Obama: When someone throws a drowning man a life preserver, he cant afford to question his rescuers intentions. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Clearly Vladimir Putin, whose relationship with Obama is famously frosty, has no interest in doing him favors. Moscows gesture was meant to help its ally Assad by preventing a U.S. strike that could have benefited the Syrian opposition. U.S. President Barack Obama Thus, this week President Obama eagerly grabbed a lifeline thrown by the Russians: a proposal that international monitors take control of and destroy Syrias chemical arsenal. Moscows offer gave the president an excuse to postpone a congressional vote on authorizing a military strike against Syria a strike meant to punish Bashar al-Assad for crossing a chemical-weapons "red line" by gassing civilians. The Kremlin saved Obama from public humiliation since he was almost certain to lose the vote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Facebook Inc: SAN FRANCISCO - Since Facebook Inc's messy initial public offering more than a year ago, the buzz in technology investment has mostly surrounded companies serving businesses rather than consumers - a situation Twitter's imminent debut could help reverse, according to Reuters. That would mark a shift from the status quo since Facebook made its debut to much fanfare in May 2012, only to swiftly fall below its $38 IPO price and stay there for over a year. As daily deal promoter Groupon Inc and online game maker Zynga Inc also wilted, enterprise companies like Workday Inc - a human resources software provider - became de facto market darlings and By Sarah McBride and Olivia Oran From accommodation service Airbnb and storage site Dropbox, to limo-providers Uber, a clutch of hot Silicon Valley names that have steered clear of the markets may now gravitate back if Twitter helps revive investor interest in consumer apps and dotcoms. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Pamela Geller: The National Council of Canadian Muslims worries Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer will spread "hate and misinformation" about the Islamic faith when they speak at a Toronto-area hotel Tuesday evening, the group's executive director said. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "What we would like from the government of Canada is clear and consistent direction... when it comes to the eligibility of speakers to enter Canada," he said. TORONTO - A Canadian Muslim organization is calling on Ottawa to spell out how it decides whether to allow controversial foreign speakers into the country ahead of a planned appearance by two conservative American bloggers. Though it disagrees with their message, the group isn't seeking to have the pair turned away at the border, Ihsaan Gardee said. But it would like to know how, exactly, that decision is made. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Baljot Singh: QUEBEC'S plan to ban provincial employees from wearing conspicuous religious symbols has raised alarm bells among people who practise minority faiths in Manitoba. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Banned overt religious symbols for public employees off the Charter of Quebec values website. http://www.nosvaleurs.gouv.qc.ca Related Items Articles Talkin' 'bout secularization! Ontario group lures Quebec doctors, nurses Enlarge Image Sikh students from left Baljot Singh, Sehaj Singh and Bharjaheen Singh have some fun Thursday outside their school at the Punjab Cultural Centre on King Edward Street. "We are all devastated by what is happening in Quebec," said Amarjeet Warraich, co-chairman of Winnipeg's Punjab Cultural Centre. The community just opened the Punjab Cultural Centre in Winnipeg with a seniors centre and Manitoba's first Sikh school that teaches the Manitoba curriculum and courses in Punjabi, Hindi and Sikh studies. Enlarge Image (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nova Scotians: Sometime over the last decade, Nova Scotians lost a bit of enthusiasm for the idea of bringing immigrants to the province, according to a poll taken earlier this year, according to The Chronicle Herald. But the changes are small. Its hard to know what to make of the Nova Scotia statistics, said Jeffrey Reitz, a sociologist at the University of Toronto who has extensively studied Canadians attitudes toward immigration and EDITOR #39;S NOTE: For more on immigration in Nova Scotia, see Herald Magazine in Saturdays issue of and online at thechronicleherald.ca. They are also slightly less inclined to believe that immigrants are good for the economy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mumtaz Ladha: The employer, 60-year-old Canadian citizen Mumtaz Ladha, is facing several charges, including the human-trafficking of the 26-year-old Tanzanian woman who cannot be identified under a publication ban, according to CBC. The court heard the young woman grew up with her two older siblings and parents in a house with running water and electricity and A young woman from East Africa had lived a life of hardship and poverty before meeting the employer who eventually brought her to Canada and allegedly forced her into domestic servitude, a human trafficking trial heard Wednesday. The alleged victim, wearing glasses and a black outfit, testified at B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday that she began working as a housekeeper for Ladha in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, when she was about 14 years old. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

President Mohammed Morsi: The nearly month-old state of emergency, which is due to expire within days, preserves greater powers for security forces amid a crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi and increasing violence by Islamic militants. It was first declared in mid-August after authorities cleared two protest encampments held by Morsi supporters, unleashing violence that claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 in subsequent days, according to CTV. The government Thursday announced new measures aimed at easing an economic crunch, in a sign it aims to show that it is tackling the nation's problems even amid the exceptional security conditions and CAIRO, Egypt -- Egypt's interim president on Thursday extended a nationwide state of emergency for two more months, citing continued security concerns, as a senior Egyptian official warned of more terrorist attacks in the wake of a failed assassination attempt against the interior minister and suicide bombings in the Sinai Peninsula. Ever since, a nighttime curfew has also been in effect in much of the country. The interim government will decide separately on whether to continue the curfew. Interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi has said the curfew, now lasting for 7 hours most nights, would likely be eased. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nova Scotians: For Nova Scotians trying to decide which political party to support in the Oct. 8 election, a couple of studies released on Wednesday provided fresh data for contemplation, according to The Chronicle Herald. Thats the survey that replaced the compulsory long-form census, jettisoned by the Harper government in 2010 and The first, and most important, was the 2011 National Household Survey released by Statistics Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Maria Mourani: CTV reports that Mourani, in both interviews and a letter she co-wrote with other separatists, slammed the controversial plan as nothing less than the promotion of ethnic nationalism, according to Huffington Post. "Whether they like it or not, they are discriminating against minorities. It has never been easy to convince people from ethno-cultural groups that the independence movement is inclusive. The signal here is not very encouraging, she said and Maria Mourani, member of Parliament for the Quebec riding of Ahuntsic, has been kicked out of the Bloc Quebecois caucus after denouncing the proposed Charter of Quebec Values. Mourani and 18 others, including former Bloc MP Jean Dorion, denounced the PQ plan to ban public servants from wearing ostentatious religious symbols, including hijabs and turbans, The Globe and Mail reports. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

religious accommodations: The union of public and parapublic workers SFPQ said for the past six years it has been asking the government to provide ironclad rules about how they should deal with members of the public who want bureaucrats to make religious accommodations, according to CTV. Executives from the union, which represents 42,000 civil servants, said they support the Charter of Quebec Values and Civil servants are glad that, at long last, someone in government is listening to their demands for clear guidelines about making religious accommodations. Lucie Martineau said one particular example is when individuals ask to be served by a man or a woman for religious reasons. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.