Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: The CBC has reported Flaherty confronted Jason Kenney in the House of Commons last month after the employment minister called for Rob Ford's resignation, according to Huffington Post. According to the CBC, the two men had to be separated by colleagues and OTTAWA - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is saying little about a report that he had sharp words with a cabinet colleague for criticizing Toronto's embattled mayor, but hinted it had to do with political turf. The broadcaster cited unnamed cabinet and caucus sources as saying Flaherty swore at Kenney and told him to shut up about Ford, who the finance minister has called a personal friend. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

national security adviser: NEW DELHI - The arrest and strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York City escalated into a major diplomatic furor Tuesday as India's national security adviser called the woman's treatment "despicable and barbaric." , according to Winnipeg Free Press. In a statement, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Khobragade was subjected to the same booking procedures as other prisoners, including being strip searched viewed in India as the most disturbing part of the arrest and locked up with other female defendants. Indian police remove barricades that had been erected as a safety measure outside the main entrance of U.S Embassy, reportedly in retaliation to the alleged mistreatment of New York-based Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. The arrest and strip search of the Indian diplomat escalated into a major diplomatic furor Tuesday as India's national security adviser called the woman's treatment "despicable and barbaric." AP Photo INDIA OUT Devyani Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York, is accused of submitting false documents to obtain a work visa for her Manhattan housekeeper. Indian officials said she was arrested and handcuffed Thursday as she dropped off her daughter at school, and was kept in a cell with drug addicts before posting $250,000 bail. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Sergey Lavrov: A daylong gathering for speeches by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and more than two dozen other foreign ministers is planned for Jan. 22 at a Montreux hotel. It is to be overseen by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, with help from the Swiss government, according to 660 News. Montreux, home of the famous jazz festival, was chosen because it has the security, facilities and hotels for such a high-profile gathering. Mattar said the foreign ministers will demonstrate that there is global interest in solving the Syria crisis and GENEVA The United Nations plans to precede its internationally brokered peace talks between Syrias warring sides next month with a one-day meeting of foreign ministers in the Swiss city of Montreux, officials said Tuesday. The session is taking place at the opposite end of Lake Geneva from the U.N. European headquarters because a luxury watch fair has taken up all the hotel rooms in Geneva for several days, Khawla Mattar, a spokeswoman for the U.N.-Arab Leagues special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, told reporters Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Fredy Villanueva: Those are the heartbreaking words of Lilian Villanueva on the day a coroner filed his final report into the death of her 18-year-old son, according to CTV. Fearing that Fredy was trying to grab his firearm, Const. Lapointe fired off four bullets, two of which struck Fredy in the chest and led to his death and "My son Fredy, he died for nothing." Fredy Villanueva's older brother Dany was being arrested by police in August 2008 when Fredy intervened, putting Const. Jean-Loup Lapointe in a headlock as he grappled the arresting officer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edward Snowden: In the letter, Snowden commended the Brazilian government for its strong stand against U.S. spying, according to 660 News. Revelations about the NSAs spy programs were first published in the Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers in June, based on some of the thousands of documents Snowden handed over to Barton Gellman at the Post and to Brazil-based American journalist Glenn Greenwald and his reporting partner, Laura Poitras, a U.S. filmmaker and RIO DE JANEIRO National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden wrote in a lengthy open letter to the people of Brazil that hes been inspired by the global debate ignited by his release of thousands of NSA documents and that the agencys culture of indiscriminate global espionage is collapsing. He wrote that he d be willing to help the South American nation investigate NSA spying on its soil, but could not fully participate in doing so without being granted political asylum, because the U.S. government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Sean Rehaag: An exhaustive study into how refugee claims are handled in Canada has raised disturbing questions about both the fairness and quality of decisions that could be matters of life or death for thousands of people seeking asylum. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Mr. Rehaag's study, subtitled The Luck of the Draw, also exposed inconsistencies in dispositions from the Federal Court, which serves as an appeal court of last resort for claimants who were turned down by the refugee board. DALE CUMMINGS / The study by Osgoode Hall law Prof. Sean Rehaag found "vast disparities" in the decisions of different members of the Immigration and Refugee Board IRB , which is often the first official stop in the refugee-claim process for those who wash up on Canada's shores or who arrive by other means. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Tibetan Cultural Society: They didnt know who this bearded man in red was, but it was fun, said Tsering Dolma from the Tibetan Cultural Society of Vancouver Island. She is one of several Victorians helping to sponsor five Tibetans to build new lives here. The Tibetan refugees are among 1,000 who will move to Canadian communities over the next two years. , according to Times Colonist. We hope to bring 50, Dolma said. This would nearly triple Greater Victorias Tibetan community which has about 20 people, including children. There are also a few Tibetans in Duncan. The first Tibetan refugees to arrive in Victoria under a federal resettlement program got more than a warm welcome from community members and Santa Claus at Victoria International Airport. They also received a few west coast essentials tuques and umbrellas. In 2007, Tibets exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama appealed to Canada to help Tibetans find permanent homes. Many have fled Tibet since China claimed the country in 1951. Three years after the appeal, the federal government committed to a resettlement program, overseen by Project Tibet Society. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Nelson Mandela: They came through the frigid weather Sunday night, hundreds of sons and daughters of Africa, to pay tribute to a teacher who had brought the world a universal message of humanity. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Deji Salami centre dances with KB Fujumelody at an event celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela at the Ethiopian Cultural Centre on Sunday evening. JOHN WOODS / Photo Store Related Items Articles Cousin, friends: Fake signer at Mandela memorial was among a mob that burned 2 men to death Grief floods out at Mandela's burial Evans Coffie performs Sunday at the Ethiopian Cultural Centre, celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela. Photo Store It was standing room only at the second Mandela tribute this weekend, held at the Ethiopian Cultural Centre on Selkirk Avenue. Enlarge Image (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Edward Snowden: RIO DE JANEIRO - National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden wrote in a lengthy "open letter to the people of Brazil" that he's been inspired by the global debate ignited by his release of thousands of NSA documents and that the agency's culture of indiscriminate global espionage "is collapsing." , according to Winnipeg Free Press. He wrote that he'd be willing to help the South American nation investigate NSA spying on its soil, but could not fully participate in doing so without being granted political asylum, because the U.S. "government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak." David Miranda, the domestic partner of Brazil-based American journalist Glenn Greenwald, talks during an interview in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. Miranda has taken up the cause of persuading the Brazilian government to grant political asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden. "Brazil is a big, strong country, I think one of the few nations in the world that could offer asylum to Edward Snowden," Miranda said. AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo Related Items Articles NSA ruling clips surveillance state In the letter, Snowden commended the Brazilian government for its strong stand against U.S. spying. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Giusi Nicolini: The video, which aired Monday on state-run RAI television, showed a dozen male migrants who lined up in a warehouse, then stripped to be hosed down with a solution to treat scabies. One of the migrants told RAI that men and women had been disinfected this way a few days ago, according to 660 News. Politicians and refugee advocates denounced the incident, which the Lampedusa Mayor Giusi Nicolini said was reminiscent of a concentration camp and ROME Italys government on Tuesday promised an investigation into the treatment of migrants after a video was taken of naked refugees being hosed down and disinfected in cold weather at a holding centre on the southern island of Lampedusa. The video was particularly troubling since the government had promised to improve conditions at the overcrowded Lampedusa centre after more than 360 would-be refugees drowned offshore in October, a tragedy that cast worldwide attention on the plight of migrants trying to reach Europe and the conditions they find when they reach land. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.