Brewing War of Words Between Canada and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia and Canada are currently locked in a diplomatic spat over human rights, with both countries refusing to back down despite a breakdown in future trade deals, suspended passenger flights and a flurry of other sanctions.

The war of words between the two countries stems back to a series of tweets from Canada's Foreign Ministry last week, when Ottawa expressed concern over arrested civil society activists in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh called the move a violation of its sovereignty and sought to impose a string of diplomatic sanctions against the North American country. In a tweet posted Friday, Canadian officials urged Riyadh to "immediately release" women's rights activists Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah. Both campaigners were arrested in Saudi Arabia in late July, according to Human Rights Watch.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry took exception to Canada's online plea, calling it a "grave and unacceptable violation of the kingdom's laws and procedures."

World Champion, Lionel Messi Quits International Football

World Champion, Lionel Messi has announced his resignation from International football after losing to Chile in a penalty shootout in the Copa America final last night, BBC reports.

“It’s not meant for me. For me the national team is over. I’ve done all I can, it hurts not to be a champion,” the 29-year-old forward said.

The Argentina team has lost in 3 Copa America final games in the last 9 years – two to Chile on penalties and one to Brazil in 2007. The team also lost the 2014 World Cup final game to Germany after an extra time goal by Mario Gotze.

“It’s been four finals, I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn’t get it, so I think it’s over.

I think this is best for everyone. First of all for me, and then for everyone. I think there’s a lot of people who want this, who obviously are not satisfied, as we are not satisfied reaching a final and not winning it.

It’s very hard, but the decision is taken. Now I will not try more and there will be no going back,” he added.

Canada increases sanctions against Russia in response to Ukrainian conflict

 Prime Minister Stephen Harper responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Canadian Press 
Canada says it is intensifying economic sanctions against Russian individuals and companies in response to the tense situation in eastern Ukraine.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the move is being made in co-ordination with Canada's partners in Europe and the United States in response to what he says is Russia's backing of rebel forces in eastern Ukraine.

"Canada's position remains clear: we recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will never recognize the illegal Russian occupation of any part of the country," Harper said in a statement.

Palestinians hurl eggs at convoy of Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

Palestinian protesters hurl eggs at the vehicle of Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird as he leaves following his meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, in front of the Palestinian foreign ministry in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. Dozens of Palestinian protesters have hurled eggs and shoes at the convoy of the visiting Canadian foreign minister. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

The Associated Press
Dozens of Palestinian protesters in Ramallah hurled eggs and shoes at the convoy of Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

Baird travelled to the West Bank city today to meet with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki.

The protesters held signs reading: “Baird you are not welcome in Palestine.”

Activists from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party had earlier called for a boycott of the minister because of the Canadian government’s perceived pro-Israel stance.

Baird is in the region for four days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

US Frees 5 Guantanamo Prisoners

The Pentagon on Thursday said five men from Yemen have been released from the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the latest move in efforts by the Obama administration to close the military prison.

The Pentagon announced that one man has been sent to Estonia and four to Oman.

“The U.S. is grateful to the Government of Oman for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

“There are now 122 detainees held at Guantanamo,’’ the Pentagon said.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

United states takes steps to ease Cuba embargo

The United States rolled out a sweeping set of measures on Thursday to ease the half-century-old embargo against Cuba, opening up the country to expanded travel, trade and financial activities, Voice of America reports.

Defying hardline critics in Congress, President Barack Obama made good on a commitment he made a month ago to begin loosening some US economic sanctions against the communist-ruled island as part of an effort to end decades of hostility.

The Treasury and Commerce Departments issued a package of new rules that will allow US exports of telecommunications, agricultural and construction equipment, permit expanded travel to Cuba and authorise some kinds of banking relations.

International Diplomacy As Cuba Frees 53 Prisoners To Restore US Relations

Cuba has completed the release of 53 prisoners it promised to free as part of the agreement to restore diplomatic relations with the United States, American officials said on Monday.

“We welcome this very positive development and are pleased that the Cuban government followed through on this commitment,” a senior administration official said in a statement to reporters. “Our Interests Section in Havana was able to verify these releases.”

The release of the 53 prisoners has been eagerly awaited by American officials as a sign that Cuba is prepared to carry though with the deal to normalize relations, The New York Times reports.

Once bitten! Why are international media houses reluctant to carry Charlie Hebdo new magazine cover?

French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, who lost 10 of their staff members last week Wednesday Jan. 7th in a terror attack, unveiled the cover of their new edition today January 13th which has a drawing of a weeping Prophet Muhammad holding up a sign that reads “Je suis Charlie.”, with tagline “all is forgiven,” but I noticed that most international media houses, including CNN, Daily Mail, BBC, Mirror and more refused to carry the cover but talked about the issue..

Because them no carry am, me sef I fear to carry am..lol. But why though? Why are they all reluctant to carry it? Meanwhile, the mag said they are planning to release 3million copies of the new issue. Readers of Mail Online, BBC and others are blasting them for refusing to carry the cover. See some of their comments after the cut...

Lebanon imposes visas on Syrians refugees

Overwhelmed by a massive influx of desperate refugees, Lebanon began imposing unprecedented visa restrictions on Syrians on Monday, including those fleeing their country’s civil war, AFP reports.

“Today we began implementing the new entry measures and Syrians at the borders have begun presenting their documents to enter,” a source at Lebanon’s general security agency said.

The visa restrictions are the first in the history of the two countries and come as Lebanon struggles to deal with more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees.

The influx has tested the country’s limited resources, as well as the patience of its citizens, particularly as security has deteriorated.

Japan 'Made in China' Labels Dropped To Boost Sales

BBC
Chinese manufacturers have stopped using "made in China" labels on clothes sold in Japan in an effort to improve sales, it's reported.

The move is an attempt to overcome perceptions that Chinese-made clothes are poor quality, the South China Morning Post website reports. Instead, clothes are being labelled "made in PRC" - the People's Republic of China - because many Japanese customers don't know what the acronym stands for, the website says. Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency says despite the term being lost in translation, there's nothing to stop Chinese companies from changing their labels.

Buckingham palace denies Prince Andrew sex allegations

Buckingham Palace on Sunday stepped up efforts to defend Prince Andrew after the British royal was embroiled in claims of sexual impropriety with an underage woman, USA Today reports.

In a second statement since the claims surfaced, officials “emphatically denied” allegations by an unidentified woman who said she was forced to have sex with the royal when she was under the age of 18.

The woman named 54-year-old Prince Andrew, known as the Duke of York, in papers filed with a Florida court last week. The filing was submitted as part of a lengthy lawsuit against American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who the woman claims forced her to have sex with prominent people, including Prince Andrew. The woman was only identified as “Jane Doe Number 3” in the papers.

Royal officials on Friday denied “any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors” by Andrew, and strengthened that stance Sunday after two tabloid newspapers published details of interviews with the alleged victim. The controversy has dominated British news coverage since Friday.

ISIS seizes Damascus suburb from rivals

Islamist fighters seized a suburb east of Damascus on Sunday after driving out a smaller rival insurgent group in deadly clashes, a monitoring group said, the latest example of rebel infighting in Syria’s nearly four-year conflict, Voice of America reports.

Fighters from the Army of Islam clashed with members of the Army of the Nation group in Douma, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Both groups include Sunni Muslim fighters opposed to President Bashar al-Assad’s government, and the fighting is seen as more of a turf war than a conflict over ideology.

The Observatory, which gathers information from a network of sources in Syria, said several fighters were killed, without giving details. It added that the Army of Islam had detained many of its rival combatants.

Canada free trade with SouthKorea begins

Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, listens to Prime Minister Stephen Harper respond to a question during a joint media availability in September after the two leaders formally signed a free-trade agreement. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

The Canada-South Korea free trade agreement comes into force Jan. 1. The Canadian government forecasts exports to Korea will increase 32 per cent.

The agreement is especially good news for  Canadian cattle and pork producers. For example, the 40 per cent Korean tariff on Canadian beef will be gradually eliminated over 15 years.

The agreement was signed in Ottawa on Sept 22. Ottawa sees the pact with Korea as a stepping stone to other free trade agreements in Asia.

War Ready! Canadian CF-18s strike fighter positions in Iraq

Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets depart after refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Thursday, Â Oct. 30, 2014, over Iraq. Two Canadian fighter jets spent New Year's Eve bombing militants' positions in Iraq as part of a international airstrike campaign. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Perry Aston

The Canadian Press
Two Canadian fighter jets spent New Year’s Eve bombing militants’ positions in Iraq as part of a international airstrike campaign.

The Defence Department says that on Dec. 31, the two CF-18s struck ISIL fighting positions using precision-guided munitions.

The planes were acting in support of Iraqi security forces’ group operations west of Fallujah.

According to information posted by the American and Australian governments, the targets hit in that area were tactical units belong to the Islamic State.

Another Massacre Averted As Ship Carrying 900 Migrants Abandoned At Sea

Sky News
Italy's coastguard said they narrowly averted a "massacre" after a cargo ship was abandoned at sea with more than 900 Syrian refugees on board.

Officers said the Blue Sky M's engines had been locked and its steering set on a course which would have seen it smash ashore in Italy's Puglia region.

Two helicopters were scrambled overnight and six coastguard officers boarded the ship and managed to bring it under control just five miles from the rocky coastline.

"It was a real race against the clock," said coastguard spokesman Filippo Marini.

"Unlocking the engines was a difficult and delicate operation, but they managed to do it."

The migrants on board, including a heavily pregnant woman whose waters broke during the rescue, were taken to the Italian port of Gallipoli.

Palestine to Seek War Crime Charges Against Israel

B O'Connor | Gawker
A day after the U.N. Security Council rejected a Palestinian resolution to end Israeli occupation by 2017, President Mahmoud Abbas announced that Palestine would pursue war-crimes charges against the Jewish state in the International Criminal Court.

"They attack us and our land every day, to whom are we to complain?" Abbas told a gathering of Palestinian leaders, according to Reuters. "The Security Council let us down—where are we to go?" The remarks were broadcast on official television.

Israel is not a member of the international court at The Hague, and does not recognize its jurisdiction. The court has no police force of its own, according to the Associated Press, "but it could issue arrest warrants that would make it difficult for Israeli officials to travel abroad."

New Year Stampede In Shanghai, China Kills 36 People

Angry family members clash with security personnel in a hospital where some of the victims of a stampede by new year’s revellers were sent in Shanghai on January 1, 2015. Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images

Jonathan Kaiman | Guardian
A New Year’s Eve celebration in Shanghai ended in disaster when a stampede left at least 36 people dead and nearly 50 others injured, marking one of the biggest disasters to befall a major Chinese city in recent years.

The stampede began at about 11.35pm in Shanghai’s Chen Yi Square, a wide promenade popular with tourists between a row of historic art deco buildings and the Huangpu riverfront, according to China’s state newswire Xinhua.

Witnesses told Agence France-Presse that the mayhem centered on a stairway leading up to a viewing platform overlooking the river. Some people were trying to climb to the platform as others tried to get down, causing panic and mass confusion.

Canadian Ebola volunteers to West Africa doubles since call to action

In this Oct. 16, 2014, file photo, a healthcare worker dons protective gear before entering an Ebola treatment center in Freetown, Sierra Leone. CP

CBC

The number of Canadians who have volunteered to take part in the government's efforts to stop the deadly spread of Ebola in West Africa has doubled since Health Minister Rona Ambrose put out a call to action last month.

Ambrose called on health-care workers to join the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea during a press conference on Nov. 27.

​​Nick Ayre, a recruitment officer with the Red Cross’s Ebola response team, said 670 Canadians have applied to help contain the deadly virus in West Africa — 350 since the government's call for more volunteers. Of the 350 who have applied, 100 of those are government workers.​

In an interview with CBC News, Ayre did not sugarcoat the risks and challenges faced by volunteers on this mission.

Ukraine cuts electricity power supply to Crimea

Ukraine briefly severed electricity to the Crimean peninsula, nine months after it was annexed by Russia, in a pointed reminder of the territory’s reliance on Ukrainian energy sources, New York Times reports.

The electricity shut-off came as Moscow threatened a greater rift with the West if Ukraine attempted to make good on its intention to join NATO.

The Russian deputy defense minister, Anatoly Antonov condemned the decision on Tuesday by the Ukrainian Parliament to abandon Ukraine’s nonaligned status and declared that NATO was attempting to use Ukraine as a “forward line for confronting Russia.”

Ukraine’s ambitions to join the Western military alliance have been presented as a direct military threat to Russia by President Vladimir Putin and top security officials.

ISIS Teen With Bomb Surrenders Himself To Security Because He Doesn't Want To Die

A Syrian boy, Usaid Barho being held by Isis has managed to escape their camp after he volunteered to be a suicide bomber. The boy aged 14, who joined the group because he believed they practiced Islam, was later brainwashed to see Shi’ites as their enemies, and was also told if he wasn’t ready to fight them, the Shi’ites were ready to rape his mother. 

In the camp, he was given an option of becoming a fighter or a suicide bomber, but he turned down being a fighter because he might be killed at a battle front.