Berlin, (IINA) - Canada’s Immigration Minister John McCallum said that his country will take in an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees, adding to the more than 25,000 already received in the last few months, The Guardian reported.
McCallum told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) he was responding to complaints from Canadian groups who want to sponsor Syrian refugees but did not have their applications processed quickly enough to be among the government’s initial target of 25,000.
“We are doing everything we can to accommodate the very welcomed desire on the part of Canadians to sponsor refugees”, McCallum said.
A total of 26,200 Syrian refugees had arrived in Canada as of 28 March, according to the immigration department. But nearly 16,000 more applications are in process or have been finalized, even though the refugees have not yet arrived, according to official figures.
McCallum said he had instructed bureaucrats to extend the deadline for submitting sponsorship applications to Thursday from the initial 1 March deadline, which should allow the department to process the backlog.
AG/IINA
April 1, 2016
Canada to accept additional 10,000 Syrian refugees
UAE Red Crescent launches air bridge for offering humanitarian aid to Libya
Abu Dhabi, (IINA) - The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) sent a plane carrying hundreds of packages of food, medicines, medical accessories and other supplies to Benghazi, Libya, WAM reported.
The plane is the first of nine aircraft that are serving as a humanitarian bridge from the UAE to the people in Libya, who are now facing an increasingly desperate situation as essential supplies run out. It is the second such UAE-Libya air bridge since the crisis in the North African country began five years ago.
In a press conference, ERC Secretary General Dr. Mohamed Al-Falahi said: "This move is consistent with the UAE's policy of extending support to friends and brothers in their hour of need. It reflects the country's close follow-up on the developments in Libya. It could not have been timelier as the humanitarian situation in Libya has deteriorated drastically over the past few months".
The current move is a continuation of the UAE's consistent efforts to provide aid to Libya since the beginning of the crisis there five years ago.
AG/IINA
The Halal Guys open first New Jersey store
(The Halal Guys opening store in Chicago)
New Jersey, (IINA) - The Halal Guys, the first mainstream American Halal food restaurant chain, will open their first East Coast location outside of New York City in April, QSR Magazine reported.
The franchised location will open in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and is the first of a number of units planned for New Jersey and the rest of the East Coast.
The Halal Guys launched a franchise program in 2014 when they partnered with Fransmart as an exclusive development partner.
The chain said in a statement: “We are excited to bring the brand to New Jersey first, where many customers are already familiar with us and we have already gained an impressive pre-opening following”.
Since partnering with Fransmart and announcing the launch of a franchise program in 2014, The Halal Guys has opened two corporate brick-and-mortar restaurants in Manhattan, and six franchised locations in the cities of Chicago; Houston; Manila, the Philippines; and Long Beach and Costa Mesa, California.
It also has more than 300 franchise units in development in territories including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C, Virginia, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, and the entire state of California, which sold out within the first two months of franchising, as well as international locations for the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, and Canada.
AG/IINA