Khalistan Issue: Canada assures India of action

Deepak Obhrai urges
advocacy group not to screen
film with anti-Islam message
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER SHRI S.M KRISHNA AND THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CANADA, MR. JOHN BAIRD
AT THE DELEGATION LEVEL TALKS IN NEW DELHI
Khalistan Issue: Canada
assures India of action
India and Canada have a shared commitment to
democracy, pluralism, federalism, individual liberty and
free enterprise. With over 30 institutionalized
mechanisms of bilateral cooperation in a range of areas
and a million-strong Indo-Canadian community that
includes a growing number of Indian students studying
in Canada, India-Canada relations are making steady
progress. With a view to deepening the bilateral
economic engagement, the two countries are negotiating
important bilateral agreements such as the Social
Security Agreement, the Bilateral Investment Promotion
and Protection Agreement and the Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement. Canada is emerging
as an important destination for Indian investments,
especially in energy, minerals and the IT sector.
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued the following statement
as he concluded his first official visit to India:
"I was pleased to visit India at the invitation of S.M. Krishna, Minister
of External Affairs. In New Delhi, I had a very productive meeting
with Minister Krishna. We discussed bilateral relations and regional
and global issues of mutual interest. I took the opportunity to
underscore Canada's deep commitment to the negotiations toward
the Canada-India comprehensive economic partnership agreement
and the administrative arrangements to the Nuclear Cooperation
Agreement. These partnerships will lead to new opportunities and
stronger economies in both countries.
"I also met with S.K. Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs, and
Shivshankar Menon, National Security Adviser. I conveyed to them
Canada's commitment to increasing our trade and people-to-people
links with India. In recent years, both countries have been working
to enhance bilateral cooperation in a number of areas of mutual
priority. India is an important strategic partner for Canada in the
areas of food and energy security, education and infrastructure
development.
"In Mumbai, I met with Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister of
Maharashtra. I also held valuable discussions with Canadian
companies working in India, during which I provided updates on
important files, such as the Canada-India foreign investment
promotion and protection agreement and comprehensive economic
partnership agreement. I emphasized Canada's ongoing commitment
to increasing business links with India and to obtaining views on
ways to encourage further involvement of Canadian companies in
India.
"I had the opportunity to visit a Bollywood film studio, where I
discussed the negotiations toward a Canada-India audiovisual coproduction agreement. The agreement would give Canadian and
Indian producers increased access to investment from foreign
markets and strengthen the existing relationship between the two
countries, while supporting the creation of a greater number of
original audiovisual co-productions that could be distributed on
a larger scale. "Finally, I also had the opportunity to attend the
official opening of the new offices of the Consulate General of
Canada in Mumbai.
Contd. on Page 10
Premier Dalton
McGuinty
meets South
Asian Community
at Lions Gala for
Sight 2012
REPORT ON PAGE 4
(Left to Right) Mr. Yudhvir Jaswal, Chief Editor of Midweek, Premier Dalton McGuinty and Mr. Harpreet Sethi, owner of Radisson Hotel Plaza.
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS
Deepak Obhrai, MP, called on Ron Banerjee of Canadian Hindu
Advocacy not to screen the film with anti-Islam message.
Deepak Obhrai, of the Hindu faith, said screening this film goes against
core Canadian values of tolerance and respect of other faiths. Islam is
one of the world's greatest religions which is practiced by thousands
on Canadians. "This is not about
freedom of speech, it is about sowing
the Canadian Hindu Advocacy
spokesman Ron Banerjee says he
is working to secure a location in
Toronto to show the film, which was
attacked as anti-Islamic following its
release last week.
The movie, shot by a California
filmmaker, depicts the Prophet
Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer
and a madman. It has been held up
as the catalyst for a fatal attack on a
U.S. embassy in Libya and angry
demonstrations in Tehran, Yemen,
Bangladesh and Afghanistan,
among other locations. Banerjee says the violent protests should not
silence the film, suggesting it is a matter of protecting freedom of speech.
Banerjee said they are planning on showing pieces of other movies
that are considered offensive to other groups, including Hindus,
Christians and Jews. He said the Hindu community is frequently
portrayed negatively in films, but the issue is ignored because they
don't spark violent protests. "My general message to Muslims is
that you should act more like Hindus," he said, adding that all groups
and religions should be treated fairly. The Canadian Hindu Advocacy
has previously protested against the Toronto school board for
allowing Muslim prayer inside a public school.
CANADA HOUSING STARTS
SURGE 8% IN AUGUST
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS
Housing starts in Canada were trending at 222,900 units in August,
according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of housing starts was 224,900
units in August, up from 208,000 units in July. “The increase in housing
starts in August was the result of a few, large, multi-unit projects in the
Greater Toronto area. This increase is primarily a reflection of the high
level of pre-sales in some of these large multi-unit projects in late 2010 and
early 2011, which is in line with job gains at that time,” said Mathieu
Laberge, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre.
“The higher level of starts recorded in Atlantic Canada and British
Columbia in August reflect low levels of activity in July rather than an
increasing trend that was registered in August. Overall, moderation in
housing starts activity is still expected for the remainder of 2012 and
2013.” For some markets, CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement
to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable
swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more complete picture of the
state of the housing market. In some situations, analyzing only SAAR
data can be misleading in some markets, as they are largely driven by the
multiples segment of the markets which can be quite variable from one
month to the next. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts
increased by 10.2 per cent to 205,900 units in August. Urban single starts
remained relatively unchanged in August at 64,300 units, while multiple
urban starts increased by 15.5 per cent to 141,600 units.
Air Rail Link Construction
MOVES FORWARD
P
remier Dalton McGuinty announced today that
construction along the new link between Pearson
International Airport and Union Station is off to a strong
start so that it will be in service for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan
Am Games.
The Air Rail Link will operate on a 25-kilometre rail route,
connecting the busiest airport in Canada with the busiest transit
and passenger rail hub in the country.
The link will share the upgraded GO Transit rail corridor along the
Kitchener line (formerly the Georgetown line). Contd. on Page 9
CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MIS SIS SAUGA, OAKVILLE
2
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
page 3
3
ANGELINA JOLIE
VISITS REFUGEE
CAMP IN IRAQ
Walking red carpet with De
Niro was magic: Anupam Kher
New Kate Middleton
photos published in
Italian magazine
ANUPAM KHER TALKS ABOUT SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, WHICH WON THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD IN TORONTO.
He was excited he landed a role
in David O Russell's comedy
Silver Linings Playbook costarring Robert De Niro,
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley
Cooper among others. And now
that the film has won the
People's Choice Award at the
2012 Toronto International Film
Festival (TIFF), automatically
landing it an Oscar nomination,
Anupam Kher's joy knows no
bounds.
Speaking
to
TOI,Anupam said,"It was a
marvellous opportunity to work
with Bradley and Jennifer in the
lead and De Niro, Stiles, Jacki
Weaver and Chris Tucker. And
then to walk the red carpet with
them. You only dream of such
things. They don't usually
happen." How was his
experience shooting for the
Hollywood film? "One of the
most unforgettable days was
when we were to do only one
scene but ended up doing four.
I almost went into a coma.
Basically, I think of a scene in
Hindi and not in English,"
Anupam said and added,
"When you are working with a
complete A-lister cast and crew
you are pushing yourself into
a situation where you cannot
fail. Besides, you are
representing your country. In
such a situation, you have no
option but to be brilliant as you
are dealing with people who
know their job completely."
Recalling how he landed
the part, Anupam said, "I was
shooting for a film in a village
near Jodhpur when I received
a mail from my agent Ruth
Young saying Russell wanted
to speak to me on Skype. I had
seen his Fighter and been
bowled over. I had only ten
hours notice and I had never
used Skype before. My staff
dashed off to Jodhpur and
somehow we managed. But he
couldn't hear me. I thought I
had lost my chance but we
fixed up Skype again only to
encounter the same problem.
A Bangladeshi waiter who was
making tea in my suite helped
me get through to Russell on
his iPhone. Ten days later, I
got the message I had been
chosen to play Dr Patel in the
film." Anupam said he began
in earnest, thinking of himself
as
a
newcomer
and
endeavouring to push himself
for the role and the rest, as
they say, is history. Is their
filmmaking different from ours?
"I have worked with Ang Lee
and
Woody
Allen.
In
Hollywood,they have the
liberty of making a film they
believe in. They don't pre-plan
like we do over here. The focus
is tremendously large. Not that
I am running down Indian
cinema where the warmth is
unbelievable but in our
industry, films are made in
bhaichaara: aao, khaana khao,
nashta karo, you know what I
mean."
Apparently,
Anupam
always had a gut feeling the
film would be successful. The
makers are now planning to
release it in India in November
itself and not later as was
originally planned.
Italian magazine Chi reading in Italian "The queen is naked" in
Rome, Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. An Italian gossip magazine owned
by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi published a 26-page spread
of topless photos of Britain's Prince William's wife Kate on Monday
despite legal action in France against the French magazine that
published them first. An Italian magazine owned by the country's
former premier has published more topless photos of Kate
Middleton's sunbathing despite legal action by the royal family to
block publication. Under the headline, "Court Scandal: The Queen
is Nude," Chi magazine hit newsstands today with a 26-page photo
spread of the Duchess of Cambridge, 30, reportedly sunbathing on
the terrace of a secluded chateau in the south of France before
beginning a tour of the Far East and South Pacific to celebrate
Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.The couple is hitting back
hard against the publication of the images, which William's St.
James's Palace called a "grotesque" invasion of their privacy. Later
Monday, lawyers for the royal couple are due in court in Nanterre,
France, to seek an injunction against Mondadori to prevent further
dissemination of the images, which were also reproduced over the
weekend by an Irish tabloid. The palace said it would seek damages
from Mondadori. Chi's Editor Alfonso Signorini told Reuters the
images were harmless and that the balcony where the Duchess
was sunbathing was visible from the street.
Angelina Jolie visits refugee camp in Iraq
ANGELINA JOLIE, WHO IS A SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE UN
MET WITH SYRIAN REFUGEES IN TURKEY LATELY.
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie,
special envoy for the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees,
visited a camp for Syrian
refugees in Iraq. “I want to
highlight the noble efforts of the
Iraqi government and the people
of Iraq to support Syrian
refugees,” said Jolie. “At this
juncture, it is critical that Iraq
receives urgent international
support and continues to
welcome refugees across its
borders.” Jolie met Iraqi Foreign
Minister Hoshyar Zebari in
Baghdad Saturday to discuss
the conditions in the camps and
the Iraqi government's efforts to
meet the daily needs of the
refugees, the Iraqi foreign
ministry said in a statement. In
her meetings Saturday in
Baghdad with the Minister of
Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari
and
the
Minister
of
Displacement and Migration
Dindar Najman Shafeeq and on
Sunday with Kurdistan Regional
Government officials, Jolie
pledged further UNHCR support
for the government in receiving
and hosting additional Syrian
refugees as their numbers rapidly
increase.
Shreya Ghoshal Live in Concert
BOLLYWOOD’S PLAYBACK SINGER SHREYA GHOSHAL PERFORMS LIVE IN CONCERT AT THE
HERSHEY CENTRE ON SEPTEMBER 16.
MidWeek
4
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
page 4
LIONS GALA
FOR SIGHT
2012
Lions Gala For Sight 2012
TORONTO NETRALYA LIONS CLUB (TNLC) AND TORONTO
DOCTORS LIONS CLUB (TDLC) ORGANIZED "LIONS GALA
FOR SIGHT" 2012 FOR THE BENEFIT OF CNIB TORONTO
(CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND) AND PRINCESS
MARGARET HOSPITAL FOUNDATION & NARAYANA
NETHRALAYA, POST GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF
OPHTHALMOLOGY, BANGALORE INDIA. IT WAS HELD AT THE
GRAND VICTORIAN CONVENTION CENTRE LAST WEEK.
K
ismet Wedding Show held at
International Centre last
weekend showcased an array
of the season's most elegant, stylish
KISMET WEDDING SHOW 2012
and extravagant Bridal Sarees,
Wedding Lehnga's, Salwar Kameez
and Sharara's, with everything from
traditional to contemporary designs
from the hottest names in Indian and
Pakistani bridal wear. Established in
2003, Kismet - A South Asian
Wedding Affair is the largest and most
comprehensive wedding experience
for South Asians in Nor th America,
comprising of a wedding show, a
fashion
show,
Kismet
Bridal
magazine and Kismet Organizer.
Harper Government Takes Action to Improve Health
Care Solutions for Canadians and Their Families
(L-R) MAMDOUH SHOUKRI, PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR, YORK
UNIVERSITY; DR. DAVID PRICE, CHAIR AND AS SOCIATE PROFES SOR,
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE, MCMASTER UNIVERSITY; HARVEY
SKINNER, DEAN, FACULTY OF HEALTH, YORK UNIVERSITY; THE HONOURABLE
GARY GOODYEAR, MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE FEDERAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AGENCY FOR SOUTHERN ONTARIO; WILLIAM TATHAM, CEO,
NEXJ SYSTEMS AND MARK ADLER, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, YORK CENTRE.
(L-R) THE HONOURABLE GARY
GOODYEAR, MINISTER OF STATE
FOR THE FEDERAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AGENCY FOR
SOUTHERN ONTARIO; MAMDOUH
SHOUKRI, PRESIDENT AND VICECHANCELLOR, YORK UNIVERSITY;
AND WILLIAM TATHAM, CEO, NEXJ
SYSTEMS, SPEAK FOLLOWING A
FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR
THE CONNECTED HEALTH AND
WELLNESS PROJECT.
THE
HONOURABLE
GARY
GOODYEAR,
MINISTER OF STATE
FOR THE FEDERAL
E C O N O M I C
DEVELOPMENT
AGENCY
FOR
SOUTHERN ONTARIO,
ANNOUNCES
AN
INVESTMENT OF $15
MILLION TO SUPPORT
THE
CONNECTED
HEALTH
AND
WELLNESS PROJECT
AT YORK UNIVERSITY.
THE
HONOURABLE
GARY
GOODYEAR,
MINISTER OF STATE FOR
THE
FEDERAL
E C O N O M I C
DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
FOR
SOUTHERN
ONTARIO
AND
MAMDOUH SHOUKRI,
PRESIDENT AND VICECHANCELLOR, YORK
UNIVERSITY MEET AT
YORK UNIVERSITY.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
MidWeek
breaking news
Pakistan beat India by five wickets in
World Twenty20 warm-up match
INDIA'S RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN (RIGHT) IS CONGRATULATED BY HIS TEAMMATE VIRAT KOHLI
(CENTRE) AFTER HE DISMISSED PAKISTAN'S MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ DURING THE WORLD
TWENTY20 WARM-UP MATCH AT R PREMADASA STADIUM IN COLOMBO.
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS:
Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik
added an unbeaten 95 runs stand
to power Pakistan to a
convincing five-wicket victory
over India in the World Twenty20
warm-up match against India at
R
Premadasa
Stadium.
Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed
Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid
Afridi in one over to dent
Pakistan chase.
Ashwin struck again in his next
over to scalp Umar Akmal and
left Pakistan reeling at 91/5 in 11.3
overs. Kamran Akmal and
Mohammad Hafeez added 51
runs in 34 balls stand for the third
wicket to lead Pakistan chase.
India dismissed Imran Nazir and
Nasir Jamshed in quick
succession to rock Pakistan
chase.
Ravichandran Ashwin struck
in his first over of the innings,
removing Imran Nazir to give
India crucial breakthrough after
Pakistan started off well in their
innings. Pakistan suffered
another blow just two balls later
when Jamshed got run-out
without facing a delivery. Earlier,
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
played cracked of an innings to
help India post a mammoth 186
run target for Pakistan. Kohli
remained unbeaten on 75 off 47
balls, smashing seven fours and
two sixes to power to big total
against the arch-rivals.
Saeed Ajmal did the trick again,
giving Pakistan a much need
breakthrough by removing
Sharma, who played magnificent
knock 56 0ff 40 balls, smacking
six fours and two huge sixes. The
pair also added an unbeaten 127
runs stand for the third wicket,
hammering Pakistan bowlers all
over the park to put India in
commanding position.Kohli,
who has recently been named
the ICC ODI cricketer of the Year,
took 34 balls for his scintillating
half century that included six
boundaries. India lost Gautam
Gambhir and Virender Sehwag in
successive overs after the Delhi
duo gave blistering start with a
41 in just 4.4 overs. India lost
their first wicket when Gautam
Gambhir edged a Umar Gul
delivery onto his stumps.
Gambhir hit 2 fours in his 16-ball
10. Saeed Ajmal struck in the
next over when he had Sehwag
caught by Shahid Afridi at
backward point. Sehwag hit a six
and 4 fours in his 14-ball 26. The
breakthroughs for Pakistan came
after Indian captain MS Dhoni
won the toss and chose to bat.
Their tails up after an easy
outing against hosts Sri Lanka,
India would like to keep the
winning momentum going. From
India's perspective, things are
going in the right direction at the
moment and they come into this
'crucial' warm-up with plenty of
confidence under their belt.
Teams:
India: MS Dhoni (Capt.),
Gautam Gambhir, Virender
Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj
Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh
Raina, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer
Khan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, R
Ashwin.
Pakistan:
Mohammad
Hafeez (Capt.), Shahid Afridi,
Imran Nazir, Umar Akmal, Kamran
Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Nasir
Jamshed, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal,
Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Sami.
5
AARUSHI MURDER CASE
Supreme Court grants
bail to Nupur Talwar
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: The Supreme Court on Monday
granted bail to Nupur Talwar in connection with the May 2008
Aarushi -Hemraj double murder case. The apex court ordered the
Ghaziabad trial court to release Nupur Talwar on bail on September
25. It asked the CBI to complete examination of all prosecution
witnesses by then. The apex court bench of Justice AK Patnaik and
Justice JS Khehar said: "(The) trial court shall release Nupur Talwar
on bail subject to its own satisfaction." Pronouncing the order,
Justice Patnaik said: "We direct the trial court may be allowed a
week's time to examine witnesses Vimla Sarkar and Chandra Bhushan
or any other witness in the case, if these two witnesses are not
available." Nupur, a co-accused in the sensational double murders,
along with her dentist husband Rajesh Talwar, is currently lodged
in Ghaziabad's Dasna Jail since April 30. The CBI, during the last
hearing, had argued that she could influence witnesses, if granted
bail. A CBI trial court in Ghaziabad has charged the Talwars under
sections 302/34 (murder with common intention) and 201
(destruction of evidence with common intention) of the Indian Penal
Code (IPC). In addition to these, the court charged Rajesh Talwar
under section 203 (giving false information in respect of an offence
committed) of the IPC. Aarushi, 14, was found murdered at her
parents' Noida residence May 16, 2008. The body of her domestic
help Hemraj was found the next day on the terrace of the house.
Sena dares Mamata Banerjee Punjab youths forge
death
papers
for
visa
to pull out of government
MUMBAI/BUREAU NEWS: The
Bal Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on
Sunday took to the streets to
protest the fuel price hike and
FDI in retail sector by the Centre
and asked the Trinamool and
NCP to withdraw support to the
UPA government. Addressing a
rally outside the Siddhivinayak
temple in central Mumbai in the
presence of hundreds of
partymen, Sena executive
president Uddhav Thackeray
asked TMC chief Mamata
Banerjee to stop just threatening
the UPA government and
withdraw its support. "Mamata
Banerjee should simply stop
threatening the UPA government
and withdraw support," Uddhav
said. He also asked Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) chief and
Union agriculture minister
Sharad Pawar, and SP supremo
Mulayam Singh Yadav to
withdraw support from the UPA
government. "Till when we will
tolerate the heat of fuel price
rise?" he asked. Uddhav also
exuded confidence that the
Congress-led government will
now be dethroned by the
people. A bicycle rally was taken
out by Thackeray's grandson
Aditya from Shivaji Park to
Siddhivinayak temple to protest
the fuel price hike.
Commenting on Union home
minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's
statement that Coalgate would
be soon forgotten, the Shiv Sena
said he had articulated the
"attitude"
of
the
UPA
government.
Khushpreet murder case: Court rejects bail of main accused
CHANDIGARH/BUREAU
NEWS: In the infamous case of
kidnapping and murder of fiveyear-old Khushpreet, which had
rocked Chandigarh in December
2010, a local court has rejected
the bail plea of one of the main
accused.
The bail plea was filed by
the wife of the accused
Gurvinder Singh and it was
rejected in the court of judge
Preeti Sahni. The petitioner had
sought the bail on the grounds
that Gurvinder's mother had
recently passed away and he
had to attend a religious
ceremony
on
Monday
(September 17). "Besides
Gurvinder, his brother Sukhdev
Singh is also a co-accused in this
case and he is also lodged in the
jail. But only one of them has
sought a bail and that too through
his wife. There is something fishy
in this and bail application should
be rejected. Besides, it was a brutal
murder case where accused had
murdered the boy even after
receiving the ransom amount so
bail should not be given to
accused," said Manish Dua, public
prosecutor, while arguing in the
court. The trial of this case is still
pending in the court. Khushpreet
(5), a kindergarten student and son
of a dairy owner, was kidnapped
on December 21 (2010) from near
his house. The boy's body was
recovered on January 5 (2011)
near the boundary between
Chandigarh and adjoining town
of Mohali in Punjab. The victim
had been strangulated to death
and his face was smashed to
make identification difficult.
However, police cracked the
case in April 2011, by arresting
three accused. They included
Sukhdev Singh (36), his brother
Gurvinder
Singh
(32)
(neighbours the of victim boy)
and their servant Nand Kishore
(26). The victim's family had paid
a ransom of Rs. 400,000 to the
kidnappers at Kharar town, 20km from here, in Punjab.
JALANDHAR/BUREAU
NEWS : Youths from Punjab
have devised a novel way to fly
to foreign shores — forge death
certificates of fake relatives in the
UK to obtain visas on
humanitarian grounds. The fraud
involves scanning a genuine
death certificate issued by the UK
and falsifying crucial details by
making changes using a computer.
The fudged document is then used
to apply for a visa to attend a
"relative's funeral". Britain issues
visas on humanitarian grounds
within a few days of receiving the
applications. Once they reach the
UK, the fraudsters go missing. The
swindle was first detected by the
British high commission in Delhi
after it noticed a sharp spurt in
applications under "humanitarian
ground"
from
Jalandhar.
Suspecting foul play, the high
commission asked Jalandhar
police to probe.
Salman Rushdie bounty
increased to $3.3 million
LONDON/BUREAU NEWS: Iran has reportedly raised the reward for
the death of Brit-Indian author Salman Rushdie by 500,000 dollars.
Iranian media quoted Hassan Sane'i,
a cleric heading the 15 of Khordad
Foundation, as saying in a statement
that he was "adding another
$500,000 to the reward for killing
Rushdie." "Surely if the sentence of
the Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] had
been carried out, the later insults in
the form of caricatures, articles and the making of movies would not have
occurred," he was quoted as saying by the semi-official Isna news agency.
MidWeek
6
editorial/opinion
Canadian citizenship is not for sale
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
The killing of the US
ambassador in Libya
reflects growing influence
of al-Qaida ideology
T
he assassination of the US Envoy and three others on
September 12, 2012 reflects that the terrorists are emerging as
a well organised group there having ability into collecting
intelligence about the safe house of the US diplomatic mission in
Benghazi in Libya. The early reports suggest that those who were
involved in the killing of these officials were looking for the
Americans only. In a carefully prepared strategy, according to reports,
the perpetrators of the crime used the protests outside the
compound as diversion. While the Americans utilised their resources
to deal with the protests outside the compound, a smaller group
carried out the task of killing the US Envoy and three other officials.
This reflects that the whole incident was meticulously planned.
There are reports that indicate that the gunmen who carried out
CONTRIBUTED BY KYLE
SEEBACK, M.P. BRAMPTON WEST
C
anadian citizenship is
not for sale. Our
C o n s e r v a t i v e
Government is taking action
to strip citizenship and
permanent residence status
from people who don’t play
by the rules, who lie, cheat,
and scam their way into
obtaining citizenship.
Having
Canadian
citizenship is an honour and
a privilege. We will apply the
full strength of Canadian law
against those cheapen its
integrity by fraud.
Our
G o v e r n m e n t ’s
investigation into residence
fraud continues to grow, with
nearly 11,000 individuals
potentially implicated in
applying for citizenship or
maintaining
permanent
resident status illegitimately.
We have already begun the
process to strip 3,100
MidWeek
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fraudulently
obtained
citizenships. In most cases,
suspects will use deceitful
immigration representatives
to
fraudulently
create
evidence of living in Canada
while
actually
living
overseas.
This deception is created
so that individuals can
fraudulently maintain their
permanent residence status
and
later
apply
for
citizenship.
S h o c k i n g l y,
criminal
investigations have found
that a family of five may pay
upwards of $25,000 over four
or more years to create the
illusion of Cana dian
residence.
This
fraud
hurts
everyday Canadian families.
Those who illegitimately
obtain permanent residence
or citizenship status have
access
to
taxpayer
subsidized education, health
care, and other social
benefits
without
ever
contributing as a taxpayer
themselves.
It also hurts the majority
of immigrants who come to
Canada, who follow the rules
with honesty and integrity.
Over the past six years
since Stephen Harper and the
Conservatives
formed
Government, Canada has had
the highest sustained level of
immigration in history.
We a r e c o m m i t t e d t o
creating an immigration
system that brings the world's
best and brightest to Canada
while
protecting
our
immigration system against
those who would abuse our
generosity.
MOURNERS SHOUT SLOGANS AS THEY CARRY THE COFFIN OF
MOHAMMED AL-TUWAITI, A PROTESTER SHOT DEAD ON
THURSDAY AS RIOT POLICE DISPERSED PROTESTERS WHO
STORMED THE U.S. EMBASSY'S COMPOUND IN SANAA, YEMEN
the task of assassinating the officials belonged to the Ansar alSharia of Benghazi.The Ansar al-Sharia is a little known group and
initially its capabilities were rated as low. This came into the notice
of intelligence agencies when it posted videos showing militants
desecrating the graves of Western soldiers in Benghazi. This group
was also known to have fired at the convoys of British Envoy, UN
Diplomat and International Committee of the Red Cross, without
much success.
US electoral college
maths favours Obama
SA AIYAR, TNN
ith less than two
months to go for
the
US
presidential election, most
opinion polls suggest that
Barack Obama is a clear
favourite to beat Republican
challenger Mitt Romney. A
Gallup poll last Thursday
gave Obama 50% of the
popular
vote
against
Romney’s 44%. However, a
Rasmussen poll showed
Romney nosing ahead by
47% to 46%. So, an Obama
victory is not certain. The
US president is not chosen
by popular vote. The
country has an electoral
college system, with each
state having votes in an
electoral
college
in
proportion to its population.
The winner in each state
gets all its votes. A
candidate needs a majority
of electoral college votes—
at least 270—to become
president. Most states are
unambiguously Republican
or Democratic. Since the
outcome in these is a
foregone conclusion, the
campaign focus is on just
eight battleground states
that could swing either way.
The New York Times recently
estimated
that
Obama
probably has 237 electoral
votes in the bag, 185 from
states with solid support plus
52 from states leaning
strongly
towards
him.
Romney probably has only
206 assured electoral votes
(158 from solid states plus 48
leaning towards him). Of the
remaining 95 electoral votes in
the battleground states,
Obama needs to win only 33
to become president, and this
W
does not look too difficult. By
contrast, Romney needs to win
64 of the remaining 95 electoral
college votes, a very stiff task.
Florida, with 29 votes, is easily
the most important of the eight
battleground states. Romney
absolutely has to win this state.
If Obama wins this, he is
virtually assured of becoming
president. Obama carried this
state in 2008, but earlier
Republican George W Bush
carried the state in 2000 and
2004. Opinion polls suggest the
state could go either way this
time. Florida has suffered from
farmland prices up too. That
may give Obama an edge. The
other battleground states are
Virginia (13 votes), Wisconsin
(10 votes), Colorado (9 votes),
Iowa (6 votes), Nevada (6
votes), Indiana (6 votes) and
New Hampshire (4 votes). If
Obama does well in these six
states, he can afford to lose
both Florida and Ohio. That
gives him a lot of elbow room,
and explains why he is ahead
in the race right now.
In some ways, his strong
showing in opinion polls is
astonishing. The economy is
PRESIDENT OBAMA HIGH-FIVES A BOY AFTER SPEAKING AT A
CAMPAIGN EVENT THURSDAY IN GOLDEN, COLORADO
an especially painful housing
bust, which could hurt Obama.
Ohio, with 18 votes, is another
crucial state that was carried by
Bush in 2000 and 2004 but by
Obama in 2008. The last 12
presidential winners have won
this state, so it qualifies to be
called the supreme swing state.
Although the US economy is
suffering from a very tepid
recovery, farmers in this
agricultural state have done
well because of high farm
prices, which have sent
still sputtering four full years
after the Great Recession of
2007-09 , and unemployment is
still a stratospheric 8.1%.
However , unemployment was
over 9% when Obama came to
power, so things have got
slightly better, and that may be
enough for him to scrape
through.
It’s
worth
remembering that Roosevelt
too got re-elected in 1936
despite
very
high
unemployment, since it was
even higher when he came to
power. It helps to have got
elected during a terrible
downturn: after that, almost
anything looks like an
improvement. But what
matters
is
not
just
unemployment but incomes of
those who are employed . The
US median income has been
falling steadily in recent years:
those getting jobs are getting
lower wages. Romney’s key
electoral plank is that the
middle class is getting wiped
out by Obama’s economic
failures.
This sentiment is shared by
many voters, yet the middle
class has not turned decisively
against Obama. Romney’s
chances will improve greatly if
the economy slides downhill in
the next two months. Sadly for
him, the economy seems to be
picking up. Romney has
attacked Obama for his
healthcare reforms, and for
being
soft
on
illegal
immigration. However, it’s far
from clear that these are
election-losers for Obama.
Romney’s own healthcare
reforms when he was governor
of Massachusetts bore a close
resemblance to what Obama
has done at the national level.
Obama has opted for classwarfare rhetoric, painting
Romney as the sort of rich
financier who caused the last
economic bust, who avoids
paying his fair share of taxes,
and who wants to benefit
billionaires (through tax cuts)
at the expense of the poor. This
has put Romney on the
defensive. Public antagonism
to rich financiers, plus the
slight improvement in the
economy, may suffice for an
Obama victory. But Romney
still has an outside chance.
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
community
Consul general of India in San Francisco
welcomes bills on Sikhs in California
JALANDHAR/BUREAU NEWS: Consul general of India in San
Francisco N Parthasarathi has appreciated the signing of two bills
by California governor Edmund G Brown, the first pertaining to
workplace religious freedom and the second to revised curriculum
in schools to include material on Sikh religion. The move would
augur well for hard working and industrious people of Indian origin,
he said adding it would go a long way in promoting goodwill and
awareness about various communities including the Sikh community.
"These will pave the way for school children in California to
learn about various religions including the Sikh religion," he added.
In a statement issued by his office, the Indian consul general
said that the bills would acknowledge the religious freedom in
workplace and authorize the state board to consider the adoption of
a revised curriculum framework & evaluation criteria for instructional
materials in history-social science respectively.
Parthasarthi also participated in the peace and unity rally
organized by North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) on
Saturday at Sacramento.
He appreciated the initiative by NAPA to hold the peace and
unity rally in which not only Sikhs but people from other faiths also
participated and paid homage to those killed in Oak Creek Gurudwara
shooting. Meanwhile, NAPA president Satnam Singh Chahal said
that this joining of rally of Indian community by the Consul General
has helped to reduce the gap between the community and senior
Indian officials as earlier people have been facing indifferent attitude
of the official machinery in Indian consulates.
TTC worker killed in subway
accident, second worker injured
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS: A Toronto transit commission worker
is dead and a second injured, after getting struck by a subway train
outside Yorkdale station, early Friday morning. The workers were
on an elevated portion of the tracks when they were hit by a service
train just south of Highway 401., around 4:45 a.m. The second worker
suffered non life-threatening head injuries. "This a great tragedy for
the families of the victims and for the entire TTC family," said Toronto
transit union president Bob Kinnear. "We do not yet know how this
happened but the investigation is intense and all agencies involved,
including the union, will not rest until we know everything that is
possible to know about how this happened." The TTC hasn’t
released the victims’ names or ages.
Get ready for Brampton Day 2012
BRAMPTON/BUREAU NEWS: Preparations are well underway for
the 13th Annual Brampton Day, set to take place on Saturday,
September 22, from 9 am to 2 pm. It’s that time of the year again when
residents, community groups, local businesses and City of Brampton
staff gather in the downtown to celebrate our city and all that it has
to offer. Each year, the fervor, energy and enthusiasm of residents
and City staff on Brampton Day is unmistakable. The day is all
about showcasing municipal services and fostering civic pride in
our Flower City.
The day will begin with the Farmers’ Market
on Main and Queen Street, leading to an
exciting lineup of events for Brampton Day
that will be held across Gage Park, Ken
Whillans Square and Garden Square. The
highlight of Brampton Day this year will
be the re-designation of our city as an
International Safe Community by the
World Health Organization (WHO). The
re-designation will be made official in
Garden Square, at a ceremony featuring
international, national and local
dignitaries. This will mark the second time
that Brampton has received this prestigious
recognition. Brampton will retain this designation
for the next five years. In making Brampton a great
and safe place in which to live, work and play, it will be amiss not to
recognize the role of residents and community groups. After the
official Brampton Day cake cutting ceremony, the Brampton Safe
City Council will recognize and present awards as part of its Good
Neighbours/Great Neighbourhoods program. And, at 1 pm the
tribute band, "King Of Pop - The Michael Jackson Experience" will
take to the stage in Garden Square. Last year, more than 15,000
Bramptonians participated in a number of family-oriented fun
activities as part of Brampton Day. Some of the popular attractions,
such as the free BBQ, live entertainment and children’s games, will
make a comeback this year. In addition, information about City
departments will be available at various departmental displays
outside the main entrance of City Hall. This is an ideal opportunity
for residents to learn about departmental services and successes.
Various community groups active in Brampton will also set up
information booths in Gage Park. To make it all interesting, different
departments will also be running some of the activities
such as the Kids Zone, Carnival Games, BBQ, Kettle
Corn, Face Painting, Human Inflatable Bowling,
Classic Trains and more. Sponsors, including
McDonald’s, Hydro One, Glacéau Vitamin
Water, Redpath, Brampton Downtown
Development Corporation, Bell Canada and
Brampton Safe City, will also offer various
giveaways throughout the event.
While there are many free parking lots
within the downtown, should a resident wish
to take transit, here’s the good news – it’s
Ride for a Loonie (each ride) on Brampton
Transit for Brampton Day!
Road closures for Farmers’ Market will be
extended until 3 pm. In addition, Wellington Street West
will be closed from George Street to Main Street from 6 am to
3 pm. Brampton Day has become an important highlight in the
City’s annual calendar of events. It is much more than just an event.
It’s about creating a community that is open and friendly; providing
a platform for information-sharing; getting to know the various
community groups; supporting local businesses; showcasing the
different City departments and the role they play in the lives of
residents; and providing yet another opportunity to enjoy the many
vibrant spaces of the downtown.
7
RBC HONOURS
CANADA’S OLYMPIC AND
PARALYMPIC ATHLETE
IP8
Fauja Singh to come
to Toronto next month
TORONTO/BUREAU
NEWS: Fauja Singh is all set
to return to Toronto with his
team “Sikhs in the City” to
participate in the Scotiabank
To r o n t o
Wa t e r f r o n t
Marathon on October 14th.
The
101-year-old
marathoner will participate in
the 5km distance run as
oppose to the full marathon
distance of 42km. Other
members of the “Sikhs in the
City” will be participating in
the half and full marathon
distances (21km, 42km).
On October 16, 2011,
Singh
completed
the
Scotiabank
To r o n t o
Wa t e r f r o n t
Marathon
becoming
the
oldest
marathoner in the world. In
addition to that feat, Fauja
Singh set new records in the
following distances (in his
age category) – 100m, 200m,
400m, 800m, 1500m, 1609m
(1mile), 3000m and 5000m
distances.
After completing the
grueling 42km distance
marathon last year Fauja
Singh hoped in time this will
inspire others to take the
challenge and take on doing
the 5km, half or full
marathon distances.
The Guru Gobind Singh
C h i l d r e n ’s
Foundation
(GGSCF) has put out the
challenge to our community
and others to join and
participate at any distance.
If you are unable to
participate in any of the
distances but are willing to
take part in this experience,
the GGSCF is looking for 50
volunteers to assist with the
event on race day (cheering,
navigating participants, and
providing water).
Gas station attendant
dies after being struck
by vehicle
INVESTIGATORS AT THE SHELL STATION WHERE AN ATTENDANT
WAS RUN OVER BY A MOTORIST WHO TRIED TO STEAL GAS.
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS:
Toronto Police are looking for help
to identify a suspect after a gas
station attendant was killed after
being struck and dragged by a
sport utility vehicle last night Police
said a man driving a silver, fourdoor utility vehicle was at the
station and pumped $112.85 worth
of gas into his SUV. The man was
trying to leave without paying —
heading west on Roselawn —
when the gas station attendant
went after the vehicle. The
attendant was struck by the vehicle
and he later died in hospital. The
driver is described as a male white
with a tanned complexion, heavy
build and full beard. He was 5-foot8 and 220-240 pounds. The man
was taken to hospital with lifethreatening injuries and later died.
Anyone with information is asked
to contact investigators at 416-8081300, or to call Crime Stoppers at
416-222-8477.
Minister Oliver to Visit Japan, South Korea to
strengthen investment in Canada's natural resources Ground beef products recalled in E. coli scare
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS: The Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada's Minister of
Natural Resources, will travel to Japan from September 17 to 19, where he will
meet with government officials and industry leaders to discuss strengthening
trade and investment between our two countries. The Minister will then travel to
South Korea from September 20 to 21, where he will continue discussions to
further important market diversification opportunities for Canada's natural
resource sectors. "The Harper Government recognizes that Canadian exports to
Japan and South Korea are vital to Canada's future prosperity. We continue to
achieve tremendous progress in trade, investment and scientific innovation,"
said Minister Oliver. "Our Government is aggressively pursuing agreements with
countries in the Asia-Pacific region to give Canadian businesses an opportunity
to compete in the fastest-growing region in the world."
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
is warning against the consumption of several brands of ground
beef from XL Foods of Alberta because of possible E.coli
contamination. The agency says there have been no reported
illnesses associated with the consumption of these products. The
beef was sold under the Kirkland Signature, Safeway and Calahoo
Meats brands in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.
This voluntary recall is part of an ongoing food safety investigation.
The CFIA is working with the recalling firms and distributors to
identify and verify all affected products. If additional affected
products are confirmed, this table will be updated on the CFIA
website.
8
MidWeek
community
The Harper Government
Invests in Jobs in Nova Scotia
CLARKS'S
HARBOUR,
N O VA
SCOTIA:
The
Honourable Keith Ashfield,
Minister of Fisheries and
Oceans
Canada,
today
announced funding to further
develop innovative and
sustainable
halibut
aquaculture in Nova Scotia.
"By investing in this
kind
of
sustainable
aquaculture project, we are
ensuring many economic
benefits and creating a
variety of challenging career
choices for people living in
rural or coastal communities,"
said Minister Ashfield.
Through this latest round
of funding through Fisheries
and
Oceans
Canada's
Aquaculture Innovation and
Market Access Program,
Scotian Halibut Ltd. received
$400,000 for innovations in
Atlantic halibut broodstock
rearing.
Scotian Halibut Limited
produces Atlantic halibut
juveniles for North American
and European markets. This
funding will allow them to
construct an innovative
rearing/conditioning tank
holding system that will
increase
broodstock
productivity and improve the
availability of domesticated
halibut stock for aquaculture.
This will increase Scotian
Halibut's
global
competitiveness as well as
that of its Canadian clients.
Fisheries and Oceans
Canada,
through
its
Sustainable
Aquaculture
Program, is committed to
supporting the sustainable
development of the Canadian
industry, based on the best
science available and within
one of the most rigorous
regulatory systems in the
world.
Aquaculture production
volume in Nova Scotia was
approximately 8,000 tonnes,
valued at $41.3 million in
2010. The industry generates
over $12 million in direct
income in Nova Scotia, a
number that doubles to
almost $24 million when
indirect and induced income
is
included.
Finfish
aquaculture makes up the
majority of aquaculture
production value in Nova
Scotia,
accounting
for
approximately 80 per cent of
the value and 64 per cent of
the volume of production.
As well, Fisheries and
Oceans
Canada,
in
collaboration with provincial
and territorial government
departments and agencies,
recently
created
the
Aquaculture Sustainability
Reporting
Initiative
to
provide a regular cycle of
fact-based reporting on the
sustainability of aquaculture
in Canada. Under this
initiative, Fisheries and
Oceans Canada released
Aquaculture in Canada 2012:
A Report on Aquaculture
S u s t a i n a b i l i t y. T h i s r e p o r t
documents
current
information related to the
social,
economic
and
environmental dimensions of
aquaculture.
Aquaculture contributes
nearly $1 billion to the
Canadian economy, providing
some 14,500 jobs - often to
young people and women,
and those living in remote
and coastal communities. As
Canada's
aquaculture
industry continues to grow,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
will provide management and
regulation to ensure wild fish
stocks are protected, and that
aquaculture in Canada is
developed in an economically
viable and environmentally
sustainable manner.
EVENTS
Hire Canada's Job Fair and Training Expo
When: Wednesday, Sep 19
Where: 75 Derry Road West, Mississauga, ON
This event is catering to all candidates from surrounding areas. Join thousands of others who attend these events! For
more information, visit www.hirecanada.ca.
Kathak Mahotsav Canada 2012
When: Thursday, Sep 20 8:00 PM
Where: 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON
Kathak Mahotsav Canada 2012, now in its fifth year, is a festival of
Kathak dance that is modelled after the springtime Durbars of the
Moghul courts. It is a gathering of Canadian Kathak artists in celebration of the art of Kathak, showcasing the adaptability and relevance of
classical Kathak styles, adapting its temple origins to the present.
For
RBC HONOURS
CANADA’S OLYMPIC
AND PARALYMPIC
ATHLETE
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
more
information,
visit
www.kathakmahotsavcanada.wordpress.com.
10th Annual MyBindi Comedy Night
When: Friday, Sep 21 7:00 PM
Where: 1035 Gerrard St. E, Toronto
MyBindi Comedy Night returns with a bang to celebrate its tenth anniversary with two back-to-back shows at Projection Booth in Toronto.
Be prepared to laugh until you cry or…even drop, as our all star lineup of standup comedians enthrall you with South Asian stereotypes,
proverbs, accents, anecdotes and more!! Showcasing both Canadian
and international talent, the impressive line-up includes five funny and
edgy comedians: Suneet Luthra, Aastha Lal, Crystal Ferrier, host Dave
Merheje and headliner Vidur Kapur, one of the original “Gurus of Comedy”. For more information, visit www.mybindi.com.
TREWO's 3rd Annual Imagination Ball
When: Saturday, Sep 22 6:00 PM
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS:
RBC, the longest corporate
supporter of the Canadian
Olympic
Team,
proudly
recognizes its RBC Olympians
and celebrates the outstanding
achievements of the Canadian
Olympic and Paralympic teams.
“Congratulations to all of
our Canadian athletes who
competed in London, you’ve
made us tremendously proud,”
said Andy Shibata, head, Brand
Marketing,
RBC.
“As
longstanding supporters of our
Canadian
Olympic
and
Paralympic Teams, we understand
that investing in our athletes is a
key factor in their success and
have always believed in
providing a strong foundation
for our athletes to train and
compete on the world stage.” As
part of RBC’s Olympic
commitment, it also created the
RBC Olympians Program, a
national initiative that provides
elite athletes an opportunity to
gain career- oriented experience
with a flexible work schedule to
give them the time necessary to
train and compete.
Where: 2638 Steeles Avenue East, Brampton
Parm Gill visits
Brampton
Armoury Lorne
Scots Regiment
Naseeruddin Shah in 'Dear Liar'
Brampton-Springdale MP, Parm
Gill with the members of the
Lorne Scots regiment during a
visit to Brampton Armoury as
part of Government's celebration
of the 200th anniversary since
the War of 1812.
can classic about the taboo love affair between canonical play-
Once again, The Ripple Effect Wellness Organization (TREWO) proudly
invites you to attend their third annual Imagination Ball, which promises to be an enriching and entertaining evening, which can only be
described as "magical"! For more information, visit www.trewo.org.
Bombay Nights: Fall Edition
When: Saturday, Sep 22 10:00 PM
Where: 279 Yonge Street Toronto, ON, M5B 1N8
Amar Ahlawat & Gaurav Bhargava invite you to Toronto's Official Bollywood Par ty..."BOMBAY NIGHTS". Come and experience the sounds of Bollywood at the Hard Rock Cafe located at
Yonge & Dundas Square in the hear t of Toronto. Experience the
glamour & glitz of Bollywood as you mix, mingle and dance at
Toronto's hottest South Asian par ty.
FREE Excel Seminar!
When: Wednesday, Sep 26
Where: 815 Danfor th Avenue, Toronto
Review and improve your excel skills at the intermediate level.
Learn formulas, char ts, pivot tables and more! This session is
open to all. For more information, visit www.woodgreen.org.
FILMI : Toronto's South Asian Film Festival
When: Sep 27-30
FILMI is an annual Toronto film festival showcasing the best in
South Asian cinema from Canada and the world. FILMI will celebrate its 13th anniversary with a full schedule of screenings
and industry workshops September 27th - September 30th,
2012.
When: Sep 28-30
Where: 585 Dundas Street East Toronto
Why Not Theatre presents legends of Indian film and theatre,
Naseeruddin Shah & his wife Ratna Pathak Shah in 2 critically
acclaimed plays from Motley Theatre Group (Mumbai, India),
at the new Regent Park Ar ts & Cultural Centre.
Dear Liar (Per formed in English, Sept 28/29/30) is an Ameriwright George Bernard Shaw (played by Naseeruddin Shah)
and Mrs. Patrick Campbell, a famous actress of the time (played
by Ratna Pathak). This is the first time the Shahs are touring
Dear Liar outside of India, and we are really excited for this one
of a kind cultural crossover! For more information, visit
www.beyondbollywood.ca.
3rd Annual Mississauga Mayor's Cricket Festival
When: Sunday, Sep 30 8:00 AM- 8:00 PM
Where: 730 Cour tney Park Drive West, Mississauga, Ontario
Corporate Canada Cricket Club and the presenting par tner CIBC
are hosting the 3rd Mississauga Mayor's Cricket Festival on
Saturday, September 30th with the theme of "CRICKET WITH A
CAUSE TM - An Active and Healthy Lifestyle and
Multiculturalism".
There will be FREE Face Painting and Henna/Mehndi from 11am
to 2pm. For more information, visit www.corporatecricket.ca.
The Suhaag Show - Fall 2012
When: Sunday, Sep 30 11:00 AM- 7:00 PM
Where: 650 Dixon Road, Toronto, ON
Zee Cinema presents The Suhaag Show in association with
Clorox. It’s that time of the year! The Suhaag Wedding and
Lifestyle show is back in all its glitzy glory with over 200 fashion houses par ticipating. There will be two fashion shows showcasing the latest in bridal wear, jewellery, make-up and hair
trends and, all your wedding needs under one roof! Plus, there
are FABULOUS prizes to be won! More details to follow so watch
this space! For more information, visit www.suhaag.com.
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
canada
9
KHALISTAN ISSUE:
CANADA ASSURES
INDIA OF ACTION
I P10
Minister Kenney Celebrates Success Peel Region votes to
of the Canadian Experience Class close 12 daycare centres
Harper government making it easier for temporary
foreign workers and international students to immigrate
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS:
Citizenship, Immigration and
Multiculturalism Minister Jason
Kenney announced that Canada
has welcomed its 20,000th
permanent resident through the
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
immigration stream, reflecting the
success of the government’s
efforts to attract as well as retain
the world’s best and brightest
skilled workers.
The Minister was joined at
the announcement by Gaurav
Gore, originally from India, who
was recognized as the 20,000th
permanent resident admitted
under the CEC. Mr. Gore earned
a master’s degree in business
administration
from
the
University of Toronto. He is
applying his education as well
as his experience as a business
consultant with a major bank in
Toronto. “We are working hard
to attract and retain the best and
brightest students from around
the world. Gaurav is an excellent
example of the benefits of
welcoming highly educated and
skilled people to stay as well as
work in Canada. Mr. Gore
completed a challenging,
competitive university program.
He is now building a successful
career, contributing to our
economy and helping create jobs
for Canadians here in Canada.
Guarav is exactly the sort of
skilled worker that Canada hopes
to attract and retain through the
CEC program,” said the Minister.
“As a student, I saw the
wealth of opportunities that are
available in Canada,” said Mr.
Gore, a Personal and Commercial
Digital Channels Advisor with
BMO Financial Group. “I felt
welcome. I wanted to stay,
pursue a career here, and
contribute to the economy as well
as to the country. I was happy to
discover that it was possible
through the CEC and that I could
use my skills immediately upon
graduating.”
“Canada’s
universities are pleased to see
the success of the CEC in
helping international student
graduates become permanent
residents. The graduates
contribute their knowledge,
talent and global perspectives to
our communities and to our
economy,” says Paul Davidson,
President of the Association of
Universities and Colleges of
Canada. “These graduates
contribute to economic growth
and innovation in Canada and
help Canadian businesses
connect with new international
markets.” The CEC, Canada’s
fastest growing economic
immigration program, offers a
pathway to permanent residency
for international student
graduates as well as others with
skilled work experience in
Canada. Those who are eligible
may apply from within Canada
and expect a quick decision. In
the past, a brilliant student
graduating from our top
universities who wanted to stay
in Canada and help create jobs
would have had to return to their
home country to wait at the back
of a seven or eight year queue.
They may have spent several
years waiting in the immigration
queue and may have been
required to leave the country
before applying for permanent
residence. The goal of the CEC
is to ensure that Canada retains
talented and motivated people
who have already shown that
they can put their skills as well
as their experience to work, grow
the Canadian economy, create
jobs and integrate easily into
Canadian life. “The Canadian
Experience Class is a sound
program that responds to the
needs of employers. The
program contributes to economic
growth,” said James Knight,
President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Association of
Canadian Community Colleges.
“Equipped with diplomas as well
as degrees, international
students become Canadian
citizens, excellent employees
and community members.”
In order to make the CEC
even more responsive to
Canada’s labour market needs
and economic goals, CIC is
proposing changes that will
expedite the transition to
permanent residence of those
already working successfully in
Canada. With the proposed
change, all applicants will require
12 months of Canadian work
experience gained in the 36
months
preceding
their
application. Some applicants
currently require 24 months of
full-time work experience. This
change will make the program
more flexible for international
student graduates. It will provide
them with more time to launch
their careers as well as gain the
necessary experience to apply
for
permanent
residency
through the program. Minister
Kenney concluded by saying
that, “International student
graduates have educational
credentials that are recognized
by Canadian employers as well
as official language skills that are
important factors for success.
The proposed changes to the
CEC will make it easier for them
to stay here, contribute to
Canadian innovation as well as
to the economic development
that will help ensure Canada’s
future prosperity.”
Canada imposing visa requirements on
St Lucia, St Vincent
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS:
Citizens of St. Lucia, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines (St.
Vincent), Namibia, Botswana
and Swaziland now require a
visa to travel to Canada,
Citizenship, Immigration and
Multiculturalism Minister
Jason Kenney announced.
"We continue to welcome
genuine visitors to Canada,"
said Minister Kenney. "These
changes are necessary to
protect the integrity of
Canada's fair and generous
immigration system by helping
us to reduce an unacceptably
high number of immigration
violations."
These changes will allow
Citizenship and Immigration
Canada (CIC) and its partners
to ensure that those seeking to
visit Canada intend to return to
their country of origin, rather
than overstaying or committing
other immigration violations.
A key reason why the
government has imposed visa
requirements on St. Lucia and
St. Vincent is unreliable travel
documents. In particular,
criminals from these countries
can legally change their names
and acquire new passports. In
some instances, people who
were removed from Canada as
security risks later returned
using different passports. In
the case of Namibia, Botswana
and
Swaziland,
human
trafficking, especially of
minors,
and
fraudulent
documents are of significant
concern. There has also been
an unacceptably high number
of asylum claims from St. Lucia
and St. Vincent, with about one
and a half percent and three
percent of the population of
these countries making asylum
claims in Canada over the past
five years. The African country
that
has
the
highest
immigration violation rate is
Namibia, with eighty-one
percent in 2011. Seventy-one
percent of travellers from
Namibia made asylum claims in
2011. "These changes are
necessary because all the
countries concerned have an
immigration violation rate of
over thirty percent, well above
the level we deem acceptable
for countries benefiting from a
visa exemption," said Minister
Kenney. Canada regularly
reviews its visa requirements
toward
other
countries.
Countries are aware that they
have a responsibility to satisfy
certain conditions to receive a
visa exemption. This visa policy
change means that nationals
from St. Lucia, St. Vincent,
Namibia, Botswana and
Swaziland who want to travel
to Canada will first need to
apply for a visitor visa and meet
the requirements to receive
one. It is up to the applicants
to satisfy visa officers that their
visit to Canada is temporary;
they will not overstay their
authorized stay; they have
enough money to cover their
stay; they are in good health;
they do not have a criminal
record; and they are not a
security risk to Canadians.
These requirements are the
same for anyone who wants to
visit Canada.
Applicants from St. Lucia
and St. Vincent can now submit
their applications by mail or in
person to the Canadian visa
office in Port of Spain, Trinidad
and Tobago. Applications will
be accepted by the visa office
in Pretoria, South Africa, for
those from Namibia, Botswana
and Swaziland. In the months
ahead travellers to Canada will
be able to apply online for all
temporary visas.
This decision will further
strengthen the immigration and
asylum systems, and it
complements the measures the
government is implementing
this year under the Protecting
Canada’s Immigration System
Act, which recently received
Royal
Assent.
"The
Government of Canada remains
committed to protecting the
integrity of our immigration
system and welcoming bona
fide visitors from around the
world."
MISSISSAUGA/BUREAU
NEWS: Peel Region Council
voted today to close its 12
daycares and use the savings
to subsidize more children in
less-costly commercial centres.
“Since April, the Task Force
listened to parents, residents,
child care providers and
community partners voicing
their concerns and offering
suggestions,” said Regional
Councillor Gael Miles, Chair of
the Task Force. “Today’s
decision allows us to offer new
early learning opportunities to
many of the 200 children with
special
needs
awaiting
resources and the 850 infants,
toddlers and preschool children
waiting for fee subsidy to start
a child care program.”
The Task Force proposed
21 child care system-related
enhancements in the areas of
service delivery, planning,
special
needs,
quality,
advocacy and funding. To
support these enhancements,
they recommended a phased
withdrawal of direct delivery of
child care through the Region
of Peel’s Learn.Play.Care.
Centres by September 2014.
This approach will allow most
children to naturally age out
from the Region’s centres into
school-based
programs,
including full-day kindergarten.
“This was a bold move
and a difficult decision,” said
Regional Councillor Elaine
Moore, Vice-Chair of the Task
Force. “We are demonstrating
that we are maximizing child care
investment locally and look
forward to the Province’s
decisions
around
the
modernization of child care to
complement our efforts and
ensure families in Peel have
access to quality child care.”
Dozens of parents showed
up to protest and speak against
PEEL REGION PARENTS
MEET LAST WEEK TO
DISCUSS STRATEGIES TO
SAVE 12 REGIONALLY RUN
DAYCARE CENTRES.
the move, but councillors
weren’t swayed. "We need
more child care access in
growing,
under-serviced
communities like Peel, not less.
The
Ontario
Liberal
government must act to stop
anymore municipal centres
from closing," said Carrie Lynn
Poole Cotnam, social service
chair with the Canadian Union
of Public Employees (CUPE)
Ontario. "Even though more
and more child care centres are
being closed and less licensed
public and not-for-profit care
is available, the Liberals have
said that there will be no
expansion of child care while
they conduct a three-year
review of child care. The
Liberals are creating a climate
just ripe for the expansion of
for-profit child care that all the
research shows is inferior
care," said Poole Cotnam.
The Region’s withdrawal
from direct delivery through its
12 centres affects 126 regular
and 117 casual and contract
staff.
Air Rail Link Construction
Moves Forward
Cotnd. from Page 1
Construction is well underway on a new three-kilometre extension
connecting the Kitchener line to Toronto Pearson Terminal 1. The
extension's construction is creating and supporting more than 1,200
jobs. The Air Rail Link will remove 1.2 million car trips from Ontario
roads in its first year of operation alone.
QUOTES
"Even in a tough global economy, we’re moving ahead with vital
infrastructure because it creates jobs for families today and strengthens
our economy for the long-term. It just makes sense to provide efficient,
convenient transportation between Canada’s busiest airport and Union
Station -- and we’re pleased to see that the project is off to a strong start
so that we’ll be moving those people in time for the Toronto 2015 Pan/
Parapan Am Games."
– Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
QUICK FACTS
More than five million people travel between downtown Toronto and
Pearson International Airport and that number is expected to reach nine
million by 2020. Metrolinx will build, own and operate the Air Rail Link.
It has purchased 18 Diesel Multiple Units from Sumitomo Corporation
of America — a critical step in ensuring the link is running in time for the
Pan/Parapan Am Games in 2015. These diesel vehicles are the cleanest
available and will be convertible to electric.
When completed, travel time between Union Station and Pearson will
be approximately 25 minutes. Trains are expected to depart Union Station
and Toronto Pearson every 15 minutes and will make stops at Bloor and
Weston GO Transit Stations.
Since 2003, Ontario has invested more than $13.4 billion in public
transit in Ontario, including over $6 billion invested in GO Transit.
10
MidWeek
canada
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
KHALISTAN ISSUE: CANADA
ASSURES INDIA OF ACTION
Contd. from Page 1
This new office space will allow
us to better serve Canadians and
Canadian businesses in Mumbai.
The eight Canadian offices in
India represent and support the
strong India-Canada bilateral
relationship, built upon shared
traditions of democracy and
pluralism
and
strong
interpersonal connections."
Minister Baird was accompanied
by Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, during the visithis first to India as minister of
foreign affairs.
During the joint press
Conference held by John Baird,
Minister of Foreign Affairs
(Canada) and S.M. Krishna
(Minister of External AffairsIndia) in India a question was
asked by a journalist that AntiIndia activities in Canada are
happening and there is an
impression of permission given
by Canada as Ministers are also
present at the functions where
there are speeches against India.
Minister Baird replied that in the
past both Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Minister
Krishna have raised this issue.
He said Canada will do
everything possible to address
this issue under the law to
combat radical extremism. In 2003
Canada had listed some groups
as terrorist organizations and
there are additional groups that
Canada can list. Minister Baird
acknowledged that Canada
needs to do more and is
completely on the same page as
Government of India on this
matter. He also said there are
times when our representatives
find themselves at these
functions not necessarily
knowing the radical nature or
extremist nature of these groups
and when information about
these groups is brought to our
attention we deal with it very
aggressively, When Indian High
Commission in Ottawa brought
one of the cases about an year
ago we were horrified. Minister
Baird said that Canada will inform
and educate more about these
issues to officials at political
level, Public service level and
Military Level. The fight against
extremists and radical terrorists
knows no borders and Canada
will be a strong ally to India in
this regard.
S.M. Krishna (Minister of
External Affairs- India) said that
Foreign Minister Baird's visit
marks the beginning of a new
phase of deeper engagement and
more productive cooperation
between our two countries.
Today, Foreign Minister Baird
and
I
had
productive
discussions on the entire gamut
of our bilateral relations. We are
pleased with the progress we are
making on bilateral framework
agreements
like
the
Comprehensive
Economic
Partnership Agreement, the
Bilateral Investment Promotion
and Protection Agreement and
the Social Security Agreement.
This is in addition to a number
of agreements for cooperation in
areas like agriculture, mining and
higher education signed over
the last few years.
We both acknowledged that
India and Canada have the
potential to be strong economic
partners. Canada's rich natural
resources and sophisticated
technological and educational
base gives us a great promise to
take our engagement more
substantive.
I have stressed to Foreign
Minister Baird that Canada can
be a true partner in India's pursuit
for food security as well as
energy security, Indeed, trends
in supplies and price of oil and
gas
make
Canada
an
economically attractive option
for sourcing our requirements;
and this is a subject of growing
importance in our dialogue and
in the engagement between our
two private sectors.
We are encouraged by the
growing flow of investments in
both
directions.
Indian
companies have invested over
10 billion US Dollars in Canada
during the past two years,
including in the resources
sector. The India-Canada CEO
Forum has been constituted and
should commence its work soon.
We also looked forward to early
completion of negotiations on
Appropriate Arrangements for
the bilateral Civil Nuclear
Cooperation Agreement signed
in 2010.
We also acknowledged the
enormous
potential
for
cooperation in the areas of
science and technology, defence
technology, higher education
and clean energy. We agreed that
our two governments should
establish innovative platforms to
stimulate collaboration in these
areas.
People-to-people ties are strong.
A
million-strong
Indian
community is an integral part of
Canada's vibrant society and
acts as a bridge of friendship
between our two countries.
Canada is a rapidly growing
destination for Indian students
who want to pursue higher
studies abroad. Canadian
Government's support helped
make the Year of India in Canada
in 2011 a great success. I invited
Foreign Minister Baird to host a
Year of Canada in India.
India and Canada are part of the
wider Asia Pacific community,
the Commonwealth and the G-20.
The challenges of terrorism,
proliferation and maritime
security are of concern to both
countries. We welcome Canada's
support for India's membership
of the four international export
control regimes.
Foreign Minister Baird and I will
continue our discussions later
after the media interaction.
Foreign Minister Baird and I
agreed our two countries should
deepen and broaden our
dialogue and consultations, on
political and strategic issues as
well as on economic cooperation.
We look forward to making the
dialogue a regular feature.
Finally, Foreign Minister Baird
and I discussed the visit of
Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper, who has been a
strong advocate of closer IndiaCanada ties, later in the year as
an opportunity to raise our
relationship to a qualitatively
new level.
There has been discussion in
Canada regarding Minister John
Baird's statement in India. The
opinion was divided among the
community as many members in
the community said John Baird
is only talking about few
individuals who indulge in anti
India activities.
There were others who had
different opinion accusing
Minister Baird of labelling Sikh
community as extremists. MPP
Jagmeet Singh Bramalea-GoreMalton issued a press release Expressing their concerns, many
constituents in Bramalea-GoreMalton have contacted the
offices of NDP MPP Jagmeet
Singh in response to comments
reportedly made by Conservative
John Baird, Foreign Affairs
Minister, published in the
Toronto Star on September 12,
2012 entitled "John Baird vows
to prevent Sikh extremism in
Canada."
Constituents
and
local
community organizations have
approached Singh about their
concerns regarding what they
believe are"sensationalized"
remarks by the Minister. Further,
they have expressed worry that
such comments could trigger a
misguided opinion of the Sikh
community that has faced a
series of hate crimes in North
America.
"Constituents have expressed a
concern about the reckless
comments made by the Minister,
stating that they are worried that
such comments could flare
misguided
hate
towards
members of the community, such
as incidents of hateful graffiti
sprayed on the walls of a Sikh
elementary school in Ontario,
this past summer," said Singh.
Constituents and community
members have requested that he
write a letter and facilitate a
meeting with the Minister and
other government officials to
seek clarification on the matter.
"As a member of Provincial
Parliament, I feel obligated to
help facilitate a meeting seeking
accountability and clarification
regarding these comments.
Community members have
explained that they are willing to
address any concerns the
government has, but have never
been approached by the Minister
regarding this matter.
"I am worried that many
community members including
youth will feel increasingly
marginalized."
"The Minister's comments have
the potential to incite hatred
against an already vulnerable
visible minority. His comments
were reckless and furthermore
unsubstantiated
by
any
empirical data."
Jagmeet Singh has assured
constituents that he would
speedily write a letter to the
Minister and reach out to NDP
Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar,
offering to facilitate a meeting in
Bramalea-Gore-Malton, home to
one of the largest Sikh
populations in Canada.
In a recent interview to Indian
media John Baird said "The vast
majority of [the] Sikh community
is wonderful, we have two Sikh
ministers in our government, but
there are small number of radical
extremists in Canada."
Sikh militancy was the dominant
theme during his visit, with
Indian interlocutors flagging
concerns on groups like Babbar
Khalsa. "We understand the
concern of the Indian side on
this, and we will do all that we
can to prevent any terrorist
activities against India from
Canadian soil," Baird said.
Yudhvir Jaswal (Group EditorMidweek
Newspaper,
Southasian Pulse Radio and
Southasian 360 TV) also had
discussions on the radio show
and TV show and both were call
in shows. He said a very vast
majority of the community
members who gave their opinion
said John Baird has said nothing
against the Sikh community.
Every country wants to stay
united and India is concerned
that there are few individuals who
want to break India so the Indian
Government is expressing their
concern to Canada and John
Baird has assured India that
Canada supports India in
countering militant Groups.
Canada has also has separatist
movement in its backyard as
some individuals and groups
wanting the province of Quebec
to separate from Canada to
become a country of its own.
There are Sikh MPs in
Conservative party and 3 of them
hold very Important Positions.
The Conservatives have won all
4 ridings in recent federal
elections related to Brampton
which is home to one of the
largest Sikh population in
Canada.
Midweek Newspaper also
received information that Indian
Overseas Congress president,
Vikram Bajwa, a Surrey resident
and former candidate for mayor,
has appealed to the Akal Takht
to issue a "hukumnaama" (edict)
banning Khalistan seals and
flags from Gurdwara's in the
United States and Canada.
Indian media reported last week
that Vikram Bajwa made
allegations that Nina Grewal and
Sukh Dhaliwal have travelled
frequently to Pakistan to collect
funds that were diverted to keep
the Khalistan militant campaign,
which seeks to create a separate
Punjab state, alive.
As per Global News Grewal, the
Conservative MP for FleetwoodPort Kells, and Dhaliwal, who
was Liberal MP for NewtonNorth Delta from 2006 to 2011,
both denied the report.
"[Bajwa] has made slanderous,
false allegations against me that
have not a shred of truth to
them. He claims that I
frequently visit Pakistan although I've never been
there. He claims I collected
money while there for a
Khalistan campaign totally false and impossible
since I've have never
even visited the
country," said
Grewal said in
a statement.
"[He] has
fabricated a
story that
h
a
s
absolutely
no basis in
reality. His claims are without
fact or merit."
Dhaliwal issued a statement
through his lawyer Leslie
Mackoff, also refuting all claims
made by Bajwa.
"Mr. Dhaliwal has been to
Pakistan once in his life in
conjunction with a trip to India
in 2011. He has never provided
support of any type to the
Khalistan movement. It is
abundantly clear to us that Mr.
Bajwa is committed to making
mischief without any factual
foundation for doing so."
Both Grewal and Dhaliwal's
lawyer demanded an immediately
apology and retraction by Bajwa,
and said that any publication of
his claims would be slander.
Government of Canada
launches call for proposals to
end violence against women
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS: The Honourable Rona Ambrose,
Minister of Public Works and Government Services and
Minister for Status of Women, announced the launch of a Call
for Proposals for projects that will prevent and reduce violence
against women and girls in Canada. "Our government is taking
concrete steps in the prevention and elimination of all forms
of violence against women and girls by helping communities
address this important issue," said Minister Ambrose. "By
inviting proposals for projects that address violence against
women and girls, we are working together to create safe
communities for all."
The Government of Canada will accept funding
applications for the call for proposals, Working Together:
Engaging communities to end violence against women and
girls, in four thematic areas:
Preventing and reducing violence against women and girls in
high-risk neighbourhoods
(Deadline: October 12, 2012);
Engaging men and boys in ending violence against women
and girls
(Deadline: October 12, 2012);
Preventing and reducing violence against women and girls in
the name of "honour"
(Deadline: November 9, 2012); and
Preventing and reducing the trafficking of women and girls
through community planning
(Deadline: November 9, 2012).
Eligible organizations must address a number of predetermined
criteria in their responses. For more information on this call
for proposals, Working Together: Engaging communities to
end violence against women and girls, please visit
women.gc.ca.
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
india
INDIA NOT TO LET
PAK PANEL TO
CROSS-EXAMINE
26/11 WITNESSES
FDI in retail: Chautala
opposes, Hooda welcomes
CHANDIGARH/BUREAU
NEWS:
Haryana Chief
M i n i s t e r, B h u p i n d e r S i n g h
Hooda has hailed the
decision of the Union Cabinet
to liberalise Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in MultiBrand Retail Trade and has
congratulated the Prime
Minister Dr Manmohan Singh
for his bold initiative.
This would benefit all
stakeholders, specially the
farmers and the consumers
and would attract investment
in Haryana which accounts
for 44 per cent of the NCR
area and offers a huge market,
he said. However, former chief
minister and INLD supremo,
Om Prakash Chautala has
opposed the move stating
that it would harm the
interests
of
small
s h o p k e e p e r s . " We w o n ' t
allow FDI in Haryana, if we
are voted to power in the
state," he added. Though,
Hooda said that the farmers
would be greatly benefited
from direct purchase of the
produce by the retail chains
at better prices. The State
Government has already
introduced
enabling
provision in the Punjab
Agricultural Produce Markets
Act to facilitate introduction
of supply chain and to
develop network of agriproduce collection centres
close to the farms where
necessary infrastructure can
now be developed in PPP
mode enabling the private
11
sector to directly purchase
from these centres. Hooda
appreciated that adequate
safeguards have been kept in
the FDI policy to safeguard
the interest of small retailers.
He said that the liberalisation
would benefit the consumers
and the purchasers against
seasonal fluctuations and
aberration in prices of
agricultural
products,
specially vegetables and
fruits with the development of
supply chain infrastructure.
The investment in the backend infrastructure would not
only give remunerative prices
to the farmers but would
benefit the rural economy as
a whole and generate large
employment for the rural
population.
The
Chief
Minister said that the
investment in organised retail
trade by foreign investors
would also bring in the latest
technology in establishment
of cold chains, preventing
wastage of food due to lack
of
post-harvest
infrastructure. The opening
up of the retail trade would
also
boost
investors'
confidence in the Indian
economy and would give
necessary impetus to the
economic growth of the
country.
Elevation for me
soon, says Rahul
LUCKNOW/BUREAU NEWS: Breaking his silence over
questions surrounding his role in politics and the party so far,
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday said there
would be an elevation for him "soon". Rahul, on a two-day visit
to his constituency Amethi, was speaking to reporters. The
Congress leader also faced protests from people who were unable
to get to meet him. A delegation of approximately 40 people held
a demonstration near the Amethi railway station saying they
were not being allowed to meet Rahul or air their grievances
before him. They were later appeased by local Congressmen and
Rahul met some of the protesting people, promising to take up
their issues soon. He also met residents of Chitkapur and
Radheypur who turned in requests for installing hand pumps,
and also demanded medical facilities, schools and better roads.
Following a meeting of Congress workers in Jamo, he then
returned to Delhi by evening.
Inter-ministerial group cancels Indian Govt announces 51%
FDI in multi-brand retail
three more coal blocks
FDI in aviation may benefit future fliers
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS:
The government on Saturday
cancelled three more coal blocks
allocated to private companies,
including SKS Ispat and Power
Ltd, which has Union tourism
minister Subodh Kant Sahai's
younger
brother
as
an
"honorary" director, even as it
cleared the allocation of two
blocks to Reliance Power's Sasan
Power Limited.
The inter-ministerial group
(IMG) examining cases where
allottees have failed to
operationalize coal blocks
allocated to them has also
recommended confiscation of
bank guarantees in four other
cases. Unlike the last round, the
de-allocation recommendations
on Saturday concern some
known names in the industry.
Those affected are Tata Sponge
Iron Limited, JSW Steel Ltd,
Bhushan Steel Limited and SKS
Ispat. So far, seven coal blocks
are facing de-allocation and an
equal number can lose bank
guarantees. The IMG, mandated
THE INTER-MINISTERIAL GROUP ON COAL BLOCKS TODAY
DECIDED TO RECOMMEND CANCELLATION OF THREE MORE MINES,
TAKING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BLOCKS SUGGESTED FOR
CANCELLATION DUE TO INSUFFICIENT PROGRESS TO SEVEN.
to review performance of 58
blocks out of which 29 belong to
private companies, will meet
again on Monday.
Allottee given March '13
deadline to start mining The
allottee of one block has been
asked to deposit a bank
guarantee within a month and
begin operations before March,
2013. Sahai is under fire for
writing to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh seeking a coal
bock for SKS Ispat without
disclosing his brother being on
its board. SKS Ispat and Power
Ltd had been allocated
Rawanwara North coal block.
Allocation of New Patrapada
block in Odisha to Bhushan Steel
Limited has been cancelled along
with those of Gourangdih ABC
coal block to JSW Steel Ltd and
Himachal EMTA Power Ltd.
The
IMG
did
not
recommend deduction of bank
guarantee or de-allocation in
case of Moher and Moher
Amlohri coal blocks given to
Sasan Power Ltd and Pachmo
block allocated to Tata Steel Ltd.
Forfeiture of bank guarantee was
recommended in case of Bihajan
block given to Bhusan Ltd and
Radhikapur East blocks allocated
to Tata Sponge Iron Ltd, an
official source said.
In case of Nerad Malegaon
block allotted to Gupta Metaliks
and Power Ltd & Gupta
Coalfields Ltd and Lohari block
given to Usha Martin Ltd, the
IMG recommended forfeiting of
bank guarantee. The CAG report
presented to Parliament on
August 17 said coal block
allocations led to a notional loss
of Rs 1.86 lakh crore and also
alleged the blocks were given
out in non-transparent manner.
India not to let Pak panel to cross-examine 26/11 witnesses
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: India may not allow Pakistani
judicial commission to visit Mumbai for cross-examining
witnesses of the 26/11 case until Islamabad gives it an assurance
over the status of the bilateral agreement. During the ongoing
consultation process over Pakistan's demand to send the judicial
commission to Mumbai for the second time, officials here have
discussed various pros and cons with a section within the
government asking why Islamabad cannot move its trial court
again citing an agreement between the two sovereign countries.
"Both the countries, in the first place, had agreed not to go
ahead with the cross-examination process. Pakistan can tell this
to its court, requesting to honour the bilateral agreement," said
an official, giving an example of what India did in the case of Abu
Salem when it had approached Portugal for its deportation.
NEW
DELHI/BUREAU
NEWS: The government has
finally decided to bite the bullet
by announcing foreign direct
investment (FDI) in multi-brand
retail.
Now state governments will
decided the modalities of
implementations, TV reports
say. Accoding to TV reports,
although
Congress-ruled
price reductions facilitated by
the reduction in intermediaries
effected by retail giants such
as Walmart, Tesco and
Carrefour. Investments in coldstorage and warehousing will
ease supply-side pressures
that have driven food inflation
to double digits, according to
an analysis by ICRA. The
notification of the multi-brand
states such as Rajasthan, Delhi,
Uttarakhand and Manipur have
extended their supports, BJPruled states have opposed
the move.
The entry of large retail
chains in India is expected to
benefit consumers through
retail FDI decision would be yet
another
move
by
the
government to assuage the
sentiments of foreign investors
after it directed a review of the
General Anti-Avoidance Rules
and retrospective amendments
to the Income-Tax Act.
12
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
world
MidWeek 13
Pak wants Manmohan in
Nankana Sahib on Nov 28
LONDON/BUREAU NEWS:
Pakistan is said to be preparing for
PM Manmohan Singh to visit
Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak's
birthplace , on his birthday on
November
28.
Pakistani
government officials shared this
information with a leading
international affairs think tank in
London. The indication tallies with
Pakistan foreign minister Hina
Rabbani Khar's statement that she
is expecting the Indian PM's visit
before
the
end
of
this year. Pakistan's president Asif
Ali Zardari and the PPP are said to
be keen on having Singh over this
year itself as the country faces a
general election early in 2013.
Sources said Zardari is also
pushing for Singh's presence in
Pakistan as there is virtually an allparty consensus for better
relations with India. However,
when the think tank contacted the
Government of India to verify the
Pakistani claim, New Delhi did not
corroborate it. India remains firm
that
Pakistan
needs
to
demonstrate
purpose
in
prosecuting
Pakistan-based
masterminds of the terrorist attack
on Mumbai in November 2008.
The think tank's general
assessment is that India does not
share the exuberance emanating
from Pakistan about a "sea change
in the atmospherics" between the
two countries.
"Pakistan inevitably reaches
out to India when it's in trouble
and then backtracks ," said an
analyst. Clearly, the Pakistani
government is facing multiple
challenges from near financial
bankruptcy to terrorist threats
from within, not to mention tense
ties with Afghanistan and a near
collapse in its ties with an ageold
big brother ally, the US.
iPhone 5 launched: 4-inch
screen, 18% thinner, 20% lighter
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: iPhone 5, the world's most-awaited
gadget, is here. iPhone has been here since 2007, but Apple gave it
a completely new avatar made of glass and aluminium on Wednesday
in a bid to take on the rising challenge from Android brigade. iPhone
5 is everything that a smartphone owner could possibly ever desire
for: It is taller, leaner, lighter, shinier and packs in much more punch
than ever. Yet, to call it a completely revamped, revolutionary
smartphone that was being expected of Apple in the post-Jobs era
would be a hyperbole. While the launch seemed to enthuse Apple
watchers, it had little impact on the company's stock price movement
on the Wall Street. However, Apple did well to retain the same price
tags as earlier generation iPhone 4S. iPhone 5 will cost the same as
its predecessor -- $199, $299 and $399 for 16, 32 and 64 GB versions
respectively. For now, Apple has announced iPhone only in two
colours - slate (black) and silver, with aluminium finish, but no white.
14
MidWeek
property & decor
GIVE YOUR TABLE THE
ECO-FRIENDLY
WALLPAPERS
FOR YOUR HOME
RIGHT LOOK! C
A PERFECT AND MEASURED DINNERWARE AND THE
RIGHT UPHOLSTERY LAYOUT ON DINING TABLE GOES
A LONG WAY IN ENHANCING THE TASTE OF THE MEAL.
STARTING TECHNIQUES
Start with a clean, starched white linen tablecloth. It's acceptable
to use another subtle colour for your linens. Coloured linen napkins
in decorative rings add some colour. Linen placemats, matching the
napkins, can also be used. The first items on the tablecloth should
be the dinner plates.These should be in the middle of each place
setting. Each person's tableware should be placed at equal intervals.
In the center of each dinner plate should be the napkins, folded
elegantly, or neatly rolled into a napkin ring.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE LAYING A TABLE
To the right of each plate are the knives. Since the general rule
of formal silverware is to eat working your way in, silverware should
be placed on the table in the order it's to be used. Make sure the
knives are placed on the table with the blade turned towards the
plate.
To the right of the knives are the spoons. In many cases, only a
soupspoon will be used, unless there is a melon course, in which
case the melon spoon is closest to the knives, and the soupspoon
should be first in the row. Dessert spoons are placed above the
plate.
To the left of each plate are the forks, also to be placed in the
order of use. In most cases it's a seafood fork first, entree fork and
last is the salad fork. All silverware should be placed an inch from
the edge of the table to keep everything looking uniform and tidy.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
For the formal dinners, dress your table as formally as you
yourself would dress. Once your best tablecloth is spread across
the dining room table, focus on where to place the dinnerware.
Remember not to be intimidated. Setting a formal table isn't as difficult
as one would think. Once you learn the rules and a few tricks, you'll
be fine, and your guests will think you've been living the elegant life
for years!
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
onservation of environment reads like a fashion statement
these days or so it seems. We celebrate the Ear th Hour one
Saturday every year to let ourselves believe we have done our
duty toward saving the planet. We definitely need to be a little more
involved in the environment saving project. Charity begins at home they
say, so why not decorate our homes in a way that does not threaten but
protect the ecological system from collapsing? By simply choosing the
right fabric, non-toxic paints and other decor articles that are eco-friendly
and encourage use of recycled materials, we can make a difference by
going organic in home decor.
Interior designer Meenakshi
Agrawal tells us how to design our homes while keeping our eco-consciousness
intact. She gives out useful
tips on selecting wooden furnishing, wallpapers, flooring
and centrepieces for an
overall classy home decor
while promoting the mantra
of going green as well. She
talks to us about a unique
eco-friendly wall decor
concept, 'DecorCoat' that
she with her partner has
introduced in the market
as a viable alternative to
paints and wallpapers for home renovation.
WALLPAPER DESIGNS AND PATTERNS
There are diverse options when it comes to choosing wallpapers.
Designs like classic retro prints, metallic geometrics, botanical
prints and those that mimic the look of natural landscapes are
among the popular trends this season, informs our exper t. When
asked how DecorCoat is different from and advantageous than
ordinary wall decor methods, Meenakshi explains, "Normal wallpapers have VOC i.e. Volatile Organic Compounds. These are
chemicals that we smell when wallpapers are applied; it adds to
the indoor air pollution and directly affects our health. Organic
wall decor on the other hand is low on VOC. These are made up of
grass cloth and cotton fiber that do not have a negative impact on
the environment.
GOING THE GREEN WAY
In the choice of wood, Meenakshi recommends bamboo-based
furniture. She explains, "Bamboo is not only an organic product, it
is strong, firm and stays durable for years. Termite-free and suited
to all kinds of climate/weather conditions; it is also easy on the
pocket vis-a-vis other expensive options in wooden decor."
Wrought iron is another pick that adds elegance to an ordinary
home setup. You do not need to hassle about chipping; fading or
scratching with wrought iron furniture. It is competent in withstanding harsh weather changes.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
property & decor
MidWeek
15
16
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
A PORN FILMMAKER DIRECTED 'HATE MOVIE'
COVERAGE ON PAGE 19
SRIDEVI AT TIFF 2012
Premier Dalton McGuinty
welcomed Bollywood actress
Sridevi and her husband Boney
Kapoor to Ontario and wished
them good luck as Sridevi’s film
“English Vinglish” has its world
premiere at the Toronto
International Film festival. Directed
by Gauri Shinde, the film marks the
comeback of Sridevi after a 14 year
absence in this funny and
touching story about an Indian
woman who struggles to learn the
English language in order to
overcome her insecurities.
Miscommunication has always
been an in-exhaustible engine for
comedy, but in the case of writerdirector Gauri Shinde’s delightful
and heartwarming English
Vinglish, miscommunication is its
very subject. A nurturing mother,
a devoted wife and a great
cook, Shashi (Sridevi) lives a
life of middle-class domestic
contentment in Pune, India. Her
only worry is her poor mastery
of the English language, for
which her children and
husband tease her playfully.
But when she has to travel to
the United States to help her
niece prepare for her upcoming
wedding, that minor annoyance
becomes a genuine frustration,
as Shashi keeps running up
against the limits of her language
skills. While her niece attends
classes,
Shashi
explores
Manhattan and finds that tasks
as ostensibly straightforward as
ordering
water
prove
complicated when you can’t
comprehend the difference
between "still" and "sparkling."
Breezy and charming, but with
much to say about the delicate
balance between tradition and
modernity, English Vinglish
marks the return to the big
screen — after a fifteen-year
hiatus — of beloved Indian megastar Sridevi, whose orb-like eyes,
expressive face and magnetic
charisma have lost none of their
radiant lustre. And as if that
weren’t enough, Indian cinema
fans will enjoy the extra treat of a
hilarious cameo from Bollywood
legend Amitabh Bachchan!
English Vinglish is all set to hit the
screens on October 05, 2012.
Virat Kohli named
ICC ODI Cricketer of
the Year 2012
COLOMBO: India's Virat Kohli
has been named ICC ODI Cricketer
of the Year 2012 at the LG ICC
Awards in Colombo.
During the performance period, he
played 31 ODIs and compiled
1,733 runs at an average of 66.65,
including eight centuries and six
half-centuries. His highest score,
183, came against Pakistan in the
Asia Cup on 18 March 2012. The
independent voting academy of
32 highly credentialed cricket
experts put Kohli first, ahead of
such talented and in-form players
as Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara
and Lasith Malinga as well as
Kohli's India captain Mahendra
Singh Dhoni.
Kohli said upon receiving the
honour: "I think I have tried to
keep things as simple as possible
and it's worked for me on the field.
This year has been a learning
curve along the way from the
seniors in the team. It's been an
all-round effort and I'm very
happy to have won this award.
"It's always nice to be recognized
by the ICC and it's a great feeling
and it's the first time I've won one
of these awards and it feels great."
Based on the period between 4
August 2011 and 6 August 2012,
the LG ICC Awards 2012 take into
account performances by players
and officials in a remarkable
period for the game.
For all the individual awards (with
the exceptions of the Spirit of
Cricket Award and the Umpire of
the Year), a long-list compiled by
the selection panel was forwarded
to a 32-person Voting Academy
made up of former players,
respected members of the media,
an elite umpire and an elite match
referee. They voted on a three,
two, one basis (with three being
the highest value) and the winners
emerged.
Sohail among 14
Pakistan stars to sign up
for Hockey India league
WORLD TWENTY20 WARM-UP
INDIA BEAT SRI LANKA BY 26 RUNS
COLOMBO: India beat Sri Lanka by 26 runs to seal a confidenceboosting 26-run win in Saturday's ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match
played at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. Batting first, India made 146-5
after a top-order wobble and then bowled Sri Lanka out for 120. India's
only setback came when Gautam Gambhir suffered a blow to the right
hand off a Lasith Malinga delivery and had to retire hurt. The lefthander later underwent x-rays, but nothing serious was detected.
It was all Sri Lanka at the start when India sank to 51-4 by the ninth
over, with Nuwan Kulasekara sending back Suresh Raina (12) and
Virender Sehwag (12), while Angelo Mathews accounted for Virat Kohli
(8) and Rangana Herath had Yuvraj Singh (11) stumped by Kumar
Sangakkara. The innings took flight courtesy of determined batting
efforts from Rohit Sharma, who hit four fours and a six in a 26-ball 37,
and captain MS Dhoni, who was superb in an unbeaten 55 from 42
balls, studded with four fours and three sixes. The Sri Lanka reply
never really took off with Irfan Pathan and L Balaji running amok. Irfan
returned figures of 5-25 while Balaji bowled his 3.3 overs for 3-28.
NEW DELHI: Fourteen Pakistan hockey players, including star
penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas, have signed up for the
inaugural Hockey India League to be held from January 5 to
February 3 next year.
The event is being planned by Hockey India and will be affiliated
with the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The 14 Pakistani players will be among the pool of about 80
overseas players for the HIL Players Auction to be held next
month, Hockey India said in a release. While, Indian hockey's
best 90 players have signed up for the Hockey India (HI)
League players' auction to be held next month in the run up to
the prestigious six-team tournament. India vice-captain Sardar
Singh leads the list of 25 midfielders while SV Sunil, Shivendra
Singh, Tushar Khandker and Gurvinder Singh Chandi are among
the 41 forwards.
18
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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
MidWeek
bollywood
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
19
Upcoming
BOLLYWOOD Movies
Movie Review
BARFI
HEROINE
RELEASE DATE: 21-Sep-2012
STARING: Kareena Kapoor, Arjun
Rampal, Arunoday Singh,
Shahana Goswami
DIRECTOR(S):
Madhur Bhandarkar
PRODUCER(S): Ronnie Screwvala,
Madhur Bhandarkar
MUSIC: Salim-Sulaiman
24X7 RAFTAAR
Critic's Ratin
Story: An almost silent relationship
between a deaf-mute and an autistic
that speaks volumes about
unconditional love.
Movie Review: He was born to a
song playing on a Murphy radio,
but this 'Murphy' baby (Ranbir)
aka Barfi has a different law.
Everything that has to go wrong
will go wrong, but not if you brave
it with a broad smiley. So 'mute'
the high decibel chaos and
deafening melodrama around and
tune into Barfi ki duniya; which is
simple, sweet and SILENT! Yet,
extreme emotions of love, joy and
pain resound - at different
'frequencies'.
In the breathtakingly beautiful
Darjeeling of the 70s, Barfi 'bumps
into' Shruti (Ileana) and instantly
falls in love with her. With wondereyes and in part-Chaplin-part-RajKapoor style, he woos her with
more 'actions' than words and
leaves her speechless. He even
wins over her heart, but she walks
away with a Bengali babu, only
because he 'apparently' has some
abilities (of sound and speech,
minus emotion) that Barfi isn't
blessed with.
But don't worry, this Charlie is no
bechara, he gives her a wordless,
guttural, 'earful', wears his
signature smiley and moves on.
Soon he reunites with childhood
friend Jhilmil (Priyanka) - autistic
and abandoned by her wealthy
family to live in a 'special' home.
In between haath-rickshaw rides,
watching fireflies and gulping
putchkas - an endearing and
special bond grows between Barfi
and Jhilmil. Life takes a turn
(sharper than the tram-lines of
Kolkata), and the destinies of Barfi,
Jhilmil and Shruti mysteriously
converge.
Ranbir, in the most challenging
performance of his career leaves
us 'dumbstruck'. Without use of
g: 4.5/5
nka
apoor, Priya
K
ir
b
n
a
R
t:
Cas
na D’Cruz
Chopra, Ilea
nurag Basu
Direction: A
a
Genre: Dram
tes
0
urs 3 minu
o
h
2
:
n
o
ti
Dura
conventional crutches
of cool-catchphrases,
dhamaakedardialogbaazi,
barebodies, and other 'items';
he stuns you in every
single frame. Even too
much of Barfi isn't enough, damn
the diet!
For Priyanka, there's only one
word - Bravo! In a role where she
needs to under-emote, she does
so brilliantly. Without stylish
chiffons, she wears awkward
frocks, buckle-shoes and buck
teeth, discarding the diva image
like an old hand-me-down for
lesser actresses; delivering an
incredible performance.
Ileana looks a beautiful Bong
bahu, and proves her talent with
conviction and confidence in her
Bollywood debut.
For a story riddled with disabilities,
Barfi is more than ably handled by
Anurag Basu. He remarkably
RELEASE DATE: 19-Sep-2012
STARING: Emraan Hashmi, Neha
Dhupia, Sagarika Ghatge, Aditya
Pancholi
DIRECTOR(S): Shamim Desai
PRODUCER(S): Vashu Bhagnani
immerses you in his world of
sounds and verbose silences,
recreating Chaplin's antics,
stripping two superstars down to
basics and sensitively spinning a
magical world of unconditional
love. The narrative is too nonlinear at times, and the pace slows
in the second half. That apart, it's
truly
path-breaking
for
Bollywood.
Pritam's background score fills the
air, lending support to silences,
and the lyrics beautifully describe
the mute-musings of the
characters. The biggest human
disability is we can't find
happiness. So go indulge in Barfi!
It'll leave you 'happy high'!
-Madhureeta Mukherjee
ENGLISH VINGLISH
RELEASE DATE: 21-Sep-2012
STARING: Sridevi, Mehdi Nebbou,
Priya Anand, Adil Hussain
DIRECTOR(S):
Gauri Shinde
PRODUCER(S): R. Balki, Rakesh
Jhunjhunwala, R.K. Damani
OMG OH MY GOD
RELEASE DATE: 28-Sep-2012
STARING: Paresh Rawal, Mithun
Chakrabor ty, Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi
Sinha, Prabhu Dheva
DIRECTOR(S): Umesh Shukla
PRODUCER(S):Akshay Kumar,
Ashvini Yardi, Paresh Rawal
WRITER :UMESH SHUKLA
MUKTI
RELEASE DATE:
18-Sep-2012
I am comfortable in my world: Katrina
STARING:Sunil Shetty, Rimi Sen,
H
PRODUCER(S): Ajay Phansekar
er phenomenal rise to
super-stardom almost
looks like a slice of
celluloid dream. With an enviable
determination, Katrina Kaif has
pushed boundaries of excellence
for herself and that has translated
into
mega
hits,
brand
endorsements and a loyal fan
following.
Even though she started her
tryst with cinema on a shaky
ground following the debacle of
her debut film Boom, she chased
success with grit and hardwork.
She's a picture of poise when you
meet her and she quickly settles
down for a chat. She has 'warm
memories' of her earlier visits to
Ahmedabad and talks about her
'wonderful drive from Vadodara
to Ahmedabad' with much
fondness.
Contrary
to
popular
perception that she lived in the
UK in her growing up years,
Katrina alongwith her mother and
siblings actually travelled from
one country to another in her
growing up years. So, how has
life changed for her? She says,
"Now I do have a sense of
security. There is an inner sense
of calmness. I am comfortable in
my world. I am self-sufficient. I
am in Mumbai since I was 18 and
top
10
songs
1
Film:
English Vinglish
GUSTAKH DIL
SONG
Ek Tha Tiger
Heroine
Ek Tha Tiger
Ek Tha Tiger
Bar fi!
Cocktail
Student of the Year
Joker
Mashallah
Halkat Jawani
Laapata
Banjaara
Bar fi!
Tum Hi Ho Bandhu
The Disco Song
Kafirana
Daaru Desi
Cocktail
something beautiful. I love doing
a film and creating something
wonderful for all times to come. I
find films a very powerful
medium. You can leave
everything behind and walk into
a theatre and experience a
beautiful world," she says.
For a long time, her lack of
knowledge of Hindi was her
liability. But she is not the one
who would leave any stones
unturned to claim her share of
success. Ask her about her comfort
level now in speaking in Hindi, she
says, "I speak to my staff in Hindi.
Yes, initial years I had a tough time.
But then I was determined to learn
the language. Even now, if I am going
out in the evening and I have long
dialogue for the next day shoot, I
come back home and practice my
lines."
INTERNATIONAL BABES
AND THEIR DESI AVATAR
FILM
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
that's the longest I have stayed
in a city. Now I have a home here
and I have work. So, in that
sense I feel rooted."
Today, she is considered as
one of the top actors of B-Town.
How would she dissect her
success mantra? "For all that I
have achieved, I would give 33
% each to hard work, passion
and destiny." She pushes her hair
and adds with a laugh, "In that
sense, I have credited all these
three elements. I always feel one
could be very hard-working but
if destiny/luck doesn't give him/
her that edge then it's difficult to
get success."
What keeps her going day
after day putting on the makeup, remembering the lines and
facing the camera? "I am really
passionate about creating
MOVIE COLLECTIONS
HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEK
EK THA TIGER
BLOCKBUSTER
GANGS OF WASSEYPUR 2
FLOP
JISM 2
AVERAGE
KYAA SUPER KOOL HAIN HUM
HIT
COCKTAIL
HIT
BOL BACHCHAN
SUPER HIT
H
alle Berry will be seen sporting a sari in her next film
Cloud Atlas, where she plays a girl who meets her true
love in different eras. Halle is the latest to join the list of
international hotties who've adorned the Indian attire in recent
years, either for their movies or during the appearances they
made in India. While Julia Roberts wore a sari in her film Eat Pray
Love and Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses, Jessica Alba danced in it
in The Guru. Mendes did it for an ad, Pussy Cat Dolls for the New
York Fashion Week while Gisele Bundchen, who loves the Indian
wear, donned one for a magazine shoot. So did Victoria Beckham.
Many others chose the desi avatar during their stay in India —
be it Katy Perry during her wedding in Jaipur, Elizabeth Hurley,
when she was still married to Arun Nayyar and Heidi Klum, during
her visit with Seal in happier times.
Pamela Anderson was seen strutting her stuff in white on reality
show Bigg Boss and Naomi Campbell had walked the ramp here a few
years ago. Tennis star Anna Kournikova wore a light blue sari when she
was here last year for a corporate event. Earlier, Jelena Jankovic, Maria
Kirilenko and sisters Serena and Venus Williams too attempted the Indian
look during the Bangalore Open in 2008. More recently, it was Oprah
Winfrey, who made it a point to turn up in a sari at events while she
was in India in January this year.
-Roshni Olivera
Shabana Azmi
DIRECTOR(S): Ajay Phansekar
KAMAL DHAMAL
MALAMAAL
RELEASE DATE: 28-Sep-2012
STARING: Nana Patekar, Shreyas
Talpade, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Om
Puri, Asrani, Shakti Kapoor
DIRECTOR(S): Priyadarshan
PRODUCER(S): Percept Picture
Company
A PORN FILMMAKER
DIRECTED 'HATE MOVIE'
WASHINGTON: The poignant pain and limitations of the US
government contrasted sharply with the excess and rowdy response
of private enterprise as Washington tried on Friday to douse the
conflagration in the Islamic world caused by a movie denigrating
the Prophet Muhammed. More than a score of largely Muslim
countries burned with anti-American anger even as US President
Barack Obama and secretary of state Hillary Clinton received in a
solemn, teary-eyed ceremony the bodies of four US personnel who
were killed in Libya's Benghazi by violent mobs, in reaction to the
anti-Islam film.
They spoke words of support and reassurance to the family of the
victims, promised retribution against the killers, and tried to convey
to the perpetrators of violence that the government had no role in
the film. But, much as they found the film sick and reprehensible, the
right to free expression enshrined in the US constitution left the
government powerless to restrain, much less prosecute, the
purveyors of excess.
In fact, the poignant government ceremony at Andrews Air Force
Base where the bodies of the four slain Americans was brought in
was underscored by private eye prurience when it emerged that the
man who directed the provocative anti-Islam movie is a soft-porn
film maker. He has such arresting titles as "The Happy Hooker Goes
Hollywood" and "Young Lady Chatterly" to his credit.
Alan Roberts, the 65-year old director, was brought on board by
producer 'Sam Bacile' aka Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, and he muddled
his way through a disorganized three-month shoot to make the film,
according to the website gawker.com. His associates said Roberts
was "non-political" and did not have any apparent anti-Islam
feelings. He may have been duped by the producer in the same way
as the rest of the cast and crew who thought they were in a period
movie called 'Desert Warrior'. Nakoula apparently changed the name
of the movie and that of its characters - replacing 'George' in the
movie with 'Muhammed' in one instance - and redubbed dialogues
to ridicule Islam and its Prophet. But while the director and actors
could potentially sue the producer for breach of faith, there is little
that the government itself can do. In fact, Google, which owns You
Tube, rejected a White House request on Friday to reconsider its
decision to keep online the controversial movie clip, although it
restricted its access in countries like India and Indonesia to comply
with local laws. Google said the film clip was well within its guidelines
in the US. US authorities though were examining if 'Bacile', who has
previous convictions for bank fraud, has violated the terms of his
prison release.
20
MidWeek
hollywood
Katy Perry
top. The Firework singer also
wore bindis above both
eyebrows, which completed
her Indian princess look. Katy
was clearly loving being back
in India, and even the jet lag
she had suffered wasn``t
getting her down.
“Almost fell asleep in my
curry last night, no joke.
Woke up feeling SO much
better after a fresh
meditate...feels
appropriate being in
INDIA,” the Daily Mail
quoted her as tweeting.
The trip has had a
positive effect on
Katy
and
she
found time to
reward her fans
with a new
Bollywood
music style
remix
of
her
s o n g
‘California
Gurls’. “In honor of my
visit to INDIA, here``s a
FREE, SPICED up version
of CALIFORNIA GURLS
* B O L LY W O O D
MEETS
H O L LY W O O D * , ”
she
tweeted.
gets cosy with Oz cricketer
Doug Bollinger at IPL opening
K
aty Perry, who headed
back to India where
she was proposed to
and
subsequently
got
married to Russell Brand,
seemed rejuvenated as she
took to the stage and opened
the Indian Premier League on
Tu e s d a y. T h e 2 7 - y e a r- o l d
singer was back to her best
as she put herself in a
compromising position with
international cricketer Doug
Bollinger. Taking centre stage
at the YMCA College of
Physical Education Grounds,
in Nandanam, Chennai, Perry
had her groove back as she
entertained the audience with
her cheeky sense of humour
and provocative dancing.
The Californian girl called
Australian cricketer Bollinger
up and asked him to show her
how to hold a cricket bat.
The 30-yearold bowler looked
surprised at first
when Perry pulled
his arms around her,
but he quickly got into
the swing of things and
lapped up the opportunity.
The ‘Hot n Cold’
hitmaker gave a storming
p e r f o r m a n c e o f ‘ Te e n a g e
Dreams’ and tried to respect
local customs by not
revealing too much skin
during
the
raunchy
p e r f o r m a n c e . H o w e v e r, a s
well as the flirty stunt with
B o l l i n g e r, s h e k e p t p u l s e s
racing with her Bollywood
inspired costume.
She wore a pair of pink
shorts, which were partially
covered by some transparent
material, and she teamed that
with a heavily sequined crop
Upcoming
Teaser Trailer:
Collin Farrell's
Total Recall
HOLLYWOOD Movies
RESIDENT EVIL:
RETRIBUTION (3D)
T
he first footage of Total Recall,
starring Colin Farrell, was
delivered in what is a teaser
for a teaser trailer, directing fans to
watch a 30-second trailer during the
televised US basketball game
between Miami Heat and Boston
Celtics on April 1. Between
images of flying futuristic
vehicles, explosions and
Farrell leaping from a
building, the clip states:
"This Sunday...get ready...for
the world premiere of the
trailer." After the trailer for the
sci-fi thriller is broadcast as a
commercial spot onABC-TV, it will be
available on Apple.com: http://
trailers.apple.com/trailers/ This new
trend to release teasers for teaser
trailers was introduced recently by
Ridley Scott for his film Prometheus,
with a series of snipits of the film to
promote the first teaser trailer with the
intention of building anticipation.
Most recently, The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn Part 2 shared a
glimpse of footage in a 15-second
teaser for the 30-second teaser trailer.
By comparison, full trailers are usually
2:30 minutes. With Total Recall, this
teaser takes the trend a step further,
driving viewers to a teaser trailer
played as a commercial during a highprofile television program -- not just
to websites or the theaters. It is similar
to the trend of promoting Super Bowl
ads with previews on YouTube.
RELEASE DATE: Sep 28, 2012
STARING: Milla Jovovich, Milla Jovovich,
Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Isaacs, Kevin
Durand, Sienna Guillory
PRODUCER(S): Paul W.S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Don Carmody,
Samuel Hadida, Rober t Kulzer
LOOPER
RELEASE DATE: Sep 28, 2012
STARING: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce
Willis, Emily Blunt
PRODUCER(S): James D. Stern
STORY: In the futuristic action thriller
Looper, time travel will be invented but
it will be illegal and only available on
the black market. When the mob wants
to get rid of someone, they will send
their target 30 years into the past,
where a looper a hired gun, is waiting
to mop up.
TAKEN 2
RELEASE DATE: Oct 5, 2012
STARING: Liam Neeson, Famke
Janssen, Maggie Grace
PRODUCER(S): Luc Besson
DIRECTOR(S): Olivier Megaton
STORY: In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are
taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his
daughter.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY
RELEASE DATE: Oct 5, 2012
STARING: Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, Ray
Liotta
PRODUCER(S): Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner
DIRECTOR(S): Andrew Dominik
STORY: Adapted from George V. Higgins
novel and set in New Orleans, Killing Them
Softly follows professional enforcer, Jackie
Cogan, who investigates a heist that occurs during a high stakes.
ARGO
RELEASE DATE: Oct 12, 2012
STARING: Ben Affleck, Br yan
Cranston, Taylor Schilling, John
Goodman
PRODUCER(S): George Clooney,
Grant Heslov
DIRECTOR(S): Ben Affleck
Genre : Drama, Thriller
SKYFALL
RELEASE DATE: Nov 1, 2012
STARING: Judi Dench, Daniel Craig,
Javier Bardem
DIRECTOR(S): Sam Mendes
STORY: Bond's loyalty to M is tested
as her past comes back to haunt her.
As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must
track down and destroy the threat, no
matter how personal the cost.
Genre : Action, Adventure, Thriller
KATE
MOSS IS
COMING
TO
INDIA
Kate Moss will visit India in
April 2013, TOI has learnt.
Unfortunately, she will spend
time in Delhi only, giving
Mumbai a miss. India is the final
stop on Moss' six-country tour.
The supermodel, along with friend
Gert Elfering, is part of a travelling
photo exhibition, with works of the
world's 40 top photographers on
display. During her visit, Kate will
also be seen endorsing Indian
designers. In fact, Karisma
Kapoor's sister-in-law Mandira
Koirala will style her for the entire
visit. After the photo exhibition in
Delhi, which will be held at a fivestar hotel, the after-party is
expected to take place at Arjun
Rampal's lounge-bar in the capital.
Meanwhile, buzz is, Enrique
Iglesias will visit Pune among other
Indian cities for concerts.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
HOLLYWOOD CALLING
ANUPAM KHER
Anupam Kher has featured in two films that premiered at this year's
Toronto International Film Festival; The Silver Linings Playbook and
Midnight's Children.
The actor has a blink-and-miss role in the Deepa Mehta film, but he
admits he did the role because the two are friends and because he
likes her work very much. However, it is the Bradley Cooper-Rober t
De Niro-Jennifer Lawrence starrer in which he plays a "really impor tant" role, that he's more excited about. He recently saw Silver
Linings while in Los Angeles.
The A-lister film is generating serious Oscar buzz and Kher is obviously prouder of this film. He plays Cooper's therapist in the movie
directed by David O Russell. It's a role the senior Bollywood actor
auditioned for, and the pride is evident. He says, "For me, to have
long scenes in a mainstream Hollywood film where the milieu isn't
Indian is a big deal." Did playing a therapist require any groundwork? "Well, I do play therapist to most of my friends. And in any
case, what is a therapist but someone who understands life a little
better than everyone else?"
In his other film, Midnight's Children, the actor plays the blind Ghani,
grandfather to protagonist Saleem Sinai (Satya Bhabha). Saying yes
to the role "was easy", he says, as the character and he share
common roots — both are Kashmiris. "Deepa did not know this,"he
laughs, "'I wish you knew the language' she sighed. I told her I was
Kashmiri! I even sing a song in the film."
Point out to him that in Midnight's Children, he plays father to Shabana
Azmi, who's elder to him by a good five years and he quips, "I play
father to the girl who grows up to be Shabana, so that's okay; not a
big deal. I even played Hema Malini's father in Vijay."
Robert Pattinson forgives
Kristen Stewart
Rober t Pattinson and Kristen Stewar t have become an item again,
just months after he walked out on her for cheating on him with
married director Ruper t Sanders, it has been revealed.
The 26-year-old actor is said to have had a hear t-to-hear t conversation with the tear ful Hollywood beauty and forgiven her "stupid mistake". According to a source, the 'Twilight' hunk had set
up home with the brunette once more. "They pretty much decided they couldn't live without each other," the Sun quoted the
source as saying.
"Kristen poured her hear t out to Rober t and told him it was a
one-off and a mistake," the source said. The betrayed actor quit
their Hollywood home in June after snaps of his girlfriend cheating on him with her 'Snowhite and the Huntsman' director surfaced. He went to stay at Reese Witherspoon's California ranch,
where Stewar t's dad John begged him to patch things up with
his daughter. Just days ago, Kristen jetted back to join him at
the ranch. "Rob sees it as Kristen made a really stupid mistake.
After a lot of long tear ful talks, they've worked it out," the source
said. "Rob can see how truly sorry Kristen is and has totally
forgiven her. They really do love each other," the source added.
The Hollywood A-list couple have now moved into a secluded
pad in the same Los Angeles compound where Brad Pitt and
Angelina Jolie have a place and are due to appear on the red
carpet together in November for the final 'Twilight' film 'Breaking Dawn - Par t 2'.
What gave Hugh Grant
sleepless nights?
Actor Hugh Grant, who plays a cannibal in "Cloud Atlas", revealed
that he was unable to sleep at nights because of the character he
plays in the film.
Based on David Mitchell's 2004 novel of the same name, the film
will see Grant as Alber to Grimaldi.
"I don't remember the last time I was moved by a character so
much. The make-up was applied to our faces for hours so we literally lived into those characters. It gave me lot of sleepless nights
after the shoot," the 52-year-old said in a statement.
The film is set to release in India in October and is co-directed by
Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowsk.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
MidWeek
cricket
Kevin Pietersen asks
ECB to probe against
Swann and Anderson
NEW DELHI: Even out in the
cold and denied a central
contract, Kevin Pietersen seems
in no mood to relent. According
to a website, Pietersen has
named ex-England teammates
Graeme Swann and James
Anderson as the principal
figures behind the controversial
parody twitter account called 'KP
Genius', which played a major
role in fomenting trouble in the
England dressing room and led
to KP's eventual ouster from the
team.
Pietersen is now insisting that
the England and Wales Cricket
board ( ECB) carry out an
investigation into Swann and
Anderson's roles in "feeding
information" to the parody
account. The move follows a
failed meeting with England
coach Andy Flower a week ago
and comes days ahead of the
squad selection for the tour to
India.
Pietersen feels the contents of
private conversations between
him, Anderson and Swann were
referenced in various tweets from
the fake account, the website
reported. After it was closed
down, a so-called cricket fan
called Richard Bailey, who is
close to England's T20 captain
Stuart Broad, had claimed
ownership of the 'KP Genius'
account. Broad has been quick
to deny any involvement in the
tweets from that account, which
mocked Pietersen's love for
money, IPL and India and his
apparently egocentric behaviour
around teammates. "Pietersen
remains convinced that other
England players were involved
and he has made his feelings
clear," the website reported. "If
he is to reach what he views as a
fair compromise with his
reputation intact and with an
admission of faults on both sides
then it seems that he is not
prepared to let this matter rest."
The report added: "Pietersen
feels he has been the victim of
double standards from the board
after being disciplined for
sending private messages to
members of the South Africa team
that contained derogatory
comments about recently retired
Test captain Andrew Strauss."
KUMAR SANGAKKARA NAMED TEST
CRICKETER OF THE YEAR 2012
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's Kumar
Sangakkara has been named the
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year
2012 at the LG ICC Awards.
During the performance
period, he played 14 Tests and
in 27 innings, he compiled 1,444
runs at an average of 60.16,
including five centuries and five
half-centuries. His highest score
of 211 came against Pakistan in
Abu Dhabi in October 2011,
while he also scored 199 not out
against the same side on home
soil in Galle.
The independent voting
academy
of
32
highly
credentialed cricket experts put
Sangakkara first, ahead of an
impressive group of players that
had been short-listed, including
Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander
and Australia captain, Michael
Clarke.
Sangakkara received the
award from Test batting legend
Brian Lara and was thrilled to be
accepting the award in front of
his home crowd in Colombo and
said: "I'm continuing to ensure I
am consistent and I need to keep
raising the bar each year and
keep trying harder and harder to
ensure I keep playing good Test
cricket. It's a constant battle but
I have the support of a great
team that helps me to do the best
I can.
"I think I continue to learn
from the youngsters in the team
and will continue to grow as a
player hopefully and it's a great
honour to receive this award this
evening."
Based on the period
between 4 August 2011 and 6
August 2012, the LG ICC Awards
2012 take into account
performances by players and
officials in a remarkable period
for the game.
For all the individual awards
(with the exceptions of the Spirit
of Cricket Award and the Umpire
of the Year), a long-list compiled
by the selection panel was
forwarded to a 32-person Voting
Academy made up of former
players, respected members of
the media, an elite umpire and an
elite match referee. They voted
on a three, two, one basis (with
three being the highest value)
and the winners emerged.
That period includes such
high-profile events as the ICC
World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012
held in the UAE, the ICC
Women's World Cup Qualifier in
Bangladesh in 2011, various
rounds
of
the
ICC
Intercontinental Cup, as well as
numerous Pepsi ICC World
Cricket
League
and
Championship fixtures, plus
several bilateral Test and ODI
series.
The LG ICC Awards
ceremony is now in its ninth year
and this year it will be held in
Colombo, Sri Lanka. Previous
ceremonies were held in London
(2004 and 2011), Sydney (2005),
Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg
(2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008)
and Bengaluru (2010).
De Villiers predicts open ICC World Twenty20
COLOMBO: South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes there are a
number of potential winners of the upcoming ICC World Twenty20.
Speaking to the world's media in Colombo on Saturday, De Villiers
said: "There are lots of favourites and lots of really good teams. As
we all know, Twenty20 cricket takes one or two overs to turn a game
around. I think all the teams stand a really good chance, but I do rate
our chances of doing well at this tournament.
"We have worked really hard and we have come in with fresh minds
and a lot of hunger to succeed," he added.
South Africa enter the ICC World T20 on the back of a successful tour
of England. The Proteas ended with a rain-affected drawn T20I series,
which the batsman-wicketkeeper believes provided useful preparation,
particularly as there is the potential for the weather to affect some of
the games in Sri Lanka.
"The conditions are going to be very different and it has always been
on our mind properly for this event. The conditions weren't ideal (in
England), except for the last game, which is close to what we are
expecting here where the wicket was quite slow and it turned a lot,"
said De Villiers.
"It was really nice to have the opportunity to adapt under pressure as
I think we could find ourselves in a similar situation in Sri Lanka.
"Twenty20 games are very fast-paced and you need to adapt and
think on your feet and I think our tour of England had exactly that,"
De Villiers concluded.
21
BANGLADESH AND
AFGHANISTAN WIN
WARM-UPS
B
angladesh and Afghanistan put up solid per formances
against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka A respectively in the
second day of warm-up matches ahead of the ICC World
Twenty20 in Colombo.
Coming off the back of a demoralising loss to Ireland in their
opening warm-up fixture, Zimbabwe put up a better show against
Bangladesh, but it wasn't enough to give them a much-needed
win. Put in to bat, Zimbabwe were tied down by Shakib Al Hassan
and Abdur Razzak, who returned combined figures of 3-37 from
eight parsimonious overs, with Shakib taking one wicket and
Razzak two. Zimbabwe's top-order was steered by Vusi Sibanda,
but though Sibanda made 40, he took up 47 balls while doing so,
and the innings didn't get the momentum it required.
It was only some late hitting by
Craig Ervine, who smashed two
sixes and a four in seven balls, that
enabled Zimbabwe to post a reasonable 134-6. Elton Chigumbura also
contributed with a six towards the
closing overs, but most of the other
batsmen found the Bangladesh
bowlers tough to get away.
Bangladesh began their reply in
style, with Shakib putting on a halfcentury stand with Mohammad
Ashraful for the second wicket. Ashraful, who had been sent in
as an opener, shrugged off the early loss of Tamim Iqbal to make
38 off 25 balls, while Shakib contributed 28 off 17.
Both fell when set, inducing a few wobbles in the Bangladesh
camp as it slid from 63-1 to 85-5 in the space of 22 balls. Graeme
Cremer, the leg-spinner, was par ticularly effective for Zimbabwe. He accounted for Ashraful and returned 2-10 in four overs.
However, a good half-century stand between Mahmudullah and
Ziaur Rahman saw Bangladesh through by five wickets with 10
balls to spare. Ziaur ended unbeaten on 26 off 20.
In the other match, Afghanistan gave a very strong account of
themselves, scoring 209-7 in their 20 overs, after being put into
bat. Mohammad Shahzad, the opening batsman, scored a 25ball 48 with three sixes and six boundaries to give the team a
solid star t, while Asghar Stanikzai (50 from 39 balls) and
Mohammad Nabi (51 from 24 balls) provided the impetus in the
middle and end overs.
Considering that the Sri Lanka A bowling attack had prominent
players like Nuwan Pradeep, the medium pacer, as well as
Sachithra Senanayeke, Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Jehan
Mubarak, the spinners, it was a commendable performance.
The reply by Sri Lanka A was positive, but the weight of 209 runs
was a bit too much for them. Kosala Kulasekara scored a 38-ball
63, but with all the five Afghan bowlers on view - Shapoor Zadran,
Dawlat Zadran, Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari and Nasim Baras among the wickets, Afghanistan were always on top. Dawlat
was the best of the lot, returning figures of 3-22.
Sri Lanka A were eventually bowled out for 158 in 18.2 overs,
giving the Afghans a 51-run win.
AUSTRALIA THRASH
NEW ZEALAND
A spectacular batting implosion by New Zealand against
Australia's bowlers saw it crash to a massive 56-run defeat in
what was the first warm-up fixture for both teams ahead of the
ICC World Twenty20.
The early blows for Australia were struck by the pacemen with
Brad Hogg then taking 3-23 to help bowl New Zealand out for 83.
The New Zealand batsmen haven't been convincing against spinners or pacers of late, and the latest outing wouldn't have given
them any reassurance.
Only Ross Taylor (22), Doug Bracewell (10) and Kane Williamson
(17) reached double figures for New Zealand, who got off to a
nightmare star t, being reduced to 8-3 in the third over after Australia had made 139-6.
Each of Shane Watson, Clint McKay and Pat Cummins struck in
the first three overs as New Zealand never recovered from its
poor star t.
Earlier, Australia's innings progressed in fits and star ts after it
was put in to bat, with David Warner providing the early fireworks. Warner hit 24 off 14 balls but after his depar ture the runrate slowed with Daniel Vettori, Adam Milne and Nathan
McCullum controlling the middle-overs well for New Zealand.
A late flourish by Glenn Maxwell (24), Matthew Wade (25 not
out) and Daniel Christian (11 not out from three balls) saw 42
runs scored in the final four overs, which eventually proved too
much for New Zealand.
22
MidWeek
cricket
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
BROAD ADAMANT ENGLAND CAN
SUCCEED WITHOUT PIETERSEN
COLOMBO: England captain
Stuart Broad may have thought
travelling to Sri Lanka for the ICC
World Twenty20 would offer
respite from the Kevin Pietersen
saga but it dominated his first
news conference.
Pietersen has been frozen out of
the England set-up since allegedly
sending "provocative" text
messages about his own teammates to players in the South
Africa side last month. Even at a
distance of 9,000 km from home the
controversy surrounding the 32year-old batsman continues to
stalk Broad and his players as they
prepare to defend their world title.
The England skipper was
bombarded with the words "Kevin
Pietersen" as he faced his first
questions from the media on
Friday and the topic is unlikely to
go away anytime soon. Broad tried
to bat away the issue
diplomatically, reminding reporters
that England had started planning
Brian Lara who was inducted
into the ICC's Hall of Fame at
the awards ceremony in Colombo on Friday evening, dedicated the honour to his late father Bunty Lara, who died before his son played a Test.
"This person you see today before you accepting this Hall of
Fame honour is someone he
[Bunty Lara] moulded. He ensured that I had everything I
needed to succeed as a cricketer and in life, even in trying
times," Lara said. "He made a
special effor t to make sure everything was there.
"I had to work hard ... but I
knew I had strong suppor t. My
biggest pain was that he did
not see me play a Test match,
but having the West Indies
team in Trinidad at his funeral
was a special tribute to the
man who made sure I was
given the tools to play this glorious game and make such a
lasting contribution."
Deccan Chargers-BCCI hearing now on Sept 24
ICC Test Ranking
Team
Matches
Points
Rating
South Africa
England
Australia
Pakistan
India
Sri Lanka
West Indies
New Zealand
Bangladesh
25
36
34
29
32
29
28
24
12
3002
4195
3952
3148
3394
2834
2509
1832
0
120
117
116
109
106
98
90
76
0
T
he litigation hearing between the BCCI and the now defunct
Deccan Chargers is deferred to September 24, with the
franchise counsel having requested for more time to go through
the affidavit to prepare for the hearing. The Bombay high court has
also asked the BCCI to not issue new tenders for the franchise till
September 24. The board terminated the Deccan Chargers franchise on
Friday, dashing the hopes of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team to
somehow stay afloat despite the financial mess it finds itself in.
The strong decision by the IPL bosses was also based on the board's
confidence that since the Deccan Chargers had committed a major violation
of rules, the team would not be able to use any 'legal loophole'. The board
official was referring to the legal tangle IPL got into with the Rajasthan
Royal and Kings XI Punjab two seasons back. "Deccan Chronicle
Holdings Ltd has clearly admitted its inability to cure its breaches within
ICC ODI Ranking
Team
Matches
Points
Rating
England
South Africa
India
Australia
Sri Lanka
Pakistan
West Indies
New Zealand
Bangladesh
Zimbabwe
Ireland
Netherlands
Kenya
25
18
30
28
32
28
20
17
16
14
6
4
4
3016
2170
3598
3164
3470
2907
1879
1258
1134
700
207
63
45
121
121
120
113
108
104
94
74
71
50
35
16
11
ICC T20 Ranking
Team
Matches
QFY Points
Matches
Rating
South Africa
England
Sri Lanka
West Indies
New Zealand
Pakistan
India
Bangladesh
Australia
Ireland
Zimbabwe
7
8
5
6
8
12
6
5
9
7
5
12
14
8
10
13
20
9
8
14
11
8
137
123
119
111
109
108
101
95
94
88
47
956
984
593
663
869
1299
604
476
847
615
234
for life after Pietersen several
months ago. The South Africanborn batsman had announced
his retirement from limited-overs
cricket earlier this year before
making himself available again in
August. "I think it was the second
of June when KP (Kevin Pietersen)
retired from the one-day and
Twenty20 format so we have had
a bit of time to plan without him,"
Broad said of the player who was
named 'man of the tournament'
when they won the ICC World
Twenty20 two years ago. "We've
been planning for a while, and the
15 guys who are here are really
excited to be here and have the
opportunity to represent England
in a 'World Cup'. "That's what you
want, and it's an extremely proud
moment to lead those guys on to
the field of play." England begin
their title defence in Colombo
with Group C games against
Afghanistan on September 21
and India two days later.
Lara dedicates
Hall of Fame
honour to father
the time stipulated in the BCCI notice despite every bit of
assistance from the BCCI. Since the month of May, BCCI has
received repeated assurances that the overdue player fees would
be paid; all of these promises have been unfulfilled," Board
secretary Sanjay Jagdale said on Saturday. Jagdale said the
BCCI made every effort to save the beleaguered franchise which
also rejected the sole bid that was received at the auction.
"Despite the Bombay high court appointing a court officer to
act as Observer at the opening of the tender, which was
conducted under the aegis of the BCCI to save the beleaguered
franchise, Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd rejected the bid that
was received in the amount of Rs. 450 crores cash and an equal
sum in convertible debentures. This was despite the bidder
meeting the eligibility criteria of the BCCI," Jagdale said in the
release. Jagdale said The
Governing Council took note
of the sudden change of stance
by the franchise and also the
fact that any further extension
of time would seriously
prejudice the interests of the
players. "Considering the
stated position of the Deccan
franchise to refuse to rectify the
various defaults including
payments to players, foreign
Boards etc, as also the
deleterious effect such
conduct would have on the
reputation of the IPL and the
franchise itself, a decision
was taken to forthwith
terminate the Deccan
Chargers franchise".
England hold on for narrow....
(Contd. from page 23)
Victory gave England, the defending champions, immediate
impetus and left Australia, whose T20 ranking briefly fell
below Ireland's earlier this month, still searching for a
solution. England's top six did not include a single player
who could be regarded as a regular in the Test side - Kevin
Pietersen, who in different circumstances might have
claimed that, is only in Sri Lanka for a commentary stint for ESPN
Star Sports- but they skipped to 172 for 6 in their 20 overs with Alex
Hales (52 off 38) and Luke Wright (35 off 29) both prominent. Hales,
the chief beneficiary of Pietersen's absence, is one of several young
England players without much of a grounding on the subcontinent
but his half-century took England to 110 for 3 with 34 balls left
before becoming one of two victims for Brad Hogg, at 41 the oldest
player in the tournament. He
might have been run out on
three, had David Warner hit
direct from point and also offered
two half-chances to the
wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, an
edge off Dan Christian, and a
tough stumping off Brad Hogg
on 34. Shane Watson, Australia's
allrounder, saw enough in Hales'
performance to believe that
England have a chance to mask
Pietersen's absence without too
much damage. "Kevin Pietersen
is an amazingly talented
batsman," he said.
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
MidWeek
sports
23
Good experiment for working out England hold on
for
narrow
win
right combination: MS Dhoni
COLOMBO/BUREAU NEWS :
Despite suffering a five-wicket
loss to Pakistan in the World T20
warm-up match on Monday,
Indian captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni was not complaining, and
said that his side got the chance
to test which combination would
be the right one for the
tournament proper, starting from
Tuesday . "It was a good test for
the main tournament and it was
a good game.
We could test which
combination would be the best
for the tournament," Dhoni said
after his side lost the practice
match at the R Premadasa
Stadium. "We bowled well in the
last few overs though I felt we
gave too many runs with the new
ball by our fast bowlers. But
apart from that it was a good
game for all of us," he added.
India had beaten Sri Lanka
in an earlier warm-up match after
the two practice games, and
Dhoni indicated that his side
would stick to the sevenbatsmen-four-bowler
combination in the tournament.
"It`s a difficult choice
whether to pick an extra bowler
(fifth bowler) and drop a
batsman. I have batsmen who
can be used as part-timers and
we are a side that is comfortable
playing seven batsmen," said
Dhoni. Dhoni was happy with
the form of Rohit Sharma who has
done well in the two warm-up
matches.
"Rohit has been doing well.
Lots of people think that T20 is
very short game but I feel that at
times you can use up some balls
to settle down. Rohit did just
that, he took some time to settle
down and later went after the
bowlers. "He (Rohit) is a talented
player. It`s good for the team as
he can also bowl a bit with his
off-spin," he said.
Pakistan
captain
Mohammad Hafeez said that
Monday’s win would give his
side a morale booster for the
main tournament.
"The way the boys
approached the chase was very
positive. We knew if India could
post that total, we could get it if
we worked hard. Kamran Akmal
was exceptional," said Hafeez.
"We won the series against
Australia in the UAE before
coming here. Now we have
beaten India in practice match,
this will give us the momentum
and boost in the tournament
proper," he said.
Hafeez also praised Shoaib
Malik for his performance and
supporting Akmal in the chase.
England 172 for 6 (Hales 52, Wright 35, Morgan 30,
Starc 2-32, Hogg 2-39) beat Australia 163 for 6 (M
Hussey 71, Watson 37, Finn 2-26) by nine runs
ALEX HALES MADE 53
OFF 38 BALLS TO SET
UP ENGLAND'S INNINGS
England's recent five-match
ODI series against Australia
was generally condemned as
so inconsequential that it is
quite possible to argue that this
warm-up match between the
Ashes rivals ahead of World
Twenty20 had considerably
more significance.
It fell England's way, by nine
runs, an edgy win only for as
long as Mike Hussey remained
at the crease for Australia.
(Contd. on page 22)
ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2012 TWELVE TEAM SQUADS
Bangladesh Cricket Team Squads
for ICC T20 World Cup 2012
Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Abdur
Razzak, Abul Hasan, Elias Sunny,
Farhad Raza, Jahurul Islam,
Junaid Siddique, Mahmudullah,
Mashrafe Mor taza, Mohammad
Ashraful, Nasir Hossain, Shafiul
Islam, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Tamim
Iqbal, Zia-ur-Rahman
ICC T20 World Cup 2012
William Por ter field (c), Alex
Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent
Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce,
Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall
O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Max
Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuar t
Thompson, Andrew White, Gary
Wilson.
N e w Z e a l a n d C r i c k e t Te a m
Squads for ICC T20 World Cup
2012
Ross Taylor (c), Doug Bracewell,
James Franklin, Mar tin Guptill,
Ronnie Hira, Brendon McCullum,
Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills,
Adam Milne, Rob Nicol, Jacob
Oram, Tim Southee, Daniel
Vettori, BJ Watling, Kane
Williamson.
Afghanistan Cricket Team Squads
for ICC T20 World Cup 2012
Nawroz M a n g a l ( c ) , D a w l a t
Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid
Hassan, Izzatullah Dawlatzai,
Karim Sadeq, Mohammad
Jawed Ahmadi, Mohd Nasim
Baras, Mohammad Nabi,
Mohammad
Shahzad,
Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai,
Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah
Shinwari, Shafiqullah Shafaq,
Shapur Zadran.
Australia Cricket Team Squads
for ICC T20 World Cup 2012
George Bailey (c), Daniel Christian, Pat Cummins, Xavier
Doher ty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad
Hogg, David Hussey, Michael
Hussey, Glenn Maxwell, Clint
McKay, Mitchell Starc, Matthew
Wade, David War ner, Shane
Watson, Cameron White.
England Cricket Team Squads for
ICC T20 World Cup 2012
ICC WORLD CUP TWENTY20, 2012 WILL BE THE 4TH WORLD CUP T20 COMPETITION BETWEEN
12 COUNTRIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL (ICC) CONFIRMED THE SQUADS OF
THE 12 PARTICIPATING TEAMS FOR THE ICC WORLD TWENTY20 WHICH GETS UNDERWAY IN
SRILANKA SEPTEMBER 18 TO OCTOBER 7, 2012. THE SQUADS WERE SELECTED AND ANNOUNCED BY THEIR TEAM’S RESPECTIVE CRICKET GOVERNING BODIES AND CRICKET BOARDS.
Stuart Broad (c), Jonny Bairstow,
Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny
Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade
Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex
Hales, Craig Kieswetter, Michael
Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel,
Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.
India Cricket Team Squads for
ICC T20 World Cup 2012
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c),
Ravichandran
Ashwin,
Lakshmipathi Balaji, Piyush
Chawla, Ashoke Dinda, Gautam
Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh,
Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Ir fan
Pathan, Suresh Raina, Virender
Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Manoj
Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh.
Ireland Cricket Team Squads for
Pakistan Cricket Team Squads
for ICC T20 World Cup 2012
Mohammad Hafeez (c), Abdul
Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Imran Nazir,
Kamran Akmal, Mohammad
Sami, Nasir Jamshed, Raza
Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid
Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sohail
Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul,
Yasir Arafat.
South Africa Cricket Team Squads
for ICC T20 World Cup 2012
AB de Villiers (c), Hashim Amla,
Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha,
Jean-Paul Duminy, Faf du Plessis,
Jacques Kallis, Richard Levi, Albie
Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin
Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin
Pietersen, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo
Tsotsobe.
Sri Lanka Cricket Team Squads
for ICC T20 World Cup 2012
Mahela Jayawardena (c), Dinesh
Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan,
Akila Dananjaya, Shaminda
Eranga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan
Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo
Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Jeewan
Mendis, Dilshan Munaweera,
Thisara Perera, Kumar Sangakkara,
Lahiru Thirimanna.
West Indies Cricket Team Squads
for ICC T20 World Cup 2012
Darren Sammy (c), Dwayne Bravo,
Samuel Badree, Darren Bravo,
Johnson Charles, Fidel Edwards, Chris
Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard,
Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre
Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl
Simmons, Dwayne Smith.
Zimbabwe Cricket Team Squads for
ICC T20 World Cup 2012
Brendan Taylor (c), Elton Chigumbura,
Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Kyle
Jarvis, Hamilton Masakadza,
Stuar t Matsikenyeri, Chris Mpofu,
Forster Mutizwa, Richard
Muzhange, Ray Price, Vusi
Sibanda, Prosper Utseya, Brian
Vitori, Malcolm Waller.
24
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
R U N N I N G S U C C E S S F U L LY