win in front of their home crowd, Vijay and
Vohra saw Punjab off to an excellent start with a couple of halfcenturies each. Vijay was the top scorer for Punjab with 53 runs
off 49 deliveries, hitting five boundaries and two sixes. Vohra was
in equally good form at the other end, smashing 51 runs off 31
balls with seven well-stroked boundaries.
DELHI OFFERS TO HOST
PUNE'S IPL PLAY-OFFS
CHEERLEADERS PERFORM DURING AN IPL MATCH (IANS).
Warner powers Hyderabad to
stunning win over Mumbai in IPL
HYDERABAD, (IANS) Leading from the front, skipper David Warner
smashed an unbeaten 90 to single-handedly steer Sunrisers Hyderabad
to a comfor table seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an
Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Rajiv Gandhi International
Stadium here on Monday.
Batting first, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 142/6 in 20 overs. Ambati Rayudu (54) was the top scorer for
the visitors.
In reply, Warner struck seven boundaries and four sixes, as the home
side comfor tably chased down the total, posting 145/3 in 17.3 overs.
Chasing 143, the home side got off to a disappointing star t losing
opener Shikhar Dhawan (2) in the very first over. The poor form for the
left-handed batsman continued as he was cleaned up after failing to
read an inswinging yorker from pacer Tim Southee.
But his opening par tner and skipper David Warner used his experience to good effect to hold on and score runs at a good pace to keep
his team well in course towards a win.
He was well suppor ted at the other end by Moises Henriques (20) as
the duo struck an impor tant 62-run par tnership for the second wicket
before Henriques was dismissed in the 11th over to hand Mumbai
some hope of getting back into the game. Hyderabad were then 66/2.
But Warner held on to take his team over the line in style.
NEW DELHI, (IANS) The Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) has expressed its readiness to host the two play-off
matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled to be held in
Pune if they are re-located.
The Bombay High Court directed on Wednesday that all IPL games
scheduled to be held in Maharashtra after April 30 must be re-located due to the severe water crisis in the state. The Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now faced with the onerous task of
deciding on alternate venues for 13 matches, including the IPL final.
"I on behalf of DDCA offer that our association is ready to host playoffs matches of IPL, in case they are shifted from Pune. We assure
you our best of cooperation to BCCI/IPL for the said matches if they
are shifted and allotted to us," DDCA vice-president C.K. Khanna
wrote to IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla on Thursday.
IPL: MISHRA STEALS SHOW
AS DELHI THRASH PUNJAB
BY 8 WICKETS
NEW DELHI, (IANS) Leg-spinner Amit Mishra's 4/11 proved crucial as
Delhi Daredevils thrashed Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets in an Indian
Premier League (IPL) contest at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday. After
Delhi won the toss and opted to field, Mishra, coming in to bowl in the
seventh over, rocked Punjab's boat. When he started his spell, they were
37 for one in six overs, and at the end of his three-over haul, the visiting
side was 59 for five in 11 overs. His victims included Shaun Marsh (13),
David Miller (9), Glenn Maxwell (0) and Manan Vohra (32). Punjab batsmen showed lack of intent and discipline and fell one after another. Opening batsman Vohra was the only one who showed the will for a fight even
as his team was restricted to 111/9 in 20 overs. In pursuit of the low total,
Delhi were led by South African opener Quinton de Kock (59 not out), who
shared a 91-run stand for the second wicket with Sanju Samson (33) in
10.4 overs, as the hosts overhauled the target with 6.3 overs and eight
wickets to spare. De Kock milked nine fours and a six of the 42 deliveries
he faced. It was Delhi's first win in two matches, while Punjab suffered
their second loss on the trot.
Mayor's School Cricket Tournament
launched at Metro Hall
DEPUTY MAYOR DENZIL MINNAN-WONG, CITY OF TORONTO OFFICIALS AND MARTIN BUCKLE, VICE CHAIR OF CIMA CANADA, WITH
PARTICIPANTS OF MAYOR'S SCHOOL CRICKET TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY CIMA CANADA.
ONTARIO - Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong City of Toronto
officials, and Martin Buckle, Vice Chair of CIMA Canada, officially launched the Mayor's School Cricket Tournament presented
by CIMA Canada. Sport Chek is the lead financial sponsor of the
tournament. Also taking part were Kevin McGurgan British Consul
General, Angela Kennedy, Chair of Toronto Catholic District School Board;
and Angelos Bacopoulos, Associate Director of Education, Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Dwight Drummond of CBC News Toronto was
the event's MC. "CIMA Canada is pleased to be able to continue our youth
cricket program and we are grateful for the support we received from the
City of Toronto and Sport Chek," said Michael Lam Chair, of CIMA
Canada. The 2016 tournament will be held May 15 to June 3,
2016 at Sunnybrook Park and G. Ross Lord Park. "We are proud
to help support the Mayor's School Cricket Tournament. As the
home of sport in Canada, Sport Chek believes in connecting people
through many diverse activities enabling them to live a healthy
and active lifestyle." Said Frederick Lecoq, SVP Marketing for FGL Sports.
IPL 2016 SCHEDULE, TIME TABLE & FIXTURES
TEAM SUNRISERS HYDERABAD DURING A PROGRAMME ORGANISED AT A HYDERABAD HOSPITAL (IANS).
INDIA LOSE TO AUSTRALIA 0-4 IN AZLAN SHAH CUP FINAL
IPOH (MALAYSIA), (IANS) India's hockey team lost 0-4 to reigning world champions Australia in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah
Cup final here on Saturday. Thomas Craig (25th and 35th minutes) scored twice before Matt Gohdes, playing in his 150th match,
scored in the 43rd and 57th minutes as Australia produced a stirring per formance. It was Australia's ninth Azlan Shah Cup title,
while five-time champions India claimed their second runners-up finish in the annual tournament. Earlier in the bronze medal
match, New Zealand defeated Malaysia 5-4 via penalty shoot-out. New Zealand scored twice in the final quar ter to equalise 3-3
as the match headed to the shoot-out.
De Kock heroics help Daredevils thrash Royal Challengers
BENGALURU, (IANS) Riding on opener Quinton De Kock's heroics, Delhi Daredevils (DD) on Sunday defeated the Royal Challengers
Bangalore (RCB) in the group stage match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Chinnaswami Stadium here. Leading the run chase
for the visitors, De Kock hit a superbly-crafted century (108 of 51 balls), first century in IPL 9, with 15 fours and three sixes to guide his
team to win the match by seven wickets in 19.1 overs.
The South African southpaw was a beauty to watch and a virtuoso in action with his boundaries zooming all over the ground, especially
his masterclass off-side shots. From an asking rate of 87 runs in 48 balls after 12 overs, the going got so easy that DD only needed 21
runs in 26 balls by the 17th over and just one run off the final six balls.
Karun Nair, unbeaten at 54 off 42 balls with six fours and one six, stood by De Kock to see the victory in the 20th over. Though DD star ted
off their chase of 192 runs shakily, losing Shreyas Iyer (0) and Sanju Samson (9) early, the win was comprehensive and facile. David
Wiese took a spectacular catch to get rid of Iyer in the first over off S. Aravind, but from then on there was no looking back for DD, with
De Kock and Nair in action.
Nair reached his half century in the 17th over off 37 balls with six fours and a sixer. Shane Watson emerged the most successful bowler
for RCB, claiming two wickets for 25 runs in his quota of four overs while Sreenath Aravind was the only other bowler 1/32 to claim a
wicket. Earlier, after winning the toss, DD captain Zaheer Khan chose to filed first and put the home team to bat. Captain Virat Kohli, with
a fighting 79 off 48 balls, was the chief architect of RCB's 191/5 in 20 overs.
Inzamam quits as Afghanistan coach to become Pakistan chief selector
KABUL, (IANS) Pakistan batting legend and former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has resigned as the coach of Aghanistan and is set to be
named his country's chief selector. Inzamam resigned after almost eight months before his contract expires with the Afghanistan Cricket
Board, the country's cricket board said on Sunday. According to a statement by Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Inzamam resigned from
his post considering his national obligations, pointing towards upheaval in Pakistan cricket. The statement by ACB fur ther added that
Inzamam has hailed the professional co-operation of the Afghan team and cricket board, khaama. com repor ted on Sunday.
ACB also added that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan spoke regarding Inzamam's resignation as Afghanistan
cricket head coach and requested Shafiqullah Stanikzai to cooperate in this regard. This comes as repor ts emerged earlier on Sunday
suggesting that PCB has approached the Inzamam for chief selector post. According to the repor ts, a special committee has been formed
to appoint a new coach and Inzamam as PCB's chief selector. An PCB official said on Sunday PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan met with
Inzamam about heading up the new selection panel.
24
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016