SERVE THE CITY : now also in Almere.

A great organization where you can put your faith into action by voluntarily serving older and needy people.

Assist them with their home improvements, small repairs or painting. Participate with them in cooking, take them out for walks etc.

JWant to know more: Join Serve the City for an inspiring day on October 10 in Almere. For additional info in Dutch go to www.servethecity.nl/help-ons/in-almere For Englis go to www.servethe city.nl/en/help-ons/in-almere or write to stcalmere@gmail.com

Almere-Digest

Turkey- Turkish jets strike PKK in Iraq as conflict escalates

Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq overnight, a security source told Reuters on Friday, the latest in a series of daily air strikes on the militants as the conflict escalates in southeast Turkey.

The news came a day after Turkish police stopped pro-Kurdish politicians on Thursday from marching to the town of Cizre where they say 21 civilians have been killed and a humanitarian crisis
has unfolded since authorities imposed a curfew to combat PKK militants.

Read more: france 24 - Turkish jets strike PKK in Iraq as conflict escalates - France 24

Shame on Arab Gulf States: Gulf states idle as migrant crisis swells in Europe- by Gregg Zoroya

The richest Arab nations in the Gulf region aren't taking in Syrian refugees, the largest population of migrants overwhelming neighboring Middle Eastern countries and flooding into Europe.

Persian Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait have pledged or donated hundreds of millions of dollars, but won't resettle those fleeing the Syrian civil war that has been raging for more than four years.

Nearly half of Syria's pre-war population of more than 20 million people have been displaced within Syria or have fled the country, according to the United Nations. The neighboring nations of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq have taken in more than 3.5 million Syrians combined. But tens of thousands more have embarked on perilous journeys this year across the Mediterranean and through the Balkans to reach northern Europe.

"The bottom line is that in terms of resettlement, the Gulf states have not stepped up in accepting refugees," said Geoffrey Mock, the Syria specialist for Amnesty International USA. "They have offered zero resettlement places ... and this is shameful."

The richest Arab nations in the Gulf region aren't taking in Syrian refugees, the largest population of migrants overwhelming neighboring Middle Eastern countries and flooding into Europe.

Persian Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait have pledged or donated hundreds of millions of dollars, but won't resettle those fleeing the Syrian civil war that has been raging for more than four years.

Nearly half of Syria's pre-war population of more than 20 million people have been displaced within Syria or have fled the country, according to the United Nations. The neighboring nations of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq have taken in more than 3.5 million Syrians combined. But tens of thousands more have embarked on perilous journeys this year across the Mediterranean and through the Balkans to reach northern Europe.

"The bottom line is that in terms of resettlement, the Gulf states have not stepped up in accepting refugees," said Geoffrey Mock, the Syria specialist for Amnesty International USA. "They have offered zero
resettlement places ... and this is shameful."

Read more: Gulf states idle as migrant crisis swells in Europe

European Parliament backs Juncker′s refugee plans

European lawmakers have backed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's proposals for coping with a massive influx of migrants. The vast majority of the people on the move have been heading for Germany.

Members of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to support Juncker's proposals, with 432 voting in favor of the non-binding resolution and just 142 against, with 57 abstentions.

A statement posted on the European Parliament's website said the lawmakers backed the Commission's proposal to relocate 120,000 asylum seekers from Italy, Greece and Hungary. This came a day after it backed an emergency proposal for relocating 40,000 asylum seekers.

It also said that a majority of lawmakers believed that the bloc's "Dublin rules," which determine in which member state any given migrant is required to register, should be amended through a "fair, compulsory allocation key" taking into account "the integration prospects and the specific cases and needs of asylum seekers themselves."

The MEPs also expressed support for the idea of drawing up a common EU list of safe countries of origin and a compulsory resettlement plan under which members states would be required to take in refugees from third countries.

Read more: European Parliament backs Juncker′s refugee plans | News | DW.COM | 10.09.2015

Refugee Crisis 2015: Could Syrians Help Europe's Aging Population Problem? - by Lydia Tomkiw

European countries have some of the world's most rapidly aging populations, meaning they need more young people to replace retiring workers. As record numbers of refugees continue to try to enter the European Union from conflict-ridden and repressive states, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Eritrea, officials said some EU states could benefit from the influx of young refugees and families amid a looming demographic crisis. Here’s a look at the current population issues facing Europe.

The overall fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her childbearing years, has fallen across Europe since the mid-1960s, according to Eurostat. Europeans have been having fewer children and waiting until later in life to have them. This means that in order to keep the population across the continent constant, a fertility rate of 2.1, called the replacement level, is needed. As of 2013, the EU had a rate of 1.55.

While overall the 506 million population of the EU has shown growth, with an increase of 1.3 million people from 2014, the populations of 12 states have declined and the union faces an increasing population of people over 65 in every member state, according to Eurostat. The number of working-age people in the EU has been shrinking compared with those retiring.

The countries with the lowest fertility rates were Portugal at 1.21, Spain at 1.27 and Poland at 1.29. The countries with the highest rates were Sweden at 1.89, Ireland at 1.96 and France at 1.99.

Read more: Refugee Crisis 2015: Could Syrians Help Europe's Aging Population Problem?

Britain, France join Germany in showing solidarity with migrants - by Frank Zeller

Britain and France Monday joined Germany in pledging to accept tens of thousands of refugees as Europe's record influx of people fleeing war and misery sparked warnings that one Greek migrant chokepoint was "on the verge of explosion".

European leaders are scrambling for solutions as bloody conflicts in Syria, Iraq and beyond send hundreds of thousands of desperate people on dangerous voyages through the Balkans and across the Mediterranean to the 28-nation EU.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is Europe's top refugee destination, hailed the warm welcome her citizens gave to 20,000 asylum-seekers who streamed across its southern borders on weekend trains, and pledged billions more in money to house them.

Signalling that the huge wave of arrivals marked a milestone for Europe's biggest economy, she said that "what we are experiencing now is something that will ... change our country in coming years". 

"We want the change to be positive, and we believe we can accomplish that," she said.

As EU leaders stepped up efforts to tackle the historic crisis, France said it would take 24,000 more asylum-seekers under a European plan to relocate 120,000 refugees from hard-hit frontline countries.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said his country would also do more, taking in 20,000 Syrian refugees from overflowing camps near the war-torn country's borders over the next five years.

Across the Atlantic, Canada's Quebec province pledged to welcome 3,650 Syrian refugees this year.

Read more: Britain, France join Germany in showing solidarity with migrants - Yahoo News

EU Presidency: President EU Commission should be elected by popular EU-wide vote say 85.71% polled

In the most recent EU-Digest Poll where the question was asked if the EU president of rthe EU Commission should be appointed by the EU Parliament (as it is today), or elected by popular EU-wide vote,  a large majority 85.71% polled said said they preferred a popular EU-wide vote. (see insert).

This month poll deals with the possible reasons for the huge migrant stream coming into the EU from the Middle East and Northern Africa.

EU-Digest