Tag: Canada

  • Actress Saheefa Jabbar Khattak on battle with depression: ‘Struggle was a turning point’

    Actress Saheefa Jabbar Khattak on battle with depression: ‘Struggle was a turning point’

    Saheefa Jabbar, television actor and model, has starred in many popular Pakistani dramas. She’s also a successful model, endorsing several top clothing brands and collaborating with outstanding Pakistani fashion designers. Recently, Saheefa shared her experience of dealing with depression on Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast. “I’ve been experiencing depression since 2013, but I didn’t realize it at first. I thought I was just reacting to unfavorable situations. Eventually, I noticed that my panic attacks persisted, even though I had a good life with loving parents, money, and a kind husband. That’s when I realized I was dealing with depression and severe anxiety.”

    She also said, “I didn’t have much exposure and knowledge about depression because I belong to a middle-class family where most people just had their normal graduation degrees and no awareness of things like mental health,” Saheefa said, “A therapist should be concerned about the health of his/her patients.”

    Saheefa revealed that despite receiving amazing support from her husband and brother, who take care of her, she still struggles with anxiety and depression, making healing a challenging journey for her. Reflecting on her difficult period with depression during her flight to Canada, Saheefa said, “I informed the flight crew about my condition as I had already consumed thirty pills, anticipating severe panic attacks. I was regularly taking antidepressants every few hours, and I have no recollection of my meeting with my husband. I recall being unstable for days, during which I isolated myself, and my husband provided constant care. My husband’s kindness has been instrumental in keeping me alive. His unwavering support in both Canada and Pakistan has been my lifeline.”

    Saheefa added, “I’ll never do an item song. I won’t work with Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar. He might behave badly.”

  • Canadian who died in Cuba mistakenly buried in Russia

    Canadian who died in Cuba mistakenly buried in Russia

    A Canadian man who died in Cuba last month was mistakenly buried in a Russian town north of Moscow, and officials on Friday were scrambling to repatriate his body.

    A government source who was not authorized to speak on the matter told AFP it had been a challenge to determine what had happened to the body of Faraj Allah Jarjour.

    Efforts were now being made to bring his body back to Canada, the official said, after it was found that two bodies had been switched in Cuba before being sent to the wrong countries.

    Jarjour, originally from Syria, was vacationing in Varadero, Cuba, when he died suddenly during a swim in the ocean in late March.

    His remains were believed to have been sent to Canada, but mortuary technicians in Quebec tasked with preparing the body for burial discovered the man in the coffin looked nothing like a photograph his family provided.

    The cadaver, public broadcaster CBC reported, had a full head of hair, tattoos and looked 20 years younger.

    Jarjour, who landed in Canada in 2016 after fleeing war in Syria, was 68 years old and had no hair.

    Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez apologized to the family for the mix-up, describing it in a social media post as “an unfortunate incident.”

    His Canadian counterpart, Melanie Joly, said she “shares the utmost concern for the unimaginable situation his family faces.”

    “They’re going to un-bury him and send him to Canada,” Jarjour’s daughter Miriam told CBC. “It’s not a good situation, but we don’t have a choice. It’s not in our control. We can only be patient.”

  • Nora Fatehi criticizes feminism, calls it a threat to society

    Nora Fatehi criticizes feminism, calls it a threat to society

    Canadian actor and dancer Nora Fatehi, known for her item song performances in Bollywood, recently stirred controversy on the microblogging platform X ,(formerly Twitter) by criticising feminism during an appearance on The Ranveer Show. Fatehi stated that feminism has “negatively impacted society,” expressing her preference for traditional gender roles where men provide and women nurture.

    Nora’s baffling views continued when she alleged that feminism harms the family system by pushing for women’s freedom, while she believes a woman’s main role is to care for her family and home, another outrageous statement that she piped out without any evidence. She stressed that women can pursue their dreams within their boundaries.

    “Feminism initially aimed to secure women’s basic rights, like education for girls. However, when it went against the natural order, it became harmful to society,” she said. Then she stressed that she believes in equality between men and women, but acknowledges their different roles in society.

    We would like Nora to get educated about feminism before spreading harmful tropes in countries where violence against women is rampant.

  • Canada to reduce number of temporary foreign workers

    Ottawa, Canada – Canada for the first time is planning to curb the number of temporary foreign workers it welcomes, officials announced Thursday, after years of lofty immigration levels.

    Ottawa is proposing to reduce the number of temporary residents to five percent of the population over the next three years, down from the current 6.2 percent (2.5 million people).

    That target will be firmed up after consultations with Canada’s provinces, some of which have been pushing back on large migrant inflows amid a housing crunch and soaring demands for services.

    Restrictions on temporary foreign worker permits will start on May 1.

    This follows a recently announced cap on new permits for international students and visa requirements for some Mexican travellers.

    “Canada has seen a sharp increase in the volume of temporary residents in recent years, from a rise of international students to more foreign workers filling job vacancies to those fleeing wars and natural disasters,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a news conference.

    However, Canada’s labour market is now much tighter, with its population growth, fueled by massive immigration, outpacing job creation.

    According to government data, job vacancies fell 3.6 percent to 678,500 in the last three months of 2023, marking the sixth straight quarterly decline from a record high of 983,600 reached in the second quarter of 2022.

    “Changes are needed to make the system more efficient and more sustainable,” Miller said.

    Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault urged employers to consider hiring refugees before seeking to bring in temporary foreign workers.

    He said businesses that are currently allowed to have temporary foreign workers make up to 30 percent of their workforce will see that proportion drop to 20 percent, except in the health care and construction sectors.

    Canada’s immigration department, meanwhile, has been ordered by Miller to conduct a review of existing programs that bring in temporary labourers to better align them with labour needs and weed out abuses.

    amc/bfm

    © Agence France-Presse

  • Canada FM confirms halting arms shipments to Israel

    Canada FM confirms halting arms shipments to Israel

    OTTAWA: Canada will halt all arms shipments to Israel, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly’s office confirmed Wednesday, a decision that has drawn the ire of Israeli leaders facing growing international scrutiny over the war in the Gaza Strip.

    The besieged Palestinian territory is facing a mounting humanitarian crisis, and months of war have pushed hundreds of thousands of Gazans to the brink of famine.

    Canada, a key ally of the United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars a year in military aid, had already reduced its shipments to Israel to only include non-lethal equipment, such as radios, following the October 7 Hamas attack.

    “Since January 8th, the government has not approved new arms export permits to Israel and this will continue until we can ensure full compliance with our export regime,” said a statement from Joly’s office.

    “There are no open permits for exports of lethal goods to Israel,” it added.

    Export permits approved prior to January 8, however, would “remain in effect,” Joly’s office said, explaining that canceling them risked “important implications for both Canada and its allies,” including NATO and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.

    A senior Canadian official had on Tuesday told AFP that “the situation on the ground makes it so that we can’t” export any equipment that could have a potential military use.

    Israel slammed the decision, with foreign minister Israel Katz saying it “undermines Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas terrorists.”

    “History will judge Canada’s current action harshly,” he said in a post on social media platform X.

    US Senator Bernie Sanders welcomed the move, saying in his own post on social media: “Given the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, including widespread and growing starvation, the US should not provide another nickel for (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s war machine.”

    The issue of arms deliveries to Israel has triggered legal proceedings in several countries around the world.

    In Canada, a coalition of lawyers and citizens of Palestinian origin filed a complaint against the government in early March to suspend arms exports to Israel, accusing Ottawa of violating both international and domestic law.

    Israel has historically been a top receiver of Canadian arms exports, with Can$21 million worth of military materiel exported to Israel in 2022, according to government data, following Can$26 million in shipments in 2021.

    That places Israel among the top 10 recipients of Canadian arms exports.

    Israel offensive in Gaza has killed at least 31,923 people, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

    While affirming Israel’s right to defend itself, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken an increasingly critical stance toward Israel as civilian deaths have mounted in Gaza.

    On Monday, the Canadian Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the international community to work toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

  • PIA air hostess slips away in Canada leaving ‘Thank you’ note behind

    PIA air hostess slips away in Canada leaving ‘Thank you’ note behind

    Another air hostess of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) allegedly went missing while on duty in Canada.

    The incident came to light when Maryam Raza, assigned to flight PK 782 from Pakistan to Toronto, failed to report for duty on the return flight, PK 784 from Toronto to Karachi.

    Upon investigation, a note expressing gratitude to PIA was discovered alongside her uniform hanging in her room. “Thank you, PIA”, she wrote, reports Samaa News.

    This marks the third reported case this year of PIA flight attendants allegedly ‘slipping’ while on duty, with two of them being women.

    Despite measures such as collecting passports of flight attendants assigned to Toronto flights to prevent such incidents, the effectiveness of these policies has come under scrutiny.

    Experts cite low pay and a lack of job security within the national airline as the primary reasons behind these alleged instances of slippage but above all it maligns the image of the country on an international level.

    Read more here: Two PIA flight attendants go missing in Canada

  • Farmers protest: From India to Europe

    Farmers protest: From India to Europe

    Farmers are protesting from India to Europe, separately, for their rights and to register their rebellion with sitting governments against soaring fuel, and fertilizer costs, lower prices of their produce, and restrictive regulations. The protests are shedding light on the very pertinent issues faced by the primary food-producing sector of countries owning big agricultural markets.

    Demands of Greek farmers

    Farmers in Greece are protesting across the country against rising costs. They are conducting a tractor rally all across the country. Manolis Liakis, a farmer from the southern island of Crete, talked to __ and singled out fuel costs as his biggest problem. He said farmers pay more than three times as much for petrol as shipping companies due to tax disparities. Farmers can’t sell their products “for ridiculously low prices while the consumer buys them at extremely high prices”, he said.

    Demands of Polish farmers

    In Poland, farmers are blocking roads to stop cheap grain imports crossing the border from Ukraine. They are demanding a “complete embargo” on Ukranian produce. During the protests on Tuesday against competition from imports of cheaper Ukrainian products, farmers in Gorzyczki, southern Poland, unfurled a banner saying “Putin, get Ukraine, Brussels, and our government in order”. Consequently, the farmers were warned by the government against raising the slogans.

    Demands of Spanish farmers

    Spanish farmers are gathering with hundreds of tractors in tow to protest against the unfair competition from outside the European Union. They want to include production costs in the end product so they don’t end up selling their goods at a loss. Additionally, they want imported products to be subjected to the same conditions that they have to face.

    Demands of French farmers

    French farmers blocked a milk transport in protest against wholesale prices they say are too low. The farmers’ unions have made it clear they want ironclad assurances that their grievances over produce prices and red tape have been addressed. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is trying to negotiate and pacify the raging farmers with the negotiations.

    Demands of Czech farmers

    In Prague, farmers are on the roads because they feel neglected in the policy-making process. After all, they are not given due attention by the government. “Around 3,000 tractors took to the streets,” The Czech Chamber of Agriculture said in a statement on the nationwide protests. Their demands included an end to restrictions on agricultural production, cutting red tape for farming, and introducing changes to the EU-Ukraine arrangements on farming imports.

    Demands of Italian farmers

    In Rome, cowbells are clanking with the message that Farmers feed the world, but can’t afford to farm.

    Demands of Indian farmers

    In India, massive protests have broken out over minimum crop price guarantees which were promised nearly a year ago but not implemented by the government. Thousands of Indian farmers riding tractors attempted to resume their push towards New Delhi. They were attacked by the police claiming the life of young farmer Shubhkaran Singh and injuring 25 others. Farm unions are demanding a law to set a minimum price on all crops, expanding a government scheme that already exists for staples, including rice and wheat. They have also demanded other concessions, including the waiving of loans and universal pensions for farmers aged 60 and above.


    Concerns of Canadian Farmers

    In Canada, there are fewer environmental regulations but farmers feel a disconnect with the central government whose main mandate is based on the environment. They have been pushing forward all kinds of policies about fertilizer reduction and disallowing certain pesticides. The green policies and higher costs have instead of favouring them making farmers feel ignored. Experts say the consumers feel that lower output prices and higher input prices are just a way for the government to tell them that do whatever they want but in a cleaner and environmentally friendly way.

    Conclusion

    Protesting farmers are trying to divert attention to the most neglected yet important sector of a country which is the food-producing sector which is the backbone of both the society and the economy of the country yet remains ignored by the political class for their vested interests.

  • Canadian sentenced to life in prison for ‘terrorist’ murders of Muslim family

    Canadian sentenced to life in prison for ‘terrorist’ murders of Muslim family

    A white supremacist committed terrorism when he ran down a Muslim family out for an evening stroll, a Canadian judge said Thursday as she sentenced him to life in prison for the murders.

    The ruling is the first in Canada to make a link between white supremacy and terrorism in a murder case.

    Nathaniel Veltman, 23, was convicted in November of four counts of first degree or premeditated murder, and one count of attempted murder in the killing of three generations of the Afzaal family that also left a young boy orphaned.

    He acknowledged striking the family with his pickup truck in June 2021 in London, Ontario.

    The prosecution argued at trial that he sought to intimidate and terrorize Muslims, while the defense said he’d suffered a mental decline — which did not, however, meet the requirements for an insanity plea.

    His lawyers also said he was in “a state of extreme confusion” after consuming hallucinogenic psilocybin mushrooms that weekend.

    Judge Renee Pomerance of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice at his sentencing said Veltman “had planned a murderous rampage for months and took steps to ensure that he would kill as many Muslims in this brutal manner as he could.”

    Recalling Veltman’s statements to police, she said: “He wanted to intimidate the Muslim community. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of other mass killers, and he wanted to inspire others to commit murderous acts.”

    “I find that the offender’s actions constitute terrorist activity,” she concluded.

    The jury in the almost 10-week trial heard Veltman had penned a “terrorist manifesto,” found on his computer, in which he espoused white nationalism and described his hate for Muslims.

    The judge noted that he wore “combat gear” including a helmet and bulletproof vest during the attack.

    Veltman passed the Afzaal family on a London street on that warm Sunday evening, turned his newly purchased truck with a heavy grill guard around, jumped the curb and slammed into them.

    Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumnah and her grandmother Talat Afzaal, 74, were killed. A nine-year-old boy orphaned in the ramming suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

    The slaying was the deadliest anti-Muslim attack in Canada since a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City in 2017 that left six dead. The perpetrator of that shooting was not accused of terrorism.

  • ‘Pakistan has credible evidence regarding Indian Agents orchestrating extra-territorial assassinations’, Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi

    ‘Pakistan has credible evidence regarding Indian Agents orchestrating extra-territorial assassinations’, Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi

    In a press conference held on Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi revealed what he termed as “credible evidence” linking Indian agents to the orchestrated killings of two Pakistani citizens on Pakistani soil.

    Qazi characterized the alleged actions as part of a “sophisticated and sinister” Indian campaign involving extra-territorial and extra-judicial assassinations.

    “These are killings-for-hire cases involving a sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions,” Qazi told reporters during a press conference in Islamabad.

    The strained relations between Pakistan and India, exacerbated by historical tensions and border disputes, took a hit with the arrest of spy Kulbushan Yadav in 2016 and the 2019 revocation of the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The move led to a freeze in diplomacy and trade between the two neighboring nations.

    Qazi’s statements come months after both Canada and the United States separately accused Indian agents of involvement in assassination attempts on their soil. While India rejected Ottawa’s allegations, it initiated an investigation into Washington’s claims.

    Providing details of the alleged Indian campaign, Qazi claimed that Indian agents utilized technology and safe havens on foreign soil to carry out assassinations in Pakistan.

    “They recruited, financed, and supported criminals, terrorists, and unsuspecting civilians to play defined roles in these assassinations,” he added.
    The foreign secretary blasted Indian media and social media accounts for their quick claims and glorification of the said killings as “successful retribution against ‘enemies’ of India” and projecting their capacity to carry out these illegal acts.
    “Potential assassins were recruited, using social media, talent spotters, and fake Da’esh accounts,” Qazi said.

    The Foreign Secretary criticized Indian media and social media accounts for glorifying the killings and projecting them as successful retribution against perceived enemies.

    He alleged that potential assassins were recruited through social media, talent spotters, and fake Da’esh accounts.

    Qazi focused on two specific cases during the press conference: the assassinations of Shahid Latif and Muhammad Riaz.

    Assassination of Shahid Latif
    Qazi said that on October 11, 2023, a group of criminals assassinated Latif outside a mosque in the city of Sialkot.
    A detailed investigation revealed that an Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country orchestrated the assassination through criminals and terrorists, he added.
    Going deeper into the details of the killing, the foreign secretary revealed that Kumar recruited Muhammad Umair, a labourer in that third country to act as a contact with local criminals in Pakistan to trace and assassinate Latif.
    The recruited local criminals were able to locate and trace Latif, however, the killers-for-hire were unable to carry out the execution, Qazi added.
    “After some failed attempts, Muhammad Umair was personally sent to Pakistan to carry out the assassination. Muhammad Umair organised a team of five target killers which after the first failed attempt on 9 October 2023, succeeded in assassinating Shahid Latif on 11 October 2023.”
    The foreign secretary further stated that the law enforcement authorities apprehended the target killers, including Umair, based on confessional statements and technical evidence, thwarting their bid to flee Pakistan on October 12, 2023.
    Qazi said that all those involved in reconnaissance and killing have been apprehended and are being tried in a court of law.
    He added that the FO also had evidence of transactions made in the process linking the entire chain to Indian agent Yogesh Kumar.
    Assassination of Muhammad Riaz
    Sharing the details of the second extra-territorial killing, Qazi said that another Indian agent was involved in killing of Pakistani national Muhammad Riaz. As per the foreign secretary, Riaz was assassinated in a mosque in Rawalakot during Fajr prayer on September 8, 2023.
    He said that the law enforcement agencies tracked and apprehended the killer, Muhammad Abdullah Ali, on September 15, 2023, while boarding a flight at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.
    “Interrogation revealed that Muhammad Abdullah Ali was recruited and guided by Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar. Indian agents utilised social media app Telegram to recruit Muhammad Abdullah Ali, who was asked to locate Muhammad Riaz,” Qazi revealed.
    He further stated that Ali received payments through the middlemen based in a third country, and he was also provided with weapons and ammunition.
    “After a failed attempt on September 7, 2023, Muhammad Abdullah Ali succeeded in killing Muhammad Riaz on September 8, 2023,” he added.
    Later, the law enforcement authorities apprehended the killer, his supporters and facilitators from various cities of Pakistan, and the case is being tried in a court of law.
    Qazi said that the investigators quickly identified the facilitators inside the country and in the third countries on the basis of confessional statements of Ali and technical evidence.
    “We have documentary, financial and forensic evidence of the involvement of the two Indian agents, who masterminded these assassinations. We are releasing the passport details of Yogesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar,” he added.
    per the foreign secretary, Pakistan had reached out to the governments of the relevant third countries in this regard.

    The Foreign Secretary asserted that Pakistan had evidence linking the entire chain of events to the Indian agents and called for international accountability for India’s “blatant violation of international law.”

    He emphasized that such actions not only violated Pakistan’s sovereignty but also breached the UN Charter.

    Concluding his remarks, Qazi demanded justice for the victims, their facilitators, and financiers involved in the alleged assassinations, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to protecting its people and securing its sovereignty.

    The accused Indian agents’ passport details were also disclosed, and Pakistan reportedly reached out to the relevant third countries regarding the matter.

  • Pakistani passport once again least powerful

    Pakistani passport once again least powerful

    Henley & Partners‘ Passport Index has published a list portraying the world’s travel access hierarchy.

    Top on the list of countries that encourage travelling are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain, whose citizens can visit an astounding 194 destinations without requiring arduous visa procedures. This group of countries offer passport-to-plane experience, setting the bar high for unmatched worldwide mobility.

    With access to 193 locations, Finland, South Korea, and Sweden share second place. Many visa-free or visa-on-arrival options are available to their well-travelled inhabitants, providing access to a variety of cultures and environments.

    Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands take third place with access to 192 destinations. These nations serve as entry points to a wide range of travel opportunities.

    The long list goes on, honouring countries that place a high priority on global connection. Among the notable entries are the United States, Canada, Greece, Switzerland, and New Zealand, all of which provide their inhabitants with an abundance of travel options.

    On the other hand, the Passport Index identifies states with more limited travel options. Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan are among the least accessible, offering their passport holders entry to just 34 countries that require no visa or one upon arrival.

    The London-based company, which offers residency and citizenship consultancy services, teamed together with the International Air Transport Association to create a unique ranking that takes into account passport holders’ access to countries without a visa or with one upon arrival.