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2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

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

TERRORISTS DO NOT WORSHIP GOD. THEYWORSHIP DEATH: TRUMP IN SAUDI ARABIA

INDIAN TAXI DRIVER ASSAULTED,ABUSED IN AUSTRALIA

INDIAN-ORIGIN MINISTERFRONTRUNNER IN IRISH PM RACE

BSF, Punjab Police bust terror module,claim Canada-Pakistan links

Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development with MP Raj Grewal and one of the oldest marathon runnerFajua Singh during the Inspirational Steps Race organised by Guru Gobind Singh Children's foundation in Brampton.

CHANDIGARH, (IANS) In a joint operation, the Border Security Force(BSF) and the Punjab Police on Sunday busted a terror module withlinks to Canada and Pakistan. Two terrorists, according to police,were arrested with a large cache of weapons and ammunition. Amongthe weapons seized by the security forces from the duo were an AK-47 assault rifle and other rifles, hand grenades, pistols and live am-munition of different calibres. The two suspected terrorists were ar-rested from India-Pakistan border area while trying to recover theweapons pushed into the Indian territory from Pakistan side. "Pre-liminary interrogation of the terrorists has revealed that their modulewas raised and indoctrinated by an a Canada-based hardliner whohad made two trips to Punjab in the last six months, and arranged thearms and ammunitions for their operations through his Khalistanicontacts in Pakistan," a Punjab Police spokesperson said here. Thearrested duo revealed that had been in touch with them for the pasttwo years and had motivated them to commit terror strikes in Punjab.The spokesperson said the arms and ammunition seized during theoperation was found buried close to the border and the suspects hadbeen provided with the co-ordinates of the spot.

MELBOURNE (PTI) A 25-year-old Indian taxi driver in Australiawas assaulted by two passengers, including a woman, who yelledracial slurs at him, media repor ts said. Pardeep Singh, who isstudying hospitality in the country, was beaten at the Sandy BayMcDonald's drive-through in Australia's island state of Tasmaniaon Saturday night. Singh said he was attacked when he asked hispassenger to step outside the cab because she was going to vomit,The Mercury repor ted. "If you mess up the car you have to pay acleaning fee," Singh told the passengers. Singh alleged the womanpassenger told him in an expletive-filled rant that she wouldn't pay the fare orcleaning fee. "They punched me too many times and kicked me," Singh said."[They said] 'You f.....g Indians deserve this'." Singh was admitted to the RoyalHobart Hospital. Inspector Ian Whish-Wilson said a man and a woman havebeen charged in relation to the assault on Singh. They will appearin the Hobar t Magistrates Cour t on June 26.

TWENTY-TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED WHILE 60 WERE HURT AT AN EXPLOSION THAT TOOK PLACE AT MANCHESTER, UK AT10:30PM. POPULAR US POP STAR ARIANA GRANDE WAS PERFORMING AT THAT MOMENT. SALMAN RAMADAN ABEDI, 22,KNOWN TO THE BRITISH POLICE WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE SUICIDE BOMBER WHO ATTACKED THE CONCERT VENUE. POLICE ISSTILL INVESTIGATION IF ABEDI WAS A LONE WOLF OR PART OF THE TERROR NETWORK. I DETAILS ON PAGE 15

DESK REPORT* Trump in Israel after urging Middle East to purge 'evil';discuss peace* I was deeply encouraged by my conversations with Muslimworld leaders in Saudi Arabia, including King Salman, who I spoke toat great length* King Salman feels very strongly and, I can tell you, wouldlove to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians* There is a growing realization among your Arab neighboursthat they have common cause with you in the threat posed by Iran, andit is indeed a threat, there's no question about that* As Trump in his speech to Arab heads of state in Riyadh,continuously attacked Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said thepeople in Iran had "endured hardship and despair under their leaders

reckless pursuit of conflict and terror"* We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security andstability and peace to this region and its people* Defeating terrorism and creating a future of harmony,prosperity and peace* Trump met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif andsaid he is pleased to meet him; Opposition in Pakistan criticises , saysShartif lost opportunity to fight his case* Imran Khan: Nawaz Shairf should have spoken of atrocitiesbeing meted out to people of occupied Kashmir and Palestine duringthe summit* Israeli PM Netanyahu: I thank Mr Trump for his deepcommitment to Israel's future and the reassertion of Americanleadership in the Middle East. I DETAILS ON PAGE 15

LONDON (PTI) An Indian-origin doctor andIreland's first openly gay minister hasemerged as the frontrunner in the Irishprime ministerial race. Leo Varadkar, 38,the Dublin-born son of a Mumbai-born fa-ther and Irish mother, is expected to be-come the country's first homosexual primeminister. Varadkar, who is Ireland's wel-fare minister, has won early suppor t forhis leadership bid from several seniorCabinet members and a majority of hispar l iamentary col leagues have publiclybacked him He announced his candidacy after Prime Minister Enda Kenny an-nounced his resignation, a title referred to as Taoiseach in Ireland. Varadkar faceshousing minister Simon Coveney in the race as nominations closed for the leader-ship of the governing Fine Gael party this week. "I am not counting my chickens.I am really humbled at the level of support I have received from my col-leagues and I am really looking forward to the hustings and the debates," he said.Kenny's successor is due to be elected by June 2 and Ireland's Parliament is set tovote in the new leader as prime minister a few days later.

SEA LION GRABS AND DRAGS GIRLINTO WATER IN RICHMOND BC

DESK REPORTRICHMOND - A Richmond resi-dent made a video that showeda sea lion who tried to grab asmall gir l by her dress anddragged her into the water atSteveston in Richmond, BC. Hetells the family was feeding thesea lion bread crumbs and thesmall girl got close to the edgeof the dock. "And it initially jumped up to the girl to read her I guess.And then it came back up a second time, but this time grabbing thegirl by the waist and dragging her down into the water."

TERROR ATTACK IN MANCHESTER, UK


TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017s p e c i a l r e p o r t

Reflections from Osler's Global Health India, Pakistan Trip

CIBC'S ROYCE MENDES ANALYSESECONOMY, RISING HOUSING MARKET

ONTARIO - The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in col-laboration with the CIBC organised its annual state of the economytalk at the Mississauga Convention Centre last week. Royce Mendes,Senior Economist, CIBC Capital Markets delivered a presentation onthe economies and a forecast for the future trends.Arun Srivastava, President of ICCC, welcomed the guests and in-formed them of the upcoming Canada-India Business Symposiumthat the Chamber is organising in association with the Canadian andIndian governments' diplomatic corps. Venki Raman of the CIBCspoke briefly about the long established relationship between CIBCand the ICCC, and said it is a relationship that has helped both theentities grow.In his brief but pointed presentation, Mendes began by analysingthe impact of the Trump administrat ion's pol icies on the USeconomy. He said the US market is not rising and investors seemto have lost faith in the Trump administration's ability to be acatalyst of change. The talk of 3 to 4 % growth in the US economyis nothing but fake news. The reason for this is that capital is notgoing to become expensive. The interest rates are going to con-tinue to be low; also the nature of growth is that there is lesscapital needed and less investment because the US economy is

moving away from manufacturing and it will become near impossible for theTrump administration to revive manufacturing in the US.Mendes said global outlook continues to be optimistic especiallywith India continuing to rise exponentially. Since 2013, the Indianeconomy has continued to maintain its growth rate and at 7.5%annual growth rate it has created an enviable pace unmatchedglobally. India will continue to bring labour into urban area. Speak-ing about the Eurozone, Mendes said the Eurozone economieshave shown resilience and potential to bounce back which needsto be acknowledged. The growing populism that is sweeping theeconomies in the Eurozone is because unemployment in the youngdemographic of 18-26 is endemic and unlikely to change dramati-cally.He added that the economic recovery in the developed world hastaken nearly a decade, but the recovery is all set to stay for aconsiderable time, resulting in the Eurozone stock value risingand the value of the Euro also rising. On the other hand, post-Brexit, the British pound has gone down and the disengagementwill adversely affect the economy. However, the measure is irre-versible. Canada's economy suffered from the oil shock and themeasures under taken to revive the growth rate haven't quite

worked. The primary reason for the failure of the revival plans hasbeen the approach which is based on a two-economy model, when inreality the model should have been adaptable to multiple economies.The growth continues to be fuelled by consumer spending and thehousing markets, both of which the economic establishment havetried to rein in. We will experience a 4% growth in the first quar ter andget back to near full employment by the end of 2017. Some chal-lenges are likely to be encountered and these include changes inNAFTA, the border tax imposed by the US, changes in environmentpolicies in the US and the changes in the personal income tax in theUS.In the near term, it is unlikely that the Canadian dollar will appreciateto any great degree. The housing market will continue to grow steadily,and the trend in this sector is the growth of the condo housing, a trendthat mirrors similar developmental stage in the sector in other citiessuch as New York and Berlin. The provincial government's approachto control the galloping housing market by introducing new regula-tions in the sector as well the changes in the rental control act havelargely yielded the desired results. But there is a real shor tage ofhousing in Toronto, so the prices will continue to rise. The lecture wasfollowed by an engaging Q&A that lasted for nearly half-an-hour.

TORONTO - After 17 busy days of observing, learning,teaching and sharing with health care professionals andstudents in India and Pakistan, Osler's third GlobalHealth team returned home recently, with a wealth ofexperiences and insights to share.The Sun Life Financial Osler Global Health Program ispar t of Osler's philosophy to provide patient-inspiredhealth care without boundaries. It's a way to contributeour exper tise in areas around the world while gaining adeeper understanding of the patients we serve at home.India and the Punjab region is the homeland of nearly40 per cent of those who live in the communitiesserved by Osler's three sites.In India, the team focused on strengthening par tner-ships with the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital(DMCH) in Ludhiana city, and the staff and nursingstudents at Shaheed Kar tar Singh Sarabha AyurvedicMedical College and Hospital (SKSS) in Sarabhavillage. At DMCH, the team members worked with staff,physicians, and residents in Mental Health and Addic-tions, and Emergency Medicine, sharing ways toadvance their current practices.At SKSS, the Osler team helped host two medicalcamps for local villagers: one on General Medicine,including patient assessments and treatment for MentalHealth and Addictions; the other on Diabetes Educationand Screening. They trained nurses and students toassess and treat diabetes and suppor t patients to helpcare for themselves. More than 500 people attendedover two days.For the first time, the Osler team also visited healthcare facilities run by two sister organizations inKarachi, Pakistan. The ChildLife Foundation, operatesseveral free paediatric emergency depar tments, andSINA Trust runs 17 primary care clinics in areas whereover seventy per cent of the population lives in pover ty.The Osler team observed and helped out, impressed bythe quality of patient care.The learnings and insights from this trip will benefitpatients from Osler's different, yet deeply connectedcontinents. They will encourage new policies aroundthings like the family's role in suppor ting their lovedone in hospital. They will motivate Osler to shareknowledge and resources with global par tners, viasocial media. They will spark joint educational initia-tives that use a 'train-the-trainer' approach for long-term impact. And, they will enable joint researchprojects, par ticularly around Emergency Medicine,Mental Health and Addictions, and Paediatric Services.Osler is very pleased with the significant progressmade to date on the Global Health Program and excitedto say that plans are already underway for the next trip,expected to take place in spring 2018.

MidWeek 5MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY




MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017 c o m m u n i t y

MPP Dr Shafiq Qaadri, MP Kamal Khera and MP Sonia Sidhu with Dr Harpreet Bajaj at a recently held Stop Diabetes Foundation event.

India's leading artist and art critic Prem Singh in Canada

INDIAN DETAINED AT USAIRPORT DIES IN CUSTODYWASHINGTON (IANS) A 58-year-old Indian man died inAtlanta in the US after he was detained by US Customs fornot possessing necessary immigration papers. Atul KumarBabubhai Patel, taken into custody by Immigration andCustoms Enforcement (ICE) officials, died due to conges-tive hear t failure on Wednesday, the American BazaarOnline repor ted on Friday.Patel landed at Atlanta airpor t on May 10 from Ecuador.After his detention, Patel was shifted to the Atlanta CityDetention Centre where he received an initial medicalscreening and was identified to have high blood pressureand diabetes, according to an ICE statement. On May 13,two days after being in ICE custody, a nurse checkingPatel's blood sugar noticed he had a breathing problemfollowing which he was shifted to a hospital where hepassed away, said the repor t.According to the ICE, the agency followed all protocolsand all appropriate state health and local law enforcementagencies were notified about the death. The agency said italso informed the Depar tment of Homeland Security's Of-fice of Inspector General and the ICE Office of ProfessionalResponsibility about the incident. Patel is the eighth de-tainee to die in ICE custody in this fiscal year. ICE officialsinformed the Indian consular representatives, who noti-fied Patel's family about his death, the repor t said.

Keeping Health CareProfessionals Safe on the JobONTARIO - Ontario is continuing to enhance safety for healthcare professionals at work by implementing recommen-dations from the Workplace Violence Prevention in HealthCare Repor t, released today. Due to the nature of theirwork, health care workers, including nurses and doctors,face a number of workplace hazards such as exposure toinfectious diseases, ergonomic hazards, slips, trips andfalls, as well as violence.Ontario's Workplace Violence Prevention in Health CareLeadership Table endorsed 23 recommendations and out-lined fur ther practical steps needed to make hospitalssafer, reduce incidents of workplace violence in hospitalsand across the health sector and change attitudes aroundsafety for health care workers. The Leadership Table willcontinue to work on recommendations to help prevent vio-lence against all hospital workers and the broader healthcare sector. Protecting the health and safety of health careprofessionals is par t of our plan to create jobs, grow oureconomy and help people in their everyday lives."Violence in our workplaces will not be tolerated. Progresson workplace violence in health care cannot wait - it is anurgent and serious issue. Together, our government andall its par tners in the health care sector and the occupa-tional health and safety system need to ensure workershave a safe and healthy workplace, and ensure they willreturn home to their loved ones safe and sound after ahard day's work. By putting forward these recommenda-tions, Ontario is moving towards delivering real, positivechange for our health care workers." - Kevin Flynn, Minis-ter of Labour. "Workplace violence is never acceptable.Our government is committed to continuing to work withour health sector par tners to prevent workplace violenceand ensure that patients and health care providers havethe suppor ts they need." - Dr Eric Hoskins, Minister ofHealth and Long-Term Care.

Ernestine Shepherd, 80,world's oldest bodybuilderinspires at Stop DiabetesFoundation eventBRAMPTON - The 'Granny 6-packs', Ernestine Shepherdfrom United States was the guest of honour at the four thannual free healthy living education event of the charitableStop Diabetes Foundation (SDF). The event held in thePearson Convention Centre had over a 1,000 attendees.The event saw extensive par ticipation from the media andPeel region residents. The seminar proved to be one of thekey milestones in the charity's ongoing fight against thegrowing epidemic of diabetes and achieve SDF VISION2020 - i.e. to remove the unfor tunate distinction of beingthe Diabetes Capital of Canada from Peel region beforethe year 2020. SDF aims to accomplish this through aseries of community initiatives and healthy living com-munication of simplif ied information to the public -emphasizing lifestyle, diet and fitness.The role-model celebrity guest Ernestine Shepherd,shared her words of wisdom and gave impor tant lifelessons for healthy living through a motivational speech,live demonstrations of her exercise regime and informa-tive question and answer sessions. She has been fea-tured on shows and books including Ripley's Believe itor Not, Oprah Winfrey, CNN, Good Morning AmericaShow and many more and shared her 20-year-old man-tra "Determined, Dedicated, Disciplined" to be fit for lifeby 'exercising, eating healthy and diet'. The event was at-tended by MP Kamal Khera, MP Sonia Sidhu and MPP DrShafiq Qaadri.In order to facilitate the SDF VISION 2020, Dr HarpreetBajaj, the founder along with his volunteer team of cer ti-fied healthcare providers, successfully launched two newkey community initiatives: 'Health Menu Choices at ChainRestaurants'- Educating people on how to understand calo-rie information available on chain restaurant menu and '8weeks to a healthier you'- an eight weeks challenge ofeight videos that will be shared to the registered par tici-pants for this weight loss challenge via a YouTube link onWhatsApp, social media or email.

BRAMPTON - Prem Singh, India's leading ar tist and ar t critic is now on a visit to Canada. He will be inBrampton for six weeks. This is his third visit to Canada. What he seeks in his ar tistic expressions is silentactivity not easily discernible to the eye but can be experienced in contemplation. In such moments ofcreativity hi whole being is transformed into a plant that grows every minute by remaining firmly rooted to hissoil. The feel of eternity and silent activity gives wings to his imagination. And that inspires him to tune therhythmic visual voice and its subtle nuances in consonance with his hear tbeat. During his stay Prem Singhwill be meeting ar tists and ar t critics, visiting museums and ar t galleries/institutions, lecturing at few placesand interacting with young and aspiring ar tists. He will also be painting his visual encounters with nature andits surroundings. He is also the recipient of several awards including Punjab Kala Ratan. He has been writingon art and culture for The Tribune, Indian Express, Punjabi Tribune, Arsee, Preetlari, Hun and so for th.

MP Sidhu joins 'Granny 6-pack' at Stop Diabetes eventBRAMPTON - Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Brampton Southhas taken good health to hear t. As Chair of the All Par ty DiabetesCaucus, and a member of the Standing Committee on Health, MPSidhu said it was a natural fit to join the Stop Diabetes Foundation'sfour th annual event to highlight healthy living. "I was very happy tobring the message of our Government, and especially our diabetescaucus, to the audience today," MP Sidhu said following the event. "Ihave been working very hard in Ottawa to raise awareness of theimpacts of diabetes." In addition to chairing the all -par ty caucus, MPSidhu also tabled a motion in the House of Commons to draw atten-tion to diabetes. M-118 calls on the Government to recognize Novem-ber as Diabetes Awareness Month, and develop a national strategyfor diabetes and pre diabetes prevention. In her roles as a member of

the Standing Committee on Health, MP Sidhu received unanimoussuppor t while asking the committee to engage in a study on the im-pact of diabetes, and international best practices for prevention."My colleagues in Ottawa are very suppor tive of finding an effectivetreatment -or even a cure - for diabetes," MP Sidhu said. "It was niceto join the Stop Diabetes Foundation today to share what we havebeen doing and hear what other people are suggesting as well. It isimpor tant for us all to take responsibility for our health, and worktogether to prevent the harm that can come from untreated diabetes,"she said. This spring, the Government of Canada announced an in-vestment totaling $30 million in par tnership with researchers andpatient advocates, to improve health outcomes and care for Canadi-ans living with diabetes.

$190b Over 13 Years For New Hospitals, Schools,Transportation Projects to Benefit People Across Ontario

MP RAJ GREWAL AT THE OPENING OF ANOTHER BRANCH OF HSBA IN BRAMPTON EAST.

ONTARIO - Construction crews are at work across Ontario building andupgrading hospitals, schools, transit projects, roads and bridges that willhelp people in their everyday lives by improving access to crucial publicservices and getting people where they need to go. Premier Kathleen Wynnewas at Etobicoke General Hospital in Toronto recently to announce that shov-els are in the ground on hundreds of projects around the province, with manyscheduled to be completed this summer. This busy construction season ispart of the greatest investment in infrastructure in Ontario's history -- morethan $190 billion over 13 years beginning in 2014-15.Major builds or upgrades that are starting or wrapping up this summerinclude:" Breaking ground in Wellington County on the Groves Memorial CommunityHospital, a state-of-the-art facility that will provide a growing community withmore space for emergency, ambulatory, diagnostic and inpatient services" Building new schools, including St. John Catholic French Immersion Schoolin London, which will welcome more than 500 students in September" Expanding and upgrading Ontario's roads -- including restoring bridges and

resurfacing highways in the Ottawa region -- to help ease gridlock and keeppeople and cargo moving" Opening an upgraded wastewater treatment plant in Owen Sound to cleanup waste water so it is safer to release into the environment" Opening Ontario Place Urban Park and William G. Davis Trail, creating anew urban park and trail with easy access to the Toronto waterfront."Making sure Ontario's hospitals, schools, highways and transit systemsare in good repair and building new ones, when needed, is key to our qualityof life. I am excited to see so many shovels in the ground across our province- and so much work being completed. The hundreds of construction projectsunderway this summer will make a real difference to people in their every-day lives." - Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario"Ontarians depend on reliable and sustainable infrastructure for their needsof today and tomorrow. We are working hard to build the province up bymaking critical infrastructure investments that will help connect communi-ties, grow the economy, create jobs and help lay the foundation for a moreprosperous Ontario." - Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure

Striving For Healthier Ontario - Increasing Funds to $11.5b over 3 yearsONTARIO - Ontario passed the Stronger, Healthier Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2017, which includes significant investments in healthcare and education, including free prescription medications for everyone aged 24 and under through OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare,star ting in January 2018. The 2017 Budget will help strengthen Ontario's economy by investing in people, communities and businessesacross the province. The government is increasing health care funding by $11.5 billion over three years to reduce wait times, improveaccess to care and enhance the experience and recovery of patients. The government is also investing an additional $6.4 billion over threeyears to help learners reach their full potential by supporting them from full-day kindergar ten to postsecondary education and beyond.Other highlights of the Budget include:" Helping 100,000 more children access affordable, quality licensed child care, including 24,000 in 2017-18" Launching a new Career Kick-Star t Strategy to create 40,000 new work-related oppor tunities for students and recent graduates,

giving them the experience they need to help land a good job" Lowering household electricity bills by 25 per cent" Continuing the largest investment in infrastructure" Making housing more affordable for homebuyers and renters through Ontario's Fair Housing Plan


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CAPT AMARINDER TO TRIBUNEWE ARE NOT DOING ALL THAT BADLYCHANDIGARH - Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singhhas responded to an editorial published in this paper on May 19with a letter to the Editor. The following is the text of the letterwritten by Capt Amarinder Singh:Your editorial, 'Return to governance -Captain faces an uphill task' (May 19),does not only err on the side of a strongand unjustified bias but fails to reconcilethe harsh realities of Punjab, which ithas itself admitted to, with the tremen-dous strides made on the ground toaddress the multifarious problemsinherited by my government from theerstwhile SAD-BJP regime.With neutrality on the par t of the mediabecoming a rarity, one does not reallyexpect a fair and unbiased assessmentof the government's per formance fromthe so-called opinion-makers in themedia. Having said that, it is sad,indeed, to see even senior journalistsengaging in uncalled for criticism andchoosing to ignore hard facts in favour ofrhetoric. The Punjab situation, as it prevails today, requires not unwar-ranted criticism but collective thinking, with the media, a keycontributor to shaping the state's future. Unfor tunately, themedia, or at least a section of it, has adopted a confrontationistattitude, instead of suppor ting us in our difficult but concer tedendeavour to clean up the widespread mess in the state.Had your opinion-makers taken a less myopic view of theprevailing situation, they would have realised that restoringsystems that had been eroded over a period of 10 years could

ONE ROAD ONE BELT

On May 14-15 One Road One Belt (OROB) the world witnessed ahistoric summit in Beijing. 'One Road One Belt' is also called The SilkRoad Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road. ThisChinese initiative is power to rewrite the human saga and bring amajor Geopolitical change. If it implemented as planned it will givePeople's Republic of China a distinct edge in the whole region andcould be even opens door for a world dominance. 'OROB' seems to be a brain child of the Chinese president Xi Jinpingfocuses on easy connectivity between China, Eurasia, Africa via roadand sea. The current Chinese government is being inspired by theerstwhile silk route. Exper ts view it as a major strategy strengthen-ing China economically and politically . This initiative was broughtto light publicly in the fall of 2013. Since then the PRP leadership hasbeen active and greatly promoted the initiative and now it is one ofthe most talked of item in People's DailyIn his Keynote speech, the Chinese President mentioned the projectwill usher in "peace, harmony and happiness" by "strategically con-necting" diverse nations Russia, Mongolia, Turkey and Vietnamthrough developmental plans that have already been initiated. Healso promised extra funds for this.Diplomatic successThe memorable meeting can also be viewed as major diplomatic vic-tory for Mr Xi as he was able to get world leaders from Russia, Turkey,Philippines and host of other nations on the table. This clearly a verysignificant success since in today's charged world scenario many of thecountries have agendas which are openly hostile to each other. Evenbringing these leaders to talk of common development speaks volumesof China's image influence and respect. Many other countries would havefailed to crystalize a project like this and if conceived successfully sellthe idea to these powerful world leaders.PlanThe OBOR will be structured along 6 geographical corridors. New Eurassian Land Bridge running from Western China to WesternRussia. China - Mongolia- Russia corridor running from Northern China to East-ern Russia. China- Central Asia - West Asia Corridor running from Western China toTurkey. China Pakistan Corridor running from South- Western China to Pakistan. China- Indochina Peninsula Corridor running from Southern China toSingapore. Bangladesh- China- India- Myanmar Corridor running from SouthernChina to India. Maritime Silk Rod running from Chinese Coast over Singapore andIndia to the MediterraneanThis will cover over 60 countries mainly in Eastern Europe and Asia.The cumulative investment on this project could be of the tune of 4- 8trillion dollars. Once completed this will make the trade routes simplereduce precious time wasted in transpor tation. To make 'OBOR' tri-umph new roads, railways, por ts and cities are being built. Exper tsview this as China's imitative is to match US dominance in the worldtrade. The seriousness of PRC can be gauged by the fact that topChinese leadership including Xi Jinping himself is visiting and ac-tively promoting 'OBOR' to the countries in Asia, Africa, Europe.Recently the Chinese President also called the newly elected FrenchPresident Emmanuel Marcon Congratulating him and then went onto promote a pact. Though France is not officially par t of the plan.CPECChina Pakistan Economic Corridor is part of this ambitious project.This will involve building a new por t in Gwadar and having a road linkfrom the Arabian Sea to China. This road could be an alternate route toWestern China thus reducing time and saving money bypassing thelong sea route via Strait Malacca and South China Sea. This wasoriginally valued at $46 Billion now at $57 Billion. It is set to create

BY PUSHPROOP BRAR

major infrastructure projects, power stations, Special Economic Zonesin Pakistan. Help strength the economy of the country. Another simi-lar project is Bangladesh China, India, Myanmar BCIM.India's response: India has a lukewarm response towards the project.It is mainly political as the CPEC passes through the disputed Paki-stan Occupied Kashmir. This is an irritant on the side of India. More-over once this project is completed will give a major boost to China in terms ofeconomic and Geopolitical position. India is trying to create an alternate position ofpower in Asia. India views it to be a master stroke by Beijing to win over most ofthe countries in Asia, East Europe. New Delhi has not come out with an alternative.It is worth noting that before OBOR India was cooperating with its northern neighbourson setting up institues like BRICS. Since 2008 there has been a suddenchange of hear tins.NeedThe question which arises is why is China investing so heavily in thisproject. Why are they stretching themselves to make this success.One reason the economists feel is boosting the expor ts. in the recentpast China's manufacturing based economy and thus exports seemsto be slowing down. They are looking for some options to open newmarkets and create a balance in their favor. Linking the remote par tsof the world will ensure a quicker and cheaper way to reach these unused,under used and even unknown markets. This advanced infrastructure will alsohelp in smooth flow of vital imports as oil and natural gas. Politically they will beable to develop sparsely populated Western areas of China. Thus creating a demo-graphic shift from densely populated cites of East to newly developed central andWest. Funding: Financing such a colossus giant is not going to be easy. China haspromised to stand by it and put in most of the bill. Economist feel the cost to buildOBOR could run into 3-4 trillion a year. Banks like AIIB, New Developmental bankpart of BRICS bank, Silk road fund have been set to meet this require-ment. Analysing PRC plans they are ready to finance 1/2 to 1/3 rd ofthe costs involved. They are trying to mobilize other par tners in thiscost hungry OBOR.

not be an eight-week job. They would also have been morerealistic in their expectations of my government, which, evenmy worst critics would admit, has star ted in right earnest with

the task of cleaning up Punjab's mess.For tunately, it is only a small section ofthe media and rival political par ties whodoubt our sincerity and commitment tofulfilling our poll promises. Or whoactually believe, as your editorial says,that my promises to the people werefuelled by a "burning ambition" to cometo power. But for their sake, I would liketo point out that, while I am not a miraclemaker, I have, in just two months ofgovernance, set the ball rolling in theright direction to bring the beleagueredstate back on the path to progress.Let me take the liber ty here of citing justa few examples of what we haveachieved on the ground in restoring theconfidence of the people and putting thestate's development agenda on the righttrack.

Elimination of the drugs promise, as you are aware, was mykey promise to the state and its people. And you just have tocheck out the numbers, not merely of the arrests and theseizures but also of the youth knocking the doors of the reha-bilitation centres, to realise how far we have come in riddingthe state of this scourge. Now take industry, which the previous government had broughtto its knees completely with its unfavourable policies. I amsure your journalists and opinion-makers would be aware of thekind of response we have received from leading captains of

industry to our effor ts to woo investment into the state, whichwill pave the way for employment generation to fulfil another ofmy government's poll promise.As far as agriculture is concerned, while the unabated farmersuicides continue to be a cause for concern, the initiativestaken by my government on crop diversification and hor ticul-ture, etc. will go a long way in alleviating the woes of thefarming community. And coupled with the farm debt waiver, forwhich we are working out the modalities, I see agriculture onceagain becoming the mainstay of Punjab's economic growth, asit was till a few years ago. The signs of positivity are alreadythere, as evident from the smooth procurement of the recordwheat production this season, backed by the highest-everpayment to farmers in April.From ending the VIP culture to cracking down on the transpor tand sand mafia, and from taking steps to augment infrastructureand quality of education and health in the state to doing awaywith the halqa system - the list of initiatives we have taken toimplement our poll promises is endless.Unfor tunately, in analysing the current situation, your editorialwriter failed either to consolidate all the hard facts or to applycommon sense in drawing conclusions. He/she even failed totake cognizance of the simple fact that contrary to what hasbeen suggested in the editorial, the Central government, led byPrime Minister Narendra Modi, has been extremely cooperativeand suppor tive of my government's effor ts to bring Punjab'sgrowth back on rails.Given the suppor t I have received so far from all quar ters,including the Centre and industry, I am confident that not onlywill my government succeed in bringing the state out of itscurrent state of ruination, but also will, in fact, restore it to itspristine glory, as one of the most economically developedstates in the country.



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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Parliamentary Secretary Peter Schiefke meet with residents of Vaudreuil affected by flooding.

Inflation rates stays at 1.6% in AprilOTTAWA - The Consumer PriceIndex (CPI) rose 1.6% on a year-over-year basis in April, match-ing the gain in March. Overall,energy prices rose more yearover year in April than they did inMarch, while declines in foodprices moderated. Excluding foodand energy, the CPI was up 1.5%on a year-over-year basis in April,fo l lowing a 1.7% increase inMarch.Prices were up in six of the eightmajor components in the 12months to April, with the trans-por tat ion and shelter indexescontributing the most to the year-over-year rise in the CPI. The foodindex declined on a year-over-year basis for the seventh con-

secutive month. Transpor tationcosts rose 4.2% over the 12-month period ending in April, af-ter increasing 4.6% in March.This deceleration was led by thepurchase of passenger vehiclesindex, which rose less on a year-over-year basis in April than inMarch.Gasoline prices posted a 15.9%year-over-year increase in April,slightly larger than the 15.2% riseregistered in March. On a monthlybasis, gasoline prices rose 9.5%in April, par tly due to supply dis-ruptions at oil refineries, as theychanged over to summer fuelblends. Shelter costs rose 2.2%in April on a year-over-year ba-sis, matching the increases in

February and March. Thehomeowners' replacement costindex (+3.9%) was the main up-ward contributor to the 12-monthchange in the shelter index, de-spite slowing growth since No-vember 2016. Prices for naturalgas (+15.2%) rose on a year-over-year basis for the four thconsecutive month. Conversely,electricity prices posted theirfour th consecutive decline, down1.3% year over year in April.The recreation, education andreading index grew 3.3% in the12 months to April, following a3.6% increase in March. Thetravel tours index rose 9.4% yearover year in April, contributing themost to the rise in the recreation,

educat ion and reading index.Traveller accommodation costswere up 5.7% year over year inApril, after rising 1.4% in March.At the same time, the video equip-ment index fell 8.8% on a year-over-year basis in April.Prices for video and audio sub-scription services rose less inthe year to April than in the 12-months to March. The householdoperat ions, furnishings andequipment index rose 0.5% yearover year in April, following nochange in March. This accelera-tion was mainly attributable to a3.8% month-over-month rise inthe prices of telephone services,as new product introductions af-fected the price of service plans.

Negotiating with OntarioMedical AssociationONTARIO - Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has informed thata tentative agreement on a process for binding interest arbitra-tion between the Ontario government and the Ontario MedicalAssociation has been reached. The tentative agreement willrequire ratification by the Ontario Medical Association mem-bership. Released the following statement she said: "On Feb-ruary 16, 2017, Dr Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-term Care, and I made a renewed commitment to negotiationswith the Ontario Medical Association with an agreement tonegotiating a binding interest arbitration process as the firstorder of business to achieving a new Physician Services Agree-ment. Ontario's doctors are essential par tners of a strong andsustainable health care system. Rebuilding a strong and pro-ductive relationship with Ontario's physicians is essential toincreasing access to care, reducing wait times and improvingthe patient experience."Wynne added: "I am pleased that our government has reachedan agreement with the OMA on a proposed framework for bind-ing arbitration. This is an impor tant milestone and a first steptowards renewed discussions for a new Physician ServicesAgreement. Our priority is to reach an agreement that willallow Ontario's doctors to continue their impor tant work andmake sure that people across our province have access to ahigh-quality, responsive health care system that is sustain-able for generations to come."Dr Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care said:"I'm pleased that we've reached a tentative agreement on aframework for binding arbitration. I'm optimistic that, workingcollaboratively, we will reach a physician services agreementthat respects doctors, provides fair growth in compensationand builds a stronger health care system for Ontarians."

Bringing High Speed Rail tothe Toronto-Windsor CorridorONTARIO - High speed rail cuts down on travel times, givespeople more low-carbon transpor tation options, and createsnew oppor tunities for workers and businesses. Ontario is sup-por ting economic growth in Southwestern Ontario and acrossthe province by moving forward with high speed rail along theToronto-Windsor corridor, becoming the first province to un-dertake a rail transformation of this magnitude.Premier Kathleen Wynne, Steven Del Duca, Ontario's Ministerof Transpor tation, and Deb Matthews, MPP for London NorthCentre, were in London today to announce that the province is movingahead with preliminary design work on the project and investing $15million in a comprehensive environmental assessment. Ontario will es-tablish a new governing body to oversee the ambitious work required todesign and implement high speed rail.The announcement comes as the province releases a new report byDavid Collenette, Ontario's Special Advisor on high speed rail. In 2015, Mr.Collenette was asked to assess the project's feasibility. After extensiveconsultations, his report has concluded that there is a business case forhigh speed rail along the Toronto-Windsor corridor and that there areopportunities to engage the private sector in financing and delivering theproject. "Building high speed rail along the Toronto-Windsor corridor isn'tjust a game changer for Southwestern Ontario - it's going to deliver benefitsall along the line. Seven million people live along the Toronto-Windsortransportation corridor. High speed rail will get them where they need to befaster. Whether it means accepting a job that previously seemed too faraway, visiting family more often or having ready access to the innovatorswho can take your business growth to the next level - high speed rail willmake a real difference in people's lives and drive economic growth andjobs." - Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario. "High speed rail will have atransformative impact on travel in Southwestern Ontario, helping peopleto innovate, connect with each other, and travel for work, studyand play. This is just one par t of our plan to invest in transitacross the province - connecting communities and suppor tinggrowth in jobs and the economy." - Steven Del Duca, Ministerof Transpor tation.

MINISTER CHAMPAGNETO ATTEND ASEAN MEETTO ADVANCE CANADA'STRADE AGENDAOttawa - Now more than ever,Canada is focused on stimulatingeconomic growth at home by in-creasing trade with par tners inAsia. Fast-growing markets in theregion offer enormous potentialfor Canadian businesses and op-por tunities to create good-payingjobs for Canada's middle class.Speaking to an audience of Cana-dian business executives in Ot-tawa, François-Philippe Cham-pagne, Minister of InternationalTrade, reiterated the impor tanceof relations between Canada and theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations(Asean), as Canada celebrates 40years of engagement in the re-gion. The Minister also took theoppor tunity to announce his up-coming travel to East and South-east Asia from May 20 to 26.



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CONGRESS WOMEN WING DEMONSTRATING AGAINST WEST BENGAL GOVERNMENT IN KOLKATA.

NIA IN SRINAGAR TO QUESTION GEELANI;MIRWAIZ UMAR UNDER HOUSE ARREST

SRINAGAR, (PTI) A National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached toquiz separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and three others, allegedto be involved in subversive activities and receiving funds from LeTchief Hafiz Saeed. The investigating agency has registered a Prelimi-nary Enquiry (PE) against Geelani and Naeem Khan, who was seenon television during a sting operation purpor tedly confessing to re-ceiving money from Pakistan-based terror groups, Farooq AhmedDar alias 'Bitta Karate' and Gazi Javed Baba of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.An NIA spokesperson said the separatists were receiving funds fromPakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Saeed to carry out sub-versive activities in the Kashmir Valley, including pelting stones atsecurity forces, damaging public proper ty and burning schools and

other government establishments. The NIA has also taken cogni-sance of a news item related to the recording of conversations be-tween a TV repor ter and leaders of separatist groups operating in theKashmir Valley in this regard, he said. Authorities have also placedmoderate Hurriyat group chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under housearrest ahead of separatist called protests here. Separatists have calledfor post Friday prayer demonstrations in the Kashmir Valley to protest the detentionof Dukhtaran-e-Milan chief Asiya Andrabi under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Asiyaand her deputy Fahmeeda Sofi were booked under the PSA early this week. Theyare in a jail in Jammu. A police team arrived at Mirwaiz's Nigeen resi-dence early in the morning and informed him that he could not moveout on Friday, sources close to the senior separatist leader said.

KEJRIWAL HAS NEXUS WITH HAWALA TRADERS: KAPIL MISHRANEW DELHI, (IANS) Suspended AAP leader Kapil Mishra on Friday alleged a nexus between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal andthose involved in hawala transactions. The sacked minister asked the Chief Minister to step down to ensure a fair probe into theallegations. "A false video was retweeted by Kejriwalji yesterday (Thursday) claiming that (Delhi businessman) Mukesh Kumar gaveRs 2 crore as donation to the Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP) in 2014," Mishra told the media.Mishra's remarks came a day after Kejriwal retweeted a news repor t of Mukesh Kumar who claimed to have donated Rs 2 crore to AAPin 2014. Showing the letterheads of four companies - Skyline Metal and Alloys Pvt Ltd, Glodmine Buildcon Pvt Ltd, Infoline SoftwareSolution Ltd and Sunvision company - from which the AAP received Rs 2 crore donation in 2014, Mishra said he has evidence to backhis claims. Mishra "challenged" the AAP national convenor to tell the Income Tax depar tment that his par ty received donation of Rs 2crore from Mukesh Kumar.He claimed the letterheads of the companies which made donations to AAP were fake. He also raised questions regarding the identityof Mukesh Kumar, and asked, "Why is Mukesh Kumar being made a scapegoat by Kejriwal? Who is Kejriwal trying to save?" Mishraalleged that Mukesh Kumar became CEO of one of the companies days before the Delhi civic polls, though the donations were made in2014. Launching an attack on Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Mishra said, "Mukesh Kumar was a VAT defaulterwith the Delhi government, and his company was sent notices, yet this company was given tenders by the government." He claimedKejriwal and Sisodia were aware of the "corruption activities". He questioned Kejriwal's silence in the matter.

TV repor ter barged into mybedroom: Yasin MalikSRINAGAR, (IANS) JKLF leader Yaseen Malik on Friday toldpolice that a lady TV reporter barged into his bedroom andlater accused him of "manhandling her". Addressing the mediahere, Malik said the journalist - whom he did not name - hadnot sought an appointment to interview him. He alleged thatshe lied to his sister that she had an appointment for aninterview with him. "She suddenly barged into my bedroomwhen I was asleep and star ting shooting and recording onher mobile phone," the leader of the Jammu and KashmirLiberation Front said. "This shocked me. I objected to herbehaviour. I snatched her mobile phone and asked her toleave my bedroom. She then star ted crying and alleging thatI had manhandled her." Malik said: "I am asking the mediafraternity whether this is the right way of interviewing a per-son?" He said he had filed a complaint of criminal and mali-cious trespass against the journalist.

Pakistan must respect ICJdecision on Jadhav: CongressNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Thursday welcomedthe International Cour t of Justice (ICJ) decision that stayedthe execution of alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav by Pakistanand said the neighbouring country must respect the order.Par ty leader Anand Sharma said the orders of the Interna-tional Court of Justice was a matter of great relief for peoplein India. Sharma also slammed Pakistan over remarks of itsForeign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria that ICJ has nojurisdiction to hear the case concerning Jadhav. "Pakistan'srefusal to accept its jurisdiction betrays a mindset of disre-spect to the Vienna Convention which Pakistan has brazenlyviolated," Sharma said. He said Jadhav had been unfairlydenied counsellor access or legal assistance. "The Interna-tional community must put pressure on Pakistan. The UnitedNations have to take a serious note. Pakistan's contentionbefore the International Court of Justice that this case wastaken to the military tribunal because there was issue ofterrorism, this is a lie," Sharma said.

H C Gupta awarded 2-yr jailterm in coal scam caseNEW DELHI, (PTI) Former coal secretary H C Gupta wastoday awarded two-year-imprisonment by a special cour there in a coal scam case. Special CBI Judge Bharat Parasheralso sentenced two senior government officials, K S Krophaand K C Samaria, for two-year imprisonment in the case.Besides the jail term, the court also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh eachon the three convicts. Besides them, the court imposed a fine of Rs onecrore on convicted private firm Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd,while its Managing Director Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia was awardedthree-year jail term by the court. Ahluwalia will also have to pay a fine ofRs 30 lakh. All the convicts were granted bail soon after the sentencewas announced to enable them move the High Court. Gupta and twoserving senior officials were earlier convicted by the court for irregulari-ties in the allocation of of the Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal blockin Madhya Pradesh to a private firm.



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ABVP PROTEST AGAINST HIKE IN METRO FARES IN NEW DELHI.

JAITLEY FILES FRESH DEFAMATIONSUIT OF IRS10 CR AGAINST KEJRIWALNEW DELHI, (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Mondayfiled a second civil defamation suit of Rs 10 crore in the DelhiHigh Cour t against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the word"crook" used by his lawyer. Jaitley sought IRs10 crore asdamages after Ram Jethmalani used objectionable wordsagainst the Union Minister in an open cour t. This is a separatecase from the ongoing DDCA defamation suit against the ChiefMinister and five other Aam Aadmi Par ty leaders that Jaitleyfiled in 2015. On May 17, Jaitley and senior advocate RamJethmalani clashed in the cour t with the Minister taking strongobjection to the word "crook" used during cross examination inthe earlier defamation case. "I intend to show that this man

(Jaitley) is a crook," Jethmalani had said, prompting strongobjection from the Minister. Jaitley, who was being cross-examined, furiously asked Jethmalani whether the word "crook"used by him was in his personal capacity or as per the instruc-tion of Kejriwal. To which, Jethmalani had said that it was usedby him on instructions from his client (Kejriwal). Jaitley thenthreatened to seek higher damages. "I will aggravate thecharges against the defendants (Kejriwal)… There is a limit topersonal malice," he had said after Jethmalani said he wantedto prove his point that the Union Minister was a "crook".Jaitley's counsel had objected to Jethmalani referring to theMinister as being "guilty of crime and crookery."

Hurriyat suspends Naeem Khan; Khan says story fabricatedNEW DELHI - Hurriyat leader Naeem Khan was suspended from Hurriyat after a leading channel, India Today's expose showed himadmitting on camera that he had received funding from across the border to stoke unrest in Kashmir Valley. Not just Naeem Khan,Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani even suspended the National Front led by him from the separatist organisation. This even asKhan continued to allege that the sting video was 'doctored'. NIA is now questioning Naeem Khan and Ghazi Javed Baba and havebeen asked to produce cer tain documents for examination. Khan had been unavailable for comment after the India Today stingoperation on May 15. In the India Today expose, separatists Khan and Farooq Dar alias Bitta Karate had confessed to receivingmoney from Pakistan-based terror groups. The Hurriyat had called for an emergency meeting today and summoned Naeem Khan,seeking his clarification on the remark that had exposed the separatists and left the rank and file of the Hurriyat rattled.

BE READY FOR ACTION AT SHORTNOTICE, INDIAN AIR FORCE OFFICERSTOLD BY AIR MARSHAL DHANOANEW DELHI: Even as terror attacks on military camps inJammu and Kashmir continue to be on the rise, Indian AirForce (IAF) officers repor tedly got a personal letter from AirChief Marshal BS Dhanoa asking them to be prepared foroperations "at a very shor t notice", reported ANI news agency."In the present scenario, there is an ever persistent sub-con-ventional threat. Therefore, we need to be prepared for opera-tions with our present holdings, at a very shor t notice. Train-ing needs to be focused towards this," said the letter, ANIrepor ted.The "sub-conventional threat" is likely a reference to whatIndia has often called a "proxy war by Pakistan", that is, at-tacks funded by the neighbouring country or carried out byso-called 'non-state actors' many of whom India has saidhave Islamabad or Pakistan intelligence sanction. The refer-ence to "our present holdings" in the letter is likely a shortfallin the number of fighter squadrons with the IAF. The force isauthorised 42 squadrons of fighter aircraft but has only 33.Despite this shortfall, the Air Chief in his letter told officers"there is no choice" but to be combat effective professionals."...there is no choice but to stay abreast of new technologicaladvancements both (our) own as well as that of our adver-saries. Only then will we come out with war-winning, out ofthe box solutions," he said in his letter.Air Chief Dhanoa's letter also addressed issues of alleged"favouritism" and "sexual harassment" on the force. "In therecent past, there have been instances and occasions wherelack of professionalism has shown the IAF in poor light".These are things the IAF can "ill afford", he said.

ARMY OFFICER WHO TIED MAN TOJEEP IN KASHMIR AWARDEDNEW DELHI, (PTI) Major Leetul Gogoi, who had tied a manto a jeep in Kashmir purpor tedly as a shield against stonepelters, has been honoured with the Army chiefs Commen-dation Card for his sustained effor ts in counter- insurgencyoperations.The award for Major Gogoi is seen as a backing of the actionof the officer belonging to the 53 Rashtriya Rifles even as theArmy maintained that a court of inquiry (CoI)into the incidentis "under finalisation. Major Gogoi has been awarded theChief of Army Staffs Commendation Card for his sustainedeffor ts in counter- insurgency operations," Army spokesper-son Col. Aman Anand said. All factors including notable per-formance of Major Gogoi and "overall emerging indicators"of the Cour t of Inquiry, have been "well-considered" whileconferring the award on him, Army sources said, in clearindication of the Armys suppor t to his prompt decision to tiethe man purportedly to protect soldiers from stone-throwers. Avideo, showing the man tied to the Army vehicle during polling in theSrinagar Lok Sabha by-election on April 9, had triggered a publicoutcry, prompting the force to institute a probe.



US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP MET WITH SAUDI KING SALMAN BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD AFTER A WELCOME CEREMONY ATTHE ROYAL TERMINAL OF KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, KSA.

N.KOREA CONFIRMS TEST-FIRINGANOTHER BALLISTIC MISSILE

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PYONGYANG, (IANS) The Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK) on Monday confirmed it test-fired another medium-rangeballistic missile. DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un supervised thetest-fire of a ground-to-ground medium-to-long range strategicballistic missile "Pukguksong-2" OB Sunday, Xinhua repor ted.The test-fire of Pukguksong-2 was aimed to finally verify all thetechnical indexes of the weapon system and thoroughly examineits adaptability under various battle conditions, before its deploy-

ment at military units for action. This was the second time forDPRK to have test fired missile within one week. Sunday, it test-fired a long medium-range ballistic missile "Hwasong 12."After issuing an order to launch the missile at the observationpost, Kim analysed with officials the results of the test-launch."He sa id the m iss i l e ' s r a t e o f h i t s i s ve ry accu ra te andPukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon. He approved thedeployment of this weapon system for action," said the repor t.

US, Japan, S.Korea call 'urgent' Security Council meetUNITED NATIONS, (IANS) The US, Japan and South Korea have called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting - to be held on Tuesday- to discuss North Korea's missile test on Sunday, diplomatic officials said. The new missile test by Pyongyang comes just a week afterthe pariah nation fired a medium-range rocket on a high trajectory, ultimately landing in the ocean near Russia, and is the eighth missiletest by the reclusive communist regime so far this year.The Nor th Korean army launched the missile in an easterly direction from a site near Pukchang at 4:59 pm local time, Efe quoted theNor th Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying. The missile reached "a maximum altitude of 560 kilometers (347 miles) and traveled adistance of 500 km (310 mi.)," according to a statement by Pyongyang. The rocket appeared to have the characteristics of a Pukguksong2, a medium-range ballistic missile fired for the first time by North Korea on Feberuary 12. The US Pacific Command said that the missilefell into the Sea of Japan and that all indications are that it was a medium-range missile.

Germany, China urge US touphold Paris climate dealBERLIN, (IANS) The governments of Germany and Chinaon Monday urged the US not to walk away from theParis Agreement on climate change. Speaking along-side her Chinese counterpar t, Germany's EnvironmentMinister Barbara Hendricks told the media here thatstanding by the agreement would benefit Washingtoneconomically and politically, as US President DonaldTrump's administration continued to revise the pactsigned under his predecessor, Barack Obama, Efenews repor ted."We call on the US to remain within the Paris Agree-ment, as we believe that this is not only impor tant forthe agreement itself, but also for the US economy,"Hendricks said ahead of the opening of the eighth Pe-tersburg Climate Dialogue, a German government ini-tiative aimed at allowing countries to discuss interna-tional climate policy. The US upholding its commit-ment to the agreement would help tackle rising tem-peratures and ensure Washington could exercise its"influence" on the issue in future, she said. The minis-ter said a possible walking away from the agreementwould not be good economically for the US. Xie Zhenhuacalled on al l countries to remain committed to theagreement, ensuring that China would stand by it, inde-pendent of Washington's final decision.

Erdogan re-elected as headof Turkey's ruling partyANKARA, ( IANS) Turk ish Pres ident Recep Tayy ipErdogan was on Sunday re-elected leader of the rulingJustice and Development Par ty (AKP) at a special par tycongress in the capital Ankara. Erdogan was the onlycandidate for the position. He received 1,414 votes ofthe 1,470 eligible delegates. Having left AKP for 998days, Erdogan on May 3 rejoined the par ty he founded.Before last month's referendum, the Turkish Presidentwas not allowed to be a member of any political party,due to the constitutional requirement for Presidents to bepolitically neutral.

CHINA TO BLOCK INDIA'SNSG BID AGAINBEIJING, (IANS) China on Monday said it has not changedits position on India's membership bid for the NuclearSuppliers Group (NSG), indicating it will again blockNew Delhi's plea at the plenary session in Bern nextmonth. "China's position on the non-NPT member's par-ticipation in the NSG has not changed," Chinese For-eign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said onMonday. "We suppor t the NSG group fol lowing themandate of the 2016 plenary session and followingbuilding consensus as well as the intergovernmentalprocess that is open and transparent to deal with therelevant issues in a two-step approach, she added.China has repeatedly blocked India's bid to enter theelite grouping, which regulates the world's nuclear trade.

China crippled CIA by killingUS sources: MediaWASHINGTON, (IANS) At least 20 US spies were killed orimprisoned by the Chinese government between 2010 and2012, crippling the country's information-gathering, amedia repor t has said. It was not clear whether the Cen-tral Intelligence Agency (CIA) was hacked or whether amole helped the Chinese to identify the agents, officialstold the New York Times.The CIA has not commented on the repor t, the BBC said onSunday. One of the informants was shot in the cour tyardof a government building as a warning to others, the NYTrepor t quoted an official. Four former CIA officials spoketo the NYT, telling it that information from sources deepinside the Chinese government star ted to dry up in 2010.Informants began to disappear in early 2011.The CIA and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) teamedup to investigate the events in an operation one sourcesaid was codenamed Honey Badger. The NYT repor t saidthis investigation had centred on one former CIA operativebut there was not enough evidence to arrest him. He nowlives in another Asian country. In 2012, an official at China'sSecurity Ministry was arrested on suspicion of spying forthe US. He was said to have been lured into the CIA.

Iran slams US forurging policy shift insecond Rouhani termTEHRAN, (IANS) An Iranian toparmy General on Sundayrubbished US Secretary of StateRex Tillerson's comments urginga policy shift in Tehran's conductdur ing President HassanRouhani's second term, Tasnimnews agency repor ted. "The onlyway to peace in the Middle Eastis a pullout of the US forces fromthe region," Deputy Chief of Staffof the Iranian Armed Forces Brig.Gen. Massoud Jazayeri said.During his Saudi Arabia visit,Til lerson on Saturday said hehoped Rouhani's re-election wouldprompt changes in Tehran's approachto "terrorism and human rights".Tillerson urged Iran's re-elected Presi-dent to dismantle the alleged "networkof terrorism" and to end ballistic mis-sile tests. He made the remarks at anews conference with Saudi ForeignMinister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh.In his reaction, Jazayeri urged theUS for, what he called, an end to the"aggressive and terrorist operationsagainst independent states" by theassistance of "reactionary re-gimes" in the region.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017 w o r l d

AMID MANCHESTER ATTACK, LOCAL GURDWARAS HAVE OPENED THEIR DOORS AND OFFERED SHELTER AND FOOD TO BLAST VICTIMS.A SIKH TAXI DRIVER OFFERED FREE RIDES TO VICTIMS. THE SIKH COMMUNITY IS BEING APPRECIATED IN UK FOR THEIR KIND GESTURES.

Manchester concert terror attack;ISIS takes responsibilityLONDON, (PTI) The Islamic State terror group has claimedresponsibility for a suicide bombing at a pop concer t inManchester Arena that killed at least 22 people and in-jured 59 others. The Manchester attack took place on thefour th anniversary of the killing of British soldier Lee Rigbyin London, which was inspired by al-Qaeda propagandaon avenging civilian casualties in the Middle East. Thesuicide bomber was identified as 22-year-old man SalmanRamadan Abedi who had just returned from Libya. Talkingon the issue, British Prime Minister Theresa May has said:"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and thefamilies and friends of all those affected. It is now beyonddoubt that the people of Manchester and of this countryhave fallen victim to a callous terrorist attack, an attackthat targeted some of the youngest people in our societywith cold calculation." In London the Cyprus high com-mission is flying flags at half mast in honour of SaffieRoussos, the British Cypriot who at aged eight has beenidentified as the youngest victim of the Manchester at-tack. Up to 5,000 soldiers will be deployed on the streetsamid fears that the Manchester suicide bomber had ac-complices preparing fur ther attacks, Theresa May hasannounced. For the first time in 10 years, the Prime Ministerraised the terror threat to the highest possible level, from severe tocritical, meaning an attack is “expected imminently." World leadersincluding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and theCanadian Prime Minister have condemned the attack.

Rape case dropped against Assange,lawyer says 'end of nightmare'LONDON, (AFP) A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder JulianAssange welcomed the decision of Swedish prosecutorstoday to drop a seven-year rape investigation against him,saying it was the "end of his nightmare. We have beenwait ing a long t ime for th is decis ion," Chr istopheMarchand, a member of Assange's Brussels-based legalteam, told AFP. "Julian Assange has been a victim of ahuge abuse of procedure. We are very pleased and verymoved, as this marks the end of his nightmare." He saidthat lawyers for the Australian, who are based around theworld, were discussing the implications of the decision.Assange posted a picture on Twitter of himself smilingbroadly, without comment. The 45-year-old has been liv-ing in the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012, afterseeking asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden to faceallegations of rape dating back to 2010. He has alwaysdenied the claims, which he feared would see him extra-dited to the United States and tried over the leaking ofhundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplo-matic documents.

PEOPLE TAKING OUT A PROTEST IN ATHENS DURING A GENERAL STRIKE AGAINST A NEW ROUNDOF AUSTERITY CUTS IN GREECE.

20 mn Africans on brink of famine: UN agenciesROME, (IANS) Twenty million people in four African countries are on the brink of famine, senior staffers atthe UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said. People innor theastern Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen face an "unprecedented" humanitarian crisis dueto a combination of drought and armed conflict with fundamentalist insurgencies, such as the Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab groups. "It's the biggest crisis any of us have ever seen," Xinhua quoted Denise Brown, Director of Emergencies atthe WFP, as saying in Rome on Thursday. She described the situation as millions of people "standing on the edge of a cliff, andthe number keeps increasing." Conflict and adverse climate are causing animals to die and fields to go untilled in a part of theworld in which 80 per cent of the population relies on farming and fishing to survive, according to FAO Director ofEmergency and Rehabilitation Division Dominique Burgeon.

Amid anger at home, Pakistan moves ICJ over JadhavISLAMABAD (IANS) Pakistan on Friday filed a plea in the ICJ for it to rehear within six weeks the case ofalleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, after the government was slammed by the opposition for "mishan-dling" the case at the world cour t. Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sar taj Aziz said Islamabad, with anew team of lawyers, will put forward its case vigorously in the International Cour t of Justice againstletting off Jadhav on India's plea."Pakistan was set to re-challenge the jurisdiction of the ICJ after it granted injunction on Thursday on anIndian plea to stay Jadhav's execution," Dunya News repor ted. According to law, Jadhav can challenge tillthe end of Saturday his death sentence in an appellate cour t. A military cour t sentenced him to death onApril 10 on spying and terrorism charges. Aziz maintained that the ICJ did not order Pakistan to provideconsular access to Jadhav, but has merely put forward an opinion. He said a decision to provide consularaccess to Jadhav is yet to be made. "Pakistan's security is so impor tant and we have to maintain ourfundamental sovereign right," he said. Meanwhile, the Pakistan government came under attack from theopposition for "mishandling" the Jadhav's case and two opposition leaders linked the weak defence put up by Pakistanat the ICJ to a meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had with Indian business tycoon Sajjan Jindal. Jindal is said to be a friendof Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader Shafqat Mehmood asked Sharif to disclosedetails of his "secret meetings" with Jindal, the Dawn reported. He said the ICJ decision was an outcome of the Sharif-Jindaltalks. Mehmood attacked the government for selecting a lawyer at the ICJ "who had not a single international law caserepor ted from the UK Supreme Cour t." Another PTI leader, Shirin Mazari, accused the Pakistan govern-ment of deliberately playing a game to advance Indian interests.

Trump in Israel after urging MiddleEast to purge 'evil'; discuss peaceWASHINGTON, (IANS) US President Donald Trump was on Mondayset to land in Israel to tackle the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, aday after urging Arab and Islamic leaders to unite and "drive out"terrorists while toning down his own harsh rhetoric about Muslims.Trump's Israel visit comes after he delivered a powerful speech at theArab-Islamic-American summit in Riyadh on Sunday.The US President will hold talks with both Israeli and Palestinianleaders and also address regional security issues during the courseof his two-day stop, CNN repor ted. Trump, while addressing the lead-ers of 55 Muslim-majority countries in Saudi Arabia, sought to rede-fine his relationship with the Muslim world after making a slew ofIslamophobic remarks on the campaign trail, calling for a ban onMuslims and declaring "Islam hates us". He described the battleagainst terrorist groups as a "battle between good and evil" as he toldMuslim-majority countries to redouble their counter terrorism effor ts.Trump rejected the idea that the fight against terrorism was a strugglebetween religions. "This is not a battle between different faiths, differ-

ent sects or different civilisations," Trump said. "This is a battle be-tween barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and de-cent people of all religions who seek to protect it. This is a battlebetween good and evil," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he woulddiscuss ways to advance peace with Donald Trump on the USPresident's first visit to Israel on Monday. "I will discuss with Presi-dent Trump ways to strengthen even fur ther the first and strongestalliance with the US," Netanyahu told his weekly cabinet meeting inJerusalem, Xinhua repor ted. "We will strengthen security ties, whichare strengthening daily, and we will also discuss ways to advancepeace," he added. Trump, his wife Melania, and a 900-person delega-tion, including senior administration officials, business executivesand security personnel, will arrive on Monday for a two-day visit toIsrael and the Palestinian West Bank. Trump will meet Israeli Presi-dent Reuven Rivlin and Netanyahu on Monday before travelling toBethlehem to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

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