Graeme Smith: In his long-awaited book about the Afghan war, Graeme Smith writes what others have long thought but rarely said out loud about the violently poor, landlocked south Asian country where some say empires go to die, according to Huffington Post. Many, particularly those who run in military and political circles and whose reputations rest on history's judgment of that nasty, never-ending guerilla war, would disagree. The army never lost a battle, they say and OTTAWA - It may yet serve as the epitaph to Canada's nearly 12-year involvement in Afghanistan. "We lost the war in southern Afghanistan and it broke my heart," Smith a former foreign correspondent with the Globe and Mail writes in the opening sentence of his intense, unflinching memoir. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

charter: There is another major anti-charter demonstration slated to take place this Sunday at Place des Festivals, coming up alongside a variety of additional smaller-scale efforts planned with the intention of speaking out against the charter, according to CTV. One organizer from that group appeared dubious that the proposal even has a chance of becoming the law of the land and Quebecers are being everything but quiet when it comes to voicing their views on the Parti Quebecois proposed Charter of Values. The Sunday demonstration against the proposed charter is organized by a non-partisan group of professionals called Open Montreal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

corporate income tax revenues: OTTAWA - Canada had bigger budget deficits in July and in the April-July period than it did in the same periods last year due to a sharp drop in corporate income tax revenues, which the government said would be reversed in August, according to Reuters. Revenues from corporate income taxes plunged 73.7 percent in July, down C$1.3 billion, "reflecting timing issues which lowered July revenues but are expected to raise August revenues," the government said and By Louise Egan The federal budget deficit widened to C$1.98 billion $1.92 billion in July, compared with a shortfall of C$1.35 billion in July 2012, the Department of Finance said on Friday in a monthly report. The government ran a C$158 million surplus in the month of June. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Department of Justice: UPDATED 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to The Chronicle Herald. The internal probe involving the accused sex abuser will be conducted by the Department of Justice, and its findings are to be released no later than Oct. 31 and Ottawa announced Friday it will do a review of federal government involvement in the long, controversial case of former Nova Scotia businessman Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

David Gilmour: U of T students are holding a literary rally to protest comments made by author David Gilmour, indicating that he doesnt like Chinese or female writers and (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Dedy Kusuma Bakti: Twenty-five people were rescued and transported to the Sukabumi immigration office for identification, said Cianjur police chief Lt. Col. Dedy Kusuma Bakti. The search for survivors was continuing, according to Times Colonist. Lebanon's official National News Agency said 17 Lebanese drowned in the incident. Nine members of a single family were among the Lebanese victims, with a woman and her eight children dying and her husband surviving, the agency reported and JAKARTA, Indonesia - A boat carrying dozens of asylum seekers sank off the coast of Indonesia's main island of Java on Friday, killing at least 21 people, an official said. Some survivors told officials that more than 100 asylum seekers from Lebanon, Pakistan and Iraq were believed to be aboard the boat, but the exact number of passengers was not known, Bakti said. Survivors said the boat was headed for Australia's Christmas Island. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tim Merry: As he coached the executive on posture, intonation and timing, Merry said, I realized I was helping him lie to the public, according to The Chronicle Herald. So Merry made himself a promise that day that he would never again do work that didnt conform with his passions and his integrity and MAHONE BAY Tim Merry was helping the public relations officer of German retail giant Metro AG prepare a series of speeches for the international press on the companys environmental policy when it hit him. The 23-year-old Englishman then went outside and sat in his Volkswagen Golf. In that moment, he realized why, despite having a good apartment, a nice girlfriend and a great job, he wasnt happy. I was not satisfied as a human, he recalled. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Roger Mooking: Its fitting, considering hes about to perform in the small Ontario town well regarded for its love of live theatre. The Trinidadian-Canadian chef gingerly takes to the stage and the crowd erupts in applause much like the sharp punch of citrus Mooking loves using to enhance the flavours in his dishes, according to Huffington Post. But theres a good chance Canadians are more familiar with Mookings other endeavors: he's the host of two popular cooking shows, Man Fire Food and Everyday Exotic ; a cookbook author and Juno-winning musician as a former member of R B trio Bass is Base and Roger Mooking shuffles his feet a few feet away from the stage at a Stratford cooking demo , much like the way an actor psyches himself up before an opening act. Its tough to say whats more diverse once hes on stage: the plethora of ingredients at his disposal for his cashew-chicken curry or the mans CV, which includes part-time stints as a college executive and philanthropist. At the moment, hes a guest speaker at Savour Stratford , an annual culinary event about a two-hour drive west of Toronto. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Jorge Sosa: He was 5 years old. Osorio and his siblings grabbed onto their mother's legs, but she was seized from them and taken to the well pleading for her life, according to Times Colonist. His chilling testimony came as Jorge Sosa, a former second lieutenant with a special forces unit of the Guatemalan army, is battling to remain an American citizen. If convicted of making false statements and obtaining citizenship unlawfully, Sosa also could face 15 years in prison and RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Peering out of a church where he was taken during a horrifying attack three decades ago, Ramiro Osorio watched armed men take small children from his Guatemalan village and bash them into a tree before tossing their bodies into a well. "I heard my mom screaming for help and 'Please, don't kill my kids. They don't know nothing. We don't know nothing,'" Osorio told an American jury Friday in the trial of a former Guatemalan soldier charged with lying about the massacre on his U.S. citizenship application. Osorio's parents and six siblings all died in the attack, which virtually wiped out the village. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Kathleen Wynne: In the wake of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report that found the province is faring worse than Rust Belt states such as Indiana and Ohio, Wynne insisted her Liberals cant do it alone, according to The Star. Thats the foundation of our youth employment fund to get labour and government and business working together to make sure that young people have the skills they need for the jobs that are available, she said, referring to the governments new $295-million strategy to address the subject and Businesses have to step up to help the government tackle Ontarios youth unemployment problem, says Premier Kathleen Wynne. It is necessary for us to engage the private sector on solving this issue, the premier told the Star on Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.