Pakistan: The case had brought new spotlight on Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, sections of which carry the death penalty or life imprisonment. However, the laws retain broad support in this country, where Islamic conservatism is on the rise alongside extremism and many Muslims are highly sensitive about their faith, according to CTV. Chishti was the imam, or prayer leader, at the mosque in the mixed, Muslim-Christian neighbourhood of Maherabadi in the Pakistani capital and ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A Pakistani court on Saturday dismissed charges against a cleric who accused a young Christian girl of blasphemy and who was arrested last year for allegedly forging evidence against her, his lawyer said. The lawyer, Wajid Gilani, said the district judge in Islamabad on Saturday granted the motion to acquit his client, cleric Khalid Chishti, after the judge ruled that the prosecution had not brought forward sufficient evidence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

illegal immigrants: Some call them illegal immigrants, while others refer to them as undocumented, non-status, irregular, unauthorized or migrants without papers, according to The Star. In April, the Associated Press announced it would no longer use illegal immigrants and What should we call people who are in Canada illegally, without status or proper immigration documents? The naming of this particular population is always a contentious and polarizing issue, causing heated and emotional debates between the enforcement-minded, who are in favour of a law-and-order agenda to keep them out, and their libertarian opponents, who believe in the freedom of movement to give them a pathway to status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Ivie Okaro: So Ivies father told the elder he could have Ivie. Aside from marriage to this old man, which Ivie didnt want, she would also have to be publicly circumcised, a painful and sometimes fatal procedure. Ivies father had already thrown her mother out of the home so, in desperation, Ivie ran away. Her mother and an aunt knew she couldnt hide from her father and the elder forever so they managed to raise enough money for her to escape, according to The Star. She looked confused and unsure where to go, so soon a pair of immigration officers, a man and a woman, demanded to see her passport and took the terrified girl away to a small room. After questioning her for most of the afternoon, she was sent to the Immigration Holding Centre on Rexdale Blvd., where she was detained for two weeks and When Ivie Okaro was 16 and still lived in a rural area 240 kilometres northwest of Lagos, Nigeria, she dreamed of going to university, of becoming a doctor or a nurse. But she had to drop out of school because her father, a farmer who sold palm oil, fell into financial trouble and couldnt afford the fees. He borrowed from a tribal elder and when he was unable to repay the loan, the elder demanded, as compensation, one of the mans daughters as a wife. On May 5, 2006, her aunt took her to Lagos. A man she only saw once provided forged documents and a few days later, a second man, who Ivie knew only as Jerry, got on a plane with her, although he sat in a seat far away. When the flight arrived at Pearson airport, Ivie disembarked and realized Jerry had disappeared. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

full-day kindergarten: Dr. Charles Pascal says it is no surprise that school-based daycares are struggling to provide before- and after-care for full-day kindergarten students. It wasnt supposed to be their job in the first place, according to The Star. After Pascal delivered his 2009 report , the McGuinty Liberals introduced full-day kindergarten and mandated a seamless day of learning for families who need it and Four years after a provincial report called for a seamless day of learning in Ontario schools, prompting the launch of full-day kindergarten, its author says his vision is far from realized. What we recommended was that a single employer, the school board, provide child care for the four- and five-year-old kids, he said. In most parts of the province, the report is not being implemented the way it was supposed to. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Princess Irina Walker: She entered the plea at a hearing on Friday, according to CBC. Judge John V. Acosta ordered her to surrender her passport and told her not to leave her home county, except to go to nearby Hermiston for groceries and medical appointments and Princess Irina Walker, daughter of the last king of Romania, has pleaded not guilty to operating a cockfighting business with her husband at their Oregon ranch. Irina Walker, seen in this booking photo provided by police in Multnomah County, Ore., appeared in court on charges she ran a cockfighting business on her ranch. Multnomah County Sheriff/Associated Press Government prosecutors warned that Walker is a flight risk because she was born in Switzerland and could be granted asylum in that country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

roadside restaurants: The resident, citing eyewitnesses, told The Associated Press that the gunmen randomly opened fire on roadside restaurants in a drive-by shooting outside Ein al-Ajouz as Christians were celebrating a feast day. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Activists however said that many of those killed were pro-government militiamen manning checkpoints. DAMASCUS, Syria - Gunmen shot dead 11 people, mostly Christians, near a town in central Syria on Saturday, state media and activists said, an attack described by a local resident as aimed at members of the religious minority. The state-run SANA news agency described the attack as a "massacre" and said women and children were among the dead. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

wireless services: Harper to telecoms: This is for consumers, Aug. 10, according to The Star. Canadians have been demonstrably paying way too much for their wireless services for ages, yet our wireless carriers continue to ignore the reports and investigations and charge a constant premium and Re: Harper to telecoms: This is for consumers, Aug. 10 I m kind of enjoying the irony of Rogers, Bell, and Telus getting together to cry out about the unfairness of Verizon looking at breaking into the Canadian market. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

STATES-IRAQ: ASYLUM REQUESTS , according to Winnipeg Free Press. UNITED STATES-IRAQ TOP STORIES: PHOENIX Requests for asylum in the United States along the Southwest border with Mexico have more than doubled over the last three years as immigrants seek legal entry into the country by claiming fear of persecution back home, according to new figures from the federal government. By Brian Skoloff. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Roy Bonisteel: Bonisteel family's said he died Friday morning at his home near Trenton, Ont. His family said he was being treated for cancer, according to CBC. A recipient of the Order of Canada and, more recently, a citizenship judge, Bonisteel had lived since 1971 just a short distance from his boyhood home in the Bay of Quinte area and Broadcaster and former longtime -TV host Roy Bonisteel has died at the age of 83. Bonisteel hosted the Television program Man Alive, a magazine-style show that looked at religious issues, from 1967 to 1989. He received numerous awards over the span of his career, including two ACTRA honours. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

motion picture: The oldest known motion picture in the province features horse-drawn fire engines racing down a crowded Winnipeg downtown street and some guys jigging to a couple of banjo pickers. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Its called Brigade on the Run and was shot by a French filmmaker under circumstances that were as cloudy then as they are 107 years later. Brigade on the Run was shot by French filmmaker Leo Lefebvre. Watch it below. What the two segments have to do with one another is anyones guess. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.