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Canada’s Quebec drops plan to tax the unvaccinated

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Canada’s Quebec drops plan to tax the unvaccinated

The premier of Canada’s Quebec province announced Tuesday that it has scrapped a controversial plan to tax residents who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.

At a news conference, Prime Minister François Legault took a conciliatory tone, trying to cover up the differences caused by the so-called “value added tax”.

Lego, speaking in French, said it was “time to rebuild the bridges between Quebecers” and “work together”.

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“My role is to try to bring Quebecers together and as a nation. That’s why we won’t continue to contribute to health,” he said, according to Global News.

Legault presented the proposal in January.

The premier made no mention of protests by truckers that continue to surround Canada’s capital, Ottawa. However, his administration is not the only one to ease restrictions since the Liberty team entered Ottawa on Friday. British Columbia and Saskatchewan are also considering lifting some restrictions.

On Tuesday, the House of Commons unanimously passed a series of resolutions condemning the protesters. One of the motions was to “condemn the display of racist flags in Ottawa last weekend,” referring to the example of some participants carrying Nazi flags. There have also been reports of some protesters desecrating landmarks such as the National War Memorial.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used the motions to launch another attack on protesters, tweeting: “Today in the House of Representatives, MPs unanimously condemn the anti-Semitism, Islamophobia we are seeing anti-Black racism, homophobia, and transphobia. Exhibited in Ottawa for the past few days. Let’s continue to work together to make Canada more inclusive.”

Ottawa police took action against two people linked to the protests. The company said Saturday it had charged Ottawa’s Matthew Dorking with “damage to property.”

“He was not arrested at the time to avoid a larger confrontation,” police said.

It also accused Andre Lacasse, another Ottawa resident, of carrying a weapon to a public meeting. Police said 13 active investigations were ongoing, with some “progress” into the desecration of war memorials and fewer protesters.

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However, protesters have yet to announce any plans to evacuate the city and end the unrest. In fact, their online fundraiser to support the protests has now raised nearly $10 million.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times

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Tollywood

HT Rewind 2024: Teja Sajja says HanuMan kicking off the year in style is the moment he’d been ‘waiting for’ | Exclusive

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HT Rewind 2024: Teja Sajja says HanuMan kicking off the year in style is the moment he’d been ‘waiting for’ | Exclusive

In conversation with Hindustan Times, Teja Sajja decodes the success of HanuMan and other Telugu films, talks about his upcoming projects, and more.
When Prasanth Varma’s superhero film HanuMan, starring Teja Sajja, was announced to be released alongside big films like Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram, Venkatesh’s Saindhav and Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga in January this year, no one expected the underdog to emerge on top. And yet, the film, made on a budget of under ₹50 crore, managed to collect over ₹300 crore at the box office worldwide in 25 days, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films for the year. (Also Read: Ranveer Singh met HanuMan actor Teja Sajja, complimented him even after his Prasanth Varma film Rakshas got shelved)

Ask Teja about the moment he realised his film had not just fought against the tide but also risen to the top; he tells Hindustan Times in an exclusive conversation, “Since I returned to acting (as a lead actor after being a child artiste since 1998), this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. When everything from the HanuMan teaser to the songs was grabbing attention, we knew we had hit a gold mine. But I don’t think we imagined it would cross the ₹300 crore threshold. We were so satisfied with the opening numbers; everything else was a bonus.”

‘Success has given me fear of disappointing people’

Teja acted in Zombie Reddy, Ishq and Adbhutham before HanuMan, but they are what you would call ‘critical successes’, adding to his repertoire as an actor who can perform. But things have changed for him now, says Teja, who is being picky about the roles he says yes to. “Success either makes you overconfident or gives you the fear of disappointing people; I have the latter,” he explains.

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Teja admits he wants to chart out his career in Hrithik Roshan’s footsteps, but not in the way you think. “I have such a fondness for Hrithik due to Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish. No matter how well he performed after that, these left a lasting impression on me; I’m sure 90s kids will agree,” he says, adding, “Similarly, I’ve realised that I have an audience in children now. I want to be conscious of that when I pick roles. I want to make films families can enjoy together.”

But despite people in places like Mumbai or Delhi recognising him, Teja says he’s clear that he wants to cater to the Telugu audience first. “I am conscious that I am making films for my playground – the Telugu states. This is the sensibility I have grown up with, and I don’t know if I can cater to everyone else. Will I promote my films in other languages? Sure. But I also can’t be part of films that aren’t authentic to what I know or understand,” he explains.

‘Rootedness has put us on the world map’

And authenticity seems to be the need of the hour. Be it Baahubali and RRR or the recently released Pushpa 2: The Rule, Kalki 2898 AD and Devara: Part 1, certain kind of stories seem to be finding success. “Rootedness and going local is proving to be such a boon for us, be it in Devara or Pushpa or HanuMan. Kalki 2898 AD was our version of a Hollywood film (the sci-fi concept) with actors from across languages in predominant roles; it put us on the world map,” reflects Teja.

However, the actor admits Tollywood went through a phase of Bollywood-inspired rom-coms and family dramas that worked in their favour for a while. “That wasn’t easy to replicate either, but it’s just that these local stories are what the audience seems most interested in now. It can’t just be chalked up to religion, too. It’s about the morals these films are hinged on, the fighting for righteousness, and how an underdog can find their strength. Introducing Mahabharata or Ramayana to a new audience in a cool way is just a perk,” he says.

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And it’s this rootedness that Teja says his next films, Mirai and Jai Hanuman (the sequel to HanuMan), will also have ample of. “Mirai is also a superhero film that caters to kids, but it’s not an origin story like HanuMan. It has a pan-Asian and Buddhist touch because the story is based on King Ashoka’s ideologies. I hope that I will get to deliver something new to the audience again. I will only feel like I’ve arrived if Mirai is equally, if not more, successful,” says Teja.

Rishab Shetty will headline Jai Hanuman, but Teja also looks forward to shooting that. “I can’t wait to be on that set; it’ll be exciting. Now that we know India is ready to watch our films, I want to step it up. I want to shift gears and shoot for at least two films in 2025,” he says. As for what he will do next, Teja says he wants to up the ante. “When I got a SIIMA award for Zombie Reddy as a debutant, I remember telling Prasanth this would be the last award I get. But now that I won a Radio City Cine Award for Best Actor, I hope more awards will follow,” he signs off cheekily.

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