Two Canadians Reportedly Kidnapped in Northern Nigeria

The Kaduna State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of four foreign nationals along Kwoi-Jere road in Kagarko local government area of Kaduna State.

Two escorts with the Nigeria Police Force were reportedly killed by the armed kidnappers, before the foreigners were abducted.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Mukhtar Aliyu confirmed that the foreign nationals included two Canadians and two Americans.

The Spokesperson said the nationals were said to be returning to Abuja from Kafanchan, Jema’a local government area of Kaduna state, adding, “the kidnappers laid ambush for them and engaged the the escorts in gun duel which led to the death of two policemen while the four foreigners were whisked to unknown destination.”

He said the Command had since swung into action as it had deployed its anti-kidnap unit and assured that the abductors would be brought to book.

The officer urged Nigerians to be vigilant and report any suspected persons or group of persons to the appropriate authorities.

Canadians Supporting Trump To Build Wall

© Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP An asylum claimant and her two daughters cross the border into Canada from the United States Friday, March 17, 2017, near Hemmingford, Quebec

‘Build that wall?’ Some Canadians are calling for more border control, too. Candidates for leadership of Canada’s opposition Conservative Party are calling for drastic measures to halt the flow of asylum seekers fleeing the United States into Canada, including deployment of the Canadian army to detain would-be refugees as they cross the border.

This get-tough approach reflects public opinion surveys that show a hardening of attitudes among some Canadians toward the asylum seekers and immigration in general, placing political pressure on the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Canadian news recently has been full of images of migrants trudging across snow-covered fields and through icy ditches, hauling small children and suitcases as they cross into Quebec, Manitoba and other provinces from U.S. border states. The phenomenon has gained momentum since Donald Trump was elected president in November.

Kevin O’Leary, a reality-TV celebrity and neophyte politician who has taken a Trumplike approach to his quest for the Conservative leadership, says illegal crossings are “unacceptable” and that Canada must beef up its border security to avert a flood of refugees. “I don’t want what’s happening in Europe to happen in Canada,” he said in a recent campaign video.

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UFC News: Ronda Rousey Put To Sleep in First 48 Seconds

Ronda Rousey was stopped 48 seconds into her comeback fight Friday night, losing to bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on Friday night.

Rousey staggered and stumbled backward while Nunes relentlessly pursued her and landed multiple shots. Referee Herb Dean stopped the bout with Rousey still on her feet, and Rousey briefly protested the stoppage before leaving the cage in her mother's arms.

Cody Garbrandt also won the men's bantamweight title in the penultimate bout, battering champion Dominick Cruz to earn a surprising decision victory at T-Mobile Arena in the UFC's traditional end-of-the-year show in its hometown.

Canada Immigration Adopts Lottery System for Reuniting Immigrants with Parents and Guidance

Canada is adopting a lottery system to replace the current first-come, first-served immigration process to reunite parents and grandparents.

The change, which will take effect in the new year, is designed to make the system fair for all applicants, according to a release from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In past, the number of applications has far exceeded the number of available spots, creating a backlog in applications.

"We're listening to what past applicants had to say and making the process fairer for people who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents," Immigration Minister John McCallum said in a statement.

"We're ensuring everyone can access the application process by giving them the same chance to have their name chosen."

Between Jan. 3 and Feb. 2, 2017, Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents will be required to complete an online form on the IRCC website within 30 days.

President Elect Donald Trump Will Get Us Killed - Says Michael Moore

Michael Moore published a scathing essay to his Facebook page on Tuesday night, slamming President-elect Donald Trump for not regularly attending national security briefings.

Titled "Donald Trump Is Gonna Get Us Killed," the piece builds upon what Moore told Seth Meyers in an interview earlier this month.

"A week has gone by since Donald Trump admitted he's only been to 'two or three' of his daily presidential national security briefings. There have been 36 of them since the day he secured enough electoral college votes to be appointed president next Monday when the Electoral College meets," Moore began. "Most would agree the No. 1 job of the leader of any country is to keep its people safe. There is no more important meeting every day for the President than the one where he learns what the day's potential threats are to the country. That Trump would find it too cumbersome or too annoying to have to sit through 20 minutes of listening to his top intelligence people tell him who's trying to kill us today, simply boggles the mind."

Citing what Moore called Trump's "childish tweets" about Saturday Night Live, the Oscar-winning filmmaker expressed doubt Trump "doesn't have time" to hear about threats to the nation.

"So, my fellow Americans, when the next terrorist attack happens -- and it will happen, we all know that -- and after the tragedy is over, amidst the death and destruction that might have been prevented, you will see Donald Trump acting quickly to blame everyone but himself.

Apple iPhone 4th-Quarter Sales Beat Estimates But Company's Revenue Falls

Apple says it sold 45.51 million iPhones in the three months ended Sept. 24, beating the average analysts' estimate of 44.8 million, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount. (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Apple Inc. posted a third quarter in a row of declining iPhone sales on Tuesday, but beat Wall Street targets for its flagship product and forecast higher-than-expected revenue for the critical holiday shopping season.

Apple executives said demand for the new iPhone 7, the company's best hope to revive flagging sales, was strong, despite fiscal fourth-quarter revenue dips in China and the Americas, its two most important markets.

"We couldn't be more excited about the customer response to the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus," Apple CEO Tim Cook said, according to CNBC.

Sad Ending As Jewelry Mega Chain Ben Moss Closes Door Across The Country

After more than a century in business, Winnipeg-based jewelry chain Ben Moss Jewellers is closing its doors.

Going-out-of-business sales were announced at all 54 Ben Moss locations in Canada in a news release from Gordon Brothers Group on Friday. The sales began on Saturday.

In May the company announced that it was restructuring its operations after receiving creditor protection. Liquidation sales have already begun at 11 underperforming stores across the country.

Alberta Company 'Be Thankful Message' Received Backlash

The whiteboard message inside a PermaCorp room in Edmonton. The company has distanced itself from the statement and it has been erased.

'If I need to find another employee it is so easy.'

That blunt message delivered within a missive from a PermaCorp manager has drawn ire online over recent weeks and has forced the Edmonton industrial manufacturing company to backtrack.
The message written on an office whiteboard at the company that employs about 80 people was photographed and posted online recently.

The message begins with the declaration of "Why you should be thankful for your job at PermaCorp" and then lists off the reasons — including the fact, according to the manager, that they receive a lot of resumes.

Inflation Close At 1.6% Due To Surge In Cost of Fruits and Vegetables

Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau greets constituents at a subway station in his riding Tuesday, October 20, 2015 in Montreal, the morning after winning a majority government in the federal election. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Canada's highest income earners face the prospect of higher taxes under a new Liberal majority government, but those in the middle can expect a break.

Keith MacIntyre, a tax specialist at accounting and consulting firm Grant Thornton, says people in the middle tax brackets could see a reduction in the federal income tax they'll be required to pay if Justin Trudeau's promises are put in place.

"Certainly people in those brackets will be looking forward to that in terms of additional cash flow," MacIntyre said from Halifax.

Five dead, two injured in northern Saskatchewan school shooting

 

Five people are dead and two in critical condition after a school shooting in the northern Saskatchewan community of La Loche.

One person has been arrested, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed from an emergency press conference in Davos, Switzerland.

“We all grieve with and stand with the community of La Loche and the province of Saskatchewan on this terrible and tragic day,” Trudeau said.

Bell Canada faces $750M lawsuit over allegedly selling customer data

A lawsuit seeks $750 million in damages for breach of privacy, breach of contract and breach of the Telecommunications Act. (CBC File Photo)

The Canadian Press
A $750-million national class-action lawsuit has been filed against Bell Canada over alleged breaches of privacy arising from its recently discontinued target ads program.

The suit against subsidiaries of Bell  alleges that the defendants used the program to track, collect and sell the sensitive account and internet browsing information of their customers to advertisers.

It seeks $750 million in damages for breach of privacy, breach of contract and breach of the Telecommunications Act.

Canadian Toy Testing Council Shut Down After 63yrs For Insolvency

Children play during a 2010 Canadian Toy Testing Council event to announce its top toy picks. (Pawel Dwulit/CP)

The Canadian Toy Testing Council known for testing toys for children since 1952 has shut down after members were unable to secure financial backing. The council operates through a network of through families in the Ottawa region who would take the toys home and judge them on design, durability, safety and playability.

The group also produced an annual pre-Christmas list of top toys and books.

But last year the volunteer-run organization did not operate its toy testing program or produce its annual list because of what it described as funding challenges.

In a news release Tuesday, the organization said it had been under financial stress for several years.

Canada Revenue Agency filings for the council show the organization's revenue was cut in half from 2011 to 2012, to $52,328 from $98,743, and the group could not recover. The council reported revenue of $46,101 in 2014.

Aww! Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel welcome son

According to People magazine, Justin Timberlake and wife Jessica Biel have welcomed a son, Silas Randall Timberlake. A rep told the magazine that mom and the baby are doing well and dad is “ecstatic

New report warns of perils of corporate farming in Canada

A farmer works a potato field in North Tryon, P.E.I. in this July 13, 2000 photo. CP

The Canadian Press
A board member for the National Farmers Union says without laws that support decent farm livelihoods, Canada could lose its next generation of farmers.

Matt Gehl, board member for Saskatchewan, says the country could end up with something like “the serfdom many of our ancestors tried to escape.”

On Tuesday, the NFU released an update to its 2010 report on corporate farmland buyup, farm debt and input financing.

Quebec reports 10 new measles cases linked to outbreak at Disneyland parks

Visitors follow Mickey Mouse for photos at Disneyland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, in Anaheim, Calif. Testing shows there is no link between four recent measles cases in Toronto and a large outbreak linked to the Disneyland theme parks in California. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Jae C. Hong

Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press
Health officials in Joliette, Que., have confirmed they have an outbreak of measles linked to the Disneyland theme part outbreak in the California.

A statement from the Lanaudiere health authority says so far 10 cases have been identified.
None of the 10 were vaccinated.

The statement says that the 10 are known to be contacts of one another and all reside in the Lanaudiere region.

Forreal? Lie Witness News Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Edition!

Is this real or made-up? Jimmy Kimmel late night crew went in the streets to ask pedestrians on what they thought of Martin Luther King supposed speech on Martin Luther King Day.

'In honor of Martin Luther King Day, we went out on the street and asked 14 people if they saw the speech Dr. King gave that morning. Seven of them said they had. We present to you perhaps the most disturbing edition ever of #LieWitnessNews'. Watch video below after the cut

Britain oldest person dies at age 114

'Last Victorian' Dies Aged 114.  Britain's oldest person has died at the age of 114. Ethel Lang was believed to be the last person living in the UK who was born in the reign of Queen Victoria. Mrs Lang was born in the Worsbrough area of Barnsley on 27 May 1900 and lived in the South Yorkshire town all her life.

She became the UK's oldest person after Londoner Grace Jones died aged 113 in 2013.

Canadians going to US for long stays need to be mindful of changes, says MP

Canadian border guards are silhouetted as they replace each other at an inspection booth at the Douglas border crossing on the Canada-USA border in Surrey, B.C., August 20, 2009

CBC - A BC. MP is warning people about a new information-sharing agreement between Canada and the United States that could put travellers who spend a lot of time in the U.S. at risk of significant consequences.

The Entry Exit Initiative allows officials to track how many days Canadians have spent in the U.S. Prior to the agreement, the country could only track re-entry dates, not exit dates.

"We were specially wanting to alert people that this could potentially be a problem for them if they were being careless about their travel," said Gail Hunnisett, constituency assistant for Alex Atamanenko, MP for B.C. Southern Interior.

Hunnisett said she's been fielding a lot of calls since her office put out the information.

Transport Canada to study climate change impact on 3 northern airports

CBC - Transport Canada to study climate change impact on 3 northern airports

CBC
The federal government is commissioning a study to look at the effects climate change is having on northern infrastructure.

The study will focus on three northern airports: Inuvik, N.W.T., Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, and Churchill, Man. It will examine the damage and look at ways to stop it from getting worse.

Transport Canada says the results could help airport operators determine what investments are needed and help them adapt to the changing climate.

But critics say it's simply a band-aid solution.

News anchor Jim Clancy leaves CNN after 34 years following abusive Twitter exchange with Pro-Israel activists

CNN anchor Jim Clancy has left the network one week after a bizarre exchange with pro-Israel activists on Twitter about the terrorist outrages in Paris, in which he derided his opponents as the “hasbara team” and used a derogatory term for disabled people.

The news was broken by industry publication Adweek, which linked to The Algemeiner‘s extensive reporting of the scandal, noting that Clancy’s departure “comes just days after the veteran journalist had an extended debate via Twitter over the Charlie Hebdo cartoons.”

CNN, however, made no mention of the scandal as it paid tribute to Clancy’s 34 years of service with the channel. “Jim Clancy is no longer with CNN. We thank him for more than three decades of distinguished service, and wish him nothing but the best,” a CNN spokesperson said.