Catholic News 2
CAESAREA, Israel (AP) -- Israeli archeologists say two divers have made the country's biggest discovery of Roman-era artifacts in three decades....
NEW YORK (AP) -- Radio host Glenn Beck and American Enterprise Institute president Arthur Brooks are some of the conservative leaders Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to meet with this week....
PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) -- A father and son accused of heavily using drugs and tying up a woman and her four teenage daughters in a Utah home because they believed the family reported them to authorities surrendered five days later in Wyoming in a bizarre case that also led to the arrest of the younger man's mother....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says police officers receiving the Medal of Valor demonstrate how loving one's country means loving one another....
VIENNA (AP) -- The United States and other world powers say they are ready to supply Libya's internationally recognized government with weapons to counter the Islamic State and other militant groups gaining footholds in its lawless regions....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court rid itself Monday of a knotty dispute between faith-based groups and the Obama administration over birth control. The court asked lower courts to take another look at the issue in a search for a compromise....
ATLANTA (AP) -- Donald Trump says he plans to win the White House largely on the strength of his personality, brushing off the need for a heavy investment in what he calls the "overrated" use of data to shape campaign strategy and get out the vote....
(Vatican Radio) Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev were expected to meet in Vienna later Monday to discuss a fragile cease-fire in Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region following the worst violence there in decades.Listen to Stefan Bos' report: It would be their first face-to-face encounter since the latest fighting in the mountainous and heavily-forested patch of land killed dozens of people.Their talks focus on how the restore a sense of stability in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh which on April 2 saw the outbreak of the most serious clashes since a shaky cease-fire was reached in 1994 between Azerbaijan and Armenia-backed separatists. A fresh Russian-brokered cease-fire deal went into effect on April 5. But both sides in the conflict have accused each other of breaching the truce agreement.Nagorno-Karabakh has been internationally recognized as being part of ex-Soviet Azerbaijan.But ethnic Armenians, who make up...
(Vatican Radio) Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev were expected to meet in Vienna later Monday to discuss a fragile cease-fire in Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region following the worst violence there in decades.
Listen to Stefan Bos' report:
It would be their first face-to-face encounter since the latest fighting in the mountainous and heavily-forested patch of land killed dozens of people.
Their talks focus on how the restore a sense of stability in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh which on April 2 saw the outbreak of the most serious clashes since a shaky cease-fire was reached in 1994 between Azerbaijan and Armenia-backed separatists.
A fresh Russian-brokered cease-fire deal went into effect on April 5. But both sides in the conflict have accused each other of breaching the truce agreement.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been internationally recognized as being part of ex-Soviet Azerbaijan.
But ethnic Armenians, who make up the vast majority, of the population reject Azeri rule. They have been running their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops were pushed out in a war in the 1990s.
FLAG TENSION
This even led to tension during the recent Eurovision Song Contest. In a controversial move, Armenian singer Iveta Mukuchyan waved the flag during a qualifying event. “I am living in Germany and I am Armenian. But you know I am international, I grew up like this. So all I want is peace and just spread the love that's why I put out the flag.”
Critics say Azerbaijan has been escalating tensions as it wants to regain control over its territory.
But speaking ahead of Monday's peace talks, spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev from Azerbaijan's foreign ministry denies those charges. “Recently the Armenian president declared that Armenia is switching from static defence to deterrent strategy. And they also publicly stated that Armenia could potentially take preemptive attacks against Azerbaijani forces to capture new territories to guarantee the security of occupied territories,” he said.
Monday's peace talk between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan is a first step to bring stability at a time when both nations prepare for a visit of Pope Francis this year.
The deep-rooted tensions are also a hangover from the bloody war the two sides fought from 1988 to 1994. Up to 30,000 people were killed in that conflict, and there were allegations of human rights abuses by both sides.
(Vatican Radio) A new report was published on Monday by the charity Christian Aid highlighting the world cities most at risk from future coastal flooding.The document entitled Act Now Or Pay Later: Protecting a billion people in climate-threatened coastal cities, shows that more than a billion people are set to be exposed to coastal flooding by 2060 through a combination of sea level rise, storm surges and extreme weather.The findings reveal that people living in US China and India are most at risk.Other cities named in the report include India’s Kolkata and Mumbai and Miami in the US.Report author Dr Alison Doig, Christian Aid’s Principal Climate Change Advisor, spoke to Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane saying, “Many many cities are already exposed who have seen flooding across the world already. What we’re saying is that it's going to get much much worse.” Some of the main reasons for this, she explains, are people movement into coastal ...
(Vatican Radio) A new report was published on Monday by the charity Christian Aid highlighting the world cities most at risk from future coastal flooding.
The document entitled Act Now Or Pay Later: Protecting a billion people in climate-threatened coastal cities, shows that more than a billion people are set to be exposed to coastal flooding by 2060 through a combination of sea level rise, storm surges and extreme weather.
The findings reveal that people living in US China and India are most at risk.
Other cities named in the report include India’s Kolkata and Mumbai and Miami in the US.
Report author Dr Alison Doig, Christian Aid’s Principal Climate Change Advisor, spoke to Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane saying, “Many many cities are already exposed who have seen flooding across the world already. What we’re saying is that it's going to get much much worse.” Some of the main reasons for this, she explains, are people movement into coastal urban areas and climate change.
Listen:
Dr Doig also highlights the fact that, according to the evidence collected, it will be the poor that will suffer the most, notably in cities such as New Orleans and Dhaka.
But she notes that the report is not all doom and gloom. They know she adds, the cities that are going to expand and they know what’s going to happen with climate change, so on that basis, they can prepare now especially by investing in the communities impacted.
One country, Dr Doig highlights, being helped by Christian Aid is Bangladesh. There the charity and its partner organization GUK are helping communities by raising their homes onto a plinth in order to keep them away from floodwaters.
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops says it is monitoring events after the Kenyan government announced it plans to close Dadaab Refugee camp and repatriate all refugees to their home countries.Find below the full statement.KCCB BRIEF ON THE GOVERNMENT DECISION TO CLOSE REFUGEES CAMPSAs you are all aware the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Interior separately issued two statements on Friday 6th May, 2016 and Wednesday 11th May, 2016 indicating that Kenya intends to close refugee camps and repatriate all refugees to their home countries. The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) through the Commission for Refugees, Migrants & Seafarers has been monitoring the situation and has since joined a multi-agency working group led by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).KCCB - Commission for Refugees, Migrants & Seafarers was represented by the National Coordinator, Mrs. Margret Masibo and KCCB Head of Editorial and Messaging F...
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops says it is monitoring events after the Kenyan government announced it plans to close Dadaab Refugee camp and repatriate all refugees to their home countries.
Find below the full statement.
KCCB BRIEF ON THE GOVERNMENT DECISION TO CLOSE REFUGEES CAMPS
As you are all aware the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Interior separately issued two statements on Friday 6th May, 2016 and Wednesday 11th May, 2016 indicating that Kenya intends to close refugee camps and repatriate all refugees to their home countries. The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) through the Commission for Refugees, Migrants & Seafarers has been monitoring the situation and has since joined a multi-agency working group led by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
KCCB - Commission for Refugees, Migrants & Seafarers was represented by the National Coordinator, Mrs. Margret Masibo and KCCB Head of Editorial and Messaging Francis Mwangi during the multi-agency consultative meeting at the UNHCR offices in Nairobi on 13th, May, 2016.
The following were the highlights of the meeting
1. The main reason for the move by Government to close refugee camps is because the Tripartite Agreement is not working hence triggering frustration by Kenya. Tripartite Agreement is a refugee repatriation plan signed between UNHCR, the Government of Kenya, and the Somali Government in 2013.
2. The Government of Kenya has indicated that the announcement only affects the Dadaab Refugee camp and not Kakuma and urban refugees yet the statement has not been supported by any formal announcement.
3. The Government has Gazzeted the taskforce to steer the repatriation exercise of refugees living in Dadaab, the taskforce will report to the Cabinet Secretary for Interior by May 31st 2016.
4. In addition to announcing the intention to repatriate refugees, the government also disbanded the Department for Refugee Affairs (DRA). This could lead to a crisis as the key operations such as registration of persons and also the accreditation/permits for humanitarian workers has stopped.
5. The International Community has not adequately recognized the security challenges faced by Kenya, as a result the Government is overwhelmed and frustrated. As a result the Government has demonstrated negativity towards accommodating refugees and also to all agencies dealing with the refugees as exhibited by the disbandment of DRA
6. Stake holders appreciates that the Dadaab Refugee camp is a forgotten crisis by the International Community hence more need to be done.
7. There are important contacts taking place led by the diplomatic community both to lobby the Government of Kenya to reconsider its decision and also to call on the International Community to support Kenya, for instance the US Secretary of State has issued a statement on the same.
8. The meeting was informed that the Kenya National Commission on Human rights (KNCHR) and Civil Society Organizations plan to file a petition challenging the move by the Government to repatriate refugees.
9. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees will visit Kenya on 25th May, 2016, for talks with the Kenyan Government Officials.
Way Forward:
· Messaging: The agencies will ensure that they develop a common messaging template in all advocacy efforts. All public statements to focus on the plight of refugees. Public communications should not hurt, antagonise or hinder engagement with the Government of Kenya. The messages should appreciate concerns by Kenya and promote dialogue
· Partners Meeting at KCCB: Jesuit Refugee Service Eastern Africa, Danish Refugee Council, and KCCB will meet on Monday 16th May 2016 at 2pm KCCB Boardroom to discuss a press statement among other strategies for public engagement.
· Engagement with the Government task force: The Multi-agency under the coordination of UNCHR will pursue avenues of engaging the task force
· Opportunities: There are other opportunities to discuss the issue such as the first ever high-level summit on refugees and migrants in Istanbul scheduled for May 23-24, 2016. Kenya has a right to be heard in the global narrative on refugees.
(Waumini Communications, Kenya)
