Pearson International Airport: The Saudia plane -- a Boeing 777-200 -- was greeted on the tarmac with a customary festive water salute, according to CTV. The company says the Toronto flights will serve different groups of passengers, including Saudi students in Canada and Canadians who travel to the kingdom each year for hajj and umrah pilgrimages TORONTO -- The first direct flight from Saudi Arabia landed Monday morning at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, becoming the fourth Gulf airline operating flights to Canada. The Saudi national carrier will have three direct flights to Toronto each week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

the White House: The official said late Monday that a final decision had not been made and an internal review was still underway, according to Times Colonist. Feinstein D-Calif. said in a statement that the White House had informed her that "collection on our allies will not continue." The administration official said that statement was not accurate, but added that some unspecified changes already had been made and more were being considered, including terminating the collection of communications from friendly heads of state and WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is considering ending spying on allied heads of state, a senior administration official said, as the White House grappled with the fallout from revelations that the U.S. has eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The revelations about National Security Agency monitoring of Merkel were the latest in a months-long spying scandal that has strained longstanding alliances with some of America's closest partners. Earlier Monday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for a "total review of all intelligence programs." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

homelessness: At a conference on homelessness, a keynote speaker had praise for an otherwise embattled government's commitment to the issue, according to CTV. "It changes our efforts from simply a response to an emergency situation to one that focuses on permanent housing for chronically homeless people and OTTAWA -- The Conservative government is getting high marks from a non-profit group that fights homelessness, as an estimated 30,000 people sleep on Canada's streets each night. "The policy shift that the federal government announced in its budget this year is going to radically overhaul Canada's response to homelessness," Tim Richter, head of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, said Monday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

health services: The seven centres, completed over the last three-and-a-half years offer a multitude of community-oriented social and health services: everything from primary care, pre-school preparation for moms and tots, settlement counselling for new immigrants, computer literacy, nutrition guidance, diabetes education, dental aid, and outreach programs for at-risk youth. An eighth hub in Scarboroughs Steeles-L Amoureaux neighbourhood is planned for the future, according to The Star. The genesis for the centres was the United Ways Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy, which grew from the agencys groundbreaking 2004 report Poverty by Postal Code and Most downtowners dont know about them, but community hubs backed by the United Way have turned into bustling, vibrant focal points in Torontos inner suburbs. Its all under one roof, although not all the hubs offer the same services. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Adel Benhmuda: For five years, the Canadian government has jerked Adel Benhmuda and his family around. It refused them refugee status in Canada; it deported them back to Libya, where he was jailed and tortured; then it dithered on whether to allow them back into this country in a way condemned as unfair by a Federal Court judge, according to The Star. This saga has gone on far too long. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander should tell his officials immediately to waive this ridiculous and insulting fee. Aside from the fact that an almost penniless refugee has little chance of coming up with $6,000, it amounts to charging him for the injustice perpetrated on his family. Its like executing someone and then going to the family and demanding that they pay for the bullet, says their lawyer, Andrew Brouwer and Talk about adding insult to injury. Finally, in January, federal immigration officials decided that the family could return to Canada after all from their place of exile in Malta. But now, in a cruel twist, they have imposed a condition. As reported by s Sandro Contenta , the family has been told it must pay $6,000 the cost to the government of deporting them to Libya in 2008. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Resistance bands: P90X - 3.5/5 Still popular, the first in this series has 12 workouts. You workout 6 days a week for 60-75 minutes - so definitely requires commitment. Tony uses sound training principles and introduced "muscle confusion" which is simply his wording for varying training to avoid hitting a plateau. Equipment: Resistance bands or dumbbells, a pull up bar and a mat Bottom line good workouts but challenging time commitment, according to CTV. P90X3 - coming soon These will be 30 min. workouts to fit the needs and trend for time-efficient training and Home workout videos have come a long way from the Jane Fonda days. Home workout DVD's now provide a great option if you can't make it to the gym. Many are packaged as a series offering multiple workouts, variety and progression with training. Beachbody currently dominates the market with a strong team of trainers that instruct popular formats including kickboxing, boot camp and dance. There well-produced with online blogs and communities you can get additional information, motivation or connect with other class keeners! Overall, the bar has certainly been raised with options to suit any fitness level and workout preference. These programs make working out at home more appealing and help to give you a more similar experience with the workouts, support and interaction that used to be limited to the gym. What's hot and/or new? P90X Series - Tony Horton P90X2 - 4/5 P90X2 includes 12 new workouts with the same variety and an increased focus on athletic performance. Workouts are more intense so the schedule is reduced to 5 days a week to allow for recovery. There is more flexibility in the workout schedule but each still ranges from 55-70 min. Equipment: Resistance bands, dumbbells, pull up bar, mat, medicine balls, stability ball and a foam roller Bottom line more reasonable workout time but very intense to tough to leap into without already having a good base level of fitness first. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Rick Watt: The sale, completed earlier this month for an undisclosed sum, bolsters the competitiveness of the southwestern Nova Scotia dealerships, said Rick Watt, according to The Chronicle Herald. Its harder for small businesses to survive these days but this will help us be successful. Instead of beating each other up we re working together and Two Shelburne County car dealerships have come under one owner after Smith Watt Ltd . in Barrington Passage bought Huskilson Chrysler Plymouth Ltd . in Shelburne. It makes the brand stronger, Watt, a partner at Smith Watt, said in an interview Monday, referring to the flagship Chrysler brand as well as the Dodge, Ram and Jeep brands. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Torontos Pearson International Airport: TORONTO The first direct flight from Saudi Arabia landed Monday morning at Torontos Pearson International Airport, becoming the fourth Gulf airline operating flights to Canada, according to The Chronicle Herald. The Saudi national carrier will have three direct flights to Toronto each week and The Saudia plane a Boeing 777-200 was greeted on the tarmac with a customary festive water salute. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Kim Ngan Nguyen: The 62-year-old Vietnamese immigrant says she had no idea what schizophrenia was when her psychiatrist in Toronto handed her the diagnosis in 1983, two years after she moved here with her husband, according to The Star. Its not in the Vietnamese language, said Nguyen, who was hospitalized for the first time in 1978 while studying in university in Japan. I was too afraid to tell anyone I had mental health illness and For almost 25 years, since the onset of her schizophrenic symptoms, Kim Ngan Nguyen did not know why she heard voices and saw things that other people did not. She never spoke about her mental illness with her friends and family, not even to her husband when he passed away a decade ago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

El Mundo: The El Mundo newspaper report came as Spain summoned the U.S. ambassador in Madrid to express its displeasure over the reports of spying on allies, according to Huffington Post. El Mundo said the bar graph document titled "Spain - Last 30 days'' showed daily call traffic volume between Dec. 10, 2012, and Jan. 8, 2013. It says the NSA monitored the numbers and duration of the calls, but not their content. The document does not show the numbers and MADRID, Spain -- A Spanish newspaper published a document Monday that it said shows the U.S. National Security Agency spied on more than 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month alone -- the latest revelation about alleged massive U.S. spying on allies. Last week the French paper Le Monde reported similar allegations of U.S. spying in France and German magazine Der Spiegel said Washington had tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone. The leaders of Brazil and Mexico also were reportedly spied on. A European summit last week was dominated by anger over U.S. spying and Germany was sending its spy chiefs to Washington to demand answers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.