Newsline Canada
 

Canada - University Educated Immigrants Face Difficulty Finding Employment http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080718/d080718b.htm Study: Canadian immigrant labour market: Analysis by region of highest postsecondary education 2007 As immigrants integrate into the Canadian labour market, many initially face difficulties finding employment. A new study reveals that even university-educated immigrants aged 25 to 54 who arrived in Canada within the previous five years were less likely to be employed in 2007 than their Canadian born counterparts. This was true regardless of the country in which they obtained their degree. Employment rates for these immigrants varied according to where they received their university degree, with those educated in Western countries generally having higher rates than those educated elsewhere. The gap in employment rates between degree-holding immigrants and the Canadian born, however, narrowed the longer an immigrant had been in Canada. For university-educated immigrants who had landed in Canada more than 10 years earlier, their employment rate in 2007 was comparable to that of the Canadian born. Over one-third of immigrants have a university degree In 2007, 37% or 1.2 million immigrants of core working age, those aged 25 to 54, had a university degree, compared with only 22% of the core working-age Canadian born. The difference was even more pronounced among those who immigrated between 2002 and 2007, with more than half of these immigrants, or 320,000, having a university degree.

Cellphone Use Potentially Risky For Kids, Teens: Health Agency http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/07/12/cellphones-kids.html?ref=rss Saturday, July 12, CBC News Toronto's department of public health is advising teenagers and young children to limit their use of cellphones to avoid potential health risks. The advisory — believed to be the first of its kind in Canada — warns that because of possible side effects from radio frequencies, children under eight should only use a cellphone in emergencies and teenagers should limit calls to less than 10 minutes. "Teach them the ways to use a cellphone responsibly — to make shorter calls, to use other modes of communication; if it's possible, use a landline," said Loren Vanderlinden, a health department supervisor and the report's author. In an interview with the Toronto Star, Vanderlinden said scientists were dismissive of any risk years ago. But with more studies, she said, a pattern is emerging that suggests people who have used their cellphones for a long period of time are at greater risk of certain kinds of brain tumours. Eight years ago, a government inquiry in Britain concluded cellphones shouldn't be marketed to children under 16 because so little was known about the long-term health risks. But according to Health Canada, there is no firm evidence that cellphones pose health risks. "Health Canada currently sees no scientific reason to consider the use of cellphones as unsafe," the agency wrote. "Health Canada is basing this conclusion upon the bulk of scientific evidence from …studies that have been carried out worldwide, including at our laboratory." The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, which represents Canada's cellphone industry, also said there is no need for anyone, including children, to change their cellphone habits. "The state of the science right now from leading health agencies, including the World Health Organization, is that cell phone use — as set out in the guidelines — is that these devices are safe," said Marc Choma, a spokesman for the organization. "And that is the state of the science worldwide."

Russian President Medvedev urges computer literacy http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=64046&sectionid=351020602 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:31:45 Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, has warned that government officials who cannot use a computer risk losing their jobs. "They either should learn or, as they say, goodbye," Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday in a meeting with officials in the northwestern city of Petrozavodsk. "We don't hire people who can't read and write. Computer literacy today is the same. The 42-year-old President has promised to modernize the Russian government and fight pervasive corruption since taking the presidency in May. Greater application of the internet by government officials, he says, can help achieve both goals. "Civil servants who don't have elementary computer skills cannot work effectively," Medvedev said. "Computer literacy should be part of job evaluations." If government officials were to carry out their duties online they would provide greater transparency and make it harder to conceal corruption, he said. The Russian President, who often refers to his own internet use, added that the government should provide Russians greater access to the internet. Russia currently has the lowest rate of internet users in Europe with only 12 percent of people aged 15 and older regularly online, although that figure is also the fastest-growing rate in Europe.

Bollywood's Bachchans, Rai to launch world tour in Toronto http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/07/12/bollywood-bachchans Saturday, July 12, 2008 CBC News Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, here in Toronto in 2007 for the premiere of their film Guru, will join Bachchan's parents for a year-long world stage tour launching July 18.Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, here in Toronto in 2007 for the premiere of their film Guru, will join Bachchan's parents for a year-long world stage tour launching July 18. (Aaron Harris/Canadian Press) India's most revered acting family, the Bachchans, as well as daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, will be hitting the road with a world stage tour to promote Hindi-language films. In an announcement late Friday, legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan revealed that he will begin a Bollywood stage tour with his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Rai on July 18 in Toronto. "In our first leg of our tour we are going to cover 11 cities in Europe, U.S. and Canada," said Bachchan from Mumbai. The 65-year-old performer hasn't done a stage show in a decade. The show includes actors who will dance to 70 Bollywood melodies accompanied by 40 dancers on stage. The Indian film industry is often referred to as Bollywood — churning out hundreds of films annually from massive soundstages in Mumbai, which was once called Bombay. The year-long show will hit Africa and Southeast Asia before returning to India. "We are looking forward to meeting all our fans from all over the world," said Bachchan, who says his actress-wife Jaya Bhaduri will also be joining him on stage. Rai, whose wedding to Abhishek last April was on par with that of British royalty, released this statement: "Interaction with fans will be the biggest high of the tour." Other stars joining the tour include Ritesh Deshmukh and Preity Zinta.