MidWeek 1 - SouthAsianDaily.com
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MidWeek 1 - SouthAsianDaily.com
MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 Midweek Sher-E-Punjab Award given to Harbhajan Singh 1 S T O RY B E H I N D T H E HEADLINES IN MIDDLE EAST Israel and Saudi Arabia want US to strike Syria 'HEAD OF THE SNAKE' DETAILS ON PAGE 3 & 4 6th annual Midweek South Asian Awards curtain raiser a success EGYPTIAN LESSONS DISCREET DIPLOMACY MILITANT THREAT RAJYA SABHA GIVES THUMBS UP TO FOOD SECURITY BILL A fter a 10-hour long debate the RajyaSabha gave its affirmation to Food Security Bill that now awaits presidential assent to become the law providing subsidized food grains to country's two third of population. Should the bill become law, it will benefit 1.2 billion people by providing cheap grains in India with government support of Rs. 1,30,000 making it world's largest food programme. It will cover 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban population in the country reported Business Standard. The opposition claimed the bill is a remake of existing schemes and "gimmick" with an eye on elections reported Times of India. The opposition called it a "half-hearted" attempt by the government due to the shortcomings which they claimed would be rectified once they come to power reported Times of India. "It is a half-hearted move by the government...They had made the promise in 2009 and it took them four and a half years to fulfil it. This is a clear example of their intention. Elections are around that is why they have brought this Bill at this time," said BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu. "We supported the Bill and gave certain amendments to bring improvements in it as it suffered from some lacunas. But the government did not accept our amendments. When we will win election and come to power, we will try to make improvements in the Bill," he said as reported by Times of India. While food minister K V Thomas said the shortcomings will ! - BY YUDHVIR JASWAL, GROUP EDITOR - YMEDIA DETAILS ON PAGE 8 HERMINDER BHANDAL MURDER (BRAMPTON) 5 ARRESTED be rectified. "…Not saying it is 100 per cent perfect (scheme)" but it was the "first step," he said reported Times of India. "Nothing is perfect," he said. The bill guarantees 5 kilograms of rice at Rs 3, wheat at Rs 2 and coarse cereals at Rs 1 per person every month reported the Times of India. The bill was passed in favour of the Congress-led UPA confirmed reports despite of opposition parties such as Trinamool Congress found faults with several steps. I WILL NOT KISS AJAY DEVGAN: KAREENA ‘ KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN (AS SHE'S OFFICIALLY CALLED NOW) HAS NEVER BEEN ONE TO SHY AWAY. FROM FLAUNTING A HOT BIKINI BODY IN TASHAN TO LOCKING LIPS WITH AAMIR IN 3 IDIOTS, BEBO IS AS BOLD AS AN ACTRESS CAN BE. H owever, there were rumours afloat recently that Bebo and husband Saif would not lock lips with any of their co stars on screen, post their marriage. It is further learnt that Bebo allegedly refused to kiss Ajay Devgn in Satyagraha because she has a certain respect and identity to maintain as the daughter in law of the Pataudi family. DETAILS ON PAGE 5 Five people are facing first-degree murder charges in connection with the discovery of a body in a burned-out car in a central Ontario community. Police have not released the names, nor the details surrounding the death. The investigation continues. "Further information will be released as it becomes available." On Sunday August 25, 2013 at approximately 6:15 am, Officers from the Nottawasaga Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with members of the Essa Township Fire Depar tment responded to a repor t of a car on fire in the area of Scotch Line and County Road 21. The male located in the vehicle is now considered to be a victim of homicide and has been identified as 39-year-old Herminder BHANDAL of Brampton, Ontario. The joint investigation is being conducted by members of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), under the direction of Detective Inspector Colleen McCormick and the Peel Regional Police Homicide Unit. This investigation is ongoing at this time and further information will be released as it becomes available. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the OPP at 705-4341939 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). You can submit your information online at www.crimestopperssdm.com if you have any information on this crime or any other crime. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and you will remain anonymous. Being anonymous, you will not testify in cour t and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.00 SOURCE Ontario Provincial Police CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON 2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 special report MidWeek 3 4 MidWeek special report MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek breaking news ASARAM BAPU OF I don't think at this stage I need to do that: Sachin on retirement CONTROVERSIES H is brush with trouble first started in 2008 after the deaths of two 10-year-old cousins, Abhishek and Dipesh Vaghela, at his Motera ashram in Gujarat. A charge sheet has been filed against him in the case. Asaram Bapu, arrested by Rajasthan Police on charges of sexual assault, is not new to controversies. The spiritual guru, who started preaching in Gujarat in the late 1960s and today owns 200 ashrams across the country, has earlier been involved in criminal cases. Asaram, 72, is in police custody in Jodhpur over allegations of sexual assault levelled against him by a minor girl. Contd. on Page 11 Israel fires test missile in Mediterranean Sea A Turkish anti-aircraft battery is seen near Cilvegozu, Turkey on Tuesday. Facing roadblocks at home and abroad, U. S. President Barack Obama this week plans to urge reluctant world leaders to back an Americanled strike against Syria. On Tuesday, Russia said two ballistic missiles were fired towards the eastern Mediterranean. Israel said it has carried out a missile test in the Mediterranean Sea. The Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that a single missile was fired. It had no other details. Russian state-owned news agencies earlier said Russian radar systems had detected two “ballistic objects” fired from the central Mediterranean toward the eastern part of the sea. The United States, which has 5 warships in the Mediterranean, is considering strikes against Syria for an August 21 alleged chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb. As speculation is rife that Sachin Tendulkar may quit the game after playing his 200th Test, the senior India batsman today said he was in no rush to announce his retirement from international cricket. "I don't think at this stage I need to do that," said Tendulkar when asked about his retirement. "Where is the rush," he fur ther added in an interview to a TV channel. "I have this formula, don't jump forward, this is how I have approached my career." As BCCI arranged a home Test series against the West Indies before the South Africa tour, it raised speculations that it has been done to give Tendulkar a chance to reach the milestone at home and give him a grand farewell. In an incredible 24-year international career, Tendulkar became the highest run getter (15837 runs at an average of 53.86) with a record 51 centuries in world cricket. He had announced his retirement from ODIs late last year, having played 463 games, amassing a record 18,426 runs, including 49 centuries at an average of 44.83. One of the finest exponents of the game, Tendulkar is revered by billions of fans as "God of cricket" but the Mumbaikar said he is just a cricketer who "make mistakes" unlike the almighty. "Mein Bhagwan nahi hoon, I just play cricket, ooper wale ki blessings hain, ab tak jo bhi meri life mein aaya uska shukriya. We all make mistakes, agar mein mistakes na karta toh kabhi out hi nahi hota. I just play my game," Tendulkar said. Asked how he prepares ahead of a match, Tendulkar said, "I prepare a bit before my match, in general life mental preparation is required." Asked how he managed to hold people's trust for so long, when the game is mired in so many controversies, Tendulkar said he has kept his life simple. "Since my school, we had simple celebrations, whenever I achieved anything, Mithai was offered to God, my brother always said let people talk about the match and you move forward. I have a balanced lifestyle," he said. Tendulkar went through a tough phase when his father Ramesh suddenly passed away in 1999 when he was playing in the World Cup in England. But Tendulkar hardly got any time to mourn the loss as he flew back and cracked 140 against Kenya to inspire India to a victory, just three days later. "I do miss my father, I lost my father in 1999, it's been long time now, so many things have happened since then and I miss him. But I have some wonderful moments and I cherish. There are times when I rewind, I remember him but some things can't be changed," he said. Asked about his dream car, Tendulkar said, "When I was young my dream car was a Maruti 800 at that time." I WILL NOT KISS AJAY DEVGAN: KAREENA Contd. from Page 1 Kareena and Ajay had a few intimate scenes in Omkara but that was before Bebo tied the knot with Saif Ali Khan. Repor tedly, Prakash Jha wanted a kissing scene between Ajay and Kareena in Satyagraha but Bebo refused as she's said to be very fond of her mother in law Sharmila, and does not want to hur t her feelings in any way. 6 MidWeek community Public schools of New York may observe Diwali AMRITSAR: New York City Council has introduced a resolution calling upon the city's depar tment of education to establish Diwali as an official holiday for public school students, informed Rajan Zed, US-based president of Universal Society of Hinduism. Talking to TOI over phone from Nevada on Saturday, Rajan applauded the move. He said awareness about other religions created by such holidays would make the New York City public school pupils well-nur tured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens. Zed said his organization has also issued an appeal to all school districts across US to declare Diwali as school holiday. He said, "Since it was impor tant for Hindu families to celebrate Diwali together at home, we did not want our children to be deprived of any privileges at the school because of it resulting into their being marked absent. Closing schools on Diwali would ensure that all Hindu children celebrate the festival with their families," he said. ONTARIO PROVINCE WILL ALLOW USE OF TASERS BY POLICE Ontario Province will allow police officers top have access to Tasers provided the agencies chose to provide them, a decision that is being welcomed by Ottawa police reports confirmed. The decision was announced by Ontario Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur a month after controversial death of Sammy Yatim on a streetcar after being shot multiple times by a police officer. "This is the right decision to make and will increase community safety by 18-year-old Sammy Yatim who died on a streetcar a few weeks ago after being shot multiple times by a police officer as seen in amateur videos online Cour tesy: Facebook preventing injury and death," said Meilleur reported CBC News. "The [conductive energy weapons], more commonly known as tasers, have been in use in Ottawa for several years and are currently issued to all front-line supervisors on patrol and the OPS tactical unit," Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau has said in in a media release. Before the decision made, Ontario province had given access to use of stun guns to a few selected officers reported CBC News. CP24 reported the announcement by Meilleur was scheduled to be made in June, before the death of Yatim however it was postponed. Police services in the province will be responsible to pay for Tasers and will make the ultimate decision as to which officers to receive them. Cost of a new Taser is about $1500 reported CP24. Canadian Civil Liberties Association showed skepticism to the announcement reported CBC News. CCLA believes expanding use of Tasers isn't the way to go, the police should instead be trained on techniques to better deal with emotionally disturbed people. MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 NDP LEADER TOM MULCAIR BLASTS CONSERVATIVE SARI AND SPICE TAX The Conservatives' tax hikes on saris and spices hur t South Asian small businesses and consumers BRAMPTON - The NDP is calling on Stephen Harper to explain his plan to increase tariffs on thousands of impor ts from India, including a tax on saris and essential cooking spices. Speaking to a roundtable in Brampton, Tom Mulcair said the NDP opposes the Conservative hikes on impor t taxes affecting saris and spices, citing his concern that it would hur t consumers and South Asian businesses, including clothing retailers, grocers, and restaurants. "Stephen Harper has his priorities all wrong. With more than $90 million being wasted on the scandal-plagued Senate every year, the Conservatives are busy waging war on butter chicken," said Mr. Mulcair. While wasting tens of millions on an unelected, unaccountable and under-investigation Senate, the Conservatives increased tariffs on goods from India and 71 other countries. The increases will cost Canadian impor ters and consumers $330 million annually. The tariffs on impor ts from India will include a 6% tax on saris and 3% on ground spices including tumeric, fennel, coriander and many others that are an essential par t of South Asian cuisine. "South Asians living in Canada, whether they own small businesses or plan to eat a home cooked meal, will feel the direct effects of Harper's unfair tax hikes on saris and spices. It is simply unacceptable," said Mr. Mulcair. After speaking at a local restaurant, Mulcair toured the kitchen facilities where the manager and executive chef highlighted the importance of the taxed spices to South Asian cuisine and the impact that it will have on small business owners and consumers. INDIANS HAVE 30% WEAKER LUNGS THAN EUROPEANS: STUDY NEW DELHI: In another proof that worsening air quality in Indian cities is affecting people's health, a study has found that Indians have 30% lower lung function as compared to Europeans. Things could get worse if immediate steps are not taken to curb vehicular emission, doctors warned. The study was conducted on 10,000 healthy, non-smoking individuals in Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Kashmir. "We measured the Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ( PEFR), the rate at which a person exhales, to assess lung function. Nor th Indians fared slightly better than South Indians but overall the results were appalling - we found that lung function in Indians was 30% lower than Europeans," said Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of Pune-based Chest Research Foundation, who led the study. Similar results were seen in an international study on lung function in 17 countries, including India, by Canadian researchers. Indians were found to have the worst lungs in the study which measured the volume of air exhaled one second after a forceful exhalation. The test is called forced expiratory volume (FEV). Salvi said the main reason for worsening lung health of India was air pollution. "The number of motor vehicles, a major contributor to air pollution, in India has gone up from 37.2 million in 1997 to 100 million in 2012. In 1951, there were just 0.3 million motor vehicles," he said. "Even cars and buses running on CNG, which is touted as a green fuel, release ultra fine par ticles (less than 10 microns in diameter). These can enter directly into the lungs and other organs and probably causes more harm," Salvi said. MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek community INDIAN WOMAN FLEES WITH MILLIONS A n Indian woman fled with USD 10 million in Oman after giving a blow to investors confirmed reports. The woman showed phony documents and claimed investments in various projects the Times of Oman reported. "She lured us into the trap. She even produced forged papers claiming she was responsible for executing many projects. She wanted money and offered us interest. Trusting her, we gave her money after taking cheques," said an investor, who has lost 350,000 rials. "She used to pay us interest in the beginning but after a few months she defaulted on payments. When we tried to enquire about her antecedents, she had already vanished," he said. Times of Oman reported that according to alleged victims the woman is "enjoying her life" in Mangalore, in the southern part of India. "She used to visit the church and school meetings regularly to widen her network. By visiting these places regularly, she gained our confidence. We never thought that she will run away with our hard earned money," the investor's wife said. "In one case, the court has given a verdict in our favour. We are now planning to file more cases. We want the authorities to nab her, retrieve our money and send her behind the bars," the investor added. Another investor who lost 78,000 rials is looking into seeking help of Interpol through the local police reported Times of Oman. "We have moved the court. We are planning to file more cases.We are also talking with our lawyers for options to seeking Interpol's help as she has left Oman." "She was taking money from anyone willing to invest. Whether the amount was big or small did not bother her. After the details of the fraud emerged, we realised that she had plans to run away after cheating us," the victims added. Indiaspora: White House fellowship is a magnet for Indian-origin doctors WASHINGTON: Do you know how the Indian Prime Minister's Office or Rashtrapati Bhavan works? Chances are if you are an ordinary Indian who doesn't belong to the elite services or have a family connection, you wouldn't get within sniffing distance of these high places, particularly if you are young. In 1964, the then US president Lyndon Johnson created the White House fellows program, aimed at giving exceptional young American men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. Selected individuals typically spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House staff â•” including the engaging the president himself â•” cabinet secretaries and other top-ranking government officials. BRAMPTON TRANSIT LAUNCHES NEW SEPTEMBER SERVICES Effective September 3, Brampton Transit will introduce its September service improvements, which include extending many routes plus introducing a new route in the Financial Drive area. "Throughout the year, we are continuously reviewing our service to ensure we are meeting riders' needs," says Sue Connor, Acting Commissioner of Works and Transpor tation. "The changes and improvements we make to existing routes are to better serve our riders and ensure our service is working efficiently." This September, riders will find these notable changes and additions: " 501 ZUM and 502 ZÜM Main Street will have additional weekday peak-period and mid-day trips " 11 Steeles - weekday afternoon and evening frequency increased to every 8 minutes " 35 Clarkway - route extended to Airpor t Road via the new Gore Meadows Community Centre and Library, plus weekday mid-day and Saturday service added " 56 Springbrook - extended to downtown via Queen Street, plus weekday mid-day service added " 58 Financial - new route to service growth areas and provide connections into nor thwest Mississauga Additional mid-day, peak and early evening trips provided on a number of ar terial routes For a complete route-by-route list of improvements, visit www.bramptontransit.com or pick up a Read & Ride brochure at any Brampton Transit terminal. Beginning the week of August 26, Brampton Transit staff will be onsite at key terminals to assist riders. ONTARIO BASED ARTIST PRITACHHABRA RELEASED "AAJA" Ford and Wynne join the pot club Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted to have smoked marijuana after questions were asked by reporters last week. The ongoing marijuana controversy in the country was started by Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau when he spoke about legalising marijuana and also admitted to have smoked it in the past. Wynne agreed to have smoking pot several years ago, "very, very infrequently and certainly not since my children were born. And my eldest is 33, so I'm thinking 35 years (ago)," she told reporters. Ford smiled when the question popped up and said, "I've smoked a lot of it." He did not answer as to when was the last time he had smoked reported the Star. Trudeau had admitted to have views on legalising the drug as Trudeau has proposed in the past weeks, to which her reply was she welcomes the debate. Ontario PC Party leader Tim Hudak and NDP party leader Andrea Horwath have already admitted smoking marijuana in 2011 reported the Star. Ford's use of the drug has already been known when he was arrested in Florida while driving with a joint reported the Star. The charges were dropped and he was convicted of drunk driving. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne admits to smoking marijuana Cour tesy: Facebook had a "puff" at a dinner party three years ago when he was an MP confirmed reports. Wynne was asked about her HIRING AZ AND DZ DRIVERS - LOCAL CITY WORK AND ALSO LONG HAUL AVAILABLE - PAID $18 AN HOUR + HST - WORK IS GAURANTEED - DRIVERS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 1 YEAR EXPERIENCE CONTACT: 5 Melanie Drive, Brampton, ON, L6T 4K8 Call Raj or Jas Aujla 905 - 781 - 1213 416 - 271 - 4143 email: easyhelppersonnel@gmail.com CanadianIndian gets Ejaz Husain Award ALLAHABAD: The Ejaz Husain Award for 2012 was granted to c, a Canadian national of Indian origin by the literary organization Karawan at a special programme held in the city. The function was presided over by former IAS officer and vice chancellor of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti University Anis Ansari. Ansari handed over the memento, cer tificate and a shawl to Abedi. Abedi is a medical practitioner by profession and has published, written or compiled 37 books so far. Prof S M Aqeel Rizvi, Prof Jafar Raza, Prof Naushaba Sardar (HOD Urdu Deptt), Prof A A Fatmi, and Prof Shabeena Rizvi also spoke on the occasion. Hasan Naqvi welcomed the guests while Sibtey Rizvi proposed the vote of thanks. 7 PritaChhabra is out with the release of her new single/ video "Aaja (Come To My Hear t)" with YouTube and ITunes. Chhabra is the winner of "Best World Music" at the 2012 Toronto Independent Music Awards and the first South Asian Recording Ar tist to per form the American and Bilingual Canadian anthems for the NHL and NBA. Her recent per formances include one in Ottawa alongside of Imran Khan at SouthAsianFest and another at Montreal's India Day Parade last month.She was also par t of Bollywood Monster Mashup on August 24 in Mississauga and Destinaton Haiti in Downtown, Toronto. She has been singing and writing music since childhood but got her star t in the enter tainment industry through her first job as a character per former at Disney World. She also sang at several Disney concer ts, and wrote the orchestra score for her Cypress Creek high school's graduation. She has per formed across Central Florida as par t of its popular Intone accapella vocal orchestra. She has toured steadily across Nor th America since the release of her debut CD "Spread The Word" in 2010, which was produced by JUNO Nominated Othentic Productions. Her music has received airplay on several top 40 radio stations in Quebec, and she's been featured at shows alongside #1 Billboard ar tist Jay Sean, Russell Peters and Grammy nominee Eric Roberson to name a few. She has received top billing at numerous South Asian festivals in Canada (Ottawa, Calgary) and the U.S. as well as some Nor th America's biggest mainstream festivals, ranging from PRIDE in Toronto to the Florida Music Festival in Orlando. She has also per formed at several of the IIFA 2011 festivities, and spoke alongside Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti at Markham's IIFA press conference. MidWeek 8 opinion MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 STORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES IN MIDDLE EAST ISRAEL AND SAUDI ARABIA WANT US TO STRIKE SYRIA I f President Barack Obama has disappointed Syrian rebels by deferring to Congress before bombing Damascus, he has also dismayed the United States' two main allies in the Middle East. Israel and Saudi Arabia have little love for each other but both are pressing their mutual friend in the White House to hit President Bashar al-Assad hard. And both do so with one eye fixed firmly not on Syria but on their common adversary - Iran. Israel's response to Obama's surprise move to delay or even possibly cancel air strikes made clear that connection: looking soft on Assad after accusing him of killing hundreds of people with chemical weapons may embolden his backers in Tehran to develop nuclear arms, Israeli officials said. And if they do, Israel may strike Iran alone, unsure Washington can be trusted. Neither US ally is picking a fight with Obama in public. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the nation was "serene and selfconfident"; Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal simply renewed a call to the "international community" to halt Assad's violence in Syria. But the Saudi monarchy, though lacking Israel's readiness to attack Iran, can share the Jewish state's concern that neither may now look with confidence to Washington to curb what Riyadh sees as a drive by its Persian rival to dominate the Arab world. Last year, Obama assured Israelis that he would "always have Israel's back". Now Netanyahu is reassuring them they can manage without uncertain US protection against Iran, which has called for Israel's destruction but denies developing nuclear weapons. "Israel's citizens know well that we are prepared for any possible scenario," the hawkish prime minister said. "And Israel's citizens should also know that our enemies have very good reasons not to test our power and not to test our might." That may not reassure a US administration which has tried to steer Netanyahu away from unilateral action against Iran that could stir yet more chaos in the already explosive Middle East. Israel's state-run Army Radio was more explicit: "If Obama is hesitating on the matter of Syria," it said, "Then clearly on the question of attacking Iran, a move MidWeek Published By Asian World Today Inc. 1310, Midway Blvd, Unit # 31, Mississauga Ontario L5T 2K5 Direct Line - 647-272-8182 Tel: 905-670-3687 Fax: 905-670-5344 E-mail : For Advertising yudhvir@southasiandaily.com ads@midweektoronto.com YUDHVIR JASWAL ANJANA RAI CHIEF EDITOR & CEO CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER. 647-272-8182 yudhvir@southasiandaily.com NISHAN SHAWN MARKETING EXECUTIVE NISHAN SHAWN CONTRIBUTING WRITER DR. PUSHPINDER BRAR CONTRIBUTING WRITER SUNIL VERMA SUNIL VERMA GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT INDIA MARKETING RAJNISH VERMA THAPLIYAL & RAI LAW OFFICE GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT LEGAL ADVISOR YADWINDER SINGH AUSTRALIA DIVISON BASHIR NASIR ALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS Newspaper MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY Published in English every Tuesday Radio SOUTHASIAN PULSE Mon to Fri; 11 to 12 Noon on AM 770 Mon to Fri; 3 to 4 PM on AM 530 Television SOUTHASIAN 360 DEGREES On FILMYChannel Right Across North America Canada - (Rogers - Channel-830, Bell fibe TV Channel-798 ), USA - DirecTV - Channel 2008 Timings- Friday6-7 PM,Sun -1-2 PMWed - 6:307:30PM-EST Online WWW.SOUTHASIANDAILY.COM ONLY News Portal for Southasian-Canadians Cricket CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL CRICKET (CPC) 6th Annual CPC Inter-City Cricket Cup Starting June 2013 6 Months of Non-stop cricket action Events 6th Annual Midweek Southasian Awards 2013 All Rights Reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be printed without the written consent of the publisher. DISCLAIMER: Asian World Today Inc. assumes all advertisers to be reliable and responsible for any and all liability from their claims. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement he may see unfit for publication. The opinions expressed in Midweek may not be those of the publisher. that is expected to be far more complicated, Obama will hesitate much more - and thus the chances Israel will have to act alone have increased." Israelis contrast the "red line" Netanyahu has set for how close Iran may come to nuclear weapons capability before Israel strikes with Obama's "red line" on Assad's use of chemical weapons - seemingly passed without US military action so far. 'Head of the snake' Saudi Arabia, like Israel heavily dependent on the United States for arms supplies, is engaged in a historic confrontation with Iran for regional influence - a contest shaped by their leading roles in the rival Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. Riyadh is a prime backer of Sunni rebels fighting Assad, whose Alawite minority is a Shia offshoot. It sees toppling Assad as checking Iran's ambition not just in Syria but in other Arab states including the Gulf, where it mistrusts Shias in Saudi Arabia itself and in neighbouring Bahrain, Yemen and Iraq. Saudi King Abdullah's wish for US action against Iran was memorably contained in leaked US diplomatic cables, including one in which a Saudi envoy said the monarch wanted Washington to "cut off the head of the snake" to end Tehran's nuclear threat. Disappointment with Obama's hesitation against Assad came through on Sunday in the Saudi foreign minister's remarks to the Arab League in Cairo, where he said words were no longer enough. Riyadh and its allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) risk ending up empty-handed in their latest push for US backing in their campaign to rein in Iran, said Sami al-Faraj, a Kuwaiti analyst who advises the GCC on security matters: "The idea of a punishment for a crime has lost its flavour. We are on the edge of the possibility that military action may not be conducted," he said. "Congress, for sure ... will attach conditions to what is already going to be a limited strike. At the end, we as Gulf allies, may end up with nothing." Israel does not share the Saudi enthusiasm for the Syrian rebel cause, despite its concern about Assad's role as a link between Iran and Lebanese and Palestinian enemies. The presence in rebel ranks of Sunni Islamist militants, some linked to al-Qaida, worries the Jewish state - though Riyadh, too, is keen to curb al-Qaida, which calls the royal family American stooges. Saudi and Israeli support for US air strikes in response to Assad's alleged use of poison gas scarcely stands out less amid a global clamour of reproach for Damascus. However, the recent Egyptian crisis saw them more distinctly making common cause in lobbying Washington - since their preference for Egypt's army over elected Islamists was at odds with much of world opinion. That, too, reflects shared anxieties about the strength of Islamic populism and about Iran, which found a more sympathetic ear in Cairo after the election of President Mohamed Mursi. Israeli political commentators used terms such as "betrayal" and "bullet in the back from Uncle Sam" when Obama abandoned loyal ally Hosni Mubarak during the popular uprising of 2011. While some western leaders voiced unease at the army's overthrow of Mursi in July and bloody crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood, in Israel even Obama's mild rebuke to the generals - delaying delivery of four warplanes to Egypt - caused "raised eyebrows" of disapproval, an official there said. A "gag order" from Netanyahu kept that quiet, however, as Israel's military kept open the communications with Egypt's armed forces, not least over militant attacks near their desert border, in a manner that has been the bedrock of the US-brokered peace treaty binding Israel and Egypt since 1979. Unusually, it was Saudi Arabia which was the more vocally critical of Washington's allies over its Egypt policy. As US lawmakers toyed with holding back aid to the new military-backed government, Riyadh and its Gulf allies poured in many more billions in aid and loans to Cairo. And Saudi Arabia told Washington defiantly that it would make up any shortfall if the United States dared to turn off the taps: "To those who have declared they are stopping aid to Egypt or are waving such a threat, the Arab and Muslim nations ... will not shy away from offering a helping hand to Egypt," foreign minister Prince Saud said last month. Discreet diplomacy More quietly, Israel has been engaged in direct discussions with the White House, urging Obama not to waver in support of Egypt's military and saying it is time to act on Syria. An official briefed on US-Israeli discussions said Israeli intercepts of Syrian communications were used by Obama administration officials in making their public case that Assad was behind the Aug. 21 gas attacks and must be penalised. Netanyahu, whose frosty rapport with Obama blossomed into a display of harmony on the president's visit to Israel in March, has ordered his ministers not to criticise Obama publicly after the president's decision to take the Syrian issue to Congress. A government source said the prime minister told his cabinet on Sunday: "We are in the middle of an ongoing event. It is not over and there are sensitive and delicate issues at play. "There is no room here for individual comments," he said. "I'm asking you not to behave irresponsibly when it comes to our ally, just so you can grab a fleeting headline." That did stop Tzachi Hanegbi, a Netanyahu confidant who sits on parliament's defence committee, complaining on "Army Radio" that Obama had delivered further proof to Iran - and North Korea - that "there is no enthusiasm in the world to deal with their ongoing defiance regarding nuclear weaponry". "To us it says one thing: ... in the words of our sages: 'If I am not for myself, then who is?'" Israel clearly hopes still that Congress will give Obama the green light for strikes against Assad but is also likely to be wary of deploying its own lobbying power among lawmakers. That risks being counterproductive and, in any case, the president has made clear that threats to Israel from Syrian chemical weapons are among his own arguments for war. Concern in Washington over a goit-alone Israeli strike on Iran are still strong; Israel is unlikely to use the nuclear warheads it is assumed to possess but any strike on its distant and populous enemy would have unpredictable consequences. As a result, US leaders have beaten a path to Jerusalem Obama himself in March but also Secretary of State John Kerry several times, relaunching talks with the Palestinians in the process, and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who made his third visit to Israel last month. Gadi Shamni, an Israeli military attache in the United States until last year, said that on the Iranian issue, "there were times when we were in the same book, then the same chapter. "Right now we are on the same page. There is a lot of flow of intelligence and views and understanding." Militant threat For all the unease that Israel has about Syria's rebels, who have at times fired into the Israelioccupied Golan Heights, it is pushing hard against Assad now after learning to live with the Syrian leader and his father over the past 40 years. One Israeli official said the message from Netanyahu was clear: "There is a man in nominal control of Syria who is using chemical weapons against civilians. That has to be stopped." That sentiment is echoed in Riyadh. Abdullah al-Askar, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Shoura Council, said that US strikes should aim to end Assad's rule. Askar, who said he was speaking in a personal capacity, told Reuters: "If the attack is just a punishment to show that the international community will not stand for chemical attacks, Assad will just remain in his place and do his bloody work. "The second scenario is to finish the business." Mustafa Alani, a Gulf analyst with good connections to Saudi officials, said the kingdom was also warning Washington that a failure to attack Assad would benefit their common enemy alQaida: "No action will boost the extremist position," he said, explaining that rebel despair at US inaction on Syria would push more fighters to switch allegiance to Islamist militants. Paraphrasing what he said was a Saudi argument, Alani said: "Without a punishment of the regime, extremists will enjoy wider support and attract more moderate fighters." Riyadh already shares rebel frustrations with the shortage of US military aid reaching Syria, despite Obama's commitment in June to step up assistance after poison gas was first used. A senior US official spoke of a "stable relationship" with Riyadh "on core national security areas". But the official also conceded: "While we do not agree on every issue, when we have different perspectives we have honest and open discussions." As with Israel over Iran, those are likely to continue. Robert Jordan, US ambassador to Riyadh in 2001-03, said intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan and ambassador to Washington Adel Jubeir had been "very outspoken" in their belief the rebels that can be trusted and should get military backing. Obama denies seeking the "regime change" Riyadh wants. But Jordan added: "It doesn't mean they won't keep pushing for it." MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 canada NDP TO CONSERVATIVES: BRING DEBATE ON SYRIA TO PARLIAMENT IP10 CANADA TO SUPPORT U.S. AND ALLIES AGAINST SYRIA MANY DIED INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN DURING A CHEMICAL ATTACK WHICH HAS LED U.S. TO TAKE FURTHER STEPS AGAINST ASSAD REGIME Cour tesy: 757Live/Flickr Commons F oreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued the following statement after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke of suffering that Syria's people went through due to the use of chemical attacks. Baird confirmed Canada's position that does not include any military action but will show "support" against attacks by Syria to its own people. "Earlier today, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry publicly outlined details of how they concluded that the Assad regime flagrantly used chemical weapons against its own people, causing widescale death and devastation in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21, 2013," Baird said. "Along with its international partners and allies, Canada has condemned this despicable and abhorrent act. "As Prime Minister Harper said earlier this week, Canada believes that a firm and unequivocal response is needed to deter any future use of chemical weapons. We also believe that a clear message on the proliferation and use of such weapons must be sent to rogue regimes around the world. "Although the Prime Minister made very clear yesterday that the Government of Canada has no plans at this time for a Canadian military mission, we fully support our friends and allies in responding to the Assad regime's horrific attack on its own people. "The Obama administration has shown great resolve and proper due diligence in the past week, and we fully support its efforts going forward. "Prime Minister Harper and I will continue to keep in close contact with Canada's allies and partners in the days and weeks ahead." Prime Minister Stephen Harper had taken a similar position last week where he said talks had continued with Barrack Obama, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and French President FracoisHollande. "Our government has been a very reluctant convert to the idea that there needs to be some Western military action regarding the Syrian situation. We have Caption: Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird during his recent visit to Latin America Cour tesy: DFATD|MAECD/Flickr Commons been, and remain concerned when we look at this conflict that it is overwhelmingly sectarian in nature and does not have at present any ideal or obvious outcomes. With that all said, in talking to our allies, we are convinced that notwithstanding our reluctance, that the risks of the international community not acting in the face of what appears to be an escalation and likely further escalation without action in the use of chemical weapons as a weapon of warfare is an extremely dangerous precedent. This is a very big risk and we do believe, and we do support, our allies who are contemplating forceful action to deal with this," said Harper as seen on the National Post. Mulcair in B.C. for Senate abolition tour FAILED CANDIDATES SITTING IN CANADA'S SENATE DISRESPECTFUL TO VOTERS PORT MOODY - In the backyard of failed Conservative candidate turned unelected Senate appointment Yonah Martin, NDP leader Tom Mulcair said that having failed candidates appointed to the Senate is undemocratic. "Appointing failed candidates like Yonah Martin to the Senate is a slap in the face to Canadian voters. These are candidates rejected by the people - and yet Stephen Harper decided to override the wishes of Canadians and appoint them to the Senate anyway," said Mr. Mulcair. "Instead of stacking the Senate with failed candidates and party insiders, the NDP would abolish it - and save Canadian taxpayers $90 million a year." One of ten failed Conservative candidates rewarded with Senate appointments by Stephen Harper, Ms. Mar tin will cost taxpayers more than $6 million if she serves her full term. Ms. Mar tin also broke election rules when she exceeded her spending limit by around $8,000 during the 2008 General Election, eventually being forced to sign a compliance agreement with Elections Canada. Despite this, she was still appointed to the Senate. NDP leader Tom Mulcair is travelling across the country this week on his Roll Up The Red Carpet tour - shining a light on the unaccountable, unelected and under investigation Senate. In contrast, Stephen Harper's Conservatives are running away from accountability and refusing to answer for their role in the senate expense scandal. Canadians deserve better. 9 MOSQUE IN QUEBEC ALLEGEDLY SPLASHED WITH PIG'S BLOOD A mosque in Saguenay region in Quebec is believed to be splattered with pig's blood in an act of vandalism over the weekend confirmed repor ts. Saguenay Mayor Jean Tremblay called it an "isolated and stupid" act at a place of worship and was shocked by the incident he said when contacted by The Canadian Press. "That's not the mentality people in the region have… All it takes is one or two stupid people for something like this to happen," he said in an interview. "This isn't the way to show we have an open mind," he said. A letter sent to Radio-Canada in Saguenay region said "This mosque has been baptized with fresh pig's blood from Quebec," confirmed repor ts. The copy of the letter was left at the mosque had "assimilate or go home" written on it repor ted CBC News. Mosque in-charge personnel MoustafaElayouby said the act "doesn't even deserve a response" repor ted CBC News. The incident is evidence of the political climate of the region. Just a few weeks ago, PQ announced its plan to ban religious headgear for public sector workers. "Clearly the government of Quebec is intending to deny a segment of Quebecers their human right of their expression of religion, either by their dress or their expression of values," said SamerMajzoub, president of the Canadian Muslim Forum during CBC's an interview with Daybreak Montreal. "This comes as no surprise to us and we are even expecting the worst." "With the discussion we will have all over in Quebec in the next months, maybe you will see many things like that. It can be dangerous," said Tremblay repor ted CBC News. A Muslim youth conference that was to be held in Montreal was cancelled due to security reasons Repor ts confir med the conference drew criticism by Par tiQuébécois and was cancelled byPalais des congress, the conference centre where the conference was scheduled to be held. The decision by the conference centre came after a "security review" repor ted CBC News. The move comes a few days after the Québécois government confirmed it had plans to not let public workers wear any religious symbols such as crosses, turbans and niqabs. The Entre Cielet Terre conference - which means "Between Heaven and Ear th" in French had faced criticism from Quebec's minister of status of women AgnèsMaltais Maltaishad asked the Canadian government to not allow some invited guests to enter the country calling them "radical Islamists," repor ted CBC News. The conference organisers in their defence said they were only made aware of the controversial statements made by their guests through the media repor ted CBC News. Conference spokesman IshaqMoustaqin said the group cannot control what was said outside of Canada. "We can't control what people can say. We assure the public that none of those messages will be allowed at our conference," said Moustaqin repor ted CBC News. Salam Elmanayi, the president of the Muslim Council of Montreal said the minister had no right asking the Canadian government to ban those members coming into Canada. "We don't let a civil servant somewhere sitting at his desk decide, who you're going to say, what you're going to say tomorrow and when you're going to say it," said Elmanayi. "Everybody has the right to come and say whatever they want to say," repor ted CBC News. 10 MidWeek canada NDP TO CONSERVATIVES: BRING DEBATE ON SYRIA TO PARLIAMENT W ith the Prime Minister now musing about Canada participating in military action in Syria, NDP leader Tom Mulcair is demanding the House of Commons be immediately recalled. "Canadians, and people around the world, are watching events in Syria with great concern and condemning these brutal attacks on civilians," said the Leader of the Official Opposition. "Engaging in military action is one of the most serious decisions one can be faced with. Prime Minister Harper should be bringing this debate to parliament, not discussing it with himself at a press conference." New Democrats have been arguing that parliament should be recalled immediately to debate the best role Canada can play in helping resolve the crisis in Syria. "In the meantime, Canada should focus on diplomatic work and providing humanitarian relief for the hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to flee the violence," said the NDP's Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar. "And we must work with our partners in the United Nations on a multilateral basis. The only way a lasting solution will be found to this crisis is through diplomacy." CAW AND CEP JOIN FORCES TO FORM UNIFOR Former members of the Canadian Auto Workers union and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, voted to join together to form Canada's largest private sector union called Unifor union. The first president of Unifor is Jerry Dias, a veteran of the Canadian Auto Workers. "Unifor is here because it's time to stop playing defence and it's time we started to play offence," said Dias in his inaugural speech. "It's time to stop reacting and it's time to start setting the agenda." Unifor has more than 300,000 members, working 20 economic sectors in every province and territory of the country. Dias wishes to be the voice labour relations with the federal government reported CTV News. "The Conservative government has decided to challenge our democratic right to organize and collect dues. They are singling out unions. They're attacking our finances. They're attacking our ability to represent our members," he said. Dias is from Burlington, Ont. and won the election by an 87 per cent vote. MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 Government of Canada releases draft RFP for Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement Project Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, announced that the project to replace Canada's fixedwing search and rescue aircraft has moved forward with a draft Request for Proposals (RFP). The draft is being shared with industry for final comments before the RFP phase is launched in early 2014. "We are committed to ensuring that this procurement proceeds in an open, fair and transparent way, giving best value to Canadian taxpayers and providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the capability that it needs," said Minister Finley. "We will continue to engage industry and rely on the advice of independent third-par ty advisors throughout this process." "Search and rescue operations are fundamental to the core mandate of the Canadian Armed Forces to deliver excellence at home," said the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence. "By working to fulfil our commitment to acquire this new fleet, we will suppor t the Royal Canadian Air Force in its vital search and rescue role for decades to come." The principles of Smar t Procurement have been applied throughout this procurement, including good governance, early engagement and consultation with industry, and the use of third-par ty independent advisors, such as the fairness monitor appointed to oversee the integrity of the process. Since August 2011, industry representatives have provided feedback on a number of Letters of Interests, and during oneon-one consultations and workshops, ranging from the Basis of Payment concept, to the role of the Canadian In-service Suppor t Integrator, to the aircraft requirements. The feedback received provided useful information in order to assist the Government in improving project documentation prior to launching the actual procurement. Following analysis of comments received from industry on the draft, the final RFP will be posted on the Government Electronic Tendering Service in early 2014. Labour Day is a reminder of the achievements: Trudeau President of Unifor, Jerry Dias Cour tesy: Unifor/Flickr Commons The union will also be a representation for some public sector workers in health, education and transit sector reported CTV News. The new Unifor Constitution was adopted by a 95.5 per cent majority. The Leader of the Liberal Par ty of Canada, Justin Trudeau, made the following statement on the occasion of Labour Day: "Today, Canadians across the country are celebrating Labour Day. This long weekend is an oppor tunity to gather with family and friends in parks and at backyard barbecues as we near the end of summer. Most importantly, Labour Day serves as a reminder of the achievements - in the face of great adversity of the labour movement here in Canada. For well over a century now, we have marked this occasion as an oppor tunity to recognise organised labour's historic struggle for workers' rights, safety and fair pay. As we celebrate the tremendous contribution of workers in our country, I would like to wish all Canadians a very happy Labour Day." MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 india OPPOSITION SLAMS GOVT. FOR FUEL PRICE HIKE ASARAM BAPU OF CONTROVERSIES Contd. from Page 5 His brush with trouble first started in 2008 after the deaths of two 10-year-old cousins, Abhishek and Dipesh Vaghela, at his Motera ashram in Gujarat. A charge sheet has been filed against him in the case. Since 2008 he has remained in news for all the wrong reasons, be it criminal cases filed against him, encroachment by his ashrams or his remarks on the Delhi gang rape. According to a website titled "Sant Shri Asharamji Ashram official website", the spiritual guru was born as Asumal on April 14, 1941 and he migrated with his family from Sindh in Pakistan to Mani Nagar near Ahmedabad in Gujarat during the partition of the country in 1947. The fourth child of Thaumal and Mehgiba Sirumalani, Asaram is known to have been inclined to fulfil his quest on the existence of life and the mystery behind it, after his father's demise, the website said. Seeing his inclination away from worldly affairs, Asaram was forcibly married to Lakshmi Devi, though he had tried to run away eight days before his marriage, it said. He left his family in 1968 and went to Uttar Pradesh's Vrindavan, the land of Lord Krishna. After staying in the ashram for 70 days and meditating in the caves of Mount Abu in Rajasthan, he returned to Ahmedabad and started preaching. He also built an ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati, the website said. He has a son Narayan Prem Sai who is also a spiritual leader. The 2008 death of two boys at his Motera ashram in Gujarat raised a stink. The decomposed bodies of the boys were found on a dried-up river bed near the ashram, police said. In September 2012, the Gujarat Criminal Investigation Department filed a chargesheet against seven officebearers at Asaram's ashram in connection with the mysterious death of the two boys. In December 2009, a former ashram trustee, Raju Chandak, registered a complaint with the police alleging that Asaram and two other people tried to kill him in Ahmedabad. The following year in March, the Gujarat government authorities reclaimed 67,099 square metres of land which was allegedly encroached upon by Asaram's ashram in Ahmedabad. In August 2012, Bapu is known to have survived a helicopter crash at Godhra, when he was on his way to deliver a lecture in a college. However, the most controversial of his statements was the one related to the Delhi gang rape. Asaram Bapu said the victim of the Dec 16, 2012 gang rape in Delhi was also to be blamed for the incident and that she should have begged the culprits to stop by calling them brother. He later claimed that his statement was misread. In February, a 24-year-old man, Rahul Pachouri, died under mysterious circumstances in Asaram Bapu's Jabalpur ashram. Pachouri's father alleged that his son was poisoned. Though surrounded by controversy, the spiritual leader enjoys the support of a large number of people who have been relentlessly protesting his arrest in the recent sexual assault case filed against him Aug 20. Opposition slams govt. for fuel price hike Government on Monday came under sharp attack from Opposition par ties in Rajya Sabha over fuel price hike with CPI(M), CPI and Trinamool members staging walk-out from the House which saw a brief adjournment due to uproar. Members including those from BJP attacked the government over the issue saying making the announcement outside the House amounted to bypassing Parliament when it was in session. They also ridiculed Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily over his proposal to shut down petrol pumps during night to taper the fuel demand. Accusing the government of declaring a war on common man and increasing the miseries of people, the par ties demanded roll-back of the decision. Mr. Moily has already clarified that the government has not made any such proposal and the idea of closing down petrol pumps for night hours had come from public. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Prashanta Chatterjee (CPI(M)) said it was unfor tunate that petrol and diesel price hike was announced outside Parliament and demanded a rollback of the decision. “This is the sixth increase in the price of petrol in last three months. Price of diesel is being increased 50 paisa per month. Unable to check fall in value of rupee, UPA government is resor ting to hikes. 11 Government is responsible for increasing the miseries of people,” he said. Noting that pricing of petrol was decontrolled by UPA government and “on diesel, they have taken a principle decision”, Mr. Chatterjee demanded that the government should scrap it immediately. M. Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) rued that the government’s “totally anti-people” decision came without taking Parliament into confidence. Derek O’Brien (Trinamool Congress) said the government has declared a war on common man and ridiculed Mr. Moily for his “illconceived and ill-thought” idea to shut down petrol pumps at night. Demanding scrapping of the oil price hike, O’Brien and his par ty colleague Sukhendu Sekhar Roy walked out shouting “down with this anti-people government.” Rupee falls 30p to 66, ends 2-day rally The rupee ended two days of gains to fall by 30 paise to close at 66 against the dollar on Monday on demand from impor ters as the U.S. currency strengthened. The rupee’s decline, amid capital outflows and data showing slowing economic growth, was restricted by a rise in local equities, a forex dealer said. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency star ted weak at 66.15 to a dollar from the previous close of 65.70 and then climbed to a high of 65.68. The rupee then turned negative and dropped to a low of 66.30 before recovering some ground to end at 66, a fall of 30 paise or 0.46 per cent. In the previous two trading sessions, it had zoomed by 310 paise or 4.51 per cent. “On account of U.S. bank holiday, the volumes were quite thin and the rupee was seen trading in a very tight range”, said Abhishek Goenka, CEO of India Forex Advisors. “Last week’s dismal GDP numbers of India and strength in the U.S. dollar index made the rupee open on a weaker note today.” The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex continued its upward march for the four th straight session and closed up by another 266.41 points or 1.43 per cent. Foreign institutional investors withdrew a net Rs. 78.85 crore of shares last Friday, as per provisional data with the stock exchanges. The dollar index, consisting of six major rivals, was up 0.10 per cent ahead of data and central bank policy this week. India’s gross domestic product growth slipped to 4.4 per cent in the April-June quar ter, from 4.8 per cent in January-March. The HSBC/Markit purchasing managers index for the country’s manufacturing industry contracted for the first time in over four and a half years to stand at 48.5 in August, lower than 50.1 in July. “The trading range for the spot USD-INR pair is expected to be within 65.40 to 66.60”, said Pramit Brahmbhatt, CEO of Alpari Financial Services (India). Forward dollar premiums improved on continued payments from banks and corporates. The benchmark six-month forward dollar premium payable in February firmed up to 258-265 paise from Friday’s close of 247-252 paise. Far-forward contracts maturing in August hardened to 465-471 paise from 440-445 paise. 12 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 world 13 MANDELA SPENDS FIRST NIGHT AT HOME IP14 Lal Masjid operation: Case filed against Musharraf In fresh trouble for Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, a case was on Monday filed against him for the murder of cleric Abdul Rasheed and his mother during the infamous Lal Masjid operation. The case was filed on the directions of the Islamabad High Court Justice Noorul Huque Qureshi who was annoyed over non-compliance of its earlier order. During the hearing of a petition filed by Haroon Rasheed, the son of Lal Masjid’s Rasheed, against 70-year-old Mr. Musharraf for his involvement in the killing of his father and grandmother, Justice Huque said non-registration of the case despite court order was contempt of court, media reports said. They said the SHO of Aabpara Police Station Qasim Niazi was made to sit in the court till a case was filed. Reacting to the verdict, Aasia Ishaque of Mr. Musharraf’s APML party said he will fight to prove his innocence. “Musharraf is not going to go away. We were expecting such a case. He will continue to fight politically motivated case and prove his innocence,” she told PTI. ARAB STATES URGE ACTION AGAINST ASSAD REGIME The Arab Foreign Ministers have held the Syrian government responsible for all the chemical attacks on the suburbs of Damascus, while calling for referring the perpetrators to international trials, Xinhua reported. In the Arab League (AL) resolution, the Foreign Ministers strongly condemned and denounced the “heinous crime” committed by using the chemical weapons banned internationally against unarmed civilians, in defiance of the international norms. “All the perpetrators should face fair international trials,” the resolution added. The Foreign Ministers called on the U.N. and the international society to bear its responsibility and take decisive and deterrent measures against the Bashar al-Assad-led Syrian government for using chemical weapons Aug 21 against civilians. The Lal Masjid operation, undertaken by the then Musharraf government in 2007, was meant as a crackdown on the controversial mosque in Islamabad, which ended in a bloody eight-day siege, killing at least 58 Pakistani troops and seminary students. On Friday, the Court had summoned the SHO over noncompliance with the court’s orders to look into whether a case can be registered. On July 12 this year, the same bench had ordered the police to book the former president, and if the Lal Masjid operation was a cognisable offence, a case be registered against Mr. Musharraf for the death of cleric and others. However, the police had refused to register an FIR, saying it would do so after consulting their legal branch. Mr. Musharraf, who returned from his self-imposed exile before the May 11 elections, is currently entangled in a legal web. He is currently under arrest and his house has been turned into a prison. He is already facing trial for treason, Benazir Bhutto assassination case and also the Akbar Bugti murder case. 14 MidWeek world MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 Syria urges UN to prevent aggression against it S yria has appealed to the United Nations to try to “prevent any aggression” against it and said US military action would amount to “support for alQaeda and its affiliates,” even as President Barack Obama today lobbied with war-weary American lawmakers to convince them for a strike. “The Syrian government calls on the UN Secretary General to assume his responsibilities... and to make efforts to prevent any aggression against Syria,” the state-run SANA news agency said, quoting a letter from Syria’s UN representative Bashar al-Jaafari. The letter also called on the United Nations to help seek a “peaceful political solution to the crisis” in Syria. Meanwhile, a senior Syrian Minister was quoted by BBC as saying that any US military action against Syria would amount to “support for al-Qaeda and its affiliates.” “Any attack against Syria is support for al-Qaeda and its affiliates, whether Jabat al-Nusra or the State of Islam in Syria and Iraq,” Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad said. Mr. Muqdad, who is considered to be highly influential within President Bashar al-Assad’s Government, also warned that possible US intervention would deepen “hatred for the Americans” and destabilise the whole Middle East. The US has claimed that 1,429 people were killed in the alleged chemical attacks carried out by the Assad regime in a Damascus suburb on August 21. Syria, however, has denied the US charges, saying jihadists fighting with the rebels used the deadly weapons in an effort to turn global sentiments against it. Mr. Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough have made individual calls to members of Congress, a senior White House official said. The aggressive lobbying comes after a classified briefing was held on Capitol Hill late on Sunday. In a surprise move, Mr. Obama has sought Congressional approval for limited military intervention in Syria to win more support for his plan to punish the Assad regime for the attack. The Obama administration is facing resistance from lawmakers even before Congress officially comes back to Washington on September 9. Resistance against the imminent US strike is also mounting at the international front with veto-wielding Russia on Monday saying that it was totally unconvinced by the evidence presented by the US and its allies. “What we were shown before and most recently by our American partners as well the British and the French absolutely does not convince us,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Mr. Lavrov said that there were “many doubts” about images of the alleged attack posted on the Internet. Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Hong Lei said, “We are gravely concerned that some country may take unilateral military actions.” “We believe that any action taken by the international community should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN charter as well as basic norms governing international relations, so as to avoid complicating the Syrian issue and bringing more disasters to the Middle East region,” Mr. Hong said. France may also hand over evidence to lawmakers proving the Assad regime’s hand in the chemical weapons attack in Syria, media reports said. The Syrian media on Sunday reacted sharply to Mr. Obama’s decision of seeking congressional approval for a strike on Syria. AUSTRALIA OFFERS SUPPORT FOR US STRIKE IN SYRIA A ustralia is offering moral support for a U.S. military strike in Syria while New Zealand said on Monday it needs more information after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry personally called each country's Foreign Minister. Mr. Kerry has been trying to secure at least some international support for a potential U.S. strike after accusing the Syrian government of launching a chemical weapons attack. Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr's spokesman Patrick Low said on Monday that Mr. Kerry called last week and that Australia supports the U.S. taking action. He said Mr. Kerry didn't ask for military assistance and Australia didn't offer it. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Mr. Kerry called Foreign Minister Murray McCully over the weekend and that New Zealand wants to assess all steps taken ahead of a strike before stating its position. The U.S. doesn't have widespread support internationally for military action. So far, only France has indicated it would join a U.S. strike. The Parliament of key ally Britain last week rejected a vote endorsing military action. Syrians, world weigh in on U.S. debate for military action The international community weighed in on Sunday on the anticipated debate before the U.S. Congress on military action in Syria, with supporters of the Syrian opposition urging military action and allies of the Syrian government critical of any such moves. As expected, the Syrian opposition called on the U.S. Congress to authorize U.S. President Barack Obama’s request for military action against the government of Bashar al-Assad. The coalition’s head also urged the Arab League, which at its annual summit in March gave Syria’s seat in the 22-member bloc to the opposition coalition, to endorse the possible strike. “I stand in front of you asking for your strong and effective support for a military strike against the killing and terrorism machine of the regime against the people,” Ahmed alJarba said, addressing the opening session of the Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting in Cairo. MANDELA SPENDS FIRST NIGHT AT HOME South Africans on Monday welcomed Nelson Mandela’s discharge from a hospital after nearly three months of treatment amid concerns that his health remains so poor that he still must receive intensive care at home. An ambulance returned the 95year-old leader of the antiapar theid movement to his home in the leafy Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton on Sunday. The office of South African President Jacob Zuma said Mr. Mandela remains in critical and sometimes unstable condition and will receive the same level of care that he did in the hospital, administered by the same doctors. “If he’s back at home, I’m feeling free,” said Harrison Phiri, a gardener. “He’s the father of the nation.” Thembisa Mbolambi, another Johannesburg resident, also expressed satisfaction that Mr. Mandela had left the hospital in Pretoria, describing him as “the man who offered himself for us.” The Star, a South African newspaper, carried a headline that read, “Madiba At Home,” referring to Mr. Mandela by his clan name. The newspaper noted that “worries over infection persist.” A headline in The New Age newspaper was more upbeat — “World joy for Mandela.” Mr. Mandela was admitted to the hospital on June 8 for what the government described as a recurring lung infection. Legal papers filed by his family said he was on life support, and many South Africans feared he was close to death. Mr. Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is viewed around the world as a powerful figure of reconciliation. Despite being jailed for his prominent role in opposing white racist rule, Mr. Mandela was seemingly free of rancour on his release in 1990 after 27 years in prison. MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek 80 PERTOSA DRIVE, UNIT 12, BRAMPTON ONT., L6X 5E9 15 16 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 SINGH SAAB THE GREAT FIRST LOOK LAUNCH 17 I don't have right bikini body: Parineeti BOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES ARE READILY FLAUNTING A BIKINI ON THE BIG SCREEN, BUT CURVACEOUS ACTRESS PARINEETI CHOPRA SAYS SHE IS OVERWEIGHT TO FLAUNT THE TWO-PIECE GARMENT ‘A URVASHI RAUTELA, ANJALI ABROL, SUNNY DEOL AND AMRITA RAO Inevitable War: SRK, Ekta to clash again? wants her upcoming film Milan Talkies to clash with SRK's Happy New Year at the box office on Diwali 2014. Though Ekta's film is yet to go on the floors, the producer allegedly has asked her team to wrap up pre-production work as fast as possible to begin shooting. Says a source, `Ekta recently replaced Imran Khan with Shahid Kapoor for her film while the hunt for the female lead opposite him is still on. She has also requested director Tigmanshu Dhulia to complete the shoot in time so that she gets enough time for marketing the film.` This year too, Ekta (with Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara) was set to clash with Shah Rukh (Chennai Express) until the star requested her dad, veteran actor Jeetendra to alter the film's release date. The producer apparently was extremely upset after her film failed to work wonders at the BO. So much so that she even pinned the blame for her film's failure on Shah Rukh. The source adds, `If Ekta decides to release her film next year on Diwali, it could prove to be a tough situation for SRK.` Farah's film too has been delayed as much time was spent looking for the right cast. Happy New Year went on the floors yesterday. However, Ekta's spokesperson rubbishes the buzz. She says, `The casting is yet to happen.` Tigmanshu remained unavailable for comment. I KALKI ON BACKFOOT n round one between Shah Rukh Khan and Ekta Kapoor, the star seems to have won the first bout. But the producer appears to be gearing up for round two. Insiders say she Actress has apologised publicly on the micro-blogging site Twitter for accusing designer duo Ridhhi Sidhhi for calling her "mentally disturbed" Kalki was upset with the way she had been taunted as a "mentally disturbed" woman, allegedly reeling under the effects of her marriage gone kaput. It was repor ted that designer duo Riddhi and Siddhi were "disgusted" with the actress' "antics" at a recently concluded fashion show in the city, where instead of walking the ramp, Kalki apparently took to giving media bytes. Robbed of the chance of giving her side of the story, Kalki took to the social media yesterday to vent her anger at the designers. She posted: `After a 4hour wait in lehenga, jewellery make up they have the gall to call me mentally disturbed! Riddhi siddhi, dp designers shame on you!Not seen a more disorganised show than #glamourstyleweek2013 where the organisers called me off the ramp when I'm the showstopper!No wonder actors turn into divas. That's the only language some people understand.By the way I am mentally disturbed but its cer tainly not because of my hubby;)`(sic) However, Kalki later got to know the truth behind the misunderstanding. Soon after, she tweeted, "dear riddhi siddhi, i PUBLICLY apologise for for putting your name up, if you had nothing to do with these lies, peace be with you. DP designers, thank you for helping me get the facts out, for talking to be personally and for being so gracious about the whole matter." (sic) She added in her next tweet, "unforutnately no body has come forward to PERSONALLY apologise to me for insulting me with lies." FOR BEST DEALS AND INFORMATION SEE PAGE 36 sked if she will be okay wearing a bikini for a film, she said, "If I have a hot body, then why not? But right now I don't have the right body. I am still overweight, so there's no way I can wear a bikini." As such, the vivacious actress doesn't have any limitations or restrictions as an artist. "I don't want to restrict myself. I don't know how long will I act, or may be the audience will get bored of me and then I will not be acting... so (as long as I am in showbiz), I don't want to restrict myself," she said. Parineeti admits that most actresses justify bold scenes by saying "it's the demand of the script". But she says it is actually so. "In 'Shuddh Desi Romance', Sushant (Singh Rajput) has to be physically close with (characters played by) Vaani Kapoor and me for the conflict to happen. If a director says that let's put some kissing scenes for publicity, I will never do that. It's ridiculus," she added. Busy with the promotions of 'Shuddh Desi Romance', which releases on September 6, Parineeti gaurantees that the movie is "entertaining". Role Reversal: Big B to play Vidya's 'Paa' ‘ S SHOOJIT SIRCAR'S NEXT FILM COULD BRING TOGETHER AMITABH BACHCHAN AND VIDYA BALAN ONCE AGAIN AFTER THE 2009 FILM 'PAA' hoojit Sircar's upcoming film seems to be all about role reversal. In R Balki's Paa, Amitabh Bachchan played Vidya Balan's terminally ill young son. In Shoojit's next, Vids will be portrayed as Bachchan's daughter. Insiders say both have given their nod for the project and the film will go on the floors this year. Says a source, `It is the story of a father and his daughter and the dilemma that Bachchan's character faces as his daughter fails to get a suitable groom. Sircar and B a c h c h a n h a d earlier worked in Shoe Bite together but the film is yet to s e e t h e l i g h t o f d a y. E v e r since that, the duo wanted to work together and now it is finally happening.` Instead of confirming the buzz, the director remained non-committal, `Whenever I write a story idea, I bounce it off Mr Bachchan. I owe him a film. I am in the process of writing one and will show it to him when it's ready.` 18 MidWeek SHOW TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS: MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 Cellular Point Agincour t Mall 3850 Sheppard Ave E. Scarborough, Ontario M1T 3L4 Tel: 416-321-2355 Cellular Point Albion Mall (CellularPointXpress) 1530 Albion Rd Unit 74 Etobicoke, Ontario M9V 1B4 Tel: 416-743-6668 Cellular Point Shoppers World 1 Brampton 499 Main St,South Unit 161A Brampton,On. Tel.:905-454-7700 Value Mobile East York Town Centre 45 Overlea Blvd, Unit# 161 Toronto, ON M4H 1C3 Tel:416-775-8780 Cellular Point Woodside Square Mall 1571 Sandhust Circle Unit 193 Scarborough, On M1V 1V2 Tel: 416-840-1497 Bollywood Unlimited Paan & Falooda 512 Bristol road W#2 Mississauga, ON – L5R3Z1 Ph # : 905 712 0777 MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek bollywood 19 Movie Review Upcoming BOLLYWOOD Movies SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE RELEASE DATE: 06-Sep-2013 STARING: Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra, Vaani Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor DIRECTOR(S): Maneesh Sharma achchan, Ajay Cast: Amitabh B ajpai, Kareena Devgn, Manoj B ao ampal, Amrita R Kapoor, Arjun R sh Jha Director: Praka Rating: * * 1/2 PRODUCER: Aditya Chopra WRITER : Jaideep Sahni GRAND MASTI RELEASE DATE: 13-Sep-2013 STARING: Vivek Oberoi, Ritesh 'SATYAGRAHA' COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER C ine delights based on politico-bureaucratic highhandedness leading to a social turmoil had always been a triggering point for our cine theorists to come up with one or the other cine concepts. There are very few cine-man who have succeeded in fetching a repute of being master of the genre, but if we talk about Prakash Jha then he cer tainly an exception. If we go by the cine journey of, Jha so far then most of the times he has succeeded in picking up a socially relevant issue and has always succeeded in erecting a structure with a potency to knock up the conscious of the masses. Very much in consonance with his legacy Prakash has once again tried to manifest the home-truths of existing in politicobureaucratic system plagued by the corruption. And keeping in view the current social unrest prevailing in India, there wouldn't have been a better time to release this politico-social cine tale. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai and Amrita, "Satyagrah" which was rumored to be inspired from the "Lokpal movement" of, Anna Hazare opened with an occupancy of 17 % at the multiplexes. Jha who so far had always picked up the themes which are socially germane, after exhibiting his cine prowess with movies "Gangajal", "Aarakshan" and "Chakrvyuh", has now chosen a theme which owns a huge social relevance especially in current scenario. "Satyagraha is a sor t of coming together of people from diverse background where, a senile teacher Dwarka Anand (Amitabh Bachchan), an ambitious business tycoon Manav Raghvendra (Ajay Devgn), a high profile political journalist, Yasmeen Khan (Kareena Kapoor Khan), a local leader Arjun (Arjun Rampal) et al, unite together to curb the prevailing malpractices in politicobureaucratic system, in order to make it more transparent and masses friendly. Probably no one can deny that there wouldn't have been a more appropriate theme that, Jha, could have picked to tailor his swiping cine idea. When "Satyagraha" went on floor a debate about it's being Fadnis, Karishma Tanna, Sonalee Kulkarni, Bruna Abdulla, Maryam Zakaria, Kainaat Arora, Suresh Menon, Pradeep Rawat, Chandi Perera Indra Kumar DIRECTOR(S): BESHARAM RELEASE DATE: 02-Oct-2013 STARING: Ranbir Kapoor, Pallavi Sharda, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh DIRECTOR(S): Abhinav Kashyap PRODUCER: Sanjeev Gupta, Himanshu Mehra MUSIC Lalit Pandit WRITER Abhinav Kashyap, Rajeev Barnwal BOSS RELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013 STARING: Akshay Kumar, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shiv Pandit, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa, Johny Lever, Parikshit something per taining to, Anna Hazare's "Lokpal movement" also took off, but those associated with the movie constantly refused the buzz and tagged it as an "apprehensive rumor" surrounding the movie, because of the nature of it's theme. But truly speaking up-till an extent it is. Although Jha has tried to blend ample amount of fiction with the facts, but even that effor t of Prakash looks more of an inspired take adopted from some of the real life incidents which shook the entire nation at some point of time. Cer tainly the script that Prakash has knitted along with his "Chakravyuh", "Aarakshan" and "Raajneeti" co-writer, Anjum Rajbali, has got ample potency to tickle the conscious of the masses, but it nowhere leaves you enthralled with a never seen before kinda feel. When it comes to movie making then it's always difficult to not to be judgmental or decisive, but as far as Jha's, "Satyagraha" is concerned then it's narration nowhere tries to encroach your political banking or beleif and just serves the "said-unsaid truths" of political aisles on the salver called celluloid and leaves rest to discretion of the masses to make their perceptions. Undoubtedly "Satygraha" has got a narration with which every Indian could relate to, but the intensity of the script somewhere top 10 songs Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Manjari Sahani, Ronit Roy DIRECTOR(S): Anthony D'Souza PRODUCER: Ashwin Varde WRITER : Anthony D'Souza, Siby K. Thomas, Udaykrishnan ZANJEER RELEASE DATE: 06-Sep-2013 STARING: Ram Charan Teja, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt, Sri Hari, Prakash Raj, Mahi Gill DIRECTOR(S): Apoorva Lakhia PRODUCER: Amit Mehra PHATA POSTER NIKLA HERO RELEASE DATE: 20-Sep-2013 STARING: Shahid Kapoor, Ileana D DIRECTOR(S): Rajkumar Santoshi PRODUCER: Ramesh Taurani, Ronnie Screwvala, Siddhar th Roy Kapur MUSIC Pritam WRITER Rajkumar Santoshi 1 Film: Lootera SAWAAR LOON FILM SONG 2 Aashiqui 2 Tum hi ho 3 Raanjhanaa Raanjhanaa 4 Ramaiya Vastavaiya Jeene Laga Hoon 5 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Zinda 6 Chennai Express 1234 Get On The Dance Floor 7 Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani Badtameez Dil 8 Chennai Express Titli 9 Raanjhanaa Tum Tak 10 Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai 2 Ye Tune Kya Kiya MOVIE COLLECTIONS HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEK POLICEGIRI FLOP YEH JAWANI HAIN DEEWANI BLOCK BUSTER YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA -2 FLOP RAANJHANAA HIT diminishes the impact which could have been great otherwise. There are numerous episodes in the movie which have got a thorough resemblance to some of the real-life happenings, but the manner in which they are knitted by Jha and Rajbali is surely praisewor thy. So in nutshell script of "Satyagraha" is a good blend of facts and fiction. Well there is no denying the fact that, when you are dealing with something close to real life of masses then your responsibility as an executor increases tremendously, and Jha is one such man who has always remained well apprised with fact and and most of the times has succeeded in proving his adroitness. Flow of narration in the first half which settles the foundation stone for the upcoming proceedings is top rated, although after seeing so many mass-revolution movies you will not feel it to be something new, but it keeps you captivated within the charm of onscreen dealings. Whereas contrary to this, second half becomes a bit melodramatic momentarily, but it's OK till the time you have your popcorn pouch full. The only drawback which I guess many of you may find in "Satyagraha" is that, despite dealing with one of the most realistic and relevant topics of the hour, Jha uptil an extent fails in inculcating the intensity, which could have done miracles for this otherwise enter taining cine tale. 20 MidWeek entertainment KATE BOSWORTH WEDS MICHAEL POLISH According to Mar tha Stewar t Weddings, the couple exchanged selfpenned vows against a backdrop of hills, mountains and wildflowers and later treated guests to a locally sourced dinner, People Magazine repor ted. The 30-year old actress wore an ivory radzimirsatin strapless Oscar de la Renta ball gown for the wedding ceremony and a ‘ Robert Pattinson wants French girlfriend AMERICAN ACTRESS KATE BOSWORTH HAS GOT MARRIED TO DIRECTOR MICHAEL POLISH IN AN OUTDOOR CEREMONY AT THE RANCH AT ROCK CREEK IN PHILIPSBURG, MONTANA. floral embroidered tulle dress by the same designer for the reception, while the groom wore a three-piece charcoal Brooks Brothers suit. MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 The pair first met in 2011 when he directed her in the drama 'Big Sur' and confirmed their engagement via Twitter in September 2012. The 27-year-old, who split from longtime actress-girlfriend Kristen Stewar t, said that it was during the shoot that it finally dawned on him what he wants in a woman, repor ts showbizspy.com. "When everybody was watching the footage of the kissing scene, I was already embarrassed," said the "Twilight" star. "Suddenly, Camille said 'Oh la la!' I glared at her and told her 'Are you kidding me?' I thought that the British would say 'Oh la la!' as a way to make fun of French. "I didn't think that French women would say it for real. Then I realised that I would like to have a French girlfriend with all her cliches," he added. The actor filmed his Dior fragrance adver tisement with model Camille Rowe. ‘ ACTOR ROBERT PATTINSON WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A FRENCH GIRLFRIEND AND SAYS HE FELT SO WHILE SHOOTING AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR FRENCH LUXURY BRAND DIOR HOMME FRAGRANCE. Matthew McConaughey moves to Texas Kangana counts her working hours “ Matthew McConaughey has moved his family to Texas, and is happy to finally live in a place where he can be himself. T he 42-year-old actor, who has son Levi, three, and twoyear-old daughter Vida, with fiancee Camilla Alves, explained that he appreciates the laid-back vibe of the Texan capital, Austin, and is truly happy to live in the city. "No one recognises you and no one asks you, 'Hey, what do you do?,' because I don't think anyone cares. Fridays show up sooner here. You want to get along in Austin, you want to get along in Texas, all you have to do is be yourself," said McConaughey. "My motherin-law from Brazil has travelled around the world and we've lived in Los Angeles and New York. She says to me the other day, 'In LA, people will walk on your back and stand on your shoulders to get where they are going, in New York, they will just pull out a gun and tell you they will kill you. Here in Texas, everybody walks together.' I think that is a compliment, Austin," he added. Matthew is familiar with Texas, after all, he grew up in the small town of Uvalde in West Texas and then attended the University of Texas in Austin. AMANDA SEYFRIED LOVES TAXIDERMY A ctress Amanda Seyfried finds taxidermy an amazing way to look after animals after they are dead. The 26-year-old is a huge fan of taxidermy and owns a number of creatures including an owl and a miniature pony. "When taxidermy is done well it's an amazing piece of art. I love animals and they're very easy to look after when they're dead. I recently decided I was going to start building a parliament of owls because I only have one," contactmusic.com quoted Seyfried as saying. "I bought him in Paris. He was sitting with every kind of animal you can possibly imagine - giraffes, zebras, scorpions - and they were all sitting in this incredible installation and that's when I decided that this was going to be a lifelong hobby," she added. I am very harsh on myself: Deepika Padukone D eepika Padukone may have chartered a successful Bollywood career for herself in a short span but the actress says she is rarely happy with her work. The 25year-old says her self-criticism helps her do better with each film. "I am very harsh on myself. I am very rarely satisfied with my own work but I am glad that it is like this. I would rather be harsh on myself than be happy with the smallest thing that I do. I compete with myself and challenge myself to do better everyday. It gives me the drive to push myself otherwise I would be stuck in the rut," Deepika said. She proved that she is more than a pretty face with her powerful performance as Veronica in Cocktail, her lone release this year."I am glad that this film happened for people to realise that. I have always believed in my work and myself but sometimes you have to wait for the right script and opportunity to come your way. Cocktail did that for me."She has already won an award for her performance in the film. Deepika, however, says she is more happy to see that the audiences' perception about her has changed for good. "I think awards are always welcome. Big Star awards recently acknowledged my contribution. But I am more happy about the energy shift that I feel from the audiences post Veronica. There is nothing in the world that compensates for that feeling." With her latest film Race 2 ready to hit the screens on January 25, Deepika says she is looking forward to 2013. "I could not have asked for more this year. I invested a lot emotionally into the character of Veronica and I am very happy with the result. It has been a great year for me not only in terms of Cocktail's success but also with the kind of films that I signed post that. I have an interesting line-up for 2013." Deepika is looking forward to a busy year in 2013 with Race 2, Kochadaiyaan and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani releases. She has also reunited with Shah Rukh Khan for Chennai Express after Om Shanti Om besides working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Ram Leela. "Yeh Jawaani... is almost done and we have just started shooting Chennai Express. I am working with Shah Rukh again after four years. The film is true to Rohit Shetty's style. While Ram Leela with Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a love story," says Deepika, adding that Kochadaiyaan with superstar Rajinikanth is ready for release. Talking about Race 2, her first release of the year, Deepika says she plays a manipulative role. "It is for the first time that I am doing an action thriller. The first part was very successful and Race 2 has similar twists and turns. My character Alina is very manipulative and intelligent and she knows how to get her way through whatever she wants." The Abbas-Mustan film also stars Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, Ameesha Patel and Bipasha Basu. K angana Ranaut, it is learnt, is very particular about the hours she puts at her work every day. An insider from the unit of her heroine-centric film tells us that if she works an hour extra one day, she makes sure to shoot an hour less the next day. "Kangana also points out to the director that she'd like to leave earlier since she shot extra the previous day," says our source. Sunny Leone loves Delhi's gol-gappas! I ndo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone is set to perform in the capital on New Year's Eve. She says she enjoys the street food, especially the spicy gol-gappas. "I love Delhi! My favourite thing about being there was before I came here as Sunny Leone (was) walking on the streets, eating gol-gappe," she said. Sunny made her Bollywood debut with "Jism 2" this year. She has now even settled in Mumbai and is loving it. "I moved into my new place a couple of months ago in Mumbai, it's beautiful. It overlooks the Arabian Sea. I never thought I will wake up in the morning and say 'I am looking at the Arabian Sea'. So it's really special for me. Everything is coming together and I love it," the 31-year-old said. Sunny will soon start shooting for " Ragini MMS 2", her second Bollywood project. MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek bollywood Kareena Kapoor's ambitious CAREER PLANS Malaika Arora Khan's KITCHEN DISASTERS Malaika Arora Khan likes trying her hand at various types of cuisines. And not just trying them out, but making them too! But then, that means coming up with disasters too once in a while. When CS recently met the lady at the opening of a culinary school, she told us about her experiments, and how they fail at times. POPULARITY OF STAR KIDS ON THE RISE ‘ Kareena Kapoor wanted to be a lawyer and after completing her 12th she took an admission in Government Law College at Churchgate. But being a Kapoor she couldn't resist her acting talent. And after completing a year she moved on to Bollywood. `While I experiment, I have all kinds of disasters that can possibly happen while cooking. Be it over cooking or putting excess salt or vice versa, burning the food, undercooking, etc, you name it and I have a story to tell you. Once I was trying to make chicken roast. I didn't roast it; I burnt it completely!` she laughed. 21 THOUGH THEIR FIRST FILM MAY BE YEARS AWAY, STAR KIDS TODAY ALREADY HAVE A HUGE FAN FOLLOWING. "THERE IS ALREADY CURIOSITY TO GET THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF SHAH RUKH KHAN'S SON ABRAM," SAYS A SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER , ADDING THAT THERE HAS BEEN A RISING DEMAND FOR PICTURES OF STAR KIDS. A browse through social networking sites will throw up more than a dozen groups dedicated to Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, daughter Suhana, Sridevi's daughter Jhanvi, the newest Bachchan entry, Aaradhya, among others. While some like Jhanvi appear comfor table in front of the cameras, others like Aryan clearly seem uncomfor table at the intrusion as was pretty evident at his father's Eid par ty. We look at how some actors deal with their children's popularity... Aamir Khan: While son Azad is often seen on the sets with his mother Kiran Rao, veteran photographer Pradeep Bandekar says that Aamir too is quite comfor table with his son being exposed to the media. "He knows if he resists, no one is going to listen to him, so it is better to pose and make everybody happy," says Bandekar. Sridevi: The actress is always seen with her daughters Jhanvi and Khushi, be it at personal or work-related functions. Her daughter Jhanvi seems to be grooming herself to be an actor. She's already being touted as the next fashionista after cousin Sonam Kapoor. Suniel Shetty: Ask Suniel Shetty about it and he says that keeping his daughter away from the media glare was not a planned move. "We have brought up Athiya and Aahan as normally as possible, focusing more on their education which is most impor tant. No special treatment was given to them. I am happy my daughter has chosen to act, but a fan following should be based purely on quality of work. It should not be a shor tcut to success," he says. Akshay Kumar: Fiercely private about his family, the actor tries to keep both his kids — son Aarav and daughter Nitara — away from the limelight as much as possible. Mahesh Bhatt: No one really knew much about Alia Bhatt before her successful debut film, but now she has become hot proper ty in B-Town. "To be honest, Soni (Razdan, her mother) and I were rather staggered by the response she evoked after her debut film. She has been handling her fans rather well. sports ENGLAND CONFIRM INDIA TOUR ITINERARY VIRAT KOHLI CONFERRED WITH THE ARJUNA AWARD, NEW DELHI India's NZ tour advanced to January I ndia will tour New Zealand for a month in mid-January for five ODIs and two Tests, with the first one-dayer to be played on January 19 and the second Test ending on February 18. New Zealand Cricket's release came a day after the BCCI's working committee approved the tour. The announcement increased the uncertainty surrounding India's South Africa tour in November, the itinerary of which is yet to be finalised. The New Zealand tour was scheduled to begin in early February, according to the ICC Future Tours Programme, but will now start around two to three weeks earlier, eating into the time allotted for the South Africa tour. In fact, according to the itinerary announced by Cricket South Africa in July, and objected to by the BCCI, the third and final Test in Johannesburg was to end on January 19, the day on which India will now be thousands of miles away commencing their New Zealand sojourn. The make-up of the South Africa trip had already been put in doubt after it was left out of a list of upcoming series announced by the BCCI a day ago, which included a freshlyplanned home Test series against West Indies in November. West Indies will then will travel to New Zealand after playing in the subcontinent, for a series that starts on December 3 and ends on January 15, four days before the home team's first game against India. David White, New Zealand Cricket's chief executive, said he was unaware about the itinerary of India's tour of South Africa but added that NZC had finalised the dates only after discussions with the BCCI. White did not want to speculate on why the BCCI's release on Sunday had not included the dates but confirmed both boards had worked together on the final itinerary. "Those dates have been signed off with the BCCI. We had been in discussions just before the (BCCI) working committee meeting and worked through the dates and that was ratified at the meeting," White told ESPNcricinfo. He was understandably pleased about the prospects of a tour that is likely to be a money- spinner for his board. "It's brilliant that the Black Caps will be playing five ODIs against the world's top one-day side given the proximity of the World Cup in 2015," White said. While the boards have stuck to the five UNCERTAINTY OVER INDIA'S SOUTH AFRICA TOUR SCHEDULE The status and make-up of India's tour of South Africa, scheduled to begin in late November, has been put in doubt after it was left out of a list of upcoming series announced by the BCCI on Sunday. BCCI president N Srinivasan said the series is "definitely on", though, and ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI is on the verge of giving Cricket South Africa a pruned itinerary. Srinivasan, speaking after the board's working commitee in Kolkata, told PTI: "I've not said that the South Africa series will be scrapped. It's definitely on. We have [merely] proposed a West Indies series in November. There were neither any discussions on the South Africa series, nor did any members raise any questions on it." ODIs as laid out in the FTP, the originally scheduled three Tests have been cut down to two, while the Twenty20 international has been done away with. The venues will be confirmed in a week or so, NZC said. India last toured New Zealand from February to April 2009 for a longer trip consisting of two T20s followed by five ODIs and ending with three Tests. While New Zealand won both T20s, India took the ODIs 3-1 and the Tests 1-0. England face one of their most condensed home Test series after next year's schedule for India's visit was confirmed with five Tests to be held over just 42 days. It will be the first time since 1959 that India will have played five Tests on an England tour while the trip, which runs from June 23 to September 8, also includes five ODIs and one T20. The Test matches have been crammed into a period from July 9 to August 19 with no other tour matches scheduled between any of them. In comparison, this year's Ashes series was spread over 47 days with reasonable breaks between the second and third then four th and fifth Tests. India will begin their tour with two threeday matches against Leicestershire and Derbyshire. The first Test will be played at Trent Bridge from July 9, while Lord's will host the second Test, which begins on July 17. While the ECB has listed the Ageas Bowl (Southampton) as a venue for the third Test it still needs to pass a final facility inspection before being rubber-stamped. The third Test is also slated to begin on Sunday, July 27, a break from conventional scheduling in England, where Tests are usually slotted to include a full weekend. The last two Tests will be played at Old Trafford and The Oval, from August 7 and August 15, respectively. The five ODIs, scheduled between August 25 and September 5, will be held in Bristol, Cardiff, Trent Bridge, Headingley and Edgbaston. India are also scheduled to play a 50-over game against Middlesex between the Test and ODI series. The only T20 match on the tour will be played at Edgbaston on September 7. ECB chief executive David Collier said demand for the tickets is expected to be high: "We anticipate significant demand for tickets both for the Investec Test series, and for the One-Day International series which will be the first encounter between these two countries in the 50-Over format since India's triumph in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy competition at Edgbaston earlier this year." India previously toured England in 2011 when they were whitewashed 4-0 in the Tests, during which England went to No. 1 in the world, and they also lost the one-dayers 3-0. MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013 MidWeek 23 24 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2013