ਐਡਮਿੰਟਨ ਵਿਚ ਦੇਸ਼-ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ ਟਾਈਮਜ਼ ਵੱਲੋਂ 'ਸੱਭਿਆਚਾਰਕ ਮੇਲਾ'

* ਵਾਰਿਸ ਭਰਾਵਾਂ ਨੇ ਖੂਬ ਰੰਗ ਬੰਨ੍ਹਿਆ

ਮੇਲੇ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਵਾਰਿਸ ਭਰਾ, ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮਨਮੀਤ ਭੁੱਲਰ, ਸਪੀਕਰ ਜੀਨਜਵੈਸਡੇਸਕੀ, ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਪੀਟਰ ਸੰਧੂ, ਉੱਘੇ ਕਾਰੋਬਾਰੀ ਪਾਲੀ ਵਿਰਕ, ਕੁਲਦੀਪ ਵਾਰ, ਲਾਡੀ ਪੱਡਾ ਤੇ ਹੋਰ।

ਐਡਮਿੰਟਨ, 25 ਜੂਨ (ਵਤਨਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਗਰੇਵਾਲ)-ਦੇਸ਼-ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ ਟਾਈਮਜ਼ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਸਾਲਾਨਾ ਸੱਭਿਆਚਾਰਕ ਮੇਲਾ ਸਥਾਨਿਕ ਰਿੱਕ ਸੈਂਟਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹੀਆਂ ਗਰਾਊਂਡਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਕਰਵਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ, ਜਿਸ ਵਿਚ ਵਾਰਿਸ ਭਰਾਵਾਂ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਸਾਫ਼-ਸੁਥਰੀ ਗਾਇਕੀ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਐਡਮਿੰਟਨ ਵਾਸੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਭਰਪੂਰ ਮਨੋਰੰਜਨ ਕੀਤਾ। ਇਸ ਮੇਲੇ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਮਨਮੋਹਨ ਵਾਰਿਸ, ਕਮਲ ਹੀਰ ਤੇ ਸੰਗਤਾਰ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਪੁਰਾਣੇ ਸੱਭਿਆਚਾਰਕ ਗੀਤਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਭਾਰੀ ਮੀਂਹ ਵਿਚ ਬੈਠਣ ਲਈ ਵੀ ਮਜਬੂਰ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ। ਇਸ ਮੌਕੇ ਸਥਾਨਿਕ ਗਾਇਕ ਉਪਿੰਦਰ ਮਠਾੜੂ ਤੇ ਮਨਿੰਦਰ ਵਾਸੀ ਦਾ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਸਨਮਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ। ਸਟੇਜ ਦੀ ਭੂਮਿਕਾ ਉੱਘੇ ਰਿਐਲਟਰ ਤੇ ਕਲਾਕਾਰ ਲਾਡੀ ਪੱਡਾ ਨੇ ਨਿਭਾਈ। ਇਸ ਮੌਕੇ ਅਲਬਰਟਾ ਦੇ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮਨਮੀਤ ਭੁੱਲਰ, ਸਪੀਕਰ ਜੀਨ ਜਵੈਸਡੇਸਕੀ, ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਪੀਟਰ ਸੰਧੂ, ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਨਰੇਸ਼ ਭਾਰਦਵਾਜ, ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਸੁਹੇਲ ਕਾਦਰੀ ਨੇ ਸਮੂਹ ਮੇਲਾ ਪ੍ਰਬੰਧਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵਧਾਈ ਦਿੱਤੀ। ਪ੍ਰੋਗਰਾਮ ਮੌਕੇ ਮੇਲੇ ਦੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਪ੍ਰਬੰਧਕ ਇੰਦਰਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੁੱਲਾਪੁਰ ਨੇ ਮੇਲੇ ਨੂੰ ਸਫ਼ਲ ਬਣਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਸਮੂਹ ਭਾਈਚਾਰੇ ਦਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ ਕੀਤਾ।

ਯੂ. ਕੇ. ਦੇ ਜੰਮਪਲ ਨੌਜੁਆਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਬਾਣੇ 'ਚ ਆਉਣ ਦੀ ਅਪੀਲ

ਲੈਸਟਰ (ਇੰਗਲੈਂਡ), 25 ਜੂਨ - ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ ਹੋਲੀ ਬੋਨਜ ਲੈਸਟਰ (ਯੂ. ਕੇ.) ਨੇ ਯੂ. ਕੇ. ਦੇ ਜੰਮਪਲ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਦਾੜ੍ਹੀ ਕੇਸ ਰੱਖ ਕੇ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਸਰੂਪ ਵਿਚ ਆਉਣ ਦੀ ਅਪੀਲ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਦੂਸਰੇ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਧਰਮਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਬੰਧਿਤ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਰਹਿਣੀ-ਬਹਿਣੀ ਤੋਂ ਅਤੇ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਬਾਣੇ ਤੋਂ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਿਤ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ ਅਪਣਾਇਆ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ, ਜਦ ਕਿ ਸਾਡੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਨੌਜਵਾਨ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਤੋਂ ਦੂਰ ਹੋ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਸ: ਬਸਰਾ ਅਤੇ ਗਿੱਲ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਸਾਡੇ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਅਜਿਹੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਸੇਧ ਕੇ ਲੈ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਸਰੂਪ ਅਪਣਾਉਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ। ਉਕਤ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਨੇ ਲੈਸਟਰ ਕਬੱਡੀ ਕਲੱਬ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਕਬੱਡੀ ਟੂਰਨਾਮੈਂਟਾਂ ਲਈ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਤੋਂ ਬੁਲਾਈ ਗਈ ਕੇਸਾਧਾਰੀ ਸਿੱਖ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਟੀਮ ਦੀ ਵੀ ਕੇਸ ਰੱਖ ਕੇ ਖੇਡਣ ਦੀ ਸ਼ਲਾਘਾ ਕੀਤੀ।

ਜਗਦੀਸ਼ ਟਾਈਟਲਰ ਨੂੰ ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਨਾ ਦੇਣ ਲਈ ਸਿੱਖ ਜੱਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਬਰਤਾਨੀਆ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਅਪੀਲ

ਲੰਡਨ, 25 ਜੂਨ -ਲੰਡਨ ਵਿਖੇ ਹੋਣ ਜਾ ਰਹੀਆਂ ਉਲੰਪਿਕ ਖੇਡਾਂ 'ਚ ਭਾਰਤੀ ਵਫਦ ਨਾਲ ਆਉਣ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ 'ਚ ਜੇ ਭਾਰਤੀ ਉਲੰਪਿਕ ਐਸੋਸੀਏਸ਼ਨ ਦੇ ਮੀਤ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਜਗਦੀਸ਼ ਟਾਈਟਲ ਵੀ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ ਤਾਂ ਸਿੱਖ ਜੱਥੇਬੰਦੀ

ਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ। ਜੱਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਭਾਈ ਅਮਰੀਕ ਸਿੰਘ ਗਿੱਲ, ਭਾਈ ਜੋਗਾ ਸਿੰਘ, ਭਾਈ ਬਲਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ, ਭਾਈ ਕੁਲਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਚਹੇੜੂ, ਭਾਈ ਹਰਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਸਰਪੰਚ, ਕੌਂਸਲਰ ਗੁਰਦਿਆਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਟਵਾਲ, ਭਾਈ ਹਰਦੀਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ, ਭਾਈ ਬਲਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਚਹੇੜੂ ਆਦਿ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਸਿੱਖ ਜਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ, ਗੁਰੂ ਘਰਾਂ ਤੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਸੰਗਤਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਜਗਦੀਸ਼ ਟਾਈਟਲਰ ਦੇ ਉਲੰਪਿਕ ਖੇਡਾਂ 'ਚ ਦਾਖਲੇ 'ਤੇ ਰੋਕ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਇੱਕ ਪਟੀਸ਼ਨ ਦਾਇਰ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ ਤੇ ਬਰਤਾਨੀਆ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਡੇਵਿਡ ਕੈਮਰੂਨ, ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਥਰੀਸਾ ਮੇਅ ਸਮੇਤ ਸੰਸਦ ਮੈਂਬਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਜਗਦੀਸ਼ ਟਾਈਟਲਰ ਨੂੰ ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਨਾ ਦੇਣ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਅਪੀਲ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ। ਜੱਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਪਟੀਸ਼ਨ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਜਗਦੀਸ਼ ਟਾਈਟਲਰ ਵਿਰੁੱਧ ਨਵੰਬਰ 1984 ਦੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਕਤਲੇਆਮ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਚੱਲ ਰਹੇ ਕੇਸਾਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਜਰੂਰੀ ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ ਵੀ ਬਰਤਾਨਵੀ ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਨੂੰ ਭੇਜੇ ਜਾਣਗੇ। ਸਿੱਖ ਜੱਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਬਰਤਾਨਵੀ ਦੌਰੇ 'ਤੇ ਆਏ ਨਵੰਬਰ 1984 ਦੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਕਤਲੇਆਮ ਦੇ ਕੇਸ ਲੜ ਰਹੇ ਤੇ ਸੁਪਰੀਮ ਕੋਰਟ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਸਿੱਧ ਵਕੀਲ ਵਕੀਲ ਐਚ. ਐਸ. ਫੂਲਕਾ ਨੇ ਸਾਰੀ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਹੈ ਤੇ ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਮੁਹੱਈਆ ਕਰਵਾਏ ਜਾਣਗੇ।

Air India pilots go on hunger strike

New Delhi, June 24
The agitating Air India pilots sat on indefinite hunger strike today to put pressure on the authorities concerned to accept their demands for reinstalling their 101 sacked colleagues and recognition of the Indian Pilots Guild as a trade union. Eleven AI pilots, who are at loggerheads with AI management over the move to train pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines in the merged entity on Boeing-787 Dreamliner, began their hunger strike at Jantar Mantar this morning. The strike is being led by Captain Aditya Singh Dhillon.

The AI pilots have been protesting for the last 48 days to mount pressure on the Civil Aviation Ministry to accept their demands. “Instead of accepting our demands, the ministry has sacked the 101 agitating pilots,” said Dhillon.

“Keeping aside all other issues, we are just demanding that the government should reinstate the 101 sacked pilots and restore recognition of the IPG,” he said.

The strike, which has led Air India to curtail its international long-haul flight schedule, has been declared illegal by the government and the Delhi High Court. The ailing national carrier has been operating 38 out of 45 services for over a month now.

When the pilots had refused to go on duty, the Air India a few days back advertised for hiring new pilots for long-haul operations. The agitating pilots said that ministry never approached them for discussing the demands and work out the problem. The pilots said that the ministry was trying to impose on the striking pilots the Dharmadhikari panel report which, he alleged, was completely biased.

The Dharmadhikari report deals with pay parity between Air India and Indian Airlines. 

SpiceJet to fly on Amritsar-Delhi route

Amritsar, June 22
Budget airline carrier SpiceJet is all set to start its flights from the Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport on the Amritsar-Delhi route from next month. Already, the national carrier Air India and Jet Airways are flying 38 flights a week on this route. SpiceJet would fill the gap left by the exit of Kingfisher Airlines that had wound up its entire operations from Amritsar, with the withdrawal of its last Amritsar-Delhi flight on March 24.

Amritsar Airport Director Sunil Dutt said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) held a number of meetings with officials of the SpiceJet about the availability of this lucrative route.

Cash-strapped Kingfisher’s exit was a gain for the hapless Air India and Jet Airways as they recorded a rise of about 10 per cent in their occupancy.

SpiceJet supervisor Dhiraj Dua said though no date had been fixed, flights on the Amritsar-Delhi route would begin from next month. He said office space had been acquired at the Amritsar Airport.

At present, the national carrier is running two daily flights to Delhi besides four days a week Amritsar - Sharjah service with a halt in Delhi. Jet Airways is running two flights daily except Sunday.

Refugee health cuts protest cuts off Health Minister announcement

An announcement by Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver was interrupted Friday by a doctor and a med student protesting the government's cuts to a refugee health program.

Oliver was at the Toronto General Hospital Friday morning to announce federal funding for medical isotopes research.

As he started his remarks, Dr. Chris Keefer, a family medicine doctor who works at the Brampton Civic Hospital, interrupted him to take issue with the Harper government's cuts to the interim federal health program, which pays for supplementary health benefits when refugees first arrive in Canada.

The program covers medical expenses such as dental care and prescriptions most Canadians must pay for themselves or get covered by supplementary insurance coverage. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney (as well as Oliver today, when challenged by Dr. Keefer) has defended the cuts as a way to level the playing field with the health care Canadians receive from their provinces and territories.

The government also believes cutting access to supplementary health care removes an incentive for failed refugee claimants to remain in Canada. It expects the cuts to save about $100 million over the next five years.

Keefer and Oliver exchanged strong words, and then when Keefer would not stop talking or back down, Oliver sat down.

The host of the event ended the announcement prematurely, but not before Faria Kamal, a first-year medical student from the University of Toronto, also stood to loudly denounced the cuts.

Eventually, Oliver and other officials left the room and started over again at another location with the isotopes announcement.

As he left, Oliver told the audience and reporters that the views Keefer and Kamal were expressing were false.

Keefer told reporters afterward that he believes inadequate health care for refugees will result in more of them turning up in hospital emergency rooms in more advanced states of medical distress, at potentially higher cost to the health care system.

Kamal, whose parents came from Bangladesh, said that she was there on behalf of the group Health for All, which includes medical professionals, students and activists from the immigrant community. The group organized Monday's national day of action to raise awareness of the cuts, and promises to disrupt more public events with Conservative cabinet ministers in the days to come.

The cuts to the interim federal health program are included in the omnibus budget legislation which is currently prioritized for passage in the Senate before the summer recess.

SAD-BJP win in Punjab civic polls comes with a rider

Chandigarh, June 11
There is euphoria in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) - Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance about the results of the municipal corporation elections that were declared yesterday. The alliance has swept the poll in the four largest cities of the state - Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala.
But a close look at the number of seats that the alliance has won should be a sign of worry rather than jubilation. Barring Amritsar, the number of seats retained by the alliance has actually dipped.
Losing seats in three municipal corporations, barely four months after the alliance won the Assembly seats here, can at best be seen as early warning signs for the alliance.
Compared to the 2007 results, the share of the SAD-BJP seats has gone down. Coming at a time when the main Opposition Congress is fragmented and in disarray, the result shows that the people are beginning to get disillusioned with the delay in implementation of promises made before the Assembly elections.
The slight gain for the alliance in the Amritsar MC is perhaps because the Congress is the weakest in the Majha region. In Amritsar, the SAD seats have gone up marginally from 15 in 2007 to 24 now.
Similarly, the BJP has won 24 seats in this elections. It had 17 in the 2007 edition.
The alliance went in for the civic poll soon after the Assembly elections to take advantage of its preparedness. Though it has managed to retain its hold in all four cities, it needs to be cautious.
The reason for the decrease in the number of seats for the alliance could be its diversion from the citizen-centric announcements in the form of reforms it has announced prior to the Assembly poll.
In the four months since the alliance formed the government in Punjab for the historic second successive term, the work on reforms has slowed down. The police reforms remain on paper, the ‘suvidha kendras’ are non-functional at many places and the ‘fard kendras’ have also not delivered according to expectations. This perhaps has got reflected in the results.
The dip in the number of seats for the alliance could also be due to the shaking of the people’s confidence in the government due to events like honouring of Balwant Singh Rajoana, the assassin of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, with the title of living martyr. This coupled with the Blue Star Memorial in the Golden Temple complex also does not appear to have gone down well with the urban voters as these might be reminding them of the days of terrorism in the state.
Even a tussle for supremacy has begun between the SAD and BJP. In Amritsar, the BJP and the SAD have won 24 seats each, but now the state Election Commission has ordered a re-poll in ward 3.
Here Raj Kumar Jolly of the SAD is pitted against Surinder Chaudhary of the Congress. If after the re-poll the SAD candidate wins, the party will have one more seat than the BJP. It then could stake a claim for the Mayor’s position which was earlier with the BJP.
Party sources in the BJP said that the EC has ordered the re-poll on a very flimsy ground that someone, sitting outside the polling booth, was trying to hack the EVMs with a laptop — something which is not only improbable, but highly questionable as the ground for a re-poll. The BJP claimed that it has performed better than the SAD as it has managed to hold its ground in Jalandhar and Patiala, improved in Amritsar and suffered a marginal setback in Ludhiana.
Meanwhile, other smaller parties like the PPP, BSP and CPI have managed to mark a token presence by winning one seat each. In Ludhiana, SAD had won 33 seats in 2007 which is down to 29 this time. The SAD’s candidate for the Mayor’s position has lost. Even the seats for the BJP have come down from 17 to 13. In Patiala, the SAD has lost three seats. Now, it has 32 victories as compared to 35 last time. The BJP has just managed to retain its seven seats.

In Jalandhar too, both the SAD and BJP have seen a drop in seats. SAD is down from 12 to 11 and the BJP from 21 to 19. The Congress too has lost in terms of the number of seats, but the Congress was not expected to dominate these polls.