BY RATTAN MALL

FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), soccer’s world governing body, have authorized the wearing of male head covers at all levels of Canadian soccer.
FIFA sent a letter to the Canadian Soccer Association on Thursday (June 13) to inform them that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has agreed “to allow male players in Canada to wear head covers.”
The head cover must:
* be of the same colour as the jersey
* be in keeping with the professional appearance of the player’s equipment
* not be attached to the jersey
* not pose any danger to the player wearing it or any other player (e.g. opening / closing mechanism around neck) Read More...

FEDERAL NDP SLAMS SPORTS MINISTER BAL GOSAL FOR PLAYING POLITICS ON ‘PATKA’ BAN BY QUEBEC SOCCER FEDERATION

BY RATTAN MALL

THE federal NDP this week told Asian Journal that they spoke to Minister of State (Sport) Bal Gosal “several times over six months trying to have him engage in a lengthy discussion with New Democrats, but the Minister never fully engaged. The Minister stayed still and quiet despite the continuous calls from the NDP and then accused the NDP of being inactive on the issue.” Read More...

• A. R. RAHMAN IS MY GODFATHER IN BOLLYWOOD: SINGER SUKHWINDER SINGH

  LEADING Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh, who sang "Jai Ho" in the movie Slumdog Millionaire and who perhaps is best known for singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya" for which he won the Best Male Playback Award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards, will be performing at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre next week on June 22. Read More....

• RAVINDER BHANGU’S HUSBAND, MANMEET SINGH, PLEADS GUILTY TO SECOND DEGREE MURDER IN HER GRUESOME KILLING

  MANMEET Singh, who had been charged with first degree murder in the gruesome killing of his wife, Ravinder Bhangu, 24, in July 28, 2011 in Surrey pled guilty to second degree murder in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on Monday. Crown and defense made a joint submission that Singh should not be eligible for parole for 16 years. Justice Miriam Maisonville reserved her decision until June 21. Read More... ....

• SURREY RCMP PREPARING REPORT FOR CROWN IN HIT-AND-RUN CASE OF VICTIM ARSHDEEP SIDHU

  SURREY RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet told Asian Journal on Thursday that “a lot of investigation and follow-ups” are ongoing in the hit-and-run case involving Arshdeep Sidhu, 5, near 161st Street and 92nd Avenue in Fleetwood, Surrey, on June 7 just before 3 p.m. Arshdeep continues to recover from serious head injuries in hospital.  Read More...

• HELENA BILLEN WINS GOLD MEDAL IN SENIOR CANADIAN WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIP

  HELENA Billen of Surrey’s Lions Weightlifting Club won the gold medal in the 53 kg category at the Senior Canadian Championship held in Edmonton on May 18 and 19. After winning a gold medal in Junior National Championship and Senior Western Canadian Championship, Helena also participated in the Junior World Championship which was held at Lima in Peru from May 4 to 10. Read More...... ......... .......................

• BROTHERS INSPECTOR STEVE RAI AND SGT. ROGER RAI OF VANCOUVER POLICE HONOURED BY VANCOUVER’S ROSS STREET GURDWARA

  BROTHERS Inspector Steve Rai and Sgt. Roger Rai of Vancouver Police Department were presented Exemplary Service awards by Vancouver’s Ross Street Gurdwara of Khalsa Diwan Society on Sunday – an honour that they richly deserve. The awards were presented “in recognition of your commitment and achievement in law enforcement. Your services to the community and your career are inspirational to us all.”.Read More...

• WORK BEGINS ON 1984 RIOTS MEMORIAL AT RAKAB GANJ SAHIB GURDWARA COMPLEX IN NEW DELHI

  SIKH Head Priests Balwant Singh Nandgarh of Damdama Sahib, Gurbachan Singh of Akal Takhat Sahib and Tarlochan Singh of Kesgarh Sahib laid the foundation stone of the 1984 Sikh Genocide Memorial inside the Rakab Ganj Sahib gurdwara complex in New Delhi on Wednesday, reports the Tribune newspaper of India.Read More.... ........

• WSO CALLS ON QUEBEC SOCCER FEDERATION TO LIFT BAN ON ‘PATKAS’ FOR SAKE OF ALL SOCCER PLAYERS

  THE World Sikh Organization of Canada reacted with sadness to the decision of the Canadian Soccer Association to suspend the Quebec Soccer Federation for their refusal to allow the wearing of Sikh ‘patkas’ for soccer players.  According to the CSA, the suspension will be lifted once the QSF ends its ban on the turban.Read More....

• APNA TRUCK SHOW IN ABBOTSFORD ON JUNE 15-16

  ONCE again, the APNA Truck Show will be taking place at the Tradex in Abbotsford on June 15-16. This truck show will feature over 100 exhibitors, entertainment, a VIP Dinner event, the famous Show and Shine, and activities for people of all ages. Read More..................... ....................................... .

• MP JASBIR SANDHU RAISES ISSUE OF FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PATTULLO BRIDGE UPGRADES IN PARLIAMENT
   
  JASBIR Sandhu, NDP MP for Surrey North, on Tuesday demanded that the Minister of Transportation and the Conservative government take steps to ensure that there are no tolls for the proposed upgrades to the Pattullo Bridge. Read More... .

• FOCUS ON HEALTH: GUTSY WALK FOR A CURE FOR CROHN’S AND COLITIS

  IT started with some sharp stomach pains at first. Gurjit disregarded it at first. He was much too busy with his university studies and he hoped it would eventually just go away. “I took a lot of antacid pills, even though they really didn’t help,” he said. Read More...
• CANADA AND INDIA NEED TO COLLABORATE MORE ROBUSTLY ON REGIONAL SECURITY CHALLENGES: FOREIGN MINISTER JOHN BAIRD

  FOREIGN Affairs Minister John Baird told members of the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Toronto on Saturday that Canada and India need to collaborate more robustly on regional security challenges. Read More...

• C-SASIL: CANADIAN-SOUTH ASIANS SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT LIVING

  SCOTT Hamilton is an Olympic gold medalist and an American figure skater. His quote highlights the fact that people with bad attitudes are really the ones that are disabled in life. This has inspired me to write about the founder and president of C-SASIL (Canadian-South Asians Supporting Independent Living), Harvinder Bajwa’s personal story and how she is a great role model for others with disabilities. Read More...

COMMUNITY AND NEWS IN PHOTOS

RAJ CHOUHAN TO BE ASSISTANT DEPUTY SPEAKER

DEFEATED MLA HARRY LALI SAYS KINDER MORGAN ANNOUNCEMENT BY DIX SCREWED UP NDP

PUNJABI SINGER FACES RAPE CHARGES IN INDIA

B.C. LIBERAL PARTY NAMES CAUCUS CHAIR AND WHIPS

ANOTHER CRUDE OIL LEAK IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

BYELECTION FOR WESTSIDE-KELOWNA ON JULY 10

CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN KASHMIR NOW ALLOWS STUDENTS TO WEAR TURBANS

READ MORE...

ROAD SAFETY COLUMN

SLOW DOWN AND PLAN AHEAD FOR ROAD TRIPS

WITH summer just around the corner, many of us are planning on packing up the car to head out on road trips. While it’s exciting to get away with family and friends, plan ahead for increased traffic volumes so you’re not tempted to rush to your destination. Nobody likes getting stuck in heavy traffic, but don’t make decisions that increase your risk of causing a crash. Tailgating, failing to yield or speeding may seem harmless but these high-risk driving behaviours contribute to almost half of all police-reported casualty crashes in B.C. READ MORE...

• BOLLYWOOD'S GOONDAISM!

  THAT the underworld is heavily involved in Bollywood is a well-known fact, however, the JIAH KHAN SUICIDE CASE has unearthed the naked truth that GOONDAISM is rampant in Mumbai. The apparent five-page suicide note by Jiah Khan prompted her mother Rabiya Amin to file a case against Suraj Pancholi, Jiah’s alleged boyfriend with whom she had a love and hate relationship, READ MORE...

OLE!

REMEMBER how a little silent movie called The Artist walked away with the Best Picture award at the Oscars a few years back?  Lighting does strike twice on occasion and a Spanish gem called Blancanieves is arousing audiences.  Shot in black and white this sentimental struggle is a very smart Europeanized version of the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves tale.  Be brave and check out this classy cinema treat at the Fifth Avenue Cinemas. READ MORE...

• ALL-NEW 2014 JEEP CHEROKEE IS HERE!

  AVAILABLE to consumers in the third quarter of this year, the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee  offers better fuel economy, more advanced safety and technology features, even more class-leading 4x4 capability, a modern and progressive new design, and significantly improved everyday on-road ride and handling. Read More... 

GIVE YOUR CHILD A HEAD-START THIS SUMMER WITH ACADEMYONE LEARNING!

CHILDREN all around Vancouver are receiving their school reports - some of them will be good and some of them not so good.  But one thing for sure, nearly all of them could do better, given the right support.   This is the philosophy behind the Math and English Wiz programs brought to you by AcademyOne Learning.  Math and English Wiz is used by students world-wide in more than one thousand schools and accessed by 500,000 plus students with amazing results.Read More... 

• ICBC FILES CIVIL CLAIM AGAINST STANLEY CUP RIOTERS

  ICBC has filed a notice of civil claim in the Supreme Court of British Columbia against 46 individuals who have been charged or convicted for their actions throughout downtown Vancouver following game 7 of the Stanley Cup final on the evening of June 15, 2011. Read More... ..........

• CRIMINAL CHARGES APPROVED AGAINST 229 PERSONS IN STANLEY CUP RIOT SO FAR

  JUNE 15 marks the second anniversary of the Stanley Cup Riot is approaching and the Criminal Justice Branch of the Justice Ministry this week provided an update on the status of the related prosecution files. Between May 1 and June 5, criminal charges were approved and sworn against an additional 14 adults and two youths in connection with the Stanley Cup Riot. Read More... ..
• CFSEU-BC SHUTS DOWN WELL-KNOWN DRUG NETWORK ON VANCOUVER ISLAND

  THE Vancouver Island team of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia has arrested two men believed to be high-level drug traffickers with a history of violence. The Vancouver Island District Emergency Response Team, Westshore RCMP, Victoria Police, Federal Serious Organized Crime and the Saanich Police assisted CFSEU-BC, during the arrests..Read More... .

• VANCOUVER POLICE LAUNCH STATE-OF-THE-ART MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE

  THE public will soon be seeing a new vehicle rolling through the streets of Vancouver following this afternoon’s launch of the Vancouver Police Department’s new Mobile Command Centre. The Command Centre will become the flagship vehicle for the Department and will be used at crime scenes, emergency response incidents and public events. Read More... .

• CARJACKER IN CUSTODY ONLY 17 MINUTES LATER IN LANGLEY

  AT 7:25 p.m. on June 8, Langley RCMP received a call from a concerned citizen after he observed a woman being accosted by a male in the 5600 block of 200th Street.  He saw the woman drop her car keys, which were retrieved by the suspect and used to flee the scene in her vehicle. Read More... .

• PREMIER CHRISTY CLARK’S NEW CABINET SWORN IN........ .

• PREMIER CELEBRATES VICTORY BY USING TAXPAYERS’ MONEY TO JACK UP PAY FOR POLITICAL STAFF .......... ....................................................... ..................................

• COME TO CANADA WIZARD ATTRACTS MORE THAN FOUR MILLION VISITS

• GLOBAL VIOLENT EXTREMISTS, PARTICULARLY AL QAIDA AND ITS AFFILIATES, REMAIN LEADING TERRORIST THREAT TO CANADA.....

• CANADIANS OUTRAGED BY REPORTS OF VAST MONITORING OF THEIR ACTIVITIES BY U.S. AND CANADIAN GOVERNMENT................................... ....................... ............. ........... .......
• SFU’S RESTORATIVE JUSTICE STUDENT STUDIES RIOT CONVICTIONS.............................................. ............. .......................................................
• FIRST MAJOR STUDY OF SUICIDE MOTIVATIONS TO ADVANCE PREVENTION................... ............................... ............................................. ........................ .. ........
• BC’S DRINKING AND DRIVING LAWS MEAN FEWER DEATHS.............................. ........... ....... .............. .................. ...................................................
• VANCOUVER PARK BOARD ANNOUNCES NEW UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO RECREATION FACILITIES .......... ............................................................................. .... ...............................
• TONY CLEMENT TO MODERNIZE DISABILITY MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SERVICE, TACKLE HIGH RATES OF ABSENTEEISM ............. ................. .......................................................... ............... ................
• FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OBTAINS INFORMATION REGARDING POTENTIAL TAX EVASION, AGGRESSIVE TAX AVOIDANCE.... .................................. ............................... ..................
• BANGLADESH: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ENGULFED IN CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS LAND CONFLICT