reality-tv star: First out of the blocks to declare membership numbers after the midnight cut-off for new sign ups was businessman, reality-TV star and leadership upstart Kevin O'Leary, declaring he had enlisted 35,336 members in the 69 days he's been officially in the race, according to Huffington Post Canada. Conservative leadership candidate Kevin O'Leary was the first out of the blocks to declare his membership tally. Clinching those votes will take money and momentum and the campaigns were out in force Wednesday making the pitch for one to sustain the other until voting day on May 27. Photo Lars Hagberg/CP O'Leary's rival, Maxime Bernier entered the race over a year ago. They're tied in recent fundraising too, according to duelling fundraising pitches, with each campaign seeking to outdo the other by Friday, the end of the year's first quarter. His campaign said Wednesday membership numbers were still being tallied, but weren't far off from O'Leary's. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

security council: Matthew Rycroft says Britain's presence on the world stage is in many ways reflected at the U.N. Security Council, where the U.K. has a permanent seat and where he was presiding Wednesday as this month's president of the U.N.'s most powerful body, according to The Chronicle Herald. He says, I see it as an important responsibility, part of our identity. Britain's ambassador to the U.N. says the United Kingdom may be leaving the European Union but it isn't leaving Europe and will remain a major player on the world stage including at the United Nations. Rycroft stresses that Britain will remain engaged on foreign and security policy and continue to be a leading player on international development, human rights and everything else that the United Nations does. British Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain has not received a multi-billion dollar exit bill from the European Union. Britain will negotiate its exit from the EU over the next two years, and Rycroft says he anticipates that the U.K. will remain aligned with the rest of the EU and work closely with its members at the United Nations and elsewhere. 7 15 p.m. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

st square: He greeted an interfaith group of Iraqis in St, according to Metro News. Peter's Square, encouraging them in helping Iraq find reconciliation among various ethnic and religious groups. Francis issued a special appeal for peace in Iraq at the end of his general audience. Francis said that he was particularly concerned about Iraqis trapped by recent fighting to take Mosul back from Islamic State group militants. The U.N. human rights office has called on the U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes on Mosul to minimize civilian casualties, saying at least 300 people have been killed since mid-February including 140 from a single March 17 airstrike incident on a house. In expressing profound sadness for the victims of the bloody conflict, I renew my appeal that everyone commit themselves to using all efforts to protect civilians, an imperative and urgent obligation, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

voting approval: We would like the government to make a step back and take the law off the table, Yee said in an interview with public broadcaster RTK. Earlier this month, President Hashim Thaci sent a draft law to parliament seeking approval to form a regular army, according to Metro News. Unlike constitutional amendments, the law does not require voting approval from Kosovo's ethnic Serbs and other minorities. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee urged the government in Pristina during a visit to Kosovo to take the law off the table. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Serbia refuses to recognize.NATO and the United States have warned they would scale back military co-operation with Kosovo if the government transformed its lightly armed security force into an army without amending the Constitution. Yee repeated that Washington thinks the transformation should be made with constitutional amendments. The Western military alliance has helped train Kosovo's security force. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

windsor man: He's already sponsored two families from his war-torn country, but told a group gathered at the Fogolar Furlan Club Tuesday night to discuss the needs of refugees in Windsor, that he wants to do more, according to CBC. We feel so helpless, and at the same time, we cannot give up hope, he said. Government refugee cap prevents Syrian family from reuniting in Windsor Syrian refugees flocking to Windsor from across Canada, says doctor The Windsor man came to Canada in 1997. Some of the families are really in a situation where they cannot go forward and they cannot make a decision. The Canadian government has welcomed thousands from Syria, but announced that in 2017 the country had reached its limit of 1,000 new applicants under a particular type of private sponsorship. Waiting for this is their last hope. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

insurance policy: After the wedding, her new husband was killed in order to collect an insurance policy, according to Brandon Sun. The gang's hook for her prospective husband was also novel They advertised the woman as a U.S. citizen who could get her husband a coveted entry visa to the United States. But even authorities were surprised when a woman escaped the Mara Salvatrucha gang and told prosecutors its members had kidnapped her and forced her into a black widow arranged marriage. Hers is not the only such case. They say that in the two cases, in 2014 and 2016, insurance policies worth 62,000 and 30,000 were either taken out or collected. Prosecutors have located and are protecting another woman who was forced into the same scheme. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reporters briefly: I'm so happy to be reunited with my family today and can't wait to see my son, it said, according to Brandon Sun. This has been a long and hard 46 days, but I'm so thankful for the support that I've gotten from everyone who helped me and for the opportunity to live in such an amazing country. He spoke to reporters briefly in Spanish, thanking his supporters, and later issued a written statement in English through his lawyers. I know that this isn't over, but I'm hopeful for the future, for me and for the hundreds of thousands of other Dreamers who love this country like I do. Immigration agents arrested him last month in suburban Seattle, saying he acknowledged affiliating with gangs. Judge John Odell in Tacoma approved freeing the 24-year-old Ramirez on 15,000 bond until his next immigration court hearing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

spy: Hundreds if not thousands of Syrians who fled from other parts of the country now live in tents in Raqqa's streets, vulnerable to both warplanes and ground fighting, according to Brandon Sun. Enormous tarps have been stretched for blocks in the city centre to hide the militants' movements from spy planes and satellites. Inside, all the men have been ordered to wear the jihadis' garb of baggy pants and long shirts making it difficult to distinguish Islamic State militants from civilians. The estimated 300,000 people trapped inside live in terrifying uncertainty over how to find safety. Leaflets dropped by coalition warplanes give confusing directions one suggests areas closer to the Euphrates River are safer, but then another warns that boats crossing the river will be struck. Airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition shake the city almost daily, mainly hitting northern neighbourhoods, amid reports of civilians killed by strikes in the nearby countryside. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

st square: He greeted an interfaith group of Iraqis in St, according to Brandon Sun. Peter's Square, encouraging them in helping Iraq find reconciliation among various ethnic and religious groups. Francis issued a special appeal for peace in Iraq at the end of his general audience. Francis said that he was particularly concerned about Iraqis trapped by recent fighting to take Mosul back from Islamic State group militants. The U.N. human rights office has called on the U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes on Mosul to minimize civilian casualties, saying at least 300 people have been killed since mid-February including 140 from a single March 17 airstrike incident on a house. In expressing profound sadness for the victims of the bloody conflict, I renew my appeal that everyone commit themselves to using all efforts to protect civilians, an imperative and urgent obligation, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

adolfo sanchez-reyes: According to media reports, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement Monday that 43-year-old Adolfo Sanchez-Reyes was arrested Friday, according to Metro News. She says a review of Sanchez-Reyes' immigration history shows that he is in the United States illegally. Immigration officials say the father of a high school student charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in a school bathroom in Maryland has been arrested after a review of his status in the United States. Officials say Sanchez-Reyes and his son, 18-year-old Henry Sanchez, are Guatemalan nationals. The ICE spokeswoman says Sanchez-Reyes is being held in the Howard County Detention Center and was ordered to appear in immigration court. Henry Sanchez and 17-year-old Jose Montano were charged with raping a student at Rockville High School on March 16. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

anti-islamophobia motion: Muslim Canadians deserve better, according to Huffington Post Canada. Many Canadians might be surprised to learn that back in October, Canada passed an anti-Islamophobia motion by unanimous consent. Both the Liberals and Conservatives treated this important social issue as if it were political football, seeking to gain cheap yardage with seemingly little concern for the lives involved. House of Common petition e411, sponsored by Liberal MP Frank Baylis was the basis for this motion. Instead, it was NDP leader Thomas Mulcair who showed the sensitivity and political resolve to present this motion, and did so successfully on October 26. Sadly, at the time, Liberals didn't have the political courage to propose a motion on Islamophobia before the House. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city assets: It also specifically recognizes Indigenous contributions to the city and directs staff to create specific guidelines to guide place naming that recognizes both Indigenous and settler history, according to CBC. Schools, parks and libraries are named through a separate process. Her motion prioritizes naming currently unnamed city assets like streets, lanes, plazas, and some buildings to better reflect the city's ethnic, religious and gender diversity. Advancing reconciliation' Reimer's motion is part of Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations and Vancouver's commitment to significantly advance reconciliation. Reimer pointed out the city has lagged behind when it comes to recognizing the contributions of women, minorities, and Indigenous communities. If you look at it, in a very short window of time literally a few decades people came onto this land, erased all the place names on this land, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

downside risks: He was asked about an encouraging data run in recent months for growth, trade and the labour market -- and whether they had altered the central bank's thinking ahead of its April 12 policy decision, according to CTV. It would be odd to forget about all those downside risks just because a couple of data points came in a little bit better than expected, Poloz told reporters at Durham College in his hometown east of Toronto. The remarks by Governor Stephen Poloz on Tuesday followed a speech in Oshawa, Ont., where he made the case for a policy mix frequently promoted by the federal government -- an openness to more foreign investment, immigration and free trade. We've had positive data points in the last three years, too -- and they didn't last. In January, Poloz said the door was open to a possible interest-rate cut because of the unknowns surrounding the U.S. trade agenda and the still-sluggish Canadian economy. So, we're being very cautious in that outlook. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dwi: Of the 26, 23 are from Mexico and three are from Honduras, according to an ICE statement Monday, according to Metro News. Twenty three of those arrested have criminal convictions for driving while intoxicated. Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn told local television station KXAS that his office participated in the arrests Sunday morning at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Two have multiple DWI convictions, and one of those convicted of DWI was given an enhanced sentence for driving with a 15-year-old minor at the time. Three of those arrested have been previously deported, and will have their previous final orders of removal reinstated, according to the ICE statement. Four of those arrested have criminal convictions for possessing a controlled substance. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

everyone: It is not quite as exciting, but it will keep everyone together, according to Globe and Mail. We're not trying to take any political stand, said Westmount teacher Sabrina Jafralie, who organized the trip. But the border issue led to a debate and, ultimately, to a change of plans the class will now be travelling to Toronto and Niagara Falls, instead. It was just that we don't want to be separated from anybody. The climate in the United States and terrorist attacks in parts of Europe has led to potentially unprecedented decisions across Canada around school trips. The kids were very clear that we're a family and we were going to travel together. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hungarian experts: Dimitris Avramopoulos said that EU and Hungarian experts will meet to discuss the new law, which has been sharply criticized by UN agencies and human rights advocates, according to Toronto Star. The new legislation is meant to complement the fences built by Hungary in 2015 and this year on the borders with Serbia and Croatia. Reuters By Pablo Gorondi The Associated Press Tues., March 28, 2017 BUDAPEST, HUNGARY Hungary's new legislation allowing for the detention of asylum-seekers in shipping containers at border camps took effect Tuesday, with the European Union's commissioner for migration saying that it needs to comply with the bloc's rules. The barriers have drastically reduced the number of migrants able to pass through the country on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe. The European principles have been jointly and unanimously agreed by all member states and should therefore be respected and implemented by everyone, too. We decided to work together through our experts and ensure that EU rules also are complied with, Avramopoulos said after meeting with Hungarian officials. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

john bursch: The court is considering the case of Jae Lee, a South Korean immigrant who was facing drug charges, according to Metro News. Lee pleaded guilty after his lawyer mistakenly assured him a conviction would not lead to deportation. The justices seemed divided during an argument about what to do in cases in which the evidence against criminal defendants is strong and the chances of acquittal by a jury are remote. The Trump administration is arguing the outcome at trial would have been the same. John Bursch, Lee's lawyer, told the court that his client would have taken his chances at trial or had his lawyer seek a better plea deal that might allow him to remain in the United States. The administration has pledged to increase deportations, with a focus on immigrants who have been convicted of crimes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

northeast paris: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had summoned a representative of the French embassy in Beijing Tuesday and urged French officials to get to the bottom of the incident as soon as possible, according to CTV. Chinese authorities hope that Chinese nationals in France can express their wishes and demands in a reasonable way, Hua said. Protesters gathered Tuesday in northeast Paris for a second day of demonstrations over the fatal shooting of a Chinese man in his apartment, and police launched an internal investigation into a death that took on diplomatic implications. Residents and police gave conflicting accounts of what happened before the man was shot to death by police on Sunday evening. Rumours circulated among Chinese immigrants that 56-year-old Shaoyo Liu was in front of his children while cutting up fish with scissors and had not hurt anyone. Police said an officer fired in self-defence during a raid after the man wounded an officer with a bladed weapon. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

police: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China had summoned a representative of the French embassy in Beijing on Tuesday and urged French officials to get to the bottom of the incident as soon as possible, according to Hamilton Spectator. Chinese authorities hope that Chinese nationals in France can express their wishes and demands in a reasonable way, Hua said. Protesters gathered Tuesday in northeast Paris for a second day of demonstrations over the fatal shooting of a Chinese man in his apartment, and police launched an internal investigation into a death that took on diplomatic implications. Residents and police gave conflicting accounts of what happened before the man was shot to death by police Sunday evening. Rumours circulated among Chinese immigrants that 56-year-old Shaoyo Liu was in front of his children while cutting up fish with scissors and had not hurt anyone. Police said an officer fired in self-defence during a raid after the man wounded an officer with a bladed weapon. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refuge sweetrefuge: The nuts themselves were pulverized and powdery, ruining the texture of the confection, according to Hamilton Spectator. Baklava has delicate feelings, said Homsi, 76. The pastries were too sweet for his taste and there was often a filler, like semolina, mixed in with the nuts. He stood in his small kitchen in Brooklyn, waving the creases out of sheer, supple phyllo dough. They have sold their Syrian sweets, including baklava, at outdoor markets in New York, and have just started a website, Syrian Sweet Refuge sweetrefuge for online sales. Before he and his wife, Nawal Wardeh, fled Syria last year, the couple owned a bakery in the city of Hama for more than 30 years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sanctuary cities: As is the case in several sanctuary cities, they promised to continue blocking co-operation between city police departments and federal immigration authorities, according to The Chronicle Herald. They also vowed to prevent federal agents from accessing their schools and school records, and they openly contemplated employing cities' rarely-used oversight and subpoena powers to investigate federal immigration practices. We are going to become this administration's worst nightmare, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said Monday during a gathering of municipal officials from urban centres such as San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Philadelphia. The defiance that filled the New York City conference clashed with pointed warnings from the White House's West Wing, where Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a dire warning to urban leaders who embrace policies that help protect immigrants in the country illegally from deportation. He said the Trump White House could withhold or claw back funding from any city that wilfully violates immigration law. Such policies, Sessions said, endanger the lives of every American and violate federal law. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

second-storey room: Their hands moved quickly, according to Hamilton Spectator. Over and over they went through the same motions, several times each minute One man slathered red or black ink on the block, which was carved with Tibetan words and religious images. Each pair bent over a thin rectangular wooden block and worked by sunlight streaming into the second-storey room open to a courtyard. Then his partner placed a thin piece of white paper atop the block and, bending even lower, ran a roller over it. That bending was an act of prostration to the Buddha, said Pema Chujen, a Tibetan woman who was leading a group of ethnic Han visitors around the monastery. Seconds later, he whipped off the paper and put it aside to dry. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

senate meeting: Fast forward 30 years, according to Toronto Star. An immigration officer in Ottawa found out the woman used to be married and decided to revoke her citizenship because she had misrepresented herself in her citizenship application. Keith Beaty / Toronto Star file photo By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Tues., March 28, 2017 Imagine a woman who fled an abusive husband with her small kids and came to Canada without disclosing her broken marriage. That was the case described by Sen. That's what's been happening, McCoy said. Elaine McCoy in a Senate meeting recently. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

st years: Sean Charters South Africa Sean Charters moved to St, according to CBC. John's 18 years ago from Johannesburg, South Africa to escape the crime and violence there. John's Morning Show put together a panel of three immigrants who all said that employment is the key to keeping new citizens. When I came there was the absolute sense of relief that you could relax in your own home, he said. Google Maps He likes the idea that Newfoundland and Labrador is open to accepting new immigrants, but wonders if setting a target of 50 per cent over five years is a sound plan. South Africa is the most southernmost country in Africa with a population of nearly 55,000,000 people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vpd briefly: The VPD briefly arrested the owner of the flag, identifying him and two other men detained as members of the Soldiers of Odin, according to CTV. One of our members was flying a Canadian flag and some of the protestors are anarchists, are communists. A video posted to Facebook by a member of the Coalition Against Bigotry shows Vancouver police intervening in a scuffle where several men are wrestling over a Canadian flag, after what appear to be heated conversations at the event Sunday afternoon. They don't agree with our government and democracy, so they grabbed it and hit him a couple times, said Michael Montague, national spokesperson for the Soldiers of Odin. On social media, domestic chapters post Facebook Live videos and photos highlighting humanitarian volunteerism, including feeding the homeless, picking up dirty needles from public parks and what they call prevention walks in public places. The group has been a lodestone for controversy since chapters started forming across Canada last year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rays: Still, he's confident the budget-minded club is positioned to be more competitive in 2017, according to Brandon Sun. The more I think about it, I like where we are, the 31-year-old said, embracing the team's underdog status. The three-time All-Star third baseman who's coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career concedes he wasn't a big fan of every move the Rays made this off-season. In some of the years where we've been projected to be nothing, we've had some of our best years, Longoria added. The Rays made the playoffs four of six seasons from 2008 to 2013 before gradually descending to the bottom of one of baseball's deepest divisions. And the years you've got a target on your back, or you're expected to play well or win 10 or 15 more games than the previous year, it's been tough. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.