Category Archives: Uncategorized

Poll: Almost Half of Canadians Want Illegal Border Crossers to be Deported

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According to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released late last month, nearly half of Canadians want to deport people who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States. Furthermore, a similar number disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx.

In recent months, the increasing flow of hundreds of asylum-seekers of African and Middle Eastern origin from the United States has become a contentious issue in Canada. The new poll states that a significant minority, four out of ten respondents, indicated that the border crossers could make the country less safe, underlining the potential political risk for Trudeaus Liberal government.

It further indicates that Canadians appear to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as their American neighbours, with the poll stating that some 48 percent indicated that they supported increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally. When asked specifically about the recent border crossings, the same number 48 percent, indicated that Canada should Send these migrants back to the US, while 36 percent indicated that Canada should accept these migrants. In the poll, support for deportations was strongest amongst men, adults lacking a college degree, people who are older and those with higher levels of income. According to the poll, forty-six percent of Canadians feel that the influx would have no effect on safety, while 41 percent indicated that it would make the country less safe. Janet Dench, executive director for Canadian Council for Refugees notes that refugees are much more welcomed when we have gone and selected them ourselves as a country, as opposed to refuges who have chosen us.

Of those polled, 46 percent disagreed with how the prime minister was handling the situation, with 37 percent agreeing and 17 percent indicating that they di not know. In January, a separate Ipsos poll found that 59 percent of Canadians approved of Prime Minister Trudeau while 41 percent disapproved.

Illegal migrants interviewed by Reuters in Canada disclosed that they had been living legally in the United States and had applies for asylum there however they fled over fears of being enmeshed in the Trump administrations immigration crackdown.

While for decades, there has been broad bipartisan support for high levels of legal immigration in Canada, Prime Minister Trudeau has come under pressure over the flow of illegal migrants. Every time he appears in Parliament, Mr Trudeau is questioned about the issue by opponents on the left, who want more asylum seekers to be allowed in, and critics on the right who say that the migrants pose a potential security risk. Kellie Leitch, a prominent contender to be the leader of the official opposition right-leaning Conservative Party, disclosed that the opinion poll results reinforced her belief that Canadians did not want Ottawa to accept the asylum-seekers. Mr Trudeau however faces no immediate threat, as the next elections are not due to take place until 2019.

Officials however have already warned that the number of illegal migrants crossing the border could increase as the weather improves. Authorities have also dismissed the idea that they being lax, with Dan Brien, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, stating that trying to slip across the border is not a free ticket to Canada, noting that all the asylum-seekers are immediately arrested. When asked about the latest poll, Brien disclosed if they are found to be inadmissible without a valid claim, deportation procedures are begun, adding that those who cannot be identified, are a flight risk or pose a public danger can be detained.

A separate Ipsos poll in Canada has indicated that 23 percent of Canadians listed immigration control as being amongst the top national issues in March, up from 17 percent in December 2016. It ranks behind healthcare, taxes, unemployment and poverty, which are all top concerns.

Ottawa has set an immigration target of 300,000 for 2017 effectively just under 1 percent of the population. This is the same level as 2016. It reduced the 2017 target for resettled refugees to 25,000 from 44,8000 in 2016, a year when it welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees.

French Presidential Election: Defense Minister Announces Support for Macron

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On Friday 24 March, Socialist French Defense Minster Jean-Yves Le Drian announced his support for centrist Emmanuel Macron instead of his own partys presidential candidate. The Defense Minister disclosed that the move wa necessary because victory for far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the upcoming election would be a danger to France. He is the most senior government member to endorse Mr Macron so far.

Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon, who won the primary of left-wing parties in January, has disclosed that Mr Le Drians decision did not respect voters of the left. The move comes after two junior ministers, Barbara Pompili from the Green Party and Thierry Braillard from the Radical Left party, also disclosed that they would support Mr Macron. Mr Hamon has also failed to win the backing of former Prime Minister Manuel Valls, whom he defeated in the January primary.

Meanwhile the latest poll has indicated that Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen are neck and neck in the first round, which is due to take place on 23 April. The latest polls suggest that Mr Macron, who is a former economy minister under President Francois Hollande who is seeking the presidency as an independent, would win 26% of the vote in the first round. He is just in front of Ms Le Pen, who leads the National Front (FN), on 25 %. In recent polls, the National Front leader had been projected to win the first round only to lose the run-off on 7 May to Mr Macron. Scandal-hit centre-right Republicans candidate Francois Fillon is in third place, with 17%.

UK follows in US Footsteps in Electronic Device Ban

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Shortly after the United States announced a ban on electronic devices on board flights from certain airports flying into the US, the UK Government has announced a ban on large electronic devices being carried in cabin luggage on aircraft flying into the UK from six countries.

UK officials have disclosed that the ban, which comes into effect at the end of March, affects direct inbound flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. UK airlines operating direct flights that will be affected are British airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson, while overseas airlines impacted are Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, EgyptAir, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudi. The affected airlines have been told about the order, with Number 10 noting that it may take a few days in order to fully implement the security measure.

The devices covered by the ban include laptops, tablets, which are larger than a typical smartphone, measuring 16 cm x 9.3 cm x 1.5 cm. These will now have to be checked into the planes hold. An Apple iPhone 7 Plus, which is the firms largest phone, will not be affected by the ban. The ban was ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May on 21 March and follows a number of meetings on aviation security.

The move comes after the US this month imposed its own restrictions on flights originating in Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Doha and Istanbul. UK security sources however have disclosed that the move is not a reaction to a specific intelligence threat, rather a response to the ongoing general threat to aviation.

Germany meanwhile announced on 22 March that it has no plans to introduce restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from some Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa. A spokesman for the German Interior Ministry disclosed that the government had been informed about the US measures, noting that German airports are not affected by the measures. Comparable rules are not planned in Germany at the moment. Sources however have disclosed that other countries are expected to impose similar bans.

The move by the US and the UK comes as fears are increasing over jet bombs being hidden in electronic devices. US intelligence officials believe that terrorists are perfecting explosive devices small enough so that they can fit inside consumer electronics in an attempt to bring down commercial airliners. This concern is behind the decision to ban larger electronic devices in cabins on direct US-bound flights from a number of destinations in the Middle East and in North Africa. US media has quoted officials confirming the move as being linked to a threat from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and has been prompted by recent intelligence. The group boasts one of the worlds most feared bomb makers, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. Authorities are also concerned about similar plots to an incident that occurred in Somalia in February 2016, when a bomb hidden in a laptop blew open the side of a plane but failed to bring it down. Only the bomber was killed in that incident.

From bad to worse: Fleeing the Northern Triangle for Mexico

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The contemporary security situation in Mexico is affected by various external factors. According to the UNHCRs international protection chief, the stream of refugees from the Northern Triangle of Central America constitutes one of these factors. The UN official, Volker Trk, described the situation as approaching crisis levels. For decades, Mexico has served as a place of transit for Central American migrants heading north. But in the last few years the reality has changed with an increasing number of people from the so-called Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, actually seeking asylum in Mexico. The inflow is increased even more due to the recent crackdown by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) on illegal immigrants and the resulting increase in deportations back down south to the Northern Triangle and Mexico. Last year, Mexico received almost 9,000 new asylum applications, a 156 per cent increase in comparison to 2015. Since January 2015, the number of asylum applications filed has increased by more than eight per cent per month. Based on this trend, the UN Refugee Agency projects at least 20,000 additional asylum claims in Mexico in 2017. However, for those fleeing from extortion, forced recruitment and human rights abuses perpetrated by transnational organized crime groups and local criminal gangs, Mexico is not necessarily the Promised Land as violence in Americas southern neighbor is not particularly letting up. After years of falling homicide levels, Mexico is suffering a deteriorating security situation not seen since former president Felipe Calderon announced a war on drug gangs in 2007. Veracruz, home to rival cartels such as the Zetas and the Jalisco New Generation saw 1,258 registered homicides last year alone. This month, authorities confirmed the discovery of more than 250 bodies in what appears to be a drug cartel mass burial ground on the outskirts of the city of Veracruz. The clandestine graves are of such an industrial scale that backhoes or bulldozers were likely used in creating them and contain so many bodies that officials arent digging in some places because they dont have space for the remains. Another site south of the city of Veracruz where there were apparently also clandestine graves, is not being explored yet, because the morgues cant handle all the bodies. The industrial nature of the mass graves make it unlikely that authorities did not know about them. Meanwhile, the former governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte is being sought over allegations he was involved in organized crime and money laundering. Elsewhere in Mexico, hidden graves have been found containing hundreds of bodies. In January, 56 bodies were found in a grave in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, where drug cartels vie for control of the routes toward the US. So, while the refugees are leaving a terrible situation behind, coming to Mexico might mean they are jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

Syrian War: 465,000 Killed in Six Years of Fighting

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This month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is a British-based war monitor, reported that so far about 465,000 people have been killed and missing in Syrias ongoing civil war.

The war began six years ago on 15 March, with protests against President Bashar al-Assads government. Since then, it has dragged in global and regional powers, allowed the so-called Islamic State (IS) group to gain hold of huge tracts of territory and has caused the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War.

The Observatory has reported that it had documented the deaths of more than 321,000 people since the beginning of the war, adding that more than 145,000 people have been reported as missing. The Observatory, which has used a network of contacts across the country in order to maintain a count of causalities since near the beginning of the conflict, states that amongst those killed are more than 96,000 civilians, adding that government forces and their allies killed more than 83,500 civilians, including more than 27,500 in air strikes and 14,600 under torture in prison. Rebel shelling killed more than 7,000 civilians. IS has killed more than 3,700 civilians, while air strikes by the US-led coalition have killed 920 civilians. Turkey, which is backing rebels in the northern region of the country, has killed more than 500 civilians. The Syrian government and Russia both deny targeting civilians or using torture or extrajudicial killings. Most rebel groups and Turkey also deny targeting civilians while the US led-coalition states that it tries hard to avoid civilian causalities and always investigates reports that it has done so.