South China Morning Post: Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s extradition case will go ahead, Canada says after ‘thorough review of evidence’. “We are disappointed that the Minister of Justice has decided to issue an Authority to Proceed in the face of the political nature of the US charges and where the President of the United States has repeatedly stated that he would interfere in Ms. Meng’s case if he thought it would assist the US negotiations with China over a trade deal,” David Martin, who leads Meng’s defence team, said in a statement. Martin was referring to US President Donald Trump’s February 22 suggestion that the Huawei charges could become a bargaining chip in the US-China negotiations.
CNN: Huawei is growing in Canada despite pressure there. China’s Huawei is growing its presence in Canada, despite intense pressure on the company from the United States and geopolitical tensions between Ottawa and Beijing. The phone and telecom equipment maker said Thursday that it will add 200 new research and development jobs in Canada, a 20% increase. It will also up its research and development spending there by 15%. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in Canada — a country with one of the most innovative technology communities in the world,” said Eric Li, president of Huawei Technologies Canada, in a statement. The decision comes as the United States tries to persuade its allies to shut out Huawei products from next-generation 5G wireless networks.
New York Times: As Huawei’s influence in Canada grows, some fear spying. Others just want fast Internet. In recent weeks, some viewers of “Hockey Night in Canada” have been jolted by the sight of a distinctive red chrysanthemum logo conspicuously displayed during the broadcast of a sports program as quintessentially Canadian as the national game itself. It is the logo for Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant whose chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, is out on bail in Vancouver, with a GPS tracking device around her ankle, as she awaits possible extradition to the United States to face fraud charges. Advertising on “Hockey Night” is just one example of the expanding footprint of Huawei in Canada, where it has invested a total of $500 million in research and development, including into 5G technology at leading Canadian universities. By Dan Bilefsky.
CNN: FDA warns Canadian company about distributing ‘potentially dangerous’ drugs in US. The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to the Canadian company CanaRx for playing a role in “the introduction of unapproved new drugs and misbranded drugs” to the United States, according to the letter. “These drugs are potentially dangerous to U.S. consumers,” the FDA said in a news release Thursday. An unapproved new drug has not been approved for use by the FDA. A misbranded drug fails to bear either adequate directions for its intended use or adequate warnings relating to its use.
BBC: Meng Wanzhou: Huawei chief executive can be extradited, Canada says. Canada has said it will allow the US extradition case against Huawei’s chief executive to move forward, but the court must make a final decision. The US wants Meng Wanzhou, Huawei chief financial officer, to stand trial on charges including fraud linked to the alleged violation of sanctions on Iran. Ms Meng was arrested in Canada in December at the behest of the US. The high-profile detention had soured relations between China and the US and Canada.
Express.co.uk: Justin Trudeau warned ‘your days are NUMBERED’ after Canada votes in KEY by-elections. Voters in the city of Burnaby elected Jagmeet Singh as their MP after a closely-watched race. Mr Singh heads up the left wing New Democratic Party (NDP), Canada’s third largest group, and his victory in British Columbia means he can now face off against Mr Trudeau in October’s federal election. Meanwhile in the electoral district of York-Simcoe, Conservative newcomer Scot Davidson brushed aside the competition to ease to victory with almost 54 percent of the vote. Addressing supporters after Monday’s result, he said: “It might have been my name on the ballot, but together we kept this riding Tory blue. “Together, we sent a message to Justin Trudeau that his days are numbered in Parliament.”
The Guardian: Spirited away: Canadian thieves steal more than $9,000 in iceberg water. Police in Canada are investigating a chilling theft in a Newfoundland community after the disappearance of 30,000 litres of valuable iceberg water. Thieves are believed to have covertly pilfered the water from a storage facility in the coastal town of Port Union last week. The water was intended for vodka production, said police. Iceberg water is valued for its purity, and used in premium spirits, cosmetic products – and even sold as a luxury bottled water, with cases of the bottles often selling for hundreds of dollars. The RCMP, Canada’s federal police force, announced the theft on Wednesday and said the water has a street value of between CAD $9,000 and $12,000 (£5,300 to £7,000).
Space.com: Canada joins NASA’s lunar gateway station project with ‘Canadarm3’ robotic arm. NASA’s Lunar Gateway space station project has secured its first international partnership. Canada pledged to contribute a “Canadarm3” smart robotic arm to repair and maintain the Gateway, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Feb. 28 at an event attended by several ministers and astronauts. The contribution follows in the path of Canadarm2, Canada’s arm aboard the International Space Station, and Canadarm on the space shuttle. Canadarm3 will include a main arm to do large-scale work for repairs and spacewalks, much like Canadarm2, and a smaller arm that will carry out more dexterous robotics tasks, similar to Canada’s Dextre robotic “handyman” on the space station. Canadarm3 will also operate autonomously, since Gateway is supposed to continue operations even when humans are not on board the new complex.
Al-Watan Newspapers – United Arab Emirates: Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry organizes business forum on sidelines of Gulfood Exhibition 2019. The Chamber invited participants to innovate in the foods industries and take advantage of Dubai’s logistical services in exporting worldwide. The Chamber also met with a Canadian delegation headed by Marcie Grossman, Canada’s General Consul in Dubai, and arranged for more than 130 bilateral meetings between investors and representatives of the foods and beverages sectors in the U.A.E. The U.A.E. is the largest market for Canadian exports in the Middle East and North Africa, with agricultural and food products topping the exports.
Amad – Palestine: Humans Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS) inaugurates police training on gender-based complaints response. The training course, supported by the Government of Canada, is designed to strengthen the instruments of response to complaints made by women, and comes within a framework to promote the skills of security apparatus personnel of the Palestinian police. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Douglas Scott Proudfoot the Representative of Canada to the Palestinian Authority.
Mubashier CMS – Egypt: Minister of Higher Education, Canadian Ambassador tour classrooms at University of Canada in Egypt. The University, an affiliate of the University of Prince Edward Island, offers Bachelor degree programs in Sustainable Design Engineering, Computer Science with specialization in Video Games, and Business Administration and Entrepreneurship. In addition to the programs -which are of equal quality to those offered in the mother university-, the University offers annual scholarships to students who excel in academics, sports, and/or community work in accordance to the procedures followed in the University of Prince Edward Island. The Ambassador, Jesse Dutton, had previously inaugurated phase I of the University in July 2018.
