report on page 5 don't attack hindus in...

MidWeek 1MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

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

MUZAFFARNAGAR RIOTS - HOW THE

POLITICAL PARTIES PLAYED A FIXED MATCH

Midweek South Asian Awards event less than a month away

DETAILS ON PAGE 7

I have faith in QuebecSO SHOULD YOU!

Y Media Inc. is pleased to announce another year of celebration inthe South Asian Community with 6th annual Midweek South AsianAwards which is less than a month away.Just two weeks ago international cricket player Harbhajan Singhcame to Canada to attend curtain raiser for the event and waspresented with Midweek Sher-E-Punjab award for this year. Theevent was attended by many known personalities in the South Asiancommunity and well received by all."I saw that Midweek Sher-E-Punjab award was given to SardarFaujaSingh last year who is a great human being," said Harbhajan Singhat Radisson Hotel in Mississauga while receiving the award.Since the beginning of the event in 2007 this grand night bringsprominent members of the South Asian community, notable businesspersonalities, dignitaries and celebrities under one roof.

REPORT ON PAGE 5

MODI FOR PM - WillCongress declareRAHUL FOR PM ?

DETAILS ON PAGE 5

DETAILS ON PAGE 8

DON'T ATTACK HINDUS IN MUSLIMLANDS :AL-QAIDA CHIEF ZAWAHIRI

Earlier this week, Premier Marois unveiled hergovernment's much anticipated plan to legislate valuesin Quebec. As I have said since the PQ firstannounced this plan back in the 2012 election

campaign, I ca tegor ica l ly oppose i t . Like our fe l lowCanadians elsewhere, we Quebecers are open, positivepeople. We believe in defending one another's freedoms,not in restricting them.

I have great faith in the people of my home province.My message to Canadians from outside Quebec is a simpleand important one: so should you. Resist the temptation toindulge in easy stereotypes and reactive characterizationsof Quebec and Quebecers. The PQ government's plan isdivisive, negative and emotional. It is designed to be that way.

Quebecers will reject it.I got into public life in part because I believed that politics

can be done differently. It could be less petty and moretransparent. Candour, especially during tense moments likethis one, is risky but necessary. This summer, I met withPremier Marois and we discussed this issue openly andfrankly. I said to her what I believe to be true: her plan doesnot accurately reflect Quebec. It would attack what we holdmost dear: our right and our freedom as individuals tochoose, and to express our beliefs within the context ofuniversally recognized democratic laws and norms.

By Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau

‘ZAWAHRI CALLED ON HIS MAINLY SALAFISTFOLLOWERS TO AVOID ATTACKING OTHERMUSLIM SECTS, AND SAID IF THEY WEREATTACKED, THEY SHOULD LIMIT THEIR RESPONSETO THOSE INVOLVED IN FIGHTING.

LONDON: Al-Qaida leaderAyman al-Zawahri has issued hisfirst specific guidelines for jihad,urging restraint in attackingother Muslim sects and non-Muslims and in starting conflictsin countries where jihadis mightfind a safe base to promote theirideas. The document, publishedby the SITE monitoring service,provides a rare look at al-Qaida'sstrategy 12 years after theSeptember 11 attacks on theUnited States and the nature ofits global ambitions from North

Africa to the Caucasus toKashmir.

While al-Qaida's military aimremained to weaken the UnitedStates and Israel, Zawahristressed the importance of"dawa", or missionary work, tospread its ideas.

"As far as targeting theproxies of America is concerned,it differs from place to place. Thebasic principle is to avoidentering into any conflict withthem, except in the countrieswhere confronting them becomes

inevitable," he said. Thosecomments are particularly relevantfor North Africa, where manyanalysts believe al-Qaida is usingthe less restrictive environmentwhich followed the 2011 Arabuprisings to seek new followers,often through local alliances,

while avoiding drawing attentionto itself by eschewing attacks.

"... our struggle is a long one,and jihad is in need of safebases," Zawahri said in his"general guidelines for jihad"posted on jihadi forums.

BJP has given their poll campaign the only, albeit riskypush, it could afford. Following a high octane politicaldrama, par ty President Rajnath Singh bulldozed par tyveteran LK Advani and announced Narendra Modi as theirprime ministerial candidate. Given that Modi has led thepar ty from the front, it was a fair decision too.The Congress' best counter-offensive till now has been adismissal of Modi's allegations. Alongside, counteringModi's attack as some form of impassivity, the Congress'other new technique seems to be making Modi out to be apower-hungry, self-serving politician. Unfor tunately, theGujarat CM's own par ty has given the Congress enoughground to build such an attack.In its line of defence, possibly upgraded following Modi'spromotion, the Congress will be trying to project BJP as apar ty with little or no unity, steered by a man who isdriven by his own political ambitions.

DETAILS ON PAGE 4

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY




Priyanka Chopra to speak atSouth Asians summit

p a g e 3

Priyanka Chopra is steadily making her presencefelt on an international level. After releasing analbum, and doing the voice-over for an animated

Hollywood film, the actor has now been invited todeliver a speech at the 4th annual South Asians inMedia, Marketing & Entertainment Summit. Theconference will be co-presented by the South Asians inMedia, Marketing & Entertainment Association(SAMMA).Apart from being an award-winning Bollywood actor,Priyanka’s won over fans in the west with hercollaborations with international artistes such as Pitbulland Will.i.am on singles from her debut album. She wasalso photographed hanging out with actors GerardButler and Jon Hamm before. About her keynoteaddress, she says, “I am honoured to be speaking atSAMMA, and I am humbled by the great impact ofIndians in the US and global entertainment and media,whether that is in digital media, television or music.”Priyanka will speak at the two-day networkingconference that will take place on September 27 and 28.

PRIYANKACHOPRA'S

NEW SONGPINKY FROM

ZANJER ISOUT! AND

HOW 'PINKY'DOES SHE

LOOK?

Yuvraj Singh has joined hands withactor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar andace photographer Atul Kasbekar fora social cause. We’ve been told thatthe cricketer will be heard reciting apoem in Punjabi for the actor’s initia-tive. A source reveals, “Men AgainstRape and Discrimination (MARD) isa social initiative designed to createawareness among men and to instillrespect towards women and buildawareness of gender equality. TheDelhi gang-rape incident was a rudeshock for the entire country. Farhanand Atul teamed up, had brainstorm-ing sessions and created this plat-form.” The source adds that Farhanand Atul feel that change in law andorder cannot curb increasing crimeagainst women. A change in the so-cial mindset is required to bring abouta larger change. So now, after crick-eter Sachin Tendulkar recited a poemin Marathi, playback singer Shaan didthe same in Bengali and MaheshBabu in Telugu, this time, it is Yuvrajwho was more than willing to come onboard to spread the message in Punjabi.The source says, “The activists want toreach out to as many people as possible.They believe that with the cultural diver-sity in India, the only way to do this wouldbe by breaking language barriers.”Ask Yuvraj about this and he says,“I am glad to be associated withMARD. I think every person needs todo their bit.”

Yuvraj Singh, FarhanAkhtar join hands

Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan admits to being an ardent fan ofBollywood actress Madhuri Dixit. The actor will be seen shar-ing stage with Madhuri during the grand finale of, Jhalak DikhhlaJaa 6, as a par t of promotion of his upcoming super hero film,Krrish 3. "I have been a fan of Madhuri since my assisting days.I have been a fan of her smile...She is one of the most gorgeouswomen," he said during the grand finale.The two also danced to the numbers, Bhumbroo bhumbroo fromHrithik's film, Mission Kashmir and Nazrein mili dil dhadka,from Madhuri's film, Raja. Hrithik, 39, wasaccompanied by his Kr rish 3 co star,Priyanka Chopra and the two even per-formed to, Raghupati Raghav, from theirfilm.The grand finale will see four contestants,actress Drasht i Dhami, singer Shaan,dancer Lauren Gottlieb and India's GotTalent 4 winner Sonal i andSumanth contestingfor the trophy.The episode willa i r Saturday onColors channel.

I AM A FAN OF MADHURI:HRITHIK ROSHAN

Chose Gori Tere...to get the villageexperienceActress Kareena Kapoor says it wasthe village set up of Punit Malhotra's,Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, that made hersay yes to the project. In the film, the32-year-old actress is employed witha NGO and believes in working forthe benefit of society. "When I heardthis film will be shot in avillage, I was excited. This was thereason for me to say yes to theproject. I have never been to a vil-lage or shot there so I wanted to ex-perience it," Kareena told repor tershere.This film will see Kareena teamingup with Imran Khan for the secondtime after Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu . "Itwas fun working with Imran. He is agreat actor," she said.The romantic comedy is produced byKaran Johar and will release on No-vember 22.Also, Kareena is looking forward toworking with Hr i th ik Roshan inShuddhi. "He is a great actor... He isthe finest actor. I am very excited tobe working with him again," she said.



page 4 DON'T ATTACKHINDUS INMUSLIM LANDS:AL-QAIDA CHIEFZAWAHIRI

Contd. from Page 1Zawahri spelled out where conflict was inevitable, including

Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia.In Pakistan, where intelligence sources believe Zawahri is

hiding, he said fighting "aims at creating a safe haven for themujahideen in Pakistan, which can then be used as a launchingpad for the struggle of establishing an Islamic system in Pakistan."

Al-Qaida has a strong support network inside Pakistan - itsfounder Osama bin Laden lived there until his death in May 2011.It also has close ties to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, with whichthe Pakistan government has said it will hold peace talks.

Zawahri cited the need to weaken Algeria - which crushedIslamist militants in a civil war in the 1990s - and spread jihadiinfluence throughout the Maghreb and West Africa.

And, in an apparent nod to those who say al-Qaida's focuson the United States weakens their battle against governments athome, he endorsed the right of militants to fight Russians in theCaucasus, Indians in Kashmir and Chinese in Xinjiang.

AVOID ATTACKING OTHER SECTSFounded in 1988 during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan,

al-Qaida has adapted to the Western onslaught against it whichfollowed the September 11 attacks by building a network of alliancesand affiliates in Muslim countries around the world.

Adept at exploiting conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq, the Arabuprisings have given al-Qaida a new lease of life - in Syria, forexample, fighters loyal to al-Qaida play a powerful role in theopposition to President Bashar al-Assad.

But its indiscriminate violence, including suicide bombings andtargeting of Shia Muslims, has made it unpopular among manyMuslims.

Zawahri called on his mainly Salafist followers to avoid attackingother Muslim sects, and said if they were attacked, they should limittheir response to those involved in fighting.

They should also leave alone Christians, Hindus and Sikhs livingin Muslim lands, respect the lives of women and children and refrainfrom targeting enemies in mosques, markets and gatherings wherethey mix with Muslims they were not fighting.

But while affiliates subscribe to al-Qaida's ideology, they arelargely autonomous in day-to-day operations, making it hard forZawahri to control the behaviour of their fighters.

"The biggest theme in Zawahri's document is restraint,"Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a expert at the Foundation for Defenseof Democracies, said on Twitter. "This seems to acknowledge theexcesses that have tarnished AQ's brand."

The document was posted on September 13, according toSITE, although it was unclear when the guidelines were writtenby Zawahri, whose messages - based on their content - appear totake weeks to be smuggled out from where he is in hiding.

Zawahri, an Egyptian, made no specific reference toEgypt, though he said that "in the environs of Jerusalem,the foremost and primary battle is against the Jews."

He had previously been critical of the Islamist MuslimBrotherhood fo r pa r t i c ipa t ing in democracy, and theoverthrow of president Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptianarmy has ra i sed fears a l -Qaida would explo i t th i s toencourage conflict in Egypt.

However, noting that al-Qaida would cooperate with otherIslamic groups on areas of agreement, he said "our differenceswith other Islamic groups should not distract us from confrontingthe enemies of Islam ..."

DON'T ATTACK HINDUS IN MUSLIM LANDS :AL-QAIDA CHIEF ZAWAHIRI

DELHI ELECTIONS ‘WILL SHEILA DIKSHIT COME BACK TO POWER FOR THE FIFTH TIME, OR WILL ITBE ARVIND KEJRIWAL WHO WILL BE ELECTED?

Will the Modi factor have an impact?Prabhu Chawla said that it was unlikely that Narendra Modi would influence the Delhi elections

while campaigning because he was more of a national leader and not a chief minister candidate. "BJPneeds a face for a CM to beat the Congress," Chawla said.

Done everything for Delhi, says Sheila DikshitNew Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit said it was too early to judge which party will win. She said she

wonders how the AAP will provide power at lower costs."I don't know about how AAP will lower the power tariffs. Will he provide lesser power leading to

backouts?," Dikshit told CNN-IBN.She also clarified that she is not scared of the rising onion prices. "When we were in opposition

onion prices went up because of a man made shortage. the government did not step in at all," she said.She questioned the opinion poll by HT and CNN-IBN that said people were not satisfied with her

work. "What is it that people are dissatisfied with? Price rise is everywhere. We have done everythingfor the city possible, for women and children," she told CNN-IBN.

Sushma Swaraj will give BJP better chance, says Prabhu ChawlaPrabhu Chawla said that while Arvind Kejriwal will draw votes because of his connect to the middle

class, he won't be able to become CM this time. On the BJP Chawla said, "Sushma Swaraj will be a betteroption for BJP as she has already won earlier."

To Chawla's suggestions Sitharamn said she will convey the suggestion to the BJP as he is aneminent journalist.

AAP eating away at votes of parties, benefiting CongIn the last Assembly Elections the Congress had gotten 40 seats, BJP 36 and the BSP 14 out of the

70 seats in Delhi. But this year, the opinion poll reveals, AAP is eating away at the votes, leaving BSPalmost nowhere, taking six seats from the Congress and four seats from the BJP.

Editor of the New Indian Express Prabhu Chawla said that this will help the Congress. "Earlier anti-incumbency votes would have gone to the BJP. But then now some of it is going to the AAP. So BJP isalso no getting enough to win. So it benefits congress," he said.

However, BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman refuted all such predictions saying such a thing was not tohappen as the BJP will get more votes than the Congress

Only AAP can take on Sheila Dikshit, says Shazia IlmiShaizia Ilmi said that it was only AAP that will be able to take on Sheila Dikshit."We are the party of the people. We are challenging both the Congress and the BJP. Only AAP can

defeat Sheila Dikshit," Ilmi said.BJP, Cong predict win; AAP ready for defeat in maiden pollWhen the politicians on CNN-IBN were asked who would win the elections, both the BJP and the

Congress said that they will come to power. However Yogendra Yadav of AAP said we are prepaired tolose the first couple of times.

"Take my word, BJP will come to power this time. After the elections I can tell you I told you so,"said Sudhanshu Mittal.

Meanwhile Ragini Nayak was of the opinion that it was the Congress that will come to power."Thepublic knows everything. Sheila Dikshit still is the big favourite," she said.

AAP's Yadav on the opinion polls said, "All opinion polls underestimated new parties." He saidthat in two months time much can change. "The question is what will happen two months fromnow?"

Sheila Dikshit cleverly takes credit, says Vinay TewariVinay Tewari on CNN-IBN said Sheila Dikshit wrongly takes credit for all the developments

in New Delhi."She is not in control of the police, or land or law and order. She has cleverly taken credit

for all the development that has happened in Delhi," he said.Will acute in-fighting in BJP cost the party?Manini Chatterjee of The Telegraph was of the opinion that it was massive infighting in

the BJP that will cost the party. "Vijay Goel jumped the gun by putting up posters of himselfas the CM candidate."

Meanwhile, Hindustan Times's Rajesh Mahapatra said,"The truth is there is no alternativeto Sheila Dikshit because she acknowledges the modernization that Delhi demands."

Sheila Dikshit still favourite for CM despite anti-incumbencyDespite the fact that there is an anti-incumbency the highest number of voters (29%) in

the opinion poll voted for Sheila Dikshit as the Chief Minister. The next favourite was AAP'sArvind Kejriwal with 22% votes and the lowest votes went to the BJP's Vijay goel with 18%.

CONTD. ON PAGE 11


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 breaking news

MUZAFFARNAGAR RIOTS - HOW THEPOLITICAL PARTIES PLAYED A FIXED MATCH

Azam Khan will contestand contest hard thecontent of a television

sting operation that links him tothe Muzaffarnagar communalriots. As one of the top leadersof the Samajwadi Party and asenior minister of the UttarPradesh government, he cannotafford to be seen as beinginvolved.

However, if at all he isactually guilty of what he is

MODI FOR PM - Will Congressdeclare RAHUL FOR PM?Contd. from Page 1So, even after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and parliamentaryaffairs minister Kamal Nath went on record to say that Rahul Gandhiis their ideal PM candidate, the Congress has cried itself hoarseover the past few days to establish that they are in no hurry todeclare a PM candidate. The explanation that follows is usuallymeant to take a dig at the BJP - 'we are fighting with a united par tyfront', 'we are not fighting a Presidential election' etc. From DigvijayaSingh to minister RPN Singh, the Congress entourage has gone allout to asser t that declaring a 'PM candidate' is not necessary at themoment and that Rahul Gandhi is 'leading' the Congress from thefront, but doesn't crave being called the PM candidate. The latest tojoin that chorus is minister for corporate affairs Sachin Pilot. In anexclusive interview to the DNA, Pilot says that Rahul Gandhi isperfectly placed to lead the par ty in the polls and he doesn't need agimmicky endorsement of being the PM candidate. He also addsthat unlike Narendra Modi, Gandhi is not remotely power-hungry.He tells DNA: It is only BJP leaders, including Mr Modi, who aredesperate to be in a position of power and will do everything to grabit. Our vice-president (Gandhi) doesn't need projection like Modidoes. Some in the par ty have also tried to rationalise the move of

not naming a PM candidate, by citing the par ty's poll traditions. In aninterview to The Economic Times, a Congress leader who didn't wishto be named said: "Our stand remains the same - that we have neverprojected any candidate for the post of Prime Minister. This wasn'tdone in 2004. In 2009, Manmohan Singh was projected only on the day ofmanifesto release as late as March. So we still have time. But at the sametime, we are not ruling out the possibility," a senior Congress general secre-tary said." However, the fact remains that the Congress will only be shootingitself in the foot if it lets the election race turn into a one-on-one contest. TheCongress, as a party, might have to try to debunk Modi's claims of develop-ment like they have in the past. The party has repeatedly accused Modi offailing to look beyond Gujarat and being too full of his Gujarat success story.As a party, which has been in power for two consecutive terms after havingshowed NDA the door, the Congress can also question Modi and BJP's efficiency

in running a country. If the poll battle becomes a Modi-Rahul face-off or a Modi-Congress PM hopeful face-off, it'll be political suicide for the Congress. Becausewhatever his contribution to the party is worth, Rahul Gandhi has no concreteachievements to show that he can take a fair claim on. There is no evidence thatGandhi junior takes active part in policy-making and policy-implementation.Even in the Lok Sabha, while Sonia Gandhi pushed the Food Security Bill with ahasty speech, Rahul Gandhi was seen and heard nowhere. Even outside theHouse, Rahul's promotion of the Food Bill has been mostly peppered withmetaphors that don't fall back on facts for support. His speechessound more like college union election addresses than somethingmeant to influence the most impor tant polls in the country. Finally,Rahul can't claim to have run anything with any success. Clearly,therefore, Rahul Gandhi will only be doing the Congress a favour bynot declaring himself its PM candidate.

being accused of - allowing theriots to spread by delayingpolice action - it should come asno real surprise. It is par for thecourse in the perverse communalpolitics in Uttar Pradesh andelsewhere in the country.

Now it is getting clearer thatall parties - the SP, the BSP, theBJP and the Congress - playedsome role in the riots. It took agood 15 days for the SPgovernment to act, the BSP and

Congress leaders sided with theMuslim community and the BJPleaders were, as usual, busyplaying the Hindu card.

Everyone was instigatingthe rioteers by their actions,overt or covert, and there washardly any effort from them toensure peace in the rural townswitnessing communalconflagration of this magnitudefor the first time.

Everyone wanted the

situation to fester. With a bigelection around the corner, thepolitical intention is no mystery.The SP, which has a weakpresence in western UttarPradesh, a Rashtriya Lok Dals t ronghold , had a ves tedinterest in destabilising theJat-Muslim vote bank of thelatter; the Sangh Parivar hasbeen t ry ing to c rea te acommunal polarisation in thestate to bolster the BJP's casein 2014; and the BSP and theCongress have been trying tocap i ta l i se on the Mus l imgrievance against both theparties.

When such 'high'goals dictate politicalbehaviour, the loss oflives - 49 inMuzaffarnagar so far- and the large scaledisplacement ofpeople are hardly ofsignificance. Howcynical can it get!

Let's face it. There's nothingspontaneous about cases oflong-drawn communal violence.These are planned in advanceand planned well so that theylast much longer than a normal

street corner fisticuff betweenmembers of differentcommunities.

There are commanders inplace to lead foot soldiers duringrioting and there is a hate-mongering machinery at work tomaintain the emotional heat. Andthere's always a design behindall this, which is almostinvariably political. And yes, thesuccess of the exercise dependson the calculated indifference, ifnot active or passiveconnivance, of the stategovernments concerned.

We have seen this patternin Gujarat and other states too.Muzaffarnagar is only 478 kmfrom UP's capital Lucknow. Hadthe government been serious itwould have acted much quicker.

It is possible that with thiscommunal incident the partieshave achieved their primaryobjective. If they haven't, theywill simply wait for anothersuch incident or a few more.The question the countryshould be asking at this pointis who is accountable for thedeaths.

The state government,under which over two dozencommunal violence cases havetaken place already in about ayear-and-a-half, will not take theblame. Nor will the BJP, which haslong been using the services ofhardline Hindutva outfits suchas the VHP and the Bajrang Dal

to promote its cause, nor wouldthe Congress which is no lessculpable for taking advantage ofcommunal situations.

Going by the experience inearlier cases, police actionagainst these politicians - we lastheard that a local court hasissued arrest warrants against sixpoliticians - is likely to gonowhere.

Azam Khan, the Muslim faceof the SP and the minister incharge of Muzaffarnagar, won'taccept any charge ofwrongdoing. "Such things aren'tin my character, I would preferdying rather than living such alife," he has said responding tothe sting operation. Hisgovernment has sprung to itsdefence, transferring the policeofficials quoted on the tape theday it became public. If only ithad been as fast in addressingthe communal tension.

BJP leader Uma Bharti haswarned the government of direconsequences if any of the BJPleaders accused in the riots arearrested. Other parties will alsosoon find ways to defend theguilty.

I t i s a so r ry s i tua t ionindeed . Do we res ignourselves to accepting thatpeople must be sacrificed inpolitical games? In an idealpolity the answer would beno. But there is nothing idealabout our polity.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013c o m m u n i t y

ICCC'S 15TH GOLF CLASSICQuebec's "values" charterreferred as Monty Phyton-esque absurdity by Kenney

Member of Parliament Hon. Parm Gill

Indo-Canada Chamber ofCommerce's (ICCC) 15thAnnual Golf Classic was an

overwhelming success with over140 enthusiastic amateur golfershaving a great time. Thursday,September 12, 2013 turned out tobe a perfect day for golf, and theBlue Springs, at Acton ON, aperfect venue. In the past, ICCC'sgolf tourneys have supportedregistered charities. However,this year the tournament'srevenue would be utilized forICCC's newly acquiredheadquarters at The East Mall in

Toronto. The golfers - an eclecticcombination of the Chamber'slong-time and new members, andguests - began arriving mid-morning. After collecting theregistration gifts they weretreated to sumptuous culinarydelights specially prepared bythe expert chefs of Aroma FineIndian Cuisine, and WarraichMeats. The tournament startedaround noon with a shotgunstart - scramble format. The teamcomprising Rahul Mehta,AnujLuthra, Neil D'souza andHarpinder Gill won the

tournament. Consul General Mr.Akhilesh Mishra and NavalBajaj, President, ICCC, presentedthe winning team with therotating trophy. Fortuitously,ICCC's golf tourney became thefirst public event for AkhileshMishra, the new consul generalof India in Toronto, who hasassumed charge in earlySeptember. Speaking at theoccasion Mr. Mishra said thatthe consulate would work intandem with the communityorganizations to meet theaspirations of the Indo-Canadian

community. He lauded the ICCCfor its role in promoting bilateralrelations between Canada andIndia, and promised to continueworking closely with thechamber.Addressing golfers at thecocktail reception, Naval Bajaj,ICCC's President, said theChamber had broken its traditionof donating the golf tourney'sproceeds to a registered charitythis year because the revenueswould be utilized for theChamber's new headquarters.Giving information about the new6,000 square feet headquarters,the ICCC President said thebuilding will have 2000 squarefeet area exclusively dedicatedfor events. In addition to servingas the headquarters of the 36-year-old institution, the buildingwould also house a Centre forExcellence for Small Business.The proposed centre wouldencourage entrepreneurship andprovide key inputs to Canadiansof Indian origin wishing tolaunch their new ventures. "Thecentre will also provideinformation, coaching, hand-holding on all vital aspects ofbusiness," he said.The ICCC golf committeecomprises of Anil Shah (Chair),Naval Bajaj, PradeepSood,TavinderMalhotra, VikramDuaand Rahul Mehta.

Contd. on Page 7

Multiculturalism ministerJason Kenney calledQuebec's charter"Monty Python-esqueabsurdity" on CTV'squestion period onSunday."I think people have ahard time understandinghow a Jewish doctorwearing a kippa or ahospital worker wearinga turban gets in the wayof their work, theirresponsibilities ordealing with the public,"Kenney told CTV'sQuestion Period onSunday. "It just doesn't make sense."The voice comes after the unveiling of Quebec's "values"charter that has the entire nation talking about the issue ofbanning religious symbols such as hijabs, turbans and crucifixesfor public workers."I think that when Quebecers begin to actually contemplatethe idea that provincial bureaucrats might be getting out a tapemeasurer to measure the size of people's crosses, to see whetheror not their earring is too obviously religious, I mean this getsto a point of almost Monty Python-esque absurdity," Kenneysaid. "I don't think the majority of Quebecers will support thatkind of overbearing application of the power of the state.""This should not be seen as a Canada versus Quebec issue,"Kenney said. "I know that the separatist government wouldlike to frame it that way."Let's not forget that just a few decades ago, most of the hospitaland schools in Quebec were largely being run by people - nuns- wearing head scarves and crosses," he said. "That's thetradition of Quebec itself, and it's something that should berespected."Last week Kenney has said the federal government would stepinto the matter if Justice Department deemed it to beunconstitutional reported Vancouver Sun."We will ask the Department of Justice to review the final billwhen it is available, and if it violates constitutional protectionstowhich all Canadians are entitled, such as freedom of religion,we will defend those rights vigorously," he had tweeted.NDP leader Tom Mulcair vowed that the opposition would fightsuch a proposal on CTV's Question Period calling it "patentlyunconstitutional.""For us, it's untenable and it's unbearable to think that a womanwho's working as an educator in a daycare centre would loseher job because she's wearing a head scarf," Mulcair said.Last week Twitter saw change his profile pictures in which theirheads are covered. Kenney has wrapped a Sikh head scarfaround his head; a picture taken outside the Golden Temple inAmritsar in India in January.

Jason Kenney changed his Twit-ter profi le picture last weekwhere his head is covered with aSikh headscarfCour tesy: Twitter

On his Twitter page Kenney also applauded Montreal MPMaria Mourani, who was kicked out of the Bloc Quebecoiscaucus last week for opposing the values charter.

“

ICCC President Naval Bajaj

The Punjabi community inthe Region of Peel isorganizing a Drug Preven-tion Forum on September22, 2013 at SandalwoodHeights Secondary Schoolfrom 1-3pm. This initiativehas been launched by theDrug Awareness Societyof Toronto (DAST) to helpparents and kids under-stand and tackle thisproblem together. Thisevent will be a bilingualevent hosted in English andPunjabi.Key speakers will beaddressing different topicsand engaging the audience indiscussions to betterunderstand the issue of drugsfacing the community athand. A short 10-15 minuteskit will also be conducted inPunjabi which will bepresented by S. Nahar SinghAujla's Group.This forum will allow forcurrent and past studentsalong with parents tounderstand the reasons kidsresort to drugs and how weas parents and communitycan prevent drug abuse byyouth. Upon discussing theseissues we as a communitywill be discussing what tipswe can offer youth andparents in order to preventdrug abuse.

Drug prevention forum


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 c o m m u n i t y

HIRING AZ AND DZ DRIVERS- LOCAL CITY WORK AND ALSO LONG HAUL AVAILABLE

- PAID $18 AN HOUR + HST

- WORK IS GAURANTEED

- DRIVERS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 1 YEAR EXPERIENCE

CONTACT:5 Melanie Drive, Brampton, ON, L6T 4K8

Call Raj or Jas Aujla905 - 781 - 1213416 - 271 - 4143

email: [email protected]

ICCC'S 15TH GOLF CLASSIC

ONTARIO CONTINUESTO REDUCE DEFICIT

The winning team led by Rahul Mehta (second from left)

Ontario's 2012-13 deficit is $9.2 billion, $5.6 billion lower than pro-jected in the 2012 Budget, including a further reduction of $0.6 billionsince the 2013 Budget. For the first time in more than a decade, totalgovernment reported spending, due in part to one-time savings, fellfrom the previous year. At $122.6 billion, spending was $3.8 billionless than planned and 0.1 per cent lower than in 2011-12. With thissignificant achievement, the government continues its strong trackrecord of improving on the deficit projections through a balanced ap-proach of fiscal discipline, responsible management, and strategicinvestments. This fall, the Minister of Finance will continue to engagewith people and business on the Path to Jobs and Growth Tour. Ontarioremains committed to controlling its spending but will also continue toinvest in initiatives to create jobs and grow the economy while protect-ing health care and education. This approach will help achieve thegovernment's goal of returning to a balanced budget by 2017-18.

PROSTATE CANCERAWARENESS MONTHBrampton Mayor Susan Fennell proclaimed September as ProstateCancer month."On behalf of the people of Brampton, it gives me immense pleasure toproclaim September 2013 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month inour City. "Every year, an estimated 23,600 Canadian men will be diag-nosed with prostate cancer,the most common cancer to affect Cana-dian men. In fact, one in seven Canadian menwill be diagnosed withthe disease in their lifetime but with early detection, 90 per cent of allprostate cancer cases are curable. "Prostate Cancer Canada encour-ages men, over the age of 40, as part of their annual checkup, to initiatea conversation with their doctors about early detection. "Prostate CanadaNetwork - Brampton, a local peer support group, conducts numerousawareness events throughout the year, including the recent Cruisin' fora Cure Car Show at the Powerade Centre. "Finally, I want to acknowl-edge those Bramptonians who volunteer their time to care for all can-cer patients and their families."

"We are very excited to honour the extraordinary SouthAsians for their excellence. The winners exemplify thetalent of today's South Asian community and are theinspiration for the achievers of tomorrow," saidYudhvirJaswal, CEO and Chief Editor of Midweek.Many of the nominations and some winners for this yearhave already been finalised as the team works hard as theevent is less than a month away.Tickets for the event are running out quickly. To book yourseats and purchase tickets [email protected] Award winners are chosen by an independent jurywho brainstorm to highlight individuals worldwide. Y MediaInc. also accepts nominations from the community invarious categories:o Midweek South Asian Diversity Awardo Midweek South Asian Person of the Yearo Midweek South Asian Business Person (Male)o Midweek South Asian Business Person (Female)o Midweek South Asian Female Entrepreneuro Midweek South Asian Male Entrepreneuro Midweek Sports Person of the Yearo Midweek South Asian Award in the field of

Community Service (Male)o Midweek South Asian Award in the field of

Community Service (Female)o Midweek South Asian Philanthropist of the Yearo Midweek South Asian Award for Bravery and

Courageo Midweek Sher-E- Punjab Award of the Yearo Youth of the yearo Professional of the yearIn the past, the stage has tied with remarkable people likeMinister of State (Sport) BalGosal, Mayor of BramptonSusan Fennell and Bollywood actor Kashmira Shah. Some ofthe past winners include Fauja Singh, MalalaYousafzai andJason Kenny.Event DetailsDate: October 12, 2013Time: 6 P.M.Location: Radisson Plaza Hotel on 175 Derry Road East,Mississauga, ONMission StatementThe mission of the Midweek South Asian Awards Night is

to recognize South Asianswho have thrived in theirrespective fields.ObjectiveMidweek releases Power Listwhich contains names of 25personalities. The Awardnight in its 6th Year is anexclusive event honoringthe achievements of theSouth Asian Canadians. Our goalis to become the most highlyrecognized South Asian Awardsacross the globe.About Y Media Inc.Y Media Inc. is an umbrellacompany that owns MidweekNewspaper, South Asian PulseRadio, South Asian 360 andMidweek South Asian Awardsand is headed byYudhvirJaswal. Please visitsouthasiandaily.com for latestupdates.

MIDWEEK SOUTH ASIAN

AWARDS EVENT LESS

THAN A MONTH AWAY

Countryside Senior Clubhosted its first picnic

First picnic organised by the countryside senior club washosted on September 14. It was a grand event full of enter tain-ment and activities for kids and families.Most of activities took place including races for boys and girlsfrom age 5-8 and 8-11. A musical race for women betweenage of 25-40 and 50-70 took place as well. First and Secondprizes were given to the winners in every activity. Womenenjoyed bolyan and gidha while men enjoyed playing card(seep). A great amount of free food was served. PresidentPhula Singh Sandhu and Vice President Joginder Singh Sandhuthanked everyone. Gen. secretary Tarlochan Singh Kang andTreasurer AmarjeetKaurSandhu andDirectersBaldev SinghSandhu,Darshan Singh Mair and BalwinderKaur Gill and theirentire team had put much effor t to make this a successfulevent.It was a beautiful day with very pleasant weather. Everyonehad fun and left with a hope to meet next year again.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013opinion

Published By

Asian World Today Inc.1310, Midway Blvd, Unit # 31, Mississauga Ontario L5T 2K5

Direct Line - 647-272-8182Tel: 905-670-3687 Fax: 905-670-5344

E-mail : For Advertising

[email protected]

YUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALCHIEF EDITOR & CEO

647-272-8182647-272-8182647-272-8182647-272-8182647-272-8182yudhvir@southasiandaily.com

All Rights Reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be printed without the written consent of thepublisher. DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: Asian World Today Inc. assumes all advertisers to be reliable and responsible for anyand all liability from their claims. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement he may see unfitfor publication. The opinions expressed in Midweek may not be those of the publisher.

Published By

Asian World Today Inc.1310, Midway Blvd, Unit # 31, Mississauga Ontario L5T 2K5

Direct Line - 647-272-8182Tel: 905-670-3687 Fax: 905-670-5344

E-mail : For Advertising

[email protected]

Newspaper

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLYPublished in English every Tuesday

Radio

SOUTHASIAN PULSE Mon to Fri; 11 to 12 Noon on AM 770

Mon to Fri; 3 to 4 PM on AM 530

Television

SOUTHASIAN 360 DEGREESOn FILMYChannel Right Across North America

Canada - (Rogers - Channel-830, Bell fibe TVChannel-798 ),

USA - DirecTV - Channel 2008Timings- Friday6-7 PM,Sun -1-2 PMWed - 6:30-

7:30PM-EST

Online

WWW.SOUTHASIANDAILY.COMONLY News Portal for Southasian-Canadians

Cricket

CANADIAN PROFESSIONALCRICKET (CPC)

6th AnnualCPC Inter-City Cricket Cup Starting June 2013

6 Months of Non-stop cricket action

Events

6th AnnualMidweek Southasian Awards 2013

ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.

MidWeek

NISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNCONTRIBUTING WRITER

SUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMAGRAPHICS DEPARTMENT

BASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRPHOTOGRAPHERS

THAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWTHAPLIYAL & RAI LAWOFFICEOFFICEOFFICEOFFICEOFFICE

LEGAL ADVISOR

SUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMAINDIA MARKETING

YADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHAUSTRALIA DIVISON

NISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNNISHAN SHAWNMARKETING EXECUTIVE

DR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARDR. PUSHPINDER BRARCONTRIBUTING WRITER

RAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMAGRAPHICS DEPARTMENT

ALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYPHOTOGRAPHERS

LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

HOW WE GOT HERE

When thousandsof Liberalsvo ted

overwhelmingly in favour ofa resolution to legalizemarijuana in 2012, they didso based on considerableevidence that the currentprohibitionist system isbroken, and that policies toregulate the substance mustbe cost-effective and betterboth at keeping it out of thehands of young people andkeeping it from devastatingyoung lives withexaggerated criminalpenalties.When cannabis was firstprohibited in Canada in1923, it was done withoutdebate or justification. Verylittle additional government

review of the policy wasconducted until the late1960's when the CanadianGovernment Commission ofInquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs (LeDain Commission) wasstruck. When thatCommission completed itsextensive four-year mandatein 1972, it concluded thatthe costs, particularly toyoung people of a policy ofprohibition of simplepossession were notjustified by the potential forharm of marijuana. TheCommission recommended arepeal of the prohibitionagainst the simplepossession of cannabis.Thirty years later, and withlittle actual change in publicpolicy with respect to

marijuana, the Senate ofCanada's Special Committeeon Illegal Drugs came tolargely the sameconclusions in 2002, arguingthat the widespread use ofcannabis and its relatedcosts to law enforcement(the Committee estimatedthe annual cost of drugenforcement at between$700-millon and $1-billion,with more than three-quarters of annuallyreported police incidentsrelating to marijuana) couldnot be ignored. It citedresearch to show that nearly1-million young people hadtried the substance in theprevious year, and that theexisting system was notdeterring that trend.We know from Statistics

Canada that the burden onlaw enforcement hasn'tlessened since 2002, andthat police have recordedmore than 475,000 incidentsof marijuana-relatedoffences since 2006. That is

as close an approximation asis statistically available tothe number of marijuana-related arrests in Canada,which constitutes asignificant amount of policeresources - not to mentioncompromising futureemployment opportunitiesfor young people who getsaddled with criminalrecords. On top of this, theHarper Conservativesintroduced mandatoryminimum sentences for pot-related offences in Bill C-10in 2012, which will only leadto greater incarcerationcosts moving forward.And just last April welearned that UNICEF (theUnited Nations Children'sFund) has found thatCanada leads the developed

world in cannabis useamong teenagers - ashocking statistic fromwhich it isn't hard toconclude that prohibition isfailing to keep pot out of thehands of Canadian youth. Infact, UNICEF calls for publicpolicy attention to fix thissituation in a manner similar tohow Canada has successfullylowered youth tobacco smoking.Taken all together, we believe itis time to change how weconfront marijuana use inCanada. It is time to have anadult conversation withCanadians and in Parliamentabout this issue- a debatethat is mature and driven byfacts and evidence. Ibelieve Canadians are readyfor this. Let us know if youagree.

BY SEAN CASEYLiberal Justice Critic

I have faith in QuebecSO SHOULD YOU!

By Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau

Contd. from Page 1There is no question that our government and our

institutions must be neutral and secular; church and statemust be separate. But by what logic should we restrict thefreedom of some Quebecers to express their religious beliefs?

Simply because they are not shared by the majority?This is a dangerous road, not just for religious minoritieswithin Quebec, but for all minorities, everywhere in Canada.

The PQ's plan divides the people of Quebec to solve aproblem that does not exist. It creates two classes of citizens- those who hold religious beliefs and those who do not -under the pretext of secularizing a state that is already secular.

These universal rights and freedoms were entrenched inthe Constitution because we believe they are at the core ofour commitment to liberal, constitutional democracy. Weenshrined them in both the Canadian and Quebec Chartersprecisely because they transcend -- and sometimes need tobe shielded from -- the values of the government of the day.Quebecers and all Canadians have built a society that is theenvy of the world because we have succeeded in makingdiversity an immeasurable asset. No Quebecer should bedisqualified from a job in a public institution on the pretextthat they pose a threat to state secularism. A Sikh or Jewishman, a Muslim woman or a woman who wants to wear acrucifix larger than the Parti Québécois dictates, should nothave to choose between their religious belief and theireconomic well being. These symbols do not detract from ourgreat pride as French Quebecers. They do not diminish ourability to live and flourish in French, nor do they prevent usfrom passing onto our children the extraordinary richness ofour language and our culture. In the end, the PQ plan doesnot represent who we are. As René Lévesque himself said,we will be judged according to how we treat our minorities.The PQ government's plan, if adopted, would see historyrender a very harsh verdict indeed.Quebecers and Canadiansdeserve better than this. I have confidence that Quebecerswill demand better than this, and so should you.

1,000 reasons why prorogation will hurt CanadiansThe prime minister is once again showing his contempt for the work of parliamentarians: Mulcair

OTTAWA – The Conservative government’s decision to shut downparliament will impact the lives of Canadians, says NDP leader Tom Mulcair.“Stephen Harper has padlocked Parliament and is preventing MPs fromdoing their job,” said Mr. Mulcair. “MP’s should be back in parliament today,working to find solutions to the challenges facing people.” Prorogation willdelay improving rail safety standards and puts an end to the special committeeon missing aboriginal women. Opposition members will also be preventedfrom asking the government nearly 1,000 questions over extra month’s breakthe Conservatives are taking from Question Period.“Unlike Mr. Harper, my team and I strongly believe in the work ofparliamentarians, the people’s representatives. Prorogation means we won’tbe looking at things like changes to EI or debating Canada’s role in resolvingthe Syrian conflict,” added Mr. Mulcair. “And that’s just one example of thenegative effects of prorogation and the prime minister’s decision to turn hisback on his back on his responsibilities.”Examples of additional negative effects of prorogation:Almost 1,000 fewer questions from opposition members.Correcting Conservative budget mistake delayed, credit unions still have

their taxes more than doubled to 28%.Bill against transgender discrimination once again delayed.Special committee on missing and murdered aboriginal women shut down.Environmental studies on habitat conservation, the Great Lakes, groundwatersurveillance near the oil sands and on the impact of climate change onnorthern fish populations all must now be abandoned. In order to maintainsome accountability over the government’s decisions, our shadow cabinetand MPs will be holding a virtual question period each day through Twitter,directly challenging Conservative ministers to answer.“Problems don’t miraculously disappear just because Conservatives closetheir eyes and try and wish them away,” said Mr. Mulcair. “Mr. Harper has aresponsibility to govern for all Canadians – and he has a duty to respond toquestions that Canadians are asking through their elected representatives.”

Canada DeepensCooperation with Algeria in

Fight Against TerrorismSeptember 15, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to-day announced a contribution of more than $1.2 million towardcounter terrorism initiatives aimed at strengthening border se-curity and judicial systems in North Africa and the Sahel. Hemade the announcement a longs ide Ramtane Lamamra,Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a visit to Alge-ria. During their meeting, the ministers agreed to launchCanada-Algeria counter terrorism consultat ions. The twocountries will seek to renew their terms, until 2015, as co-chairs of the Global Counter terrorism Forum (GCTF) Sahelworking group. “Algeria is a key par tner for Canada in thefight against global terrorism,” said Baird. “Terrorism re-mains the great struggle of our generation, and Canada iscommitted to working with Algeria to strengthen securityand counter terrorism effor ts in Nor th Africa and the Sahel.”Canada and Algeria are founding members of the GCTF.Launched in 2011, the GCTF enables international coordina-tion of civilian counter terrorism capacity building.Through its Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program,Canada provides training, funding, equipment and technicalexper tise to par tner countries with a view to enabling themto prevent and respond to terrorist activities. Baird will bereturning home following his successful trip to Algeria, wherehe met with Abdelmalek Sellal, Algeria’s Prime Minister, as wellas with Foreign Affairs Minister Lamamra. “During my discussions withPrime Minister Sellal and Minister Lamamra, we agreed it is imperativethat our two countries continue to work together to enhance security andeconomic prosperity in North Africa,” said Baird. “I also took this opportu-nity to thank the Algerian government for their cooperation in the after-math of the In Amenas gas plant attack. On behalf of all Canadians,I offered our sincere condolences to the victims of this abhorrentterrorist act.”

Female Host for Radio

Wanted Female host for

RADIO MEHAK416-302-3600



canadaPARLIAMENTREOPENINGDELAYED UNTILOCTOBER 16

Two former journalists willcompete for Toronto Centre riding

NDP PICKED LINDA MCQUAIG (ON LEFT) AS THEIR CANDIDATE WHILE LIBERALS CHOSE CHRYSTIA FREELAND (ON RIGHT)TO RUN FOR TORONTO CENTRE RIDING COURTESY: TWITTER

Prime Minister StephenHarper today issued thefollowing statement on

the 12th anniversary of theSeptember 11 terrorist attacksin the United States and thethird annual National Day ofService:"Today, our countryremembers the thousands oflives lost - including 24Canadians - in New York,Virginia and Pennsylvaniafollowing the terrorist attacksof September 11, 2001."Like the rest of the world,Canadians were shocked atthe hateful acts executed bymembers of Al-Qaeda, whichwere an assault on the valuesand freedoms that Canadaand western nations holddear."Yet in those darkest hours,there were also remarkable

During nomination process Sunday NDP picked LindaMcQuaig as their candidate while Liberals chose ChrystiaFreeland to run for Toronto Centre riding to replace BobRae in a by-election.

The by-election expected to take place this fall in the downtownriding in Toronto will be an important one to see which parties willemerge as an alternative to Conservatives in the next national electionin 2015 confirmed reports."Canadians are ready for a change," Freeland said. "They've hadsome time with the Harper government and they're not too happywith where they've gotten."Meanwhile, McQuaig said Canada was moving to "post-Harper"era.Income inequality in the riding would be on McQuaig's agenda shesaid."She's written about income inequality but she kind of sort of says,'Well this is inevitable, this is part of the global economy, there's

nothing we can do about it,"McQuaig said, referring to Freeland.It's a question of reaching out, getting involved with thosemarginalized groups, listening to their concerns, bringing theirconcerns into our campaign and championing their causes," McQuaigsaid. "And if we do that I very much think we can bring them on tothe NDP side.""I think the world economy is at a tipping point," Freeland toldreporters. "Things are changing really profoundly and only thecountries, companies and people who figure out that this is aconsequential moment are going to make it."Former Liberal provincial politician George Smitherman urged partyto elect Freeland over community organizer Todd Ross and formerbank executive Diana Burke reported Globe and Mail."It's Freeland for me," said Smitherman. "This is the genuine article.She's a woman of conviction, of passion, experience and value."While NDP leader Tom Mulcair tweeted, "Can't wait to see you inParliament!" and congratulated McQuaig.

Canadians in Egypt detainedfor two more weeks

Two Canadians,TarekLoubaniand John Greyson, who havebeen in Cairo prison since mid-August are being detained fortwo more weeks reportsconfirmed Sunday.

"We are obviouslyextremely saddened to hearabout the extension," saidCecilia Greyson, John's sister, ina statement. "But just asimportantly, we are now certainthat John and Tarek's detentionis completely arbitrary, and theprocess they face lacks anysemblance of fairness orcredibility.

The two Canadians,

TarekLoubani, an emergencydoctor from London, Ont. andJohn Greyson, a filmmaker andprofessor at York Universitywere on their way to Gaza,

reported a friend, Justin Poduron his blog.

"While we haveapproached the Egyptianauthorities in good faith and

provided them with swornaffidavits, travel itineraries, andother particulars clarifying thenature of John and Tarek 'st r ip to Gaza , the Egypt ianProsecutor has alternativelymissed and delayed importanthear ings in to John andTarek ' s case and thenex tended the i r de ten t ionrepeatedly without cause," sheadded.

Friends of the two menconfirm no reason for theadditional detention has beenprovided reported the CanadianPress. No charges have been laidfor the duo's arrest.

(On left) TarekLoubani, an emergency doctor from London, Ont. andJohn Greyson, a filmmaker and professor at York University werearrested in Cairo Courtesy: Facebook

9/11 REMEMBERED IN CANADAdisplays of humanity: acts ofbravery and generosityshown by first responders,the military, volunteers, andgood Samaritans, such asthose in Gander,Newfoundland, who joinedtogether to help support,house, feed and comfortthose in need."9/11 also prompted theUnited States and its allies,including Canada, to initiatestronger and more effectivemeasures to prevent and fightglobal terrorism. Recentterrorism-related arrests inCanada and the United Stateshave underscored thenecessity of these toughmeasures to protect thesecurity of all Canadians."I would also like to take thisopportunity to mark our thirdannual National Day of

Service. On this day, we paytribute to those who lost theirlives. We honour theongoing service of the manywho continue to fightterrorism and lend oursupport to the families,friends and all others whohave suffered and sacrificedas part of this struggle. Forthose innocent victims andthe brave men and women inuniform, we reaffirm togetherthat terrorism will notundermine our way of life."On this day, we encourageall Canadians to learn fromtheir example and lend ahelping hand in theircommunity in recognition ofthe compassion and kindnessthat was demonstrated on thattragic day and in the eventsand battles that have sincefollowed."

Ad aims on Quebecdoctors affected by

values charterWe don't care what's on your head.

We care what's in it: LakeridgeHealth hospital in Oshawa, Ont.

Lakeridge Health is planning to run an ad in McGillUniversity student newspaper that would attract healthworkers who would consider moving due to Quebec'svalues char ter. The ad says: "We don't care what's onyour head. We care what's in it," with a picture of aMuslim woman wearing a headscar f and a doctor's whitecoat and stethoscope. The option to move out of Quebecmaybe a choice for some of the healthcare workers whomay be affected by Quebec's values char ter that aims onbanning wearing religious symbol such as a turban, akippa, a hijab or a cross for public sector workers."We thought, given the controversy that's going on inQuebec … maybe this would be an oppor tunity to createsome awareness of what Lakeridge Health is," said KevinEmpey, chief executive of the Oshawa-based hospitalrepor ted CBC News."Our hospital workforce and doctors are slowly becomingmore diverse so we par tly mean it as a signal of we'reopen and we're willing and there's no issue in DurhamRegion, in Lakeridge," he said.Meanwhile a councillor in Richmond Hill launched a websitecalled "RichmondHillWantsYou.Com" that is also set to tar-get healthcare workers looking to move out of Quebec.

Repor ts confirmed Carmine Perrelli has sent out about 200letters to doctors after identifying minorities such asHindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish or Catholic employed inQuebec giving them the option to move to Richmond Hill inthe GTA."I can't see the reason for making someone choosebetween their religion and their occupation," Mr. Perrellisaid in an interview with Globe and Mail. "Richmond Hillis an inclusive community and we'd be happy to have themhere.""If there is going to be anything out there that is going tomake people choose between where they live and howthey practice their faith, and they decide that they want tomove somewhere else, Richmond Hill is welcome to havethem," the politician told CTV News Channel.Many other politicians like Liberal leader Justin Trudeau,Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and Minister ofState for Multiculturalism Tim Uppal have been vocalabout the issue as well."At the federal level, our job is to include Canadians intoour society and our economy, whatever their background,their race, their ethnicity, their religion," said Uppal."Freedom of religion is a universal principle that isprotected under Canada's constitution. Someone is noless Canadian because they wear a turban, a kippa, across or a hijab."

RichmondHillWantsYou.Com is a website that is welcoming doc-tors that may choose to move out of Quebec due to the province'svalues charter Courtesy: RichmondHillWantsYou.Com


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013c a n a d a

Parliament reopening delayed until October 16

Prime Minister with his caucus during cabinet shuffle that took place earlier this year

Parliament will be back insession on October 16 withnew throne speech wherePrime Minister StephenHarper is expected to usherconfirmed reports.Gov. Gen David Johnstonofficially proroguedParliament last week afterthe Prime Minister hadrequest for the delay. TheParliament was initiallysupposed to be back inSeptember after the summerbreak.Reports confirmed thepostponement gives Harperenough time to have a planfor 2015 elections. It alsobuys the conservativessome time before questionsabout senate scandal come

up.Harper on the run fromaccountability, shuts downParliament for fourth time:NDPIn the face of growingscandals, Stephen Harperhas prorogued Parliamentfor the fourth time, addinganother month to hissummer break fromanswering questions aboutthe Senate expense scandal,the role his office played inthe cover-up and hisgovernment's economicmismanagement. "While many familiescontinue to struggle,Stephen Harper is shuttingdown parliament, afraid toanswer questions about the

economy or his involvementin the Senate expensescandal," said NDP leaderTom Mulcair. "Canadiansdeserve better. NewDemocrats are primed andready this fall to take on theConservatives and getresults for people." Today's prorogation alsobetrays the will of theHouse of Commons. InMarch 2010, the Houseapproved Jack Layton'smotion demanding the PrimeMinister seek parliamentaryapproval for anyprorogation lasting longerthan one week. "Stephen Harper is settingnew records for proroguingand avoiding accountability.

He should stop hiding andrecall parliament now to facequestions from the people'srepresentatives," said Mr.Mulcair. Since becoming PrimeMinister, Stephen Harperhas shut down parliamentfor a total of 181 days - anew record for recent PrimeMinisters. Jean Chretienprorogued parliament for145 days, mostly to avoidSponsorship scandalquestions. Brian Mulroney'sprorogations lasted 68 daysin total. New Democrats will beholding a press conferenceon Monday to outline theirplans while the House isprorogued.

Harper Government cracksdown on businesses usingelectronic sales suppressionsoftware to hide salesThe Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Minister of NationalRevenue, P.C., Q.C., M.P., was joined by the Honourable LaurieHawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, and Gar thWhyte of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Associa-tion (CRFA) today to announce new measures to combat theunderground economy and the use of electronic suppression ofsales (ESS) software."Our Government is committed to cracking down those whoattempt to cheat the system and ensuring a level playing fieldfor honest businesses," said Minister Findlay. "All Canadiansmust meet their tax obligations. Businesses that use ESS soft-ware to underrepor t their revenues and avoid paying taxes areon notice. We will continue to suppor t Canadians who workhard, play by the rules, and pay their taxes."Taxpayers are required to maintain adequate books and recordsas well as all of their electronic data files. ESS software (com-monly known as "zapper" software) selectively deletes or modi-fies sales transactions in point-of-sale systems (for example,electronic cash registers) and business accounting systems,leaving no record of the original transaction. The use of ESSsoftware undermines the competitiveness of businesses thatabide by the rules, as it offers an unfair advantage to those whofail to comply with Canada's tax laws."When some businesses cheat, we all lose. These new mea-sures are an impor tant piece of our Government's plan to helpCanada continue on its path to economic growth," added M.P.Hawn.Economic Action Plan 2013 proposed new administrative mon-etary penalties and criminal offences under both the Excise TaxAct and Income Tax Act to specifically address software thatcan suppress sales records. These measures will strengthenexisting penalties and offences for making false statements oromissions under each of the Excise Tax Act and the Income TaxAct, as well as existing sanctions under the Criminal Code.Under the new proposals, businesses that use, possess, oracquire ESS software will face monetary penalties of $5,000 ona first infraction, and $50,000 on any subsequent infraction.Anyone who manufactures, develops, sells, possesses for sale,offers for sale or otherwise makes available ESS software willface monetary penalties of $10,000 on a first infraction, and$100,000 on any subsequent infraction.Businesses or others found guilty of a criminal offence of using,possessing, acquiring, manufacturing, developing, selling, offering for sale,or otherwise making available ESS software will face:· on summary conviction, a fine of not less than $10,000and not more than $500,000, or imprisonment for a term of notmore than two years, or both; or· on conviction by indictment, a fine of not less than$50,000 and not more than $1 million or imprisonment for aterm of not more than five years, or both."The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association wel-comes this step, which penalizes the underground economy,not the above-ground economy," said Gar th Whyte, CRFA presi-dent and CEO. "These measures appropriately target the producers,installers, and users of sales-distorting software, while supporting thecompetitiveness of Canada's hard-working small business community,among them 81,000 restaurants, the vast majority of which paytheir taxes and operate in full transparency."

Conservatives must face student debt crisis: NDPTuition rates expected to climb 13 per cent over next four yearsOTTAWA - The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a study today that should sound the alarm for education policymakersaround the country. The CCPA finds that tuition rates will climb an average of 13 per cent over the next four years, making access to post-secondary education even more difficult for young Canadians.Already, Canadian students have an average of $28,000 of federal debt alone when they graduate, according to Statistics Canada.Already, they meet a youth unemployment rate of 14.1 per cent - twice that of the nation-wide average. And now, they face ever higherdebt loads that force post-secondary education out of reach for some young Canadians."Young Canadians are saddled with lifelong debt sentences" said NDP critic for Post-Secondary Education Dan Harris (ScarboroughSouthwest). "This problem isn't going away - it's getting worse. New Democrats call on the government to work with the provinces andterritories to reduce the costs of post-secondary education and to tackle, head on, the problems of affordability and student debt."



indiaindiaindiaindiaindiaindiaindiaindia ADVANTAGE MODI,MANMOHAN SINGH ALIABILITY

PM promises justice to Muzaffarnagar victims

The “guilty should be punished”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singhsaid on Monday during a visit to violence-hit Muzaffarnagar dis-trict in Uttar Pradesh, along with Congress president Sonia Gandhiand party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.“It was a very tragic incident and those guilty should be pun-ished,” Dr. Singh told reporters.The leaders met people affected in violence and ensured all help

to the state government to restore normalcy in the district.Manmohan Singh said: “Our priority will be that people displaced(in clashes) feel secure and arrangements are made for their safetytill they not return home.”As many as 48 people were killed in the riots in the western townof Muzaffarnagar. More than 43,000 people have been displacedand are currently taking shelter in 38 relief camps.

DELHI

ELECTIONSCONTD. FROM PAGE 4Delhi elections will be a three horse raceThe numbers seem close for AAP, Congress and the BJP.

And for the first time it will be a competition among three sideswith the introduction of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.

The survey revealed that 34% of voters still favour theCongress, 28% will voted for the BJP and 20% want to vote forAAP.

But the numbers might have a slight change after NarendraModi was elected the PM candidate of the BJP.

AAP won't make difference to power costsThe Hindutan Times - C fore survey that aired out on

CNN-IBN revealed that 56% of people think that the Aam AadmiParty won't make a difference to power tariffs. Also, 20% thinkAAP will be voted to power, while the Congress still remainsthe clear favourite with 34%.

Yogendra Yadav was of the opinion that though thenumbers are low it is quite impressive that a party that hasnever contested elections got these many numbers.

Will Onion prices bring down Sheila Dikshit governmentThe survey has revealed that 35% of voters are of the

opinion that price rise and corruption are according to the voterskey issues that will decide the votes this year.

Congress member Ragini Nayak says that the story ofdevelopment taken up by Sheila Dikshit cannot be refuted, "Ifit is a concern for the aam aadmi then it is a concern forCongress."

With the Assembly elections approaching in New Delhi,Hindutan Times - C fore conducted a poll in the national capitalwhere they asked the voters their opinions on how they plannedto vote.

The survey has revealed that 35% voters in Delhi considerrise in food prices as the top issue in their minds: only 7% ofthem consider corruption to be the biggest issue.

When it came to parties the Congress and the Aam AadmiParty were neck-and-neck among young, first-time voters.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013i n d i a

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is fast turning out to be a liabilityfor the Congress.A diminishing credit rating of his government at the Centre isaffecting the for tunes of the Congress par ty in all four states goingto polls in two months - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarhand Delhi. An opinion poll and survey conducted by C-Voter &Times Now concluded that the Congress would not win in any of thefour states.If these predictions turn into actual results for the BJP, then itsprime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who towers over RahulGandhi, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi in these surveys,would get just the right kind of galvanizing booster dose thechallenger desires to take on the Congress in the big battle of 2014,the Parliamentary elections.Another poll survey by Cfore for CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times,however, suggests a slightly optimistic situation for the Congress inDelhi even if it loses some seats to the BJP and to the nascent AamAdmi Par ty. It gives 32-37 seats to the Congress, 22-27 to the BJPand 7-12 seats to AAP. In the last election, the Congress had won 43seats and BJP 23.Delhi is turning out to be an interesting, even complicated battleground. The entry of AAP has changed the shape of the polity in thecity state from bi-polar to triangular. Net results of some otheropinion polls including C-Voter's latest survey that have beenconducted so far suggest that as it moves closer to elections inDelhi, Sheila Dikshit is gradually losing ground despite holding ahigh personal rating. She may have to pay the price for the follies ofthe Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. The BJP is slowlycatching up, but bereft of a strong face it is still not in a position togain a majority. Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Admi Par ty could just playthe spoiler. He has gained some goodwill but how much of thattranslates into votes remains to be seen.Delhi may not be a full-fledged state but the impor tance of who

controls the city government lies in the old wisdom - whosoeverwins Delhi gets to rule the nation. There has been only one excep-tion to this, in 1999, but since then the Congress has been on anupswing both in Assembly and in seven Parliamentary seats inDelhi.In the last Assembly elections, the Congress won 43 out of 70Assembly seats and all Parliamentary seats.The C-Voter survey makes an interesting point - Manmohan Singhmay still have numbers in Lok Sabha to survive but he has com-pletely lost popular confidence. The survey says only 3 percent ofDelhi's people approve of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister asagainst a whopping 55 percent for Modi. Rahul Gandhi is preferredby 18 percent people. In Madhya Pradesh the credit rating forManmohan Singh is a miserly 8 percent, for Modi the rating is 59percent and 16 percent for Rahul Gandhi. In Rajasthan only 8percent are said to be in approval for Singh, 48 percent for Modiand 17 percent for Rahul.The survey results in all these four states suggest that if Parliamen-tary elections were held immediately, the incumbent Congressregime at the Centre is on shaky ground. That cer tainly is bad news

ADVANTAGE MODI, MANMOHAN SINGH A LIABILITY

Surveys show Congress losing in MadhyaPradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi

for Rahul Gandhi and his team. After the anointment of NarendraModi as the opposition NDA's prime ministerial candidate, ques-tions are being asked why Congress is shy of announcing RahulGandhi's name for a Presidential-style fight.The poll predictions for Rajasthan where both Modi and RahulGandhi have kicked off campaigns for BJP and the Congressrespectively suggest a clear victory for BJP with 118 seats in the200-member Assembly. The Congress could get 64, dropping fromthe 96 seats it won last time. The BJP's chief ministerial candidateVasundhara Raje's approval rating of 44 percent has gone upsubstantially higher than chief minister Ashok Gehlot's rating at 26percent.In Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan with his friendly nextdoor neighbour image, is poised for a comfortable win, a thirdconsecutive term for BJP. The C-Voter predicts 130 seats for BJP inthe 230-member Assembly. The BJP could be down 13 seats fromthe previous tally of 130. The Congress may be slightly up from 71to 84 but still far away from winning.Similarly in Chhattisgarh, Dr Raman Singh's effective distribution ofsubsidized foodgains and cooked meals is keeping him in goodesteem among the people. The survey suggests that he will get amajority with 47 seats in the 90-member assembly.The plus for the BJP in these states is a strong regional face inVasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh.Narendra Modi's elevation may not be a big influence in these threestates but can work for the BJP in Delhi where it does not have aworthwhile face to challenge Sheila Dikshit or Arvind Kejriwal.Another interesting feature that comes out is that the BSP, whichhad made its presence felt in all these states, could lose fur thergrounds in a sharpened BJP versus Congress contest.The good news for Modi is that the survey predicts the BJP couldmake substantive gains in Rajasthan where it had fared badly in thelast elections, and in Delhi where it scored zero. If that happens,the advancement of the Modi juggernaut to Raisina Hill woulddepend on UP and Bihar. The two states together have 120 seatsand the BJP currently has only 22 of these. Thanks to theSamajwadi Par ty's misadventures and mishandling of incidentssuch as Muzaffarnagar, momentum is catching up fast in UP for theBJP. Modi is going to Patna on Oct 27 to galvanise his emergingsupport base in Bihar to wage war against Nitish Kumar.The Election Commission could announce poll schedule for thesefour states, as also of Manipur, some time next week. The highstakes battle is just about to begin.

For someone — and I say it with some shame and embar-rassment — who cut his teeth in journalism on a hefty diet ofcommunal riots in western Uttar Pradesh in the 1970s-1980s,reading about the events in Muzaffarnagar and seeing imagesof violence and destruction is like watching history replayedin slow motion. There are the same conflicting versions ofwho “star ted it first”; the same self-righteous asser tion ofinnocence by both sides; the same familiar-sounding allega-tions of high-handedness/one-sidedness levelled against thepolice; and, most nauseatingly, the same political blamegame.Back then it was simpler to pick a villain. There were only

two main political par ties — the Congress and the Jana Sangh(later renamed the Bharatiya Janata Par ty). Or two and a half ifyou counted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh whose shadowalways hovered in the background. Now, there are enoughpar ties to fill a planet. So, in the past few days we have seenthe Congress, the BJP, the Samajwadi Par ty, the Bahujan SamajPar ty and the Rashtriya Lok Dal — to name a few — busyfinger-pointing when they should have been trying to restorepeace and sanity.Past and presentGenerally, Hindu-Muslim relations are a great deal more robusttoday than they were in the 1970s when tension was alwayssimmering under the sur face — and a riot waiting to happen.While researching a book on the subject, I found a refreshingchange in the attitudes of both communities. Young Hindus andMuslims say they have no wish to carry on with old grudgesand simply want to get on with their lives. But what has notchanged and may, in fact, have become worse as electoralpolitics has become more fiercely competitive, is the cynicaluse of religion and caste for votes. The pattern of events inMuzaffarnagar has an all-too-familiar ring: an incident, whose

provenance itself is uncer tain, blows up into a full-scalecommunal conflagration with a little help from an assortment ofpolitical interests united by an obscene greed for votes.In the U.K. Divisive politics is not unique to India. Political parties evenin the most advanced countries thrive on divisions, mostly along racelines, but the mark of a civilised political discourse is to know whenand where to draw the line. In the more civilised societies, the line isdrawn at the point where there is a danger of tipping into violence —and a loss of human lives. In Britain, for instance, even the most rabidlyracist group would not be caught crossing the line between legitimatepropaganda and incitement to violence. They would not be allowed to— plain and simple. Moreover, there is evidence that British votersdon’t reward hate politics.In India’s crude sab chalta hai laissez faire political culture, there are noredlines and political parties get away literally with murder. Worse,voters often reward them for bad behaviour if they believe suchbehaviour has been exercised on their behalf. There is a certain chiefminister who after State riots, went on to win three succes-sive elections despite questions about his role in one ofIndia’s worst examples of sectarian violence. And he couldbe your next prime minister!

In Muzaffarnagar,back to the future



worldAmerica and Russia agree plan to'eliminate' Syria's chemical weapons

John Kerry, left, and Sergei Lavrov after agreeing the proposal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.

Three days of intense negotiations between John Kerry, theUS secretary of state, and Sergei Lavrov, his Russiancounterpart, saw the pair reach "a shared assessment" of the

Syrian stockpile and issue an ultimatum for Damascus to destroy allof its weapons.

Mr Kerry said the four page accord reached in Geneva inresponse to an American threat to launch punitive strikes against

Bashar al-Assad's government committed both Washington andMoscow to take action under Chapter 7 of the UN charter – whichcovers sanctions and military action – if it fails.

Mr Kerry said inspectors from the Organisation for theProhibition of Chemical Weapons must be on the ground by mid-November with "unfettered" access to suspect weapons sites andall weapons handed over by mid-2014.

MEXICO STORMS KILL AT LEAST24 AND FORCE THOUSANDS TO

EVACUATE HOMES

"Providing this framework is fully implemented it can end thethreat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but alsotheir neighbours," Mr Kerry said. "There are timelines in here. Theinspectors must be on the ground no later than November and thegoal is to establish the removal by halfway through next year."

The first test will come within a week when Damascus is expectedto provide a comprehensive list of its stocks. A detailed plan todestroy Syria's 1,000 tons of Sarin, Mustard gas and Vx nerve agentwill then be forged between the inspectors and the regime.

Officials said a key breakthrough in the talks came when Russiannegotiators embraced US estimates of the size of the Syrian arsenal,spread over more than 40 sites.

"There are probably 45 sites associated with Syria's chemicalweapons programme – roughly half have exploitable quantities ofchemical weapons materials," a US official said.

Russia and America will not put the deal to the UN SecurityCouncil under the terms of Chapter 7, which sets out sanctions andpossible military action to ensure enforcement. However, Mr Lavrovbroke new ground by promising to impose the chapter in the eventof non-compliance.

"In the case of those demands not being fulfilled, or in the caseof anyone using chemical weapons, the Security Council will takemeasures according to Chapter 7 of the United Nations charter," MrLavrov said. He cautioned, however, that allegations of violationswould not be automatically accepted by the Security Council.

"Of course it does not mean that each violation reported to theSecurity Council will be taken on trust. Each will be investigated.We will try to ensure authenticity."

President Barack Obama, who said the agreement was an"important step", has reserved the ultimate right to carry out strikesthreatened when Assad forces carried out a chemical attack in easternDamascus on August 21 that killed more than 1,400 people,including more than 400 children.

But observers have been stunned by the scope of thediplomatic bargain Mr Kerry has secured with Russia, even itslack of detail raises questions over its feasibility. "It might yetfall apart but this is American air power at its most effective. Ithas not actually been used but is an indispensable resource that hascoerced a dictatorial regime," said Paul Schulte, a former weapons inspector."It has reinforced the chemical weapons taboo that every right-mindednation must be involved against their use."

Stormy conditions led some communities in affected statesto cancel Independence Day celebrations planned for Sundayand Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Manuelbegan to weaken as soon as it made landfall near the por t ofManzanillo during the afternoon, but remained a threat to pro-duce flash floods and mudslides. It was predicted to dissipateby Monday. In the southern coastal state of Guerrero, authoritiessaid a landslide on the outskir ts of Acapulco buried a house andkilled six family members. Three people were swept to theirdeaths by a river, also on the edge of the resor t city. A collapsingwall killed one person in the city.Elsewhere in Guerrero, six people died when their pickup truckskidded on a rain-swept highway in the mountains, and land-slides killed two more people.The rains caused some rivers to over flow, damaging hundredsof homes and disrupting communications for several hours. Manuel had maximum sustained winds of about 40mph (65kph)and was moving to the nor thwest at 9mph (15kph) late Sundayafternoon. Its centre was about 35 miles (60 kilometres) nor th-west of Manzanillo.Rains from Ingrid caused landslides that killed three people inthe central state of Puebla, and a woman died when a landslideburied her house in Hidalgo state.

w o r l d


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013w o r l d

AFGHANISTAN'S MOST SENIORFEMALE POLICE OFFICER DIESAFTER ATTACK BY GUNMEN

“AFGHAN OFFICIALS SAY A TOP POLICEWOMANIN THE COUNTRY'S SOUTH HAS DIED FROMGUNSHOT WOUNDS INFLICTED BY UNKNOWNATTACKERS, MONTHS AFTER HERPREDECESSOR WAS SLAIN.

Sub-Inspector Negar, 38,suffered a bullet wound tothe neck. Helmand provincegovernment spokesmanOmar Zawak and policespokesman Fareed AhmadObaidi said she died earlyMonday.Negar, known by just onename, worked in theHelmand police's criminalinvestigation department inLashkar Gah city.She'd spoken out about theneed for female policeofficers in Afghanistan,which has seen a string ofattacks on prominentwomen.Negar's predecessor as topfemale officer in Helmand,Islam Bibi, was gunneddown in July.Women make up just 1 percent of police officers inAfghanistan. They oftenface threats from militantsas well as their own families.

Policewomen in Afghanistan are often bullied and abused by their malecolleagues and are greater targets for the insurgency, Oxfam reported

Criticism grows as BarackObama welcomes Syria deal

as 'important step'

“US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA HASWELCOMED THE DEAL TO STRIP SYRIA OFCHEMICAL WEAPONS AS AN "IMPORTANTSTEP" BUT LEADING POLITICANS ON THE RIGHTHAVE BRANDED IT AN ACT OF WEAKNESS

In a White Housestatement, Mr Obama saidthat if the regime of Syria'sPresident Bashar al-Assad

does not live up to the dealWashington reached withSyria's ally Russia, "the UnitedStates remains prepared toact." He said the accord wasmade possible "in part" bywhat he called his crediblethreat to use force againstSyria as punishment for itsalleged use of chemicalweapons against civilians lastmonth. "The use of chemicalweapons anywhere in theworld is an affront to humandignity and a threat to thesecurity of peopleeverywhere," he said. "Wehave a duty to preserve a worldfree from the fear of chemicalweapons for our children.Today marks an important steptowards achieving this goal."But two influential USlawmakers, John McCain andLindsey Graham, said MrKerry's deal was an act ofweakness. "This agreementdoes nothing to resolve thereal problem in Syria, which isthe underlying conflict that haskilled 110,000 people, drivenmillions from their homes,destabilized our friends andallies in the region, emboldenedIran and its terrorist proxies,

and become a safe haven forthousands of Al-Qaedaaffiliated extremists," the twoRepublican senators said in ajointly-released statement.They added that they fearAmerica's friends and foesalike will view the agreement"as an act of provocativeweakness on America's part.""We cannot imagine a worsesignal to send to Iran as itcontinues its push for a nuclearweapon," said Graham andMcCain, who was theRepublicans' nominee forpresident in 2008."Assad will use the months andmonths afforded to him to delayand deceive the world usingevery trick in Saddam Hussein'splaybook. It requires a willfulsuspension of disbelief to seethis agreement as anything otherthan the start of a diplomaticblind alley, and the ObamaAdministration is being led intoit by Bashar Assad and (RussianPresident) Vladimir Putin." TheUS says the attack killed morethan 1,400 people while the

advantages anddisadvantages," he told ArmyRadio. The United Statesdecision to remove Syria'schemical arsenal was a sign ofUS "rationality", Iran's speakerof parliament said. Speaker AliLarijani said in a news

conference late on Saturdaythat any U.S. strike inretaliation for the gas attackwould result in a larger conflictin the region and would beagainst international law, andthat U.S. policymakers hadrealised this.

"We are hopeful that Americanpoliticians have somerationality so they avoidextremist behaviour, and theevents of the last few days andthe decisions that have beentaken indicate this rationality,"Larijani said

regime and Russia have put theblame on the rebels. In the firstSyrian reaction to thedevelopment, a cabinet ministerclaimed a great victory thanks toRussian intervention."We welcome the agreement,"Ali Haidar, the SyrianReconciliation Minister toldRussia's Ria Novosti, giving hiscountry's first reaction."On the one hand, it helps Syriacome out of the crisis and, onthe other, it helps avoid the waragainst Syria depriving thosewho wanted to launch it ofarguments to do so," Mr Haidarsaid. "It's a victory for Syriaachieved thanks to our Russianfriends."China's foreign ministerwelcomed the deal between theUnited States and Russia toeliminate Syria's chemical weaponsas a step to easing tensions.Leading Israeli ministers alsoembraced the deal. "Like any deal itwill be judged on its results. Wehope it will succeed," saidYuval Steinitz, the StrategicAffairs Minister. "The deal has



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



'GRAND MASTI' TAKES THE BOX OFFICE

BY STORM, EARNS RS 26 CR IN 2 DAYS

Racist tweets mar sweetmoment for Nina Davuluri, firstMiss America of Indian origin

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar hospitalised

RANVEER SINGH AND DEEPIKA PADUKONE PROMOTING “RAM LEELA”

FOR BEST DEALS AND INFORMATION SEE PAGE 32

Sreesanth rubbishes towel talkIndia fast bowler S Sreeesanthmaintains he is innocent in thespot fixing saga, the Board ofControl for Cricket in India’s life bannotwithstanding. In a letter tothe BCCI, Sreesanth hastouched upon thecharge relating to himputting a towel in histrouser to signal to bookiesthat runs would be givenaway.

In May, the then DelhiPolice Commissioner NeerajKumar revealed: “In certainovers they (the players) weresupposed to give away a certainamount of runs. The bookies gaveplayers instructions that theyhave to indicate that they wouldgive away these runs.

The instructions were ‘put

the towel in your trousers or taketime setting up the field or take

out the shirt orthe vests thatyou are

wearing’.”

Friday the 13th isconsidered unlucky orinauspicious for some,

but those associated with 'GrandMasti' will never forget this date.Ever. Although the Friday goneby witnessed the release of threefilms ['Grand Masti' and 'HorrorStory'], 'Grand Masti' emergedthe clear winner by a widemargin, fetching the fourthbiggest start of the year, after'Chennai Express', Yeh JawaaniYeh Deewani' and 'Race 2'. Tradeanalyst Taran Adarsh took toTwitter to pen the numbers,"#GrandMasti shows amplegrowth in major circuits on Day

2. Sat *early estimates* 13.5 cr.Total: 26 cr. Heading for 40 cr+weekend. Wow!," he posted.

The massive start clearlyreiterates the fact that films from thecomic genre with a generous dosageof sex, skin show and sleaze neverfails to entice audiences. Besides, Istrongly feel, this genre can neverfade into oblivion, while othergenres resurface in cycles. Thefirst promo of 'Grand Masti' hadcreated ample buzz for this adultcomedy. Adding to the enormoushype was the subsequent stayon release in a few states.Though the stay was vacated aday prior to its release, it did

manage to give the film'spromotion an unintended boostby drawing attention to the contentof the film. Conversely, the early

morning shows in those states werebadly affected since a section ofmoviegoers were uncertain of itsrelease/show timings.

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, 90 was hospitalised late on Sundayevening after he suffered from a hear t attack.Sources in Lilavati Hospital where he was admitted said that hewas complaining of pain in the chest and breathlessness.Kumar was wheeled into the intensive care unit (ICU) of LilavatiHospital in Bandra West at around 9 pm."He is aging and has suffered from massive hear t attack of theinferior wall," said a source in the hospital.The actor has been admitted under the care of cardiologist Dr NitinGokhale on the 6th floor in the Intensive Care Unit."He is not on ventilator and is conscious," said the source."Inferior wall heart attacks are of severe type, " said a doctor. The

inferior wall of the hear t is above the diaphragm and close to thespine. "The attack happens when a por tion of the hear t is cut off ofblood supply. Blood supply to the ar teries supplying blood to inferiorwall can occur due to deposition of fat plaque. Inferior wall is smallerin size hence the impact is huge. Such attacks happen due to mul-tiple reasons including ageing. Surgery might not be a viable optionat such an old age and therefore treating doctors might opt for con-servative treatment with drugs," said Dr Narendra Bansal, head ofcardiology at state-run JJ Hospital in Byculla.Dilip Kumar was born Muhammad Yusuf Khan on December 11,1922, in Peshawar (now in Pakistan) and his acting career spannedsix decades and over 60 films.

DETAILS ON PAGE 21

DETAILS ON PAGE 21

WASHINGTON: The tiara had barely been placed on her head and thecustomary tears of joy had just emerged when racist taunts eruptedon social media, marring the moment of triumph for the first everMiss America of Indian origin."And the Arab wins Miss America. Classic," tweeted @Granvil_Coltminutes after the usual final flourish ended in the crowning of Indian-American Nina Davuluri, the current Miss New York, as the newMiss America. ' 'Ummm wtf? Have we forgotten 9/11?'' asked@anthonytkr, associating her with the terrorist attack on the UnitedStates. Some called her Miss Al Qaida and others dubbed her MissTerrorist. ''How the f*** does a foreigner win miss America? She isa Arab!'' followed up @jakeamick5.Davuluri, for the record, is very much American, but of Indian origin,just as sundry racist tweeple are of European and Caucasian extract.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 b o l l y w o o d

2 Aashiqui 2 Tum hi ho

3 Raanjhanaa Raanjhanaa

4 Ramaiya Vastavaiya Jeene Laga Hoon

5 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Zinda

6 Chennai Express 1234 Get On The Dance Floor

7 Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani Badtameez Dil

8 Chennai Express Titli

9 Raanjhanaa Tum Tak

10 Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai 2 Ye Tune Kya Kiya

top

10

MOVIE COLLECTIONS

HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEKPOLICEGIRI FLOP

YEH JAWANI HAIN DEEWANI BLOCK BUSTER

YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA -2 FLOP

RAANJHANAA HIT

UpcomingBOLLYWOOD Movies

SONGFILM

songs SAWAARLOON

Film:Lootera1

BESHARAMRELEASE DATE: 02-Oct-2013

STARING: Ranbir Kapoor, Pallavi

Sharda, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh

DIRECTOR(S): Abhinav Kashyap

PRODUCER: Sanjeev Gupta,

Himanshu Mehra

MUSIC Lalit Pandit

WRITER Abhinav Kashyap,

Rajeev Barnwal

PHATA POSTER NIKLAHERORELEASE DATE: 20-Sep-2013

STARING: Shahid Kapoor, Ileana D

DIRECTOR(S): Rajkumar Santoshi

PRODUCER: Ramesh Taurani, Ronnie

Screwvala, Siddhar th Roy Kapur

MUSIC Pritam

WRITER Rajkumar Santoshi

BOSSRELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013

STARING: Akshay Kumar, Aditi Rao

Hydari, Shiv Pandit, Mithun Chakraborty,

Danny Denzongpa, Johny Lever, Parikshit

Sahani, Ronit Roy

DIRECTOR(S): Anthony D'Souza

PRODUCER: Ashwin Varde

WRITER : Anthony D'Souza, Siby

K. Thomas, Udaykrishnan

Cast: Vivek Oberoi, Aftab

Shivdasani, Riteish Deshmukh

Director: Indra Kumar

Rating: *1/2

Is that Farhan Akhtar's Lucky 3from Dil Chahta Hai standingunder Indra Kumar's lucky treefrom Dil?We can re-christen Grand Mastias Dildo Chahta Hai. And if thatsounds crude then wait till yousee and hear what Indra Kumar'snew cocksure comedy has instore for you. There is no pullingback from the black hole ofluridness this time. The hornytrio of boys from Indra Kumar'sMasti are all groin up now.They still continue to beobsessed with one part of theiranatomy and two parts of theother gender's.I remember many of IndraKumar's film featured a particulartree which the director considerslucky. There is a tree here inGrand Masti too, where a rigidcollege principal hangs anystudent who looks withlascivious intent at the girls onthe campus.A spot of Agneepath in a filmwhere life, strictly below thewaist is not just hard. It's hard-to-get.The three leering...sorry leadingmen who, ummmm, cometogether represent the spirit ofdefiant devil-may-care let's-just-stand-erect-and-stare skirt-chasing that seems at odds withthe current save-women-from-rape mood of the country. If youfeel movies that objectify womenmust be discouraged then youare advised to stay as far awayfrom this horny farce as possible.Lekin horny ko kaun taal saktahai?There are the comedies. Then

DILLI GANGRELEASE DATE: 27-Sep-2013

STARING: Darshan Jariwala, Neena

Kulkarni, Yashpal Sharma, Amir Dalvi,

Asrani

DIRECTOR : Ashish Tyagi

PRODUCER : Rajeshwar Tyagi

WRITER : Ibrahim Ashq, Vikram

Chaudhary, Naveen Tyagi

'I want to be a recklessguy. I don't know what

stops me'

THE LUNCHBOXRELEASE DATE: 20-Sep-2013

STARING: Irr fan Khan,

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nimrat Kaur,

Sanjeev Kapoor

DIRECTOR(S): Ritesh Batra

PRODUCER: Guneet Monga,

Anurag Kashyap, Arun Rangachari

there are the SEX comedies.Filled with innuendos,suggestive leery double-meaning dialogues that make uschuckle and giggle even if we arenot the sort who like to exchangedirty jokes in the sms, GrandMasti has itself a ball at theexpense of basic good taste.The gags in Grand Mastiunabashedly celebrate thepuerile spirit of sms forwards.You know those jokes aboutwomen's breasts and men in aperpetual state of arousal thatare exchanged among 12-yearold boys who have just

discovered the birds and thebees?If you packaged those pssst-pssst jokes from your puberty inplenty of loud aggressivedialogues loaded with doublemeanings and oodles of close-ups of breasts of all shapes andsizes you'd get into the spirit ofGrand Masti. To their credit thethree, er, boys Aftab Shivdasani,Vivek Oberoi and RiteshDeshmukh, now in their mid-30s,get into the spirit of the sex-comedy full-on. Oh, they lovetalking dirty! The one thing thatworks fully in this film's favour

is it unabashed homage tohorniness. Our three heroes areperpetually aroused. To prove itthey emanate moans groans andsighs constantly. They smacktheir lips and roll their eyes asthough to remind us that somethings in life, like skirt-chasingin films about men on the prowl,never change, even if you havea wife at home that you can'tchange. Director Indra Kumarhas never been a slave tosubtlety. Here he pulls out allstops. He also pulls out otherummentionable objects that aredefiantly pointed into our faces.

Shahid Kapoor reminisces aboutcompleting a decade in Bollywood,being single and more in a candidchatWhen you entered the industry, youwere in your early 20s. What haveyou learnt a decade later?I have learnt that it is importantto invest in people. You have towork with talent you believe inand, as an actor, submit to thedirector's vision. I think more fromthe heart now. Though I havelearnt a lot, I still have a lot tolearn about how to deal with people,acting and relationships. Are youmore mature now?I have seen old people behavechildishly and young people behavein a mature manner. You can bemature at any age. I think I used to

be too serious as a youngster, I'mmore chilled out now. I'm moreexperienced now but I don't know ifI have matured. I am a wannabereckless guy. I don't know what stopsme, but it would be fabulous if I couldlet myself go some more. The firsttwo decades of my life were quitetough. Now, I am much moreadventurous. You are attemptingcomedy for the first time in PhataPoster Nikla Hero.What prompted directorRajkumar Santoshi to cast you?Rajkumar Santoshi liked myperformances in Jab We Met andVivaah. He said that there wascertain honesty in thosecharacters and that is what hewanted in Phata Poster.... He wantedmy character to be vulnerable.

MAAZIIRELEASE DATE: 27-Sep-2013

STARING: Sumeet Nijhawan, Mona

Wasu, Manish Choudhary, Pankaj Tripathi,

Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Manav Kaushik,

Mukesh Rishi, Zakir Hussain, Ashok Bhatia,

Mohit Chouhan, Devender Chaudhary,

Pooja Bisht, Saanvi Sharma

Movie Review


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013b o l l y w o o d

I am a lazy actor:KAJOL

Thank God! DilipKumar is stable after

heart attack

Why Kareena remindsVeteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar was admitted to the Lilavatihospital in Bandra (W) last evening after suffering a heart attack

`He is aging and has suffered a heart attack of the inferior wall,`said a source from the hospital. He has been kept underobservation in the Intensive Care Unit and is under the care ofcardiologist Dr Nitin Gokhale. Kumar was brought to the hospitalat around 8.30 pm. `He was feeling uncomfortable in the evening,so we got him to Lilavati hospital. Now his routine check-up isgoing on. We will be able to talk only tomorrow morning, but heis fine,` the actor's manager said. `He is not on ventilator and isconscious and also well-oriented,` said a hospital source. DrNarendra Trivedi, COO of Lilavati Hospital, said, ̀ He was broughtto the hospital at 9pm. He had breathing problems and he hasbeen admitted in the ICU. He is under the care of cardiologists.However, there is no cause of concern, he is absolutely stableand has been kept in the ICU just for observation.`

Girls kicking butt excitesme: Neha Sharma wants todo an Angelina Jolie

Neha Sharma wanted to study fashion designing. However,destiny had other plans for her

She took on theTelugu film, shewas offered incollege, andembarked on acareer in films withprojects like Crook,Teri Meri Kahaaniand Kya SuperKool Hai Hum in herkitty. Excerpts froman interview.New and excitingActually, I don'twant to do stuffthat others havedone before. Thereis no fun in it.However, I wouldlove to act in amusical film with alot of song anddance. Action isanother genre,whichI want toexplore. In fact, Iwant to do thehardcore action sequences on my own, something like AngelineJolie did in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The idea of girls kickingbutt is what excitesme.Dancing QueenDance is my passion. Being an actor, it is a part of my jobprofile. Hence, it's important to know the craft. It is easier tograsp the dance moves of the choreographer if you know a bitof dancing yourself. Dancing keeps me fit, and I enjoy it morethan any other form of work out.Health is wealthIn my profession I am expected to look good on screen. Hence,I need to eat right and exercise well. I change my work outs asmy body adapts well to the change and responds beautifully. Ido weight training, cardio, yoga, swimming, weight trainingand kick boxing to stay in shape.Comfortable in my skinWhen it comes to fashion, I take it easy. I am more of a casualdresser, who loves her trousers, shorts and tees. I am not veryfond of tight clothes and denims. But for a special occasion, Itake extra effort to dress to the hilt.

Kajol, 39, took a sabbatical from full-time acting in 2001 and returned to films with the 2006romantic thriller "Fanaa". But, afterwards she was only seen in cameo appearances. She waslast seen in a prominent role in Karan Johar's home production "We Are Family" (2010). "I am lazy...I can't do more work or films beyond some extent. Two films a year is enough for me so that I feel I amworking. I don't think of any film as mine till I start shooting for it. After I start working then it is mine... Itis a healthy attitude," Kajol told in an interview. Asked what keeps her in demand despite not being in

the limelight, Kajol said, "May be I am away from work, that is why I am in demand. I am workingfor more than 20 years, but I have done little work, handful of films. There are others whodo three times or four times more films than I do." And now she is set to return withhusband Ajay Devgn's home production. "It is a nice script and story but nothing to talkabout it as of now.... It is too premature," she says. But she also added that she will not beseen regularly in films as family is her priority now. "Definitely I will not do films regularly.I will take time off. I don't want to do film just for the heck of it. I have a full life; I have ahusband, two kids, house, a production company and other things. "So for me to takeout time and do a film that means that film needs to have something strong... I need tobelieve in this film and I will do wonders with it," she said. As to Ajay's productioncompany, she says she is creatively involved, but not into the nitty-gritty. And thoughshe is not an avid movie-goer, she does not miss her husband's films. "I enjoy all his

work... He is a fabulous and fine actor.

IMRAN OF AVANTIKAImran Khan has teamed up againwith his Ek Main Aur Ekk Tuheroine Kareena Kapoor Khanfor Karan Johar's Gori Tere PyaarMein. Imran shares more aboutthe film with TWF correspondentSreya Basu in MumbaiWhat was that one thing thatmade you pair up with Kareenafor a second time in Gori TerePyaar Mein?In Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, she didnot accept my love in the climax,she didn't fall for me. So this timeI am back with vengeance and amission to win her back.The film is majorly based in avillage. Did you get a first handexperience of shooting in avillage?Most of the film was shot in thesets. But we shot portions inBhuj, Gujarat. I was excited to gothere as Aamir mamu (Khan,actor) had shot Lagaan (2001)there and I never had the chanceto visit that set.Tell us about your character.My character Sriram is a veryself-involved guy. He doesn'tcare about other people, oranything, really. He gets irritatedwith Kareena's character who isa social worker and is concernedabout everything not going rightin the society.How was it working with KaranJohar again?When I am working for DharmaProductions, I know that I canleave everything on Karan'shands and get wonderfullylooked after.What is that one thing inKareena that you like the most?

There are certain traits in herpersonality which reminds me ofAvantika (Imran's wife). That'swhy I have always liked her andlook forward to working with heras many times I can. Kareena ismy favourite actress for manyyears.Is there extra pressure when anactor's careergrah is marked withalternate hits and flops?Well it does not matter if youhave alternate hits and flops ...even after sometime, when youhave a string of successes, thepressure is no less because youhave to go further from there.

Cursing in films has become atrend now. Comment.I believe we should not curse atall in films or life. I have avoidedcursing in all of my films so far,That is why, in Delhi Belly (2011),we had tried to cut out as manyas we could.Is it true that you had differenceswith producer Ekta Kapoor overaggressive promotions of yourlast film Once Upon A Time inMumbai Dobaara?It's best not to dwell on the past.However, I think things justturned into unnecessary, uglypublic conversations.

How much do you thinkpromotions help a film at the boxoffice?I believe promotions should beaggressive and intense, but mostimportantly, it should beintelligent.In Gori Tere Pyaar Mein youhave a dialogue where you sayyou have many things insideyou that boys of your age don'thave. What is `that` thing whichyou have in real life which othersdon't have?Avantika will be the better oneto ask. She is the one who cananswer that.

Caught in Dubai! Did Ranveer makea stopover in Dubai for Deepika?

Now, Ranveer Singh follows his alleged lady love,Deepika Padukone all the way to Dubai where she isshooting for 'Happy New Year'

He has done it again.Ranveer Singhapparently once

again threw caution to theair and followed in hisalleged sweetheart DeepikaPadukone's foorsteps, thistime to Dubai. Ranveer hasdrawn quite a few bemusedreactions from all quarterswith his puppy-in-loveways. A few months ago,while the cast of ChennaiExpress had been shootingin Wai, Ranveer had limpedhis way to the hilly terrainto meet Dippy. Sources sayhe had even got her freshly-plucked strawberries fromMahabaleshwar.A birdie chirps, `Ranveer

knows how to mixbusiness with pleasure.He was recently in SouthAfrica from where hedecided to make astopover at Dubai. SRKand Dippy have beenshooting for Happy NewYear there. Since Deepikawas on holiday and haddirectly joined the crew inDubai, the couple had notmet each other for awhile.` Well, let's say apicture speaks athousand words. Perhaps,a mobile network providermight want to rope inRanveer as its brandambassador. Time to takea cue from the pug.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 b o l l y w o o d

'No one can plan his marriage'

Saif planning huge birthdayBASH FOR KAREENA

The star drops his guard to fieldquestions about Shah Rukh

Khan, Ranbir Kapoor andmarriage with great ease

It's always a pleasure whenSalman Khan drops hisinhibitions to tackle questionsabout his peers, the young Bollybrigade and his personal life. Atthe press conference toofficially launch the upcomingseason of his reality show BiggBoss, the star was in hiselements and didn't think twicebefore pouring his heart out ontopics, both tricky and easy.People are still talking about yourhug with SRK...It was the holy month ofRamadan. I thought yeh gesturemujhe hi nahi sabko karnachahiye. Agar maarna hi haikisiko, toh ek dusre ko kaam semaaro jaise woh abhi marke chalegaye. Meri agli film mein hum bhikoshish karenge phir. Aamir bhiaa raha hai aur ek naya ladka bhiaaya hai, Ranbir (Kapoor). Wohbhi maar raha hai.Will you invite Shah Rukh onyour show?I can't hear you. (Pause) Ofcourse if he is willing to come onthe show, he is always welcome.Three questions that upset you

the most?How brain dead are people to askme questions about my marriage.Kisiki shaadi kisike haath mainnahi hoti. Bhagwan ke marzi kebina patta nahi hilta toh biwikahan se aayegi. Uske liye koiladki bhi honi chahiye. Also,questions like -- what is the USPof your film? -- irritate me a lot. I

won't do any bakwas film, right?What more do you want toachieve in your career?If I manage to maintain what Ihave achieved, that is more thanenough for me. There was timewhen I would go and ask for workbut now I cannot do that. Theday that happens I will not work.Times have changed and if

someone is not offering youwork, it means they don't wantto work with you.We heard you're getting a hugeamount for the show?I am not getting paid as much. I amstill negotiating with them. They arepurposely giving me a smaller figureso that other artistes don't demandfat fees too! (Laughs)

Kareena Kapoor Khan will turna year older on September 21and sources tell the diaristthat a big bash is beingplanned in London by husbandSaif Ali Khan for her big day.Post tying the knot, thetwosome has become regularfixtures at each other's setsand the actress is already inthe city with Saif who isshooting 'Humshakal' there.

As the couple has a prettyactive social circle in the city,Saif decided to ring in MrsKhan's birthday with a gettogether of close friends. But alittle birdie tells us that theactor's schedule is threateningto be the rain on Kareena'sparade. Apparently Saif haswants to throw a bash at one ofthe hotspots with the wholegang but they may end uppartying at the lounge of thehotel the crew are staying in.Our eyes are on this one.

I'm versatile actor, not singer:AYUSHMANN KHURRANA

Actor-singer Ayushmann Khurrana got a huge fanfollowing for himself after giving hit track, Pani da rang,but he does not consider himself as a versatile singer.The 28-year-old, who has sung two more tracks, 'Tu hi tu'and 'Saddi gali', says he can be a versatile actor. "I amnot a versatile singer. I have a particular texture of voice

and can sing a particular kind of songs,but I am more versatile as an actor and

again for me singing is more difficultthan acting. Music has a set of

rules, but acting doesn't,"Ayushmann said.

He will release his single, Oheeriye, under Yash Raj

music. It will be out Sep14.

I have aparticulartexture of

voice and can sing aparticular kind of songs, but I am

more versatile as an actor

“

Racist tweets mar sweetmoment for Nina Davuluri, firstMiss America of Indian originContd. from Page 17Daughter of Indian immigrants from Vijayawada in AndhraPradesh, she was born in Syracuse, New York, and grew up inOklahoma and Michigan.But in a flaming demonstration that an egalitarian, non-dis-criminatory United States, like with India, is a work in progress,bigotry and bias kept popping up on social media for hours afterthe event. Mindless racist stereotyping raced ahead of the ide-als professed by many Americans.''Miss America? You mean Miss 7-11,'' sneered racist indi-vidual, referring to the widespread ownership and manage-ment of convenience stores by people of Indian-origin. ''MissAmerica is brought to by their sponsors PF Changs and 7-11,''jeered another.It's another matter that the Davuluris fit the Indian-Americanprofile of what the U.S Census says is the academically most-accomplished and highest-earning ethnic group in the UnitedStates, ''native'' white Americans included. Nina's father DavuluriKoteshwara Choudhary, who migrated to the US in 1981, is agynecologist in Fayetteville, New York; Nina herself has a de-gree in Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Science from the Univer-sity of Michigan, and aspires to be a cardiologist, a goal forwhich she pledged the $50,000 prize money she won with hercrown.Such accomplishments were lost on a bigoted minority that, asusual, raked up US President Obama's background, calling bothhim and the new Miss America Muslims, questioning their''American-ness'' and loyalty to the US.The attacks embarrassed many Americans. ''Wow the hate thathas come out since an Indian American won #MissAmerica issad. Guess we haven't come that far after all,'' someone tweetedapologetically. Some Indians lashed back. ''Dear America, bethe racist you want to be but at least get your geography right,''read one tweet, mocking the inability of bigots to distinguishbetween countries and regions.Miss Davuluri herself preferred to stay above the muck, tellingthe Associated Press that she always viewed herself as firstand foremost American.''I'm so happy this organization has embraced diversity... I'mthankful there are children watching at home who can finallyrelate to a new Miss America,'' she said during her victorypress conference.In fact, two of the runners-up this year, Crystal Lee and RebeccaYeh, boast of Asian roots, in keeping with the growing numberof minority children being born in the US. ''Thankfully the daysof peroxide blonde Barbie dolls dominating the pageant are longgone,'' Time magazine observed in its repor t.The controversy is also a godsend for the Miss America pag-eant, which returned to its original home in Atlantic City, NewJersey, and television home on ABC, after it had been sidelinedin the US in recent years. Davuluri, competing under the plat-form ''celebrating diversity through cultural competency,'' isthe first Indian-American to win the crown since the pageantbegan in 1921.Contestants were judged on the basis of evening gowns,lifestyle/fitness, talent, a personal interview and an live on-stage question. Davuluri was asked about the wisdom of a TVanchor getting plastic surgery on her eyes to alter her appear-ance. She said she's against plastic surgery, but people shouldmake their own choice and be confident in their appearances.For the talent par t, she chose a classical Bollywood fusiondance piece, capi ta l iz ing on her formal t ra in ing inBharatanatyam and Kuchipudi.

Sreesanth rubbishes towel talkContd. from Page 17In Sreesanth’s letter to the BCCI, he said, “There is absolutelyno reliable material even to find out a charge of fixing againstme. What is relied upon is the alleged conversation betweenmy friend Shri Jiju Janardhanan a fellow cricketer and someothers. Shri Jiju Janardhanan is very much familiar with mymannerism and habit in the cricket field as he knows me fromthe age of 18.‘It’s not uncommon’“It is not uncommon to use a towel in afternoon matches par-ticularly in a place like Mohali in the month of April-May. Enoughphotographs are there to show that in many of the earliermatches I played, white colour towel had been used by me. Infact even other well known cricketers use white towel as amatter of habit. Even in the very same match towels were usedby other players.Apar t from sheer coincidence nothing culpable can be attrib-uted to me by reason of using a towel. The allegation that in thefirst over no towel was used cannot be correct.” The Kerala fastbowler has pointed out that Ravi Sawani, who was appointedby the BCCI to probe the players’ alleged involvement in thescandal, has played down the wrong line as it were.Sreesanth wrote: “Suffice to say that the enquiry officer has notrelied upon any material which will bear legal scrutiny even ina cour t of law. He has relied on media repor ts, statements oftop police officers, newspaper clippings, etc none of which theapex court has held, will be evidence in a cour t of law, or in anyenquiry leading to adverse consequences.” Sreesanth maycease to be an India player, but this match is far from over.

sports

YUVRAJ SINGH PLEASED THE CROWD WITH EIGHT FOURS AND SEVEN SIXES.

DRS set to dominateICC meet

Brutal Yuvraj hundred seals 77-run win

‘ INDIA A 312 FOR 4 IN 42 OVERS (YUVRAJ 123, YUSUF70*, MANDEEP 67) BEAT WEST INDIES A 235 (DEONARINE57, NURSE 57, NARWAL 2-28) BY 77 RUNSA sure-shot way of putting bums on seats for the relatively

low-profile, non-international games played at capacityvenues like the Chinnaswamy Stadium is the presence ofbig stars. While India A's Test squad has three of them

featuring in two of the games, the limited-overs had one big drawcard- Yuvraj Singh. Without meaning any disrespect to the rest lookingto make a mark, the attention among the media and the fans was onone man. It's possible that what Yuvraj delivered on Sunday exceededeveryone's expectations, probably including his own. Four monthsafter his last competitive match, he bludgeoned 123 to power hisside to 312 in a shortened game. West Indies A lacked the willpowerto pose a serious threat and fell short by 77 runs in what was a rudeinitiation to their tour of India.

That Yuvraj had the hunger to make a return to the Indian sidesince his last international match in January was evident witha rigorous six-month rehab programme he underwent withZaheer Khan in a small town in France. If doubts still persisted,his A coach Lalchand Rajput allayed them. He was lighter bya few pounds, he assured, looking fitter than ever. While hisfitness and atti tude were in the right place, the questionremained if one could say the same of his batting.

The western stands at Chinnaswamy were not packed tocapaci ty, but the numbers were encouraging despi te theknowledge of a delayed start. During the two-hour delay, thedecibel levels shot up each time Yuvraj appeared in his traininggear, for throwdowns and then for the toss. The expectationssurged, when India were inserted. As did the restlessnesswhen the openers looked circumspect against a pacy spell bythe West Indies seamers.

The wait ended when Yuvraj walked in at the fall of thesecond wicket at 47 in the 12th over. Andre Russell greetedhim with a bouncer straight up. No flashy opening statements.Yuvraj began with the intent of biding his time, waiting forthe opportunity to find the boundary. He was languid betweenthe wickets, jogging the odd single as if conserving energyfor the long haul. Mandeep Singh's positive energy at theother end would have relieved the pressure off Yuvraj. Off his39th ball, Yuvraj struck the first of his 15 boundaries - a precisecut off Ronsford Beaton that beat backward point and thesweeper. Prior to that, he showed signs of breaking free,pulling short deliveries by the spinners but straight to thefielders.

The first real sign of Yuvraj of the old came as a result offrustration. Hunched at the crease having failed to put awaya free hit, Yuvraj took an off-stump guard. As Miguel Cumminsapproached the c rease , Yuvra j covered the s tumps andlaunched a full delivery over long-on. Timing, placement andpower c l icked in unison as Yuvraj unfur led a ser ies ofboundaries after his fifty, including pulls to deep midwicketand lofted drives over extra cover. A century seemed a veryrealistic possibility.

Yuvraj's first fifty came off 60 balls. He needed just 20 forhis second. He capitalised on a weakness even the seniorWest Indies bowlers have been guilty of in recent months -death bowling. Ashley Nurse and Nikita Miller were torn apartby Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan who ransacked 125 for the fourthwicket in less than ten overs. Yuvraj began the assault with aslog off the left-arm spinner Miller sending the ball at least 20rows back.

Yuvraj moved from 67 to the 90s in one over off Millerwith consummate ease, pulling the second ball over deepmidwicket, skipping down the track and launching the thirdover the bowler, bludgeoning the next - a full toss - severalrows over deep midwicket again before depositing the fifthover long-on.

Yusuf bullied the offspinner Nurse in a similar mannerafter an over, smashing 28. As a fit t ing statement to thecharacter of his innings, Yuvraj reached his century with a six- using Beaton's pace to launch him over the sight screen. Itwas a muted celebration by his standards - a simple raise ofthe bat - a far cry from his roar at Ahmedabad during the 2011World Cup though the pressure there was of an entirely

different kind. The shot of the innings, though, was anotherstraight six scooped off a yorker length. The follow throughrecoil of the bat, often associated with MS Dhoni, would havemade a terrific still picture.

Ironically, a full toss ended Yuvraj's knock. He failed toget the distance over long-on, giving Beaton a simple catchmany yards in front of the rope. Yuvraj walked back with asatisfied smile, congratulated by Kieran Powell, and facedthe stands to his right that had cheered his every move.

Narsingh Deonarine, speaking after the match, said thebowlers had plenty to learn from this experience. The seamersfailed to get the yorkers in and the spinners failed to controlYuvraj and Yusuf.

"We missed our key bowler [Andre] Russell to injury andwe had to get someone to fill," Deonarine said. "The part-time bowlers really felt the pain of Yuvraj and Yusuf's batting.The variations by the bowlers wasn't up to standard andnevertheless it was the first game on the tour and we havetwo more to play."

The chase, in contrast, was tepid. The West Indians werealready spent after the hammering from Yuvraj and Yusuf andthe lack of sizeable partnerships let them down. Deonarine wasthe only specialist batsman to convert his start to a half-century.The result was a foregone conclusion when they had lost their thirdwicket at 58. The one-sided nature of the contest, though, was thesore point. Still, it was a day well spent for loyal fans who witnesseda player look another challenge in the eye and conquer it.

The decision review system (DRS), along with the playing con-ditions at the 2015 World Cup, is set to dominate the proceed-ings at the two-day ICC chief executives' committee (CEC) meet-ing in Dubai on September 16 and 17. Although the ICC hasdiscontinued to publish the agenda and the results of the CECfrom this year, it is understood that the meet will see a dividedhouse with England and Australia joining hands to take on theother front led by India with suppor t from the sub-continentalneighbours - Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh - especiallyon the topic of the referral system.England and Australia both had reasons to feel aggrieved aboutthe DRS during the recently completed Ashes series. JonathanTrott was given out lbw on review at Trent Bridge despite anapparent edge, while Usman Khawaja's caught behind dismissalin Manchester during the third Test was upheld even thoughreplays showed daylight between bat and ball. Hot Spot's in-ability to detect fine edges also created confusion, and towardsthe end of the series, its evidence was routinely ignored by thethird umpire. Geoff Allardice, the ICC operations chief, met withthe two sides before the four th match in Durham to addresssome of their concerns.It is understood that the pair of David Collier, the ECB chiefexecut ive, and his Cricket Austral ia counterpar t JamesSutherland is expected to put forward a series of proposals atthe CEC to make the DRS more consistent.According to an official privy to the ECB-CA plan, both memberswant to continue utilising the DRS in bilateral series despite itsshor tcomings. During the latest Ashes, one visible hindranceto the DRS was the amount of umpiring errors. To remedy that,both England and Australia want the ICC to enhance the clarityin the communication between the third umpire and the on-fieldumpires. "Based on evidence during the Ashes some conver-sations between the match officials were unintelligible becauseof language barriers and the ECB and CA want the ICC to createa mechanism where the match officials can communicate be-tween themselves and the broadcaster without creating muchconfusion," the official said.Another proposal is to make the role of the television umpire aspecialist role. During the Ashes, the ICC had conducted trialsallowing the third umpire instant access to TV replays whichcould help him overrule mistakes committed by the on-fieldofficial. During the Old Trafford Test, England umpire Nigel Llongsat in the back of the TV truck, where he received a direct feedof pictures to help him improve the quality of decision makingusing instant technology.Dave Richardson, the ICC's chief executive, had said that theexercise would help avoid incidents like the Stuar t Broad oneduring the Trent Bridge Test, when the England allrounder edgedAshton Agar but stood his ground. Aleem Dar, the on-field um-pire, failed to detect the edge and Australia, having exhaustedtheir reviews, were left frustrated and annoyed.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 s p o r t s

Zimbabwe's pacers successfully defended 264 even though their coach had concerns about them before the series began.

BOWLING COACH AMONGZIMBABWE'S TOP PRIORITIES

DHAWAN TO CAPTAINSUNRISERS IN CLT20

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has been named captain of theIPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad for the upcoming ChampionsLeague Twenty20.In the IPL this season, Sunrisers were initially led by Sri Lanka'sKumar Sangakkara but he was later replaced by Australia'sCameron White. While Sangakkara has chosen to play for SriLankan outfit Kandurata Maroons in the Champions League,White remains in the Sunrisers squad for the tournament.Dhawan, who has captained Delhi in the past, was eager to getcracking in the new role. "I have captained the Delhi team for awhile now but this is a new challenge. It's an honour to lead ateam like the Sunrisers because it has some big players, and Iam really looking forward to it."Tom Moody, the head coach of Sunrisers, believes Dhawanwas the right appointment. "Having excelled in the Indian teamover the recent past, Shikhar has dominated as a batsman andhas been more than consistent," Moody said. "He is a completepackage as a player and is considered a real team man. That'swhy we have decided to elevate him and make him our newcaptain.Dhawan heads into the three-week long tournament on the backof a series of consistent performances including a Man-of-the-Series display in the Champions Trophy where he scored atournament-leading 363 runs, and a record-breaking 248 forthe A team against South Africa A in Pretoria."Shikhar is ready to take on this honour and has shown greatleadership qualities in the past," Moody said. "His recent expe-riences on the international stage and now the captaincy rolewill only enhance his reputation as a top-grade cricketer."Sunrisers will begin their CLT20 campaign with their first quali-fying match on Tuesday, incidentally against Kandurata.

I only compete withmyself: Harbhajan SinghCHENNAI: Harbhajan Singh is not ready to give up. With thelikes of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra doingwell, it's not easy for the man with 413 Test wickets to find hisway back into the Indian team, but the fire still burns in thefeisty Sardar. Speaking to TOI from Ahmedabad, where he ispreparing for the Champions League, Harbhajan said that he isstill good enough for a few more years of international cricket.Excerpts of the interview:The Champions League is the beginning of a new season foryou. Have you set yourself any goal?Right now, my aim is to do well for Mumbai Indians. We havebeen playing together for a few years now, we have won the IPLand this will be Sachin Tendulkar's last Mumbai Indians stint.So, we are all looking forward to it.It's been a longish off-season. Were you completely off cricket?Primarily, it was a holiday. But of course, I did my bit of train-ing. I know my body well enough after so many years of cricketand always look to put in the hard work that is required to be inthe best shape when the season star ts.Don't you think a County stint would have helped?I have played County cricket before. As I told you, I know mypriorities and I am well aware of what I am supposed to do. If Ithought County was the best option for me, I would have donethat.India 'A' have played a few series over the last two months. Youwere not a par t of that. Neither are you in the 'A' series againstWest Indies or the Challenger Trophy?Challenger Trophy and a large par t of the series against WestIndies 'A' coincide with the Champions League. Just look at theteams, none of the players who are playing Champions Leagueare in any of the squads. So there's no reason for me to beworried about.You played a couple of Tests against Australia, including your100th Test, following which you got dropped. What went wrong?I don't think I made any mistakes. I did reasonably well in thelimited oppor tunities that I got. Yes, it could have been better,but I don't think I was below-par. I was the highest wicket-takeramong Indians in the IPL, which I don't think is bad.But after 100 Tests and 400-plus wickets, is there somethingmore to achieve?I don't dwell in the past. Yes, 100 Tests was memorable, but it'shistory for me. I believe in looking forward and I sincerelybelieve that I can take 150 more Test wickets.You mean five years of international cricket? And at a timewhen the competition is getting stronger by the day?Of course, why not? And the only competition I believe in iswith myself. I know that if I am good at my craft, I will do well.It's an age of innovation with the spinners coming up withsomething new every other day. What's in store from you?I have done well following a cer tain recipe all these years andI am trying to perfect those. The stock ball, the variations, theline and length — I am working on every aspect of my game.

Acquiring the servicesof a bowling coachwill be one ofZimbabwe's top

priorities as they look to buildfor future international series.The squad has had to do withouta specialist in that departmentsince April, when Heath Streak'scontract was not renewedbecause of financial concerns,and new coach Andy Waller iskeen to fill the gap as soon asresources allow for it.

"There is no talk of gettinga bowling coach at the momentbut we need one. When we areable to, we will try and getsomeone who can run specialistclinics," Waller said afterZimbabwe's historic series-levelling win against Pakistan.The victory was largely creditedto the pace pack, who defended264 on a pitch that, againstexpectations, became easier tobat on in the final two days.

Waller admitted he waspleasantly surprised by the seambowlers in particular, who he had"concerns" about before theseries began. His worry was thatwithout attacking bowlers likeKyle Jarvis and Graeme Cremer,

they would struggle to takewickets. But the foursome ofTinashe Panyangara, TendaiChatara, Shingi Masakadza andBrian Vitori showed they were upto the task despite, as BrendanTaylor pointed out after thematch, the absence of a bowlingcoach.

Chatara, who impressed ondebut in West Indies, showedconsiderable progress as he ledthe attack. "He has recognisedthat he was the senior bowler andhe played like one," Waller said.

Panyangara was, accordingto Hamilton Masakadza who ledin the first Test, an unexpectedworkhorse whose consistencyand economy rate were stellarwhile Vitori came back to thelongest format looking moredetermined than he had before."Leaving him out of the firstTest gave Vits a little kick and itwas good for him. He came backlooking like he wanted to getwickets," Waller said.

Given that ShingiMasakadza, who made way forVitori, also put in a goodperformance in the first Test, thelevel of competition among thebowlers has left with much to

work with. "We've got a goodcrop of fast bowlers and we're ina good place right now," Taylorsaid. How Zimbabwe willcontinue mentoring that groupis the next challenge because thecurrent crop was all nurtured byStreak. Without him, they've hadto rely on the advice of otherplayers and some old-fashionedDIY, as Chatara confirmed. "I'vejust been trying to work myselfinto international cricket and inthat way I got more experience,"he said. "Playing Bangladeshearlier in the year helped a lot aswell because they are on the samelevel as us and it helped preparefor this series."

Former national player GaryBrent has been helping the youngbowlers in the national academy,who also train at the Harare SportsClub. Chris Mpofu, who isrecovering from injury, has alsosought Brent's advice as he looksto make his comeback. Mpofuhimself has been meting outmentorship to the likes ofChatara and Vitori, who are eagerto learn from his experiences.

But Zimbabwe cannotcontinue to rely on thegenerosity of former players and

Waller seemed to indicate a morepermanent appointment needs tobe made soon. For that, they willneed to be able to afford one.Funding was the primary reasonbehind Streak no longer beinginvolved. He is still in thecountry but has recently startedcoaching at Falcon Colleague, oneof the best-known cricketingschools in Zimbabwe and hasplans to start his own academy. Ifoffered a financially secure deal,he could be lured back.Zimbabwe's bowlers would notdoubt welcome any attempt to re-involve him, especially as manyof them credit Streak's coachingstyle and attention to detail withthe progress they've made so far.

Zimbabwe are also withouta fitness coach, another casualtyof the austerity measuresZimbabwe Cricket has beenforced to put in place. Wallerwould like to see someone comein to take care of strength andconditioning but for now, he andfitness-obsessed batting coachGrant Flower are doing the jobthemselves. "They've got us fitand we are working pretty hard,"Taylor said. "And we'll keepdoing that."

Can Sehwag reinvent himself in middle-order?MUMBAI: With a lot ofinternational cricket coming upfor the Indian team, the teammanagement must be bracingfor selectorial headaches.Skipper MS Dhoni has his taskcut out what with four batsmengunning for the openers' slot,three for the middle-order andtwo in the all-rounder'sposition — all formatsincluded.The announcements of theIndia 'A', India Red and theIndia Blue squads last weekhave Delhi batsmen VirenderSehwag and Gautam Gambhir,along with Tamil Nadu's MVijay and Mumbai's RohitSharma in the fray top of theorder while lower down, YuvrajSingh is back givingcompetition to Suresh Raina.On Saturday, matters got just alittle more complicated whenreports suggested thatSehwag, who has beenopening for India for almost adecade now, informed thecricket board that he's ready tobe considered for the middle-order too.Sehwag's willingness to batdown — which he's done only10 times in his 180 innings as aTest batsman and 33 out of 245

times in One-dayers — showshow the competition hastoughened. For Dhoni, it's atough one too, because he'llhave to take the call.However, Sehwag's possibledesperation and Dhoni'sdecision-making abilities aside,the question begging attentionis if Sehwag deserves a slot inthe middle-order or thecomeback, when it happens,needs to be in the position thathe's batted at for close to nineyears now?"Middle-order? No, never,"says Sehwag's early coach ANSharma. He is clear thatSehwag needs to come backinto the Indian team, and thattoo in the opener's position. "Ihaven't spoken with him of latebut there's no doubt in mymind about that," he says."He's a special player, one whocan win matches at the top ofthe order and has a provenrecord. He needs to bat in aposition that he's best at andthat is the opener's position,"adds Sharma.On that count, the selectorstoo seem to have little doubtbecause they've included thesenior batsman in the India 'A'squad to open the innings. For

Dhoni, while it's still a decisionto make, the fact of the matterremains that at 33 going on 34,the right-handed batsmandoesn't quite make the cut inthe opening position."Given his stature, if he thinkshe's in that frame of mind, thenhe should be given a chance.

Because he started off as amiddle-order batsman and hadproved himself. But that can beconsidered only after he firstmakes himself available forselection. So, first you have towait for that and then considerthe next step," says formerIndia selector Kiran More.

report on page 5 don't attack hindus in...

Documents