SOMALIA URGES TO PASS LAW BANNING HORRENDOUS FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION.

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)

Balloon pilot was never grounded due to gap in oversight-[The Canadian Press]-August 2, 2016-yahoonews

LOCKHART, Texas — If Alfred "Skip" Nichols had been a commercial airplane pilot, he probably would have been grounded long ago.Nichols, the pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed over the weekend in Texas, killing 16, was able to keep flying despite having at least four convictions for drunken driving and twice spending time in prison — pointing to gaps in oversight of hot air balloon pilots.Whether the pilot's drinking habits had anything to do with the crash was unclear. A former girlfriend described Nichols as a recovering alcoholic. She said he had been sober for at least four years and never piloted a balloon after drinking.The Federal Aviation Administration might allow a recovering alcoholic to fly commercial jets if the pilot could show that he or she was being successfully treated, said John Gadzinski, an airline captain and aviation safety consultant. But the agency is unlikely to accept an airline pilot with convictions for driving under the influence, he said.The 49-year-old Nichols also had a long history of customer complaints against his balloon-ride companies in Missouri and Illinois dating back to 1997. Customers reported to the Better Business Bureau that their rides would get cancelled at the last minute and their fees never refunded.When pilots apply for a ballooning certificate with the FAA, they are not required to disclose any prior drunken driving convictions, only drug convictions, said Patrick Cannon, a spokesman for the Balloon Federation of America trade group, who called that a loophole in the law. He noted that the ballooning certificate specifically says not to include alcohol offences involving a motor vehicle, as those are covered on the FAA's medical application.But balloon pilots do not have to get regular medical exams from FAA-certified examiners. They are only required to write a statement certifying that they have "no medical defect" that would limit their ability to pilot a balloon.Commercial plane pilots are required to fill out a form that includes questions on alcohol dependence or abuse and convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol.A member of the National Transportation Safety Board, Robert Sumwalt, criticized what he called a "disparity" in the FAA requirements for balloon operators compared to plane or helicopter pilots."I was an airline pilot for 24 years, flew airplanes for 32 years, and I had to have a medical, an FAA medical every six months," he said.Nichols got his commercial license to pilot hot air balloons in Missouri in July 1996. His first drunken driving conviction came in St. Louis County in 1990, followed by two more convictions in 2002 and a fourth in 2010, according to online court records.He was also convicted of a drug crime in 2000 and spent about a year and a half in prison before being paroled. He was returned to prison in April 2010 after his parole was revoked because of his drunken driving conviction that year. He was paroled again in January 2012.After they receive a license, all pilots are supposed to notify the FAA within 60 days of a drug or alcohol conviction. However, Cannon said, there is no oversight of that reporting requirement for balloon pilots.Investigators said they do not yet know why the balloon operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture Saturday near Lockhart, about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio.While there were patches of fog on the day of the flight, the ground crew said it was clear when the balloon took off, and there was no sign of any maintenance trouble with the balloon, Sumwalt said. An examination of the balloon after the crash found "no evidence of preexisting failures, malfunctions or problems," he said.___Schmall reported from Fort Worth. Associated Press writers Reese Dunklin and Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Jim Salter in St. Louis and Joan Lowy in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.Will Weissert And Emily Schmall, The Associated Press

Roof attorneys want death penalty ruled unconstitutional-[Associated Press]-BRUCE SMITH-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Attorneys for Dylann Roof, the white man charged with killing nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church, want a federal judge to rule the death penalty unconstitutional and allow their client to plead guilty and serve life in prison.Lawyers for 22-year-old Dylan Roof filed the motion on Monday saying a flawed process of sitting juries willing to recommend the death penalty violates the rights of both potential jurors and defendants.The government is seeking the death penalty against Roof who is charged with hate crimes and other counts in the June 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Prosecutors allege Roof posed with the Confederate battle flag before the killings and talked of starting a race war.His federal trial is set for November. He also faces the death penalty in state court where he is charged with murder in a trial set to begin early next year.In the filing, Assistant Federal Public Defender Sarah Gannett said while some aspects of jury selection in death penalty cases have been considered by the courts, other issues she puts forward are being raised for the first time.While the law provides that all citizens have an opportunity to sit on juries, juries willing to impose a death penalty don't represent a cross-section of the community, the filing said.Gannett said such juries are more likely to be white, older, predominantly Protestant and less educated than the rest of society while women and minorities tend to be excluded.She also noted that excluding jurors who oppose the death penalty for religious reasons violates constitutional protections against requiring religious tests for holding office or having positions of public trust."If a proposed juror is Catholic, Quaker or any sect of any other religion and adamantly opposed to the death penalty, death qualification discriminates against that juror's religion," she said.Both Roof's state and federal attorneys have said he is willing to plead guilty in return for a life sentence.Gannett said U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel should allow the federal case to proceed as a non-capital case.Then Roof could plead guilty and "would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release and this prosecution would conclude," she wrote.

ALL THE ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIM COUNTRIES BETTER BAN WOMENS GENITAL MUTILATION.OR KILL ALL THE MEN IN ALL MUSLIM COUNTRIES SO THEY CAN NOT HAVE SEX WITH THE WOMEN THEY MUTILATE.

Somalia urged to pass law banning 'horrendous' FGM-[Reuters]-By Emma Batha-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Somalia's next government should ensure a law is passed banning all forms of female genital mutilation (FGM), a U.N. official said on Tuesday, describing the deeply entrenched practice as a "horrendous rights violation".Somalia has the world's highest rate of FGM with 98 percent of women between 15 and 49 having been subjected to the potentially deadly ritual.A bill on FGM is sitting in parliament but is unlikely to be debated until next year because of elections expected this month in the Horn of Africa country.Jeremy Hopkins, deputy representative for UNICEF in Somalia, said the U.N. children's agency was optimistic a law would eventually go through, but the details in it would be crucial."Our approach for the legislation is to go slow. We don't want to risk this being politicized," he said in an interview in London."We promote total abandonment of FGM, whereas there is a large part of public opinion in Somalia which will promote a milder form of FGM," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.Most women in Somalia have undergone the severest form of FGM, known as infibulation, in which the external genitalia are sliced off and the vaginal opening sewn up.The cutting is usually done by traditional circumcisers, sometimes using rusty and unsterilized instruments.Hopkins said there was evidence that families were moving toward "a milder form of FGM", but that this was not something UNICEF condoned."I would say there has been quite a big shift in recent years away from infibulation to this lesser form," he added.It is not clear whether the alternative form involves a small nick or the partial removal of the clitoris.Hopkins said UNICEF was concerned that parents appeared to be increasingly taking their daughters to clinics to undergo FGM.Campaigners say the "medicalisation of FGM" serves to legitimize the practice."It's still a horrendous rights violation and I would question the integrity of any health staff who undertake such (a procedure)," Hopkins said.FATWAS-FGM often causes a host of health problems. In some cases girls may bleed to death or die from infections. Others may suffer fatal childbirth complications later in life.However, the ancient ritual is widely considered a prerequisite for marriage in Somalia where uncut girls risk ostracisation.Many also believe FGM is a religious obligation even though it is not mentioned in the Koran.The northern semi-autonomous region of Puntland has led the way in tackling FGM with religious leaders issuing a fatwa against the practice at the end of 2013.Hopkins said this was a significant step and would have been inconceivable a decade ago.He hoped discussions on a fatwa could be restarted with religious leaders in the neighboring semi-autonomous region of Somaliland who have previously opposed issuing a decree.Hopkins said he had met families in Somalia whose daughters had died from FGM and women whose lives had been destroyed by debilitating childbirth injuries related to FGM.But he said even if parents understood the risks they often felt compelled to have their daughters cut."I remember 12 years ago a father saying, 'We get that it's bad for our daughters, but I want my daughter to have a husband. What are you going to do about that?'," Hopkins said.UNICEF has therefore adopted an approach to encourage communities to give up FGM collectively through public declarations.Hopkins said 120 villages had so far abandoned FGM meaning uncut girls would be able to find a husband within their communities.(Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, which covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)

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)

LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

UK nuclear postponement angers France and China-By EUOBSERVER-aug 2,16

Today, 09:04-The sudden decision by Theresa May's new British government to postpone building a new nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point has angered and surprised investors, according to media reports. French company EDF had approved financing for most of the €21bn project. China, expected to fund one third of the project, said it hoped for a speedy resolution. The new UK government may try to alter China’s role for security reasons.

Spanish court suspends Catalan independence resolution-By EUOBSERVER-aug 2,16

Today, 09:11-Spain's constitutional court on Monday annulled a resolution by Catalonia to press ahead with independence. The court ruled against a similar motion passed by the Catalan parliament last year, but the regional 135-seat parliament passed a second one last week, saying it would pursue its plan to detach from Spain. The Catalan parliament will now have 20 days to communicate the court's decision to its members and present any appeals.

Britain's new EU commissioner in charge of 'Security Union'-By EUOBSERVER-aug 2,16

Today, 09:24-EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has allocated a 'security union' portfolio to Julian King. King is replacing Jonathan Hill who resigned in the wake of the UK referendum to leave the EU. The broad portfolio includes work on tackling terrorism, preventing radicalisation, disrupting organised crime, and fighting cybercrime.

UK gets top security role in EU commission By Nikolaj Nielsen-aug 2,16-euobserver

BRUSSELS, Today, 18:27-Britain has been handed a top security role at the European Commission despite its patchy participation in the field of justice and home affairs at the EU level.UK's Julian King is now set to become the EU commissioner designate in charge of the "security union".If confirmed, he will be tasked to help tackle terrorism and other security threats like cybercrime and radicalisation throughout the EU.His portfolio was announced on Tuesday (2 August) by EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker."I want the Commission which I preside to be a strong and political team. And I want you, with your political skills and experience, to fully play your part in this team," said Juncker in his mission letter to King.King is replacing Jonathan Hill who resigned as financial stability commissioner in the wake of UK's referendum to leave the EU.King was appointed to the Brussels-executive seat by David Cameron before he too resigned as prime minister.The career diplomat, who is married to a senior EU commission official who has worked on counter-terrorism issues, is currently the UK's outgoing ambassador to France.The EU commission, for its part, is playing down his nationality given the broader concerns over Britain's decision to leave the EU after an often 43-year tumultuous membership."He is not a commissioner from the UK. He will be a European Commissioner if confirmed," Mina Andreeva, a chief commission spokeswoman, told reporters in Brussels.Andreeva said King's role will be, in part, to get EU states to better coordinate and share information in their counter-terrorism efforts.King will have a "special advisor" contract once his role is formally accepted by the European Parliament in autumn.Liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt has already described King's security portfolio as odd."The country has a long-standing opt-out from justice and home affairs measures, the crucial policy area if one is serious about building a European anti-terrorism capacity," he said in a statement.A Downing street spokesperson said in a statement that security is an issue best tackled with better cooperation across EU states."Security is a vital issue for all member states and co-operation across the EU can help to better protect us all from the range of threats we face," said the spokesperson.King will report to EU commission vice-president Frans Timmermans and EU home affairs commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.

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)

YOU GOT THE NEW PLANES AMERICA.NOW PUT A NUKE IN THE MISSLES AND NUKE RAAQA AND MOSEL TO GET RID OF ALL ISLAMIC-QURANIC-SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT SHARIA ISLAMIC MALES.ONLY LET THE WOMEN LEAVE.KILL EVERY MALE.SO ISIS IS TRUELY OUT OF COMMISION IN RAAQA AND MOSEL.THEN WORK ON ALL THE REST OF ISLAM ISRAEL HATERS.

U.S. Air Force declares first squadron of F-35 jets combat-ready-[By Idrees Ali and Andrea Shalal]-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday declared an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35A fighter jets ready for combat, marking a major milestone for a programme that has faced cost overruns and delays.The move is another achievement for the $379 billion programme, the Pentagon's largest weapons project. The Air Force follows the U.S. Marine Corps, which declared a first squadron of F-35s ready for combat in July 2015."The U.S. Air Force decision to make the 15 F-35As at Hill Air Force Base combat ready sends a simple and powerful message to America's friends and foes alike - the F-35 can do its mission," F-35 programme chief, Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, said in a statement.Officials say the F-35 will give the U.S. military the ability to detect enemy aircraft and other threats far beyond current ranges, allowing the jets to strike targets and disappear long before they are detected.The U.S. Air Force plans to buy a total of 1,763 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jets in coming years and will operate the largest F-35 fleet in the world.The Pentagon's F-35 programme office on Monday announced that the F-35A had launched an AIM-9X air-to-air missile to hit and "kill" a target simulating a drone over a military test range off the California coast on July 28."After launch, the missile successfully acquired the target and followed an intercept flight profile before destroying the drone, achieving the first F-35 air-to-air kill or 'Boola Boola,' which is the traditional radio call made when a pilot shoots down a drone," the programme office said.The same F-35 pilot who hit the drone also used an internally carried AIM-120C missile against another target drone that was beyond visual range, telling it to self-destruct right before impact, the programme office said in a statement.Lockheed is building three models of the F-35 Lightning II for the U.S. military and 10 countries that have already ordered the jets: Britain, Australia, Norway, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Israel, South Korea and Japan."It will provide airmen unprecedented lethality and survivability, a capability they will use to defend America and our allies for decades to come," Lockheed Martin said in a statement.The Pentagon's F-35 programme office said it remained in negotiations with Lockheed about long-delayed contracts for the next two batches of F-35 jets, deals worth about $15 billion."We're seeking a fair deal for the F-35 enterprise and industry," said F-35 programme spokesman Joe DellaVedova.The programme, first launched in 2001, has made strides in recent years after huge cost overruns and technical problems that sent the project cost up by nearly 70 percent.Earlier problems with the fighter jet included issues with the radar software and complications which increased the risk of neck injury to lightweight pilots when they ejected from the aircraft.Industry and U.S. defence officials say they are working hard to continue driving down the cost of the new warplanes to around $85 million per plane by 2019, as well as the cost of operating the jets."The programme is not doing everything they wanted it to do... But they're at a point now where it is stabilizing and so it is progress," said Todd Harrison, a defence analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Idrees Ali. Additional reporting by David Alexander.; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Andrew Hay)

EUobserved-The EU and China's velvet power-aug 2,16-euobserver-By Eric Maurice

Beijing, Today, 07:47-One would not really imagine the EU inviting journalists from some 100 countries to present its development programmes and ask the media to help it promote its projects and external policy.It would probably be accused of mixing information with spin and trying to impose European views and interests on other parts of the world.China did exactly that last week. The People's Daily, the official paper of the ruling Communist Party, organised a "Media cooperation forum on Belt and Road" in Beijing.The objective was clear: wooing world media to support China's economic diplomacy and world view.The One Belt - One Road initiative - also called the New Silk Road - was launched in 2013. It is a massive plan to invest and build infrastructure in Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.The belt is the inland part, mainly for transport and energy. The road is a maritime route from China to Africa and the Mediterranean, with the development of port infrastructures.China has put $40 billion on the table and has created two international banks to fund projects: the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has more than 50 countries participating, including several European countries; and the New Development Bank in cooperation with Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa.The 21st century Silk Road is a way for China to open new markets to its companies at a time of slowing domestic growth. It is also a way to expand its interests and influence on a global scale.In a roadmap for future EU-China relations published in late June, the European Commission mentioned One Belt - One Road four times in 18 pages.It said the EU-China Connectivity Platform - a programme on transport - "should create synergies between EU policies and projects and China's 'One Belt - One Road' initiative".It added that "co-operation with China on its 'One Belt - One Road' initiative should be dependent on China fulfilling its declared aim of making it an open platform which adheres to market rules and international norms".What the commission may have missed is that the New Silk Road is well under way. China has already signed agreements with more than 30 countries. According to figures given by Chinese authorities, more than $1.4 billion (€1.25 billion) has been invested so far and 60,000 jobs have been created around the world.But the Beijing forum showed something else. By sending engineers, construction machines and infrastructure companies, China pictures itself as a benefactor for the world. China is projecting its soft power and creating an attractive narrative.-'A common treasure'-China and Russia, the two main powers that dispute the Western-led world order, use different methods.While Russia disrupts the existing order with covert action, unilateral modification of international borders and disinformation, China seems to use the order to advance its goals through messages that are meant to be non-controversial.A senior party official told the forum participants that One Belt - One Road was "in line with globalisation", which itself "is the trend of the future".In a message to the forum, Chinese president Xi Jinping said China wanted to build a "mutually beneficial and cooperative network" and that the initiative would "honour the interests of all".The Silk Road is a common treasure for people from all over the world," Xi said, while other officials repeated that it was aimed at "peace and prosperity".With the Silk Road, China portrays itself as a velvet power.Even China's expansionism in the South China Sea is described as a part of the country's effort for "harmony". Supporting Beijing's rebuttal of a recent international court's arbitration is considered as being an effort for "consensus" building.While Russian media abroad - Russia Today or Sputnik - and activists on social media are tools to destabilise the West, Chinese state media is pushing a benevolent image of its home nation on to the international scene.A large part of the Beijing forum took place in the People's Daily's ultra-modern tower, with discussions on new technologies and media innovation.The People's Daily itself is a interesting model of development, with more than 650 million readers online, corporate blogging platforms and even virtual reality and data mining projects.-'Go forward hand in hand'-"Media plays an essential role in communicating information, enhancing mutual trust and building consensus," Xi said in his message, adding that the Beijing forum provided "a platform for media from many countries to engage in dialogue and practice cooperation"."We hope to utilise this platform to promote the development of international relations, deliver public opinion and deepen mutual trust, as well as to push forward the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative," he said.Xi, and the whole event, made clear how the Chinese government hopes the media will promote China's actions and views around the world.After the round tables, the People's Daily officially signed a so-called "International Coalition for new Media Cooperation for One Belt - One Road" with 15 media groups, including some from Portugal and the Netherlands.The aim of the "coalition", the text said, was to "build consensus against misunderstanding and mistrust … establish information sharing … [and] improve culture harmonisation"."We will persevere in media innovation [and] go forward hand in hand," the text said.-No European narrative-What was not said is that media development and "communication information" in China concerns official media only. The day before the forum, Chinese authorities shut several independent news websites for failing to rely exclusively on official reports.Europe already knows that China's global activism poses a challenge, as the current discussions about China's market economy status or Chinese dumping of cheap goods have shown.But it is also faced with a power that offers its own narrative, including to Europe and parts of the world with historical ties with Europe, and that provides itself with the means to circulate it.The EU not only seems to have no narrative to tell the world, but is now, after Brexit, even looking for a new story to tell itself.

EU migrant route now twice as deadly By Nikolaj Nielsen-aug 2,16-euobserver

BRUSSELS, Today, 09:23-The number of people dying to reach safety in Europe has soared over the past seven months and almost doubled when compared to last year.Over 3,100 have perished so far in the Mediterranean compared to around 1,900 over the same period in 2015. Most of the drownings occurred after leaving the north African coast in an effort to reach Italy.Yet the Geneva-based International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says the total number of arrivals by sea in Europe is only slightly higher than the same period in 2015.Over 250,000 made the journey this year compared to around 220,000 last year. Some 94,000 landed in Italy with many from places including Eritrea, Nigeria and Sudan. The remainder, mostly from Syria, ended up in Greece.Asked to explain the increase in drownings, the EU's border agency Frontex said smugglers are putting more people on rubber boats than before."We have noticed that the rubber boats are more overcrowded than they use to be," Frontex spokeswoman Ewa Moncure told EUobserver. Moncure said smaller rubber boats are also being used.The average number of migrants on each 10-12 metre-long rubber dinghy also rose by more than a quarter. Some now have over 100 people onboard.-223 boats seized-It is not immediately clear why smugglers in Libya are putting more and more people on rubber dinghys.But Operation Sophia, the EU's smuggler-busting naval campaign, has since last October seized over 223 boats. They've also delivered 82 suspected smugglers to Italian authorities.The naval campaign is composed of five ships, including an Italian light aircraft carrier, Spanish frigate, and other military assets from Germany, Luxembourg, and the UK.On Monday (2 August), it was involved in an Italian-led rescue operations that plucked some 1,800 out of the water off the coast of Libya.A European Commission spokesperson said Sophia has also been involved in 136 rescue operations and directly saved more than 21,000 lives.They have assisted in the rescues of another 35,000."In 2015 and 2016, EU operations have contributed to saving more than 240,000 people in the Mediterranean - out of which more than 90,000 on the Central Mediterranean route," said the spokesperson in an email.The Italian coastguard, also on Monday, said it had rescued over 8,300 people in the past five days alone.-Greece-Fewer people are making the Aegean Sea journey to Greece from Turkey since the EU signed off a migrant swap deal in March. Around 89 people are arriving every day on average as opposed to 1,700 at its height last year.But the IOM, for its part, has also registered a jump since the failed military coup in Turkey on 15 July.It noted a 111 percent increase from 14-20 July (375 arrivals) to 21-28 July (790 arrivals).

IT SEEMS KHAN THE CON ARTIST WORKER WITH CLINTON AND OBAMA AND THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD.TOOK DOWN HIS WEB SITE AT 3PM YESTERDAY. HE IS CONVIENTLY A IMMIGRATION LAWYER.WHAT DID KHAN HAVE TO HIDE THAT HE TOOK DOWN HIS WEBSITE.MIGHT THEIR BE DONATIONS COMING IN FROM THE CLINTON FOUNDATION.PROBABLY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO SET THIS SCAM UP AT THE DNC CONVENTION.TIME WILL TELL.NOW OBAMA IS TELLING THE RNC TO NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP. SAME MESSAGE AS KHAN THE CON ARTIST. THIS WAS A COMPLETE SETUP PROPAGANDA PUSH BY OBAMA-CLINTON-KHAN AND THE MEDIA-TO TRY TO DESTROY TRUMP. BUT WHEN THE SCAM IS REVEALED AS A SETUP.TRUMP WILL DESTROY HER IN THE ELECTION-THAT HITLER 2ND-BIG FATTEST LIAR AND SCHEMER OF BRIBES AND BUYOUTS BY ELITES TO DO THEIR BIDDING.

Senior Democratic National Committee officials resign - DNC-[Reuters]-By Luciana Lopez and Amanda Becker-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three senior officials with the Democratic National Committee have resigned, the DNC said on Tuesday, amid a shake-up following a hack of thousands of emails that embarrassed the party just as it staged its national convention last week.The resignations of DNC Chief Executive Officer Amy Dacey, Communications Director Luis Miranda and Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall were announced by interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile.Brazile, who took over the role after Debbie Wasserman Schultz stepped down last week, did did not mention the hacks or give a reason for the resignations in a statement on the reorganization, but cast the changes as looking ahead to the U.S. general election on Nov. 8.The hack on the DNC emails stirred discord at the start of the party's convention in Philadelphia where Hillary Clinton formally accepted her party's presidential nomination for the Nov. 8 election.Some of the emails, which were published by WikiLeaks, showed party officials favouring Clinton over her rival for the nomination, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, during the primary contests.Brazile announced a transition team that she said would help to position the party for the general election and to prepare for an eventual permanent party chair.Tom McMahon, a former executive director of the DNC, will lead the transition team, the statement said. Chief of Staff Brandon Davis will also continue in that role and will oversee DNC general election efforts, and strategist Doug Thornell will join as a senior adviser on an interim basis, it said.Other Democratic Party systems have also been hacked. The FBI is investigating a cyber attack incident at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC, and a computer network used by Clinton’s campaign was also hacked.The White House has declined to speculate on who was behind the hack of Democratic Party computers, referring to an ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Cybersecurity experts and U.S. officials, however, have said they believed Russia engineered the release of the DNC emails to influence the presidential election. Clinton herself has blamed Russia for the hack.Russia's foreign ministry has called such accusations insulting.(Reporting by Luciana Lopez and Amanda Becker; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Frances Kerry)

Mother of police shooting suspect blames Black Lives Matter-[Associated Press]-KRISTEN DE GROOT-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

The mother of one of two central Pennsylvania teenagers charged with shooting at police officers last week contends the Black Lives Matter movement is to blame for his actions."They are in jail for doing what Black Lives Matter wanted them to do: shoot at cops," Luz Rentas wrote in a statement given to a number of news organizations over the weekend. "The truth is that these are two punk kids following the orders of an irresponsible organization and now they're gonna pay for it."The co-organizer of a Black Lives Matter chapter in Lancaster said the group rejects using violence to solve societal problems.Officers in the borough of Columbia were responding to a report of gunshots near a cemetery just before 3:30 a.m. Friday when their own vehicles came under fire. No officers were injured.Marquell Rentas, 17, and Trenton Nace, 18, were arrested and remained jailed Tuesday on $2 million bail. The two, who are cousins, face charges including attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer. No attorney information was listed in online court records.Rentas told officers during his arrest, "I was shooting at you," and then cursed at police, authorities wrote in court documents.Lancaster County's district attorney said Tuesday there was no indication the shooting was racially motivated, but he said anti-police rhetoric could fuel such attacks against officers."We as a society need to take a look at what's going on in our country," District Attorney Craig Stedman said. "There's a lot of rhetoric demonizing police. It creates greater a chance to have individuals emboldened to take violent actions out on police."Nace's father, Roberto Rentas, made a similar statement to WHTM-TV that the Black Lives Matter movement influenced the teens' actions.Kevin Ressler, a pastor and co-organizer of the Black Lives Matter chapter in Lancaster, said such violence is counter to the movement. He said Rentas' mother reached out to him Monday night on Facebook and they had a two-hour conversation online. He said he hopes to meet with her — and her son and nephew — to better understand how to communicate Black Lives Matter's message to those who most need it: young African-American men."Hopefully we can take this near-tragic circumstance and try to figure out what positive can come from it," he said.

Libyan forces wary of Islamic State redoubt despite U.S. support-[By Aidan Lewis and Goran Tomasevic]-2 August 2016-YAHOONEWS

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - A day after the United States began a formal campaign of air strikes against Islamic State's stronghold in Libya, anti-IS fighters welcomed Washington's involvement but remained wary of advancing for fear of mines and snipers.The initial U.S. strikes on Monday targeted a tank and two vehicles in Sirte, where the ultra-hardline militants are encircled in the heart of what has become an important base for the group beyond its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.Fighters from a range of anti-IS brigades are dug in behind sand banks and concrete walls in the coastal city after suffering high casualties in months of street-by-street fighting."If the United States is serious about these air strikes we are very pleased, and it will help us on the ground," said Husam Bakoush, a fighter with the Marsa brigade.The battle highlights the challenges of driving the Islamic State from Libya, where it has struggled to win local support but exploited the chaos that followed the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.The country is still deeply divided and a U.N. backed government had hesitated to call for U.S. support until now for fear of a backlash.For the fighters on the ground, this was a source of frustration. "Most of my friends are happy, but they asked why it did not happen sooner," Bakoush said.Abdalla Ali Ibrahim Ismail, another fighter with Marsa brigade, said the strikes could be a game-changer."I think the U.S. strikes will help the ground troops a lot ... I hope that when we start to push again against Islamic State positions the U.S. planes will give us cover."Morale is much higher, our men were celebrating last night."-IS COULD REGROUP-Islamic State has been retreating from U.S.-backed campaigns in Syria and Iraq and its presence in Sirte has been reduced to a few hundred fighters who once controlled what was Gaddafi's hometown.The air strikes in Libya are "open ended", but each one will be coordinated with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), U.S. officials said."We requested support from the United States so that the operation could move quickly and we would not lose more fighters," said Mokhtar Fakron, an air force spokesman in nearby Misrata, from where the Sirte campaign is being run.The battle for Sirte is now focussed around the Ouagadougou convention centre, a white structure where Islamic State hung its black banner, and in the streets around a hospital and the university.Monday's strikes hit close to the convention centre and to the "Dollar" neighbourhood, which fighters took full control of on Saturday, said Fathi Bashagha, who liaises between the GNA and the operation's Misrata command centre.Islamic State took over Sirte a year ago, but forces from the western city of Misrata allied to the U.N.-backed government began a campaign to liberate it in May.Misrata forces are positioned on several fronts around the centre, often only a hundred meters from militant positions."The areas where Islamic State fighters remain inside Sirte are small and restricted and we don't have the technical capacity to deal with them," Fakron said.Misrata commanders believe that Islamic State commanders – some of them foreign fighters sent by militant leaders in Iraq and Syria – had already fled the city before it was besieged.Some may have escaped to remote southern Libya, and officials say even after the fall of Sirte they may see militants launching attacks and suicide bombings.Libyan commanders suspect militants have stored large quantities of arms and ammunition underground in Sirte, and Fakron said this was one target that U.S. strikes could help destroy.Small teams of Western special forces have been providing intelligence and logistical support in Libya for months, and the United States has previously conducted isolated strikes against militants.But Western powers said they would take more sustained action only at the invitation of the GNA, which arrived in Tripoli in March. The new government had held back, struggling to assert its authority over a fractured country and sensitive to criticism that it had been imposed from the outside.-IMPROVISED WEAPONS-At the start of May, Islamic State pushed north-west towards Misrata, provoking a counter attack by Misrata-led brigades that moved swiftly to the edge of Sirte. The GNA scrambled to set up a military command structure in an effort to bring the brigades under its wing.But fighters, many of them volunteers and former rebels who fought in the uprising against Gaddafi in 2011, felt the GNA and the international community had failed to follow up on promises of support.The government had been unable to keep up with developments on the ground, though it eventually released 100 million dinars ($65 million) in financial support, said Bashagha."The campaign is going very fast, and the other procedures are very slow," he told Reuters. "They say, 'Ok, we'll see how much you need, when you need it, let me check and get back to you.' And they get back to you in one month, but your situation is worse." U.S. air strikes, he said, would "change everything".As the battle has progressed the brigades say they have become better organised, but they have continued to suffer heavy losses. "The further we advance, the more we're faced by skilful fighters," said Suhaib Jahan, stationed a few hundred metres from the Ouagadougou conference hall. "They save their best for last."At least 350 brigade members have been killed since May and more than 1,500 wounded, with dozens of fighters killed on single days by suicide bombs, snipers and mines.Lacking modern military equipment the brigades have improvised, mounting pick-up trucks with helicopter rocket pods, buying ammunition off the local black market, and installing an anti-aircraft gun on a coastguard tug positioned off the coast.The air force has been using an ageing fleet of Eastern bloc jets, the most recent of which dates from 1984. Bomb carrying mechanisms for the aircraft have been made in a local workshop.Charity workers ferry sandwiches and iced drinks from Misrata every day for thousands of fighters and medical staff.Since Islamic State embedded itself in Sirte, almost all the city's 80,000 residents have fled. Downtown residential neighbourhoods are now a battleground, with handwritten signs warning of snipers at junctions and blankets strung across roads to give brigade fighters cover.The fighters talk of finding sophisticated booby traps, and explosives hidden among food or furniture, in buildings abandoned by Islamic State. They say they have been left alone to fight a dirty war against an enemy that represents a trans-national threat."Maybe some of the men would not have come to fight if they'd known it would be like this," said Ahmed Grayma, a commander positioned near Sirte's port on Saturday who said his brigade lacked armoured vehicles, protective clothing and mine detectors."We feel tricked because they said the international community was behind us but our colleagues are dying and we don't know when it will end."(This version of the story has been refiled with changed headline)(Editing by Patrick Markey and Philippa Fletcher)

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)

Deadly weather system strengthens, now Tropical Storm Earl-[Associated Press]-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

MIAMI (AP) — A weather system that already has caused at least six deaths in the Dominican Republic has been designated as Tropical Storm Earl.The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tuesday that Earl was threatening to bring heavy rains, flooding and high winds to Mexico, Belize and Honduras. All three of those countries issued Tropical Storm warnings for some areas, and a hurricane watch was issued for part of the Mexican coast.On Sunday, Earl was still a weaker tropical wave but knocked down power lines and started a fire that killed six passengers on a bus filled with people returning from a beach excursion.On Tuesday, the storm was centered about 200 miles (325 kilometers) south of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. It had top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was speeding west at 22 mph (35 kph).

Tornado turns family home to rubble near Melville, Sask.-[CBC]-August 1, 2016-yahoonews

What was supposed to be a calm, relaxing holiday Monday for a Saskatchewan family of four turned into a day of recovery and cleanup, after a tornado levelled their farmhouse just outside of Melville, Sask.Jamie Simpson and her family lost everything in the blink of an eye after a tornado carved out a path of destruction on their farmyard. "Our house was just thrown throughout the field here, and it was very surreal and emotional. You can't imagine this is ever going to happen to you," Simpson told CBC News on Monday."You just thank God that you were safe and your family is safe, and this stuff can all be replaced. We can't."Simpson's family and her parents both had houses on the same farm property. The two children were already at her parents' house when the storm began to roll in.She called her husband in from the field and they saw tornado warnings on the television.That's when Simpson and her husband crossed the property to go to her parents' house for safety. They met the kids and the parents there. Their land is located about 14 kilometres north of Melville.While huddled together at the parents' house, Simpson's mom saw a tree fly by the window. Then the door of the shop went by. "My dad said, 'We all got to get to the bathroom,' so we all got in the bathroom and hunkered down until things cleared over," Simpson said. After the storm-The Simpson's house was destroyed. "It was loud, and the house was shaking, and you could hear the wind and the rain hitting the windows, and it didn't feel like a tornado, but it had to have been, just the way the damage is," Simpson said. "The house exploded, basically. It's very surreal."About 30 minutes after the storm, the sun came out, shining over broken, downed and up-rooted trees. The parents' house, where they sought shelter, stood relatively unharmed in the same prairie field. After the disaster, an online fundraising campaign was started for the family and hundreds of dollars were raised throughout the night.By Tuesday morning, $10,600 had been raised for the Simpson family. This doubled the original goal of the campaign.Physical donations have also been accepted at the local hospital. People are urged to donate clothes and toys for her two children, because they weren't sure what could be salvaged from the wreckage. Simpson said she's been overwhelmed by the response from her neighbours, adding she would do the same for them.She said her family spent the morning searching for her daughter's favourite teddy bear and a blanket made by the girl's grandmother. "My dad doesn't even know what to say. It's surreal, too. Everything we worked for is kind of gone in the blink of an eye, and you just have to pick up and keep on trucking," she said. "You know us, that's what we do."The family had been living in the home since 2001.Saskatchewan has had a weekend of devastating weather, with tornadoes touching down near Melville, about 150 kilometres northeast of Regina, and flash floods hitting Yorkton in the province's southeast.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Wildfires burn in 7 Western states, prompt evacuations-[Associated Press]-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Wildfires are burning in seven Western states, from California's scenic Big Sur region to tribal towns and hamlets near Reno, Nevada. More than a dozen homes were destroyed in Montana, and thousands of firefighters were battling other blazes Tuesday in Oregon and Wyoming. In Idaho, federal officials mobilized two U.S. Department of Defense retardant-dropping aircraft to help fight wildfires.Here's a look at some of the fires:CALIFORNIA-A wildfire north of scenic Big Sur spread again overnight and has now charred more than 67 square miles.The blaze that broke out July 22 has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening 2,000 structures. It was less than 18 percent contained.Firefighters got help from a low marine layer Monday that brought a spike in humidity and dropped temperatures into the 60s and 70s.More than 5,400 firefighters from across California are fighting the fire in steep terrain.All California state parks in the area were closed until further notice.In California's Central Valley, crews got a bit more control over a stubborn wildfire that has destroyed three homes and is threatening another 400 northeast of Fresno. It has burned two other buildings.Authorities said firefighters increased containment to 30 percent.The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says about 300 people were under evacuation orders from homes just outside Sierra National Forest.The 4.5-square-mile blaze started Saturday in steep, rugged terrain.A 65-square-mile wildfire in wilderness just north of Los Angeles was almost fully contained as isolated pockets of vegetation burned.___IDAHO-Federal officials mobilized two U.S. Department of Defense retardant-dropping aircraft to help fight wildfires in the West.The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise said the C-130s will go into action on Wednesday and initially be based in Boise.More than 1,400 firefighters were battling a blaze in rugged terrain in southwest Idaho that grew to 66 square miles and has destroyed a popular, state-operated backcountry yurt.The $60,000 yurt is a round, tent-like structure with a dome roof and plastic skin. Several more are threatened.___MONTANA-Firefighters were bracing for strong winds as they battled a blaze in western Montana that destroyed 14 homes and may have contributed to a man's death.The fire had burned 5.7 square miles in Bitterroot National Forest. Residents of about 500 homes southwest of Hamilton were evacuated or warned to be ready to leave.Residents were allowed back into the burned area Monday, but it was closed again Tuesday due to expected high winds and low humidity.Family members say a 64-year-old man died of a heart attack while trying to evacuate Sunday.___NEVADA-Firefighters expected dry, hot winds and the possibility of erratic flames in a series of wildfires that have charred almost 75 square miles of rangeland in northwest Nevada.Officials predicted humidity in the single-digits in the Virginia Mountains with wind gusts up to 45 mph.Containment of the fires was estimated at about 40 percent.Residents in some rural areas have been told to prepare to evacuate quickly if necessary.Pyramid Lake was closed.A nearly 8-square-mile wildfire was burning in the scenic Poodle Mountain Wilderness Study Area, about 50 miles farther north.___OREGON-Crater Lake National Park remained open as a wildfire grew to more than 400 acres.The fire has led to the partial closure of the Pacific Crest Trail from Dutton Creek Camp to Red Cone Springs. Fire officials said West Rim Drive could be intermittently closed over the next couple of days.The cause of the fire remained under investigation. Officials said it could have resulted from an escaped campfire.___WASHINGTON-Fire crews were monitoring high winds and building fire lines as they tackled a large blaze in south-central Washington.The wildfire was burning about 12 miles north of Sunnyside. It held steady overnight.The blaze has scorched about 273 square miles of brush and grass since it started Saturday on the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center. It was about 10 percent contained.It's the largest of several wildfires burning in Washington state.___WYOMING-Evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes northwest of Dubois as progress was made against a wildfire.Firefighters have gained 50 percent containment of the fire that has burned about 22 square miles on private land and in Shoshone National Forest. The fire began July 11.In Bridger-Teton National Forest, a fire that has burned about 46 square miles was 84 percent contained.In southwest Wyoming, a fire that has burned about 2 square miles near the Utah border is now 36 percent contained. Residents of about 75 homes that had been evacuated last week were allowed to return.

The Latest: Fire danger expected to expand in West, East-[Associated Press]-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning in the Western U.S. (all times local):1:15 p.m.Forecasters say the threat of significant wildfires will expand into parts of Oregon, Montana and Wyoming this month, while a broad swath of the South and the East Coast will see increased danger later in the year.The National Interagency Fire Center's monthly outlook , released Monday, says the the potential for big fires will remain above normal during August in parts of California, Idaho, Nevada and Utah because of dry grass and bushes.By September, the fire threat is expected to swing back toward normal over much of the West but increase in the South.By October and November, the potential for significant wildfires is expected to be above normal in an arc of states from Texas to New Jersey.___12:05 p.m.Officials say two specially equipped military cargo planes have been made available to drop fire retardant on blazes burning across the West.The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, said Tuesday that the C-130s are expected to be ready for firefighting missions on Wednesday.Each can drop 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in as little as five seconds.The C-130s can be mobilized when the civilian tanker fleet is stretched thin.Initially, they'll be based in Boise, home of the center that coordinates wildfire-fighting efforts nationwide.___11:55 a.m.Officials are reporting 60 percent containment of an 8-square-mile wildfire sparked by lightning on a mountain in northwest Nevada.There have been no injuries and no structures are immediately threatened by the fire in the Poodle Mountain area, about 100 miles north of Reno.Winds are forecast later in the day.Fire commander Glen Uhlig says about 415 firefighters are working in hot, dry conditions to prevent the fire from crossing State Route 447, near Squaw Creek Reservoir.They were aided by air tankers and helicopters.In eastern Nevada, officials are reporting 80 percent containment of a 1.3-square-mile wildfire on public rangeland about 95 miles northeast of Las Vegas.___11:45 a.m.Firefighters were bracing for strong winds and authorities have ordered more evacuations during a fire in western Montana that destroyed 14 homes and may have contributed to a death.The fire started Sunday and has burned 5.7 square miles in Bitterroot National ForestResidents were allowed back into the burned area Monday evening, but the area was closed again Tuesday and the evacuation zone expanded because high winds and low humidity were forecast.Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman says his undersheriff toured the burned area and said it looked like a moonscape.Fire information officer Mike Cook says the 200 firefighters working the blaze were trying to hold onto gains made Monday and protect homes.___10:35 a.m.A wildfire north of scenic Big Sur near California's Central Coast spread again overnight and has now charred more than 67 square miles.The blaze that broke out July 22 has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening 2,000 additional structures. It was less than 18 percent contained Tuesday.Firefighters on Monday got help from a spike in humidity and lower temperatures, and they are hopeful for more of the same Tuesday.Officials say more than 5,400 firefighters from across California are fighting the fire in steep terrain that is considered some of the most extreme in the United States.All California State Parks from Point Lobos State Natural Reserve through Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park are closed until further notice. Full containment is not expected until Aug. 31.___9:40 a.m.More than 1,400 firefighters are battling a blaze in southwest Idaho that has grown to 66 square miles and destroyed a state-operated backcountry structure.Officials say the fire expanded by about 5 square miles Tuesday in rugged terrain and was nearly 30 percent contained. It's not expected to be fully contained until mid-September.Crews plan to build fire lines and use previous wildfire burn scars to try to prevent the fire from moving farther north.The $60,000 yurt that burned is a round, tent-like structure with a dome roof and plastic skin.The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has five other yurts it manages as part of an agreement with the Boise National Forest, and several remain threatened.___8:50 a.m.Firefighters in northwest Nevada are bracing for dry, hot winds and the possibility of erratic flames as they battle a series of wildfires that have charred almost 75 square miles of rangeland.Incident commanders predict humidity in the single-digits Tuesday in the Virginia Mountains, with wind gusts up to 45 miles an hour.The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe town of Sutcliffe is no longer threatened, but residents in some rural areas have been told to prepare to evacuate quickly if necessary. The lake is closed.About 800 firefighters are battling the fires, which are roughly 40 percent contained.About 50 miles north, a wildfire in the scenic Poodle Mountain Wilderness Study Area has burned nearly 8 square miles.___8:25 a.m.Crews overnight got a bit more control over a stubborn wildfire in California's Central Valley.The blaze has destroyed three homes and is threatening another 400 northeast of Fresno as it heads into its second week. It also has burned two other buildings.Authorities said Tuesday that firefighters increased containment to 30 percent.The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says about 300 people were under evacuation orders from homes just outside the Sierra National Forest.The 4.5-square-mile blaze started Saturday afternoon in steep, rugged terrain.

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Scientists' annual physical of planet: 'Earth's fever rises'-[The Canadian Press]-August 2, 2016-yahoonews

WASHINGTON — Earth's fever got worse last year, breaking dozens of climate records, scientists said in a massive report nicknamed the annual physical for the planet.Soon after 2015 ended, it was proclaimed the hottest on record . The new report shows the broad extent of other records and near-records on the planet's climatic health. Those include record heat energy absorbed by the oceans and lowest groundwater storage levels globally, according to Tuesday's report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."I think the time to call the doctor was years ago," NOAA climate monitoring chief Deke Arndt, co-editor of the report, said in an email. "We are awash in multiple symptoms."The 2015 State of the Climate report examined 50 different aspects of climate , including dramatic melting of Arctic sea ice and glaciers worldwide. A dozen different nations set hottest year records, including Russia and China. South Africa had the hottest temperature ever recorded in the month of October: 119.1 degrees Fahrenheit (48.4 degrees Celsius).Even though it was a relatively quiet hurricane year in the Atlantic, there were 36 major tropical cyclones worldwide — 15 more than average, said NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden, co-editor of the report published Tuesday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.And at the heart of the records is that all three major heat-trapping greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — hit record highs in 2015, Blunden said."There is really only one word for this parade of shattered climate records: grim," said Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb, who wasn't part of the report, but called it "exhaustive and thorough."But it's more than just numbers on a graph. Scientists said the turbo-charged climate affected walrus and penguin populations and played a role in dangerous algae blooms, such as one off the Pacific Northwest coast. And there were brutal heat waves all over the world, with ones in Indian and Pakistan killing thousands of people. One-third of Earth's land mass had some kind of drought last year.Much of the intense record-breaking and record-flirting weather was because of a combination of a natural El Nino — the periodic warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather globally — and ever increasing man-made global warming."This impacts people. This is real life," Blunden said.Oklahoma University meteorology professor Jason Furtado said in an email that the report, which he wasn't part of, illustrates the combined power of nature and humans on Earth's climate: "It was like injecting an already amped-up climate system with a dose of (natural) steroids."About 450 scientists from around the world helped write the report and in it NOAA highlighted one of the lesser-known measurements, ocean heat content. About 93 per cent of the heat energy trapped by greenhouse gases — such as carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, oil and gas — goes directly into the ocean, the report said. And ocean heat content hit record levels both near the surface and deep.NOAA oceanographer Gregory C. Johnson, a study co-author, said the oceans are storing more heat energy because of man-made climate change with an extra El Nino spike.Johnson summed up Earth's climate in a haiku, published deep inside the report:"El Niño waxes,warm waters shoal, flow eastward,Earth's fever rises."___Online:Report: http://ift.tt/2aOsTOl Seth Borenstein at http://twitter.com/borenbears and his work can be found at http://ift.tt/2argyME Borenstein, The Associated Press

Global heat, sea level hit record highs in 2015-[AFP]-Kerry Sheridan-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Miami (AFP) - Global heat, greenhouse gases and sea levels all climbed to record highs last year, making 2015 the worst in modern times across a range of key environmental indicators, international scientists said Tuesday.A dire picture of the Earth's health is painted in the State of the Climate report, a peer-reviewed 300-page tome that comes out once a year and is compiled by 450 scientists from around the world.The record heat that the planet experienced last year was driven partially by global warming, and was exacerbated by the ocean heating trend known as El Nino, it said.El Nino, which just ended in July, was one of the strongest the Earth has seen "since at least 1950," said the report, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information.Thomas Karl, director of the NOAA division, described the report as an "annual physical" of the Earth's health."Clearly, the report in 2015 shows not only that the temperature of the planet is increasing, but all the related symptoms that you might expect to see with a rising temperature are also occurring," he told reporters on a conference call."El Nino certainly gave it a boost, so to speak, from the standpoint of global temperatures."Adding to the health metaphor, the report also featured a haiku by co-author Gregory Johnson, an oceanographer with NOAA, who wrote:"El Nino waxes,warm waters shoal, flow eastward, Earth's fever rises."- New records -Major concentrations of greenhouse gases -- including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide -- are the by-products of fossil fuel burning.All three "rose to new record high values during 2015," said the findings, based on tens of thousands of measurements from multiple independent datasets.The annual average atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, reached 400.8 parts per million (ppm), surpassing 400 ppm for the first time, marking "the largest annual increase observed in the 58-year record."On average globally, 2015's CO2 level was 399.4 ppm, an increase of 2.2 ppm over 2014.This "means that 2016 is easily going to surpass this milestone," said climatologist Jessica Blunden, lead editor at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.The report also confirmed the NOAA and NASA finding that Earth's average land and ocean surface temperatures warmed to record levels in 2015.Karl and Blunden said experts foresee 2016 will set a new record for global heat."Just because the El Nino has ended does not mean that we are going to go back to where we were before. We are going to continue to climb," said Blunden.Global sea levels swelled to their highest point yet, about 70 millimeters (about 2.75 inches) higher than the 1993 average.Sea level is creeping up gradually around the globe, averaging about 3.3 millimeters per year, said the report.Some places in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean are seeing waters rise faster.Even though the current pace may appear slow, experts warn that sea level rise will accelerate in the coming decades as glaciers and polar ice caps melt, putting millions of lives at risk in coastal communities around the world.- More extremes -More extreme weather was seen in 2015, too, with an above-normal rainy season prompting major floods in some parts of the world.Meanwhile, areas in severe drought nearly doubled, from eight percent of the planet in 2014 to 14 percent in 2015.The Arctic, which is considered particularly sensitive to climate change, continued to warm, and increasing temperatures led to thinner and smaller sea ice cover."The Arctic land surface temperature tied with 2007 and 2011 as the highest since records began in the early 20th century, representing a 2.8 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit) increase since that time," said the report.The Antarctic was colder than average, and the influence of El Nino on atmospheric circulation helped shift sea ice cover "from record high levels in May to record low levels in August," it said.Across the globe, alpine glaciers continued to retreat for the 36th year in a row.June's late spring snow cover in the northern hemisphere marked the second lowest in the 49-year satellite record.Warming waters are also blamed for the severity of a widespread algal bloom last summer that stretched from central California to British Columbia, Canada, resulting in "significant impacts to marine life, coastal resources and the human communities that depend on these resources."The Atlantic hurricane season was unusually mild for the second year in a row, largely due to El Nino, but tropical cyclones "were well above average overall," said the report.There were 101 tropical cyclones across all ocean basins in 2015, well above the 1981-2010 average of 82 storms.The eastern and central Pacific was roiled by 26 big storms, the most since 1992.

DISEASES

REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

Canadians urged to take precautions after Zika virus discovery found in Miami-[The Canadian Press]-August 2, 2016-yahoonrews

OTTAWA — The Public Health Agency is telling pregnant Canadian women who visited Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Florida on or after June 15 to take precautions against the Zika virus.The warning comes after U.S. health officials said mosquitoes have apparently started spreading Zika on the U.S. mainland.Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Gregory Taylor says because four million Canadians visit Florida annually, an unknown number could be affected by the latest U.S. discovery.Taylor says any pregnant women who visited the area on or after June 15 should see their health care providers for testing.He says women who have been to the region should wait two months before trying to become pregnant.And because the virus can linger in sperm, men should wait several months longer before attempting to impregnate a partner.The Canadian Press

Trudeau announces new selection process for Supreme Court of Canada judges-[The Canadian Press]-August 2, 2016-yahoonews

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals have decided a new advisory board, not the government, should select potential new judges to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada.The government announced Tuesday it will change the manner in which a Supreme Court justice is appointed, saying it's time for the process to "demonstrate a degree of rigour and responsibility" that may have been missing in the past.Former prime minister Kim Campbell will chair the seven-member, non-partisan advisory board that will recommend three to five candidates for the high court to the prime minister for consideration.The change is similar to one the Liberals brought in months ago to appoint senators. An independent body now makes decisions about who should be named to the upper chamber, a process that also enables Canadians to apply for the jobs themselves.Much like the Senate, the prime minister will still decide which nominee should join the high court.The Liberals said the new appointment process will add openness and transparency to the process of selecting new Supreme Court justices.They are hoping to avoid the outcome the Conservatives faced when the high court killed the appointment of Marc Nadon, saying he didn't meet the constitutional requirements for a Quebec justice.In a letter published Tuesday in the Globe and Mail, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the process will "will set a higher standard for accountability.""Gone are the days of governments — Liberal and Conservative alike — nominating Supreme Court justices through a secretive backroom process," wrote Trudeau."Canadians deserve better."Interested Canadian lawyers or judges, who meet the qualifications and are "functionally bilingual," will be able to apply for a position on the Supreme Court scheduled to open Sept. 1 with the retirement of Justice Thomas Cromwell.The government said it plans to publicly release the questionnaire each candidate must answer and some — but not all — of the answers from the eventual nominee.Ottawa also said it will consult Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, provinces, territories, and opposition parties on the nominee.The House of Commons and Senate justice committees will have the chance to question Campbell and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould about the incoming Supreme Court justice. The parliamentary committees will also get an opportunity to question the nominee through what the government calls a "moderated question and answer session."The advisory board chaired by Campbell will have seven members.Four members have been designated by the Canadian Judicial Council, the Canadian Bar Association, the Federation of Law Societies and the Council of Canadian Law Deans.Wilson-Raybould named the other three members, two of whom are from outside the legal community.The Canadian Press

Bishop removes priests from Irish seminary over gay sex app claims-[Reuters]-August 2, 2016-YAHOONEWS

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The Catholic archbishop of Dublin has removed trainee priests from Ireland's largest seminary over allegations of widespread use of the gay sex app Grindr and the failure of the authorities to properly investigate it.The move is the latest scandal to hit the Catholic Church in Ireland, once the defining influence on public life, but now humbled by reports of child sex abuse stretching back decades and of church leaders' complicity in covering them up.Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said a series of anonymous allegations about a gay sex culture at the Maynooth seminary, where over 50 students are training to be priests, had been compounded by the college authorities' failure to investigate."One (allegation) is that there is a homosexual, gay culture, that students have been using an app called Grindr, which would be inappropriate for seminarians and not just because they are going to be celibate priests," Martin said in an interview with Irish state broadcaster RTE on Tuesday."If this is going on on a large scale in the seminary and it hasn't been noticed in the seminary, then there is something wrong," he said.He said there were also allegations that students who had spoken to the authorities had been dismissed from the seminary. A series of anonymous allegations and counter-allegations had poisoned the culture at the college, he added.The president of the seminary, Hugh Connolly, said no investigation had taken place because there had been no official complaint."It is very important that anything we do, we do in natural justice, in other words, that we will always act only when we have clarity and when we have grounds to act," Connolly told RTE. "Broadly speaking, I think the atmosphere is a very good one."(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

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