Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/569627
ByDarleneSuperville The Associated Press WASHINGTON The United States is making plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refu- gees in the coming budget year, a significant increase from the 1,500 people who have been cleared to reset- tle in the U.S. since civil war broke out in the Middle Eastern country more than four years ago, the White House said Thursday. The White House has been under heavy pressure to do more than just pro- vide money to help meet the humanitarian crisis in Europe. Tens of thousands of people from war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa are risk- ing their lives and dying en masse during desperate attempts to seek safe haven on the continent. The refugees from Syria, however, would be peo- ple who are already in the pipeline and waiting to be let into the United States, not the thousands work- ing their way through east- ern Europe and landing in Greece. It was not immedi- ately clear how admitting a larger number of Syrian ref- ugees who are in the pro- cessing pipeline would help alleviate the crisis that Eu- ropean countries are grap- pling with. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said about $4 billion that the administra- tion has provided to relief agencies and others is the most effective way for the U.S. to help shoulder the crisis, but that President Barack Obama has decided that admitting more Syrian refugees in the budget year that begins Oct. 1 would also help boost the U.S. re- sponse. About 17,000 Syrians have been referred over the last few years to the U.S. for resettlement by the U.N. refugee agency. About 1,500 are in the U.S., with another 300 scheduled to be allowed in this month. That leaves about 15,000 Syrians wait- ing for the clearance pro- cess to conclude, according to the State Department. Obama would like to ad- mit 10,000 of those, accord- ing to Earnest's announce- ment. State Department spokesman John Kirby also said the 10,000 Syri- ans will come from the pool of 17,000 people referred to the U.S. by the U.N. agency. Earnest said earlier this week that the administra- tion has been looking at a "range of approaches" for assisting U.S. allies with 340,000 people freshly ar- rived from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Many are fleeing parts of Iraq that are under the Islamic State group's control. The 1,500 Syrians who are resettling in the U.S. represent a small percentage of the 11.6 mil- lion people who have been chased out of the country or uprooted from their homes due to the civil war in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. will increase its worldwide quota for resettling refu- gees by 5,000, from 70,000 to 75,000 next year — and the number could still rise, according to two officials and a congressional aide who requested anonymity to discuss a private meet- ing. Kerry said after meet- ing with Senate Judiciary Committee members that the U.S. would increase the number of refugees it is willing to accept. He did not provide a specific num- ber. "We are looking hard at the number that we can specifically manage with respect to the crisis in Syria and Europe," he said Wednesday. Germany is bracing for some 800,000 asylum seek- ers this year. ASYLUM SEEKERS White House: Obama wants to admit more Syrian refugees ANDREWHARNIK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Barack Obama decided to admit more Syrian refugees into the United States, starting in the budget year that begins Oct. 1. By Aron Heller The Associated Press JERUSALEM Russiantroops have arrived in Syria to aid Bashar Assad's beleaguered government in the battle against Islamic State mili- tants, Israel's defense min- ister said Thursday, a de- velopment could help the Syrian president reverse his recent battlefield losses in the country's bitter civil war, now in its fifth year. Moshe Yaalon said the Russians in recent days dis- patched military advisers as well as an active force, with the main goal of setting up an air base. The base, near the Syrian city of Latakia, could deploy fighter jets and helicopters in strikes against IS militants. "As far as we understand, at this stage we are talking about a limited force that in- cludes advisers, a security team and preparations for operating planes and com- bat helicopters," Yaalon said in a briefing with Israeli re- porters. The claim was the latest indication of a Russian mil- itary buildup in Syria that has raised U.S. and NATO concerns. Earlier Thursday, Rus- sia's Foreign Minister Ser- gey Lavrov said Russian aircraft flying into Syria have been delivering mili- tary supplies and humani- tarian aid. But he shed no light on the Western claims of a buildup at the airfield. Moscow has backed Assad throughout the na- tion's civil war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast arms sup- plies to Assad's government as part of international ef- forts to combat the Islamic State group and other mili- tant organizations in Syria. MIDDLE EAST Israeli defense chief says Russian troops in Syria By Mari Yamaguchi and Ken Moritsugu The Associated Press JOSO,JAPAN Raging flood- waters broke through an embankment Thurs- day and swamped a city near Tokyo, washing away houses, forcing dozens of people to rooftops to await helicopter rescues and leav- ing one man clinging for his life to a utility pole. There were no immedi- ate reports of casualties, but rescue officials said they were overwhelmed by pleas for help. More than 30,000 were ordered to flee their homes, and hundreds more were stranded by the water. As of late Thursday, more than 3,500 people were staying in evacuation centers. As heavy rain pum- meled Japan for a second straight day, the Kinugawa River broke through a flood berm, sending water gush- ing into the eastern half of Joso, a city of 60,000 peo- ple about 30 miles north- east of Tokyo. Aerial videos showed a wide swath of cityscape underwater, more than one story deep in some places. The rains came on the heels of Tropical Storm Etau, which caused flood- ing and landslides else- where Wednesday as it crossed central Japan. Yuko Kawamoto, 58, said she decided to leave her home with her 80-year-old mother after watching TV images of the water pour- ing out of the embankment. "It almost looked like a tsu- nami," she said. She said the muddy wa- ter was ankle-deep when they left their house, car- rying duffel bags and an umbrella each, and was al- most up to their hips when they reached the evacua- tion center. Japanese broadcasters showed live video of res- cuers being lowered from helicopters and clamber- ing onto second-floor bal- conies to reach stranded residents. In one dramatic scene, a rescuer descended four times from a military he- licopter over 20 minutes to lift up four people one by one as a deluge of water swept around their home. Nearby, a man clung to a utility pole as the waters rose. He was taken up by a rescue worker who had to be first lowered into the rushing water so he could make his way over to the man. Others waved cloths from their decks or roofs to get attention as torrents of water washed away cars and knocked over build- ings. Photos from Ja- pan's Kyodo News service showed people waiting for help on top of cars and a 7-Eleven delivery truck, surrounded by water that nearly submerged the cars. Muddy water was still rising late Thursday on a street heading to Joso City Hall, and police were block- ing traffic in that direction. Akira Motokawa, a city evacuation official, told public broadcaster NHK that rescuers have been unable to keep up with the volume of calls for help. As of Thursday evening, nine people were possibly missing because authori- ties could not reach them, city official Takao Ko- bayashi said. Authorities had rescued 70 of the 176 people who had requested help. Another 100 peo- ple were reported trapped on the second floor of a flooded supermarket, and 80 more in a nursing home. A total of 3,580 people in the affected 14-square mile area were sheltered at schools, community cen- ters and other safer areas. FLOODING Helicopters rescue residents as rains lash Japan Thiscouldbeyourluckyday by helping a dog or cat find a loving home from... Ad Sponsorship $ 25 Call Suzy 737-5056 RedBluffDailyNews ELI Paws & Claws TEHAMACOUNTYANIMAL SHELTER 1830 Walnut Street P.O. Box 38 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-3439 CORNING ANIMAL SHELTER 4312 Rawson Rd. Corning, CA 96021 (530) 824-7054 ADOPT A PET TODAY Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. ThroughtheNewspapersinEducation program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. THANKYOUFORSUPPORTING N EWS D AILY REDBLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N TY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 NEWSPAPERS NIE • Dignity Health St. Elizabeth Community Hospital • Dr. Asato & Dr. Martin • Fidelity National Title Co. • Dolling Insurance • Gumm's Optical Shoppe • Olive City Quick Lube • Walmart • Tehama Co. Dept. Of Ed. • John Wheeler Logging, Inc. • Dudley's Excavating, Inc. • Etzler Financial & Insurance • Olive City Tax Professionals • Placer Title Company • Airport Auto Repair • Greenwaste Of Tehama • North Main Automotive • QRC • Red Bluff Vision Center • Steve's Backhoe Service • School House Market • Wing Solar & Wood Energy | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 8 B