Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: CANBERRA - Australia announced tough new measures to stem a dramatic increase in refugee boats from Indonesia on Friday, with a deal to send all boat arrivals to Papua New Guinea PNG for assessment and eventual settlement. , according to Reuters. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is facing a tough election race and immigration has become a contentious issue. By James Grubel The human rights group Amnesty International condemned the measures, saying Australia was shirking its moral obligations and turning its back on the world's most vulnerable people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Premier Darrell Dexter: Atlantic Canadas concerns with employment insurance changes are expected to get another airing next week as the countrys premiers gather in Ontario for their annual meeting, according to The Chronicle Herald. Dexter said they had asked the federal government for data and analysis supporting the changes, but hes not aware that the information has been provided and Premier Darrell Dexter said it will be one of the issues on his agenda. He and his Atlantic colleagues agreed when they met in Nova Scotia in April to look at impacts of the changes and present initial findings at the Council of the Federations summer session. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Supreme Court: In a precedent-setting 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court granted the appeal of Rachidi Ekanza Ezokola and ordered a new refugee hearing to determine whether he was complicit by association in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the government of his country, according to 660 News. The ruling clarified the line that defines whether senior public officials should be excluded from the definition of a refugee for being part of a government that commits war crimes. It also shifted the burden of proof needed to deny a refugee applicant to the minister of immigration and OTTAWA The Supreme Court of Canadas ruling Friday on a former Congolese diplomats refugee claim will prevent innocent asylum seekers from being unfairly branded as war criminals, legal experts say. The court ruled that a person can only be excluded from refugee protection if there are serious reasons for considering that he or she voluntarily made a knowing and significant contribution to the crime or criminal purpose of the group alleged to have committed the crime. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Enrique Andres Pretel Maduro: CARACAS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demanded the United States apologize on Thursday after the Obama administration's nominee for envoy to the United Nations said there was a crackdown on civil society in the South American country. , according to Reuters. "I want an immediate correction by the U.S. government," Maduro said in comments broadcast live on state television. By Daniel Wallis and Enrique Andres Pretel Maduro has often clashed with Washington since winning an April election following the death of his mentor, socialist leader Hugo Chavez. He said Samantha Power's comments to a Senate confirmation hearing had been aggressive and unfair. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Immigration and Refugee Board: The Supreme Court of Canada has given its unanimous consent for Mr. Ezokola, a high-level diplomat from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to appeal his refugee application. Canadas Immigration and Refugee Board had turned him down, citing concerns that Mr. Ezokola may have been complicit by association in war crimes in the Congo based on his senior ranking there. The board acknowledged that Mr. Ezokola himself had not directly participated in war crimes. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Canada opens its doors to 1,300 Syrian refugees Annick Legault, lawyer for Rachidi Ekanza Ezokola, breaks the news to him on the phone. In the background, she can hear his wife and eight children screaming happily and singing. Pakistan Christian girl accused of blasphemy moved to Canada over security fears: lawyer (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

John Dyble: Premier Christy Clark's deputy minister John Dyble found the ethnic vote plan blurred the lines between government and Liberal Party work, prompting six recommendations including forcing the Liberal party to reimburse taxpayers about $70,000, according to Huffington Post. But Dix says an August 2012 email from former multiculturalism minister John Yap to former government aide Brian Bonney about ethnic vote lists indicates a highly organized plan to court voters in the run-up to last May's British Columbia election and VICTORIA - Opposition New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix says new documents show the Liberals' ethnic vote plan was far more developed than the findings of the government-ordered investigation suggest. Dyble's report says work to compile ethnic vote lists was pursued, but complete lists were never developed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Supreme Court of Canada: OTTAWA The Supreme Court of Canada has granted the appeal of a former Congolese diplomat who was seeking refugee status in Canada in a ruling that will have implications for future war crimes cases, according to The Chronicle Herald. committed by the government In a precedent-setting 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that Rachidi Ekanza Ezokola is entitled to a new hearing on whether he was complicit by association in war crimes and crimes against humanity (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

President Barack Obama: Republican Lindsey Graham, who has already suggested an Olympic boycott, and Democrat Charles Schumer offered a resolution urging Moscow to turn Mr. Snowden over to the United States and prodded Washington to take action if it does not do so. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Snowden could leave airport transit zone soon, lawyer says Two U.S. senators asked President Barack Obama on Friday to consider recommending a different location for the September G20 summit in St. Petersburg if Russia does not hand over fugitive former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. Obama may cancel talks with Putin over Snowden, Syria (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Primus inter pares: Primus inter pares is a Latin nostrum meaning first among equals . It is a stalwart phrase for describing the role and influence of prime ministers in their cabinets. The ministerial shuffle and populating of cabinet committees show that while there is one first and probably a few seconds, there are many more thirds gathered around the Centre Block table. And with that, not just ministerial responsibility and accountability to Parliament becomes more opaque but consensus, the mystical tie that binds all cabinets, increasingly flows from the top down. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. GERALD CAPLAN The privileges of power: a look at Edward Burkhardt and Stephen Harper With the dust settling on Mondays Cabinet shuffle it is time to dust off some Latin to understand better its significance and what it reveals. Harpers cabinet: The familiar faces, the demoted and the departed (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

2014 Winter Olympics: NOVOGORSK, Russia - It would be "stupid" to let the conviction of a Kremlin opponent or Moscow's refusal to extradite fugitive American Edward Snowden interfere with the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia's sports minister said on Friday. , according to Reuters. Asked whether Navalny's conviction could have a negative effect on the Sochi Games, Mutko said: "I don't think it will have an influence, that would be absolutely stupid." By Alexei Anishchuk Sports should be separate from politics, Vitaly Mutko said, warning against a repeat of the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow by the United States - a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.