JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
TODAY JULY 29TH,16-THE END OF THE WORLD CULT CLAIM
http://ift.tt/2ag6BCM
TODAY JULY 29TH,16-THE END OF THE WORLD CULT CLAIM
http://ift.tt/2ag6BCM
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
China says to hold drills with Russia in South China Sea-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Russia will hold "routine" naval exercises in the South China Sea in September, China's Defence Ministry said on Thursday, adding that the drills were aimed at strengthening their cooperation and were not aimed at any other country.The exercises come at a time of heightened tension in the contested waters after an arbitration court in the Hague ruled this month that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea and criticized its environmental destruction there.China rejected the ruling and refused to participate in the case."This is a routine exercise between the two armed forces, aimed at strengthening the developing China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership," China's defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular monthly news conference."The exercise is not directed against third parties."China and Russia are veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council, and have held similar views on many major issues such as the crisis in Syria, putting them at odds with the United States and Western Europe.Last year, they held joint military drills in the Sea of Japan and the Mediterranean.China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.China has repeatedly blamed the United States for stoking tension in the region through its military patrols, and of taking sides in the dispute.The United States has sought to assert its right to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea with its patrols and denies taking sides in the territorial disputes.Russia has been a strong backer of China's stance on the arbitration case, that was brought by the Philippines.Yang said China and Russia were comprehensive strategic partners and had already held many exercises this year."These drills deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation, raise the ability to jointly deal with security threats, and benefit the maintenance of regional and global peace and stability," he said.(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by John Ruwitch and Brenda Goh; Editing by Robert Birsel)
I LIKE A NEW VIDEO THATS OUT THAT SHOWS HITLARY ROTTEN LIAR CLINTON LAUGHING AT ONE OF HER STAGE SHOWS.AND RIGHT AFTER THAT THEY HAVE A HYINA LAUGHING. AND THEY BOTH SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME.CLINTON THE LIBERAL-DEMOCRATIC-PROGRESSIVE HYINA LIAR CLINTON.AND HYINAS ARE DANGEROUS.SO THIS SAYS TRUTH.HOW DANGEROUS CLINTON WILL BE AS PRESIDENT OF AMERICA.AS WELL AS HER LAUGHING LIKE AN LUNATIC ANIMAL.OR DID I PUT DOWN THE HYINA.SORRY ANIMAL RIGHTS NUTJOBS.I GOT POLITICALLY CORRECT FOR A SECOND.
Alberta defends carbon tax as report calls it aggressive-[CBC]-July 27, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Jason Kenney says Alberta's carbon tax regime is nothing to celebrate as a report comparing Canadian jurisdictions calls Alberta's plan the most aggressive system in the next four years."News that Albertans will be paying the highest carbon taxes in the country is hardly something to celebrate," Kenney said in a statement Wednesday."Soon, the NDP will be taking billions of dollars out of hardworking Albertan's pockets, forcing them to pay more on everything from heating their homes, to fueling their cars, to even the cost of buying groceries."Kenney hopes to lead the struggling provincial Progressive Conservatives to power by uniting right wing factions ahead of the next election in 2019.A report released this week by Canada's Ecofiscal Commission concludes Alberta's plan will be even more aggressive than B.C.'s plan by the year 2020.B.C. was the first province to impose a carbon tax back in 2008, but because 30 per cent of the provincial economy isn't exposed to B.C.'s current $30-per-tonne tax, the effective tax rate is more like $21 per tonne, says the study.Alberta's new, broader carbon tax will eclipse it by 2020, coming in at $23.40 per tonne.The minister responsible for Alberta's Climate Change Office, however, says push back by some is routed in old ideas."Mr. Kenney belongs to, now a caucus, previously a government, that denied the science of climate change and refused to do anything about the issue and therefore frustrated Alberta's efforts to get our product to tidewater … frustrated Alberta's efforts to develop our oil sands responsibly," Shannon Phillips told CBC News."That is a view that is stuck in the past."A Calgary economist says not pricing carbon could cost more in the long run depending on which alternative a government choses."So, the question of whether lowering emissions will affect Alberta's economy is: absolutely yes," Trevor Tombe said. He's an assistant professor of economics at the University of Calgary."But the alternative is a regulatory approach to achieve the same emissions reductions [that] would hurt Alberta's economy worse. So, doing nothing is certainly cheaper, but I'm not sure that's what most Albertans would want the government to do."Tombe says the best way to reduce emissions is putting a price on carbon."If the goal is to lower emissions then the most efficient way of doing that is by pricing them and letting the market sort out the details of how to lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, let households and firms decide on what the cheapest way to lower emissions are. The alternative is a regulatory approach where the government itself picks what technologies businesses should adopt or what type of light bulbs households should buy, that sort of thing. And that's quite a bit less efficient than pricing carbon."Kenney disagrees, saying if elected he would get rid of carbon pricing."The job-killing carbon tax will only drive more employers out of our province. We need to unite all Albertans in order to ensure the NDP is not re-elected. Only then will we be able to eliminate the carbon tax," he said.Phillips said it's about taking a leadership position on a critical file."We need to ensure our economy is resilient into the future. You know, burying our heads in the sand is an economic dead end for this province," Phillips said."Alberta has moved forward so that solutions are not imposed upon us."
Fort McMurray fire chief Darby Allen addresses 'coward' accusation-[CBC]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Fort McMurray fire Chief Darby Allen calls recent criticism of his team's handling of the wildfires in May an unwelcome distraction from the rebuilding that needs to be done.Last month, two firefighters working the day the wildfire tore through the northern Alberta city harshly criticized those in charge for not calling for evacuation sooner. One suggested it "was cowardly" for evacuating the emergency headquarters in Fort McMurray — relocating to Anzac and Lac La Biche. CBC agreed not to reveal identitiesof the firefighters to protect their jobs.The firefighters also said the evacuation was called too late.During an in-depth interview for a feature on the back story of those first 24 hours, the diplomatic Allen was uncharacteristically blunt in addressing his detractors."We don't know if these guys have been on [the firefighter roster] five minutes, five years, or fifteen years," he said. "But I'm going to suggest if they'd been on 15 years, they wouldn't have made that comment, because it's not what we do."Allen said the decision to evacuate his leadership team from Firehall 5 at midday on May 4, the day after the mass-evacuation that forced more than 90,000 people from their homes, was the only one that made sense in the circumstances."If I had 30 firefighters in that room, we would never have left this building. But I didn't," he said. "I've got a 20-year-old girl who's a student. I've got 23-year-old and 24-year-old men and women who are absolutely terrified."My job is to keep that team together. And not only keep them together, but to put them in a place where they can all communicate with what's going on so that we can run this thing."Several senior people did stay behind with the firefighters who were still battling the flames in town. That group included Jody Butz, the chief of operations at that time, and Dale Bendfeld — Allen's deputy. Most of the group returned to Fort McMurray the next day.Allen said there is an unspoken rule among firefighters not to mention the "h-word" [hero], but use of the word "coward," is worse."I've been a firefighter since 1983. I've been in fires with men who have ran out the back door because they just couldn't deal with the situation or whatever. And I would've never have gone out and called him a coward," he said."It's a word that you don't use in our culture."He said the comments "hurt him deeply.""This is the time when we should be getting together and supporting each other. To take the time out of your day and go and say something like that, I just don't understand that logic."The Alberta government has expressed regret that the decision to evacuate did not come sooner.A review is underway, looking at what could be done differently next time. That report is expected at the end of 2016.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
Opinion-EU political pressure alone cannot save the rule of law By Israel Butler-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:40-On Wednesday (27 July), the European Commission issued the Polish government with recommendations on how to restore the rule of law. The government now has three months to comply, failing which the commission could activate the Article 7 procedure, which can lead to sanctions such as a loss of voting rights.This is an unprecedented display of support by the EU for its fundamental values. But international pressure alone is not enough to save the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Europe. If the Union wants to preserve progressive ideals forged in the aftermath of World War II, it needs to convince the general public they’re worth holding on to.Attacks on the fundamentals of the democratic state – independent courts, parliamentary scrutiny, a depoliticised civil service and a neutral public broadcaster – are not confined to Poland.Orban has already turned Hungary into the EU’s first "illiberal" democracy, and Croatia and Slovakia show signs of following suit. Other EU governments have attacked particular rights guarantees: Spain’s previous government effectively outlawed spontaneous public protest and severely curtailed access to the courts; the British government has been touting abolition of its Human Rights Act.Two other trends are common to most EU countries: governments engaging in large-scale invasions of privacy through mass surveillance and weakening media freedom and independence.-Rollback of European values-The EU’s institutions have come under pressure to monitor EU countries and punish governments flouting European standards. The commission created, and is now using, its rule of law framework.Some capitals have called for governments to assess each other in the EU’s Council through annual dialogues’ on the rule of law, but these so far have been weak. The European Parliament wants more, but the commission - which has the power to propose new legislation - is likely to refuse parliamentarians’ calls for a new mechanism that assesses all governments regularly.Giving the Union more powers to pressure backsliding governments will help to protect the Union’s values. But it is only part of the answer.Even if there is enough political will to create and use new powers, international pressure by itself is insufficient to make governments reverse their retrogressive reforms.The rollback of European values is being carried out not by dictatorships, but by democratically elected governments that enjoy broad public support. In the face of large-scale approval from their electorates, governments are unlikely to bow to international pressure. This much is clear from the intransigence of the Hungarian and Polish governments, despite widespread condemnation.-Feed efforts of existing movements-Democracy, the rule of law and human rights do not speak for themselves. The fact that these values are designed to protect the general public from abuses of power has not been enough to convince many people that they are worth defending. If the Union wants to safeguard its fundamental values, it must create support for them among Europeans.Pressure from the EU will only be effective if it feeds efforts of an existing national movement.The EU has a well-established practice of promoting its values in countries outside the Union. The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance have been used to support civic education, civil society organisations and media freedom, globally.However, inside the Union funding to promote human rights and the rule of law tends to be focused on narrow goals like training judges, lawyers and civil servants on EU law.The EU should identify successful examples of when and where it has sown grassroots support for its fundamental values outside Europe and replicate these inside Europe.-Public support is needed-If the Union is to reach the general public, then it will need to support civic education – arguably the values taught through the education system are one reason why the German population has been relatively generous towards asylum seekers. The EU should also support media independence, so that Europeans are less easily manipulated by biased reporting. And finally, the EU should support civil society organisations to learn new ways of working.Rights NGOs have traditionally concentrated on litigation and lobbying politicians. But this has left them out of touch with the general public. The Union could fund rights NGOs to develop new tools, so that they can convince the public to protect human rights in the same way that Greenpeace has convinced the public to protect the environment.Legally, this would just require the EU to tweak programmes it already has in place that support the rule of law and human rights the inside the EU. The Union could also make the most of its efforts by coordinating with other governments (like Iceland and Norway) and private donors that already fund this kind of work inside Europe.As the EU institutions wrangle over whether to create and use new powers, the rule of law, democracy and human rights are running out of time. The Union has no reason to delay in deploying funding – a less politically controversial tool – to create public support for European values.Dr. Israel Butler is advocacy consultant to the European Liberties Platform, a network of European human rights watchdog non–governmental organisations (NGOs).
Opinion-EU's Strasbourg parliament should become a university By Gregory Claeys and Dirk Schoenmaker-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:24-During the referendum campaign in the UK, the cost of the European Parliament's "travelling circus" between Brussels and Strasbourg was highlighted by some Brexit supporters as one of the 20 reasons why UK citizens should vote in favour of leaving the EU.Even though many arguments used by the Leave campaign were greatly exaggerated and some were outright lies, the remaining 27 EU countries should take that particular criticism on board and use this occasion to reduce the obvious overspend that is linked to the European Parliament having more than one seat.For years, the European Parliament has had to move 400 km south once a month. Almost 4,000 people temporarily relocate from Brussels to Strasbourg to facilities that are only used four days per month. It is a situation that is hard to justify to European citizens who have been tightening their belts since the beginning of the financial crisis. The travelling circus also provides fuel for euroscepticism across the continent.At the request of a majority of MEPs eager to stop the circus to save their time and taxpayers’ money, the European Court of Auditors in 2014 estimated the additional cost of having two European Parliament seats at almost €114 million per year.It is finally time for Brussels to be the sole seat of the European Parliament.-Positive, useful, future-oriented project-Of course ending this absurd situation will not be easy. Multiple attempts have already been scuppered over the years. Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament according to a protocol attached to the Treaty of the EU and consequently 12 four-day plenary sessions per year must take place there, including the vote on the EU budget.Changing this protocol would require an amendment to the treaties, a process which requires unanimity among member states, and that can therefore be vetoed by the French government.To avoid this, France will have to be compensated somehow. It is essential to put on the table a positive, useful, future-oriented project for the EU but also for France and the city of Strasbourg.Strasbourg was chosen by the founding fathers of the EU because it made sense from a historical and political perspective as a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation.However, France has to understand that nowadays it has absolutely no interest in keeping what is now nothing more than a symbolic seat of an EU institution, and should try to obtain something more valuable on its soil for the 21st century.No-one who works closely with the European Parliament can seriously claim that Strasbourg is the main or even the relevant seat of the Parliament.It is therefore the right time to revive the proposal made 10 years ago by Bronislaw Geremek and Jean-Didier Vincent to create a truly European University in the European Parliament buildings in Strasbourg.-Concrete benefits-This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of the European University Institute (EUI) of Florence. This European postgraduate studies institution that specialises in social sciences was inaugurated on 15 November 1976 after long negotiations between member states.These discussions were far from easy and lasted for almost 20 years, but ultimately gave birth to what is considered by many academics as one of the visible success stories of EU integration.Every year, the EUI awards about 120 PhDs in law, history, political science and economics to carefully selected students from all corners of the EU, demonstrating the valued added of European education and research projects.A solution for Strasbourg could be to establish an undergraduate European University there, modelled on the EUI. It would fill the Parliament premises with students, professors and researchers from all over Europe and would be financed by the EU budget.The money saved by the centralisation of the European Parliament operations in Brussels would be, for instance, sufficient to cover almost entirely the annual budget of a university such as Paris Sorbonne, which has more than 20,000 students and 1,300 professors and researchers.This project would offer concrete benefits for young Europeans and would be in line with one of the key priorities highlighted in the French-Italian-German initiative set up after the Brexit vote to improve the EU quickly by focusing on ambitious youth programmes because, as the declaration rightly states: “Europe will succeed only if it gives hope to its young people.”-'We must now build Europeans'-This new European university should be named after Bronislaw Geremek, a survivor of the European atrocities of the 20th century and a symbol of the reunification of Europe after the fall of the iron curtain.He grew up and survived in the Warsaw ghetto to become a respected historian, a founding member of the Solidarity movement (‘Solidarnosc’), a political dissident under the communist regime, and ultimately a foreign minister of Poland after the fall of the regime and a MEP from 2004 until his death in 2008.He wrote a few months before his tragic death that “after building Europe, we must now build Europeans. Otherwise, we risk losing it".Opening a European University in Strasbourg named after him and showing that the EU is able to listen to the legitimate criticism of its citizens and take action to make a better use of its resources would be a tremendous first step in that direction-Gregory Claeys is a researcher at Bruegel, Dirk Schoenmaker is a Senior Fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank
UK will not guarantee EU citizens' rights, May insists By Eszter Zalan-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:09-British prime minister Theresa May has reiterated that the UK will guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK only if British citizens are afforded the same rights in other EU countries.“I intend to be able to guarantee their rights. The only circumstances in which that would not be possible would be if the rights of British citizens living in other EU member states were not guaranteed," May said on Wednesday (27 July) at a press conference with her Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi in Rome.The protection of EU citizens residing in the UK is important for Italy, as 600,000 Italians live in Britain, according to figures by the Guardian newspaper.May visited Berlin and Paris last week, as she prepares the UK's exit negotiations from the EU.Both German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande told May last week that the UK could only gain continued access to the single market if it agreed to freedom of movement from the EU, one of the core pillars of the bloc.May is not expected to launch the official talks before the end of the year.Renzi urged May to give a "clear timeline" on the UK's exit from the bloc, as uncertainty hurts other EU members."It's important to have a vision and precise timeline for the process," Renzi said.The Italian prime minister has been facing a challenge by the anti-euro Five Star Movement, putting his accommodating style towards Britain under strain.Renzi suggested Britain should face the consequences of its decision, otherwise it would represent a credibility problem for others.-Boris in Paris-The new British foreign minister and former Leave campaigner Boris Johnson is to travel to Paris to meet his French counterpart on Thursday, who denounced him as a liar recently.After the Brexit vote Jean-Marc Ayrault said: “During the campaign, you know he told a lot of lies to the British people and now it is him who has his back against the wall. He is up against it to defend his country and also so that the relationship with Europe is clear.”On the day of his appointment, Johnson was booed by some members of the crowd at the French ambassador’s residence at the Bastille Day celebrations.Although Johnson is not in charge of Brexit talks, his visit to Paris comes at an especially important time. Paris has become an even more important interlocutor as the EU Commission appointed former French commissioner Michel Barnier as its lead EU negotiator.Barnier is expected in London as a tough negotiator, especially when it comes to allowing UK-based banks to operate in the eurozone and maintain full access to the single market.Barnier was in charge of the internal market during his spell as commissioner.Meanwhile, a senior Deutsche Bank manager has already suggested his bank has a "competitive advantage" because it has centres in both London and Frankfurt.Fears among UK-based banks grow that they will not have access to the single market or eurozone countries, unless they move their headquarters to the continent.The bank's Chief Executive Officer John Cryan was quoted by Bloomberg as saying: "If our eurozone clients in particular increasingly want us to be facing them from locations within the eurozone, if that proves to be the case, then we’re reasonably well positioned because our head office and home is in the centre of the eurozone."
Green Party's Jill Stein targets Bernie Sanders voters in 'Jill not Hill' campaign-[CBC]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
When U.S. Democrats named Hillary Clinton their presidential nominee on Tuesday night, the first time they have chosen a woman, a crowd of Bernie Sanders supporters abandoned the historic moment and walked out of the Wells Fargo Center in protest.There was another female leader, of another political party, waiting for them and welcoming them with open arms."We are in FDR Park," Green Party Leader Jill Stein wrote on Twitter. "Ready to meet up with refugees from DNC tyranny."They found her across the street from the arena. They surrounded her, joining those who were already outside rallying, and they chanted: "Jill not Hill."Stein's been all over the city this week, attending various rallies and protests, and making the rounds inside the arena where the world's media outlets are covering the convention. She says she's "overwhelmed" by the positive response she's received.On social media and in person, Stein is blatantly recruiting Sanders supporters, the ones who are disgruntled with the Democratic National Committee and who count themselves among the "Never Hillary" crowd.Sanders's rallying cry during his campaign was for a political revolution and now that his bid for the presidency is over, Stein is promising to keep it going."Do not give up. The revolution has a home with the Green Party," she told the Vermont senator's voters.-Urges Sanders voters to join her-She is encouraging them to ditch the Democratic Party, an idea known as "DemExit," named after "Brexit," the campaign in favour of Britain leaving the European Union."The time for a #DemExit is now. Join us," she wrote this week to Democrats, whose convention got off to a rocky start on Monday thanks to news about hacked and leaked emails from the DNC that disparage Sanders and his campaign.Stein hasn't been shy about taking digs at Clinton, who on Thursday night will give a speech and accept her party's nomination.There are Sanders supporters here who refuse to get behind Clinton and will not vote for her. Stein is their Plan B.On the day Sanders endorsed Clinton earlier this month, Barbara Griffin donated to Stein's campaign."If he's not going to be on the ticket, I'm voting for Jill," she said at a rally at Philadelphia's city hall on Monday in support of Stein and other causes. "She stands for everything we believe in," said Griffin, who is from Ithaca, N.Y.Raoul Mallalieu was also there holding a large cloth banner that read: "Sanders Stein 2016" on the front and "Go Green Bernie!" on the back.-Sanders sparks interest in Stein-"We're hoping that the day after this convention is over … he decides to go for the Green Party, or at least all of his supporters do," said Mallalieu, who lives in nearby New Jersey.Sanders has made it clear he is sticking by Clinton and he's encouraged his supporters to vote for her too, to ensure that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is defeated in November. But not all of them are taking his advice.Mallalieu said he will vote for Stein in November and he credits Sanders "100 per cent" for sparking his interest in her party.Vanessa Meraki, another rally attendee, was already active in the Green Party before Sanders came along, but she said Stein is benefiting from the energy Sanders generated with his campaign. He mobilized millions of Americans, many of them younger voters, who enthusiastically answered his call for a political revolution and are who are passionate about keeping the momentum going."That energy is looking to go somewhere. So I say, thank goodness for Jill Stein because if not for Jill Stein, who knows what would have happened to that energy for change," said Meraki, who crossed the country from Seattle to Philadelphia to be part of the rallies this week.She noted how closely aligned Sanders and Stein are on policy issues and some Sanders supporters say that's why they can so easily shift their support to her.-Vote split on the left-Stein proposes cutting spending on the military by at least 50 per cent and closing foreign military bases, which would ensure free college for everyone she says, and she would also cancel all student debt if elected president. She wants single-payer public health insurance, a $15 an hour minimum wage, and environmental protection policies, including a ban on fracking, as part of what she calls a "Green New Deal."Mike Hughes, a Floridian who worked on Sanders's campaign, said he's disappointed the Vermont senator is supporting Clinton and not Stein."Bernie's movement has brought a lot of things to light that she also supports and so it's so easy for us to segue to her campaign," Hughes said while milling about in the crowd of protesters in the sweltering heat.Is he worried that Sanders supporters moving to Stein will split the vote on the left and benefit Trump? "No. We have to vote our conscience," he said.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
France's religious leaders call for more security-By EUOBSERVER
27. Jul, 17:12-President Hollande met with France's Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist leaders Wednesday after two Islamist militants killed a Catholic priest in a church. Muslim leader Dalil Boubakeur said that "we deeply desire that our places of worship are the subject of greater [security] focus". The archbishop of Paris pledged not "to be dragged into" the was of the jihadist group Islamic State, which aims to set religions against each other.
Russia adds troops in Crimea-By EUOBSERVER-JULY 28,16
Today, 09:13-Russia has deployed a "self-sufficient" contingent of troops in Crimea, Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu has said on Wednesday. He also said Russia had strengthened its south-western flank in response to the Nato build-up along the Russia border. The US state department said Russian troop positions in Crimea counter efforts to ease tension in eastern Ukraine.
Russia says United States stance on Syria allows terrorists to regroup: RIA-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States has still not differentiated between terrorists and the co-called moderate opposition in Syria, which allows militants to prepare new offensives, RIA news agency cited a Russian deputy foreign minister as saying on Thursday."There is an element here of a political ruse at least," Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying.(Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Writing by Maria Tsvetkova)
Russia, Syria blockade Aleppo, offer corridors out-[Associated Press]-SARAH EL DEEB and PHILIP ISSA-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIRUT (AP) — After months of fighting to encircle its opponents in Aleppo, Syrian authorities backed by Russia on Thursday offered safe corridors out for residents and rebels in the northern city's besieged quarters, underlining the government's determination to seal off the metropolis and force an eventual surrender by the opposition.Many residents dismissed the offer, saying it presents them with an impossible choice between a slow death if they stay behind and possible detention if they attempt to leave.The encirclement of rebel-held eastern Aleppo sets the stage for a drawn-out siege with potentially huge implications for the future of the armed opposition to President Bashar Assad. The military continued to consolidate its grip Thursday, seizing a district on the northern edge of the city."If Assad shows that he is winning Aleppo, and he's now also advancing on the rebels in Damascus, it could trigger a more dramatic shift by finally convincing opposition groups that they have lost the war," said Aron Lund, nonresident associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.The announcement on humanitarian corridors was made by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and was followed by a general amnesty offer by Syria's President Bashar Assad for rebels who give up their weapons and surrender to authorities over the next three months.Rebels and residents of Aleppo said they were deeply skeptical of the offer, and there was no sign of people massing to leave the besieged parts of the city."I will not leave. I will be the last man in the city," said Mohammed Zein Khandakani, a 28-year-old resident of the Maadi neighborhood of Aleppo who volunteers with the city's medical council.But Khandakani, formerly a lawyer who was detained for a month in the early days of the protests against the Syrian government, said he was worried about his family.A father of two — the youngest a girl of 9 months — he said despite the risk of maltreatment and even arrest, he is urging his mother, wife and sister to use the safe passages to leave the city. He said he hopes the Russian role and intense international attention to the humanitarian corridors proposition means the government would abstain from flagrant violations.Fliers dropped over eastern Aleppo showed supposed corridors leading to government areas, but the media office for the opposition's civil defense search and rescue group in east Aleppo said no safe corridors have been opened.Ibrahim Haj, director of the media office in Aleppo, said families would probably send their women and children through the corridors if they were deemed secure enough but not men."Most of the men — everyone here — is wanted by the regime," said Haj. "So, what amnesty?"He and other activists reported continued fighting and said there were 25 air raids on eastern Aleppo Thursday.For days now, Syrian government forces and allied troops have encircled the main rebel enclave in Aleppo, urging fighters there to surrender. The encirclement set the stage for a prolonged siege that the government hopes will eventually starve out and force the rebels to surrender, a tactic Assad's forces have used elsewhere, including in the central city of Homs. Homs, with a total population of 200,000, returned almost fully to government control in December following a three-year siege.The U.N. says Aleppo is now possibly the largest besieged area in Syria, with an estimated 300,000 residents inside. Humanitarian groups have warned of a major catastrophe if the siege continues.Rights groups said opening safe passages to civilians trapped in eastern Aleppo city won't avert a catastrophe and does not give Syrian and Russian forces carte blanche to further blockade the opposition-controlled territory."The fact that you provide this option doesn't mean that the people who stay behind are legitimate military targets," said Nadim Houry, the deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, in comments to The Associated Press.Khandakani said life has progressively gotten harder under the 10-day old siege with bread and water shortages and electricity finally going out Wednesday."The next 48 hours are fateful for the whole revolution," he said via Whatsapp.Youssef Rahal, a lawyer from Aleppo who left the city 10 days ago but remains in touch with people inside, said there is no way to bring in vegetables or diesel, which rebel-held areas used to buy from the market and transport through the now blockaded Castello road.This has impacted bread production. "It means some people are getting only a quarter loaf of bread a day," he said.The U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said he wants to see how the United Nations could coordinate with Russia on its plan to help civilians and opposition fighters who lay down their weapons outside Aleppo."In Aleppo, the situation is extremely serious, no doubt," de Mistura said.Shoigu said in televised comments that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a "large-scale humanitarian operation" that will be launched outside Aleppo to help civilians as well as allow fighters who wanted to lay down the arms to surrender.He said three corridors will be open for civilians and fighters who lay down their arms and a fourth corridor will provide fighters a "safe exit with weapons."Bahaa Halabi, an opposition media activist inside Aleppo, said there are no corridors out of east Aleppo and even if there were, he would not take them."Definitely not. We will not surrender ourselves to the criminals. They are killing us every day. Slaughtering us, starving us, and besieging civilians," he said, speaking from the city via Skype.Assad has issued amnesty offers several times during Syria's civil war, now in its sixth year. The latest offer, like those before it, is largely seen by opposition fighters as a publicity stunt and psychological warfare against the rebels. More than a quarter of a million people have died and millions have been displaced since March 2011, when Syria's conflict erupted.Lund said if Assad cements his hold on Aleppo through a siege or even by retaking it in part or in full, "that could be the moment when certain foreign backers of the rebellion decide to call it a day.""It is not realistic to expect countries like Turkey or Saudi Arabia — never mind the United States — to first let the rebels lose Aleppo and then rally the force needed for them to take it back.""When it's gone, it's gone," he said.Khandakani said the offensive and siege is depriving him of his "brief feelings of independence and freedom" living in the part of the city under rebel control since 2012."I am still waiting for a miracle. Something extraordinary, like the rebels for instance managing to open a corridor for us toward the liberated rural areas," he said.___Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Zeina Karam in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.
Nusra Front renames itself Jabhat Fatah al-Sham-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Nusra Front has renamed itself Jabhat Fatah al Sham so that the international community, the United States and Russia can no longer use the pretext of its affiliation with al Qaeda to attack Syrians, the group's leader, Abu Mohamad al-Golani said.Listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Nusra Front was excluded from Syria's February cessation of hostilities truce. Russia and the United States are also discussing closer coordination to target the group.(Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Suleiman al Khalidi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Global Affairs confirms another Canadian arrested in Turkey-[The Canadian Press]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Global Affairs Canada says a second Canadian citizen has been detained in Turkey.Spokesman Francois Lasalle says Canadian consular officials are in contact with Turkish authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family.Global Affairs would not release the name of the Canadian, citing privacy concerns.However, the Anatolian Heritage Federation in Ottawa says in a release that the person arrested and detained at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul is Ilhan Erdem on what it calls "trumped up" allegations.It cites Turkish media as reporting Erdem is accused of leading the Hizmet movement in Canada.The Hizmet movement, also known as the Gulen movement, is described as a global network based on the teachings of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a critic and former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The federation says, however, that Erdem's beliefs are "simply aligned with those of Hizmet" and was arrested only because Erdogan "continues to target all detractors ... including peaceful Hizmet participants."Nurcan Topcuolgu, a family friend and a member of the federation, says no one has been able to contact Erdem or his wife since they tried to board a flight to Canada on Monday. She says Erdem, his wife and two children were planning a family vacation in Ottawa.Topcuolgu says Erdem was working as an imam when he lived in Ottawa, but has been working as an education consultant in Turkey for the last three years.There was still no concrete word, meanwhile, on why a Calgary man being detained in Turkey has been arrested, amid media reports that he's accused of being a coup plotter.Davud Hanci, an imam who provides spiritual counselling to prisoners, is apparently being held on accusations he was involved in the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.Pictures that had circulated in Turkish media show a man purported to be Hanci with Gulen.Hanci was allowed to see his wife on Monday, but the visit was too brief to glean much information.Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press
Merkel: Attacks won't change refugee policy By Eric Maurice-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:38-German chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday (28 July) rejected calls to change her refugee policies after a recent series of attacks committed by asylum seekers in Germany.The attackers "shame the country that welcomed them" as well as all the refugees who need protection, she said at a press conference in Berlin.She said they wanted to "undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need"."We firmly reject this,” she said, adding that Germany would "stick to [its] principles".Merkel interrupted her holidays to call the press conference in the wake of several attacks that left 10 people dead and more than 40 injured since 18 July.After a young Afghan man attacked passengers on a train with an axe, a Syrian man killed a woman with a machette and another Syrian man blew himself up in front of a restaurant. In Munich, a German-Iranian born in Germany shot nine people in a fast-food restaurant.These attacks, as well as the recent ones in France and Turkey, have broken a "taboo of civilisation", because they "happened in places where any of us could have been," Merkel said.But she refused to link them to her refugee policies-"It doesn't matter whether [the attackers] arrived before or after 4 September," she added, referring to the day last year when she opened Germany's border to refugees.She said that the attacks, among which two have been claimed by the Islamic State group (IS), were aimed at sowing hatred and fear between cultures and religions."We stand decisively against that," she said.She said her government would do all that is "humanly possible to guarantee freedom and security", but added that is was "not the day" to present new measures against terrorism.She noted that attackers were not known by police and that an "early alarm system" would need to be established.Using once again the expression "wir schaffen das" (meaning "we can do it"), which she has used repeatedly since last year, Merkel assured that Germany would not change course."I am convinced today as I was before that we can do it," she said, adding that Germany had an "historical mission, an historical challenge in a time of globalisation".-Disappointed by Europe's response-Sticking to her positions, she added that Europe's contribution to solving the refugee crisis was "not yet sufficient".She in particular noted that the system to share asylum seekers between member states was "not working well"."I am disappointed by the unwillingness of some in Europe to accept refugees," she said.Merkel also warned Turkey, a crucial ally in the management of the refugee crisis, against a large-scale crackdown after a failed coup earlier this month.Mass arrests in the judiciary, army, university and media were a "worrying development", she said, adding that "the principle of proportionality may not always be at the center" of actions by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan."It is very important to me that the principle of proportionality must be guaranteed in all circumstances," she said.
Turkey's Erdogan wants army, spy agency brought under presidency control: Turkish official-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wants the armed forces and the national intelligence agency (MIT) to be brought under the control of the presidency, a Turkish official said on Thursday.That change would require a constitutional change and the opposition needs to agree, Erdogan was cited as saying by television news channels.The comments came after a meeting of Turkey's Supreme Military Council (YAS) that was expected to agree a sweeping overhaul of the armed forces following a failed military coup on July 15-16. Turkish authorities were expected to announce details of the changes later on Thursday.(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Gareth Jones)
EU quiet as Erdogan jails dozens of journalists-By Andrew Rettman-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:28-Turkish authorities have extended their crackdown on media and, in one case, indicted a financial analyst for writing a critical report on the post-coup investment climate.The government said on Wednesday (28 July) that it would shut down three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, 45 newspapers and 15 magazines.It also issued arrest warrants for 47 journalists and media executives, most of whom used to work for the government-critical Zaman newspaper, which had been seized by authorities in March prior to the failed coup earlier this month, or for the Feza Media Group that owned Zaman.State media reported that 12 of the people on the new list had been placed under arrest already.A government official, who asked not to be named, told the AFP news agency that “prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation”, referring to Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic teacher who lives in the US and whom Turkey has accused of masterminding the failed overthrow of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Prosecutors had already issued warrants for the arrest of 42 journalists, 16 of whom were reportedly in custody by Wednesday.A contact at one Brussels-based pro-Gulen NGO, who asked not to be named, told EUobserver that one suspect, a solicitor who also ran a local newspaper and a civil rights NGO in the Hatay province, had fled the country.He said the police reacted by shutting down the newspaper, the NGO and his law firm and by arresting his 86-year-old mother-in-law.“Relatives of the detainees are getting worried for their safety as they are not allowed to see them,” the Brussels-based contact said.In another case, authorities revoked the licence of Mert Ulker, the head of research at Ak Investment, a leading brokerage firm in Turkey, on grounds that he had failed to “fulfil his responsibilities”. They also charged him with insulting the president and the state.He had written a report analysing how the events might affect the business climate.The developments have been condemned by international NGOs, including the London-based Amnesty International and the Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists.Financial analysts also told the Bloomberg newswire that Ulker’s fate meant any financial analysis coming out of Turkey would be tainted by fears of self-censorship.The media purge is part of a much wider crackdown that has seen 10,000 people detained and more than 45,000 lose their jobs.According to Amnesty International police have been holding some detainees in stress positions for periods of up to 48 hours to extract confessions.“Detainees have been denied food, water and medical treatment, and verbally abused and threatened. Some have been subjected to severe beatings and torture, including rape”, the NGO said.-Muted criticism-EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini spoke by phone on Wednesday to Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.The EU statement was softer in its criticism of Erdogan’s security measures than previous EU comments, saying only that she had underlined “the expectations of the EU as to the compliance by Turkish authorities to the highest standards of the rule of law and fundamental rights and freedoms”.The US has also taken a soft line on Turkey, which it considers a strategic ally in terms of projecting influence in the Middle East.Reacting to the media crackdown on Wednesday, sate department spokesman John Kirby said: “We obviously support bringing the perpetrators of the coup to justice and we also continue to stress the importance of upholding democratic principles and the rule of law through the process”.He added that the US understood “the need for them to be able to get their arms around this failed coup and to hold the perpetrators to account”.
France had been hunting second church attacker after tipoff-[Reuters]-By Chine Labbé and Michel Rose-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
PARIS/SAINT-ETIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY, France (Reuters) - Police had been hunting the second teenager who killed a priest in a church in France this week after a foreign intelligence tipoff that a suspected jihadist might be preparing an attack, police and judicial sources said.The revelation is likely to further fuel criticism by opposition politicians that President Francois Hollande's Socialist government did not do enough to stop the pair given that they were both already known to intelligence services.They stormed a church service, forced a 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest to his knees at the altar and slit his throat. They were later shot and killed by police.Police had already identified 19-year-old Adel Kermiche as one of the attackers. He had made failed bids to reach Syria to wage jihad, wore an electronic bracelet and was awaiting trial for alleged membership of a terrorist organisation having been released on bail.They have now identified the second man as Abdel-Malik Nabil Petitjean, also 19, from a town in eastern France on the border with Germany, a judicial source told Reuters on Thursday.A source close to the investigation said Petitjean was not known to French security services until a tipoff from Turkish authorities who spotted him in Turkey on June 10 and were suspicious of his behaviour.They notified the French authorities in late June, the source said, and anti-terrorism officials opened up a special file, suspecting he had become radicalised. The government has said there are about 10,500 people with such so-called 'S files' related to potential jihadi activities in France.But in the time it took security agencies in Turkey, a well-trodden entry point into Syria for foreign militants, to notify France, Petitjean had returned."We know that he turned around and returned on June 11," said the source. "The Turks hadn't yet flagged his name, so he came back normally, there was no file at this point, he wasn't known to us."A second tipoff from an unidentified foreign intelligence source led to the French authorities circulating a photo to its security agencies on July 22 of a man believed to be planning an attack. They had no name to go on, but the police sources said there was now little doubt that the photo was of Petitjean.The person in the photo also appears to be one of a pair seen in a video posted on Wednesday by Islamic State's news agency, the police sources said. The video claimed the two men were the church attackers and showed them pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State's leader.Petitjean's mother Yamina told BFM TV that her son had never spoken about Islamic State. Three people close to Petitjean have been detained in police custody, a judicial source said. A 16-year-old, held since Tuesday in connection with the attack, is also still in custody.Two opposition lawmakers on Thursday submitted a draft bill to parliament that would prohibit the media from publishing the identities and photographs of militant attackers to prevent their names being glorified in death.-HOLLANDE UNDER PRESSURE-Tuesday's attack came less than two weeks after another suspected Islamist drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd, killing 84 people.Opposition politicians have responded to the attacks with strong criticism of the government's security record, unlike last year, when they made a show of unity after gunmen and bombers killed 130 people at Paris entertainment venues in November and attacked a satirical newspaper in January.Hollande's predecessor and potential opponent in a presidential election next year, Nicolas Sarkozy, has said the government must take stronger steps to track known Islamist sympathisers.He has called for the detention or electronic tagging of all suspected Islamist militants, even if they have committed no offence.Kermiche's tag did not send an alarm because the attack took place during the four hour period when he was allowed out.Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve rejected Sarkozy's proposal, saying that to jail them would be unconstitutional, and also counterproductive as many people did not know they were being watched.Since the two most recent attacks the government has said that summer festivals that do not meet tight security standards are to be cancelled.On Thursday, local authorities banned a procession in the city of Nice that was to have commemorated those who died there on July 14.Since that Bastille Day killing, there has been a spate of attacks in Germany too, creating greater and wider alarm around Western Europe.In Marseille, three men were put under investigation on Thursday after shouting 'Alluha Akbar' (God is great in Arabic) as they drove a boat repeatedly at the coast.In Corsica, a dissident branch of the nationalist FLNC threatened reprisals against Islamic State and called on Muslims living on the Mediterranean island to demonstrate at their sides against radical Islam.(Reporting by Chine Labbe; writing by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Richard Lough and Anna Willard)
Fervent jihadist or suicidal refugee - the many faces of Bavarian bomber-[By Erik Kirschbaum, Joseph Nasr and Joern Poltz]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
ANSBACH, Germany (Reuters) - Mohammad Daleel made a mess of his escape from Syria to Europe three years ago - he was detained and fingerprinted in Bulgaria before a mysterious benefactor gave him a free plane ticket to help him get to Germany.The 27-year-old also bungled a suicide bomb attack in the Bavarian town of Ansbach on Sunday, days before he was to be deported back to Bulgaria. He first failed to get past ticket collectors into an open-air concert packed with 2,500 music lovers and then set off the detonator but not the bomb itself.Daleel killed himself in the attack carried out in the name of Islamic State and injured 15 people in a crowded wine bar next to the entrance of the concert, but his heavy black backpack packed with explosives and shrapnel failed to go off.The partial explosion destroyed the table and chair he was sitting at, and caused lacerations to several patrons nearby. But most of the glasses on nearby tables remained upright and hardly any of the courtyard's windows were damaged."It wasn't a bomb that went off, it was only the trigger," said Ralph Millsaps, a retired U.S. army officer who was drinking wine at a table just six meters away from Daleel at Eugen's Weinstube bar, and was left with deep cuts on his side from wooden splinters."We're extremely fortunate that the main charge didn't go off," Millsaps told Reuters in his soft North Carolina twang. "There were 25 people in the courtyard of the wine bar and another 30 outside on the alley in front. We wouldn't be here anymore if the bomb had gone off."The attack has prompted further criticism and concern about Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door refugee policy, which has seen more than a million migrants enter Germany in the past year, many fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.Her political opponents say the policy has allowed Islamist militancy to take hold in the country, while there is growing fear among the general public.The picture of Daleel that emerged from a dozen interviews in Ansbach, a pleasant cobblestone-street town of 41,000, is one of stark contrasts.Much is unclear, including whether the Syrian came to Europe with the intention of carrying out an attack, or was "radicalised" while in the West; and whether his actions were driven by ideology, mental illness or a combination of both.At the three-storey refugee shelter where he lived, on a hill overlooking the town, many of those who knew him described a quiet but friendly young man, a loner with long black hair who kept mostly to himself. They said he spoke English fairly well, and was eager to find a job and start a new life in Germany.But another character has also surfaced: a shrewd figure who managed to foil previous attempts by German authorities to deport him back to Bulgaria – his first documented point of entry into the European Union – by exploiting legal loopholes.What drove Daleel to try to commit mass murder is also unclear.Investigators found a video on Daleel's phone in which he pledged allegiance to Islamic State and are examining whether he might have been sent to Germany as part of a "sleeper cell".Yet those who knew him at the shelter said he was not particularly religious, a sentiment echoed by his psychotherapist Gisela von Maltitz, who is based in the town of Lindau, a two-hour train journey from Ansbach. She said Daleel was mentally scarred and left suicidal by the death of his wife and son in Syria and by being tortured.-'RAMBO'-"We called him 'Rambo' because of his long hair and muscles," said Mahmood Mubaritz, who lived in the same refugee shelter, adding that he bore a resemblance to American actor Sylvester Stallone."He had very strong arms and liked to wear tight, sleeveless shirts. He wanted to show us he was a strongman."Mubaritz, who came to Germany four years ago from Pakistan, said he could not fathom how the quiet man he knew could have carried out such an attack. He lived with Daleel and 26 others over the past year in a former budget hotel that was converted into the shelter to house an influx of migrants.The shelter's name is actually "Hotel Christl" but the "l" was broken off and the giant sign atop the rundown building now reads: "Hotel Christ."A spate of attacks in Germany since July 18 has left 15 people dead and dozens injured. Last week a 17-year-old refugee from either Pakistan or Afghanistan who had links to Islamist militancy attacked and stabbed four tourists from Hong Kong on a train near the Bavarian town of Wurzburg, about 80 km from Ansbach.Investigators of the Ansbach bombing are trying to find out when Daleel might have been recruited by Islamic State, and who may have supported him in Germany and ordered him to carry out the attack.Authorities searching his room at the Hotel Christl found diesel fuel, hydrochloric acid, alcohol, batteries, paint thinner and pebbles – the same materials used in the bomb – along with computer images and film clips linked to the jihadist group, and a substantial amount of cash far in excess of what refugees receive from the German government.Investigators said he had an "intensive" phone message exchange with someone who was in the Middle East shortly before the blast. "The exchange appears to have ended immediately just before the attack," said Bavaria's state interior minister Joachim Herrmann.Authorities are also looking into Daleel's account of his journey to Germany, documented during sessions by psychotherapist Von Maltitz, managing director of the Exilio refugee support group which offers mental health services to migrants.Daleel told von Maltitz that a benefactor paid for his passage from Bulgaria to Austria, from where he travelled over the border to Germany. "Fortunately I found a Syrian man who bought an airplane ticket for me to Austria," he said.Investigators will likely seek to shed light on who the benefactor was, as well as other unknowns, including why Daleel was detained in Bulgaria and subsequently released.-'SUICIDAL'-Despite Daleel's professed allegiance to Islamic State, von Maltitz said she had seen no indication of any link to radical Islamist ideology, or religion at all.-"A connection to Islam doesn't match the picture I had of him at all," said the therapist, who added she had 40 sessions with Daleel between May 2015 and January this year. "He never made any kind of comment in that direction at all, about Islam or any other religion.""He had been badly tortured in Syria," she said. "His wife and small child had been killed in Syria when a building collapsed on them after an explosion. In Bulgaria he was in prison and maltreated," she added. "We're certain that the information he supplied was truthful."Von Maltitz, who said Daleel's death had freed her from patient confidentiality obligations, had scheduled further appointments with him for this week but he had postponed them until Aug. 1.The therapist said she repeatedly intervened with authorities not to deport him. "He was suicidal," she said, adding that the prospect of deportation to Bulgaria "scared him horribly".Mubaritz at the refugee shelter also said Daleel had shown no overt signs of religious faith. "I never saw him praying," he said. "He was definitely not a fanatical Muslim."He said he had talked with the Syrian about how to find a job in Germany and encouraged him to apply at the McDonalds restaurant in town where he worked as a cook and cashier.They talked sometimes in the communal kitchen or on the terrace in front of the shelter, where Daleel also helped repair the bicycles of other refugees."He was always smiling and always seemed to be happy even though he was alone most of the time and tended to stay in his room," said Mubaritz. "I think he was eager to find a job in Germany and stay here."-'HUMAN BEING'-A 21-year-old Ethiopian refugee who gave his name as Jamal Hassan said the Daleel he remembered at the shelter was more of a brooding character."He seemed serious and kept to himself," said Hassan, who came to Germany six months ago after crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. "I never saw him smiling."A German teenager living across from the shelter said Daleel was known in the neighbourhood as a friendly man who liked to watch the world go by from his top-floor flat."I thought he was a nice guy," said Nick Geier, 14. "He used to smile and say hello. He certainly didn't look like someone who would do something like this. I'm really afraid now."Geier's father Alexander, 41, added: "We were stunned when we heard what he had done."Daleel had hired a lawyer to help him successfully defeat two attempts by German authorities to send him to back to Bulgaria, citing his mental instability, according to his therapist.But his bid to stay eventually failed this month, and his deportation notice was issued on July 13.Eleven days later, he carried out his attack.He died from internal injuries suffered from the blast even though an off-duty German nurse rushed to try to save him and three days later was still going through a jumble of emotions about the attack."Almost everyone at the wine bar had run inside but I saw one man lying on the ground," the woman, who asked to be called Sabine, said in an interview. "I didn't know he was the attacker. I just thought he was someone who had been overlooked in all the chaos. There wasn't any pulse in his wrist but I felt a pulse in his neck."She said she tried to keep him alive until rescue crews arrived moments later even though it was all for naught."Anyone else would have helped him too," she said. "I really can't understand those who said 'he's a terrorist, let him die'. In my eyes he was a human being."(Editing by Pravin Char)
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Man struck by lightning as storm rips through Edmonton-[CBC]-July 27, 2016-YAHOONEWS
A man was struck by lightning Wednesday as a sudden and violent thunderstorm raged through Edmonton. Alberta Health Services confirmed the man was struck in south Edmonton at about 2:30 p.m. and was taken to hospital in stable condition. Early in the afternoon, Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Edmonton and the surrounding communities of Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Morinvillle, Big Lake and Villeneuve.Those warnings have since been lifted.'We were like bumper boats'-At its height, the storm dumped heavy rain in the Edmonton area and caused flash floods.Flooding was so severe in certain areas that some commuters had to be rescued from their vehicles by boats.Shawna Serniak was driving with her son, Trylan, when her vehicle became swamped and stalled at the 106th Street bridge on the Whitemud."Two manholes had popped out on either side of the bridge and water was just waterfalling into that area," said Serniak. She said seven vehicles were in total were stuck under the 106th Street bridge. "Semi (trucks) were going by us and we were literally like bumper boats hitting each other's vehicles," she said."I quickly called 911 because I knew we weren't going anywhere and the water was coming in. And I was worried that it was going to get worse and we might have to be rescued out of the vehicles."Serniak was right. The 911 operators told her to stay put and wait for a rescue. She said they warned her the water gushing from the manholes could cause a strong undercurrent and drag someone under. Serniak and her son were safest if they stayed put in the vehicle.Within 20 minutes, several fire and emergency response teams were bobbing towards them in yellow rescue boats."By the time they got to us, water was to our knees, everything in the vehicle was soaked, we were soaked, speakers were crackling, there was oil coming out of my vehicle, all in the matter of a few short vehicles," said Serniak.The rescuers got her and her son out of their vehicle, and the pair soon headed home for a warm shower and dry clothes. The vehicle will be stuck until a tow truck can reach it. The line of thunderstorms appeared to stretch from Villeneuve, 30 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, to Viking, about 130 kilometres southeast of the capital.'We do whatever we have to do'-The storm caused several power outages across the city. Epcor spokesman Tim le Riche said it seems like a storm rolls through the area every day this summer "around quitting time.""At the height of the storm today we had seven circuits that were affected," said le Riche. "Most of the service has been restored."We've worked our way through another thunderstorm in Edmonton today."The outages were all across the city, said le Riche. He said Epcor plans for outages whenever there is a storm."Whenever we get high wind, lightning, heavy rain, that's going to cause power outages," said le Riche. "It always does.""We always have crews ready to go on standby. When something happens, those guys go right away. And if we need more we call more guys in."We do whatever we have to do."
Drought-hit Honduras needs new approach to tackle extreme weather: U.N. envoy-[Reuters]-By Anastasia Moloney-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Honduras must develop a long term approach to combat the impact of drought exacerbated by climate change and put the poorest and most vulnerable at the center of government initiatives and funding, a U.N. special envoy said.Two consecutive years of severe drought linked to El Nino - a warming of the Pacific Ocean's surface that causes hot and drier conditions - have decimated crops and battered subsistence farmers in the "dry corridor" running through Honduras.One in four in the country of 8 million people are affected by drought and are struggling to feed themselves, according to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP)."The impacts are aggravated and exacerbated by climate change," said Mary Robinson, U.N. special envoy for El Nino and climate change, by telephone from Honduras at the start of a visit to the Central American nation.Honduras is highly vulnerable to extreme weather linked to climate change like hurricanes, floods and drought, while unequal access to land, deforestation and soil degradation has exacerbated the impact of El Nino on rural areas, experts say.The prolonged drought in Honduras has slashed bean and maize harvests by up to 90 percent in some areas, triggering higher food prices.This has worsened hunger among poor farming families who have resorted to cutting meals, and caused many Hondurans to leave home in search of better prospects in the United States."We need to make it clear that people are bereft of their own resources and we are seeing malnutrition and acute malnutrition among children," Robinson, a former Irish president, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation."It's absolutely necessary to understand that this is the new normal."-RESILIENCE-Around a quarter of all young children in Honduras aged between six months to two-and-a-half years suffer from chronic malnutrition, WFP figures show.Robinson said the government should not do more to strengthen the ability of subsistence farmers to withstand the longer dry spells, more frequent floods and hotter temperatures linked to climate change.She said this involves "putting people at the center" of government policy to help those in poor rural communities, particularly children, hard-hit by the drought.Women-led initiatives to boost agriculture that focus on managing water better, planting trees and diversifying crops is one way to boost resilience, she said."There is a need for a genuinely integrated approach that is objective and fair," Robinson said.Trust needs to be forged between communities and the government, Robinson said, noting that little support was given to small-scale farmers, while large amounts of government funds were spent on building dams and large-scale palm oil projects.The United Nations says a U.N. appeal for $44 million to provide food aid and water to 250,000 Hondurans in drought-stricken areas is a quarter-funded so far.Drought has also hit hard other parts of Central America, and in Haiti.The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that around 3.5 million people are struggling to feed themselves in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and of that number, 2.8 million are relying on food aid to survive.(Reporting by Anastasia Moloney, Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org.
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
China says to hold drills with Russia in South China Sea-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Russia will hold "routine" naval exercises in the South China Sea in September, China's Defence Ministry said on Thursday, adding that the drills were aimed at strengthening their cooperation and were not aimed at any other country.The exercises come at a time of heightened tension in the contested waters after an arbitration court in the Hague ruled this month that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea and criticized its environmental destruction there.China rejected the ruling and refused to participate in the case."This is a routine exercise between the two armed forces, aimed at strengthening the developing China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership," China's defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular monthly news conference."The exercise is not directed against third parties."China and Russia are veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council, and have held similar views on many major issues such as the crisis in Syria, putting them at odds with the United States and Western Europe.Last year, they held joint military drills in the Sea of Japan and the Mediterranean.China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.China has repeatedly blamed the United States for stoking tension in the region through its military patrols, and of taking sides in the dispute.The United States has sought to assert its right to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea with its patrols and denies taking sides in the territorial disputes.Russia has been a strong backer of China's stance on the arbitration case, that was brought by the Philippines.Yang said China and Russia were comprehensive strategic partners and had already held many exercises this year."These drills deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation, raise the ability to jointly deal with security threats, and benefit the maintenance of regional and global peace and stability," he said.(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by John Ruwitch and Brenda Goh; Editing by Robert Birsel)
I LIKE A NEW VIDEO THATS OUT THAT SHOWS HITLARY ROTTEN LIAR CLINTON LAUGHING AT ONE OF HER STAGE SHOWS.AND RIGHT AFTER THAT THEY HAVE A HYINA LAUGHING. AND THEY BOTH SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME.CLINTON THE LIBERAL-DEMOCRATIC-PROGRESSIVE HYINA LIAR CLINTON.AND HYINAS ARE DANGEROUS.SO THIS SAYS TRUTH.HOW DANGEROUS CLINTON WILL BE AS PRESIDENT OF AMERICA.AS WELL AS HER LAUGHING LIKE AN LUNATIC ANIMAL.OR DID I PUT DOWN THE HYINA.SORRY ANIMAL RIGHTS NUTJOBS.I GOT POLITICALLY CORRECT FOR A SECOND.
Alberta defends carbon tax as report calls it aggressive-[CBC]-July 27, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Jason Kenney says Alberta's carbon tax regime is nothing to celebrate as a report comparing Canadian jurisdictions calls Alberta's plan the most aggressive system in the next four years."News that Albertans will be paying the highest carbon taxes in the country is hardly something to celebrate," Kenney said in a statement Wednesday."Soon, the NDP will be taking billions of dollars out of hardworking Albertan's pockets, forcing them to pay more on everything from heating their homes, to fueling their cars, to even the cost of buying groceries."Kenney hopes to lead the struggling provincial Progressive Conservatives to power by uniting right wing factions ahead of the next election in 2019.A report released this week by Canada's Ecofiscal Commission concludes Alberta's plan will be even more aggressive than B.C.'s plan by the year 2020.B.C. was the first province to impose a carbon tax back in 2008, but because 30 per cent of the provincial economy isn't exposed to B.C.'s current $30-per-tonne tax, the effective tax rate is more like $21 per tonne, says the study.Alberta's new, broader carbon tax will eclipse it by 2020, coming in at $23.40 per tonne.The minister responsible for Alberta's Climate Change Office, however, says push back by some is routed in old ideas."Mr. Kenney belongs to, now a caucus, previously a government, that denied the science of climate change and refused to do anything about the issue and therefore frustrated Alberta's efforts to get our product to tidewater … frustrated Alberta's efforts to develop our oil sands responsibly," Shannon Phillips told CBC News."That is a view that is stuck in the past."A Calgary economist says not pricing carbon could cost more in the long run depending on which alternative a government choses."So, the question of whether lowering emissions will affect Alberta's economy is: absolutely yes," Trevor Tombe said. He's an assistant professor of economics at the University of Calgary."But the alternative is a regulatory approach to achieve the same emissions reductions [that] would hurt Alberta's economy worse. So, doing nothing is certainly cheaper, but I'm not sure that's what most Albertans would want the government to do."Tombe says the best way to reduce emissions is putting a price on carbon."If the goal is to lower emissions then the most efficient way of doing that is by pricing them and letting the market sort out the details of how to lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, let households and firms decide on what the cheapest way to lower emissions are. The alternative is a regulatory approach where the government itself picks what technologies businesses should adopt or what type of light bulbs households should buy, that sort of thing. And that's quite a bit less efficient than pricing carbon."Kenney disagrees, saying if elected he would get rid of carbon pricing."The job-killing carbon tax will only drive more employers out of our province. We need to unite all Albertans in order to ensure the NDP is not re-elected. Only then will we be able to eliminate the carbon tax," he said.Phillips said it's about taking a leadership position on a critical file."We need to ensure our economy is resilient into the future. You know, burying our heads in the sand is an economic dead end for this province," Phillips said."Alberta has moved forward so that solutions are not imposed upon us."
Fort McMurray fire chief Darby Allen addresses 'coward' accusation-[CBC]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Fort McMurray fire Chief Darby Allen calls recent criticism of his team's handling of the wildfires in May an unwelcome distraction from the rebuilding that needs to be done.Last month, two firefighters working the day the wildfire tore through the northern Alberta city harshly criticized those in charge for not calling for evacuation sooner. One suggested it "was cowardly" for evacuating the emergency headquarters in Fort McMurray — relocating to Anzac and Lac La Biche. CBC agreed not to reveal identitiesof the firefighters to protect their jobs.The firefighters also said the evacuation was called too late.During an in-depth interview for a feature on the back story of those first 24 hours, the diplomatic Allen was uncharacteristically blunt in addressing his detractors."We don't know if these guys have been on [the firefighter roster] five minutes, five years, or fifteen years," he said. "But I'm going to suggest if they'd been on 15 years, they wouldn't have made that comment, because it's not what we do."Allen said the decision to evacuate his leadership team from Firehall 5 at midday on May 4, the day after the mass-evacuation that forced more than 90,000 people from their homes, was the only one that made sense in the circumstances."If I had 30 firefighters in that room, we would never have left this building. But I didn't," he said. "I've got a 20-year-old girl who's a student. I've got 23-year-old and 24-year-old men and women who are absolutely terrified."My job is to keep that team together. And not only keep them together, but to put them in a place where they can all communicate with what's going on so that we can run this thing."Several senior people did stay behind with the firefighters who were still battling the flames in town. That group included Jody Butz, the chief of operations at that time, and Dale Bendfeld — Allen's deputy. Most of the group returned to Fort McMurray the next day.Allen said there is an unspoken rule among firefighters not to mention the "h-word" [hero], but use of the word "coward," is worse."I've been a firefighter since 1983. I've been in fires with men who have ran out the back door because they just couldn't deal with the situation or whatever. And I would've never have gone out and called him a coward," he said."It's a word that you don't use in our culture."He said the comments "hurt him deeply.""This is the time when we should be getting together and supporting each other. To take the time out of your day and go and say something like that, I just don't understand that logic."The Alberta government has expressed regret that the decision to evacuate did not come sooner.A review is underway, looking at what could be done differently next time. That report is expected at the end of 2016.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
Opinion-EU political pressure alone cannot save the rule of law By Israel Butler-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:40-On Wednesday (27 July), the European Commission issued the Polish government with recommendations on how to restore the rule of law. The government now has three months to comply, failing which the commission could activate the Article 7 procedure, which can lead to sanctions such as a loss of voting rights.This is an unprecedented display of support by the EU for its fundamental values. But international pressure alone is not enough to save the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Europe. If the Union wants to preserve progressive ideals forged in the aftermath of World War II, it needs to convince the general public they’re worth holding on to.Attacks on the fundamentals of the democratic state – independent courts, parliamentary scrutiny, a depoliticised civil service and a neutral public broadcaster – are not confined to Poland.Orban has already turned Hungary into the EU’s first "illiberal" democracy, and Croatia and Slovakia show signs of following suit. Other EU governments have attacked particular rights guarantees: Spain’s previous government effectively outlawed spontaneous public protest and severely curtailed access to the courts; the British government has been touting abolition of its Human Rights Act.Two other trends are common to most EU countries: governments engaging in large-scale invasions of privacy through mass surveillance and weakening media freedom and independence.-Rollback of European values-The EU’s institutions have come under pressure to monitor EU countries and punish governments flouting European standards. The commission created, and is now using, its rule of law framework.Some capitals have called for governments to assess each other in the EU’s Council through annual dialogues’ on the rule of law, but these so far have been weak. The European Parliament wants more, but the commission - which has the power to propose new legislation - is likely to refuse parliamentarians’ calls for a new mechanism that assesses all governments regularly.Giving the Union more powers to pressure backsliding governments will help to protect the Union’s values. But it is only part of the answer.Even if there is enough political will to create and use new powers, international pressure by itself is insufficient to make governments reverse their retrogressive reforms.The rollback of European values is being carried out not by dictatorships, but by democratically elected governments that enjoy broad public support. In the face of large-scale approval from their electorates, governments are unlikely to bow to international pressure. This much is clear from the intransigence of the Hungarian and Polish governments, despite widespread condemnation.-Feed efforts of existing movements-Democracy, the rule of law and human rights do not speak for themselves. The fact that these values are designed to protect the general public from abuses of power has not been enough to convince many people that they are worth defending. If the Union wants to safeguard its fundamental values, it must create support for them among Europeans.Pressure from the EU will only be effective if it feeds efforts of an existing national movement.The EU has a well-established practice of promoting its values in countries outside the Union. The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance have been used to support civic education, civil society organisations and media freedom, globally.However, inside the Union funding to promote human rights and the rule of law tends to be focused on narrow goals like training judges, lawyers and civil servants on EU law.The EU should identify successful examples of when and where it has sown grassroots support for its fundamental values outside Europe and replicate these inside Europe.-Public support is needed-If the Union is to reach the general public, then it will need to support civic education – arguably the values taught through the education system are one reason why the German population has been relatively generous towards asylum seekers. The EU should also support media independence, so that Europeans are less easily manipulated by biased reporting. And finally, the EU should support civil society organisations to learn new ways of working.Rights NGOs have traditionally concentrated on litigation and lobbying politicians. But this has left them out of touch with the general public. The Union could fund rights NGOs to develop new tools, so that they can convince the public to protect human rights in the same way that Greenpeace has convinced the public to protect the environment.Legally, this would just require the EU to tweak programmes it already has in place that support the rule of law and human rights the inside the EU. The Union could also make the most of its efforts by coordinating with other governments (like Iceland and Norway) and private donors that already fund this kind of work inside Europe.As the EU institutions wrangle over whether to create and use new powers, the rule of law, democracy and human rights are running out of time. The Union has no reason to delay in deploying funding – a less politically controversial tool – to create public support for European values.Dr. Israel Butler is advocacy consultant to the European Liberties Platform, a network of European human rights watchdog non–governmental organisations (NGOs).
Opinion-EU's Strasbourg parliament should become a university By Gregory Claeys and Dirk Schoenmaker-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:24-During the referendum campaign in the UK, the cost of the European Parliament's "travelling circus" between Brussels and Strasbourg was highlighted by some Brexit supporters as one of the 20 reasons why UK citizens should vote in favour of leaving the EU.Even though many arguments used by the Leave campaign were greatly exaggerated and some were outright lies, the remaining 27 EU countries should take that particular criticism on board and use this occasion to reduce the obvious overspend that is linked to the European Parliament having more than one seat.For years, the European Parliament has had to move 400 km south once a month. Almost 4,000 people temporarily relocate from Brussels to Strasbourg to facilities that are only used four days per month. It is a situation that is hard to justify to European citizens who have been tightening their belts since the beginning of the financial crisis. The travelling circus also provides fuel for euroscepticism across the continent.At the request of a majority of MEPs eager to stop the circus to save their time and taxpayers’ money, the European Court of Auditors in 2014 estimated the additional cost of having two European Parliament seats at almost €114 million per year.It is finally time for Brussels to be the sole seat of the European Parliament.-Positive, useful, future-oriented project-Of course ending this absurd situation will not be easy. Multiple attempts have already been scuppered over the years. Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament according to a protocol attached to the Treaty of the EU and consequently 12 four-day plenary sessions per year must take place there, including the vote on the EU budget.Changing this protocol would require an amendment to the treaties, a process which requires unanimity among member states, and that can therefore be vetoed by the French government.To avoid this, France will have to be compensated somehow. It is essential to put on the table a positive, useful, future-oriented project for the EU but also for France and the city of Strasbourg.Strasbourg was chosen by the founding fathers of the EU because it made sense from a historical and political perspective as a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation.However, France has to understand that nowadays it has absolutely no interest in keeping what is now nothing more than a symbolic seat of an EU institution, and should try to obtain something more valuable on its soil for the 21st century.No-one who works closely with the European Parliament can seriously claim that Strasbourg is the main or even the relevant seat of the Parliament.It is therefore the right time to revive the proposal made 10 years ago by Bronislaw Geremek and Jean-Didier Vincent to create a truly European University in the European Parliament buildings in Strasbourg.-Concrete benefits-This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of the European University Institute (EUI) of Florence. This European postgraduate studies institution that specialises in social sciences was inaugurated on 15 November 1976 after long negotiations between member states.These discussions were far from easy and lasted for almost 20 years, but ultimately gave birth to what is considered by many academics as one of the visible success stories of EU integration.Every year, the EUI awards about 120 PhDs in law, history, political science and economics to carefully selected students from all corners of the EU, demonstrating the valued added of European education and research projects.A solution for Strasbourg could be to establish an undergraduate European University there, modelled on the EUI. It would fill the Parliament premises with students, professors and researchers from all over Europe and would be financed by the EU budget.The money saved by the centralisation of the European Parliament operations in Brussels would be, for instance, sufficient to cover almost entirely the annual budget of a university such as Paris Sorbonne, which has more than 20,000 students and 1,300 professors and researchers.This project would offer concrete benefits for young Europeans and would be in line with one of the key priorities highlighted in the French-Italian-German initiative set up after the Brexit vote to improve the EU quickly by focusing on ambitious youth programmes because, as the declaration rightly states: “Europe will succeed only if it gives hope to its young people.”-'We must now build Europeans'-This new European university should be named after Bronislaw Geremek, a survivor of the European atrocities of the 20th century and a symbol of the reunification of Europe after the fall of the iron curtain.He grew up and survived in the Warsaw ghetto to become a respected historian, a founding member of the Solidarity movement (‘Solidarnosc’), a political dissident under the communist regime, and ultimately a foreign minister of Poland after the fall of the regime and a MEP from 2004 until his death in 2008.He wrote a few months before his tragic death that “after building Europe, we must now build Europeans. Otherwise, we risk losing it".Opening a European University in Strasbourg named after him and showing that the EU is able to listen to the legitimate criticism of its citizens and take action to make a better use of its resources would be a tremendous first step in that direction-Gregory Claeys is a researcher at Bruegel, Dirk Schoenmaker is a Senior Fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank
UK will not guarantee EU citizens' rights, May insists By Eszter Zalan-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:09-British prime minister Theresa May has reiterated that the UK will guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK only if British citizens are afforded the same rights in other EU countries.“I intend to be able to guarantee their rights. The only circumstances in which that would not be possible would be if the rights of British citizens living in other EU member states were not guaranteed," May said on Wednesday (27 July) at a press conference with her Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi in Rome.The protection of EU citizens residing in the UK is important for Italy, as 600,000 Italians live in Britain, according to figures by the Guardian newspaper.May visited Berlin and Paris last week, as she prepares the UK's exit negotiations from the EU.Both German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande told May last week that the UK could only gain continued access to the single market if it agreed to freedom of movement from the EU, one of the core pillars of the bloc.May is not expected to launch the official talks before the end of the year.Renzi urged May to give a "clear timeline" on the UK's exit from the bloc, as uncertainty hurts other EU members."It's important to have a vision and precise timeline for the process," Renzi said.The Italian prime minister has been facing a challenge by the anti-euro Five Star Movement, putting his accommodating style towards Britain under strain.Renzi suggested Britain should face the consequences of its decision, otherwise it would represent a credibility problem for others.-Boris in Paris-The new British foreign minister and former Leave campaigner Boris Johnson is to travel to Paris to meet his French counterpart on Thursday, who denounced him as a liar recently.After the Brexit vote Jean-Marc Ayrault said: “During the campaign, you know he told a lot of lies to the British people and now it is him who has his back against the wall. He is up against it to defend his country and also so that the relationship with Europe is clear.”On the day of his appointment, Johnson was booed by some members of the crowd at the French ambassador’s residence at the Bastille Day celebrations.Although Johnson is not in charge of Brexit talks, his visit to Paris comes at an especially important time. Paris has become an even more important interlocutor as the EU Commission appointed former French commissioner Michel Barnier as its lead EU negotiator.Barnier is expected in London as a tough negotiator, especially when it comes to allowing UK-based banks to operate in the eurozone and maintain full access to the single market.Barnier was in charge of the internal market during his spell as commissioner.Meanwhile, a senior Deutsche Bank manager has already suggested his bank has a "competitive advantage" because it has centres in both London and Frankfurt.Fears among UK-based banks grow that they will not have access to the single market or eurozone countries, unless they move their headquarters to the continent.The bank's Chief Executive Officer John Cryan was quoted by Bloomberg as saying: "If our eurozone clients in particular increasingly want us to be facing them from locations within the eurozone, if that proves to be the case, then we’re reasonably well positioned because our head office and home is in the centre of the eurozone."
Green Party's Jill Stein targets Bernie Sanders voters in 'Jill not Hill' campaign-[CBC]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
When U.S. Democrats named Hillary Clinton their presidential nominee on Tuesday night, the first time they have chosen a woman, a crowd of Bernie Sanders supporters abandoned the historic moment and walked out of the Wells Fargo Center in protest.There was another female leader, of another political party, waiting for them and welcoming them with open arms."We are in FDR Park," Green Party Leader Jill Stein wrote on Twitter. "Ready to meet up with refugees from DNC tyranny."They found her across the street from the arena. They surrounded her, joining those who were already outside rallying, and they chanted: "Jill not Hill."Stein's been all over the city this week, attending various rallies and protests, and making the rounds inside the arena where the world's media outlets are covering the convention. She says she's "overwhelmed" by the positive response she's received.On social media and in person, Stein is blatantly recruiting Sanders supporters, the ones who are disgruntled with the Democratic National Committee and who count themselves among the "Never Hillary" crowd.Sanders's rallying cry during his campaign was for a political revolution and now that his bid for the presidency is over, Stein is promising to keep it going."Do not give up. The revolution has a home with the Green Party," she told the Vermont senator's voters.-Urges Sanders voters to join her-She is encouraging them to ditch the Democratic Party, an idea known as "DemExit," named after "Brexit," the campaign in favour of Britain leaving the European Union."The time for a #DemExit is now. Join us," she wrote this week to Democrats, whose convention got off to a rocky start on Monday thanks to news about hacked and leaked emails from the DNC that disparage Sanders and his campaign.Stein hasn't been shy about taking digs at Clinton, who on Thursday night will give a speech and accept her party's nomination.There are Sanders supporters here who refuse to get behind Clinton and will not vote for her. Stein is their Plan B.On the day Sanders endorsed Clinton earlier this month, Barbara Griffin donated to Stein's campaign."If he's not going to be on the ticket, I'm voting for Jill," she said at a rally at Philadelphia's city hall on Monday in support of Stein and other causes. "She stands for everything we believe in," said Griffin, who is from Ithaca, N.Y.Raoul Mallalieu was also there holding a large cloth banner that read: "Sanders Stein 2016" on the front and "Go Green Bernie!" on the back.-Sanders sparks interest in Stein-"We're hoping that the day after this convention is over … he decides to go for the Green Party, or at least all of his supporters do," said Mallalieu, who lives in nearby New Jersey.Sanders has made it clear he is sticking by Clinton and he's encouraged his supporters to vote for her too, to ensure that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is defeated in November. But not all of them are taking his advice.Mallalieu said he will vote for Stein in November and he credits Sanders "100 per cent" for sparking his interest in her party.Vanessa Meraki, another rally attendee, was already active in the Green Party before Sanders came along, but she said Stein is benefiting from the energy Sanders generated with his campaign. He mobilized millions of Americans, many of them younger voters, who enthusiastically answered his call for a political revolution and are who are passionate about keeping the momentum going."That energy is looking to go somewhere. So I say, thank goodness for Jill Stein because if not for Jill Stein, who knows what would have happened to that energy for change," said Meraki, who crossed the country from Seattle to Philadelphia to be part of the rallies this week.She noted how closely aligned Sanders and Stein are on policy issues and some Sanders supporters say that's why they can so easily shift their support to her.-Vote split on the left-Stein proposes cutting spending on the military by at least 50 per cent and closing foreign military bases, which would ensure free college for everyone she says, and she would also cancel all student debt if elected president. She wants single-payer public health insurance, a $15 an hour minimum wage, and environmental protection policies, including a ban on fracking, as part of what she calls a "Green New Deal."Mike Hughes, a Floridian who worked on Sanders's campaign, said he's disappointed the Vermont senator is supporting Clinton and not Stein."Bernie's movement has brought a lot of things to light that she also supports and so it's so easy for us to segue to her campaign," Hughes said while milling about in the crowd of protesters in the sweltering heat.Is he worried that Sanders supporters moving to Stein will split the vote on the left and benefit Trump? "No. We have to vote our conscience," he said.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
France's religious leaders call for more security-By EUOBSERVER
27. Jul, 17:12-President Hollande met with France's Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist leaders Wednesday after two Islamist militants killed a Catholic priest in a church. Muslim leader Dalil Boubakeur said that "we deeply desire that our places of worship are the subject of greater [security] focus". The archbishop of Paris pledged not "to be dragged into" the was of the jihadist group Islamic State, which aims to set religions against each other.
Russia adds troops in Crimea-By EUOBSERVER-JULY 28,16
Today, 09:13-Russia has deployed a "self-sufficient" contingent of troops in Crimea, Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu has said on Wednesday. He also said Russia had strengthened its south-western flank in response to the Nato build-up along the Russia border. The US state department said Russian troop positions in Crimea counter efforts to ease tension in eastern Ukraine.
Russia says United States stance on Syria allows terrorists to regroup: RIA-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States has still not differentiated between terrorists and the co-called moderate opposition in Syria, which allows militants to prepare new offensives, RIA news agency cited a Russian deputy foreign minister as saying on Thursday."There is an element here of a political ruse at least," Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying.(Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Writing by Maria Tsvetkova)
Russia, Syria blockade Aleppo, offer corridors out-[Associated Press]-SARAH EL DEEB and PHILIP ISSA-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIRUT (AP) — After months of fighting to encircle its opponents in Aleppo, Syrian authorities backed by Russia on Thursday offered safe corridors out for residents and rebels in the northern city's besieged quarters, underlining the government's determination to seal off the metropolis and force an eventual surrender by the opposition.Many residents dismissed the offer, saying it presents them with an impossible choice between a slow death if they stay behind and possible detention if they attempt to leave.The encirclement of rebel-held eastern Aleppo sets the stage for a drawn-out siege with potentially huge implications for the future of the armed opposition to President Bashar Assad. The military continued to consolidate its grip Thursday, seizing a district on the northern edge of the city."If Assad shows that he is winning Aleppo, and he's now also advancing on the rebels in Damascus, it could trigger a more dramatic shift by finally convincing opposition groups that they have lost the war," said Aron Lund, nonresident associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.The announcement on humanitarian corridors was made by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and was followed by a general amnesty offer by Syria's President Bashar Assad for rebels who give up their weapons and surrender to authorities over the next three months.Rebels and residents of Aleppo said they were deeply skeptical of the offer, and there was no sign of people massing to leave the besieged parts of the city."I will not leave. I will be the last man in the city," said Mohammed Zein Khandakani, a 28-year-old resident of the Maadi neighborhood of Aleppo who volunteers with the city's medical council.But Khandakani, formerly a lawyer who was detained for a month in the early days of the protests against the Syrian government, said he was worried about his family.A father of two — the youngest a girl of 9 months — he said despite the risk of maltreatment and even arrest, he is urging his mother, wife and sister to use the safe passages to leave the city. He said he hopes the Russian role and intense international attention to the humanitarian corridors proposition means the government would abstain from flagrant violations.Fliers dropped over eastern Aleppo showed supposed corridors leading to government areas, but the media office for the opposition's civil defense search and rescue group in east Aleppo said no safe corridors have been opened.Ibrahim Haj, director of the media office in Aleppo, said families would probably send their women and children through the corridors if they were deemed secure enough but not men."Most of the men — everyone here — is wanted by the regime," said Haj. "So, what amnesty?"He and other activists reported continued fighting and said there were 25 air raids on eastern Aleppo Thursday.For days now, Syrian government forces and allied troops have encircled the main rebel enclave in Aleppo, urging fighters there to surrender. The encirclement set the stage for a prolonged siege that the government hopes will eventually starve out and force the rebels to surrender, a tactic Assad's forces have used elsewhere, including in the central city of Homs. Homs, with a total population of 200,000, returned almost fully to government control in December following a three-year siege.The U.N. says Aleppo is now possibly the largest besieged area in Syria, with an estimated 300,000 residents inside. Humanitarian groups have warned of a major catastrophe if the siege continues.Rights groups said opening safe passages to civilians trapped in eastern Aleppo city won't avert a catastrophe and does not give Syrian and Russian forces carte blanche to further blockade the opposition-controlled territory."The fact that you provide this option doesn't mean that the people who stay behind are legitimate military targets," said Nadim Houry, the deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, in comments to The Associated Press.Khandakani said life has progressively gotten harder under the 10-day old siege with bread and water shortages and electricity finally going out Wednesday."The next 48 hours are fateful for the whole revolution," he said via Whatsapp.Youssef Rahal, a lawyer from Aleppo who left the city 10 days ago but remains in touch with people inside, said there is no way to bring in vegetables or diesel, which rebel-held areas used to buy from the market and transport through the now blockaded Castello road.This has impacted bread production. "It means some people are getting only a quarter loaf of bread a day," he said.The U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said he wants to see how the United Nations could coordinate with Russia on its plan to help civilians and opposition fighters who lay down their weapons outside Aleppo."In Aleppo, the situation is extremely serious, no doubt," de Mistura said.Shoigu said in televised comments that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a "large-scale humanitarian operation" that will be launched outside Aleppo to help civilians as well as allow fighters who wanted to lay down the arms to surrender.He said three corridors will be open for civilians and fighters who lay down their arms and a fourth corridor will provide fighters a "safe exit with weapons."Bahaa Halabi, an opposition media activist inside Aleppo, said there are no corridors out of east Aleppo and even if there were, he would not take them."Definitely not. We will not surrender ourselves to the criminals. They are killing us every day. Slaughtering us, starving us, and besieging civilians," he said, speaking from the city via Skype.Assad has issued amnesty offers several times during Syria's civil war, now in its sixth year. The latest offer, like those before it, is largely seen by opposition fighters as a publicity stunt and psychological warfare against the rebels. More than a quarter of a million people have died and millions have been displaced since March 2011, when Syria's conflict erupted.Lund said if Assad cements his hold on Aleppo through a siege or even by retaking it in part or in full, "that could be the moment when certain foreign backers of the rebellion decide to call it a day.""It is not realistic to expect countries like Turkey or Saudi Arabia — never mind the United States — to first let the rebels lose Aleppo and then rally the force needed for them to take it back.""When it's gone, it's gone," he said.Khandakani said the offensive and siege is depriving him of his "brief feelings of independence and freedom" living in the part of the city under rebel control since 2012."I am still waiting for a miracle. Something extraordinary, like the rebels for instance managing to open a corridor for us toward the liberated rural areas," he said.___Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Zeina Karam in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.
Nusra Front renames itself Jabhat Fatah al-Sham-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Nusra Front has renamed itself Jabhat Fatah al Sham so that the international community, the United States and Russia can no longer use the pretext of its affiliation with al Qaeda to attack Syrians, the group's leader, Abu Mohamad al-Golani said.Listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Nusra Front was excluded from Syria's February cessation of hostilities truce. Russia and the United States are also discussing closer coordination to target the group.(Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Suleiman al Khalidi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Global Affairs confirms another Canadian arrested in Turkey-[The Canadian Press]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Global Affairs Canada says a second Canadian citizen has been detained in Turkey.Spokesman Francois Lasalle says Canadian consular officials are in contact with Turkish authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family.Global Affairs would not release the name of the Canadian, citing privacy concerns.However, the Anatolian Heritage Federation in Ottawa says in a release that the person arrested and detained at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul is Ilhan Erdem on what it calls "trumped up" allegations.It cites Turkish media as reporting Erdem is accused of leading the Hizmet movement in Canada.The Hizmet movement, also known as the Gulen movement, is described as a global network based on the teachings of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a critic and former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The federation says, however, that Erdem's beliefs are "simply aligned with those of Hizmet" and was arrested only because Erdogan "continues to target all detractors ... including peaceful Hizmet participants."Nurcan Topcuolgu, a family friend and a member of the federation, says no one has been able to contact Erdem or his wife since they tried to board a flight to Canada on Monday. She says Erdem, his wife and two children were planning a family vacation in Ottawa.Topcuolgu says Erdem was working as an imam when he lived in Ottawa, but has been working as an education consultant in Turkey for the last three years.There was still no concrete word, meanwhile, on why a Calgary man being detained in Turkey has been arrested, amid media reports that he's accused of being a coup plotter.Davud Hanci, an imam who provides spiritual counselling to prisoners, is apparently being held on accusations he was involved in the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.Pictures that had circulated in Turkish media show a man purported to be Hanci with Gulen.Hanci was allowed to see his wife on Monday, but the visit was too brief to glean much information.Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press
Merkel: Attacks won't change refugee policy By Eric Maurice-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:38-German chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday (28 July) rejected calls to change her refugee policies after a recent series of attacks committed by asylum seekers in Germany.The attackers "shame the country that welcomed them" as well as all the refugees who need protection, she said at a press conference in Berlin.She said they wanted to "undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need"."We firmly reject this,” she said, adding that Germany would "stick to [its] principles".Merkel interrupted her holidays to call the press conference in the wake of several attacks that left 10 people dead and more than 40 injured since 18 July.After a young Afghan man attacked passengers on a train with an axe, a Syrian man killed a woman with a machette and another Syrian man blew himself up in front of a restaurant. In Munich, a German-Iranian born in Germany shot nine people in a fast-food restaurant.These attacks, as well as the recent ones in France and Turkey, have broken a "taboo of civilisation", because they "happened in places where any of us could have been," Merkel said.But she refused to link them to her refugee policies-"It doesn't matter whether [the attackers] arrived before or after 4 September," she added, referring to the day last year when she opened Germany's border to refugees.She said that the attacks, among which two have been claimed by the Islamic State group (IS), were aimed at sowing hatred and fear between cultures and religions."We stand decisively against that," she said.She said her government would do all that is "humanly possible to guarantee freedom and security", but added that is was "not the day" to present new measures against terrorism.She noted that attackers were not known by police and that an "early alarm system" would need to be established.Using once again the expression "wir schaffen das" (meaning "we can do it"), which she has used repeatedly since last year, Merkel assured that Germany would not change course."I am convinced today as I was before that we can do it," she said, adding that Germany had an "historical mission, an historical challenge in a time of globalisation".-Disappointed by Europe's response-Sticking to her positions, she added that Europe's contribution to solving the refugee crisis was "not yet sufficient".She in particular noted that the system to share asylum seekers between member states was "not working well"."I am disappointed by the unwillingness of some in Europe to accept refugees," she said.Merkel also warned Turkey, a crucial ally in the management of the refugee crisis, against a large-scale crackdown after a failed coup earlier this month.Mass arrests in the judiciary, army, university and media were a "worrying development", she said, adding that "the principle of proportionality may not always be at the center" of actions by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan."It is very important to me that the principle of proportionality must be guaranteed in all circumstances," she said.
Turkey's Erdogan wants army, spy agency brought under presidency control: Turkish official-[Reuters]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wants the armed forces and the national intelligence agency (MIT) to be brought under the control of the presidency, a Turkish official said on Thursday.That change would require a constitutional change and the opposition needs to agree, Erdogan was cited as saying by television news channels.The comments came after a meeting of Turkey's Supreme Military Council (YAS) that was expected to agree a sweeping overhaul of the armed forces following a failed military coup on July 15-16. Turkish authorities were expected to announce details of the changes later on Thursday.(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Gareth Jones)
EU quiet as Erdogan jails dozens of journalists-By Andrew Rettman-JULY 28,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:28-Turkish authorities have extended their crackdown on media and, in one case, indicted a financial analyst for writing a critical report on the post-coup investment climate.The government said on Wednesday (28 July) that it would shut down three news agencies, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, 45 newspapers and 15 magazines.It also issued arrest warrants for 47 journalists and media executives, most of whom used to work for the government-critical Zaman newspaper, which had been seized by authorities in March prior to the failed coup earlier this month, or for the Feza Media Group that owned Zaman.State media reported that 12 of the people on the new list had been placed under arrest already.A government official, who asked not to be named, told the AFP news agency that “prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation”, referring to Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic teacher who lives in the US and whom Turkey has accused of masterminding the failed overthrow of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Prosecutors had already issued warrants for the arrest of 42 journalists, 16 of whom were reportedly in custody by Wednesday.A contact at one Brussels-based pro-Gulen NGO, who asked not to be named, told EUobserver that one suspect, a solicitor who also ran a local newspaper and a civil rights NGO in the Hatay province, had fled the country.He said the police reacted by shutting down the newspaper, the NGO and his law firm and by arresting his 86-year-old mother-in-law.“Relatives of the detainees are getting worried for their safety as they are not allowed to see them,” the Brussels-based contact said.In another case, authorities revoked the licence of Mert Ulker, the head of research at Ak Investment, a leading brokerage firm in Turkey, on grounds that he had failed to “fulfil his responsibilities”. They also charged him with insulting the president and the state.He had written a report analysing how the events might affect the business climate.The developments have been condemned by international NGOs, including the London-based Amnesty International and the Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists.Financial analysts also told the Bloomberg newswire that Ulker’s fate meant any financial analysis coming out of Turkey would be tainted by fears of self-censorship.The media purge is part of a much wider crackdown that has seen 10,000 people detained and more than 45,000 lose their jobs.According to Amnesty International police have been holding some detainees in stress positions for periods of up to 48 hours to extract confessions.“Detainees have been denied food, water and medical treatment, and verbally abused and threatened. Some have been subjected to severe beatings and torture, including rape”, the NGO said.-Muted criticism-EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini spoke by phone on Wednesday to Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.The EU statement was softer in its criticism of Erdogan’s security measures than previous EU comments, saying only that she had underlined “the expectations of the EU as to the compliance by Turkish authorities to the highest standards of the rule of law and fundamental rights and freedoms”.The US has also taken a soft line on Turkey, which it considers a strategic ally in terms of projecting influence in the Middle East.Reacting to the media crackdown on Wednesday, sate department spokesman John Kirby said: “We obviously support bringing the perpetrators of the coup to justice and we also continue to stress the importance of upholding democratic principles and the rule of law through the process”.He added that the US understood “the need for them to be able to get their arms around this failed coup and to hold the perpetrators to account”.
France had been hunting second church attacker after tipoff-[Reuters]-By Chine Labbé and Michel Rose-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
PARIS/SAINT-ETIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY, France (Reuters) - Police had been hunting the second teenager who killed a priest in a church in France this week after a foreign intelligence tipoff that a suspected jihadist might be preparing an attack, police and judicial sources said.The revelation is likely to further fuel criticism by opposition politicians that President Francois Hollande's Socialist government did not do enough to stop the pair given that they were both already known to intelligence services.They stormed a church service, forced a 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest to his knees at the altar and slit his throat. They were later shot and killed by police.Police had already identified 19-year-old Adel Kermiche as one of the attackers. He had made failed bids to reach Syria to wage jihad, wore an electronic bracelet and was awaiting trial for alleged membership of a terrorist organisation having been released on bail.They have now identified the second man as Abdel-Malik Nabil Petitjean, also 19, from a town in eastern France on the border with Germany, a judicial source told Reuters on Thursday.A source close to the investigation said Petitjean was not known to French security services until a tipoff from Turkish authorities who spotted him in Turkey on June 10 and were suspicious of his behaviour.They notified the French authorities in late June, the source said, and anti-terrorism officials opened up a special file, suspecting he had become radicalised. The government has said there are about 10,500 people with such so-called 'S files' related to potential jihadi activities in France.But in the time it took security agencies in Turkey, a well-trodden entry point into Syria for foreign militants, to notify France, Petitjean had returned."We know that he turned around and returned on June 11," said the source. "The Turks hadn't yet flagged his name, so he came back normally, there was no file at this point, he wasn't known to us."A second tipoff from an unidentified foreign intelligence source led to the French authorities circulating a photo to its security agencies on July 22 of a man believed to be planning an attack. They had no name to go on, but the police sources said there was now little doubt that the photo was of Petitjean.The person in the photo also appears to be one of a pair seen in a video posted on Wednesday by Islamic State's news agency, the police sources said. The video claimed the two men were the church attackers and showed them pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State's leader.Petitjean's mother Yamina told BFM TV that her son had never spoken about Islamic State. Three people close to Petitjean have been detained in police custody, a judicial source said. A 16-year-old, held since Tuesday in connection with the attack, is also still in custody.Two opposition lawmakers on Thursday submitted a draft bill to parliament that would prohibit the media from publishing the identities and photographs of militant attackers to prevent their names being glorified in death.-HOLLANDE UNDER PRESSURE-Tuesday's attack came less than two weeks after another suspected Islamist drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd, killing 84 people.Opposition politicians have responded to the attacks with strong criticism of the government's security record, unlike last year, when they made a show of unity after gunmen and bombers killed 130 people at Paris entertainment venues in November and attacked a satirical newspaper in January.Hollande's predecessor and potential opponent in a presidential election next year, Nicolas Sarkozy, has said the government must take stronger steps to track known Islamist sympathisers.He has called for the detention or electronic tagging of all suspected Islamist militants, even if they have committed no offence.Kermiche's tag did not send an alarm because the attack took place during the four hour period when he was allowed out.Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve rejected Sarkozy's proposal, saying that to jail them would be unconstitutional, and also counterproductive as many people did not know they were being watched.Since the two most recent attacks the government has said that summer festivals that do not meet tight security standards are to be cancelled.On Thursday, local authorities banned a procession in the city of Nice that was to have commemorated those who died there on July 14.Since that Bastille Day killing, there has been a spate of attacks in Germany too, creating greater and wider alarm around Western Europe.In Marseille, three men were put under investigation on Thursday after shouting 'Alluha Akbar' (God is great in Arabic) as they drove a boat repeatedly at the coast.In Corsica, a dissident branch of the nationalist FLNC threatened reprisals against Islamic State and called on Muslims living on the Mediterranean island to demonstrate at their sides against radical Islam.(Reporting by Chine Labbe; writing by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Richard Lough and Anna Willard)
Fervent jihadist or suicidal refugee - the many faces of Bavarian bomber-[By Erik Kirschbaum, Joseph Nasr and Joern Poltz]-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
ANSBACH, Germany (Reuters) - Mohammad Daleel made a mess of his escape from Syria to Europe three years ago - he was detained and fingerprinted in Bulgaria before a mysterious benefactor gave him a free plane ticket to help him get to Germany.The 27-year-old also bungled a suicide bomb attack in the Bavarian town of Ansbach on Sunday, days before he was to be deported back to Bulgaria. He first failed to get past ticket collectors into an open-air concert packed with 2,500 music lovers and then set off the detonator but not the bomb itself.Daleel killed himself in the attack carried out in the name of Islamic State and injured 15 people in a crowded wine bar next to the entrance of the concert, but his heavy black backpack packed with explosives and shrapnel failed to go off.The partial explosion destroyed the table and chair he was sitting at, and caused lacerations to several patrons nearby. But most of the glasses on nearby tables remained upright and hardly any of the courtyard's windows were damaged."It wasn't a bomb that went off, it was only the trigger," said Ralph Millsaps, a retired U.S. army officer who was drinking wine at a table just six meters away from Daleel at Eugen's Weinstube bar, and was left with deep cuts on his side from wooden splinters."We're extremely fortunate that the main charge didn't go off," Millsaps told Reuters in his soft North Carolina twang. "There were 25 people in the courtyard of the wine bar and another 30 outside on the alley in front. We wouldn't be here anymore if the bomb had gone off."The attack has prompted further criticism and concern about Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door refugee policy, which has seen more than a million migrants enter Germany in the past year, many fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.Her political opponents say the policy has allowed Islamist militancy to take hold in the country, while there is growing fear among the general public.The picture of Daleel that emerged from a dozen interviews in Ansbach, a pleasant cobblestone-street town of 41,000, is one of stark contrasts.Much is unclear, including whether the Syrian came to Europe with the intention of carrying out an attack, or was "radicalised" while in the West; and whether his actions were driven by ideology, mental illness or a combination of both.At the three-storey refugee shelter where he lived, on a hill overlooking the town, many of those who knew him described a quiet but friendly young man, a loner with long black hair who kept mostly to himself. They said he spoke English fairly well, and was eager to find a job and start a new life in Germany.But another character has also surfaced: a shrewd figure who managed to foil previous attempts by German authorities to deport him back to Bulgaria – his first documented point of entry into the European Union – by exploiting legal loopholes.What drove Daleel to try to commit mass murder is also unclear.Investigators found a video on Daleel's phone in which he pledged allegiance to Islamic State and are examining whether he might have been sent to Germany as part of a "sleeper cell".Yet those who knew him at the shelter said he was not particularly religious, a sentiment echoed by his psychotherapist Gisela von Maltitz, who is based in the town of Lindau, a two-hour train journey from Ansbach. She said Daleel was mentally scarred and left suicidal by the death of his wife and son in Syria and by being tortured.-'RAMBO'-"We called him 'Rambo' because of his long hair and muscles," said Mahmood Mubaritz, who lived in the same refugee shelter, adding that he bore a resemblance to American actor Sylvester Stallone."He had very strong arms and liked to wear tight, sleeveless shirts. He wanted to show us he was a strongman."Mubaritz, who came to Germany four years ago from Pakistan, said he could not fathom how the quiet man he knew could have carried out such an attack. He lived with Daleel and 26 others over the past year in a former budget hotel that was converted into the shelter to house an influx of migrants.The shelter's name is actually "Hotel Christl" but the "l" was broken off and the giant sign atop the rundown building now reads: "Hotel Christ."A spate of attacks in Germany since July 18 has left 15 people dead and dozens injured. Last week a 17-year-old refugee from either Pakistan or Afghanistan who had links to Islamist militancy attacked and stabbed four tourists from Hong Kong on a train near the Bavarian town of Wurzburg, about 80 km from Ansbach.Investigators of the Ansbach bombing are trying to find out when Daleel might have been recruited by Islamic State, and who may have supported him in Germany and ordered him to carry out the attack.Authorities searching his room at the Hotel Christl found diesel fuel, hydrochloric acid, alcohol, batteries, paint thinner and pebbles – the same materials used in the bomb – along with computer images and film clips linked to the jihadist group, and a substantial amount of cash far in excess of what refugees receive from the German government.Investigators said he had an "intensive" phone message exchange with someone who was in the Middle East shortly before the blast. "The exchange appears to have ended immediately just before the attack," said Bavaria's state interior minister Joachim Herrmann.Authorities are also looking into Daleel's account of his journey to Germany, documented during sessions by psychotherapist Von Maltitz, managing director of the Exilio refugee support group which offers mental health services to migrants.Daleel told von Maltitz that a benefactor paid for his passage from Bulgaria to Austria, from where he travelled over the border to Germany. "Fortunately I found a Syrian man who bought an airplane ticket for me to Austria," he said.Investigators will likely seek to shed light on who the benefactor was, as well as other unknowns, including why Daleel was detained in Bulgaria and subsequently released.-'SUICIDAL'-Despite Daleel's professed allegiance to Islamic State, von Maltitz said she had seen no indication of any link to radical Islamist ideology, or religion at all.-"A connection to Islam doesn't match the picture I had of him at all," said the therapist, who added she had 40 sessions with Daleel between May 2015 and January this year. "He never made any kind of comment in that direction at all, about Islam or any other religion.""He had been badly tortured in Syria," she said. "His wife and small child had been killed in Syria when a building collapsed on them after an explosion. In Bulgaria he was in prison and maltreated," she added. "We're certain that the information he supplied was truthful."Von Maltitz, who said Daleel's death had freed her from patient confidentiality obligations, had scheduled further appointments with him for this week but he had postponed them until Aug. 1.The therapist said she repeatedly intervened with authorities not to deport him. "He was suicidal," she said, adding that the prospect of deportation to Bulgaria "scared him horribly".Mubaritz at the refugee shelter also said Daleel had shown no overt signs of religious faith. "I never saw him praying," he said. "He was definitely not a fanatical Muslim."He said he had talked with the Syrian about how to find a job in Germany and encouraged him to apply at the McDonalds restaurant in town where he worked as a cook and cashier.They talked sometimes in the communal kitchen or on the terrace in front of the shelter, where Daleel also helped repair the bicycles of other refugees."He was always smiling and always seemed to be happy even though he was alone most of the time and tended to stay in his room," said Mubaritz. "I think he was eager to find a job in Germany and stay here."-'HUMAN BEING'-A 21-year-old Ethiopian refugee who gave his name as Jamal Hassan said the Daleel he remembered at the shelter was more of a brooding character."He seemed serious and kept to himself," said Hassan, who came to Germany six months ago after crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. "I never saw him smiling."A German teenager living across from the shelter said Daleel was known in the neighbourhood as a friendly man who liked to watch the world go by from his top-floor flat."I thought he was a nice guy," said Nick Geier, 14. "He used to smile and say hello. He certainly didn't look like someone who would do something like this. I'm really afraid now."Geier's father Alexander, 41, added: "We were stunned when we heard what he had done."Daleel had hired a lawyer to help him successfully defeat two attempts by German authorities to send him to back to Bulgaria, citing his mental instability, according to his therapist.But his bid to stay eventually failed this month, and his deportation notice was issued on July 13.Eleven days later, he carried out his attack.He died from internal injuries suffered from the blast even though an off-duty German nurse rushed to try to save him and three days later was still going through a jumble of emotions about the attack."Almost everyone at the wine bar had run inside but I saw one man lying on the ground," the woman, who asked to be called Sabine, said in an interview. "I didn't know he was the attacker. I just thought he was someone who had been overlooked in all the chaos. There wasn't any pulse in his wrist but I felt a pulse in his neck."She said she tried to keep him alive until rescue crews arrived moments later even though it was all for naught."Anyone else would have helped him too," she said. "I really can't understand those who said 'he's a terrorist, let him die'. In my eyes he was a human being."(Editing by Pravin Char)
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Man struck by lightning as storm rips through Edmonton-[CBC]-July 27, 2016-YAHOONEWS
A man was struck by lightning Wednesday as a sudden and violent thunderstorm raged through Edmonton. Alberta Health Services confirmed the man was struck in south Edmonton at about 2:30 p.m. and was taken to hospital in stable condition. Early in the afternoon, Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Edmonton and the surrounding communities of Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Morinvillle, Big Lake and Villeneuve.Those warnings have since been lifted.'We were like bumper boats'-At its height, the storm dumped heavy rain in the Edmonton area and caused flash floods.Flooding was so severe in certain areas that some commuters had to be rescued from their vehicles by boats.Shawna Serniak was driving with her son, Trylan, when her vehicle became swamped and stalled at the 106th Street bridge on the Whitemud."Two manholes had popped out on either side of the bridge and water was just waterfalling into that area," said Serniak. She said seven vehicles were in total were stuck under the 106th Street bridge. "Semi (trucks) were going by us and we were literally like bumper boats hitting each other's vehicles," she said."I quickly called 911 because I knew we weren't going anywhere and the water was coming in. And I was worried that it was going to get worse and we might have to be rescued out of the vehicles."Serniak was right. The 911 operators told her to stay put and wait for a rescue. She said they warned her the water gushing from the manholes could cause a strong undercurrent and drag someone under. Serniak and her son were safest if they stayed put in the vehicle.Within 20 minutes, several fire and emergency response teams were bobbing towards them in yellow rescue boats."By the time they got to us, water was to our knees, everything in the vehicle was soaked, we were soaked, speakers were crackling, there was oil coming out of my vehicle, all in the matter of a few short vehicles," said Serniak.The rescuers got her and her son out of their vehicle, and the pair soon headed home for a warm shower and dry clothes. The vehicle will be stuck until a tow truck can reach it. The line of thunderstorms appeared to stretch from Villeneuve, 30 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, to Viking, about 130 kilometres southeast of the capital.'We do whatever we have to do'-The storm caused several power outages across the city. Epcor spokesman Tim le Riche said it seems like a storm rolls through the area every day this summer "around quitting time.""At the height of the storm today we had seven circuits that were affected," said le Riche. "Most of the service has been restored."We've worked our way through another thunderstorm in Edmonton today."The outages were all across the city, said le Riche. He said Epcor plans for outages whenever there is a storm."Whenever we get high wind, lightning, heavy rain, that's going to cause power outages," said le Riche. "It always does.""We always have crews ready to go on standby. When something happens, those guys go right away. And if we need more we call more guys in."We do whatever we have to do."
Drought-hit Honduras needs new approach to tackle extreme weather: U.N. envoy-[Reuters]-By Anastasia Moloney-July 28, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Honduras must develop a long term approach to combat the impact of drought exacerbated by climate change and put the poorest and most vulnerable at the center of government initiatives and funding, a U.N. special envoy said.Two consecutive years of severe drought linked to El Nino - a warming of the Pacific Ocean's surface that causes hot and drier conditions - have decimated crops and battered subsistence farmers in the "dry corridor" running through Honduras.One in four in the country of 8 million people are affected by drought and are struggling to feed themselves, according to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP)."The impacts are aggravated and exacerbated by climate change," said Mary Robinson, U.N. special envoy for El Nino and climate change, by telephone from Honduras at the start of a visit to the Central American nation.Honduras is highly vulnerable to extreme weather linked to climate change like hurricanes, floods and drought, while unequal access to land, deforestation and soil degradation has exacerbated the impact of El Nino on rural areas, experts say.The prolonged drought in Honduras has slashed bean and maize harvests by up to 90 percent in some areas, triggering higher food prices.This has worsened hunger among poor farming families who have resorted to cutting meals, and caused many Hondurans to leave home in search of better prospects in the United States."We need to make it clear that people are bereft of their own resources and we are seeing malnutrition and acute malnutrition among children," Robinson, a former Irish president, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation."It's absolutely necessary to understand that this is the new normal."-RESILIENCE-Around a quarter of all young children in Honduras aged between six months to two-and-a-half years suffer from chronic malnutrition, WFP figures show.Robinson said the government should not do more to strengthen the ability of subsistence farmers to withstand the longer dry spells, more frequent floods and hotter temperatures linked to climate change.She said this involves "putting people at the center" of government policy to help those in poor rural communities, particularly children, hard-hit by the drought.Women-led initiatives to boost agriculture that focus on managing water better, planting trees and diversifying crops is one way to boost resilience, she said."There is a need for a genuinely integrated approach that is objective and fair," Robinson said.Trust needs to be forged between communities and the government, Robinson said, noting that little support was given to small-scale farmers, while large amounts of government funds were spent on building dams and large-scale palm oil projects.The United Nations says a U.N. appeal for $44 million to provide food aid and water to 250,000 Hondurans in drought-stricken areas is a quarter-funded so far.Drought has also hit hard other parts of Central America, and in Haiti.The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that around 3.5 million people are struggling to feed themselves in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and of that number, 2.8 million are relying on food aid to survive.(Reporting by Anastasia Moloney, Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org.
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