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1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
Justin Trudeau's promise to take 25,000 Syrian refugees this year 'problematic'-CBC – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
An announcement about Canada's new refugee plans could come as soon as next week — right after Justin Trudeau's cabinet is sworn in, according to sources who spoke to CBC News.During the election campaign, Liberals said they'd accept 25,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq by the end of the year.But is that even possible? And how would it work? Refugee settlement groups in Canada aren't sure it's wise. While they applaud the goal and the good intentions, they fear it's too much, too fast. And they're saying so, as the government consults with representatives of major refugee agencies on how to proceed, based on their current capabilities."Providing more time for this large resettlement movement will lead to better resettlement outcomes," said Chris Friesen, the president of the Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance.Friesen was part of a conference call Tuesday when federal officials were urged to stretch their future Liberal bosses' ambitions out over a slightly longer horizon."Reconsider the time frame, keep the number but let's do it over 2016 to the end of 2016," he told CBC News."Twenty-five thousand over two months is problematic."Airlift first, but then what? Most of the Syrian refugees are expected to leave from Lebanon. Canada's processing centre in Beirut is now processing 700 applications a week. A combination of military transport planes and charter aircraft would be required to move this many refugees over tight timeframes. When those planes land, military bases may provide temporary accommodations until permanent homes are secured in new communities across Canada.That may be the easy part."The military option will bring them in on the short haul, but more consideration is needed post-arrival to actually figure out how to successfully integrate 25,000 Syrians over an eight-week period," Friesen said. "The challenges post-arrival are significant," he said, noting a shortage of affordable housing and a lack of resources for health-care services in some places. "We've got waiting lists for language classes for six to 10 months in certain cities. We don't have trauma support programs in place to address the two-thirds of Syrians who are going to require mental health interventions." Ontario keen to accelerate-In a separate conference call Tuesday, federal and provincial officials discussed how the plans set out by the previous Conservative government may evolve as the Liberals take power. Ontario, for example, already committed to taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.During a photo op ahead of their meeting at Queen's Park Tuesday, neither Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne nor Trudeau himself would tip a hand to suggest exactly what's being considered.But Wynne's immigration minister offered a hint."Because now we have a willing partner," Michael Chan said, "I really want to quicken the process as much as possible."Plans already in place were poised to bring in 2,000 more Syrians before the end of 2015 — adding to the 1,300 who have already arrived — so what's up for discussion now is a very significant ramp-up."Don't forget: even the processing takes time. There are the security checks, medical and criminal checks," said Mario Calla, the executive director for COSTI Immigrant Services. Even having a few extra months to succeed would help.With an acceleration that began in recent weeks — including the addition of more visa officers to process applications in the region — Canada is believed to be on track to meet its earlier target of 11,300 by the end of 2016.Two possible scenarios-Public opinion polls suggest Canadians are on side with accelerating plans to bring significantly more refugees to Canada.Toronto's Lifeline Syria has 250 groups waiting to privately sponsor refugees. Their first two Syrian families arrive this week."I feel that there's a will. I've had thousands of people talk to me. We've had thousands of emails. I really think Canadians feel that this is a humanitarian part of their culture and that they should get involved," said project manager Alexandra Kotyk.But practically, it won't be easy.Federal officials are working on two contingency scenarios: one that tries to meet the goal expressed during the election, and a second that takes concerns into account and unfolds more slowly."I think the time frame is probably way too ambitious. And I think it's better to do things well and to get things all organized in a proper way to ensure that things work well," said Naomi Alboim, a former deputy minister of immigration in Ontario.
Trudeau, Wynne make progress on Ontario pension plan-CBC – Tue, 27 Oct, 2015-YAHOONEWS
Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau will direct federal bureaucrats to work with their counterparts in Ontario on the implementation of a provincial retirement pension plan, a key item on Premier Kathleen Wynne's agenda that had little support from the Conservative government, an official with Wynne's Liberal government confirmed to CBC News.The news came hours after Trudeau and Wynne met at Queen's Park in what was Trudeau's his first official meeting outside Ottawa since the federal Liberal Party's victory in last week's general election.Trudeau did not answer any media questions, saying he'd have plenty to say next week after he names his cabinet. However, the official confirmed that the two made progress on the issue of greater retirement security.Once the Liberals are sworn in, officials with both the finance and national revenue departments will work with Ontario officials "on the registration and administration" of the pension plan, the official said.Wynne had previously said that ensuring people who don't already have a workplace pension get a more adequate retirement income from the CPP would be the topic of her first conversation with Trudeau.Trudeau and Wynne met for about 30 minutes before heading to the funeral of noted Canadian diplomat Ken Taylor.All Trudeau would say to reporters outside was that it was a "good meeting" and that he's looking forward to working with Wynne.Later, in a joint statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Wynne and Trudeau said they discussed how the two levels of government "can work together on issues important to Canadians and Ontarians," including jobs and economic growth.In particular, the two discussed infrastructure investment and improving retirement security for Canadians, according to the statement. Ontario is hoping for federal help with its signature $130-billion, 10-year plan for public transit and infrastructure projects.The two also discussed climate change, and the incoming government's pledge to call a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls."In addition to working together on these and other issues, we look forward to a new and positive relationship between the new Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario — one based on mutual respect, common goals and shared values, and one that is committed to making progress on the things that are important to the people we serve," the two leaders said.The meeting came a little more than a week after the end of the federal election campaign, during which Wynne made numerous appearances with Trudeau Liberals.The premier praised Trudeau as being, "good for Ontario and good for Canada," the morning after the Liberal Party defeated the Conservatives and won a majority government.After Wynne appeared several times with Trudeau, and lent much of the Ontario Liberal campaign organization to the federal party, Trudeau swept Toronto and much of the GTA, winning 80 of Ontario's 121 federal seats. Trudeau's "red wave" also swept over downtown Toronto, with Liberals winning all 25 ridings.The premier had a frosty relationship with outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, urging voters to turf the Conservative government early on in the election campaign. Expectations are high that the leaders of Canada's two largest governments will see eye to eye on a host of federal-provincial issues, including:- Climate change.- Assisted suicide.- Prostitution.- Legalization of marijuana (Wynne has said it's time for a national conversation about pot).Won't place demands on Trudeau-Wynne told The Canadian Press last week that the new federal-provincial relationship would not include a "ticking of boxes," and insisted she would not present the incoming prime minister with a list of Ontario demands in exchange for having helped deliver his new majority government.During the election campaign, Harper boasted that he "delighted" in blocking any federal government help to create or administer the new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, dismissing it as a "job-killing payroll tax."Wynne cautioned that Trudeau alone can't agree to increase contributions and benefits under the CPP and needs the consent of other provinces. She said her government will continue planning to start payroll deductions for the provincial pension plan on Jan. 1, 2017.
Social media specialists hope for better government communications under Liberals-CBC – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
Attendees of a conference on social media in the public sector say they hope the incoming Liberal government will loosen restrictions federal departments face when using Twitter and Facebook to communicate with the public."Some departments here have six levels of approval for a tweet, where a tweet is supposed to be spontaneous," said Chantal Bechervaise, who works in the Privy Council Office and moonlights as a social media marketing consultant with her company Take It Personel-ly."Now it's getting people to relax and be comfortable with expressing themselves ... just being able to be themselves and take their own personalities and infuse that in what they do. ... I think that [prime minister-designate] Justin Trudeau seems to be very open to using social media ... It's an untapped resource that the public sector is not using and they're kind of last to react on things, so it's a way to bring them on board."Bechervaise is one of hundreds of public sector workers from the federal government, municipalities, hospitals and more attending the two-day conference in Ottawa, which wraps up on Wednesday. It's run by the Conference Board of Canada.Trefor Munn-Venn, another social media consultant who owns Rhapsody Strategies, said in an interview at the conference Tuesday that the policies governments have to abide by can get in the way of social media that resonates with people. "When you're trying to create a genuine connection with someone, to say, 'By the way though, you need to comply with all of these [rules] in a consistent, coherent way,' there are two possible messages: one is, wow, are we ever going to get this right? And the other is, don't do it," he said.'Very real and genuine policy restrictions'-But at the same time, the public has to appreciate how much risk management has to go into government messaging, said Mike Kujawski, another consultant at the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing."They [government departments] have all these restraints, and they have very real and genuine policy restrictions that they have to abide by: outdated legislation, official languages, special interest groups; all these things that the private sector and the citizen mind aren't necessarily acquainted with," Kujawski said.While he didn't want to get partisan, Kujawski said he does get a "general sense" that there's going to be a bit more leeway about social media under the incoming Liberal government.But he said the possible change may not necessarily be entirely the result of a new government."Who knows? It could have to do, obviously, with the personality and the way the PMO was run. That being said, it also perfectly correlates to what's going on across every industry right now in terms of this movement from a command and control, centralized structure of [communications] ... into a hub and spoke, and empowerment of various branches," he added.Either way, the director of communications at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario said she hopes federal social media messaging improves."I think there's a lot of promise, especially if it's about being more human and being real about the issues," said Adrienne Vienneau. "I think that's what Justin Trudeau's platform has been projecting, so ... time will tell."
In landmark day, House plans vote on big budget deal, GOP ready to tab Ryan as next speaker-By Alan Fram, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON - The House was poised Wednesday to approve a bipartisan pact charting a two-year budget truce and Republicans were set to nominate Rep. Paul Ryan as the new speaker, milestones GOP leaders hope will transform their party's recent chaos into calm in time for next year's presidential and congressional campaigns.Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate were urging lawmakers to back the agreement, which would resolve fights over defence and domestic spending and federal borrowing until early 2017. Expectations were for House passage Wednesday and final Senate approval by next week, even as hard-right conservatives and farm-state lawmakers arrayed against the deal.Hours before the vote, Ryan, R-Wis., said he will support the bill because it makes "meaningful reforms" that strengthen safety net programs like Social Security and provides sufficient resources for the military." What has been produced will go a long way toward relieving the uncertainty hanging over us," Ryan said in a written statement.At a Wednesday morning closed-door meeting, Ryan told House Republicans what he won't do as speaker. "I don't plan to be Caesar, calling all the shots around here," as he flashed thumbs up and thumbs down signs, said Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.That seemed to be a reference to demands hardline conservatives have made to transfer more power over legislation from House leaders to rank-and-file lawmakers. Those conservatives have said the secret negotiations by which leaders crafted the budget deal typified departing House Speaker John Boehner's top-down approach to legislating, and Ryan said Tuesday that that process "stinks."President Barack Obama praised the budget agreement and urged both parties to "come together to pass this agreement without delay."Boehner, R-Ohio, was pivotal in crafting the budget deal, which amounts to a valedictory legislative prize for his supporters and a whack at his conservative House nemeses. The quarter-century House veteran serves his final day in Congress on Friday, driven into abrupt retirement by rebellious GOP hardliners who scorned his penchant for compromise with Obama and Democrats."I have a gift for you, too," Boehner told Republicans Tuesday after they gave him a golf cart as a parting present. He called the agreement "the best possible deal at this moment for our troops, for taxpayers and for the American people."Without legislation, the government could lapse into an economy-jolting default next week. A partial federal shutdown would occur without action by Dec. 11.The unyielding conservatives who comprise the House Freedom Caucus announced their opposition to the budget deal Wednesday, though the measure seemed likely to pass with support from scores of Republicans and most Democrats. The conservatives criticized the agreement as a backroom deal that surrendered too much to Obama."No wonder so many Americans distrust Congress," said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the Freedom Caucus leader.At least initially, it seemed that conservatives opposing the budget pact would not hold Ryan's vote for it against him."Most people are understanding that this deal is a product of the old speaker," said Salmon.Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a presidential candidate, promised a filibuster, calling the package a capitulation that illustrates "why the grassroots Republicans are so angry with establishment Republicans." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., seemed ready to use procedures to limit the delay to a few days — underscoring the conservatives' helplessness when confronted with bipartisan co-operation.The agreement would provide an extra $80 billion, divided evenly between the Pentagon and domestic agencies over the next two years, and extend the government's authority to borrow to pay bills into March 2017, as Obama's successor settles into the White House.Approval would reduce the chance of partisan fights cascading into a federal shutdown or default, a relief to Republicans fearing such events would alienate voters.A foremost beneficiary would be Ryan, the 2012 GOP vice-presidential candidate. Boehner had said he wanted to "clean the barn" of politically messy issues so Ryan, 45, could make a fresh start.The full House is scheduled to formally elect Ryan as speaker Thursday.The agreement's extra spending would be financed by a potpourri of savings including sales of millions of gallons from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, curbs on Medicare reimbursements to hospitals and doctors and tougher federal debt collection, including allowing federal agents to call people's cellphones.It would trim federal subsidies to companies that sell crop insurance to farmers, creating an uproar among agriculture-state lawmakers.The package would also avert threatened cuts in Social Security disability benefits and a potential increase in Medicare premiums for about 15 million beneficiaries.___Eds: AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner contributed to this report.
UN human rights chief slams 'swarm' rhetoric-By EUOBSERVER-OCT 28,15
Today, 08:42-Politicians using stigmatising language are responsible for violence towards migrants, UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid said Tuesday. "Once you classify people along lines such that they pose a threat ... that there are 'swarms' of people coming, you have started the process of dehumanising them as we know from history".
EU and Kosovo sign association agreement-By EUOBSERVER
27. Oct, 15:47-The EU on Tuesday formally signed with Kosovo a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) that is intended to bring the former Serb province closer to EU standards on economy, the rule of law and democratic rights. The SAA will enter into force early 2016.
Feature-Ukraine far from normal, despite EU-brokered ceasefire By Nikolaj Nielsen-OCT 28,15-EUOBSERVER
Myronivsky, Ukraine, Today, 14:00-Kramatorsk; Myronivsky; Semenivka; Svitlodars: Few in Europe have heard of the minor towns on the Kiev-controlled side of the contact line in east Ukraine.But events and feelings here bear import for the future of a conflict which is reshaping Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape.Heavy fighting mostly stopped in September, following a new ceasefire deal, in Paris, between France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine.The accord included decentralisation of power from Kiev to regional authorities in local elections, which took place last Sunday (25 October).The developments, including Russia’s new front in Syria, have prompted hope in EU capitals the Ukraine war will be, at least, frozen, and, at best, resolved, allowing Kiev to focus on pro-EU reforms instead.-Different story-But the convoy of Ukrainian grad rocket launcher systems heading from Kramatorsk to the front line on Tuesday tells a different story.Kramatorsk, an industrial town not far from rebel-held areas, has also landed a government contract to start making mortars in its machine-building factory next year.Meanwhile, military checkpoints in Ukraine-controlled areas dot the main road to Debaltseve, a stronghold of the Russia-controlled rebel forces.The Ukrainian army is digging in amid uncertainty on what comes next.The road to Debaltseve is a snapshot of a conflict briefly suspended in time: trenches; armoured vehicles; idle artillery pieces; and soldiers, with machine guns, standing around.The medical clinic in Semenivka, which was hit by Ukrainian shells during fighting last year, is still in ruins.A favourite spot for visiting journalists and international observers, it has also become a symbol of the ongoing problems.Closer to the contact line, locals report recent shelling despite the Paris deal.Vera Gregorevna, who lives in Svitlodarsk, an industrial town in the region, told this website on Tuesday "there was shelling four to five days ago". Another resident said shelling hit the town on Monday.From Svitlodarsk, the road continues until the final Ukrainian checkpoint before enemy positions.Here, it turns towards Myronivsky, a town less than 3,000 metres from trenches manned by pro-Russia fighters.-Ghost zone-For her part, Natalia Tsvitarnaya, a 58-year old who lives in her second- floor apartment in what is now a ghost town, longs to go back to a life free of violence and poverty.Before the conflict, Myronivsky had a population of some 8,000 people. But most have fled due to near-constant shelling over the past year.Tsvitarnaya called it "a dying city of pensioners”, with just four families now living in her entire apartment block.She hasn't left her flat in five years, after losing her leg to diabetes.But she recalls a past when she had a job at the local concrete factory and, later on, as an accountant.Despite her self-imposed isolation, she also found companionship in Anatolia Usholik, a 60-year old former miner, whom she met through a dating ad in a local newspaper.Myronivsky is, technically, under Kiev administration, but its proximity to fighting puts it in a grey zone.People like Tsvitarnaya spend most of their time watching Russian state TV.The Kiev government pays meagre pensions, but NGOs and the UN are forced to step in with food vouchers. Tsvitarnaya gets €42 a month from Kiev. All of it, she says, will go on winter heating.The local elections, held almost everywhere else in Kiev-controlled Ukraine on Sunday, skipped Myronivsky.Government officials say it’s because of security concerns and because almost no one lives there any more.But if the vote had been held, Kiev and its pro-EU agenda might have gotten short shrift.-Hearts and minds-Tsvitarnaya, for one, speaks fondly of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, describing him as “charming”, “a strong president”, and as someone “who can manage a huge country”.“I’m in favour of Lenin, Stalin, Brezhnev, and the USSR”, she told EUobserver, listing former Soviet heads."I would prefer that this city be in the DNR”, she added, referring to the self-proclaimed, Russia-controlled Donetsk People’s Republic, just next door.For his part, Victor Andrusiv, the deputy chairman of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, a Kiev-controlled local authority, told this website the EU-brokered vote was premature because the conflict has distorted political opinion.“If you ask me, it was not a good time to have elections [anywhere]”, he said.He blamed the steady diet of Russian TV propaganda for pro-Russia feeling in the region.He also defended Kiev’s efforts to restore normality.He admitted that the government is struggling to repair war damage.But he said everyone has electricity and running water and that the most needy qualify for heating subsidies: “Nobody dies from hunger or cold”.-The man from Lviv-Andrusiv is a young and well-educated civil servant from Lviv, a town near Poland, and a bastion of nationalist, pro-Western sentiment.He was posted to Kramatorsk, the seat of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, in July.He says its main task is to reduce unemployment. But another task is to remove traces of the old Soviet regimes which Tsvitarnaya remembers so fondly.Before Russia invaded last March, there were some 25,000 statues of Lenin in Ukraine.The Donetsk administration has torn down 46 of them this year alone. Just two are left in the area under its control. But they’ll be taken down next week.“You could easily make Soviet films here. You don't even need decorations”, Andrusiv said of the Kramatorsk cityscape.He said he would have been conscripted into the Ukrainian army. But his administrative skills saw Kiev send him to east Ukraine to establish its authority by civilian means.Andrusiv and Tsvitarnaya are both nationals of post-revolutionary Ukraine.But their diametrically opposed politics show how the conflict has aggravated divisions in Ukrainian society.When EUobserver asked Andrusiv if he ever wants to visit Russia, he joked: “Yes. But in a tank”.
Poland vetoes CO2 targets on eve of Paris visit By Andrew Rettman-OCT 28,15-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:24-Polish president Andrzej Duda has vetoed ratification of climate change laws one day before he visits Paris, in a sign of the “new political situation” in Warsaw.The veto covers Poland’s compliance with the so-called Doha amendment to the Kyoto protocol on CO2 emissions.The Kyoto deal, from 1997, obliges signatory states to cut emissions by 5 percent between 2008 and 2012, compared to 1990 levels. The Doha clause extends the binding target to 2020.But Duda’s office said on Tuesday (27 October) that “binding Poland to an international agreement affecting the economy and with associated social costs should be preceded by a detailed analysis of the legal and economic impact … these effects have not been sufficiently clarified”.The Kyoto accord underpins an EU political deal to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and by 40 percent by 2030, with the European Commission, next year, to table laws on how to divide the cuts between member states.The global accord also underpins plans for a climate change summit, in Paris on 30 November, designed to create a binding mechanism which covers all UN states.Duda issued the veto ahead of his visit, on Wednesday, to the French capital in what Polish pundits see as a signal of new assertiveness on the dossier.He also issued it two days after the Law and Justice party, to which he belongs, swept to power in parliamentary elections in Poland in what Duda’s spokesman, Krzysztof Szczerski, described on Tuesday as “the new political situation”.Law and Justice has promised to protect Poland’s coal industry, which employs 100,000 people and supplies over 85 percent of its electricity.The party, on Tuesday, officially nominated Beata Szydlo, a 52-year old coal-miner’s daughter, to be prime minister.But the party's chief, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a former PM with a history of nasty confrontations in Brussels, is widely seen as pulling the strings on both Duda and Szydlo.Szczerski, the Duda spokesman, listed priorities for the French visit as: migration; the Middle East security situation; next year’s Nato summit in Warsaw; the EU’s eastern neighbourhood; climate change; the economy; and energy security.He described France as a “strategic partner” and said Duda will call for more frequent meetings in the “Weimar” format of French, German, and Polish leaders.He said a Paris climate summit deal “will only make sense … if it doesn’t bring harmful effects to the Polish and European economies, for instance, by undermining competitiveness or reducing energy security”.Duda, during Law and Justice’s election campaign, repeated Kaczynski’s controversial claim that Syrian refugees might bring exotic diseases to Europe.He has, in the past, criticised France and Germany for excluding Poland from Ukraine peace talks and has urged Germany to drop opposition to new Nato bases in Poland.But for Konrad Szymanski, a Law and Justice MEP who is tipped to be Szydlo’s EU affairs minister, climate change will be the biggest irritant in future Polish-EU relations.“I thought that migration is the most difficult issue in Europe, but now it looks like it’s going to be climate policies,” he told the Bloomberg news agency in an interview last Friday.He said Poland has a “strategic problem” with the EU deal on CO2 targets “because even with all the things in the box [EU financial aid mechanisms] we are not in a position to compensate the Polish energy sector and industry for the losses they will have to bear.”
10/28/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-Pakistan: Christian woman burnt alive for turning down Muslim marriage proposal-Pakistani Catholics-There are over 1000 documented cases of women from religious minorities falling victim to kidnappings, conversions and forced marriages each year-Paolo Affatato
Rome-She said “no”. She was free and did not want to marry the Muslim man who was after her, even less so convert to Islam. This rejection cost Sonia Bibi, a 20-year-old Christian girl from Multan, her life. Her persecutor doused her in petrol and burnt her alive. Now she is in hospital fighting for her life, after she suffered burns to 80% of her body. Latif Ahmed, who is now in prison, unleashed this brutal violence after his marriage proposal was turned down for the umpteenth time.The incident brings a recurring phenomenon back into the national and international spotlight: girls from religious minorities (Christians and Hindus) are kidnapped, raped, subjected to abuse and violence and forced into Muslim marriages.The practice is endemic in Pakistan and according to sources of Catholic news agency Fides, it affects around 1000 girls each year. It is by facilitated by the inferior social condition of women in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas. But women belonging to religious minority groups are twice as vulnerable because Muslim men feel they are guaranteed impunity if they commit abuse and are often supported by the police and the judiciary.“It is very hard to obtain justice and ensure those responsible are punished. Often in these cases, the police does nothing, or worse, it sides with the rapists,” Christian lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill said. Gill has handled many such cases. “Pressure is placed on Christian families or witnesses to withdraw their complaint. Violence against women and children belonging to religious minorities is often carried out in silence: the stories never come to light,” he explained.The lawyer spoke about another case he worked on: “Fouzia, a 25-year-old Christian woman who was married with three children, was kidnapped by a Muslim man, 55-year-old Muhammad Nazir, last July. The man forced her to convert to Islam and become his wife. Nazir owns the land Fouzia and her family – poor farm labourers –worked on in the Pattoki area, in Punjab. After the incident was reported, Nazir announced that the woman had converted to Islam and threatened that there would be “serious consequences” if Fouzia’s family tried to protest.The stories follow a familiar pattern: the victim’s family files a complaint but the kidnapper files a counter-complaint, claiming that the woman has “made a choice of her own free will”. In the majority of cases, the victims are adolescent minors who are subjected to acts of sexual violence and domestic abuse. If the case goes to court, the girls, who are threatened and under unspeakable pressure, confirm that they made their choice freely and they testify in favour of their persecutors. The case is then closed. Gill Said these cases rarely end with the girls returning to their original families.The phenomenon is confirmed in research by various NGOs and independent study centres, for example, the report published by the Aurat Foundation, a Pakistani organisation with headquarters in Karachi. In its report, titled “Forced Marriages and Inheritance Deprivation”, the Foundation describes the difficult conditions women in Pakistan face, addressing the specific issue of religious discrimination.“ Forced conversion to Islam is a widespread crime but is not taken into sufficient consideration by the police and civil authorities,” the text notes.These cases lack serious investigations that can demonstrate the mechanism in place, the report says. There is one key factor in all of this: “When the complaint is filed and the controversy begins, the girls remain under the custody of their kidnappers until the court hearing and suffer all kinds of traumas and violence.” They are told that they are now Muslim and is they change religion, the penalty for apostasy is death.The Aurat Foundation presented a law proposal for the prevention of forced conversions. It called on the police and civil authorities to unmask this practice and save girls from religious minorities.The government of the Punjab province in Pakistan did recently introduce a bill for the protection of women who have fallen victim to violence, providing for the establishment of oversight commissions and the setting up of “special centres” to welcome and treat victims. These provide comprehensive assistance, including counselling and legal advice. The first centre will open in Multan.Still, the freedoms and rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Pakistan are shrinking: this is according to a recent statement by the Jinnah Institute, a prestigious study centre with headquarters in Karachi, named after the founder of Pakistan, Ali Jinnah. The Institute decried “the radicalisation of society”
Canada: Freak wave sank Tofino whale-watching boat, claim investigators-By Tom Porter | International Business Times – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
A freak wave caused a boat on a whale-watching trip to capsize as passengers crowded to one side of the top deck, investigators told the Guardian. Five Britons were killed when the vessel sank off Vancouver Island in British Columbia.Marc Andre Poisson, director of marine investigations for the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB), told a news conference on Wednesday, October 28, that the position of most people who were watching sea lions at the side of the boat would have "raised the centre of gravity", affecting the boat's stability.He said that after questioning some of the 21 survivors, including three crew, "We also know that the sea conditions were such that a wave approached from the starboard quarter, that's the right of the vessel … we know that the vessel broached and then capsized."The TSB said it would examine the vessel to find "stability information at the time of its construction, and examining any modifications that have been made since its initial construction that may have affected its stability".The five people who died had been on the upper deck of the boat which sank near Tofino on Sunday, October 26, and had not been wearing life jackets, regional coroner Matt Brown told reporters.They have been named as David Thomas, 50, and his son Stephen, 17, both from Swindon.Other British fatalities were Nigel Hooker, 63, from Southampton, Salford-born Jack Slater, 76, who lived in Canada, and Katie Taylor, 29, from Litchfield, Staffordshire, who was also living in Canada. A 27-year-old Australian man who was on the boat with his girlfriend remains missing.Canadian legislation does not currently require passengers to wear life jackets in that area on that model of boat, said Brown."Life jackets were on board. I believe that this vessel can occupy up to 50 individuals. There were 27 on board and there were life jackets available for all of them," he said.The premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark, visited Tofino on Tuesday and praised the rescue efforts of fishermen from the Ahoushat First Nations community, a few miles north. "More lives would have been lost if not for the Ahoushat First Nation. We're all incredibly grateful," she said.Though there was not time for a distress call to be made over the radio, a member of the crew found a distress flare in the water, which was spotted by an Ahousat fishing vessel, which raised the alarm over the radio, and went to rescue survivors. Rescue boats also set off from Tofino.Bosses at Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre said the skipper of the vessel had been taking whale-watching expeditions for 20 years. Company owner James Bray said those on board the boat were not required to wear life jackets as the boat had enclosed compartments which could be difficult to exit in the event of an emergency.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Heavy rain in Toronto as fall storm sweeps across southern Ontario-CBC – OCT 28,15-YAHOO NEWS
Steady rain from a fall storm that is drenching much of southern Ontario led to a number of traffic injuries and a slow and soggy commute in Toronto Wednesday morning.Toronto police asked drivers to slow down, as several pedestrians were struck during the rush hour due to reduced visibility."We need drivers to be more aware," said Const. Clint Stibbe, after a tenth pedestrian was struck Wednesday morning.Police said all of the injuries were relatively minor, ranging from bumps and bruises to broken bones.City streets were already riddled with puddles by 5 a.m. Wednesday as the rain started falling before 4 a.m. A rainfall warning is in effect for Toronto and most of southern Ontario.The storm — driven by the remnants of Hurricane Patricia merging with a clipper system coming from the west — could deliver between 45 and 55 millimetres of rainfall today.The city is asking residents to clear their catch basins and eavestroughs."We've had crews out throughout the evening, checking storm drains, making sure that leaves aren't collecting on top of catch basins. That's the biggest complication and worry right now," said Lou Di Gironimo, the general manager of Toronto Water.-Rain expected to continue-CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland says the rain will likely continue to fall throughout the day and could affect this afternoon's commute as well.Check out ourliveblog for updates on how the fall storm is affecting traffic in Toronto.Metrolinx is telling its customers to give themselves lots of travel time today. The transit service says the combination of the storm and more leaves dropping over the past few days could lead to slippery tracks for trains and slick road conditions for buses.Commuters can check the status of their train or bus on the GO Transit website, service updates will be posted there, and on the transit service's mobile app.Strong wind gusts between 40-70 km/h are also possible during the storm and could cause power outages and some tree damage, especially closer to the lakeshore where they'll be stronger. Toronto Hydro has already called in extra crews to restore power to areas that might be affected by the storm.One upside? Temperatures will rise to a high of 17 C.
Justin Trudeau's promise to take 25,000 Syrian refugees this year 'problematic'-CBC – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
An announcement about Canada's new refugee plans could come as soon as next week — right after Justin Trudeau's cabinet is sworn in, according to sources who spoke to CBC News.During the election campaign, Liberals said they'd accept 25,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq by the end of the year.But is that even possible? And how would it work? Refugee settlement groups in Canada aren't sure it's wise. While they applaud the goal and the good intentions, they fear it's too much, too fast. And they're saying so, as the government consults with representatives of major refugee agencies on how to proceed, based on their current capabilities."Providing more time for this large resettlement movement will lead to better resettlement outcomes," said Chris Friesen, the president of the Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance.Friesen was part of a conference call Tuesday when federal officials were urged to stretch their future Liberal bosses' ambitions out over a slightly longer horizon."Reconsider the time frame, keep the number but let's do it over 2016 to the end of 2016," he told CBC News."Twenty-five thousand over two months is problematic."Airlift first, but then what? Most of the Syrian refugees are expected to leave from Lebanon. Canada's processing centre in Beirut is now processing 700 applications a week. A combination of military transport planes and charter aircraft would be required to move this many refugees over tight timeframes. When those planes land, military bases may provide temporary accommodations until permanent homes are secured in new communities across Canada.That may be the easy part."The military option will bring them in on the short haul, but more consideration is needed post-arrival to actually figure out how to successfully integrate 25,000 Syrians over an eight-week period," Friesen said. "The challenges post-arrival are significant," he said, noting a shortage of affordable housing and a lack of resources for health-care services in some places. "We've got waiting lists for language classes for six to 10 months in certain cities. We don't have trauma support programs in place to address the two-thirds of Syrians who are going to require mental health interventions." Ontario keen to accelerate-In a separate conference call Tuesday, federal and provincial officials discussed how the plans set out by the previous Conservative government may evolve as the Liberals take power. Ontario, for example, already committed to taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.During a photo op ahead of their meeting at Queen's Park Tuesday, neither Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne nor Trudeau himself would tip a hand to suggest exactly what's being considered.But Wynne's immigration minister offered a hint."Because now we have a willing partner," Michael Chan said, "I really want to quicken the process as much as possible."Plans already in place were poised to bring in 2,000 more Syrians before the end of 2015 — adding to the 1,300 who have already arrived — so what's up for discussion now is a very significant ramp-up."Don't forget: even the processing takes time. There are the security checks, medical and criminal checks," said Mario Calla, the executive director for COSTI Immigrant Services. Even having a few extra months to succeed would help.With an acceleration that began in recent weeks — including the addition of more visa officers to process applications in the region — Canada is believed to be on track to meet its earlier target of 11,300 by the end of 2016.Two possible scenarios-Public opinion polls suggest Canadians are on side with accelerating plans to bring significantly more refugees to Canada.Toronto's Lifeline Syria has 250 groups waiting to privately sponsor refugees. Their first two Syrian families arrive this week."I feel that there's a will. I've had thousands of people talk to me. We've had thousands of emails. I really think Canadians feel that this is a humanitarian part of their culture and that they should get involved," said project manager Alexandra Kotyk.But practically, it won't be easy.Federal officials are working on two contingency scenarios: one that tries to meet the goal expressed during the election, and a second that takes concerns into account and unfolds more slowly."I think the time frame is probably way too ambitious. And I think it's better to do things well and to get things all organized in a proper way to ensure that things work well," said Naomi Alboim, a former deputy minister of immigration in Ontario.
Trudeau, Wynne make progress on Ontario pension plan-CBC – Tue, 27 Oct, 2015-YAHOONEWS
Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau will direct federal bureaucrats to work with their counterparts in Ontario on the implementation of a provincial retirement pension plan, a key item on Premier Kathleen Wynne's agenda that had little support from the Conservative government, an official with Wynne's Liberal government confirmed to CBC News.The news came hours after Trudeau and Wynne met at Queen's Park in what was Trudeau's his first official meeting outside Ottawa since the federal Liberal Party's victory in last week's general election.Trudeau did not answer any media questions, saying he'd have plenty to say next week after he names his cabinet. However, the official confirmed that the two made progress on the issue of greater retirement security.Once the Liberals are sworn in, officials with both the finance and national revenue departments will work with Ontario officials "on the registration and administration" of the pension plan, the official said.Wynne had previously said that ensuring people who don't already have a workplace pension get a more adequate retirement income from the CPP would be the topic of her first conversation with Trudeau.Trudeau and Wynne met for about 30 minutes before heading to the funeral of noted Canadian diplomat Ken Taylor.All Trudeau would say to reporters outside was that it was a "good meeting" and that he's looking forward to working with Wynne.Later, in a joint statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Wynne and Trudeau said they discussed how the two levels of government "can work together on issues important to Canadians and Ontarians," including jobs and economic growth.In particular, the two discussed infrastructure investment and improving retirement security for Canadians, according to the statement. Ontario is hoping for federal help with its signature $130-billion, 10-year plan for public transit and infrastructure projects.The two also discussed climate change, and the incoming government's pledge to call a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls."In addition to working together on these and other issues, we look forward to a new and positive relationship between the new Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario — one based on mutual respect, common goals and shared values, and one that is committed to making progress on the things that are important to the people we serve," the two leaders said.The meeting came a little more than a week after the end of the federal election campaign, during which Wynne made numerous appearances with Trudeau Liberals.The premier praised Trudeau as being, "good for Ontario and good for Canada," the morning after the Liberal Party defeated the Conservatives and won a majority government.After Wynne appeared several times with Trudeau, and lent much of the Ontario Liberal campaign organization to the federal party, Trudeau swept Toronto and much of the GTA, winning 80 of Ontario's 121 federal seats. Trudeau's "red wave" also swept over downtown Toronto, with Liberals winning all 25 ridings.The premier had a frosty relationship with outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, urging voters to turf the Conservative government early on in the election campaign. Expectations are high that the leaders of Canada's two largest governments will see eye to eye on a host of federal-provincial issues, including:- Climate change.- Assisted suicide.- Prostitution.- Legalization of marijuana (Wynne has said it's time for a national conversation about pot).Won't place demands on Trudeau-Wynne told The Canadian Press last week that the new federal-provincial relationship would not include a "ticking of boxes," and insisted she would not present the incoming prime minister with a list of Ontario demands in exchange for having helped deliver his new majority government.During the election campaign, Harper boasted that he "delighted" in blocking any federal government help to create or administer the new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, dismissing it as a "job-killing payroll tax."Wynne cautioned that Trudeau alone can't agree to increase contributions and benefits under the CPP and needs the consent of other provinces. She said her government will continue planning to start payroll deductions for the provincial pension plan on Jan. 1, 2017.
Social media specialists hope for better government communications under Liberals-CBC – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
Attendees of a conference on social media in the public sector say they hope the incoming Liberal government will loosen restrictions federal departments face when using Twitter and Facebook to communicate with the public."Some departments here have six levels of approval for a tweet, where a tweet is supposed to be spontaneous," said Chantal Bechervaise, who works in the Privy Council Office and moonlights as a social media marketing consultant with her company Take It Personel-ly."Now it's getting people to relax and be comfortable with expressing themselves ... just being able to be themselves and take their own personalities and infuse that in what they do. ... I think that [prime minister-designate] Justin Trudeau seems to be very open to using social media ... It's an untapped resource that the public sector is not using and they're kind of last to react on things, so it's a way to bring them on board."Bechervaise is one of hundreds of public sector workers from the federal government, municipalities, hospitals and more attending the two-day conference in Ottawa, which wraps up on Wednesday. It's run by the Conference Board of Canada.Trefor Munn-Venn, another social media consultant who owns Rhapsody Strategies, said in an interview at the conference Tuesday that the policies governments have to abide by can get in the way of social media that resonates with people. "When you're trying to create a genuine connection with someone, to say, 'By the way though, you need to comply with all of these [rules] in a consistent, coherent way,' there are two possible messages: one is, wow, are we ever going to get this right? And the other is, don't do it," he said.'Very real and genuine policy restrictions'-But at the same time, the public has to appreciate how much risk management has to go into government messaging, said Mike Kujawski, another consultant at the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing."They [government departments] have all these restraints, and they have very real and genuine policy restrictions that they have to abide by: outdated legislation, official languages, special interest groups; all these things that the private sector and the citizen mind aren't necessarily acquainted with," Kujawski said.While he didn't want to get partisan, Kujawski said he does get a "general sense" that there's going to be a bit more leeway about social media under the incoming Liberal government.But he said the possible change may not necessarily be entirely the result of a new government."Who knows? It could have to do, obviously, with the personality and the way the PMO was run. That being said, it also perfectly correlates to what's going on across every industry right now in terms of this movement from a command and control, centralized structure of [communications] ... into a hub and spoke, and empowerment of various branches," he added.Either way, the director of communications at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario said she hopes federal social media messaging improves."I think there's a lot of promise, especially if it's about being more human and being real about the issues," said Adrienne Vienneau. "I think that's what Justin Trudeau's platform has been projecting, so ... time will tell."
In landmark day, House plans vote on big budget deal, GOP ready to tab Ryan as next speaker-By Alan Fram, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON - The House was poised Wednesday to approve a bipartisan pact charting a two-year budget truce and Republicans were set to nominate Rep. Paul Ryan as the new speaker, milestones GOP leaders hope will transform their party's recent chaos into calm in time for next year's presidential and congressional campaigns.Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate were urging lawmakers to back the agreement, which would resolve fights over defence and domestic spending and federal borrowing until early 2017. Expectations were for House passage Wednesday and final Senate approval by next week, even as hard-right conservatives and farm-state lawmakers arrayed against the deal.Hours before the vote, Ryan, R-Wis., said he will support the bill because it makes "meaningful reforms" that strengthen safety net programs like Social Security and provides sufficient resources for the military." What has been produced will go a long way toward relieving the uncertainty hanging over us," Ryan said in a written statement.At a Wednesday morning closed-door meeting, Ryan told House Republicans what he won't do as speaker. "I don't plan to be Caesar, calling all the shots around here," as he flashed thumbs up and thumbs down signs, said Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.That seemed to be a reference to demands hardline conservatives have made to transfer more power over legislation from House leaders to rank-and-file lawmakers. Those conservatives have said the secret negotiations by which leaders crafted the budget deal typified departing House Speaker John Boehner's top-down approach to legislating, and Ryan said Tuesday that that process "stinks."President Barack Obama praised the budget agreement and urged both parties to "come together to pass this agreement without delay."Boehner, R-Ohio, was pivotal in crafting the budget deal, which amounts to a valedictory legislative prize for his supporters and a whack at his conservative House nemeses. The quarter-century House veteran serves his final day in Congress on Friday, driven into abrupt retirement by rebellious GOP hardliners who scorned his penchant for compromise with Obama and Democrats."I have a gift for you, too," Boehner told Republicans Tuesday after they gave him a golf cart as a parting present. He called the agreement "the best possible deal at this moment for our troops, for taxpayers and for the American people."Without legislation, the government could lapse into an economy-jolting default next week. A partial federal shutdown would occur without action by Dec. 11.The unyielding conservatives who comprise the House Freedom Caucus announced their opposition to the budget deal Wednesday, though the measure seemed likely to pass with support from scores of Republicans and most Democrats. The conservatives criticized the agreement as a backroom deal that surrendered too much to Obama."No wonder so many Americans distrust Congress," said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the Freedom Caucus leader.At least initially, it seemed that conservatives opposing the budget pact would not hold Ryan's vote for it against him."Most people are understanding that this deal is a product of the old speaker," said Salmon.Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a presidential candidate, promised a filibuster, calling the package a capitulation that illustrates "why the grassroots Republicans are so angry with establishment Republicans." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., seemed ready to use procedures to limit the delay to a few days — underscoring the conservatives' helplessness when confronted with bipartisan co-operation.The agreement would provide an extra $80 billion, divided evenly between the Pentagon and domestic agencies over the next two years, and extend the government's authority to borrow to pay bills into March 2017, as Obama's successor settles into the White House.Approval would reduce the chance of partisan fights cascading into a federal shutdown or default, a relief to Republicans fearing such events would alienate voters.A foremost beneficiary would be Ryan, the 2012 GOP vice-presidential candidate. Boehner had said he wanted to "clean the barn" of politically messy issues so Ryan, 45, could make a fresh start.The full House is scheduled to formally elect Ryan as speaker Thursday.The agreement's extra spending would be financed by a potpourri of savings including sales of millions of gallons from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, curbs on Medicare reimbursements to hospitals and doctors and tougher federal debt collection, including allowing federal agents to call people's cellphones.It would trim federal subsidies to companies that sell crop insurance to farmers, creating an uproar among agriculture-state lawmakers.The package would also avert threatened cuts in Social Security disability benefits and a potential increase in Medicare premiums for about 15 million beneficiaries.___Eds: AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner contributed to this report.
UN human rights chief slams 'swarm' rhetoric-By EUOBSERVER-OCT 28,15
Today, 08:42-Politicians using stigmatising language are responsible for violence towards migrants, UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid said Tuesday. "Once you classify people along lines such that they pose a threat ... that there are 'swarms' of people coming, you have started the process of dehumanising them as we know from history".
EU and Kosovo sign association agreement-By EUOBSERVER
27. Oct, 15:47-The EU on Tuesday formally signed with Kosovo a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) that is intended to bring the former Serb province closer to EU standards on economy, the rule of law and democratic rights. The SAA will enter into force early 2016.
Feature-Ukraine far from normal, despite EU-brokered ceasefire By Nikolaj Nielsen-OCT 28,15-EUOBSERVER
Myronivsky, Ukraine, Today, 14:00-Kramatorsk; Myronivsky; Semenivka; Svitlodars: Few in Europe have heard of the minor towns on the Kiev-controlled side of the contact line in east Ukraine.But events and feelings here bear import for the future of a conflict which is reshaping Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape.Heavy fighting mostly stopped in September, following a new ceasefire deal, in Paris, between France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine.The accord included decentralisation of power from Kiev to regional authorities in local elections, which took place last Sunday (25 October).The developments, including Russia’s new front in Syria, have prompted hope in EU capitals the Ukraine war will be, at least, frozen, and, at best, resolved, allowing Kiev to focus on pro-EU reforms instead.-Different story-But the convoy of Ukrainian grad rocket launcher systems heading from Kramatorsk to the front line on Tuesday tells a different story.Kramatorsk, an industrial town not far from rebel-held areas, has also landed a government contract to start making mortars in its machine-building factory next year.Meanwhile, military checkpoints in Ukraine-controlled areas dot the main road to Debaltseve, a stronghold of the Russia-controlled rebel forces.The Ukrainian army is digging in amid uncertainty on what comes next.The road to Debaltseve is a snapshot of a conflict briefly suspended in time: trenches; armoured vehicles; idle artillery pieces; and soldiers, with machine guns, standing around.The medical clinic in Semenivka, which was hit by Ukrainian shells during fighting last year, is still in ruins.A favourite spot for visiting journalists and international observers, it has also become a symbol of the ongoing problems.Closer to the contact line, locals report recent shelling despite the Paris deal.Vera Gregorevna, who lives in Svitlodarsk, an industrial town in the region, told this website on Tuesday "there was shelling four to five days ago". Another resident said shelling hit the town on Monday.From Svitlodarsk, the road continues until the final Ukrainian checkpoint before enemy positions.Here, it turns towards Myronivsky, a town less than 3,000 metres from trenches manned by pro-Russia fighters.-Ghost zone-For her part, Natalia Tsvitarnaya, a 58-year old who lives in her second- floor apartment in what is now a ghost town, longs to go back to a life free of violence and poverty.Before the conflict, Myronivsky had a population of some 8,000 people. But most have fled due to near-constant shelling over the past year.Tsvitarnaya called it "a dying city of pensioners”, with just four families now living in her entire apartment block.She hasn't left her flat in five years, after losing her leg to diabetes.But she recalls a past when she had a job at the local concrete factory and, later on, as an accountant.Despite her self-imposed isolation, she also found companionship in Anatolia Usholik, a 60-year old former miner, whom she met through a dating ad in a local newspaper.Myronivsky is, technically, under Kiev administration, but its proximity to fighting puts it in a grey zone.People like Tsvitarnaya spend most of their time watching Russian state TV.The Kiev government pays meagre pensions, but NGOs and the UN are forced to step in with food vouchers. Tsvitarnaya gets €42 a month from Kiev. All of it, she says, will go on winter heating.The local elections, held almost everywhere else in Kiev-controlled Ukraine on Sunday, skipped Myronivsky.Government officials say it’s because of security concerns and because almost no one lives there any more.But if the vote had been held, Kiev and its pro-EU agenda might have gotten short shrift.-Hearts and minds-Tsvitarnaya, for one, speaks fondly of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, describing him as “charming”, “a strong president”, and as someone “who can manage a huge country”.“I’m in favour of Lenin, Stalin, Brezhnev, and the USSR”, she told EUobserver, listing former Soviet heads."I would prefer that this city be in the DNR”, she added, referring to the self-proclaimed, Russia-controlled Donetsk People’s Republic, just next door.For his part, Victor Andrusiv, the deputy chairman of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, a Kiev-controlled local authority, told this website the EU-brokered vote was premature because the conflict has distorted political opinion.“If you ask me, it was not a good time to have elections [anywhere]”, he said.He blamed the steady diet of Russian TV propaganda for pro-Russia feeling in the region.He also defended Kiev’s efforts to restore normality.He admitted that the government is struggling to repair war damage.But he said everyone has electricity and running water and that the most needy qualify for heating subsidies: “Nobody dies from hunger or cold”.-The man from Lviv-Andrusiv is a young and well-educated civil servant from Lviv, a town near Poland, and a bastion of nationalist, pro-Western sentiment.He was posted to Kramatorsk, the seat of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, in July.He says its main task is to reduce unemployment. But another task is to remove traces of the old Soviet regimes which Tsvitarnaya remembers so fondly.Before Russia invaded last March, there were some 25,000 statues of Lenin in Ukraine.The Donetsk administration has torn down 46 of them this year alone. Just two are left in the area under its control. But they’ll be taken down next week.“You could easily make Soviet films here. You don't even need decorations”, Andrusiv said of the Kramatorsk cityscape.He said he would have been conscripted into the Ukrainian army. But his administrative skills saw Kiev send him to east Ukraine to establish its authority by civilian means.Andrusiv and Tsvitarnaya are both nationals of post-revolutionary Ukraine.But their diametrically opposed politics show how the conflict has aggravated divisions in Ukrainian society.When EUobserver asked Andrusiv if he ever wants to visit Russia, he joked: “Yes. But in a tank”.
Poland vetoes CO2 targets on eve of Paris visit By Andrew Rettman-OCT 28,15-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:24-Polish president Andrzej Duda has vetoed ratification of climate change laws one day before he visits Paris, in a sign of the “new political situation” in Warsaw.The veto covers Poland’s compliance with the so-called Doha amendment to the Kyoto protocol on CO2 emissions.The Kyoto deal, from 1997, obliges signatory states to cut emissions by 5 percent between 2008 and 2012, compared to 1990 levels. The Doha clause extends the binding target to 2020.But Duda’s office said on Tuesday (27 October) that “binding Poland to an international agreement affecting the economy and with associated social costs should be preceded by a detailed analysis of the legal and economic impact … these effects have not been sufficiently clarified”.The Kyoto accord underpins an EU political deal to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and by 40 percent by 2030, with the European Commission, next year, to table laws on how to divide the cuts between member states.The global accord also underpins plans for a climate change summit, in Paris on 30 November, designed to create a binding mechanism which covers all UN states.Duda issued the veto ahead of his visit, on Wednesday, to the French capital in what Polish pundits see as a signal of new assertiveness on the dossier.He also issued it two days after the Law and Justice party, to which he belongs, swept to power in parliamentary elections in Poland in what Duda’s spokesman, Krzysztof Szczerski, described on Tuesday as “the new political situation”.Law and Justice has promised to protect Poland’s coal industry, which employs 100,000 people and supplies over 85 percent of its electricity.The party, on Tuesday, officially nominated Beata Szydlo, a 52-year old coal-miner’s daughter, to be prime minister.But the party's chief, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a former PM with a history of nasty confrontations in Brussels, is widely seen as pulling the strings on both Duda and Szydlo.Szczerski, the Duda spokesman, listed priorities for the French visit as: migration; the Middle East security situation; next year’s Nato summit in Warsaw; the EU’s eastern neighbourhood; climate change; the economy; and energy security.He described France as a “strategic partner” and said Duda will call for more frequent meetings in the “Weimar” format of French, German, and Polish leaders.He said a Paris climate summit deal “will only make sense … if it doesn’t bring harmful effects to the Polish and European economies, for instance, by undermining competitiveness or reducing energy security”.Duda, during Law and Justice’s election campaign, repeated Kaczynski’s controversial claim that Syrian refugees might bring exotic diseases to Europe.He has, in the past, criticised France and Germany for excluding Poland from Ukraine peace talks and has urged Germany to drop opposition to new Nato bases in Poland.But for Konrad Szymanski, a Law and Justice MEP who is tipped to be Szydlo’s EU affairs minister, climate change will be the biggest irritant in future Polish-EU relations.“I thought that migration is the most difficult issue in Europe, but now it looks like it’s going to be climate policies,” he told the Bloomberg news agency in an interview last Friday.He said Poland has a “strategic problem” with the EU deal on CO2 targets “because even with all the things in the box [EU financial aid mechanisms] we are not in a position to compensate the Polish energy sector and industry for the losses they will have to bear.”
10/28/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-Pakistan: Christian woman burnt alive for turning down Muslim marriage proposal-Pakistani Catholics-There are over 1000 documented cases of women from religious minorities falling victim to kidnappings, conversions and forced marriages each year-Paolo Affatato
Rome-She said “no”. She was free and did not want to marry the Muslim man who was after her, even less so convert to Islam. This rejection cost Sonia Bibi, a 20-year-old Christian girl from Multan, her life. Her persecutor doused her in petrol and burnt her alive. Now she is in hospital fighting for her life, after she suffered burns to 80% of her body. Latif Ahmed, who is now in prison, unleashed this brutal violence after his marriage proposal was turned down for the umpteenth time.The incident brings a recurring phenomenon back into the national and international spotlight: girls from religious minorities (Christians and Hindus) are kidnapped, raped, subjected to abuse and violence and forced into Muslim marriages.The practice is endemic in Pakistan and according to sources of Catholic news agency Fides, it affects around 1000 girls each year. It is by facilitated by the inferior social condition of women in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas. But women belonging to religious minority groups are twice as vulnerable because Muslim men feel they are guaranteed impunity if they commit abuse and are often supported by the police and the judiciary.“It is very hard to obtain justice and ensure those responsible are punished. Often in these cases, the police does nothing, or worse, it sides with the rapists,” Christian lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill said. Gill has handled many such cases. “Pressure is placed on Christian families or witnesses to withdraw their complaint. Violence against women and children belonging to religious minorities is often carried out in silence: the stories never come to light,” he explained.The lawyer spoke about another case he worked on: “Fouzia, a 25-year-old Christian woman who was married with three children, was kidnapped by a Muslim man, 55-year-old Muhammad Nazir, last July. The man forced her to convert to Islam and become his wife. Nazir owns the land Fouzia and her family – poor farm labourers –worked on in the Pattoki area, in Punjab. After the incident was reported, Nazir announced that the woman had converted to Islam and threatened that there would be “serious consequences” if Fouzia’s family tried to protest.The stories follow a familiar pattern: the victim’s family files a complaint but the kidnapper files a counter-complaint, claiming that the woman has “made a choice of her own free will”. In the majority of cases, the victims are adolescent minors who are subjected to acts of sexual violence and domestic abuse. If the case goes to court, the girls, who are threatened and under unspeakable pressure, confirm that they made their choice freely and they testify in favour of their persecutors. The case is then closed. Gill Said these cases rarely end with the girls returning to their original families.The phenomenon is confirmed in research by various NGOs and independent study centres, for example, the report published by the Aurat Foundation, a Pakistani organisation with headquarters in Karachi. In its report, titled “Forced Marriages and Inheritance Deprivation”, the Foundation describes the difficult conditions women in Pakistan face, addressing the specific issue of religious discrimination.“ Forced conversion to Islam is a widespread crime but is not taken into sufficient consideration by the police and civil authorities,” the text notes.These cases lack serious investigations that can demonstrate the mechanism in place, the report says. There is one key factor in all of this: “When the complaint is filed and the controversy begins, the girls remain under the custody of their kidnappers until the court hearing and suffer all kinds of traumas and violence.” They are told that they are now Muslim and is they change religion, the penalty for apostasy is death.The Aurat Foundation presented a law proposal for the prevention of forced conversions. It called on the police and civil authorities to unmask this practice and save girls from religious minorities.The government of the Punjab province in Pakistan did recently introduce a bill for the protection of women who have fallen victim to violence, providing for the establishment of oversight commissions and the setting up of “special centres” to welcome and treat victims. These provide comprehensive assistance, including counselling and legal advice. The first centre will open in Multan.Still, the freedoms and rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Pakistan are shrinking: this is according to a recent statement by the Jinnah Institute, a prestigious study centre with headquarters in Karachi, named after the founder of Pakistan, Ali Jinnah. The Institute decried “the radicalisation of society”
Canada: Freak wave sank Tofino whale-watching boat, claim investigators-By Tom Porter | International Business Times – OCT 28,15-YAHOONEWS
A freak wave caused a boat on a whale-watching trip to capsize as passengers crowded to one side of the top deck, investigators told the Guardian. Five Britons were killed when the vessel sank off Vancouver Island in British Columbia.Marc Andre Poisson, director of marine investigations for the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB), told a news conference on Wednesday, October 28, that the position of most people who were watching sea lions at the side of the boat would have "raised the centre of gravity", affecting the boat's stability.He said that after questioning some of the 21 survivors, including three crew, "We also know that the sea conditions were such that a wave approached from the starboard quarter, that's the right of the vessel … we know that the vessel broached and then capsized."The TSB said it would examine the vessel to find "stability information at the time of its construction, and examining any modifications that have been made since its initial construction that may have affected its stability".The five people who died had been on the upper deck of the boat which sank near Tofino on Sunday, October 26, and had not been wearing life jackets, regional coroner Matt Brown told reporters.They have been named as David Thomas, 50, and his son Stephen, 17, both from Swindon.Other British fatalities were Nigel Hooker, 63, from Southampton, Salford-born Jack Slater, 76, who lived in Canada, and Katie Taylor, 29, from Litchfield, Staffordshire, who was also living in Canada. A 27-year-old Australian man who was on the boat with his girlfriend remains missing.Canadian legislation does not currently require passengers to wear life jackets in that area on that model of boat, said Brown."Life jackets were on board. I believe that this vessel can occupy up to 50 individuals. There were 27 on board and there were life jackets available for all of them," he said.The premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark, visited Tofino on Tuesday and praised the rescue efforts of fishermen from the Ahoushat First Nations community, a few miles north. "More lives would have been lost if not for the Ahoushat First Nation. We're all incredibly grateful," she said.Though there was not time for a distress call to be made over the radio, a member of the crew found a distress flare in the water, which was spotted by an Ahousat fishing vessel, which raised the alarm over the radio, and went to rescue survivors. Rescue boats also set off from Tofino.Bosses at Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre said the skipper of the vessel had been taking whale-watching expeditions for 20 years. Company owner James Bray said those on board the boat were not required to wear life jackets as the boat had enclosed compartments which could be difficult to exit in the event of an emergency.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Heavy rain in Toronto as fall storm sweeps across southern Ontario-CBC – OCT 28,15-YAHOO NEWS
Steady rain from a fall storm that is drenching much of southern Ontario led to a number of traffic injuries and a slow and soggy commute in Toronto Wednesday morning.Toronto police asked drivers to slow down, as several pedestrians were struck during the rush hour due to reduced visibility."We need drivers to be more aware," said Const. Clint Stibbe, after a tenth pedestrian was struck Wednesday morning.Police said all of the injuries were relatively minor, ranging from bumps and bruises to broken bones.City streets were already riddled with puddles by 5 a.m. Wednesday as the rain started falling before 4 a.m. A rainfall warning is in effect for Toronto and most of southern Ontario.The storm — driven by the remnants of Hurricane Patricia merging with a clipper system coming from the west — could deliver between 45 and 55 millimetres of rainfall today.The city is asking residents to clear their catch basins and eavestroughs."We've had crews out throughout the evening, checking storm drains, making sure that leaves aren't collecting on top of catch basins. That's the biggest complication and worry right now," said Lou Di Gironimo, the general manager of Toronto Water.-Rain expected to continue-CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland says the rain will likely continue to fall throughout the day and could affect this afternoon's commute as well.Check out ourliveblog for updates on how the fall storm is affecting traffic in Toronto.Metrolinx is telling its customers to give themselves lots of travel time today. The transit service says the combination of the storm and more leaves dropping over the past few days could lead to slippery tracks for trains and slick road conditions for buses.Commuters can check the status of their train or bus on the GO Transit website, service updates will be posted there, and on the transit service's mobile app.Strong wind gusts between 40-70 km/h are also possible during the storm and could cause power outages and some tree damage, especially closer to the lakeshore where they'll be stronger. Toronto Hydro has already called in extra crews to restore power to areas that might be affected by the storm.One upside? Temperatures will rise to a high of 17 C.
