Kellogg: Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg said it would shutter the cereal-making facility by the end of 2014 and cut more than 500 full-time jobs on top of 110 layoffs announced last month , according to The Star. As with any project of this scope and one that impacts people, these are difficult decisions, Kellogg chief executive officer John Bryant said in a statement. As our employees and others would expect from Kellogg, we will help those who are impacted through their transitions and Southwestern Ontarios loss of manufacturing jobs continued Tuesday with Kellogg Co.s announcement that it will close a processing plant that has operated in London for more than 90 years. The move is part of overall restructuring the company is pursuing to rationalize operations by 2018 that will also see closure of a plant in Australia and the expansion of a Thailand facility. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

federal government: The federal government is soliciting public comment on the plan to introduce online travel applications as part of the sweeping perimeter security pact with the United States. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. U.S. citizens would be exempted from the new requirement. OTTAWA - Millions of visitors to Canada would be charged a new fee under a proposed electronic security screening plan. Foreign nationals who currently do not need a visa to visit Canada including people from Britain, France and many other countries would have to successfully apply for an electronic travel authorization before arriving by air. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Homer Mellen: This Christmas note written by London, ON native Homer Mellen in 1915 has become a huge hit online, thanks to its very simple requests:, according to Huffington Post. In it, he asks for a box of paints, a nine-cent reader and a schoolbag to put them in. Adorably, he also notes that if Santa has any nuts or toys or candy "to spare," he would appreciate those too and When you go through the family archives, it's easy to pass over the small pieces of paper that made up daily life for your ancestors. But one Nova Scotia family's crumpled note written in cursive is driving home the message of Christmas in a big way this year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nelson Mandela: HAVANA - It was the briefest of moments, just seconds, two presidents shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries amid a gaggle of world leaders together to honour the late Nelson Mandela. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. A single, cordial gesture is unlikely to wash away bad blood dating back to the Eisenhower administration. But in a year that has seen both sides take small steps at improving the relationship, the handshake stoked talk of further rapprochement. US President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, South Africa, in the rain for a memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela, Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013. The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came during a ceremony that's focused on Mandela's legacy of reconciliation. Hundreds of foreign dignitaries and world heads of states gather Tuesday with thousands of South African people to celebrate the life, and mark the death, of Nelson Mandela who has became a global symbol of reconciliation. AP Photo SOUTH AFRICA OUT Related Items Articles Obama hails "last great liberator" as powerful and humble alike pay tribute to Mandela Mandela's legacy left in our hands It would hardly have been noteworthy, except the men locking hands in Johannesburg were Barack Obama and Raul Castro, whose nations have been mired in Cold War antagonism for more than five decades. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Employment Outlook Survey point: The workforce solutions firm said today the results of its latest Employment Outlook Survey point to a solid hiring climate in Winnipeg in the first quarter of 2014. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The other 78 per cent of employers said they plan to maintain their current staffing levels. Things are looking up for local job seekers, according to the latest quarterly survey by the Manpower Group. "Survey data reveals that 20 per cent of employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter January to March , while two per cent anticipate cutbacks," said Carman Gosselin, of Manpowers Winnipeg office. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Julianne Ross Brooks: The anticipated decrease in hiring in the construction sector and the demand for workers for mining are two major changes for this upcoming quarter, Julianne Ross Brooks of Manpowers Halifax office said Tuesday, according to The Chronicle Herald. Younger labourers and skilled workers will be affected by this situation and may be drawn to hiring in the sector underway in Ontario and in Western Canada, Ross Brooks said and The construction industry in Atlantic Canada will be in a bit of a hiring slump in the first quarter of 2014, while the mining industry will be hungry for workers, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. About 18 per cent of employers in the construction sector in the region planned to hire more people in the last quarter of this year, and none plan to hire additional workers in the first quarter of 2014, according to the survey. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Communications Security Establishment Canada: Jean-Pierre Plouffe, who keeps an eye on Communications Security Establishment Canada, or CSEC, says the leaked tidbits often then become misinformation, according to Huffington Post. Edward Snowden, a former contractor with the National Security Agency, CSEC's American counterpart, is making almost daily headlines with a cache of leaked documents and OTTAWA - The watchdog over the national eavesdropping agency says many recent leaks about the Five Eyes intelligence network are being taken out of context by the media. Plouffe told senators on the national security and defence committee that he aims to clarify such information so that it is no longer promoted as myth. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

human rights: These rights include the rights to asylum, to liberty, to protection from torture, to an adequate standard of living, to healthcare, to be reunited with family and to protection of the best interests of children, according to The Star. Canada is failing to respect refugees human rights, too. Once a world leader in refugee protection, Canada is closing its doors and Dec. 10 celebrates international human rights and the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family. Refugees are part of the human family and entitled to the same rights. Sadly, respect for the rights of refugees is waning. At a time when serious human rights abuses are taking place in every region of the world and displacing millions of people, countries are building administrative walls, closing doors, denying protection. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

President Barack Obama: The Treasury Department sold its final shares of the Detroit auto giant on Monday, recovering $39 billion of the $49.5 billion it spent to save the dying automaker at the height of the financial crisis five years ago, according to 660 News. Now, the American auto industry is back, President Barack Obama said in a statement. Some of the most high-tech, fuel-efficient cars in the world are once again designed, engineered, and built right here in America and the rest of the world is buying more of them than ever before, he said and DETROIT The U.S. government ended up losing $10.5 billion on the General Motors bailout, but it says the alternative would have been far worse. Without the bailout, the country would have lost more than a million jobs, and the economy could have slipped from recession into a depression, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said on a conference call with reporters. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Facebook: A coalition that includes Google, Apple, Yahoo, Facebook and Microsoft lashed out in an open letter printed Monday in major newspapers and a new website, http://reformgovernmentsurveillance.com , according to 660 News. Twitter Inc., LinkedIn Corp. and AOL Inc. joined Google Inc., Apple Inc., Yahoo Inc., Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in the push for tighter controls over electronic espionage. The group is immersed in the lives of just about everyone who uses the Internet or a computing device and WASHINGTON Silicon Valley is escalating pressure on President Barack Obama to curb the U.S. government surveillance programs that vacuum personal information off the Internet and threaten the technology industrys financial livelihood. The crusade united eight companies that often compete fiercely against each other, but now find themselves banding together to limit the potential damage from revelations about the National Security Agencys snooping on Web surfers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.