maple batalia's ex-boyfriend gary dhaliwal indo- …southasiandaily.com/pdf/december-4,...

INDO- CANADIANSHOWCASESAAKASH 2 AT UNMAPLE BATALIA'S EX-BOYFRIEND GARY DHALIWALCHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER

A FILE PHOTO OF 19-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, MODEL AND ASPIRING ACTRESS MAPLE BATALIA AND (INSET) 20 YEAR OLDGURJINDER (GARY) DHALIWAL WHO CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CONTD. ON PAGE 4

PRINCE William and his wife, Catherine, have announced they are expecting a baby, endingdays of speculation the 30-year-old duchess was pregnant.

ROYAL BABYKate Middleton's severemorning sickness couldbe a sign she is expecting

royal twins. If so, the first bornwould be heir to the throne.

The announcement cameafter Kate, 30, was taken lateMonday afternoon to KingEdward VII Hospital in Londonwhere she is expected to remainfor several days with severemorning sickness.

The condition is more oftenexperienced by women expectingtwins.

William, also 30, drove Kateto hospital after she fell ill whilethey had been staying at herparents' house in Berkshire, westof London

Prime Minister StephenHarper issued a statementfollowing the announcement byBuckingham Palace that TheirRoyal Highnesses The Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge areexpecting their first child:

"We recall with greatfondness the 2011 Royal Tour ofCanada by The Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge."The tremendous

outpouring of affection withwhich Canadians greeted theRoyal Couple is bolstered by

today's happy news. On behalfof all Canadians, Laureen and Iconvey our warmestcongratulations to both TheDuke and The Duchess."

UN Secretary General BanKi-moon praised India asa "superpower" in the

field of information technology ashe unveiled the country's firstindigenously created low-costAakash 2 tablet here.The tablet was showcased at theUN headquarters on the occasionof the India's current Presidencyof the UN Security Council.CEO of Datawind, maker of theAakash tablet, Suneet Singh Tuli,presented the device to the UNChief who voiced appreciation forthe tablet for being "small andhandy.""India is a critical player onsecurity issues, but you are also aleader on development andtechnology. Indeed, India is asuper-power on the informationsuperhighway. There is a reasonplaces like Hyderabad are called'Cyberabad'," Ban said in his

remarks.The UN Chief said he is aware that'Aakash' means 'sky' in Hindi andcalled on nations to work with theUN to help young people "reachfor the sky and meet their dreams."

He said technology is not an endin itself but is the key to empowerpeople to make the most of theirown potential."Information and communicationstechnologies are engines ofeconomic growth anddevelopment and can helptransform people's lives. They aregreat enablers, helping peoplecommunicate across distances,facilitating trade and commerceand providing better access tohealth care and education," hesaid.

Suneet Singh Tuli, right, CEO of Datawind, presents UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon, left, an Aakash2 tablet computer during ameeting at the United Nation headquarters. They are accompa-nied by India's UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri.

INDIA IS A "SUPERPOWER"IN IT - BAN KI-MOON

Cooling house prices are not entirely anegative for the Canadian economy: CIBCLOWER REAL ESTATE COSTS COULD TRIGGER INCREASEDRETAIL SPENDING BY SOME CANADIANS

TORONTO: A cooling in Canadian house prices may not be all badnews for the country's economy as cheaper real estatemay free up retail spending power for prospective firsttime home buyers, finds a new report from CIBC WorldMarkets.

The report notes that while the evident slowing inCanadian home sales will take a bite out of domesticeconomic growth by reducing new housing starts andrelated sales of furniture and appliances, a gradual retreat in pricesmay be beneficial for parts of the economy and for some Canadians.

"For one, a retreat today could be the preferred alternative to aharder landing from even higher prices down the road," says AveryShenfeld, chief economist at CIBC. "Less understood is that cheaperhome prices could bring winners as well as losers across the

economy."What of the young newlyweds scraping by on mac

and cheese in order to save for their first home? A slip inprices could ease that task, freeing up spending power inthe process."

Mr. Shenfeld notes that increases in Calgary houseprices have trailed the Canadian average over the past five

years, including a near-15 per cent dip in 2008, yet retail spending inthe city has outperformed the national average. Contd. on 0

BANK OF CANADA MAINTAINS OVERNIGHTRATE TARGET AT 1 PER CENT

The Bank of Canada today announced that it is maintaining itstarget for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. The Bank Rate iscorrespondingly 1 1/4 per cent and the deposit rate is 3/4 per

cent. The global economy has unfolded broadly as the Bankprojected in its October Monetary Policy Report (MPR). Theeconomic expansion in the United States is progressing at a gradualpace and is being held back by uncertainty related to the fiscal cliff.Europe remains in recession. Chinese growth appears to be stabilizing.Commodity prices have remained at elevated levels since the OctoberMPR and global inflationary pressures are subdued in response topersistent excess capacity. Global financial conditions remain stimulative,though vulnerable to major shocks from the U.S. or Europe. In Canada,economic activity in the third quarter was weak, owing in part totransitory disruptions in the energy sector. Although underlyingmomentum appears slightly softer than previously anticipated, thepace of economic growth is expected to pick up through 2013. Theexpansion is expected to be driven mainly by growth in consumptionand business investment, reflecting very stimulative domesticfinancial conditions. Housing activity is beginning to decline fromhistorically high levels. While the household debt burden continuesto rise, growth in household credit has slowed. Contd. on Page 5

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012

MidWeek 3MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


page 3 ANIL KAPOOR'SOVER-THE-TOPDEMANDS!

Salman Khan's growingfondness for Priyanka Chopra

Declares in Dubai that heis Priyanka's favouriteco-star these days and

even calls up a friend to finalisea film with her A month after thisnewspaper published exclusivepictures as proof of SalmanKhan and Priyanka Chopra'snew camaraderie, the stars moreor less made it official in Dubai.

PeeCee and Salman wereslated to perform at a concert in

the historic district of Bur Dubairecently and have been stayingin the same hotel. And that iswhere their bonhomie becameall too evident.

It started with a pressconference that the two starsattended. Both Salman andPeeCee were seen doodling ona piece of paper towards the endof the conference. While Salmanwas sketching one of hissignature human faces, PeeCeewas doodling just to humourhim. On a more serious note, thetwo carried their warm vibesbackstage where they met aselect media group. In hisinimitable style, Salmandeclared: "I didn't choosePriyanka or the others to

perform with me. They(pointing to PeeCee and ZarineKhan, Sophie Choudry) choseme," he said, adding, "I amPriyanka's favourite co-star oflate." As for PeeCee, shegrabbed the opportunity toreaffirm her friendship withSalman: "Yup!" she saidgrinning widely and latershowered praises on her new'friend.' As was being

speculated, Salman may havejust designed a film forPriyanka. According to sourcesin Dubai, the actors wereensconced in Salman's suite allafternoon with Sohail Khanand PeeCee's manager. "Therewas a series of meeting. Andthey did not emerge till late fortheir rehearsals," added thesource travelling with the stars.

Buzz is, they werediscussing a forthcoming Sallustarrer. And as a final seal ofapproval, Salman, says oursource, made a long conferencecall to a 'friend' in Mumbai. Heended the conversation with"Chal abhi woh picture banatehain." Expect the 'friend' toreveal himself very soon.

Anil Kapoor's over-the-top demands!

From One two ka four to 24, Anil Kapoor has come a long way.And so, we learnt has his 'requirements'. It all began with aninvitation that Anil Kapoor received to attend an awards

ceremony in Dubai. Busy with his new regime to play a specialagent for the Indian adaptation of American TV series 24, the actorturned down the invite. Perseverant, the sponsors came back withan ace - an award for Anil, hoping this would solve everything.Sadly, luring a Bollywood actor, who has international appeal,wasn't that easy. Along with a confirmation of him attending thedo, Anil sent a list of 'requirements'. "We were told that Anil wouldneed two first class tickets in a good airline to fly in and fly out ofDubai. We were also told that he will need a presidential suite tostay in," said a staff member of the sponsoring company. Theactor's next demand left the organisers flummoxed. According tothe source, Anil asked for rooms for his assistants on the samefloor of his suite - rooms that must be interconnected to his. "Wewere told that the rooms must have connecting doors.

AGE DOES NOT MATTER...

VETERAN ACTRESS WAHEEDA REHMAN TAKES A CLOSER LOOK OF A LIFE-SIZE STATUE OF LEGENDARY ACTOR DEV ANANDAFTER ITS UNVEILING TO MARK HIS FIRST DEATH ANNIVERSARY IN MUMBAI ON TUESDAY.

Shah Rukh Khan finallyspeaks about his relationshipwith PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Shah Rukh has spokenabout Priyanka Chopraand the buzz around themin a television interview

He says, `To me what ismost disturbing is that

a lady who has worked withme has been questioned andsomewhere down the linehas not been shown therespect that I show her, orto all women.I think it is disrespectfuland I am extremely sorryabout that, sorry means notbecause of the things that Ihave done but because sheis a friend. Khan considersher extremely 'close to hisheart'... She was a little girlwho started her Miss Worldcrowning with me.We have shared some of thenicest moments onscreenand off it.It is extremely unfortunatefor me, you know, afriendship gets a littlespoilt.`



page 4 MAPLE BATALIA'SEX-BOYFRIEND GARYDHALIWAL CHARGEDWITH FIRST-DEGREEMURDER

Maple Batalia's Ex-Boyfriend Gary Dhaliwalcharged with first-degree murder

20 Year old Gurjinder (Gary) Dhaliwal, ex-boyfriendof B.C. homicide victim Maple Batalia, is chargedwith first-degree murder. Another man, GursimarBedi, 22, has been charged with manslaughter andbeing an accessory after the fact.

The 19-year-old student, model and aspiring actress MapleBatalia was gunned down in September 2011 in the parkade ofSurrey's SFU campus.Dhaliwal had dated Batalia, but she broke it off with him be-cause she didn't like the path he was taking. He is now facinga first-degree murder charge, the Integrated Homicide Investi-gation Team announced Saturday.Dhaliwal has no criminal record, while Bedi is also currentlyfacing trafficking charges dating back to May 2011. He is dueto appear in cour t on those in January.Batalia's sister Rosie said she is glad charges have been laid,but still desperately misses her sister.Supt. Kevin Hackett, IHIT's officer in charge, spoke of howhard investigators work, getting help from Surrey RCMP andcolleagues at E Division's major crime section.Surrey's Chief Supt. Bill Fordy, said he knew this day wouldcome. He said it was par ticularly tragic that Batalais wasgunned down at SFU where young people go to study and worktowards their dreams.On Monday morning in Surrey provincial cour t, a judge issueda no contact order, ordering the two men not to be in contactwith each other or the Batalia family. Dhaliwal appeared inperson; Bedi appeared via a video link from police custody."We just got a glimpse of him, and that's it. We didn't get much,"Maple's father, Harkirat Batalia, told repor ters outside the cour t-house.The men remain in custody and the case has been put over toDec. 17 for their next cour t appearance.Outside the cour troom Dhaliwal's lawyer said his client willplead not guilty to the first-degree murder charge. Bedi doesnot yet have a lawyer, the cour t was told.The weekend arrest of the two men came as the City of Surreyprepares to host its third annual forum on domestic violenceon Wednesday.Coun. Barinder Rasode said Batalia's death and violence inteen dating will be the focus of the forum."Regardless of what your age is, domestic abuse and abusewithin relationships is prevalent across the board. Unfor tu-nately we've had some very high profile cases that have comefrom a particular community."The only one thing that is common at this point is that stillpeople are still not prepared to talk about it," she said.On the day her daughter's accused killers made their first ap-pearance in court, Maple Batalia's mother was concerned aboutthe families of the two men."She's struggling with how they might be struggling, whichspeaks volumes to the them (the Batalias) and the people theyare and the family bond they have," said Pound.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 breaking newsCash transfer scheme: EC asks govtto defer its operation in Gujarat, HP Indian couple convictedin Norway in alleged

child abuse case

NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS:Voicing concern overannouncement of direct cashtransfer scheme during theoperation of Model Code ofConduct, the ElectionCommission on Tuesdaydirected the government to keepin abeyance its implementation

CENTRE COULD HAVE AVOIDED CASH TRANSFER SCHEME: EC TO GOVT

in Gujarat and Himachal Pradeshwhere the poll process is on.

The three-member ElectionCommission met under thechairmanship of Chief ElectionCommissioner V S Sampath andconsidered the government'sreply on the issue following itsquery and said the

announcement was"avoidable" during the electionprocess.The Commission alsoexpressed concern over theannouncement and expectedthe government to avoid doingso during the operation ofmodel code. "Taking intoconsideration of the above

chronology of milestones of thescheme, the Commission is ofthe considered opinion that theaforesaid announcement wasavoidable during the currencyof the election process going bythe letter and spirit of the ModelCode of Conduct," the EC ordersaid. "The Commission furtherdirects that all follow up andconsequential steps towardsthe implementation of thescheme in respect of the fourdistricts in the State of Gujaratand the two districts in the Stateof Himachal Pradesh, which areproposed to be covered in thefirst phase of implementation ofthe scheme, shall be kept inabeyance till completion of theelection process in these twoStates," the order stated.

While considering thegovernment's response to itsquery on the issue, the pollbody said, "It is silent withregard to the justificationsought by the Commission asto the necessity ofannouncement of the scheme atthis juncture, when the ModelCode of Conduct is in operationin Gujarat and HimachalPradesh."

NEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: An Indian couple in Norway was onTuesday convicted by an Oslo court in an alleged child abuse case.Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni was sentenced to 18 months in jail and hiswife Anupama to 15 months in connection with the case. The softwareengineer and his wife Anupama were arrested for alleged ill-treatment oftheir seven-year-old son Sai Sriram. Prosecutors had charged the couplewith "gross or repeated maltreatment" of their children by "threats,violence or other wrong" and proposed a minimum sentence of oneyear and six months for Chandrasekhar and one year and threemonths for his wife. Chandrasekhar works for software giant TCS,which deputed him to Oslo 18 months ago to handle a project. Hetook his wife and two sons with him.

INDIAN COUPLE CONVICTED IN NORWAY IN CHILD ABUSE CASE

Govt broke its promise to Parliamenton FDI in retail, says Sushma SwarajNEW DELHI, BUREAU NEWS : The government had promised adecision on foreign investment in retail after consensus but hadgone back on its promise, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader SushmaSwaraj said Tuesday whileinitiating the debate on the issuein Lok Sabha. The leader ofopposition said the governmentclaims that foreign directinvestment (FDI) in multi-brandretail would benefit farmers but thiswas not proven by internationalexperience. "The government hasgone back on its promise ofholding consultation with allstakeholders before allowing FDIin retail. It is sad that no effort wasmade to make a political consensusand no meeting or any consultationwas held with even the mainopposition party," she said."International experience showsthat retailers do predatory pricing and they will reduce the prices sothat the other shops get shut and when the market is over, they willincrease the prices and then consumers will have no choice but to buyat high prices," she said. Sushma Swaraj quoted the European Uniondeclaration against supermarkets and said they pay farmers poor pricesthe world over. "They give low prices to farmers, low wages to

employees, but keep high profits. All over world large supermarkets dothis," she added. She said that McDonald's does not buy potatoesfrom small farmers saying that their produce does not make good fries.

Swaraj said that 90% productssold will be made in Chinawhich will bring employmentfor Chinese. Earlier, the UPAgovernment has said it isconfident of its numbers inLokSabha, which begins a debateon foreign direct investment(FDI) in multi-brand retail at2pm Tuesday. Swaraj movedthe motion, which reads: "ThisHouse recommends to thegovernment to immediatelywithdraw its decision to allow51 percent FDI in multi-brandretail trade." The motion forthe modification of ForeignExchange Management Act

(FEMA) notification, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha Nov 30, willalso be taken up along with the one on FDI. FEMA rules have to beapproved by the Lok Sabha to facilitate FDI in retail. Trinamool Congressleader Saugata Roy and National Conference leader Hassan Khan havemoved counter motions against the government notification onFema rules.

TV GRAB SHOWS A SCENE INSIDE THE PARLIMENT ON TUESDAY.

REVEALED! Sunny Leone'slook in Ragini MMS 2

Indian executives likely to get 9.4% salary hike this fiscal: ReportNEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: Top Indian executives areexpected to see their salaries increase by a 'modest' 9.4 per centthis fiscal as corporates continue to grapple with economicslowdown, says global consultancy Hay Group. The projected average hike in compensation is much lower thanthe double-digit increase -- around 11 per cent -- seen in theprevious year. "The compensation of CEOs and their (companies)is said to increase by a modest 9 per cent and 9.4 per cent,respectively, in the current financial year," Hay Group IndiaRewards Practice Leader Shridhar Ganesan said. In the next fiscal (2013-14), the compensation of Indian CEOsand top executives is projected to be around 8.9 per cent and 9per cent, respectively, he said. "The economic turbulence ishaving a cascading effect on executive compensation," Ganesansaid. The findings are part of the 'Top Executive CompensationReport', released on Tuesday, that covered 158 organisationsoperating in India. The salary trend are for Indian and non-promoter CEOs. Incentives -- both short-term and long-term --make up for 30-44 per cent of the overall executive compensationmix. According to Hay Group, there is a trend of increase in externalrecruitment of CEOs in evolving sectors such as retail and basicresources. "Impatience for business results has led to recruitment

of ready-made CEOs and is one of the reasons for variance in thecompensation multiplier across sectors," Ganesan said. "Market,strategy, culture and ambition are the four real drivers of moderndays executive compensation," he added.

Bank of Canada maintains over-night rate target at 1 per centContd. from Page 1It is too early, however, to determine whether the moderation inhousing activity and credit growth will be sustained. Canadianexports are expected to pick up gradually but continue to berestrained by weak foreign demand and ongoing competitivenesschallenges. These challenges include the persistent strength of theCanadian dollar, which is being influenced by safe haven flows andspillovers from global monetary policy. Inflation has evolved broadly inline with the outlook in the October MPR. Both total and core inflationare expected to increase and return to 2 per cent over the course of thenext 12 months as the economy gradually absorbs the current smalldegree of slack, the growth of labour compensation remains moderateand inflation expectations stay well-anchored. Reflecting all of thesefactors, the Bank has decided to maintain the target for the overnightrate at 1 per cent. Over time, some modest withdrawal of monetary policystimulus will likely be required, consistent with achieving the 2 per centinflation target. The timing and degree of any such withdrawal will beweighed carefully against global and domestic developments,including the evolution of imbalances in the household sector.

Sunny Leone has always capitalised on her assets, be it inher adult movies or to heat up the screen in her Bollywoodfilm. While her sexy image worked for Jism 2, producer Ekta

Kapoor, who has signed her on for her horror film, Ragini MMS 2,wants a more demure avatar. Ekta has roped in Priyanka Chopra’sstylist, Ami Patel, to give Sunny a fresh look in the film. “Ektawanted me to style a movie for a while now, but I wanted to workon western looks. So, when Ragini MMS 2 came up, she askedme again and I’d be happy to take it up,” says Ami.

Not willing to disclose Ekta’s exact brief for Sunny, Ami says,“Her look will be a surprise as it’s not how Sunny usually is.While in Jism 2 she was in-your-face sexy, this time her look willbe toned down. It will have a lot of style with a classy, sexy touchand will be glamorous, somewhat like a Hollywood look.”

Though Ami hasn’t met Sunny yet, she has done someresearch about her style quotient. “Sunny is a stylish person andenjoys fashion. She has an inherent sex appeal and I want to letthat shine through rather than making it overtly obvious with theclothes. People haven’t seen her subtlety and that’s what I intendto bring out. I love working with someone who is open to newideas and knows current trends. I would like to introduce thelatest fashion in movies,” she says.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012editorial/opinion

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

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

E-mail : For [email protected]

YUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALYUDHVIR JASWALCHIEF EDITOR & CEO

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

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

MANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMAGENERAL MANAGER

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

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

E-mail : For [email protected]

Newspaper

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLYPublished in English every Tuesday

Radio

SOUTHASIAN PULSE Mon to Fri - 2 Hours, 2 to 4 PM on AM 530

Television

SOUTHASIAN 360 DEGREESOn FILMYChannel Right Across North America

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

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

7:30PM-EST

Online

WWW.SOUTHASIANDAILY.COMONLY News Portal for Southasian-Canadians

Cricket

CANADIAN PROFESSIONALCRICKET (CPC)

4th AnnualCPC Inter-City Cricket Cup Starting June 2011

6 Months of Non-stop cricket action

Events

5th AnnualMidweek Southasian Awards

2012

ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI ANJANA RAI BUDGET & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

MidWeek

HARJINDER SINGHHARJINDER SINGHHARJINDER SINGHHARJINDER SINGHHARJINDER SINGHMARKETING GENERAL MANAGER

RAJESH KAUSHIKRAJESH KAUSHIKRAJESH KAUSHIKRAJESH KAUSHIKRAJESH KAUSHIKMARKETING MANAGER

SUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMARAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMARAJNISH VERMA

GRAPHICS DEPARTMENTMANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMAMANAV SHARMA

DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT

BASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRBASHIR NASIRALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHYALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHERS

THAPLIYAL & RAI LAW OFFICETHAPLIYAL & RAI LAW OFFICETHAPLIYAL & RAI LAW OFFICETHAPLIYAL & RAI LAW OFFICETHAPLIYAL & RAI LAW OFFICELEGAL ADVISOR

MIHIR OZA ( SPORTS )MIHIR OZA ( SPORTS )MIHIR OZA ( SPORTS )MIHIR OZA ( SPORTS )MIHIR OZA ( SPORTS )RK BATRA ( COMMUNITY)RK BATRA ( COMMUNITY)RK BATRA ( COMMUNITY)RK BATRA ( COMMUNITY)RK BATRA ( COMMUNITY)

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

SUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMASUNIL VERMAINDIA MARKETING

YADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHYADWINDER SINGHAUSTRALIA DIVISON

THE GREAT FRUSTRATION: HESITANT STEPSTOWARD GLOBAL GROWTH AND REBALANCING

INTRODUCTIONThe collapse of Lehman Brothers on 15 September 2008 triggered

a precipitous worldwide economic collapse. What had previouslybeen viewed as a passing bout of "financial turbulence" wassuddenly transformed into a full-blown panic. The U.S. economy,which was at the epicentre of the crisis, suffered its most severedownturn since the Great Depression. It could have been muchworse.1

Prompt and aggressive countermeasures by fiscal and monetarypolicy authorities eventually helped to stabilize the situation, andoutput began to recover toward the end of 2009 (Chart 1). However,a full four years after the collapse, real economic activity in theUnited States is scarcely above its pre-recession peak, and morethan 4.5 million (net) jobs that were lost during the crisis have yet tobe recovered. U.S. GDP is roughly 10 per cent below the level itwould have reached had it continued to increase at the same trendrate of growth it experienced prior to the crisis (equivalent to morethan $1 trillion).2

Europe's GDP has yet to return to its pre-recession peak, and isnot expected to do so until 2015 at the earliest. The emerging-marketeconomies (EMEs), including the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia,India and China), which were growing at extraordinary rates prior tothe crisis, did much better, but were still affected. Decoupling provedto be illusory.

Several international institutions and respected researcherswarned that recoveries following a financial crisis, especially oneinvolving banks and real estate, were typically protracted and painful,but few expected the process to be this slow and this painful. TheGreat Moderation of the 1990s and early 2000s was followed by the

Great Recession of 2008-09 and now, what one central bank governorhas termed the "Great Frustration."3 I am not here to depress you,however. My speech today actually contains a message of hope. Iwill examine why the major advanced economies are where they are,and I will then describe what the future might hold. My message ofhope does not come with any guarantees, however. It only points tothe possibility of a more positive outcome. In order to reach it, asignificant degree of enlightened self-interest will be required.

I will begin with a quick review of the current situation, andcompare it with where many of us thought, or hoped, we would betoday. I will also show you where we might have been if timely andaggressive corrective action had not been taken. "Be thankful forwhat you have" might be the appropriate epitaph for the GreatRecession - it could have been worse. This is followed by a discussionof the economic game plan that was laid out by the G-20 leaders at ameeting convened by President Obama in late 2009. This G-20Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth wasdesigned to deliver what the name suggests.4

The third part of my presentation assesses what has transpiredsince 2009 - identifying those policy commitments that were fulfilledand those that were not, highlighting, in particular, the major failings.The fourth and final part of my presentation reviews where we needto go from here. That is the uplifting part of what I will say today.

IT'S NOT GOOD, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSEThe U.S. economy, as I noted a moment ago, has passed the

peak that it reached just prior to the crisis, but it is well below whereit would have been were it not for the collapse. Unemploymentremains near 8 per cent, compared with an earlier (and perhapsunsustainable) trough of 4.4 per cent just before the crisis, and iswell above consensus estimates of the structural or natural rate ofunemployment. Excess capacity is judged to be in the range of 3 to4 per cent of potential output.

The experience in Europe has been even more disappointingrelative to previous postwar recoveries . The outcomes for both theUnited States and Europe, however, have been much better thanwhat was witnessed during the Great Depression . Make no mistake:This is where the major advanced economies were heading in late2008. Indeed, output was falling at a far faster rate during this periodthan in late 1929. Only coordinated and exceptional policy measuresprevented another Great Depression.G-20 FRAMEWORK FOR STRONG, SUSTAINABLE,AND BALANCED GROWTH

By late 2009, output had started to rise at a reasonably robustrate in many, if not all, economies, and authorities were hopeful thatthe global economy was on the road to recovery. What little fiscalspace the major advanced economies had been able to draw on inthe midst of the crisis had been largely exhausted, however, andmany central banks had lowered their target interest rates as far asthey could go. As a result, a variety of unconventional monetarypolicy measures were deployed, involving large-scale assetpurchases and exceptional forward guidance regarding the expectedfuture path of short-term interest rates. Although these extraordinarymeasures helped to stabilize economic activity, and reverse the sharpdeclines, a longer-term strategy was clearly needed to restore globalgrowth and put it on a more sustainable footing.

What came forward from the G-20 was a four-point policy plan,the Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth. Eachpoint was necessary on its own, but was also needed to ensure thesuccess of the other three.

The first point involved significant fiscal consolidation bycountries that had run large, unsustainable budget deficits prior tothe crisis and had seen them escalate even further during therecession, on the back of falling revenues and rising expenditures.Of course, banks and households in many of the same countrieswere also paying for past excesses, hastily deleveraging and workingto repair broken balance sheets.

The second point of the Framework called for sweeping financialsystem reforms. These were designed to rebuild financial institutionsand markets in a way that would minimize the chances of futurecrises and make the system better able to withstand any that mightoccur.

The third point focused on ambitious structural reforms toliberalize labour and product markets and improve governance andinstitutional arrangements, thereby raising long-term efficiency andpotential output.

The fourth and final point involved a rebalancing of globaldemand. Excess domestic demand in countries with current accountdeficits would be eliminated or reduced to manageable levels, andreplaced by increased external demand from other, surplus, countries.Meanwhile, surplus countries were expected to boost their domesticdemand and become less reliant on export-led growth strategies.Although these growth strategies had proven amazingly successfulin many EMEs, they were often supported by persistent, large-scale,foreign exchange intervention and extensive capital controlsintended to keep their currencies undervalued. With most deficitcountries now played out and in the process of shrinking theirdemand, this was a strategy that couldn't continue. Structural reformsin these EMEs, supported by more flexible, market-determinedexchange rates, are required to sustain growth.

THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY SCENARIOSAt the outset, observers were cautiously optimistic about the

plan and, contrary to the warnings of Reinhart and Rogoff, believedthat this time it might really be different.5 Ideally, the appropriatecombination of policies would shorten the recovery time and lead toa much better long-term equilibrium. The experiences of the fiveadvanced countries that Reinhart and Rogoff had identified in theirstudy, and that had been hit by financial crises earlier in the postwarperiod, would not be prologue to what advanced economies wereabout to achieve through concerted action.

Regrettably, the trajectories of both the U.S. and Europeaneconomies to date have been remarkably similar to these fivecountries It would be a mistake, however, to assume that thisexperience represents some sort of immutable path toward whicheconomies must necessarily gravitate following a crisis. Such anattitude is too defeatist and fatalistic. Good policy can - and does -make a difference.

It is important to understand that the four points of the G-20Framework that I described earlier are mutually reinforcing. The firstthree points, though they are essential for stable and welfare-improving outcomes in the future, were known to have deflationary

effects in the short to medium term, depressing global demand. Thefourth point, the rebalancing of global demand, was necessary tocounter these sizable headwinds, supporting global growth untilthe positive effects from the other three kicked in.

In an effort to highlight the costs of policy failure or, statedmore positively, the potential gains from policy success, economistsat the Bank of Canada used their global economy model in early2011 to map out three possible scenarios. Although any econometricmodel needs to be treated with a great deal of caution, this one hasproven to be very useful in the past, and the results were viewed asreasonable approximations of what one might expect under differentstates of the world.6

The first scenario, called the "good" one, assumes that everyonedoes what is necessary to fulfill the G-20 commitments made in 2009and at the three subsequent leaders' summits. This scenario was notintended to be as good as it gets - a Goldilocks solution - but simplygood enough to get the job done. The second, or "bad" scenario,assumes that most of what was promised is eventually accomplished,but with a three-year delay. The third scenario, called the "ugly"one, is a variant of the first two and assumes that only half the job isdone, at least initially. Fiscal consolidation is undertaken, as isfinancial sector reform, but several important structural reforms anda shift toward more flexible exchange rate regimes in some EMEs areomitted.

. The policy delay embedded in the bad scenario causes worldoutput to fall roughly 8 per cent below the level of output that wouldhave been realized under the good scenario (or US$6 trillion). Doinghalf the job, as in the ugly scenario, is even worse, at least for thefirst few years. This is mainly because the deflationary effects offiscal consolidation are front-loaded.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?This is all very well, you might say, but how do these model

results relate to the real world and what we see today? Where are wenow, and how are we doing four years after the crisis started inearnest?

The outcome in the real world has been decidedly mixed, despiteadditional rounds of quantitative easing and other unconventionalmonetary policy initiatives undertaken by major central banks. Thedeflationary forces in many countries appear to be winning. Whileglobal growth has not stalled completely, neither is it as strong or aswidely distributed as many had hoped.

Fiscal consolidation, with one or two notable exceptions, isbeing pursued by many of the countries that require it. However,there is a risk that market forces (or legislation, as in the case of theUnited States) may be pushing it too quickly in the short run. TheInternational Monetary Fund and other policy institutions are nowrecommending that consolidation be pursued in a resolute butgradual manner, where possible.7 In other words, don't overdo it inthe short run, since the fiscal multipliers are believed to be muchlarger than previously estimated. That said, there is a need for somecountries, most notably Japan and the United States, to set outcredible longer-term paths to restore their fiscal health. Their debtand deficits are on explosive tracks and will only be made worse bydemographic forces.

Financial system reform is where success has been the mostevident, despite the ambitious nature of the agenda.8 The designphase of the financial reform effort is nearing completion, but full,timely and consistent implementation of the reforms will be critical.Peer-review mechanisms have been established to help drive theprocess forward and maintain cross-jurisdictional consistency inimplementation.9 The cross-border challenges involved inimplementing this reform effort are particularly daunting.

The report card on structural reform is slightly better than somecommentary might suggest, but progress has been extremely uneven.The structural initiatives announced by some countries lack ambitionand are directed at easier, less politically sensitive, issues. Manyother countries, however, whether of their own volition or underduress, are pursuing more far-reaching reforms. As one might imagine,many of these are deficit countries, subject to intense marketpressures or operating under the surveillance of official supportprograms. Surplus countries, in contrast, have been less motivatedand seem to have adopted a more relaxed approach.

The final critical part of the Framework, the rebalancing of globaldemand, is where slippage has been the greatest, although at firstglance things seem to have gone well. The real effective exchangerates of several important surplus countries have appreciated, andtheir current account balances have generally fallen . Export saleshave declined and domestic demand now accounts for a larger shareof their GDP growth. Appearances can be deceiving, however.

While some legitimate progress has been made in the rebalancingof global growth, most of the "correction" that has occurred hasbeen driven by demand compression in the deficit countries. Thesame is true for the rising share of domestic demand in many surpluscountries. It is not a case of domestic demand growing significantlyfaster but, rather, declining export sales in the face of falling incomesand aggressive belt-tightening in deficit countries .

In those instances where surplus countries have increased theircontribution to global domestic demand, it has often beenconcentrated in fixed investment, which was already inordinatelyhigh and frequently misallocated. Investment as a share of GDP inChina, for example, is roughly 50 per cent, while householdconsumption is roughly 35 per cent - extraordinarily low by anystandard and declining over time . When growth returns to the deficitcountries, the current account surpluses of these countries are likelyto re-emerge. Without a conscious effort to rotate demand andsupport global growth, true re-equilibration will be a long and painfulprocess.

Another apparent sign of progress concerns the path of realexchange rates. In some surplus countries, exchange rates haveshown signs of increased flexibility. However, these developmentsare quite limited compared with the movements observed in other,more truly flexible, regimes . They are also much less thanfundamentals would suggest is appropriate. Many surplus countriescontinue to rely on capital controls and active foreign exchangeintervention to enhance their competitive advantage.

Taking all of this together, we appear to be trapped in the badscenario. But if the situation continues, it could easily turn ugly.

This is not to suggest that all of the difficulties that we haveexperienced are because of failed or partial policy implementation.There are two things worth noting in this regard. Contd. on Page 8

Remarks By - John MurrayDeputy Governor of the Bank of Canada

Presented to: New York Association for Business EconomicsNew York, New York



communityMEET THE 'EMOTIONALVAMPIRES' WHO’LL DRAINLIFE OUT OF YOU

An Evening With SabarKoti…..ANOTHER MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA India-US tax impacton gifts received byIndian Americans

Harjit Singh, host of Punjabi Virsa Radio and TV program againfulfilled his commitment of giving Torontonians a highlysuccessful musical evening with SABAR KOTI and SUKHBIRRANA at Chandani banquet and convention center. A well-attended event by more than 750 guests started with fine dinnersharp at 6.30pm.Witty Emcees of the event were Harjit Singh and RiaBharti.Sukhbir Rana Stated the evening and enthralled for one and ahalf hour followed by Star of the evening SabarKoti, who kept

In an earlier series, we haveseen the tax impact for IndianAmericans, both in India andthe US, on inheriting propertyin India. Another form ofpassing on assets to the nextgeneration is gifting. In thisarticle we look at the tax impactof gifts received by NRIs in theUS from persons in India.

Tax on gifts - IndiaPrior to 1998, gifts used to

be taxed in the hands of thegiver in the form of Gift Tax.However, in 1998, this Gift Taxwas abolished. Subsequentlyin 2004, a new tax on gifts wasintroduced in the Income TaxAct according to which, taxwould be levied, in certaincases, in the hands of thereceiver. According to thisprovision, any gifts in excessof Rs 50,000 received by anindividual, including NRIs, willbe taxed in the hands of thereceiver.

The value of the giftwould be added to thereceiver's total income and taxwould be calculated thereon.This includes cash gifts as wellas gifts in kind. For gifts in kind,such as property, jewellery etc.,the asset must necessarilyarise in India and for valuationpurposes, certain rules wouldapply: * In case of immovableproperty, the value will bebased on the stamp duty valueof the property

* In case of any otherproperty such as shares andsecurities, jewellery, paintings,work of art etc., value would bebased on the fair market value

of such propertyHowever, there are some

exemptions to the tax on gifts:* Any gift received from a

blood relative is exempt evenbeyond the limit of Rs 50,000(relative in this case is definedas spouse, brother or sister,spouse's brother or sister,parents and lineal ascendantsof individual or his spouse,siblings of parents of individualor his spouse)

* Gifts received onoccasion of marriage are alsoexempt beyond the limit of Rs50,000

* Gifts received under Willor inheritance are exemptbeyond the limit of Rs 50,000

Note: "For IndiansAmericans, the Double TaxationAvoidance Agreement (DTAA)between India and the USprovides that India will have thefirst right to tax gifts, whereverapplicable. However, the DTAAvaries from country to countryand NRIs in other countries likeUAE or Sweden may note thatsuch gifts will be taxed only inthe country of their residence.NRIs must refer to their specificDTAA to see if they can claimrelief under the DTAA,"explains Vaibhav Sankla,Director, H&R Block India.

Tax on gifts in the USIn the US, tax on gifts is

levied in the hands of the donoror person making the gift andnot the receiver. Moreover, thisonly applies where the personmaking the gift is a US taxpayer,that is, a US resident, greencard holder or citizen.

Meet the 'emotional vampires'who’ll drain life out of youPeople who appear bright, talented and charismatic on the surfacebut once they’ve won you over as a friend, drain your emotionalenergy have been termed as “emotional vampires” by a clinicalpsychologist.

Albert J. Bernstein’s new book has also given tips on how tospot four types of emotional vampire, and how to defend yourselfagainst them, the Daily Mail reported.

Control freak vampires are always immaculately dressed andridiculously organised. There’s no such thing as a simple decisionwith them – the positives and negatives of every option have tobe weighed and analysed, but once the decision is made there’sno changing their mind.

They can be loyal friends – if they’ve promised yousomething, you can be sure they’ll deliver. Their attention todetail can be irritating, but it’s frequently something that savestime and money.

Since they’re perfectionists with a clear moral code and expectother people to behave in the same way, their disappointment isapparent if you don’t. Though they never intentionally hurtanyone, anything that threatens their sense of being in chargeprompts what can be a hurtful reaction.

Paranoid vampires are quick to take offence, and with theability to hold a grudge for an inordinate amount of time, theyparanoid vampire can make a mountain out of even the smallestmolehill. Things never just happen to them, in their eyes they’vealways been picked on.

Toronto: Canada IndiaFoundation (CIF) chose thereinauguration of the SringeriCommunity Centre, renovatedwith a $240,000 grant from theOntario Trillium Foundation, asthe occasion for its release of thebook "Prosperity and Peace for the21st Century" by Dr. A.P.J. AbdulKalam.

The occasion marked thelaunch of Canada IndiaFoundation as a publisher. Thebook, whose publication had beenplanned in collaboration with Dr.Kalam for the past year, is acompilation of the speeches Dr.Kalam made and discussions thathe had with political leaders,academics, youth and communitymembers during his visits toCanada in 2008 and 2010.

Formally receiving its firstcopy of the book from Dr. V.I.Lakshmanan, the book's co-authorand member of the CIF Board ofGovernors, Guest of Honour Mrs.Preeti Saran, Consul General ofIndia in Toronto, spoke about Dr.Kalam and his foresight indeveloping the futuristic vision forIndia, elaborated in his Vision 2020document. Copies of the bookwere presented by Mrs. Saran tothe dignitaries present, includingChief Guest Honourable MichaelChan, Minister of Tourism, Cultureand Sport, Government of Ontario,MPP Dipika Damerla, formerSenator Vim Kochhar, Chair ofOntario Trillium Foundation'sGrant review Committee Dr. DevSainani and CIF Charter members(Mr. Rahul Shastri, Mr. DeepakRuparell, Mr. Vasu Chanchlani, Mr.Ramesh Chotai, Dr. Atul Tolia, Mr.Pankaj Dave, Dr. Terry Papneja andMr. Laj Prasher). Dr. Lakshmananprovided a compelling account ofDr. Kalam's visits, the range of hisinteractions, from Prime MinisterHarper to young Indo-Canadianchildren, highlighting hisinfectious energy and passion forboth India and Canada-India

relations. .Earlier, Minister Chan was

joined by Mrs. Saran and otherdignitaries, including MP PatrickBrown in cutting the ribbon toformally open the SringeriCommunity Centre, with enhancedstage, lighting, sound and seating,made possible by the grant fromOntario Trillium Foundation(OTF). Minister Chan spoke to theaudience about his ownexperiences as a non-Englishspeaking first generationimmigrant, tracing his journey tohis present role as a Minister inthe government of Ontario. Dr.Sainani presented acongratulatory OTF plaque to theTrustees of the Sringeri VidyaBharati Foundation, Dr.Lakshmanan and Mr. RaviSubramanian. Thanking theaudience of nearly 250 people, whoreceived complimentary copies of

Dr. Kalam's book, Mr. RaviSubramanian welcomedcommunity organizations, culturalgroups and others to takeadvantage of the Centre'senhanced facilities.

ABOUTThe Sringeri Community

Centre, part of the Sringeri VidyaBharati Foundation (SVBF),Canada, located at 80 BrydonDrive, caters to the social, culturaland spiritual needs of the largeand diverse Indo-Canadian andother communities of GreaterToronto and beyond, providing avenue for music and danceperformances, yoga classes,youth camps, senior events andsocial gathering events.

A leading grantmaker inCanada, the Ontario TrilliumFoundation strengthens thecapacity of the voluntary sectorthrough investments in

community-based initiatives. Anagency of the Government ofOntario, OTF builds healthy andvibrant communities.

Canada India Foundation(CIF) is a national, non-profit,non-partisan, non-governmental organization(NGO) to foster support forstronger bi-lateral relationsbetween Canada and India; toeducate Canadians on thechanging face of India; and toincrease the participation ofIndo-Canadians in the publicpolicy process in Canada.

* For more informationabout Canada India Foundation,visit www.canadaindia.org

* For more informationabout the Ontario TrilliumFoundation, visit www.otf.ca

* For more informationabout Sringeri Community Centre,visit www.svbfcanada.com

CANADA INDIA FOUNDATION RELEASES BOOKBY FORMER INDIAN PRESIDENT ABDULKALAM AT SRINGERI COMMUNITY CENTRE

Harjit Singh from Punjabi Virsa Gives Torontonians a Taste ofClassical Music

the audience spell bound for more than 2 hours.Harjit Singhthanked all in attendance.Musical evening was inaugurated with Queen's Diamond JubileeMedal presentation to community and political activist Ms.PritiLamba by Hon. Joe Daniel Member Parliament -Don ValleyEast. Guests in attendance included Hon. Vick Dhillon MPP, Mr.PritPal Singh Consul (Consulate General of India), Tony Garaco(Vision TV), members of Media and members of businesscommunity. Bashir Nasir skillfully photographed the whole event.

IN AN EARLIER SERIES, WE HAVE SEEN THE TAX IMPACT FORINDIAN AMERICANS, BOTH IN INDIA AND THE US, ONINHERITING PROPERTY IN INDIA.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012c o m m u n i t y

Historic Stage Play - Bawa Jittoplayed at Gore Temple in Brampton

NORWAY CHILD ROW:INDIAN COUPLE CONVICTED

FOR 'ABUSING' SONOSLO/BUREAU NEWS : An Os lo cour t on Tuesdayconvic ted the Ind ian couple f rom Andhra Pradesh fo rallegedly abusing their child. According to reports, the courtsentenced the father Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni, a softwareprofessional from Andhra Pradesh to 18 months jail and hiswife Anupama to 15 months imprisonment. The police hadaccused the Indian couple of burning and hitting their seven-year-old son. The Indian couple was facing criminal chargesof "gross or repeated maltreatment" of their child as as theprosecution termed the case as "very serious" and justifiedtheir arrest ahead of the court verdict. "They are facing childabuse case and are charged with gross or repeated maltreatmentof their child/children by threats, violence or other wrong,under section 219," Kurt Lir, Head of Prosecution, Oslo PoliceDepartment said. The prosecution has proposed a sentence of15 months for the mother and 18 months for the father in thecase . Asked why the pol ice ar res ted the couple - -Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni, a software professional fromAndhra Pradesh, and his wife Anupama before the sentencing,Lir said, it is feared that they will evade prosecution byreturning to India.

The Great Frustration:Hesitant Steps Toward Global

Growth and RebalancingContd. from Page 6First, Reinhart and Rogoff are correct when they assert that recoveries after a major financial crisis,

especially one that has gone global, are different than recoveries from "normal" recessions. Someallowance has to be made for this. Second, new shocks have hit the global economy since 2008. Theearthquake in Japan and the crisis in Europe are the most obvious examples, although some wouldargue that the latter is simply an extension of the initial financial crisis.

Even allowing for these factors, however, there is a sense that we could have done better.WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?Can we get back to where we want to be? In a word, yes. What is needed is very similar to what was

first proposed and agreed in late 2009, but with some necessary modifications. The following list is notmeant to be comprehensive but simply hits the highlights.

First the United States must deal with its fiscal cliff. Action is required to bring the budget into line.But something with a smoother profile over the next two to three years, coupled with a credible long-term track would be preferable to the aggressive tack now in play.

Second, Europe must set itself right. Certain things are required just to contain the crisis. Theseinclude activating the Stabilization Mechanism to help support sovereign debt re-financing andrecapitalize banks, and the Outright Monetary Transactions program, which will help eliminate the riskof euro redenomination and improve the monetary policy transmission mechanism in the euro area.

Of course, it will take several years to fully resolve the crisis in Europe. Key elements are furtherfiscal consolidation in many countries, repair of the broken banking systems, deep reform in labour andproduct markets, improved governance, and eventual completion of the banking, fiscal and politicalunions.

Third, surplus countries that are delaying necessary global adjustment by frustrating necessaryexchange-rate changes should move more expeditiously toward market-determined rates. In addition,they should undertake the structural changes necessary to boost domestic demand, with particularemphasis on consumption. This would allow more of their citizens to realize the full rewards of theirlabours and improve general economic welfare.

CONCLUSIONThere is an old joke about a lost traveller who asks for directions and is told by a local, "I wouldn't

try to get there from here." Unfortunately, we have no choice about our point of departure. It would beeasier if we were starting from a better place, but we aren't. Happily, the original road map established in2009 remains broadly appropriate.10 More may be required, since we have lost valuable time andcapacity through delay, but the mission is not impossible.

Let us first do what has been promised and then see what remains to be done. The good news isthat many of the risks that we face are related to policy slippage and should therefore be amenable topolicy correction. We have the means. Let us hope that lessons have been learned, and that thechallenges will be met with renewed determination.

Brampton, ON – Member of Parliament Parm Gill will be hostinghis 2nd Annual Community Skate & Swim. The event will be heldon Saturday December 15, 2012 from 7-10 PM at the CenturyGardens Recreational Centre (340 Vodden Street East).“Last year`s Family Skate & Swim was a tremendous successand I was very proud to see the suppor t from our citizens,” saidParm Gill. “The holiday season is a time to pause and give thanksfor everything we have, and to give a hand to those in need in thecommunity.”The event will be free for all members of the community to attend.Attendees are invited to make a donation of a non-perishable fooditem or an unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army Toys for Totscampaign. Guests will be able to par ticipate in a free swim from7:00pm-9:00pm, with skating from 7:45pm-9:45pm. There will alsobe an oppor tunity to meet and mingle with MP Gill and membersof Peel Regional Police. Even Santa Claus himself will be on handto take pictures with the children.For more information about the Parm Gill, MP Annual CommunityBarbecue, feel free to contact the Constituency Office at 905-840-0505, or by e-mail at [email protected].

MP PARM GILL WILL HOST 2NDANNUAL FAMILY SKATE & SWIM

Jammu Rang Manch Toronto (JRMT) successfully staged ahistoric dogri play “Katha Bawa Jitto Ji Ki” on last Sunday atthe Hindu Sabha Temple, (Gore Road Temple) Brampton. ‘Katha’

means Story and this is about 300 years old from Northern Hilly ofJAMMU & KASHMIR in INDIA. This play was played in the DOGRIlanguage was first of its kind on multicultural soil of Canada with abeautiful blend of Himachali, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi languages.

The play revolved around the life of Bawa Jitto, who was aninnocent and honest farmer from village AGHAR near KATRA townin Jammu province. Katra is a world known religious place forpilgrimage to famous uphill cave temple of the Goddess Vaishno

Devi and Bawa Jitto was a staunch devotee of the Goddess. Theplay explained the hardships of immigration with positive resultsthrough determination. The play highlighted the moral values of lifelike respect, love, affection and duties toward human relations.

Bawa Jitto, a legendary farmer is remembered for his honesty,humility, truthfulness and courage for opposing the landlord’soppression and laying down his own life for the cause.

He did not bow to injustice and let anybody harm his dignity. Abig fair ‘Jhiri Mela’ is organised in the month of Oct-Nov every yearat Jhiri in Jammu, India to pay tributes to Bawa Jitto and his daughterBua Gauri. About half million devotees attend this fair/festival everyyear adding huge revenue to the Government of Jammu & Kashmir,India. The main character of play Bawa Jitto and Bua Gauri wereplayed by Deepak Manchanda and Deepanu Sumbriya and otherimportant roles were played by Kuldeep Singh, Pranav Sharma, JyotiSharma, Joginder Chehal, Anita Koul, Rajesh Joshi, Suresh Sharmaand some other artists.

The play was a grand success and kept audience of around 200people spellbound and emotionally involved till the end. Theaudience was overwhelmed by the theme and approach of the playas each character justified the role in a natural way of acting withcontinuous flow of simple dialogues from day to day life, thoughsome were playing for the first time. Perfect dialogues and directionof the play were provided by Kuldeep Singh, a seasoned actor,director, writer and poet from Jammu, India who participated innumerous stage plays, TV Programs and Telefilms in Northeren Indiastates of India. In Canada, this play was the first successfulexperiment under the newly formed banner Jammu Rang ManchToronto.

The whole group is determined to continue taking Bawa Jittoand other similar plays with positive messages to a bigger and largeraudience to contibute in a better society.



canadaINSURANCE DATASHOW MASSIVESAVINGS FORCOMPANIES, NONEFOR DRIVERS

NEW ASYLUM SYSTEM COMESINTO FORCE DECEMBER 15, 2012

Adweek Names Chrysler GroupChief Marketing Officer OlivierFrancois 'Grand Brand Genius'at Annual Awards Event

Canada's new asylum system, which was included in theProtecting Canada's Immigration System Act, will come intoforce on December 15, 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and

Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today."Our changes will make Canada's asylum system faster and fairer,"said Minister Kenney. "For too long, Canada's generous asylumsystem has been vulnerable to abuse. Under the new asylum system,genuine refugees fleeing persecution will receive protection morequickly. At the same time, bogus asylum claimants and those whoabuse our generous system at great expense to taxpayers, will beremoved much faster."All eligible asylum claimants will continue to receive a hearing at theindependent Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) basedon their individual circumstances.Under the new system, asylum claimants will receive a hearing within60 days after their claim is referred to the IRB. In contrast, claimantscurrently wait, on average, close to 600 days to receive a hearing.For the first time in Canadian history, most applicants will haveaccess to a newly-created Refugee Appeal Division (RAD). Failedasylum claimants from countries that have a history of producinggenuine refugees will have the benefit of this full fact-based appeal.The new RAD will have the authority to reverse a negative decisionby the IRB, if the evidence compels it.For claimants from countries that do not normally produce refugees,their claims will be expedited, but they will still receive the sameindividualized hearing that all asylum claimants currently receive.Following the example of most democratic countries, the newmeasures allow the government to identify designated countries oforigin (DCOs). Asylum claims from these presumptively "safe"countries, which respect human rights and offer state protection,will be processed on an accelerated basis. This means that, for DCOclaimants, hearings will be held within 30 or 45 days, depending on

whether the asylum claim was made at an inland CIC office or at aport of entry."Last year alone, nearly a quarter of all asylum claims in Canadawere made by people from democratic European Union nations -that's more claims than Canada received from Africa or Asia," saidMinister Kenney. "We're spending far too much time and taxpayers'money on bogus claims, and on generous tax-funded health andsocial benefits for claimants from liberal democracies."The Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act is expected to saveprovinces and territories $1.6 billion over five years in socialassistance and education costs. Under the new system, failed asylumclaimants will be removed from Canada within a year of their finalIRB decision, compared to the current situation in which it generallytakes 4.5 years to exhaust all recourses and remove a failed asylumclaimant. Faster removal of failed claimants will help discourageindividuals from using the asylum system to try to jump theimmigration queue to enter Canada. The new asylum system alsoexpands provisions that bar serious criminals from even being ableto make asylum claims. "Sixty-two percent of all asylum claims - andvirtually all asylum claims for the European Union - were eitherabandoned or withdrawn by the claimants themselves or rejected bythe IRB last year," said Minister Kenney. "It became abundantly clearthat our system needed to be changed. These changes will move ourasylum system from one that allows bogus claimants to rely on loopholesand redundant appeals to delay their removals for several years, to asystem that hears claims quickly and removes bogus claimants faster.That is in the best interest of Canada, and of legitimate refugees. Canada'sasylum system is one of the most generous in the world and will continueto be under the new and improved system." Canada's new asylumsystem is the result of two laws passed by Parliament - the BalancedRefugee Reform Act (June 2010) and the Protecting Canada'sImmigration System Act (June 2012).

Want to put more money in your pocket?Five most overlooked year end tax strategiesTORONTO: Canadians whowant to take full advantage of thevarious tax credits, deductionsand other opportunities for taxsavings, need to act quickly,before year end, says CIBC's taxand estate planning expert, JamieGolombek."With 2012 drawing to a close andthe very busy holiday seasona p p r o a c h i n g ,Canadians shouldn'tforget tax planningopportunities that maydisappear if they don'tact before year end,"said Mr. Golombek."There are a number ofeasy ways for Canadians toreduce taxes that they mightotherwise owe - but in many casesyou need to act before December31."Mr. Golombek cites the mostoverlooked strategies from hisrecent report:Donate to your favourite charityDecember 31 is the last day tomake a donation and obtain a taxreceipt for 2012. Many charitiesoffer the ability to donate online,with electronic tax receipts that aregenerated and emailed to youinstantly. For example, if your total2012 donations exceed $200, eachadditional $100 donation in 2012

can get you up to $100 back,depending on your province ofresidence.Contribute to an RESP for yourchild or grandchildThe federal government providesa Canada Education Savings Grantof 20 per cent on the first $2,500 ofannual RESP contributions perchild, which can add up to $7,200

to an RESP during achild's lifetime. If youhaven't maximizedRESP contributionsfor your children orgrandchildren, youcan make anenhanced catch-up

contribution in 2012.If your child turned 15 in 2012 andhas never been an RESPbeneficiary, December 31, 2012 isyour last chance to contribute toan RESP to create CESG eligibility.For example, by contributing$2,500 to an RESP, you could get$500 of CESGs added to the RESPaccount, usually by the followingmonth.Pay expenses by year end to beeligible for tax deductions andcreditsClaiming expenses, such asinterest on money borrowed forinvesting or student loans,daycare fees and children's fitness

or arts fees, can all provide benefitsat tax time. However you must paythese expenses by the end of theyear to realize the tax savings for2012. For example, paying $500 foryour children's winter swimminglessons before year end couldmean up to $75 in reduced taxes.Review your investmentsThe end of the year is a good timeto review the types of investmentsyou hold, and the accounts inwhich you hold them. Investmentsyielding highly-taxed interestincome may be best-suited toRRSPs or TFSAs, while Canadianequities, which can generatefavourably-taxed dividends andcapital gains, may be more suitedto non-registered accounts. If youare planning a TFSA withdrawalin early 2013, considerwithdrawing the funds byDecember 31 instead, so you don'thave to wait until 2014 to be ableto re-contribute that amount.Prepare for retirementThere are a number of taxconsiderations for those justentering into their retirement years:" If you turned 65 in 2012and have not yet applied for OldAge Security benefits, rememberthat retroactive benefits, whichcan be worth over $6,500, can onlybe claimed within a limited time.

To receive those benefits, youshould apply as soon as possible." If you turned 71 in 2012,you have until December 31 tomake any final contributions toyour RRSP and convert it into aRRIF or registered annuity."These tips are some of the mostcommonly overlooked, easy waysyou can act now to benefit fromtax savings when you file your taxreturn next spring," says Mr.Golombek. "But keep in mind thattax planning is a year-round affair.Speak to your accountant or taxadvisor well in advance of tax filingseason to get more information onhow to reduce your taxes."More details are available in Mr.Golombek's report, 2012 Year EndTax Tips.CIBC is a leading North Americanfinancial institution with nearly 11million personal banking andbusiness clients. CIBC offers a fullrange of products and servicesthrough its comprehensiveelectronic banking network,branches and offices acrossCanada, in the United States andaround the world. You can findother news releases andinformation about CIBC in ourPress Centre on our corporatewebsite at cibc.com.SOURCE: CIBC

Francois chosen for top honor fromamong 10 Adweek Brand Genius honor-ees representing broad range of productcategories* Grand Brand Genius award recognizesthose whose accomplishments stand outamong the most creative, color ful andsuccessful marketersNovember 30, 2012 , Auburn Hills, Mich.- Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Of-ficer, Chrysler Group LLC, was named the"Grand Brand Genius" by Adweek at its 2012 Brand Genius Awardsevent Nov. 28 in New York City. The annual event honors Brand Geniuswinners across a diverse range of product categories and recognizesthose whose exceptional accomplishments stand out among the mostcreative, color ful and successful marketers.Francois was chosen as the "Grand Brand Genius" from 10 BrandGenius honorees. Adweek recognized him for his pioneering lead-ership and creative, hands-on approach, personally convincingactor Clint Eastwood to par ticipate in Chrysler's award winning"It's Halftime in America" ad, and persuading singer Eminem tolicense his music and even appear in another spot for the highlysuccessful "Impor ted from Detroit" campaign."Francois engineered the most improbable of comebacks withhis work in the Super Bowl," said James Cooper, executive editorof Adweek. "His outstanding work, which successfully putChrysler back on the map, deserves our top marketing honor.""The 'Grand Brand Genius' award has a special place in my hear t,"Francois said. "Not just because of Adweek's prestige, but alsobecause it validates our belief that to be successful in this busi-ness, you can't fear to be different. Good marketing is aboutbeing different and, at the same time, being absolutely and fiercelytrue to who you are.

Western University researchersmake breakthrough inarthritis researchLondon, ON: Researchers at Western University have made abreakthrough that could lead to a better understanding of a com-mon form of ar thritis that, until now, has eluded scientists.According to The Ar thritis Society, the second most commonform of arthritis after osteoarthritis is "diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyper-ostosis" or DISH. It affects between six and 12 percent of North Ameri-cans, usually people older than 50. DISH is classified as a form ofdegenerative arthritis and is characterized by the formation of exces-sive mineral deposits along the sides of the vertebrae in the neck andback. Symptoms of DISH include spine pain and stiffness and in ad-vanced cases, difficulty swallowing and damage to spinal nerves. Thecause of DISH is unknown and there are no specific treatments.Now researchers at Western University's Bone and Joint Initiative, withcollaborator Doo-Sup Choi at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesotahave discovered the first-ever mouse model of this disease. The re-search is published online in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research."This model will allow us for the first time to uncover the mechanismsunderlying DISH and related disorders. Knowledge of these mecha-nisms will ultimately allow us to test novel pharmacological treatmentsto reverse or slow the development of DISH in humans," says corre-sponding author Cheryle Séguin of the Skeletal Biology Laboratoriesand the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Western'sSchulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Graduate student Derek Bone,working under the supervision of pharmacologist James Hammond,was studying mice that had been genetically modified to lack aspecific membrane protein that transpor ts adenosine when henoticed that these mice developed abnormal calcification (min-eralization) of spinal structures. Changes in the backbone of thesemice were characterized by an interdisciplinary team which in-cluded: Sumeeta Warraich, Diana Quinonez, Hisataka Ii, MariaDrangova, David Holdswor th and Jeff Dixon. Their findings es-tablished that spinal mineralization in these mice resembles DISHin humans and point to a role for adenosine in causing abnormalmineralization in DISH.

More Savings with IncreasedTax-Free Savings Account LimitOn Monday, Ted Menzies, Minister of State (Finance) and GailShea, Minister of National Revenue, announced that the annualcontribution limit for Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) is in-creasing.Beginning in 2013, Canadians will be able to contribute up to$5,500 a year, an increase of $500. Growth in the account, andwithdrawals, are tax-free, so Canadians can keep more of theirhard-earned money.The Harper Government's low-tax plan means that Canadianscan save more for the future and save more on their taxes. Ap-proximately 8.2 million Canadians already have an account.In contrast, the NDP voted against the creation of TFSAs. Theirhigh-tax agenda would take money out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians and kill jobs.We encourage Canadians to contribute to TFSAs to save on taxesand save for the future.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012c a n a d a

"More settler than the settlers":Canada's UN policy and Israel

Even before Canada officially castits "no" vote at the United Nationson Thursday, Palestinians knewwhich way the Canadian wind wouldblow. At the gates of Canada'sheavily guarded "embassy" inRamallah the day before the vote,protesters carried signs of PrimeMinister Stephen Harperemblazoned with a dogs snout andthe dismissive slogan, "this dogdoesn't hunt".

The next day in New York,Canada joined Israel, the US, theCzech Republic, Panama and foursmall countries in the Pacific Islands- including Nauru, population 10,000- in voting against a GeneralAssembly resolution grantingPalestinians Non-Member ObserverState status. The final tally was 138to 9 in favour. Before the vote, analystMouin Rabbani aptly characterisedthe antagonists: "Those openly

opposing this vote can easily becounted on the fingers of anamputated hand: Israel; the UnitedStates, which is more pro-Israel thanIsrael itself; Canada, which is morepro-Israel than even the UnitedStates." Indeed, the very next dayCanada voted against six moreresolutions on Palestinian rights thatwere adopted, including one on the"peaceful settlement of the questionof Palestine" (163-6). Canadaopposing resolutions dealing withPalestinian rights is not new, nor is itthe effect of a particular governmentor another. Opposing suchresolutions has been a coreCanadian diplomatic tactic since thecreation of the State of Israel in 1948- by both Liberal and Conservativegovernments.In the principal studyof Canada's role in the creation ofthe State of Israel, historian DavidBercuson described diplomat Lester

Pearson - who chaired the pivotalUnited Nations Special Committeeon Palestine - as playing "a uniqueand crucial role at the UN... Partitionmight not have been adoptedwithout Pearson's efforts".

In 1974, following YasserArafat's landmark "the gun and theolive branch" speech at the UN, theLiberal government of PierreTrudeau opposed a resolutionadopted by the General Assemblygranting Palestinians similarobserver status under the PalestineLiberation Organisation. Morerecently, the Liberal government in2004 pointedly abstained from aresolution condemning Israel'smassive separation wall (150-6)despite acknowledging it violatedinternational law.

While the voting pattern is notnew, the Harper government hascertainly cranked up the rhetoric,

particularly under the current foreignminister, John Baird, who presentshimself as far more of a sycophantthan a statesman. "One thing JohnBaird doesn't do is diplomaticnuance," said one Canadian politicaljournal. Baird describes hisrelationship with Israel as "kinship"and he hailed Israel as"breathtaking" and "simply a miracleto behold" at a speech to the JewishNational Fund on the sixth day oflast month's Gaza-Israel battle. Earlierthis year, the Jerusalem Post led itscoverage of Baird's visit to Israel withan anecdote from a magazineinterview with the foreign minister."If you weren't in politics, whatwould you want to be doing?""Likely working on a kibbutz inIsrael," answered Baird. The Postdescribed Canada as "the goldstandard" of support for Israel."There is not a government on theplanet today more supportive ofIsrael than Harper's Canada."

Baird repeats this phrase atevery opportunity. "I think the US isa good friend, too. I like to think weare better - a stronger friend." Duringthe visit, Israel Hayom, Israel's largestcirculation daily newspaper, said:"When he discusses the Palestinianissue, Baird sounds like he couldhave voted in this week's Likudprimaries." Likudniks agree. At areception for Baird before departingIsrael, Likud Finance Minister YuvalSteinitz mocked in jest, "I thinkCanada's an even better friend ofIsrael than we are." Netanyahusingled out the prime minister at theUN in September. "Same heartand same values," saidNetanyahu of Harper. AfterThursday's vote, Saeb Erekat,the most conciliatory ofPalestinian politicians in regard toIsrael, said Canada was being "moresettler than the [Israeli] settlers".

Harper Government Delivers on Commitment to FirstNations Financial Accountability and Transparency

Ontario food bank use hitsall time high, report saysA new report released Monday says more people in Ontario areusing food banks than ever before. In its annual Hunger Report, TheOntario Association of Food Banks says more than 400,000 peopleuse a food bank in the province every month, which it says is an all timehigh. As well, more than a third of those people are children. The reportsurveyed food bank use across Ontario, including Northern Ontario,urban areas and rural areas. “When you go to the food bank, you see200, 300 people waiting there in line for food and you see the childrenthere,” Bill Laidlaw, the association’s executive director, told CBC News.“There’s a real sense of desperation and need — and it’s heartwrenching,” he said. The association says some of the largest groupsof food bank users include: Single parent households.

INSURANCE DATASHOW MASSIVESAVINGS FOR

COMPANIES, NONEFOR DRIVERS

QUEEN'S PARK- NDP Consumer Affairs Critic Jagmeet Singh releasedfindings showing that companies have been saving 25 per cent perinsured driver following recent insurance reforms even though theaverage driver has seen their rates increase. He called on the govern-ment to recall the legislature and allow the all-party auto insurancereview committee to complete its work on helpingOntario drivers"If the cost of insuring a car has gone down why are drivers payingmore?Ontario drivers are paying the highest rates in the country anddeserve some real answers," said Singh.Industry data compiled by NDP Research shows that between 2010and 2011:"The cost to insurance companies of insuring a vehicle fell from $1274to $984 per vehicle. But the premiums paid by drivers increased froman average of $1432 to $1505 per vehicle."The value of "statutory" accident payouts fell by just under $2 billion -an astonishing 50 per cent reduction from 2010. But Ontarians' autoinsurance rates still increased by 5 per cent."In 2011, auto insurance companies took in $3.4 billion more in premi-ums than they paid out in accident benefits."New Democrats pushed for the all-party legislative committee pre-cisely to get to the bottom of these sorts of issues," said Singh. "It'stime the government allowed the MPPs to get back to work and reformunfair auto insurance rates."

NDP's Singh wants MPPs backto work to deal with unfair rates

BRAMPTON, ONTARIOThe Honourable John Duncan,Minister of Aboriginal Affairs andNorthern Development waspleased to announce today thatBill C-27, the First Nations FinancialTransparency Act, was passed bythe House of Commons and hasmoved on to the Senate.

“I am pleased that the bill hasbeen passed by the House ofCommons, and that First Nationcommunity members are anotherstep closer to enjoying thebenefits of transparency andaccountability,” said MinisterDuncan. “If passed, thislegislation will contribute togreater investor confidence whichwill lead to economic development

opportunities, jobs and the kindof growth that creates healthier,more self-sufficient communities.

This is an objective we all share.”The bill now moves to the

Senate for review. If passed, theFirst Nations FinancialTransparency Act will provideFirst Nation community memberswith the information they need tomake informed decisions abouttheir communities. “In 2006, theHarper government introduced theFederal Accountability Act tostrengthen accountability andincrease transparency andoversight of federal governmentoperations,” said Member ofParliament for Brampton West,Kyle Seeback. “This landmark billbuilds on that commitment andasks no more of First Nationsleaders than Canadians ask of

their Parliamentarians.”The First Nations Financial

Transparency Act responds todemands from First Nationcommunity members for access tobasic financial information abouttheir band and its leadership.Currently, First Nationgovernments are the onlygovernments in Canada that donot have legislated requirementsto make basic financial informationavailable to the public. Once itreceives Royal Assent, the FirstNations Financial TransparencyAct will ensure that First Nationleaders are held to the samestandard of accountability andtransparency as other levels ofgovernment in Canada.

KYLE SEEBACKMember of Parliament

Brampton West

Matrimonial is invited for a Muslim Sunni Indo-Canadian girl,26 years, 165 Cms, beautiful, namazi, BScN (University ofToronto), RN License, employed in Toronto, good salary, earlymarriage, Boy's both parents must be from India, & boy shouldhave degree in medicine / pharmacy / nursing / radiology /engineering from US/Canadian university. Respond with photo& biodata: [email protected]

MATR IMONIALCOOLING HOUSE PRICES ARE NOT ENTIRELY ANEGATIVE FOR THE CANADIAN ECONOMY: CIBCContd. from Page 1"British Columbia house

prices led on the way up and nowdown," he adds. "Butaffordability issues have been adrag on B.C. growth; the rapidrun-up in prices was one factorturning the province from abeneficiary of in-migration to anet source of emigration. Dreamsof retiring in B.C., and takingone's spending money to thatprovince, might be back invogue if relative prices ofhousing are better in line withother provinces."

While deflation in housingprices has widely been cited asthe cause of the economic woesin jurisdictions like the U.S. andIreland, Mr. Shenfeld argues thatit wasn't the falling prices thatcaused the core problems inthese economies but rather theaccompanying wave of defaultsthat devastated their financial

systems.He notes that, while a

Canadian home owner thatcounted on downsizing to fundher retirement might have to parespending plans, Canada is notin danger of a similar crash.

"Canada hasn't lent asaggressively to its lower-incomehome buyers, and a correctionin house prices caused by atighter regulatory environmentand earlier price overshooting,rather than by defaults, wouldnot on its own generate thatsame banking system shock.Most historic wealth declinescoincided with other sources ofeconomic weakness, includingrising unemployment or highinterest rates that depressconsumption.

"As a home owner, I'd preferthat one particular Toronto streetstays insulated from any houseprice declines. But to look on the

bright side, a gradual cooling inhouse prices, one early enoughto avoid a larger financial sectorshock, will look good inhindsight if Canada gets moresupport from global growth inthe next two years."

The complete CIBC WorldMarkets report is available at:http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/einov12.pdf.

CIBC's wholesale bankingbusiness provides a range ofintegrated credit and capitalmarkets products, investmentbanking, and merchant bankingto clients in key financial marketsin North America and around theworld. We provide innovativecapital solutions and advisoryexpertise across a wide range ofindustries as well as top-rankedresearch for our corporate,government and institutionalclients.

SOURCE: CIBC WorldMarkets



indiaindiaSIT held back documentsZakia tells SC

Do not allow Narendra Modi inUS: Congressmen urge Clinton

NEW DELHI/BUREAUNEWS: Zakia Nasim Jafri onMonday complained to theSupreme Court that its SpecialInvestigation Team (SIT) hadnot p rov ided her c ruc ia ldocuments re la t ing to theprobe into her allegation ofGuja ra t ch ie f min i s te rNarendra Modi and others 'role in the 2002 riots. Her counsel Kamini Jaiswalsa id non-supp ly o fdocuments b lun ted herresponse before the t r i a l

court, where the SIT had fileda closure report explainingtha t the re was noprosecu tab le ev idenceagainst Modi to charge himfor del ibera te tardy ac t ionagainst r ioters in February2002. SIT chairman R K Raghavanand member A K Malhotratold the bench of Justices DK Jain and Madan Lokur thatevery document filed beforethe t r i a l cour t had beensuppl ied to Ja f r i . When

Ja iswal po in ted out to thecour t a l i s t o f documentswhich had not been supplied,the bench asked the SIT

chairman to examine it andreply on December 10 whetherthese had been given to thecomplainant.

FDI vote in Lok Sabha: govt sureof numbers; SP, BSP yet to decide

Expressing confidence thatthe motion against FDIwill be defeated in

Parliament, the government onTuesday hoped that parties willsee through the "politics" of BJPand vote accordingly. "I amconfident that the motion movedby BJP in Lok Sabha and RajyaSabha will be rejected... I amurging all parties not tosubscribe to the politics of BJP,"parliamentary affairs ministerKamal Nath told reporters.

To a question on support bySP and BSP, he said he wasconfident that political partieswill see through the politics ofBJP. "They may oppose FDI. Itis for the states to decide. I amconfident that parties will seethrough the politics of BJP... Wehave the numbers," he said. Hisremarks came ahead of LokSabha taking up a motion againstFDI in multi-brand retail under a

rule which entails voting. TheTrinamool Congress has saidthat it will vote againt FDI in retail.Earlier, the Samajwadi Party onTuesday said that their finalstand on FDI will depend uponthe reply of the government,ahead of Lok Sabha debate onthe issue. "I am not saying SPwill support FDI in Lok Sabha. Itshould not be taken for grantedthat we will support it,"Ramgopal Yadav was quoted assaying by news channels. Yadavsaid that the party will bail outthe government if FDI is notimplemented in all states andadded that it will not allow it inUttar Pradesh. On Monday,Bahujan Samajwadi Party chiefMayawati gave explicit hints ata press conference that her 21members could consider votingfor the UPA. "Two issues areclear. First, the BSP will not alignwith the communal forces in

opposing FDI. Second, wewelcome the ‘big plus point' ofthe FDI policy, allowing thestates to decide whether or notto permit FDI entry," Mayawatisaid. "Our MPs will keep theseissues in mind at the time ofvoting on the issue," shedeclared, but made it clear thatthe BSP's final decision onvoting or abstaining would betaken on the floor of the House."Our final stand will depend onthe government's response toconcerns and issues raised byus." Interestingly, Mayawati'sstatement came on the dayparliamentary affairs ministerKamal Nath announced thegovernment's commitment to aconstitution amendment billproviding for promotions for SC/STs in government jobs — a keydemand of the BSP chief which isbeing vehemently opposed by SPchief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

But asked if BSP is puttingthe passage of the reservation inpromotion for SC/STs as a pre-condition for supporting the UPA,Mayawati replied in the negative.The debate is likely to be initiatedin Lok Sabha on Tuesdayafternoon by leader of theopposition Sushma Swaraj.

The voting will take place onWednesday evening. Altogether,eight hours have been allotted to30 speakers from various politicalparties to debate. Commerceminister Anand Sharma isscheduled to reply before theopposition motion is put to voteon Wednesday evening.Although Mayawati said her partywas not "against the idea of FDI",she asked the government to do a"serious analysis" of the impacton the poor and the middle classbefore implementing it. TheCongress-ruled states should firstexperiment with the policy beforethe government took a final call,she said. The BSP chief alsocriticised the government forclaiming that FDI in retail wouldbring down prices of commodities.She said, "Inflation andunemployment are rising and therupee is getting continuouslydevalued because of the wrongeconomic policies of thegovernment." Taking a dig at theSP leaders, Mayawati said, "Ifthe SP leaders have no thinkingon FDI or other matters, whatcould be done? Every time, theyare looking to us to take thelead."

WASHINGTON/BUREAUNEWS: In a setback to Gujaratchief minister Narendra Modi,a group of 25 Americanlawmakers have urged the USsecretary of state HillaryClinton to continue denyingvisa to the BJP leader, statingthat his government has notadequately pursued justice ofthe 2002 Gujarat riot victims.

"As Mr Modi continuesto pursue a potential run forhigher office, we believe achange in policy to his requestfor a visa will only emboldenModi and his government's

efforts to obstruct furtherinvestigations and the tandemprosecution that have still tobe finished to bring theperpetrators to justice," asmany as 25 members of the USHouse of Representatives wrotein a letter to Clinton.

Dated November 29, theletter addressed to Clinton wasreleased to the press yesterday,by Republican CongressmanJoe Pitts and Frank Wolf on theeve of their joint pressconference at the Capitol Hillwith family members of thevictims of the 2002 Gujaratriots. "India is a thrivingdemocracy, and one that is

aspiring to a high standard ofleadership and progress. It isdisturbing that certain partiesin India are consideringelevating Modi, despite his tieto these attacks. Allowing himto enter the United States willonly serve to abdicate hisresponsibility for the 2002human rights abuses," theCongressmen said. Amongother prominent lawmakers whosigned the letter include JohnConyers, Trent Franks, JamesMoran, Michael Honda, BillPascrell, Barbara Lee, EdwardMarkey, Jim Jordan, Dan

Burton, Michael Capuano andDough Lamborn. Observing thatthe Bush administration "rightlydenied" Modi a visa to enter theUnited States, the lawmakerssaid as he is currently seekingsupport for a possible bid forprime ministership, includingmeetings with leaders of foreignnations, "we expect" that he mayagain request entry into theUnited States.

"We respectfully requestthat the US government deny MrModi entry due to numerousreports of his involvement inhorrific human rights violationsin India," the lawmakers said.

(Contd. on page 12)

Aadhaar can fixKotkasim-like

problems: JairamNEW DELHI/BUREAU NEWS: Is Aadhaar the differencebetween what happened in Kotkasim and what could have been?That's the stand the government is taking, but the critics of theUnique Identification (UID) disagree. After TOI wrote on Sunday

of how payment delays were threatening to undo a pilot programmein which cash is transferred to a person's account in place of thekerosene subsidy in Kotkasim, Rajasthan, rural developmentminister Jairam Ramesh sent TOI a detailed response on Monday.Accepting the problems pointed out by including delayed subsidyreimbursements and a devastating crash in kerosene sales—Ramesh said that the Kotkasim pilot had not used the Aadhaarplatform, and many of the problems it was facing could be fixed byusing the Aadhaar-linked Direct Cash Transfer scheme that thegovernment is now proposing. District collector Ashutosh Pednekartoo earlier told that the district administration was moving towardslinking the scheme to the UID."Linking of Aadhaar number to kerosene beneficiary databasewould address the problem of duplicates and reduce leakage.The subsidy could be transferred in advance using the Aadhaarnumber as a financial address. Authentication devices can bedeployed at the ration shop for delivery. The next instalment ofsubsidy can be transferred to the beneficiary bank accountautomatically based on electronic data of kerosene offtake,"Ramesh said. However the minister's claims are disputed byactivists opposed to cash transfers. "The problem in Kotkasim isone of payment delays and the government is not addressinghow this will be fixed," says Nikhil Dey of the Mazdoor KisanShakti Sangathan. "They don't realize that with NREGA forexample, the delays are at multiple back-end levels: it could be theengineer taking too long for the measurements, or the data entryoperator," says Dey.

GMR: Maldives' minister calls Khurshid, explains standNEW DELHI/BUREU NEWS : Maldives' minister Abdul SamadAbdullah on Tuesday called external affairs minister SalmanKhurshid over the GMR Group's airport project row. According toreports, Abdullah will exlain why GMR can't continue to operate inthe country. He was also citedas saying that India expressedno displeasure over GMR row.Maldivian President MohamadWaheed will send a detailedcommunication explaining theirstand on the issue to PrimeMinster Manmohan Singh,reports said. India froze aid tothe Maldives as its governmentMonday decided to take controlof the international airportdespite a Singapore courtstaying the suspension of thecontract given to India's GMR-led consortium.The high court ofSingapore suspended theMaldives government's decisionlast week to terminate the $500million contract, the single largest Indian FDI in the Maldives,awarded to the consortium for developing the Ibrahim NasirInternational Airport at Male. "High court of Singapore today(Monday) granted injunctive relief (stayed) against the applicabilityand operations of (contract termination) letter issued by the ministryof finance and treasury (MoFT), government of Maldives," GMR

said in a statement."The high court upon hearing both the parties was pleased to

grant this stay in favour of GMIAL (consortium of GMR-MAHB)."However, the arbitration process will continue on the sidelines, said a

company official. TheSingapore high court is actingas an arbitrator in the issuebetween the GMR-backedconsortium GMIAL and theMaldives government. Underthe contract, the law of eitherSingapore or Britain wouldapply in case of differencesbetween parties. TheMaldives government,however, chose to defy theorder. "We will continue theairport takeover and Inshallahnext Saturday onwards MACL(state-controlled MaldivesAirport Company Ltd) will berunning the airport," defenceminister and acting transport

minister Mohamed Nazim told reporters in Male Monday. Upset atthe Maldives government's attitude, India has put on hold $25-millionbudgetary commitment to Male, said reliable sources Monday.Bilateral ties will be affected, said the sources. The Indian governmentis also studying the court order and its implications, said the sources.

(Contd. on page12)

REMOVE THACKERAY'SMAKESHIFT MEMORIALIN 24 HOURS OR FACECONSEQUENCES, BMCCHIEF WARNS SENAI P12


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012india

(Contd. from page 11)"As you may know, Mr Modi served as the chief minister of Gujaratduring the 2002 riots that ultimately resulted in the rape of countlesswomen and children, the destruction of homes and businesses andthe loss of 2,000 lives," the Congressmen alleged. "Non-governmental organizations have alleged that the state governmentin Gujarat, led by chief minister Modi, provided leadership andmaterial support to the perpetrators of these horrific crimes. Aftertheir investigation of violence, Human Rights Watch stated that the'attacks against Muslims (and other religious minorities) in Gujarathave been actively supported by state BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)government officials and by the police'," the letter alleged. Notingthat in the past, the State Department has denied Modi a visa underthe authority of the International Religious Freedom Act for hiscomplicity in the riots, the lawmakers said the State Department hasstated that the Gujarat government has not adequately pursued justiceof the victims of the 2002 violence. "As there has been no furtherresolution to these issues and justice has yet to be fully realized forthe victims of the riots, we ask that you continue to deny Mr Modi avisa. As Mr Modi continues to pursue a potential run for higheroffice, we believe a change in policy to his request for a visa will onlyembolden Modi and his government's efforts to obstruct furtherinvestigations and the tandem prosecutions that have still to befinished to bring the perpetrators to justice," the Congressmen said.

Do not allow Narendra Modi inUS: Congressmen urge Clinton

(Contd. on page 11)The Maldives government Wednesday had defended its decisionto terminate the GMR contract, saying the deal was dogged by"legal, technical and economic issues". However, in the wake ofreaction by the Maldives government Monday, it seems legal issueswere only the fig leaf behind which President Mohamed Waheedwas hiding, the sources said. In New Delhi's assessment, there aremany vested interests at work, a veiled allusion to the increasingclout of a pro-China clique that is said to be close to the powers-that-be in Male and has influenced the decision to scrap the GMRcontract. What is more distressing to India, the sources added, isthe way a commercial dispute has been used by some fringe elementsand political parties in the Maldives to whip up anti-India sentiments.

"It has become an election issue and it has ceased to be apurely commercial matter," said the sources. Elections are scheduledto be held in the Maldives late next year, but there are indicationsthat they could be held as early as next year. GMIAL, which is aconsortium of GMR and Malaysian airports operator MAHB, hadwon the right to operate and modernise Ibrahim Nasir InternationalAirport in a bidding conducted by IFC, an arm of the World Bank.The Maldivian cabinet had directed GMIAL to hand over the airportwithin seven days to MACL.

GMR: Maldives' minister callsKhurshid, explains stand

Goa mining scam: action likelyagainst two former CMs

PANAJI/BUREAU NEWS : Goa's multi-million rupee illegal miningscam may cause material harm to two former chief ministers. Thecurrent BJP-led state government, under pressure to act againstthose responsible for Goa's mega mining scandal, has said in acommunication to a Supreme Court-appointed panel that it wouldbe filing first information reports (FIRs) against former chief ministersPratapsing Rane and Digambar Kamat for their alleged complicity inthe mining scandal. Drafted by chief secretary B Vijayan, the 68-page letter says decisions taken by Rane and Kamat - both from theCongress - in connection with condoning delays in renewal of miningleases merited the registration of FIRs against them.

Kamat was Goa chief minister from 2007 to 2012, while Ranewas the chief minister from 1980 to 1989, 1994 to 1999 and from 2005to 2007. Kamat was also the state's mines minister. According to theJustice MB Shah commission report, which exposed the scam, andas reflected in Vijayan's letter, the delay in renewing the mines' leaseswas allegedly improperly condoned by Kamat and Rane in theirrespective tenures as chief ministers. Vijayan's letter, to which IANShas access, is addressed to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC)in New Delhi appointed by the apex court to physically probe thescandal. The Supreme Court, hearing a public interest litigation, hasbanned all mining activity in the state from October.

Rane and Kamat are responsible and have taken these decisionsand therefore the state government has decided to file appropriatecriminal proceedings against them, Vijayan said. The FIRs, he said,would be filed under laws governing graft as well as under relevantsections of Indian Penal Code. Rane said that he was not aware ofany such letter and that all decisions taken by him as chief minister

were "legal". "I have nothing more to say. All my decisions werelegal and above board," he said. Kamat was unavailable forcomment. The sincerity of the incumbent BJP government in bringingthe guilty to book has been criticised by civil society activists andopposition parties. After protesting and campaigning against illegalmining in Goa for nearly a decade as opposition leader, ManoharParrikar, now chief minister, has gone out of his way to back themining industry, his critics have alleged. Congress spokespersonReginaldo Lourenco has repeatedly accused Parrikar of attackingthe small fry involved in the mining scam and allowing the big fish togo scot-free. "Has he really taken action against any big personyet? All this while, Parrikar has only been running after the small frylike a junior government officer (Dattatray Bhave), who committedsuicide because of the harassment," Lourenco said, cautioningParrikar against a witch-hunt against Congress leaders.

Vijayan's letter to the CEC also follows recent critical statementsmade by Justice Shah, whose voluminous report exposed the miningscam, that the Goa government was giving wrong mining-relatedfacts to the commission. The chief secretary's letter also points to anexus among politicians involved in the scam, a fact underlined inthe Shah Commission report too. The letter states that several rulingpoliticians and ministers had "proactive participation" in the scamand would regularly direct officials to committee illegalities in themines department. Until last year, Goa's 90 odd operational minesextracted and exported nearly 50 million tonnes of iron ore annually,the highest output in the country. Over a third of the exported ironore was alleged to have been illegally sourced, according to Parrikar,who was opposition leader at that time.

Remove Thackeray's makeshift memorial in 24hours or face consequences, BMC chief warns SenaMUMBAI/BUREAU MEWS: A day after chief minister PrithvirajChavan asked the BMC to draft an action plan to remove themakeshift memorial of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray from ShivajiPark, municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte on Monday nightserved an ultimatum on mayor Sunil Prabhu and Rajya Sabha MPSanjay Raut to remove the temporary structure within 24 hours orface the consequences. A senior BMC official told that if the two Senaleaders did not heed the notice, the BMC would not only remove thestructure and initiate legal proceedings against them, it would also nothesitate to disqualify Prabhu. "Under the provisions of the BMC Act, acouncillor can be disqualified for supporting unauthorised structures,"he said. "We hope better sense prevails and Prabhu himself takesimmediate steps to remove the temporary structure." The BMC also

filed a caveat in the Bombay high court on Monday to ensure that if anycase on the temporary structure came up, no orders would be passedwithout hearing them. Won't give up Samadhi space: Raut Shiv Senamayor Sunil Prabhu and RS MP Sanjay Raut will file a caveat on theissue of the makeshift Shivaji Park memorial for Balasaheb Thackerayon Tuesday . Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan ,to ward off a likely law-and-order problem , had conceded the demands of senior Sena leadersthat Bal Thackeray be cremated at Shivaji Park in a state funeral . "Wethought that after the cremation was over , the Sena would remove thestructure on its own ," said the official . "We are shocked by the party'sdemand for a memorial on the spot .It's a clear breach of trust . UddhavThackeray might have expressed displeasure on the row over thememorial but his party member shave made it a prestige issue."


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 w o r l d

Obama warns Syria against using chemical weapons Fatima Bhutto rubbishesreports of launching

political career

DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE EXPECTING A BABY

Obama publ ic ly to ld theincreasingly isolated Assadnot to un leash the "wors tweapons of the 20th century"in the 21st, capping a day ofalarming American warningson the Syr ian reg ime ' sintentions. "Today, I want tomake i t absolutely clear toAssad and those under h iscommand, the wor ld i swatching, the use of chemicalweapons i s and would betotally unacceptable," Obamasaid.

"If you make the tragicmis take o f us ing theseweapons , the re wi l l beconsequences and you wil lbe held accountable."

The Damascusgovernment, hitting back atinc reas ing ly exp l ic i t USrhetoric, had earlier pledged

never to take such a s tep ,which the Obamaadministration warns wouldcross a "red line" and resultin US action. Adding to theimpression of a quickeningendgame in Syr ia , Arab

League chief Nabil al-Arabiexclusively said that Assad'sreg ime was in danger o fco l lapse "any t ime" as theopposit ion makes sweepingga ins . And prompted byde te r io ra t ing secur i ty, the

Uni ted Nat ions suspendedoperations in Syria and saidi t would pu l l ou t non-essen t ia l s t a f f , whi le theEuropean Union reduced itsactivities in Damascus to aminimum. A US official toldAFP tha t Syr ia had begunmixing chemicals that couldbe used to make sa r in , adead ly nerve agen t , whi leCNN repor ted Damascuscou ld dep loy the gas in al imi ted a r t i l l e ry a t t ack onadvancing rebels. The WhiteHouse has been loath to makea direct intervention in Syriabut indicated Monday thatthe use of chemical weaponscould change the equation."We are concerned that anincreas ingly beleagueredregime, having found i t sescalation of violence throughconvent ional meansinadequate , might beconsider ing the use ofchemical weapons against theSyrian people," White Housespokesman Jay Carney said.Washington worr ies thatbattlefield advances by rebelscould prompt Assad to usechemical arms, or that suchstocks could become insecureor f ind thei r way in to thehands of groups hostile to theUnited States.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DRAMATICALLY TOLD SYRIA'SPRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD ON MONDAY NOT TO TURNCHEMICAL WEAPONS ON HIS OWN PEOPLE, FOLLOWING USWARNINGS HIS FORCES WERE MIXING DEADLY SARIN GAS.

ISLAMABAD/BUREAU NEWS: The granddaughter of formerPakistan premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and daughter of the lateMurtaza Bhutto hasdismissed mediareports about heradvent into politics forthe upcomingelections. "Tribunestory exists only in thegalloping imaginationof the author. It isobviously, wildlyuntrue," The ExpressTribune quoted FatimaBhutto, as saying inm i c r o - b l o g g i n gwebsite Twitter.

Earlier, the paperhad quoted her mother,Ghinwa Bhutto, assaying that Fatima hasdecided to put long-standing speculations to rest and embark ona political career.

"Pakistan People's Party-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB)Chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto announced that Fatima -granddaughter of former premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and daughterof the late Murtaza Bhutto - will compete in the upcoming electionsfrom Liaquatpur town of Liaqatpur tehsil in Rahim Yar Khan districtof Punjab for the NA-192 seat," the paper had earlier reported.

Fatima, who has published a deeply controversial book onthe life and times for her late father, has been a vocal critic of thecurrent government run by her estranged relatives. She has, foryears, rubbished the chances of entering politics.

LONDON/BUREAU NEWS : The most widely anticipated pregnancy since Princess Diana's in 1981 isofficial: Prince William's wife, Kate, is pregnant. St James's Palace announced the pregnancy Monday,saying that the Duchess of Cambridge formerly known as Kate Middleton has a severe form of morning

sickness and is currently in aLondon hospital. William is at hiswife's side. News of the pregnancydrew congratulations from acrossthe world, with the hashtag"royalbaby" trending globally onTwitter. The couple's first child willbe third in line to take the throneleapfrogging the gregarious PrinceHarry and possibly setting up thefirst scenario in which a UK femaleheir could benefit from new genderrules about succession. The palacewould not say how far along the 30-year-old duchess is, only that shehas not yet reached the 12-week

mark. Palace officials said the duchess was hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum, a potentially dangeroustype of morning sickness where vomiting is so severe no food or liquid can be kept down. They said shewas expected to remain hospitalized for several days and would require a period of rest afterward.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012property & decor

Make your new home your haven

Moving into a new house is never an easy experience.It takes sometime to truly start loving the place andconvert i t into a home which has your personal

touch. And at times, it is possible we feel out of place. Hereare some ways to make your new place seem your own at theearliest.

ColourFresh coats of paint are the easiest way of adding that

personal touch to your home. If you do not like the builder'schoice of colours or want to brighten up a room, choose yourfavourite shades and change the appearance with immediateeffect. Soft, mossy green in the living room, warm cornmealyellow in the kitchen and dining room and bright, rich tonesin the bedroom is what we recommend. The new and clean

walls help in creating positivity and gives a base to the otherinterior decoration plans. All this need not cost a bomb andcan easily fit into a smaller budget.

PicturesThis is another inexpensive way of personalising your

home. Mount photographs cut out of old coffee table booksin inexpensive heavy black frames rather than buying pre-framed prints. Or use cheap outdoor wicker furniture inside.

Bring in the greensTropical plants add colour and life to every room. But

make sure you place them at locations which receive amplesunlight.

Shop smartKeep things manageable by making a list of everything

you need to buy for each room. Start by discarding hand-me-down items you really don't need. Plan the budget required tocomplete the work in one room at a time to make it easy on thepocket.

Important tip: Avoid inviting friends and family as far aspossible within the first six months as premature entertainingjust leads to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.

MAKE YOUR NEW HOME YOUR HAVEN.

How to do upyour staircase

Make your staircaselook as interesting asthe rest of your

house. Here's how... When itcomes to home decor, staircasescan sometimes become one ofthe most neglected areasbecause we tend tounderestimate it. Actually,staircases can, if done up well,add a certain charm to yourinteriors. For row houses,bungalows, penthouses andduplex flats, the staircase formsan integral part of the structureand is often located in the livingroom or in an important part ofyour home. You should make surethat they are nicely done up.

Wall of fameMandira Bedi's bungalow

in Bandra has a beautifully doneup staircase. She says, "Since itis an integral part of my home, Ihave taken special care to do itup. The decor at my homeincludes this area of the houseand I like it that way. There arepictures of family and friends,vases of flowers, lights etc onmy staircase." Living room wallsare not really ideal for puttingup a lot of pictures of family andfriends but the walls of yourstaircase can be like a gallerywhere you can display all yourfavourite pictures and get away

with it! Since the stairwaysoften lead upstairs to theprivate area of the house,keeping these personal imageshere will help them from beingtoo much in the public view.

Light it upYou can go as creative as

you want here. Overheadspotlights will make the stairswell-lit and safe. You can alsouse lights on the steps foreffect. Gouri and Yash Tonkkhave beautiful and verycontemporary chandeliers onthe landings of their staircasein their duplex apartment. "Iliked these trendy chandeliers.They light up the stairway verynice and look very elegant andchic," says Gouri.

Take it to the next levelYou can use wood, stone,

carpeting on the stairs and youcan make it look interestingwith a nice handrail, a varietyof which is available readily.

The perfect landingThe way you do up your

landing can make or break theentire decor of the stairway. Youcan place a large vase or a potof indoor plant or a tall floorlamp in the corner. Placeinteresting things but make surethat you do not clutter thestairway space.

HOW TO DO UP YOUR STAIRCASE.

A kitchen gardenin your room

A kitchen garden insideyour room? Yes, that'swhat the new concept

of 'vertical landless farming'promises where you can growtomatoes, chillies and smallp lan t s ins ide rooms - andwithout any hassles too. NewYork-based Br i t ta Ri ley, awoman a r t i s t andtechnologist has devised thissystem for people living inapartments. Us ing d iscarded p las t icbottles to grow plants, Rileyc la ims her technology canproduce over 25 kinds of in-house plants. The garden setup was demons t ra ted a tDeutsche Bank pavi l ion a tthe ongoing Indo-GermanUrban Mela ( fa i r ) inIndraprastha park in Delhi.The device is attracting manycurious visitors.

"It is called the windowfarms hydroponic fa rmingsys tem," a vo lun tee r sa idwhi le showcas ing thesystem. The plast ic bott leshave clay balls inside whichhelp the plants stand erect.The bot t les , one placed ontop of the other, are housedin a long transparent plasticcon ta iner wi th a t a l l'reservoir' at the bottom. Thereservoir is filled with watermixed with liquid nutrients forthe plants, and tubes leadingfrom it connect to the plasticbottles containing the plants.

A pump per iod ica l lyshoots up the water from thereservoir, which then tricklesdown from bot t le- to-bot t lebathing the roots along theway. Water and nutrients thatare not absorbed, collect inthe reservoir.

A KITCHEN GARDEN IN YOUR ROOM.

How to pick the perfect mattress

Here's all you need to know about your mattress. Any doctorwill tell you that a good night's sleep is extremelyimportant. And one of the basic requirements of sound

sleep is the elusive 'perfect' mattress. But how do you distinguishbetween all the different varieties available? Anand Nichani, anexpert of mattress technology gives us some pointers.

Coir or foam mattresses?That is a misconception most people have. Foam mattresses

are known for its extraordinary capacity for adapting to thepressure exercised by thebody and to the bodyheat. The heat makesmaterials malleable and allpolyurethanes aresubjected to this. Memofoam mattress respondsmainly to the pressure ofthe body rather than tothe heat, as we know that heat interacts much slower than theweight; so we can easily presume that it would take longer toadapt and even longer to recuperate to its original shape. And thisfeature makes you 'wake up feeling fresh'. In the case of a coirmattress which is basically hard; it does not take the body shapeand this creates pressure points, hindering a good night's sleep.Coir also tends to get compressed when body rests on it. Over aperiod of time, it does not regain back its original shape leading tosagging of the mattress.

Bring home stalks of luck

Bamboo plants are considered to be auspicious in Feng Shui,and the number of stalks also represents different things.Read on to find out more.

Three stalksIt's supposed to bring in Fu (happiness), Lu (wealth) and Soh

(longevity).Five stalks

Represent the five different parts of life from which wealth spurs from.Six stalksSix stalks of lucky bamboo, brings prosperity and favourable

conditions.Seven stalksSeven stalks brings in good health.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 property & decor

Right accessories complete a home

This month let's take a lookat accessories. Becauseaccessories reflect a

personal touch, they are ofparamount importance in thedecoration and completion of ahome. To bring this point home(pun intended), look closely atthe homes that are mostappealing. Most often they arethe ones that create a feeling ofcomfort, of being home. Nowtake that same house andmentally strip away all theaccessories and see how emptyit feels, no matter how elegantlyit is furnished.

Visual unitySo for such an important job,

how do we go about making theright choices? To begin, strive

for some form of visual unity. If,for instance, a room is formal, itwould be wise to steer clear ofrustic collectibles. Seemsobvious, doesn't it? Well, it is.But sometimes we need to bereminded of the obvious.Beautiful, delicate porcelainswould be equally out of place ina casual room.But there is alwaysthat pleasant element of surprisethat is always good. A room thatis way too perfect, like out of adesign school book, will beboring to live in, but the elementof surprise does need to becompatible with the rest of thedecor. For example, a fewantiques in an otherwisecontemporary setting are awelcome visual change. All

accessories, be they personaltreasures or objects chosenspecifically for the room, shouldbe compatible with thedecorating scheme. The itemsshould relate in some way to thecolour plan and the overall moodof the room.

Family mattersFamily photos are always

welcome and certainly add apersonal touch. Framing isimportant as the art of the frameshould complement the space itshares as well as the picture itdisplays. Next, look to scale andbalance. An oversized picture ona small wall will be uncomfortablyout of place, and the opposite isalso true.

Art from the heart

If only small pieces of art orpictures are available and a largewall is in need of art, arrange thesmall pieces decoratively on thewall to fill the space in a goodaesthetic manner.

Add a punchThen it's just a matter of

placing the items in the rightplace. Do your accessories makeyou happy or are they therebecause you have had themforever? Go through every singlething you consider an accessoryand decide why you have it.

UpdateNew, updated picture frames

for your favourite photos, freshlowers for those tiredarrangements, new lampshades,new candles, chenille throws toreplace old worn ones, even newslipcovers! For those who arereally tired of the look as theyscan their homes, try replacingsmall furniture pieces like coffeetables, end tables, and somelamps.

Freshen upNow look at your linens. Do

they look tired and boring? I canfall in love with a great comforterand a few years later, I am totallybored with it. Tastes change. Youchange. So change things aroundyou to reflect the changes. Finda new comforter that makes yourheart sing. And your bedroom!A single comforter goes a longway. And while you are at it, treatyourself to some luxury linens.

Pick the right containerfor your plants

Whether you live in a tiny apartment or on a largebungalow, gardening in containers is a way to addcolour and the beauty of nature to your surroundings.

The three main elements of creating successful containersgardens are:

1. Choosing the pots2. Getting the right planting medium3. Selecting the plantsIn all of these elements, the key is to create a healthy growing

environment for the plant roots. For a healthy root system, watermust be able to pass quickly through the soil. As the water drainsout, air replaces it in the soil and an exchange of carbon dioxide ismade with the plant roots. This movement of water and air isessential to a healthy plant. Here are some tips to help you choosefrom the dizzying array of pots, troughs and boxes:

LocationPick the spot for your garden first and then find a container

to suit it. For example, a quaint wooden trough would not suit amodern balcony, nor would classic urn shaped pots be the bestchoice for an informal garden. In addition to style considerations,give attention to size and proportion issues.

WeightConsider the weight of the container — not only empty, but

filled with wet soil and plants.

Aamir’s daughterIra attends Azad'sfirst birthday

When Sachin Tendulkar encountered 'Osama' in Pakistan

THOUGH EVA IS NO LONGER PART OF RAM'S SHOW, THERE IS NEWS THAT EVA, WHO PLAYED HIS ON-SCREEN STEPMOTHERAND RAM WERE MORE THAN MERE CO-STARS! PHEW!EVA IS A DIVORCEE WITH A DAUGHTER (HER EX-HUBBY IS AAMIR KHAN'S STEPBROTHER HYDER ALI KHAN) AND RAM KAPOORIS HAPPILY MARRIED TO GAUTAMI. IS IT A MOVE TO GRAB ATTENTION FOR THE SHOW OR SOMEONE IS JUST SPREADING THERUMOUR? HOPEFULLY IT IS THE LATTER.

RAM KAPOOR & EVA GROVER AFFAIR ?

Ponting ends 17-year career, leavesas Australia's leading Test batsman

We are at the brink of somethingpath-breaking: Hrithik on Krrish 3

KIRAN RAO AND AAMIR KHAN WITH THEIR SON AZAD RAOKHAN ON HIS FIRST BIRTHDAY AT BANDRA, MUMBAI.

Aamir Khan's daughter Ira is turning out to be a pretty girl.When she was a few months old in September 1998, Aamirhad brought her along for a cruise during the shooting of

the film Mann. And he was a very hands-on father. Not onlywould he help Reena mind the baby between shots, we had evenspotted him giving his bundle of joy a haircut. We saw Ira withher mother heading for the birthday celebration of Aamir's one-year-old son Azad on Saturday. The party was held at Imran Khan'shouse. Aamir's son Junaid too attended the bash. Though Aamir'snephew Imran wasn't seen outside, the actor's mom Nuzhat wasseen welcoming the guests.

KOLKATA/BUREAU NEWS: While visiting a hospital in Pakistan,batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar encountered a child whose namemade the master tremble with fear. The kid's name was Osama - thesame as that of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. One would comeacross many such anecdotes about Tendulkar's life in The Peak - a

book by sports photo-journalist Suman Chattopadhyay which waslaunched by cricketer Yuvraj Singh at a glittering ceremony in Kolkataon Sunday. The book captures some rare and memorable momentsof Tendulkar's life through Chattopadhyay's lens and the storiesbehind them in the master's own words.

"I was spending some time with my children in a swimming poolwhen I saw some movement behind the curtains upstairs and heardcamera clicks. I did not have to guess as he could be none otherthan Suman," said Tendulkar talking about a snap that finds a proudplace in the book.

"Suman is among those few persons who have seen me fromclose quarters since my early days. I happen to carry a photographtaken by him, wherever I travel," added Tendulkar.

The photograph is of a young Tendulkar lying on the lap of hisparents and adorns the cover of the book.

The peak has been scripted by journalist Sunandan Lele andhas a foreword by former cricketer Anil Kumble recapitulating hislong association with Tendulkar.

It also has special quotes by cricket legends Sunil Gavaskarand Kapil Dev as also iconic singer Asha Bhosle.

PERTH/BUREAU NEWS :Despite a cheap dismissal onMonday, Ricky Ponting wentout in style, leaving the gameas Australia's all-time leadingTest batsman after a poignantguard of honour f rom theSouth Africans. Not long afterthe adoring crowd in Perthgave him a rousing sendoff,Australia's most successfulcaptain was soon back in thepavilion with just eight runsas h is s ide chased animprobable 632 to win thethird Test. But Ponting, whoturns 38 this month, will bejudged over the course of astellar career that equalledSteve Waugh's mark of 168Test matches -- the most inthe h is tory of Aust ra l iancr icket .His South Afr icanopponents gave duerecognition as he came out tobat on Monday, lining up toapplaud him onto the pitch.But in truth Ponting had failedto fire in the current series, andadmitted that his time was up.The Tasmanian, who boasts 41centuries, with only Indianlegend Sachin Tendulkarscoring more, said ahead of theseries decider in Perth that he

knew retirement was imminent."Over the last couple of weeksmy level of performance hasn'tbeen good enough," headmitted. "My passion andlove for the game hasn'tchanged but at the end of theday (the decision) was basedon my results." Ponting wonmore Tests as captain -- 48 --than any other Australian andhas the astonishing successrate of almost 72 percent as thecountry's one-day leader,winning 164 of his 228 games.He had already called a halt onhis captaincy of the Test andone-day team in March lastyear, but continued as a player.Despite skippering Australia inmore than 300 Test and one-day matches, taking over fromWaugh, his magnificentinnings were blighted by threeAshes series losses ascaptain.

Nicknamed Punter byShane Warne for his penchantfor a bet (punt) on thegreyhounds , Pont ingamassed 13,378 runs in 168Tests at 51.85, and 13,704runs in 375 one-dayinternationals.

(Contd. on page 22)

PONTING HAS PLAYED 167 TEST MATCHES AND HAS WON 48 OUT OF THE 77 THAT HECAPTAINED. IN THIS FILE PHOTO, SRI LANKAN WICKET-KEEPER ROMESH KALUWITHARANAAPPEALS FOR A LEG-BEFORE WICKET DECISION AGAINST PONTING IN KANDY IN 1999.

MUMBAI/BUREAU NEWS : For months now, HrithikRoshan has been keeping a low profile, as he has beenconcentrating on his next, Krrish 3. But the actor managedto take some time out of his packed schedule to attend theongoing 12th edition of the International Film Festival ofMarrakech in Morocco as four of his movies are beingscreened here this week. However, Krrish is not on that list.

Confident that the franchise’s next installment will definitelyfind special mention on many such lists, he says, “Krrishshould have been screened and it will make it here next year.”Nonetheless, the actor is thrilled that four of his other films— Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Jodha Akbar (2008),Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Agneepath — are beingscreened. “I just happened to be part of these films and I amvery proud of them. It feels good,” he says. Directed andproduced by father Rakesh Roshan, Krrish 3 has been keptunder wraps ever since the shooting began. But as per theactor, the secrecy will all pay off once the film hits thetheatres. “It’s one of the biggest challenges for Indiancinema, because the computer graphics and the technologyis all home-grown… it’s Indian. There is no foreign hand inthe final product,” he says. The third part of the series, whichbegan with Koi… Mil Gaya in 2003, also stars Priyanka Chopra,Vivek Oberoi and Kangna Ranaut. But even with the supportof an established star cast, Hrithik seems unsure about thefate of the film. “It’s such a big leap of faith. Till now it looksimpossible. The tone of the special effects, and the film itself,is so big that we don’t know whether we will be able toachieve what we are attempting or hoping to do. We may fallflat on our faces or we may not. Either way, I know that weare at the brink of something path-breaking,” says Hrithik.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 b o l l y w o o d

UpcomingBOLLYWOOD Movies

TALAASHRELEASE DATE: 30-Nov-2012STARING: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor,Rani MukerjiDIRECTOR(S): Reema KagtiPRODUCER(S): Aamir Khan,FarhanAkhtar, Ritesh SidhwaniWriter : Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar

KUCH SPICE TO MAKEIT MEETHARELEASE DATE: 29-Nov-2012STARING: Purab Kohli, NauheedCyrusi, Mansheel GujralDIRECTOR(S): Adeeb RaisPRODUCER(S) : MadmidaasFilms, Syesha Kapoor

FOUR TWO KA ONERELEASE DATE: 07-Dec-2012STARING: Jimmy Shergill, RajpalYadav...DIRECTOR(S): Anwar KhanPRODUCER(S): Sunil ShahGenre :Comedy

JEET LENGEY JAHAANRELEASE DATE: 30-Nov-2012STARING: Goldy Sumal, Paras SinghMinhas, Ajay Shukla...DIRECTOR(S): Lalit BishtPRODUCER(S): Sanju SinghGenre :Drama, Social

KHILADI 786RELEASE DATE: 07-Dec-2012STARING: Akshay Kumar, HimeshReshammiya, Paresh Rawal, Asin...DIRECTOR(S): Ashish R MohanProducer : Akshay KumarGenre : Action, Thriller

10ML LOVERELEASE DATE: 07-Dec2012

STARING: Rajat Kapoor, Tisca

Chopra, Purab Kohli, Tara

Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam

DIRECTOR(S): Sharat

Katariya

Producer: Sunil Doshi

Genre :Comedy, Romance

2 Jab Tak Hai Jaan Jee Le Zaraa3 Jab Tak Hai Jaan Challa4 1920 - Evil Returns Apnaa Mujhe Tu Lagaa5 Talaash (New) Laakh Duniya Kahe6 Talaash (New) Muskaanein Jhooti Hai7 Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana LSTCK Theme8 Dabangg 2 Dagabaaz Re9 Dabangg 2 Fevicol Se10 Talaash (New) Laakh Duniya Kahe

top

10

MOVIE COLLECTIONS

HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEKOMG! OH MY GOD SUPER HIT

STUDENT OF THE YEAR SEMI HIT

1920 - EVIL RETURNS SEMI HIT

LUV SHUV TEY CHICKEN KHURANA FLOP

CHAKRAVYUH (9 DAYS) FLOP

ENGLISH VINGLISH (HINDI) ABOVE AVERAGE

Movie Review

Music Director: Himesh ReshammiyaProducer: Himesh Reshammiya, Twinkle Khanna and Sunil A LullaDirector: Ashish R MohanKhiladi of Bollywood Akshay Kumar is all set to make his come withhis Khiladi image with the release of his recent movie 'Khiladi 786'this Friday on 7 Dec 2012. Khiladi 786 will feature Akshay kumar,Asin, Himesh Reshammiya and Mithun Chakraborty in the lead role.

Bollywood’s obsessionwith Rajinikanth continues

Nobody else could have playedRaju Guide: Waheeda Rehman

SONGFILM

songs HEER

Film:Jab Tak Hai Jaan

1

Read more for Khiladi786 movie review,Khiladi 786 pre review, Khiladi 786 story, Khiladi 786 releasedate and expectations from the movie.Movie Review and StoryMansukh (played by Himesh Reshammiya) and Champaklal (played byManoj Joshi) are born to an owner of a marriage bureau and have failedcompletely in everything since their birth and lastly decide to helptheir father to grow the family business. But, instead of getting success,they witness the break-up of all the alliances matched by them before themarriage takes place. At last, to prove themselves they decides to arrangethe marriage of a cop called Bahattar Singh (Akshay Kumar) aka Khiladi 786in Punjab to the spoiled daughter Indu (Asin) of underworld don TatyaTukaram Tendulkar (Mithun Chakarborty) aka TT bhais and the storyproceeds like that with a lots of laugh riot.

Akshay kumar is expected to rock again in this movie accordingto the trailer and Khiladi 786 is expected to be one of the biggestopeners of Akshay Kumar.

The music of Khiladi 786 is already topping the chartbusterswith songs like "Lonely" , "Balma" , "Hookah Bar" , "Sari Sari Raat"being the favourites.

Asin has changed her looks for the movie and looks hot and sizzling.So, watch out Khiladi 786 for Akshay kumar who will be seen

again the khiladi series after a gap of 12 years after giving hits likeKhiladi (1992), Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Sabse Bada Khiladi(1995), Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996), Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi (1997),International Khiladi (1999) and Khiladi 420 (2000). So, this makesKhiladi 786 the much-awaited movie for the Akshay kumar fans.

Cast: Akshay Kumar (Tihattar Singh),

Himesh Reshammiya (Mansukh), Manoj

Joshi (Champaklal), Asin (Indu

Tendulkar), Mithun Chakraborty (Tatya

Tukaram Tendulkar), Rajesh Khattar

(Inspector Jugnu Singh), Raj Babbar

(Sattar Singh) and others.

On Dev Anand's firstdeath anniversary,which falls tomorrow,

yesteryear actress WaheedaRehman shares the good times shespent with her favourite co-star

Dev Anand and WaheedaRehman formed a super hitromantic pair in the 50s and 60sand they both did some memorablefilms like CID, Solva Saal, KalaBazar, Baat Ek Raat Ki and Guidetogether. The latter will beunveiling a statue of her favouriteco-star in Mumbai on the first deathanniversary of Dev Anand, whoshe feels was the eternal romantic.Waheeda Rehman speaks aboutunforgettable moments from someof her films with Dev Anand.

CIDI was introduced to Hindi

films by Guru Dutt in CID, 1956. Itwas directed by Raj Khoslaefficiently. A suspense thriller, CIDhad me as the golden-heartedvamp, Kamini. I did not have anyromantic scenes with Dev Anandin the film. He was verycooperative and never made mefeel like a newcomer on the sets. Istill remember my first interactionwith him in CID. He comes toenquire details about an editor'smurder from me. I request him torelease the murderer Mehmoodwho is in his custody. Dev Anandtwitched his left eyebrow, and said,"Who Tota" and threatened toarrest me. He was very convincing.

Kala BazarI was thrilled to work opposite

Dev Anand the third time in hisown production Navketan's KalaBazar in 1960. It was crisply writtenand directed by Dev Anand'syounger brother, Vijay Anand.

Rajinikanth has been aphenomenon downSouth for close to three

decades now. A health scare inApril 2011 had him in semi-hibernation. The Tamil industryis waiting with baited breath onthe news of the release of two ofhis animated films 'Sultan'(tentative title) and'Kochadaiyaan' because they aremissing their adrenaline fix ofRajini-isms. Adding to theirwoes; or rather eating into theirpie, is Bollywood, who hassuddenly woken up to the charmsof this actor. Almost every second day,someone in Hindi cinema useshis name in some form or theother to grab headlines. Asin, aSouth import to Bollywood in aninterview said, "I regret notworking with Rajini Sir.'' Ditto,Rani Mukerji, an actress who has

romanced all the Khans andKapoors on-screen; but missesthe fact that she hasn't workedwith the 60-plus Tamilphenomenon. DeepikaPadukone touts her 10-12 day actin Kochadaiyaan as a lucky breakbecause she knows a statementsuch as this will benefit her inBollywood and South India. Shah Rukh Khan, a worldwidecraze himself, woke up to thecharms of Rajinikanth, when hegot him to do a brief cameo inhis home-production Ra.One,obviously in a bid to give theTamil and Telugu versions of hisfilm, an extended lease. And now,the makers of Khiladi 786 havespoken on how they wereoriginally planning to call theirfilm Punjabi Rajinikanth, becauseAkshay Kumar is playing acharacter who is kind ofinvincible.

KHILADI 786KHILADI 786



Saif Ali Khan seems to be back to work post wedding. The actor was recently spotted shooting for his upcoming film Bullet Raja andinteracting with fans in Lucknow

Amrita Rao gearing up forher role of a journalist

ADAPTING 24 TO INDIAN SENSIBILITIESIS CHALLENGE: DEO

b o l l y w o o d

SPOTTED! SAIF ALI KHAN SHOOTS FOR BULLET RAJA

Royal honourfor Shah Rukhin Marrakech

Shah Rukh Khan broughtMarrakech to a halt onSaturday. His recent

release was screened at a theatreduring the festival and also, inan open-air screen in one of themain market areas. SRK wasgreeted by thousands of fanswhen he went to address thegathering. A royal dinner waslater hosted by Prince MoulayRachid, who also presented SRKwith Medal of Honour ofMorocco. Incidentally, HisMajesty, King Mohammad hadgifted the same to AmitabhBachchan when he visited India.

There's something aboutthe number 24 and AnilKapoor. Not only is it his

birthdate, but he also made histelevision debut with theinternational show 24, based oncounter-terrorism drama. Now, heis bringing this popular Americanseries to India, paving the wayfor a new hybrid genre, whichwill have both fiction and reality.Coincidentally, every significantmeeting pertaining to this tookplace on the 24th. And thatincludes the final deal with RajNayak, CEO of Colors, thechannel that will exclusively airthe show in summer next year.

"It's uncanny," remarksAnil, "I guess all this was meantto be. A few years ago, I hadmany channels trying to woo meto host shows, but I just didn'tfeel like taking up any. And soon

after, I was offered SlumdogMillionaire, where I played a TVhost! That movie became aphenomenon and I bagged mynext project there, which was theTV show 24. And while I wasshooting for it, it just came to mymind that this should be broughtto India and I should be actingin it. After all, acting is my forte."

And there's a lot of effortgoing into this. Playing theiconic character of Jack Bauer —played by Kiefer Sutherland inthe original — is no mean feat."I've taken up Tai Chi and otherforms of exercise to build myinner strength, which is neededfor this role. I have never beenthinner and fitter," says an elatedAnil. But is there cause for worry,considering Indian television isstill essentially dominated byfamily dramas and caters to

women audiences? "24 isglobally successful. So, in thatsense, it is tried and tested. Also,this is the first time they've agreedto give the rights to somebodyoutside the US. And now, it'sabout how we put together thisshow. Also, if you see the moodin the country, it's about heroism.And Jack is a true patriot andfamily man. Nothing can getbigger than that," says the actor.

"It took time, but it's allworth it," says Anil. "Getting therights and putting this teamtogether took a while, but it'sbeen very fulfiling. We've allalready become like one bigfamily and that's exactly how itwas with the internationalshow's unit." Delhi Belly directorAbhinay Deo, who's directingthe show, is as excited. "One ofthe biggest challenges is toadapt something that's sosuccessful internationally toIndia. It's about adapting it to anaudience used to watching saas-bahu serials and otherprogrammes, something far awayfrom this one," he says.

Amrita Rao, who will soon start shooting for Anil Sharma's'Singh Saheb The Great', is busy attending workshopsand preparing herself for the role of an ambitious

journalist. In fact, while visiting the office of a popularentertainment news channel for a series ofinterviews, the actress turned the tablesand interviewed the journalists instead.According to our source, "Amrita hada bagful of questions and scoopedout information from the journos. Sheasked them about their workschedule and the challenges they faceduring live coverage. Amrita also tooktips on how reporters interview publicfigures apart from taking noteof the dressing style, makeupand hairstyles of womenreporters." On her part, Amritamaintains, "I have alreadyshared all the information withmy director Anilji and mydesigner for the film. Thecostumes and the look will becreated accordingly. I mustsay that some tips shared by the reporters were unique and I'mgoing to incorporate them in my character."

Soha Ali Khan toplay cop in her next

Superstar Salman Khan'seccentric characterChulbul Pandey from

Dabangg has inspired actressSoha Ali Khan to play a rusticcop in her upcoming film Jo BhiKarva Lo.

Soha, 34, said she is a hugefan of the actor and tookinspiration from him to portrayher character of inspector ShantiPriya in the mad-cap comedy.

"I am excited about my rolebecause for the first time I willbe doing action alongwithcomedy. My character is likeSalman Khan's Chulbul Pandeyand I have taken inspirationfrom him." "I am a huge Salmanfan and had a crush on himwhen I watched Maine PyarKiya. Though I haven't sharedscreen space with him till now,

he has always been verysupportive to me," Soha told.

Directed by debutanteSameer Tiwari, the film alsostars Paresh Rawal, ArshadWarsi and Jaaved Jaffery. It willgo on floors this month.

To prepare for her character,Soha is taking some martial artlessons. "I have enrolled myselffor Kung Fu classes. Mycharacter demands a lot ofaction. It 's not a tough taskbecause I am a fitness freak. Ido yoga and hit the gymregularly. But self-defence issomething which is completelynew to me."

"I don't have to preparemyself for comedy because it issomething which cannot betaught. Comedies are all abouttiming," she added.

Manisha Koirala discharged,to be treated in US

Actor Manisha Koirala, who was admitted to Jaslok Hospitalon Wednesday night, was discharged from the hospital onFriday morning. Koirala is planning to pursue her treatment

abroad, family sources said. "We are planning to go to the UnitedStates. We haven't decided on the hospital yet. The family is stilltrying to figure things out," said Mandira Koirala, the actor's sister-in-law. The family, however, declined to comment on Koirala's illness,adding that it was a private matter. On Thursday, KrishnakantDasyam, spokesperson of Jaslok Hospital, had said that Koirala hadundergone several medical tests and investigations but declined tocomment on her illness. "Manisha was discharged from the hospitalon Friday morning at 9am and she is doing fine," Dasyam said.

The actor was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday after shereportedly fell unconscious. Sources at the hospital said that Koiralawas being treated by Dr Suresh Advani, director of medical oncologyat the hospital. Sources told HT that Koirala's family had obtainedemergency US visas for their travel and are expected to travel onSaturday. Manisha, who hails from a prominent political family inNepal, has worked in several Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam movies.She was last seen at the opening ceremony of the 14th Mumbai FilmFestival and the Life of Pi premiere.


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 hollywood

Upcoming

HOLLYWOOD MoviesRED DAWNRELEASE DATE: 30 Nov. 2012STARING: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson,

Adrianne Palicki, Josh Peck, Isabel Lucas...

Director : Dan BradleyProducer : Kevin HalloranStory : In Red Dawn, a city in Washington

state awakens to the surreal sight offoreign paratroopers dropping from the skyshockingly, the U.S. has been invaded andtheir hometown is the initial target.

THE HOBBIT: ANUNEXPECTED JOURNEYRELEASE DATE: 14 Dec. 2012STARING: El i jah Wood, Or landoB loom, B i l l y Conno l l y, Ca teBlanchett...Director :Peter JacksonProducer : Peter JacksonGenre : Adventure, Fantasy

THE COLLECTIONRELEASE DATE: Nov 30, 2012STARING: Josh Stewar t, EmmaFitzpatrick, Josh Stewar t...PRODUCER(S): Brett Forbes,Mickey LiddellDIRECTOR(S): Marcus DunstanSTORY: When Elenas (EmmaFitzpatrick) friends take her to a se-cret party at an undisclosed location,she never imagined she would be-come the latest victim of The Collec-tor, a psychopathic killer.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANSRELEASE DATE: Dec 21, 2012STARING: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin,Isla Fisher, Jude Law...DIRECTOR(S):Peter RamseySTORY: Rise of the Guardians is an epicadventure that tells the story of a groupof heroes each with extraordinaryabilities.Genre : Adventure, Animation

PLAYING FOR KEEPSRELEASE DATE: 07 Dec 2012STARING: Gerard Butler, JessicaBiel, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman,Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer...PRODUCER(S): Gerard Butler,Jonathan Mostow, Kevin MisherDIRECTOR(S): Gabriele MuccinoGenre : Comedy, Romance

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (3D)RELEASE DATE: Dec 7, 2012STARING: Adam Sandler, KevinJames, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez...DIRECTOR(S): Genndy Tar takovskySTORY: Welcome to the HotelTransylvania, Draculas lavish five-stake resor t, where monsters andtheir families can live it up, free to bethe monsters they are withouthumans to bother them.Genre : Animation, Comedy, Family

Kim Kardashian's Bahrainvisit sparks protest

Angelina Jolie readyto quit Hollywood

I like to be a trendsetter: Paris HiltonParis Hilton is loving every bit of her second visit to IndiaHave you been to India before? This is my second trip to India, Ihave been to Mumbai before and I had a really great time. This is myfirst time in Goa. It is so beautiful and relaxing. I can't wait to go ridean elephant, go see the spice gardens and the spice markets. I wantto go to the beach, go parasailing and go see the caves, and just seeall of the different architecture and the beautiful beaches. There isso much to see here and I want to see as much as I can.

What is that one thing that differentiates India from the rest ofthe world? I love India. I think it's a very special place. It's verymagical and definitely one of the most spiritual places on earth. It isjust so different, I have travelled all around the world and there isnowhere like India.

What is your passion - acting, designing or DJing? I loveeverything I do. The most challenging of everything is the businessside. Being a business woman and running 17 different productlines and brands is a lot of work. I'm constantly travelling and havingto be there 100% for all of my different projects. It is a lot of work,but it is worth it because I love it and I am so proud of everythingthat I have accomplished. I look forward to doing more!

Does your work reflect your personal fashion taste? Mycreative style is just the same as my own personal style. I like todesign all of my product lines and make sure that people know it issomething I would wear.

What is your fashion statement? My fashion statement is totake risks and have fun with fashion. I like to be a trendsetter, andnot just follow what is popular.

What is the season's style statement? This season's style

statement is all about being confident and wearing bright colours.Which is your favourite? I love hot neon pink and also

turquoise. And my personal favourite is neon pink and neon yellow,because they really stand out.

How do you describe your creativity, style, and how is it differentor not from yourself? My work always reflects my personal fashiontaste. I am a very unique person; I love to have fun, especially withmy style. I would describe my style as very fashion forward, unique,fun, cute, fashionable and hot. I have always loved to dress up, andthat is why I am so excited to be here for fashion week.

What do you have to say about fashion and music? I believe thatfashion and |music are very intertwined. They inspire each other.You can't have fashion without music, like in the runway shows.And I think that when you listen to music it inspires your fashion,so I think they really work great together.

What is the other thing you would do if not designing, actingor DJing? If I wasn't designing, acting or a business woman, Iwould be a school teacher, because I love kids. Or I would be aveterinarian, because I love animals.

Just hours after realityKim Kardash iangushed about he r

impressions of Bahrain, riotpo l ice f i red t ea r gas tod i sperse more than 50hardline Islamic protestersdenouncing her presence inthe Gul f k ingdom. Thec lashes took p lace jus tbefore the rea l i ty s ta ropened the Bahrain branchof her Mi l l ions o fMilkshakes shop, Fox Newsrepor ted . Pro tes te r schanted "God is Great" nearthe shopping complex inRiffa, about 12 miles southof the capital Manama.

The demonstrators werecleared before Kardashianappeared la te Sa turday.Earlier, she posted glowingremarks about Bahrain on

her Twitter account, callingi t " the p re t t i e s t p lace onearth." It was re-Tweeted byBahrain 's foreign minister.Kardashian was in Kuwaitea r l i e r th i s week to openanother branch of the shop.

Angelina Jolie has revealed that she is ready to quit acting tospend more time with her six kids. The 37-year-old actresssaid that she would consider turning her back on Hollywood

as her children enter their teens. Her oldest, adopted boy Maddox,is now 11. "I think I'm going to have to give up acting as the kids hitthe teenage years because there is going to be too much to manage,"the Sun quoted her as saying. "If it went away tomorrow I'd be veryhappy at home," she said.

Salma Hayek flauntscurves in strapless dress

Salma Hayek stunned fans with her elegant beauty at theAcapulco International Film Festival in her home country ofMexico on Friday. Flashbulbs sparkled as the superstar actress

appeared before the crowds in a floor-length pink dress with a floralembellishment around her waist, the New York Daily News reported.

The 46-year-old flaunted her womanly curves in the straplessdress that accented her generous bust and her sexy hips, as shestrutted and posed along the red carpet. Young people hurried tosnap photos of the alluring beauty with their smartphones and digitalcameras before she left.

Mario Lopez wedsfiance Courtney Mazza

Mario Lopez married his girlfriend, actress Courtney Mazza,in an outdoor ceremony in Punta Mita, Mexico, onSaturday. According to Extra, the couple, who met in 2008

when the 39-year-old actor starred in 'A Chorus Line on Broadway,'got married just before sunset at the seaside estate of 'Girls GoneWild' creator Joe Francis, People magazine reported. The weddingfeatured a mariachi band, a wedding cake with a winter-wonderland-meets-beach theme by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro. Lopez said thathe's hoping that he and Mazza will soon expand their brood. "We'reworking on that. Right after the wedding. We'll wait for the guests toleave and then we're getting right on that!" he joked. The marriagewill be shown in a 2-hour TLC special titled 'Mario and Courtney'sWedding Fiesta,' to be aired on December 8.

LiLo's assistant urgesher to get help

Lindsay Lohan's assistantGavin Doyle took toTwitter to reach out to his

troubled celebrity client, whowas arrested early Thursdaymorning on assault charges, aftershe allegedly hit psychic TiffanyAva Mitchell in a New York Cityclub. Things between Doyle andLohan got tense on Thursdaywhen the 26-year-old actresskicked her assistant out of hercar after leaving the policestation, according to Gawker.

"@lindsaylohan afterbailing you out last night I HOPEand PRAY you get the help youso desperately need. We are ALL

rooting for you. xxx" theHuffington Post quoted him astweeting. "Life is NOT a movie

it's a reality thatneeds to be faced,"he wrote. Doyle waswith Lohan duringher infamous Junecar crash on thePacific CoastHighway. When theaccident occurred,Lohan told policethat Doyle was

driving the car, but it turned outshe was actually behind thewheel. According to TMZ.com,Doyle is the one who rattedLohan out for lying and he is abig part of the reason why shemay be prosecuted.

Lohan was charged withthree misdemeanors relating tothe crash, including: obstructingan investigation, giving falseinformation to an officer andreckless driving. The 'Liz andDick' star has had a rocky timewith her team recently.



PONTING ENDS 17-YEAR CAREER, LEAVESAS AUSTRALIA'S LEADING TEST BATSMAN

cricket

(Contd. from page 17)As captain, he oversaw a painful transition in Australian cricket following severalhigh-profile retirements, including Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist,Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. But even with such greats in the ranks,Ponting, as captain, lost the 2005 Ashes in England, and despite engineering a5-0 revenge in the ensuing home series in 2006/07, he again lost in 2009and 2010/11. That last failure was badly received in Australia -- it wastheir first Ashes loss at home for 24 years and followed a series ofdefeats by Ponting-led teams. Born the eldest of four children in theworking-class Tasmanian suburb of Mowbray, Ricky Thomas Pontingwas influenced to play cricket by his uncle Greg Campbell, who playedTests for Australia in 1989 and 1990.

Ponting went on to make his state debut at 17, the youngest torepresent Tasmania in the domestic Sheffield Shield competition, beforemaking his international one-day debut aged 20 in 1995.

He only scored one against South Africa in his first match butwent on to become one of cricket's batting titans, with his Test debutcoming 10 months later in December against Sri Lanka in Perth. Pontinghad a rocky beginning in the public eye and was banned for threematches in 1999 by Australian cricket chiefs following an early-morningbrawl in a Sydney bar. Married with two children, he is known as acampaigner against cancer and established The Ponting Foundation with wifeRianna to raise money for young Australians afflicted by the disease.

INDIA VS ENGLAND - WILL INDIABOUNCE BACK IN THE SERIES?

India will aim to bounce back against England in the third Test ofthe four-match series at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata onWednesday.

With the four-Test series levelled at 1-1 after India's ploy to preparea turning track backfired in Mumbai, the hosts will seek to bounceback as they go into the third cricket Test against England heretomorrow with intense pressure on their under-performing starplayers to deliver before its too late.India have never lost a series to England since 1984-85 when DavidGower's team had returned home with a 2-1 win but over the last one

year Dhoni and Co. have lost much ground beneath their feet asthey have slipped to number 5 in the world rankings from beingnumber one at one stage.TEAMS:India: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, SachinTendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c&wk), RavichandranAshwin, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma.England: Alastair Cook (c), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, KevinPietersen, Ian Bell, Samit Patel, Matt Prior (wk), Graeme Swann, JamesAnderson, Steven Finn, Monty Panesar.

South Africa defeats Australiain 3rd Test, Wins Series 1-0,Retains No 1 Test Team Ranking

South Africa won the third test by 309 runs Monday to clinch back-to-back series in Australia. South Africa's 1-0 series win has helped themretain the top position in the ICC Test ratings. They have 123 points, whileAustralia have slipped to 114. Even if England win both the remainingTests in India, they'll have 119. South Africa have become the first teamto win successive Test series in Australia since West Indies won there in1988-89 and then again in 1992-93. In 40 series that Australia haveplayed at home since the 1988-89 series against West Indies (excludingone-off Tests), they've won 31, drawn four, and lost five - twice each toWest Indies and South Africa, and once to England in 2010-11. RobinPeterson dismissed Ponting (8) and skipper Michael Clarke (44) asSouth Africa finished off the Perth test with a day to spare after battling tosalvage draws in the first two tests in Brisbane and Adelaide.Australia, set an unlikely target of 632 to win, were out for 322 after a latecameo by No. 10 Mitch Starc, who ended unbeaten on 68 and shared an87-run last wicket stand with Nathan Lyon (31)."We fought it out with the No. 1 test team in the world and it was nevergoing to be easy," Clarke said. "This series was never going to be givento either side. ... It was just unfortunate we couldn't get over the line in thefirst two test matches, and I think in this test we got outplayed."After resuming at 40-0, Australia's day started in the worst possible waywhen David Warner (29) was removed by Vernon Philander on thesecond ball without addition to the overnight score. Morne Morkel re-moved Shane Watson (25), also caught at slip by Graeme Smith, to bringPonting to the crease at 11:47 a.m. South African lined up in a guard ofhonour as Australia's all-time leading scorer made his way to the pitch,stopping momentarily to shake hands with Proteas captain GraemeSmith, with Australia at 81-2. "It was a bit unexpected," Ponting said. "Imust admit I was a little bit embarrassed and wished it didn't happen thatway, but an amazing gesture by Graeme and the South African team."The 37-year-old Ponting got off the mark with a trademark pull to theboundary off Morkel and drove another boundary in his only other scor-ing shot of a 23-ball innings, but was caught by Jacques Kallis trying tocut Peterson at 12:27 p.m. - a few balls before lunch.

TOURS OF INDIA AND SOUTH AFRICA ARE GOING TOBE PAKISTAN'S REAL TEST

Iqbal Qasim, the chief selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), believes that the upcoming toursof India and South Africa are going to really test the national team, and also hinted at the inclusionof a few new faces for the series against the Proteas.

The Green Shir ts have done reasonably well at the world-stage since the disastrous tour of England in2010. Apar t from thrashing England 3-0 in United Arab Emirates earlier this year, Misbah-ul-Haq andcompany won Test series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and drew levelwith South Africa and West Indies in the last two and a half years.Pakistan did well in the limited-over formats as well, having qualified for the semi-finals of the ICCCricket World Cup 2011 and the ICC World T20 2012.The former left-arm spinner expressed that the tours of India and South Africa will test the strength ofthe Green Shir ts as both are among the world's toughest opponents in home conditions."Both the India and the South African tours are very important. It's on tours such as these where youcan gauge how far you have come as a team and what areas you need to work at and improve upon,"said the chief selector.Pakistan will visit India later this month for a limited-over series, which includes three One Day Internationals and acouple of T20s, with the first match scheduled to be played on December 25, at Bangalore. The Indian series will befollowed by the tour of South Africa, which is going to examine the techniques of the Pakistan batsmen in Qasim's opinion,with the home team having the services of some of the world's finest bowlers on bouncy pitches. The chief selectorfurther added that some emerging players may get included in the squad for the battle against the Proteas, in order to gainsome international exposure. He added, "Conditions that our cricketers will encounter in South Africa will be totallydifferent, for example the bouncy pitches and how to handle them is something that our cricketers and the coaching staffwill look at. I think I'd like to see a couple of new faces on the tour of South Africa so they can learn from senior colleagues."Pakistan tour of India 2012 Schedule:India Vs Pakistan 1st T20 at Bangalore, 25/12/2012India Vs Pakistan 2nd T20 at Ahmedabad, 27/12/2012India Vs Pakistan 1st ODI at New Delhi, 30/12/2012India Vs Pakistan 2nd ODI at Kolkata, 3/1/2013India Vs Pakistan 3rd ODI at Chennai, 6/1/2013


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 sports

ICC ODIODIODIODIODI RankingTeam Matches Points Rating

England 25 3016 121South Africa 18 2170 121India 30 3598 120Australia 28 3164 113Sri Lanka 35 3839 110Pakistan 28 2907 104West Indies 22 1925 88Bangladesh 18 1418 79New Zealand 20 1434 72Zimbabwe 14 700 50Ireland 6 207 35Netherlands 4 63 16Kenya 4 45 11

ICC TTTTTest est est est est RankingTeam Matches Points Rating

South Africa 29 3566 123England 36 4195 117Australia 38 4332 114Pakistan 29 3148 109India 32 3394 106Sri Lanka 32 3062 96West Indies 31 2809 91New Zealand 27 2126 79Bangladesh 15 0 0

ICC T20T20T20T20T20 RankingTeam Matches Points Rating

Sri Lanka 1 5 1524 127West Indies 1 6 1450 121India 1 4 1322 120England 2 0 1647 118South Africa 1 8 1526 117Pakistan 2 6 2088 116Australia 2 0 1615 108New Zealand 1 8 1261 9 7Bangladesh 1 0 597 8 5Ireland 1 2 659 8 2Zimbabwe 1 0 306 4 4

CRICKET SCHEDULES 2012-2013

Lack of facilities discourageIndians to take up tennis: SaniaRAIPUR/BUREAU NEWS: Indian tennis star Sania Mirza todaysaid that people should not always expect a win from sportspersonsand should learn to take their defeat in a positive way. "Every playercannot win all the tournaments. That doesn`t mean one should lookat them in a negative way," the 26-year-old player told reporters onthe sidelines of Gondwana Cup Tennis Tournament that was kicked-started here. Saying that tennis was a "tough" sport for women,Sania pointed out that there was a dearth of coaches and lack offacilities, which discourage Indians from taking up tennis. "Tenniswas never a popular sport here. Due to lack of coaches, programmesand infrastructure, people, particularly girls, hardly take up tennis,"she said adding that they should be encouraged to play the sport.Sports academies would help in grooming the young talent to reachto the top place in tennis, she opined. When asked, she said thatplaying at Wimbledon was her "biggest dream", which she hasaccomplished. She added that she aspires to win the Wimbeldondoubles and mixed doubles events. Replying to queries, she saidhad she not been a tennis player, she would have become an interiordecorator. Sania said she also loves watching cricket. "Cricket is myfavourite sports after tennis and I like Sachin Tendulkar," she said.

Jeev finishes17th at JT Cup

in Japan

TOKYO/BUREAU NEWS: Jeev Milkha Singh carded his best of the week, three-under 67, but stillended 17th at the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup at the Tokyo Yomiuri Golf Club here on Sunday. Jeev`searlier rounds were 71, 71 and 69 and finished with a total of two-under 278. This was Jeev`s sixth eventin Japan and also his best during the season in Japan and ended 91st on the Money List. Hiroyuki Fujitahas added a fourth victory by winning the title with a final round of 67 to win by five shots overToshinori Muto and American Han Lee with Kyung Tae Kim in fourth position. Fujita also recordednine other top 10s in his best season on the Japan Tour. He also captured the Money List title.

INDIA TOP GROUP INCHAMPIONS TROPHY HOCKEYThe quarterfinal line-up: India v Belgium, Germany v Pakistan,The Netherlands v New Zealand, Australia v England.

India lost the battle but won the Pool A war after suffering its firstloss at this Champions Trophy with a 3-2 decision against Ger-many. The Germans earned the come-from-behind win, but Indiastill won Pool A thanks to a better goal difference. India had de-feated England 3-1 in their opening game and then defeated NewZealand 4-2. As the top seed out of Group A, India will face Bel-gium in Thursday's quar ter final, which finished last in Pool B.Germany closes out the preliminary round in second place andwill take on the third-place team from Pool B in its quarterfinal.Four-time defending champion Australia will take on England inThursday's quar terfinal match-up. Meanwhile, Pakistan will faceGermany in quar terfinals after finishing Pool B in third place.The Australia vs. England quar terfinal is sure to be one of the topgames on Thursday as it will knock one of the two 2012 Olympicsemi-finalists out of the medal race. Pakistan is also sure to haveits hands full against #1 Germany.

maple batalia's ex-boyfriend gary dhaliwal indo- …southasiandaily.com/pdf/december-4,...

Documents