ਮਨਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਭੁੱਲਰ ਅਲਬਰਟਾ ਦੇ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਬਣੇ

ਪ੍ਰੀਮੀਅਰ ਰੈੱਡਫੋਰਡ ਵੱਲੋਂ 19 ਮੈਂਬਰੀ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਦਾ ਗਠਨ

ਪ੍ਰੀਮੀਅਰ ਐਲੀਸਨ ਰੈੱਡਫੋਰਡ ਨਵੇਂ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਹੋਏ, ਨਾਲ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਸ. ਮਨਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਭੁੱਲਰ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਤੇ ਹੋਰ। 

ਕੈਲਗਰੀ/ਐਡਮਿੰਟਨ, 9 ਮਈ (ਵਤਨਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਗਰੇਵਾਲ)-ਅੱਜ ਪ੍ਰੀਮੀਅਰ ਐਲੀਸਨ ਰੈੱਡਫੋਰਡ ਦੀ ਅਗਵਾਈ 'ਚ ਅਲਬਰਟਾ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਨੇ ਸਹੁੰ ਚੁੱਕੀ। ਰੈੱਡਫੋਰਡ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੇ 19 ਮੈਂਬਰੀ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ 'ਚ ਕੁੱਝ ਨਵੇਂ ਚਿਹਰੇ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਕੀਤੇ ਹਨ। ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਈਚਾਰੇ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਪ੍ਰੋਗਰੈਸਿਵ ਕੰਜ਼ਰਵੇਟਿਵ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਦੀ ਜਿੱਤ 'ਚ ਪਾਏ ਯੋਗਦਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਮੁੱਖ ਰੱਖਦਿਆਂ ਸ. ਮਨਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਭੁੱਲਰ ਨੂੰ ਸਮਾਜਿਕ ਸੇਵਾਵਾਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਵਜੋਂ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ 'ਚ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ। ਪਹਿਲੀ ਕੰਜ਼ਰਵੇਟਿਵ ਸਰਕਾਰ 'ਚ ਉਹ ਰਾਜ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਸਨ। ਥਾਮਸ ਲੂਕਾਸਜ਼ੁਕ ਨੂੰ ਡਿਪਟੀ ਪ੍ਰੀਮੀਅਰ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਨਿਯੁਕਤੀ ਅਹਿਮ ਹੈ ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਪਿੱਛਲੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਵੇਲੇ ਵਿਰੋਧੀ ਧਿਰ ਰੈੱਡਫੋਰਡ ਉਪਰ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ 'ਚ ਹਾਜ਼ਰ ਨਾ ਰਹਿਣ ਦੇ ਦੋਸ਼ ਲਾਉਂਦੀ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ। ਆਪਣੀ ਨਿਯੁਕਤੀ ਉਪਰੰਤ ਥਾਮਸ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਰੈੱਡਫੋਰਡ ਦੀ ਗੈਰਹਾਜ਼ਰੀ ਦੀ ਸੂਰਤ 'ਚ ਉਹ ਹਾਜ਼ਰ ਰਹਿਣਗੇ। ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਇਲਾਵਾ ਕੈਲਗਰੀ ਦੇ ਸਾਬਕਾ ਕੌਂਸਲਰ ਰਿਕ ਮੈਕਲਵਰ ਨਵੇਂ ਟਰਾਂਸਪੋਰਟ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਹੋਣਗੇ ਜਦਕਿ ਸਾਬਕਾ ਕੈਲਗਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਿੰਸੀਪਲ ਕ੍ਰਿਸਟਾਈਨ ਕੁਸਾਨੇਲੀ ਨੂੰ ਸੈਰਸਪਾਟਾ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ। ਡਵੇ ਹੈਨਕੁਕ ਨੂੰ ਮਨੁੱਖੀ ਸੇਵਾਵਾਂ, ਕਲ ਡਲਾਸ ਕੌਮਾਂਤਰੀ ਮਾਮਲੇ, ਡਿਆਨਾ ਮੈਕੁਈਨ ਵਾਤਾਵਰਣ ਮਾਮਲੇ, ਫਰੈਡ ਹੌਰਨ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਹਤ ਸੇਵਾਵਾਂ ਤੇ ਕੇਨ ਹਿਊਸ ਨੂੰ ਊਰਜਾ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ। ਹੋਰ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ 'ਚ ਲਿਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ, ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ 'ਚ ਜੈਫ ਜੌਹਨਸਨ (ਸਿੱਖਿਆ), ਵਰਲਿਨ ਓਲਸਨ (ਖੇਤੀਬਾੜੀ ਤੇ ਦਿਹਾਤੀ ਵਿਕਾਸ), ਜੋਨਾਥਨ ਡੈਨਿਸ (ਨਿਆਂ) ਡੌਗ ਗਰਿਫਿਤਸ (ਮਿਊਂਸਪਲ ਮਾਮਲੇ), ਰੌਬਿਨ ਕੈਂਪਬੈਲ (ਆਦਿਵਾਸੀ ਮਾਮਲੇ), ਹੀਥਰ ਕਲਿਮਚੁਕ (ਸਭਿਆਚਾਰ), ਵੇਨੇ ਡਰਾਈਸਡੇਲ (ਬੁਨਿਆਦੀ ਸਹੂਲਤਾਂ) ਤੇ ਸਟੀਫਨ ਖਾਨ (ਉਦਮੀ ਤੇ ਆਧੁਨਿਕ ਸਿੱਖਿਆ) ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਹਨ। ਸ. ਮਨਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਭੁੱਲਰ ਨੂੰ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਬਣਾਉਣ 'ਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਈਚਾਰੇ ਦਾ ਮਾਣ ਵਧਿਆ ਹੈ। ਦੱਸਣਯੋਗ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ ਚੋਣਾਂ 'ਚ 6 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਮੂਲ ਦੇ ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਚੁਣੇ ਗਏ ਸਨ ਪਰ ਇੱਕ ਹੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਮੂਲ ਦੇ ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਨੂੰ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ 'ਚ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ।

Russian plane goes missing in Indonesia

JAKARTA: A new Russian-made civilian plane carrying 50 people went missing in Indonesiawhile flying over mountains Wednesday during a demonstration flight for potential buyers and journalists, officials said. 

Search and rescue teams were heading to the area just south of the capital, said Bambang Ervan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Transportation. Bad weather, however, forced at least two helicopters to turn back. 

The Sukhoi Superjet-100 took off from Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport at 2:21 p.m. 

It dropped off the radar 21 minutes later near the Salak mountain range, after the crew asked air traffic control for permission to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet (3,000 meters to 1,800 meters). 

No explanation was given for the sudden change of course. Though drizzling at the time, it was not stormy. 

"I saw a big plane passing just over my house,'' Juanda, a villager who lives near the 7,200-foot- (2,200-meter)- mountain, told the local station TVOne. 

"It was veering a bit to one side, the engine roaring,'' she said. ``It seemed to be heading toward Salak, but I didn't hear an explosion or anything.'' 

Rear Marshal Daryatmo, chief of the national search and rescue agency, said several diplomats from the Russian Embassy, potential buyers from major Indonesian airlines and journalists were on board what was supposed to be a 50-minute demonstration flight, the second of the day.

Together with the Russian crew, the plane was carrying 50 people, said Sunaryo, from PT Trimarga Rekatama, the company that was responsible for the guest list. Like many Indonesians, both Sunaryo and Daryatmo use only one name. 

Though the air search was called off by early evening, soldiers, police and members of the air force had joined the land-based rescue efforts. They were expected to continue through the night, but the terrain was rough and difficult to navigate after darkness fell. 

``Hopefully they'll be able to reach the location tonight,'' Daryatmo said. 

Developed by the Russian aerospace company Sukhoi in co-operation with Western partners, the plane is the first completely new airliner designed by Russia since the Soviet collapse. 

Russia has hoped that the short- to mid-range jet, which made its maiden run in 2008, would help it break into international markets dominated by Boeing and Airbus. 

It was on the fourth stop of a six-nation ``Welcome Asia!'' road show after having already been to Myanmar, Pakistan and Kazakhstan. It was supposed to head next to Laos and Vietnam. 

Anand Marriage Bill introduced in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, May 7
The government today brought before Parliament a Bill to amend the 103-year-old statute that hitherto allowed solemnisation of Sikh marriages but not their legal validation.
The Anand Marriage Amendment Bill:2012, introduced in the Rajya Sabha today by Law Minister Salman Khurshid, amends the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, by inserting a new Section enabling registration of marriages performed as per the Sikh rituals (Anand Karaj).
The amendment Bill defines the Sikh marriage ceremony as “Anand Karaj” instead of “Anand” as in the old law. Once passed by both Houses of Parliament, it will give the Sikhs the liberty to register their marriages separately and will exempt them from registering these under the Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths Act, 1969 (which the government plans to amend to provide for religion neutral registration of marriages across India).
The Sikhs would continue to have the option of registering their marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, as before. It was registration under this Act that had been causing confusion about their religious identity abroad with their marriage certificates describing them as Hindus.
Importantly, the amendment Bill doesn’t provide for divorce among Sikh couples. For a divorce, they would have to use the Hindu Marriage Act.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer HS Phoolka, commenting on the matter, said: “Because the amendment Bill serves a limited purpose of giving Sikh religion a separate identity by allowing marriage registration under a pre-existing law, it is not a complete marriage law.
“Any religion to be recognised must have its separate ceremony of births, deaths and marriages. Sikhs didn’t have a separate marriage law so far and they wanted the Anand Marriage Act amended for the purpose. For divorce, Sikhs can use the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.”
The amendment Bill clearly states that “parties whose marriage has been registered under this Act won’t be required to get marriage registered under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, after the enactment of the proposed amendments in this Bill.” “Today we have won the battle for a separate identity as a religion,” said former MP Tarlochan Singh who led the movement for the Bill. “The SGPC is also against any divorce provision under the Anand Marriage Amendment Bill,” he said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law had approved these amendments in 2007 when Veerappa Moily was Law Minister. “The Bill need not go again to the standing committee and can be simply taken up and passed,” Tarlochan Singh added.

No provision of divorce in the new BillFor seeking divorce, Sikhs would have to use the Hindu Marriage Act. The Union Cabinet had approved amendment to the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, on April 12 this year.

Highway horror in Moga; 18 dead

Moga, May 7
Eighteen persons, including six women and five children, were killed in a head-on collision between a Canter and a truck near Ghal Kalan village on the Moga-Ferozepur national highway in the wee hours here today.

The victims hailed from Daulatpura Uchha and Daulatpura Niwan villages of the Moga district. They were returning home in the Canter (HP-73-1054) after paying obeisance at the Nanaksar Kaleran gurdwara situated in the Jagraon subdivision of Ludhiana district.

The accident took place around 2 am. While 14 persons were killed on the spot, four others died in a Moga hospital. No one travelling in the Canter could survive.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the speeding truck (PB-29G-9765) crashed head-on with the Canter while trying to overtake some vehicle. Satpal Singh Bhangu SP (D) said the truck driver fled from the spot leaving behind his vehicle.

A criminal case under Sections 304, 427 and 279 of the IPC has been registered against the truck driver. He has been identified as Sukhwinder Singh of Kotkaror village of Ferozepur district.

Owner of the Canter Pala Singh was also killed in the accident. Eleven members of Pala Singh’s family, including him, were killed in the accident. The other members of his family who were killed included his wife Charanjit Kaur, sons Surjit Singh and Ranjit Singh, daughters-in-law Inderjit Kaur and Ranjit Kaur, grandsons Gurpreet Singh, Taranbir Singh and Ranbir Singh and granddaughters Manpreet Kaur and Sanpreet Kaur.

Another family of Daulatpura Niwan village lost five members in the accident. The two other persons killed in the accident were identified as Jaswant Singh and Surinder Kumar. Moga DM Arshdeep Singh Thind announced that the administration would bear expenses for the cremation of victims.

SSP BURSTS INTO TEARS

Moga SSP Surjit Singh burst into tears while meeting family members of the deceased at the district hospital. “I can understand the pain of losing family members in tragic incidents,” he said.

Delhi to Dhaka: Efforts on to build consensus on Teesta

New Delhi, May 7
India today told Bangladesh that it was trying to evolve domestic political consensus for an early conclusion of the Teesta river water-sharing accord with the neighbouring country.

With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee still not on board with regard to signing what has now become a controversial pact, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told her Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni that since water was a sensitive issue, internal consultations were on amongst various stakeholders in India in accordance with the country's tradition of consensual decision-making.

''We are trying to develop a political consensus in India. It is important that the views of all those who are dependent on water are taken into account and burden is shared equitably. Meanwhile, there is no change in the situation...the waters are flowing,'' Krishna said at a joint press conference with Moni after the two ministers co-chaired the maiden meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC).

The Teesta agreement was to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh last year but Mamata raised objections at the last minute, saying her state's interests were not being protected. This led to stalling of the much-anticipated pact.

Issues like Teesta water sharing, extradition treaty and the implementation of the land boundary accord are understood to have figured prominently during the meeting of the JCC, set up during Prime Minister Singh's visit to Dhaka. The two sides also discussed the implementation of the projects Bangladesh has launched under the $ 1 billion Line of Credit (LoC) extended to it by India.

The Bangladeshi minister described her talks with Krishna as productive and useful while reiterating Dhaka's demand that the Teesta agreement be signed as soon as possible.

Moni also noted that the Indian side has reassured her that "there will no unilateral undertaking of linking the Himalayan rivers without consultations with Bangladesh". She expressed the hope that India and Bangladesh would expedite their trade agreements and protocols.

The two sides also reviewed the 24-hour unfettered access to Bangladeshi nationals at Dahagram and Angarporta through the Tin Bigha corridor, the signing of the bilateral boundary strip maps under which a few areas are still to be covered, and the coordinated border management plan to reduce illegal and criminal activities.