Aishwarya Rai Bachchan delivers a baby girl

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan have become proud parents of a baby girl. The actress gave birth to a girl this morning at the Seven Hills hospital in Andheri, a western Mumbai suburb
Ash was accompanied to the hospital by her parents Vrinda and Krishnaraj Rai, brother Aditya, husband Abhishek and in-laws Amitabh, Jaya and Shweta Nanda. 

The news of Ash's pregnancy was broken by Amitabh Bachchan through Twitter in June this year. As Bollywood's first family  and their well-wishers celebrated the Big B  received over 2000 congratulatory tweets the same day and people thronged the Bachchan residence in Juhu  to celebrate.

The Bachchans chose a suburban hospital for the delivery, presumably to avoid media glare. While TV news channels, on their part, had agreed to stay away from the developments, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had ordered television media not to park their vans outside the hospital.

Bachchan was questioned about having asked the I&B ministry to intervene in the matter. To which, he replied: 'HaHa ! Print MidDay asking if I have told I&B Ministry to block media news of Aish delivery ! Absolute rubbish ! Good try MDay ! &B and media matter ! Firstly I have no such intention ever, secondly do you really think I&B would listen to me !?? No way baby !'

Ash and Abhishek got together during the filming of Guru and got married in a glitzy ceremony in 2007 in the presence of the family's closest friends and associates.


Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan are also grandparents to daughter Shweta Nanda's two kids -- daughter Navya Naveli and son Agastya.

Pak PM positive about Nankana Sahib University

Amritsar, November 15
Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani has directed the Evacuee Trust Property Board officials to make all the arrangements to pave the way for the beginning of the construction work of Guru Nanak Dev University at Nankana Sahib.

Addressing a seminar on Sikh-Muslim ties organised by Dayal Singh Research and Cultural Forum in Lahore today, Gilani said he would lay the foundation stone of the university at the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev. SGPC spokesperson Ram Singh, who is accompanying a 634-member SGPC jatha to Pakistan, shared this information with The Tribune.

Snowbirds flock to Scottsdale’s Sage

Luxurious condominium and townhome residences look across the city’s waterfront in downtown Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. - What snowbirds enjoy the most — apart from wearing shorts in January — is the alternative lifestyle experience a second home affords. If they have to drive to buy milk at home, they want to walk to nice restaurants down here. If they downsized to a condo in Canada, they want their Phoenix backyard to open onto a desert wash.

“They want a counter experience to life back home,” says Brendan Mann, principal of The Solvere Group, the brokerage firm handling the sales and marketing for a newly-completed boutique condominium and townhouse community in downtown Scottsdale.

“People are looking for a different experience here,” says Mann, a Vancouverite who moved to the U.S. in 2002. “If they live in the suburbs, they want the urban experience here.”

He says Sage offers second homebuyers the best of both worlds, combining the privacy of spacious single-family living with the luxury of a maintenance-free lifestyle in a quiet, tree-lined enclave steps away from world-class shopping, dining and entertainment.

The director of sales and marketing says Canadians prefer the lock-and-leave ownership. “They want owning to be easy; just show up, open a bottle of wine, watch the sunset from the patio, and walk along the canal to the Old Town.”

Located near the intersection of Camelback and N. Scottsdale roads, Sage is an eight-minute walk from historic downtown Scottsdale, six minutes away from the upscale Fashion Square Mall and a 20-minute drive from Sky Harbor International Airport. Three, three-storey buildings stretch along the Arizona Canal, offering residents views of Camelback Mountain at either sunset or sunrise across the canal’s waterfront.

The high-end complex features 32 condominiums, 16 two-level town houses and two penthouses. Homes start from the low $300s US and range in size from a 1,598 sq. ft. two-bedroom condo to a 2,155 sq. ft. townhouse with attached two-car garage to the larger 2,760 sq. ft. penthouse. Residents can choose from three condo layouts and four townhouse floor plans.

Mann says Sage offers the only brand-new town houses in downtown Scottsdale. The well-known Arizona city of 233,000 was named the fourth most desirable city in which to live by Businessweek.com in September.

Jeremy Ferdinands, who bought a two-bedroom plus den condo with a second-floor waterfront view in June, says Sage provided them the alternative lifestyle they wanted in a prime real estate location.

“We live in a very suburban neighbourhood in Surrey, B.C., and we wanted a totally opposite experience to Canada,” says Ferdinands, who’s been going to Arizona on business for the past 10 years. “Vancouver winters are dark and rainy and down there it’s warm and sunny.”

He said buying a turnkey home was important to him, as was living within walking distance of the nearby shops, restaurants, galleries and hiking trails, as well as vibrant Old Town Scottsdale. “We don’t even need a car. We can walk along the canal to have dinner in the Old Town every night.”

The housing market crash halted construction of the Sage project when it was near completion in May 2009, and the development was purchased by iStar Residential. Since sales reopened in February of this year, 25 of the 50 units have sold, four to Western Canadians. A two-bedroom condo, originally priced at $599,000 US, now sells for $299,000 US.

Compared to yesterday’s speculative real estate frenzy, Mann says the people who are buying today want to own the real estate and use the property. “They’re looking for a home that fulfils them now.” He says of the 25 homes sold at Sage, “there are no investors.”

Ferdinands says he’s still a few years away from retiring from the pharmaceutical business, but felt it would be hard to find this opportunity — a new property in a prime location for a reduced price — if they waited.

“Living in Vancouver, we’re really sensitive to how important location is,” he says. “We’ve seen how properties in desirable locations can quickly double and triple in price. Getting a good location here is going to be rare.”

After looking at eight or nine other developments, Ferdinands found the quality of the construction, appliances and finishings at the traditional-styled Sage “far and above what we saw elsewhere.”

Sage homes offer high-end cabinetry and finishes, including Dacor, Bosch, Grohe & Toto appliances and fixtures, granite and marble countertops, volcanic-stone gas fireplaces and hardwood floors. Sophisticated architectural detail and custom touches, such as solid cherrywood front doors with leaded glass accents, are standard throughout. Private oversized balconies and terraces overlook the mountain and water views.

The 3,400 sq. ft. clubhouse features an underground stone wine cellar with personal storage, a fitness area, a business and conference room and a canal-side social deck with lap pool, jetted hot spa and gas BBQ for outdoor entertaining.

Patricia Caffaro was down with her daughter in October to furnish the three-bedroom, 1,775, sq. ft., condo she purchased in June. She says the view of the canal off their second-storey balcony reminds her a bit of the long view she enjoys of the North Saskatchewan River from her condo in downtown Edmonton.

When she and her husband decided it was time to find a winter home, the retired couple rented a condo in North Vancouver where two of their four children live. But, she said, Vancouver’s weather and lofty real estate prices (“the HST on a $600,000 condo was $73,000”) led them to Phoenix.

“After looking at condos in Vancouver, Sage had a lot to recommend,” says Caffaro. “It’s a turnkey operation, nicely appointed, and move-in ready.”

She especially appreciates being able to walk to nearby amenities and services and stroll along the water canal because, as she confides with a smile, “when you get older, you want to keep moving.”

Sage is located at 4855 N. Woodmere Fairway, Scottsdale. For more information visit Sage-Scottsdale.com or call 480-947-SAGE (7243) or email info@sage-Sscottsdale.com. Canadian financing is available.

Pay more to fly out of Delhi

New Delhi, November 15
It’s bad news for frequent fliers from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi with flying costs all set to rise from December.

Passengers flying out of IGIA airport will have to pay an additional Rs 200 when they take a domestic flight and an extra Rs 1,300 while boarding an international flight as Airport Development Fee (ADF).

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has fixed these rates to be charged by the Delhi Internal Airport Limited (DIAL) in its latest order, with effect from December till May 2013 to help it bridge a funding gap of Rs 1,230.27 crore.

The AERA decision also approves almost the entire project cost of DIAL barring an amount of about Rs 204 crore, which has been spent on upgradation of apron, runway, additional reinforcement of civil structures and increase in floor area.

Earlier this year in April, the collection of development fee (DF) by DIAL and Mumbai operator MIAL was barred by the Supreme Court till the AERA determined the rate. At that time, while the Mumbai airport collected Rs 100 from a domestic passenger and Rs 600 from an international passenger, the Delhi airport was charging a domestic passenger Rs 200 and an international passenger Rs 1,300. With the AERA now determining the development fee rate for DIAL, monthly collections on the basis of the audited figures of DIAL and AAI will be reviewed and appropriate decisions will then be taken. The latest AERA order will enable the Delhi airport to levy charges in line with the Supreme Court’s direction that the fee has to be decided by a competent authority, in this case the AERA. The AERA’s decision came after it received and reviewed all the stakeholders’ comments on the issue.

Commenting on the development, I Prabhakara Rao, CEO - DIAL, said, “We welcome the restoration of ADF.”

Petrol cheaper by Rs 2 per litre in India

New Delhi, November 15
Oil companies today cut petrol prices by Rs 2.22 per litre, thus neutralising the hike effected last fortnight that had caused huge public uproar. This is the first time after deregulation of petrol prices that these have been revised downwards.

Though oil companies said this was the outcome of their fortnightly review, a political nudge cannot be ruled out given the huge protests that followed last time both from the opposition parties as well as UPA allies like the Trinamool Congress. This will also give a breather to the government before the Parliament session that begins on November 22.

At that time, there was a demand for a rollback but the government had refused. Now, with the cut in prices, the government has protected the principle of deregulation in which oil companies have the freedom to decide prices while at the same time providing relief to the outraged public which is upset at these frequent price hikes.

IndianOil said in a statement that the prices have been cut following a fall in international crude oil prices and improvement in the exchange rate. The company reviews petrol prices on fortnightly basis. The latest review revealed that at the current prices, there will be an over-recovery of Rs 1.85 per litre. The company has, therefore, decided to revise the petrol prices downward by Rs 1.85 (excluding state taxes and levies) from November 16. The retail impact of the cut will be Rs 2.22 in Delhi.

The reduction has been possible as a result of favourable impact of slide down both in the international prices of petrol and in the rupee/dollar parity. The currency exchange rate, which had moved high in the second fortnight of October, came down marginally and remained more or less stable around Rs 49.30 per dollar.

The statement warned that given the rupee weakness, there could be a hike again next fortnight. It said the rupee suffered significant depreciation yesterday and today. If the rupee/dollar parity remained at this level or moved further away, its impact would get reflected in the next pricing cycle. The relevant pricing cycle applicable for the fortnight beginning November 16 has, therefore, remained free from any major disturbance in the rupee/dollar parity.

With this cut, there will be no under or over-recovery on petrol prices. On diesel, the under-recovery has increased from Rs 8.58 to Rs 10.17 per litre. In respect of kerosene and cooking gas, the under-recovery remains at Rs 25.66 per litre and Rs 260.50 per LPG cylinder.

In the current year, as a result of rising international prices, IndianOil has revised prices upward by Rs 4.17 per litre in May, Rs 2.62 per litre in September and Rs 1.50 per litre on November 4. 

Winter blues in Edmonton

THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON SNARLED ROADS IN EDMONTON ON NOV.14, 2011.

Icy roads create nightmare on every Edmonton street

It was the road to nowhere on Yellowhead Drive during rush hour on Nov. 14, 2011, when Edmonton was hit with its first substantial snowfall of the season.

EDMONTON — One hour to drive five blocks.

That was the pace of Fay L’hirondelle’s commute Monday evening. And she wasn’t alone.

The first snowfall of the season turned roads to ice and snarled traffic all over the capital region, with collisions and delays reported across the city and on highways. An elderly woman died in a Strathcona County crash.

Between 3 p.m. and 4:20 p.m., city police responded to five reports of injury accidents and 19 property damage collisions, said spokeswoman Patrycia Thenu.

“It is the first snowstorm of the season,” she said. “People are still getting used to the new road conditions, so that might drive the number up a little bit today. It’s important to remember to drive for the conditions, not the speed limit.”

By the time rush-hour was truly underway, minor accidents and stalls had caused gridlock across the city.

Buses were stuck in traffic along with everyone else, and that caused transit delays, said ETS spokeswoman Patricia Dickson.

“Took my wife over 90 minutes to get home via #yegtransit instead of the normal 25,” Brent Welch wrote on Twitter. “She’s just glad to be home.”

Drivers trying to get in or out of the south side of downtown had to contend with very slippery hills. A collision involving a bus and two cars on Bellamy Hill backed up traffic for hours. Police eventually closed the hill on 103rd Street in both directions from 100th Avenue to 97th Avenue.

City crews were out sanding and salting roads, paying particular attention to bus routes, said city spokeswoman Laura McNabb.

There were no plans to send out plows until three to five centimetres of snow had accumulated, she said. Environment Canada’s forecast called for only two centimetres overnight Monday.

Outside of the city, RCMP warned drivers to slow down.

Strathcona County RMCP said snow-packed and icy roads likely contributed to an accident on Highway 629 near Range Road 222 that killed 87-year-old Norma Harcus. Her 91-year-old husband was driving when he lost control, drove into a ditch and hit a culvert just before 8:30 p.m. He was taken by air ambulance to hospital in Edmonton with life-threatening injuries.

Black ice was blamed for two accidents in Fort Saskatchewan. A single-vehicle rollover on Highway 16 near Elk Island National Park sent two people to hospital.

The Jaws of Life were needed to get another driver out of her car after a crash on Highway 15. She and her two children were also taken to hospital.

A stretch of the highway was closed for two hours, delaying motorists and Fort Saskatchewan commuters.

Most drivers heading home from work Monday found their patience tested as they stared at seemingly endless lines of tail lights. By 5:45 p.m., an hour into her drive home from Canada Place, L’hirondelle had made it five blocks.

Maddeningly, she doesn’t usually drive to work.

“If I had walked I would have been home an hour ago,” she said, while waiting on Macdonald Drive near 102nd Street.

New $100 bill a marriage of history and high-tech

The Bank of Canada combined historical tributes and futuristic technology on Monday in issuing the country's first polymer bank note, a redesigned $100 bill that celebrates the Canadian discovery of insulin and other milestones of medical research while incorporating special new security features to combat counterfeiting.

While the new $100 note retains its front-side portrait of Sir Robert Borden — the Conservative prime minister elected a century ago this year — the back of the bill highlights such scientific achievements as the 1923 insulin breakthrough by University of Toronto researchers Frederick Banting and Charles Best.

Polymer versions of the redesigned $50, $20, $10 and $5 denominations will follow the new $100 bill into circulation over the next two years.

The paperless, plasticized bills "are more secure, more economical, and better for the environment than any we have issued previously," said Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney at an unveiling ceremony in Toronto. "These notes are also potent symbols of our rich heritage.

"We are honoured to issue this note on the site where Banting and Best conducted their groundbreaking research almost a century ago. Many forget that diabetes was once a death sentence. The discovery of insulin changed that."

Banting and research supervisor J.J.R. Macleod were awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in medicine for the insulin achievement; Banting shared his part of the prize money with Best, the research assistant who helped carry out the trail-blazing experiments.

The new bill also references Canadian medical research contributions in the development of the pacemaker and the unravelling of the mysteries of the human genome.

The revamped $100 note was released on Monday to draw attention to World Diabetes Day and to coincide with the 120th anniversary of Banting's birth in Alliston, Ont., on Nov. 14, 1891.

The Ottawa-based central bank, which announced the planned series of polymer bills in June, said in a statement that the new notes include "complex holographic features" set within a transparent section visible from both sides.

Such features "make them difficult to counterfeit but easy to verify," the bank said.

The next note to be circulated is the redesigned $50 bill, which will continue to show Second World War-era Liberal prime minister Mackenzie King on the front. The back will feature an image of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen, an Arctic-capable scientific research vessel.

The $20 bill will feature a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth on the front and an obverse image of the Vimy Memorial in France, commemorating Canada's military heritage.

The $10 bill will have Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, on the front and an illustration celebrating Canada's railway heritage on the back.

And the $5 bill will retain the portrait of Sir Wilfrid Laurier while celebrating two Canadian innovations in aerospace technology — Canadarm2 and Dextre.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who revealed the initial currency redesigns in June, said the new notes evoke Canada's "spirit of innovation" and serve as "cultural touchstones that reflect and celebrate our Canadian experience."