"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Northwoods is a ministry dedicated to refreshing Christians and challenging them to search for the truth in Christianity, politics, sociology, and science
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
Father God, thank you for the love of the truth you have given me. Please bless me with the wisdom, knowledge and discernment needed to always present the truth in an attitude of grace and love. Use this blog and Northwoods Ministries for your glory. Help us all to read and to study Your Word without preconceived notions, but rather, let scripture interpret scripture in the presence of the Holy Spirit. All praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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Boko Haram militants have killed 14 Nigerian fishermen in Niger, as stated an anti-jihadist militia working with the Nigerian military.
The victims had fled northeastern Nigeria to escape relentless attacks by armed groups and sought safety across the border in Niger.
On Sunday, December 8, the fishermen, originally from the towns of Malam Fatori and Doron Baga in Nigeria, were ambushed and killed while fishing in Niger’s Diffa border region.
The brutal attack underscores the ongoing threat posed by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin area.
A vigilante group leader, Babakura Kolo, stated that, “All 14 fishermen had their throats slit by the Boko Haram terrorists who operate in the Bosso area close to the border.”…
Nigeria: Muslims murder pastor and Christian woman
“Make ready for them all that you can of force and of warhorses, so that by them you may strike terror in the enemy of Allah and your enemy…” (Qur’an 8:60)
Islamic Extremists Kill Pastor, Christian Woman in Nigeria
12/10/2024 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — A pastor and Christian businesswoman were killed in two separate attacks on Dec. 6 in Taraba state, Nigeria.
The first attack occurred at midnight in the Mayo Dasa area of Jalingo, the state capital. Reports from the Taraba State Police Command spokesperson, Abdullahi Usman, reveal that assailants entered the home of a young businesswoman and shot her to death. In a separate attack in the Jerbanbur area, a clergyman was murdered in his home. Residents have expressed concerns regarding the attacks, and some have identified the attackers as Muslim extremists, with accusations pointing to more than 100 deaths of Christians since January. However, authorities have only categorized the attackers as unidentified gunmen….
“Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path for me is to resign from the Cabinet,” Freeland wrote in a letter to PM Justin Trudeau.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned from the Liberal cabinet.
In a letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Dec. 16, Freeland said Trudeau told her last week he didn’t want her to serve as finance minister anymore and offered her another cabinet position.
“Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path for me is to resign from the Cabinet,” Freeland wrote in the letter, which she published on social media.
Freeland said a minister must have the “full confidence” of the prime minister to speak on his behalf and the decision to remove her from finance makes it “clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence.”
Freeland was due to deliver her Fall Economic Statement later on Dec. 16, which provides an update on the country’s finances. She had established fiscal guardrails in her Fall Economic Statement last year, including maintaining the deficit below $40.1 billion.
Freeland refused to comment on the size of the deficit last week. She said in her letter that she and the prime minister have been “at odds” over the past number of weeks about the “best path forward” for the country.
The deficit has reached a whopping $62 bn while the Canadian dollar has dropped below 70 cents American.
I would have been more impressed with Freeland had she stepped down when Trudeau decided to give away billions of dollars over Christmas in a very poorly thought-out plan. That forced Freeland's fiscal guardrail to fail by more than 50%.
However, she waited until she was personally affected and her ego was bruised before taking action. Then she resigned hours before scheduled to give her fall budget update.
Facing the threat of broad 25 percent tariffs from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, Freeland said it’s time to keep “our fiscal powder dry” to better respond to a potential tariff war.
“That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment,” she wrote.
Freeland did not elaborate on which economic policy she disagrees with, but in recent weeks Trudeau promised a GST holiday on certain goods and $250 cheques for working Canadians.
The GST holiday was adopted by Parliament last week with support from the NDP. The New Democrats objected to sending cheques because seniors and people with disabilities were being left out.
Freeland said her government will be defined “for a generation” by how it responds to the tariff threat. “It is this conviction which has driven my strenuous efforts this fall to manage our spending in ways that will give us the flexibility we will need to meet the serious challenges presented by the United States,” she said.
Freeland said she will keep her House of Commons seat and that she intends to run in the next election.
Few ministers commented on Freeland’s resignation on their way to the weekly cabinet meeting on Monday.
“This news has hit me really hard,” said Treasury Board President Anita Anand, adding that Freeland is a “good friend” whom she has closely worked with.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said she respects Freeland for making a “difficult and deeply personal” decision.
Freeland’s announcement came the same day that Housing Minister Sean Fraser said he was stepping down and not running again to be closer to his family in Nova Scotia.
The loss of two senior ministers in the Liberal cabinet on Dec. 16 comes shortly after Randy Boissonnault was removed to clear allegations made against him. Boissonnault, who was employment minister, has faced scrutiny over his past business dealings and his shifting claims around his indigenous heritage.
Other ministers to leave during the summer include Seamus O'Regan and Pablo Rodriguez. Some other ministers have also said they will not be running in the next election, including National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Sports Minister Carla Qualthrough, and Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan attends her trial at the People's High Court of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Tuesday. The Vietnamese court upheld a death sentence for Lan after rejecting her appeal against a conviction for embezzlement and bribery, according to state media. Photo by EPA-EFE
Dec. 3 (UPI) --A Vietnamese appeals court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence for wealthy real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, local media reported.
Lan was convicted of financial fraud, including embezzlement, bribery and banking violations, and sentenced to death in April in what is the Asian nation's largest-ever financial fraud case.
Prosecutors said Lan, chairperson of real estate firm Van Thinh Phat, caused Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank, which she controlled through shell companies, to lose about $44 billion over a decade.
She was convicted of embezzling $12.5 billion, with the remaining $27 billion having been misappropriated.
The 68-year-old real estate tycoon appealed her conviction, but judges at the People's High Court of Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday said there were no mitigating factors to reduce her sentence, local online newspaper VnExpress reported.
The law permits for the court to reduce her death sentence to life imprisonment if Lan can return three-fourths of the $12.5 billion she was convicted of embezzling, the judges said.
The high-profile trial included 84 defendants who were all convicted, including Lan's husband, Hong Kong investor Eric Chu Nap-kee.
South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach
President Yoon over martial law declaration
sending country into celebratory frenzy
South Korea’s parliament overwhelmingly voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched attempt to impose martial law — sparking celebrations across the democratic nation.
Yoon’s presidential powers and duties have been suspended after the National Assembly passed the motion, 204-85, leaving Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, to pick up the job.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a press conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Nov. 7, 2024.
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Constitutional Court will decide in the next 180 days whether to permanently remove Yoon — which, if pursued, would result in a snap election.
The suspended politician, however, slammed the ruling as a “temporary” pause of his presidency and promised in a statement he would “never give up.”
“I will carry with me all the criticisms, encouragement and support directed toward me, and I will continue to do my utmost for the country until the very last moment,” Yoon said.
The move comes just 11 days after Yoon shockingly declared martial law and sent hundreds of troops and police officers to Parliament as part of an unsuccessful attempt to stop its members from reversing his decree.
In doing so, Yoon “committed rebellion that hurt peace in the Republic of Korea by staging a series of riots,” the impeachment motion alleges.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a plenary session at the National Assembly on Dec. 11, 2024.
AP
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik said Yoon’s impeachment was an outcome driven by “the people’s ardent desire for democracy, courage and dedication.”
The impeachment vote was the National Assembly’s second in a week. The first attempt was shot down by ruling party lawmakers, many of whom had been swayed following severe public outcry and Yoon’s tanking approval ratings.
Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated the impeachment outside the parliament Saturday, with many waving banners and glow sticks.
Protesters cheer as news of South Korea’s impeachment vote is shared to the crowds gathered in the streets of Seoul outside the National Assembly on Dec. 14, 2024.
Protesters celebrate following the passage of an impeachment motion against South Korea’s president.
JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The impeachment has been done in line with the people’s demand and I hope a decision to dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol will come as soon as possible,” said Kim Su-bong, a protester. “I’m very happy and moved. I view it as a victory of the people.”
US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg wrote on X that the US supports South Korea’s “democratic and constitutional process here and stands with its people.”
Acting leader Han has already ordered the military to bolster its security posture to prevent North Korea from launching provocations by miscalculation. He has also emphasized to other foreign governments that the change of power would not impact his nation’s external policies.
Jubilant crowds roared to celebrate another defiant moment in the South Korea’s resilient democracy.
Getty Images
“I earnestly ask public servants this. At this moment, we have the critical task of ensuring normal and stable operations of state affairs … I ask you to carry out your duties without any neglect to ensure that the government is operated without being shaken,” Han said in a televised statement.
In the meantime, Yoon is not permitted to leave South Korea. His defense minister and police chief and two other high-level figures have been arrested over the martial law enforcement.
Yoon enjoys the presidential privilege of immunity from criminal prosecution, however that would not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.
He is the second conservative president in a row to be impeached in South Korea. Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017.
With Post Wires
Auditor Alleges $160M Indigenous Contract Went to Non-Indigenous Canadian Venture
A former auditor for the government’s indigenous procurement program says a $160 million contract meant for indigenous businesses was awarded to a joint venture that served as a front for a non-indigenous company.
Garry Hartle, a former senior compliance auditor for Indigenous Services Canada, told the parliamentary government operations committee on Dec. 10 that Pedabun 35 Nursing Inc. and Canadian Health Care Agency Ltd. were in a joint venture for contracts to deliver nursing care services to remote indigenous communities. He said the joint venture was a “shell” for a non-indigenous company.
“My audit determined that the joint venture was a shell for the non-indigenous Canadian Health Care Agency (CHCA). This business took advantage of the naivety of the owner of Pedabun 35 Nursing Inc. to win and execute a large set-aside contract,” he said.
The government’s Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Businesses (PSIB) was created in 1996, then called the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business, to give government work to indigenous-owned companies. It requires joint ventures to be majority-owned and -controlled by one or more indigenous companies. The program was accelerated in 2021, with the Liberal government requiring that at least 5 percent of federal contracts be given to indigenous businesses.
Hartle said he considered the $160 million contract fraudulent and recommended to the government that it refer the case to the RCMP.
“I presented the evidence ... which was substantial, to indicate there was fraud. And my recommendation was that [it be given to the] RCMP to investigate. But they didn’t want any trouble, so they didn’t do it,” he said.
"They" refers to Justin Trudeau's federal Liberal government.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said that while the CHCA has been removed from the government’s list of indigenous companies—the Indigenous Business Directory—it has still been receiving government contracts.
The PSIB faced backlash from some indigenous groups in 2023 after it was revealed that IT firm Dalian Enterprises received $7.9 million in contracts through the program for the ArriveCan app. Dalian, a two-person company that previously qualified as indigenous-owned, received contracts through a joint venture with Coradix Technology Consulting, a non-indigenous company. Both were suspended from federal contracting in March this year.
On Dec. 9, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told The Globe and Mail that she was calling for an external review of the PSIB in response to Hartle’s allegations, calling them “concerning.”
“If proper checks and balances are not in place to protect the integrity of a program like that, then it undermines confidence in that program,” she said.
It also undermines confidence in that government!
The Canadian Health Care Agency did not respond to an Epoch Times request for comment before press time.
