Diego Cardona: Under the current system, students in English Language Learning courses -- formerly known as English as a Second Language courses -- do not receive school credits for taking the class. , according to Huffington Post. Cardona, who is originally from Colombia and now attends Sir Winston Churchill Secondary, says it's a matter of fairness. A group of migrant youth are calling on the B.C. Ministry of Education to give students credit for learning English, the same way native English speakers get credit for learning a foreign language. Diego Cardona, 17, is a member of the Fresh Voices Youth Advisory Team, a group of migrant and refugee students who have started an online petition asking the B.C. Ministry of Education to change their current policy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

travel document number: The plan, to be fully implemented next fall, is raising privacy concerns over the disclosure and retention of information, such as an applicants date of birth, travel document number and fingerprints. The information-sharing wouldnt apply to Canadian and American citizens or permanent residents, according to The Star. Privacy protection is a primary consideration for us, and the limited information exchange will comply with all relevant Canadian laws, including the Privacy Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to ensure that Canadians privacy rights are protected and Ottawa and Washington are further aligning their border security by sharing personal information of immigration and refugee applicants to both countries. Information-sharing between Canada and the U.S. . . . supports mutual efforts to facilitate legitimate travel and protect our common borders through improved screening of visitors before they enter our countries, said Alexis Pavlich, press secretary of Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

video: In a video produced for the 2013 TEDx Conference in Toronto, the history of Canada's largest city is traced all the way back to year one, according to CTV. The two-and-a-half minute history lesson flashes through the commercial success of the city, with scenes from the early days of York to today: a bustling city that has expanded past its original borders and Toronto the Good isnt known for boasting, but a sleek video is putting a personal stamp of pride on the city's history. "I am a one-year-old on the shores of a great lake. The changing faces of Mohawk, Cayuga, and Mississauga peoples have fished my waters and set up encampments for thousands of years," the video's narrator says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government shutdown: The White House, in a statement late Thursday, blamed Republicans, saying the "completely avoidable" government shutdown was hurting the president's efforts to promote trade and U.S. influence in emerging world markets. Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Bali, Indonesia, on Friday and will head the U.S. delegation to the summits, according to CTV. Obama had been set to leave Saturday night for the Pacific island getaway of Bali for a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. It originally was scheduled as one of four Asian stops, and the White House announced earlier in the week that the final legs of Malaysia and the Philippines were being cut because of staffing problems due to the shutdown. Obama had held out hope that a budget deal would allow the visit to Bali and Brunei, where more economic summits were planned, but decided the cancel the entire trip Thursday and WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama is cancelling a trip to Asia to stay in Washington and push for an elusive funding bill to get the federal government back up and running after days of a shutdown, with no end in sight. Obama's decision to skip the summits in Indonesia and Brunei was an indication of how entrenched the stand-off appeared to be as it entered its fourth day. Funding for much of the government has been cut off since Tuesday, when a Republican effort to thwart President Barack Obama's new health care law stalled a normally routine spending bill that would have kept the government going. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Syrian President Bashar Assad: Assad, who spoke in an interview with Turkey's private Halk TV, made no mention of his government's role in the civil war that has killed at least 100,000 people so far, instead blaming foreign fighters and governments, including Turkey's, for the bloodshed, according to Huffington Post. Regarding a potential bid for another seven-year term, "the picture will be clearer" in the next four to five months because Syria is going though "rapid" changes on the ground, Assad said and BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad said it's still too early to say whether he'll run for re-election next year, but that he would refrain from seeking a third term if he feels that's what most Syrians want him to do. The interview, broadcast late Thursday, was the latest in a series the Syrian president has given to foreign media as part of a charm offensive in the wake of the Russian-brokered deal that averted the threat of a U.S. airstrike over an August chemical weapons attack, which killed hundreds of people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Ed Miliband: The Mail is Britain's most polarizing paper, and one of the most powerful. To fans, it's the voice of old-fashioned British values and the enemy of meddling bureaucrats and stultifying political correctness. To critics it's a sensationalist, small-minded rag that demonizes feminists, foreigners and the poor, according to Times Colonist. But many feel the Mail went too far when it angered Ed Miliband, leader of the left-of-centre Labour Party, by running a story about Miliband's late father, a leading socialist intellectual, headlined "the man who hated Britain." LONDON - Britain's Daily Mail newspaper will tell you that many things you eat can give you cancer, global warming is probably bunk and the British way of life is under threat from pernicious Eurocrats in Brussels. To politicians, the Mail is a formidable force whose blessing can help deliver crucial swing votes and whose wrath is best avoided. It's not the paper's conservative bent that bothers them in Britain, unlike the United States, newspapers are expected to have a strong political stance that comes through in news coverage as well as editorials. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

University of Alberta: "It's a very damning analysis of what's been going on here," Mulcair told reporters Thursday after meetings at the University of Alberta, according to Huffington Post. On Tuesday, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Richard Marceau said Environment Department bureaucrats contravened their own laws by enacting a shadow policy in 2009 to stop the Oil Sands Environmental Coalition from speaking to reviews of proposed oilsands operations and EDMONTON - Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair says a judge's finding that Alberta's Environment Department has been covertly working to silence oilsands critics reinforces widespread cynicism that the province's approval process for projects is rigged. "To have a judge come out so clearly and to say that there's an absolute breach of the fundamental rules of natural justice in the process simply reinforces the perception of a lot of Canadians in general and a lot of Albertans in particular that the dice have been loaded." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

provinces and territories: Thats exactly why Canadas premiers turned their attention to issues critical to job creation and economic growth at the Council of the Federation meeting held this past July. Our discussions make it clear that while each of our provinces and territories face distinct challenges related to regional economics, demographics and geography, we are united on one key goal. We need to continue to create opportunities for our citizens to access the services and training they need to get good jobs. , according to Times Colonist. Theres also a deep concern across the country that the federal proposal which mandates cost-sharing between the federal government, provincial and territorial governments, and employers would exclude small business from access to skills-training funding. The reason is simple: The vast majority of small businesses just dont have the resources to cost-share on training, even though they are the businesses that need it the most. Canadians in every region of our country have incredible economic opportunities just around the corner. But, each opportunity also comes with a challenge making sure there are enough skilled workers to meet labour-market demands and keep the Canadian economy marching ahead. With this goal in mind, we emerged from that meeting united and concerned about the federal governments proposed Canada Job Grant program. If implemented, the terms of the proposed program would effectively remove most of the funding for existing Labour Market Agreement programs and services. This would strip more than $600 million that the provinces and territories harness to connect Canadians with skills including programs supporting the most vulnerable people in our society, who are most in need of basic skills training. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Hassan Rouhani: Re: In Mideast, a new high-stakes chess game, World Sept. 28, according to The Star. While singing the praises of Irans new president, Hassan Rouhani, and his appointment of so-called pragmatist, Javad Zarif as his new foreign minister, Haroon Siddiqui laments the fact that more news media outlets are not lauding the moderate smiling cleric and Re: Historic chance for Iran-U.S. d tente, Opinion Sept. 26 Historic chance for Iran-U.S. d tente, Opinion Sept. 26 (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government shutdown: WASHINGTON President Barack Obama is cancelling a trip to Asia to stay in Washington and push for an elusive funding bill to get the federal government back up and running after days of a shutdown, with no end in sight, according to The Chronicle Herald. Obamas decision to skip the summits in Indonesia and Brunei was an indication of how entrenched the stand-off appeared to be as it entered its fourth day. Funding for much of the government has been cut off since Tuesday, when a Republican effort to thwart President Barack Obamas new health care law stalled a normally routine spending bill that would have kept the government going and The White House, in a statement late Thursday, blamed Republicans, saying the completely avoidable government shutdown was hurting the presidents efforts to promote trade and U.S. influence in emerging world markets. Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Bali, Indonesia, on Friday and will head the U.S. delegation to the summits. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.