JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
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)
DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS
1 PET 5:8
8 Be sober,(NOT DRUGED UP OR ALCOHOLICED) be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders,(KILLING) nor of their sorceries (DRUG ADDICTS AND DRUG PUSHERS), nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE OR PROSTITUTION FOR MONEY) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
Convicted drug dealer will be allowed to keep cash found in his home-[CBC]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
A Charlottetown man will be allowed to keep $30,000 in cash found in his apartment during a drug raid in December.Essam Haddad, 57, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and a weapons charge. Judge John Douglas sentenced Haddad to 10 months in jail, 18 months probation, and fined him $500 for possessing illegal cigarettes.But Haddad claimed in a Charlottetown courtroom Monday morning the cash found in the wall was his inheritance from his late father, as was the loaded .38-calibre revolver. He was challenging an application by the Crown to seize the money as proceeds of crime.The judge ruled that he believed the money was an inheritance, and that Haddad could keep it."I have three children. That money's for them," Haddad testified in the forfeiture hearing.Selling drugs to pay for his habit-Haddad told court he became addicted to Percocet tablets three years ago, and had begun selling them to pay for his own drugs.He had about 90 Percocet tablets in his possession at the time of his arrest, in addition to 700 contraband cigarettes in his refrigerator and a small number of speed and ecstasy tablets.The court heard he earned about $1 per pill and sold mostly to friends.He once ran a store called Video Stars, which closed in 2005, leaving him in debt. The court heard he now lives alone, on welfare, and struggles with depression.Brother supports story-One of Haddad's brothers testified in his defence at the forfeiture hearing.The brother told the court Haddad's share of their late father's estate came to $30,000 once outstanding debts were paid.The brother testified that money was paid to Haddad in cash at a local bank, and produced bank documents to verify the transaction.
EARTH WORSHIP
DEUTERONOMY 17:3-4
3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
DEUTORONOMY 4:15-19
15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
2 KINGS 23:5
5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
MPs reprise 2008 election with battle over carbon pricing as Commons returns-[The Canadian Press]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
OTTAWA — "Because it's 2015" became a Liberal catchphrase after the election of the new government late last year, but Monday's return of Parliament following a three-month summer recess had a distinctly 2008 feel.Consider the similarities: A federal government earnestly promising to address climate change while insisting it will protect the economy; repeated warnings about a "job-killing carbon tax"; a third party lamenting interchangeable Liberal and Conservative policy dithering.Only the players have changed.The fall sitting of the House of Commons promises some high theatre for energy and environmental policy wonks as the Liberals have engineered a schedule that calls for a number of crucial decisions by Christmas. But on Monday the place had the spontaneity and verve of a tired re-run.The heckling began even before the curtain rose.Last week, government sources told The Canadian Press that Canada would ratify the landmark Paris climate accord this fall before it finishes negotiating a plan with the provinces and territories to achieve the country's international commitments. Then Environment Minister Catherine McKenna used the televised Sunday politics shows to promise the unilateral federal imposition of a carbon price on any province that doesn't come up with its own carbon tax or cap-and-trade system.That was enough to prompt broadsides from left and right, with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall openly musing about why Canada should make any sacrifice on climate change given that the country produces only about 1.6 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.The Liberals staged a photo op Monday on the Hill, with McKenna, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr and Transport Minister Marc Garneau arriving by fuel-cell powered vehicle, but their greenly optimistic visuals were shrouded by a fog of opposition rhetoric.Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose called the federal carbon price "just a cash grab." "I don't think Canadians want to be taxed more heavily, particularly when they don't see any plan to help the environment," Ambrose told a news conference.McKenna maintained she's keeping provinces and territories in the loop after a summer of consultations, and that the mechanics of carbon pricing are being negotiated.Her response was not well received.In all, five different Conservatives pounded away at the carbon tax theme during Monday's question period. Alberta provincial leadership candidate and soon-to-be-former MP Jason Kenney reprised the 2008 Conservative election "tax on everything" charge almost verbatim, while MP David Anderson accused the Liberals of "declaring all out war on the provinces" and of "viciously targeting rural people and agriculture."McKenna eventually acknowledged that there is concern about carbon pricing in Canada's northern territories, where fuel costs are already sky high.Government sources have said the only acceptable carbon pricing mechanisms are either a direct carbon tax, such as the one in B.C., or cap-and-trade systems like Quebec and Ontario.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated Monday that other forms of regulation might also qualify as carbon pricing."We all got together, all the different premiers of the provinces and the federal government, and we all agreed that pricing carbon pollution has to be the way forward. It's just smart economics to put a price on the things that you don't want," Trudeau said in livestreamed interview with U.S.-based BuzzFeed News. "Now what form that takes — whether it's a carbon tax, whether it's a cap-and-trade, whether it's through regulations — there's all sorts of interesting and important discussion to be had; we have very different jurisdictions across the country."New Democrats were content to shoot the wounded.They focused on the inadequacy of Canada's emission targets, noting the Liberals have adopted the Conservative goal of cutting greenhouse gases 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 — a measure that won't put Canada on track for the deep emissions cuts that McKenna lobbied for so heavily last December in Paris.NDP interim leader Tom Mulcair accused the Liberals of serving up the same Conservative plan, "except with a smile."— Follow @BCheadle on Twitter-Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press
Premier Rachel Notley says Alberta's climate plan warmly received in New York-[The Canadian Press]-September 20, 2016-YAHOONEWS
NEW YORK — Premier Rachel Notley is in New York City touting Alberta's climate change plan and trying to drum up investment in the province's battered oilpatch.Notley said she told a delegation of CEOs and policy leaders at the Climate Week conference that it is possible for Alberta to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions while remaining one of the most important oil producers in the world."Our message was, I believe, fairly well received," Notley said Monday in a conference call with reporters."I think there was some initial skepticism given the history of inaction of past Alberta governments on the climate file, but the audience reacted very warmly when I shared the details of our climate leadership plan."The premier appeared not to be concerned that the federal Liberals are not setting more stringent climate change targets.The federal government has also promised to impose a carbon price on any province that doesn't come up with its own carbon tax or cap-and-trade system.Notley said Alberta will stick with its own plan to reduce emissions, including imposing a broad-based carbon tax starting in January.She said setting strict CO2 reduction targets hasn't worked in the past and wouldn't work now."The aspirational target mechanism of greenhouse gas emission control has not born fruit over the last two decades and so our focus is really more on getting the support we need to take the action that will actually change emissions profiles," she said."Our plan is absolutely robust and Alberta will be deemed to have taken appropriate steps."Notley said she will attend an investment roundtable with business leaders on Tuesday.The Canadian Press
US predicts climate law within decade-[Agence France-Presse]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
New York (AFP) - US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on Monday predicted that the world's largest economy would have legislation by the end of the decade to combat climate change.His optimism comes despite intense political debate in the United States with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowing to scrap the Paris climate accord if elected on November 8.But Moniz, opening the annual Climate Week of events in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, said that US public opinion and state and local policymakers were moving toward reducing carbon responsible for the planet's fast-rising temperatures."I will state quite frankly, I have a bet riding on the fact that we will have economy-wide legislation in the Congress by the end of this decade. I really believe that this is coming," he said, joking that as a physicist he believed in "rationality."Legislation to create the first nationwide carbon caps in the United States, the world's second-largest emitter after China, died in the Senate in 2010, with little prospect seen for action after the Republicans took control.President Barack Obama instead has relied on executive authority to take measures such as regulating power plants and fuel standards.Moniz said that the United States was confident it would meet its goal submitted under the Paris accord of reducing emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases by 26 to 28 percent by 2025, from 2005 levels."But I think there's no issue that rather than a sectoral approach, which is inherent in using administrative authorities, a simplified economy-wide approach would be preferable and, frankly, would be a lot clearer in terms of the signals for business," Moniz said.The United Nations is hoping that this week's meetings will put in force the Paris accord, which requires formal agreement by 55 countries accounting for 55 percent of global emissions.The accord got a major boost earlier this month when Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly committed themselves to the global climate pact.
Council considers compensation for homes bulldozed to save others in Fort McMurray wildfire-[CBC]-September 20, 2016-yahoonews
Compensation could be on the way for Fort McMurray residents whose homes were bulldozed to save whole neighbourhoods during the wildfire.The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council will vote Tuesday night on a motion to reimburse those owners whose houses were bulldozed or damaged by the municipality, its contractors, or the province in order to hold back a wildfire that ripped through the city in May."This was a measure taken during a provincial state of emergency. What was done was to safeguard other homes," said councilor Keith McGrath, who is proposing the motion."I just want to make sure those homeowners are protected and looked after."McGrath said these homeowners shouldn't have to use their own insurance at a time when so many in Fort McMurray are struggling with insurance claims.If council approves the plan, city staff will report back with details by October 9.McGrath couldn't say how many homeowners would benefit, or the possible costs of such a program.Council will also vote on a bylaw to allow residents in the Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways neighbourhoods to begin rebuilding.Residents are currently not permitted to do anything other than clean up and demolish properties.The municipality's administration has said that environmental assessments, and an approval from Alberta's chief medical officer of health, have ensured it is safe enough for Fort McMurray's hardest hit communities to begin rebuilding.However, even if the motion passes people won't be allowed to live in Waterways and the off-limits areas of Abasand and Beacon Hill for some time. That won't happen until the ash and debris are removed and the chief medical officer of health approves re-entry, the municipality said in an email.Rebuilding in some parts of Waterways will also be subject to the province approving the municipality's flood prevention proposal.May's wildfire destroyed or damaged 2,793 homes or apartments, and a total of 3,200 units cannot be re-occupied, according to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Islamic State claiming attacks reflects influence obsession-[The Canadian Press]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
CHICAGO — Islamic State militants rarely miss a chance, however tenuous the link, to claim at least partial credit for apparent terrorist attacks on U.S soil, from June's deadly mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, to the stabbing of 10 people in a Minnesota shopping mall Saturday.They're eager to precisely because they apparently haven't carried out carefully planned attacks here and because, in terrorism circles, your influence is often ranked by numbers of attacks, terrorism experts say."If they can't claim attacks, they can't get recruits and can't raise money," according to Dan Byman, a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.Some militant groups, including al-Qaida, are more reluctant about associating themselves with attackers unless it is clear they adhere to their core beliefs, Byman said. But Islamic State appears to be less discriminating, requiring little information about attackers, said Karen Greenberg, the director of the Fordham Law School's Center on National Security in New York."If they find out the person is Muslim — that alone might be enough for them to claim credit," she said.Other groups may also pause to gauge whether an attack crossed certain lines of brutality, something that Byman said isn't an issue for IS, whose calling card has been extreme violence.An Islamic State-run news agency claimed on Sunday that the attack at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, was a "soldier of the Islamic State: who had heeded calls for attacks in nations in the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition. But authorities say there's no sign yet that the attacker, identified by his father as Somali immigrant Dahir Adan, was radicalized or communicated with any terrorist group.The speed with which IS weighed in may also say something about a competition for recruits between the Middle East-based IS and the east Africa-based militant group al-Shabab, which has recruited Somali-Americans from Minnesota with some success in recent years, but has seen allegiances switching increasingly from al-Shabab to Islamic State, Greenberg said.No militant group has claimed credit for the weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan who lived with his Muslim family was captured Monday after being wounded in a gun battle with police.Islamic State has claimed at least partial credit for at least four attacks in the United States over the past two years, including the Minnesota one, according to the Center on National Security. Aside from Minnesota, the others are:— June 12 attack on the Orlando gay nightclub Pulse by an American-born Muslim Omar Mateen. IS claimed partial credit via one of its news services the day after he fatally shot 49 people, according to the centre . During the attack, Mateen offered allegiance to Islamic State during a 911 call.— Dec. 2, 2015, attack in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 people dead. The centre said IS claimed credit days after news reports said alleged attackers Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik had pledged allegiance to Islamic States.— May 3, 2015, attack by two gunmen in Garland, Texas, during an exhibit of images of the Prophet Muhammad. IS claimed responsibility on Twitter and through its news services.__Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm-Michael Tarm, The Associated Press
World leaders at UN approve plan for refugee crisis-[The Canadian Press]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
World leaders on Monday approved a declaration aimed at providing a more co-ordinated and humane response to the refugee crisis that has strained resources and sparked divisions from Africa to Europe.The issue of what to do about the world's 65.3 million displaced people took centre stage at the U.N. General Assembly with leaders from the 193 member states taking part in the first-ever summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.Advocacy groups worried that the New York Declaration on Migrants and Refugees — an outcome document which contains no concrete commitments and is not legally binding — falls short of what is needed, while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, himself a refugee during the Korean War, hailed it as historic."Today's summit represents a breakthrough in our collective efforts to address the challenges of human mobility," Ban said.Around the world, there are currently about 21.3 million refugees, 3.2 million asylum seekers, and 40.8 million migrants, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency. The agency defines refugees as people forced to flee due to armed conflict or persecution, while migrants choose to move in search of a better life.Philippe Bolopion, deputy director of global advocacy for Human Rights Watch, said the international community still had a long way to go in dealing with the crisis."I would say if you measure this document by what is at stake here, it certainly falls short of the mark. We're facing an historic crisis and the response is not historic," Bolopion said on the sidelines of the meeting. He added that in many areas refugee protections were backsliding with a growing number of countries trying to turn back refugees in violation of international law."Is the outcome document up to the challenge? No, unquestionably it's not. Does that mean the summit is pointless? No, because it's precisely at moments like this that you need to regroup," Bolopion added.The declaration seeks to standardize responses to refugee situations and provide better education prospects for the children who make up over half of the world's refugees.It also looks to improve working opportunities for refugees who are now spending nearly 20 years in exile on average.There are also plans for a campaign to combat xenophobia.All of this may prove an uphill struggle at a time when refugees and migrants have become a divisive issue in Europe and the United States."The overall climate is not very favourable to receiving refugees in many parts of the world but on the one hand, states committed to this so we can remind them of their obligations. On the other hand, states, just like us, need a more predictable way of responding to the refugee crisis that's what this New York declaration proposes," Fillipo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told The Associated Press.Grandi said he disagreed with criticism that the declaration lacked concrete commitments. He said it expands the concept of refugee response beyond humanitarian aid — like food, medicine and tents — to include things like education and jobs.Still, advocates for refugees expressed disappointment that the U.N.'s need for consensus meant that the stronger provisions in the declaration had been watered down.Several countries shot down an earlier draft of the declaration that called on nations to resettle 10 per cent of the refugee population each year, something that has led several human rights groups to criticize the document as a missed opportunity. The U.S. and a number of other countries also objected to language in the original draft that said children should never be detained, so the agreement now says children should seldom, if ever, be detained.More concrete progress is expected at a follow-up summit on Tuesday called by President Barack Obama, where at least 45 countries are expected to make pledges that are in line with U.S. goals of increasing humanitarian aid by $3 billion, doubling resettlement and increasing access to education for 1 million youngsters and access to employment for another million of the displaced."Both summits are crucial to raising awareness of refugee and migration concerns, and both events are designed to harness the political will of member states to address the global refugee and migration crises we are all facing," said U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby, speaking in Washington.___Associated Press Writer Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.-Michael Astor, The Associated Press
At least 13 countries seek to emulate Canada refugee-sponsor system: McCallum-[The Canadian Press]-September 20, 2016--YAHOONEWS
UNITED NATIONS, United States — At least 13 countries have made inquiries about Canada's private refugee-sponsoring system in the hope of potentially emulating it, the federal immigration minister said Monday during a conference on the historic migration crisis.John McCallum said the United Kingdom is one of several countries looking at establishing a similar program where private citizens provide funding to bring in refugees and help them get set up in their new home.McCallum will announce an initiative on private refugee sponsorships Tuesday with the United Nations and billionaire George Soros.Canada's program was developed under the Pierre Trudeau and Joe Clark governments of the 1970s in response to a migration wave from Vietnam. It has gained new attention amid the wide-ranging effects of Syria’s five-year civil war, with other countries now developing similar systems."At least 13 countries have expressed an interest in this. That could be one part of the solution for the world at large," McCallum told reporters at the United Nations conference, where Canada announced a 10-per-cent funding increase for international aid."So we have had good conversations with a number of countries who may want to follow that practice... I think this is a very useful model that we could export to the rest of the world."He said the details might vary from one country to the next. Australia began testing a similar model in 2013, and Germany has also followed suit. McCallum said that if countries can enlist their citizens to sponsor refugees and help them get started in a new home, "you're miles ahead."Under the government plan to resettle 25,000 Syrians by early this year, nearly 9,000 were privately sponsored and another 2,000 were sponsored by a program that blends private and government support.The program set a cap of private sponsorships allowed per year. It allows people to sponsor a refugee for $12,600, which includes help with income and initial costs like groceries and rent.McCallum said Canadians would be proud of what he's hearing at this week's United Nations conference: "This is a place where Canada can stand tall. The international community has recognized and strongly supported what we have done."He noted, however, the numerous challenges ahead. He said refugees to Canada have all been housed — now he says the big hurdles to clear are English- or French-language training, and integration into the job market.He said the troubles refugees experience should come as no surprise."We asked for vulnerable people — we got vulnerable people," he said."The other side of that is it takes longer to settle them in."He suggested Canada might increase its refugee intake next year, after the government sets its annual targets: "Of course I would like to see more. It is a long tradition of Canada to welcome refugees... How many we will welcome — we have to determine that and we'll announce it in November."Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press
Grim news casts shadow over refugee conference attended by PM Trudeau-[The Canadian Press]-September 20, 2016-YAHOONEWS
NEW YORK — The grim shadow of world events descended over a conference on refugees as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders gathered Monday to make new commitments to victims of a historic migration crisis.News crept in from nearby and abroad to underscore the oft-stated point at the summit that work on refugees remains a task in progress. As the prime minister spoke, new bombing ended Syria's ceasefire.While the war made new victims, the debate closer to the New York conference revolved around whether to show them any hospitality. Attempted bombings in the city added new fuel to a combustible U.S. election debate on Muslim migration.Trudeau got applause from delegates to the United Nations conference when he mentioned Canada's acceptance of almost 31,000 refugees. A CNN anchor moderating another event quoted Trudeau welcoming refugees at the airport. He didn't let the applause linger long."While that is a great story, I don't want to lose sight of the fact that Canada's engagement must not stop at resettlement," Trudeau said."Now is the time for each of us to consider what more we can contribute. So, in Canada, we're looking at our options."He announced Canada would spend an additional $64.5 million over the next several years to support people affected by humanitarian crises around the world, and increase its foreign-aid budget by 10 per cent to help displaced children get back to school. The scope of the challenge was illustrated by the woman seated beside him. In Jordan, the unofficial population count is now almost 10 per cent Syrian refugees: "Will we leave refugees to languish in camps ... and slums?" said Queen Rania, who co-chaired one of the discussion sessions with Trudeau.She said the goodwill presently exhibited by countries is no match for the task.Some conference-goers also made inquiries about Canada's private program for sponsoring refugees; Immigration Minister John McCallum said at least 13 countries are considering emulating it.Continents away, the sound of explosions echoed the point that Syria's five-year civil war will produce more casualties. An NBC News crew reported hearing more than 100 thuds, bangs and blasts around Aleppo, which has become the focal point of a conflict that has killed an estimated 470,000 people and sent almost five million fleeing abroad.Other reports described an aid convoy being obliterated by missiles.The world's wealthiest country has taken in fewer refugees than most western nations — 10,000 so far. U.S. President Barack Obama wants to triple that number. His would-be successor Hillary Clinton has called for almost six times more than the present number.However, her opponent savaged the idea Monday.Donald Trump responded to the latest news from a New York bomb plot by turning to the refugee issue. An Afghan-born immigrant was arrested Monday after a firefight with police, suspected of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey over the weekend.Trump wants to halt migration from Muslim countries. That includes refugees from Syria. He said the country had shown weakness by letting in thousands of people — and vowed to stop it.He likened it to a tumour."This is cancer from within," Trump told Fox News."We can't let any more people come into this country... This is gonna be like the Trojan horse. ... And you know they stay together. They keep plotting."Trump appeared to call for racial profiling in that interview, saluting Israel for doing it. He also promised to get tougher to end the fight against the Islamic State group — although he offered no specifics when repeatedly pressed.Some refugees described their experiences in a Washington think-tank event last week. One described Lebanon as a failing state, buckling under the pressure of dealing with a refugee influx that has almost doubled its population.Rouba Mhaissen said refugees are suffering in different ways. She said children aren't going to school, teens in camps are grappling with suicidal thoughts, women are being abused by men who haven't worked in years and don't have legal permission to do so."We're not able to love or live normally," she told the Wilson Center event.Another woman at the event had to stop speaking as she described a city whose population is now zero. Her voice quivering, Maria Al Abdeh said the last residents to evacuate made one final stop on the way out: at the cemetery, to say goodbye to their dead.The Canadian Press
Merkel admits mistakes, sticks to refugee policy By Eszter Zalan-sept 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:23-After a second stinging defeat in two weeks at the ballot boxes, German chancellor Angela Merkel admitted some mistakes in her refugee policy, but did not reverse her decision to open doors to asylum seekers.In her first speech since Sunday's local election in Berlin, Merkel on Monday (20 September) said she would turn back time if she could to better prepare for last year’s migrant wave."If I could, I would turn back the time by many, many years," Merkel said.The chancellor's Christian Democrats (CDU) slid to their lowest level since 1990 in the Berlin election in a result blamed on her handling of the migration crisis.The right-wing, anti-migrant party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), won 14 percent and will enter the Berlin state parliament for the first time.In her speech, Merkel did not single out her decision in August last year to open Germany’s doors to asylum seekers after thousands were stranded in Budapest’s Keleti railway station, but she pledged not to let last year’s “uncontrolled immigration” be repeated.“No one wants a repeat of last year’s situation, including me,” she said.She acknowledged that voters wanted to see a change in her policy, but added that they had not given a clear picture of what they wanted in its place."If I knew what change in policy people wanted, I would be ready to consider it and to talk about it," Reuters quoted her as saying.Merkel told reporters that she needs to better explain her policy."If one of the reasons for the CDU's poor showing is that the direction, goal and conviction behind our refugee policy haven't been explained well enough, I'll endeavor to rectify that,” she said.She distanced herself from her motto, “Wir schaffen das” (“We can do it”) that dominated coverage of the issues last year, calling it an “empty formula”, and said it failed to explain the reasons behind her decision.“It wasn't meant to imply that it would be easy to deal with the influx,” she said.Merkel also added that Germany lacked sufficient practice integrating immigrants."We weren't exactly world champions in integration, and we waited too long before we addressed the refugee issue. We have to get better, I do as well,” she said.Merkel admitted she relied too much on Europe’s asylum laws, hoping that they would ease the burden on Germany. “And that was not good,” she said.-Merkel’s future-The voter’s backlash questions whether Merkel, Europe's most powerful political leader, will seek a fourth term next year.She has not made up her mind yet, while the CDU’s sister party, the Bavarian CSU, has been pushing her to put a cap on migration numbers.In her speech, Merkel again rebutted a cap of 200,000 people per year, arguing that it would not solve the problem, while being unlawful and unethical at the same time.Questions have been raised whether the CSU would field its own candidate to run for chancellor, marking a historic break between the two parties.The Bavarian premier and CSU leader, Horst Seehofer, has been Merkel’s most powerful domestic critic.If Merkel wants to run again, some kind of agreement with the CSU would need to be hammered out in time for the party's conference in Munich on 4 November.Seehofer, speaking after Merkel, said people did not want to hear backward-looking apologies."Justifications of the past do not help. We need answers for the future now and for the coming years, that's what people are waiting for," he said.
EU eyes 'specific' Swiss deal on migrants By Andrew Rettman-sept 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:28-The European Commission is “OK” to make a “Swiss-specific” pact on immigration, even if it has an impact on upcoming talks with the UK.The commission head, Jean-Claude Juncker, issued the comment after a meeting with Swiss president Johann Schneider-Ammann in Zurich on Monday (19 September).“We’ve moved closer on some points. That the [Swiss] government wants to privilege Swiss employees on the job market is OK for me if it takes in the framework of mutual recognition”, he said, referring to the "mutual" pact that governed EU-Swiss relations. “This will be possible without a doubt”.The talks come after Switzerland, in a referendum in 2014, rejected EU free movement putting in jeopardy the country’s access to the single market.A parliament panel later rejected the idea of imposing unilateral quotas on EU workers, with the lower house, on Wednesday to look at the job “privilege” proposal for Swiss residents instead.Juncker did not give further details on what the deal would look like.But he said he was “more optimistic” than in recent weeks and that the talks were moving in “the right direction” on what he called a “Swiss-specific arrangement”.He noted that, during the Swiss negotiations, “we have Britain in mind, because these questions are interlinked”. He also said that Brexit was “another element adding to the difficult issues we have to discuss with our Swiss friends”.The UK, which is expected to start talks on the terms of its EU exit next year, has said it wanted a “unique” deal that would allow it to impose immigration controls while keeping access to the EU market.But most EU politicians, including Juncker himself, have so far insisted on full access for EU workers in return for the market perks for fear of creating a precedent for other eurosceptic member states.Meanwhile, Switzerland's Schneider-Ammann also sounded a positive note on EU relations on Monday, saying: “We need a solution that both sides can say ‘Yes’ to. I’m confident that we can do it”.He added that he was concerned that Swiss firms and institutes would lose access to the EU’s Horizon 2020 scientific research grants if there was no accord.
1 PET 5:8
8 Be sober,(NOT DRUGED UP OR ALCOHOLICED) be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders,(KILLING) nor of their sorceries (DRUG ADDICTS AND DRUG PUSHERS), nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE OR PROSTITUTION FOR MONEY) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
Convicted drug dealer will be allowed to keep cash found in his home-[CBC]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
A Charlottetown man will be allowed to keep $30,000 in cash found in his apartment during a drug raid in December.Essam Haddad, 57, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and a weapons charge. Judge John Douglas sentenced Haddad to 10 months in jail, 18 months probation, and fined him $500 for possessing illegal cigarettes.But Haddad claimed in a Charlottetown courtroom Monday morning the cash found in the wall was his inheritance from his late father, as was the loaded .38-calibre revolver. He was challenging an application by the Crown to seize the money as proceeds of crime.The judge ruled that he believed the money was an inheritance, and that Haddad could keep it."I have three children. That money's for them," Haddad testified in the forfeiture hearing.Selling drugs to pay for his habit-Haddad told court he became addicted to Percocet tablets three years ago, and had begun selling them to pay for his own drugs.He had about 90 Percocet tablets in his possession at the time of his arrest, in addition to 700 contraband cigarettes in his refrigerator and a small number of speed and ecstasy tablets.The court heard he earned about $1 per pill and sold mostly to friends.He once ran a store called Video Stars, which closed in 2005, leaving him in debt. The court heard he now lives alone, on welfare, and struggles with depression.Brother supports story-One of Haddad's brothers testified in his defence at the forfeiture hearing.The brother told the court Haddad's share of their late father's estate came to $30,000 once outstanding debts were paid.The brother testified that money was paid to Haddad in cash at a local bank, and produced bank documents to verify the transaction.
EARTH WORSHIP
DEUTERONOMY 17:3-4
3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
DEUTORONOMY 4:15-19
15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
2 KINGS 23:5
5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
MPs reprise 2008 election with battle over carbon pricing as Commons returns-[The Canadian Press]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
OTTAWA — "Because it's 2015" became a Liberal catchphrase after the election of the new government late last year, but Monday's return of Parliament following a three-month summer recess had a distinctly 2008 feel.Consider the similarities: A federal government earnestly promising to address climate change while insisting it will protect the economy; repeated warnings about a "job-killing carbon tax"; a third party lamenting interchangeable Liberal and Conservative policy dithering.Only the players have changed.The fall sitting of the House of Commons promises some high theatre for energy and environmental policy wonks as the Liberals have engineered a schedule that calls for a number of crucial decisions by Christmas. But on Monday the place had the spontaneity and verve of a tired re-run.The heckling began even before the curtain rose.Last week, government sources told The Canadian Press that Canada would ratify the landmark Paris climate accord this fall before it finishes negotiating a plan with the provinces and territories to achieve the country's international commitments. Then Environment Minister Catherine McKenna used the televised Sunday politics shows to promise the unilateral federal imposition of a carbon price on any province that doesn't come up with its own carbon tax or cap-and-trade system.That was enough to prompt broadsides from left and right, with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall openly musing about why Canada should make any sacrifice on climate change given that the country produces only about 1.6 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.The Liberals staged a photo op Monday on the Hill, with McKenna, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr and Transport Minister Marc Garneau arriving by fuel-cell powered vehicle, but their greenly optimistic visuals were shrouded by a fog of opposition rhetoric.Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose called the federal carbon price "just a cash grab." "I don't think Canadians want to be taxed more heavily, particularly when they don't see any plan to help the environment," Ambrose told a news conference.McKenna maintained she's keeping provinces and territories in the loop after a summer of consultations, and that the mechanics of carbon pricing are being negotiated.Her response was not well received.In all, five different Conservatives pounded away at the carbon tax theme during Monday's question period. Alberta provincial leadership candidate and soon-to-be-former MP Jason Kenney reprised the 2008 Conservative election "tax on everything" charge almost verbatim, while MP David Anderson accused the Liberals of "declaring all out war on the provinces" and of "viciously targeting rural people and agriculture."McKenna eventually acknowledged that there is concern about carbon pricing in Canada's northern territories, where fuel costs are already sky high.Government sources have said the only acceptable carbon pricing mechanisms are either a direct carbon tax, such as the one in B.C., or cap-and-trade systems like Quebec and Ontario.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated Monday that other forms of regulation might also qualify as carbon pricing."We all got together, all the different premiers of the provinces and the federal government, and we all agreed that pricing carbon pollution has to be the way forward. It's just smart economics to put a price on the things that you don't want," Trudeau said in livestreamed interview with U.S.-based BuzzFeed News. "Now what form that takes — whether it's a carbon tax, whether it's a cap-and-trade, whether it's through regulations — there's all sorts of interesting and important discussion to be had; we have very different jurisdictions across the country."New Democrats were content to shoot the wounded.They focused on the inadequacy of Canada's emission targets, noting the Liberals have adopted the Conservative goal of cutting greenhouse gases 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 — a measure that won't put Canada on track for the deep emissions cuts that McKenna lobbied for so heavily last December in Paris.NDP interim leader Tom Mulcair accused the Liberals of serving up the same Conservative plan, "except with a smile."— Follow @BCheadle on Twitter-Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press
Premier Rachel Notley says Alberta's climate plan warmly received in New York-[The Canadian Press]-September 20, 2016-YAHOONEWS
NEW YORK — Premier Rachel Notley is in New York City touting Alberta's climate change plan and trying to drum up investment in the province's battered oilpatch.Notley said she told a delegation of CEOs and policy leaders at the Climate Week conference that it is possible for Alberta to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions while remaining one of the most important oil producers in the world."Our message was, I believe, fairly well received," Notley said Monday in a conference call with reporters."I think there was some initial skepticism given the history of inaction of past Alberta governments on the climate file, but the audience reacted very warmly when I shared the details of our climate leadership plan."The premier appeared not to be concerned that the federal Liberals are not setting more stringent climate change targets.The federal government has also promised to impose a carbon price on any province that doesn't come up with its own carbon tax or cap-and-trade system.Notley said Alberta will stick with its own plan to reduce emissions, including imposing a broad-based carbon tax starting in January.She said setting strict CO2 reduction targets hasn't worked in the past and wouldn't work now."The aspirational target mechanism of greenhouse gas emission control has not born fruit over the last two decades and so our focus is really more on getting the support we need to take the action that will actually change emissions profiles," she said."Our plan is absolutely robust and Alberta will be deemed to have taken appropriate steps."Notley said she will attend an investment roundtable with business leaders on Tuesday.The Canadian Press
US predicts climate law within decade-[Agence France-Presse]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
New York (AFP) - US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on Monday predicted that the world's largest economy would have legislation by the end of the decade to combat climate change.His optimism comes despite intense political debate in the United States with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowing to scrap the Paris climate accord if elected on November 8.But Moniz, opening the annual Climate Week of events in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, said that US public opinion and state and local policymakers were moving toward reducing carbon responsible for the planet's fast-rising temperatures."I will state quite frankly, I have a bet riding on the fact that we will have economy-wide legislation in the Congress by the end of this decade. I really believe that this is coming," he said, joking that as a physicist he believed in "rationality."Legislation to create the first nationwide carbon caps in the United States, the world's second-largest emitter after China, died in the Senate in 2010, with little prospect seen for action after the Republicans took control.President Barack Obama instead has relied on executive authority to take measures such as regulating power plants and fuel standards.Moniz said that the United States was confident it would meet its goal submitted under the Paris accord of reducing emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases by 26 to 28 percent by 2025, from 2005 levels."But I think there's no issue that rather than a sectoral approach, which is inherent in using administrative authorities, a simplified economy-wide approach would be preferable and, frankly, would be a lot clearer in terms of the signals for business," Moniz said.The United Nations is hoping that this week's meetings will put in force the Paris accord, which requires formal agreement by 55 countries accounting for 55 percent of global emissions.The accord got a major boost earlier this month when Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly committed themselves to the global climate pact.
Council considers compensation for homes bulldozed to save others in Fort McMurray wildfire-[CBC]-September 20, 2016-yahoonews
Compensation could be on the way for Fort McMurray residents whose homes were bulldozed to save whole neighbourhoods during the wildfire.The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council will vote Tuesday night on a motion to reimburse those owners whose houses were bulldozed or damaged by the municipality, its contractors, or the province in order to hold back a wildfire that ripped through the city in May."This was a measure taken during a provincial state of emergency. What was done was to safeguard other homes," said councilor Keith McGrath, who is proposing the motion."I just want to make sure those homeowners are protected and looked after."McGrath said these homeowners shouldn't have to use their own insurance at a time when so many in Fort McMurray are struggling with insurance claims.If council approves the plan, city staff will report back with details by October 9.McGrath couldn't say how many homeowners would benefit, or the possible costs of such a program.Council will also vote on a bylaw to allow residents in the Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways neighbourhoods to begin rebuilding.Residents are currently not permitted to do anything other than clean up and demolish properties.The municipality's administration has said that environmental assessments, and an approval from Alberta's chief medical officer of health, have ensured it is safe enough for Fort McMurray's hardest hit communities to begin rebuilding.However, even if the motion passes people won't be allowed to live in Waterways and the off-limits areas of Abasand and Beacon Hill for some time. That won't happen until the ash and debris are removed and the chief medical officer of health approves re-entry, the municipality said in an email.Rebuilding in some parts of Waterways will also be subject to the province approving the municipality's flood prevention proposal.May's wildfire destroyed or damaged 2,793 homes or apartments, and a total of 3,200 units cannot be re-occupied, according to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Islamic State claiming attacks reflects influence obsession-[The Canadian Press]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
CHICAGO — Islamic State militants rarely miss a chance, however tenuous the link, to claim at least partial credit for apparent terrorist attacks on U.S soil, from June's deadly mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, to the stabbing of 10 people in a Minnesota shopping mall Saturday.They're eager to precisely because they apparently haven't carried out carefully planned attacks here and because, in terrorism circles, your influence is often ranked by numbers of attacks, terrorism experts say."If they can't claim attacks, they can't get recruits and can't raise money," according to Dan Byman, a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.Some militant groups, including al-Qaida, are more reluctant about associating themselves with attackers unless it is clear they adhere to their core beliefs, Byman said. But Islamic State appears to be less discriminating, requiring little information about attackers, said Karen Greenberg, the director of the Fordham Law School's Center on National Security in New York."If they find out the person is Muslim — that alone might be enough for them to claim credit," she said.Other groups may also pause to gauge whether an attack crossed certain lines of brutality, something that Byman said isn't an issue for IS, whose calling card has been extreme violence.An Islamic State-run news agency claimed on Sunday that the attack at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, was a "soldier of the Islamic State: who had heeded calls for attacks in nations in the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition. But authorities say there's no sign yet that the attacker, identified by his father as Somali immigrant Dahir Adan, was radicalized or communicated with any terrorist group.The speed with which IS weighed in may also say something about a competition for recruits between the Middle East-based IS and the east Africa-based militant group al-Shabab, which has recruited Somali-Americans from Minnesota with some success in recent years, but has seen allegiances switching increasingly from al-Shabab to Islamic State, Greenberg said.No militant group has claimed credit for the weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan who lived with his Muslim family was captured Monday after being wounded in a gun battle with police.Islamic State has claimed at least partial credit for at least four attacks in the United States over the past two years, including the Minnesota one, according to the Center on National Security. Aside from Minnesota, the others are:— June 12 attack on the Orlando gay nightclub Pulse by an American-born Muslim Omar Mateen. IS claimed partial credit via one of its news services the day after he fatally shot 49 people, according to the centre . During the attack, Mateen offered allegiance to Islamic State during a 911 call.— Dec. 2, 2015, attack in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 people dead. The centre said IS claimed credit days after news reports said alleged attackers Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik had pledged allegiance to Islamic States.— May 3, 2015, attack by two gunmen in Garland, Texas, during an exhibit of images of the Prophet Muhammad. IS claimed responsibility on Twitter and through its news services.__Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm-Michael Tarm, The Associated Press
World leaders at UN approve plan for refugee crisis-[The Canadian Press]-September 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS
World leaders on Monday approved a declaration aimed at providing a more co-ordinated and humane response to the refugee crisis that has strained resources and sparked divisions from Africa to Europe.The issue of what to do about the world's 65.3 million displaced people took centre stage at the U.N. General Assembly with leaders from the 193 member states taking part in the first-ever summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.Advocacy groups worried that the New York Declaration on Migrants and Refugees — an outcome document which contains no concrete commitments and is not legally binding — falls short of what is needed, while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, himself a refugee during the Korean War, hailed it as historic."Today's summit represents a breakthrough in our collective efforts to address the challenges of human mobility," Ban said.Around the world, there are currently about 21.3 million refugees, 3.2 million asylum seekers, and 40.8 million migrants, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency. The agency defines refugees as people forced to flee due to armed conflict or persecution, while migrants choose to move in search of a better life.Philippe Bolopion, deputy director of global advocacy for Human Rights Watch, said the international community still had a long way to go in dealing with the crisis."I would say if you measure this document by what is at stake here, it certainly falls short of the mark. We're facing an historic crisis and the response is not historic," Bolopion said on the sidelines of the meeting. He added that in many areas refugee protections were backsliding with a growing number of countries trying to turn back refugees in violation of international law."Is the outcome document up to the challenge? No, unquestionably it's not. Does that mean the summit is pointless? No, because it's precisely at moments like this that you need to regroup," Bolopion added.The declaration seeks to standardize responses to refugee situations and provide better education prospects for the children who make up over half of the world's refugees.It also looks to improve working opportunities for refugees who are now spending nearly 20 years in exile on average.There are also plans for a campaign to combat xenophobia.All of this may prove an uphill struggle at a time when refugees and migrants have become a divisive issue in Europe and the United States."The overall climate is not very favourable to receiving refugees in many parts of the world but on the one hand, states committed to this so we can remind them of their obligations. On the other hand, states, just like us, need a more predictable way of responding to the refugee crisis that's what this New York declaration proposes," Fillipo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told The Associated Press.Grandi said he disagreed with criticism that the declaration lacked concrete commitments. He said it expands the concept of refugee response beyond humanitarian aid — like food, medicine and tents — to include things like education and jobs.Still, advocates for refugees expressed disappointment that the U.N.'s need for consensus meant that the stronger provisions in the declaration had been watered down.Several countries shot down an earlier draft of the declaration that called on nations to resettle 10 per cent of the refugee population each year, something that has led several human rights groups to criticize the document as a missed opportunity. The U.S. and a number of other countries also objected to language in the original draft that said children should never be detained, so the agreement now says children should seldom, if ever, be detained.More concrete progress is expected at a follow-up summit on Tuesday called by President Barack Obama, where at least 45 countries are expected to make pledges that are in line with U.S. goals of increasing humanitarian aid by $3 billion, doubling resettlement and increasing access to education for 1 million youngsters and access to employment for another million of the displaced."Both summits are crucial to raising awareness of refugee and migration concerns, and both events are designed to harness the political will of member states to address the global refugee and migration crises we are all facing," said U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby, speaking in Washington.___Associated Press Writer Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.-Michael Astor, The Associated Press
At least 13 countries seek to emulate Canada refugee-sponsor system: McCallum-[The Canadian Press]-September 20, 2016--YAHOONEWS
UNITED NATIONS, United States — At least 13 countries have made inquiries about Canada's private refugee-sponsoring system in the hope of potentially emulating it, the federal immigration minister said Monday during a conference on the historic migration crisis.John McCallum said the United Kingdom is one of several countries looking at establishing a similar program where private citizens provide funding to bring in refugees and help them get set up in their new home.McCallum will announce an initiative on private refugee sponsorships Tuesday with the United Nations and billionaire George Soros.Canada's program was developed under the Pierre Trudeau and Joe Clark governments of the 1970s in response to a migration wave from Vietnam. It has gained new attention amid the wide-ranging effects of Syria’s five-year civil war, with other countries now developing similar systems."At least 13 countries have expressed an interest in this. That could be one part of the solution for the world at large," McCallum told reporters at the United Nations conference, where Canada announced a 10-per-cent funding increase for international aid."So we have had good conversations with a number of countries who may want to follow that practice... I think this is a very useful model that we could export to the rest of the world."He said the details might vary from one country to the next. Australia began testing a similar model in 2013, and Germany has also followed suit. McCallum said that if countries can enlist their citizens to sponsor refugees and help them get started in a new home, "you're miles ahead."Under the government plan to resettle 25,000 Syrians by early this year, nearly 9,000 were privately sponsored and another 2,000 were sponsored by a program that blends private and government support.The program set a cap of private sponsorships allowed per year. It allows people to sponsor a refugee for $12,600, which includes help with income and initial costs like groceries and rent.McCallum said Canadians would be proud of what he's hearing at this week's United Nations conference: "This is a place where Canada can stand tall. The international community has recognized and strongly supported what we have done."He noted, however, the numerous challenges ahead. He said refugees to Canada have all been housed — now he says the big hurdles to clear are English- or French-language training, and integration into the job market.He said the troubles refugees experience should come as no surprise."We asked for vulnerable people — we got vulnerable people," he said."The other side of that is it takes longer to settle them in."He suggested Canada might increase its refugee intake next year, after the government sets its annual targets: "Of course I would like to see more. It is a long tradition of Canada to welcome refugees... How many we will welcome — we have to determine that and we'll announce it in November."Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press
Grim news casts shadow over refugee conference attended by PM Trudeau-[The Canadian Press]-September 20, 2016-YAHOONEWS
NEW YORK — The grim shadow of world events descended over a conference on refugees as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders gathered Monday to make new commitments to victims of a historic migration crisis.News crept in from nearby and abroad to underscore the oft-stated point at the summit that work on refugees remains a task in progress. As the prime minister spoke, new bombing ended Syria's ceasefire.While the war made new victims, the debate closer to the New York conference revolved around whether to show them any hospitality. Attempted bombings in the city added new fuel to a combustible U.S. election debate on Muslim migration.Trudeau got applause from delegates to the United Nations conference when he mentioned Canada's acceptance of almost 31,000 refugees. A CNN anchor moderating another event quoted Trudeau welcoming refugees at the airport. He didn't let the applause linger long."While that is a great story, I don't want to lose sight of the fact that Canada's engagement must not stop at resettlement," Trudeau said."Now is the time for each of us to consider what more we can contribute. So, in Canada, we're looking at our options."He announced Canada would spend an additional $64.5 million over the next several years to support people affected by humanitarian crises around the world, and increase its foreign-aid budget by 10 per cent to help displaced children get back to school. The scope of the challenge was illustrated by the woman seated beside him. In Jordan, the unofficial population count is now almost 10 per cent Syrian refugees: "Will we leave refugees to languish in camps ... and slums?" said Queen Rania, who co-chaired one of the discussion sessions with Trudeau.She said the goodwill presently exhibited by countries is no match for the task.Some conference-goers also made inquiries about Canada's private program for sponsoring refugees; Immigration Minister John McCallum said at least 13 countries are considering emulating it.Continents away, the sound of explosions echoed the point that Syria's five-year civil war will produce more casualties. An NBC News crew reported hearing more than 100 thuds, bangs and blasts around Aleppo, which has become the focal point of a conflict that has killed an estimated 470,000 people and sent almost five million fleeing abroad.Other reports described an aid convoy being obliterated by missiles.The world's wealthiest country has taken in fewer refugees than most western nations — 10,000 so far. U.S. President Barack Obama wants to triple that number. His would-be successor Hillary Clinton has called for almost six times more than the present number.However, her opponent savaged the idea Monday.Donald Trump responded to the latest news from a New York bomb plot by turning to the refugee issue. An Afghan-born immigrant was arrested Monday after a firefight with police, suspected of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey over the weekend.Trump wants to halt migration from Muslim countries. That includes refugees from Syria. He said the country had shown weakness by letting in thousands of people — and vowed to stop it.He likened it to a tumour."This is cancer from within," Trump told Fox News."We can't let any more people come into this country... This is gonna be like the Trojan horse. ... And you know they stay together. They keep plotting."Trump appeared to call for racial profiling in that interview, saluting Israel for doing it. He also promised to get tougher to end the fight against the Islamic State group — although he offered no specifics when repeatedly pressed.Some refugees described their experiences in a Washington think-tank event last week. One described Lebanon as a failing state, buckling under the pressure of dealing with a refugee influx that has almost doubled its population.Rouba Mhaissen said refugees are suffering in different ways. She said children aren't going to school, teens in camps are grappling with suicidal thoughts, women are being abused by men who haven't worked in years and don't have legal permission to do so."We're not able to love or live normally," she told the Wilson Center event.Another woman at the event had to stop speaking as she described a city whose population is now zero. Her voice quivering, Maria Al Abdeh said the last residents to evacuate made one final stop on the way out: at the cemetery, to say goodbye to their dead.The Canadian Press
Merkel admits mistakes, sticks to refugee policy By Eszter Zalan-sept 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:23-After a second stinging defeat in two weeks at the ballot boxes, German chancellor Angela Merkel admitted some mistakes in her refugee policy, but did not reverse her decision to open doors to asylum seekers.In her first speech since Sunday's local election in Berlin, Merkel on Monday (20 September) said she would turn back time if she could to better prepare for last year’s migrant wave."If I could, I would turn back the time by many, many years," Merkel said.The chancellor's Christian Democrats (CDU) slid to their lowest level since 1990 in the Berlin election in a result blamed on her handling of the migration crisis.The right-wing, anti-migrant party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), won 14 percent and will enter the Berlin state parliament for the first time.In her speech, Merkel did not single out her decision in August last year to open Germany’s doors to asylum seekers after thousands were stranded in Budapest’s Keleti railway station, but she pledged not to let last year’s “uncontrolled immigration” be repeated.“No one wants a repeat of last year’s situation, including me,” she said.She acknowledged that voters wanted to see a change in her policy, but added that they had not given a clear picture of what they wanted in its place."If I knew what change in policy people wanted, I would be ready to consider it and to talk about it," Reuters quoted her as saying.Merkel told reporters that she needs to better explain her policy."If one of the reasons for the CDU's poor showing is that the direction, goal and conviction behind our refugee policy haven't been explained well enough, I'll endeavor to rectify that,” she said.She distanced herself from her motto, “Wir schaffen das” (“We can do it”) that dominated coverage of the issues last year, calling it an “empty formula”, and said it failed to explain the reasons behind her decision.“It wasn't meant to imply that it would be easy to deal with the influx,” she said.Merkel also added that Germany lacked sufficient practice integrating immigrants."We weren't exactly world champions in integration, and we waited too long before we addressed the refugee issue. We have to get better, I do as well,” she said.Merkel admitted she relied too much on Europe’s asylum laws, hoping that they would ease the burden on Germany. “And that was not good,” she said.-Merkel’s future-The voter’s backlash questions whether Merkel, Europe's most powerful political leader, will seek a fourth term next year.She has not made up her mind yet, while the CDU’s sister party, the Bavarian CSU, has been pushing her to put a cap on migration numbers.In her speech, Merkel again rebutted a cap of 200,000 people per year, arguing that it would not solve the problem, while being unlawful and unethical at the same time.Questions have been raised whether the CSU would field its own candidate to run for chancellor, marking a historic break between the two parties.The Bavarian premier and CSU leader, Horst Seehofer, has been Merkel’s most powerful domestic critic.If Merkel wants to run again, some kind of agreement with the CSU would need to be hammered out in time for the party's conference in Munich on 4 November.Seehofer, speaking after Merkel, said people did not want to hear backward-looking apologies."Justifications of the past do not help. We need answers for the future now and for the coming years, that's what people are waiting for," he said.
EU eyes 'specific' Swiss deal on migrants By Andrew Rettman-sept 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:28-The European Commission is “OK” to make a “Swiss-specific” pact on immigration, even if it has an impact on upcoming talks with the UK.The commission head, Jean-Claude Juncker, issued the comment after a meeting with Swiss president Johann Schneider-Ammann in Zurich on Monday (19 September).“We’ve moved closer on some points. That the [Swiss] government wants to privilege Swiss employees on the job market is OK for me if it takes in the framework of mutual recognition”, he said, referring to the "mutual" pact that governed EU-Swiss relations. “This will be possible without a doubt”.The talks come after Switzerland, in a referendum in 2014, rejected EU free movement putting in jeopardy the country’s access to the single market.A parliament panel later rejected the idea of imposing unilateral quotas on EU workers, with the lower house, on Wednesday to look at the job “privilege” proposal for Swiss residents instead.Juncker did not give further details on what the deal would look like.But he said he was “more optimistic” than in recent weeks and that the talks were moving in “the right direction” on what he called a “Swiss-specific arrangement”.He noted that, during the Swiss negotiations, “we have Britain in mind, because these questions are interlinked”. He also said that Brexit was “another element adding to the difficult issues we have to discuss with our Swiss friends”.The UK, which is expected to start talks on the terms of its EU exit next year, has said it wanted a “unique” deal that would allow it to impose immigration controls while keeping access to the EU market.But most EU politicians, including Juncker himself, have so far insisted on full access for EU workers in return for the market perks for fear of creating a precedent for other eurosceptic member states.Meanwhile, Switzerland's Schneider-Ammann also sounded a positive note on EU relations on Monday, saying: “We need a solution that both sides can say ‘Yes’ to. I’m confident that we can do it”.He added that he was concerned that Swiss firms and institutes would lose access to the EU’s Horizon 2020 scientific research grants if there was no accord.
