sakr: In an online bulletin, the State Department identifies Sakr as a Syrian-born Canadian citizen who has conducted sniper training for the Al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusrah Front, according to CTV. Canadian-born Shirdon, who the Americans say also goes by the name of Abu Usamah, is a prominent fighter, as well as recruiter and fundraiser for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The decision to add 24-year-old Farah Mohamed Shirdon and 30-year-old Tarek Sakr to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists was published Wednesday in an official register of U.S. government regulations. Today's action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Sakr and Shirdon are actively engaged in terrorism, the U.S. State Department said in a release online. The charges against the Calgary man came a year after an ISIS video surfaced of him burning his Canadian passport. In September 2015, the RCMP laid terrorism several charges in abesentia against Shirdon, including participation in the activity of a terrorist group and instructing others to carry out terrorist activity. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

university spokesman: Park said Kim, who is 58, taught accounting at the university for about a month, according to CTV. He said Kim was detained by officials as he was trying to leave the country from Pyongyang's international airport. Tony Kim, who also goes by his Korean name Kim Sang-duk, was detained on Saturday, according to Park Chan-mo, the chancellor of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. A university spokesman said he was trying to leave with his wife on a flight to China. The embassy looks after consular affairs for the United States in North Korea because the two countries do not have diplomatic relations. The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang said it was aware of a Korean-American citizen being detained recently, but could not comment further. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

visas moves: Diversity can be Canada's global advantage, but only if it is fully embraced and leveraged, according to Globe and Mail. Despite the hard evidence that exists in favour of diversity, public attitudes and perceptions are elsewhere, and more affixed on the abhorrent acts of xenophobia and exclusion that unfold daily. Diverse hiring expands the talent pool, fosters creativity and innovation, generates new products and services, and opens up markets abroad. The Trump administration's deportation of DREAMers, building of walls, refusal of refugees and revocation of visas moves everyday Americans further and further away from ever observing the possible advantages of diversity and pluralism. European politicians play on fears and regularly dismiss the value of immigrants to society and the economy, in effect missing out on economic opportunities and the diversity dividend. The European project so successful in breaking down barriers and generating prosperity is now crumbling. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

voters: The selection of Le Pen and Macron presented voters with the starkest possible choice between two diametrically opposed visions of the EU's future and France's place in it, according to Huffington Post Canada. It set up a battle between Macron's optimistic vision of a tolerant France with open borders against Le Pen's darker, inward-looking platform calling for closed borders, tougher security, less immigration and dropping the shared euro currency to return to the franc. French politicians on the left and right immediately urged voters to block Le Pen's path to power in the May 7 runoff, saying her virulently nationalist anti-EU and anti-immigration politics would spell disaster for France. With Le Pen wanting France to leave the EU, and Macron wanting even closer co-operation between the bloc's 28 nations, Sunday's outcome after a wildly unpredictable and tense campaign meant the runoff will have undertones of a referendum on France's EU membership. With 34 per cent of the vote counted, the Interior Ministry said Sunday night that Le Pen was leading with 24.6 per cent of the vote followed by Macron with 21.9 per cent. TAG START player CA Play In Place Autoplay for AOL Canada function commercial video var TAG END date 4/23/17 The absence in the runoff of candidates from either the mainstream left Socialists or the right-wing Republicans party the two main groups that have governed post-war France also marked a seismic shift in the French political landscape. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

voters: Extremism can only bring unhappiness and division to France, defeated conservative candidate Fran ois Fillon said, according to Hamilton Spectator. As such, there is no other choice than to vote against the extreme right. French politicians on the left and right immediately urged voters to block Le Pen's path to power in the May 7 run-off, saying her virulently nationalist anti-EU and anti-immigration politics would spell disaster for France. The selection of Le Pen and Macron presented voters with the starkest possible choice between two diametrically opposed visions of the EU's future and France's place in it. With Le Pen wanting France to leave the EU and Macron wanting even closer co-operation between the bloc's 28 nations, Sunday's outcome meant the May 7 run-off will have undertones of a referendum on France's EU membership. It set up a battle between Macron's optimistic vision of a tolerant France, a united Europe with open borders against Le Pen's darker, inward-looking platform that called for closed borders, tougher security, less immigration and dropping the shared euro currency to return to the French franc. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

right barcelona: Puyol, a former Barcelona captain, unsurprisingly predicted his team would do well in the top-of-the-table clash, according to Brandon Sun. He was right Barcelona won 3-2. The refugees live in four camps near Thessaloniki and later watched the game on two giant indoor screens on the grounds of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair. Accompanied by La Liga president Javier Tebas and Greek migration minister Yannis Mouzalas, Puyol attended the Football Family Day event, organized by La Liga, Spanish media group Mediapro and NGOs Inter Volve and Open Cultural Center. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

state: In an online bulletin, the State Department identifies Sakr as a Syrian-born Canadian citizen who has conducted sniper training for the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front, according to Brandon Sun. Canadian-born Shirdon, who the Americans say also goes by the name of Abu Usamah, is a prominent fighter, as well as recruiter and fundraiser for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The decision to add 24-year-old Farah Mohamed Shirdon and 30-year-old Tarek Sakr to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists was published Wednesday in an official register of U.S. government regulations. Today's action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Sakr and Shirdon are actively engaged in terrorism, the U.S. State Department said in a release online. The charges against the Calgary man came a year after an ISIL video surfaced of him burning his Canadian passport. In September 2015, the RCMP laid terrorism several charges in absentia against Shirdon, including participation in the activity of a terrorist group and instructing others to carry out terrorist activity. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

university spokesman: Park said Kim, who is 58, taught accounting at the university for about a month, according to Brandon Sun. He said Kim was detained by officials as he was trying to leave the country from Pyongyang's international airport. Tony Kim, who also goes by his Korean name Kim Sang-duk, was detained on Saturday, according to Park Chan-mo, the chancellor of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. A university spokesman said he was trying to leave with his wife on a flight to China. The embassy looks after consular affairs for the United States in North Korea because the two countries do not have diplomatic relations. The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang said Sunday it was aware of a Korean-American citizen being detained recently, but could not comment further. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american program: David Boudia, according to Hamilton Spectator. He was the stalwart of the American program for the better part of the decade, the guy who usually came through at the biggest meets. Someone's missing. It's going to be weird ... not having David there, said Steele Johnson, a good friend of Boudia's and former synchronized partner. After winning two more Olympic medals in Rio, Boudia decided to take a year off and may be done for good. But at the same time, it's a new generation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asian community: San Gewal / Toronto star By San Grewal Urban Affairs Reporter Jim Rankin Feature reporter Sat., April 22, 2017 Peel police discriminated against a South Asian-Canadian officer on the basis of his race when he was denied the opportunity for promotion into the senior ranks, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ruled, according to Toronto Star. Friday's decision also said that the Peel police force generally devalued police work in Peel's huge South Asian community because it is associated with the South Asian population. Baljiwan BJ Sandhu talks with family and friends during his Human Rights Tribunal hearing. Staff Sgt. The applicant's race, ancestry, place of origin, and/or ethnic origin were factors in his failure to be recommended for promotion in February 2013, and as such I find that the applicant has been subject to discrimination because of race, in violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code, tribunal adjudicator Bruce Best said in the decision. Baljiwan BJ Sandhu, a decorated officer with 28 years of service on the Peel police force, had sought a promotion to inspector in 2013. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

change renko: I believe in democracy and I believe if everyone votes today, it's going to make a change, according to CTV. Renko stood in line for over an hour to hit the polls and said she was shocked at how many people joined her. I'm voting because I'm scared that the National Front just might win, said French national Miora Renko, referring to the controversial far-right nationalist party led by Marine Le Pen. This election is her first time voting and she's worried about what would happen to her home under a Le Pen government. She uses fear in her arguments. I believe it's not the values of my country, she said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

columbia college: Quality ethnic restaurants used to open and promptly close regularly when I first moved to Hamilton, but Manna's owner, Helen Thoi, was wise enough to locate it near Columbia College and McMaster University, according to Hamilton Spectator. It's been open just over a year, and Thoi says about 70 per cent of her customers are students, but she would like to see that even out with more from the broader community. This is not the Jewish manna it's Korean for meet up, according to Google Translate and a Korean friend of mine. The restaurant itself is small and unassuming. No music. One fold-out table with a few white plastic chairs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

european project: In the French run-off voting system, the winner must eventually earn an outright majority and many hope that Le Pen's outrageous xenophobia and her antipathy to the European project preclude her from doing so, according to Toronto Star. Yet, as the last year has demonstrated, amid the populist revolt taking place across Europe and beyond, the common wisdom isn't necessarily worth much. MARTIN BUREAU / AFP/GETTY IMAGES Sat., April 22, 2017 The common wisdom in France is that Marine Le Pen, the leader of the country's far-right National Front, is too divisive a character to triumph in the presidential election that begins on Sunday. In case you forgot, Donald Trump is the president of the United States and Britain is leaving Europe. The same economic insecurity and rising inequality, the same disillusionment with the promises of globalization and the technocrats who touted them, the same democratic disengagement and disaffection that propelled Trump and the Brexiteers to victory all of these exist in France, too. The impossible is possible, the improbable likely. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mcgee: In March Elections Quebec announced it was merging the ridings of Mont Royal and Outremont to create a new larger riding, and enlarging the riding of D'Arcy McGee, according to CTV. Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand said this would shrink the electoral voice of anglophones. In addition to the inherent unfairness of creating a riding with more people than the provincial average, the group says it is concerned about the loss of a voice for several ethnic communities. We go from three ridings, Mont Royal, Outremont, and D'Arcy McGee, to two. D'Arcy McGee 56,265 voters, 14.9 percent above average Mont Royal-Outremont 56,390 voters, 15.2 percent above average With 90 percent of the province's English-speaking population living in Montreal, people are also concerned the English community will lose a voice in the National Assembly. Under the new map D'Arcy McGee and Mont Royal-Outremont will have about 15 percent more voters than the average. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

party: The delegates needed massive police protection to get into the convention, and protesters injured one police officer Saturday morning while trying to block the hotel, according to CTV. Authorities had 4,000 police officers on the ground to prevent a violent escalation of anti-populist rallies by an expected 50,000 left-wing protesters. While tensions brewed inside the AfD party convention in the western German city of Cologne, outside the hotel hundreds of left-wing demonstrators tried to block about 600 AfD party members from entering. Speaking before AfD members, nationalist politician Frauke Petry said the party needed to set the course for a spiritual-moral change in Germany and the rest of Europe. In comparison, Joerg Meuthen, a more far-right party leader who is one of Petry's rivals, was cheered strongly when he lashed out at German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government's migration policy. But a majority of the delegates rejected a vote on the party's future path that she had suggested. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

robotics institute: It was fascinating to compare two steel towns; Pittsburgh and Hamilton both struggled due to the decline of manufacturing economies, according to Hamilton Spectator. Today, Pittsburgh boasts of its future as a brighter technology-centric economy surrounded by Robotics Institute, Apple, and Google. In Hamilton, not once have I received a greeting from a robot. The city partnered with Uber and piloted a driverless car initiative in 2016. In Hamilton, the city's economic diversifying efforts contributed to weathering the recession and thankfully we have not yet seen robots competing for our jobs to that extent. Nevertheless, Mayor Bill Peduto is facing backlash as unions are protesting the displacement of workers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tie-free image: Kamil Zihnioglu / The Associated Press File Photo Car factory worker Philippe Poutou, a far-left candidate, stuck with his messy hair and baggy clothes that make him seem like an average Joe, according to Toronto Star. LOIC VENANCE / AFP/GETTY IMAGES File Photo Conservative candidate Francois Fillon's extravagant may be catastrophic for him in poorer areas of the country. ERIC FEFERBERG / AFP/GETTY IMAGES File Photo For a race in which she is the only woman, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen cut her blond hair and donned dark suits. Thibault Camus / The Associated Press Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has cultivated a tie-free image and wears a worker's jacket to political events. Claude Paris / The Associated Press File Photo By Thomas Adamson The Associated Press Sat., April 22, 2017 PARIS Do voters judge a book by its cover France's presidential candidates certainly think they do, and more than ever are trying to get their political message across through their wardrobes. The outfit has drawn comparisons to Communist leaders Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

interview friday: The president, who took a hard line on immigration as a candidate, vowed anew to fulfil his promise to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Brandon Sun. But he stopped short of demanding that funding for the project be included in a spending bill Congress must pass by the end of next week in order to keep the government running. Trump, in an interview Friday with The Associated Press, said his administration is not after the dreamers, we are after the criminals. Related Items Articles Trump at 100 days 'It's a different kind of presidency' I want the border wall. Asked whether he would sign legislation that does not include money for the project, he said, I just don't know yet. My base definitely wants the border wall, Trump said in the Oval Office interview. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

party: The delegates needed massive police protection to get into the convention, and protesters injured one police officer Saturday morning while trying to block the hotel, according to Brandon Sun. Authorities had 4,000 police officers on the ground to prevent a violent escalation of anti-populist rallies by an expected 50,000 left-wing protesters. While tensions brewed inside the AfD party convention in the western German city of Cologne, outside the hotel hundreds of left-wing demonstrators tried to block about 600 AfD party members from entering. Speaking before AfD members, nationalist politician Frauke Petry said the party needed to set the course for a spiritual-moral change in Germany and the rest of Europe. In comparison, Joerg Meuthen, a more far-right party leader who is one of Petry's rivals, was cheered strongly when he lashed out at German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government's migration policy. But a majority of the delegates rejected a vote on the party's future path that she had suggested. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ap: Trump told the AP that his administration is not after the 'dreamers,' we are after the criminals, according to CTV. Here is what they can hear The 'dreamers' should rest easy, Trump said. Several dreamers told The Associated Press on Friday that they were not comforted by Trump's pledge, in an AP interview, that he wouldn't target the 800,000 people brought to the U.S. as children and living in the country illegally under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. OK I'll give you that. It was Trump's latest statement expressing support for immigrants in the program, even as his administration broadly cracks down on illegal immigration. The 'dreamers' should rest easy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers: To be clear trying to slip across the border in an irregular manner is not a free ticket into Canada, reads the statement, which was recirculated to media this week for stories about a recent increase in illegal border crossers, according to Huffington Post Canada. The asylum seekers are apprehended and secured by police or local authorities. That's the message Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale wanted to send with a statement shared to his website in March. Their identities are determined from both biographic and biometric information. Their records are examined for any immigration, criminal or terrorist flags against both Canadian and international databases, it stated. Health checks are done. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

authorities: Kelly says those that refuse face the alternative of having immigration agents look for targets in neighbourhoods and courthouses, according to Metro News. He spoke alongside Attorney General Jeff Sessions in San Diego at the end of a two-day tour of the U.S. border with Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly says local police departments should work with federal authorities on deporting immigrants before they are released from jail and prison. Sessions appealed to local governments to help federal efforts to deport criminals. But if local authorities won't help, he says, immigration agents will need to look wherever they can, including neighbourhoods . 6 p.m. Kelly says immigration authorities would ideally pick up immigrants in jails and prisons. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

dreamers: Shawn Thew / Pool/GETTY IMAGES By Julie Pace The Associated Press Fri., April 21, 2017 WASHINGTON Young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and now here illegally can rest easy, President Donald Trump said Friday, telling the dreamers they will not be targets for deportation under his immigration policies, according to Toronto Star. Trump, in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, said his administration is not after the dreamers, we are after the criminals. But he stopped short of demanding that funding for the project be included in a spending bill Congress must pass by the end of next week in order to keep the government running. The president, who took a hard line on immigration as a candidate, vowed anew to fulfil his promise to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump I want the border wall. But he stopped short of demanding that funding for the project be included in a spending bill Congress must pass by the end of next week in order to keep the government running. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

executive orders: The S.C. was apparently a reference to Trump's Supreme Court pick, Neil M. Gorsuch, whom the Republican-led Senate confirmed this month after changing its filibuster rules over fierce objections from Democrats, according to Hamilton Spectator. Trump's hits the 100-day mark at the end of the next week. No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot including S.C. media will kill! Trump said in an early morning tweet. While the Republican president has issued a flurry of executive orders seeking to change the direction on multiple Obama administration policies, he has no major wins on Capitol Hill beyond Gorsuch. Those included bills to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, dramatically cut taxes, spur 1 trillion in infrastructure investments and significantly expand school choice. Toward the end of his presidential campaign, Trump issued a Contract with the American Voter that, among other things, promised that he would introduce and fight for 10 specific pieces of legislation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

folk heroes: Perri born in 1887 and disappeared in 1944 and his common law wife Bessie Starkman born in 1889 and murdered in 1930 made a fortune in Hamilton through illicit booze, prostitution, narcotics and the enforcement racket, according to Hamilton Spectator. Why was Perri significant Perri and Starkman were treated like folk heroes during prohibition years because curbs against alcohol were generally not popular with the public. Who was Rocco Perri He was known as the King of the Bootleggers and Canada's Al Capone. Their exploits were passionately covered by newspapers in Hamilton and Toronto at the time culminating with two major events On Aug. 13, 1930, Starkman was gunned down in the garage of their house on Bay Street South. Starkman's funeral was one of the biggest in Hamilton history bringing out more than 10,000 people. No one was ever charged in the killing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrant: It is a very damning report, according to CBC. It's very, very, very difficult to read it ... But what also is true is there's a resolve to fix it, Byrne told CBC's Here & Now. Traumatic' removal of children from immigrant family's home exposed flaws in social services, advocate says Minister Gerry Byrne, who recently launched a strategy to attract more immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador, says the report is troubling, but informed. We recognize that there are some gaps within our system, and we're committed to resolving those gaps ... That's how we make sure that we send the message out that Newfoundland and Labrador is visitor friendly and immigrant friendly, and that's the message that I want out. The mother, who was pregnant at the time, spoke very little English and an interpreter was not present to help communicate with the police or social workers. The report, released on April 17, describes a specific case that happened more than four years ago when police and social workers forced their way into a home to remove children. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.