Canada and India are natural allies

Transcription

CANADA IS NOT GOING
TO SEE A U.S.-STYLE
HOUSING MARKET
MELTDOWN: CIBC
HURRICANE SANDY
LEAVES 50 DEAD
MILLIONS WITHOUT
POWER IN SANDY'S WAKE
PRICES LIKELY TO DROP BUT CANADIAN MARKET
VERY DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF PRE-CRASH U.S.
COVERAGE
ON PAGE 5
Canada and India are natural allies: says
Meira Kumar, Speaker of India’s Lok Sabha
ICCC, Consulate General of India in Toronto &
Panorama India hold a joint reception in the honour
of Hon. Meira Kumar, Speaker of India's Lok Sabha
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS
In an historic visit to Toronto, Hon. Meira Kumar, the Speaker of
India’s Lok Sabha – India lower house of Parliament – lauded the
role of the Indian Diaspora in playing a positive role in fostering
relations between Canada and India.
Calling the two countries “natural allies”, Hon. Meira Kumar said
Canada and India share many commonalities such as the
parliamentary form of democracy, pluralism and rich diversity.
“Believing in the same things binds us,” she said.
Hon. Kumar said that economically Canada is an important country
for India because of its natural resources and technical expertise.
She said that there are several complementary spheres – such as
energy and food security – where the interests of both countries
coincide, and the recent spate of visits by ministers from both
countries was an indication of the strengthening relationship
between Canada and India.
Welcoming the delegation to Toronto, Naval Bajaj, ICCC’s President
said the growing economic cooperation between Canada and India
is a result of new realities that have emerged during the last couple
of years which take cognisance of the emerging political and
economic scenarios globally.
“This cooperation is a vindication of our Chamber’s long-standing
belief that Canada and India are natural allies, especially in the
economic sphere,” he said.
He informed the Hon. Speaker that in recognition of the Chamber’s
sustained work in promoting Canada-India relations, the Government
of India honoured it with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award
(PBSA) – the highest accolade given to an overseas Indian
organization.
Consul General Madam Preeti Saran drew attention to Hon. Speaker’s
achievements in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), then as a Member
of Parliament and now as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Jibanjit Tripathi, Chair of Panorama India also spoke on the occasion.
HARPREET SETHI HONORED WITH "DIVERSITY AWARD"
FOR COMPASSION AT PLANET AFRICA AWARDS 2012
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS
President of Black Diamond
Entertainments & Founder of Sethi
Foundation, Harpreet Sethi was honored
with "Diversity Award" for Compassion
at Planet Africa Awards 2012. He has
won numerous awards such as 'Hotelier
of the Year' by MidWeek Media Group,
'Builder of the Year' by Builders Architect
Magazine, 'South Asian Person of the
Year' at the MidWeek South Asian
Awards, 'Entrepreneur of the Year' by
Indo Canadian Chamber of Commerce,
Diamond Jubliee Medal by Hon.
Harinder S. Takhar, MPP Mississauga,
Minister of Government Services on
behalf of Queen Elizabeth II".
Contd. on Page 9
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS
Canada is not poised for an American-style real estate meltdown,
finds a new report from CIBC World Markets.
The report notes that while there are a number of factors that raise
concerns about Canada's housing market, there are fundamental
differences between the Canadian and U.S. markets that should see
a soft landing for the real estate market here.
"To be sure, house prices in Canada will probably fall in the coming
year or two, but any comparison to the American market of 2006
reflects deep misunderstanding of the credit landscapes of the precrash environment in the U.S. and today's Canadian market," says
CIBC Deputy Chief Economist Benjamin Tal.
He notes that while the debt-to-income ratio in Canada just broke
the American record set in 2006, "this ratio is more a headline grabber
than a serious analytical tool. There is a list of countries with
comparably higher debt-to-income ratios, which did not experience
anything remotely resembling the recent U.S. experience."
Mr. Tal says we should pay more attention to the speed at which the
debt-to-income ratio is growing. "Here the picture looks a bit less
alarming. Comparing the three years heading into the U.S. crash to
the past three years in Canada reveals that the debt-to-income ratio
in Canada has been rising at half the speed seen in the pre-crash
U.S. market." The strong growth in indebtedness south of the border
was partially fueled by speculative activity in the housing market something we've seen far less of in the Canadian market. In the
decade leading to the crash, housing starts in the U.S. exceeded
household formation by nearly 80 per cent. On average, over the
past decade, the gap in Canada has been only 10 per cent—with
most of the excess seen in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.
TOUGHER IMMIGRATION MEASURES
FOR NEWLYWEDS INTRODUCED
MISSISSAUGA: In an ongoing effort to deter people from using
marriages of convenience to cheat their way into Canada, Citizenship
and Immigration Canada (CIC) introduced a new regulation that
requires certain sponsored spouses live in a legitimate relationship
with their sponsor for two years or they risk losing their permanent
resident status. “There are countless cases of marriage fraud across
the country,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism
Minister Jason Kenney. “I have consulted widely with Canadians,
and especially with victims of marriage fraud, who have told me
clearly that we must take action to stop this abuse of our immigration
system. Sometimes the sponsor in Canada is being duped and
sometimes it's a commercial transaction. Implementing a two-year
conditional permanent residence period will help deter marriage fraud,
prevent the callous victimization of innocent Canadians and help us
put an end to these scams.”
Contd. on Page 9
2
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
MID WEEK NEWS WEEKLY
page 3
MidWeek
3
CELEBS AT
FORMULA 1
'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' Press Meet Celebs at Formula 1
SONAKSHI SINHA AND AJAY DEVGN DURING THE FORMULA
ONE INDIAN GRAND PRIX AT THE BUDDH INTERNATIONAL
CIRCUIT IN GREATER NOIDA.
BOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR SHAHRUKH KHAN AND ACTRESSES KATRINA KAIF AND ANUSHKA SHARMA WERE CLICKED AT THE JAB
TAK HAI JAAN PRESS MEET HELD AT THE YRF STUDIOS IN MUMBAI.
(IMAGE COURTESY: YOGEN SHAH)
SANIA MIRZA WITH HER HUSBAND SHOAIB MALIK DURING
THE FORMULA ONE INDIAN GRAND PRIX AT THE BUDDH
INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT IN GREATER NOIDA.
Sunny Deol's 56th birthday celebrations
HARBHAJAN SINGH WITH HIS SISTER AND GIRLFRIEND GEETA
BASRA DURING THE FORMULA ONE INDIAN GRAND PRIX AT
THE BUDDH INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT IN GREATER NOIDA.
SUNNY DEOL TURNED 56 ON OCTOBER 19. HIS BIRTHDAY WAS ATTENDED BY THREE GENERATIONS OF DEOLS, INCLUDING DAD
DHARMENDRA AND BROTHER BOBBY. (IMAGE COURTESY: YOGEN SHAH)
(IMAGE COURTESY: YOGEN SHAH)
SONALI BENDRE WITH HER FAMILY DURING THE FORMULA
ONE INDIAN GRAND PRIX 2012 AT THE BUDDH
INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT IN GREATER NOIDA.
4
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
page 4
MP KYLE SEEBACK
HONOURS RECIPIENTS OF
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
DIAMOND JUBILEE MEDAL
MP KYLE SEEBACK HONOURS RECIPIENTS OF
QUEEN ELIZABETH II DIAMOND JUBILEE MEDAL
BRAMPTON/BUREAU NEWS
On Sunday, October 21st, Kyle Seeback, Member of Parliament
f o r B r a m p t o n We s t , h o s t e d a p r e s e n t a t i o n c e r e m o n y
honouring recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond
Jubilee Medal.
The Diamond Jubilee Medal celebrates the 60th anniversary
of the accession of Her Majesty The Queen as Queen of
Canada. Medal recipients and their friends & family joined
MP Seeback at the Grand Victorian Convention Centre at the
Radisson Plaza Hotel to celebrate the outstanding
contributions of the recipients.
“These are exceptional people who have made great
contributions to our country and our great city” explained
MP Seeback. The recipients reflect a variety of different
backgrounds but all of them have in one way or another
contributed to our communities, either through business,
education or volunteering.
Recipients of Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Muntaz Alli
The Honourable Justice Dr. Irving Andre
Joseph Morgan
Dr. David Dickson
Neil Davis
Ginni Sethi
Gurmeet Singh
Amar Singh Pandher
Lois Rice
Aditya Jha
Master Corporal Steve Wolfe, C.D.
Marjorie Taylor
George Boast
Dr. Anthony Sterling
Lozanne Wamback
John Cutruzzola
Colleen Beaumier
Michael Avis
Wayne Taylor
Henry Verschuren
Special Constable Edo Van Belkom
CIBC AND Y MEDIA ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR
5TH ANNUAL CIBC MIDWEEK SOUTH ASIAN AWARDS
breaking news
MidWeek
5
Abduct westerners:
Qaida to Muslims
GURDWARAS
TOLD TO
PROVIDE
FOOD,
SHELTER TO
THOSE
AFFECTED BY
SANDY
AMRITSAR: American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC)
has asked gurdwara managements in the US to help those affected
by cyclone Sandy.
AGPC president J S Hothi told TOI on Tuesday that they had
asked them to convert gurdwaras in the affected areas into shelter
homes and make arrangements for providing food and water to those
affected. AGPC coordinator Dr Pritpal Singh said all efforts would
be made to help the affected people.
Pritpal said AGPC would be working closely with the official
machinery to deal with the emergency situations.
"As the gurdwaras are often situated in large compounds,
having enough food and water in stores, we would like to help the
needy in this one of the biggest crisis in the area, currently facing
the impact of the storm," said Pritpal.
Sikh NGO United Sikhs has said that it was working closely
with the Office of Emergency Management to track the impact and
for providing relief services apart from making arrangements for
providing food and water to the affected people at Sikh gurdwaras.
HOW NRIS CAN PROTECT THEIR INDIAN
PROPERTY FROM ILLEGAL POSSESSION
"
But what we faced thereafter was a nightmare. Our house in
Delhi became an easy target for squatters and illegal occupiers.
At one point, we had to position guards outside our house to
ensure no attempts of illegal possession could take place," Prakash
says ruefully.
While this might seem like a scene lifted from the movie Khosla ka
Ghosla, truth is that land and unattended houses in many parts
of India continue to remain susceptible to encroachment. While
land is an easier target for encroachment because it is usually
bought for investment purpose and left unattended for long
periods of time, houses too, especially of old people with no
primary support or of NRIs tend to become soft targets.
And in most situations, the legal way of eviction is cumbersome
and time consuming. P Sunder, Managing Director of
yourmaninindia.com, a TTK Services company explains, "The
tenancy laws in most states are skewed in favor of the tenants.
Therefore, prevention is always better than cure."
Nidhi Singh, Founder Director of l e g a l c o n s u l t a n c y f i r m
nrilegalservices.com agrees, "A possessor enjoys certain
judicial protection against third parties even if he is not the
owner. This is in order to obviate unlawful acts of violence
against the person in possession. However, illegal occupants
take advantage of the prevalent laws with respect to
possession and many owners face a lot of problem and
harassment to get back their properties. The problem is worse
in cases of NRIs who are not physically present to look after
the properties and forced to depend on locals to look after
the properties and litigation if any."
Let us then look at what steps you should take to protect
your property if you are an NRI with land or house in India.
But before that a quick look at how illegal occupation takes
place.
HOW ILLEGAL OCCUPATION TAKES PLACE
There are two ways in which illegal occupation can take place.
"First is when squatters prepare forged documents and
threaten you that you do not have legal rights to the property.
Generally these are thugs or people with connections who
resort to these kinds of tactics to force someone to pay a cost
for redeeming their property and enjoying peaceful
possession or to force them to make a sale at a distressed
value. Sometimes, this has even happened with the
connivance of the local revenue authorities. The second is
where a tenant forcefully overstays and illegally occupies
your property in the face of inadequate checks and balances
as well as poorly drafted contracts," Sunder says.
HOW TO PROTECT
Broadly speaking, the basic rule to follow here is to ensure
that you have all your documentation in place to prove your
legal rights over the property. "To establish right on the
property the owner or a person claiming possession must have
documents such as the title deeds, jamabandis, mutation/
intkal, copy of the Will (if any) where the property has been
inherited by way of a Will, original purchase agreement/sale
deed, electricity bills, water bills and telephone bills etc.,"
Singh says.
Bangalore based Advocate Lokesh Anjanappa adds, "First
and foremost, after acquiring a property (by means of
purchase, gift, relinquishment, bequeathment etc.,) you MUST
get all the revenue records mutations done in your favor. If
the property is inherited or has come down by way of
bequeathment (Will) and the title deed is not in your custody
either because the same is untraceable or lost, it is advisable
to immediately lodge a formal police complaint to the effect.
Next, insert a public notice in at least two local newspapers
about the ownership rights over that particular property and
obtain 'certified copies' of all such documents from the
concerned registering authority or revenue offices. Secondly,
pay all outgoings and liabilities like municipality/panchayath/
property tax to the authorities in time."Bharat Prakash, a US citizen
of Indian origin lives in Bellevue, Wisconsin. A few years back,
when Prakash's father took ill, he wanted to sell the family's
apartment in Delhi and help move his father to Bangalore where
the extended family lived. "My mother had passed away a few years
back and my father started to keep poor health. My father lived in
Delhi, but since there was no family there, we decided that it would
be best for him to move to Bangalore. So we locked up the Delhi
house and bought another house in Bangalore. Eventually, we
wanted to sell the Delhi house," Prakash says.
HURRICANE SANDY LEAVES 50 DEAD
MILLIONS WITHOUT POWER IN SANDY'S WAKE
NEW YORK: The most devastating storm in decades to hit the
most densely populated US region cut off modern communication
and left millions without power on Tuesday.
More than 8.2 million households were without power in 17
states as far west as Michigan. Nearly 2 million of those were in New
York, where large swaths of lower Manhattan lost electricity and
entire streets ended up under water — as did seven subway tunnels
between Manhattan and Brooklyn at one point, the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority said. The New York Stock Exchange was
closed for a second day from weather, the first time that has happened
since a blizzard in 1888.
Economic losses are estimated at between 10-to-20 billion US
dollars.
President Barack Obama canceled a third straight day of
campaigning, scratching events scheduled for Wednesday in Ohio,
in Sandy's path. Republican challenger Mitt Romney resumed his
campaign with an Ohio rally billed as a "storm relief event."
DUBAI: Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri has called on
Muslims to abduct westerners, join Syria's rebellion and to
ensure Egypt implements sharia, SITE Monitoring reported on
Saturday, citing a two-part film posted on Islamist websites.
The Egypt-born cleric, who became al-Qaida leader last year
after the death of Osama bin Laden, spoke in a message that
lasted more than two hours. "We are seeking, by the help of
Allah, to capture others and to incite Muslims to capture the
citizens of the countries that are fighting Muslims in order to
release our captives," he said, praising the kidnapping of Warren
Weinstein, a 71-year-old American aid worker in Pakistan last
year. Zawahri's message was first released on Wednesday, SITE
said, just two weeks after the cleric issued a filmed statement
calling for more protests against the US over a California-made
film mocking the Prophet Muhammad.
In his new message, he called on Muslims to ensure Egypt's
revolution continued until sharia law was implemented and urged
fellow Muslims to join the uprising against President Bashar alAssad in Syria.
The release of his message had been delayed, he said,
because of the "conditions of the fierce war" in Afghanistan
and Pakistan where he said US-led forces had intensified a
bombing campaign.
US President Barack Obama, whom Zawahri described as a
"liar" and "one of the biggest supporters of Israel", has stepped
up the use of unmanned drones to target militants in both
countries as well as in Yemen.
In a further attack on western governments and international
institutions, Zawahri accused world powers of giving Syrian
President Assad "a licence to kill" his opponents. "The UN,
(former international negotiator on Syria) Kofi Annan and the
Arab League give the al-Assad regime one opportunity after
another to end the rising of jihadi, popular resistance against
his oppression, injustice, corruption and spoiling," Zawahri said.
Syria's rebels include Islamist groups that draw on foreign
fighters. "I incite Muslims everywhere, especially in the countries
that are contiguous to Syria, to rise up to support their brothers
in Syria with all what they can and not to spare anything that
they can offer," he said.
Zawahri, who led the Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement
before joining al-Qaida, called on President Mohamed Mursi,
the country's new Islamist leader, to explain his policies on Israel,
Egyptian Christians and sharia law.
Islamist militants want Egypt to introduce sharia and to
tear up a 1979 peace treaty with Israel and were dismayed when
Mursi said he would appoint a Coptic Christian vice president.
3 EX-INDIA
FOOTBALLERS ACCUSED
OF RAPING MINOR
KOLKATA: National-level footballer and midfielder for East
Bengal club Jagpreet Singh and his cook were sent to jail for 14
days on Wednesday, pending investigation into charges that
the two raped a 14-year-old girl at Jagpreet's apartment.
Police are looking for two more footballers — East Bengal's
Jaspal Singh alias Joseph and Prayag Football Club's Baldip
Singh — who are also accused of raping the girl on Monday at
Jagpreet's posh pad in Diamond City North complex at
Nagerbazar. All three are from Hoshiarpur in Punjab and have
played for India on several occasions.
When TOI spoke to the victim in hospital on Wednesday,
she was still in shock and pain but determined to fight for justice.
"I want my rapists to be given the harshest punishment possible
so that no one dares commit such a crime against anybody,"
she said.
Jagpreet alias Jasbir and cook Ravi have been charged under
Section 376 (gang rape) 2G and 2F (applicable in rape of minors)
and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC. "We have launched a
manhunt for the other two players and hope for an early
breakthrough," said deputy police commissioner Kalyan
Mukherjee. According to a complaint by the girl's father, who is
employed in the apartment complex, Ravi called the girl on the
pretext of arranging a meeting with her best friend. She was
taken to Jagpreet's rented flat at 1pm on Monday where Jagpreet,
Jaspal, Baldip and the cook allegedly raped her. She was allowed
to leave at 5.30pm. "After coming back home, she fell ill. We
enquired but she was too traumatized to say anything. Then
she broke down," the father told TOI in the court premises.
The father related the story to some local youths, who
barged into the footballers' flat and beat them up. Jaspal and
Baldip fled but the locals locked up Jagpreet and Ravi and
handed them over to police.
The East Bengal Club, however, gives an alibi for Jagpreet.
At the time of the alleged rape, he was with the team at Salt Lake
stadium for a league match against Pune FC, says a letter sent
by the club's manager, G C Das, to Jagpreet's defense counsel
Rabin Bhattacharjee. "On the day of a match, the players are to
report at 11am and remain with the team till 5.30pm. The player
concerned was with the team and he was not present at the
place of occurrence (of the crime)," the letter says.
Bhattacharjee submitted the letter in court and said Jagpreet
was being framed for staying loyal to East Bengal and declining
offers from other clubs. However, after the police produced
evidence, aditional chief judicial magistrate Indranil Chatterjee
remanded the duo in judicial custody.
Jagpreet and Ravi will line up for a test identification parade
before the victim in the presence of the magistrate. Her statement
has already been recorded under Section 164 CrPC and she has
undergone a medical examination.
MidWeek
6
editorial/opinion
Chinese whispers
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Keeping our Streets and
Communities Safe
Why the Indian elephant is frightened of the dragon
Jug Suraiya
F
ifty years after the Sino-Indian conflict, India is still
suffering from a bruised ego. More than any other
single factor, the 1962 defeat is largely the cause of
India's inferiority complex vis-a-vis its giant neighbour. Like
a defiant David minus his slingshot, India's defence
establishment cocks a snook at the Goliath across the border,
and assures us that if it comes to a second round - which it
might, considering Beijing's stated claim to the whole of
Arunachal Pradesh -- our response won't be found wanting.
Defence minister A K Antony recently said that the "India of
2012 is not the India of that period (1962). We are now capable
of defending every inch of our country." Brave words, bravely
spoken. But how true are they?
In 1962, an overconfident Jawaharlal Nehru - whose
defence minister, Krishna Menon, is said to have been busy
making coffee percolators in India's ordnance factories - gave
a summary order to the defence chiefs to 'throw out' the
Chinese from what India claimed was its territory as defined
by the 890-km-long McMahon Line drawn by the British in
1914, and which Beijing had never accepted. As it turned out,
it was the Chinese who did the 'throwing out', penetrating
deep into India's northeast and leaving psychological scars
that have yet to heal. To a great extent, the reason that India
hasn't recovered from the trauma of 1962 lies in the fact that
the exhaustive official inquiry into the debacle - the 28volume, 1968 Henderson Brooks-Bhagat report - has never
been made public and to this day remains in the secret realm
of classified material. Following a 2005 petition made by
j o u r n a l i s t K u l d i p N a y a r, a f o r m e r c h i e f i n f o r m a t i o n
commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah, was allowed to access the
report. What he discovered in it has not been made public.
MidWeek
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Instead, in a recent statement he is said to have emphasised
that making the report public would be harmful to Indian
interests. The reasons reportedly given for this sound like a
scenario jointly scripted by Franz Kafka and Joseph Heller,
author of Catch-22. It has been argued that the report is so
"scathing" on the role of the army that it would have a
"demoralising effect on our forces even now". It has further
been stated that as India's troop deployment in the area has
not "substantially changed" since 1962, declassifying of the
documents would lead to divulging sensitive information to
the Chinese. Good reasoning. Except for one thing.
There are reportedly only two copies of the report in
existence. One is with the Indian defence secretary. And other
one? It is reportedly "with Chinese top officials" (don't ask
how it got there. That too is classified). So the Indian public
is denied information on the basis that this would mean giving
the Chinese the same information which in any case they've
already got. This is not just Catch-22; this is Catch-44.
The other reason given for not making the report public
is that it would "demoralise" our defence forces. This is
nonsense. It is common knowledge that the defeat of 1962
was caused not by any failure of fighting spirit on the part of
India's soldiers - all too many of whom laid down their lives in
defence of the country - but to political and bureaucratic
ineptitude at the highest levels which disastrously hamstrung
our troops. Far from "demoralising" our defence forces,
naming the real culprits of 1962 - who for political reasons
continue to be shielded - would 'remoralise' the army. If
knowledge is power, lack of knowledge is weakness. India
will continue to see itself as weak compared to China while
the truth behind 1962 remains hidden. The one claim in which
New Delhi scores over Beijing is that, unlike China, India is a
democracy and an open society. Suppressing the facts of 1962
belies that claim. And the Chinese dragon wins hands down,
all over again.
Contributed by MP Kyle Seeback
O
ur Government has recently announced the coming
into force of new accountability measures for violent
and repeat young offenders. The Harper Government
remains committed to keeping our streets and communities
safe, protecting Canadians and holding offenders
accountable. All too often, the justice system was powerless
to keep violent or repeat young offenders in custody, even
when they posed a danger to society.
With the Safe Streets and Communities Act, our Government
has made needed, balanced and responsible changes to the
youth criminal justice system. The newly enacted segment of
the Safe Streets and Communities Act, Protecting Canadians
from Violent and Repeat Young Offenders will simplify pretrial detention rules to help ensure that, when necessary,
violent and repeat young offenders are kept off the streets
while awaiting trial and require the Crown to consider seeking
adult sentences for youth who commit the serious violent
offences of murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and
aggravated sexual assault.
From now on, violent or repeat young offenders will be
held fully accountable for their actions and the safety and
security of law-abiding Canadians will be given full
consideration at sentencing. By moving quickly to pass the
Safe Streets and Communities Act, we have fulfilled our
promise to Canadians to take action to protect families, stand
up for victims and hold criminals accountable.
Why India needs Kejriwal
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T
hose who call Arvind Kejriwal an anarchist miss the
point. Anarchists aim to destroy democracy . They
break the law. They subvert institutions . Kejriwal does
none of these. We may disagree with some of his methods — I
do — but not with his intent. And it is important to separate
method from intent.
The intent is clearly right: expose the corrupt , improve
governance, unmask collusive politics, and undermine the nexus
between businessmen and politicians. All these objectives are
noble and necessary. India has for too long been a democracy
of, by, and for the few rather than the many. This culture of
privilege has corroded governance and created two nations:
those who have it all and those who have very little.
In the middle of these two extremes is the small but growing
aspirational middle class which forms the core support group of
Kejriwal’s constituency. It is not large enough to give him many
seats in Parliament or even the Delhi assembly once he launches
his political party on November 26. But it will give him enough
clout to be a disruptive influence.
Disruption can be constructive or destructive. Kejriwal’s
modus operandi has two principal flaws. One, he exposes alleged
corruption scams but does not follow them through to their
logical conclusion. He says others (media, public interest
litigants, opposition parties) should complete the job. That’s
not good enough. If you start something, finish it. If you can’t
, don’t start it. No one else, for example, is going to nail the
allegations against Robert Vadra, Salman Khurshid and Nitin
Gadkari. Public memory is short, public attention shorter. These
issues will eventually wither away in India’s collusive ecosystem.
Two, Kejriwal often gets carried away by his own rhetoric.
Calling Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit names does not
enhance his credibility. Bitter medicine is necessary to cure a
diseased political system but the dose must be delivered in the
right measure or it could prove counter-productive . The system,
for all its rottenness, has a huge capability to fight back and
discredit its detractors. It is easy for it to play victim. Anna
Hazare, Kejriwal’s mentor, says little but in a few words conveys
a great deal. His advice to Kejriwal: don’t be in a hurry. Anna
has successfully fought political corruption in Maharashtra for
over 30 years. He forced the resignations of six state cabinet
ministers across party lines — Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena .
It was Anna’s decade-long stir from the early 1990s that led to
the Maharashtra RTI Act being legislated in 2003. The Congress
and other parties fought the Act tooth and nail till they were
finally forced to adopt it.
The central RTI Act, 2005, which Congress president Sonia
Gandhi never tires of taking credit for, was initially also fiercely
opposed by the Congress. Civil society activists, emboldened
by Anna’s success in getting the Maharashtra RTI Act legislated,
eventually succeeded in pressuring the UPA-1 government to
pass the central RTI Act in 2005, modelled largely on the
Maharashtra Act. But “not being in a hurry” , as Anna advised,
does not imply inertia . India is a young country, an impatient
country. Kejriwal recognizes this. He is right in saying that the
government has tried to undermine many institutions of
governance: the Election Commission (EC), the Central Vigilance
Commission and the Public Accounts Committee. The Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) remains under government
control despite a 2006 Supreme Court order on police autonomy
which should apply to the CBI as well. As a result, the CBI is far
too often used as a political weapon rather than a professional
investigative agency.
To take his political movement forward, Kejriwal needs
to infuse clarity into specific issues. He started his activist
career campaigning for the RTI Act and deservedly won the
Magsaysay award for it in 2006. He then transferred his
attention to the Jan Lokpal Bill but has now largely
abandoned it in the face of collusive political opposition. As a
politician, Kejriwal needs to articulate a clearer vision than he
and his team have done so far. Their manifesto must contain
incisive ideas on economic reforms, counter-terrorism , foreign
policy, the environment, defence, energy and agriculture. It must
also state the team’s agenda on reforming our institutions,
including giving the CBI autonomy and the EC statutory powers
to conduct a monthly public audit of political party funding
and expenditure.If Kejriwal wants to play a serious, longterm role in India’s evolving democracy, he must shift from
the politics of agitation to the politics of reform.
MidWeek
community
7
2012 WOMEN OF
DISTINCTION
AWARDS
AWIC ALSO ANNOUNCED THE WINNERS OF ITS
2012 WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARDS
A
WIC Community and Social Services annual fundraising gala was back for its 36th year on
Friday night (Oct 26) at the Grand Victorian Convention Centre, Radisson Plaza. Mrs. Sharada
Bhat, AWIC President welcomed the audience and indicated that the Gala is a passionate
effort to raise funds to support Newcomer Women Entrepreneurship Program by providing strong
training, skills building and advisory support services for newcomer women entrepreneurs. It was an
unforgettable evening of music, fashion and entertainment. The evening began with cocktail reception,
gourmet dinner, silent auction and great performances by Irish Dance School, Tanzeb, Diva Diverse
group and fusion sitar by Prosad Taruk. AWIC also announced the winners of its 2012 Women of
Distinction Awards. Recipients for this year awards were Mrs. Kiran Kataria of KFI Foods –
Entrepreneurship, Dr. Jaya Chanchlani Medical Doctor & Philanthropist –Health & Welfare and Mrs.
Ginni Sethi , Business person and Community supporter– Helping Hand. AWIC’s past president
Mrs. Deepti Aurora received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award for her outstanding community
service work . The gala was a smashing success with over 400 people, including community leaders,
local MPP’s and other VIP’s guests. Some of the distinguished guests present at the gala were
Senator Dr. Asha Seth, Mr. Joe Daniel – MP Don Valley East, Mr. Deepak Obhrai –MP Calgary East
and Ms. D. Charandasi – Consul & Head of Chancery, Consulate General of India. Suhana
Meharchand from CBC network, Surbhi Guleria-Joshi and Angelie Sood were emcees for the night.
AWIC Community and Social Services thanks all of those who supported and attended this year’s
gala and look forward to another successful year in 2013! AWIC is located at 1761 Sheppard
Avenue
First-Time Novelists Awarded the
2012 Canada-Japan Literary
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS: The Canada Council for the Arts
announced today that writers from Toronto and Montreal
have won the 2012 Canada-Japan Literary Awards, which
recognize literary excellence by Canadian authors writing on
Japan or Japanese themes. The English-language winning
work is The Reading List by Leslie Shimotakahara, Toronto.
The French-language winning work is Coma by Montreal’s
François Gilbert.
The biannual awards, worth $ 10,000 each, were
established by the Japanese government through an
endowment to the Canada Council and were first awarded in
1989. Exceptionally this year, the winning titles are the authors’
first books. “Over the past two decades, this prestigious
award has provided opportunities for both the authors and
the readers to deepen their insight into Canada and Japan,
which is based on precious common values, including
multiculturalism,” said His Excellency Kaoru Ishikawa,
Ambassador of Japan to Canada. “On behalf of the
Government of Japan, I would like to express deep gratitude
to the Canada Council for the Arts for its longstanding
dedication to managing and overseeing this award.” “The
2012 winning books demonstrate the strength and diversity
of Canadian writing and a contemporary concern for
identity,” said Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the
Canada Council. “Our partnership with the Japanese
Embassy enables us to recognize the contribution of these
novelists to deepening our understanding of our respective
cultures.”
This year, the jury members for the English-language book
were David Bergen (Winnipeg), Anne Park Shannon (Victoria) and
Priscila Uppal (Toronto). The jury members for the French-language
book were Françoise Enguehard (St. John’s, N.L.), Émile Martel
(Montreal) and Michel Régnier (Montreal).
8
MidWeek
community
Two Canadian hockey stars to coach at
Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest 2012 in Calgary
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Redefining retirement: more
than 2,300 Canadians
provide their new definition
More than 350 young hockey hopefuls learn the ropes from Canadian
TD reveals top themes from
Women's Hockey Elites Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Sami Jo Small
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS:
Tw o - t i m e O l y m p i c t e a m
captain and gold medalist
Cassie Campbell-Pascall and
two-time gold Olympic
medalist Sami Jo Small are
lacing up their skates this
weekend for the fifth annual
Scotiabank
Girls
HockeyFest in Calgary. The
two hockey stars will coach
350 young hockey players
o n S u n d a y, N o v e m b e r 4 ,
2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m., at the Scotiabank
Saddledome."Scotiabank
Girls HockeyFest is a day
where young athletes come
together as a community to
learn valuable skills from
strong role models like
Cassie and Sami Jo, and
we're excited to bring this
event back to Calgary this
year," said Shannon Burch,
S c o t i a b a n k ' s D i s t r i c t Vi c e
President, Alberta South
Region. "As the official
bank of the Canadian
Wo m e n ' s H o c k e y L e a g u e ,
we're proud to help young
female
athletes
really
cultivate their hockey skills.
This event is a great
opportunity for these girls
to be coached by some of
Canada's best, and we're just
happy to play a part in
making it possible."
Scotiabank
Girls
HockeyFest in Calgary is
free to all participants and
is open to Novice, Atom,
Peewee and Bantam-level
players, ages seven to 14.
Over the course of the day,
more than 350 players will
receive on-ice skills and office life coaching from
Olympians
Cassie
Campbell-Pascall and SamiJo Small as well as a tour of
the Calgary Saddledome
Arena. The day also
features a "New to the
Game" session led by Team
Alberta players of the
CWHL.
The session is designed
to teach hockey basics to
girls who have never played
the
game
before.
"Scotiabank
Girls
HockeyFest gives young
female athletes the chance
to learn both life and hockey
skills that I hope will stick
with them after this event,"
said Cassie CampbellPascall, Scotiabank Hockey
A m b a s s a d o r. " We l o o k
forward to introducing the
game to some future hockey
stars who have never put on
a pair of skates or shot a
puck.
It means a lot to me as a
coach to be a part of this
event, to both help young
girls to improve their game,
but also to celebrate this
awesome sport." Scotiabank
Girls HockeyFest began in
Ottawa nine years ago, and
was first held in Calgary in
2008.
This year, it will be held
across Canada, in Brandon,
Wi n n i p e g ,
St.
John's,
To r o n t o a n d O t t a w a . To
register or learn more about
the event please visit
www.scotiabankgirlshockeyfest.com.
Redefine Retirement contest
For thousands of Canadians,
retirement isn't just about
withdrawing from one's
occupation. It means freedom,
financial security and the
ability to travel. These are the
top retirement themes that
emerged when TD asked
Canadians
to
redefine
retirement last month. More
than 2,300 Canadians submitted
definitions of what retirement
means to them. While many
shared common elements, each
entry was unique and personal.
"What is clear from the
submissions is that everyone's
idea of retirement is different,
because everyone is looking
forward to personal and
specific things. It's important
to take the time to define what
retirement means for you: it
helps you get started on
planning your finances to
ensure your retirement dreams
become a reality," says Cynthia
Caskey, Vice President,
Portfolio Manager and Sales
Manager, TD Waterhouse
Private Investment Advice.
More than half (52%) of
Canadians said retirement isn't
about stopping or slowing
down. It's about freedom and
flexibility. "Retirement is to be
able to think imaginatively and
freely, to allow myself luxuries
of thought and time, dreams
and realities, the future and
friendships." - Cynthia, St.
Thomas, Ontario "An RV, the
love of my life, a GPS, a full tank
of gas ... coffee and an open
road to travel ... throughout the
country!!!" - Crystal, Fort
McMurray, Alberta "To ensure
your finances are in good shape
when you reach your golden
years, it's important to have a
financial plan in place," says
Caskey. "With the recent
volatility in the markets, you
can help protect your portfolio
by having a variety of
investments and savings
products. To help maximize your
retirement savings, consider
having
a
balance
of
conservative and growth
investments, based on your
comfort level and the number of
years
you
have
until
retirement." Other recurring
themes
from
submitted
definitions included financial
security (27%), the ability to
travel (25%), escape from the
'nine-to-five grind' (21%) and
spending time with friends and
family (14%). Spending time
away from work with family and
friends can be done on a small
budget; however one-quarter of
Canadians
submitted
definitions based on hopes to
travel. "Travel can be expensive
and requires planning," advises
Caskey. "Start by reviewing
your current financial situation.
With the help of an advisor, you
can create a formal financial plan
to ensure you save enough
now to pay for all of your
expenses
in
retirement,
including travel, when you likely
won't generate as much
income." "After reviewing the
submitted definitions, it became
clear that there's no 'best'
definition of retirement; it's
highly personal," adds Caskey.
"The earlier you start thinking
about your retirement dream, the
sooner you can start saving
and planning to help ensure it
comes true."
EVENTS
SAFF Canada South International Diaspora 5th Annual Midweek
Asian Film Festival Film Festival
South Asian Awards
When: Wednesday, Oct 31
Where: Vancouver
A collection of internationally
recognized films will be shown
and celebrated at the first ever
South Asian Film Festival, taking
place in Vancouver, Surrey and
Abbotsford from October 31st –
November 4th, 2012. During the
highly anticipated five-day
celebration, 40 films from seven
countries will be screened in
theatres in three cities, to a highly
diverse audience. Countries with
submissions this year include
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and
Afghanistan.
When: Thursday, Nov 1
Where: 20 Carlton Street, Toronto
The 12th IDFF International
Diaspora Film Festival (IDFF) will
run in Toronto from November 16, 2012 in two venues with an
exciting line up of Toronto/
Canadian Premieres. The theme
of the festival this year is
“Through Female Eyes”, where
films made by or about women in
the diaspora will be screened. For
more
information,
visit
www.diasporafilmfest.com.
Film Screening:
Midnight's Children
When: Friday, Nov 2
Midnight's Children is an epic film
from Oscar-nominated director
Deepa Mehta , based on the
Booker Prize winning novel by
Salman Rushdie. At the stroke of
midnight on August 15, 1947, as
India proclaims independence
from Great Britain, two newborn
babies are switched by a nurse
in a Bombay hospital. Saleem
Sinai, the illegitimate son of a poor
Hindu woman, and Shiva, the
offspring of wealthy Muslims, are
fated to live the destiny meant for
each other. Their lives become
mysteriously inter twined and are
inextricably linked to India 's
whirlwind journey of triumphs
and disasters. From the unlikely
romance
of
Saleem
's
grandparents to the bir th of his
own
son,
MIDNIGHT`S
CHILDREN is a journey at once
sweeping in scope and yet
intimate in tone. Hopeful, comic
and magical the film conjures
images and characters as rich
and unforgettable as India herself.
When: Saturday, Nov 3
Where: 175 Derry Road East,
Mississauga
Midweek South Asian Awards is
an exclusive event honouring the
achievements of South Asian
Canadians and who have done
tremendous work at the
professional and social level. The
winners exemplify the talent of
today’s South Asian Canadian
community and are the
inspiration for the achievers of
tomorrow. For sponsorship and
ticket inquiries, contact Yudhvir
Jaswal
at
yudhvir@southasiandaily.com or
call 647-272-8182. For more
information,
visit
www.southasianawards.ca.
Film
Screening:
Material at IDFF 2012
When: Saturday, Nov 3
Where: 20 Carlton Street, Toronto
Cassim Kaif is a young Muslim
man with a talent for stand-up
comedy, but his father dreams he
will take over the family-run
fabric shop. Cassim is pursuing
his dream of being on the big
stage by per forming at comedy
clubs at night. The problem is he
hasn’t told his family. Trouble
begins when the father discovers
Cassim’s other life. Cassim finds
himself in direct conflict with his
father, his family and his
community.
Screenings:
Saturday, 3 November 2012, 7pm,
Carlton Cinema, Toronto
Sunday, 4 November 2012, 8pm,
Innis Town Hall, Toronto, Vincent
Ebrahim in attendance.
MidWeek
canada
ONTARIO'S FLU
CAMPAIGN
CONTINUES TO
PROTECT
ONTARIANS FROM
SEASONAL FLU
Harper Government Unveils New ePassport
THE GREY CUP AND THE STANLEY CUP SUPERIMPOSED OVER CHILDREN PLAYING POND HOCKEY IS ONE OF
THE 16 WATERMARKS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE NEW CANADIAN PASSPORTS.
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS:
Foreign Affairs Minister
John Baird announced that
Canada’s new ePassport will
be full of iconic images that
will
make
Canadian
passports more attractive
and more secure. “The new
ePassport will be more
reflective and representative
of who we are as Canadians,”
said Baird during an event at
the newly renamed Canadian
Museum of History. “These
i m a g e s s h o w c a s e C a n a d a ’s
history and the building of
our great nation while adding
essential
new
security
features
for
the
21st
C e n t u r y. ” T h e n e w i m a g e s
will also serve to keep the
Canadian passport one of the
w o r l d ’s m o s t s e c u r e t r a v e l
documents. The complexity of
the images is - first and
foremost - a security feature
that makes the passport more
difficult to counterfeit.“Our
government is tremendously
p r o u d o f C a n a d a ’s r i c h
h i s t o r y.
We
urge
all
Canadians to learn more
about the events and people
that shaped Canada and the
great sacrifices made to
secure our freedom,” added
Baird.
Countries around the
world review their passport
designs and security features
periodically to stay steps
ahead of counterfeiters. The
new-look ePassport will help
facilitate legitimate trade and
safe, secure travel which, in
turn, helps create jobs,
growth
and
long-term
prosperity for Canadians.
The
first
5-year
ePassports will be issued in
select locations during the
first quarter of 2013.
Production will ramp up
through the spring resulting
in the full availability of both
a 5- and 10- year ePassport in
early summer.
Governments of Canada and Ontario Celebrate
New Affordable Housing in Oshawa
OSHAWA/BUREAU NEWS: The Government of Canada, the
Government of Ontario and The Regional Municipality of Durham
celebrated the official opening of 12 new affordable housing rental
units in Oshawa. The project is supported by $840,000 in funding
through the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.
The construction of this project has created up to 30 jobs in
Ontario, and helps to meet the housing needs of low-income
individuals in the Oshawa area. Colin Carrie, Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Oshawa, on
behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources
and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); Joe Dickson, Member
of Provincial Parliament for Ajax-Pickering, on behalf of the
Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs
and Housing, along with Regional Councillor Lorne Coe, Chair of
the Health & Social Services Committee, on behalf of Regional Chair
and Chief Executive Officer Roger Anderson, made the
announcement.
The 12-unit project located in Oshawa at 1529 Ritson Road South,
received $840,000 through a joint investment under the CanadaOntario Affordable Housing Program Agreement. The federal and
provincial funding is complemented by more than $2.25 in municipal
financial incentives from The Regional Municipality of Durham.
Property taxes for the affordable housing units will be equivalent to
the single residential rate for the next 20 years.
The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest more
than $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will
be spent in support of almost 605,000 households living in existing
social housing. In Ontario, this represents some 237,750 households.
These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income
Canadians and households living in existing social housing,
including individuals who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness,
seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal
people.
Ontario's Flu Campaign Continues To
Protect Ontarians From Seasonal Flu
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS: Ontario's annual flu
immunization campaign continues to protect Ontarians from
the flu despite a temporary suspension of two vaccines by
Health Canada. "The flu shot remains the most effective and
safe way to protect you and your family from seasonal flu,"
said Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health.
"I encourage everyone to take advantage of the free influenza
vaccines." Late Friday, Dr. King sent a memo to public health
units, pharmacies, doctors and other health care practitioners
in the province asking them to temporarily suspend the use
of two Novartis products (FluAd and Agriflu) as advised by
Health Canada. Ontario's influenza (flu) vaccine supplies are
9
not overly affected by the temporary suspension of FluAd
and Agriflu which represent only 18 per cent of Ontario's
supply. Ontario offers two other publicly funded vaccines
not affected by the federal suspension which make up the
other 82 per cent of Ontario's supply. Dr. King is working
closely with her federal colleagues and provincial health
partners to monitor this situation. Ontario's flu shot is an
annual immunization against the influenza flu viruses expected
t o c i r c u l a t e f o r t h a t y e a r. F l u i m m u n i z a t i o n i n O n t a r i o
commenced a few weeks ago and no serious or unexpected
adverse health reactions have been reported for any of the
vaccines being used, including those from Novartis.
HARPREET SETHI HONORED WITH "DIVERSITY AWARD"
FOR COMPASSION AT PLANET AFRICA AWARDS 2012
Contd. from Page 1
The 9th Annual Diversity and Planet Africa Awards gala, held on
Saturday, October 27th at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto,
Canada, was a tremendous success. The evening commenced with
an exclusive, sold out VIP dinner, catered by celebrity chef Selwyn
Richards, followed by the awards ceremony, world class
entertainment.
International recording artist & four-time Juno and Much
Music Video Award winner KardinalOffishall hosted the awards
ceremony, while the VIP dinner was hosted by comedian Jay Martin
and Sam Sarpong hosted the After Party. Top notch performances
were rendered by renowned dance troop Ballet Creole; a powerful
tribute to Whitney Houston by Patricia Shirley and a groovy
showcase by Ghana's Hiplife duo Ruff N Smooth.
Two thirds want Black
stripped of Order of Canada
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS
Almost two-thirds of Canadians say Conrad Black should
be stripped of his Order of
Canada, according to a new
poll by Forum Research Inc.
In a random sampling of public opinion taken among Canadians 18 years of age and
older, two thirds agree Conrad
Black should be stripped of his
Order of Canada (63%) and just
one fifth disagree (19%) or
don't know (18%).
The youngest group of respondents were less likely to agree
(54%) and more likely to not have an opinion on the matter
(under 35 - 25%). On the other hand, Canadians with annual
household incomes exceeding $100K were more likely to
agree. "Lord Black can't catch a break, it seems. The last
time we polled his situation, the majority wanted to deny
him Canadian citizenship," said Forum Research President,
Dr. Lorne Bozinoff.
TOUGHER IMMIGRATION
MEASURES FOR NEWLYWEDS INTRODUCED
The new regulations apply to spouses or partners in a
relationship of two years or less and who have no children in
common with their sponsor at the time they submit their
sponsorship application. The spouse or partner must live in a
legitimate relationship with their sponsor for two years from the
day on which they receive their permanent resident status in
Canada. The status of the sponsored spouse or partner may be
revoked if they do not remain in the relationship.
Minister Kenney was joined at today’s announcement by
representatives of Canadians Against Immigration Fraud (CAIF).
Sam Benet, President of CAIF stated: “We applaud Minister
Kenney for taking bold steps to address the growing problem of
marriage fraud and for protecting the integrity of our immigration
system.” “I think it is a very good measure,” added Palwinder
Singh Gill, founder of the Canadian Marriage Fraud Victims
Society.
“Canada’s generous family sponsorship program was being
abused because many people were marrying only to get a
permanent resident card and then leave their partners. With this
rule, those abusing the system will think twice.” The regulations
include an exception for sponsored spouses or partners suffering
abuse or neglect.
(Contd. on page 10)
Incumbent parties
safe in 3 by-elections
Conservatives with comfortable lead in Durham,
Calgary Centre; NDP to take Victoria
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS: In a
random sampling of public opinion
taken by the Forum PollTM among
adult Canadians resident in the
three federal ridings where byelections will occur on November
26, the two incumbent parties will
retain their respective seats.
Conservative Erin O'Toole posts
46% to the NDP's Larry
O'Connor's 24% in Durham, where
the Liberal, Grant Humes, is in third
with 20%. The Green candidate,
Edward Yaghledjian has 6%.
Voters aged 45-54 were
significantly more likely to back
Erin O'Toole by a large margin
(63%). In Calgary Centre,
Conservative media firebrand Joan
Crockatt has 48% to Liberal
Harvey Locke's 28%, with the
Greens' Chris Turner in third place
with 11%. The NDP candidate, Dan
Meades, polls at under one tenth
of the vote (8%). Crockatt had
significantly more sway among
older voters (58% 65+) while Chris
Turner had a stronger base among
those aged 18-34 (24%). In
Victoria, NDP candidate Murray
Rankin has a comfortable lead of
47% over his closest challenger,
the Green Party's Donald
Galloway, with 20% of the vote.
The Conservative, Dale Gann, and
the Liberal, Paul Summerville, each
have 16% of the vote. Gann's
support was concentrated among
older voters (29% 65+), while
Galloway saw significantly
stronger support among the
younger voter base (39% 18-34).
"These by-elections were
eagerly anticipated before they
were called, but it appears that
now the dust is settling, nothing
will change.” said Dr. Lorne
Bozinoff, President.
10
MidWeek
canada
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Minister Kenney Proposes Guidelines Trudeau-led Liberals
on Barring Harmful People from Canada
to win majority
People who promote terrorist
activity or incite hatred which is
likely to lead to violence could
be barred from Canada,
according
to
proposed
guidelines released today by
Citizenship, Immigration and
Multiculturalism Minister Jason
Kenney. The Faster Removal of
Foreign
Criminals
Act,
introduced in Parliament on June
20, 2012, includes several
proposed changes to the
Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act to protect the
safety and security of
Canadians.
Among
the
proposed changes is a new
ministerial authority to refuse
temporary resident status to
foreign nationals on the basis
of public policy considerations.
“This authority ensures that we
do not let in those who, for
example, have a track record of
promoting hatred and inciting
violence against vulnerable
groups,” said Minister Kenney.
“The intent is that this authority
be used very sparingly and with
caution. We want to ensure that
we strike the right balance in
describing the scope of this
authority, which is why I’ve
tabled the guidelines in
Parliament and welcome the
feedback of parliamentarians.”
The proposed guidelines,
introduced by Minister Kenney
before the Standing Committee
on Citizenship and Immigration,
illustrate scenarios where the
Minister may choose to exercise
his authority. The proposed
guidelines
outline
two
categories of behaviour and
activities whereby a foreign
national may be refused
temporary resident status: 1)
individuals who promote
terrorism, violence or criminal
activity including individuals
who incite hatred that is likely
to lead to violence against a
specific group; and 2) certain
foreign
nationals
from
sanctioned countries or
corrupt foreign officials.
This new authority would
allow the Minister of
Multiculturalism to deny
temporary resident status to a
foreign national for a period of
up to three years, on the basis
of
public
policy
considerations. The authority
is intended to be used only in
exceptional circumstances.
Unlike many of our key
international
partners,
including the United Kingdom,
the United States, New Zealand,
and Australia, which already
have similar measures in place,
Canada currently does not have
a mechanism to prevent certain
foreign nationals who are
otherwise admissible from
entering Canada, even though
it is in the public interest that
they be kept out. “For years,
Ministers of Immigration have
been asked by members of
federal
and
provincial
parliaments, stakeholders, and
Canadians to refuse entry to
individuals who promoted
hateful rhetoric, yet we were
powerless to act,” said the
Minister. “This authority would
apply to the handful of
exceptional cases each year
where there are no other legal
grounds to keep such people
out of the country to protect the
safety and security of
Canadians.” The Minister will
report annually to Parliament on
the number of instances the new
authority is used. The new
discretionary authority for
refusal is meant to be flexible,
allowing for case-by-case
analysis and quick responses to
unpredictable
and
fastchanging events. It would allow
the Minister to make a carefullyweighted decision, taking into
account the public environment
and potential consequences.
Harper Government moves to protect consumers
when using prepaid credit cards
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS:
The Honourable Jim Flaherty,
Minister of Finance, and Lucie
Tedesco, Deputy Commissioner
of the Financial Consumer
Agency of Canada (FCAC),
today
announced
new
regulations to protect consumers
when using prepaid credit cards.
The Harper Government is
extending the existing consumer
protection framework to prepaid
payment products so that
Canadians are better able to
choose forms of payment that
best meet their needs. “Our
Government is committed to
protecting consumers,” said
Minister Flaherty. “We want to
be sure Canadians understand
what fees and conditions apply
to prepaid products so that they
can continue making informed
financial decisions in their dayto-day lives. These changes will
ensure that Canadians get the full
value of their hard earned dollar
when using a pre-paid credit
card.” Relatively new to the
market, prepaid payment
products allow consumers to
make purchases or cash
withdrawals through a payment
network, such as American
Express, MasterCard or Visa, with
funds that have been paid in
advance to a financial institution.
Currently there are fees
associated with prepaid payment
products that are not entirely clear
to the consumer. The proposed
Prepaid Payment Products
Regulations would require that
fees be disclosed to consumers
in an information box displayed
prominently on the product’s
exterior packaging, and that other
information for the consumer to
understand when using these
products be provided prior to
issuance in a manner that is clear,
simple and not misleading.
“Improving consumer awareness
through regulations like these
helps to improve financial literacy
and helps protect consumers.
And a better-informed public
means far more than better
decision making; it can empower
individual Canadians while
contributing to a strong
economy,” added Deputy
Commissioner Tedesco. The
proposed regulations would also
“The Jig is Up on Marriage
Fraud,” says Minister Kenney
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS: In an ongoing effort to deter people from using marriages of
convenience to cheat their way into Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) introduced
a new regulation that requires certain sponsored spouses live in a legitimate relationship with their
sponsor for two years or they risk losing their permanent resident status. “There are countless
cases of marriage fraud
across the country,” said
Multiculturalism Minister
Jason Kenney. “I have
consulted widely with
Canadians, and especially
with victims of marriage fraud,
who have told me clearly that
we must take action to stop
this abuse of our immigration
system. Sometimes the
sponsor in Canada is being
duped and sometimes it's a
commercial transaction.
Implementing a two-year conditional permanent residence period will help deter marriage fraud,
prevent the callous victimization of innocent Canadians and help us put an end to these scams.”
limit certain business practices
that could be harmful to
consumers. For example, they
would prohibit the funds from
expiring and prohibit any
maintenance fees for at least
one year after a prepaid credit
card has been activated for
customer-purchased products.
The proposed regulations
will be available online in the
Canada Gazette on October 26
for a 30-day comment period.
Contact information for
forwarding comments will be
provided with the regulations.
The Minister also took the
opportunity to announce the
final publication of regulations
prohibiting unsolicited credit
card cheques on October 10,
2012. Credit card cheques are
considered cash advances,
which generally incur higher
interest rates and fees, and do
not offer an interest-free grace
period.
“We
welcome
the
Government of Canada’s
continuing efforts to protect
consumers,” said Laurie
Campbell, CEO of Credit
Canada Debt Solutions.
“Regulations like these are
essential safeguards for
Canadians who need a little
extra information when making
important financial decisions.”
NDP, Conservatives tied otherwise
OTTAWA/BUREAU NEWS: In a random sampling of public opinion
taken by the Forum PollTM among Canadians 18 years of age and
older, 4-in-10 would vote Liberal if the election were held today and
Justin Trudeau were liberal leader (39%), compared to just 3-in-10 for
the Conservatives (29%) and one quarter for the NDP (24%). In this
hypothetical election, the Liberals would win a five seat majority of
160 seats in the 308 seat house, against 104 for the Conservatives
and just 42 for the NDP. The Bloc Quebecois would take just 1 seat
and the Greens the same. Under these conditions, the federal
Conservatives had the highest support among older participants
and those living outside of Quebec and the Atlantic region. The
Liberals, on the other hand, had more support among those living
outside of Alberta and Manitoba / Saskatchewan. The NDP had the
most support among residents of Manitoba / Saskatchewan and the
least support among Albertans. In a normal matchup, with the current
leaders, the Conservatives and the NDP are tied, with just less than
a third of the vote each (31% and 32%, respectively). This represents
a slight dip for the Conservatives since last month (35%), while the
Liberals post 27% this month, a slight increase from 25% last month
and 22% the month before. With Trudeau out of the picture, similar
subsample trends emerged as identified above. The federal
Conservatives had the most support among older participants, those
with high annual household incomes, and the least support among
residents of Quebec and the Atlantic region. The Liberals found
more support among residents of Quebec, Ontario, and the Atlantic
region. The NDP had more support among younger Canadians and
residents of Manitoba / Saskatchewan, and by far the least support
among Albertans.
Conservatives to form minority government
In a matchup with the current leaders, the Conservatives would
take a minority of 122 seats in the 308 seat house, down from 142 last
month and compared to 101 for the NDP and 76 for the Liberals.
Harper's approval down, Rae's up
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has approval from more than
one third of the population (36%), but this is down from last month
(39%). His net favourable rating (approve minus disapprove) is -20.
Tom Mulcair has approval from close to 4-in-10 (38%) and this is
largely the same as last month (37%). His net is a benign +8. Bob
Rae's approval has improved from 31% to 34% this month, and his
net stands at -2. Harper had the highest approval among older
participants, males, and Albertans, and had the least support among
those with annual household incomes less than $20K. Mulcair had
the highest approval ratings among Quebeckers. Rae had higher
approval among older participants.
Conservatives, NDP have enthusiasm edge
Conservative supporters and NDP voters are more enthusiastic about
voting their parties (very enthusiastic - 47% and 46% respectively)
than are either the Liberals (38%) or the Green Party (very enthusiastic
- 40%). "The 'Trudeau Effect' has proven itself as a real phenomenon,
and it appears to be growing, not going away," said Forum Research
President, Dr. Lorne Bozinoff.
Tougher immigration measures for newlyweds...
(Contd. from page 9)
The conditional measure would cease to apply in instances where
there is evidence of abuse or neglect by the sponsor or if the sponsor
fails to protect the sponsored spouse or partner from abuse or neglect.
This abuse or neglect could be perpetrated by the sponsor or a person
related to the sponsor, whether or not the abusive party is living in the
household or not during the conditional period. The exception would
also apply in the event of the death of the sponsor.
The conditional measure is now in force, which means that it applies
to permanent residents in relationships of two years or less, with no
children in common, whose applications are received on or after October
25, 2012. Conditional permanent residence does not differ from regular
permanent residence other than the need to satisfy the two-year
requirement. These regulations bring Canadian policy in line with that
of many other countries including Australia, the United States and the
United Kingdom, all of whom use a form of conditional status as a
deterrent against marriage fraud.
india
CABINET RESHUFFLE
MidWeek
11
RAHUL GANDHI TO BE
DESIGNATED NO. 2 IN
CONGRESS SOON
SONIA GANDHI IN DELHI
Maken, Ashwani, Pallam, Tiwari sworn in
SONIA GANDHI ON THE OCCASION OF MAHARISHI VALMIKI
JAYANTI IN NEW DELHI YESTERDAY.
Narendra Modi calls
Shashi Tharoor's wife '
50-crore-rupee girlfriend'
THE CABINET RESHUFFLE WAS MOTIVATED MORE BY CONSIDERATIONS OF POLITICS RATHER THAN GOVERNANCE.
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: PM Manmohan Singh has
reshuffled his Cabinet in a bid to overhaul his government's image
ahead of general election in 2014. Seven Cabinet ministers, including
new faces K Rehman Khan and Chandresh Kumari, and 15 ministers
of state were sworn in today as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
expanded his council of ministers. Five ministers of state — Dinsha
Patel, M M Pallam Raju, Harish Rawat, Ajay Maken and Ashwani
Kumar — were promoted to Cabinet rank. Congress spokesperson
Manish Tewari and actor-turned- politician Chiranjeevi were brought
in as ministers of state with independent charge, while Shashi
Tharoor made a comeback as minister of state after over two years.
12 new ministers of state were sworn-in. They are Tariq Anwar
(Maharashtra), K Suresh (Kerala), A H Khan Chowdhry, Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhry and Deepa Dasmunshi, (West Bengal), S Satyanarayana,
K Jayasuyraprakash Reddy, P Balram Naik, and Killi Kriparani
(Andhra Pradesh). Lalchand Kataria (Rajasthan), Ranee Narah
(Assam) and Ninong Ering (Arunachal Pradesh) are the others who
were sworn-in as MoS.
Cabinet reshuffle: Salman Khurshid
is new external affairs minister
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Sunday appointed Salman Khurshid as his new foreign
minister. Khurshid, 59, replaces SM Krishna as the top diplomat
and his post as a law minister goes to Ashwani Kumar, a
spokesman said. MM Pallam Raju is to be made the next HRD
minister, while Shashi Tharoor is likely to be made junior minister
with the portfolio. First timer Manish Tewari moves from being a
spokesperson of the Congress Party to minister of state for
information and broadcasting, while Deepa Dasmunshi from West
Bengal will be minister of state for culture. K Rehman Khan is to
be made the cabinet minister for minority affairs. M Veerappa
Moily will the country's new petroleum minister. Kapil Sibal will
continue to be the telecom and it minister. Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar will be the new minister of state
for agriculture. Pawan Kumar Bansal will get railways, but loses
parliamentary affairs to Kamal Nath, who will alos keep urban
development. Within the government, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin
Pilot and R P N Singh will be assigned new roles. Scindia is likely
to get independent charge of power, Pilot will have independent
charge of corporate affairs and Singh moves as minister of state
for home. None of them have been given cabinet rank, as was
being speculated. All of them are second generation Congress
leaders. Uttarakhand veteran Harish Rawat will be the new water
resources minister. Dinsha Patel, from Gujarat, will be the cabinet
minister for mines. Chandrashwari Katoch, who is from Rajasthan,
is new culture minister. Ajay Maken is new housing and urban
poverty alleviation minister.
Rahul Gandhi to be designated No. 2 in Congress soon
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: Congress heir apparent Rahul Gandhi
will soon be formally designated No.2, with organizational reshuffle to
follow Sunday's ministerial rejig to complete the overhaul of the ruling
establishment for the 2014 elections. Rahul is likely to be elevated as
'secretary general' or 'working president', perhaps as early as this week
itself. Although the two pedestals have been ceremonial, they will
pack real punch in his hands, and will
delineate the hierarchy for future. The
Amethi MP currently holds the position of
party general secretary in-charge of youth
outfits. The two ceremonial posts have
rarely been used in Congress except in
political exigencies. H N Bahuguna became
'secretary general' after his homecoming to
Congress in 1980 while Kamlapati Tripathi
was named 'working president' in 1983. But
Rahul is set to occupy either of the two
posts as part of the succession plan. While
there is little doubt about who is to succeed Sonia Gandhi as Congress
chief, the official elevation for Rahul is viewed as important to convey
a clear message that he is the mascot for the next elections as well as to
groom him into managing the party. The twin recast would put all
doubts to rest about a rethink on transition in Congress in the wake of
poll defeats in recent months. The decimation in Uttar Pradesh was
viewed as a personal failure for Rahul who ran the party battle. Rahul's
involvement in Sunday's ministerial reshuffle reassured the ranks in
that it signalled a fresh resolve to enhance his engagement with matters
he had stayed aloof from. Although necessitated by vacancies running
into double digits and compulsions of political messaging ahead of
key state elections, Sunday's reshuffle carried the loud statement that
Congress will contest the next polls under a different leader. The coming
AICC rejig may have to further amplify the message if Congress wants
the generational shift to have enough momentum to shrug aside the
negativity that has wrecked the perception about the ruling party.
Indications are that Sonia will perform a gradual transition, with the
young son taking on an active role in party affairs by being part of
committees and by overseeing day-to-day management. The key
question about Rahul's impending promotion is
how he restructures the organization. Those
trusted by Sonia are likely to continue, but the
young Gandhi may bring in his set of
functionaries to implement his vision. There is a
concern that Rahul cannot be thrown into an
"Akhilesh Yadav situation" where he is asked to
work with the old guard that owes its allegiance
to another generation. Samawjadi Party took a
leap of faith after the March landslide to effect
generational makeover, but Akhilesh remains
surrounded by "uncles" who have flaunted their
loyalty to his father Mulayam Singh Yadav to remain autonomous of
the chief minister. As a result, Yadav Jr is still to find his feet in the
crucial post. The dominant perception is that Rahul is unlikely to go
for a radical shuffle and would prefer to create a young team within
AICC manned by senior leaders. As general secretary, he has been
working through young MPs and ministers who are drafted into political
work from time to time. Rahul's stamp on the organization may find
reflection in bigger responsibilities for AICC secretaries like Meenakshi
Natarajan, Bhakta Charan Das and Ashok Tanwar -- all MPs who did
not find a place in the Union ministry. Congress has tried to convey
the message of transition to 'Rahul era' with the Cabinet recast in
which he took active interest and helped promote young ministers and
induct many others, making it different from usual party exercises.
MANDI/ HIMACHAL PRADESH /BUREAU NEWS: A day after
the Cabinet reshuffle, UPA ministers — especially Shashi
Tharoor — came under fire from Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as
he made a scathing attack on the former UN diplomat, calling
his wife the " 50-crore-rupee girlfriend". Addressing a rally here
on Monday, ahead of polls in the state, Modi said, "Wah kya
girlfriend hai. Apne kabhi dekha hai 50 crore ka girlfriend?"
(What a girlfriend. Have you ever seen a 50-crore-girl friend),
he told the crowd referring to Tharoor who was inducted into
the government as minister of state for HRD.
Modi was making a reference to allegations of Tharoor
actively negotiating the "sweat equity" for Sunanda Pushkar,
now his wife for the Kochi IPL team in 2010. He had allegedly
asked for 10% for Pushkar while the deal was finally settled at
5%. Following the allegations, Tharoor had resigned from the
Union ministry.
The Gujarat CM regaled his supporters with jibes at
Tharoor. "Everyone has heard about the minister, taken back
on board and rewarded for his conduct. He claimed in the
Parliament that he is in no way connected to the Rs 50 crore
SHASHI THAROOR AND SUNANDA PUSHKAR
and that these are in his friend's name. Who has heard of a
crorepati girlfriend? And then girlfriend becomes wife, we learn
some time later." Many in the BJP say that Modi was particularly
unkind on Tharoor because the latter had taken on Modi over
the controversy over his online followers.
When Modi posted a self-congratulatory tweet a few days
ago for clocking over a million followers — which later became
a hot debate with some sites saying that most were fake or
inactive followers — Tharoor had said in his tweet: "Alas, most
followers aren't fans." Modi also took on Salman Khurshid and
the Prime Minister for "promoting" him. "By promoting him,
the Congress has proven that it is promoting its corrupt leaders.
Salman Khurshid should have been made to resign but instead
he has been promoted. Congress believes that the bigger the
corruption, bigger the promotion," said Modi. "The number of
cases of corruption do not seem to bother the party," he added.
Hitting out at UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the BJP leader
said: "She does not know how to run a kitchen. If she knew, she
would not have allowed capping of LPG cylinders. Indian
woman, who runs a kitchen, is suffering," said Modi. Prem Kumar
Dhumal's arch rival Virbhadra Singh was also on Modi's target.
"Income tax department raided a steel company and checked
its accounts which mentioned transactions in the name of VBS.
Congress claims it does not stand for Virbhadra Singh. Yes,
Virbhadra Singh is Vir Bhaksh Singh," said Modi.
12
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
MidWeek
world
13
Malala’s fight brings a wave of hope in Pakistan US Officials Interrogate
Imran Khan In Toronto
HYDERABAD/BUREAU NEWS: The plan was to silence one seemingly
weak rebel and ensure victory, as had been the case several times in the
past. The rebel was 14-year-old girl Malala Yousufzai. The issue at
stake was education of girls. And the opponent, the powerful Taliban.
Malala had dared to speak against the Taliban diktat that denied girls
the right to education. Over the years Taliban has become a force that
even the most powerful groups in
Pakistan have come to fear.
Pakistan of late has realized the
danger of giving unstinted
support to Taliban. Their influence
is visible not only in the Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North
Western Frontier Province) but
also in Punjab and other parts
of Pakistan. They have also
gained a new name — Tahreeke-Taliban Pakistan. Taliban in
Afghanistan and Pakistan share
the same extremist ideology
that has no place for women in any sphere of life. Malala is an
unlikely Pakistani girl from Swat Valley where the fair sex has
learnt to prefer silence over voicing concern about the prevailing
restrictions. Speaking out entailed a high price, like in the case of Malala
who was shot at on October 9. Some five years ago, Malala began to voice
her concern against the restrictions put on education of girls. She took one
more step and wrote a blog on the BCC when she was only 11 years old.
She admitted she was scared of the Taliban edict. Though she received
threats, her efforts were recognized and she was honoured by government
and non-governmental organizations. Her rising popularity made Taliban
jittery and one of their factions decided to silence her voice permanently.
She has, as fate would have had it, survived and the surgeons at Queen
Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK, have succeeded in pulling out a
bullet from her head. It is not known how well her recovery would be. Even
as she was receiving medical care in Pakistan and later in Britain, her plight
unleashed an avalanche of protests across Pakistan and other countries.
The Pakistanis who so far had not
dared to speak against religious
fanaticism and terrorism, came out
on the streets. Malala who has come
to symbolize the fight against
injustices done to women is now
being called the Daughter of the
Nation. Taliban did not expect this
tsunami of anger, neither did any
political pundit or social scientist.
The women said they wanted their
basic rights and the men supported
them. Voices from Pakistan point out
that though there are attempts to
make Pakistan a theocratic state, it would continue to grow on the
universally shared values of equal rights for all, irrespective of their
faith, creed, caste and gender. Pakistan, they say, is one of the four
countries in South Asia which has produced a woman prime minister.
There are other women in the country who have excelled in politics,
administration, law, media, art, music, academics and human rights etc. The
government of Pakistan should act swiftly to retrieve the ground it has lost
to the extremists. It has, for the first time, the support of all sections of
society against extremist forces. What is required now is the will to initiate
firm measures against fanaticism
TORONTO/BUREAU NEWS : Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician
Imran Khan was taken off a New York-bound plane and claimed that
he was questioned by American officials about his stance on US
drone strikes in Pakistan. Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik-iInsaf () party, was questioned for about an hour late yesterday before
he was allowed to travel by the US officials at the Toronto Pearson
International Airport. He had earlier given a politically-charged
speech in Brampton Thursday about the turmoil in his homeland. "I
was taken off from plane and interrogated by US Immigration in
Canada on my views on drones. My stance is known. Drone attacks
must stop," Khan tweeted. "Missed flight and sad to miss the
Fundraising lunch in NY but nothing will change my stance. Still
looking forward to meet family there," Khan said. Khan was headed
to New York to attend a fundraiser organised by his party's US
chapter in Long Island here. Earlier, Khan had intended to hold a
demonstration outside the United Nations headquarters in protest
of the US drone strikes on his country's soil.
Fleeing Muslims seek shelter
after unrest in Myanmar
22,000 displaced by Myanmar unrest: UN
PAUKTAW/BUREAU NEWS: Boatloads of Muslims struggled to
reach refugee camps and sought safety on islands and in coastal
villages on Saturday as Myanmar tried to put out the fires of a week
of sectarian unrest that has shaken its fragile democratic transition.
Dozens of rickety wooden vessels packed with the stateless
Rohingya Muslims who fled clashes with Buddhists in western
Rakhine state had reached land by Saturday after two days at sea,
but nine boats were still unaccounted for, according to several
Rohingya refugee sources reached by telephone. New York-based
Human Rights Watch called on Myanmar's reformist government to
protect Muslims from "vicious" attacks, and released satellite images
of the "near total destruction" of a once-thriving coastal community
reduced to ashes around Kyaukpyu, an industrial zone important to
Chinese energy interests. The United Nations has warned that
Myanmar's fledgling democracy could be "irreparably damaged" by
a week of communal violence which has come five months after
machete and arson attacks killed more than 80 people and displaced
at least 75,000 in the same region. No new clashes were reported on
Saturday, a day after the home minister said the government was
prepared to declare martial law and emergency rule in the region if
violence escalated.
14
MidWeek
property & decor
Canada is not going to see a U.S.-style
housing market meltdown: CIBC
Contd. from Page 1
Another key difference between Canada and the U.S. is in the quality
of mortgages. The distribution of credit scores has not changed
dramatically in the past four years in Canada which is a very different
story to what happened in the U.S. during the four years heading
into the recession. Stateside, the proportion in the risky category
rose by more than ten percentage points and accounted for 22 per
cent of the overall market.
But credit score does not tell the whole story says Mr. Tal. He
notes that many of the troubled mortgages in the U.S. were sold
to borrowers with an acceptable credit score but who did not
satisfy the underwriting rules for prime loans because they were
unable or unwilling to provide full documentation on their
mortgage applications. In 2006, these non-prime mortgages
accounted for no less than 33 per cent of originations and close
to 20 per cent of outstanding mortgages.
"An astonishing one-third of mortgages taken out in 2005 and
2006, before the drop in prices, were in negative equity position,
and no less than half had less than five per cent equity, making
them highly exposed to even a modest decline in prices," adds
Mr. Tal. "In Canada, the negative equity position is nil, and only
15-20 per cent of new originations have an equity position of
less than 15 per cent. Furthermore, we estimate that the nonconforming market is currently at around seven per cent of
mortgage outstanding, up from five per cent in 2005 but
dramatically below the over 20 per cent seen in the U.S. at the eve
of the crash."
The report notes that, at its core, the U.S. meltdown is a non-
conforming story. Average house prices in cities with aboveaverage non-conforming exposure fell by 40 per cent from the
June 2006 peak—double the decline in cities with below average
exposure. "Eradicate subprime from the U.S. housing market and,
instead of the most severe house price meltdown since the great
depression, you get a soft landing," states Mr. Tal.
In the U.S., a mortgage was typically 30 years compared to a 5year term in Canada. Traditionally, this made Canadian borrowers
more sensitive to the impact of interest rate hikes. In Canada
today, borrowers are already curbing their rate sensitivity by
reducing the share of variable rate mortgages in new originations
to a multi-year low (mainly among more risky mortgages).
"In the pre-crash U.S., the opposite was the case with the share
of adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) staying elevated until the
bitter end, with no less than 80 per cent of non-conforming
originations being ARMs," he adds. "And those mortgage
gymnastics did not end here. The introduction of the teaser rate,
a low introductory rate for a period of two or three years that
would adjust upward at the end of the initial period, worked to
effectively neutralize U.S. monetary policy.
He notes that between mid-2004 and mid-2006, the Fed Funds
rate rose by more than 400 basis points, but in part due to the
impact of the teaser rate, the effective mortgage rate rose by only
30 basis points. The practical implication of that was that when
the teaser period expired, millions of Americans felt the full impact
of two years' worth of monetary tightening virtually overnight.
"The reset of no less than $2 trillion of mortgage debt in 2006 and
2007 was no doubt the trigger to the U.S. housing crash. Such a
potential trigger does not exist in Canada with mortgage rates
likely to rise gradually, allowing borrowers to adjust over time."
Mr. Tal notes that not all is well in the Canadian housing market.
Home prices are overshooting their fundamentals, mainly in large
cities such as Toronto and Vancouver and the recent slowing in
sales activity will probably be followed by price adjustments in
many cities across the country.
"But the Canada of today is very different than a pre-recession
U.S., namely as far as borrower profiles are concerned. Therefore,
when it comes to jitters regarding a U.S.-type meltdown here at
home, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Get creative with table napkins
W
ith the spicy, oily food that we all love, our table
napkins are always left with some reminders of the
sumptuous meals served at our tables. Table napkins,
especially the whites have a way of stubbornly holding on to stains.
And if you don't want to discard the napkins that are otherwise in
perfect condition, then this will prove to be the best way to salvage
them. Tie and dye napkins are easy to make.
Here is what you will need:
Napkins, Fabric dye, Rubber bands, A large bowl or
vessel, Plastic wrap, Rubber gloves
Method:
Wash napkins and let them dry. Wear rubber gloves and
mix the dye according to product instructions and transfer to
your bowl. Now, pinch fabric in and then using rubber bands
or thread, tie up fabric together at intervals on the napkin to
create a design.
Submerge the tied napkins into the bowl of dye, letting
dye seep in. Remove. Let it dry (designs absorb best when
left overnight.)
Once it is completely dry, remove the rubber bands and
unfold your napkin. The rubber bands would have left
designs where the colour didn't dye. Rinse napkin with cold
water until the water runs clear. Wash and dry according to
dye instructions. Set the table with your new napkins.
"9 buyers traps and how to avoid them"
1. BIDING BLIND: What price should you offer when you bid on a
home? Is the seller's asking price too high, or does it represent a
great deal. If you fail to research the market in order to understand
what comparable homes are selling for, making your offer would be
like bidding blind. Without this knowledge of market value, you could
easily bid too much, or fail to make a competitive offer at all on an
excellent value.
2. BUYING THE WRONG HOME: What are you looking for in a home?
A simple enough question, but the answer can be quite complex.
More than one buyer has been swept up in the emotion and excitement of the buying process only to find themselves the owner of a
home that is either too big or too small. Maybe they're stuck with a
longer than desired commute to work or a dozen more fix-ups than
they really want to deal with now that the excitement has died down.
Take the time upfront to clearly define your wants and needs. Put it in
writing and then use it as a yard stick with which to measure every
home you look at.
3. UNCLEAR TITLE: Make sure very early on in the negotiation that
you will own your new home free and clear by having a title search
completed. The last thing you want to discover when you're in the
back stretch of a transaction is that there are encumbrance's owners,
easements, leases or the like.
4. INACCURATE SURVEY: As par t of your offer to purchase, make
sure you request an updated properly survey which clearly marks
your boundaries. If the survey is not current, you may find that there
are structural changes that are not shown (e.g. additions to the house,
a new swimming pool, a neighbor's new fence which is extending a
boundary line, etc.). Be very clear on these issues.
5. UNDISCLOSED FIX-UPS: Don't expect every seller to own up to
every physical detail that will need to be attended to. Both you and the
seller are out to maximize your investment. Ensure that you conduct a
thorough inspection of the home early in the process. Consider hiring
an independent inspector to objectively view the home inside and out,
and make the final contract contingent upon this inspector's repor t.
The inspector should be able to give you a repor t of any item that
needs to be fixed with associated, approximate cost.
6. NOT GETTING MORTGAGE PREAPPROVAL: Preapproval is fast,
easy and free. When you have a preapproved mor tgage, you can shop
for your home with a greater sense of freedom and security, knowing
that the money will be there when you find the home of your dreams.
7. CONTRACT MISSES: If a seller fails to comply to the letter of the
contract by neglecting to attend to some repair issues, or changing
the spirit of the agreement in some way, this could delay the final
closing and settlement. Agree ahead of time on a dollar amount for an
escrow fund to cover items that the seller fails to follow through on.
Prepare a list of agreed issues, walk through them, and check them
off one by one.
8. HIDDEN COSTS: Make sure you identify and uncover all costslarge and small- far enough ahead of time. When a transaction closes,
you will sometimes find fees for this or that sneaking through after
the "sub" total- fees such as loan disbursement charges, understand
these in advance by having your lender project total charges for you
in writing.
9. RUSHING THE CLOSING: take your time during this critical par t of
the process, and insist on seeing all paperwork the day before you sign.
Make sure this documentation perfectly reflects your understanding of the transaction, and that nothing has been added or subtracted.
Do you know of someone who is looking to buy or sell a home, I'd love to help them.
So when you come across your friends and family and co-workers, just give me a
call with their name and number and I'll be happy to follow up and take care of them
for you. Because as you know, I'm never too busy for any of your referrals.
property & decor
MidWeek
15
16
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Sydney Sixers win
Champions League Twenty20
final by 10 wickets
KASHMIRA SHAH
TO PERFORM IN
TORONTO
NEXT WEEK
B
ollywood actress Kashmira Shah, whose performing career spans movies, television and the stage will perform at this year’s
CIBC Midweek South Asian Awards. The award show will be held at Radisson Hotel at Radisson Plaza on November 3. “Kashmira
Shah is a truly ground-breaking per former. I know she will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous hear t to the CIBC
Midweek South Asian Awards” said Yudhvir Jaswal, CEO of Midweek. The actress has appeared in many films notably, Yes Boss, Pyaar
To Hona Hi Tha, Jungle. Most recently, she also made a special appearance in a song in the film Murder. In 2006, she appeared in Big
Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother. In 2008, she won the dance reality show, Kabhi Kabhii Pyaar Kabhi Kabhii Yaar along with partner
Krushna Abhishek.
Established in 2007, Midweek Southasian Awards recognize and honour the achievements of South Asians worldwide. This year, the 5th
Annual CIBC Midweek South Asian Awards will be held on November 3 at the Radisson Plaza, Mississauga.
Movie Review: Chakravyuh
Meena Iyer
Critic's Rating: 3.5/ 5
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Esha Gupta, Anjali
Patil, Om Puri
Director: Prakash Jha
Release Date: October 24, 2012
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes
Genre: Drama
Story: Kabir goes undercover to help his cop-friend Adil destroy a
Naxalite group. Will Kabir stay true to his mission or will he become
a traitor?
Movie Review: Chakravyuh's prologue tells you how the Naxalite
movement is fast eating into our social fabric. Like most wars fought
between the haves and have-nots, this one is being fought with the
police (read administration) on the one hand and the Naxalites on the
other - and it's gained gargantuan proportions. Today, this movement is
so wide-spread, India and her rulers should no longer adopt an escapist
attitude. Enter the educated and enlightened Jha, who, as is his wont,
picks up socially relevant subjects for his cinema. In Chakravyuh, he
tackles the Naxalite issue head-on. The plot revolves around three close
friends - Adil ( Arjun Rampal), Kabir ( Abhay Deol) and Rhea ( Esha
Gupta) - who get into the police academy together. Hot-headed, rebelwithout-a-pause Kabir drops out. His friends Adil and Rhea, also
romantically involved, become high-ranking police officials. Kabir reenters their lives at a college reunion. The action shifts to Nandighat.
Adil is sent here to bring the Naxalites to task - his mission is to capture
their charismatic chief, Rajan ( Manoj Bajpai). After several failed attempts,
ENGLISHMAN Michael Lumb has blasted an unbeaten 82 to
lead the Sydney Sixers to a powerhouse 10-wicket victory in the
Champions League Twenty20 final.
The Sixers are the world's best Twenty20 franchise - not to
mention $2.5 million richer - after they stunned hometown heroes
Highveld at the Wanderers.
Needing 122 for victory after paceman Josh Hazlewood and
spinner Nathan McCullum took three wickets each, the Sixers
did not muck about with Lumb and skipper Brad Haddin reaching
the mark in the 13th over.
Man-of-the-match Lumb was dropped on 17, and made sure
he punished the Lions for the blunder, crunching eight
boundaries and five sixes in a knock that eventually turned the
game into a mis-match.
And when Haddin was dropped the following over by
Dwaine Pretorious at deep square leg, the skipper said the Lions
were never going to bounce back.
Sydney Sixers captain Brad Haddin celebrates the
Champions League T20 final win over Highveld Lions at the
Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Picture: Stephane De
Sakutin Source: AFP
"I think the way we played and the pressure we built
through the game, they cracked. "That's what it's about. I
said to the guys before the game that there will be some big
moments in this game, and if we do the simple things right,
they'll crack before us, and they did."
Contd. on Page 21
Lisa’s honeymooning
in Bora Bora
Kabir comes in with an interesting twist to the plot. Kabir joins the
'enemy' and finds himself confronting several truths that were hitherto
hidden from him. He realises that the enemy is not black but grey. Does
the administration have blood on its hands or are the Naxalites being
unreasonable? Will Kabir's new-found emotions change his ideology?
And will the friends find themselves on opposite sides of the firing
line? The personal and professional equations of the two men make for
a compelling film with some rock-solid emotions. Chakravyuh is a hard
film to make and marks must be given to Jha for sticking his neck out.
Staying true to the subject, he gives us an insight into uncomfortable
truths unfolding in our backyard. He is one of the few filmmakers with
such audacious work to his credit. Jha must also be complimented for
the scale and performances he has extracted from his lead cast. The men
- Manoj, Arjun and Abhay - are compelling; of the girls, Esha starts on
a shrill note but improves later. Newbie Anjali Patil shines.
Jaspal Bhatti cremated, hundreds mourn
T
he mortal remains of famous comedian, actor and satirist
Jaspal Bhatti were consigned to flames at a cremation
ground here Thursday evening. Bhatti died in a road
accident near Punjab's Nakodar town, 170 km from here, in the
morning. Bhatti's pyre was lit by his son Jasraj, who was himself
injured in the accident but was discharged from hospital in the
afternoon. Bhatti along with his son Jasraj who was on the
wheel, and two others was coming to Jalandhar from Bathinda
for the promotion of his new film 'Power Cut' when the car hit a
tree on the roadside. Bhatti, 57, was taken to a hospital in
Jalandhar after the accident where doctors declared him dead.
Bhatti who shot into fame from his satirical shows 'Ulta Pulta'
and 'Flop Show', had given a new dimension to comedy in TV
serials. He was the first turbaned Sikh comedian on Indian TV.
I
ndo-Canadian Lisa Ray, who emerged victorious after battling
cancer two years ago, is currently honeymooning in Pacific's
Bora Bora island. Lisa, who married long time beau Jason
Dehni, left for a short break with him after the wedding.
"Rebounding back into life with the love of my life Jason in the
presence of one collective heartbeat," she said. Lisa also sent us
pictures of her wedding, as well as her sangeet ceremony, where
she chose to wear an outfit by old friend Tarun Tahiliani.
18
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
MidWeek
bollywood
19
Upcoming
Movie Review
BOLLYWOOD Movies
ANJUNAA BEACH
RELEASE DATE: 06-Nov-2012
STARING: Nataliya Kozhenova, Amita
Nangia, Kiran Kumar, Syed Faiz Ali
DIRECTOR(S): Shakeel S. Saifee
PRODUCER(S): Sikander Khan
JAB TAK HI JAAN
Ajab Gazabb Love
Story: An ameer boy makes a gareeb game-plan to woo his
ladylove, and his whole family puts up a comical con-for-a-cause
act for his sake.
Movie Review: Even when poverty walks out of a red-hot
Ferrari - it looks damn cool! Who'd know better than the
Grewals? One of the wealthiest business families in town who
pride themselves on winning 'loaded' titles, and flaunting their
riches - Porsches, Ferraris, designer this and designer that.
The younger Grewal, Rajveer ( Jackky Bhagnani), who
has a passion for hot-wheels, has designed a 'Dream Car'
(something like a desi Ferrari for the average Indian. Wow!)
He has mostly driven solo, but shortly, he bumps into the girl
of his dreams, Madhuri aka Maddy (Niddhi Subbaiah) and his
'ball-bearings' start to roll! She hates everything rich, damn
the fact that she dons fancy clothes, bags and accessories.
But here's the problem.
Rajveer has only one way to impress her - he draws up a
'Grewals-turn-gareeb' plan. Maa ( Kirron Kher) who dreams of
a DB (read: dream bahu) for her son, business tycoon Pitaji,
Ya s h w a r d h a n ( D a r s h a n Z a r i w a l a ) - a n u m b e r c r u n c h i n g
brother; bhabhi and niece - all become victims of his 'poor'
plan. They are rich by day and poor at night. Plight!
Yashwardhan's role suddenly changes from cracking deals
in crores to selling kelas, Maa gives up her 'Manish Malhotra
creations' for the buddhi-blind-bechari 'DM' (read: downmarket) look, his brother plays an alcoholic, and bhabhi turns
into a bai (Hai-la!). All this while the love-starved couple Rajveer and Maddy romance in dream sequences in exotic
Italy (No 'penne' for your thoughts). Soon, there's doubletrouble in this plan, when Maddy's twin bros, Karan - Arjun (
Arjun Rampal) walk into the chaos and turn this gareeb-khana
into a pagal-khana.
Jackky Bhagnani's decent effort shows (as much as his 8pack), his comic-timing is well-toned in parts too; he flaunts
smooth moves on the dance floor, though in emotional scenes
he seems lacking in confidence and falters. Niddhi Subbaiah,
in her first big Bollywood role, looks pretty and confident,
but seemingly over-enthu at times.
Darshan Zariwala steps out of his serious-cinema mould
and surprises us with a fab comedy act. Arshad Warsi in a
cameo, tries to add southern tadka with his accent, but he
doesn't do much beyond that, really. Arjun Rampal's, comictiming is a revelation. His double-act entertains and adds
energy to this comedy.
The star-performer, undoubtedly, is Kirron Kher; not that
it's a surprise. She overacts convincingly (she's supposed to
be a filmi Maa), and her over-the-top histrionics are hilarious.
The story (a remake of Telugu hit 'Seema Tapakai') is
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
hi
hagnani, Nid
B
y
k
k
c
a
J
t:
Cas
Darshan
ir ron Kher,
Subbaiah, K
had
Rampal, Ars
n
u
rj
A
,
la
a
Zariw
W a rs i
vi
anjay Gadh
Direction: S
edy
Genre: Com
hours
Duration: 2
mounted on a
weak idea, with
paucity of funny
moments
and
well-written
scenes. Gadhvi
(known for the
'Dhoom' series)
has poorly patched the comic scenes with some songs (with a
bounty of bikini-clad women - 'Dhoom' hangover, huh?), social
messages (forced); and a story with a few laughs and even
lesser romance. This film is all about a bunch of people going
bananas, yet, it doesn't leave you in splits. But if you care for
a few giggles, go watch it.
1
Film:
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
CHALLA
SONG
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
English Vinglish
1920 - Evil Returns
English Vinglish
Talaash (New)
Talaash (New)
Rush
Saans
Jiya Re
Badla Nazara
Apnaa Mujhe Tu Lagaa
Gustakh Dil
Muskaanein Jhooti Hai
Jee Le Zaraa
Chup Chup Ke
Laakh Duniya Kahe
MOVIE COLLECTIONS
HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEK
OMG! OH MY GOD
SUPER HIT
BARFI!
SUPER HIT
ENGLISH VINGLISH (HINDI)
ABOVE AVERAGE
HEROINE
BELOW AVERAGE
AIYAA
FLOP
KISMET PAISA LOVE DILLI
DISASTER
CHENAB GANDHI
STARING: Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya
Balan, Harman Baweja
DIRECTOR(S): Sanjay Leela Bhansali,
Vibhu Puri
Producer : Madhu Mantena
KHILADI 786
STARING: Akshay Kumar, Himesh
Industry pressurises Ajay
to postpone SOS release
Y
ash Chopra's sudden demise (on October 21) has put
some Bollywood A-listers in a quandary. A minimum of
`500 cr could be at stake, because some of Yashji's wellwishers want some films to be postponed as a mark of respect to the
d e p a r t e d
industry doyen.
Sources inform
us that phone
calls have gone
to Ajay Devgn,
asking him to
postpone Son
Of Sardaar. It is
releasing on
November 13,
alongside the
late filmmaker's
Shah Rukh Khan- Katrina Kaif starrer. Ajay, however, is not in a
position to comply with this request, because the film is being coproduced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, while Eros International is
its worldwide distributor. Both companies have shareholders to
answer to. One hears from sources close to Ajay that the actor is
quite shaken by Yashji's death. Though he has not worked with the
veteran, His wife Kajol is very close to Aditya Chopra, having done
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Fanaa with Yashji's company.
Ajay apparently did try to talk to the two film corporations
representatives asking what would be the best way forward.
E
FILM
Talaash (New)
ng: 2.5/ 5
From hot-n-sexy, Randeep
Hooda now turns cute
top
10
songs
Critic's Rati
STARING: Shahrukh Khan, Katrina
Kaif, Anushka Sharma
DIRECTOR(S): Yash Chopra
PRODUCER(S) : Aditya Chopra
Music : A. R. Rahman
ver since Heroine has released Randeep Hooda has got a
new tag. The actor who was known for his hot and sexy
image is being tagged as a cute guy by his female fans.
"Randeep has always been seen as a macho actor with roles that are
in the range of police officer to underworld sharpshooter. But his new
avatar as the lovable cricketer in Heroine has added to his fan
following. And many girls have been
writing in to his twitter account asking
him to do more romantic leads", says
his spokesperson. Interestingly, while
his next three films including Rensil
Dsilva's next, Murder 3 and Shooter are
all in the action genre, he is now being
pursued by several producers to act in
softer romantic roles. Will the rugged
Randeep take the route less-traveled
and make a foray into more romantic
roles is to be seen in the future.
Reshammiya, Paresh Rawal, Ileana
D'Cruz
DIRECTOR(S):
PRODUCER(S):
Ajay Virmani
Ashish R. Mohan
Akshay Kumar,
CHASHME BUDDOOR
STARING: Taapsee Pannu, Siddharth,
Divyendu Sharma, Ali Zafar
DIRECTOR(S): David Dhawan
PRODUCER(S): Viacom 18 Motion
Pictures
THE LEGEND OF RAMA
STARING: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan, Zayed Khan
DIRECTOR(S): Sanjay Khan
Producer: Sanjay Khan
Writer : Krishna Shah, Valmiki
No Kareena Kapoor Khan in Talaash
R
eema Kagti, the director of 'Talaash' clarifies that Kareena
Kapoor will be having her name written as Kareena Kapoor
only and not Kareena Kapoor Khan in the credits of the
film. After Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor tied the knot on
October 16, 2012, there were several speculations wherein people
were wondering whether Kareena Kapoor will keep her last name
or not. But at the recent music launch of Talaash, Reema Kagti
clarified that Kareena
Kapoor would maintain the
same name. Kareena
Kapoor's name in the
credits of Talaash will be
written as only Kareena
Kapoor. Even before
Kareena tied the knot with
Saif Ali Khan, there were
speculations
created
amongst people. So here
Reema Kagti killed all the
speculations and rumours
about Kareena Kapoor as to
whether she will be keeping
her old name or will opt for
a new one.
Diana Penty’s phone is her all-time companion
D
iana Penty, who played the coy Meera in Cocktail, says that post the film's success, she has
definitely become busier. Along with all her assignments, she says she manages to have a life
thanks to her smartphone that helps her stay connected with friends and family. Diana was in the
capital to launch the new Nokia Lumia 510, which she says is perfect for those who like their things to be
nice and bright. "Youngsters today like cool stuff, and this phone is really cool — be it the colour, the
bright display or the easy navigation — it has everything a youngster would want in his/her handset,"
Diana says. This phone, which has a bright, four-inch display and a five megapixel camera, has brought the
Windows phone to a new and lower price point. The phone will be available in the market in November first
week and is targetted at youngsters aged between 18 and 24 years. "I remember my dad bought me my first
phone when I finished school. I was a fresher in college, and at that time, it was mainly to keep a track of what
I was doing and where I was going. Over the years, the phone has evolved from a mere tracking device to
becoming an all-time companion. For me, my phone is a one-stop shop; I do everything on my phone —
email, browsing, listening to music, reading, navigation and using smart apps. Maps, I use that a lot. I think
that's the best app ever," shares Diana. A self-confessed music buff, the actress says she plans her travel
around music concerts (she's attended an envious line-up of live concerts by artistes like U2, Coldplay, Red
Hot Chili Peppers, Sting and Bon Jovi, and is waiting for Bruce Springsteen to come to India soon).
20
MidWeek
hollywood
Movie Review
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Here And There wins Best Film
at 14th Mumbai Film Festival
Miss Lovely' wins Best Film in India Gold category;
Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman awarded the Lifetime
Achievement Award; Spain's 'Blancanieves' directed
by Pablo Berger screened as the Closing Film
H
Cloud Atlas
Story: The film is an ambitious portrayal of how the actions of people
- be it good or bad- have a ripple effect on the lives of others,
regardless of whether events occur in the past, present or future.
Reagan Gavin Rasquinha
Movie Review: To say that Cloud Atlas is ambitious in its scope
would be an understatement. The Wachowskis have always tried to
inspire awe amongst viewers with genre-bending movies that feature
a tantalising mix of both spectacle and substance. But does it work?
To begin with, all of the top billing cast members play six different
characters (the film is divided into six stories) with plenty of 'wow'
moments thrown in. Indeed, you will get to see the all-star cast play
everything from rum-chugging pirates to warriors in a post-
Upcoming
HOLLYWOOD Movies
WRECK-IT RALPH
RELEASE DATE: 09 Nov. 2012
STARING: John C. Reilly, Jane Lynch, Jack
McBrayer...
Director : Rich Moore
Producer : Clark Spencer
Story : Wreck-It Ralph longs to be as
beloved as his games perfect Good Guy,
Fix-It Felix. Problem is,
STOLEN
RELEASE DATE: 09 Nov. 2012
S TA R I N G : N i c o l a s C a g e , J o s h
Lucas...
Director :Simon West
STORY: A former thief frantically
searches for his missing daughter, who has been kidnapped and
locked in the trunk of a taxi.
Genre : Action, Thriller
MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN
RELEASE DATE: Nov 2, 2012
STARING: Satya Bhabha, Shahana
Goswami, Rajat Kapoor
PRODUCER(S): David Hamilton
DIRECTOR(S): Deepa Mehta
STORY: IMidnight's Children is a gloriously rich, sprawling story, told by a
persuasive narrator, who has magical powers and a most inventive grasp
of the truth.
ighly regarded world over by connoisseurs of cinema
and considered among the most promising film festivals
in Asia, the 14th Mumbai Film Festival screened a stellar
lineup of approximately 230 works of cinematic genius from across
the globe at five venues spanning the length and breadth of the
city, establishing its credentials as the country's quintessential
cinematic platform.The evening saw a grand award function
hosted at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA)
that witnessed the honouring of thespian Waheeda Rehman with
the Lifetime Achievement Award for an Indian Personality, followed
Critic's Rati
ng: 4.5/ 5
apocalyptic future.
err y,
nks, Halle B
a
H
m
To
t:
In fact, one of the
Cas
eaving
ent, Hugo W
most
amazing
Jim Broadb
Tom
Wachowski,
a
n
a
L
things about Atlas
:
n
o
ti
Direc
owski
Andy Wach
is the excellent
Tykwer and
ma
makeup effects. The
Genre: Dra
45 minutes
film itself is set in
on: 2 hours
ti
ra
u
D
various different
time periods (period
pieces set in the mid- 1800s and 1930s, a conspiracy thriller in the
1970s, a modern quirky comedy, two science fiction fables in the
future and so on) and each character's story is marvelously fleshed
out, both literally and figuratively. Investigations on evil
industrialists, sci-fi villains, car chases, battles with sub-human
people - its all happening here. The vignettes start off as seemingly
disparate stories but as matters progress, the connection between
each story and indeed, all of the characters fall into place, like pieces
of a jigsaw puzzle. It's also pretty apparent that karma and deja vu
play a big part in Atlas. This is because the whole cause-and-effect
theory is used conveniently as the conceptual glue which holds
this entire juggernaut of a movie together. It's also intelligently made:
while the first half of the movie's stories progress forward, the second
half goes somewhat backwards in history. There is some deadweight
here. There are a few brief scenes that seem redundant. But what
keeps this kaleidoscope of stories from becoming a glorified
hodgepodge is clear, simple narration of what are essentially, several
love stories. By the time the movie ends, you won't be left wondering
about the message behind the movie.
Crouch accidentally shows
undie while doing a Jolie
A
bbey Crouch has become the latest celebrity to try and
copy Angelina Jolie's side-split look at this year's Oscars,
as she showed up at the Lingerie London event on
Wednesday night. She managed to look stunning in a dark red gown
with the side split cut dangerously close to her nether regions, the
Daily Mail reported. So close, in fact, that she accidentally showed
off her lingerie as she failed to
contain her modesty while walking
along the carpet with husband
Peter. Abbey could be seen visibly
struggling to keep the frock in place
and unfortunately revealed her
black under garment, as the split
moved even further up while she
walked. Tied in a bow above her
waist, Abbey's slender frame was
shown off to the max, while she
even showed off more flesh with a
plunging neckline. She completed
the look with some black strappy
heels and wore her blonde locks
down and wavy.
by the conferring of awards to the winners of other competition
segments at the festival. "I'm thrilled to receive this award from
MAMI, a body of the industry at an international film hosted in
my city Mumbai and that too during the course of the centenary
year of Indian cinema", said the acclaimed actor , "I dedicate this
award to the directors, producers, co-actors, technicians who've
been a part of this journey with me." The results of the eagerly
awaited competition category International Competition for the
First Feature Films of Directors led to Aqui Y Alla? ( Here And
There) being recognized as the Best Film with a Golden Gateway
of India Award and a cash prize of US $ 100,000 collectively
awarded to the producer, director & sales agent of the film while
the Jury Grand Prize of the Silver Gateway of India Award and
cash prize of US$ 50,000 was won by Beasts Of The Southern
Wild. The Silver Gateway Award for Best Director was given to
Antonio Mendez Esparza for Aqui Y Alla? (Here And There),
Silver Gateway Of India Award for Best Actor was handed to
Dwight Henry for Beasts of the Southern Wild and Best Actress
Award picked up by Julia Garner for Electrick Children. The Jury
Award of Technical Excellence being awarded to Pankaj Kumar
for Ship Of Theseus. The Special Jury Award was given to Musa
Sayeed for Valley Of Saints. In the newly introduced competition
section for Indian feature films 'India Gold', Miss Lovely was
announced as the Best Film and awarded the Golden Gateway of
India Trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh while Shahid won the
Runner's up to Best Film and Silver Gateway trophy and cash prize
of Rs. 5 lakh. The Special Jury Award of a Silver Gateway of India
trophy was given to Manjeet Singh for Mumbai Cha Raja. The
Reliance Media Works CreaTech (Creativity & Technology) Award
was bestowed upon the makers of Miss Lovely, who will be entitled
to utilize the resources Reliance Media Works Service Solutions
for a value up to Rs.1 lakh.'Celebrate Age' competition category
presented in association with the Harmony Silvers Foundation
announced Night Boats (Nocni brodovi) by Igor Mirkovic as the
Best Film while The Delay (La Demora) by Rodrigo Pla the was
awarded as the Runner's -Up to the Best Film. Ping Pong by Hugh
Hartford received the Special Mention by Jury. Dimensions Mumbai,
a short film competition segment that featured works by young
Mumbaikars below the age of 25 years depicting aspects of life in
Mumbai announced Local by Bharat Singh Pawar as the Best Film
in the category while the Runner's Up to the Best Film was awarded
to Aakhon Dekha Haal by Sudhanshu Prakash Sawant. Films
Bombay Kulfi by Vaibhav Hiwase and Karwaa by Errol Peter Marks
and Aaditya Sawant received the Special Mention by the Jury.
I would love to shoot in India: Tom Hanks
ANNA KARENINA
STARING: Keira Knightley, Jude Law,
Aaron Johnson.
PRODUCER(S): Tim Bevan
DIRECTOR(S): Joe Wright
STORY: The story unfolds in its original
late-19th-century Russia high-society
setting and powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the
human hear t.
LIFE OF PI
RELEASE DATE: 23 Nov 2012
STARING: Tobey Maguire, Irr fan
Khan, Tabu, Suraj Sharma..
PRODUCER(S): Ang Lee
DIRECTOR(S): Ang Lee
Genre : Adventure, Drama
SKYFALL
STARING: Judi Dench, Daniel Craig,
Javier Bardem
DIRECTOR(S): Sam Mendes
STORY: Bond's loyalty to M is tested
as her past comes back to haunt her.
As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must
track down and destroy the threat, no
matter how personal the cost.
Genre : Action, Adventure, Thriller
I
n a career spanning over three decades, Tom Hanks' films have
grossed over $4.2 billion at the United States box office alone,
and over $8.5 billion worldwide making him the highest all time
box office star. But it's not just big bucks that he has to his credit.
The actor-producer-director has won himself five Oscar
nominations, including trophies for Forrest Gump and Philadelphia.
The actor spoke to TOI about Hollywood, son Colin and his belief in
karma. You are working with three
directors in your new movie. Don't
you think three directors for one
movie is a bit much? Everyone I
spoke to about this story said, "Oh
my God! Six stories." As if rules
have never been broken before.
Andy
Wachowski,
Lana
Wachowski and Tom Tykwer have
broken some rules in every one of
their movies. They are fabulous.
When you watch this movie, you
will not need to come with a pencil
and take down notes to
understand it. It is the work of these
three directors that make this
complex movie a great watch. How was it working with Halle Berry,
who is several years your junior? It was an amazing experience. She
is such a beautiful person and an outstanding actor. I have been
looking forward to working with her for a while now and I'm glad I
got the chance. Do you believe in karma? Karma is your connection
that is created with the world by the deeds you do. So yes, you can
say that I do believe in karma. The roles that have been monumental
in your career have mostly been positive. Do you want to see
yourself as a bad guy? People offer me negative roles all the time,
'Would you like to play the bad guy in this thing?' And I read it and
say, 'This is not about anything! It doesn't really explore anything.'
So I'm not interested and have no reason to do it. Your son Colin
was seen portraying a negative role in Dexter, which was
appreciated a lot. What do you think of it? I think he is a nice actor.
He played the role well and was appreciated for it. Negative or
positive role is not as important as how it is being played. And he
played it really well. Do you discuss career moves or projects with
him? Yes, I do. I discuss my project and he, at times, discusses his too.
What's your take on social media? A great tool that helps you connect
with fans or a necessary evil?
Social media is at its peak right
now. In fact, for a film that I
recently produced, which was
made specifically for the digital
audience, social media proved to
be a great help with the
promotions. I think tweeting is like
sending out cool telegrams to
your friends, once a week. If
you send out microblog
messages, and you read what
people reply back to you,
they're kinda gibberish. You
can't make sense of them. I'm
not the kind of guy who says
'Just chillin' at the house today!' I don't do that kind of stuff. I
just try to compose a little hi-tech haiku that goes out to people.
It's a bit of a creative bash that's fun. What job do you enjoy
the most — direction, production or acting? I enjoy acting the
most. Being a movie star is a much better gig. Pays better, less is
expected of you. You don't have to work as hard and they even let
you go home early, sometimes. India has emerged as a huge market
for Hollywood films, would you consider shooting a movie here?
I'd love to. India is a very beautiful country. I know of a few
Hollywood films that were recently shot in India and if there is a
film that needs a location like India, I'm going to jump on a plane
and be there.
MidWeek
cricket
Australia A squad announced to face South Africa
T
he Cricket Australia (CA) National Selection Panel (NSP) has
announced an 11-player team to take on South Africa at the
Sydney Cricket Ground next week, which will be captained
by Andrew McDonald.
The Australia A team is:
Andrew McDonald
Nathan Coulter-Nile
Liam Davis
Alex Doolan
John Hastings
Moises Henriques
Phillip Hughes
Glenn Maxwell
Tim Paine
Rob Quiney
Steve Smith
Commenting on the team, National Selector John Inverarity said:
"The NSP looks forward to 77 of Australia's best cricketers being on
display between 1-5 November with the Australia A three-day fixture
running concurrently with three Bupa Sheffield Shield games. These
four games will be highly competitive, full of interest and provide a
great opportunity for players to press for national honours later in
the season. "The squad for the First Test against South Africa
to commence on 9 November will be finalised over the weekend
and announced on Monday. The NSP does not intend, at the
moment, to include any of the players in this Australia A team
in the squad for the First Vodafone Test. "Phillip Hughes,
Rob Quiney, Liam Davis and Alex Doolan are four top-order
batsmen who have played well recently and will have an
opportunity to impress against the formidable South African
pace attack. "Rob Quiney has been very close to receiving
recognition for some time and his sound technique and
equable temperament should serve him well as an opener.
"Phillip Hughes has been in pleasing form and showing
the benefits of his four month uninterrupted spell with
Worcestershire and settling in well with his new team, South
Australia. "Andrew McDonald, Steve Smith, Moises
Henriques and Alex Doolan have been in sparkling form
recently. "Following the unfortunate shoulder injury to Jon
Holland, Glenn Maxwell has been given the responsibility of
being the team's sole spinner. The NSP is very keen for him to
develop as a genuine all-rounder.
"John Hastings has made a splendid return from injury,
as has Tim Paine, and John will share the new ball with Nathan
Coulter-Nile, who impressed with Australia A in England a
few months ago, as did Davis. They will be supported by the
medium pace of McDonald and Henriques.
"Twelfth man duties will be allotted to a NSW squad
member not included in the Bupa Sheffield Shield match in
Brisbane," Inverarity said. The team will assemble in Sydney
on Wednesday 31 October and train on Thursday ahead of the
match commencing on Friday 2 November. Centre of Excellence Head
Coach Troy Cooley will coach the team, while Stuart Law will be his
assistant. Play is scheduled to commence daily at 11am and tickets
will be available at the gate.
Will Team India cash in on 'home advantage'
against England and Australia?
P
ost the drubbing in
seaming conditions of
England and bouncy
pitches in Australia less than
a year ago, India cricket
captain MS Dhoni had made
it clear that he would favour
spin-friendly tracks when the
two teams visit India for what
is being billed as a 'revenge
series'. The Indian cricket
board, however, appears to
go on a war-footing this
season to improve the quality
of pitches and make it
"sporting" across all centres
hosting domestic cricket.
Many thus feel that there
would possibly be no "home
advantage", even at the
c o u n t r y ' s Te s t v e n u e s . A
senior BCCI curator told the
TOI that the board was "very
serious" about the makeover
of the pitches. The board's
argument
was
that
competitive pitches at home
would, in the long run, help
India fare better overseas, but
the flipside to it is the high
possibility of losing "home
advantage" of playing in
spin-friendly conditions.
"Traditionally the option of
a turning track has been a
sort of insurance, a back-up
and it has never been the
case that all the matches at
home are played on turners,"
said WV Raman, a former
India batsman and current
coach
of
Bengal.
"I
understand the requirement
for a turning track, and this
has been done in the past,
when a series is hanging in
balance and India wanting to
exploit the home advantage.
"It just so happens that talk
of
"sporting
wickets"
intensifies each time India
fares poorly overseas, but
look back and you will see
that the likes of (Sachin)
Tendulkar, (Rahul) Dravid,
(VVS) Laxman and (Sourav)
Ganguly grew up playing on
good wickets at home and
that is what helped them excel
overseas," Raman added.
Former India 'keeper and
selector Kiran More said it
was important to strike a
balance and yet not lose
h o m e a d v a n t a g e i n Te s t
cricket. "I am completely for
the drive for sporting pitches
in domestic cricket. It is
crucial for the development of
quality cricketers, but that
does not mean that we don't
exploit the home advantage
against visiting international
sides."
The last time England
toured India in 2008, India
won 1-0. Anil Kumble had just
retired and Harbhajan Singh
was India's No. 1 spinner.
Since then, however, the
experienced Sardar has lost
his place and the mantle to
Ravichandran Ashwin. EightTest old Ashwin and left-arm
Pragyan Ojha - Ashwin's
senior by eight Tests - form
India's top spin pairing and
bamboozled West Indies and
New Zealand. But England
and Australia are better and
stronger
opponents.
In
Ashwin and Ojha, does India
have the wherewithal to lay
Yuvraj named in India A
squad to play England
NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: Yuvraj Singh has been named in the 14-man India A
squad that will play the touring England side in a three-day tour match from 30 October
at the Brabourne Stadium. Yuvraj will be aiming to make a return to the Test squad
after having last played in the format last year in England. Yuvraj was away from the
game as he was recovering from a rare stemm cell cancer. An interesting aspect of the
squad is the fact that no spinner has been named in the squad.
Four pacemen have been named in the squad with Irfan Pathan, Ashoke Dinda,
Vinay Kumar and Parwinder Awana. Squad: Suresh Raina (captain), Ambati Rayudu, M
Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Bist, Ashok Menaria, Yuvraj Singh,
Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Irfan Pathan, Ashoke Dinda, Vinay Kumar,
Parwinder Awana.
out spin friendly tracks?
Former left-arm spinner
Venkatpathy Raju, said there
was every chance of the ploy
backfiring. "India's frontline
batsmen have not been
playing domestic cricket
recently and could struggle
on turning tracks where the
idea is to bowl straight.
Vi s i t i n g b o w l e r s d o t h a t
better," he said.
21
Raina to lead India
'A' against England
MUMBAI/BUREAU NEWS: The national selectors on
Wednesday at Chennai, picked the India 'A' team for the
match against the touring England side, to be played from
30 October to 1 November at the Brabourne Stadium in
Mumbai. Left-hander Suresh Raina will lead the side.
India A squad: Suresh Raina (Captain), Murali Vijay,
Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj
Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Irfan Pathan, Vinay Kumar,
P a r v i n d e r Aw a n a , A s h o k D i n d a , R o b i n B i s t , A s h o k
Maneria, Abhinav Mukund.
SYDNEY SIXERS WIN CHAMPIONS
LEAGUE TWENTY20 FINAL BY 10 WICKETS
Contd. from Page 17
The Sixers started the final against Highveld red-hot favourites
after they had won all six games in South Africa in the past fortnight,
including Saturday's final-ball semi-final thriller over the Titans.
It was their 12th straight win in all competitions with their last
loss coming 300 days ago against the Melbourne Renegades in the
Big Bash League. The men in magenta will now return home to
Australia tomorrow afternoon (AEDT) with several of their stars,
including Mitchell Starc, Moises Henriques and Steve Smith, sure
to be brimming with confidence with Test and Australia A duties
awaiting. Earlier, Hazlewood and McCullum collected three wickets
each to put the Sixers in the box seat.
Hazlewood finished with 3-22 while unheralded spinner
McCullum's 3-24 ensured the Lions wouldn't do too much damage
with the bat.
22
MidWeek
cricket
Strauss says Pietersen's apology
seemed 'contrite and sincere'
LONDON/BUREAU NEWS: Former England captain Andrew Strauss reckons Kevin Pietersen's apology to him over the text
messages seemed contrite and sincere. Strauss told The Guardian that he felt uncomfortable about retiring without ending
the Pietersen row. "No, because of what happened with KP I felt guilty not sorting it before I left. I didn't want to leave it on
[the team director] Andy Flower's plate and I felt uncomfortable with Cooky [Alastair Cook] having to deal with it as one of
his first tasks. But that would have been the wrong reason for me to stay. I had to go." Strauss felt Pietersen has to decide his
own future. "It would be fantastic
if Kevin does recommit himself to
English cricket at a greater level.
But if, deep down, he still feels
more loyalty to his IPL franchise
then obviously it's going to be
difficult for him." The former
opening batsman felt Pietersen
alone cannot be blamed for
everything.
"I don't think anyone got to
the bottom of the text messaging
saga. But Kevin has since come up
to me and apologised for it and I
respect that. He seemed contrite
and I think he was sincere.
"Looking back I think it was wrong
some of our players were following
t h a t [ s p o o f K P G e n i u s ] Tw i t t e r
account. But I still don't think it's
a justification for what Kevin did,"
Strauss added.
Team
Matches
Points
Rating
South Africa
England
Australia
Pakistan
India
Sri Lanka
West Indies
New Zealand
Bangladesh
25
36
34
29
32
29
28
24
12
3002
4195
3952
3148
3394
2834
2509
1832
0
120
117
116
109
106
98
90
76
0
ICC ODI Ranking
Team
Matches
Points
Rating
England
South Africa
India
Australia
Sri Lanka
Pakistan
West Indies
New Zealand
Bangladesh
Zimbabwe
Ireland
Netherlands
Kenya
25
18
30
28
32
28
20
17
16
14
6
4
4
3016
2170
3598
3164
3470
2907
1879
1258
1134
700
207
63
45
121
121
120
113
108
104
94
74
71
50
35
16
11
ICC T20 Ranking
Sri Lanka
West Indies
India
England
South Africa
Pakistan
Australia
New Zealand
Bangladesh
Ireland
Zimbabwe
Matches
12
12
11
14
13
18
15
13
7
8
7
QFY Points
Matches
15
16
14
20
18
26
20
18
10
12
10
1524
1450
1322
1647
1526
2088
1615
1261
597
659
306
Warne says cannot
decide on retirement
SYDNEY/BUREAU NEWS: Spin legend Shane Warne on Tuesday
said he is yet to decide on when he will finally retire. The 43-year-old
spin wizard will be leading Melbourne Renegades in this year's Big
Bash League (BBL). The leg-spinning great retired from international
cricket in 2007. "I have to never say 'never' because in 2007 I said I'd
never play cricket again," Warne told reporters in Melbourne. "But 18
months later the IPL came up, so that was something that interested me,
to captain/coach (IPL side Rajasthan Royals) and do it the way I always
thought it should be done." Warne is the second highest wicket-taker
in Test history with 708 scalps. He says each time he thought each time
he thinks about leaving the game, a new competition comes up. "I do
love cricket, I'm passionate about the game and if I can help Australian
cricket in any way, shape or form then I will," he said.
CRICKET SCHEDULES 2012-2013
ICC Test Ranking
Team
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
Rating
127
121
120
118
117
116
108
97
85
82
44
MidWeek
sports
23
INDIA'S HOME MINISTRY CLEARS PAKISTAN TOUR
I
ndia's home ministry has cleared a limited-overs tour by the
Pakistan team, prompting the BCCI to say the tour "is on" at the
end of the year. The clearance was given at a meeting in New
Delhi on Tuesday between ministry officials and senior
representatives of the BCCI - including its chief administrative officer
Ratnakar Shetty, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla and chief executive
Sundar Raman.
"We have discussed all security aspects (and) the tour is on,"
Shukla told reporters after the meeting.
The tour - which now needs only a formal announcement by
the two boards to be official - will comprise three ODIs and two
Twenty20s at Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
Pakistan are due to arrive on December 22 and Shukla said the tour
would continue till January 7 but the detailed schedule is yet to be
announced. However, there is little room for flexibility because the
series is sandwiched between two legs of England's tour of India.
It will be the first bilateral series between the two sides since
Pakistan toured India in end-2007, though they have met in
international tournaments. Cricket ties between the two countries
were snapped following the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai by
militants from Pakistan.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC TO
FINISH YEAR AS NO. 1
LONDON: The ATP says
Novak Djokovic has clinched
the year-end No. 1 ranking in
men's tennis. Djokovic lost
the top spot to Roger Federer
in July but will return to No. 1
next week.
The ATP says Federer
will drop points from his 2011
title wins at the Swiss Indoors
and Paris Masters. He lost in
the Swiss Indoors final
Sunday to Juan Martin del
Potro, and then pulled out of
next week's Paris tournament.
The ATP says Federer
will not be able to earn
enough points to finish the
year ahead of Djokovic.
The 25-year-old Serb will
become the first player to
finish No. 1 in consecutive
years since Federer did it
four straight times from
2004-07. Djokovic will be
officially crowned as the
year-end No. 1 during a
presentation at the World
Tour Finals in London next
week.
Sunil Gavaskar fears for
'vulnerable' India
MUMBAI: Batting great Sunil
Gavaskar says England's "final
frontier" could prove to be just
a small hurdle as they bid for a
first Test series win against
"vulnerable" India in almost
three decades.
Gavaskar said the home side
were going into the four-Test
series against the world's number
two team with a "wobbly"
batting line-up and a weaklooking pace attack, with spin
being the lone encouraging
factor.
"Amazingly the situation is
eerily similar to the tours of
England and Australia last year,"
Gavaskar wrote in his column in
a Mumbai-based newspaper,
referring to two humiliating 4-0
routs suffered by the Indians.
"Both
England
and
Australia were vulnerable and
there for the taking, but India
messed it up and after the first
Test of both the series just did
not look as if they would win a
day leave alone five days of a
Test match.
"India today are in the same
vulnerable position that England
and particularly Australia were
in 2011."
India ceded the world
number one Test ranking to
England in 2011, losing 4-0, with
Australia repeating the dose in
the series that started in
December last year and ended in
January 2012.
With England and Australia
touring in a busy home season,
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men are
hoping to make amends for their
embarrassing reverses now they
are playing in familiar
conditions.
But Gavaskar said the
retirement of Rahul Dravid and
VVS Laxman, and Sachin
Tendulkar's recent poor form,
had weakened the famed Indian
middle-order.
"With the openers too not
quite in form, the batting is
looking
wobbly,"
wrote
Gavaskar, the first batsman in
history to score 10,000 Test runs.
"The settled air (in the
Indian ranks) that was there at
the beginning of 2011 is not
there and that is why this is a
great chance for England."
Tendulkar, 39, the world's
leading run-maker, has gone 25
innings without a hundred in
Tests since making 146 against
South Africa in Cape Town in
January 2011.
In the bowling department,
Gavaskar said pace spearhead
Zaheer Khan lacked support with
the new ball, leaving spinners
Ravichandran Ashwin and
Pragyan Ojha to shoulder the
burden of bowling England out
twice.
"Ashwin is a quick learner
and Ojha is very consistent," he
wrote. "On pitches where there
is some turn they could prove
tricky customers."
The return of Kevin
Pietersen had made the tourists
stronger, Gavaskar said, adding
that new captain and opener
Alastair Cook could play a vital
role in England's campaign.
24
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

Canada and India are natural allies

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