News Briefs

New passport requirements
for Canadians entering Mexico
An initiative for Mexico to match their border control policy with that of Canada and the US will require Canadians entering Mexico to have a passport beginning March 1.
What this change in policy means is that Canadians will no longer be able to enter Mexico with strictly a birth certificate or Canadian citizenship certificate and a valid photo I.D. Although the policy does not come into effect until March 1, most airlines departing from Mexico are already refusing to let Canadians board without a passport.
In July 2009, Canada enforced new visa requirements for Mexican and Czech visitors that were met with opposition from the two countries. The requirements were put in place to hopefully lessen the amount of refugee claims from visitors.
"It's not a pleasant thing to do, but it's absolutely necessary to protect the integrity of our immigration system and our laws," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said to reporters of the requirement changes.
The intention behind the recent changes from Mexico is to align "its entry requirements to the rest of North America," said Alfonso Sumano, the Mexico Tourism Board's regional director for Canada. Sumano also explains that last year out of the 1.2 million Canadian visitors to Mexico, less than one per cent did not have a passport. Violence in Nigeria to be investigated
Nigeria is the most highly populated country in Africa with 150 million people, and this population is almost split evenly between Muslims and Christians.
On Jan. 19 the human rights group, Human Rights Watch, reported that at least 150 Muslims had been killed in a religious confrontation. The attack occurred in Kura Karma and officials are still tallying death figures. Human Rights Watch has requested the Vice President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathon, to open an investigation.
In addition to the religious violence happening in Nigeria, a militant group called off its three-month cease fire with the government on Jan. 30. A statement from The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta says that they do not believe the government will meet its demands for greater control of the Niger Delta's oil resources and land.
The group has also warned that an onslaught against workers and pipelines should be expected. The group has been involved in attacks for the last four years, however an amnesty offer from President Umaru Yar'Adua had provided a ceasefire until these recent developments. Currently, President Umaru Yar'Adua has been hospitalized therefore delaying any negotiations.

Bodies still missing from Ethiopian plane crash
Shortly after departing the Beirut airport, an Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people burst into flames and crashed into the sea on Jan. 25. The unfavourable weather is being blamed for the crash of the 737 plane heading to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
Hopes of finding any survivors were quickly crushed when 14 bodies were discovered immediately following the incident. Foul play or any terrorist intention has been ruled out of the causes for the crash, and all blame is being put on the adverse weather conditions.
Ethiopian Airlines' CEO Girma Wake told reporters that the plane had been serviced on Dec. 25 and passed the inspection. The passengers identities were released identifying that there were 54 Lebanese, 22 Ethiopians, one Iraqi, one Syrian, one Canadian of Lebanese origin, one Russian of Lebanese origin, a French woman and two Britons of Lebanese origin.
Information Minister Tarik Mitriwas asked why the plane was allowed to fly in such bad weather conditions, to which he said, "there was no reason for the plane not to fly, there were planes that flew and landed at the airport at the same time".
All measures are being taken to retrieve the remaining bodies from the crash site.