liberal convention offers a plan but lacked detail

MidWeek 1MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014

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

CONTD. ON PAGE 4

LIBERAL CONVENTION OFFERSA PLAN BUT LACKED DETAIL

DETAILS ON PAGE 4

The weekend LiberalConvention concluded inMontreal with the Party feelingpositive and hopeful despitethe sudden decision to expelLiberal Senators by the leaderin recent times, but the NDPnoted some details weremissing.Reports confirmed LiberalLeader Justin Trudeau's speechwas much powerful."Canadians from across thecountry came together todiscuss how we can build theteam and build the plan thatwill create economic growth forthe middle class," the Partyposted on its website.

Modi does not make anycommitment to withdrawSLP at Punjab rally: Bajwa

BJP Prime Ministerial candidatewas in Jagraon in Punjab, Sun-day where tens of thousandsturned up despite the rally run-ning late where Modi showed upwearing a bright turban.While speaking at the rally, heshowed concerned for youth inPunjab and the growing drug use.He called Punjab Chief MinisterParkash Singh Badal his "politi-cal guru."Speaking about Sikh farmers inKutch area, he said, "No Sikhfarmer will go out of Gujarat andif any officer dares to do any mis-take, that officer will have to leavebut not my Sikh brothers.""Gujarat is as much for any otherIndian as it is for me and I owe alot to my Punjabi farmers who aresettled in Kutch. They are the ones

who have made that barren landfer tile. So one should stop listen-ing to the rivals (Congress) whoare misguiding you on this issue,"he said.Punjab Congress presidentPar tap Singh Bajwa called Modian "anti-minor i ty " leader. Hesaid Modi d id not make anycommitment to withdraw spe-cial leave petit ion (SLP) fromthe Supreme Cour t against Sikhfa rmers ous ted f rom the i rl ands , r epo r t ed H indus tanTimes."Mod i has d i sappo in ted thepeople of Punjab who had highhopes that on his visit, he wouldannounce the withdrawal of theSLP, " he sa id r epo r t edHindustan Times.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeauat Liberal Convention inMontrealCour tesy: Liberal.ca

BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi being honoured by Punjab DyCM Sukhbir Badal, while Rajnath Singh and Parkash Singh Badallook on during the Fateh Rally in Ludhiana on Sunday.

PANTENE RECENTLY HOSTED ABEAUTIFUL HAIR BAR POP-UP SA-LON IN DOWNTOWN TORONTOAND INVITED CELEBRATED WOMENFROM THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMU-NITY TO A PAMPERING EXPERIENCEAND CUSTOM ADVICE FROM ASOUTH ASIAN HAIR EXPERT

Women from the South Asian com-munity enjoyed a Pantene Beauti-ful Hair Bar experience downtownToronto. Selected participants weregiven a complimentary wash andblow out to experience the newPantene formulation using the col-lection recommended to them bythe South Asian hair exper t. Formore informat ion on the newPantene with Anti-Oxidant technol-ogy: www.Pantene.ca

WHO WILL WIN ASIA CUPIndia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,

Bangladesh or Afghanistan?

BY - WASIM PARKAR

The cricket calendar barely gives enough time for fans and play-ers to breathe. Post-mortems for India's recently concluded tourto New Zealand haven't been completed, while Sri Lanka andBangladesh just finished a series of close matches that ideallydeserved more time to be cherished by both team's fans. Instead, the aforementioned trio of sub continental teams alongwith Pakistan and Afghanistan turn their attention to the 2014Asia Cup, as the non-stop world of cricket churns out one mar-quee tournament after the other. Here, I provide my preview forthe five par ticipating teams who will battle it out to be Asia'sbest over the next for tnight in Bangladesh.SRI LANKASri Lanka come into the tournament in fine fettle, winning allthree series on their tour to Bangladesh.

DETAILS ON PAGE 23

Kajol Panchal becomes Miss India Worldwide Canada 2014

(From left) First runner up- Vartika Sharma, Miss India Worldwide Canada 2014- KajolPanchal, second runner up Shivangi Brahmbhatt.Courtesy: Facebook pictures DETAILS ON PAGE 4 & 6

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY




page 3 NEW-BORN FOUNDDEAD IN MOHNISHBAHL'S BUNGALOW

She didn’t win a single title last year, but has begun 2014on a good note. After clinching the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix last month, top Indian

shuttler Saina Nehwal is now preparing for the presti-gious All England Badmintion Open Championships (inMarch 2014). She takes time out for a quick chat aboutmovies, old friend Deepika Padukone, acting offers and ri-valry with PV Sindhu.Deepika had a super successful 2013.Have you kept track?Yes, and congratulations to her. I have always believed thatgood work pays off. I watched her movie, Chennai Express(2013), and it was excellent.Have you seen any other films of late?

Yes, I watched Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and it was worth it. Ialso watched Dhoom:3 (2013), which was a good movie with great actingand excellent songs.There are rumours that a biopic is being planned on your life.Let us see, maybe if somebody takes it seriously (smiles).You’ve apparently been offered acting roles in films too. Are youinterested?No, let me show my talent in badminton (laughs).You must be relieved after winning a tournament after a long time?Yes, it was really a long gap of a year without a medal. But in thiscompetitive world, it is difficult to win a title every time. Also, Isuffered several injuries and we played too many tournaments, soit took a toll on my performance last year. We have now decided toplay limited tournaments, so I will get more time to train.

KATRINA-RANBIRTOGETHER, TOHOLIDAY IN SRILANKA

We can now make it official: therumours that Ranbir Kapoor-KatrinaKaif romance is over have proved tobe just rumours.The two are very much in love and, infact, busy planning their next holiday.While there were reports that the twowere holidaying in Ibiza, Spain last yearand later in New York, USA, now wehave learnt that Katrina might be joiningRanbir for a break in Sri Lanka.A source close to Katrina reveals,“Katrina and Ranbir have been tryingto keep their schedule in sync with eachother’s. Now, they even try to co-ordinate their outdoor shoots in sucha way that one of them can drop in onthe other’s sets.” The source goes onto add, “Till the first week of March,they will both be busy with their workcommitments. In the coming week,Katrina is likely to get a three-day breakfrom her schedule as there is a locationand set change. In this time she isplanning to take a quick trip to SriLanka and meet Ranbir.”Earlier, too, there were reports thatKatrina had dropped in on the sets ofBV to spend time with Ranbir.

New-born founddead in MohnishBahl's bungalow

A new-born baby was found dead in aswimming pool inside the bungalow of lateBollywood actress Nutan at Parsik hill inKharegaon, police said on Saturday. Thebungalow is now reportedly owned byNutan's son Mohnish Bahl, an actor whohas appeared in a number of Bollywood filmsand TV series. The baby, which was lyingthere since last five days, was recovered in ahighly decomposed state, theysaid.However, it could not be ascertainedwhether the child was a boy or a girl due tothe decay.

WITH HER FOCUS ON BADMINTONSAINA NEHWAL SAYS NO TO FILMS


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014special report

Modi does not make anycommitment to withdrawSLP at Punjab rally: Bajwa

CONTD. FROM PAGE 1"Modi should first apologise to the nation for the killings of Mus-lims in Gujarat under his rule, and then speak of social integrityand communal harmony," he said. "Christians, too, saw theirplaces of worship burnt to the ground (in Gujarat) and now Sikhfarmers face eviction and loss of their land rights," he added.Modi expressed strong displeasure at the rampant corruption inthe current-day government, and spoke of how the only focusfor Congress was on glorifying their own family, instead of re-membering and following leaders like LalaLajpatRai. "Sadly theCongress believes that only one family needs to be glorified.They forget LalaLajpatRai, but BadalSahab remembered them,"said ShriModi. He also spoke of how he had closely workedwith senior leaders like ShriParkash Singh Badal, ChaudharyDevi Lal, Chaudhary Bans Lal and even Farooq Abdullah ji, dur-ing his early days of organizational work in Punjab, and shareddetails of how he had learnt and imbibed the effectiveness ofthese leaders. He underscored the need to give a boost to agri-cultural activities by focusing on the 3 impor tant aspects ofprocurement, management and distribution. Stating that value-addition and increase in productivity per acre was the need-of-the-hour for agriculture, ShriModi said, "Our priority should behow to increase productivity per acre and bring technology inagriculture. For this, I suggest that the FCI be divided into threepar ts: one that will focus on procurement of grains, second onits storage and the third on the distribution of grains."

Protests have continued in Venezuela bringing major streets to astandstill Monday as protestors blocked concluding unrest inthe country that's been going on for two weeks.Thousands have shown anger and frustration over crime rate,inflation rate and shor t supply of basic goods in the polarizedcountry."We know we're bothering people but we have to wake up Ven-ezuela!" said a protestor student, Pablo Herrera, repor ted CTVNews.President Nicolas Maduro called for "a national peace confer-ence with all social, political, union and religious groups," re-por ts confirmed.Protests against Maduro, who was narrowly elected in Aprilelections star ted on a small scale after late leader Hugo Chávezdied with cancer.

VENEZUELA'S CAPITALBLOCKED BY PROTESTORS


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014 breaking news

WANTED: YANUKOVICHUkraine is looking for Yanukovich

President Viktor Yanukovichwas voted out of parl iament of Ukraine over the

weekend after he described pro-testors as a "coup" as clashes andtensions grew in the streets ofKiev.Yanukovich fled the capital on Sat-urday and was charged with"mass murder of peaceful civil-ians" by acting interior ministerof the country, ArsenAvakov"A cr iminal case has beenlaunched over the mass murderof peaceful civilians. Yanukovich

and a number of other officialshave been put on a wanted list,"said Avakov in a Facebook state-ment. Act ing PresidentOleksanderTurchinov has saidthe presidential election cam-paign would star t this week in thecountry and setting May 25 asnew presidential election date.Russia has denounced the recentdevelopments in Ukraine and hasaccused post Yanukovich authori-ties of lack of legitimacy repor tedthe Guardian."If you consider Kalashnikov-tot-

ing people in black masks whoare roaming Kiev to be the gov-ernment, then it will be hard forus to work with that government,"the prime minister and formerpresident of RussiaDmitryMedvedev said. "Some of our for-eign, western par tners think oth-erwise, considering them to belegitimate authorities. I do notknow which constitution, whichlaws they were reading, but itseems to me it is an aberration… Something that is essentiallythe result of a mutiny is called

legitimate." The acting authoritiesin Ukraine have concluded thecountry needs a quick bailout of$35bn over the next two years.The United States is closely moni-toring developments in Ukraine."We have consistently advocateda de-escalation of violence, con-stitutional change, a coalit iongovernment, and early elections,and today's developments couldmove us closer to that goal," saidthe White House in a statement."The unshakeable principle guid-ing events must be that the peopleof Ukraine determine their own fu-ture. We welcome constructive workin the Rada and continue to urge theprompt formation of a broad, techno-cratic government of national unity. Wewelcome former Prime MinisterYuliaTymoshenko's release from aprison hospital today, and we wish hera speedy recovery as she seeks theappropriate medical treatmentthat she has long needed andsought.""Going forward, we will work withour allies, with Russia, and with ap-propriate European and internationalorganizations to support a strong,prosperous, unified, and democraticUkraine. Going forward, the Ukrai-nian people should know that theUnited States deeply values our long-standing ties with Ukraine and willsupport them as they pursue a pathof democracy and economic devel-opment," it said.

BJP ready to apologize toMuslims: Rajnath Singh

BJP Prime Ministerial candidate NarendraModi has come asclose as saying he regrets what happened in Gujarat riots in2002, but Tuesday BJP chief Rajnath Singh said the par ty isready to apologize, three months ahead of elections.Singh was at a gathering in the capital where the Muslim com-munity was listening to his speech."I assure you. If there has been any mistake, we will bow downand ask for forgiveness," he said.The words "mistake" and "apology" have been a first for thepar ty."The Congress strategy as of now is to contain BJP by hook orby crook from getting majority or near majority and for that ithas star ted a propaganda against the BJP with the help of someother forces," he said about the Congress par ty.He clearly said to try the BJP government in his speech."Try us once. (If) We don't come up to your expectations, don'tlook at us ever again." he said.But Muslims weren't convinced according to repor ts."This is an attempt to neutralise 5%-10% votes. Why an apologynow? Because of the elections," said Zafarul Islam Khan, whois the chief of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Musharwat, repor tedHindustan Times.

PRESIDENT VIKTOR YANUKOVICH OUSTED FROM UKRAINE PARLIAMENT.Cour tesy: European Parliament/Flickr Commons


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014c o m m u n i t y

TORONTO: Canada India Foundation (CIF) is pleased to announcethe CIF Award Gala, which will take place on April 26, 2014 atthe Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto. The highlight of theevent will be the presentation of the CIF Chanchlani Global In-dian Award to N.R. Narayana Mur thy, Founder and ExecutiveChairman of India's IT powerhouse Infosys. Mur thy has beendescribed by Time Magazine as the Father of Indian IT sector,and as one of the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by For-tune magazine. He founded Infosys in 1981 and served as itsCEO from 1981 to 2002 and as chairman from 2002 to 2011,guiding the company to become a multinational corporation andleader of India's software revolution. Mur thy is the recipient ofPadma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award by theGovernment of India, and has also been honoured by the gov-ernments of France and United Kingdom. As the fifth recipient ofthe Award, Narayana Mur thy joins a select company of theAward recipients including Deepak Chopra, renowned thinker,writer and speaker on human empowerment and a strong pro-ponent of alternative medicine; Sam Pitroda, pioneer of India'stelecom revolution, Tulsi Tanti, trailblazer in the deployment ofwind power and Ratan Tata, India's most respected industrialistand philanthropist."By his words & deeds Mr. Narayana Mur thy exemplifies thequalities of a Global Indian. He has been an inspiration to mil-lions of Indians, both in India and abroad, to become entrepre-neurs", says V.I. "Lucky" Lakshmanan, Chair of CIF. In additionto a specially commissioned trophy, the Award includes a sumof $50,000 which is given to a charity of the Award recipient'schoice. "The Award will be presented at one of the most antici-pated events of the year, the CIF Award Gala. The Gala has beengraced in previous years by prominent leaders. including The RightHonourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper and India's former Presi-dent Dr. Abdul Kalam." says Laj Prasher, President, CIF. Around 600high profile guests are expected to attend this year's Gala. The CIFChanchlani Global Indian Award The CIF Chanchlani Global Indian Awardwas created by CIF to recognize an individual who demonstrates glo-bal leadership, vision and professional excellence. The Award wasmade possible through the generous contribution of Vasu Chanchlani,who committed one million dollars as endowment towards the Awardfund, and additional monetary commitments from several CIF CharterMembers. The award recipient will receive a custom designed trophyalong with a cheque for $50,000, payable to a charitable institution ofhis/her choice. About Canada India Foundation Canada India Founda-tion is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization established in2007 to foster support for stronger relations between Canada and In-dia; to educate Canadians on the changing face of India and toincrease the par ticipation of Indo- Canadians in the public policyprocess in Canada. CIF's founding members include entrepre-neurs, senior Canadian business executives and top tier profes-sionals. CIF plays a key role in Canada India relations throughregular dialogues with representatives of both countries, orga-nization of theme based policy forums and contributing, directlyand through its members, to India-focused initiatives at severalacademic institutions.

Narayana Murthy,Chairman, Infosys, to

Receive the CIFChanchlani Global

Indian Award

LIBERAL CONVENTION OFFERSA PLAN BUT LACKED DETAIL

Contd. from Page 1"The Convention ends today,but with an energized organizationof grassroots Canadians, a new PartyPresident, Anna Gainey, a strongNational Executive, and our Leader,Justin Trudeau, we have shownCanadians that Liberals have astrong team and new ideas," saidthe party statement.Sunday morning the party votedon policies that made theconvention "watching" wortheveryone's time, confirmedreports.Reports confirmed Trudeauignored the media after theconvention and did not take anyquestions. He made a "cameo"appearance on Sunday as he hadslipped out the back door, reportedthe Star.National Liberal Director,JeremeyBroadhurst admitted toCanadian Press over the weekendthat some favouritism was in play."He is going out and recruitingpeople to be part of that team ...and I don't think it's unusual forhim to say, 'I hope this person runsand I want that person in thecaucus,'" Broadhurst told theCanadian Press."I don't think there is a problemwith him having a preference,"Broadhurst added, "as long as thatpreference doesn't in any wayimpact the way we run those(nomination) races."The Party voted in favour ofdecriminalization of assisted

suicide Sunday. "We share theconcerns of the most vulnerablepopulations, especially people inthe disability community," saidLiberal delegate Wendy Robbins,reported the National Post. "Itcovers health, it covers justice. Wethink we have the right to die withdignity."The Supreme Court will look intothe matter for the first time after 20years.Liberals have been in favour oflegalizing marijuana, whichTrudeau was clear and vocal aboutin 2013.NDP: Justin Trudeau - flip-flopper- Senate editionOver the last several months,Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau hasmade one thing clear: whatever theissue is, he is willing to change hismind about it. His party has noplan, and he won't tell Canadianswhat he really intends to do.Take the sudden "independence"of Liberal senators, for example.Trudeau pulled that rabbit out of

his hat earlier this year when he"kicked out" his Senators fromcaucus.Not only did his move contradicthis own party's constitution, italso contradicted his own positionfrom the fall. In October, the NDPput forward a motion to forcesenators out of party caucuses.Who stood in the way? None otherthan Justin Trudeau, explaining hisvote against the motion:"Because I respect the Constitutionof Canada. And regardless of whatthe NDP might wish to make politicalhay over, we don't have the capacityin the House of Commons to, on asimple majority vote, eliminate piecesof the Canadian Constitution." -Justin Trudeau, CBC, October 26,2013So whatever happens this weekend,don't forget: there is nothing JustinTrudeau won't back down on. Hehas shown his poor judgementtime and time again.Canadians deserve better.


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014 c o m m u n i t y

4TH ANNUAL GIVE A HEART 2014 TURNEDOUT TO BE A STRIKING TRIUMPH

Amar Karma Organ Donation Society is one of the first ones tocome up with the idea of practical giving of hearts by signingup to be organ donors, as their way of celebrating Valentine's

Day. There is a big list of people who are on the waiting list to receivehear ts for transplant.4th Annual Give Hear t 2014, organized by Amar Karma Organ Dona-tion Society was held on February 8, 2014 at Bombay Banquet Hall.The event was fully packed and truly won many hear ts. Young six-teens of the group came forward to register their consent to be organdonors. Dedicated volunteers of the group had prepared paintings toauction for the benefit of the cause.

Lashika Katyal was awarded to be Karma volunteer of the year 2014.Kulwinder Saini was awarded to be Karma outreach volunteer of theyear. Rohit Sangha was awarded to be Karma Support Volunteer ofthe year. Dance performances, songs and Bollywood enter tainmentby Karma Volunteers thrilled the guests. At this time the book SabRang was released, which is written by Joginder Ankhila, senior vol-unteer of Amar Karma Organ Donation Society.Many politicians and prominent business persons par ticipated in theevent. Among them were M.P Parm Gill, Lawyer and Barrister VipanjeetMarok, Raman Dua from SaveMax, Jagpal Mann from JP Law firm,Manan Gupta from Road today, Garnett Manning and many others.

Among media firms that par ticipated in Give a Hear t 2014 wereRogers, Omni, PTC, ATN, Brampton Guardian and locally based SouthAsian newspapers. Among the community personalities, Give a Heart2014 was attended by Mr. Baldev Mutta from Punjabi CommunityHealth Services, Raj Ghuman from Fulkari Radio, Sukhminder Hansrafrom Punjabi Daily, Harjit Bajwa from Ajit Jalandhar.

Eat Healthy - Ontario Restaurantswill Post CALORIES on MenusOntario will introduce legislation today to make it easier for fami-lies to make informed and healthy food choices.The MakingHealthier Choices Act, if passed, would make Ontario the firstprovince to require food service premises to post calories onmenus.The proposed legislation was developed following consulta-tions with the food industry, health sector and parents. Spe-cific measures in the legislation include:" Requiring calories for food and beverages, includingalcohol, to be posted on menus and menu boards in restau-rants, convenience stores, grocery stores and other food ser-vice premises with 20 or more locations in Ontario." Requiring food service operators to post a contex-tual statement that would help to educate patrons about theirdaily caloric requirements." Authorizing public health inspectors to enforce menulabell ing requirements.This initiative builds on other steps Ontario is taking to helpfamilies live healthier, including the Healthy Kids CommunityChallenge - a province-wide initiative encouraging commu-nity leaders along with private and public sector par tners tocome together and develop initiatives to help kids stay healthyand active.Making it easier for Ontario families to choose healthy foodsis a key component of the Healthy Kids Strategy and suppor tsOntario's Action Plan for Health Care. It is also par t of thegovernment's economic plan that is creating jobs for todayand tomorrow by focusingQUICK FACTS" Up to 60 per cent of large chain restaurants with morethan 20 locations in Ontario already provide nutritional informa-tion voluntarily to their customers (upon demand, on websites orin store)." Approximately 95 per cent of Ontarians suppor t requir-ing fast food restaurants to list nutrition information on their menus(Ipsos Reid, 2011)." Ontario is also protecting children from the harmful ef-fects of second hand smoke by proposing to increase penaltiesfor selling tobacco to kids, banning flavoured tobacco and ban-ning smoking on playgrounds, sports fields and bar and restau-rant patios.


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014opinion

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MONTREAL 2014 - LIBERAL BIENNIALCONVENTION OBSERVATIONS

Upon signing the Char ter ofRights and Freedom, PierreElliot Trudeau said."We mustnow establish the basicprinciples, the basic values andbeliefs which hold us togetheras Canadians so that beyondour regional loyalties there is away of life and a system ofvalues which makes us proudof the country that has given ussuch values and immeasurablejoy". The torch has beenpassed. His son, Justin takes upthe commitment as the leader ofthe par ty his father led. Underhis leadership, we as Canadi-ans, today must be committedto freedom, social justice,tolerance, inclusion andequality. Justin Trudeau openedhis keynote address in this

named Natalie and used all theexamples of the insecurity ofthe middle class today as it

affected her life. The par tisanaudience related and he hadtheir rapt attention throughouthis address. For me, this wasthe highlight of the convention,It was however a hard workingevent ongoing as a newnational executive was electedand numerous policy motionsdiscussed and passed. Thepolicy motions will notnecessarily become theelection platform. It gives theelection team an informedposition of the mood of thepar ty. Conventions alwaysreenergize, this one howeverhad a sense of the firming ofthe roots and growth of thepar ty branches.All in all a most positiveexperience.

manner and the energy piqued.He used the metaphor of ayoung family and a woman

Our Government is seeking your input on an impor tant issue that willaffect our community - legalized prostitution. By going online towww.justice.gc.ca and giving your input you can help build Canada's

Conservative Government SeeksPublic Input on Prostitution Laws

BY BALJITBAWA

new prostitution laws.Recently the Supreme Court made a decision that would see opera-tion of brothels, living on the avails of prostitution, and communicatingin public for the purposes of buying and selling sex will become legal.They have given the Government one year to create a new law toprotect Canadians from this threat. We are asking for your help tomake this law.P ros t i t u t i on ha rmsour commun i t i es ,those engaged i nprostitution, and othervu lnerab le persons.Canad ians l i ke youare af fected by th isissue, and as shouldbe involved in com-batting it. We are ask-ing Canadians acrossthe country to providetheir input through an online consultation to ensure this newlaw that reflects your values.While the Conservative Government is working to protect ourcommunities from this threat, the Liberal Par ty is eager to le-gitimize prostitution and drug use. The Liberals want to protectthe "successful businesses" being run by those who profit fromthe sex industry, likely as additional venues for taxation. We needa more decisive response that truly combats this threat. Tell ushow by visiting www.justice.gc.ca today.

Bill C-24 - Amendmentsto the CanadianCitizenship Act:

Citizenship To Be Redefined,Repositioned and Re-evaluated

On 6 February 2014 theGovernment of Canadaintroduced Bill C-24,An Act to amend theCitizenship Act and tomake consequentialamendments to otherActs. The Act proposesto fundamentally trans-form the meaning, scopeand processing of Cana-dian citizenship.The im-por tant details, foundwithin a complex set ofproposed amendmentsnecessitates a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the legal consequencesof allowing mass changes to everything from eligibility to appeal in alarger-than-life overhaul of the legal landscape surrounding citizenshipas we now know it in Canada.Scope of the Changes

Residency" Applicants must be physically present in Canada for 1460days out of six years." Applicants must spend 183 days per calendar year in Canadain the four calendar years that are fully or partially within the six yearsprior to submission of their application." Applicants over the age of 14 must file Canadian income taxfor each, as required under the Income Tax Act, to be eligible for citizen-ship." Credit will no longer be granted for time spent in Canada priorto becoming a permanent resident;" The Applicant may not depart from Canada while waiting theprocessing of their application for citizenship." Special treatment for certain classes (Canadian Forces, etc.)- apparently this has not been extended to those providing aid or humani-tarian efforts abroad of behalf of CanadaLost CanadiansThe Bill extends citizenship to "Lost Canadians" born before 1947, aswell as their first generation children born abroad who may have beendeemed ineligible in the past.

Language RequirementsApplicants aged 14-64 as opposed to 18-54 must demonstrate profi-ciency in one of Canada's two official languages.

BansThe Bill seeks to expand bans on those individuals with foreign criminalcharges and convictions. In addition, this Bill will allow refusal of appli-cations on the basis of fraud and extend the bar for misrepresentation.Judicial Review rather than appealApplicants will no longer have a direct right of appeal as a leave require-ment to access the Federal Court has now been introduced.RevocationThe Act establishes the authority to revoke Canadian citizenship fromdual citizens. Revocation no longer necessarily flows through the Fed-eral Court as ministerial decisions can be made without recourse to thecourts.

Faster ProcessingThe Bill promises to reduce processing time to under one year.IntentionThe Bill requires applicants for citizenship to have the "intent" to residein Canada.AnalysisThe provisions are dense, difficult to decipher and in need ofclarity. The calls for change surrounded the need for a singleresidency test but the Bill goes so much fur ther. But let's star twith residency.A strict physical residence test is a welcome re-lief for many after years of uncer tainty. But this must be bal-anced with the reality of a global environment. It may excludemany outside Canada including internationally known Canadiansincluding ar tists, actors, and professional athletes. Why does thenew law need to go this far to eliminate the fraudsters?For example, proving "intent to reside"for example will be anexpensive exercise to enforce and the amendments could createtwo classes of Canadian citizens with potentially impaired mo-bility rights under the Char ter of Rights and Freedoms. Canadi-ans who received their citizenship by bir th can freely choose tolive outside of Canada while naturalized citizens may be expectedto exclusively reside in Canada unless they are in the armedforces.Another key concern is the power to revoke citizenship withoutrecourse to the Federal Cour t. There appears to be two revoca-tion streams but one is insulated from judicial review. In es-sence and taken to a logical extreme a citizen would have accessto the cour ts to challenge a parking ticket but not for the revoca-tion of one's citizenship. At stake in Bill C-24's current form isnot only who receives and keeps citizenship but the foundationalvalues, rights and freedoms that define us as Canadians.

BY MARIO D. BELLISSIMO, C.S.,LAWYER

Bellissimolawgroup.com

Can NRI buy property in India?

Acquisition of immovable proper ty by way of purchase, hold,transfer or dispose of by way of sale or inheritance or gift in Indiais the most impor tant issue which NRIs world over and evenRevenue/Land Registering authorities in India do not know. Allsuch acquisitions especially agriculture Land are being madeback home on the basis of general notion/assumptions which donot hold any legal sanctions. Now in India the NRI's investmentis governed by specific law under foreign exchange regulationcaptioned"Foreign Exchange Management Act"[FEMA] 1999 andRegulations, 2000 under overall control of Reserve Bank of India.To be more specific and clear, acquisition/disposal of immov-able proper ty in India is explained in following categories:-A)By NRI's holding Indian Passport:1. NRI's holding Indian passpor t can purchase immovable prop-er ty except agricultural land in India. No permission of RBI to buyresidential or commercial immovable proper ty in India is re-quired.2. Thepurchase consideration maybe paid either by remittance offunds from abroad through normal banking channels or out ofNRE/FCNR/NRO account.3. NRI's of Indian nationality do not require any permission foracquisition,transfer,or disposal of immovable proper ty which isnot a farm house or agricultural land or plantations proper ty.4. Declaration on form IPI 7 for acquisition of commercial prop-er ty for carrying on any industrial, commercial or trading activityby their proprietary/par tnership firm in India is required to befiled with RBI within 90 days from date of purchase.B)By NRI's who is Foreign citizens but of Indian origin:1. NRI's holding foreign citizenship but of Indian origin can buyresidential or commercial immovable proper ty in India. But nofarm land or agricultural land can be purchased.2. Under the general permission, the RBI has allowed them toacquire, transfer or dispose off by way of sale or inheritance,immovable proper ties situated in India.3.It is however necessary for foreign citizens of Indian origin todeclare such proper ty to RBI within a period of 90 days from thedate of purchase in the form IPI 7 to the Chief General Manager,Exchange Central Dept., Foreign Investment Division, Centraloffice,RBI,Mumbai. To be more summarized, NRIs of both typeholding Indian passpor t and foreign citizen of Indian origin; cannowacquire,sale,gift all type of proper ty including residential andcommercial but are debarred to acquire agricultural land,farmhouse and plantation proper ty except inherited land. Failure tofollow the above noted law can have serious consequences.

By Ravinder Pal Singh Walia, NRI Helpline Limited



canada PRIME MINISTERHARPER MEETS WITHPRESIDENT OBAMAIP10

Stintz, Tory registered to run for mayoral candidates

KAREN STINTZ ANNOUNCED SHE IS OFFICIALLY REGISTERED AS A CANDIDATE TO RUN FOR TORONTO MAYORAL RACECOURTESY: INSTAGRAM

Karen Stintz and John Tory officially registered as candidatestorun as candidates for the mayoral race in Toronto. Rob Fordhas been clean about his intentions of running once again

for a while now.Meanwhile, speculations have continued that Olivia Chow might

also run for mayor but nothing has been made clear by Ms. Chow.Tory, a former radio personality, former leader of the Ontario

Progressive Conservative Party, a lawyer and businessman has beenrumoured for months, but reports finally confirmed he is running asa candidate Monday.

"The skills and experience I have, I think are right to bring thekind of leadership to the city now to get some things done, gettingtransit built and getting people working together," he said as reportedby Global News.

"I love the city and try to be involved with it in as many ways Ican throughout my adult life," he said Monday reported Globe andMail. "I think that right now, we're in a time when we need to get thecity working together, get the city council working together. To haveone city," he said. Stintz, The Ward 16 City Council member andformer TTC chair had made her intentions clear about running in themayoral race a few months back and filed her papers at 10 a.m. Mondaymorning. Stintz said that for the past decade under successive mayorsToronto has been falling further behind on jobs, on economic growthand on innovative solutions to community problems.

"This has helped shape my fundamental belief that we have achoice to relentlessly focus on tomorrow or to live in yesterday,repeating the kind of old-style politics that have stalled Toronto'sgrowth," she said.

"Our choice isn't just between cut-cut-cut or NDP-style spend-spend-spend. I am offering a different choice that focuses onunlocking value for taxpayers."

Stintz said she will be the responsible and accountable mayorToronto needs to generate new ideas for a better tomorrow.

"At the end of the day, I want to make the lives of Torontoniansbetter: Easier. Simpler.More affordable. Open to more possibilitiesand more hopeful about the future."

Baird Concludes Successful Visit to New ZealandFebruary 19, 2014 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today

wrapped up a productive visit to New Zealand, during which hereaffirmed the deep ties between Canada and New Zealand, whichspan more than 70 years.

"Our bilateral relationship is underpinned by our sharedCommonwealth heritage, similar parliamentary and military traditions,and extensive people-to-people relationships," said Baird. "On theinternational stage, Canada and New Zealand share a strongcommitment to promoting international security, prosperity,democracy, human rights, religious freedom and the rule of law."

During his visit to Wellington and Auckland, Baird met withNew Zealand's Prime Minister John Key, Minister of Foreign AffairsMurray McCully and Minister of Trade Tim Groser, as well as keybusiness leaders. Baird discussed regional and global issues,including security and political developments in Asia and the MiddleEast.

He also highlighted Canada's strong interest in expanding itseconomic relationship with New Zealand, especially as both countriesenhance their relations in Asia. "In a highly competitive globaleconomy, closer and deeper economic ties will benefit both ourcountries by creating more jobs, opportunities and prosperity inboth countries," said Baird.

Baird Meets with New Zealand's Prime Minister John KeyCour tesy: Flickr Commons

Government failingpeople with disabilitiesThe government has finally tabled its follow-up repor t on ouradherence to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities. Nearly two years late, the repor t confirms thatthe government is not doing enough to improve quality of life."The repor t falls shor t on solutions to help more than 600,000persons with disabilit ies living in pover ty. The situation isworse in Aboriginal communities which remain ignored bythe government. This repor t lists a bunch of programs butoffers no coherent vision," said critic for Persons with Dis-abilities ManonPerreault (Montcalm).Unfor tunately, this repor t shows that the Conservative gov-ernment is not taking its obligations seriously. Despite nu-merous requests, it stil l has not appointed an independentreview body to ensure proper application of the Convention."The NDP will continue to call on the Conservatives to do more toimprove the well-being of persons with disabilities, reduce thepover ty they face and improve their job prospects," added deputycritic Mike Sullivan (York South-Weston).NEW MINE OPENS NEAR SUDBURY

Premier Kathleen Wynnecelebrated the official opening ofOntario's newest mine nearSudbury, which is creating about200 new jobs in the region. TottenMine is Vale's sixth mine in the

region and its first in the SudburyBasin in more than 40 years.

Totten Mine uses state-of-the-art technology, such as awireless undergroundcommunication system, to achieve

the highest standards of safety inproducing copper, nickel andprecious metal ores. It alsofeatures industry-leadingenvironmental design features,including three water treatmentplants.

Ontario supported theopening of the mine by guidingVale and its consultants throughthe Mining Act process and co-ordinating consultations withenvironmental agencies andAboriginal communities to ensurethis development benefitseveryone.

Helping businesses grow ispart of the government's economicplan to create jobs for today andtomorrow. The comprehensiveplan and its six priorities focus onOntario's greatest strength - itspeople and strategic partnerships.

ONTARIO HELPING TO CREATE JOBS AND PROMOTEECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE NORTH

Cour tesy: news.ontario.ca


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014c a n a d a

Prime Minister Harper meets with President Obama

CANADA HOCKEY TEAM WINS GOLD IN SOCHI

Canada's Hockey Teams won gold medals bringing the total medal count to 25 which includes 10 silver and 5 bronze.Cour tesy: Olympic.ca

President Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper met lastweek, for 30 minutes, on the margins of the North AmericanLeaders' Summit. The leaders discussed and strongly

condemned the violence taking place on the streets of Ukraine andagreed that the government of Ukraine is responsible for protectingits people, and upholding the universal right to freedom ofexpression, and that those who violate those basic rights should beheld accountable. The leaders noted reports of a truce between thegovernment and the opposition which, if implemented, would be awelcome step forward in pursuing that meaningful dialogue. Theyagreed they will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensurethat actions mirror words. The President and Prime Minister said

that the military should also show restraint and not become involvedin issues that should be resolved by civilians. Both resolved to workclosely with European allies on options for additional measures, includingmeasures to hold those responsible for violence accountable. The leadersalso discussed issues of shared concern, including the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, the global economy, and border infrastructureand security. The topic of the Keystone pipeline was discussed, with theleaders saying privately what both have already said publicly. Finally, theleaders agreed they will both be watching tomorrow's Olympic women'shockey game and Friday's Olympic men's hockey game between Canadaand the USA with great interest and excitement. They agreed todisagree on who to root for.

CANADA'S TOURISMINDUSTRY IN DECLINERecently released statistics confirming a decline in Canada'stourism industry worries the NDP."The Conser vat ives slashed the Canadian Tour ismCommission's funding and have failed to present new mea-sures to revitalize this sector. We're seeing the results," saidSmall Business and Tourism critic Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury).While tourism is growing worldwide, it has declined dramatically inCanada in the last decade. And the 2014 budget doesn't provide anynew funding to help the Canadian Tourism Commission promoteCanada abroad. "For Canada to position itself strategically and com-pete internationally, it must invest in tourism. The Conservative gov-ernment missed another opportunity to support the tourism sectorand ensure Canada's position as a destination of choice," added deputycritic AnnickPapillon (Québec).

GOVERNMENT FAILING PEOPLEWITH DISABILITIESThe government has finally tabled its follow-up repor t on ouradherence to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities. Nearly two years late, the repor t confirms that thegovernment is not doing enough to improve quality of life."The repor t falls shor t on solutions to help more than 600,000persons with disabilities living in pover ty. The situation isworse in Aboriginal communities which remain ignored bythe government. This repor t lists a bunch of programs butoffers no coherent vision," said critic for Persons with Dis-abil i t ies ManonPerreault (Montcalm). Unfor tunately, thisrepor t shows that the Conservative government is not tak-ing its obligations seriously. Despite numerous requests, itstill has not appointed an independent review body to en-sure proper application of the Convention. "The NDP willcontinue to call on the Conservatives to do more to improvethe well-being of persons with disabilities, reduce the pov-er ty they face and improve their job prospects," added deputycritic Mike Sullivan (York South-Weston).



india "THE COUNTRY WANTSFREEDOM FROM THECONGRESS' THOUGHTS":MODI IP12india

Telangana Bill passed in Rajya Sabha shortshortshortshortshortstoriesstoriesstoriesstoriesstories

Telangana Bill has passed in RajyaSabha which wouldlead to Telangana becoming India's 29th state, afterPresident Pranab Mukherjee approves the Bill.

The Bill was passed amid chaos where PM Manmohan Singh'sspeech was interrupted by Seemandhra MPs.

Mr. Singh could not be heard as slogans such as "tear the bill,throw the bill" were chanted.

"For purposes of Central assistance, Special Category Statuswill be extended to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh comprising13 districts, including the four districts of Rayalaseema and the threedistricts of north coastal Andhra for a period of five years. This willput the state's finances on a firmer footing," read PM's statement inRajyaSabha.

The bill was passed in LokSabha on Tuesday without a livetelecast due to technical reasons, confirmed reports.

PM had met with senior BJP leaders including LK Advani,concluding BJP isn't pressing for any changes which meant the Billwould not be sent to LokSabha again.

PM's statement in RajyaSabha on the Telangana Bill and a specialpackage for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh

Mr. Chairman Sir:I have listened very carefully to the views expressed by the

Leader of Opposition and all the other members who have spoken,especially those from Andhra Pradesh. The Home Minister hasalready mentioned the specific steps our Government will take toaddress the concerns of all regions of the state, particularly ofSeemandhra.

I would like to make a few further announcements in this regard.First, for purposes of Central assistance, Special Category Status

will be extended to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh comprising13 districts, including the four districts of Rayalaseema and the three

districts of north coastal Andhra for a period of five years. This willput the state's finances on a firmer footing.

Second, the Bill already stipulates that the Central Governmentshall take appropriate fiscal measures, including offer of taxincentives to the successor states in order to promoteindustrialization and economic growth in both the states. Theseincentives will be along the lines extended to some other states.

Third, the Bill already provides for a special developmentpackage for the backward regions of the successor state of AndhraPradesh, in particular for the districts of Rayalaseema and NorthCoastal Andhra Pradesh. This development package will be on thelines of the K-B-K (Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi) Special Plan inOdisha and the Bundelkhand special package in Madhya Pradeshand Uttar Pradesh.

Fourth, I would like to reassure Honourable Members that ifany further amendments are needed to facilitate smooth and fullRehabilitation & Resettlement(R&R) for the Polavaram project, theywill be given effect to at the earliest. Our government will executethe Polavaram project--let there be no doubt about it.

Fifth, the appointed day for the formation of the new State willbe so fixed in relation to the notified date so as to enable preparatorywork relating to personnel , finance and distribution of assets andliabilities to be completed satisfactorily.

Sixth, the resource gap that may arise in the successor state ofAndhra Pradesh in the very first year, especially during the periodbetween the appointed day and the acceptance of the 14th FinanceCommission recommendations by the Government of India, will becompensated in the Regular Union Budget for 2014-15.

Sir, I hope these additional announcements will demonstrateour steadfast commitment to not just the creation of Telangana butalso to the continued prosperity and welfare of Seemandhra.

PM congratulates Prime MinisterSushil Koirala of NepalThe Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has congratulatedPrime Minister Sushil Koirala of Nepal on his election. Dr.Mamohan Singh in his message said Mr. Koirala's election asPrime Minister represented an impor tant milestone in con-solidating the democratic gains in political transition in Nepal.The excerpts of the Prime Minister's congratulatory messageis as follows:-"On behalf of the Government and people of India, please ac-cept my warm felicitations on your election to the high officeof Prime Minister of Nepal. Your election represents one moreimpor tant milestone in consolidating and institutionalisingrecent democratic gains in the course of the political transi-tion in Nepal.I am confident that your wise leadership and guidance willfur ther strengthen stability and economic development inNepal, and foster a climate for promulgation of a new Consti-tution on the basis of the widest possible consensus and re-flecting the will of all sections of the people of your nation.India attaches the highest impor tance to its relations withNepal. As close neighbours with a unique relationship anddeep links across all walks of life, our for tunes are closelyinter twined. We in India, therefore, not only share the aspira-tions of the people of Nepal for stability, democracy and pros-perity, but also remain steadfast in our suppor t to the Govern-ment and people of Nepal in their endeavours to pursue thatgoal. We will therefore continue to seek fur ther deepening ofthis par tnership between our two countries for the benefit ofour people and our region.As you enter the high office at a critical juncture in your nation'shistory, I convey my best wishes for your success, your per-sonal health and well being and peace and prosperity for thepeople of Nepal.I also take this oppor tunity to extend a warm and cordial invi-tation to you to visit India at your convenience."

Students of Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU-JAC) throw stones when police preventing the students from marchingto the 'Assembly' during the 'Chalo Assembly' programme at the NCC gate OU campus in Hyderabad on Monday demanding thelegislature to support the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013 for the creation of Telangana state for the legislature's views.

Cour tesy: A Radhakrishna/Flickr Commons

United polls for divided Andhra PradeshHYDERABAD: People from Telangana and Seemandhra willtogether vote for a united Andhra Pradesh in the ensuing as-sembly polls as the process of bifurcation will take a few moremonths to complete, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.Putting all speculations to rest, Shinde said elections for thestate assembly and Lok Sabha would be held simultaneously."It will go to the polls as the existing state of Andhra Pradesh,"Shinde told repor ters in New Delhi."See, the whole process of bifurcation will take at least two tothree months, going by the previous examples of Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. Since the general elections willbe held before that, AP will go to the polls as one state. How-ever, the final decision will be taken by the Election Commis-sion," he added. While the Centre is expected to send theTelangana Bill to President Pranab Mukherjee for his assentsoon and the notification expected towards the end of the month,the formation day of the new Telangana state would howeverbe sometime after the elections, top sources said. "It will taketime. We will need to study the interim financing for three tofour months. As it is, the opposition has already been demand-ing special financing for this interim period. All that has to belooked into," said Shinde, underscoring how the process couldtake a longer time than expected.


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014i n d i a

Arun Jaitley Andhra PradeshReorganization Bill, 2014I am speaking on the Bill with amixed feeling. I am indeed happyand delighted that we have beenable to create the separate stateof Telangana. We are fulfilling theaspirat ions of the people ofTelangana and the fact that mypar ty has contributed to this pro-cess is a matter of satisfactionfor us.I am deeply concerned at the factthat the concerns of theSeemandhra region are not beingadequately addressed.I am deeply disappointed at themanner in which the UPA government has handled this entire issue.TELANGANAThe demand for creation of Telangana has been a long standing one. Ithas a chequered history. Hyderabad and Nizam areas became a par tof India in a manner which was very challenging to the whole country.My par ty has a longstanding demand for creation of a separate stateof Telangana. My par ty fully suppor ts the creation of the state ofTelangana. It sees no contradiction between this commitment anddoing adequate justice to Seemandhra. I will go back from this Housewith a sense of satisfaction that we have redeemed our promise tothe people of Telangana.How UPA blundered in the whole processThe NDA government created the three states of Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand and Uttarakhand. We worked towards a consensus. Wesucceeded in getting unanimous resolutions passed by three stateassemblies. The three states were created by a process of consen-sus. There were jubilations around when the three states were cre-ated.The UPA promised the creation of Telangana in 2004. It has waited forthe penultimate day of the last session to create the state. The thenHome Minister made a shor t-lived announcement on December 9,2009. The announcement was retracted by appointing the Justice SriKrishna Committee. The matter was deliberately delayed. Today theproblem with regard to the creation of the state has been the distur-bances caused by the ruling party members including the Union Min-isters. The LokSabha had to suspend large number of members fromSeemandhra. This resulted in a situation where we are dividing apar tly unwilling state behind the back of elected representatives fromone region of the state. Worse still, when the Bill was taken up in theLokSabha, the concerns of Seemandhra were not addressed. Thetelecast was blacked out. This fur ther reduced the credibility of thedecision making process. A good cause such as creation of Telanganahas got a bad name because of the manner in which the UPA hashandled it.Is a Constitution amendment necessary?Ar ticle 163 of the Constitution clearly states that the Governor of theState is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of the Ministers.'Law and Order' and 'Policing' are state subjects under Entries 1 and 2of List II of the Seventh Schedule. Clause 8 of the Bill proposes thatthe law and order of Hyderabad city, which will be common capital oftwo states, shall vest in the Governor. The Governor, who is an ap-pointee of the Central Government will be aided by two advisors(appointed by the Central Government) who shall advise him in thelaw & order functions of the state. This is an alternative method ofgovernance. The BJP is willing to accept this method till such timethat Hyderabad remains the common capital of two states. However,can this alternative method of governance, which violates Ar ticle 163of the Constitution as also the Seventh Schedule thereto can be doneby an ordinary legislation and not by a constitution amendment? TheBJP is willing to suppor t the Constitution amendment. The BJP wantsthat the Bill to create Telangana with Hyderabad initially as the com-mon capital should be legally and constitutionally a sustainable deci-sion and not a suspect decision.Justice to SeemandhraAr ticle 3 of the Constitution gives to the central legislature the abso-lute discretion to divide a state. The Centre can even divide an unwill-ing state. All previous precedents have been with the consent of thestate. Andhra Pradesh is a state, which is being divided without asupporting resolution of the state legislature. It is, therefore, neces-sary that the Central Government is more than fair to the Seemandhraregion. Telangana, with Hyderabad star ts with an advantage.

Seemandhra has to be par t lycompensated. The Central Gov-ernment must categorically as-sure that since most existing cen-tral institutions are in Hyderabad,new institutions would be addi-tionally created in Seemandhraregion. The irrigation projectshave to be statutorily protected sothat water flow to the downstreamstate is protected. The assur-ances given by the Central Gov-ernment to senior BJP leaderShr iVenkaiah Naidu must bemade binding. It must be ensuredthat as long as Hyderabad is thecommon capital, neutrality in theadministration of law and justiceof Hyderabad would be main-tained. Clause 46 of the proposedBill promises a special packageand tax incentives to Seemandhraregion which will hencefor th becalled the successor state ofAndhra Pradesh. It must be en-sured through a statutory protec-tion that the special packages andincent ives compensate theSeemandhra region for the lossof revenue being caused by thebifurcation of the original state ofAndhra Pradesh.I have in this regard proposed twospecific amendments, which I shallpress at the appropriate time.

"The Country wants freedom from theCongress' thoughts": Modi

Arun Jaitley

On the afternoon of 18th February, 2014, ShriNarendraModiaddressed the BharathaGellisi rallies at Davangere andMangalore in Karnataka. Addressing the rally

ShriNarendraModi spoke on the key aspects of ensuring a Congress-Mukt Bharat, getting rid of corruption, ensuring prosperity of farmersand focusing on the development of coastal regions.

Addressing a large rally in Mangalore, ShriModi highlighted acomprehensive vision for the development of India. He talked aboutthe rich potential of coastal areas to emerge as development hubs.ShriModi affirmed that in addition to port development, what isrequired is port led development. He also called for creating fishingharbours and called for integrating latest technology for thebetterment of the fishermen community.

In Mangalore ShriModi took on the Congress Party for theiranti-people policies and their lies. He said, "Congress has ruinedthe nation and cannot tolerate if anyone asks them any questions.When someone asks them questions they are jailed. Congress alsomisuses institutions." He further attacked the Congress for theircorruption and false promises.

Expressing disdain and shock at the Congress' strength tomislead the people, ShriModi spoke of how for the Congressdemocracy was only about power, and nothing else. He mentionedthe recent statement made by a Congress leader during his visit toKarnataka, wherein he had said that the Congress did not have ahigh command. "Do you believe this? Can the party run withouthigh command," asked ShriModi, while stating that the Nation hasknown it for years that the Congress did not believe in democracy.

Attacking the sky-high arrogance of the Congress government,ShriModi stated that they were least bothered about replying to the

people on the rising concerns of inflation and corruption, whileadding that even though they found the time to visit the rest of thecountry, they did not care to visit the people of Seemandhara andTelangana, where they had sowed the seeds of poison. "AndhraPradesh put them to power in Delhi but see what have they done.They do not have the time to visit Andhra Pradesh when the peoplethere need the support. Congress put salt on their wounds," saidShriModi. He further urged the people to vote out Congress in 2014elections, by saying, "A small punishment will not do for the Congress.If we want to save India then the only Mantra is Congress MuktBharat." ShriModi also expressed his displeasure at the Congress'politics which was ruining the democratic system of the Nation."Democracy has 4 enemies- dynasty, casteism, communalism andopportunism. Congress has all 4 in them," said ShriModi.

Attacking the form of politics followed by the Congress,ShriModi said, "A Congress leader says Congress is a thought. Itwas surely a thought when Gandhi ji was alive, but after theNakliGandhis came, things have changed."

Stressing on the difference in thoughts of both the parties,ShriModi said that while the Congress focused on considering Indiaa beehive, for the BJP it was our Bharat Mata. The Congress hadVanshvaad as their agenda, while the BJP's focus was onRashtravaad. The Congress' sole aim was Raajneeti, as opposed tothe BJP's focus on Rashtraneeti.

ShriModi further said that while the Congress wanted to dividethe nation and rule it, the BJP wanted to unite the people and prosperit. "We have brought in values of nationalism, while you have beenbrought up in values of dynasty and nepotism," said ShriModi,attacking the appalling Congress attitude.

AAP may not win even 10 seats in Lok Sabha polls: BJPINDORE: Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said here thathe would be surprised if Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Par ty(AAP) wins even five to ten seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls."In the last Delhi assembly elections, AAP managed to bag 28seats since it misused the name of Anna Hazare's anti- corruptionmovement and lied to the people. But, now AAP's reality is out inthe open and therefore, I will be surprised if it bagged even five toten seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls," Vardhan, who arrivedhere on a private visit, told repor ters on Sunday.After failing to present the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi assembly,the AAP government resigned and President's rule was imposed.He claimed that if assembly polls were held in the coming days inDelhi, then the BJP would win more than 50 seats.The BJP leader also denied Kejriwal's charge that both the Con-gress and the BJP had joined hands to defeat the Jan Lokpal Bill inthe Delhi state assembly.Terming AAP as "anarchic," Harsh Vardhan said that though Kejriwal

ran a government for 49 days, the AAP failed to follow any formaland constitutional process or take necessary permissions.Harsh Vardhan also alleged that the US' Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) donates hefty amounts to AAP through the Ford Foundation inorder to create instability and anarchy in the country.



world PM ATTENDS THE NORTHAMERICAN LEADERS'SUMMIT IN MEXICO IP14

IOC PRAISES SOCHI OLYMPICS 2014 GAMESCanada to Provide MoreMedical Supplies to UkrainiansFOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER JOHN BAIRD TODAY ISSUEDTHE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:"The events in Kyiv today have shaken a nation, rattled bymonths of unrest. Canada unequivocally condemns the vio-lence that has led to the deaths of scores of Ukrainians."Canada is today announcing fur ther assistance to providemedical care for Ukrainian activists through a contribution toa Ukrainian non-governmental organization, including vitalsupplies, first aid kits and training."This urgent medical relief will ensure that treatment is pro-vided to the courageous activists injured while speaking outpeacefully in suppor t of democracy."I will also be consulting our allies and like-minded nations tobuild a coordinated path forward in the coming days. All op-tions remain available, including through the deployment oftargeted sanctions against those responsible."All sides must show restraint and cease all acts of violenceimmediately. We will bear witness to all acts of violence andrepression today, and those responsible will be held to ac-count."The democratic aspirations of the Ukrainian people can andwill be met through a political solution. Canada strongly sup-por ts the Ukrainian people in their fight for a free and demo-cratic Ukraine."

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MAMNOON VISITSICONIC GREAT WALLPakistan President Mamnoon Hussain visited the Great Wall ofChina, one of the rarest wonders of the world and termed it thesite of marvel and splendor.The President walked around different sections of the Wall andevinced keen interest in its architectural grandeur and histori-cal significance.On the occasion the curator briefed the President about the his-torical significance and architecture of the Great wall and in-formed that so far 491 heads of states have visited the iconicstructure.President Mamnoon said that the Great Wall is human miracleand it was his great pleasure and honour to visit this historicsite and become par t of a grand human experience."The magnificent site, full of marvel and splendor speaks greatculture and heritage of China," the President said."I will always cherish the fond memories of visiting the GreatWall, the kind hospitality extended to me and my delegation bythe Chinese hosts, "President said in his remarks in visitors'book. Pakistan's Ambassador to China Masood Khalid, ChineseAmbassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong and members ofPresident's delegation were also present on the occasion.

CHINA, SRI LANKA AGREEMARINE COOPERATION

A Foreign Ministry spokes-woman said on Wednesdaythat China and Sri Lanka agreedto expand marine cooperationand jointly build a 21st-centurymaritime Silk Road during thevisit of Sri Lankan Foreign Min-ister GaminiLakshmanPeiris.Spokeswoman HuaChunyingmade the remarks at a regularpress conference.Peiris is visiting China fromMonday to Thursday at the in-vitat ion of Chinese ForeignMinister Wang Yi. During thevisit, Chinese Vice President LiYuanchao met with him and heheld talks with Wang.The two sides exchangedviews on bilateral relations aswell as international and re-gional issues of common con-

cern, said Hua, adding that theywere satisfied with the develop-ment of their ties.During the talks, Peiris briefedChina on Sri Lanka's post-warreconstruction and national rec-onciliation.China expressed appreciation forthe Sri Lankan government's ef-for t in promoting economic andsocial development as well asimproving people's well-beingand the human rights situation,said Hua.China suppor ts the Sri Lankangovernment to safeguard nationalindependence, sovereignty andterritorial integrity and believesthat the Sri Lankan people havethe wisdom and capability to ad-dress their domestic affairs, shesaid.

She said China opposes somecountries' inter ference in theinternal affairs of Sri Lanka onthe pretext of human rights is-sues."China always upholds that dif-ferences on human r ightsshould be resolved throughdialogue and communicationon the basis of equality andmutual respect," she said.China opposes double stan-dards on human rights and po-liticizing the issue, she said.Hua called on the internationalcommunity to respect the SriLankan government and thepeople's independent choice oftheir development path andcreate a favorable external en-vironment for the achievementof stability and prosperity.

The IOC President Thomas Bachsaid highlighted the successfulorganization and coordinated ofthe Olympic Games in Sochiamongst all par ticipants. Presi-dent Bach's comments follow theSochi 2014 teams successfullycompletion of the first "white"Olympics in the history of Rus-sia. Organizers sold more than amillion tickets, and the Gameswere visited by fans from 126countries. More than 2,800 ath-letes from 88 countries arrivedin Sochi, competing for a record98 sets of medals. The Games inSochi were broadcast by 464channels worldwide.The Games in Sochi has alsoproved successful across many

social media networks. The num-ber of posts using the hashtag#Sochi2014 totaled twice thepopulation of the Ear th and the to-tal volume of the Olympic Internettraffic amounted to more than 1petabyte.The Games in Sochi have set anew record for the number of coun-tries whose representatives havewon gold medals - athletes from21 countries have taken away thehighest Olympic honor.It is hoped that the Games haveleft a rich tangible and intangiblelegacy. The most compact spor tscluster in Olympic history wasbuilt in Sochi. The coastal spor tsvenues are within walking dis-tance from each other, and it takes

less than an hour to reach themountains using the new railway.Thanks to the Olympics, Sochiand the south of Russia now have4 modern ski resor ts, a hugemodern hotel complex with tensof thousands of hotel rooms, morethan 360 km of roads and 200 kmof railway track, 690 km of engi-neering networks, modern hotelsand a re-developed coastline.The power of the energy systemof Sochi has increased almost 3times - up to 1 MW. Par ticular at-tention was paid to environmen-tal issues, the minimization of theimpact on the environment andrational use of natural resources.A positive ecological balance hasbeen successfully secured in the re-

gion thanks to the modernization of util-ity, transport and energy infrastructure.The President of the Sochi 2014 Orga-nizing Committee, DmitryChernyshenko, said, "Sochi has nowhosted the first ever Olympic WinterGames in Russian history. We are proudto say that Russia has completely ful-filled everything that we promised whenwe bid to host the Games. We say anenormous thank you to everyone who,together with us, gave this sporting cel-ebration to the world. I want to thankall the athletes and say a specialthank you to the vibrant andcheerful Sochi 2014 volunteersand team, without whose help,the successful organization of theGames would not have been pos-sible. The Games in Sochi is agreat moment in our history, a mo-ment that we will stay in our heartsfor generations."

SOCHI CLOSING CEREMONY Cour tesy: Sochi2014.com

SOCHI CLOSING CEREMONY Cour tesy: Sochi2014.com


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014w o r l d

PM ATTENDS THE NORTH AMERICAN

LEADERS' SUMMIT IN MEXICO

PHOTO COURTESY: DEB RANSOM

shortshortshortshortshortstoriesstoriesstoriesstoriesstoriesChina calls for dialogueon Syria crisisChina on Wednesday called for dialogue between the Syriangovernment and opposition as a UN Security Council draftresolution on humanitarian assistance was raised.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman HuaChunying madethe remarks at a daily news briefing in response to a question onChina's stance on the resolution drafted by Australia, Jordan andLuxembourg. Russia said the draft is being used by some countriesto pave the way for military intervention in Syria.On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov describedthe draft resolution on Syria as "counterproductive" and theideas proposed by Western par tners as "absolutely one-sidedand detached from reality."Lavrov said that the proposals on aid access ignored the ef-for ts to deliver aid to Syria and blamed the Syrian govern-ment for the situation, He believes it is the rebels who arehampering supplies.When asked whether China will work with Russia to veto thedraft resolution, Hua said on Wednesday that all par ties con-cerned are still consulting with each other on the issue and"we should not preempt the result of the discussion.""Currently, the international community should not only makejoint effor ts to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Syria,but create conditions for the two parties to push ahead withdialogue and negotiations," said the spokeswoman.

FACEBOOK BUYSWHATSAPP FOR $19BFacebook made a decision to buy WhatsApp, a popular mes-saging application, for $19B, a deal which was confirmed lastweek. Facebook now has access to 450million people worldwide who use theapplication every month.Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, re-por tedly said the two companies willwork together, "to make the world moreopen and connected."Facebook has confirmed that that it will let WhatsApp runindependently in the similar way as Instagram.Rumours quickly took over after the confirmation of the dealabout bringing in ads on the messaging app but Zuckerberghas repor tedly said he does not think ads are the correct way"to monetize messaging systems" repor ted Telegraph.WhatsApp has built a leading and rapidly growing real-timemobile messaging service, with:" Over 450 million people using the service each month;" 70% of those people active on a given day;" Messaging volume approaching the entire global telecomSMS volume; and" Continued strong growth, currently adding more than 1 mil-lion new registered users per day.The acquisition suppor ts Facebook and WhatsApp's sharedmission to bring more connectivity and utility to the world bydelivering core internet services efficiently and affordably.The combination will help accelerate growth and user en-gagement across both companies."WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The ser-vices that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable,"said Zuckerberg. "I've known Jan for a long time and I'm ex-cited to par tner with him and his team to make the world moreopen and connected." Jan Koum, WhatsApp co-founder andCEO, said, "WhatsApp's extremely high user engagement andrapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instanta-neous messaging capabilities we provide. We're excited andhonored to par tner with Mark and Facebook as we continue tobring our product to more people around the world."



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



Mohnish Behl may sellbungalow where infant's

dead body was found

ALI ZAFAR IS BUSY IN PROMOTING HIS UPCOMING MOVIE “TOTAL SIYAPPA” THESE DAYS. RECENTLY HE AND YAMI GAUTAM, HISCOSTAR IN TOTAL SIYAPPA, WERE SEEN TOGETHER AT A PROMOTIONAL EVENT OF THEIR MOVIE.

KAHAANI MEIN TWISTGeetika Tyagi's ugly past

Yami Gautam & Ali Zafar promote Total Siyappa

FUN TO BE MADLY TEENAGED: SRK

In the three decades that Madhuri Dixit has dedicated to enter tain-ing Hindi film buffs, the hugely talented and enduringly beautifulactress saw herself evolve as a performer and as a person. Shefeels that the new crop of ar tistes in filmdom comes prepared tohandle the increasing "pressures" in a more organised industry."The industry is more organized now, but of course, there is toomuch pressure and people are less forgiving. The new generationis completely prepared and they are well-groomed today...that wasnot there before," Madhuri told IANS in an interview here."We star ted and learned (the ar t) as we worked. But today, the newactors are confident. It is wonder ful. Of course, there is a lot ofpressure to deliver good performance," she added.During her prime, Madhuri was compared to many of her contem-poraries, but she "can't say if the competition has become bitternow"."It's a creative world. Everybody is doing what they do best andthey are trying to make their space. It's not that just one person isgoing to dominate the industry because in that case, we would nothave had names like Madhubala, Meena Kumari ji, Nargis Duttji...all of them were shining at the same time," the 46-year-oldthespian and dancer said.After having star ted an acting career with the 1984 film "Abodh",Madhuri went on to cement her space in Hindi movies with

Looks like superstar ShahRukh Khan was recentlyhaving a gala time holiday-

ing with his teenage son and hisfriends. The "Chennai Express"star says it is fun to be a teen-ager as there are no worries. The48-year-old, who has three chil-dren -- son Aryan and daughterSuhana with wife Gauri, and AbRam,a baby boy who was born throughsurrogacy, says he hates it whenholidays end. "Mega pool sessionwith the boys. It's fun to be madlyteenaged. No Wuckin' Forries. Willmiss my son and his friends. Hatewhen holidays end (sic)," SRKtweeted Saturday. The Bollywood'badshah' is currently shooting forFarah Khan-directed "Happy NewYear", a musical heist, which alsofeatures Deepika Padukone,Boman Irani, Abhishek Bachchan,Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah.

FILM INDUSTRY IS MORE ORGANISED, FEELS MADHURI

enter tainers like "Tezaab", "Ram Lakhan", "Tridev", "Parinda","Dil", "Sailaab", "Khalnayak", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun" and "DilTo Pagal Hai". If acting came naturally to her, it was her fluiddancing skills, elegance, enigmatic smile and her charismaticpersonality which were a bonus for her. She got plum roles inwith the best of banners, directors and actors. And she contin-ues to cour t them.

TYAGI, WHO ACCUSED DIRECTOR SUBHASHKAPOOR OF MOLESTATION, HERSELF HAS AMURKY STORY TO HIDE‘It has emerged that journalist-turned-actress Geetika Tyagi, who is

currently in the centre of a controversy involving her molestationallegations against filmmaker Subhash Kapoor, was fired by a newschannel in 2004. It seems that Geetika stole news-anchor-turned-AAP-par ty leader Shazia Ilmi's ATM card and withdrew money usingthe same.A source close to Ilmi says, `She (Ilmi) used to anchor the 7 pmnews segment and Geetika would host the 10 pm slot. They shared amakeup room and often Shazia would leave her bag inside the make-up room, not realising that Geetika would fish out her ATM card fromthe bag and withdraw money from thebank. Obviously, Ilmi was alarmedthat her card was being misused;she even filed a complaint withthe management."The source adds that whenquestioned, Geetika deniedthe accusations only to ownup at a later stage. `Shewas shown CCTV footagethat caught her in the act andimmediately after, she wasasked to resign from theorganisation,` says thesource. Ilmi, who iscurrently in Lon-don, confirmedthe stor y.`Yes, thei n c i d e n tyou men-tioned is true,`she said. Geet ika,however, didn't respond toeither email or SMSes.

WITH AN INFANT FOUND DEAD ON THE PREMISES, MOHNISH BEHLMAY NOW SELL HIS MOTHER NUTAN'S PROPERTY.Last Saturday, a two-day-old infant was found dead in the swimmingpool of actor Mohnish Behl's Mumbra bungalow. This incident hasunderstandably left the actor shaken and he is no longer sure if hewants to hold on to this proper ty.Behl admits that the house holds a special significance as he spent afair share of his childhood days there. He says, `My parents hadbought the proper ty in 1965 and many of my childhood days werespent there. But after my mother (actress Nutan) passed away in1991, my father cut down on his visits to this bungalow.Àfter his father (Rajneesh Behl) passed away in 2004, the actor andhis wife stopped going there as well. Èkta and I have not been therefor nearly a decade now. A watchman, who is also the caretaker, hasbeen looking after the place,` says Behl.The actor also points out though an emotional attachment with theplace kept him from selling it all this while, he's not so sure now.Àfter what I saw on Saturday, I really don't know what I will do. Thisincident will never go away from my mind. I hope people change theirattitude towards girl children,` he says.


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014b o l l y w o o d

No God! Please No! KapilTo Cut Down His ComedyShow For Movie Career

The very talented super-entertainer Kapil Sharmawhose career has been on

a breathtaking upswing since2013 is all set to embark on amovie career. Having just signedYashraj Film's Bank Chor to bedirected by Bumpy(!!), Kapil isfaced by a new time-managementcrisis. He would now have totruncate his very popular comedyshow Comedy Nights With Kapilby half to be able to accommodatethe film debut. Says Kapil, `Bynow somehow managing myschedules has become a habit forme. I am talking to you early inthe morning after having workedon my show for 36 hours. Doingtwo episodes every week meansI've to provide at least 70 minutesof content every week. It's not

easy to think up funny gags every 10 seconds.We can't afford to let our audience get bored foreven a few moments.` Given the time constraintsComedy Nights With Kapil would have to revertto its one-episode-per-week format toaccommodate Kapil's movie career. The film startsshooting in April. Says Kapil, Ì've no choice butto do this. The channel Colors doesn't want meto do the show only once a week. But for thesake of the film I've no choice but to cut downmy television show by half.` Kapil says he isvery gung-ho about his film debut. Ì waited a verylong time to do a movie.I didn't want to just carry overmy Comedy Nights image into my movie career. WhenI heard the script of Bank Chor I was completely takenup.It allows me room not only for comic scenes , thereis also an element of seriousness in the story.` Theleading lady is yet to be decided. Ìt's basically thestory of the guys.So the male casting is being donefirst. I am happy that I'd be making my film debut witha Yashraj films. I grew up watching their films. I neverdreamt I'd be part of a Yashraj film one day.`

REAL-LIFE DRAMAREVEALED 'BEWAKOOFIYAN'BASED ON TRUE EVENTS?

THE TRAGIC STORY OF THE KINGFISHER EMPLOYEE WHO LOSTHIS WIFE AND JOB, MAY BE THE INSPIRATION BEHIND UPCOM-ING FILM 'BEWAKOOFIYAN' STARRING AYUSHMANNKHURRANA AND SONAM KAPOOR

Promos of Ayushmann Khurrana's upcoming film,Bewakoofiyaan, show him as an official with an airlinecompany who loses his job due to retrenchment. Sourcesare now linking this plot to a real-life situation that tookplace some years ago. It seems that Ayushmann's charac-ter is inspired by the life of one of the scores of employeesof Kingfisher Airlines who were fired some years ago. Thefilm is apparently centred around this character and theproblems he faced post his loss of job.Ayushmann Khurrana in the film, BewakoofiyanOne of the promos currently on air hints that the filmtouches upon all that happened to the employees after theywere thrown out of their jobs by the airline. A source closeto the unit says, `Kingfisher's retrenchment saw thousandsof people lose their jobs. This was followed by widespreadprotests across India. Even in the film, there's a scenewhere a lot of employees are shown protesting and goingon hunger strikes.`When contacted, a spokesperson for thefilm confirmed that the film's character derives inspirationfrom real-life. Àyushmann Khurrana's character works inan airline office and he then loses his job,` says thespokesperson.

After Effects: 'Highway' collectsRs 14 cr in its opening weekendThe Imtiaz Ali film starring Aliaand Randeep is off to a promis-ing star t, on the other hand AliAbbas Zafar 's 'Gunday' hasgrossed Rs 82 crore at the boxoffice.Imtiaz Ali's film, 'Highway', thatstars Alia Bhatt and RandeepHooda, collected Rs 14 crore inthe first weekend of its release.Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says,"Aimed at high-end multiplexes inmetros across the country, High-way has reached out to its targetaudience already. UTV has re-leased the film in only 800 cin-emas and this is a smar t strat-egy." Ali Abbas Zafar's 'Gunday',on the other hand, has grossedRs 82 crore. Adarsh says, "Fac-toring in its overseas collections,the film is expected to cross theRs 100 crore mark."Exhibitors believe that Highwayis meant for select audiences.Exhibitor Rajesh Thadani says,

"'Highway' had a slow star t but itpicked up in the weekend. It ismeant for select audiences andis not a commercial fi lm, likeImtiaz Ali's other films. It shouldmake Rs 20-22 crore in the first

week." Word of mouth publicityseems to have worked for 'High-way', say distributors.Sanjay Dal ia, President ofCinemax Cinemas, says, "Thefootfall at our theatres was higher

on Monday when compared toFriday. The fi lm's positive re-views have added to its collec-tions. It may continue to do wellbut we will know more about thisin the coming weeks."

With his straight-faced jokes Farhan Akhtar found an easy bakra(scapegoat) in me, says Vidya Balan, his co-star in the upcom-ing film 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects'. "I love to laugh and Farhanloves to make people laugh so the 'funda' was very clear.He found an easy 'bakra' in me. I enjoyed his sense of humour.He has a very sharp mind. I have seen the film and I am gladthat we got together for this one where the comedy is very trueto real life," Vidya told PTI in an interview.Having been a fan of Farhan's earlier films like 'Luck By Chance'and 'Zindagi Milegi Naa Dobaara', Vidya says they were well-matched in the Saket Chaudhary-directed comedy, a genre whichis relatively new for both the actors. "Farhan is one of thoseactors who are subtle even in comedy. It is effor tless and yet itmakes you laugh. He is supremely talented in a multi-dimen-sional way. "Acting is about reacting. This film would havesuffered if any of us was out of tune but we were well-matchedin it. We were completely tuned into each other which is greatas an actor. We complimented each other.

Weird But True: Farhan foundan easy scapegoat in Vidya?

Actress Kangana Ranaut has said that two of her films 'Ungli' and 'ILove NY' have been canned but she is not disappointed about it.' I Love New Year', a romantic-comedy directed by RadhikaRao and Vinay Sapru, stars Sunny Deol and Kangana. The film wasinitially to be released in February last year, then it got pushed to April,to September and later December the same year, but did not hit thescreens.The exact reason for the delay was not known, but it was reportedlyshelved due to the poor response to its trailer and not so good out-come of Sunny's last few films at the box office.Her another project, Karan Johar's home production 'Ungli', starringEmraan Hashmi, Sanjay Dutt, Neha Dhupia, Randeep Hooda and oth-ers and directed by Rensil D'Silva, was earlier expected to release in 2013.Though earlier Karan Johar had tweeted that 'Ungli' will release on May 23 thisyear, Kangana says the film has been canned. When asked about bothher impending films, Kangana says, "It is canned right?I think it's (the films) canned." When asked if she feels disappointed,

she said, "Why would I be frustrated, I have got my pay cheque. I amsafe and hence there is no reason for to be disap-

pointed."Her other

for thcoming projects are 'Queen',which will release on March 7, andTigmanshu Dhulia's film 'RevolverRani', scheduled to release thisyear.

FRUSTRATION HAS NO SPACE IN KANG'S LIFE



2 Dedh Ishqiya Dil Ka Mizaaj Ishqiya

3 Yaariyan Baarish

4 Dhoom 3 Malang

5 Yaariyan Meri Maa

6 Hasee Toh Phasee Ishq Bulaava

7 Gunday Mann Kunto Maula

8 Hasee Toh Phasee Zehnaseeb

9 Gunday Tune Maari Entriyaan

10 Hear tless Main Dhoondne Ko Zamaane Mein

top

10

MOVIE COLLECTIONS

HIT OR FLOP MIDWEEKJAI HO AVERAGE

YAARIYAN SEMI HIT

DEDH ISHQIYA FLOP

DHOOM 3 BLOCKBUSTER

UpcomingBOLLYWOOD Movies

FILM

songs

Movie Review

SONG

ZABAANJALE HAI

Film: Dedh Ishqiya1

CAST: RANDEEP HOODA, ALIA

BHATT

DIRECTOR : IMTIAZ ALI

RATING: **1/2

GULAAB GANGRELEASE DATE: Mar 07, 2014

STAR CAST: Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Mahie Gill, Shilpa

Shukla, Tannishtha Chatterjee

DIRECTOR(S): Soumik Sen

PRODUCER(S): Anubhav Sinha

TOTAL SIYAPAARELEASE DATE: March 7, 2014

STAR CAST: Ali Zafar, Yaami Gautam, Anupam Kher, Kiron Kher

DIRECTOR(S): E Niwas

PRODUCER(S): Neeraj Pandey, Shital Bhatia

RAGINI MMS 2RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2014

STAR CAST: Sunny Leone, Parvin Dabas, Sandhya Mridul,

Anita Hassanandani

PRODUCER(S): Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor

'HIGHWAY' IS MESMERIZINGBUT NOT ENTHRALLING

b o l l y w o o d

There is an altogetherdifferent league of cinethinkers staying in tinsel

town who over the years by theircine magnificence have fetchedan exclusive repute forthemselves. And certainly ImtiazAli is one of them, who over theyears have not only kept fansfascination fixated to his style ofmovie making, but at the sametime has always succeeded inmatching the expectations offans' too. Be it "Love Aaj Kal","Jab We Met" or the just released"Highway" every time Imtiaz hascome up with somethinginnovative yet pleasing.This Randeep Hooda Alia Bhattstarrer, romance on the road kindof love saga opened with anabove average occupancy of 63percent at the multiplexes.As the story of "Highway" marksits onset, it showcases thekidnapping of Veera (Alia Bhaat),who is the daughter of aninfluential business pioneer, bya gruff, rustic criminal, MahabirBhaati (Randeep Hooda), duringformer's late night highwayouting with her fiancee. Withframes rolling ahead entire

kidnapping gang headed byMahabir ends up being in a stateof panic due to the influentialstatus of Veera's family, but it'sMahabir who remainsunperturbed on his decision ofdemanding ransom in lieu ofreleasing Veera. And from therebegins a pleasing road jaunt

across some of the mostaesthetic locales of north India.So what happens next does Veeragets released or not to knowwatch this mesmerizing love sagafrom the creativity lab of ImtiazAli. There is an altogetherdifferent league of cine thinkersstaying in tinsel town who overthe years by their cinemagnificence have fetched anexclusive repute for themselves.And certainly Imtiaz Ali is oneof them, who over the years havenot only kept fans fascinationfixated to his style of moviemaking, but at the same time hasalways succeeded in matchingthe expectations of fans' too. Beit "Love Aaj Kal", "Jab We Met"or the just released "Highway"every time Imtiaz has come upwith something innovative yetpleasing. This Randeep HoodaAlia Bhatt starrer, romance on theroad kind of love saga openedwith an above averageoccupancy of 63 percent at themultiplexes. As the story of"Highway" marks its onset, itshowcases the kidnapping of Veera(Alia Bhaat), who is the daughter ofan influential business pioneer, by agruff, rustic criminal, Mahabir Bhaati(Randeep Hooda), during former'slate night highway outing with herfiancee. With frames rolling aheadentire kidnapping gang headed byMahabir ends up being in a state ofpanic due to the influential status ofVeera's family, but it's Mahabir whoremains unperturbed on his decisionof demanding ransom in lieu ofreleasing Veera. And from therebegins a pleasing road jaunt acrosssome of the most aesthetic localesof north India. So what happens nextdoes Veera gets released or not toknow watch this mesmerizing lovesaga from the creativity lab of ImtiazAli. Well as far as storyline ofHighway is concerned then with"Highway" Imtiaz has once againexhibited his fascination for the loveon journey kind of cine tales.

Although "Highway" falls in theleague of unconventional moviesand that's because it's been longsince any such premise has made itsway to big screen.But instead of making it a plain cinedelight moving on and off the roadImtiaz has deployed a good amountof human factor, by embedding a fewheart touching emotionalcondiments like childhoodsuppression etc.As far as this Alia and Randeepstarrer is concerned then contraryto his style of picking a unique storyidea while trying his acting prowess,this time Imitiaz has opted for asomewhat OK premise, but with anunconventional pairing.Some of the cineastes may feel thatit is a novel premise, but if we try toturn the pages of Indian cine historythen one ends up being in the era ofeighties, when Subhash Ghai's"Hero" featuring MeenakshiSheshadri and Jackie Shroff made itto theaters. Certainly both these cine-flicks subsequently have arendezvous with different fates, butdue to a high degree of resemblancein their plot, it's the "Highway"which ends being on the lowernotch despite having a differentpremise in the contemporary age ofIndian cinema. As far as scripting isconcerned then sans any unwantedinflation "Highway" is appropriatelyplacid on that front.If we go by the screenplay of"Highway" then it is somethingwhich emerges as a stand out featureof the movie where everythingknitted in it magnifies the overallappeal of the onscreen proceedingswith a great magnificence. Soon aftermarking its onset premise ofHighway starts enveloping you,especially till the moments it keepsitself away from the purview ofromance, but as soon as the first hourends the advent of emotional dramasomewhere down the linediminishes the pace of the narrationand adversely impacts theappeal of the movie.

WHEN AMEESHAHAD TEARY EYES?

Actress Ameesha Patel says she always gets tears in her eyeswhen she listens to songs by late ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh."I always end up in tears aftr listening to Jagjitji as I miss himtoo much... Hope this Saturday doesn't become one of thoseteary nights... What a diamond," Ameesha posted on TwitterSaturday. The "Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai" star is venturing intoproduction with "Desi Magic", which will feature her in a doublerole. Directed by Mehul Atha, it also features Zayed Khan andLilette Dubey.

QUEENRELEASE DATE: Feb 28, 2014

STAR CAST: Kangna Ranaut, Raj Kumar Yadav,

Lisa Haydon

DIRECTOR(S): Vikas Bahl

PRODUCER(S): Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane

WRITER(S): Vikas Bahl, Chaitally Parmar


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014h o l l y w o o d

KIM WISHES FATHERON BIRTHDAY

Socialite Kim Kardashian wished her late father Robert Kardashianon his 70th birth anniversary. The 33-year-old posted a photographof herself as a child cuddling up with her father on photosharingweb site Instagram, reports eonline.com."Happy Birthday dad! Can't believe you would have been 70today! Bet you're up there eating tons of Ralph's cake! Miss youand love you!" Kim posted Saturday. Her siblings Khloe, Kourtneyand Rob Kardashian Jr. also posted touching tributes to theirfather.

POST-CRITICISM FROM PARENTS,CYRUS DEFENDS HER ANTICSSinger Miley Cyrus'sBangerz tour, whichrecently started inCanada, has drawncomplaints fromparents who havetaken offence atCyrus miming anadult act with a manwearing a former USpresident BillClinton mask. She says she is an artist trying to educate children."I want this to be a pretty high-end tour. I want it to be like goodart. And I am excited to go to places where people are usuallynot exposed to too much good art. It can be a good educationfor the kids who come to my concert," dailymail.co.uk quotedCyrus as saying."I want to show people that music can not only be entertainingbut educational as well," added Cyrus, who made her name asa teenager in the Disney TV show "Hannah Montana".The 21-year-old, who will take her tour to Britain in May, saidher critics had to appreciate she was no longer the child starshe used to be. "Look, I am not the little girl any more. I thinkeverybody knows that by now. I want to be my own person, Iwant to change all the time to become a better artist, a betterperson. I work my a** off, and I like who I am," she said.

AGUILERA EXCITED ABOUTUNEXPECTED PREGNANCY

Emma Stone furious overnude photographsActress Emma Stone, who

is dating actor AndrewGarfield, was left

mortified earlier this week whena series of naked photographsof her were leaked online.In the photos, Stone is seenstanding fully naked in front of

a bathroom mirror, taking a selfiewith a cell phone.The actress isn't amused, reportsshowbizspy.com.`To say Emma is freaking outwould be an understatement. Shetook these photos for her ownpersonal use, not even to send

on to Andrew.She's mortifiedthat they'vebecome public,`showbizspy.comquoted a source assaying.

Singer Christina Aguilera was not expecting to get pregnant forthe second anytime soon, but now that she is pregnant, she ishappy about it. The singer is expecting her first child with newfiance Matt Rutler. She already has Max, 6, with ex-husbandJordan Bratman, reports shownizspy.com.Sources say the new pregnancy `wasn't expected`, but it alsowasn't unwelcome. `They are all very excited though! Christinaloves being a mom. They just want a healthy baby,` added thesource.

Katie Price'shandbag stolen

Model Katie Price's designerhandbag was stolen from hercar recently.The glamour model was furiouswhen she discovered that thewindow of her car had beensmashed in after a night outin Horsham in SussexFriday. However, shesays she felt "stupid"for leaving hervaluables under herseat, reportsfemalefirst.co.uk. The35-year-old tweeted:

"In Horsham someone smashed my window stole my bag with allvaluables in! Pure s*** low life's (sic)." Price also issued an appealfor the safe return of her cream-coloured Louis Vuitton bag andreported the theft to the police. "Anyone who is given a creamround barrel louis v bag and black louis v card holder in Horsham,it's mine! Also my valuables inside. Witnesses in denne carpark not fennel. Police reported too!(sic)"

JOLIE IS HOLLYWOOD'STOP-EARNING ACTRESS

Angelina Jolie is thehighest-paid movieactress in Hollywood.

She is said to have earned $33million in 2013.The Oscar winner was the top-earning female actress, accordingto figures in a report compiled bythe Women's Media Center,reports eonline.com.Jennifer Lawrence was secondwith $26 million, followed byKristen Stewart ($21.5 million),Jennifer Aniston ($20 million)and Emma Stone ($16 million).Among the male actors, RobertDowney Jr. has topped the listwith an earning of $75 million.Following him is Channing Tatumwith $60 million, while HughJackman was next with $55million, and they are followed byMark Wahlberg with $51 million.Then there is Dwayne Johnson,ahead of Leonardo DiCaprio,Adam Sandler, Tom Cruise,Denzel Washington and LiamNeeson, who rounded off the top10 names among the men.

Nicki Minaj sued by former stylistHairstylist Terrence Davidson has sued

his former celebrity client, singerNicki Minaj, in an intellectual

property lawsuit over wigs.Davidson has filed a $30 million federallawsuit against the entertainer, reportscontactmusic.com.Minaj has reportedly repeatedly stolen hisideas without compensating him for hisefforts.Davidson alleged in his lawsuit that hestarted working for Minaj at the beginning of2010. He worked as the wig maker for most ofher public appearances, including her 2010MTV Video Music Awards pre-show.The hairstylist believes that he has helpedcreate her image and so, he wants to becompensated accordingly.



FOR BEST DEALS AND INFORMATION SEE PAGE 31

b o l l y w o o d

SONAKSHI TURNSFITNESS FREAK?

Sonakshi Sinha is now crazy about fitness regimes.The actress is pretty keen on losing the extra inches. Sherecently stated on the micro-blogging site, Twitter, `Neverthought i would say this but i miss my terrace training!! Cantwait to get back.` Looks like Sona and her curves will be athing of the past.

KIM'S WEDDING'OUT OF CONTROL'?Socialite Kim Kardashian feels like her wedding to rapperKanye West "might be spinning out of control".The 33-year-old will marry Kanye in a lavish ceremony in Paristhis summer, but is reportedly worried that his artistic plansfor their special day are over the top, reports femalefirst.co.uk."He's sometimes even forgetting to involve Kim in themeetings with the wedding planner. She feels like the wholething might be spinning out of control," a source close Kimtold Britain's Heat magazine."It's just insane. Kanye has basically billed it as...breakingthe boundaries of what to expect when it comes to a wedding.This will be the event of the year. Think fashion runway, stageshow performance. Think Avant-garde. Think nothing likeyou've ever seen. Kanye's saying 'This is a concept eventbased on a wedding'" the source added.The 36-year-old popped the question to the brunette beautyon her birthday last October.The couple has an eight-month-old daughter North West.

'Shaadi Ke Side Effects'IS FOR EVERYONE

Actress Vidya Balan saysher forthcoming film"Shaadi Ke Side Effects"

is not just for those who aremarried. All types of viewers willbe enjoy the entertainer, shebelieves. Excited about themovie, in which she features withFarhan Akhtar, Vidya just hopesthat "everyone will like it - be itthose who are married, who aregetting married, aged couples oreven teenagers"."Everyone will like it because itis a relationship-based story. Itwill make you laugh and you willrelate with it," the 33-year-oldsaid here on the sets of TV

ser ia l "Bade Acche Lag teHain", for which she shot aspecial episode for her film'spromotion. Vidya said that ata recen t ly he ld p r iva te

screening of "Shaadi Ke SideEffects", people could relateto the movie. "We had ascreening for close family andfriends and everyone said they

felt it was their life running onscreen. I think this is what SaketChaudhry, the director wanted,"Vidya said. "Shaadi Ke SideEffects" will release Feb 28.

Kangana to launchTV show 'Halla Bol'Actress Kangana

Ranaut, who will benext seen on the

silver screen in "Queen",will launch a new TV showtitled "Halla Bol" hereFriday. The show will behosted by small screenactor Karan Tacker, whowas last seen on the smallscreen as Viren in "EkHazaaron Mein Meri Behna

Hai". "Halla Bol", ayouth-oriented show, isbased on real lifeincidents and talksabout women who havefought against teasingand sexual harassment.The show will alsofeature a youth icon inevery episode."Halla Bol" will go onair Feb 28 on Bindass.

YAMI GAUTAM'S BIG BREAKComing from a small

town to making itbig in Bollyawood

does not intimidate actressYami Gautam. She tells CS,`I don't feel like anoutsider in Bollywood. DidI not do a Vicky Donorwithout being the so-calledinsider of Bollywood?With time, I feel theseterms have been diffused.As actors, everyone isgiven the same platformand has similar challengesto face. We all have towork hard without givingany excuses. I have noinsecurity about nothaving a Bollywoodbackground. I have mypriorities right.My focus is to choosegood films and do them.How much of it is possible,only time will tell.`

SALMAN'S QUIETGET-TOGETHERWITH 'FRIENDS'

Salman Khan hosted a small get-together at his place onWednesday night. Interestingly, present at this do were his'Jai Ho' co-star, Daisy Shah, and former girlfriend SangeetaBijlani. Says a source, "Salman has shifted back to Galaxyapartments now and the do was held at this residence. SangeetaBijlani reached his place around 10 pm and soon after Salman'srecent co-star Daisy Shah walked in. His family was inattendance too." The source adds that during the get-together,Salman even fed Sangeeta a few bites.

ASIA CUP 2014

Series level after Steyn magic

KOHLI PREPARED FOR CAPTAINCY TEST

Virat Kohli, India's stand-in captain, has said his temporary roledoes not have the added pressure that MS Dhoni faces on aregular basis as the team's leader. Kohli was appointed captain

for the Asia Cup after a side strain ruled Dhoni out of the Asia Cup andthis will be his third leadership stint, after the tri-series in WestIndies and the ODIs in Zimbabwe last year."I don't think this is anything compared to what he has gone throughin the past few years," Kohli said. "I am captain for just one tour-nament. It is completely different from regularly captaining theside. When you win, you' re pra ised, when you lose, you' recriticised. It is all a par t of it."I am not in a position right now to experience all that. I have gotthis one-odd oppor tunity like I did in the past as well. I am sure itis a very tough position to be in. You have to be ready to take allthe criticism and praise that comes your way."In the past, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwaghave captained India in limited overs in Dhoni's absence. Gambhirwon all six of the ODIs he captained in 2010 and 2011, whileRaina won four of nine ODIs and all three T20s in which he led theside. Sehwag led India to victory in seven of the 12 ODIs hecaptained and the sole T20. Kohli, who stepped in as Dhoni'sreplacement during a tri-series against West Indies and Sri Lanka,began with a loss but has since won all seven matches he has

captained. These numbers are minor when compared to the 159matches that Dhoni has led, with a success rate of 55.34%. Kohliwill lead a young side with only a few members as experiencedor as successful as him in ODI cricket. He said he wanted asmooth communication channel with the players, which he be-lieved would help him understand them better."I have only been captain for about eight games till now," Kohlisaid. "It went pretty good but this is a big tournament. It's a chal-lenge I'm looking forward to. We have got a young group of guysand some exciting players."I think that excites me to have a group that I can have a chat withand be on the same page. It's impor tant to have an understanding.It's really exciting for me to improve the record which is alreadygood. I'm looking forward to the tournament."When asked about the big game against Pakistan on March 2, Kohli saidthe focus was on winning the Asia Cup."Obviously we are here to win the tournament. We haven't just come hereto play one game and go back home, that's not our aim."Our aim is to win every game that we play. A game againstPakistan is always a hyped game for us, obviously a big pressurematch. We take every game the same way. You know, the aim isto win the tournament, not just one game, and make sure thepeople are happy."

VIRAT KOHLI ADDRESSES A PRESS CONFERENCE IN DHAKA.

SOUTH AFRICA 423 (DUMINY 123, DE VILLIERS116, ELGAR 83, LYON 5-130) AND 270 FOR 5DEC (AMLA 127*) BEAT AUSTRALIA 246(WARNER 70, MORKEL 3-63) AND 216 (ROGERS107, WARNER 66, STEYN 4-55) BY 231 RUNS‘It doesn't matter how accurate the South Africa Meteorological De

par tment is. Dale Steyn's spell-binding afternoon burst of reverseswing inspired the home side to a 231-run victory in the dying

moments of the four th day to level the series. South Africa ripped outnine wickets in the evening session while Australia lost 10 for 90 intotal after an opening stand of 126 between Chris Rogers and DavidWarner. With a poor forecast for the final day, Graeme Smith, whodeclared 40 minutes before lunch, was desperate to wrap up the winand not leave anything resting on the vagaries of the climate. Heclaimed the extra half an hour, which began with Australia sevendown, and Steyn claimed his four th when he trapped Ryan Harriswith an marginal lbw. Rogers, who had compiled a magnificent four thTest hundred, was run out by the substitute fielder Alviro Petersen atmid-off ending a 237-ball stay. It appeared he was trying to give PeterSiddle the spinner to face, rather than Steyn, but Smith was then toldthe light was too poor for his quick bowlers. Up stepped Dean Elgar totrap Nathan Lyon lbw although subsequent replays showed he hadfound a thin edge but Australia had no reviews left.Given the way South Africa had been hammered in Centurion, theissues they faced over the balance of their side, the lack of a mainspinner, the loss of one of their frontline bowlers and a pitch that didits best to defy fast bowling it will have to go down as one of theirfinest victories. Australia had also star ted their pursuit of 448 with arollicking par tnership between Rogers and Warner that, if not quitemaking thoughts of a world-record chase realistic, left a South Africa

victory push a distant prospect. South Africa's opening began to beforged shor tly before tea when JP Duminy ended the first-wicket standby removing Warner. Duminy had earlier given Warner a life on 36 -the latest reprieve for him in this series - when he could not hold areturn catch diving to his left as he collided with Rogers at the non-striker's end. However, he and Elgar, with his left-arm spin, werecausing difficulties for both openers out of the footmarks and Duminythen beat Warner on the back foot with one that straightened justenough to clip leg stump.Without Warner's impetus - which had included four boundaries infour balls off Morne Morkel in a stirring riposte to being peppered withshor t deliveries - South Africa were able to choke Australia's scoring.And then they star ted to get the ball to reverse. Steyn, after an indiffer-ent spell with the new ball, had given a hint of what he may be able toproduce with a period round the wicket to the openers; for new bats-men the ball reversing is a much tougher prospect. Alex Doolan be-came stuck, uncer tain against spin before tea and pace afterwards.

DALE STEYN AND SOUTH AFRICA SHOWED WHY THEY ARE NO. 1

He was worked over by Morkel and Vernon Philander, twice providingedges that fell short of the wicketkeeper (which went to the TV um-pire) and first slip, before pushing hard enough that a nick carried toSmith. Shaun Marsh's first ball from Philander was full and straight,the batsman getting his front pad too far across, as he completed apair to contrast sharply with his comeback hundred last week. Thencame Steyn. His team-mates helped, Morkel and Philander buildingthe pressure on Michael Clarke with a series of dot balls, beforeSteyn returned to produce one of those spells that sends a tingle downthe spine. Four th ball he had Clarke pushing at a delivery outside offand the edge was brilliantly held, low down, by Faf du Plessis atsecond slip. Due to the low bounce, and edges not carrying, the slipsstood very close which made the catch even more impressive.With Steven Smith in his sights, Steyn then went straight, the ballducked back into the pads this time, and middle stump would havebeen its destination. However, the best, at least in terms of the spectacle,was still to come when, for the second time in the match, Brad Haddin had hismiddle stump uprooted - perhaps the best evidence that even if a batsmanknows what is coming, sometimes a bowler is just too good. Steyn wasgiven a brief rest after a mesmeric five-over spell that brought 3 for 11, butAustralia's collapse continued when Mitchell Johnson was given lbw onreview after Philander had swung one back into his pads. Amid all this,Rogers was adding a fourth hundred to his Ashes centuries at Durham,Melbourne and Sydney. He had found himself under a modicum of scrutinyafter three failures to start the series, but drove three crisp boundaries inSteyn's first two overs and was soon playing with the confidence thatcharacterised his tons against England. He could have been removed beforetea. In the last over of the session he chased an extremely wide delivery fromSteyn, but the appeal was turned down by Kumar Dharmasena and Smithdeclined to review only for Hot Spot to show a clear mark on the toe end of the bat.Much later, with what would have been the final ball of the day if the extra half hourhad not been granted, he glanced Morkel down the leg side where de Villiers divedlow to his right to claim the catch. Richard Illingworth initially gave him out, but thenasked Aleem Dar, the third umpire, to check whether it had carried and the picturesshowed it bounced short. As the overs ebbed away and the sun began to disap-pear towards the horizon, it appeared Rogers would at least carry histeam into the final day and keep alive the chances of a weather-aidedescape. But the sun had not quite set on South Africa's chances andnow they can open the cur tains tomorrow morning after a night ofcelebration rather than worry.

Government says it can't provideIPL security during pollsThe Indian home minister has informed the BCCI that the gov-ernment cannot provide security to the IPL during the federalelections likely to be held in April and May. Two senior BCCIofficials, secretary Sanjay Patel and vice-president RajeevShukla, met the Indian home minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde,on Thursday to discuss security measures for the IPL."Due to the general elections it would not be possible tospare the kind of force which is required," a home ministryspokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. "They have to look for analternate venue (during elections)."Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman, said the BCCI had beentold it could bring back the tournament to India once theelections were completed. Biswal said a final schedule forthe IPL would be drawn up once the Indian Election Commis-sion announced the dates of the polls.The Election Commission has not indicated when it will de-clare the dates, but Patel said that the BCCI was willing towait to make the final schedule. "We want to host as manymatches as possible in India as it is a domestic tourna-ment," Patel said. "So once the elections dates are announcedwe can finalise where and when to host the tournament."That final decision is likely to be taken during the IPL Gov-erning Council meeting and then ratified by BCCI workingcommittee, both of which are scheduled on February 28 inBhubaneswar. . At the last governing council meeting, held onthe sidelines of the IPL players auction, it was decided that thetournament would be held in the window between April 9 andJune 3. It was also announced then that South Africa would bethe "preferred" venue after India.

WHO WILL WIN ASIA CUP - INDIA, PAKISTAN,SRI LANKA, BANGLADESH OR AFGHANISTAN?

CONTD. FROM PAGE 1The obvious added bonus of the tour that just finished on theweekend is that next to the hosts, the islanders will have gained themost familiarity with conditions on and off the pitch in Bangladesh.Angelo Matthews and his men will also be looking to improve ontheir performance in 2012, when they failed to win a single matchdespite being heavily fancied. This will probably be the last AsiaCup for some of their veterans, and with new talent slowly begin-ning to make their mark, Sri Lanka will be confident of having anexcellent campaign this time around.Strengths:The experience, explosiveness and class of their fabled batting duo-Kumar Sangakkara and MahelaJayawardane. In the absence ofTillakaratneDilshan, the two legends will be relied upon to providesolidity in the middle order. If the two click in the same innings, it'shighly unlikely Sri Lanka will lose any match. Angelo Matthews andDinesh Chandimal, captain and vice-captain respectively, can becounted to keep a cool head in the later stages of the innings,especially when things get close.LasithMalinga's bowling in the death overs and the ability tosurprise opposing batsmen with his variation at any stage ofthe innings will be Sri Lanka's crucial weapon in thefield.ThisaraPerera will provide the x-factor with both ball andbat, especially if he hits a purple patch in either discipline.Weaknesses:Other than the series victory over Bangladesh, AngeloMatthews hasn't claimed many significant victories sincetaking over as captain. Matthews has the temperament tobecome one of his nation's best cricketers. The jury is still outon how that translates to captaincy, but there will be pressureon his young shoulders as fans yearn for an overdue interna-tional tournament victory.Other than Malinga, the bowling attack is pretty weak.SurangaLakmal hasn't translated glimpses of potential intosustained success, while AjanthaMendis no longer possessesthe mystery that helped Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup in 2008.SachitraSenanayeke will likely struggle against India andPakistan,hence the skipper and ThisaraPerera will have tocontribute with the ball considerably for the attack to have anyzipKey Players:Kumar Sangakkara, MahelaJayawardane, LasithMalinga,ThisaraPereraINDIAAfter not winning a single ODI on their tours to South Africa andNew Zealand, India enter the tournament under substantialpressure. However, not many teams master conditions in thesubcontinent like India do, and under the captaincy of thecolossal ViratKohli, fans will expect nothing less than victory. Abatting line-up that is the envy of the world ostensibly makesIndia favourites, however bowling vulnerabilities could under-mine the team.Strengths:Since opening the batting together for the first time in India'ssuccessful Champions Trophy campaign last year,ShikharDhawan and Rohit Sharma have arguably become thebest opening pair in ODI cricket. There aren't many words left todescribe ViratKohli's combination of ar tistry and ruthlessconsistency. The top three can take the game away from theopposition within a span of 15 to 20 overs.A middle order of AjinkyaRahane, AmbatiRayudu and DineshKar thik isn't one to be scoffed at either. Fur ther down the order,

expect RavindraJadeja and Stuar t Binny to provide fireworksgalore in the slog overs. Batting is by far India's greateststrength, though Mohammed Shami's ability to swing the ball atpace might have a significant role to play in the team's suc-cess. Jadeja's ability to get big wickets at crucial times willalso be key.Weaknesses:While no chase is beyond their batsmen, no target is truly safefor India's bowlers. The aforementioned Shami has had a goodstar t to his international career, but this will be the first time hewill be bowling in ODI's on the batting friendly pitches of thesubcontinent. Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be potent with the newball, but is easy to hit in the slog overs. The rest of the attackwith the exception of the wily Jadega, are all fair game foropposing batsmen.ViratKohli can be relied to lead with example as far as hisbatting is concerned. However, in all the excitement to see howIndia will do under his leadership, the fact is that Kohli hasn'tcaptained internationally in such an impor tant tournament. Notthat the IPL is necessarily a barometer for captaincy in interna-tional cricket, but the fact that the Royal Challengers havefailed to make the playoffs the last two seasons under Kohli'sleadership despite having the most explosive batting line-up,suggests that their maybe some tactical limitations on display.Players to watch out for:ViratKohli, Rohit Sharma, RavindraJadeja, ShikharDhawanPAKISTANThe defending champions enter their first ODI assignment of theyear, af ter having a stellar 2013 in the format. An incrediblebowling attack allied with Misbah-ul-Haq's astute leadershiphas resulted in Pakistan becoming a formidable ODI unit. Theteam enjoys playing in Bangladesh, and will look to repeat theirsuccess of 2012, though batting vulnerabilities could hauntthem.Strengths:Few teams have the luxury of variety that Pakistan's bowlingattack possesses. Junaid Khan's incisive swing with the newball seems to guarantee at least one wicket if not more in theopening overs. Umar Gul provides the experience at the otherend, while all-rounders BilawalBhatti and Anwar Ali have shown

promise in their nascentcareers.That being said, Pakistan'sgreatest asset in the subconti-nent is the miserly bowling ofMohammed Hafeez andSaeedAjmal. Ajmal can becalled upon to bowl at anystage of the innings, and notmany batsmen will havesuccess negating the wily offspinner. On his dayShahidAfridi can cause havocwith his leg spin, completingthe comprehensive nature ofthe attack.Weaknesses:Despite conditions likely tofavour batsmen, one simplycan't make any guarantees onbehalf of the Pakistani

batsmen. Mohammed Hafeez had a stellar series against SriLanka in December, scoring three centuries. However, therehave been too many false dawns with Hafeez, and it's likelythat Misbah will be called upon to contribute in the middle orderin the measured manner that is the antithesis of the rest of theteam. ShoaibMaqsood looks to be a better batsman than mostrecent debutants for Pakistan, but is still inexperienced.Umar Akmal will be hit and miss in the lower middle order,while Afridi's contributions with the bat, if any at all, shouldonly be considered a bonus. The aforementioned BilawalBhattiand Anwar Ali have played a couple of decent knocks in thelower order, however a quick collapse of the tail can't be ruledout on any given day.Key Players:Mohammed Hafeez, Misbah-Ul-Haq, Junaid Khan, SaeedAjmalBANGLADESHThe hear tbreak of losing the 2012 final by two runs at home isstill fresh in the minds of Bangladesh's cricketers and fansalike. In an ideal world, Bangladesh would approach this year'stournament with confidence considering they are the hosts.However, the team suffered psychologically in the limited oversleg of the series against Sri Lanka, contriving to snatch defeatfrom the jaws of victory on a few occasions. Adding to thefragility is the absence of their two most dynamic ODI players -TamimIqbal and Shakib Al-Hasan to injury and suspensionrespectively. It's unlikely that the hosts are going to repeat their2012 heroics.Strengths:The fact that they will be playing in front of sell-out crowds

backed by one of the most vociferous suppor ters in the spor t. IfBangladesh could rouse themselves on the back of the crowd,inspired per formances could lead the Tigers to some bigupsets.A young and deep batting line up. The absence of Tamim andShakib will cer tainly be felt, however Bangladesh are notlacking for options. Leading from the front will be skipperMushfiqur Rahim, while youngster MominulHaque andNasirHossain have already played match-winning knocks forthe Tigers. SohagGazi and MashrafeMor taza can provide thefireworks in the slog overs.Weaknesses:Despite their batsmen extremely talented, they are prone tolapses in concentration as well as being guilty of throwing theirwickets to rash shots in tense situations.Mor taza isn't the bowler he once was, and with Shakib missingfor the first two matches, veteran AbdurRazzak will shoulder abig burden when it comes to spin.Gazi has potential, but tendsto try too much, while RubelHossain can be erratic and easy topunish.Key Players:Mushfiqur Rahim, MominulHaque, AbdurRazzak, NasirHossainAFGHANISTANBy participating in the tournament, one gets the feeling Afghanistan,and by extension the sport of cricket are already winners. The playersare extremely excited and will be keen to make an impression.However, the joviality of the occasion should not mask the hard workand pride that the players put into their efforts, and it would notsurprise me in the least if Afghanistan win at least one match againsttheir more storied opponents.Strengths:The impressive leadership of captain Mohammed Nabi. Afghanistan'sleader is an expert at rallying his troops, equally at home being sternwhen the team's standards drop and cajoling the best out of his peersin tough situations. Expect ShapoorZadran to bowl some nasty spellsagainst illustrious batsmen, while DawlatZadran will contribute withboth bat and ball. NawrozMangal will provide ballast down the order,and don't be surprised if AsgharStanikzai attempts some audaciousshots.Weaknesses:Of course this has to be taken in the context of how far they havecome, and how far they still have to go. The fielding is a big worry.Not that dissimilar to their neighbours, Afghanistan tend to undo alot of their hard work with schoolboy fielding and elementaryerrors. Big match temperament is also a concern, but they canhardly be faulted considering their inexperience when it comes toplaying against the world's best.Key Players:Mohammed Nabi, NawrozMangal, ShapoorZadran, DawlatZadran



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