government shutdown: Even then it seemed doubtful that the 1,300-page End The Shutdown And Secure The Border Act released by Senate Republicans had any chance of passing swiftly, according to Toronto Star. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority but would need Democrats to reach the usual 60-vote threshold for bills to advance. Despite the fanfare of the president's announcement and the rush to release the legislative package late Monday, voting in Congress was not expected to unfold until later in the week. Not a single Democrat publicly expressed support for the deal in the 48 hours since Trump announced it.U..S President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the southern border and the partial government shutdown at the White House on Saturday. The package would reopen the shuttered parts of government and boost some spending. Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post Details released late Monday highlight the centrepiece of Trump's offer 5.7 billion U.S. to build the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border alongside temporary protection from deportation for some immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bargainers time: One vote will be on his own measure, which reflects Trump's offer to trade border wall funding for temporary protections for some immigrants, according to CTV. It was quickly rejected by Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., set up the two showdown votes for Thursday, a day before some 800,000 federal workers are due to miss a second paycheque. The second vote is set for a bill approved by the Democratic-controlled House reopening government through Feb. 8, with no wall money, to give bargainers time to talk. Pelosi has shown no sign of yielding and Democrats hold the upper hand in public opinion -- polls show Trump gets most of the blame for the shutdown. In the Democratic-controlled House, Wednesday will bring more votes on legislation to reopen the government in line with Speaker Nancy Pelosi's demand to end the shutdown before negotiations begin. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

disinformation campaigns: In advance of four provincial elections and one federal election coming up in 2019, Canada's director of general military strategic communications is warning that Canadians should be alert for attempts to influence the electorate, especially disinformation campaigns on digital and electronic media, according to Rabble. He urged Canadians to pay close attention to their news sources, to learn to identify fake news, and to support professional, credible, dedicated journalists. The deciding factor in future warfare will be narrative -- whose story wins. There was a time, he said, when newspapers would print columns from both sides of an issue, side by side, so people could compare them. Back then, in the first armed conflict ever telecast live, CNN sent 15 people and tons of equipment to cover the 1990 Gulf War -- the U.S. attack on Saddam Hussein and Iraq over his attack on Kuwait. That was back when people trusted the legacy media. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hussen: This comes after Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen was asked, and deflected questions on Tuesday, about who would be footing the bill for Mohammed's protection, according to CTV. Asked during media availability if the federal government would be paying for the security, Hussen said that he didn't want to discuss those details. A source close to the file speaking to CTVNews.ca on background said that because security is not a typical cost that many refugees face, the government is looking into a way to transfer the funds to the organization, which is helping the 18-year-old adjust to her new life in Canada. We have to be careful about the details with respect to her security, Hussen said, noting that she will be receiving access to the federal government's settlement services like job support. Mohammed's safety. In a follow-up comment to CTVNews.ca, Hussen's press secretary said Our primary concern is Ms. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

science writers: Peter Calamai was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2014 for his achievements as a science journalist and for his contributions to the cause of literacy, according to Toronto Star. MCpl. It was a passion he would pursue over more than four decades in daily newspapers, to foreign postings in Europe and Africa and the newsrooms of the Hamilton Spectator, Southam News, the Ottawa Citizen and the Toronto Star. Vincent Carbonneau / Rideau Hall, OSGG His expertise in science shone through too, as he made a name for himself as one of the country's foremost science writers. He was 75. Calamai died at his home in Stratford, Ont., Tuesday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

effects ripple: Much of that aid is channeled through international NGOs, which were abruptly informed of the cuts last summer and have been scrambling to keep their programs alive, according to Vancouver Courier. President Donald Trump says the USAID cuts are aimed at pressuring the Palestinians to return to peace talks, but Palestinian officials say the move has further poisoned relations after the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year. The Trump administration's decision last year to cut more than 200 million in development aid to the Palestinians is forcing NGOs to slash programs and lay off staff as the effects ripple through a community that has spent more than two decades promoting peace in the Middle East.article continues below Trending Stories More than 40 men arrested in underage Vancouver sex sting Vancouver family donates 40 million to build new art gallery Former Vancouver school trustee Ken Clement charged in underage sex sting Update Video of police take-down after car-jacking in Richmond The U.S. government's development agency, USAID, has provided more than 5.5 billion to the Palestinians since 1994 for infrastructure, health, education, governance and humanitarian aid programs, all intended to underpin the eventual creation of an independent state. The aid groups, many of which have little or no connection to the Palestinian Authority, say the cuts hurt the most vulnerable Palestinians and those most committed to peace with Israel. Before the aid cuts were announced, it provided food aid branded as a gift from the American people to more than 180,000 Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza on behalf of the World Food Program. If you want to maintain the idea of the peace process, you have to maintain the people who would be part of the peace process, said Lana Abu Hijleh, the local director for Global Communities, an international NGO active in the Palestinian territories since 1995. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

plant-based sources: The guide is expected to have a bigger focus on plant-based sources of proteins, a change that has already sparked concern among industry players, including dairy and beef farmers, according to Vancouver Courier. When the food guide review began several years ago, Health Canada officials said the facelift would be based on input from scientists and health experts as well as feedback from Canadians. Health Minister Ginette Petipas Taylor will unveil an overhauled Canada Food Guide in Montreal this morning. EXPENSES PART OF RCMP PROBE IN B.C. LEGISLATUREThe Speaker of the British Columbia legislature alleges in a report that the clerk and sergeant-at-arms engaged in flagrant overspending, questionable expenses and inappropriate payouts of cash totalling in the millions of dollars. The report says that based on what he had seen and heard, Plecas believed there was a real possibility crimes may have been committed and he felt obligated to contact the RCMP. Sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz and clerk of the house Craig James were suspended and escorted out of the legislature in November without any explanation. Darryl Plecas's report was released Monday after it was reviewed by members of the Legislative Assembly Management Committee. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-immigrant views: Isabelle Hudon, Canada's ambassador to France, says the yellow-vest movement in Canada appears to have been appropriated by far-right extremists espousing racist, anti-immigrant views and even indulging in death threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to Toronto Star. Omar Mosleh / Star Metro Edmonton By contrast, she says the yellow vests in France started last November with a protest against a fuel tax and mushroomed into a more generalized protest against the heavy tax burden imposed by French political and business elites on the middle class. Isabelle Hudon says the movement in Canada appears to have been appropriated by far-right extremists espousing racist, anti-immigrant views and even indulging in death threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While violent individuals have been involved in the French protests, some of which have devolved into riots, Hudon says she's never seen the protests there linked to race or immigration. Article Continued Below Read More Canada's yellow vest movement looks like it's here to stay but what is it really about Threats abound on Yellow Vests Canada Facebook page, raising questions about free speech Ottawa must go further in fighting right-wing extremism During a stop in Moncton, N.B., over the weekend, she was surprised to see some yellow-vest protesters brandishing signs with what she called violent words on immigration. Hudon, who was in Canada along with five other envoys to brief ministers at a cabinet retreat last week, says it appears to her that protesters here have adopted the symbol of their French counterparts the yellow safety vests all drivers in France are required to carry in their vehicles but do not share similar complaints or objectives. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

men: The National Division which handles cases in the region that includes Parliament Hill continues to work with its international partners on this matter, and declined to comment further on the charges the pair are facing abroad, according to CTV. Ivory Coast arrest document in French As CTV News' Joyce Napier first reported on Jan. 18, the two men were arrested last month by the Ivory Coast's cybercrimes unit. In a statement to media, the RCMP National Division confirmed that Ivory Coast officials have arrested and charged the two men, as a result of excellent collaborative efforts with its internal law enforcement partners. Sources at that time confirmed that the arrests of the two men identified only by the initials CH and DML, are linked to Clement's case. They allegedly used the accounts to correspond with Clement and a French citizen. Government officials in the Ivory Coast allege that the two men created fake profiles on Instagram and Linked In pretending to be a white woman named Brianna Dounia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada: As for the slowdown in bilateral China-Canada tourism, there could be a hit not only to hotels and destinations, but also to local businesses that facilitate Canadians travelling to China, such as travel agencies, according to Vancouver Courier. Vancouver-based Flight Centre Canada president John Beauvais told Business in Vancouver that it is very concerning to watch the escalation of the spat that started in December, when Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, CFO of the large Chinese telecom Huawei, at the behest of the U.S. government, which sought her extradition for allegedly misleading banks into providing money to Huawei for initiatives that violated U.S. sanctions on Iran. The fallout could hurt B.C.'s tourism sector, given that more international visitors to B.C. came from China in 2018 than from any other country, aside from the U.S.article continues below Trending Stories Update Video of police take-down after car-jacking in Richmond Car thefts down dramatically in VancouverB.C.'s skilled labour shortage about to become acute Dashcam footage shows wild Vancouver Police takedown VIDEO A bigger cloud on the horizon, however, could come from a decline in the number of British tourists if there is economic turmoil following an abrupt March 29 departure from the European Union without a trade deal. Beauvais said he has yet to receive reports of cancelled corporate or retail trips because of Canada-China tensions, but that doesn't mean that it's not happening. Rosewood Hotel Georgia director of marketing Brad Simmons said the Chinese government's travel warning is not a concern of mine because Chinese nationals represent less than 10 per cent of his hotel's clientele. Others in the tourism industry told BIV that they are more concerned about U.K. leaving the EU in a hard Brexit, in which there is no trade deal in place a situation that could cause the U.K. economy to sputter and its residents' discretionary spending to disintegrate. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

police: An official working with the family confirmed Sandmann's identity, speaking on condition of anonymity because the source didn't want to distract from the statement.article continues below Trending Stories Update Video of police take-down after car-jacking in Richmond Car thefts down dramatically in VancouverB.C.'s skilled labour shortage about to become acute Dashcam footage shows wild Vancouver Police takedown VIDEO Videos posted of the confrontation drew wide criticism on social media, according to Vancouver Courier. I am being called every name in the book, including a racist, and I will not stand for this mob-like character assassination of my family's name, wrote Sandmann, who added that he and his parents have received death threats since video of Friday's confrontation emerged. The student identified himself in an email statement Sunday evening as junior Nick Sandmann of Covington Catholic High School in a northern Kentucky suburb of Cincinnati. Both Sandmann and Nathan Phillips say they were trying to defuse tensions that were rising among three groups on a day Washington hosted both the March for Life and the Indigenous Peoples March. Other students appeared to be laughing at the drummer; and at least one could be seen on video doing a tomahawk chop. But video of Sandmann standing very close to Phillips, staring and at times smiling at him as Phillips sang and played a drum, gave many who watched it a different impression. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

eric meechance: A new book by Kent Roach, the Prichard-Wilson Chair in Law and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, looks at how the case can shed light on issues of racism and how the criminal justice system treats Indigenous people, according to Toronto Star. It was not long after Colten Boushie's death that the media started reporting on the tragic event that had occurred on Stanley's farm. Stanley's acquittal on murder and manslaughter charges last Feb. 9 was heavily criticized by some Canadians, including the prime minister. The early media reports, with some exceptions, reflected stories told by Eric Meechance that denied attempted theft of a vehicle on the Stanley property. Colten Boushie, left, was fatally shot by Gerald Stanley on Aug. 9, 2016, on Stanley's farm near Biggar, Sask. This contributed to the early polarization of opinion that would continue to dog the case. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

kentucky suburb: An official working with the family confirmed Sandmann's identity, speaking on condition of anonymity because the source didn't want to distract from the statement, according to CTV. Videos posted of the confrontation drew wide criticism on social media. The student identified himself in an email statement Sunday evening as junior Nick Sandmann of Covington Catholic High School in a northern Kentucky suburb of Cincinnati. I am being called every name in the book, including a racist, and I will not stand for this mob-like character assassination of my family's name, wrote Sandmann, who added that he and his parents have received death threats since video of Friday's confrontation emerged. But video of Sandmann standing very close to Phillips, staring and at times smiling at him as Phillips sang and played a drum, gave many who watched it a different impression. Both Sandmann and Nathan Phillips say they were trying to defuse tensions that were rising among three groups on a day Washington hosted both the March for Life and the Indigenous Peoples March. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vice president: Alison Halsall, assistant professor in York University's Department of Humanities, has organized a screening of 2018 documentary Tiny Shoulders Rethinking Barbie' ahead of a chat with toy company Mattel's vice president and head of Barbie design Kim Culmone, according to CTV. Barbie has had a changing relationship with childhood from its beginnings in the 60s all the way up to 2019, Halsall said. While the toy is blamed by many for negatively affecting girls' body image, the plastic figure is admired by some as a feminist role model reinvented with a variety of skin tones and body types. We have to ask ourselves about the image she presents, because it is one that used to be a little bit more homogeneous with roughly two ethnic types, whereas now we see a whole range of body types as well as ethnic types, hair colours and skin tones. This reinvented Barbie has an even greater global potential to reach and shape childhoods. Halsall said the event is important to understand the marketing, brand and creation of Barbie. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

water: Five weeks is too long without any provision of access to water for people who are vulnerable, Kertes said in an interview, according to CTV. Five weeks is a very long time for a community, especially since the city wasn't prepared. Tom Kertes of Community for Clean Water said in a letter to the mayor and city councillors on Saturday that the group would like to propose a Clean Water Preparedness Plan, which would include a series of concrete and achievable steps aimed at ending the advisory. The city did not immediately return a request for comment, but Mayor Lee Brain explained in a Facebook post why the advisory is in effect. Last August, the city applied for funding to implement a two-phase water treatment system and replace the submarine line that carries potable water beneath the harbour from Woodworth and Shawatlans lakes, said information posted on the city's website. Water in the city of Prince Rupert tested for high levels of cryptosporidium and giardia, parasites can cause intestinal illnesses, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

migration crisis: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in a town hall Q&A in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, according to Toronto Star. Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS The most heated exchange came on immigration, after a woman asked Trudeau why his government had signed the UN Global Compact on Safe Migration without consulting Canadians. The prime minister was cheered and occasionally heckled as he answered questions on a variety of topics, ranging from the environment to immigration to NAFTA, during the two-hour meeting in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. Trudeau responded that the entire world is being thrown into a migration crisis, and that signing the agreement would allow Canada to share its approach and co-operate with other countries on matters of immigration. Article Continued Below There is a great deal of false information spreading on the subject. This is a pact that in no way limits Canada in its sovereignty to determine how and who we will accept as immigrants, Trudeau said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

court judge: Oberlander claims that he was forced to join the Nazi death squad Einsatzkommando 10a, also known as Ek10a, after being threatened with execution, according to CTV. In 1954 he came to Canada and became a citizen six years later. The federal government says the 94-year-old Waterloo man lied about his activities during the Second World War. Oberlander has always denied taking part in any killings. It was the fourth time his citizenship has been revoked since the mid-1990s. Back in September a federal court judge found the government was reasonable in stripping Oberlander's citizenship. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gender equality: The march started as a rally on Parliament Hill with speeches and indigenous drumming, according to CTV. It then took to the streets for a march down Bank Street to Lansdowne. People gathered in the frigid cold demanding the advancement of the rights of women and other vulnerable groups. Sherry Moran has never missed a Women's March. She says she wants her to know, Girl power is important and she should be working with men who are supporting gender equality. Saturday she had company- joined by her great-niece Natasha. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ivory: Ivory Coast arrest document in French Two men were arrested last month by the Ivory Coast's cybercrimes unit, according to CTV. Sources confirm that the arrests are linked to Clement's case. Clement, who is married with three children, admitted in November to sending explicit images and video to someone he believed was a consenting woman but turned out to be what he called a foreign actor. Government officials in the Ivory Coast allege that the two men created fake profiles on Instagram and Linked In pretending to be a white woman named Brianna Dounia. Once in possession of the explicit images, the suspects allegedly demanded 50,000 Euros -- equivalent to 75,000 -- and threatened to release the content if Clement didn't pay up. They allegedly used the accounts to correspond with Clement and a French citizen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

news conference: He was the first Chinese-Canadian to do so, the Liberals pointed out in a statement on their website, according to Toronto Star. Richard Lee, the Liberal candidate for Burnaby South, makes his first public appearance Saturday. Lee has lived in the riding for 30 years and represented Burnaby in British Columbia's legislature for 16 years, serving for a time as deputy Speaker. Cherise Seucharan / Star Metro Vancouver Former Burnaby South candidate Karen Wang is asked to leave the site where she had called a news conference for by Burnaby Public Library Chief Librarian Beth Davies in Burnaby, B.C. Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Wang stepped aside Wednesday after Star Metro Vancouver translated a WeChat post in which she urged Chinese-Canadians to vote for her, the only ethnic Chinese candidate, instead of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who she described as of Indian descent. JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS Speaking at his campaign office, Lee answered only a few questions from reporters and said he had not spoken with Karen Wang, the Liberals' original pick for the riding, since the social media post that led to her resignation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

igbo cosmology: His story is one of struggle, but the chi's exquisite telling of it reveals much about the richness and beauty of Nigerian culture, from its intensely communal society to its complex Igbo cosmology and mythic literary tradition, according to Toronto Star. The tale starts with Chinonso's chance meeting with a woman, Ndali, on a bridge, where she's contemplating suicide. The guardian spirit appears before the magnificent court of Bechukwu, in the heavenly place of Eluigwe, to plead with Chekwu, creator of all, on behalf of its host, known in this cycle of life as Chinonso Solomon Olisa, a poultry farmer in Umuahia, Nigeria. He rushes to her side, flinging his prized chickens off the edge to demonstrate the finality of her choice. An Orchestra of Minorities, Chigozie Obioma, Little Brown, 464 pages, 36.50 Little, Brown The protaganist in Chigozie Obioma's novel An Orchestra of Minorities moves to Cyprus to pursue an education. He manages to draw her back into the land of the living, and, in doing so, finds his destiny inexorably linked with hers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

president: But Trump was not expected to sign the national emergency declaration he's been threatening as an option to circumvent Congress, according to two people familiar with the planning, according to CTV. Instead, Trump was expected to propose the outlines of a new deal that the administration believes could potentially pave the way to an end to the shutdown, according to one of the people. The White House declined to provide details late Friday about what the president would be announcing. They were not authorized to discuss the announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. The president and his aides have said he will not budge on his demand for 5.7 billion in funding. The move -- on Day 28 of a shutdown that has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks -- represents the first major overture by the president since Jan. 8, when he delivered an Oval Office address making the public case for his border wall. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

resource extraction: Eastern Angola is one of those places, and that helps explain why this place, which has little to no potential for agriculture, oil, development, or resource extraction, now finds itself with a number of suitors aspiring to protect it. ; This huge chunk of land, slightly larger than the state of Tennessee flat, sandy, littered with unmapped and uncrossable waterways that sometimes change locations, like staircases in Hogwarts could be well on its way to becoming a national park, according to National Observer. The land is sparsely populated and fairly inhospitable; the Portuguese called it the land of hunger and the land at the end of the world. There are not many truly unknown places left on Earth, places where nobody knows who and what lives there, where the waterways go, or how the ecosystems operate. But the provisional name for the developing park is Lisima Lwa Mwondo, the source of life in the Bantu dialect spoken there. If they wait or fail, they believe, these areas, preserved to some extent by conflict and neglect, may never be the same. Over the next few years, as development and outside interests humanitarian, capitalistic, political continue to move into Angola, there is a rush for the do-gooders to preserve the environment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

april dughmosh: Dughmosh initially faced a total of 21 charges, but in the end she faced four, including two counts of assault with a weapon and one of carrying a weapon -- all in the name of ISIL. She was also charged with leaving Canada for the purpose of committing a criminal offence in connection with an attempted trip to Syria in April 2016, according to CTV. Dughmosh, who represented herself in court, did not enter a plea on the charges but not-guilty pleas were entered on her behalf. Jurors deliberated for just over an hour before delivering the verdict in the case of Rehab Dughmosh, who was arrested in July 2017 after the attack at a mall in east Toronto. She did not present a defence and, through an interpreter, declined to make any closing statements to the jury. Ms. The only evidence presented in court was an agreed statement of facts, which prosecutors said was unusual in a jury trial but allowed the matter to be resolved fairly and quickly despite the challenges raised by Dughmosh's decision not to participate to the same extent that accused people typically do. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

byelection: Later, she asked the prime minister to let her run after all, according to Toronto Star. But the party has decided against letting Wang run under the Liberal banner. Karen Wang, who until Wednesday was the Liberal candidate running against NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in the highly anticipated byelection, resigned over comments she made on WeChat about Singh's race. Recent online comments by Karen Wang are not aligned with the values of the Liberal Party of Canada. Caley did not respond to questions about whether the Liberals will run another candidate in the Burnaby South byelection. The Liberal Party has accepted her resignation as a candidate, and she will not represent the Liberal Party in the Burnaby South byelection, wrote Braeden Caley, Liberal Party spokesperson, in an email Thursday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

british exit: EU nations were spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the possibility that Britain will leave the bloc without an agreement to smooth the way, according to CTV. British lawmakers threw out May's Brexit deal Tuesday, handing the prime minister the worst parliamentary defeat in modern British history. Across the Channel, European Union countries were stepping up preparations for a disorderly British exit on March 29 after the U.K. Parliament rejected May's Brexit withdrawal deal. The drubbing was followed by a no-confidence vote demanded by the opposition. A chastened May promised she would hold talks in a constructive spirit with leaders of opposition parties and other lawmakers in a bid to find a way forward for Britain's EU exit. May's minority Conservative government survived it on Wednesday night with backing from its Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.