Canadian volunteers welcome
MUFFLERMAN Arvind Kejriwal in
New York with enthusiasm
WARNER LEADS AUSSIE ATTACK WITH A HISTORIC CENTURY.
I DETAILS ON PAGE 23
AVERAGE SELLING PRICE OF HOMES
IN GTA $577,936, UP BY 7.4 PER CENT
Toronto - Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul
Etherington announced that Greater Toronto REALTORS®
repor ted 6,519 residential transactions through the Toronto
MLS system in November 2014. This result was up by 2.6
per cent compared to 6,354 sales repor ted in November
2013. Through the first 11 months of 2014, total sales
amounted to 88,462 - up 6.6 per cent compared to the same
period in 2013.
While the trend of year-over-year sales growth continued, the
supply of listings remained constrained, with active listings
at the end of November down in comparison to last year.
"Even with a constrained supply of homes for sale in many
par ts of the Greater Toronto Area, buyers continued to get
deals done last month. Households remain upbeat about
home ownership because monthly mor tgage payments
remain affordable relative to accepted lending standards.
This is coupled with the fact that housing has proven to be a
quality long-term investment," stated Etherington.
The average selling price for November transactions was up
by 7.4 per cent year-over-year to $577,936. The year-todate average price was up by 8.4 per cent to $567,198. The
MLS(R) Home Price Index Composite Benchmark price for
November was up by 7.7 per cent compared to a year
earlier.
"The robust average price growth experienced throughout
2014 has been fundamentally sound, with demand high
relative to supply. Strong competition between buyers has
exer ted upward pressure on selling prices. Barring a
substantial shift in the relationship between sales and
listings in the GTA, price growth is expected to continue
through 2015," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market
Analysis.
JALANDHAR: PUNJAB DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER SUKHBIR SINGH BADAL INTERACTING WITH ACTORS SONAKSHI SINHA AND ARJUN
KAPOOR DURING THE INAUGURAL PROGRAMME OF FIFTH WORLD KABBADI CUP IN JALANDHAR.
DESK REPORT
New York - Arvind Kejriwal visited New York recently and met US and
Canadian volunteers. Volunteers from all over USA came to meet AAP
leader to show the enthusiasm and suppor t for Delhi elections.
Kejriwal expressed confidence that corruption can be eradicated from
the system by hitting at its roots. He said: "Before we had a doubt
whether such a deep rooted problem of corruption could be cleaned
from the system but our 49 days governance in Delhi has proved that with
political will and people's awareness
this is very much possible. We are
now more committed and confident
to clean corruption which is the root
cause of all the problems in the system." While answering a question
raised by a local resident in New York
about the growth achieving 7%-8%
growth rate he said if due funds are
deployed on projects without corruption and due vigilance the growth rate
of 7%-8% can be achieved comfortably in India. It was a short visit
planned at the last moment but still
Kejriwal received an overwhelming
response from over 500 North American supporters who had gathered to meet their leader in freezing weather.
Kejriwal visited Columbia University , Richmond Hill Gurdwara and a dinner
hosted by his batch mates despite a tightly scheduled program. A team of
volunteers from Canada including Anurag Shrivastava, Raj Singla , Dr
Bhan Garg , Druv Singla also reached New York to greet Kejriwal.
Some volunteers including Aditya Roshan from New Brunswik drove
1200km to welcome the leader.
To fur ther suppor t the iconic 'MUFFLERMAN' a muffler was presented
to Kejriwal by Anurag Shrivastava. Kejriwal asked suppor ters to
come forward to make Delhi election a successful event for AAP with
clean funds and calling campaigns.
Air Canada to launch NonStop Toronto to Delhi flight
New Dreamliner route drives international
expansion from Toronto global hub
MONTREAL- Air Canada today said that it will begin non-stop service from Toronto to Delhi beginning in November 2015. The new
route, the first to be dedicated for Air Canada's Boeing 787-9 series aircraft, will open new oppor tunities in the Indian subcontinent, currently the largest international market not served by Air
Canada.
"Air Canada's strategy to grow its Toronto Pearson hub and international presence is taking a major step forward with the addition
of Delhi to our extensive global network. We will be offering the only
non-stop flight from Canada to India using our newest Boeing 787
Dreamliners, which are revolutionizing long-haul air travel. The operating economics of these new aircraft make this service feasible and it will
be the first route dedicated to the larger, 787-9 version of this aircraft,
which begin entering our fleet in 2015," said Calin Rovinescu, President
and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
"This service will appeal both to customers visiting and doing
business in Delhi, the capital region of India and the fourth most
populous urban area in the world, and to those customers making
onward connections within India and throughout Southeast Asia
on our Star Alliance par tner, Air India, or other interline par tners,"
said Mr. Rovinescu. "This government is committed to helping the
Canadian air industry increase its access to international markets. Opening markets in India and continuing to facilitate travel
for Canada's Indian Community, not only benefits our air sector
and promotes increased trade, but travellers will now have more
options to connect with friends and loved ones," said the
Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transpor t.
I CONTD. ON PAGE 9
CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON
2
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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
PAGE 3
MidWeek
3
MALLIKA SHERAWAT
TO BE ON 'COMEDY
NIGHTS WITH KAPIL'
SINGER AND COMPOSER ADNAN SAMI AND HIS WIFE ROYA
FARYABI PAYS OBEISANCE AT THE GOLDEN TEMPLE IN
AMRITSAR (IANS).
SALMAN KHAN, AAMIR KHAN, & SRK DURING AAP KI ADALAT'S 21ST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS IN NEW DELHI (IANS)
Pyaar Ka Punchnaamaa: Are Anushka
and Virat trying to hide something?
Actress Anushka Sharma says that her relationship
with cricketer Virat Kohli is not a secret affair. It's
just that she doesn't want to talk about it in public.
"Nobody is hiding anything. We are living our life
very normally. It's just that we don't want to talk
about our relationship.
"We can't subject it to enter tainment news. We will
not hide if you guys see us together, but we will not
talk about it," Anushka told repor ters in a group
inter view.
She also feels that she will only "talk to her
friends" about her personal life and not "to the
world".
Anushka who is currently busy promoting her film
"PK" says she would love to do a biopic too.
"I want to do a biopic as an actor. It's a thrill... I
would love it if I am able to do a biopic."
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, "PK" also stars Aamir
Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman
Irani and Saurabh Shukla.
TIME Person of the Year: Modi wins poll, loses race
Washington, Dec 8 (IANS) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the winner of this year's reader poll for TIME Person of the Year, but
his name does not figure in the magazine editors' own list of final eight.
This year's possible winners include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Russian
President Vladimir Putin, Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani and singer Taylor Swift.
The list also includes groups of individuals, like the Ebola caregivers and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.
TIME magazine editor Nancy Gibbs revealed the eight finalists on the "Today" show Monday morning.
The TIME editors' choice of the person who have had the biggest influence on the news within the past year will be announced
Wednesday. In the final tally of reader poll, Modi received more than 16 percent of the almost five million votes cast.
Protesters who took to the streets in Ferguson, Missouri, after the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager finished second with
nine percent. Hong Kong protest leader Joshua Wong, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and the doctors and nurses treating
Ebola rounded out the top five.
A majority of votes, 60 percent, came from desktop computers. Just over 35 percent came from mobile devices, and 4.5 percent of
readers voted on tablets.
JOHNNY DEPP WEDDING PLAN ON HOLD
Los Angeles (IANS): Actor Johnny Depp and his fiance Amber Heard are said to have slowed down their wedding plans.
The couple, who confirmed their engagement in January after less than two years of dating, have put their wedding on hold following
speculation that the 28-year-old actress was "unhappy" with her fiancé's strange presentation at an awards ceremony last month, where
he appeared to be drunk, repor ts contactmusic.com.
"There's no rush to marry at the moment. Johnny is crazy in love with Amber, but there is turmoil in the relationship," said a source close
to the couple.
The actress is currently filming "Magic Mike XXL" and friends think she may be losing interest in the 51-year-old actor, who has daughter
Lily-Rose, 15, and son Jack, 12, with ex-girlfriend Vanessa Paradis. Amber was said to have been mor tified by Depp's sloppy behaviour
at the Hollywood Film Awards in November.
"Amber couldn't believe he had made such a fool out of himself. This reflects really badly on her, and she's not happy about it," a source
said at the time.
WHAT'S THRILLING FARHAN THESE DAYS?
Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is "thrilled" to do action sequences in his upcoming film "Wazir".
The 40-year-old plays an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer in the film, directed by Bejoy Nambiar.
"There was a time when action was called 'Thrills' in film titles and I'm thrilled to be doing some nowadays. #wazir," Farhan tweeted
Saturday night.
He also shared that the teaser of the film, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan, will release along with Aamir Khan-starrer "PK".
"Heads up..! Get ready for our first move... #wazir teaser releases 19th December with PK. Enjoy," he tweeted.
"Wazir" has been written and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who has also produced "PK".
HARYANA'S HEADLINEGRABBING SISTERS: LOCAL
HEROES OR SERIAL BEATERS?
Chandigarh, (IANS) Just a week back, they were 'role models'
and the darlings of the media and dial-a-quote exper ts who had
dared to take on male tormentors in a patriarchal society in
Haryana. But things changed drastically for the two bravehear t
sisters who thrashed three youths for allegedly molesting and
assaulting them.
The same sisters are now being scrutinised for their actions
after more videos have gone viral alleging that they were "serial beaters" as far as boys in Haryana's Rohtak and Sonipat
districts were concerned. Videos linked to the two teenaged
sisters, Aar ti and Pooja, and independent investigations into
their 'heroic' act of taking on molesters are now questioning the
objective behind these two thrashing boys.
When they hit the national headlines for the first time last week,
one of the sisters openly went on record to claim that they have,
in the past, thrashed many youths who had harassed women.
The Haryana government had first announced that the sisters
would be honoured during the next Republic Day (Jan 26) celI CONTD. ON PAGE 23
ebrations.
MILEY CYRUS BITES ON A
BARBIE DOLL
Miami (IANS): Singer Miley Cyrus, known for her notorious
acts, was seen biting off a Barbie doll's head recently.
Cyrus munched on a barbie when she attended the Jeremy Scott
and Moschino Party in association with Barbie here Thursday, reports
dailymail.co.uk.
The singer was posing with a Barbie dressed in a bright pink ensemble from
Scott's 'Barbie' collection for the Italian label. But the singer took a step ahead
by pretending to eat barbie doll's head.
Cyrus's rumoured boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger also attended the
party.
Cyrus teamed up a neon pink and green bralet and pants with a mesh jacket
and matching skirt. The "We can't stop" singer teamed her eclectic ensemble with a pair of glittery silver heart-shaped glasses, a chunky necklace and hooped earrings.
KIM, KANYE WEDDING PICTURE MOST
LIKED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Los Angeles (IANS): Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her husband
Kanye West's wedding day picture is the most "liked" post of 2014 over
social media.
The duo, who married May 24 in Florence, Italy, shared one of their first
kisses as newlyweds and have attracted a huge 2.4 million 'likes' for it on
Instagram, reports mirror.co.uk.
The second most "liked" picture was a black and white photo of Justin
Bieber and his on-and-off girlfriend Selena Gomez, which garnered 1.9
million 'likes'.
Finally, an image of former Disney stars Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, in
which Ariana plants a kiss on Cyrus's cheek, came in third place with a 1.84
million 'likes'.
MALLIKA SHERAWAT TO BE ON 'COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL'
Mumbai (IANS): Comedian Kapil Sharma, who is seen flirting with almost
all female celebrities on his TV show "Comedy Nights With Kapil", has a
reason to smile. Actress Mallika Sherawat, known for sensuous and bold
scenes, will be the next guest on his show.
"Yes, Mallika is coming to the show. But she is not coming with an agenda.
She has no movie releasing and she's just coming to have some fun," said
a source. Lately, Kapil's show hosted a string of popular celebrities, cricketers, and singers. In this week's episode, writer Chetan Bhagat and singer
Atif Aslam will come as guests on the Colors' show.
4
MidWeek
special report
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
ICCC HOLDS A STYLISH AND
ATTRACTIVE ROYAL DARBAR
BRAMPTON - Indian royalty is known to the world for its majestic life
style, attractive Rajput and Mughal era architecture and delicious
dishes. Royal families in India have been instrumental in creating a
new cultural identity for India. Bollywood have been themed its movies on royal families; the one among them was 'Mughal-e-Azam'.
Apar t from that there were immense number of stories on the royal
families which we heard from our parents and grandparents.
The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce celebrated Winter Gala 2014
with its theme 'The Royal Darbar'. In keeping with the theme, over 500
guests that comprised the who's who of the Indo-Canadian community and a number of dignitaries were treated to a veritable feast of
Indian royalty that included songs, dances and memorable reflections. Dignitaries at the event included several prominent political
leaders such as Chris Alexander, Federal Minister for Immigration
and Citizenship, Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Min-
ister of Foreign Affairs, Member of Parliament Parm Gill and Patrick
Brown, Consul General Akhilesh Mishra, Mississauga's newly elected
Mayor Bonnie Crombie, and a number of MPPs, councillors from
Brampton, Mississauga and other par ts of the GTA. MPP Dipika
Damerla read the message of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.
The highlight of the evening was the release of ICCC repor t on "Unlocking the Potential of Canada-India Par tnership: Present Initiatives
and Future Agenda" by Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to
The Minister of Foreign Affairs. The repor t is yet another initiative of
the chamber to explore the possibilities of developing bilateral trade
and commerce between Canada and India.
The Winter Gala - popularly known as the Indo-Canada Chamber of
Commerce (ICCC)'s Annual Holiday Dinner & Dance - is one of the
Chamber's marquee event and one of the most popular Indo-Canadian
community events in the Greater Toronto Area.
Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce Sports Forum Receives Overwhelming Success
BRAMPTON - The first of its kind Spor ts Forum organized by
Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) was a great success highlighting the need to have more engagements of players in the decision making process to make the Canadian
emerging spor ts most popular and at par with other international teams on the globe.
The theme for the forum was Emerging Spor ts: Cricket and
other Popular National Spor ts. Spor ts representatives from
International Cricket Council (ICC), Cricket Canada, NBA
Canada, Tennis Canada, Rogers Media, Schulich School of
Business - York University, Canadian national players, participated in the forum that explored the regulatory framework,
the institutional avenues and suppor t available to emerging
spor ts in Canada. It was divided into two panel discussions.
Bal Gosal, Federal Minister of State for Spor ts kicked off the
proceedings with an exciting keynote address. The minister
said that federal government is funding $ 200 million every
year for the spor ts and an additional $500 million for creating
spor ts infrastructure in Ontario for the upcoming Pan Am &
Parapan American Games 2015.
Earlier ICCC president Mr. Dharma P Jain, in his welcome remarks said that ICCC spor ts forum is to explore how these
emerging new games in the sector are formalized to have more
international games in Canada. These emerging spor ts are
significant because of the interest of the people in these games
especially the South Asian Community's love for Cricket.
Moderated by Mukesh Narula, National Head Coach - Cricket
Canada and with par ticipation from spor ts sector that included
Ben Kavenagh, Regional Development Manager- Americas, International Cricket Council, Ingleton Liburd, Cricket Canada,
I CONTD. ON PAGE 6
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
RUNNING SUCCESSFULLY
ACROSS CANADA
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community
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
ICCC-WEP: Women in Business - Breaking the Glass Ceiling
TORONTO - The Indo- Canada
Chamber of Commerce organized
an interactive panel discussion
on, Women in Business Breaking the Glass Ceiling recently at the ICCC headquar ter
in Toronto. The session was
par t of ICCC-CIBC speaker se-
ries and focused on the ICCC’s
Women Entrepreneurs Professionals (WEP).
Ginni Sethi, Director WEP of the
Chamber welcomes all par ticipants and said that the panel
discussion will provide information on how women can get
success in their businesses to
scale new heights.
Gillian Whitebread, Vice President- Diversity & Inclusion and
Executive Talent Management
was the main speaker. Hazel
Fernandes, Senior Director- Exe c u t i v e Ta l e n t M a n a g e m e n t ,
Supreet Warna, Senior Director,
Frontline Effectiveness and Fahra
Murad, Manager, Sponsorship
Marketing were the other panelist.
Panel discussed that women
should overcome their barriers
and realize their full potential.
Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce Sports
Forum Receives Overwhelming Success
CONTD. FROM PAGE 4
Monali Patel, Canadian National Cricket player,
and Binoy Thomas, Editor Weekly Voice; the panel
that discussed Emerging Spor ts: Cricket highlighted the challenges faced by players and
coaches of the Cricket and how the Cricket
should be introduced at the school level to
make it more popular like Ice Hockey.
The panelists agreed that Cricket should get
more funding for the promotion of the game
and develop required infrastructure
under a single transparent management to attract more new players into
the game. The second panel comprising Rowan Barrett, Executive
Vice President/Assistant General
Manager, Canada Basketball, Mark
Healy, Chief Marketing Officer, Tennis Canada, Navaid Mansuri, Senior
V i c e P r e s i d e n t , Te l e v i s i o n a n d
Broadcast Operations, Rogers Media, Vijay Setlur, Spor ts Marketing
Instructor, Schulich School of Business - York University and moderated by Bobby Sahni, Partner, Co-Founder
Ethnicity; discussed the other popular national sports and how these sports can
be made popular among the South Asian
Community.
Panellist also agreed that South Asian
sports should be encouraged to get them
at the national level which will also help
in integration of other popular Canadian
national sports among the South Asian
community. The panelists pointed out
that there is old mindset among the South
Asian community so they are not coming forward to put their kids into popular
sports and pushing them into the academic
activities only. This forum was first of its kind
hosted by Chamber aimed to start a dialogue
and finding ways for integrating and connecting emerging spor ts and other
national spor ts.
Government invests in new jet engine technology that
will support almost 1,500 jobs in Ontario and Quebec
Mississauga, Ontario / Longueuil, Quebec - Industry Canada
Today, Industry Minister James Moore and Infrastructure Minister
Denis Lebel announced a crucial investment in Pratt & Whitney Canada
to create the next generation of jet engines. Thanks to suppor t from
the Government of Canada, the company will be able to produce the
next generation of airplane engines that will power lighter, greener
airplanes around the world.
The ministers made their announcements in Mississauga, Ontario,
and in Longueuil, Quebec, where the majority of the work will be
done. This project will suppor t nearly 1,500 jobs over the next five
years. More than 65 separate Canadian suppliers will also contribute
to the production of each engine.
Quick facts
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) employs 6,000 people across Canada
and has invested more than $10.6 billion in research and development since 1982.
The project's research and development will take place at P&WC
facilities in Mississauga and Longueuil, suppor ting nearly 1,500 Canadian jobs over the next five years.
The Government's total investment is $300 million in the form of a
repayable contribution through the Strategic Aerospace and Defence
Initiative.
In 2013, Canada's aerospace industry was responsible for more than
170,000 jobs and contributed $28 billion to the economy.
Quotes
"Our government's top priorities are the economy and creating jobs
and oppor tunities for Canadian families. This investment will suppor t
nearly 1,500 high-paying Canadian jobs and countless others across
Canada. We are proud to suppor t the aerospace industry and will
continue to create the right economic conditions for Canadian companies to succeed globally."
- James Moore, Industry Minister
"This announcement will suppor t jobs and economic growth for Quebecers. Our government is proud to make smar t investments that
suppor t high-quality jobs across the country."
- Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency
of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
"The Government of Canada's investment enables P&WC to invest
over $1 billion to pursue its long-standing legacy of innovation and
sustain its engineering and manufacturing centres of excellence in
Alber ta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The Government of Canada's
continued commitment to the aerospace industry will help suppor t
high-quality job oppor tunities for the next generation of skilled workers in Canada and allow P&WC to continue to be an innovative leader
in the industry."
- John Saabas, President, Pratt & Whitney Canada
"This impor tant announcement is a testament to the Government of
Canada's pledge to suppor t homegrown R&D through effective industry-university collaboration."
- Sheldon Levy, President and Vice-Chancellor, Ryerson University
"We look forward to continuing to work closely with Pratt & Whitney
Canada on a number of projects critical to the growth of Canada's
aerospace sector, including projects in the emerging and innovative
field of additive manufacturing."
- Suzanne For tier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University
In business, women should network with a purpose in mind,
plan for big things and ready to
take bold decisions, negotiation
skills should be used during
business conversation, and one
should be strong enough to
handle tough interventions,
must have smar t leadership
qualities and your effor ts in
business must yield good results.
The discussion was followed
with the question answer session. Shibani Sahney, Chair WEP
committee gave vote of thanks.
GOVERNMENT TAKING
STEPS TO PREVENT
PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL
ASSAULT AGAINST WOMEN:
PRIME MINISTER HARPER
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently issued the
following statement to mark the National Day of Remembrance
and Action on Violence Against Women:
"Today marks 25 years since the horrific events that took place
on December 6, 1989, at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal,
when a gunman took the lives of 14 young women.
"Twenty-five years later, we still cannot comprehend how such
an atrocity could be committed in Canada. On this tragic anniversary, we remember the women who have been affected by
violence and recommit ourselves to taking action on violence
against women.
"Recognizing that there is still much that needs to be accomplished, our Government is taking steps to prevent physical
and sexual assault against women by suppor ting communitybased projects, such as the White Ribbon Campaign, which
aim to sensitize men and boys to gender-based violence.
"We are also taking steps to address violence against Aboriginal women and girls through our recently announced Action
Plan to Address Family Violence and Violent Crimes Against
Aboriginal Women and Girls, which suppor ts prevention activities for women, children and families on-reserve.
"Through the Victims Fund, our Government is helping to improve services for women who have experienced violence by
providing suppor t to shelter services and promoting access to
justice. In addition, we are strengthening laws and taking other
measures to crack down on cyberviolence, and introduced the
Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, which aims
to protect girls and young women from early and forced marriage.
"Canada is also taking action internationally by suppor ting initiatives such as the United Nations Population Fund to prevent
sexual and gender-based violence during humanitarian crises,
and UNICEF's work to end child, early and forced marriage in
developing countries.
"As we work towards making our communities safer, let us
never forget the 14 young, bright women who were brutally
murdered 25 years ago simply for being women and the violence that many women still face daily around the world."
pm.gc.ca
PEEL POLICE - LOCK IT OR
LOSE IT CAMPAIGN
Peel - Peel Regional Police warns motorists to lock their vehicles and not leave valuables in plain view this holiday shopping season. The Peel Regional Police are par ticipating in the
Province wide Lock it OR Lose it campaign and educating motorists about the dangers of proper ty and identity theft resulting
from unlocked vehicles or leaving valuables in plain view. The
campaign is sponsored by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of
Police (OACP) and encourages drivers to take reasonable precautions to protect their vehicles and contents from theft this
par ticular holiday season.
During the Lock it OR Lose it campaign police officers examine
parked vehicles to confirm they are locked and that no valuables have been left in plain view. Officers will place a small
notice on vehicles checked, indicating what safety precautions
were neglected and offer simple prevention tips for drivers to
protect their vehicles from break-ins. The notices also congratulate drivers who have secured their vehicle properly.
For more info visit - www.peelpolice.ca
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
community
MidWeek
7
PUNJAB TO HOLD
GRIEVANCE RESOLUTION
MEETS FOR NRIS
KOLKATA: A CHILD APPLIES `PHOTA` (TILAK) ON THE PORTRAITS OF 2014 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AWARDEES MALALA YOUSAFZAI
AND KAILASH SATYARTHI ON 'BHAI PHOTA' ALSO KNOWN AS 'BHAI DUJ' IN KOLKATA, ON OCT.25, 2014.
(PHOTO: KUNTAL CHAKRABARTY/IANS)
Canadian Diabetes Association
holds the Seventh Annual South
Asian Diabetes Expo 2014
DESK REPORT
Scarborough - The Canadian Diabetes Association recently held its
Seventh Annual South Asian Diabetes Expo 2014 in a befitting manner
at Scarborough Metropolitan Centre from 9am to 2.30pm with great
success.
About 200 par ticipants attended and benefited by viewing the awesome exhibition of various organizations that had displayed their
products and highlighted preventive measures to get relief from
this ailment for better health. A free medical check-up station
was set up that examined blood sugar, BP, cholesterol, height, and
weight of the guests.
During the expo guests were educated on the disease. The organizers distributed free broachers in all languages and pamphlets,
and gave guidelines on nutritive diets and specific exercises that
were highly admired by attendees. The staff also gave adequate
counseling to all. Lectures on the topic were delivered by Dr Vivan
Rambiar, Cardiologist; Ashi Jain RD; Dr Michael Sarin MD, CDE;
Jasmeet Cheema, RMT; and Siva Swaminathan, Chair of the South
Asian Diabetes Chapter. Attendees took active par t in the discussion and shared their experiences with the doctors.
A lucky draw was also held that was followed by a musical presentation given by Bollywood Fitness Instructor of Sanskrit Ar ts
& Bolly CORE Inc., Pooja Amin. Dances were presented by Marlene
Sribers Khan, Radhika Ar than Patel, Naz Allidina. The main purpose of this dance show was to enjoy exercise, stay fit and keep
diabetes at bay.
On behalf of the organization, Shilpa proposed a vote of thanks to all
and requested to keep in touch by sending their feedback. Fur ther
details can be view on their website www.diabetes.ca/how-can-help/
volunteer.
Meadowvale Theatre's Winter Series, a Kids Paradise
MISSISSAUGA - This winter season visit the Meadowvale Theatre
for an exciting lineup of performing ar ts that kids are going to love.
With a variety of performances throughout December and January,
there is something for every theatre lover.
2014-2015 WINTER SERIES
"
A Christmas Carol
Sunday, December 14 at 2pm
Monday, December 15 at noon
All Ages
Tickets: $21/adults; $15/older adults 65+ and youth
The adored Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, comes to
Mississauga's Meadowvale Theatre for two-all-ages performances
in December. Motus O Dance Theatre weaves a range of dance
styles, text and video in this exciting adaptation of the classic story
of loneliness, greed, hope and humanity.
Free Shuttle Service to and from the Show for Older Adults
Meadowvale Theatre is happy to offer a free shuttle service for
older adults, 65+, with a purchase of a ticket to A Christmas Carol.
Older adults interested in taking the free shuttle must sign-up at the
registration desk at each respective location. For information, call
905-615-4720, ext.2010.
The shuttle will pick up and drop off to the following locations:
" Square One Older Adult Centre: pick up - 9:30am, drop off -
2:20pm
" South Common Community Centre: pick up - 10am, drop off - 2pm
" Square One Older Adult Centre, Mississauga West: pick up 10:30am drop off - 1:40pm
" Family Fun Day
Friday, January 2, 2015
Noon to 4pm
All Ages
Tickets: $6/adult; $4/child; $15/family (two children and two adults)
Enjoy a number of different ar t activities the whole family will
enjoy. Watch a film - Winnie the Pooh (2011) - listen to some great
storytelling, par ticipate in a dance class, or make your own film!
" Curious George
Tuesday, January 13 at 10am
Ages 4 to 8
Tickets: $17/adults; $12/child
Join this inquisitive, lovable little monkey in a delightful new
musical. With every swing and flip, Curious George takes the
audience through a fun-filled
adventure filled with joy and
excitement. The theatre is located in
the north end of Mississauga at 6315
Montevideo Rd.
Outdoor Skating in Brampton
GAGE PARK AND MOUNT PLEASANT
OUTDOOR SKATING RINKS OPEN
BRAMPTON - The skating trail at
Gage Park and the outdoor rink at
Mount Pleasant Community
Centre both officially opened at
10am on December 6.
Normal operating hours for the
Gage Park skating trail are:
Sunday - Thursday 10 am - 10 pm
Friday - Saturday 10 am - 11 pm
Gage Park hosts a food vendor
and skate rentals Thursdays
through Sundays, and a DJ and
fire pits are on-site on weekends.
Hours vary; please refer to
www.brampton.ca for details.
Operating hours for the Mount
Pleasant outdoor rink are:
Sunday - Thursday 10 am - 9 pm
Friday - Saturday 10 am - 10 pm
Join them for Parent and Child
Skating at Mount Pleasant on
Saturday and Sundays, 10 am to
12 pm. Note that skate aids are
only permitted during supervised
Parent and Child Skates, and a
CSA-approved hockey helmet
with full facemask is mandatory
when using this equipment. Skate
rentals are not available at this
location.
In addition to these public outdoor
rinks, the City offers a community
rink program, providing assistance to volunteers to set up and
maintain small, local ice rinks in
area parks. For more information
about volunteering to suppor t an
outdoor community rink in your
neighbourhood park, call 311.
Chandigarh, (IANS) The Punjab government has decided to hold
three 'Sangat Darshans' for Non-resident Indians (NRIs) in Moga,
Jalandhar and Ludhiana to redress their grievances, a minister
said Wednesday.
Punjab's NRI Affairs Minister Tota Singh said that Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal would preside over these Sangat Darshans.
The Sangat Darshans would be held at Moga (Dec 28, 2014),
Jalandhar (Jan 16, 2015) and Ludhiana (Jan 17, 2015).
The minister said that NRIs belonging to Moga, Ferozepur, Fazilka,
Muktsar, Bathinda, Mansa and Barnala districts were being invited for these camps at Moga town.
NRIs from Jalandhar, Kapur thala, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Tarn
Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts would be called to
Jalandhar, and those from Ludhiana, Nawanshahr, Rupnagar,
Mohali, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Sangrur would be called to
Ludhiana for resolution of their grievances.
"The effor t is to facilitate maximum number of NRIs to get their
issues resolved. An email address nripunjab014@gmail.com
has been created to receive the complaints or problems of NRIs
well in advance by Dec 15, so that required information or action
could be taken and concerned officers would remain available
on the occasion."
"Par ticipating NRIs to bring their passports/OCI/PIO/NRP cards
as their identity proofs," the minister said.
"The Punjab government is committed to strengthen the bond
with Punjabis living across the globe, besides making them a
par tner in state's overall development," Tota Singh said.
INDIAN-AMERICAN SCIENTIST
ARUN MAJUMDAR NAMED US
SCIENCE ENVOY
BY ARUN KUMAR/WASHINGTON, (IANS)
Dr. Arun Majumdar, an Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
alumni is among four eminent scientists chosen to serve as US
Science Envoys beginning in January, 2015.
Majumdar, a professor at Stanford University and an exper t in
energy, climate change, and innovation was named by the
State Depar tment along with Dr. Peter Hotez, Dr. Jane
Lubchenco, and Dr. Geri Richmond.
Majumdar, who graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the IIT,
Bombay in 1985, he is a member of the US delegation for the USIndia Track II dialogue on climate change and energy.
In October 2009, President Barack Obama named him as the Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy
(ARPA-E), where he served till June 2012.
Announced by Obama in Cairo in June 2009, the US Science
Envoy programme demonstrates the US' commitment to science,
technology, and innovation as tools of diplomacy and economic
growth, the State Department said.
"Like their nine predecessors, these distinguished scientists will
engage internationally at the citizen and government and advise the White House, the State Depar tment and the scientific community about potential oppor tunities for cooperation," it said.
Currently Majumdar is the Jay Precour t Professor at Stanford
University where he ser ves on the faculty of the Depar tment
of Mechanical Engineering and is a Senior Fellow of the
Precour t Institute for Energy.
Prior to joining Stanford, he was the Vice President for Energy at Google, where he created several energy technology
initiatives and advised the company on its broader energy
strategy. He continues to be a consultant to Google on energy.
Between March 2011 and June 2012, Majumdar also served
as the Acting Under Secretary of Energy, and a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy.
He currently serves on the US Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board, the Council for the National Academy of Engineering and the Electric Power Research Institute, as well as
the Science Board of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre
(SLAC) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Majumdar is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Ar ts and Sciences.
He received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1989.
8
MidWeek
opinion
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
REVIVING JANATA PARIVAR
BY ANJALI OJHA
New Delhi, (IANS) Realising the old adage that divided we fall, old
and ageing socialists have got together once again to revive the old
Janata experiment of the 1970s under a new nomenclature -- however, this time their enemy is no more the Congress - which can even
be a friend - but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Par ty (BJP).
It will take a few more months before the announced merger of the
unofficially called 'Janata Parivar' can take-off, but the socialist
par ties feel they can halt their rival's march, star ting with the
Bihar assembly polls next year, though their main aim remains
forming a strong opposition bloc in parliament.
Leaders are hopeful of forming the new par ty before the budget
session of parliament. "Mulayam Singh-ji has been entrusted with
the work to form the party. It will block the BJP's march in the country,"
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav told IANS.
"The first impact will be visible in the Bihar assembly elections,"
he said.
The bloc has SP, Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar's Janata DalUnited (JD-U), Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Om
Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and H.D. Deve
Gowda's Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) along with several smaller
entities.
Bihar is set to go to the polls next year and the Janata Parivar
expects to reap benefits with the coming together of JD-U, ruling
the state currently, and RJD, which was in government for 15
years in Bihar in the past.
Highly placed source said the bloc will not have a problem in
shaking hands with the Congress, if needed.
"To stall the BJP, if need arises, we will not mind joining hands with
the Congress," a senior SP leader, who did not wish to be named, told
IANS.
JD-U leader K.C. Tyagi echoed the feeling.
"This bloc is anti-BJP," Tyagi said.
Interestingly, the original Janata Par ty - formed in 1977 as a reaction
MidWeek
TARGET BJP
to the Emergency - had the Bharatiya Janata Par ty's predecessor
Bharatiya Jana Sangh as one of its constituents.
Tyagi, however, added that the first preference will be to bring together all non-BJP, non-Congress par ties.
"The Janata Parivar is here, and since we have formed this bloc,
leaders from BJD (Biju Janata Dal), TMC (Trinamool Congress), NCP
(Nationalist Congress Par ty) and some other par ties have approached
us. We have also been in touch with the Left at the same time," Tyagi
told IANS.
"We are going to be the total opposition at the Centre, and will
counter the government whenever needed," he added.
Talking about the optimism regarding Bihar, the leader said: "In
the Lok Sabha polls, BJP put up a good show, but af ter RJD and
JD-U shook hands, the results of the by-elections were in our
favour. Winning in Bihar will be the first message to the nation
that we can block the BJP."
The RJD-JD-U combine had won six of the 10 assembly seats in
by-elections in August, a few months after the BJP won 22 of the
40 Lok Sabha seats from the state, and its ally Lok Janshakti
Par ty won six, taking the tally to 28.
The BJP won a thumping 282 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
The whole procedure of forming a joint par ty will, however, take
up to two-to-three months.
"We will have to call the national executive meetings and conventions of all the par ties, then the Election Commission will be
approached ... The whole process will take two-to-three months
but we are hopeful of forming the par ty before the Budget ses-
sion," Tyagi told IANS.
While the bloc has been formed, in the words of the leaders, to
block the "communal" forces, indicating the Bharatiya Janata Par ty
(BJP), Tyagi said the agenda will be only good governance.
"Our agenda will be based on neither caste nor religion but on
good governance," said the JD-U leader, who is said to be close to
former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
However, another socialist movement leader Ram Kripal Yadav,
who left RJD for the BJP just before the Lok Sabha polls, said the
bloc was formed out of fear, and will not bear fruits.
"When the Janata Par ty was formed, there was an anti-Congress
feeling among the people. This time, the people have given a
mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and this bloc is being
formed just out of fear," Ram Kripal Yadav, who is minister of
state for drinking water and sanitation, told IANS.
"What impact are they talking about? Mulayam Singh has no influence in Bihar; similarly, Deve Gowda has no influence in Uttar
Pradesh, Nitish Kumar will not work in Karnataka ... The leaders
are regional, and they will not work outside their own states,"
said the leader, who had once been a close confidant of Lalu
Prasad.
The original Janata Par ty was for med when Socialist leader
Jayaprakash Narayan called for all opposition par ties to unite
against the Indira Gandhi-led government in 1977. However, a fall
out came soon with ideological differences emerging among the
leaders. Their government was dissolved in 1980, after which the
Janata Par ty gradually splintered.
Who wins if democracy loses in Kashmir?
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BY SHEIKH QAYOOM
Srinagar, (IANS) A black Friday that left 21 people, including eight army
men, dead in a string of terror attacks in Kashmir has shaken an administration that patted itself till the other day on the smooth, incident-free
completion of the first two rounds of the five-phased state assembly
elections.
The fact that the day's bloody violence began when six heavily armed
guerrillas entered an army field regiment camp near the Uri border town
in Baramulla district highlights the chinks in the security grid.
A lieutenant colonel, a junior commissioned officer and six soldiers as
well as three policemen were killed by the intruders before they were
gunned down by quick response teams (QRTs) inside the army camp.
Another guerrilla attack occurred in summer capital Srinagar where two
rebels attacked a police check post before they were killed in a gunfight.
Two civilians were killed in Pulwama district in a guerrilla grenade attack.
Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Ghani Mir said the two
slain guerrillas in Srinagar city belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit.
These deadly attacks have occurred ahead of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's visit to Srinagar Dec 8 and polls in Baramulla and Pulwama
districts Dec 9. Polling began in Jammu and Kashmir Nov 25 and it ends
Dec 20. The votes will be counted Dec 23.
Over 70 percent voter turnout marked the first two phases of the state
assembly polls in Kashmir as three phases - two in the Valley and one in
the Jammu region - are still to take place.
The one question that brooks answer in the aftermath of Friday's bloody
violence is who wins if democracy loses?
A day after the terror attacks, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's poll rally in
Magam town of Beerwah constituency Saturday witnessed a large public
attendance. It seems people have decided to use their democratic right to
vote even under the shadow of violence.
Security has been tightened in Srinagar city and other places to ensure
that the prime minister's visit Monday passes off peacefully, but the
fallout of this unprecedented violence on the poll campaign and subsequent voting in the remaining phases of elections needs to be closely
watched.
In fact, some politicians have either cancelled their poll rallies Saturday
or have rescheduled them.
Traditionally, urban centres have seen low voter turnout ever since the
ongoing separatist violence started here in early 1990s.
Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has
blamed the media for hyping the high voter turnout that prompted guerrillas to instill fear among the voters.
LETTER TO EDITOR
Thank you for your letter. The situation in Kobani - and more
widely across the Syria-Iraq region - is appalling and tragic.
The human cost of the conflict is enormous. I share your concern and distress.
ISIS is a serious threat. We believe Canada must play a constructive role in confronting ISIS, including working with our
allies to ensure that this threat is dealt with. In par ticular, we
believe Canada must be doing more on the humanitarian front.
We have also said that Canada should be engaged in a noncombat role in suppor t of the international mission against ISIS,
including tasks as training, airlift and medical suppor t.
I am encouraged by the fact that Turkey has allowed a number
of Iraqi Kurds to transit Turkish territory to make their way to
Kobani where they are helping in the fight against ISIS.
Thank you once again for communicating your concerns with
me.
Sincerely,
Hon. John McKay P.C., M.P.
Scarborough-Guildwood
DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE THE PERSONAL OPINIONS OF THE AUTHORS.THE INFORMATION, FACTS OR OPINIONS APPEARING IN THE
ARTICLES DO NOT REFLECT VIEWS OF MIDWEEK AND ITS MANAGEMENT AND SO THE PAPER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE SAME.
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
canada
9
PM PARTICIPATES IN THE
FUNDRAISING DINNER OF
HUMANITY FIRST
CANADA IP10
Air Canada to launch NonStop Toronto to Delhi flight
New Dreamliner route drives international
expansion from Toronto global hub
PREMIER WYNNE DELIVERED A KEY NOTE ADDRESS AS ONE OF THE TOP 25 WOMEN OF INFLUENCE.
LIBERALS (34%) AND CONSERVATIVES (33%)
TIED NATIONALLY AS BATTLEGROUND ONTARIO
SHOWS DEAD HEAT AT 37%
NDP (24%) WITHOUT SERIOUS TRACTION
Toronto, ON - Suppor t for the federal Liberals and Conservatives has
tightened yet again as an election year draws near, according to a
new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively for Global News. The poll
of 8,268 Canadians (6,502 decided voters) was conducted over the
last three weeks and shows that the race for the Prime Minister's
Office is well underway, with tight races in key battleground provinces across the country.
The fall session of Parliament has seen Canada engage in an airstrike combat mission in Syria, two soldiers fall victim to attacks on
Canadian soil, oil prices drop drastically, cabinet ministers resist
calls to resign amidst new scandals, and spending announcements
among other major news - all culminating in a roller-coaster ride that
will likely be characteristic of the next nine months heading into Election Day.
If the election were held tomorrow, the Liberal Par ty under Justin
Trudeau would receive 34% of the decided vote (down 4 points since
September), while the Conser vative Par ty under Prime Minister
Stephen Harper would receive 33% of the vote (up 2 points). What
was a seven-point lead for the Grits prior to the fall session of Parliament has eroded into a one-point lead, a statistical tie.
The NDP under Thomas Mulcair would receive 24% of the vote (up 1
point), while the Bloc under Mario Beaulieu would receive 5% nationally (21% in Quebec). Other par ties, including Elizabeth May's Green
Par ty, would receive 4% of the vote (up 1 point). Fifteen percent of
Canadians (15%) remain undecided.
Tracking the data over the last three weeks suggests that either of the
two leading par ties could be poised to jump out in front, with the
Liberals leading marginally in two of the last three weeks, and the
Tories leading in one - the most recent. All fluctuations over the last
three weeks are within the credibility interval of the poll, however,
and so the overall trend of a statistical tie holds across all three
weeks.
" November 10 to 17: Liberals (34%), Conservatives (33%), NDP (25%),
BQ (4%), Other (4%).
" November 17 to 24: Liberals (35%), Conservatives (32%), NDP (24%),
BQ (5%), Other (3%).
" November 24 to Dec 1: Conservatives (35%), Liberals (33%), NDP
(22%), BQ (5%), Other (5%).
Tight Races in Key Battlegrounds…
The large sample size of the poll allows for an examination of the vote
within each of the provinces with greater statistical accuracy than a
typical national poll of 1,000 respondents. The data show extremely
tight races in many key battleground areas of the country (unweighted
sample sizes for each subset of decided voters shown in brackets):
" In seat-rich Ontario (N=2982), the Conservatives (37%) and Liberals (37%) are in a dead heat, with the NDP (22%) and other par ties
(4%) fur ther behind.
" Within the 416 region of the GTA (N=571), specifically, the Liberals
(46%) are far in front of the NDP (26%) and Conservatives (25%) who are
jockeying for a distant second, while few (3%) suppor t other par ties.
" In the surrounding 905 region of the GTA (N=641), where past elections have been won and lost, the Conservatives (41%) hold a slight
advantage over the Liberals (37%), while the NDP (20%) and other
par ties (2%) appear outside contention.
" In Quebec (N=2150), the Liberals (32%) have a slight lead over the
NDP (29%), while the Bloc (21%), Conservatives (15%) and others
(3%) are well behind.
" In British Columbia (N=990), a three-way race shows the Tories
(33%), NDP (30%) and Liberals (28%) all within striking distance,
while other par ties (8%) trail.
" In Alber ta (N=746), the Conservatives (58%), as expected, have a
solid lead over the Liberals (24%), NDP (14%) and other par ties (3%).
" In Saskatchewan (N=266), the Conservatives (36%) hold a slim
lead over the Liberals (32%), with the NDP behind (26%) and a fraction (6%) suppor ting other par ties.
" In Manitoba (N=426), the Tories (44%) enjoy a double-digit lead
over the Liberals (33%), with the NDP (20%) and other par ties (3%)
far behind.
" In Nova Scotia (N=331), a majority (56%) of decided voters would
suppor t the Liberals, who have a daunting lead over the Conservatives (24%), NDP (18%), and other (1%) par ties.
" In New Brunswick (N=237), the Liberals (46%) are way out in front
of the Tories (29%), NDP (19%), and other (5%) par ties.
" In Newfoundland and Labrador (N=99, *small sample size), decided voters are three times as likely to suppor t the Liberals (59%)
than the Conservatives (20%) or NDP (19%), while handfuls would
suppor t other (3%) par ties.
" In Prince Edward Island (N=41, *very small sample size), the Liberals (40%) and Conservatives (38%) sit neck-and-neck, ahead of the
NDP (22%).
The data also show a tight battle among many other demographic
constituencies:
" Among men (N=2814), the Tories (36%) and Liberals (35%) are
statistically tied, ahead of the NDP (21%), Bloc (4%) and other par ties
(4%).
" Among women (N=3688), the Liberals (34%) have a slight lead
over the Conservatives (30%), NDP (27%), Bloc (5%) and other parties (4%).
" Among those aged 55+ (N=2853), the Tories (39%) enjoy their
traditional advantage over the Liberals (32%), NDP (22%), Bloc (3%)
and other par ties (4%).
" Among those aged 35 to 54 (N=2199), the Liberals (35%) and Conservatives (33%) are in a tight battle, with the NDP (22%), Bloc (5%)
and other par ties (4%) trailing.
" Among those aged 18 to 34 (N=1450), the Liberals (37%) and NDP
(28%) have more suppor t than the Conservatives (24%), while the
Bloc (7%) and other par ties (3%) lag.
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between November 10 and December 1, 2014 on behalf of Global News.
For this survey, a sample of 8,268 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian
online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed
to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition
reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to
provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The
precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ 1.2 percentage
points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The
credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All
sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error,
including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
CONTD. FROM PAGE 1
"Canada and India are committed to strengthening economic and other ties
and in a globalized world non-stop air linkages are vital to achieving such
goals. Air Canada's new service will facilitate business relationships and promote increased trade by connecting both countries' largest urban centres. Given
our country's vibrant and thriving Indo-Canadian community, the route will also
make it easier for families and friends to visit one another and remain connected,"
said Nadir Patel, Canada's new high commissioner in the Republic of India.
Tickets go on sale Dec. 9, 2014 and the service will operate four-times-weekly
beginning Nov. 1, 2015 using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring Air Canada's
award-winning, three-cabin service, including the next generation lie-flat seat in
International Business Class, a Premium Economy cabin, and enhanced seatback
In-Flight Entertainment system available at every seat throughout the aircraft.
Flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access in Toronto, priority boarding
and other benefits. Flights are timed for convenient connections both within Air
Canada's North American network and in India on Air India or other interline
partners to such cities as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and to other destinations
throughout Southeast Asia. Including Delhi, Air Canada serves or has announced
service to a total of 65 international destinations on five continents from its Toronto
global hub. All flights operated with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner except where
noted by (*) which are Boeing 787-8 service
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more
than 180 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the
20 largest airlines in the world and in 2013 served more than 35 million
customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60
Canadian cities, 49 destinations in the United States and 73 cities in Europe,
the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America.
CIBC POLL: STAYING ON BUDGET
A PRIORITY FOR MAJORITY OF
HOLIDAY SHOPPERS THIS YEAR
Millennials most likely to overspend to get the
right gift but like most Canadians, plan to spend
the same or less than they did last year
TORONTO - A new CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) poll finds that 79
per cent of Canadians are committed to staying within budget this
holiday season and will resist the temptation to overspend trying
to find the perfect gift for everyone on their list.
Canadians 18-34 were the most likely (30 per cent) to admit they
would go over budget on holiday spending if it meant getting the
perfect gift for everyone on their list. In contrast, among Canadians over 55 ?only 12 per cent said they would be willing to look
past their budget if the right gifts caught their eye.
It's looking to be a year for frugal spending this holiday season. In addition to
staying on budget, most Canadians also plan to keep spending to last year's
levels or lower saying they'll spend, on average, $517 on their holiday shopping this year. Two-thirds of Canadians (66 per cent) plan to spend about the
same as they did last year, with one in five (20 per cent) looking to spend
less. Key findings of the poll include:
I CONTD. ON PAGE 10
416-907-4420
10
MidWeek
canada
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA PARTICIPATES IN THE
FUNDRAISING DINNER CELEBRATING THE 10TH
ANNIVERSARY OF HUMANITY FIRST CANADA
CIBC Poll: Staying on budget a
priority for majority of holiday
shoppers this year
PROCEEDS TO SUPPORT FIGHT AGAINST EBOLA IN WEST AFRICA
Millennials most likely to overspend to get the
right gift but like most Canadians, plan to spend
the same or less than they did last year
Ontario - Prime Minister Stephen
Harper attended the fundraising dinner marking 10 years of charitable
work and disaster relief by Humanity First Canada. All proceeds from
the dinner will go towards fighting
the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The dinner took place at the Woodbine Banquet and Convention Hall
in Toronto. The Prime Minister was
joined by Ed Holder, Minister of
State (Science and Technology),
Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Julian
Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Patrick Brown, Member
of Parliament for Barrie.
At the event, the Prime Minister
delivered a speech in which he
congratulated Humanity First
Canada on 10 years of philanthropic endeavours around the
world, including disaster relief in
Haiti, Pakistan and the Philippines.
He also thanked the organization
for its fundraising efforts to combat
the spread of Ebola in West Africa
and highlighted a number of measures Canada is taking to address
the outbreak, including the deployment of Canadian troops and medical personnel, the "Join the Fight
Against Ebola" recruitment campaign
which promotes the recruitment of
Canadian healthcare workers
through the Canadian Red Cross, and
the stellar work being done at home
on an effective vaccine.
"It was an honour to join Humanity
First Canada in celebrating 10 years
of important charitable work around
the world. They are a trusted partner
and we recognize the important disaster relief work they have done
in places like Haiti, Pakistan and
the Philippines. I am pleased that
they have joined international efforts to fight Ebola and that the proceeds from tonight's dinner will go
towards responding to the outbreak
in West Africa. Our Government is
taking a leadership role in efforts
to stop the deadly virus." - Prime
Minister Stephen Harper
He further said that "I find it personally very encouraging that this
PICS: BASHIR NASIR
dinner celebrates ten years of charitable work and disaster relief by
Humanity First Canada. We are
well-aware of your good works.
Through our…give them a big
hand."
"Through our government's program of matching funds for disaster relief, we have been par tners
in responding to the devastation
caused by several incidents including both the earthquake in Haiti four
years ago, and also the floods in
Pakistan that followed a year later.
And earlier this year, our government assisted Humanity First
through the Typhoon Haiyan Relief
Fund.
Avec la contribution de notre
gouvernement, Humanity First
construit 284 maisons et rénové
quatre écoles et une garderie dans
les Philippines. Je vous félicite.
With our government's contribution,
Humanity First is building 284
houses, and rehabilitating four
schools and one day-care centre
in the Philippines, so I congratulate you all for that tremendous
work.
Your heavy reliance on the service
of volunteers, and I met many to-
night, men and women who are often highly qualified in their fields of
expertise. This is what makes you
such a valuable partner. Put simply, you make our money go a long
way. We like that.
I am also delighted to learn that you
will be using the proceeds of
tonight's dinner to respond to the
West Africa Ebola outbreak. We like
that too.
So thank you for that, and thank you
for having me here this evening,
and for all of your contributions to
our great country"
Source: pm.gc.ca
CONTD. FROM PAGE 9
" 79 per cent of Canadians will try to buy gifts that stay within
their holiday spending budget; 21 per cent are prepared to go
over budget to find the right gift
" Canadians overall are planning to spend an average of $517
on holiday shopping this year
* 66 per cent of Canadians plan to spend about the same
amount on the holidays as they did last year
* 20 per cent plan to spend less than they did last year
* 9 per cent plan to spend more than last year
"Managing our holiday spending wisely and staying within
budget is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves," says
Veni Iozzo, Senior Vice President, Retail and Business Banking, CIBC. "Staying on budget requires discipline and tools to
keep you on track. When you are fighting crowds in a busy
mall and running out of time, it is easy to lose sight of your
budget and overspend."
"Shoppers can use a mobile banking app to track their spending and send them aler ts if they are going to go over budget."
Don't go overboard
Ms. Iozzo advises that those who plan to spend more, and
even go over budget this year, need to have a realistic plan to
pay off this debt or risk putting their other financial goals at
risk.
"While the holiday spirit may inspire generosity, each purchase, especially unplanned, can really add up," she adds. "It
is impor tant to watch your spending carefully as you go, and
if you are paying on credit, be sure to have a plan in place to
pay off the balance quickly to avoid interest charges."
CIBC offers time-saving tips for shoppers:
" Spending Aler ts - Ser vices such as CIBC CreditSmar t can
help you stick to your budget. Free to CIBC credit card holders, CIBC CreditSmar t allows clients to set a budget limit on
each spending category on their credit card, and be notified
by phone, email or online message when they exceed their
customized budget.
" Pay in a Flash - Interac Flash can help make shopping for
smaller items much quicker and provides real-time tracking
of purchases for enhanced budgeting. If you don't have an
Interac Flash-enabled CIBC Advantage Debit Card, call us or
visit a branch to get one today.
" Shop online - Avoid all the disappointment and stress of
fighting through crowds and lines at the store by shopping
online. You can have your order shipped directly to whomever
you want and many retailers offer free shipping as well as gift
wrapping services. When it comes to paying for your online
order you can use your CIBC Advantage Debit Card to pay with
money you have in your bank account.
" Secure payment - With the introduction of Visa Checkout you
can save yourself the hassle of entering your payment details
every time you order something online. Simply create a user
name and password and enter your payment and shipping information once. From that point on you can speed through
your online purchases at any retailer that uses Visa Checkout.
SOURCE CIBC
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
india
11
MOST CMS FAVOUR
ALTERNATIVE TO
PLANNING
COMMISSION: JAITLEY
IP12
MAHARASHTRA CHIEF MINISTER DEVENDRA FADNAVIS WITH NEW CAINET MINSTERS AFTER SWEARING IN CEREMONY IN MUMBAI (IANS)
INDIAN ARMY BLAMES LASHKAR
FOR TERROR IN KASHMIR
Srinagar, (IANS) The Indian Army Sunday blamed the Pakistan-based
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the deadly terror attack in Kashmir which
killed eight soldiers and three policemen.
A senior army officer based here also said that the terrorists who
stormed a military camp in Uri on Friday were trained like Special
Forces and sought to link the killings to the Jammu and Kashmir
assembly elections.
"These terrorists were highly trained like Special Forces to carry out
the attacks," Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha, General Officer Commanding of
the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, told the media.
There was enough evidence to indicate that the attackers were from
the LeT terrorist group, he said.
The LeT, led by Hafiz Saeed, had also masterminded the 2008 Mumbai
terror attack that left 166 Indians and foreigners dead in India's commercial capital and almost triggered a war between India and Pakistan.
Lt. Gen. Saha said the terrorists appeared to be prepared to wage a
long battle.
"The kind of ammunition they had shows they were in for a big haul.
Six AK-47 rifles, magazines and 1,415 rounds were recovered along
with food items suggesting they wanted to stay for a long battle."
The terrorists are believed to have crossed the Jhelum river in Uri as
the water level was low there to carry out the deadliest attacks of the
day in Uri sector in Baramulla district.
The attack began before dawn when a suicide squad struck at an
army camp killing eight soldiers and three policemen who tried to
intervene. All six terrorists were killed hours later after a fierce gun
battle.
The kind of ammunition they had shows they were
in for a big haul. Six AK-47 rifles, magazines and
1,415 rounds were recovered along with food items
suggesting they wanted to stay for a long battle."
The terrorists are believed to have crossed the
Jhelum river in Uri as the water level was low there
to carry out the deadliest attacks of the day in Uri
sector in Baramulla district.
The same day, terrorists also carried out attacks at three other places,
leaving a total of 21 people dead including those killed in Uri.
"The type of infiltration and attacks ... proves these attacks were
highly coordinated," Lt.Gen. Saha said.
"All the incidents leading to the attacks, including the ceasefire violations, could not have happened without coordination from across (the
border)," he said, alluding to Pakistan.
At least 100 terrorists have been killed so far this year compared to
89 last year in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
The terrorists must have infiltrated the border Dec 3-4, hid in the
forests and struck Dec 5 in a planned manner, the military officer
said.
Without directly referring to the assembly polls or Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's visit to Srinagar, he said the terror attacks took place
"because of the larger events taking place in Jammu and Kashmir".
BADAL WANTS FEDERAL
STRUCTURE IN COUNTRY
New Delhi, (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sunday
called for drastic recast of the constitution to give the country a genuinely
federal structure.
Speaking at the conference of chief
ministers called by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi Sunday, Badal said that
the centre should have exclusive jurisdiction on subjects of national concerns, such as defence, external affairs, currency, railways, communications and a few others. "Federalism
is the only way to ensure speedy development to make India a true economic superpower and a world leader.
States are like limbs of the country's body politic. Strong limbs mean a strong
body. Strong states mean a strong India. Up to now, there has been confusion
between a strong India and a strong centre. We stand for a strong and
genuinely federal India," Badal said. He also sought a drastic reversal in the
formula for distribution of resources between the centre and states. "The
states must get a 50 percent share out of the central taxes and non-tax
revenue, instead of the present 32 percent and these funds should be given in
an untied manner, without prior conditions," Badal said. He said that the
distribution of funds among states should be based on a transparent formula so that larger states do not walk away with all the funds.
INDIANS QUEUING UP TO
MIGRATE TO AUSTRALIA
Melbourne, (IANS) Indians are seeking increasingly to migrate to
Australia, drawn by the work oppor tunities that Australia offered,
media repor ted Saturday.
A study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in this connection, stated that India has now
replaced Britain as the top country of origin, regarding applications for "457 visas" in Australia, The Melbourne Age repor ted.
According to the website of Australian government's depar tment of immigration and border protection, the "457 visa", or the
temporary work (skilled) visa (subclass 457) allows a skilled
worker to travel to Australia to work in the nominated occupation, for the approved sponsor, for up to four years.
According to the latest "457 visa" figures, Indians make up almost a quar ter of the skilled visas, at 23.3 percent. This was
followed by those from Britain at 18.3 percent and those from
China at 6.5 percent.
Fur thermore, during 2012-13, 40,100 Indian citizens had applied
to migrate to Australia, while 27,300 applications were from
China and 21,700 from Britain.
This indicates a significant boost to Australia's migration
programme.
OECD data show that there has been 46.6 percent increase in the
number of people becoming Australian citizens.
123,400 people pledged to become Australian citizens during 201213, which is the highest number since 2011-12, a report said.
According to migration law exper t Sharon Harris, there is a growing trend of Indian and Chinese citizens seeking citizenship in
Australia for greater global movement.
"India and China is without doubt, the most prolific source countries for pursuing visas and ultimately citizenship. With an Australia passpor t, this opens up greater travel access globally,"
she said.
Harris said that the change in government in Australia had been
par ticularly popular with the Chinese citizens, who were attracted to
the Abbott government.
"With the change in government, they have more confidence in a stable
political environment," Harris noted.
12
MidWeek
india
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
61 per cent turnout in
third phase of Jharkhand,
58 per cent in J&K polls
PUNJAB PRINCIPAL SECRETARY HEALTH AND FINANCE VINI MAHAJAN VISITS PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR VISION AFTER UNDERGOING
EYE SURGERY IN GURDASPUR (IANS)
Eye camp tragedy: doctor, NGO activist
held as Punjab orders probe
Chandigarh (IANS): The
Punjab Police have arrested a
Jalandhar-based doctor and
the coordinator of a NGO who
were allegedly involved in
organising a free eye check
up camp which resulted in 15
old people losing their
eyesight. Police officials said
that the eye specialist Vivek
Arora and NGO coordinator
Manjit Singh were arrested.
The Punjab government has
ordered a probe into the free
eye check-up camp that left
15 people from Amritsar
district without eyesight. The
patients underwent cataract
surgery at the Guru Nanak
Charitable Hospital in Ghuman
village of Gurdaspur district
recently.
The state government also
announced interim relief of
Rs.1 lakh to each of the
affected families, whose
members have lost eyesight
in the tragedy. Punjab Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal
has ordered a high level probe
into the Ghuman medical
camp tragedy.
The state government also
banned holding of health
camps without prior approval
of civil surgeons in respective
districts. Officials in Amritsar
and Gurdaspur districts said
that the number of patients
whose eyesight was affected
could go up as up to 60
patients had been checked
upon. Badal has asked
Principal Secretar y, Health,
Vinnie Mahajan to personally
conduct an inquiry into all the
aspects of the incident. "He
directed Mahajan to rush to
the site of tragedy for an onspot assessment of the
tragedy and for supervising
and expediting relief to the
victims and their families,"
Badal's adviser Harcharan
Bains said. "Announcing free
medical treatment for all the
victims of the tragedy, Badal
has directed that all the patients
should be re-examined for fresh
treatment at the government level,"
Bains said. At least 15 people lost
their eyesight after undergoing
cataract operation at a charitable
hospital following a free eye
check-up conducted by an
NGO in Punjab's Gurdaspur
district, about 250 km from
here.
Ranchi (IANS): Braving the winter cold, people turned up in good
numbers to cast their ballot in the third of the five-phase assembly polls in Jharkhand yesterday. Around 61 per cent voting was
recorded when voting ended at 5 p.m. for three seats - Ranchi,
Hatia and Kanke. Balloting ended at 3 p.m. in 14 constituencies.
Long queues of voters, including first-timers, were seen at polling booths. The voter turnout in urban areas was good. "Around
61 per cent voting took place in the third phase. The highest
polling took place in Silli with 74.77 per cent. On three seats,
polling was above 65 percent," an election official told IANS. The
lowest turnout was in Ranchi with 44.44 per cent, the official
said.
The two other constituencies where balloting took place till 5
p.m. - Hatia and Kanke - registered 55.45 per cent and 56.27 per
cent, respectively. Balloting began Tuesday at 7 a.m. in 17 of the
81 assembly constituencies. The fate of 289 candidates were
sealed in the third phase. Over 50 lakh voters, including 23.5 lakh
women, were eligible to elect their representatives at 5,865 polling booths.
Former external affairs minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader
Yashwant Sinha cast his vote in Hazaribagh, while Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmad and Chief Minister Hemant Soren voted in Ranchi.
Former chief minister Babulal Marandi, former assembly speaker
C.P. Singh, Jharkhand ministers Annapurna Devi of the Rashtriya
Janata Dal, Rajendra Prasad Singh of the Congress and Jai Prakash
Bhai Patel of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha were among the prominent
candidates in this phase. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Tuesday appealed to the people to vote for a "strong and stable" BJP
government in Jharkhand, and promised an action-oriented and propoor governance in return. Addressing a BJP election rally in the coal
city of Dhanbad, Modi said he has confidence in the electorate that it will
give its full mandate to the BJP, helping the party replicate its victory in
the general election.
"I have faith in you, the voters, that you will ensure full majority for the
BJP," he said, ahead of the fourth phase of the assembly polls Dec 14.
Modi said the BJP would ensure good work in the state if it came to
power. Thanks to the "love I am getting from Jharkhand, I am now
confident that you have decided to form a BJP government in the state. I
thank you in advance for giving such support to me", he said.
"It was Jharkhand's overwhelming support that a stable and strong
government was formed after 30 years at the Centre. I appeal you to vote
for a stable and strong government led by BJP in the state." He said the
eastern states have plenty of natural resources, "but economic development did not take place in these areas. I have to... improve the situation of the eastern states." Meanwhile, 58 per cent of voters in Jammu
and Kashmir turned up today to cast their ballot in the third round of
the staggered elections.
80 PERTOSA DRIVE, UNIT 12,
BRAMPTON ONT., L6X 5E9
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
MidWeek
india
INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI SIGNING THE VISITORS BOOK AT MARTYRS MEMORIAL, BADAMI BAGH CANTONMENT,
IN SRINAGAR, JAMMU AND KASHMIR (PIB)
MOST CMS FAVOUR ALTERNATIVE TO
PLANNING COMMISSION: JAITLEY
New Delhi, (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday said
that most chief ministers have favoured replacing the Planning
Commission with an alternative structure which has representation from the central government and the states and exper t
par ticipation also.
Briefing repor ters after the meeting of chief ministers called by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss reshaping of the
Planning Commission, Jaitley said that most chief ministers
were also of the view that the new institution should not be a
"merely central government structure".
"Most favoured an alternative structure where the Centre, states
and exper ts par ticipate... A ver y large majority was in favour of
changed structure," he said.
Without naming the Congress or its chief ministers, Jaitley said
some chief ministers wanted that revamp should be carried out
within the existing body.
"A few, while agreeing with the general principles of change,
felt if the present Planning Commission could evolve into that
structure," he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the
meeting and the state was
represented by its finance
minister.
Jaitley said the meeting was
followed by a retreat where
the prime minister and chief
ministers had "an informal
meeting" with no bureaucrats
present.
He said there was no specific
agenda for the retreat and any
issue could be discussed.
Answering a query about the
final decision of the government on reshaping the
planning panel, Jaitley said it
will "take a considered view
after consultations are over".
He did not specify a time
frame.
The minister said there was a
large consensus at the
meeting that "the context has
changed and there is need to
decentralise both power and
planning".
He said there was also a large
consensus that states have to
13
be strengthened. He said most chief ministers felt that there
was a fallacy that "one size fits all" and the requirement of each
state was different and the states know what suits them the
best.
Jaitley said the chief ministers felt that the strategy has to be to
empower the states and strengthen federalism.
Most states favoured a system which strengthens their ability
to deliver and wanted more flexibility "rather than a controlled
and command structure", he said.
He said Banerjee sent a letter to the prime minister favouring
decentralisation and strengthening of states. She had also
suggested enhancing role of inter-state council and giving it a
role in the planning process.
He said the issue of five-year plans will be addressed once the
government takes a final decision on reshaping the Planning
Commission.
Jaitley also said the prime minister in his remarks at the
meeting said that the plan panel would have to reinvent itself to
remain more effective and relevant in the present context.
Modi, in his speech, cited his predecessor Manmohan Singh's
remarks made in April that the commission has no futuristic
vision in the post-reform period.
Modi said the panel should be replaced by an organisation
which can strengthen the federal structure and energise states.
According to Modi, the process of policy planning has to change
from "top to bottom" to "bottom to top", the finance minister
said. "The prime minister also noted that in countries such as
the US, think tanks that function independently of the government have a major role in policy-making," he added.
"The prime minister said that when he was chief minister of
Gujarat, his hear t was with the chief ministers and he had felt
the need for a better platform to ar ticulate the view of states,"
Jaitley said.
INDIAN NAVY TO PURCHASE
16 US MULTI-ROLE
CHOPPERS FOR $1 BN
New Delhi (IANS): The Indian Navy has finally selected the US
Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk for its shipboard multi-role helicopter
(MRH) requirement. Sixteen helicopters will initially be bought for $1
billion. Sikorsky's tender was opened December 4 on the Navy Day,
soon after the navy chief, Admiral Robin Dhowan, said that the government was fast-tracking various programmes for the modernization of
the armed forces, and that some of the naval projects would be cleared
"very soon." Indeed so, the opening of the commercial bid at the ministry of defence (MoD), where the files have been held up for one reason
or another for three years, was a Navy Day gift to the force.
Admiral Dhowan, who hosted a big Navy Day reception, did not say
anything on the ceremonial occasion but was visibly in smiles and high
spirits. Only a day before, on December 3, he had told this writer that it
was "comforting" to the navy brass to know that long-pending requirements were now being procedurally cleared on fast-track.
The navy is also buying 16 more Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH)
helicopters from state-run HAL, he disclosed.
The Sikorsky deal is estimated at around $1 billion-plus.
OVER 200 FIRMS IN
GLOBAL LED TECHNOLOGY
EXPO AT PRAGATI MAIDAN
New Delhi (IANS): More than 200 companies are taking part in
an international exhibition on LED (light emitting diode) lighting
and technologies that opened Friday at the capital's Pragati
Maidan exposition venue.
"The government is taking a number of steps to increase the use
of LED. We have already requested state governments and municipal bodies to gradually replace the traditional street lights
with LED lights and also increase the use of LED in government
offices and buildings," said Parmod Kumar, director in the urban
development ministry.
LEDs are emerging as the most energy-efficient source of lighting as they use one-tenth of the energy of a normal incandescent
bulb and half as much energy as a Compact Fluorescent Lamp
(CFL) to produce the same degree of light.
The union power ministry in October launched a business model
enabling the sale of LED bulbs to households at Rs.10 against
the market price of Rs.400. The first LED lamp made in India, in
2010, was sold for Rs.1,200.
AAP TO DISCUSS
POWER, WATER IN THIRD
DELHI DIALOGUE
New Delhi (IANS): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday said it would discuss
the city's power and water situation during its third phase of Delhi Dialogue
campaign.
"Our third phase of discussion will take place on Dec 13 on the issues of
electricity and water. It will be titled Bijli-Paani Dialogue," AAP leader Ashish
Khaitan told the media.
In the first and second phases of the campaign, the party discussed the
problems related with youth and women.
"Problems related with rural, health and education, traders, lokpal and transparency in governance and traffic, parking and public transport will be discussed in the other five phases of campaign. It will be concluded on January
18, 2015," Khaitan said.
He also said the conclusions of Delhi Dialogue will form the basis of the
party's manifesto for the ensuing assembly elections. Bijli-Paani-Dialogue
will witness the party's vision based on public conversation on how to solve
Delhi's energy, electricity and water crisis, said a party statement.
The statement said the party will implement its promise again of slashing electricity rates by 50 percent up to 400 units per month for
every household till the audit of the private power distribution
companies by the Comptroller and Auditor General is completed.
The par ty will also implement its promise again of providing
lifeline water free of cost to the residents of Delhi and will ensure piped water supply in all parts of the national capital.
14
MidWeek
world
PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF INAUGURATED THE INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE EXHIBITION AND SEMINAR (IDEAS) 2014
IN KARACHI. AROUND 333 DEFENCE EQUIPMENT MAKERS ARE COMING TO THE EIGHTH EDITION OF IDEAS, INCLUDING 77 PAKISTANI
FIRMS. RUSSIA IS ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THE FAIR. (IANS)
US TO LEAVE BIGGER FORCE IN AFGHANISTAN
THAN PLANNED IN 2015
Kabul, (IANS) The US would have more troops in Afghanistan than it
initially planned to, at the start of next year, the outgoing US Defence
Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday.
During a joint press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani,
Hagel said that up to 10,800 troops would remain in Afghanistan at the
start of 2015, though the earlier plan was to keep 1,000 fewer troops,
CNN reported.
Hagel said that US President Barack Obama authorised the change in
troop size in order to provide military commanders "flexibility".
However Hagel said: "The President's authorisation will not change our
troops' missions, or the long-term timeline for our withdrawal."
There has been growing instability in Kabul, with an uptick in Taliban
attacks in recent weeks, which according to Hagel, came as no surprise.
"It's predictable that they would do everything they could to disrupt and
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
RECOGNISING
TALIBAN REGIME IN
AFGHANISTAN WAS
BLUNDER:
MUSHARRAF
discourage the new government of President Ghani," he said.
However, the spike in violence in the Afghan capital was not a factor in
the decision to keep more US troops in the country next year, a defence
department official said.
The decision is perceived to be taken on account of the late signing of the
bilateral security agreement, which allows a specified number of US
troops to remain in Afghanistan after the combat mission ends this year.
In spite of the attacks, the Pentagon said that the Afghan forces were
performing "well", and are now in the lead on 99 percent of the missions.
Hagel arrived in Afghanistan Saturday to assess the situation as the US
begins the drawdown of its forces.
He said the people of Afghanistan are far better off today than they were
13 years ago, pointing towards an elected government and a national
security force.
"They're not completely there yet, but they've come a long way," Hagel said.
"That's to the credit certainly of the US; the sacrifice, the blood and the
treasure that we've made there."
According to official sources, the drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan
will be "gradual" compared with the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
In 2016, the number of troops will slide down to 5,500 and by 2017 the
coalition will consolidate to Kabul.
"As we draw down the combat mission, we have not forgotten what
brought the US to Afghanistan over a decade ago," Hagel said.
RECOGNISING TALIBAN
REGIME IN AFGHANISTAN
WAS BLUNDER: MUSHARRAF
Islamabad, (IANS) Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf
Thursday termed recognition of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan a blunder on the part of Pakistan, media reported Thursday.
He, however, blamed the West and the US for the birth of Al Qaeda and
leaving Pakistan high and dry after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Dawn online reported. Speaking at the Youth Parliament Convention in Karachi, he said Pakistan suffered due to wrong policies of the
US. "Some say Taliban are our children and we created them...but it's
not true," the former president was quoted as saying.
He said Islamic Mujahideen were introduced to fight against the Soviet
Union in 1979. Musharraf regretted that Mujahideen were not looked
after following their "utilisation" against the Soviets.
The former president, however, admitted that recognising the Taliban
regime in Afghanistan was a blunder on Pakistan's part.
Imran Khan vows to unleash
countrywide 'storm'
Islamabad, (IANS) Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran
Khan Monday vowed that a "storm" would be unleashed to "free the
country from its oppressive rulers" after a party activist was killed in
Faisalabad ahead of his call for a shutdown of the city, a Pakistani daily
reported. "We will not let Haq Nawaz's sacrifice go to waste," Imran
Khan said referring to the PTI worker's killing in clashes between supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and his party,
The Dawn reported. "I will go to Lahore, Karachi. Nawaz Sharif, you
have always used the police to oppress the people. We will free this
country from these oppressive rulers," he said in an address to PTI
supporters Monday evening. Police registered a case against 10 PMLN supporters for their alleged involvement in the PTI activist's killing.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sought a report from regional
police officers about the incident, the state-run Associetd Press of
Pakistan quoted sources in the chief minister's secretariat as saying.
Imran Khan had earlier announced plans to shut down major cities in
Pakistan and subsequently the whole country in protest against alleged
rigging in the 2013 general election.
He had urged traders to keep their businesses shut in Faisalabad Dec
8, requesting citizens to sacrifice "one day to liberate themselves".
However, violent clashes erupted between suppor ters of the PTI
and PML-N in which the PTI activist lost his life.
KEY COMMANDERS OF HAFIZ
GUL BAHADUR GROUP KILLED
IN AIRSTRIKES IN PAKISTAN
Peshawar, (IANS) Airstrikes by the Pakistani military in the Datakhel
tehsil of the North Waziristan tribal area killed at least seven key commanders of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group, media reported Sunday. Pakistani F16 fighter jets targeted the militants' compound and a
vehicle in Seen Tanga area of the Datakhel tehsil, Dawn online reported. Military sources confirmed that the strikes were carried out
against the militants in the area, but their identity and the causality
figure was yet to be ascertained. Hafiz Gul Bahadur is the commander
of the Shura Mujahideen in North Waziristan and the leader of a Pakistani Taliban faction based in the area.
US HANDS OVER TOP TALIBAN
LEADER TO PAKISTAN
Islamabad, (IANS) The US has handed over three Pakistani detainees
to Pakistan, including Latifullah Mehsud, a senior Pakistani Taliban
leader, according to US and Pakistani authorities.
"We can confirm that the United States repatriated three Pakistanis held
in US custody in Afghanistan following consultations between the United
Sates and Pakistan and after receiving appropriate assurances regarding humane treatment," a spokesperson with the US embassy in
Islamabad said in a statement, Xinhua reported.
The spokesperson, however, did not identify the Taliban leader. "We
cannot comment on the identity of the detainees."
But two Pakistani officials, who requested not to be identified, confirmed the handover of Latifullah and two other Taliban.
"The United States maintains a facility for the secure and humane care,
custody, and control of third-country nationals in accordance with U.S.
and international humanitarian law," the embassy statement said.
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
MidWeek
15
16
MidWeek
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
INDIA BEAT NETHERLANDS FOR FIRST
WIN IN CHAMPIONS TROPHY
INDIAN PLAYERS CELEBRATE AFTER WINNING A HERO MEN`S CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2014 MATCH AGAINST NETHERLANDS BY 3-2
AT KALINGA STADIUM IN BHUBANESWAR ON DEC 9, 2014. (PHOTO: IANS)
ROMANCING SONAKSHI WAS
CHALLENGING: RAJINIKANTH
Hyderabad (IANS): Superstar Rajinikanth Monday said romancing Sonakshi Sinha in his for thcoming Tamil action movie "Lingaa"
was a challenge.
Rajinikanth said he didn't feel so nervous even on the first time he
faced the camera as much as he did when asked to shoot duets
with Sonakshi.
"The worst punishment god can give actors like me who are in
their 60s is to sing duets. I found shooting duets with Sonakshi
more challenging than doing stunts atop a moving train in the
film," Rajinikanth told repor ters here at the cur tain-raiser of the
film's Telugu version.
"Even in my first film, I didn't feel so nervous as much as I did
when I had to romance her. I've known Sonakshi as a baby, and she has
grown up together with my daughters," he said.
The superstar also felt the same for the film's second heroine, Anushka
Shetty.
Rajinikanth heaped praises on make-up artist Bhanu and cinematographer Rathnavelu for making him look "young and beautiful" on
screen. "Lingaaa", directed by K.S. Ravi Kumar, is slated for release Friday. Rajinikanth appreciated the director for completing
a project of this scale in less than six months.
"Firstly, it's almost impossible to complete such a big project in
about six months. It's big not because of the ar tistes or the budget, but because of the subject and the pre-independence era in
which the story is set," he said.
"If there's something Ravi Kumar and I would like to give the
young generation, it's this that even a big film can be completed
in less than six months," he added.
Rajinikanth quickly clarified that his statement was not applicable to all films.
"I'm aware of the Telugu film 'Baahubali', which has been in the
making for over a year. You can't compare it with 'Lingaa', because it needs time as it's being made in two par ts. I also know
the kind of hard work being put into that project," he said.
"The Telugu industry should be proud of Rajamouli, who will soon
be known as the best technician in the countr y. I'll be happy to
work with him if I get an oppor tunity," Rajinikanth added.
The superstar also reiterated that they didn't steal anyone's script
to make "Lingaa", and that it was originally written by S.
Ponkumaran.
KAJOL AND KING KHAN ON THE SETS OF COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL CELEBRATING A 1000-WEEK COMPLETION OF DILWALE
DULHANIA LE JAYENGE IN MUMBAI (IANS)
AAMIR REFUSES TO
FOLLOW SRK?
Aamir Khan is not going to follow the footsteps of his colleagues in
Bollywood as the superstar says he will never become an owner of
sports team. The 49-year-old actor, who is an ardent sports lover, said he
would rather devote his time in film-making because he gets maximum
satisfaction while working on them.
"I love sports. I love playing and watching sports but anything, which will
take away me from films that I will never do. Usually people give three
months to any sports in a year.
In that 3 months, I will work on a film and that will give me more satisfaction and enjoyment.
"I support the games and I love to watch during the first match of Kabadi
league I was there, but to support it, I don't need to buy a team," Aamir told
reporters.
Host of Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Shilpa
Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, among others, who own various sports
teams, are often seen juggling their two professions throughout the year.
Meanwhile, the star is busy promoting his upcoming film 'PK', which is
directed by Rajkumar Hirani. The actor, who recently organised a private
screening of the film, is happy that his mother enjoyed it. "Recently when
I organised a private screening I called Ammi too. She liked 'PK'. After
screening she was getting late for namaz so she went and later she told
me she enjoyed the film thoroughly. 'If anyone asked you to change
anything do not listen to them. Don't change a bit,'" he said. The actor
added his youngest son Azaad is loving the trailers of 'PK'.
"He loved the trailer of 'PK' whenever the funny scenes come on TV he
laughs a lot," Aamir said.
'PK', also starring Sanjay Dutt, Anushka Sharma and Sushant Singh Rajput
in pivotal roles, releases on December 19.
Can Indian cricketers buck
the trend in Australia?
BY VETURI SRIVATSA
The entire cricket world is waiting with bated breath to see the
India-Australia Test series after a shor t-pitched delivery fatally
felled Phillip Hughes at the Sydney Cricket Ground barely two
weeks ago.
The Indians waited as the Australians mourned the young man's
death. Acting captain, coach and team director were at Macksville
to attend the funeral.
The authorities both in Australia and India made sure the tour is
not truncated. They tweaked the itinerary to accommodate all
the four Tests, The Gabba Test will now be the second before the
teams move to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test and finally to
Sydney to play the four th in the New Year.
There has been a talk of inadequate preparation by India for the
series. Yes, they played a series of One-dayers against the West
Indies and Sri Lanka at home before flying out to Australia.
It is not an ideal preparation for a Test series, but then it is not the
Indian board's fault -- the West Indies players decided to pull out
of the Test series following a pay dispute with their board.
Does it make sense to play two two-day games before the first
Test? They could have played one four-day game or two threeday matches.
Look at the number of Indian batsmen retiring after scoring fifties
so that their colleagues also get to bat. There was a time when
both the teams used to test their potential Test sides in the warmup games. Now the hosts throw up their under-19s to give them
the feel of a big match. It is like providing practice bowlers at the
nets.
If the first Test were to be played as scheduled at Gabba the
talking point would have been whether India should play four
pacers. Not many pitches in the world presently tempt any team
to play four fast bowlers unless the curators leave so much of
grass to scare the visiting batsmen.
These days no team wants to take such a huge risk as it can
backfire on their own batsmen if they have to bat first.
I CONTD. ON PAGE 23
18
MidWeek
bollywood
Movie Review
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
Upcoming
BOLLYWOOD Movies
SONAKSHI SINHA,
CAST: AJAY DEVGN,
ASVI MAMGAI
YAMI GAUTAM, MAN
DHEVA
DIRECTOR: PRABHU
S
RATING: *1/2 STAR
TAKE IT EASY
RELEASE DATE:
Dec 12,2014
STAR CAST:
Vikram Gokhale,Dipannita Sharma,
Raj Zutshi,Anang Desai,Joy Sengupta
Action Jackson: Movie Getting Rave Reviews
BY SUBHASH K JHA/MUMBAI (IANS)
Officially, there are two comic relief providing actors in "Action Jackson". The very talented Kunal Roy Kapoor, here reduced playing the
hero's cretinous sidekick whose sides get kicked in every frame, and
Sonakshi Sinha who spends a good par t of the first-half ogling at her
leading man's power-point... and we don't mean his fists which speak
louder than his words.... really, loud.
Decibels are so high, they could split eardrums provided you can
stay put in your seat through the ordeal. The very talented Sandeep
Chowta provides helpful pointers in the background score: "Vishy
Vishya" goes the score when Devgn is on the screen. "Bangkok
Bangkok" is the chant on the soundtrack for those who like their
locations well mapped.
But we are straying....quite like the script for Prabhudheva's film
which seems to have been scribbled on a series of paper napkins
in crowded cafe where fights often break out, quite like the ones
we see break out in the public places in Prabhudheva's designerinanity.
Admittedly Devgn fights much better than he dances. This is akin
to saying Tendulkar plays cricket much better than kabbaddi.
The question that arises after watching Devgn and Devgn (yes,
there are two of him) plus girls, guns, gore and garbage, is... what
is "Action Jackson" about? Is it a tale so deep that we perhaps
confuse the the trees for the wood? Or inversely, is it a tale so
shallow and crass that it parades bombastic and brash tripe as
mass enter tainment? Tragically the latter option repeatedly stares
into our face. There is no mistaking the motivation behind the
mayhem and melodrama.
So far Prabhudheva's films may have been guilty of strutting a
lowbrow idiom as an antidote to highbrow tedium. "Action Jackson" changes the r ules radically. This is a new aggressive
Prabhudheva who not only strives to make Ajay Devgn, giggle
giggle, dance but also wants to por tray the women characters as
lust machines.
Hence Sonakshi thinks that a cer tain par t of Devgn's anatomy is
"lucky" for her. In the secondhalf we get a "horny harridan" - sorry,
but there is no more polite way to describe her - named Marina,
played by a newcomer Manasvi Mamgai who wants some of the
same that Sonakshi does. It's basically lusting for the land of
carnal oppor tunities. One does it is the ditzy way. The other is
more your Sharon Stone-meets-Mallika Sherawat types.
In the second half when all hell breaks loose, Marina's sex drive
is so intense it makes her a bestial bitch. In the climax she is
understood to be groping the good girl (Yami Gautam) whom Devgn
2 (or is Devgan 1) loves before drawling: "Tum mein kya hai jo
mujh mein nahin".
How about some self-control?
Incidentally Ms Mamgai smokes almost non-stop to show how
evil she is, accompanied by a scroll that says smoking kills.
Yami holds a baby in her hand. No scroll, saying how wonder ful
babies are for the health. Alas.
Yami gets her head bashed in by the goons Ghajini style(wonder
what the censor board was doing about their no violence-againstwomen-not-even-a-slap policy) while Manasvi seems to have all
the fun, thanks to a brother who looks like a cross between
Frankenstein's monster and Gabbar's great-grandfather, and who
makes sure every wish of his sister is his command.
These two siblings must have made their parents proud.
Ironically there are women of every age playing traditional roles....
mother, sweethear t, vamp...Sadly the script is so coiled and
twisted in its desire to subver t the massy cinematic language
that we end up looking at a grotesque masquerade featuring timetested characters and episodes in bewildering situations.
There are hideous interludes of fights and dances. The fights are
sometimes extended into a comedy and the comedy sometimes
ends up in a fight. It's all a painfully prolonged homage to kitchy
cinema with the kitsch element so pronounced and tangy in taste
that you really don't know who's taking whom for a ride.
Or, as Sonakshi (looking very pretty even when indulging in naked
voyeurism) puts it at one point: "I've turned Singham into chrewingum."
Dare we say, Prabhudheva has turned the double role into a psychedelic double-vision. What we see is cer tainly not what we get.
Honest, I didn't get it.
DIRECTOR(S):
Sunil Prem Vyas
PRODUCER(S):
Narendra Singh, Dharmesh Pandit
BADLAPUR BOYS
RELEASE DATE:
Dec 12, 2014
STAR CAST:
Nisshan Nanaiah, Annu Kapoor,
Kishori Shahane, Aman Verma
DIRECTOR(S):
Shailesh Verma
PRODUCER(S):
Karrm Movies
OBJECTION MY GOD
RELEASE DATE:
Dec 12,2014
STAR CAST:
Makarand Deshpande,Sanjay Mishra,
Rajesh Khattar,Zarina Wahab
DIRECTOR(S):
Amit Khan
PRODUCER(S):
Babu Tyagi, Sameer Antulay
MAIN AUR MR. RIIGHT
RELEASE DATE:
Dec 12,2014
STAR CAST:
Barun Sobti,Shenaz Treasurywala, Danny
Sura, Maia Sethna, Kavi Shastri,
LINK-UP RUMOURS COMMON IN AFTAB'S 'COMIC TIMING'
ACTORS' LIFE: ARJUN KAPOOR HELPS HIM BAG FILMS
New Delhi (IANS): Impressed by Aftab Shivdasani's comic skills,
Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures has signed him for their
upcoming films.
He will be seen in the third instalment of "Kyaa Kool Hain Hum"
franchise along with Tusshar Kapoor and Krushna Abhishek.
"Aftab did impeccably in 'Masti' and 'Grand Masti'. He has brilliant comic timing, required for a blockbuster comedy franchise
like 'Kyaa Kool...'," Balaji Motion Pictures' CEO Tanuj Garg said in
a statement.
"In fact, we plan on casting him in some of our other films too," he
added.
Aftab, who entered Bollywood with "Mr. India" (1987) as a child
ar tiste, was last seen in the hit adult comedy "Grand Masti" (2013).
Mumbai (IANS): Actor Arjun Kapoor says linking up with co-stars
are the par t and parcel of an actor's life and he is not the only one
who is targeted with such repor ts.
The actor is rumoured to be dating his "Tevar" co-star Sonakshi
Sinha but he has a different story to tell. "These things (link-up
repor ts) are part and parcel of an actor's life. I am not the first actor
to be linked with his co-star and I am definitely not going to be the
last," said the actor.
"We both (Sonakshi and Arjun) are not influenced by these rumours.
As long as it's not below the belt, I am fine with it," he added. Arjun,
who was previously linked with his "2 States" fame actress Alia
Bhatt, says he is very much single.
"I have been saying this from last two years but nobody believes
me. Everybody wants me to find a girlfriend and when I hangout
with my co-stars, I am linked to them," he said. Directed by Amit
Sharma, "Tevar" also features Manoj Bajpayee amongst others. It
will release January 9, 2015.
SRIDEVI STARRER 'VIJAY 58'
TO RELEASE IN HINDI TOO?
Chennai (IANS): The makers of Tamil fantasy drama starring superstar Vijay, which is tentatively titled "Vijay 58", are repor tedly
planning to release the film in Hindi as well because it features
Bollywood diva Sridevi in a prominent role.
"The team is planning to release the film in Hindi as well. Everybody felt that since Sridevi madam is par t of the project, it would
make sense to release the film in Hindi as well. Nothing has been
confirmed yet but talks are definitely on," a source from the film's
unit told IANS.
Sridevi is playing the mother of actress Hansika Motwani in the
film, which also features Kannada superstar Sudeep. Being directed by Chimdudevan, the film is currently on floors here. The
lead actors recently trained in sword-fighting to shoot some action sequences.
DIRECTOR(S):
Adeeb Rais
PRODUCER(S):
Pooja Singh Gujral,Aseem Rais
PK
RELEASE DATE:
Dec 19,2014
STAR CAST:
Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma,
Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjay Dutt
DIRECTOR(S):
Rajkumar Hirani
PRODUCER(S):
Rajkumar Hirani,Aamir Khan
TEVAR
RELEASE DATE:
Jan 09,2015
STAR CAST:
Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha,
Manoj Bajpai
DIRECTOR(S):
Amit Sharma
MIDWEEK NEWS
NEWS WEEKLY
WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
entertainment
MidWeek
19
RANBIR, ANUSHKA OFFER MOVIE
COSTUMES FOR CHARITY
New Delhi (IANS): Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka
Sharma have pledged to give their movie costumes to help
raise funds for redevelopment of flood ravaged Kashmir and
Assam.
eBay India and Event and Enter tainment Management Association (EEMA) have come together for the cause, and are seeking
bids for a charity auction on www.ebay.in/charity.
Customers can bid for RanbirÂ's Kashmiri pheran from
"Rockstar" and Anushka's leather jacket from "Jab Tak Hai Jaan".
The charity auction that began on Dec 4 will be live till Dec 13.
Ranbir said in a statement: "I feel honoured to be able to contribute towards suppor ting the redevelopment of Kashmir and
Assam through the charity auction run by eBay India and EEMA.
I encourage people to par ticipate in this noble cause and help
all those in need".
Anushka also feels "privileged" to be able to contribute towards
the redevelopment of the states and their citizens. "I encourage
all my fans to par ticipate in this auction and help raise funds to
suppor t the cause," she added.
ARBAAZ KHAN WRAPS UP
'DOLLY KI DOLI'
ANUSHKA & RANBIR.
Everything I do is unique: Priyanka Chopra
New Delhi (IANS): At the peak of her career, Bollywood's marquee
actress Priyanka Chopra changed track to explore the world of music
- only to emerge as a winner. And now she has ventured into film
production. Describing her activities as "unique", she said she doesn't
follow a path but creates her own.
"I am not an ordinary star. Everything I do is sort of unique and I hate
being clubbed as 'oh celebrities'," Priyanka told IANS in an interview.
"I have a very unique personality. I like to do things which I want to do
and I don't know whether these things will turn out to be good or bad.
But everything that I have done has been very unique to me. I don't
follow a path, I create my own," Priyanka added, looking chic in a
white dress.
Her showbiz journey star ted with being crowned Miss India and going on to win the Miss World title at the age of 17, followed by her
Bollywood debut in 2003 with "The Hero: Love Story of a Spy". After
that, there was no looking back as she mastered the ar t of delivering
the unexpected.
However, planning for the future is not Priyanka's style.
"I never knew I will become an actor or a singer or a producer. Things
just happened as I evolved. So, I can't say when I will do what," said
the 32-year-old.
For Priyanka, 2014 was good largely due to the success of her spor tbased film "Mary Kom".
"It's been a great year. I star ted off with 'Gunday' and then 'Mary Kom'.
The business that 'Mary Kom', a female-led film, did is huge. For me,
the biggest victory with 'Mary Kom' was it's numbers on the opening
weekend.
"Female films star t with small numbers and make Rs.50 or Rs.60
crore in two months, but that was not the case for 'Mary Kom'. It's a
huge step," the actress said.
The actress is now prepping up for her Zoya Akhtar's "Dil Dhadakne
Do" and "Bajirao Mastani".
Priyanka, who was recently in the capital to suppor t the Girl Rising
campaign, says women empowerment is seeping into the film industry, but slowly.
"We live in an extremely male-dominated world and slowly it's changing. For instance, actresses used to get roles with three songs and 12
scenes. I personally have tried to move away from such films, but
every girl doesn't get such an oppor tunity.
"Female actors are even afraid to do that because it is easier to do a
film with a boy and share the credit," she said.
The success of women-centric films like "Mardaani", "Queen" and
"Mary Kom" proves that a wave of change has set its foot in Bollywood.
"It is so great to see actresses now coming and taking those steps
and saying, 'Okay the film will be on my shoulders' . When I did
'Fashion' everybody thought I was mad, but it proved a point that
female-led films, if are good films, will be seen.
"We might not make Rs.200 or 300 crore but it is a beginning. It will
take some time but we will get there," the actress said.
Priyanka doesn't just exude optimism but is working towards it. She
says along with the Clean India campaign, she is working on her own
'abhiyan' (campaign).
"I hope to do more such (women-centric) films so that the generation
after me is not afraid to take films which are on their shoulders and
girls get par ts that make them as relevant as boys. So it's my own
'abhiyan'," the actress said.
I'M NOT INSECURE:
ANUSHKA SHARMA
Mumbai (IANS): Actress Anushka Sharma, who is par t of Zoya
Akhtar's "Dil Dhadakne Do", says that she is not insecure working
in the multi-starrer as the role matters more to her than anything else. The film also features Ranveer Singh, Priyanka
Chopra, Farhan Akhtar and Anil Kapoor, among others.
"I guess I am not insecure as a person. In fact when Zoya
offered me this role, she thought I will not take up. Priyanka's
role is bigger in the film but I think the film matters (to me). I
said yes to Zoya the moment I heard the role," said the actress.
Anushka is currently busy promoting her film "PK" that features
Aamir Khan in the lead. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the film also
stars Sanjay Dutt, Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani and Saurabh
Shukla. When asked about her character in the film, Anushka says
she can't reveal much. "I had a great time shooting for 'PK'. It was
a pleasure working with Raju Hirani (Rajkumar Hirani) and
Aamir. I am not allowed to talk much about my character in the
film," she said. The film is set to release Dec 18.
Mumbai (IANS): Actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan has heaved a
sigh of relief having wrapped up the shooting of his home production "Dolly Ki Doli", featuring Sonam Kapoor, Pulkit Samrat
and Rajkummar Rao.
"Wrapped up shoot of #DollyKiDoli, thanks to @sonamakapoor
@PulkitSamrat
@RajkummarRao
@varunsharma90
@abhishekdograa and the entire team," Arbaaz posted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Sonam, the lead actress of the film, seemed emotional about the completion of the shoot.
Sharing a photograph with sweets, on the social networking
site, she tweeted: "Last day of shoot! @arbaazkhanofficial you
cannot do this! thank you #kappy best 1st ad."
Directed by debutant Abhishek Dogra, "Dolly Ki Doli" also features Varun Sharma. It is slated to release Feb 6, next year.
ALIA MOVES ON TO NEXT
GENERATION OF CO-STARS
Mumbai (IANS): Having worked with most of the A-listers from
her own generation of actors, including Sidhar th Malhotra, Varun
Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt has now moved to the next
elder generation.
In her next two releases, to be directed by Vikas Bahl and Ayan
Mukerjee, Alia is paired with Shahid Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor,
respectively.
Though she is tight-lipped about the project with Sushant Singh
Rajput to be directed by Homi Adjania, Alia happily admits to
being par t of Mukerjee's next film starring his best friend Ranbir
who has featured in both the directors' films so far -- "Wake Up
Sid" and "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani".
"I had three releases in 2014 and I'm shooting for one film
'Shandaar'. Besides this, the only project I am officially par t of
is the film directed by Ayan with Ranbir in the lead," she said.
Alia is looking forward to working with Ranbir who had wonderful things to say about her after Imtiaz Ali's "Highway".
Besides, she is all praise for Shahid with whom she shot in
Leeds for "Shandaar".
"He is a very chilled out guy. He has been around for so many
years. He's a thorough professional. I really enjoyed working
with him," she said.
Hopefully, Alia will be working with the Khans -- Shah Rukh,
Salman and Aamir, soon.
"I hope so," Alia laughs.
"I want to work with all of them. It is very impor tant to be seen
with different co-stars. I've so far worked with actors my own
age. So there was a natural comfor t level with them. But it's not
like Shahid is any different from Varun, Arjun or Sidhar th," she
added.
I DON'T ENDORSE SIX-PACK OR
EIGHT PACK ABS: AKSHAY KUMAR
Mumbai (IANS): Akshay Kumar, who is counted amongst the
fittest and most agile actors in the Hindi film industry, says he
does not favour six-pack or eight-pack abs and that he believes
in a "natural way of maintaining a good body".
"It takes a long time to make abs. Tehelte tehelte nahi ban jaate
abs (It is not a cakewalk to get such abs)," said Akshay on
being asked about the trend of abs in Bollywood.
"All that is shown onscreen might not be real either. I don't
endorse these six-pack or eight-pack abs. I believe in the natural way of maintaining a good body," he added.
The 47-year-old, who himself has a well-sculpted body, asser ts that rather than focussing on building abs, people should
care about their future health as otherwise it may prove fatal to
their bodies.
"The person should also care about his health and future as
well. A lot of people depend on products that may give them a
good feeling about their bodies for few days, but the long-term
effect is dangerous to their body," Akshay said.
Meanwhile, actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan as
well as the new generation actors keep flaunting their six-pack
abs and eight-pack abs.
BIG B WRAPS UP 'PIKU'
ANUPAM KHER WITH DADI ON THE SETS OF COMEDY NIGHTS WITH KAPIL TO CELEBRATE A 1000-WEEK COMPLETION OF DILWALE
DULHANIA LE JAYENGE IN MUMBAI (IANS)
Mumbai (IANS): Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has completed
filming Shoojit Sircar's directorial "Piku".
"Confetti and cheers ... applause and thank you pictures... crew
photo opps and some emotions!! 'PIKU' shoot for me is done!"
Amitabh tweeted Friday.
Irrfan took to Twitter and shared a photograph in which he is
seen hugging Big B and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"@SrBachchan's last day of the shoot for #PIKU# couldn't resist, I had to kiss him," Irrfan shared.
The movie, which also stars Deepika Padukone, will hit the
screens April 30, 2015.
JUST SPORT
INDIA LOSE 0-1 TO GERMANY
IN CHAMPIONS TROPHY
BHUBANESWAR: (IANS) India
began their Hero Hockey
Champions Trophy campaign on
a disappointing note, losing 0-1
to Germany in their Pool B
match at the Kalinga Stadium
here.
Florian Fuchs scored the only
goal ensuring the victory for the
Olympic champions Germany in
a nail-biting contest.
From the star t, both the teams
played aggressively. Germany
produced two successive
penalty corners within first 10
minutes but could not capitalise
on the oppor tunities.
Overcoming the initial nervous
moments, India also launched
counter-attack and earned a
penalty corner just as one
minute and nine seconds were
left for the end of first quar ter.
However, German goalkeeper
Nicolas Jacobi stood like a wall
to deny India.
India also spoiled a couple of
chances when its forward
players could not intercept
some good crosses.
BELGIUM BEAT PAKISTAN 2-1
IN CHAMPIONS TROPHY
Bhubaneswar, (IANS) Thomas
Briels’ delightful third quar ter
goal helped Belgium snatch an
opening day 2-1 victory over
Pakistan to get their Hero
Hockey Champions Trophy
campaign up and running in
strong fashion at the Kalinga
Stadium here Saturday.
The Belgians had the half time
lead when Tanguy Cosyns (12th
minute) scrambled home at the
right post after a left wing attack
spun invitingly for him.
They had the guts of the play
from there on, creating eight
circle entries, but were unable
to break through the Pakistan
defences. Tom Boon did draw a
top save from Imran Butt from a
high corner two minutes before
the break to keep the margin at
the minimum.
Pakistan improved markedly in
the second half and were back
on terms when a penalty corner
flick hit Loick Luypaert on the
body. After an umpires consultation, a penalty stroke was
awarded which team captain
Muhammad Imran duly converted, wrong-footing Vincent
Vanasch.
But Briels restored the lead in
stunning style, finishing off with
a delicate flip after Tom Boon
eliminated a couple of defenders with some lovely stickwork
in the 43rd minute and they held
on in reasonable comfort to the
lead for all the points on day
one.
Commenting on their win,
Belgium Captain John-John
Dohmen said, “We are really
happy with the result as
Pakistan is a really good side.
We did not play great but we did
not play badly but we just need
to play together a bit more in the
next game.”
“Tomorrow (against Australia)
will be a great game for us.
Playing the world champions
who I think are the best team
here – even though they lost
today. They might be a bit angry
to win this game.”
Speaking on the team’s performance, Pakistan Coach Shahnaz
Sheikh said, “I am very happy
with the performance of the boys
as after a long gap we played
against an European team. It was
an even game today and it was
satisfying in the manner that we
countered their game. We just
lost it by one goal and this I
think because of the inexperience on our side. We will come
back strong in our next outing
against England”.
The first three quar ters, which
were evenly contested, saw
both India and Germany
struggling to score. In the fourth
quar ter, Germany managed to
get a penalty corner but failed to
conver t it.
In the last minute of the game,
Fuchs, 2012 International
Hockey Federation (FIH) Young
Player of the Year, scored the
solitary goal of the match.
Indian team captain Sardar
Singh said, “The team is little
bit disappointed. We will work
on the mistakes. There are still
two matches left to score well.”
Indian goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh,
who was awarded Player of the
match, said, “Germany was a
very tough team. They played
very well and scored in the last
moment but I appreciate my
team mates who put in a good
performance while our forwards
made some good attacks which
we couldn’t turn into a goal. In
future matches, we will rectify
that.”
Germany coach Weise Markus
said: “It will give a moral boost
to the team in the coming
matches. The young guys
played well and it’s good that
they played well.”
He said it was a serious game
when the whole crowd was
against the team and cheering
for India.
His Indian counterpar t Roelant
Oltmans said: “We had a
number of chances to score. But
we failed to score. It was not
about luck. We made some
mistakes in the final minute and
you just cannot do that against
Germany.”
He, however, said that the team
will perform better in the
coming matches and rectify all
the mistakes committed in the
match.
Earlier, in the run up to the
India-Germany clash, spectators swarmed Kalinga stadium,
which is hosting its first ever
international hockey tournament. Much before the match
began, hundreds of hockey fans
were spotted standing in a
serpentine queue to witness one
of the major spor ting events
hosted by the city.
In their next match Sunday,
India will play Argentina, while
Germany will meet the Netherlands.
In the other Pool B match, the
Netherlands punished a misfiring
Argentina 3-0 with goals coming
from Mink van der Weerden,
Robbert Kemperman and Diede
van Puffelen.
In the Pool A matches, England
stunned five-time defending
champions Australia 3-1. The
European team scored through
Samuel Ward (27th and 56th
minutes) and Alastair Brogdon
(sixth), Chris Ciriello scored the
solitary goal for the World
champions.
Also, Thomas Briels’ delightful
third quar ter goal helped
Belgium snatch a 2-1 victory
over Pakistan.
Schedule - India, Australia & England ODIs
and India Vs Australia -Test Matches,
Australia Test Team : Michael Clarke (c) (NSW*), Brad Haddin (vc) (NSW), Ryan Harris (QLD), Josh Hazlewood
(NSW), Mitchell Johnson (WA), Nathan Lyon (NSW), Mitchell Marsh (WA), Chris Rogers (VIC), Peter Siddle (VIC),
Steve Smith (NSW), David Warner (NSW), Shane Watson (NSW). *Notes subject to fitness
where south asians meet daily
Dutch punish Argentina
3-0 in Champions Trophy
MEMBERS OF PAKISTAN DEAF CRICKET TEAM POSE FOR A PHOTOGRAPH AFTER WINNING THE DOSTI CUP AGAINST INDIA IN
JALANDHAR (IANS)
India eye third spot in Tests
Dubai, (IANS) India have a chance to move up to the third
position in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test
rankings when they face Australia in a four-match series
star ting in Adelaide Dec 9.
India are presently at the sixth spot and a 4-0 victory margin
would take them up to 107 ratings points, one behind secondplaced Australia (117) while a 3-1 win see them jump to the
four th place.
They would join England on 104 points, but would be behind by
a tiny 0.4 point when the ratings are calculated beyond the
decimal point.
A 2-2 series draw would enable both sides to maintain their
positions but Australia would drop to 114 while India will gain
three points.
South Africa lead the standings with 124 points.
A 4-0 win for Australia would help them close the gap on South
Africa to four ratings points, with India dropping to seventh, while a 3-1
margin would reduce the Proteas' lead to six ratings points.
The International Cricket Council's (ICC) rankings were released here Sunday.
In Test rankings for batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara (17th) was the
highest-ranked Indian with Virat Kohli (27th) and Mahendra
Singh Dhoni (30th) featuring among the top 30.
In the Test bowler rankings, Ravichandran Ashwin (12th) was
the highest-ranked Indian with 710 points in a list headed by
South Africa's Dale Steyn (907). Ashwin is also second in the
Test all-rounders rankings, 41 points behind Bangladesh's
Shakib Al Hasan (398).
ICC DEEMS HAFEEZ'S BOWLING ACTION ILLEGAL
Dubai, (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Sunday confirmed that an independent analysis has found the bowling action of
Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez to be illegal and, as such, the off-spinner has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with
immediate effect.
The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.
Hafeez, who was repor ted after the first Test match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi last month, can apply for a re-assessment after
he has modified his bowling action.
The analysis was performed Nov 24 by the ICC's accredited team of Human Movement Specialists at the National Cricket Performance
Centre, Loughborough, England.
England stun Australia 3-1 in Champions Trophy
Bhubanewar, (IANS) England stunned defending champions Australia
3-1 in the inaugural match of the men’s hockey Champions Trophy at
the Kalinga Stadium here Saturday.
Underdogs England dominated throughout the match, putting regular
pressure on the World champions Australian team, which struggled
hard to impress.
Barry Middleton-led England star ted the match with constant attacking moves and surprised their opponents with highly aggressive
game, which tore-apar t the Australian defence.
They got their first goal when Alastair Brogdon hit the net in the early
sixth minute.
Australia got stronger in the second quar ter and produced a row of
penalty corners but could not capitalise on the oppor tunities, whereas
England continued their aggressive play.
Samuel Ward scored second goal for the European team in the 27th
minute. At the end of the second quar ter, England were quite dominant
with their highly encouraged brigade.
Both the teams struggled hard to score in the third quar ter.
Trailing 0-2, Australia improved their game and in the 54th minute,
they were rewarded with a penalty corner that was successfully conver ted by Chris Ciriello.
However, Ward completed his brace with a quick counter-attack two
minutes later to completely shut the door on the Graham Reid-coached
Kookaburras.
In their next match, the Eddie Ockenden-led Australia will face Belgium, while England will take on Pakistan.
Bhubaneswar, (IANS) The Netherlands produced a fine 3-0 win
over Argentina in the opening match of Pool B of the Hero Hockey
Champions Trophy at the Kalinga Stadium here.
The Dutch team was awarded five penalty corners in the first
quar ter but only scored on one occasion. Mink van der
Weerden’s drag-flick found the net in the 12th minute, earlier
Manu Brunet had saved a van der Weerden flick on the line.
Argentina also had their chances to score, for instance when
Lucas Vila received a running pass from skipper Matias Paredes
but could not defeat Pirmin Blaak in the Dutch goal.
Holland, silver medallists in the 2012 Olympic and 2014 World
Cup, eventually doubled their lead in the second quar ter when
Robber t Kemperman conver ted a beautiful pass from Sander
Baar t with a reverse stick strike in the 19th minute.
Argentina, who surprised by taking the bronze medal at the
World Cup, fought hard to get back into the game but Blaak kept
them out.
With 11 minutes to go, Diede van Puffelen scored his first goal
in his senior career, securing a deserved 3-0 victory for the Max
Caldas-coached side.
“I think it was very comfor table, especially in the first three
quar ters. In the four th quarter, we looked a little bit tired and the
game opened up when it didn’t really have to but I think we were
in control the whole time,” coach Caldas said.
“We had four guys on zero caps. Every one of them played
really well and I think they will never forget playing in a hockey
country like India and making their debut so I was pleased with
them all.”
In their next match, the Dutch will face 2008 and 2012 Olympic
champions Germany, while the Carlos Retegui-coached Argentina will take on India.
BCCI ANNOUNCES PROBABLES
SQUAD FOR 2015 WORLD CUP
Mumbai (IANS): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
recently named a 30-member squad of probables for the Feb
14-March 29 One-Day International (ODI) World Cup, scheduled to be played in Australia and New Zealand next year.
Five members of India's 2011 World Cup-winning team Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan
Singh and Gautam Gambhir - were left out of the squad.
The 30 probables list: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shikhar
Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Robin Uthappa,
Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav,
Manoj Tiwar y, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Sanju
Samson, R. Ashwin, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Amit
Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma,
Bhubaneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Varun
Aaron, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Kuldeep
Yadav, Murali Vijay.
SHAUN MARSH ADDED TO
AUSTRALIAN TEST SQUAD
Melbourne (IANS): Left-handed batsman Shaun Marsh Thursday was added to Australia's Test squad as attention turned
towards the four-match Test Series against India star ting
today, Dec 9 at the Adelaide Oval. "The National Selection
Panel has today advised that West Australian Shaun Marsh
has been added to the Test squad as an additional batsman
for the first Test," CA said in a release. "The Australian Test
squad will assemble in Adelaide today and tomorrow ahead
of the first Test star ting today." The 31-year-old Marsh's
call-up comes as question marks remain over captain
Michael Clarke's fitness. Clarke had been recovering from a
hamstring injury but had put his treatment on hold after
Hughes was struck batting in a Sheffield Shield match at the
Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Nov 25.
22
MidWeek
entertainment
MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014
KHLOE DYING TO POSE FOR PLAYBOY
Los Angeles (IANS): Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian is said be to
keen on posing for Playboy magazine and wants $1 million pay out for
the photoshoot.
"Khloe is dying to prove she's just as hot as her sisters. She thinks
her curves are a perfect fit for a men's mag and being in Playboy has
always been a dream of hers. She wants to cause shock waves when
she reveals her new body," a source told okmagazine.com.
The 30-year-old has been working long hours in the gym and sticking
to a strict diet to prepare.
"I've definitely become obsessed with working out! It's funny, because my weight has always fluctuated, but recently so many people
have been saying, 'You look so good, you've lost all this weight'. It's
actually been about a year and a half that I've been making a lifestyle
change. There's no quick fix, I would say," Khloe said previously.
'EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS'
VISUALLY SPLENDID
FARAH KHAN, ACTORS ABHISHEK BACHCHAN AND BOMAN IRANI AT THE 14TH MARRAKECH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IN
MOROCCO (IANS)
NEW BOND FILM TITLED 'SPECTRE'
London (IANS): The 24th James Bond film will be titled "Spectre", director Sam Mendes has revealed and added that the cast
will include Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci and Lea Seydoux.
Mendes spoke of the development at the Pinewood Studios
here. He said that alongside Daniel Craig, who plays the iconic
British spy in his four th Bond movie, the returning cast would
include Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Eve
Moneypenny, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner and Ben Whishaw as
Q, repor ts variety.com.
While the name of the character to be essayed by Waltz was not
revealed, Bellucci will be seen playing Lucia Sciarra, Seydoux
as Madeleine Swann, Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx, and Andrew
Scott as Denbigh.
Also, the 007 car will be the new Aston Mar tin DB10.
"Spectre", slated for global release Nov 6, 2015, will see a
cryptic message from Bond's past sending him on a trail to
uncover a sinister organisation, Spectre. While M battles
political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels
back the layers of deceit to reveal the truth behind Spectre.
The principal photography of the film will begin Dec 8. It will be
shot over seven months at Pinewood Studios and several
locations, which will include London, Rome, Tangier and Er foud
in Morocco, Mexico City, and Solden, Ober tilliach and Lake
Altaussee in Austria.
Film: "Exodus: Gods and Kings"; Cast: Christian Bale, Joel Edger ton,
Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, John Tur turro, Ben Mendelsohn,
Maria Valverde, Golshifteh Farahani, Indira Varma, Hiam Abbass;
Director: Ridley Scott; Rating: ***
New York (IANS): A visual splendour set in 1300 BC, "Exodus: Gods
and Kings" is the biblical tale of Moses, the adopted son of the Pharaoh who was raised as an Egyptian prince and later turned into a
prophet, religious leader and a lawgiver. He figures prominently in
the Jewish, Christian and Islamic scriptures.
This often heard story had earlier hit the marquee in 1956 as Cecil B.
DeMille's "The Ten Commandments". But unlike the earlier edition,
director Ridley Scott's version is narrated in a pragmatic way, where
Moses, a cool, eloquent man of reason is wrapped in conflict and
complexities, and whose relationship with god is complicated to say
the least.
The narration here does not star t from Moses' bir th, but plunges directly into the dramatic setting with Moses as an adult, garnering
brownie points with Pharaoh Seti.
Soon a prophecy, right in the middle of the action, by the high priestess that, "In the battle, a leader will be saved and he will lead,"
comes true.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28,
09,2012
2014
23
HARYANA'S HEADLINEGRABBING SISTERS: LOCAL
HEROES OR SERIAL BEATERS?
STATS - INDIA vs. AUSTRALIA Test Matches
Head-to-head in Australia (Tests): Played: 40; India won: 5; Australia won: 26; Drawn: 9
Head-to-head in Australia (series): Played: 10; India won: 0; Australia won: 7; Drawn: 3
INDIA'S PERFORMANCES AT THE 4 VENUES THAT HOST THE TESTS THIS TIME:
In Adelaide: Played 10; India won: 1; Australia won: 6; Drawn: 3
In Brisbane: Played 5; India won: 0; Australia won: 4; Drawn: 1
In Melbourne: Played 11; India won: 2; Australia won: 8; Drawn: 1
In Sydney: Played 10; India won: 1; Australia won: 5; Drawn: 4
India's Test wins in Australia:
1. Melbourne, 1977-78: Won by 222 runs
2. Sydney, 1977-78: Won by an innings and 2 runs
3. Melbourne, 1980-81: Won by 59 runs
4. Adelaide, 2003-04: Won by 4 wickets
5: Perth, 2008-09: Won by 72 runs
CONTD. FROM PAGE 3
However, the government later put the move on hold pending a
complete investigation into the Nov 28 incident in which three
youths were thrashed by them inside a moving Haryana Roadways bus near Rohtak.
Other voices have now star ted coming out against the sisters's
actions.
"The girls went overboard claiming 2,000 boys have molested
them till date. A simple arithmetic, assuming the girls being
molested for last five years or 1,825 days, the girls got molested vir tually every day. Raising a false alarm shot the girls to
instant fame," Amit Gupta, convener of NGO Hridaya which
works for the 'Save Indian Family' movement, told IANS.
Many people, including women and activists in Rohtak district,
have come out openly to challenge the sisters' claims.
"We were told that there are several boys who are victims of
these girls. A lot of people who have seen the rowdyism by
these girls have also come out," independent filmmaker Deepika
Narayan Bharadwaj, who visited the villages of the 'victims'
and the 'accused' after the incident, told IANS.
Deepika's video "The other side of Rohtak bravehearts" has got
nearly 300,000 hits on YouTube.
"The sole purpose of making this video was to present the other
side of the story. Some laws are being rampantly misused (by
women). Mere accusations are enough to ruin the entire life of
a person," Deepika said.
"What I found was shocking. Most people, without knowing much
about the case, were blindly applauding the act of the women
who have blackmailed and extor ted several boys in the past
and have been misusing laws made for protection of women.
"I saw an entire village and others standing in suppor t of the
young boys," Deepika said, adding that she met "past victims"
of the two sisters.
In the media frenzy and the three youths being sent to custody
for five days, there were repor ts that the army authorities announced that two of them, who had applied to get into the armed
forces, would not be considered.
"We want the Haryana government and police to investigate
how many people have been cheated by the same girls. They
should take action against the girls if this has happened," Gupta
said.
On their par t, after the initial media hoopla over their 'bravery',
the sisters stood by their claims about the bus incident.
"We are being pressurised to withdraw the case and things are
being said against us for this. We want the authorities to investigate the real truth," Aar ti told the media at her home.
An old woman, who was a passenger on the same bus, rubbished
the sisters' claims saying the fight was over seats and not
molestation as the girls alleged.
India strike after swift Warner century
AUSTRALIA 6 FOR 354 (WARNER 145,
SMITH 72*, CLARKE 60) V INDIA
David Warner scattered whatever nerves or doubts there
may have been ahead of Australia's resumption of the
international season following Phillip Hughes' death with a
blazing star t to the first Test. Warner hit seven of his first 15
deliveries for four on the way to his fifth century in seven
Tests in 2014 after Michael Clarke chose to bat on an easypaced Adelaide Oval pitch. Clarke motored to 60 before he
retired hur t, and Steven Smith breezed to an unbeaten 72.
India regained some ground with the second new ball
producing three late strikes.
The day belonged to Warner, as he shredded India's attack
for 145 off 163 deliveries before mis-hitting the debutant
legspinner Karn Sharma to deep midwicket. India's new-ball
pair of Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron were taken for
178 in 34.2 overs, and the visitors would have suffered more
had it not been for Ishant Sharma's discipline.
Far more worrying for Australia than India's attack was what
seemed to be a relapse of Clarke's chronic back problem.
Clarke's par tnership with Warner had grown to 118 when he
grimaced as soon as he avoided a shor t ball in the 44th
over, and had to leave the field after some doing stretching
and talking to the team physio. Barring the odd play-andmiss and some edged boundaries, Clarke had batted with
assurance.
India stuck to their strategy of bowling round the wicket to
Warner throughout the first session, even though it had
proved expensive enough already. They may have probably
wanted to deny Warner width, but still ended up providing
plenty of room, par ticularly at the star t, and the opener
punished them. He was especially severe on Aaron who
went for three fours in his opening over, driven first ball
through extra cover and flayed backward of point twice.
Shami got the same treatment in his second over.
Apar t from a probing first over from Shami to Rogers, India's
fast bowlers could not find much swing or seam and the ball
came on nicely for Warner to hit on the up freely. The first
bouncer the Indians tried was in the four th over when Aaron
made Warner crouch. The batsman's response was to play
an upper cut the next ball, another bouncer, for four.
Warner was already on 37 off 20 when Ishant came on and
bowled a maiden to the opener. In his next over, he slanted
one across to have Chris Rogers nicking a drive to second
slip for 9. Shane Watson eased himself to a star t in his first
Test since March, before chasing a wide one from Aaron on
14 and slashing to second slip, where Shikhar Dhawan made
no mistake again.
Warner pulled Aaron for successive fours to reach his fifty
off 45 balls and moved to 100 off 105, Virat Kohli allowing an
easy single with mid-off pushed to the deep. Warner looked
up to the skies with emotion each time, something he also
did on reaching 63, the score Hughes was batting on when he
was felled by a bouncer.
Clarke was welcomed by a sharp bouncer from Aaron, as
Watson had been by Ishant. Even as Clarke gradually settled
down, Warner kept drilling the fast bowlers through the off
side.
Shami began from over the wicket to Warner after lunch but
wasn't disciplined for long enough and leaked runs to Clarke.
He did star t the session with three successive dot balls to
Warner, who pushed the four th in the air, but Kohli had
placed point too deep for it to be a chance.
Karn made little impact with his largely flattish trajectory
and up-and-down lengths and Warner slog-swept and
reverse-swept him for boundaries. Apar t from Warner's
ever-increasing score, India's over-rate was also a concern
for Kohli in his first Test as captain as they managed 50 in
the first two sessions.
Warner's failed attempt to clear the field soon after tea took
care of Kohli's first worry, and M Vijay's introduction lifted
the over-rate. It also allowed a cautious Mitchell Marsh to
bat himself in against harmless par t-time offspin as Kohli
used his slow bowlers for 13 successive overs.
Smith was in superb touch, using his feet regularly to spin
and driving and clipping the fast bowlers elegantly. Marsh
developed enough confidence to step out and drive Karn
against the turn through midwicket.
Vijay was used for as many as 12 overs as India waited for
the second new ball. Ishant Sharma deservingly took it as
soon as it was available, but offered Smith a couple of
freebies on the pads, the second of which took the batsman
to 63, bringing another emotional acknowledgment.
With Australia having reached 345 for 3, India appeared to
be wasting the second new ball too when out of nowhere,
Aaron got one to kick from a tight line and a surprised
Marsh edged to gully on 41. Shami too found some control
to go with his pace. The nightwatchman Nathan Lyon could
not make it to stumps, and neither could Brad Haddin,
edging Shami behind off what turned out to be the last ball
of the day.
Can Indian cricketers buck the trend in Australia?
It is amazing for the Indian think-tank to even consider playing four fast bowlers. It shows their confidence
in their new ball operators. There was a time the new-ball bowlers were seen as a shade faster than the
spinners and that they are there only to see the shine off the ball for the spinners to come in. The Gabba
speculation is put on hold now that the first Test is in Adelaide.
There have been times when India played four spinners and lost Test matches. Then there are occasions
when they played three medium-pacers and one spinner overseas and still lost. There were times when
they went in with three spinners and one medium-pacer at home, yet could not force a victory.
They have won, too, a couple Tests with these experiments in recent times, thanks to individual performers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Virender Sehwag with the bat, and Anil
Kumble and Harbhajan Singh spinning the ball. These are few and far between.
There have been instances of the pace of Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma
winning matches.
There was that great spell by Ajit Agarkar to win a Test in Adelaide in 2003-04 series when Dravid and
Laxman undermined Australia's first innings score of 556 with a massive 303-run stand.
Dravid, who hit a double century in the first innings, carried the side to victory with an unbeaten 72 in the
second after the Australians were bowled out for 196 in their second innings.
In the last 30 years, India have had some memorable series Down Under -- only the 1991-92 and 2011-12
series were washouts, with India losing all four Tests. They fought on level terms in 1980-81, 1985-86, 2003-04
and 2007-08 series and India should have won all the three with a little luck and a bit of competent umpiring.
It has become a fashion every time India go on a tour to Australia, South Africa and England to say that this
was their best oppor tunity to win the series -- But with a rider that they take 20 wickets and for that the
bowlers must have enough runs from the batsmen.
This appears to be a psychological ploy and it is again said the side has the potential. This time around
they can afford to play two spinners with three pacers as all the tweakers in the squad are capable
batsmen, too.
Apparently, the team management did not want to change the decision to allow Virat Kohli to lead the side
in the first Test, even in the changed circumstances and with Mahendra Singh Dhoni joining the squad.
The Australians have welcomed back their captain Michael Clarke, taking his word that he has recovered
from his hamstring problem. They have cobbled up a fairly experienced side, the three fast bowlers in
par ticular, to stare down the Indians.
The Indians could not have asked for a better venue to star t the series. If they can tackle Mitchell Johnson,
Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris, they will go to the Gabba in a better frame of mind. The brash young Indians
should show some spunk and they promise to do so.
(Veturi Srivatsa is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal
24
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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2014