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“We glorify God for answered prayer—The remaining 12 missionaries abducted in Haiti have been released
Haitian kidnappers released the remaining 12 missionaries who were abducted two months ago, the U.S. missionary group and Haitian officials said Thursday, ending a long hostage drama that brought to light an epidemic of kidnappings in Haiti by powerful criminal gangs.
“We glorify God for answered prayer—the remaining 12 hostages are FREE!,” the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement posted on its website. “All 17 of our loved ones are now safe.”
The hostages—16 Americans and one Canadian, including five children—were abducted in October by a gang known as the 400 Mawozo, or 400 country bumpkins. At the time of the kidnapping, the children ranged in age from eight months to 15 years old. Five of the hostages were released in recent weeks, the missionary group said.
The gang had demanded a ransom of $1 million per person, Haitian officials have said. The alleged gang leader said in a video posted on YouTube that he was willing to kill the hostages if his demands weren’t met. It was unclear if any ransom was paid. Haitian analysts said they didn’t think the gang would have released hostages without payment.
Frantz Elbé, the head of the Haitian national police, confirmed the hostages had been freed but declined to provide additional details. The Federal Bureau of Investigation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti declined to comment. The Biden administration had sent FBI agents to Haiti to help secure the release of the hostages.
“We welcome reports that they are free and getting the care that they need after their ordeal,” said deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. President Biden has received daily updates since the missionaries were abducted, she said.
Local residents found the 12 hostages alone early Thursday morning near Morne à Cabrit, some 13 miles north of Titanyen, where the mission’s headquarters are located, a senior Haitian police officer said. The missionaries were abducted in mid-October.
The residents found the hostages in good condition and immediately alerted police. The senior police official said he didn’t know whether any ransom had been paid. Seven men, four women and a teenager made up the group freed Thursday, the senior police official said.
The release ends an international political headache for the Biden administration and is welcome news for Haiti, one of the world’s poorest nations. The country has been undergoing one of the worst political and economic crises in its history since the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, in July. The investigation into Mr. Moïse’s killing appears to have stalled.
Nearly 200 criminal gangs control more than half the nation’s territory. Gangs have kidnapped hundreds of Haitians, sparing neither poor nor rich and terrifying the nation since the assassination.
At least 41 U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents have been kidnapped for ransom in Haiti this year, according to Brian Nichols, the top State Department official for the Western Hemisphere.
In the case of the missionaries, a ransom was likely paid, said Gédéon Jean, the head of the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, a Port-au-Prince-based organization that tracks kidnappings. He said that in every case since 1973 in which an American has been kidnapped, a ransom is believed to have been paid.
“They would not release them without payment,” said Pierre Esperance, the director of the Haitian National Human Rights Defense Network, an advocacy group.
Mr. Jean said the possible failing health of the hostages from hardships they faced in captivity may also have played a role in their release. “The 400 Mawozo know they can’t afford for a single American hostage to die,” he said. “They know that if they cross that line, the U.S. reaction will be fierce.”
The 400 Mawozo gang operates in an 8-square-mile zone with plenty of places to stash captives, said Alexander Galvez, Dominican-Haitian journalist and radio talk show host who was kidnapped by the gang in late November and held for nine days. He described the details of his captivity in an interview last week on Dominican TV station Telemicro just after his release.
The kidnappers use military rank among themselves and operate like a military unit, he said, adding that they boast sophisticated communications equipment and weaponry.
“They have everything. Luxury cars, a lot of space and money,” Mr. Galvez said in the television interview.
Mr. Galvez said he was abducted by eight armed kidnappers, four of whom were in a car with diplomatic plates. He said his feet and hands were bound during captivity. He was allowed to bathe once a day, and fed twice a day, spaghetti in the morning and rice at night.
Kidnappers telephoned his family and demanded one million Haitian gourdes, or about $10,000, for his release. The family eventually paid an undisclosed sum.
Mr. Jean said at least 803 people have been abducted in Haiti this year through the end of October, including 54 foreigners. A person who works to resolve kidnapping cases in Haiti said about 20 people a day are currently being abducted. If there are no arrests in the kidnappings of the missionaries, abductions—especially those targeting foreigners—are likely to increase further, analysts said.
Aside from kidnappings for ransom, criminal gangs exert their strength in other ways.
Earlier this fall, a coalition of gangs called G9 blocked access to Haiti’s main fuel terminal, causing devastating shortages across the country. Hospitals and other institutions had to drastically cut back their operations, and the price of gasoline shot up to $25 a gallon. Jimmy Cherizier—a former police officer also known as Barbecue who heads G9—eventually lifted the blockade.
Earlier this month, the U.S. and Canadian governments urged their citizens to leave the country. Immigration experts say Haiti’s deteriorating economy and descent into violence will likely fuel increased migration to the U.S. Some 1,500 Haitians were detained at sea while heading to the U.S. in fiscal year 2021, which ended in September, more than three times the number during the previous year.
Mr. Biden has flatly ruled out any military intervention in Haiti, a country of more than 11 million people, but has ramped up financial and technical assistance to the embattled Caribbean country, senior Haitian officials say. Since Mr. Moïse’s assassination, the U.S. has funneled some $50 million to improve the training and capabilities of the national police.
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സ്ഥിര താമസക്കാരായി കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരെ ആവശ്യമില്ലെന്ന് സൂചിപ്പിച്ച് യുകെ. സ്ഥിര താമസത്തിനായി അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നവരുടെ കാത്തിരിപ്പ് സമയം 5 വർഷത്തിൽ നിന്ന് 10 വർഷമായി ഇരട്ടിയാക്കുന്നത് ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള കർശനമായ പുതിയ നയ നടപടികൾ ബ്രിട്ടീഷ് പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി കെയർ സ്റ്റാർമർ തിങ്കളാഴ്ച പുറത്തിറക്കി. ഇപ്പോൾ, 10 വർഷമായി യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് മാത്രമേ സ്ഥിര താമസത്തിനായി അപേക്ഷിക്കാൻ കഴിയൂ. എല്ലാ വർഷവും യുകെയിൽ എത്തുന്ന ഏറ്റവും വലിയ പ്രൊഫഷണലുകളുടെയും വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുടെയും കൂട്ടമായ ഇന്ത്യൻ പൗരന്മാരിൽ ഈ നീക്കം കാര്യമായ സ്വാധീനം ചെലുത്തുമെന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നു .
ഓഫീസ് ഫോർ നാഷണൽ സ്റ്റാറ്റിസ്റ്റിക്സിന്റെ കണക്കനുസരിച്ച്, 2023-ൽ യുകെയിലേക്കുള്ള ഏറ്റവും വലിയ കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരായിരുന്നു ഇന്ത്യക്കാർ, ഏകദേശം 250,000 പേർ പ്രധാനമായും ജോലിക്കും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ അവസരങ്ങൾക്കുമായി എത്തി.
ബിബിസിയുടെ റിപ്പോർട്ട് പ്രകാരം, കുടിയേറ്റക്കാർ അനിശ്ചിതമായി യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കാനുള്ള അവകാശത്തിനോ സാങ്കേതികമായി ഇൻഡെഫിനിറ്റ് ലീവ് ടു റിമെയിൻ (ILR) എന്നറിയപ്പെടുന്നതിനോ അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നതിന് മുമ്പ് 10 വർഷം യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കേണ്ടിവരും.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
Migrants in the UK may soon face longer waiting periods before they can apply for permanent residency, as the Labour government plans to tighten regulations for foreign workers in Britain. If the rule extending the waiting period does come into force, Indians are likely to be hit as a large number of professionals and students from India reach the UK every year.
In 2023, Indians made up the largest group of immigrants to the UK, with around 250,000 arriving primarily for work and education, according to the Office for National Statistics. This was despite a 10% overall decline in net annual immigration to the UK.
The British government is planning to extend the waiting period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) to as long as 10 years from the current 5 years for some migrants.
Bloomberg cited a person familiar with the matter as the source of the information, adding that the change would be included in a package of reforms soon to be published by the UK Home Office.
The ILR is a form of permanent residency. Holding ILR status in Britain means a person can stay in the country without any time limit.
It provides access to public services and freedom to work or study, mirroring many rights of British citizens. This status often serves as a precursor to applying for British citizenship. This is in a way similar to the American Green Card.
Around 85% of the people who migrated to the UK were from outside the European Union.
HOW POLITICS IN UK CHANGED WITH STANCE ON IMMIGRATION
The UK’s political landscape has been shaken by the growing popularity of Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform UK party. In recent local elections, Reform UK dealt significant blows to both the ruling Labour Party and the Conservative opposition in England.
Taking a tougher stance on immigration has become a priority for UK PM Keir Starmer as he tries to respond to the electoral threat.
In November last year, Keir Starmer stated that he wanted to see immigration “come down significantly”, criticising the previous Conservative government for having “failed” on the issue.
His remarks came after the UK recorded net migration of a record 906,000 people in the 12 months to June 2023, followed by 728,000 in the year to June 2024.
Some academics have argued that making it harder to achieve settlement rights would leave more people in insecure immigration status, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation without necessarily bringing down the net migration figures.
A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on proposed changes to the conditions for indefinite leave to remain but said the forthcoming immigration White Paper would “set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system”,reported.
http://theendtimeradio.com
A New York City pastor is on a mission to help people see that “God still heals.”
Mike Signorelli of V1 Church in New York City joined Billy Hallowell to explain how facets of the secular medical community are now “open to the spiritual realm.”
While some doctors and hospitals are looking for help in the wrong places, he said there is an opportunity for Christians to step into the fold and divert attention toward biblical truth.
“What we have to do is believe that God is going to do what only He can do and let me awaken people to the reality that He still heals,” Signorelli said.
In his own ministry, the popular preacher said he has to remind himself to “pray for even incurable things,” as he puts full trust in the Lord. He said he’s seen and experienced incredible miracles as a result of this trust. Signorelli even shared the example of a woman who was healed of Multiple sclerosis (MS).
“I received an email with all of these PDF attachments of a medical diagnosis of MS, and then as I begin to read the documents,” he said, noting he had prayed for the woman. “It was multiple confirmations that all the lesions were gone. It was completely undetectable and they cleared her and even said, ‘You’re done with medication and any medical intervention.’”
Signorelli continued, “And I wept knowing my own unbelief in that moment.”
These are the very issues CBN tackles in our new documentary “Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles,” as we travel the nation diving into claims of miraculous healing.
“Your film is so important,” Signorelli said of the project. “And I hope many people listening watch it right now because it’s like, listen, I don’t want to serve a God that never heals. … But we also don’t want to distract people from the fact that salvation is the greatest healing and we’re all going to die of something. So it’s like living in that both and is healthy doctrine, healthy theology.”
Signorelli is also on a mission to launch a new effort to inspire faith — the Mission 11:59.
Sources:faithwire
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has released a new edition of the New International Version (NIV) Bible, two decades after the previous edition was released in 2005.
The launch ceremony took place on March 13 at Russell Offices, the ADF’s administrative headquarters in Canberra, according to an ADF press release. Tina King of Bible Society Australia presented the new Bible to Maj. Gen. Sue Graham, who represented the chief of the Defence Force at the event.
“We acknowledge in the Defence Force how we are continually supported by the public, and the sacrifice from Bible Society volunteers brought forward today is another embodiment of that,” Graham said. “It’s particularly important to have a Bible that is available and relevant to all our soldiers, sailors and aviators.”
The new edition includes content tailored specifically to ADF personnel, such as contextually relevant prayers for those serving in the Navy, Army and Air Force.
“This is not a book for a bookshelf, it is a book to be near. We hope it will be dog-eared, underlined, searched and cherished,” said King.
Bible Society Australia also hosted a historical display at the event, showcasing military Bibles dating back to the Boer War. Among them was a Bible that saved the life of LCpl. Phillip Davies during World War I. Davies was digging for telephone cables at Messines Ridge, near Ypres in Belgium, when two bomb shells exploded nearby. Shrapnel struck his arms and legs, killing one colleague and injuring two others.
The location is known to have seen fierce fighting between British and German soldiers vying to control the ridge, considered important at the time for military advancement as it allowed a strategic viewpoint over the Ypres Salient.
The next morning, Davies discovered a piece of shrapnel stuck in the back cover of his Soldier’s Bible, which he had kept in his breast pocket. The shrapnel had been stopped just inches from his heart. The Bible was one of a million donated at the time by Bible Society Australia.
Director General Chaplaincy—Army, Principal Chaplain Kerry Larwill, spoke at the ceremony, noting the continued relevance of spiritual resources in military life.
“About 44 percent of Australians identified as Christian, and more are interested in spirituality of different varieties,” Larwill said. “For people who serve in Defence, which we know has demands on individuals and their families, it’s a source of light and hope to those who derive their meaning from a Christian perspective or value its wisdom.”
Representatives from the Military Christian Fellowship of Australia (MCF-A) and other chaplaincy networks, such as the Forum of Christian Military Ministries, also attended the launch. The new Bible includes a foreword written by former MCF-A patron and former Gov.-Gen. of Australia, General (retired) David Hurley.
Sources:Christianpost
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