specks album: She says it with a chuckle, but Ladan Hussein the Toronto singer/songwriter better known by her stage name, Cold Specks spent a good year in hell to earn that laugh, according to Toronto Star. She's not kidding around. There's a lot to write about. There's a deep well of autobiographical material waiting to be plumbed on the next Cold Specks album, and none of it is pretty. http //KEXP.ORG presents Cold Specks performing live in the KEXP studio. Except the outcome, that is Hussein is still with us to continue making music. Recorded November 24, 2014. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

migration conference: Unregulated migration bears a terrible human cost a cost in lives lost on perilous journeys across deserts, oceans and rivers; and a cost in lives ruined at the hands of smugglers, unscrupulous employers and other predators, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a migration conference in Marrakech, Morocco, according to CTV. More than 60,000 migrants have died on the move since the year 2000, he said. The debate over the Global Compact for Migration, the first of its kind, has proven to be a pivotal test of the U.N.-led effort to crack down on the often dangerous and illegal movements across borders that have turned people smuggling into a worldwide industry, and give people seeking economic opportunity a chance. This is a source of collective shame. It can also involve high-skilled workers from developed nations looking for opportunities beyond their homelands. Migration affects hundreds of millions of people across the globe -- farmers coming off the land or forced by climate change to head to cities, families fleeing war or persecution at home, impoverished workers from the developing world looking for jobs in rich countries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dandakaranya jungle: Telangana was the Dandakaranya jungle that Ram crossed during his exile, according to Rabble. Parshuram, the sage who challenged Ram before recognising his powers, meditated in Madhya Pradesh. Chhattisgarh was the maika, or parental home, of Ram's mother. In Rajasthan, Ram's lieutenant Bajrang Bali would be enough to defeat Ali, a name aimed at evoking a fear of Muslims. Lest there be ambiguity as to the identity of the biryani-eaters, he explained whom he meant while addressing a rally in Nagaur, Rajasthan, on November 26. Campaigning in four of the five states where Assembly elections were held, Adityanath also boasted that the BJP was the only party capable of establishing Ram Rajya, a state of peace and development where everyone received welfare benefits without discrimination . The only exception, he thundered, were terrorists who would be fed bullets and not biryani. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration section: Marina Sedai, chair of the immigration section of the Canadian Bar Association, said she wasn't surprised lawyers had the highest success rate, according to Toronto Star. SUPPLIED PHOTO Canada received 342,154 temporary resident applications in 2017, the data shows. But chances of success are much higher if they hire an immigration lawyer to help get their study, work or visitor visas, according to immigration data obtained under an access to information request. While 86 per cent of applicants declared themselves as self-represented, 6 per cent were represented by consultants and another 5 per cent by lawyers. Overall, 18.9 per cent of the applications were rejected. The remaining 3 per cent hired Quebec notaries or used non-remunerated representatives. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

security team: Meng Wanzhou is facing allegations of fraud for using a shell company to violate the U.S.-European Union trade sanctions against Iran, according to CTV. On Monday morning her legal team presented its case for bail, trying to paint a picture of a comprehensive security plan with near-constant monitoring. The CFO of Huawei, a multinational Chinese telecommunications company, remains in custody more than a week after she was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport. During the proceedings, Meng sat in a green jumpsuit and appeared to be listening attentively. It includes a dedicated driver and security team, to be paid for by Meng herself. Detailed release plan presented The plan was fronted by Scot Filer, a former RCMP staff sergeant who is now with Lions Gate Risk Management. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

d-n.y .,: Already embraced by Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., an increasingly influential figure on the left, the Green New Deal is designed to nudge prospective Democratic presidential candidates to stake out aggressive positions on climate change, according to National Observer. Some cast the goals as idealistic and politically risky. ; Organizers with the Sunrise Movement activist group frame it as a make-or-break issue for Democratic voters, particularly young ones. Hundreds of young demonstrators are planning to turn out Monday on Capitol Hill to push Democrats on a package of ambitious environmental goals including a nationwide transition to 100 per cent power from renewable sources within as little as 10 years that's collectively dubbed the Green New Deal. But they're fighting recent history on that point. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., jockeyed during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary over their plans to stave off the devastating effects that scientists have warned of as temperatures continue to rise. Hillary Clinton and Sen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hussen: Canada will have a more official way, through the compact, to address the problems that cause migrants to leave their countries for Canada, Hussen said, according to National Observer. People talk about how we should approach irregular migration one of the ways to do that is to work with other countries, Hussen said. Speaking from Marrakech, Morocco on Friday, where a UN summit on migration is to kick off next week, Hussen said the Global Compact on Migration is an important agreement that will set out, for the first time, an official international framework for countries to work together on the causes and impacts of migration. ; For Canada, one of the key benefits will be an opportunity to work with source countries of irregular asylum seekers, who have been crossing into Canada via non-official entry points by the tens of thousands over the last two years. One of the things that we do is work with partner countries to assist them with job creation and skills-development programs that enables source countries for migrants, like Morocco, to ensure a better future for their people here so that they don't have to take risky journeys for migration and engage in irregular migration. Australia, Israel, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Italy, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have said they will not support it. But despite two years of work at the UN level and consensus reached after six rounds of negotiation on the final text, a movement of protest against the agreement has grown in Europe over the last year, leading several European countries to quit the compact. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

iraqi militants: Emad Tamo, the Yazidi boy whose photo went viral after he was freed from Daesh and eventually reunited with his mother in Winnipeg, Man. is photographed with his new bike outside his home at Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba, according to Toronto Star. JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS Now, he's behind a movement to bring new bicycles to all Yazidi refugee children in Winnipeg. For the 14-year-old boy, the bicycle stands for freedom, something that only a few years ago was snatched away from him and his family when they were taken by Iraqi militants and held captive for three years. I saw so many kids they suffered when they were captured by Daesh . There were so many kids they were crying. We saw a lot of things, Emad said through translator Khalil Hesso, president of the Yazidi Association of Manitoba. They were dead. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fear refugees: The non-binding document, which aims to help countries deal with growing numbers of migrants, including asylum seekers, is expected to adopted at a UN conference in Morocco early next week, according to CTV. About 400 people attended Saturday's protest and counter-protest in the capital. The protests on Parliament Hill centred around whether or not Canada should adopt the United Nations' Global Compact on Migration, which the federal government says it will sign. The two sides were separated by riot police. I want to keep Canada Canadian! an anti-migration protester told CTV Ottawa. No hate! No fear! Refugees are welcome here! one side chanted. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

english test: Niagara College flagged concerns with inconsistencies in the scores of English-language tests taken by students applying from India, according to Toronto Star. It has asked 428 applicants to retake the test in India or risk having their offers of acceptance cancelled. Niagara College has contacted more than 400 students admitted to its January 2019 programs who had taken IELTS tests at locations in India, telling them they had to undergo a second English test or risk losing their offer of admission. Niagara College The International English Language Testing System IELTS is accepted by most Canadian academic institutions and is one of two major English language tests used by Immigration Canada as independent proof of an immigration or citizenship applicant's language proficiency. Those students were made to take an in-house language test and the college found 200 out of that group were failing in their academic programs because their English was not at the required level. Steve Hudson, Niagara College's vice-president of academic and learner services, said the school launched an investigation this fall after the number of first-year international students flagged by faculty for being at risk academically surged to 300 from an average of 150 in previous years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

camp: Rising numbers of migrants live in the makeshift camp that sprung up on a soccer field near a busy Casablanca bus station, where they are bedded down under tents or shacks built from plastic and wood, according to CTV. Scant food, a lack of heat and no sanitation are the main worries at the Oulad Ziane camp, as lice and respiratory infections are becoming endemic. These sub-Saharan Africans who dream of going to Europe are a symbol of the problems world dignitaries are trying to address with the U.N.'s first migration compact, being finalized at a conference in Marrakech on Monday and Tuesday. Morocco embodies multiple dilemmas facing the countries meeting in Marrakech It's a major source of Europe's migrants but is also a transit country as well as a migrant host for other Africans fleeing poverty and persecution. But the United States and several European countries have said they won't sign on. The 34-page U.N. Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is to be formally approved in Marrakech, Morocco, on Dec. 10-11. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

crown prosecutors: The arrest, carried out at the request of authorities in the United States, has infuriated the Chinese government and worsened pre-existing tensions between the two global heavyweights, according to Toronto Star. In this courtroom sketch, Meng Wanzhou, back right, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, sits beside a translator during a bail hearing at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Friday. Meng Wanzhou was taken into custody on Dec. 1 at the Vancouver airport. Jane Wolsak / THE CANADIAN PRESS On Friday, the first day of Meng's bail hearing at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, Crown prosecutors revealed the nature of the claims for the first time. The U.S. authorities allege Meng committed fraud by telling an HSBC executive her company was in compliance with U.S. sanctions against Iran limiting communication technology. A warrant from the Eastern District of New York alleges Meng knew Huawei was operating a company called Sky Com to do business with Iran, which has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 1979. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

teaching students: Ikwe Widdkiitiwin is one of Manitoba's largest women's shelters, according to CTV. Ikwe Widdkiitiwin's executive director Stephanie Johnson told CTV News that the most important thing was to believe survivors. The report also found that 79 percent of adult domestic homicide victims were female, and 53 percent were either refugees or immigrants, people of Indigenous heritage, people living in rural areas or children. A lot of times that's the one that hurts the most, said Johnson. Johnson also stressed the importance of educating men, families and the greater community, suggesting that such an education should begin before adolescence in teaching students what healthy boundaries and healthy relationships look like. When you've had the courage to go out, you've have the courage to ask for help and then you're not being believed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

british columbians: A referendum service office run by Elections BC for the 2018 referendum on electoral reform and proportional representation, according to Toronto Star. All ballots must be received by 4 30 p.m. on Friday Twitter/ElectionsBC But even in the final days, many voters expressed confusion about what is on the ballot and how they should vote. The referendum asks whether B.C. should switch to a proportional representation voting system or keep its current first-past-the-post system. Voting closes at 4 30 p.m. on Friday, and since Elections BC must receive all ballots by that time and no later, it's too late to send yours in the mail. Here is everything we know, and what we don't yet know, about the referendum, its controversies and how British Columbians are participating. But you can drop them off until that time at any Referendum Service Office or, outside the Lower Mainland, a Service BC centre. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trade barriers: But other premiers, including fellow Conservative Brian Pallister from Manitoba, disputed Ford's interpretation of what the prime minister said behind closed doors in Montreal and Trudeau himself dismissed the charge, according to CTV. Ford at least did not follow through on a threat to walk out of the meeting, which he had criticized for being too narrowly focused on Trudeau's priority -- reducing interprovincial trade barriers -- and not enough on the priorities of provinces and territories. The one sour note was sounded by Ontario's Progressive Conservative premier, Doug Ford, who accused Trudeau of moving the goalposts on Canada's climate-change plans, requiring Ontario to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions more than Ford had expected. Trudeau managed to mollify the premiers by letting them talk about whatever they wanted. I was encouraged by the kind of no-holds-barred discussion. Everything was discussed, said Blaine Higgs, New Brunswick's Conservative premier and the chair of the meeting from the premiers' side. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

climate science: Yet many people don't, according to National Observer. Instead, they believe a variety of climate myths. Birds of a feather flock together, so I am sure that nearly all of those reading this article accept the main findings of climate science. Arm yourself with Climate Change knowledge when you have to deal with doubting Uncle Pete at the Christmas dinner table. holidays climatescience These include claims that the world isn't warming; or if warming is occurring, it is natural and not human-caused; or volcanoes produce more carbon dioxide than we humans do. Pete spoils the family mood by making these false claims, which he found on talk radio or the Internet. I know none of you believes these myths, but it seems that almost everybody has an unpleasant relative call him Uncle Pete who comes to dinner. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

troll farms: Online operatives create social media accounts or hijack existing profiles, and even set up troll farms of employees paid to comment on traditional media websites, social media and anywhere else they can reach their target audience, the centre says, according to CTV. Cyber threat actors also try to steal and release information, modify or make information more compelling and distracting, create fraudulent or distorted 'news,' and promote extreme opinions. In a report Thursday, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns that state-sponsored players can conduct sophisticated influence operations by posing as regular people. The new centre, a wing of the Communications Security Establishment, Canada's electronic spy agency, brings together experts from the CSE, Public Safety and Shared Services. An updated version will be issued next spring, just months before Canadians go to the polls. The CSE warned in a study for the Liberal government last year that cyberthreat activity against the democratic process is increasing around the world, and Canada is not immune. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration officials: Those caveats were in place before the zero-tolerance policy that prompted the earlier separations at the border, according to CTV. The government decides whether a child fits into the areas of concern, worrying advocates of the families and immigrant rights groups that are afraid parents are being falsely labeled as criminals. Despite the order and a federal judge's later ruling, immigration officials are allowed to separate a child from a parent in certain cases -- serious criminal charges against a parent, concerns over the health and welfare of a child or medical concerns. From June 21, the day after President Donald Trump's order, through Tuesday, 76 adults were separated from the children, according to the data. Nine were hospitalized, 10 had gang affiliations and four had extraditable warrants, according to the immigration data. Of those, 51 were criminally prosecuted -- 31 with criminal histories and 20 for other, unspecified reasons, according to the government data. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

labour market: STEM careers are the fastest growing part of the labour market, and some estimates put the need for technology workers at 216,000 jobs by 2021, according to CBC. To explore the talent gap, the FP talked to innovators who have left Canada to pursue opportunities with big multinational companies, and also those who have moved here to be a part of this country's digital transformation. The client was not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it prior to publication.x Presented by Jolera Canada proves land of opportunity for famous immigrant inventors Alexander Graham Bell was a big one, but Canada boasts plenty more ground-breaking talent from abroad Financial Post Staff December 5, 20186 00 AM ESTLast Updated December 5, 201812 01 PM ESTFiled Share this story Canada proves land of opportunity for famous immigrant inventors Tumblr Pinterest Google Linked InAsk the leader of any technology company and they'll tell you that hiring engineers, data scientists or mathematicians is one of their biggest challenges. You can find all of our coverage here. The country ranked seventh in terms of the number of immigrants who held patents between 2000 and 2010, according to a 2016 National Foundation for American Policy report. Although the United States often bills itself as the land of opportunity, Canada is no slouch when it comes to immigrant inventors. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration officials: In addition, two former long-term detainees have been deported following the review of 27 long-term detention cases involving inmates locked up for at least a year, according to Toronto Star. Ebrahim Toure, right, is greeted by friends Mohamadou Dukuray, left, and Gebere Mageraga after his release in September after more than 5-1/2 years in immigration detention. Six of those long-term detainees are now out of jail, while the release of two others is imminent, a spokesperson for the Immigration and Refugee Board told the Star. He had been jailed indefinitely because immigration officials believed he would not show up for his deportation if it was ever arranged. Rick Madonik/Toronto Star File Photo Rick Madonik / Toronto Star File Photo The review was launched in the wake of a damning independent audit this summer that revealed a system that unfairly keeps people behind bars for months on end due to ill-informed adjudicators, decision-making based on inaccurate information, unchallenged faith in border enforcement officials and inadequate legal representation for detainees. In the end, officials conceded they could not deport him. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

version: The program subsidizes wages for summer workers, to encourage small businesses and non-profits to bring on students and others looking for early experience, according to CTV. Wording on the application for the 2018 version of the program required groups to say neither their core mandates nor the jobs being funded actively worked to undermine constitutional, human and reproductive rights. Instead, the federal Liberals have re-tooled the 2019 version of the Canada Summer Jobs program to require applicants to declare they don't work to infringe on any Canadian's legal rights. Informal consultations over the past few months led to the government's decision to change the wording for the 2019 version of the program. More changes have been made to the program's eligibility criteria to disqualify any project or job that tries to restrict a woman's ability to access sexual or reproductive health services, or that won't hire people based on their sex, religion, race, ethnic origin, gender identity or gender expression. It still achieves the same aim of ensuring that groups that are primarily against human rights, like anti-choice groups, are not going to be eligible for funding still, and it appears to satisfy the concerns of religious groups and churches, said Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lists canada: The index is compiled by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace based on five years' worth of data from 163 countries representing 99.7 per cent of the world's population, according to CTV. Canada's previous peak position had been 58th, which it reached in 2009. The newest edition of the Global Terrorism Index, which was released Wednesday, lists Canada as having the 57th-highest level of terrorist activity in the world, up nine places from its position one year earlier. This year's ranking was obtained despite the country falling below the global average in each of the criteria used in the ranking number of terrorist incidents, deaths attributable to terrorism, injuries attributable to terrorism and property damage attributable to terrorism. Alexandre Bissonnette has pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting. Canada experienced six terror-related deaths in 2017, all of which were the result of an armed assault at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City by a right-wing extremist, the report reads. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

shifts shifts: The plan will move the province to a low-carbon future, said Horgan, who introduced the plan with Green Leader Andrew Weaver, according to CTV. We want to make shifts shifts in our homes, shifts in our vehicles, shifts in our industry to move away from burning fossil fuels and towards a cleaner, greener approach using British Columbia's abundant electricity and other abundant opportunities that are now emerging and will emerge into the future, the premier said. Premier John Horgan said Wednesday the plan called CleanBC will rely on cutting emissions from buildings, industries, vehicles and organic waste, while boosting the carbon tax and the production of clean hydroelectricity. The climate-change plan will require all new buildings to be net-zero energy ready by 2032, meaning they would need to generate on-site energy to power their own function. The plan also includes diverting 95 per cent of organic waste from landfills and converting it to other products. The government says new buildings will be 80 per cent more efficient by then compared with homes built now. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

year points: Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has done much to improve the lot for immigrants and refugees caught up in the Immigration and Refugee Board system, according to Toronto Star. But there is a lot more to be done. By declaring in 2016 that people should be locked up pending refugee and immigration hearings only as a last resort, he reduced the number held in detention in Canada to 3,557 last year, down from about 10,000 only five years ago. CHAD HIPOLITO / THE CANADIAN PRESS Still, an independent review of cases that led to the recent release of eight immigration detainees held behind bars for more than a year points to the fact that there is still much more to be done. An independent audit of how the Immigration and Refugee Board conducts hearings that was released in July identified a number of alarming problems. That's no surprise. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

york times: The Lego Foundation, Sesame Workshop and refugee aid organizations are teaming to create play-based learning programs for children up to age 6 in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Bangladesh, according to Toronto Star. RYAN DONNELL / Sesame Workshop/The New York Times The aim is to create play-based learning programs for children up to age six in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Bangladesh. In its first major humanitarian project, announced on Wednesday, the foundation will provide 100 million U.S. over five years to the makers of Sesame Street to deepen their work with the International Rescue Committee in the countries around Syria, and also to partner with the Bangladeshi relief organization BRAC. In an undated photo provided by the Sesame Workshop, youths with a Sesame Street doll at a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. The programs will teach basics like the alphabet and numbers, but will also emphasize social and emotional development to counter the effects of stress and suffering. Officials at the organizations involved said that helping children's brains develop during their first years when they are absorbing information like sponges is crucial to helping them become healthy and successful later in life, and that play is an excellent way to do it. They will be offered both to displaced children and to some of their potential friends in host communities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

conspiracy theories: It is aimed at improving co-operation between countries and will be signed by multiple countries next week in Morocco, according to National Observer. Canada's Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is to sign on Canada's behalf. But the Liberals say Conservatives are simply trying to court voters being fed conspiracy theories about the UN agreement fuelled by the far-right online media outlet Rebel Media. ; The Global Compact on Migration is set to become the first, inter-governmentally negotiated agreement under the UN to cover all dimensions of international migration. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer strongly opposes the agreement, arguing it would give foreign entities influence over Canada's immigration system and would influence media coverage of immigration issues. Instead of signing international agreements that erode our sovereign right to manage our borders, the prime minister should focus on restoring order at home. Canadians and Canadians alone should make decisions on who comes into our country and under what circumstances, Scheer said Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.