balkan countries: European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is embarking on a seven-nation Balkans tour Sunday to promote the EU's new eastward expansion strategy, according to CTV. Russia mainly wants to discourage the Western Balkan countries -- Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia -- from joining NATO. But Moscow also is trying to deter them from joining the EU. The EU sees the prospect of membership as an incentive for reform in the volatile Balkans region, which was torn apart by war in the 1990s. The European Union finally is pushing back. Its expansion strategy puts Serbia and Montenegro in position to join should the bloc open its doors to more members, tentatively by 2025. Their bonds also have experienced lows and highs, especially since the former Yugoslavia refused to join the Soviet bloc in 1948. Serbia is a major target of Moscow's anti-Western activities in Europe because the two Slavic and predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christian nations share deep cultural and historical ties. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada: But his latest pursuits tend more toward the cerebral rather than the awe-inspiring adventure associated with flying fast jets and riding rockets into space, according to The Chronicle Herald. Hadfield, a former Royal Canadian Air Force test pilot who retired after more than 21 years as an astronaut, is currently on what he calls his Canada 151 tour. You see the big picture through extraterrestrial eyes. On March 1, he returns to Halifax with a show at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, bringing a blend of stories, images and songs combining his love for Canada with his astral viewpoint. It's kind of an introspective alien perspective on Canada in the world, but it's celebrating it from the earliest history and the geology of it and the earliest settlements from the very first peoples who came here, and how and why, and how the world works, right through to today. It's very much a celebration of Canada itself and looking at the country through a very unique perspective of someone who not only has lived outside of Canada for 26 years, as I did serving with the air force and the Canadian Space Agency, but also who has orbited the world 2,600 times and crossed Canada thousands of times, Hadfield said during a phone interview this week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

care facility: He didn't know how to eat, didn't know how to go to the bathroom, according to CTV. Frances says. George, a hard-working Greek immigrant to Canada, was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage at age 67, that left him mentally impaired and unable to care for himself. She wanted to look after him at home, away from a long-term care facility, but Frances knew she needed help. Frances had joined the ranks of those keeping aging and ailing parents at home, approximately one in six Canadians, over the age of 65. She hired a personal support worker, or PSW, through a government funded agency, to bathe and attend to George's personal needs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

george hill: The Cavaliers' leader didn't change, according to Metro News. LeBron James had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in his 11th triple-double of the season, and the Cavaliers pulled away after a slow start to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 112-89 on Friday night. Cleveland revamped its roster at the trade deadline. George Hill also scored 18 points, while Larry Nance Jr. finished with 15 and Jordan Clarkson had 14 as the newcomers had good nights in the Cavaliers' fifth win in the last six games. It's just us communicating, talking. The only loss in the stretch was on Thursday night to the Washington Wizards. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration system: Trump congratulated Turnbull on your immigration reforms and on Australia's commitment to merit-based immigration, according to CTV. Are my friends from Congress listening to that Merit based, said Trump, who has been arguing for changes to turn the U.S. immigration system into one that is more focused on merit and the skills immigrants bring to the U.S., and less focused on family ties. Their relationship got off to a rocky start a year ago, but none of that was evident as they prepared to field questions from journalists in the East Room after an afternoon of talks, including about jobs. His immigration demands have upset lawmakers, mostly Democrats. It's the way to go. We want to do merit-based immigration also, Trump said, adding that such a system really protects the interest of Australia and its people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tawakkol karman: About 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled army-led violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar since late August and are living in Bangladeshi refugee camps, according to Metro News. Myanmar's security forces have been accused of atrocities against the Rohingya, including killing, rape and arson. During their visit, Iran's Shirin Ebadi, Yemen's Tawakkol Karman and Northern Ireland's Mairead Maguire will assess the violence against the Rohingya women and the refugees' overall situation, according to the Nobel Women's Initiative, a platform of six female peace laureates established in 2006. The United Nations and the United States have described the army crackdown as ethnic cleansing. In an email to The Associated Press on Saturday, Karman said that she and her colleagues were standing in solidarity with displaced Rohingya women and calling for Rohingya women's voices to be heard. Sunday is the six-month anniversary of the start of the refugee crisis, Asia's worst since the Vietnam War. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

individuality: It is especially wrong when done by a university, according to The Chronicle Herald. That is for two reasons. Whites not oppressed; reverse racism a fantasy Hiring according to race, ethnicity, or cultural affiliation is wrongfully discriminatory almost everywhere, even when it is legal. First, it is a violation of the merit principle, according to which academic decisions should be made on academic grounds only. Jasmine Walsh, the assistant vice-president of human resources, says that this discriminatory hiring is part of Dalhousie's efforts to increase the number of people from under-represented groups on campus. Second, it undercuts the university's ethos of individuality. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

residency status: They both expire on Nov. 29, 2019, according to CBC. Migrant workers need permanent residency status, labour advocates say Liberals prepare to reveal 2018 immigration plan they say will boost economy, help refugees Natalie Drolet, the executive director of West Coast Domestic Workers Association, says the program is crucial because many of the caregivers who come to work in Canada do so in the hopes of staying. Two five-year pilot projects were launched in 2014, one for those caring for children and a second for those caring for people with high medical needs. By and large, 95 per cent of the caregivers that come to Canada are women from developing countries, Drolet said. The association is holding a community meeting and rally in Vancouver, B.C. on Saturday afternoon to advocate for permanent residency pathways for foreign care workers. They come here because they want to provide their children and their families with a brighter future. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

security forces: Satellite images of Burma's troubled Rakhine state, released to The Associated Press by Colorado-based Digital Globe on Friday, show that dozens of empty villages and hamlets have been completely levelled by authorities in recent weeks far more than previously reported, according to Toronto Star. The villages were all set ablaze in the wake of violence last August, when a brutal clearance operation by security forces drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya into exile in Bangladesh. Now, Burma's government is using bulldozers to literally erase them from the earth in a vast operation rights groups say is destroying crucial evidence of mass atrocities against the nation's ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority. While Burma's government claims it's simply trying to rebuild a devastated region, the operation has raised deep concern among human rights advocates, who say the government is destroying what amounts to scores of crime scenes before any credible investigation takes place. One displaced Rohingya woman, whose village was among those razed, said she recently visited her former home in Myin Hlut and was shocked by what she saw. The operation has also horrified the Rohingya, who believe the government is intentionally eviscerating the dwindling remnants of their culture to make it nearly impossible for them to return. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sponsorship opportunities: Cricket Canada has signed a memorandum of understanding with an Indian company called Mercuri to develop a Twenty20 cricket league, with a final agreement yet to be concluded, according to Toronto Star. Cricket Canada's website states that Mercuri has met all aspects of Cricket Canada's sanctioning policy. Nearly three months later however, official details remain scarce. Until recently on its website, Mercuri listed Sports Management among its services and stated We own, produce and manage many of the world's most prestigious sporting events and offer unique hospitality and sponsorship opportunities that help companies build global brands. Article Continued Below Cricket Canada president Ranjit Saini, the driving force behind the project, says he is aware of other successful cricket ventures that Mercuri has been involved in, but doesn't see it as his place to talk about them. But there was no specific information of any sporting events and the description no longer appears on Mercuri's website, nor does any mention of Sports Management. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizenship: Abdi's lawyer, Benjamin Perryman, asked the Federal Court to pause deportation proceedings scheduled for March 7 while he pursues a constitutional challenge, according to The Chronicle Herald. But, in a decision released Friday, Justice Keith Boswell rejected the bid, saying there were no exceptional circumstances warranting inference by the Federal Court. Abdoul Abdi, who never got Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster care in Nova Scotia, was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency after serving five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault. Mr. My biggest concern is that Mr. Abdi is extremely distressed by the result, said Perryman in an interview Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

face starvation: She had tried to defend her 17-year-old daughter from being raped by more than a dozen soldiers and didn't succeed, according to Toronto Star. Seventeen soldiers then raped her. One South Sudanese man returned home after hiding from government soldiers to find they had blinded his mother, gouging out her eyes with spears. The family's father was beheaded. Read more Six aid workers missing in South Sudan after clash between government, opposition Article Continued Below We have nothing, we can just pray' over 1.25 million face starvation in South Sudan, doubling war-torn country's 2016 tally I did not expect to be confronted with so much ritual humiliation and degradation deliberately done for multiple reasons. The latest report on human rights abuses in South Sudan's five-year civil war, released on Friday by a United Nations commission, for the first time identifies more than 40 senior military officials, including three state governors, who may bear individual responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canadian citizenship: In a decision released Friday, Justice Keith Boswell rejected his request to press pause on his deportation proceedings while he pursues a constitutional challenge, saying there were no exceptional circumstances warranting inference by the Federal Court, according to CBC. He's extremely disappointed and upset by the decision, said Abdi's lawyer, Benjamin Perryman. Abdoul Abdi, who never got Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster care in Nova Scotia, was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency after serving five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault. I would have liked to have seen some consideration of the harm that Mr. Abdi, who has been living in a Toronto halfway house since his release in January from immigration detention, had asked the Federal Court to temporarily suspend his deportation hearing, scheduled for March 7 in Toronto. Abdi will experience when he's ordered deported and I would have liked to hear some consideration of the fact he will lose important rights before there can be any consideration of his constitutional issues. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

challenge abdi: Abdi's lawyer, Benjamin Perryman, says federal officials turned down the 24-year-old's request to press pause on deportation proceedings while he pursues a constitutional challenge, according to Toronto Star. Abdi then asked the Federal Court to temporarily suspend the hearing, scheduled for March 7. Abdoul Abdi, who never got Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster care in Nova Scotia, was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency after serving five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault. In a decision released today, Justice Keith Boswell rejected his request, saying there were no exceptional circumstances warranting inference by the Federal Court. Sign up react-empty 170 Article Continued Below Read more Opinion Shree Paradkar Canada's institutions repeatedly failed former child refugee Abdoul Abdi Opinion Tiffany Gooch Canada failed Abdoul Abdi but it's not too late to do the right thing Opinion Vicky Mochama Deportation of refugee one more hostility inflicted by Canada Do you want to help shapethe Toronto Star's future Join our team of readers who are passionate about journalism and share your views. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

francois cluzet: Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy have tenable chemistry, and the rich, character-driven drama carries a carefree heart at its' core, according to The Chronicle Herald. It's a film that transcends language barriers to bring one of the greatest films of the new millenium. 5/5 Stars Good Time Bank robbery films are a dime or dozen, but you'll never get another one like this. Set around a quadriplegic who hired a young, poverty-stricken black man to be his caregiver, this Foreign-language film is one of the best of all time. Infused and inspired by pop art and 80's vibes, Good Time plays like Grand Theft Auto with a moral compass. Twilight and gives the most daring, understated performance of his career. Robert Pattinson ignites on-screen yes, Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gastrostomy tube: The tube was improperly located, allowing food to spill inside his abdomen and causing his death, according to a coroner's report sent to the family May 17, 2017, according to CBC. The Kafafi family said Yusuf was full of life and always smiling. Yusuf Kufafi died the day after a procedure on Nov. 22, 2016 to change a gastrostomy tube he needed to eat food. Chris Ensing/CBC Windsor Regional Hospital completed an internal review requested by the coroner's office into Yusuf's death and told CBC News it has implemented all of the recommendations following the review. Syrian refugees Leamington welcomes first 24 newcomers Yusuf's mother has kept her son's clothes in a suitcase taking them out each day to fold them and hold his favourite toy, a stuffed monkey, that he carried with him on their journey to Canada. Yusuf's family, who primarily speak Arabic, said they have never seen those recommendations even though that review was completed shortly after the coroner's report was given to them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

henderson place: Celine's got a simile to describe the mall Henderson Place is to Coquitlam Centre like Crystal Mall is to Metrotown, according to Metro News. Locals call malls like Henderson Place and Crystal Mall Asian malls because of their clientele. Celine and Tara just got off school and are having a snack with some friends at Henderson Place. These suburban malls function like Chinatowns, only indoor, with independent shops and services catered to East Asian immigrants. The company is also behind Vancouver's International Village Mall, once known as Tinseltown. But Henderson Development, which built its namesake mall in 1999, wanted it to be multicultural, said Vivian Zhang, the company's leasing and marketing manager. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrant detainees: According to the lawsuit, Jesus Chavez Flores is one of more than 120 immigrant detainees at the facility who began a hunger strike Feb. 7 to protest the conditions of their confinement, including the quality of the food they are served and that the prisoners are paid just 1 per day to perform janitorial, kitchen, laundry or other work there, according to Metro News. After one guard falsely identified Chavez as an organizer of the hunger strike, another guard punched him in the eye to retaliate, and he's been held in isolation alone 23 hours per day since Feb. 10, the ACLU said. The organization sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the GEO Group, which operates the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. It added that he continues to have trouble opening his eye, his vision is blurry and that his requests for medical treatment have been rebuffed.ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said the agency did not immediately have any comment about Chavez's allegations. Chavez, 34, is originally from Mexico, ACLU spokesman Doug Honig said in an email. Pablo E. Paez with the GEO Group told The Associated Press in an email Friday that the company strongly denies the allegations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration system: Trump congratulated Turnbull on your immigration reforms and on Australia's commitment to merit-based immigration, according to The Chronicle Herald. Are my friends from Congress listening to that Merit based, said Trump, who has been arguing for changes to turn the U.S. immigration system into one that is more focused on merit and the skills immigrants bring to the U.S., and less focused on family ties. Their relationship got off to a rocky start a year ago, but none of that was evident as they prepared to field questions from journalists in the East Room after an afternoon of talks, including about jobs. His immigration demands have upset lawmakers, mostly Democrats. It's the way to go. We want to do merit-based immigration also, Trump said, adding that such a system really protects the interest of Australia and its people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mission: He said the country is indisputably a nation of immigrants, according to Metro News. The agency's mission statement is not something where you put eternal professions of American values. Francis Cissna told The Associated Press that he cut reference to the U.S. being a nation of immigrants from Citizenship and Immigration Services' mission statement because a bureaucratic document was the wrong platform to say so. That sort of thing belongs chiseled in the wall of a monument, not in some bureaucratic mission statement, he said. He said the White House had no involvement. Cissna said he was surprised by criticism after announcing the change Thursday to his 18,000 employees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nations commission: She had tried to defend her 17-year-old daughter from being raped by more than a dozen soldiers and didn't succeed, according to CTV. Seventeen soldiers then raped her. One South Sudanese man returned home after hiding from government soldiers to find they had blinded his mother, gouging out her eyes with spears. The family's father was beheaded. I did not expect to be confronted with so much ritual humiliation and degradation deliberately done for multiple reasons. The latest report on human rights abuses in South Sudan's five-year civil war, released on Friday by a United Nations commission, includes that horrific day in Pagak town and many others as the team collects evidence in the hopes of one day finding justice. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nova scotia: Abdi's lawyer, Benjamin Perryman, asked the Federal Court to pause deportation proceedings scheduled for March 7 while he pursues a constitutional challenge, according to CTV. But, in a decision released Friday, Justice Keith Boswell rejected the bid, saying there were no exceptional circumstances warranting inference by the Federal Court. Abdoul Abdi, who never got Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster care in Nova Scotia, was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency after serving five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault. Mr. My biggest concern is that Mr. Abdi is extremely distressed by the result, said Perryman in an interview Friday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rd place: It would tend to reason, would it not, that the NDP made a brilliant selection as leader and now stands to reap the most gain from the Liberal collapse, according to Rabble. Or do you think Andrew Scheer may somehow benefit and steal votes from the NDP Also, the effects of this disastrous India trip will send the Liberals reeling into a distant 3rd place in the polls. Citizens of the great country of India, now Canadians, don't take kindly to a government that associates itself with terrorists. It's hard to overstate the level of anger and just how much PMJT is reviled throughout the land and the near destruction of JT that resulted from the ethics commisoner report. First one term government in over 100 years. The Bahamas put him in his coffin and India closed it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

russian winters: These were the undrafteds and the unwanteds the castoffs of the Canadian hockey factory, according to Toronto Star. Yet because of the collective setbacks that made the NHL a non-option, these were also the unbreakables honourable lovers of the game who'd persevered through Russian winters and Euro existences to anonymously pursue a passion. These were players, the Team Canada brain trust told us, who'd spent key moments in their careers being told no. Now that Canada's run at a third straight Olympic gold medal is over, we've come to find out there's a damn good reason why many of these guys are mostly anonymous. Legends aren't made in bronze-medal games. After a 4-3 semifinal embarrassment at the hands of the not-so-mighty Germans, it's probably only fair most of them stay that way. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

security forces: Satellite images of Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state, released to The Associated Press by Colorado-based Digital Globe on Friday, show that dozens of empty villages and hamlets have been completely levelled by authorities in recent weeks -- far more than previously reported, according to CTV. The villages were all set ablaze in the wake of violence last August, when a brutal clearance operation by security forces drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya into exile in Bangladesh. Now, Myanmar's government is using bulldozers to literally erase them from the earth -- in a vast operation rights groups say is destroying crucial evidence of mass atrocities against the nation's ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority. While Myanmar's government claims it's simply trying to rebuild a devastated region, the operation has raised deep concern among human rights advocates, who say the government is destroying what amounts to scores of crime scenes before any credible investigation takes place. One displaced Rohingya woman, whose village was among those razed, said she recently visited her former home in Myin Hlut and was shocked by what she saw. The operation has also horrified the Rohingya, who believe the government is intentionally eviscerating the dwindling remnants of their culture to make it nearly impossible for them to return. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

winter olympics: He was thinking of them during his alpine skiing events in this week at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, according to CBC. It means a lot, especially for my dad. Shannon-Ogbani Abeda, 21, was born in Fort McMurray, Alta., and raised in Calgary by parents who fled their tiny home country of Eritrea as refugees in the 1980s. He sacrificed a lot to make his way to Canada, and in the war of independence, he lost a lot of relatives, Abeda told the Calgary Eyeopener by phone from South Korea on Friday morning. The country gained internationally recognized independence in 1993. When I raised that flag for him, it was a very emotional time for him. '1168780867658', 'playlist Selector' 'container Selector' ' container50706221', 'ciid' 'caffeine14549145' ; The country, which is home to about five million people, spent almost 30 years torn in the Eritrean War for Independence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.