BBC: Canada minister Jody Wilson-Raybould resigns amid SNC-Lavalin affair. A Canadian minister has resigned her cabinet post amid allegations she was pushed by government officials to ask for leniency for a firm facing fraud charges. Jody Wilson-Raybould gave no reasons for her surprise decision to step down from the veterans affairs portfolio. A report last week alleged that PM Justin Trudeau’s office pressured her for intervention in a case against engineering group SNC-Lavalin. Mr Trudeau has denied the report.

The Guardian: Canadian minister resigns from Trudeau’s cabinet amid scandal. Canada’s former justice minister has resigned from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet amid allegations that the prime minister’s office pressured her to avoid prosecuting a major Canadian engineering firm. The veterans affairs minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, released a letter announcing her resignation. She had been demoted from the post of justice minister last month. The Globe and Mail reported that people in Trudeau’s office tried to pressure Wilson-Raybould last year to help the construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid a corruption trial when she was justice minister.

Russia Today: Trudeau in ethics probe over handling of Libyan contract fraud. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is being investigated for illegally attempting to shield engineering firm SNC-Lavalin from criminal fraud and corruption charges involving millions of dollars in bribes to the Libyan government. Trudeau claims he “welcomes” the probe, launched by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner on Monday after requests from two New Democrat MPs followed on the heels of an incendiary report published last week in the Globe and Mail that placed him at the center of what the Conservative opposition has termed an “unprecedented” effort to illegally influence a criminal proceeding. SNC-Lavalin was charged with paying out $48 million in bribes to Libyan officials in the decade leading up to the NATO-led overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011, payments intended to influence government decision-making, though the company was also charged with defrauding Libyan companies of about $130 million.

Deutsche Welle: Canada jails Quebec mosque shooter, no parole for 40 years. A Canadian court has sentenced a man found guilty of killing men at a mosque in Quebec City to 40 years in prison. The judge found that although Alexandre Bissonnette was motivated by hatred, it was not a terror attack. Alexandre Bissonnette had already pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and another six accounts of attempted murder. Judge Francois Huot rejected a request by the prosecution for Bissonette to be given a 150-year sentence, which would have the longest-ever in Canada.

South China Morning Post: Five years on, Canada’s dumped garbage is still causing a big stink in the Philippines. That’s the message from activists in the Philippines and Canada as thousands of tonnes of malodorous household waste continue to rot away on Manila and Subic docks. The pressure mounted this week when an array of Canadian and international environmental groups threw their support behind the EcoWaste Coalition of the Philippines, a local network leading the fight against foreign waste. The campaign is the latest attempt to break years of deadlock over 77 remaining shipping containers full of reeking garbage that started arriving illicitly from Vancouver, British Columbia in 2013 – and have been decaying in shipyard limbo ever since.

Columbia Valley Pioneer: Canadian mine company says Mexico crime ring stole over $2M. A Canadian mining company says a sophisticated criminal enterprise in Mexico stole an estimated $2 million to $3 million in metal concentrates through a subtle scheme that went on for months. Telson Mining Corp. President Ralph Shearing says compromised truck drivers worked with thieves who foiled security measures while the material was being transported from the company’s Campo Morado mine in the southern state of Guerrero to the port of Manzanillo on the Pacific coast. Shearing said Tuesday that additional safety measures have resolved the problem.

The Times of Israel: Israeli expats in Canada staff a Hebrew suicide hotline to serve their homeland. Founded in Jerusalem in 1971, ERAN — the name is derived from the Hebrew acronym for emotional first aid — is Israel’s only crisis intervention hotline, serving people of all ages and backgrounds. It describes its work as a humanitarian service as opposed to professional advice. Volunteers provide unconditional, non-judgmental support 24/7 — in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and English.

Sportsnet: Herdman: Canada will qualify for 2022 World Cup, compete in 2026. Canada Soccer made a bold move last January when it hired John Herdman as coach of the Canadian men’s team. Herdman previously took charge of the Canadian women’s side, leading the Reds to back-to-back bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. But Herdman had never before coached a men’s team, and the Englishman’s appointment caught a lot of people off-guard. In hiring Herdman, Canada Soccer hoped he would be the proverbial shot in the arm for a program that has flattered to deceive over the past three decades. The last and only time the men’s team has qualified for the World Cup was in 1986 in Mexico.

Al Anba – Kuwait: Petrochemical Industries invests $3 billion in polypropylene plant in Canada. Kuwait Petrochemical Industries Company said it has reached an agreement with Canada-based Pembina Pipeline Corporation to jointly build an integrated propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene upgrading facility plant at an investment of $3.2 billion. The plant’s capacity is at 550,000 tonne of polypropylene, annually.

Kuwait News Agency – Kuwait: Minister of Information seeks cooperation with friendly nations. Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and the Ambassador of Canada to Kuwait, Louis-Pierre Emond, have exchanged views on a number of issues of common interest between to the two countries, and discussed ways to push cooperation in the media, youth, and cultural affairs.

Al Rai – Jordan: Canada announces support to reinforce Jordan’s stability. Global Affairs Canada has announced support to reinforce security in each of Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, and ensure accountability in Syria. The announcement came as part of Canada’s strategy in the Middle East, which includes CAD$205 million worth of support programs for stability and security. The announcement noted support for Jordan’s police capabilities in anti-terror and violent attacks response, and training 40 policewomen in firearms use and tactical search operations, as well as support for digital literacy among women.

Mubashier CMS – Egypt: Canadian companies seek investing in Suez Canal Economic Zone: Canada’s Ambassador to Egypt. On the sidelines of FemParl, a Government of Canada initiative to women leaders in the Middle East and North Africa, the Ambassador of Canada to Egypt, Jesse Dutton, lauded the economic reform program implemented by the Egyptian government over the past three years amidst difficult conditions, and affirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting investments in Egypt, and supporting small and medium enterprises in Cairo, Alexandria, and Upper Egypt. Dutton also lauded the recent archaeological discoveries in the Minya Governorate, including 40 mummies and a number of utensils and pottery tools, and noted that Egypt’s tourism sector is witnessing remarkable developments.

El Massa – Algeria: Canada-Algeria trade amounts to CAD$1.5 billion: Canada’s Ambassador to Algeria. Ambassadro Patricia MacCaullagh has affirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting initiatives by local civil societies through floating yearly tenders, aimed at financing small and medium enterprises in training, gender equality, and the environment. MacCaullagh said, out of Skikda, Algeria, that the embassy has received a 100 bids last year, six of which met the conditions and were valued at 20 million Algerian Dinars ($CAD 223,790) each. Upon visiting a benefactor of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) at Skikda, namely the Ecological School by Bariq21 organization, MacCaullagh affirmed the strong ties between Canada and Algeria, particularly in trade and education, and stated that trade has amounted to CAD$1.5 billion between the two countries.

EgySaudi – Egypt: Governor of Al Ahmadi and Canada’s Ambassador to Kuwait discuss cooperation. The Governor met with Ambassador Louis-Pierre Emond, and discussed ways to further develop cooperation and exchange of expertise in local administrative systems in general, and in administrative systems for provinces, territories, and governorates in particular.

 

 

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