sidhu makes political comeback with rajya sabha...

CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON

DETAILS ONPAGE 23

Trudeau deplores Canadianhostage killing by Abu Sayyaf

LIBERAL PARTY MEMBERS ALONG WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN KHALSA DAY PARADE, IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO.SEEN HERE ARE (FROM L TO R) MP RAMESH SANGHA, MP RAJ GREWAL, MP OMAR ALGABRA, NAVDEEP BAINS, MINISTER OFINNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MP RUBY SAHOTA, MP GARY ANANDASANGAREE, MP SONIA SIDHU, MPSVEN SPENGEMANN AND MP GAGAN SIKAND.

Sidhu makes politicalcomeback with Rajya

Sabha nomination

I DETAILS ON PAGE 6

BY BRAJENDRA NATH SINGHNEW DELHI, (IANS) Cricketer-turned-poli-tician Navjot Singh Sidhu's nomination tothe Rajya Sabha is not only expected to im-prove the BJP's prospects in next year's as-sembly polls in Punajb but the party is alsoexpected to gain from his ar ticulation of is-sues in the upper house. Sidhu, who was side-lined in the party apparently due to his critical viewson the Shiromani Akali Dal, had preferred to lie lowover the past year in an apparent strategic move.Sidhu had won the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in 2009 but did not contest in 2014when senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley was fielded from there, apparently under AkaliDal pressure. Jaitley lost. Sidhu's nomination has also put at rest speculation thathe may join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) due to his known unhappiness with theAkali Dali leadership. His wife Navjot Kaur, a legislator from Amritsar East, hasbeen taking on the Akalis on several issues. The Bharatiya Janata Party and SADare allies in Punjab and are expected to together fight next year's assemblypolls. BJP vice president and in-charge of Punjab, Prabhat Jha, indi-cated that Sidhu will play a role in national politics.

OTTAWA, (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has con-demned heinous killing of Canadian John Ridsdel after he was heldhostage for more than six months in the Philippines. "This was an actof cold-blooded murder, and responsibility rests squarely with theterrorist group who took him hostage," Justin Trudeau said a state-ment issued via his office. Trudeau is currently visiting Alber ta,Canada, Xinhua repor ted. Trudeau said the Canadian government willwork with the Philippine government to bring those responsible tojustice. He also offered deepest condolences to the family and friendsof Ridsdel. Ridsdel, 68, was the former chief operating officer ofmining company TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc., a sub-sidiary of Canada's TVI Pacific. He was captured along with threeother people, including a Filipino woman, by gunmen in September2015 from a marina on southern Samal Island. The kidnappers re-por tedly demanded 300 million pesos (some 6 million U.S dollars)for each of the foreign hostages, who were believed to have beentaken to Jolo Island in Sulu, a jungle-clad province where the mili-tants are believed to be holding several hostages. Apar t from Ridsdel,three other hostages included Rober t Hall, a fellow Canadian, held bythe Abu Sayyaf militants, who had issued a ransom deadline thatlapsed earlier Monday morning. There's no immediate news aboutthe other three being held hostage.

India seeks 'visible'progress in Pathankot probe

NEW DELHI, (IANS) India on Tuesday sought "early and visibleprogress" in Pakistan's investigation into the January 2 cross-borderterror attack on the Pathankot airbase in which seven Indian securitymen were killed. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, during talks with his Paki-stani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, emphasised the need for "early andvisible progress" in the Pathankot terrorist attack investigation as well as the 26/11Mumbai terror attacks trial in Pakistan, the external affairs ministry said in astatement, adding that the "discussions were frank and constructive". Jaishankaralso brought up the inclusion of Jaish-e-Mohammad leader Masood Azhar in theUN 1267 Sanctions Committee listing and his labelling as a terrorist. The JeM wasbehind the Pathankot terror attack. "Foreign Secretary Jaishankar clearly con-veyed that Pakistan cannot be in denial on the impact of terrorism on the bilateralrelationship," the ministry statement said. "Terrorist groups based inPakistan targeting India must not be allowed to operate with im-punity." India also pressed for immediate consular access toKulbhushan Jadhav, a former naval officer who was abducted andtaken to Pakistan.

Pakistan raises Kashmir,Balochistan

NEW DELHI, (IANS) Pakistan on Tuesday raised India's alleged involvement in theBalochistan insurgency and also described Kashmir as the "core issue" betweenthe two countries as their foreign secretaries met on the sidelines of a globalconference on Afghanistan here. Aizaz Chaudhry and S. Jaishankar discussed "alloutstanding issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute," a statement fromthe Pakistan High Commission said. "The Foreign Secretary (Chaudhry) empha-sized that Kashmir remains the core issue that requires a just solution, in accor-dance with UN resolution and wishes of the Kashmiri people," it said. The state-ment said Chaudhry "also took up the matter of capture of RAW officer, KulbushanJadhav, and expressed serious concern over (India's) involvement in subversiveactivities in Balochistan and Karachi". Pakistan has long accused India of stokingthe insurgency in the gas and mineral-rich Balochistan -- Pakistan's biggest prov-ince. India has always denied these allegations. Jadhav was arrested in Balochistanin March on charges of spying for India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).India has denied that Jadhav, a retired Indian navy officer, worked for RAW. ThePakistan statement added that Chaudhry told Jaishankar that spying by Indianagents "undermine efforts to normalize relations between the two countries".

THE CANADA INDIA FOUNDATION CHANCHLANI GAVE THE GLOBAL INDIAN AWARD TO DR SUBHASH CHANDRA, CHAIRMAN OFESSEL GROUP AT THE AWARD GALA HELD RECENTLY IN MISSISSAUGA. SEEN IN THE IMAGE ARE KATHLEEN WYNNE, PREMIER OFONTARIO; NAVDEEP BAINS, MINISTER OF INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND VISHNU PRAKASH, HIGHCOMMISSIONER OF INDIA IN CANADA.

INDIA, PAKISTAN TALK, BUT NO FORWARD MOVEMENT

AMARINDER FORCED TO CANCELPOLITICAL RALLIES IN CANADA

CHANDIGARH, (IANS) Former Chief Minister and Punjab Congresspresident Capt Amarinder Singh has been forced to cancel his politi-cal rallies in Canada following objec-tions raised with the Canadian govern-ment. "On the request of the ForeignMinistry of Canada, Punjab PradeshCongress Committee (PPCC) Presidentand Deputy Leader of the Opposition inthe Lok Sabha, Capt. Amarinder Singh,has cancelled his plans to hold politicalra l l ies in Toronto and Vancouver, "Amarinder's spokesman said here.The spokesman said Amarinder Singhwas informed by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishanker that the Canadianrules, under Global Affairs Policy, prevent foreign governments andindividuals from conducting election campaigns in Canada. "Sincehis political conference could have violated the rules of the host country,he has decided to cancel them," the spokesman said.Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a human rights advocacy group, had lodged acomplaint with the Canadian government against the election activi-ties planned by Amarinder Singh. "By targeting Non-Resident Indians(NRIs) living in Canada, canvassing for their votes and holdingfundraising events in Toronto and Vancouver, Amarinder Singh wouldbe in violation of Canadian government policy," the SFJ said.

I CONTD. ON PAGE 9

I DETAILS ON PAGE 4 & 5

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

MidWeek 3MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


KATRINA KAIF SIZZLES IN ORANGE BIKINI WITH SIDHARTH MALHOTRA IN THE OFFICIAL POSTER OF THE MUCH-AWAITED MOVIE BAAR BAARDEKHO BEING PRODUCED BY EROS INTERNATIONAL AND DHARMA PRODUCTIONS.

DON'T EMPLOY LITTLE ONES: BIG BMUMBAI, (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has urged hisfans and well-wishers to pitch in to make "this world a betterplace for children" by not employing them. He tweeted: "Eachof us has the power to make this world a better place forchildren. #dont_employ_little_ones."The cine icon has raised his voice against the social menaceof child labour at a time when several celebrities likecricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and chess maestroViswanathan Anand, along with a number of stars like SohaAli Khan, Mandira Bedi, and actor Kunal Kemmu, have joinedReliance General Insurance's Twitter campaign against childlabour that was launched last week.Amitabh, who has been enter taining his fans with his filmsfor over four decades now, also appreciated the dedicationand talent of the young minds working in filmmaking. Heposted: "What a day at 'Pink'! Watching young talent put inamazing work ... whole unit claps ... so deserving. Happinessis being in the company of incredible young talent! Laughterand tears of joy! God bless them." Produced by ShoojitSircar, "Pink" is being directed by Bengali filmmakerAniruddha Roy Chowdhury, and also stars Taapsee Pannu.

p a g e 3

SUNNY LEONE HOPES TO WORKWITH MORE TOP STARS AFTERSRK STARRER 'RAEES' SONGMUMBAI, (PTI) Sunny Leonesays she is happy that su-perstar Shah Rukh Khanshowed faith in her byworking with the ac-tress in "Raees" andshe now hopes more A-listers would be open towork with her. Leone hasshot a special song withShah Rukh, 50, in the up-coming action-thriller. "I hopedifferent people in Bollywoodof the calibre that of the threeKhans (Shah Rukh, Salman andAamir) and others decide to work withme. He (SRK) has taken a leap of faithby working with me, giving me a chance.I feel so happy. It was a very proud andamazing moment for me, my hus-band and my team," Leone toldPTI, when asked if she thinksher appearance in "Raees"will make her more popular.

WHO IS VYING TO WORKWITH SRK, SALMAN?MUMBAI, (IANS) Writer-director R. Balki, who has workedwith megastar Amitabh Bachchan in all his four films, says hewould love to work with Shahrukh and Salman Khan providedhe gets the correct idea for them. "I want to work with all of them, but theidea should be there. I'd love to work with Shah Rukh (Khan), love to workwith Salman (Khan), but the thing is you have to get the correct idea forthem," Balki told IANS in an exclusive interview."Who does not want to work with them (Khans)? But there's no point in meworking with them unless I really get an idea, then I chase them and askthem if they want to do it," he added. Balki's wife Gauri Shinde, after herdebut venture "English Vinglish", is presently busy working on her next filmwhich stars Shahrukh Khan and Alia Bhatt."Gauri always says, 'I wish that you could at least become 10 per cent ofthe characters that you write. Why can't you be like Kabir? Or like others?'I always tell her that if I would become my characters, then why would Iwrite them. I'll always write what I am not. I never write what's there in life,but what I want to become in life. Like we think, this is how a man or awoman should be, every writer has qualities of both male and female.



SUBHASH CHANDRA GETS AWARDFROM CANADA-INDIA FOUNDATION

TORONTO - The Canada India Foundation Chanchlani Global IndianAward added one more name to its list of illustrious recipients,when media moghul and philanthropist Dr Subhash Chandra,Chairman of Essel Group and Zee Media, accepted the award infront of an audience of nearly 500, at a glittering Award Gala hostedby Canada India Foundation (CIF) recently at The InternationalConference Centre in Mississauga, ON.The high profile event, one of the marquee events in the Indo-Cana-dian calendar, also featured Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario;Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Devel-opment and Vishnu Prakash, the High Commissioner of India in Canadaas distinguished guest and a host of other well-known political, busi-ness and community leaders.Other dignitaries present included, federal Minister of Science, Kirsty

Duncan, former Minister in the Harper Government Jason Kenney,MPs Deepak Obhrai, Ruby Sahota, Rob Oliphant and Gagan Sikand,and from Ontario, Associate Minister of Health and Long-Term Care,Dipika Damerla, MPPS Amrit Mangat, Indira Naidoo-Harris and theHarinder Takhar as well as the Mayor of Brampton, Linda Jeffrey.Ontario's Opposition Leader Patrick also joined the event.Prominent business community leaders who attended included SeniorVice-President of TD Bank, Karl Brecht, National Manager - BusinessDevelopment, Air Canada, Andrea Merluzzi, Vice-President - RBC, ImtiazSeyid and Vice-President - CIBC, Venki Raman, Real Estate baron IggyKaneff, Dr. Colin Saldanha Chair & Steve Hoscheit - President of Trilliumhealth partners Foundation and many others.Media was also well represented, including Zee TV North America'shead, Sameer Targe of Asia TV USA, President - Ethnic Channels, Hari

s p e c i a l r e p o r t

Srinivas, CEO - Y Media, Yudhvir Jaswal, President of CHIN radio, LennyLombardi, Editor-in-Chief of the Toronto Sun, Adrienne Batra and severalothers from print, radio and online media.Canada's Prime Minister led off the event with a personal video messageapplauding Canada India Foundation and the Indo-Canadian community.Premier Kathleen Wynne acknowledged the contributions of Indo-Cana-dians indicated that she would look at ways within her government to ensureequitable representation of Indo-Canadians in decision making bodies. MinisterNavdeep Bains stressed innovation as an essential element in maintaining Canada'sposition in the world and offered to work with Indo-Canadian businesses in thisregards. Earlier, High Commissioner Vishnu Prakash recommended the elevationof parliamentary dialogue between the two nations from a "friendship" levelto something more formal and structured.

I CONTD. ON PAGE 5



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


SUBHASH CHANDRA GETS AWARDFROM CANADA-INDIA FOUNDATION

CONTD. FROM PAGE 4The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the CIFChanchlani Global Indian Award to Dr. Subhash Chandra. It wasa poignant moment when Dr Jaya Chanchlani and her daughterDr Tina Chanchlani handed the Award trophy to Dr Chandra, andevoked memories of the late Vasu Chanchlani, whose initialendowment enabled the Award to become a reality. Dr Chandrabecame the 6th recipient of the Award, after Sam Pitroda, TulsiTanti, Ratan Tata, Deepak Chopra and Narayana Murthy.The Award carried with it a cash contribution of $ 50,000, madeup of contributions from CIF Members and corporates. Theamount, as in previous instances, was donated to a charity ofthe Award recipient's choice, in this case, Ekal Vidyalaya

s p e c i a l r e p o r t

Foundation of Canada, which provides educational solutions forremote villages in India through a unique one-teacher concept.For the first time, the receiving organization was also present atthe event, enabling the donors to connect directly with thebeneficiary.Making his acceptance speech, Dr Chandra combined personalanecdotes about star ting up with his current business visionand immediate plans and in a lighter vein, indicated to MinisterBains that he would be happy to move the international opera-tions of Zee TV to Canada, if offered appropriate tax incentives.With its classy ambience, prominent dignitaries and thehighlight of the Global Indian Award, the CIF Award Gala eventwas a hit with the audience. CIF Chair Ajit Someshwar and CIF

National Convener/Gala Chair Anil Shah confirmed the positivereaction of all those who attended. "The Gala sets the stage for our10th year celebratory Gala next April, which will not only showcasehow far the organization has come, but also how far the communityhas come to become a Canadian community success story" theysaid.Canada India Foundation (CIF) is a national, non-profit, non-par tisan, non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 2007to foster support for stronger bi-lateral relations between Canadaand India; to educate Canadians on India; and to increase thepar ticipation by Indo-Canadians in political process in Canada.CIF's founding members include industrialists, senior Canadianbusiness executives and top tier professionals.


TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016c o m m u n i t y

ONTARIO INVESTING $15.3 MILLIONTO SUPPORT 200 FESTIVALS, EVENTS

UDHAY SHARMA, PUPIL OF GEORGE BROWN UNIVERSITYRECEIVED A FULL SCHOLARSHIP FROM CIBC FINANCIAL SER-VICES FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE.

Celebrate Ontario Program Boosting Local Tourism, Creating JobsONTARIO - Ontario is investing $15.3 million to suppor t 200 festivalsand events across the province that will draw tourists, stimulate localeconomies and create jobs. Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism,Culture and Spor t, announced 2016 Celebrate Ontario recipients. Hewas joined by representatives from Peterborough Musicfest, one ofNor th America's largest free outdoor music festivals, which is re-ceiving suppor t for its 30th anniversary season.Festivals and events showcase Ontario's culture, heritage and diver-sity. This investment will help organizers to enhance their programs,activities and services so they can attract more tourists and increasevisitor spending. Investing in festivals and events is par t of thegovernment's economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on itsnumber-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs.The four-par t plan includes investing in talent and skills, includinghelping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expandingaccess to high-quality college and university education. The plan ismaking the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario'shistory and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative,

high-growth, expor t-oriented businesses. The plan is also helpingworking Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

Saving life with Mercedes-Benz,Heart and Stroke FoundationTORONTO - The Hear t and Stroke Foundation and Mercedes-Benz Toronto Corporate Stores are pleased to announce the con-tinuation of their par tnership which provides customers and non-customers alike the oppor tunity to learn the life-saving skill ofcardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). For the fourth consecutiveyear, complimentary Hands-Only CPR training sessions will beoffered to the general public. These sessions will take place at allseven Mercedes-Benz Corporate Stores in the Greater TorontoArea beginning in April 2016. More than 40,000 cardiac arrestsoccur in Canada every year - 7,000 in Ontario alone - and morethan 80 per cent of those happen in public places.

FLYING SIKH FLAGOUTSIDE QUEEN'S PARKQUEEN'S PARK- Ontario NDP's Deputy Leader Jagmeet Singhrecently presented and passed unanimously a motion callingon the Legislative Assembly to fly the Sikh Flag or NishaanSahib outside of Queen's Park. "This marks the first time inOntario's history and possibly the first time in any Parlia-ment or Legislature in the world that the Nishaan Sahib wasraised. The fact that this mo-t i on was p resen ted andpassed unan imous ly onApri l 14th, 2016 the daySikhs celebrate Vaisakhimakes th is a l l the moremeaningful." The flag rais-i ng ce remony was fo l -lowed by the annual SikhHer i t age Month Queen'sPark reception in the Legis-lature hosted by the SikhHeri tage MonthFoundation.

KHALSA DAY PARADE HELD IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO

NEARLY 85,000 ONTARIO SIKHS ALONGWITH MPS, MINISTERS AND OTHER GOVERN-

MENT OFFICIALS ATTENDED THE ANNUALKHALSA DAY PARADE IN DOWNTOWN

TORONTO. LEADERS THANKED ONTARIO'S200,000-STRONG PUNJABI SIKH COMMU-NITY FOR THEIR COMMITMENT AND HARD

WORK TO THE PROVINCE.

CHIEF OF THE PEEL REGIONAL POLICE JENNIFER EVANS WITH YUDHVIR JASWAL, GROUP EDITOR AND CEO OF YMEDIA WITH HISTEAM AT CHANNEL Y STUDIOS. CHANNEL Y CAN BE VIEWED ON ROGERS 857 AND BELL FIBE 828.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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Dr Eric Hoskins call for fair payment as 500 doctorsbilled OHIP over $1m a year, one a staggering $6.6m

PREMIER WYNNE DELIVERED A SPEECH AT THE INFLUENCERS OF TOMORROW SUMMIT REGARDING THE EMPOWERMENT OF GIRLS INTODAY'S SOCIETY AND THE POSSIBILITIES TO CREATE POSITIVE CHANGES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES FOR A BETTER FUTURE(PREMIERPHOTOS).

By Dr Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term CarePhysicians play a vital role in the lives of Ontario patients and I knowhow hard they work to deliver the highest quality care to their patientsevery day. For that, they are the best paid doctors in Canada, making$368,000 on average per year before ex-penses according to the Canadian Instituteof Health Information. And they deserve tobe well compensated because they are thebest at what they do.For more than a year now, my ministry andI have been urging the Ontario Medical As-sociation to return to the table and negoti-ate a new agreement with doctors - anagreement that will ensure that they remainwell compensated, but that also results ina predictable and fair budget for physiciancompensation.We increased the budget for paying physi-cians by $140 million. This is evidence-based and recognizes the fact that Ontariohas a growing and aging population. Wealso need to address a fundamental issueof fairness in how we pay physicians. The current structure allowscer tain high-billing physicians to generate income many times theaverage doctor's salary, which is due, in part, to the fact that the feestructure has not kept pace with medical and technological advances.As a result of technological advances, cer tain high-billing physicianshave seen their incomes rise to three or more times that of family

doctors, paediatricians, psychiatrists, public health doctors and oth-ers. In 2014-15, more than 500 physicians each billed OHIP morethan $1 million a year, with a single physician billing OHIP a stagger-ing $6.6 million. Although these top billers represent less than two

per cent of physicians, they account for nearly 10 percent of billings. The number of physicians billing over$1 million has risen in recent years, and we need theOMA to come back to the table and negotiate a dealthat addresses this impor tant issue of fairness andsustainability.Over the last four years, physicians billed $744 mil-lion dollars over the budget that had been set for them.We pay physicians more than $11 billion each yearand when they bill more than that budget, the moneyhas to come from elsewhere in the health care sys-tem, limiting our ability to invest in home care, hospi-tals, mental health and other services.We have a solid track record of working together toimprove the health care system as par tners. Our gov-ernment has consistently and repeatedly indicated tothe OMA our readiness to resume negotiations, but theOMA has refused to return to the negotiating table. On

April 4, I sent the OMA a letter, outlining our continued desire to returnto formal negotiations. I continue to urge the OMA to come back to thetable and help us manage the system in a way that benefits bothphysicians and patients in a fair and sustainable way. We remainfocused on achieving that goal. But we can only do that if we have awilling par tner.

Canada-Wide Science Festival coming to MontrealMONTREAL - Canada's future scientists will gather en masse at Montreal's McGill University May 14-21for the 55th edition of theCanada-Wide Science Festival, Canada's only national science festival.The national event encourages youth from Grades 7 to 12, along with students from CEGEP in Quebec, to follow a path of "curiosityto discovery" as they pursue a local, regional or global issue of concern to them and build a solution through their science project -tackling issues ranging from cancer research to climate change and beyond. Students are competing for nearly $1 million in cashawards and scholarships."We are proud to host this showcase of 500 finalists from 100 regional science fairs across the country to celebrate and encourageexcellence in science, engineering, technology and math among youth," said Brad McCabe, executive director of Youth ScienceCanada, of which the Canada-Wide Science Festival is a program.The Educational Alliance for Science and Technology (EAST), a non-profit organization that offers extracurricular science andtechnology activities, is the local host committee in Montreal. As Montreal hosts the event for the second time, there are 40 finalistshailing from the province of Quebec, along with 375 judges and 400 teachers."Through encouraging youth to be our nation's future innovators, Youth Science Canada hopes to inspire their career paths which will,in turn, impact Canada's ability to be a global leader in innovation. EAST is proud to be a partner in making this a reality." saidAgostino Porchetta, president of EAST.Alongside the competition, the festival features more than 50 par tners providing hands-on programming in the Discovery Zone anda speakers series featuring Canada's leaders in science, the environment and industry. Members of the public are welcome to attendthe festival from May 18 to 20.

$14 Million In Music GrantsGiven to 151 Recipients

ONTARIO - Ontario is supporting a healthy, vibrant and competitivemusic industry by awarding 155 grants to 151 recipients totalling$14 million, through the Ontario Music Fund (OMF). Premier KathleenWynne announced the 2016 grant recipients today at the Rivoli, aconcert venue in Toronto, alongside representatives from the TorontoUrban Roots Fest, one of the organizations the program is supportingthis year. The OMF provides grants to music businesses that pro-duce, distribute and promote Ontario-based music and artists. Thissupport spans all segments of Ontario's music industry and helpsthe sector to innovate, create jobs and increase the production andperformance of music across the province. Investing in a vibrantmusic industry is part of the government's economic plan to buildOntario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economyand create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent andskills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of thefuture by expanding access to high-quality college and universityeducation. The plan is making the largest investment in public infra-structure in Ontario's history and investing in a low-carbon economydriven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. Theplan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retire-ment. "Ontario is home to the largest music industry in Canada andone of the most diverse anywhere in the world. Through the OntarioMusic Fund, our government is supporting a dynamic and impor-tant cultural sector, helping to create good jobs here in Ontariowhile expor ting our sound to the world." - Kathleen Wynne,Premier of Ontario. "By investing in the music industry throughthe Ontario Music Fund, our government has ensured thatOntario continues to be the best place in Canada for recordingand per forming music. I'm proud that through this newly per-manent fund, our government will continue to create opportu-nities that showcase our talented ar tists and producers, andattract visitors from around the world." - Michael Coteau, Min-ister of Tourism, Culture and Spor t.

Most Fires are Preventable:Home Safe Home Campaign

Kicks Off in Mississauga

MISSISSAUGA - Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services(MFES) want you to open your door this Spring and Summerwhen fire crews come knocking to talk about fire safety.Home Safe Home (HSH) is a free city-wide education and awarenessprogram that teaches residents about fire prevention and life safety. UntilSeptember, fire crews will be going door to door distributing fire safetymaterials and conducting fire safety surveys to ensure that residents haveworking smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. "In Mississauga we are ona mission to zero - zero deaths and zero injuries due to fire," said JamieZimmerman, Assistant Chief, Fire Prevention and Life Safety, MFES. "Itshould be unacceptable in today's society for people to die in fires. Mostfires are 100 per cent preventable. Think about it. It's up to you."

Free Dental Care for EligibleChildren and Youth

OTTAWA - More than 323,000 children from low-income fami-lies are getting free dental care through the new Healthy SmilesOntario program. Under the expanded program, Ontario is pro-viding free dental care to help families raise healthier kids.Children from low-income families can access free preven-tive, routine, emergency and essential care from licensed dentalproviders.Ontario has integrated six publicly funded dental programs intoone, providing a simplified enrolment process and making iteasier for eligible children to get the care they need. Thesechanges also mean that 70,000 more children from low-in-come families have become eligible for free dental services.Applicants can now sign up for this program online at ontario.ca/healthysmiles. They can also contact their local public healthunit for information and suppor t.

MINISTER MACCHARLES, BRAMPTON MAYOR LINDA JEFFREY AND MPP HARINDER MALHI AT THE YOUTH OPPORTUNITIESFUND ANNOUNCEMENT IN BRAMPTON.


TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016opinion

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GURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAGURPREET SINGH LOONAMEDIA COORDINATOR

Kohinoor's tragic tale from Lahore to Buckingham Palace

LEGAL BATTLES TO IMPACT RAWATGOVERNMENT'S MAJORITY TEST

BY BRAJENDRA NATH SINGH

BY PREETHA NAIR

NEW DELHI, (IANS) With the Uttarakhand High Cour t setting asidePresident's Rule in the state and asking Chief Minister HarishRawat to prove his majority in the assembly on April 29, the fate ofthe government now hinges on the members of ProgressiveDemocratic Front (PDF) and the outcome of the case relating tonine rebel Congress legislators.The PDF -- a group of two Bahujan Samaj Par ty (BSP) legislators,one Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) lawmaker and three independents-- has been suppor ting Congress government in the state since itsformation in 2011. The Uttarakhand High Cour t on Thursday setaside President's Rule in the state, restoring Congress leaderHarish Rawat as the chief minister, nearly a month after he wasousted.The central government moved the Supreme Court on Friday,challenging the high cour t verdict. The Rawat government had 36members in the 70-member state assembly with one nominatedlawmaker, and it was reduced to 28 members, including the

nominated member, after nine of its legislators rebelled against thepar ty leadership.The high cour t in its decision also upheld the disqualifica-tion of nine dissident Congress legislators by the assem-bly Speaker. The nine legislators have decided to move theapex cour t to seek restoration of their membership or atleast get permission to take par t the confidence vote. Ifthe nine rebel legislators are not allowed to vote, theeffective strength of the assembly will comedown to 61 and the majority figure wouldcome down to 32.This situation will be in favour of Rawat. But,if the rebel legislators, led by former chiefminister Vijay Bahuguna, are able to takepar t in the trust vote, the BJP is likely tohave an upper hand. A writ petition of rebellegislators, challenging the Speaker's decisiondisqualifying them, is already pending before asingle judge bench of the high cour t.

The matter would come up for hearing in the high court on April 23.The BJP, which has 28 members, including one of its sus-pended member Bhimlal Arya, is also eyeing the suppor tfrom PDF legislators. The BJP has said that the Congressdoes not have majority in the assembly. BJP vice-presidentShyam Jaju said the par ty will wait for the apex cour t

verdict before making fur ther comments."Let Supreme Cour t decide, then we will

comment. But it's cer tain that key ofgovernment formation will depend on thecourt's decision on rebel Congresslegislators and also PDF members," Jajutold IANS. Harish Rawat has expressedconfidence of continued PDF suppor t."The PDF stands with me. They haveshown the country that for them principles

are supreme and horse trading has no place. Idon't have words to express respect for their

solidarity," Rawat told a news channel.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) As the row over the Kohinoor diamond intensifieswith political par ties demanding its return to India, accounts of histo-rians establish that the majestic stone was forcibly taken away by theBritish and was never gifted by Duleep Singh, the last king of Punjab.The government on Tuesday altered its stand and resolved to bringback the 105 carat Kohinoor, now adorning the crown of the Britishmonarch and which is kept under tight security in the Tower of Lon-

don. The government had earlier told Supreme Cour t that the diamondwas a gift to the British and it wasn't taken away.Rubbishing the "gift" theory, historian and author Vikram Sampathsaid that the British East India Company had usurped the Sikh king-dom and taken away the Kohinoor under the 1849 Lahore Treaty, signedafter the second Anglo-Sikh war. The author believes that British en-gineered a situation of political uncertainty after the death of Maha-raja Ranjit Singh in 1839. The king, also known as the Lion of Punjab,was succeeded by his eight-year-old son Duleep Singh."Duleep Singh was only eight years when he ascended the throne.The Kohinoor was never a gift. How can a minor gift it to the East IndiaCompany? The war was also contrived by the British," Sampath toldIANS. Revisiting the 2008 book, 'The Exile' by Navtej Sarna, the IndianHigh Commissioner to the UK, fur ther corroborates the claims of his-torians. Heavily drawn from history, the fictional work traces the tragicstory of Duleep Singh, narrated by six characters. It tells the poignantstory of a boy king who was converted to Christianity and forciblyseparated from his mother, Jindan Kaur, after his father's death.Sarna's meticulously documented work, which took nine years tocomplete, details all the major events of the maharaja's life. It in-cludes documented dates, addresses, journeys and even the list ofprecious items taken away from the treasury with proof of this. 'TheExile' opens with Ranjit Singh on his deathbed, making his last wishto gift the Kohinoor to the Jagannath temple at Puri. However, his wishremained unfulfilled as his prime minister, Dhyan Singh, refusing toobey the wish. Through accounts of various characters includingDuleep Singh, and his guardians Lord and Lady Logan, it documentsthe systematic and engineered downfall of the Sikh kingdom, whichfinally led to its annexation by the British. The book chronicles howthe young prince was deposed and his proper ty and his immensewealth, including the Kohinoor, was confiscated. He was promised apension of 12,000 pounds per annum, to terminate on his death. Theboy king was also exiled from the Punjab. However, after realising,what the British had done to him and his family, Duleep Singh, whowas in exile in London, star ted to rebel. One of the accounts demon-strates his anger towards the British."Mrs. Fagin. That is what I once called Queen Victoria. The biggestpickpocket of them all. The receiver of stolen kingdoms, stolen jew-els. Smuggled away to her by her loyal viceroys, men like Dalhousie,with immaculate records and long panegyrics. The thousands of pearlsand emeralds and rubies and diamonds taken from my toshakhanaand presented to her by the East India Company after the Great Exhi-bition of 1851," it says. The book has a poignant description of DuleepSingh's encounter with the Kohinoor when queen Victoria once showedhim the precious stone."I looked again at the magical diamond that had been mine, that hadmeant so much to me, my father, my beautiful, fiery mother, mypeople... I took it between my thumb and forefinger and held it up to

the light. I stood staring at it and a rush of emotions began to drownme. I was no longer a king. I was only being made to dress up like oneand amuse the Queen's cour t. I was sad. I was demeaned." Theauthor fur ther pens the disillusionment of the deposed king and hislate realisation of the lost legacy."I would make it clear that the Kohinoor was mine by right. So far, ithad been stolen from me. Now I would gift it to her. Handing the boxwith the diamond back to her, I said, 'It is to me, Ma'am, the greatestpleasure thus to have the opportunity of myself tendering to my sov-ereign the Kohinoor. I don't think she understood how I had felt. Forher, it was only a show of preposterous royal magnanimity, or a fittingshow of loyalty. But how does it matter now, all this business of solong ago?" The book follows Duleep Singh till his end where he dies ina cheap hotel room in Paris, still as an exile.

RUBBISHING THE "GIFT" THEORY, HISTORIANAND AUTHOR VIKRAM SAMPATH SAID THAT THEBRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY HAD USURPEDTHE SIKH KINGDOM AND TAKEN AWAY THEKOHINOOR UNDER THE 1849 LAHORE TREATY,SIGNED AFTER THE SECOND ANGLO-SIKH WAR.THE AUTHOR BELIEVES THAT BRITISH ENGI-NEERED A SITUATION OF POLITICAL UNCER-TAINTY AFTER THE DEATH OF MAHARAJA RANJITSINGH IN 1839. THE KING, ALSO KNOWN ASTHE LION OF PUNJAB, WAS SUCCEEDED BY HISEIGHT-YEAR-OLD SON DULEEP SINGH. "DULEEPSINGH WAS ONLY EIGHT YEARS WHEN HEASCENDED THE THRONE. THE KOHINOOR WASNEVER A GIFT. HOW CAN A MINOR GIFT IT TOTHE EAST INDIA COMPANY? THE WAR WAS ALSOCONTRIVED BY THE BRITISH," SAMPATH TOLDIANS. REVISITING THE 2008 BOOK, 'THE EXILE'BY NAVTEJ SARNA, THE INDIAN HIGH COMMIS-SIONER TO THE UK, FURTHER CORROBORATESTHE CLAIMS OF HISTORIANS.

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 c a n a d a

416-907-4420

PREMIER WYNNE MET WITH MAYOR OF TORONTO, JOHN TORY, TO DISCUSS CONTINUING WORK TO BUILD UP TRANSIT ANDINFRASTRUCTURE (PREMIERPHOTOS).

Ontario Begins Follow-Up Mission to China

NEW YORK - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concluded his visitto New York where, on behalf of Canada, he officially signed theParis Agreement on Climate Change.The Government of Canada views climate change not only as achallenge, but as an oppor tunity. It is a chance to build a cleangrowth economy that will help to fight climate change, whilealso creating well-paying jobs for middle class Canadians. Inhis address during the signing ceremony, the Prime Ministeraffirmed Canada's suppor t for the Capacity Building Initiativefor Transparency, announcing a $5 million contribution to helpdeveloping countries address climate change by meeting theirtransparency commitments.The Prime Minister also joined with his fellow heads of stateand government to endorse a carbon pricing vision statement. Itis only when nations work together - to learn from each other,build on shared knowledge, and develop clean economies - thatthere is any hope to sufficiently fight climate change.The Government of Canada knows that a sustainable, low-car-bon economy is necessary for the collective prosperity, com-petitiveness, health, and security of all Canadians. Today, wehave taken impor tant steps - in collaboration with our interna-tional par tners - to leave a cleaner, more prosperous world forour children and grandchildren.Trudeau said: "Canada has previously committed $2.65 billionover the next five years to help the developing world grow in acleaner, more sustainable way. When nations work together, wecan address climate change. It's only when we work together thatwe can learn from each other, build on shared knowledge, anddevelop economies that are as clean as they are competitive."The Canadian government is working with provincial, territo-rial and Indigenous par tners to develop a more coordinated,pan-Canadian approach to climate change and carbon pricingso that our children and grandchildren can inherit a Canadamore prosperous and sustainable than the one we know today."

TRUDEAU SIGNS PARISAGREEMENT; ANNOUNCES $5M

FOR UNDERDEVELOPEDNATIONS IN FIGHT AGAINST

CLIMATE CHANGE

$10 million over four yearsfor Advanced Transportation

and TechnologiesONTARIO - Industry and academic researchers are collabo-rating through CUTRIC to develop next-generation transportationtechnologies to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions. This includes R&D on new technologies such aslightweighting materials and autonomous software leading to dem-onstration and commercialization. This investment is part of theprovince's Climate Change Strategy, supporting the transition to alow-carbon economy.CUTRIC is also partnering with Brampton Transit to lead the Pan-Ontario Electric Bus Demonstration Trial, a large-scale demonstra-tion trial of zero-emission buses by seven transit agencies. Theproject will also involve a number of partners from transit agenciesto utilities and bus manufacturers to demonstrate how electric busescan help the province meet its GHG emissions targets.Ontario is a hotbed of activity in innovation and supporting technolo-gies that will protect the environment, create good jobs and boostexport sales around the world. Investing in the development of advancedtransportation technologies is part of our four-part economic plan tocreate jobs and growth. - Kathleen Wynne, Premier of OntarioKeeping Ontario's transpor tation network moving safely, effi-ciently and sustainably suppor ts a globally competitiveeconomy and a high quality of life in Ontario. That's why it isimpor tant for us to explore ways that keep Ontario at theforefront of research and technology when it comes to publictranspor tation. - Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transpor tationOntario needs to continue investing in innovative technolo-gies so that we can compete and win in the global economicmarketplace. Technologies across vir tually all sectors ofour economy are changing at a rapid rate. That's why thistimely investment in CUTRIC will help Ontario foster theright climate to create world-leading businesses who alsopositively contribute to our environmental well-being. - BradDuguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment andInfrastructure.

AMARINDER FORCED TO CANCEL POLITICAL RALLIES IN CANADACONTD. FROM PAGE 1Amarinder Singh said in a statement that he had cancelled his earlier scheduled "large interactions" with the people, where he could nothave avoided making political statements, but would be meeting the Punjabi diaspora during his six-day visit to Canada that begins onSaturday. "Since the host country does not allow such events, I thought it was better to cancel them," his statement said. "I would,however, look forward to meeting my fellow Punjabis in their homes and small groups to ensure the compliance of the host country'slaws," it added. Amarinder Singh, whose wife Preneet Kaur was union minister of state for external affairs in the previous UPA govern-ment, had embarked on a 20-day visit to the United States and Canada on April 19 to muster political and financial suppor t from PunjabiNRIs.He met Punjabi NRIs in Chicago, US, this week. NRIs from Punjab have a considerable presence in the two countries and have beensuppor ting political parties and leaders from Punjab, especially during election times. Punjab is due to vote early next year to elect thestate's 117-member assembly.

CONGRESS LEADER CAPT AMARINDER SINGH RECEIVED WARM WELCOME DURING HIS INTERACTION WITH NRIS AT CHICAGO(FACEBOOK).

Mission to Focus on Increased Trade and Investment in ProvinceONTARIO - Deputy Premier Deb Matthews and Minister of Citizen-ship, Immigration and International Trade Michael Chan are begin-ning a trade mission to China to strengthen economic, political andcultural ties with Ontario's second-largest trading par tner and theworld's largest economy.This mission will build on the success of the Premier's two recentbusiness missions to China - which have brought an estimated totalof $3.8 billion wor th of investment to the province and approximately3,500 jobs to Ontario - and will lay the groundwork for future agree-ments. The Deputy Premier and Minister will meet with Ontario com-panies in China to sign additional agreements that have been finalizedsince the Premier's last visit.The mission itinerary includes visits to five key cities - Beijing,Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Shaoxing and Hong Kong - and will formalizeagreements and memoranda of understanding within the agri-food,life sciences, financial technology, information communications tech-nology and manufacturing sectors.Attracting new investment and helping the province's businessescompete globally is par t of the government's economic plan to buildOntario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy

and create jobs. The four-par t plan includes investing in talent andskills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of thefuture by expanding access to high-quality college and universityeducation. The plan is making the largest investment in public infra-structure in Ontario's history and investing in a low-carbon economydriven by innovative, high-growth, expor t-oriented businesses. Theplan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retire-ment."China is Ontario's second-largest trading par tner. The strength of ourfriendship has allowed us to help each other grow our economies andcreate good jobs. I look forward to forging new par tnerships and cre-ating new investment that will benefit our province for years to come."- Michael Chan, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and InternationalTrade"Ontario is one of the best places in the world to do business. We offera highly skilled and educated workforce, a competitive business cli-mate, modern and efficient infrastructure and a culture of innovation.We're looking forward to building on our strong business relationshipwith China during this mission and to bringing more investment toOntario." - Deb Matthews, President of the Treasury Board



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 i n d i a

STUDENTS OF NIT SRINAGAR STAGE A DEMONSTRATION TO PRESS FOR THEIR DEMANDS AT JANTAR MANTAR IN NEW DELHI (IANS).

Modi, Shah ordered staged shootoutin Ishrat Jahan case: Congress

NEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress has said the Gujarat Police killedIshrat Jahan in a staged shootout in 2004 on the orders of the thenchief minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Amit Shah.The opposition par ty also said that accusations against SoniaGandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the case were "preposterous anddiversionary tactics", adding that the central government wasobstructing trial in the case to protect those accused in the stagedgun battle. "The fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan and three others wasordered by the then chief minister and his then minister of state forhome Amit Shah," the Congress said in a statement here. Seniorpar ty leaders Kapil Sibal told reporters: "The plain and simpleintrigue of the central government is to ensure that the mostimpor tant persons of the BJP/government are not brought to trial. Ametropolitan cour t in Ahmedabad, Special Investigation Teamformed by the Gujarat High Court and a Central Bureau of Investiga-tion inquiry have affirmed their involvement in this case," Sibal saidasser ting that all three dubbed the gun battle as fake. "It is,therefore, obvious that the present tsunami of misinformation is to

save the then chief minister (Modi) and the then MoS (Shah) fromhaving to appear before the sessions court as an accused," the Congressleader added. "The CBI filed a charge sheet in 2013 and called it a fakeencounter. We are in 2016 and the case hasn't moved forward at all,"Sibal said, asking "why is this case not proceeding?"Another senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi asser ted:"If this trial goes to cour t, Modi and Shah may be summoned asaccused. This entire campaign of misinformation is based on theversion of (Pakistan-American Lashkar-e-Taiba operative DavidColeman) Headley who has become a paragon of vir tue for theBJP.""It was the then United Progressive Alliance government that triedand got executed terrorists like Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru. We areproud that unlike our neighbours we give a full trial to those whomwe think are terrorists. But, we don't execute them in fake encoun-ters," Singhvi added. There are repor ts suggesting that files relatedto the Ishrat Jahan case have gone missing and the home ministryhas appointed a one-man inquiry panel on the matter.

Aligarh varsity violence, VC meets agitatorsALIGARH, (IANS) One person was shot dead and at least a dozen others were injured when two groups of students clashedin the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus here, police said on Sunday. The vice chancellor met the agitating studentsand tried to pacify them so that there is no fur ther disturbance on the campus.A dozen students were injured in the violence that began on Saturday night and continued into early Sunday. Police sourcessaid one student was seriously wounded and taken to a Delhi hospital for treatment. "An altercation between two groups inthe morning of April 23 resulted in several incidents of firing near the proctor's office, where the groups had assembled toget their respective FIRs lodged with the police," a university official told IANS."Later, some more incidents of firing were repor ted in which one ex-student, Mahtab, was wounded and who subsequentlysuccumbed to his injuries. Another youth, Waqif, who is not a student of AMU, received serious injuries and was latershifted to Delhi for treatment."University proper ty, including vehicles, was set on fire, a police officer said. The proctor's office was par tially burnt. Thetrouble began when an unidentified person fired at a student from Moradabad near Mumtaz hostel, some students said. Twopeople suffered bullet wounds, of whom one died later. The injured student was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.

Kanhaiya predicts 'socialrevolution' in India India

PUNE, (IANS) JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Sundaypredicted a "social revolution" in the country when hunger and depri-vation will unite the masses irrespective of their caste, creed or reli-gion. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second con-secutive day during his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Kanhaiya Kumarsaid the Bharatiya Janata Party was attempting to divide the countryalong caste-communal lines without solving the core issues. "Hungeris common to all. Where are the promised jobs, food and water for themasses? This hunger will unite the people one day and they willmarch on the streets," Kanhaiya Kumar said at a rally in Pune.Dwelling on a wide range of issues confronting the country, theJawaharhal Nehru Univer-sity Students' Union(JNUSU) president posedquestions about the Modigovernment "squander-ing" public resources forgiving huge media ads,his radio programme'Mann Ki Baat' and televi-sion publicity. "First it wastheir own 'Mata' (mother), then 'gaumata' (cow), and now it is 'Bharat Mata'.They want to decide what the people will eat, what festivals they willcelebrate, what they can wear. Who gave you this right," he asked."Stop giving these 'jumlas' (false promises) to the people.

WILL NOT LET PARLIAMENTFUNCTION TILL UTTARAKHANDISSUE SETTLED: CONGRESSNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Monday said it will notcompromise on the Uttarakhand issue and will not let parliamentfunction till the issue was settled. The issue of imposition of President'sRule in Uttarakhand is presently being heard by the Supreme Courtwhich, on April 22, stayed till April 27 the Uttarakhand High Court orderquashing President's Rule in the hill state. "Uttarakhand is the most impor-tant issue. There will be no compromise on it," Congress leader JairamRamesh said. "There is no prospect of parliament functioning till theUttarakhand issue is settled," the Congress leader said. He said the NarendraModi-led government did not want parliament to function. The parliamentsession began on Monday and will continue till May 13. Pandemonium andslogan shouting against the imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhandmarred the first day of the Lok Sabha on Monday as the opposition mem-bers flayed the government for its "autocratic" decision. Even the RajyaSabha was repeatedly disrupted as protesting Congress membersraised slogans against the Narendra Modi government.

Kanhaiya fined, Umar, Anirbansuspended from JNUNEW DELHI, (IANS) The JNU on Monday fined student leaderKanhaiya Kumar Rs.10,000 over a controversial event on Kash-mir in the campus and rusticated students Umar Khalid, AnirbanBhattacharya and Mujeeb Gatto. According to a university or-der, Khalid and Bhatacharya will lose a semester of their aca-demic session while Gatto has been suspended for two se-mesters. The action comes after a probe panel set up by the JawaharlalNehru University found them guilty of "misconduct" and "indiscipline."Khalid, Bhattacharya and Gatto were found guilty of staging a protestdemonstration under the pretext of holding a poetry reading of "A CountryWithout a Post Office", the chief proctor said. Khalid was also finedRs.20,000, the order said.Khalid told IANS: "Seems like we have been rusticated. No official com-munication to us yet from the administration. Just read the press release.It does not mention names but not difficult to guess them." KanhaiyaKumar, the first president of the JNU Students Union from the CPI-affiliatedAll India Students Federation, was only fined. The February 9 event led tothe arrests of Kanhaiya Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya on sedition chargesafter it was alleged that par ticipants at the event shouted anti-national slogans.


TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016i n d i a

General Accounting & Bookkeeping

WOMEN COVER THEIR FACES TO AVOID DIRECT CONTACT WITH SUN AS MERCURY BEGINS TO RISE ABOVE 40 DEGREESCELCIUS IN NEW DELHI (IANS).

CONGRESS COMPROMISED NATIONALSECURITY FOR POLITICAL GAINS: BJPNEW DELHI, (IANS) The BJP on Friday accused the Congress andformer home minister P. Chidambaram of "compromising nationalsecurity" for their political gains. "In this era of global terrorism, whenIndia is among its biggest victims, the Congress has practised verylow-level politics and compromised on national security for its politi-cal gains," BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told the media at thepar ty headquar ters here.He questioned as to how could the Congress humiliate an entire com-munity through the term "Hindu terror. The BJP as a party has neverassociated terrorism with any particular community, sect or religion.But the Congress functionaries, for their political gains, repeatedlyused the term 'Hindu terror' and 'saffron terror'," Trivedi said."How can you associate a colour which is par t of our national flag

with terrorism?" he said. In the context of Ishrat Jahan shootout andSamjhauta Express blast, Trivedi said that although the National In-vestigation Agency lodged the First Information Repor ts (FIRs) in2011, but the Congress leaders had star ted using the term 'Hinduterror' back in 2009. "Was it premonition or was it their prejudicecoming to the fore," Trivedi asked. Raking up the Ishrat Jahan case,Trivedi said that Chidambaram must tell whether he informed - and ifyes, at what point - the then prime minister Manmohan Singh and theUPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi "when the altered the second affidavit"that made "investigative agencies took a sudden U-turn" on the IshratJahan case. Trivedi also alleged that the Congress had communalisedthe country's education system, apar t from the process of disbursingbank loans on communal lines.

Committed to bringing Mallya back to India: GovernmentNEW DELHI, (IANS) The central government was committed to bringing liquor baron Vijay Mallya back to India to face justice, theexternal affairs ministry said. "The government is committed to bringing Vijay Mallya back to face justice. We are consideringsteps for Mallya's depor tation," foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told the media here. He said that the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) had requested the ministry initiate the process of his depor tation af ter a Mumbai cour t issued non-bailablewarrant against him. "We are currently consulting legal exper ts on the next steps in this par ticular matter," Swarup said. Aspecial cour t in Mumbai issued an undated non-bailable arrest warrant against the beleaguered businessman on April 18 inresponse to a plea by the Enforcement Directorate on April 15 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Mallya, who owesmore than Rs.9,000 crore to various Indian banks, have failed failed to honour ED summons for questioning in various cases per tainingto his loans and allegations of money laundering.

Wrong to label Kanhaiya anti-national: Uddhay ThackerayNASHIK, (IANS) Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray onSunday said it was wrong on the government's par t to labelJNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar as "anti-national. Whogave bir th to Kanhaiya Kumar in the first place? The govern-ment should think over this. It is wrong to label him anti-na-tional," Thackeray told a meeting of par ty office-bearers here. Ifyouth are branded "anti-national" in this manner, they will not beable to work freely for the country and the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) will forfeit the support of youths, he warned. Thackeray'scomments came hours after Kanhaiya Kumar alleged that a co-passenger tried to strangle him on a Jet Airways Mumbai-Puneflight in the morning. Both Kanhaiya Kumar and the passenger --identified as Manas D.J. of Kolkata -- were off-loaded by Jet Air-ways. Joint Police Commissioner Deven Bharati said the inci-dent was actually a scuffle in which around eight people wereinvolved and that Kanhaiya Kumar's claims were exaggerated. "WhenKumar was asked to lodge a complaint, he declined and what his friendsaid about the incident in his complaint was found to be false," Bharatisaid. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ram Shindeasserted that there was no attack on Kanhaiya Kumar, president of theJawaharlal Nehru University Students Union.

PUNJAB PROCURES 80LAKH TONNES OF WHEATCHANDIGARH, (IANS) Food grain producing state Punjab hasprocured 80 lakh tonnes of wheat wor th Rs.4,200 crore in thisseason, an official said on Monday. Government agenciesprocured 79.04 lakh tonnes of wheat, whereas the privatemillers procured 1.20 lakh tonnes till date, said a spokesmanfor the state food and supplies depar tment. Punjab is the big-gest contributor (over 60 per cent) of food grain to the nationalkitty despite having just 1.54 per cent of the country's geo-graphical area.

Sikh gurdwara amendment billsecures parliamentary approvalNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill, 2016,on Monday secured parliamentary approval with the Lok Sabhaunanimously adopting the measure -- but only after a heated debateinvolving members of the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Congress andthe AAP. Introduced in the Rajya Sabha by Home Affairs MinisterRajnath Singh on March 15, the bill was passed by the upper houseon the next day. According to the amending bill, every Sikh above theage of 21 years and registered as a voter will be entitled to vote in SikhGurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and various gurdwara man-agement committee elections.However, no person who trims or shaves his beard or hair will be entitledto vote in these elections. The bill, in this manner, seeks to amend theSikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, which regulates the administration ofgurdwaras in Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. TheSikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 creates an exception for Sehajdhari Sikhswho trim or shave their beard or hair, and allows them to vote. Theamending Bill removes this exception, disentitling Sehajdhari Sikhs fromvoting if they carry out these activities. During the discussion in the LokSabha on the legislation, acrimonious scenes were repeatedly witnessedas Akali Dal members, led by union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal,exchanged heated words with Congress and AAP members.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 w o r l d

OBAMA AND MERKEL DEFENDUS-EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

HANOVER, (IANS) US President Barack Obama and German Chan-cellor Angela Merkel defended a free trade agreement under negotia-tions between the US and European Union on Sunday, saying the agree-ment will benefit the economy on both sides of the Atlantic.In a joint press conference in the nor thern German city of Hanover,Obama said it is "indisputable" that the Transatlantic Trade and In-vestment Par tnership (TTIP) will make both the EU and US economystronger and more competitive compared to other regions of the world."The United States and the European Union need to keep moving for-ward with the TTIP," he said after holding talks with Merkel in his finalvisit to Germany as the US President. "It is very helpful to allow oureconomy in Europe to grow, It' s important for the German economy,

it's impor tant for the European economy," said Merkel, adding thatboth the EU and US have an interest to speed up negotiations whichwas launched in July 2013. A new round of talks over the agreementis scheduled to star t in the US next week. On Saturday, tens of thou-sands of people protested in Hanover streets against the agreement.A recent survey found that public suppor t for the agreement droppedsharply in both Germany and the US in recent years. Concerns of theopponents include declines in consumer and labour protection, envi-ronment standards as well as the secrecy of the negotiations. Obamasaid differences between the two sides are narrowing and he's confi-dent that the agreement will be completed finally although he cannotanticipate that the deal will be ratified by the end of this year.

UN SLAMS NORTH KOREA SUBMARINE-LAUNCHED BALLISTIC MISSILE

UNITED NATIONS, (IANS) The UN Security Council on Sunday "strongly" condemned on Saturday's firing of a submarine-launchedballistic missile by North Korea."This incident constituted yet another serious violation by the DPRK of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874(2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) and 2270 (2016)," the Security Council said in a statement issued to the press here. "The members ofthe Security Council emphasized that the DPRK's development and testing of new ballistic missile capabilities, even if launches arefailures, is clearly prohibited by these resolutions."Pyongyang announced it has conducted a successful underwater test-fire of strategic submarine ballistic missile and the country' s topleader Kim Jong Un guided the test-fire, the official news agency KCNA repor ted Sunday.The test-fire aimed to "confirm the stability of the underwater ballistic launching system in the maximum depth of waters, flying kineticfeature under the ver tical flight system of the ballistic missile powered by the newly developed high-power solid fuel engine, thereliability of the phased heat separation and the working accuracy of nuclear detonating device of the warhead."

Six arrested for Pakistani Sikhpolitician's murderISLAMABAD, (IANS) Six men paid to kill a prominent Sikhpolitician in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province havebeen arrested, the media repor ted on Tuesday. Accordingto police, the assassination of Minority Affairs MinisterSardar Soran Singh on Friday in Buner was ordered by arival politician, Baldev Kumar, Efe news repor ted.Baldev Kumar had sought a seat with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf par ty but had been passed over for Soran Singhwhich led to the murder, said Deputy Inspector GeneralAzad Khan on Monday. The Pakistani Taliban had falselyclaimed responsibility for the murder, said the police.The murderers were caught when officers received a tipthat traced the shooting to one of them who revealed theplot, The Nation repor ted. Soran Singh was a prominentleader of the Sikh community in Pakistan. Religious lead-ers condemned the killing and vowed to initiate a cam-paign against terrorism and sectarian violence, media re-por ts said. They were speaking at a gathering organisedby Pakistan Ulema Council to pay homage to Soran Singh.One of the re l ig ious leaders, Haf iz Mohammad Tahi rAshrafi, said Soran Singh sacrif iced his family for thecause of Pakistan, referring to the slain lawmaker's re-fusal to leave Pakistan along with his wife who took divorceand settled in India.

IS to attempt more sensationalattacks in Bangladesh: StratforWASHINGTON, (IANS) The Islamic State (IS) jihadist groupwants to expand its operations in Bangladesh to boost itsimage among local radicals, US-based intelligence assess-ment company Stratfor said in a repor t on Tuesday. "The Is-lamic State wi l l at tempt more sensat ional at tacks inBangladesh to gain the suppor t of extremists in the country,"the repor t stated, according to Sputnik News.The IS militants have published their goals for expansionin the latest edition of their magazine Dabiq, according toStratfor. IS head of operations in Bangladesh Sheikh AbuIbrahim al-Hanif said the group wants to target Christianmissionaries and foreigners, along with Hindu and Shiitefigures. Al-Hanif also noted that Bangladesh is strategi-cally impor tant due to its proximity to eastern India andMyanmar, as well as its involvement with the UN peace-keeping missions in Muslim-majority countries."Bang ladesh i na t i ona ls and fo re ign ex t r emis ts o fBangladeshi descent fighting in Iraq and Syria will pro-vide the Islamic State with skilled bombmakers and op-erational planners in Bangladesh," the repor t added.The Islamic State, also known as Daesh, has been desig-nated as a terrorist group and is outlawed in the UnitedStates, Russia and numerous other countries. The infa-mous group has seized large areas in Iraq and Syria, anddeclared a caliphate on territories under its control.

Iran in talks with Russia tosell heavy waterTEHRAN, (IANS) The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI)was in talks with the Russian officials to sell par ts of itsheavy water to its nor thern neighbour, Iranian Foreign Minis-try Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari announced here onMonday. According to the decisions made by the AEOI,Iran will sell 70 metric tons, out of its existing 200 metrictons of heavy water reserves, in the international market,Jaber Ansari said. This has been recognized in the nuclearagreement between Iran and the world powers, he said,adding that Iran's presence in the international marketsper taining to heavy water t ransact ions is par t of thecountry's plan for peaceful use of atomic technology. Iranhad already made technical negotiations with the UnitedStates and reached an agreement for sell ing its heavywater and is currently engaged in the same negotiationswith the Russians, the spokesman said.On Saturday, senior I ranian nuclear negot iator AbbasAraqchi confirmed that the AEOI and a US company havesigned an agreement to sell 32 metric tons of heavy waterproduced in its Arak Reactor to the American side. Theagreement, signed following three months of negotiations,was wor th $8.6 mil l ion and would be delivered to theAmerican side in the following week, Araqchi said on thesidelines of a joint commission meeting between Iran andthe P5+1 group, namely Britain, China, France, Russia, theUnited States, and Germany.

French initiative to hold peacetalks 'waste of time': HamasGAZA, (IANS) The Islamic Hamas movement on Sundaysaid the French initiative to hold an international peaceconference to end the decades of conflict between the Pal-estinians and the Israelis is "a waste of time and a vaude-vi l le" .Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zohri said: "All proposedinitiatives to resume the settlement process (peace pro-cess) in the current phase is a waste of time and vaude-ville to Palestinians." The initiative was "like other initia-tives that are being proposed in light of the continued Is-raeli occupation and its denial of Palestinians rights, whichmakes any initiative meaningless", he said. He also saidthe Palestinian National Authority "backs such initiativesin order to misguide and distract the people although it isaware that the settlement process has come to a deadend."Meanwhile, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat wel-comed France's proposal to convene a peace summit onMay 30, including Arab and European states. Erekat saidthe international community should back France and allinfluential countries in attempts to hold the internationalpeace conference with pre-set references in compliancewith international law.

Brussels' Maalbeekmetro stationresumes operationsBRUSSELS, ( IANS) TheMaalbeek metro station inBrussels reopened on Mon-day and all metro stations arerunning normally, an officialsaid. According to thespokesman of the League ofIntercommunaux Transpor t ofBrussels (STIB), FrancoiseLedune, all Brussels metrostations are functional, Xinhuanews agency repor ted. How-ever, the access to the sta-tions remains limited to twoentries with police and mili-tary providing security.

Italy rejects Indianjurisdiction inmarines caseROME, (IANS/AKI) India's ju-r isdict ion over two Ital ianmarines accused of kil l ingtwo Indian fishermen in 2012during an anti-piracy mission is"suspended", the Italian govern-ment said on Tuesday. "Italy con-siders India's jurisdiction overthe case to be suspended andtherefore legally overridden," theItalian foreign ministry said in astatement. The statement cameafter India's Supreme Court ruledon Tuesday that one of the ma-rines, Massimiliano Latorre, couldstay in Italy until September 30 formedical treatment. Italy took thecase to international arbitration lastJune and the Hamburg-based In-ternational Tribunal for the Law ofthe Sea ruled in August that Indiahad no jurisdiction in the case, re-ferring it to the International Cour tof Justice in The Hague.



80 PERTOSA DRIVE, UNIT 12,BRAMPTON ONT., L6X 5E9

w o r l d

MERKEL VISITS REFUGEE CAMP INTURKEY TO PROMOTE MIGRANT DEAL

FEDERAL MINISTER FOR SAFRON LET. GEN (R) ABDUL QADIR BALOCH ADDRESSING A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THEAFGHAN MINISTER FOR REFUGEES SAYYED HUSSAIN AALMI BALKHI IN ISLAMABAD.

ISTANBUL, (IANS) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other Euro-pean Union officials visited a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrianborder on Saturday, one month after helping finalize a controversialEU plan to cope with the largest migration crisis since World War II.Merkel's visit to the Nizip camp -- a sprawling complex where mi-grants are housed in tents and metal containers, about 30 miles eastof the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep -- is intended to counteropponents of the deal, which has been criticized by human rightsgroups, CNN repor ted. A tweet from European Council PresidentDonald Tusk included a photo of Merkel and others being greeted with

flowers presented by young women in white dresses: "Visiting vic-tims of Syria war at #Nizip refugee camp in Turkey." Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoglu led the EU representatives on a tour of the camp,where they greeted children and inspected living conditions. Theyalso inaugurated a child protection center in Gaziantep.European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans toldrepor ters the camp was evidence of the "commitment of the Turkishpeople to accommodate en enormous influx of refugees. I think we,as Europeans, should state very clearly today that you are not alonein this," he said.

IRAN TO TAKE LEGAL ACTIONS TO RETAKE US-SEIZED ASSETSTEHRAN, (IANS) Iran's First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri said that his country will harness every legal channel to retake theimpounded assets subject to a US cour t ruling, Press TV repor ted recently. "The Iranian administration will definitely use all legalmeans to regain the assets, and the US knows that we can do that," Jahangiri was quoted as saying.On Wednesday, the US Supreme Cour t ruled the transfer of nearly $2 billion to the American victims of terrorist attacks, including the1983 truck bombing of a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Investigators of the court concluded that Iran was responsible forthat attack, which Iran has denied. Jahangiri said the US cour t's decision amounted to "stealing" the funds of Central Bank of Iran (CBI)which had mainly been kept in European banks. The US carried out such a measure under a baseless excuse and accusations againstIran, he added. Iran's foreign minister has denounced the recent US ruling which allows the families of American victims of terroristattacks to recover damages from Iran's frozen assets in the US banks.

US ASKS PAKISTAN FORCONCRETE ACTIONAGAINST HAQQANISWASHINGTON, (IANS) The US has said that after last week'smassive car bombing in Kabul it has asked Pakistan to take con-crete action against the Haqqani Network. The Taliban claimedresponsibility for the attack outside a building of the National Di-rectorate for Security in Kabul on Tuesday that killed 64 people andleft more than 300 others injured, Dawn online repor ted.Pakistan had condemned the attack hours after the attack tookplace. "We extend our hear tfelt sympathies and condolences tothose who have lost their loved ones and pray for early recov-ery of the injured," Pakistani Foreign Office said in a statement.Commenting on the Afghan government's claim that Pakistansuppor ted the group that carried out the attack, the US StateDepar tment's director of press office Elizabeth Trudeau, on Fri-day said Islamabad continued to allow terrorists to use its soil."We have consistently expressed our concerns at the highestlevel of the government of Pakistan about their continued toler-ance for Afghan Taliban groups such as the Haqqani Networkoperating from Pakistani soil," she said."And we did again -- after this week's attack. We have pressedthe government of Pakistan to follow up on its expressed com-mitment not to discriminate between terror groups regardlessof their agenda or their affiliation by under taking concrete ac-tion against the Haqqanis," she added.

FBI paid over $1 million tocrack San Bernardino iPhoneWASHINGTON, (IANS) The Federal Bureau of Investigation paidmore than $1 million to access San Bernardino attacker'siPhone, the agency said recently. It is for the first time theagency has offered a possible price tag in the high-profile case,the Washington Post reported.Director James Comey did not offer a precise dollar figure,saying it cost "a lot" to get into the phone. Comey said the costof the tool was "more than I will make in the remainder of thisjob, which is seven years and four months, for sure." Comey ispaid at the rate set for Level II of the executive salary schedule.That means he makes $185,100 a year, under the pay sched-ules that went into effect this year. As a result, Comey's re-marks strongly implied that the bureau paid at least $1.3 mil-lion to get onto Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone. Farook, with hiswife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in the December 2 terrorattack in San Bernardino. "But it was, in my view, wor th it," theFBI director said of what it cost to access the phone's data.Federal authorities have not publicly revealed who helped theFBI unlock the iPhone, which was at the center of an extendedfight between the government and iPhone maker Apple.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 w o r l d

IS TERROR SUSPECT PLOTTEDBEHEADINGS IN US FROM JAIL

PEOPLE CELEBRATING 206TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CALL FOR VENEZUELA'S INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN AT THE BOLIVAR SQUAREIN CARACAS, VENEZUELA (IANS).

WASHINGTON, (IANS) A Rhode Island man awaiting trial onterrorism charges plotted with others -- from behind bars -- tobehead people in the US, federal prosecutors said. A supersedingindictment said Nicholas Rovinski, arrested last June andcharged with plotting Islamic State-inspired attacks, "hasattempted to recruit people to assist" in carrying out a plan "tocommit violent attacks in the US and to decapitate non-believ-ers". He was one of three New England men accused of plottingto behead a New York woman, Pamela Geller, who organisedlast year's Draw Muhammad contest in Texas. The FederalBureau of Investigation said one of the men, Usaamah Rahim ofRoslindale, Massachusetts, later changed his mind and decidedto attack police in Boston. He was shot and killed last June ashe prepared to board a bus armed with a long knife, NBCrepor ted. The FBI said wiretaps picked up Rahim telling thethird man in the plot, David Wright of Everett, Massachusetts,that he decided to "go after the boys in blue". Rahim wasWright's uncle. Prosecutors said Rovinski met Wright onlineand the three men began talking with Rahim about the need tocommit violent acts in suppor t of IS. The FBI said they formu-

lated their plan last May to attack Geller and discussed it indetail on a secluded beach in Rhode Island two days beforeRahim was shot and killed. Law enforcement officials have saidRahim also considered staging an attack on Boston's July 4celebration on the Esplanade.

Obama urges Britain not to leave EULONDON, (IANS) US President Barack Obama called on theBritish people on Friday to suppor t their country's continuedstay in the EU in the referendum scheduled for June 23. In anar ticle published on Friday in the Daily Telegraph, Obama, whoarrived in London on Thursday on a three-day visit, stressedthat Britain being par t of the EU increases the country's prestigein the world, Efe news repor ted.Obama's opinion on the EU debate is a boost to the campaign ofBritish Prime Minister David Cameron in favour of the countrystaying in the EU, but has been criticised by suppor ters of Brexit,led by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who believe that Obamashould not intervene in Britain's affairs.

Pakistan military overcomesTaliban in WaziristanISLAMABAD, (IANS) Pakistani troops have overcome Talibanmilitants and their foreign allies who had set up hideouts onthe treacherous terrain in the Nor th Waziristan tribal region.Hundreds of ground troops star ted their last phase of one ofthe most difficult operations in the forest-covered ShawalValley in February. On April 18, army chief General RaheelSharif visited the area to praise the forces for their achieve-ment. With this, the Pakistani Taliban militants are no longera threat as most of them have either been eliminated or havefled across the border into Afghanistan, Xinhua news agencyquoted unnamed officials as saying. The security forces nowcontrol most of the peaks and overlook all narrow routes tocheck the movement of militants who may still be hiding ininaccessible areas.

Afghan president vows toroot out terroristsKABUL, (IANS) Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghanion Monday toughened his government's stance in the war onmilitants and vowed to root out Taliban and like-mindedgroups fighting in the war-plagued country. "Since the Talibanand Haqqani network in harmony with other terrorist groupsare fighting in Afghanistan to ensure each other's interests,therefore, it is our obligation to stand against them," presi-dent said in his speech at the joint session of the Afghanparliament here, Xinhua news agency reported.He made the speech in parliament amid the ongoing Taliban-led bloody insurgency and in the wake of the deadly attack inKabul on April 19, in which 64 people were killed and 347others injured, some critically. The Taliban outfit claimed re-sponsibility for the attack and vowed to continue the waragainst government. However, the president categoricallysaid his government's doors were open for peace talks withthose Taliban who renounce violence, sever ties with terror-ists and accept Afghanistan's constitution.

30 militants killed in EgyptCAIRO, (IANS) Egyptian forces killed 30 militants on Mondayin air raids in the country's restive Nor th Sinai province, anofficial said. The raids coincide with the military celebrationof the 34th anniversary of Sinai Liberation Day marking the withdrawalof the Israeli troops from Taba, the last occupied part of the Sinai Penin-sula, Xinhua news agency reported.Weapons and ammunition caches were also destroyed in the strikesthat targeted southern Sheikh Zuweid city, the statement said, noting thatthe forces also managed to foil an armed attack on a security checkpoint.Egypt has been facing growing anti-government terror attacks since themilitary overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 andlater blacklisted his Muslim Brotherhood group. The EgyptianArmed Forces also announced they will celebrate the na-tional day by air and water shows and military music con-cer ts in major cities nationwide.

Very nervous at doing 'Housefull 3',says Abhishek Bachchan

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THE GOODWILL AMBASSADOR OF THE INDIAN CONTINGENT FOR THE RIO OLYMPICS SALMAN KHAN AND IOA PRESIDENT NRAMACHANDRAN DURING A PROMOTIONAL EVENT OF INDIAN OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION IN NEW DELHI. ALSO SEEN INDIAN SPORTS STARSMC MARY KOM, SARDAR SINGH, RITU RANI, DEEPIKA KUMARI, APURVI CHANDELA AND MANIKA BATRA (IANS).

CAST OF SAJID NADIADWALA'S HOUSEFULL 3 IN MUMBAI - AKSHAY KUMAR, RITEISH DESHMUKH, ABHISHEK BACHCHAN, JACQUELINEFERNANDES, LISA HAYDON AND NARGIS FAKHRI.

MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Abhishek Bachchan, who will be seen in SajidNadiadwala's much awaited "Housefull 3", reveals he was nervous atbeing a par t of this immensely successful franchise. "I was verynervous... I had first worked with Sajid-Farhad (directors of 'Housefull3') in 'Bol Bachchan' and they came and said they want me to do thisfilm, then Nadiadwala came and spoke to me about this."When you are working on a franchise which so immensely success-ful, you don't want to let down fans of 'Housefull', so I was nervousand we all worked very hard," Abhishek told repor ters at the film'strailer launch on Sunday. "Boman Irani is my acting coach... everynight he used to sit in my room and rehearse. Nadiadwala does agreat job of packaging a film, it looks great. For me personally sinceI was the new one it was hard work but, I had a lot of fun doing this,"he said."Housefull 3", featuring a multiple star cast including Akshay Kumar,Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri,and Lisa Haydon, is releasing on June 3. Riteish and Abhishek, whohave worked together in "Bluff Master", will be seen collaboratingagain in "Housefull 3". About this, Riteish said: "I was waiting to workwith Abhishek for a very long time... when Sajid Nadiadwala called

me for this film I was really happy that I will get to work with Abhishekagain." Also present at the launch, Akshay Kumar, who is known fordoing back to back films, says it is no rocket science.

HOPE SRK WILL REMAINHIMSELF LIKE SALMAN: RGVMUMBAI, (IANS) Maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma lashedout at superstar Shah Rukh Khan saying that he might lose his star status toSalman Khan just like Kamal Haasan did to Rajinikanth. He also questionedSRK's movie selection process saying that he "should learn from Kamal'smistakes and just be Salman". In a series of tweets, the "Satya" filmmakertook digs at Shah Rukh's recent decision to turn into an obsessed fan in "Fan"and also upcoming Aanand L. Rai's project in which he will be seen as adwarf. He also hinted at Kamal's "Appu Raja". He shared: "Megastar SRKbecoming ordinary fan, dwarf etc is as big a same blunder as what KamalHaasan did to lose his stardom to Rajinikanth (Salman Khan). Kamal was asbig a superstar as Rajinikanth till he started doing dwarf, fat, tall etc and as afan I hope SRK doesn't listen to wrong advisers."

NEW DELHI, (IANS) Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma believes that thereshould be more comedy shows in India. With his new comedy show"The Kapil Sharma Show", which went on air on Saturday, Kapil sharedthat a lot of reality TV shows on television these days are depictingthe problems that bug our society, and that is why comedy showsshould multiply. "I feel there should be more comedy shows. Thereare so many shows out there... although they show what is goingon in our society, but it spreads a lot of negativity too. That is howI roll, I feel there should be more comedy. If we sleep with a goodmood, we get a better sleep. This is what we all want," Kapil toldIANS in a group interview here. The "Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon"actor has now joined Sony Enter tainment Television for his newshow which also features Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar, Kiku Sharda,Sumona Chakravar ti and Chandan Prabhakar.

SHRADDHA KAPOORUNDER THE WEATHER

MUMBAI, (IANS) Shraddha Kapoor is not feeling well, and the actresswas forced to skip promotions of her forthcoming film "Baaghi" due to herhealth. The actress took to micro-blogging site Twitter on Sunday to sharean update about her health, but refrained from getting into details aboutwhat's ailing her. She posted: "Missing promotions today because I'mreally unwell. Miss me ok Tiger Shroff, Sabbir Khan #BaaghiOn29thApril"."Baaghi", produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, is a rebellious love story whichwill release on April 29. It also stars Telugu star Sudheer Babu.

IPL: PUNE BEAT HYDERABADTO END LOSING STREAK

HYDERABAD, (IANS) Rising Pune Supergiants ended their four-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a 34-runwin via D/L method over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv GandhiInternational Stadium here on Tuesday.The foundation of the big win for Pune in the rain-marred contest wasset up by medium pacers Ashok Dinda (3/23) and Mitchell Marsh (2/14) as Sunrisers Hyderabad were restricted to 118/8 in 20 overs.In a match marred by delayed start, half of the Hyderabad team wasback in the dug-out by the ninth over with only 32 runs on the board.But a 47-run stand between Shikhar Dhawan (56 not out) and NamanOjha (18) came to Hyderabad's rescue as it ensured that the teamcrossed the 100-run mark.Dhawan was the only bright spot for Hyderbad as the left-handerscored his second consecutive fifty. With the help of two fours and asix, he made 56 off 53 deliveries. At the fag end, BhuvneshawarKumar's brisk cameo of eight-ball 21 lifted them to 118/8. In reply,Steve Smith (46 not out) and Faf du Plessis (30 off 21 deliveries) putPune in strong position to overhaul the target. Pune lost Ajnikya Rahane(0) early - dismissed by Bhuvneshwar. But South African du Plessisand Australian Smith forged an 80-run stand for the second wicket toput the chase in commanding position.They were cruising at 94/3 in 11 overs when rain halted play, forcingthe umpires to decide the match Duckworth/Lewis method throughwhich Pune were declared triumphant by 34 runs.This was Pune's second win - having won the opening match, whileHyderabad suffered a loss after hat-trick of wins and overall, thirddefeat in six outings.Earlier, put into bat by Pune captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hyderabadbatsmen were undone by reckless batting and poor shot selec-tion. It star ted with the very first over when in-form DavidWarner hit a wide ball from right-armer Dinda straight to AjnikyaRahane at backward point in the first over. The wicket of theAustralian left-hander, who had scored four fifties in five gamesbefore Tuesday, for a duck gave a big relief to Pune.


TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016b o l l y w o o d

BIG B'S NIGHTMARISHEXPERIENCE WITH PINK!

DIA MIRZA DURING THE LAUNCH OF TELEVISION TRAVEL SHOW TITLED GANGA THE SOUL OF INDIA IN MUMBAI (IANS).

TIGER SHROFF AND SHRADDHA KAPOOR DURING THE LAUNCH OF ACTION SONG, GET READY TO FIGHT OF FILM BAAGHI IN MUMBAI(IANS).

MUMBAI, (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is filming thefinal days of his upcoming movie "Pink", shared that "the relish withwhich films are made is a film by itself. The relish with which filmsare made is a film by itself... working on the final days of 'Pink' is adelight and a nightmare simultaneously and not necessarily in thatorder," the 73-year-old actor posted on his blog.Adding that the umpteen number of lines are well beyond humanconsumption, the "Wazir" actor posted: "The pages and pages of linesis well beyond human consumption for me at this moment... And sothis missive is shor t and hopefully sweet." In the film, Amitabh isplaying the lead role of a lawyer. Produced by Shoojit Sircar, the filmis being directed by Bengali filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.This will be Sircar's third project with Amitabh after their unreleasedfilm "Shoebite" and "Piku". "The problem with being the senior moston such sets is the belief by all else except myself that 'all shall bewell'... NO... It shall not all be well... well not until those words thatfloat through the atmosphere of the linear shall with the juxtapositionof the hemoglobin present themselves in a less sophisticated mannerto a rhetorician...."

ANUSHKA SHARMA-DILJIT DOSANJHIN 'PHILLAURI', WHO'S EXCITED?

MUMBAI, (IANS) The shooting for actress Anushka Sharma's secondproduction "Phillauri" has star ted. The 27-year-old actress is co-pro-ducing the film with Fox Star Studios. She will be sharing screenspace with singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh and Suraj Sharma, of the "Lifeof Pi" fame. The tweet from the page of Yash Raj Film Talent, which isfollowed by the official account of actors Ranveer Singh and ArjunKapoor, stated that the shooting has star ted. "And so it begins! 'Phillauri'with Anushka Sharma and Diljit Dosanjh! Who's excited?" read a tweeton the page. The movie has been tagged as an uncommon romanticfilm set in Phillaur, Punjab. It will be directed by debutant Anshai Lal.The "Band Baajaa Baaraat" actress's first production venture was thethriller "NH10", directed by Navdeep Singh. The film also starred NeilBhoopalam with Anushka. Co-produced by Phantom Films and ErosInternational, the hard-hitting and intense movie revolves around ayoung couple whose road trip goes awry after an encounter with agroup of violent criminals.

HRITHIK HAD NORELATIONSHIP WITHKANGANA: LAWYERS

MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Hrithik Roshan and his lawyers seemto be in no mood to step back a bit from the ongoing legal battlewith Kangana Ranaut. They said they will prove their clientHrithik has had no relationship with the actress.Hrithik's lawyers told IANS: "The facts have been now pre-sented to the authorities. Let's not get confused in this war ofwords. We will prove that our client Hrithik Roshan has had norelationship with Kangana Ranaut. We have presented solidevidences of this nature to the investigating authorities. Theyshould present any credible evidence if they have to those whoare authorized to investigate this matter."The lawyers added: "We are not interested in playing the gameof notices and counter-notices. We are only pursuing this tobring out the correct facts and that will happen through bonafideinvestigation. Facts will very soon come out. We would like toremind that this case is not about man vs woman, powerful vsweak, it's about lie vs truth."The counter statement was sent by Hrithik 's team afterKangana's lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee issued a statement onThursday evening. Siddiquee stated: "My client Ms. KanganaRanaut has alleged that Mr. Hrithik Roshan was continuouslyhacking her email accounts due to which she was forced toshut and abandon her two primary email accounts more thaneight months ago. These allegations were also contained in mycounter notice cum reply dated March 1, 2016, to which Hrithikhas still not replied despite lapse of more than fifty (50 days).""It is a matter of record that Hrithik filed his FIR only on March5, 2016, i.e. after my client claimed that her emails were hacked.It is therefore apparent that the emails that Hrithik is referring toor relying upon, in all probabilities are not genuine at all andcould largely be fabricated. In any event my client is bold enoughto admit and accept the emails which were genuinely commu-nicated to Hrithik on his correct email id, only once she verifiesthe contents of the same."

MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Karan Singh Grover, who is set to marryactress Bipasha Basu on April 30, shared a poem dedicated to hissoon-to-be wife, expressing his love for her. Karan took toInstagram, sharing an image of himself and Bipasha in a blackand white tint where the two can be seen in a playful mood.Bipasha is clad in a white gown and Karan, who is wearing a suit,can be seen holding the veil of Bipasha's white dress in his mouth.The poem reads: "You take away all the darkness, you take awayall my pain...You walk me through the storm, you take away allthe darkness, you take away all my pain...You walk me throughthe storm, through sunshine and even the rain...You give me peace,you shower me with love and fill every moment of my life withglee...With your faith and your trust you show me not who I am butwho I can be...""You pat me on my back when I'm right and kick my a** when I'mwrong...You show me how beautiful this life is even if our path some-times seems weary and long...You are my partner, my lover, my soulmate,my own, my friend and much more than any word can portray...I promiseto be with you as you are with me forever and a day..."

KARAN SINGH GROVER'STRIBUTE TO BIPASHA

SHIV SAINIKS PROTESTGHULAM ALI'S VISITAhmedabad, (IANS) Ten Shiv Sena members were detained onFriday for protesting against Pakistani ghazal maestro GhulamAli's visit to India to receive an award. The singer arrived inGujarat's Mahuva town in Bhavnagar district on Thursday toreceive the 'Hanumant Award' conferred on him by a religiousorganisation, Chitrakoot Dham Trust, run by preacher Morari Bapu. Thetrust organises an annual cultural festival 'Asmita Parva' and honoursachievers in different fields. "The Shiv Sena members were briefly de-tained for trying to stage demonstrations against the Pakistani singer,"Mahuva Inspector V.S. Manjaria said. "They were rounded up fromTalgajarda village when they tried to reach the venue of the awards func-tion." Ghulam Ali, who has performed at the annual event in the past, wasto perform this time as well but cancelled the programme sched-uled for April 19 due to "unavoidable circumstances".



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 b o l l y w o o d

'Santa Banta Pvt. Ltd.' doesn't hurtreligious sentiments: Boman IraniGURGAON, (IANS) Comedy-drama "Santa Banta Pvt. Ltd." has noconnection with the Santa-Banta jokes that are made on the Sikhcommunity and the film does not hur t anybody's religious sentiments,actor Boman Irani said. Boman was here to promote his for thcomingfilm along with his co-stars, Neha Dhupia and Vir Das.A petition was filed against "Santa Banta Pvt. Ltd." earlier this monthby Punjab Cultural Heritage Board president Charan Singh Sapra andothers claiming that the film depicts the Sikh community in poor lightand it could pose a threat to public order. However, the Bombay HighCour t refused to grant an interim stay on the release of the AkashdeepSabir directorial. "Our film is not at all hur ting anybody's religioussentiments. The characters which Vir and I are playing -- Santa and

Not sure why I getcricket match-fixing

movies: Emraan HashmiMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Emraan Hashmi, who features in an-other cricket-based film "Azhar" after "Jannat", says he doesn'tknow why he always gets films with the controversial match-fixing angle. "Jannat' released six years ago, and there was amatch-fixing sub-plot in that film as well. So I don't know why I get onlythese controversial parts of cricket."But there is an inspirational story in 'Azhar' as well, because Azhar bhai(Mohammad Azharuddin) with his captaincy helped us win for 10 years,and unfortunately in 2000, a big controversy happened," Emraan said ata radio station while promoting the film. In "Jannat", Emraan played therole of a bookie who had a particular gift of predicting cricket scores buteventually starts fixing matches. The film was a success at the box-

office. Emraan now plays a character based on formerIndian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin, whowas accused of match-fixing in 2000. After the incident,he was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket inIndia (BCCI) for life. The ban was, however, lifted in2012. "Jannat' was the starting point. From 'Jannat' to

'Azhar', it's been a very good journey," he said.On Azharuddin's inputs for preparation of his role, he

said: "This (match-fixing) is one dimension ofcricket which Azhar bhai shared with us andalso a lot of anecdotes about the sport. Theworld of cricket is such that we have seen itfrom a distance. We obviously lovethe sport, but we don't know aboutthe conversations that take place inthe locker rooms or the camarade-rie between the players, the jokesand fights between them.

Banta -- have no similarity to the Santa-Banta jokes that we haveheard," Boman told repor ters here. "I'm playing Santa and Vir is Banta.The film is based on two detectives who are sent on a mission tosolve a crime. The story is about their journey. The jokes that are inthe film are totally different from those (Santa-Banta jokes)," he said.Sabir, who was also present, said the Central Board of Film Cer tifica-tion (CBFC) passed the film without any cuts. "If CBFC has given agreen light to the film, then I feel it's not hur ting anybody's senti-ments. They haven't cut a single shot which means the film is madefor everyone to watch. It's a crime caper," he said. The film, whichwill release on Friday, also features Lisa Haydon, Johnny Lever, RamKapoor, Vijay Raaz and Sanjay Mishra.

NO FAN SEQUEL PLANNED: SRKMUMBAI, (IANS) Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has delivered yet another success with "Fan", reveals that there won't be any sequelto the film. However he is geared up to collaborate with the director of the latest release Maneesh Sharma yet again but with a differentscript altogether. "The Fan is dead (in the film) so I don't think there is any sequel to this movie," the 50-year-old told IANS. "Fan" featuredShah Rukh as Gaurav, a fan of superstar Aryan Khanna, who is also played by the superstar. Shah Rukh says that he has associated withManeesh for another film that will be different from "Fan". "Maneesh and me are working on another film which is not similar to 'Fan' atall. It's a very different story and we will star t working on it by next year. It will be a nice film.."

I AM A HUGE FAN OF RANDEEP HOODA: IMRAN KHANMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Imran Khan has confessed that he is a big fan of Randeep Hooda. "I am a huge fan of Randeep Hooda. I think heis an excellent actor. He has done a fantastic job in this film too," Imran said at a screening of Randeep's film "Laal Rang" here. Imran,who has last seen onscreen in Nikhil Advani's romantic comedy "Katti Batti" opposite actress Kangna Ranaut, said he is not choosy withgenres. "I never thought that I should do only a specific type of film. If the story excites me and seems to me that the film would beenter taining, I would like to do it. I don't believe in limiting myself to any specific genre," he said. Directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal, "LaalRang" also stars Akshay Oberoi and Pia Bajpai in prominent roles and is slated to release on April 22.



Movie Review

b o l l y w o o d

MOST WANTED MUNDA KI & KA

DO PEG MAAR ONE NIGHT STAND

PAANI PAANI CABARET

HIGH HEELS KI & KA

LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE BAAGHI

BOL DO NA ZARA BOL DO NA ZARA

IJAZAT ONE NIGHT STAND

BOLNA KAPOOR & SONS

SAB TERA BAAGHI

HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEKFAN HITKI & KA HITROCKY HANDSOME HITLOVE GAMES FLOPSANTA BANTA PVT LTD FLOP

MIDWEEK BOX

OFFICE REPORTFAN 155 CR

KI & KA 80 CR

ROCKY HANDSOME 55 CR

LOVE GAMES 11 CR

SANTA BANTA PVT LTD 5 CR

10songs

SONG

top

FILM

FILM:FAN1 JABRA FAN

hollywood

BY TROY RIBEIRO

Santa-Banta, our very ownIndian comedy duo, are abrand by themselves. Humourin their banter sur facesthrough their stupidity, ratherthan intelligence. Unfor tu-nately, director AkashdeepSabir takes their stupidity soliterally that he lands upmaking a dud.With crudely gummed upgags, "Santa Banta Pvt Ltd"chronicles the story of twogood-for-nothing, best friendsSanteshwar Singh aka Santa(Boman Irani) and BanteshwarSingh aka Banta (Vir Das).When Shankar (Ayyub Khan)the High Commissioner of Fijiis kidnapped, RAW, the

Intelligence Agency of India,gets into a tizzy. The manage-ment in Delhi try to locatetheir secret agents who alsogo by the pseudonym "SantaBanta".Now in a desperate situationAgent Arvind (Vijay Raaz),who happens to meetSanteshwar and Banteshwar,decides to present them asthe real secret agents andsends them to Fiji for therescue operation.With a convoluted plot that isneither exciting nor convinc-ing, the narration trudgesalong an idiotic route thatcrosses paths with Shankar'swife Kareena Roy (NehaDhupia) and Shankar's bestfriend Sonu Sultan (Ram

Kapoor) along with Fiji's RAWagents Cutie (Lisa Haydon)and Akbar Illahabaadi (SanjayMishra). They are also chasedby Nepal No. One Don (JohnnyLever), who is in Fiji and hashis own inexplicable axe togrind with them.On the per formance front,every actor especially BomanIrani and Vir Das seem to bein their own space, per functo-rily prancing around in abuffoonish manner and therest of the cast are equally aneyesore. The music and songslike, "Machli jal ki rani hai","Lo aa gaye Santa Banta", "Hitkardi" and "Ishq karle any-time", are a bane in thenarration. With dim-wittedlyrics and loud music, they

are an assault to the senses.The writing by Asad Ajmeriand Pawan Soni is sloppywith utterly inferior jokes thatneither elicit a grin nor achuckle. Sabir's treatment ofthe film too is frivolous andchaotic. The film is expectedlya frothy enter tainer whichdoes not delve deep into theplot's premise, direction orcharacterisation."Santa Banta Pvt Ltd" ispackaged in a shoddy mannerwith poorly done animationsequences and badly handledscenes. The humour is forcedand the film leaves you piningfor substance that could strikean emotion chord. Overall,"Santa Banta Pvt Ltd" is atotally avoidable film.

'SANTA BANTA PVT LTD'- A DUD COMPANY

BOMAN IRANI, NEHA DHUPIA AND VIR DAS DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE THEIR FILM SANTA BANTA PVT. LTDIN NEW DELHI (IANS).

CAST: BOMAN IRANI, VIR DAS, NEHA DHUPIA,

LISA HAYDON, JOHNNY LEVER, SANJAY

MISHRA, VRAJESH HIRJEE, RAM KAPOOR,

VIJAY PATKAR, VIJAY RAAZ

RATING: *

NEVER APPROACHED TO BE BRANDAMBASSADOR OF INCREDIBLE INDIA: BIG BMUMBAI, (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says that he has never been approached to be Brand Ambassador for the 'Incredible India'campaign contrary to media repor ts that his name might be put on hold after the Panama Papers leak."There have been queries from the media regarding my being Brand Ambassador for 'Atulya Bharat' (Incredible India). I wish to state thatI have not been formally approached for this position. The speculation of the media regarding its discontinuance is, therefore, notrelevant as far as I am concerned," said a statement released on behalf of Amitabh Bachchan.The "Panama Papers" -- based on an investigation by the International Consor tium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and over 100other news organisations around the world -- is a global list revealing offshore links of over 500 Indians, including Big B and hisdaughter-in-law Aishwarya.In India, The Indian Express daily newspaper released pages of the investigation repor ts alleging, among other names, that Amitabh andAishwarya were directors in companies in Panama. The megastar says that those who are asking for his feedback on Panama Papersleak can send their queries to the Government of India (GOI) for clarification."On the Panama disclosures, I wish to state that queries continue to be sent to me by the media. I would humbly request them to kindlydirect these to the GOI where I, as a law abiding citizen, have already sent, and shall continue to send, my responses.

ANISTON TO BE PEOPLE'S'MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN'LOS ANGELES, (IANS) Actor Jen-nifer Aniston will reportedly benamed People magazine 'sMost Beautiful Woman 2016. Apublishing source has said the"We're the Mil lers" actress hasbeen tapped to get the honour for thesecond t ime, repor tsgossipcop.com. Aniston will re-por tedly appear on themagazine 's Most Beaut i fu lWoman cover, which is tied to therelease of her upcoming comedy"Mother's Day", on April 29. Herco-stars in the movie like KateHudson and Julia Rober ts hadbeen previously awarded the honour. Kate held the MostBeautiful Woman title in 2008 and Julia was chosen in 1991,2000, 2005 and 2010. Other female celebrities who will beincluded in this year's Most Beautiful Woman issue areCarrie Underwood, Christina Milian, Reese Witherspoon,Sofia Vergara, Keke Palmer and Selena Gomez.

Music superstar Prince deadWASHINGTON, (IANS) Flamboyant pop musician Prince diedat his home in Minnesota on Thursday, media repor ts said.He was 57. However, there was no formal announcementyet as officials at the spot said they had to notify family first.According to BBC, police were called to a medical emer-gency at Prince's Paisley Park estate earlier on Thursday.An investigation was underway. According to CNN, policewere investigating a death at the estate of Prince in CarverCounty in Minnesota but were still not disclosing the iden-tity of the person."We are not releasing any information regarding the identityof the person who died until next of kin is notified," it quotedCarver County Sheriff spokesman Jason Kamerud as saying. PrinceRogers Nelson became a global superstar in the 1980s, with albumssuch as "1999", "Purple Rain" and "Sign O' the Times". He sold morethan 100 million records during his career.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 b o l l y w o o d

SHARING SCREEN SPACE WITH NANA'ICING ON CAKE' FOR TAAPSEE

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ACTOR VARUN DHAWAN DURING THE LAUNCH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGURINES IN MUMBAI(IANS).

FILMMAKER KIRAN RAO AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE BLUE ICON PHOTO EXHIBITION, AN IDENTITY AND EMERGENCEOF BLUE INSIGNIA IN MUMBAI (IANS)

MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Taapsee Pannu, who will soon be seenopposite Nana Patekar in actor Prakash Raj's directorial "Tadka",says it is an "icing on the cake" for her. "It's so exciting that finallyPrakash sir will direct me. I have acted with him in two movies inTelugu before and we had such great time working with each other.His energy is infectious. Icing on the cake being I will get to sharescreen space with Nana Patekar," Taapsee said in a statement. "Ihave seen the film in south, but a lot has changed in it now to suitthe sensibilities of Hindi audience, and I'm nothing shor t of thrilledto be doing this role in such an amazing star cast," she added.The fi lm is a remake of Tamil f i lm "Un Samayal Arayil". Alsostarring Ali Fazal and Shriya Saran, the film is set to be shot in Goastar ting first week of May. The plot of the film is based on a crossconnection, which changes fates of two strangers.

Parineeti to start shooting for'Meri Pyaari Bindu' in two weeksMUMBAI, (IANS) Parineeti Chopra is all set to por tray anaspiring actress in "Meri Pyaari Bindu", which will beginshooting in the next two weeks. Parineeti was last seen in2014 in the romantic action comedy film "Kill Dil" directed byShaad Ali. The 27-year-old also thanked her fans, who madea hashtag "#GoodluckParineeti" trend on Twitter. "Thanks somuch guys means a lot. The film star ts in two weeks. Prepa-rations on in full swing! 'Meri Pyaari Bindu'," Parineeti tweeted.The "Ishaqzaade" star will also be crooning a number for thevery first time in the film. "Meri Pyaari Bindu" is set in Kolkataand also features actor Ayushmann Khurrana. The film isdirected by debutant Akshay Roy and is a Maneesh Sharmaproduction.

Women no longer playing victimin Bollywood: Madhuri DixitMUMBAI, (IANS) Dancing diva and actress Madhuri Dixit,who was last seen in women-centric film "Gulaab Gang" whichwas inspired by women activists in Bundelkhand and talksabout women's empowerment, says women are no longerplaying victim or avenger in Bollywood. With debut film "Abodh"and others l ike "Dedh Ishqiya", "Laj ja", "Devdas" and"Mrityudand" to her credit, Madhuri said "it is very interestingthe way and the kind of roles that being written for womennow". "It is very interesting the way kinds of roles are beingwritten for women now. They are no longer just victims oravengers, they are like different characters with different rolesin society, which is so wonderful. They are not just eye candy,women are not perceived in a par ticular way anymore,"Madhuri told IANS in a group interview. When she star ted herjourney in the film industry, there were hardly any women onthe sets, but that is no longer the case, the "Aaja Nachle"actress said, adding that it was a good change indeed.

Azharuddin a phenomenal person: Lara DuttaMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Lara Dutta says that former cricket playerMohammad Azharuddin, on whose life the film "Azhar" is based, is aphenomenal person. "He (Azharuddin) has tremendously lent his sup-por t to the film and has obviously remained very involved. He's anincredible person. Having worked with him over this year, I got toknow him. He's quite a phenomenal person," said Lara, who pre-sented Fair & Lovely Foundation scholarships to 200 women here.Like the trailer suggests, Azharuddin was one of the most successfuland most controversial cricket captains of the country because of hisaccomplishments on the cricket field, match-fixing allegations andrelationships. Lara plays a lawyer in "Azhar", who is hell bent onproving the match-fixing allegations levelled against Azharuddin(played by Emraan Hashmi) in the film."The film is releasing and it feels good. People's reactions to thetrailer have been very good. I'm excited after having worked very hardin the film. It's a slightly big responsibility as well because it is basedon real-life incidences. Hope people go and watch it and like it," she

said. Asked if she anticipates any problem for the film from the BoardOf Control for Cricket In India (BCCI), the national governing body forcricket in India, Lara replied in negative, saying "the filmmakers havedone a good research on it"."They have made the film with alot of care and thought. The filmwill have a destiny and we'll seewhat the destiny is when the filmreleases," she added. Consider-ing she wants Emraan behindbars in the film, will she also stophim from doing his trademarkkissing scenes? " I haven' tstopped him. Like I said at thetrailer launch, I was saved (fromkisses)," Lara quipped. "Azhar"releases on May 13.

Enjoying this phase of my career: Shahid KapoorMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Shahid Kapoor, who will be seen playing rockstar Tommy Singh in hisfor thcoming film "Udta Punjab", says he is "enjoying" this phase of his career and feels good that heis getting chance to portray varied characters. From drugs to alcohol, Shahid will be seen authen-ticating the after-effects of all these substances on celluloid in "Udta Punjab" through his character. In real life,Shhahid refrains from consuming even alcohol because of religious beliefs. Many Bollywood celebrities haveappreciated his role over social media. "Through Tommy Singh I have explored a new space in my journey as an actor.I am enjoying this phase of my career where I am getting to play varied set of characters that are extremely interesting,"Shahid said in a statement. Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, "Udta Punjab" also stars Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khanand Diljit Dosanjh. The film highlights the issue of rampant drug abuse among youth in Punjab. It features Alia as amigrant Bihari labourer, Kareena as a doctor who is determined to fight the illegal transpor tation of drugs,and Diljit as a police officer. The film is slated to release on June 17.

PARINEETI A BRILLIANTSINGER: AYUSHMANNMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who has alsosung for many of his films and music videos, finds his "MeriPyaari Bindu" co-star Parineeti Chopra a brilliant singer andis excited to work with her. "We're undergoing workshopsnow, so I'm reading every day. After the event again I'll begoing for the workshops, and i t 's going pretty good,"Ayushmann told repor ters. "She is a talented actor and a bril-liant singer as well. She's playing a singer in the film and it'llbe exciting because it might be the first time two singers are workingtogether for the first time," said the actor who was present at an event forthe clothing brand Arrow. Parineeti had showcased her singing skills inan interesting video announcing Yash Raj Films'"Meri Pyaari Bindu",her first film after a gap post "Kill Dil".

IPL: Mumbai beat Punjabby 25 runs for third win

VIRAT KOHLI OF ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE CELEBRATES HIS HALF CENTURY DURING AN IPL MATCH BETWEEN ROYALCHALLENGERS BANGALORE AND GUJARAT LIONS AT SAURASHTRA CRICKET ASSOCIATION STADIUM IN RAJKOT (IANS).

IPL: All-round Hyderabadthrash Kings XI Punjab

by five wicketsHYDERABAD, (IANS) Riding on a superb bowling per formancefollowed by skipper David Warner's quick-fire 59, SunrisersHyderabad outclassed a spiritless Kings XI Punjab by fivewickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the RajivGandhi International Stadium here on Saturday.Warner continued his sublime form in the tournament as hestruck seven boundaries and three sixes in his 31-ball in-nings to help team chase down Punjab's meagre total of 143/6 by posting 146/5 with 13 balls to spare. Warner was wellsuppor ted by Shikhar Dhawan (45).Mustafizur Rahman (2-9) and Moises Henriques (2-33) werethe pick of the bowlers for Hyderabad. Chasing a target of 144,the hosts got off to a flying star t scoring 65 for no loss in thepowerplay. Leading the way was skipper Warner who smashedthe Punjab bowlers to all par ts off the park to being up hishalf-century in just 23 balls.The Australian kept his good form in the tournament going ashe returned back to the top of the leading run scorer list with294 runs from five games. But the 90-run partnership for thefirst wicket came to an end in the 10th over when Warnertrying to up the scoring rate was caught by David Miller atlong-on off the bowling off Sandeep Sharma.Hyderabad received a double blow when incoming batsmanAditya Tare (0) trying to sneak an impossible single off hisfirst ball finally ran himself to have his team at 90/2 in the tenthover. Next up, Eion Morgan (25) stayed calm to help team close in on thetarget after Dhawan was dismissed in 14th over.

IPL: Gujarat down RCB inhigh scoring affair

RAJKOT, (IANS) Gujarat Lions rode on a strong batting perfor-mance to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by sixwickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at theSaurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Sunday.Chasing a target of 181 runs, the Lions scored 182/4 in 19.3overs. The result saw the Lions climb to the top of the tablewith eight points. The IPL debutants thus continued their superbstar t to their maiden season as they have now won four the fivematches they have played so far. RCB are at the fifth spot withfour points after two wins and three losses.Openers Dwayne Smith (32) and Brendon McCullum gaveGujarat's chase a healthy star t before the former holed out to longon. But Kane Richardson, who claimed Smith's wicket, could notcelebrate for long a McCullum hit for two sixes and an equalnumber of boundaries in the last four balls of the over.By the time Tabraiz Shamsi pulled off an excellent caught and bowledeffort to send him back to the pavilion, McCullum had laid the foun-dation for a successful chase with a 24-ball 42 that included five hitsto the fence and a couple of sixes. Dinesh Karthick then scored anunbeaten 50 off 39 balls to lead the Lions to victory.

KKR PIP PUNE SUPER-GIANTS BY TWO WICKETS

PUNE, (IANS) Suryakumar Yadav's 49-ball 60 was the back-bone of the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) run chase as theyhunted down Rising Pune Supergiants' 160/5 with two wicketsand three balls to spare in a closely-fought Indian PremierLeague (IPL) encounter at the Maharashtra Cricket Associa-tion Stadium here on Sunday.With the win, KKR go atop the points table with four wins fromfive matches. Yusuf Pathan (36) and Andre Russell (17) werethe other major contributors for KKR. Albie Morkel and RajatBhatia picked up two wickets each for the hosts. Chasing atarget of 161, KKR got off to a disastrous star t as Robin Uthappawas adjudged leg-before-wicket off Albie's very first deliveryof the innings. But then skipper Gautam Gambhir andSuryakumar got together to put on a breezy 31-run partnershipof just 2.3 overs.Unluckily for KKR, Gambhir was run out as he misjudged adouble. His desperate dive to make the ground was not enoughas Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the bails off in a flash. But thevisitors kept the scoreboard ticking at a rapid pace and withsix overs gone, they were 59/2. Shakib Al Hasan (3) thenplayed on a Rajat Bhatia delivery in the next over which helpedPune pull back things a little.

MOHALI, (IANS) Mumbai Indians defeated Kings XI Punjab by 25 runsto bag their third victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at thePunjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Monday. Mumbai rodeon strong batting per formances by Par thiv Patel (81) and AmbatiRayudu (65) to post 189/6 in 20 overs. The duo added 136 runs be-tween them for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a big total.In reply, Punjab were lifted by an 89-run third wicket stand betweenShaun Marsh (48) and Glenn Maxwell (56). But at the end, the com-bined brilliance of Mumbai pace trio -- Jasprit Bumrah (3/26), MitchellMcClanaghan (3/32) and Tim Southee (2/28) -- ensured that Punjab

fall shor t by 25 runs, scoring 164/7. It was Mumbai's second win inlast five matches that takes them to the fifth spot in the points table,while Punjab succumbed to their hat-trick of losses and remained atthe bottom. In a match between two struggling sides, Punjab captainDavid Miller won the toss and asked Mumbai to bat. Mumbai had ashaky star t as skipper Rohit Sharma lasted all of two balls beforeedging a Sandeep Sharma inswinger to the wicketkeeper. That wasthe only piece of celebration the Punjab players and their home crowdcould indulge in for a considerable period of time as Patel and Rayuduproceeded to hit the bowlers to all par ts of the ground.

Pakistan hoping to host West Indies in day-night TestLAHORE, (IANS) Pakistan are hoping to play the West Indies at home in a day-night Test in October ahead of their pink-ball Test cricketmatch against Australia in December. Their captain Misbah-ul-Haq also has said that they will be playing in domestic day-nightmatches to prepare for the event.Pakistan have also sent a proposal to the West Indies for the Test, cricket.com.au reported on Tuesday. If the offer is accepted, it would be amajor boost to Pakistan, who generally play their home matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in front of empty stands."If you don't have match practice it will become difficult to play at Test level," Misbah, who is an advisor to the PCB's cricketcommittee said. "It was one of the things discussed in the cricket committee's previous meeting. The bowlers are at advantagein the evening session and it becomes very difficult for batsmen under lights. That is one reason the cricketers from othercountries are also reluctant to play Tests under lights."One more reason is the lack of match practice with the pink ball. The players have hardly played any cricket under these conditions at thedomestic levels. They need more match practice before playing it at international level." Misbah said that although he hasconcerns about batting under the lights he would still suppor t the format as it is necessary for rejuvenating Test cricket."

ICC slams West Indies behaviour after World T20 winDUBAI, (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has blasted the behaviour of some members the West Indies team followingits win in the final of the World Twenty20. The ICC labelled the players' behaviour as "inappropriate and disrespectful", andargued that it "brought the event into disrepute," repor ts CMC.In a statement on Monday following a meeting of its board over the weekend, the ICC said it hasd even given "serious consider-ation" to bringing sanctions against the players. "The Board considered the behaviour of some of the West Indies players in theimmediate aftermath of the final, and unanimously agreed that cer tain comments and actions were inappropriate, disrespectfuland brought the event into disrepute," the governing body said."The Board acknowledged an apology by the WICB but was disappointed to note that such behavior had detracted from thesuccess of what was otherwise a magnificent tournament and final." The West Indies beat England by four wickets in a dramatic finalover in Kolkata to win their second World Twenty20, following their triumph four years ago in Sri Lanka.

INDIAN WOMAN GYMNAST DIPA KARMAKAR WHO HAS CREATED HISTORY BY BECOMING THE FIRST INDIAN WOMAN GYM-NAST TO QUALIFY FOR OLYMPICS WELCOMED BY FANS AT DELHI AIRPORT WITH HER COACH BS NANDI (IANS).

IPL 2016 SCHEDULE, TIME TABLE & FIXTURES

SPORTS ICONS CRITICIZE SALMAN'S APPOINTMENT ASGOODWILL AMBASSADOR; IOA DEFENDSNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) rushed to justify its decision to appoint Bollywood star Salman Khan as the goodwillambassador of the national contingent for the Rio Olympics after several current and former sports icons criticised the move. The IOA announced itsdecision at its headquarters here on Saturday in the presence of the actor and several Indian sportspersons, including five-time World Championboxer M.C. Mary Kom and Indian men's hockey team captain Sardar Singh. The move was questioned by several members of the Indian sportsfraternity with 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt making his displeasure public with a series of tweets barely an hour after thedecision was announced. "We are very happy and thankful on Salman's offer to support Olympic Sports in this country. This association is only agesture and does not include any monetary consideration," IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta said in a statement on Sunday. According to Mehta,roping in Salman as the ambassador of the Indian contingent is intended to attract more public attention towards Olympic sports in the country bydrawing on the Bollywood star's mass appeal and popularity among the youth. "He is the biggest Bollywood star in the country in terms of massfollowing and our key objective of bringing him on board is to draw maximum attention from the masses, due to which there will be more eyeballsand viewership which will eventually result in popularizing Olympic sports in the country," the IOA official asserted. "We may appoint more iconsfrom other walks of life like music, cricket, art culture and Olympic sports etc. Mr. Salman Khan is only being appointed from Bollywood segmentand we are in talks with two other big names in music and cricket. We are more than willing to have as many icons including the likes of Ms. AnjuBobby George and Ms. P.T. Usha who have the capacity and capability to popularize Olympic sports in the country," he added.

Pink-ball Ashes game in 2017 a distinct possibility: Cricket AustraliaMELBOURNE, (IANS) Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland on Thursday said there is a "distinct possibility" the first day-nightAshes Test will be played when Australia take on England in the summer of 2017. The CA recently announced a schedule for theupcoming summer which has a day-night Test against Pakistan to be staged at Brisbane and another proposed pink-ball battle withSouth Africa in Adelaide. Sutherland also seemed confident of a pink-ball Ashes encounter."I think it's a distinct possibility," Sutherland was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "I think over the course of the next 12 months orso we'll see day-night Test cricket being played in other countries other than Australia. I'm really confident that other member boardsare very keen to do that. As we've talked about, there's going be more (day-night) Test cricket played into future and it will be a par t ofregular series. And it may well be that there is a day-night Test match in the Ashes series in 2017-18."

Doping scandals not to effect 2018 Russia World Cup: Russian Sports MinisterMOSCOW, (IANS) Doping scandals will have no effect on the 2018 World Cup and Russian football, Russia's spor ts minister VitalyMutko has said. "Doping scandals will not have any effect on the World Championship and our football as a whole," Mutko said in theFederation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament on Wednesday, repor ts Tass.The doping scandal erupted in December 2014 after the German TV Channel ARD aired a documentary entitled Geheimsache Doping(Secret Doping Case). The documentary said that Russian athletes systematically took banned substances on instructions from theircoaches. The main characters in the documentary were athlete Yulia Stepanova and her husband Vitaly Stepanov who used to work forthe Russian Anti-Doping Agency. After the documentary was aired by the German TV channel, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)set up a commission to investigate the case.



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