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)
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)
Winter storm with heavy snows, fierce winds targets New England-[Reuters]-By Brendan O'Brien-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
(Reuters) - A winter storm is expected to dump heavy snows and produce fierce winds in New England on Thursday evening and into Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.More than a foot of snow (30 cm) and 50 mph (80 kph) winds are forecast from the Adirondacks Mountains in upstate New York to western Maine, leading to possible white-out conditions on roads and power outages, the weather service said in an advisory.The storm will make travel across much of the region hazardous, the weather service said.Storm and high wind watches and warnings were in effect for much of the region until Friday morning as snow fall rates could be as much as 3 inches (8 cm) an hour in some parts, according to the service.Forecasters predict temperatures will be in the mid 20s and lower 30s on Thursday and Friday and dip into the teens on Saturday.(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Explosive' snowstorm heading toward eastern Quebec-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
A low-pressure system heading north from the United States is expected to dump a serious amount of snow on eastern Quebec today.Environment Canada says that as the system heads up the Eastern Seaboard, its "rapid even explosive development" will turn it into a major storm that will bring 20 to 50 centimetres of snow and high winds to some areas.The snow is forecast to begin late Thursday morning and continue into the night.Winter storm warnings have been issued for a wide swath of the province, including the Gaspé and Saguenay regions, Drummondville, the Eastern Townships and Quebec City."It's a big one," said Robert Michaud, a meteorologist for Environment Canada. "It's going to be a historic one for central Quebec and eastern Quebec."Blowing snow will make for a hard commute starting late Thursday and into Friday morning, according to Michaud."The worst will be overnight. I'm pretty sure the roads everywhere between Quebec City and the east will be shut down tonight."Travellers warned about delaysThe same system is expected to bring snow, rain and high winds to parts of the Atlantic provinces.The Montreal area is expected to get between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow Thursday.Environment Canada says the storm may cause large waves in the St. Lawrence Estuary, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Chaleur Bay, which could be problematic in coastal regions during high tides Friday.Orléans Express, Quebec's principal intercity bus company, is warning customers that all departures today are conditional on the weather, and to expect delays and even cancellations.A spokesman for Via Rail said while there are no expected major delays or cancellations due to the weather, passengers heading east of Montreal can call 1-888-VIA RAIL (1-888-842-7245) to check the status of their trains before heading to the station.As well, snow in Toronto has prompted Pearson International Airport to warn travellers that flight delays are possible.A different storm system is expected to hit parts of southeast Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba on Friday, bringing 10 to 15 centimetres and strong winds.
Remote Nevada quakes could have been a disaster-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
RENO, Nev. — A trio of significant earthquakes that struck a remote part of western Nevada early Wednesday were big enough to cause as much as $1 billion in damage if they had been centred beneath a big city, a leading expert said Wednesday.The first of two magnitude-5.7 quakes that began shortly after midnight and a third that registered 5.5 resulted in no injuries or reports of significant damage. The epicenter was east of the Sierra range and the Nevada-California line near rural Hawthorne about 100 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe and 90 miles south of Reno."Thankfully, it's not underneath a big city because a sequence of 5.7s could certainly do a lot of damage," said Graham Kent, director of the University of Nevada's Seismological Laboratory."If you put this underneath Reno, we are probably looking at a $1 billion event, probably with some fatalities and many casualties," he told The Associated Press. "It's much better to be beneath a ranch 20 miles outside of Hawthorne."In addition to Reno and Carson City, Wednesday's biggest temblor was felt in Las Vegas and more than 200 miles away in San Francisco, according to the university's Seismological Lab in Reno.The first magnitude-5.7 event struck at 12:18 a.m., followed by another 5.7 four minutes later 18 miles southwest of Hawthorne. A magnitude-5.5 quake hit the same area at 1:13 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said.The biggest quakes were followed by a series of smaller aftershocks, including two in the magnitude-4 range and at least a dozen larger than magnitude 3.The Mineral County sheriff's office in Hawthorne said staffers felt the quakes, but they had no reports of injury or damage. The quakes apparently triggered burglar alarms at two businesses, and they caused a rock slide but didn't affect travel on a nearby highway, the office said.Kent said it should serve as a reminder that Nevadans live in the third-most seismically active state in the nation behind California and Alaska."It's another wake-up call," said Kent, who said they have been studying the seismically active region around Hawthorne since a swarm of thousands of smaller earthquakes were recorded there over a two-month period in 2011."Obviously we don't have a crystal ball," he said Wednesday. "If there is a fourth or fifth event, I wouldn't be surprised. But if there wasn't, I wouldn't be surprised."Earthquake magnitudes are calculated according to ground motion recorded on seismographs. An increase in one full number — from 6.5 to 7.5, for example — means the quake's magnitude is 10 times as great.A quake with a magnitude of 6 can cause severe damage. The magnitude 6.7 quake that struck Los Angeles in January 1994 caused an estimated $40 billion in damage and killed 72 people.Glenn Pomeroy, CEO of the California Earthquake Authority, said Wednesday that they don't expect the most recent Nevada temblors to generate claims from any holders of earthquake insurance policies."We were very fortunate that this recent shaking was not more severe and that it was centred in sparsely populated areas," Pomeroy said. "But as with the earthquake that occurred along the Northern California coast earlier this month, and the Southern California earthquake swarm this fall, these events remind us that we live in earthquake country and that we all should take steps to be prepared."-Scott Sonner, The Associated Press.
DEAD ANIMALS
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,(EARTH) because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
A WHALE WASHED UP ON THE SAME SHORES TODAY AGAIN ALSO.DEC 29,16.
New species wash up dead on N.S. beaches:'We're going back to the drawing board'-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
PLYMPTON, N.S. — Western Nova Scotia's mysterious fish kill has spread to new species, with scores of dead starfish, clams, lobsters and mussels now washing ashore alongside thousands of herring.Fisheries officers were on beaches in the St. Marys Bay area Wednesday, collecting samples as their investigation expanded beyond the herring that first appeared a month ago."We're seeing multiple species throughout that area. We started to see them late last week ... but over the last 48 hours, we've been seeing more significant reports," said Doug Wentzell, regional director of fisheries management for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.The department issued a lengthy statement Wednesday detailing its testing for infections, diseases, toxins, predators and broader water quality issues."Everything to date has come back negative. So now that we've got a few other species involved, that causes us to broaden the scope again," Wentzell said. "We're going back to the drawing board to make sure that we have not left any stone unturned."Wentzell said the DFO could find no connection between the fish kill and the Cape Sharp Tidal turbine that began producing power in November in the Minas Passage, about 150 kilometres away.He said officers hoped to search underwater areas of St. Marys Bay Thursday.Dead herring have been found in a 100-kilometre swath of western Nova Scotia from St. Marys Bay to Tusket, with most between the mouth of the Sissiboo River and Plympton. Wentzell said the wider number of species have washed up in that same narrow area of St. Marys Bay.Eric Hewey, a 23-year-old native of the area who now lives in Halifax, posted photos of the dead sea life on the beach at Savary Provincial Park on his Facebook page over the holidays.He said he had been visiting family when a friend said they had to "come see the beach" in Plympton."We went down and (saw) masses of dead sea life," Hewey said in an email Wednesday. "Anecdotally, nobody we know has ever seen this happen, and it causes a lot of emotions. This is the livelihoods of so many people, and indirectly other people."Ted Leighton, an adjunct biology professor at Nova Scotia's University of Sainte-Anne, has compiled more than 40 sightings of dead herring since late November.The herring deaths were cause enough for concern, Leighton said, but now that new species have surfaced dead, it's time to figure out "what's really going on.""We’re kind of in the dark, not from lack of trying, but from the complexity of the case," he said.Leighton said that until scientists know what's killing the herring, it's hard to say whether other marine life could be vulnerable to the same forces."They may or may not be related," said Leighton. "If they are related, they may be related in sort of an indirect means ... (like) different pieces of global warming."Leighton said scientists can make some inferences based on the broad swath of species that were swept ashore in the last "pulse" of deaths.A starfish, a lobster and a herring have very little in common, said Leighton, and it's unlikely that an infectious disease, which targets a narrow range of organisms, could wipe out such a diverse cross-section of marine life.Leighton said the only trait the fish share is where they live — the bottom of St. Marys Bay — so the answer may lie near the sea floor. A lethal change in marine habitat, like toxic water contamination or lack of oxygen, has the potential to wipe out all life it touches, he said.Wentzell said despite the mystery, fish kills have been known to happen. He understands, though, why local are concerned."We've got a lot of citizens that are very engaged in this, which I can certainly appreciate if I was living in that area. It has generated a lot of tension on social media. It's a visible issue and it's one that I can see generating a lot of interest."— By Adina Bresge in Halifax-The Canadian Press.
2 PETER 2:1-2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
MATTHEW 24:4-5,11,24-25
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many (MILLIONS) shall come in my name,(JESUS-I AM) saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.(MILLIONS)(THIS IS DEFINATELY THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT)
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.(CALIFORNIA THE NEW AGE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD-SO NO WONDER SAN FRANSICO IS THE SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS CAPITAL OF THE EARTH ALSO).
1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,(NEW AGE MOVEMENT) and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;(NEW AGERS BELIEVE SATANS LIES OF NO SIN,POSSITIVE THINKING,PEACE,LOVE,JOY,UTOPIA)
2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
DEUTORONOMY 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,(OCCULT SACRIFICES) or that useth divination,(NEW AGER AND CRYSTALS ETC) divination n. The art or act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of augury or an alleged supernatural agency.) or an observer of times,(Meaning of observer. ... for sketching it. horoscope - Comes from Greek hora, hour, time, and skopos, observer.) or an enchanter,(The word enchant is derived from the Latin word incantare which refers to uttering an incantation or casting a spell). or a witch,(WITCH. Definition: [noun] a female sorcerer (SORCERY IN THE BIBLE IS DRUGS OR OCCULT ACTIVITY) or magician.)
11 Or a charmer,(charmer means a dealer in spells, especially one who, by binding certain knots, was supposed thereby to bind a curse or a blessing on its object.) or a consulter with familiar spirits,(function as mediums or psychics) or a wizard,(MALE WITCH-influence; a magical spell WITH WANDS) or a necromancer.(one seeking unto the dead.)
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Atheist United Church minister starting new secular community in Toronto-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
TORONTO — A minister deemed unsuitable by the United Church for declaring herself an atheist is now at the heart of an effort to establish a type of church-style, secular community in Canada.Gretta Vosper is one of about 10 founding members of Toronto's Oasis Network, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada and due to launch in February.Oasis communities, which have sprung up in several locations across the United States, are non-faith-based groups that try to draw people together based on five broad-based principles.Among them are notions that reality is best understood through reason rather than religious insight, and that the world's problems are best addressed by people rather than divine intervention.Vosper sees setting up the community in Toronto as a natural extension of the work she's already doing at one of the city's churches.The United Church criticized Vosper for declaring herself an atheist and will hold an ecclesiastical hearing in late 2017 to determine whether or not she will be defrocked as a minister.Vosper is fighting to keep her job as the pastoral leader of the West Hill United Church in east Toronto and said her involvement with the Oasis community builds upon what she has tried to establish there."There's many elements of religion that will be picked up by Oasis, but they're not exclusive to religion," Vosper told The Canadian Press."Religion has carried them forward and done it very, very well in many ways, but also in many ways has done it with drastic results. So to distill the best elements of religion in a way that can allow them to be embraced by an increasingly secular world I think is important, and that's what we're doing."Oasis will maintain many trappings of a traditional church, she said.The group will gather on Sunday mornings, often seen as the time best-suited for family activities, and congregate in a multi-faith centre in downtown Toronto.They will offer programs for children while adults listen to a guest speaker or a local musician.Gatherings will not centre around a single leader, but will instead be shaped by the guest presenters who will help lead discussions of topics that are relevant to the community.Vosper said the group is open to anyone who shares the five core principles of Oasis: "people are more important than beliefs," "reality is known through reason," "human hands solve human problems," "meaning comes from making a difference, and "be accepting and be accepted."She said the goal is to create a free-thinking, compassionate community that offers many of the same benefits regular church-goers have experienced.Vosper said the group is far from an atheist community, adding people of all religious convictions are welcome.Vosper emerged as a controversial figure in United Church circles when she renounced belief in God and the bible in 2013. She recently told a Church review panel that she identified as an atheist as a sign of solidarity with those who were persecuted for challenging religious fundamentalism or extremism.In September that review committee issued a report saying Vosper's lack of belief in God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit made her "not suitable" as a minister.Vosper, 58, who was ordained in 1993, joined her West Hill congregation in 1997 and has been up front about her beliefs for years.Things came to a head after she wrote an open letter to the church's spiritual leader following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris in January 2015, pointing out that belief in God can motivate bad behaviour.The general secretary of the church's council decided on the review of her fitness to preach.Congregation members and fellow ministers have supported her throughout the controversy, with one retired leader asking to be defrocked as a show of support.Follow @mich_mcq on Twitter-Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press.
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.
Magazine-Brexit by accident By Benjamin Fox-euobserver
London, 28. Dec, 07:16-The referendum on 23 June was supposed to put to bed the vexed question of Britain’s relationship with the EU. It did, but not in the way most people expected, with Britons voting by a 52-48 percent margin to leave the EU.Although opinion polls had the vote as "too close to call" throughout the final two months of the campaign, surprisingly few commentators actually thought Brexit would become reality.How did Britain end up in this strange position – a land in which Nigel Farage is the most successful politician and Boris Johnson is foreign secretary? In 2015, the year in which he became the first Conservative leader to win a majority in over 20 years, David Cameron’s career was at the apogee. He had, however, already sown the seeds of his own destruction by promising to hold an in/out EU referendum.“David Cameron couldn’t manage the divisions in his party, and thought he needed to take on Ukip,” Hilary Benn, the Labour chairman of the Exiting the EU Committee in the UK Parliament, told EUobserver.Benn described the referendum as “principally a vote against the status quo”, referencing a backlash from the losers of globalisation. It was, he said, “a reflection of how politics has changed in Europe”, where politics is now “in a state of flux”.The Brexit vote was the product of the same dynamic as the emergence of Syriza, AfD, Marine Le Pen, and Golden Dawn, he added.Much could and, indeed, already has been written by advisers and campaigners on both sides to describe the numerous tactical blunders and misjudgements made over several decades by successive prime ministers that led to the Leave majority.-Leave had the best slogan-In 2016, Cameron secured only thin gruel from his talks with fellow EU leaders – removing Britain from the commitment to “ever closer union” in the EU treaties and a weak pledge to limit access to welfare benefits for migrants. But the main mistake by the Cameron-fronted Remain campaign was misjudging the public mood, focusing almost exclusively on the economic benefits of single market membership.In contrast, the Vote Leave campaign led by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove had the best slogan - "Take back control" - and based their campaign on issues like the cost of EU membership. Shut out of the official campaign, Farage and his Grassroots Out group, bankrolled by multi-millionaire Arron Banks, ran a highly professional campaign focused on immigration and also gained wide access to the airwaves.As with Donald Trump’s shock defeat of Hillary Clinton for the US presidency in November, the referendum was decided by voters in long neglected parts of the UK. The North of England and Wales - former industrial heartlands and long-time Labour strongholds - delivered decisive majorities for Leave.The campaign itself was unedifying, interminable, and thoroughly divisive, marked by the assassination of Jo Cox, a Labour MP and Remain supporter, a week before the poll, by a Nazi-obsessive who shouted "Britain first" as he murdered her.Both sides were extremely economical with the truth, although the most egregious lies tended to come from the lips of Brexiteers.What happens next? Cameron’s half-hearted attempt to secure "special status" within the EU was followed by a half-hearted and misjudged Remain campaign which he fronted, with little help from a moribund Labour party and a Liberal Democrat party on life-support.Voters were essentially asked to vote for David Cameron’s vision of EU membership. But ultimately, Britain’s luckiest politician had rolled the dice one time too many.So what happens next? The new prime minister Theresa May’s letter to the European Council invoking article 50 next March will officially initiate exit negotiations. Britain will leave the bloc in 2019. But it won’t be straightforward.Having insisted that triggering article 50 could be done by executive order without consulting parliament, May’s government was overruled at the High Court in November. Hilary Benn's parliamentary committee began its work in mid-November. However, most Remain supporting MPs have stated that they will not seek to block or delay the Brexit process.The government, meanwhile, has given few clear indications of its key demands, particularly whether it will seek to keep the UK inside the EU’s customs union.-'We campaigned passionately but we lost'-Benn argues that the process of negotiating a new relationship between the UK and the EU will take much longer than the two years specified in the treaty.“Two years is so short…especially in the context of the French and German elections [in spring and autumn 2017]. There will have to be a transitional arrangement,” he says.It is hard to escape the conclusion that the accidental Brexit was, in large part, the product of neglect and circumstance. It is also too late to put the genie back in the bottle.“If you think that trust has broken down in our politics, imagine if this is not implemented. The idea that parliament will turn and say 'we know better' is not going to happen,” said Benn.“We all campaigned passionately for Remain, but we lost.”This story was first published in EUobserver's Europe in Review 2016 magazine. You can download a free PDF version of the magazinehere.
High hydro costs may cut church programs in Windsor region-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
Church officials in the Windsor region say they may have to cut community programs as they grapple with skyrocketing hydro costs.Father Tony Del Ciancio from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church said the electricity bill for the building can range from $800 to $1,500 each month, a cost that leaves the church struggling."It's a challenge from one month to the other," he said, explaining that, although the congregation is very giving, it's difficult to keep up with costs. "Generally most people give the same every month, but the bills don't remain the same, they're always rising."August was especially tough on the church. As temperatures rose, so did the cost of keeping the church and its 400-500 worshippers cool.Del Ciancio said there were concerns the church wouldn't be able to make its payments."We sort of have to rearrange our bills. Whatever is the most imminent, we pay that right away and then ask to pay other bills later on," he said. "We were stretched, but we managed because of the generosity of parishioners."High costs lead to cuts-Rev. Catherine Collins-Baker from Glenwood United Church said hydro costs hit religious groups twice because homeowners have to pay their own bills first, leaving less money for the collection plate."There's less disposable income that's available for people to share," she explained.Collins-Baker said that, although the church has taken steps to decrease its electricity use — including installing timers — hydro prices might force the church to cut programs next year."All of the costs of everything rises all the time," she said. "We still want to continue to do what the ministry Christ calls us to, but we can only do so much with less dollars coming in because of the cost of utilities."
Almost biblical': Fort McMurray wildfire named biggest weather event of 2016-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
The "beast" of a wildfire that charred Fort McMurray, Alta., was named Canada's biggest weather story of the year in an annual list compiled by the country's top meteorologists.The list, which also includes the melting Arctic Sea ice and one of the warmest Novembers on record, was created by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and Environment Canada's chief climatologist, David Phillips.The wildfire forced nearly 90,000 people to desert Canada's oilsands region and reduced thousands of homes to ash in early May, after unseasonably hot, dry weather."It was almost biblical," Phillips said.The dry forest floor acted as kindling for the fire, and high winds blew the flames over highways and rivers. Flames shot high into the air.The heat coming off of the fire — which burned between 800 and 1,000 C — produced twisting winds that turned into small tornadoes, Phillips said.The fire also caused a dry thunderstorm, he said.The wildfire, nicknamed "the beast" for its unpredictability, is the costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. There was an estimated $3.77 billion in claims as of mid-November.Nobody died as a direct result of the fire, though two teenagers were killed in a highway crash south of the city.Phillips noted that most of the top 10 weather stories had to do with this year's uncharacteristic warmth.The heat exacerbated the fire in Fort Mac, and it led to the Arctic Sea ice hitting a new record low.Phillips said that at the end of May, the Beaufort Sea is normally 92 per cent frozen. But this year, it was just a little over half ice-covered, and melting began a full month ahead of normal.Last month was the warmest November on record and the 2015-16 winter season was also warmer than usual. In fact, it was the second warmest winter since country-wide records began in 1948.
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)
Egypt's government approves deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's government has approved a deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and has sent it to parliament for ratification on Thursday, according to state television.Earlier this month, an Egyptian state advisory body recommended that a Cairo court uphold a ruling that annulled an agreement giving Saudi Arabia control of two islands.The agreement, announced in April, caused a public uproar and rare protests by Egyptians who said the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir were Egyptian.In June, the Higher Administrative Court annulled the agreement, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the islands could not be given up. The Egyptian government lodged an appeal.(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; writing by Amina Ismail; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Magazine-Refugee crisis, the vain search for solidarity By Nikolaj Nielsen-dec 29,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:08-More people died crossing the Mediterranean to seek better lives in the EU in 2016 than ever before.Despite widespread search and rescue efforts, over 4,600 people perished after leaving from north Africa and Turkey.It is a figure that shames the EU and one that challenges a long-held narrative that Europe is a beacon for its treatment of refugees and respect for human rights.Instead, EU policies on migration, asylum, border control and security have exposed deep political rifts among member states, as the concept of solidarity becomes ever more elusive.Populist groups in Austria, Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands have used the crisis to weaken the EU and inflame tensions against immigrants.They are following in the footsteps of established government figures in central Europe. In August, leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland reiterated their opposition to refugees and asylum seekers with Muslim backgrounds.France, meanwhile, managed to dismantle and shut down the so-called Jungle in Calais, where around 8,000 people had camped out in a desperate bid to reach the UK.But the big EU plan had always been to somehow undermine the business of migrant smuggling, save lives while doing it, overhaul EU-wide asylum rules, and cut lucrative deals with countries like Afghanistan and Nigeria to send the unwanted back to where they came from.The EU has had some moderate success in keeping people from arriving, while shoring up controls with the Warsaw-based agency Frontex and evolving it into a more powerful and larger European border and coast guard agency.Between February and March, heads of states and governments managed to largely shut down the Western Balkan route, enhance border controls, and sign off a migrant swap deal with Turkey.-The shaky Turkey deal-Turkey, which hosts some 2.7 million Syrian refugees, promised to keep them from crossing the Aegean to reach the Greek islands. In exchange, the EU agreed to set aside €6 billion to finance refugee projects inside Turkey and lift short-term visas for their nationals.But the Germany-backed plan soured following a failed coup against Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in mid-July. The EU wanted Turkey to reform its anti-terror laws but Ankara refused amid repeated threats to scrap the deal altogether.Despite these diplomatic rows, the European Commission wants to keep the deal intact, fearful of a repeat of 2015 when over 800,000 arrived in a matter of months near the year's end.Tens of thousands are trapped in Greece as a result. Those who managed to arrive on the Greek islands from Turkey are pushed into overcrowded camps where violence is rampant and women and children are at risk of sexual and physical abuse.Infants as young as four have allegedly been assaulted at so-called hotspots, an EU concept where arrivals are screened and registered before their asylum claims are heard. The EU commission has absolved itself from any responsibility and says the fault lays squarely with the member states.The hotspots in Greece and Italy had also been intended as a clearing house for a mandatory relocation scheme aimed at distributing 160,000 people over two years.Since its September 2015 launch, the plan has failed to deliver any meaningful results as EU states baulk at being forced into meeting quotas. Even commission president Jean-Claude Juncker made light of it in November when he quipped that Luxembourg was unable to find any refugees willing to relocate to the Grand Duchy."We found 53 after explaining to them that it was close to Germany. They are no longer there [Luxembourg]," he said.-Broken asylum laws-The admission highlights the EU's shattered asylum policies, as reception and conditions in EU states vary widely. With that knowledge, refugees and asylum seekers tend to flock to Germany and Sweden as a matter of preference.The two nations, along with Austria, Denmark, and non-EU state Norway, set up internal border control checks in May and has extended them into 2017 out of fear refugees would want to settle on their territories.Austria had even threatened to shut down its Brenner Pass border with Italy, a major transit route to Germany and northern Europe.The commission, meanwhile, proposed to reform asylum rules known as Dublin that determine which member state is responsible for an asylum seeker's claim. The May proposal included a controversial plan to impose a €250,000 "solidarity contribution", paid by the member state, for each person they refuse to accept under the Dublin transfer rule.Some states are pushing to morph the "solidarity contribution" into a concept known as "flexible solidarity" where governments would have more say over EU asylum rules. The phrase has since morphed into what the Slovak EU presidency is now calling "effective solidarity".All this happened amid a backdrop of growing insecurity following terrorist attacks in Brussels in March, in Nice in July, and to a smaller extent in Germany. The EU launched a broad package of security policies that, in some cases, also aimed at controlling migration as the EU commission piled on intense pressure for Italy and Greece to fingerprint every arriving asylum seeker.The fear is that measures imposed in 2016 risk unravelling in 2017. EU officials remain wary of the deal with Turkey. But focus has shifted to Africa. In October alone, a record number of 27,500 people arrived in Italy from Libya.Many more are likely to do the same in 2017 as the death toll continues to climb.This story was first published in EUobserver's Europe in Review 2016 magazine. You can download a free PDF version of the magazine here.
Syria conflict: Military says nationwide ceasefire agreed-[Sky News]-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
Syria's government has agreed a nationwide ceasefire with rebels in a deal brokered by key ally Russia and opposition-backing Turkey.The truce, due to begin at midnight, is designed to pave the way for a political solution to the conflict after nearly six years of war.Russia's President Vladimir Putin said it would be followed by peace talks in Kazakhstan between President Bashar al Assad's government and the opposition.But one rebel group said the truce excludes Islamic State and the Kurdish YPG militia, while there were conflicting reports about whether it also excludes another group formerly known as the Nusra Front.Mr Putin acknowledged that agreements were "fragile" and would need "special attention and involvement".Aid agency UNICEF told Sky News there was now "no time to waste" as it sought to get access to badly-affected parts of the wartorn country.Russia said the truce would include 62,000 opposition fighters and that it had set up a hotline with Turkey to monitor compliance.Mr Putin also said Russia would scale back its presence in the country, where it has provided crucial support to the government, though he did not specify how many troops or weapons would be withdrawn.Syrian state news agency SANA said the military "declares a comprehensive nationwide cessation of hostilities as of midnight".It said this followed "successes achieved by the armed forces" - an apparent reference to the capture of rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo earlier this month.A spokesman for Syria's opposition National Coalition said it backed the ceasefire and "urges all parties to abide by it".Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement: "With this agreement, parties have agreed to cease all armed attacks, including aerial, and have promised not to expand the areas they control against each other."Several previous attempts to bring an end to the civil war - in which more than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million have had to flee their homes - have failed.Two other nationwide truces, in February and September, were brokered by Russia and the US but Washington now appears to have been sidelined from the process.:: Aleppo under siege: A timeline-Turkey and Russia oversaw a ceasefire in Aleppo earlier this month that allowed remaining rebels and civilians to flee.There were signs following the latest deal that their cooperation had gone beyond peace talks, with Turkish media reporting that Russian war planes had supported a Turkish offensive against Islamic state.UNICEF UK chief operating officer Mark Devlin said it was "imperative" that it should now be able to enter at-risk areas.The charity already has supplies stationed in warehouses in western Aleppo and is on the ground "ready to get into those difficult besieged areas", Mr Devlin said.
Iraqi forces launch second phase of Mosul offensive against Islamic State-[Reuters]-By Isabel Coles and Stephen Kalin-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
NEAR MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces on Thursday began the second phase of their offensive against Islamic State militants in Mosul, pushing from three directions into eastern districts where the battle has been deadlocked for nearly a month.U.S.-backed forces have retaken a quarter of the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq in the biggest ground operation there since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.More than 5,000 soldiers and federal police troops, redeployed from Mosul's southern outskirts, entered half a dozen southeastern districts, while counter-terrorism forces advanced in al-Quds and Karama districts after reinforcements arrived.Other soldiers pushed simultaneously towards the city's northern limits. U.S. military advisers were seen watching operations."At 0700 this morning the three fronts began advancing towards the city centre. The operation is ongoing today and tomorrow and until we liberate the eastern side of the city completely," Lieutenant General Ali Freiji, who was overseeing army operations in the north, told Reuters.A U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqis said the operation had opened two new fronts inside Mosul and limited Islamic State's ability to raise fighter numbers, move them or resupply.The fall of Mosul would probably spell the end for Islamic State's ambition to rule over millions of people in a self-styled caliphate, although the militants would still be capable of waging a traditional insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.-DEEPER U.S. ENGAGEMENT-One elite Iraqi unit encountered sniper and machine gunfire as it advanced alongside federal police in Mosul's Intisar district, an officer said.A plume of white smoke, likely to be from an air strike, rose from a southeastern district while heavy gunfire was audible on the northern front and a commander there said nine suicide car bombs had been disabled.State TV said Islamic State defences were collapsing in the areas of Salam, Intisar, Wahda, Palestine and al-Quds and that fighters' bodies filled the streets there. A military statement later said forces had raised the Iraqi flag in al-Quds.The government's accounts are difficult to confirm as the authorities have increasingly restricted foreign media's access to the battle fronts and areas retaken from Islamic State in and around Mosul. They have given no reason.The military has not entered the city's western side, where 2,000-year-old markets and narrow alleyways would be likely to complicate any advance.The battle for Mosul involves 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security forces and Shi'ite militiamen.U.S. commanders have said in recent weeks that their military advisers will embed more extensively with Iraqi forces.Some were spotted on a roof behind the front lines on Thursday, advising Iraqi commanders and watching the operations.An army colonel said Iraqi forces had suffered few casualties so far."The orders from the senior commanders are clear: no halting, no retreat until we reach the fourth bridge and link up with counter-terrorism units," he said.Coalition forces bombed the last remaining bridge connecting east and west Mosul late on Monday in a bid to block Islamic State's access across the Tigris River."The enemy is currently isolated inside the left (eastern) bank of Mosul," military spokesman Yahia Rassol said on state TV. "In the coming days, Iraqi forces will liberate the entire left bank of Mosul and after that we will tackle the right."-TRAPPED CIVILIANS-The United Nations has expressed concern that destroying the bridges could obstruct the evacuation of civilians. As many as 1.5 million are thought to still be inside.Residents of eastern Mosul reached by phone described fierce clashes that included explosions, air strikes and bombardment by helicopters."My family and I cannot leave the room we are sitting in. We have sealed the windows for hours, but in the afternoon the Iraqi forces arrived and we saw them," said one al-Quds resident.Civilians in western Mosul said clashes were audible from the opposite bank of the river. One of them said Islamic State was boasting in radio broadcasts of attacking areas retaken by Iraqi forces, where many civilians are trapped.Three residents emerged from a northern village on Thursday, including an elderly man who sat down in the road and wept. He said his wife had been shot dead by Islamic State a day earlier as she collected water. Iraqi forces searched the civilians and let them continue to a nearby village.Mosul, the largest city held by Islamic State anywhere across its once vast territorial holdings in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the U.S.-trained Iraqi army out in June 2014.Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who had pledged to retake Mosul by the end of the year, said this week it would take three more months to rout Islamic State from the country.The operation has been slowed by concern to avoid casualties among civilians, who despite food and water shortages have mostly stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as had been expected.More than 114,000 have been displaced so far, according to the United Nations.About 200 civilians who left villages north of Mosul on Thursday, many still with the full beards required by Islamic State, were taken by Kurdish security forces to a nearby camp.(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed in Baghdad; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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)
Winter storm with heavy snows, fierce winds targets New England-[Reuters]-By Brendan O'Brien-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
(Reuters) - A winter storm is expected to dump heavy snows and produce fierce winds in New England on Thursday evening and into Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.More than a foot of snow (30 cm) and 50 mph (80 kph) winds are forecast from the Adirondacks Mountains in upstate New York to western Maine, leading to possible white-out conditions on roads and power outages, the weather service said in an advisory.The storm will make travel across much of the region hazardous, the weather service said.Storm and high wind watches and warnings were in effect for much of the region until Friday morning as snow fall rates could be as much as 3 inches (8 cm) an hour in some parts, according to the service.Forecasters predict temperatures will be in the mid 20s and lower 30s on Thursday and Friday and dip into the teens on Saturday.(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Explosive' snowstorm heading toward eastern Quebec-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
A low-pressure system heading north from the United States is expected to dump a serious amount of snow on eastern Quebec today.Environment Canada says that as the system heads up the Eastern Seaboard, its "rapid even explosive development" will turn it into a major storm that will bring 20 to 50 centimetres of snow and high winds to some areas.The snow is forecast to begin late Thursday morning and continue into the night.Winter storm warnings have been issued for a wide swath of the province, including the Gaspé and Saguenay regions, Drummondville, the Eastern Townships and Quebec City."It's a big one," said Robert Michaud, a meteorologist for Environment Canada. "It's going to be a historic one for central Quebec and eastern Quebec."Blowing snow will make for a hard commute starting late Thursday and into Friday morning, according to Michaud."The worst will be overnight. I'm pretty sure the roads everywhere between Quebec City and the east will be shut down tonight."Travellers warned about delaysThe same system is expected to bring snow, rain and high winds to parts of the Atlantic provinces.The Montreal area is expected to get between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow Thursday.Environment Canada says the storm may cause large waves in the St. Lawrence Estuary, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Chaleur Bay, which could be problematic in coastal regions during high tides Friday.Orléans Express, Quebec's principal intercity bus company, is warning customers that all departures today are conditional on the weather, and to expect delays and even cancellations.A spokesman for Via Rail said while there are no expected major delays or cancellations due to the weather, passengers heading east of Montreal can call 1-888-VIA RAIL (1-888-842-7245) to check the status of their trains before heading to the station.As well, snow in Toronto has prompted Pearson International Airport to warn travellers that flight delays are possible.A different storm system is expected to hit parts of southeast Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba on Friday, bringing 10 to 15 centimetres and strong winds.
Remote Nevada quakes could have been a disaster-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
RENO, Nev. — A trio of significant earthquakes that struck a remote part of western Nevada early Wednesday were big enough to cause as much as $1 billion in damage if they had been centred beneath a big city, a leading expert said Wednesday.The first of two magnitude-5.7 quakes that began shortly after midnight and a third that registered 5.5 resulted in no injuries or reports of significant damage. The epicenter was east of the Sierra range and the Nevada-California line near rural Hawthorne about 100 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe and 90 miles south of Reno."Thankfully, it's not underneath a big city because a sequence of 5.7s could certainly do a lot of damage," said Graham Kent, director of the University of Nevada's Seismological Laboratory."If you put this underneath Reno, we are probably looking at a $1 billion event, probably with some fatalities and many casualties," he told The Associated Press. "It's much better to be beneath a ranch 20 miles outside of Hawthorne."In addition to Reno and Carson City, Wednesday's biggest temblor was felt in Las Vegas and more than 200 miles away in San Francisco, according to the university's Seismological Lab in Reno.The first magnitude-5.7 event struck at 12:18 a.m., followed by another 5.7 four minutes later 18 miles southwest of Hawthorne. A magnitude-5.5 quake hit the same area at 1:13 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said.The biggest quakes were followed by a series of smaller aftershocks, including two in the magnitude-4 range and at least a dozen larger than magnitude 3.The Mineral County sheriff's office in Hawthorne said staffers felt the quakes, but they had no reports of injury or damage. The quakes apparently triggered burglar alarms at two businesses, and they caused a rock slide but didn't affect travel on a nearby highway, the office said.Kent said it should serve as a reminder that Nevadans live in the third-most seismically active state in the nation behind California and Alaska."It's another wake-up call," said Kent, who said they have been studying the seismically active region around Hawthorne since a swarm of thousands of smaller earthquakes were recorded there over a two-month period in 2011."Obviously we don't have a crystal ball," he said Wednesday. "If there is a fourth or fifth event, I wouldn't be surprised. But if there wasn't, I wouldn't be surprised."Earthquake magnitudes are calculated according to ground motion recorded on seismographs. An increase in one full number — from 6.5 to 7.5, for example — means the quake's magnitude is 10 times as great.A quake with a magnitude of 6 can cause severe damage. The magnitude 6.7 quake that struck Los Angeles in January 1994 caused an estimated $40 billion in damage and killed 72 people.Glenn Pomeroy, CEO of the California Earthquake Authority, said Wednesday that they don't expect the most recent Nevada temblors to generate claims from any holders of earthquake insurance policies."We were very fortunate that this recent shaking was not more severe and that it was centred in sparsely populated areas," Pomeroy said. "But as with the earthquake that occurred along the Northern California coast earlier this month, and the Southern California earthquake swarm this fall, these events remind us that we live in earthquake country and that we all should take steps to be prepared."-Scott Sonner, The Associated Press.
DEAD ANIMALS
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,(EARTH) because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
A WHALE WASHED UP ON THE SAME SHORES TODAY AGAIN ALSO.DEC 29,16.
New species wash up dead on N.S. beaches:'We're going back to the drawing board'-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
PLYMPTON, N.S. — Western Nova Scotia's mysterious fish kill has spread to new species, with scores of dead starfish, clams, lobsters and mussels now washing ashore alongside thousands of herring.Fisheries officers were on beaches in the St. Marys Bay area Wednesday, collecting samples as their investigation expanded beyond the herring that first appeared a month ago."We're seeing multiple species throughout that area. We started to see them late last week ... but over the last 48 hours, we've been seeing more significant reports," said Doug Wentzell, regional director of fisheries management for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.The department issued a lengthy statement Wednesday detailing its testing for infections, diseases, toxins, predators and broader water quality issues."Everything to date has come back negative. So now that we've got a few other species involved, that causes us to broaden the scope again," Wentzell said. "We're going back to the drawing board to make sure that we have not left any stone unturned."Wentzell said the DFO could find no connection between the fish kill and the Cape Sharp Tidal turbine that began producing power in November in the Minas Passage, about 150 kilometres away.He said officers hoped to search underwater areas of St. Marys Bay Thursday.Dead herring have been found in a 100-kilometre swath of western Nova Scotia from St. Marys Bay to Tusket, with most between the mouth of the Sissiboo River and Plympton. Wentzell said the wider number of species have washed up in that same narrow area of St. Marys Bay.Eric Hewey, a 23-year-old native of the area who now lives in Halifax, posted photos of the dead sea life on the beach at Savary Provincial Park on his Facebook page over the holidays.He said he had been visiting family when a friend said they had to "come see the beach" in Plympton."We went down and (saw) masses of dead sea life," Hewey said in an email Wednesday. "Anecdotally, nobody we know has ever seen this happen, and it causes a lot of emotions. This is the livelihoods of so many people, and indirectly other people."Ted Leighton, an adjunct biology professor at Nova Scotia's University of Sainte-Anne, has compiled more than 40 sightings of dead herring since late November.The herring deaths were cause enough for concern, Leighton said, but now that new species have surfaced dead, it's time to figure out "what's really going on.""We’re kind of in the dark, not from lack of trying, but from the complexity of the case," he said.Leighton said that until scientists know what's killing the herring, it's hard to say whether other marine life could be vulnerable to the same forces."They may or may not be related," said Leighton. "If they are related, they may be related in sort of an indirect means ... (like) different pieces of global warming."Leighton said scientists can make some inferences based on the broad swath of species that were swept ashore in the last "pulse" of deaths.A starfish, a lobster and a herring have very little in common, said Leighton, and it's unlikely that an infectious disease, which targets a narrow range of organisms, could wipe out such a diverse cross-section of marine life.Leighton said the only trait the fish share is where they live — the bottom of St. Marys Bay — so the answer may lie near the sea floor. A lethal change in marine habitat, like toxic water contamination or lack of oxygen, has the potential to wipe out all life it touches, he said.Wentzell said despite the mystery, fish kills have been known to happen. He understands, though, why local are concerned."We've got a lot of citizens that are very engaged in this, which I can certainly appreciate if I was living in that area. It has generated a lot of tension on social media. It's a visible issue and it's one that I can see generating a lot of interest."— By Adina Bresge in Halifax-The Canadian Press.
2 PETER 2:1-2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
MATTHEW 24:4-5,11,24-25
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many (MILLIONS) shall come in my name,(JESUS-I AM) saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.(MILLIONS)(THIS IS DEFINATELY THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT)
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.(CALIFORNIA THE NEW AGE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD-SO NO WONDER SAN FRANSICO IS THE SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS CAPITAL OF THE EARTH ALSO).
1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,(NEW AGE MOVEMENT) and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;(NEW AGERS BELIEVE SATANS LIES OF NO SIN,POSSITIVE THINKING,PEACE,LOVE,JOY,UTOPIA)
2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
DEUTORONOMY 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,(OCCULT SACRIFICES) or that useth divination,(NEW AGER AND CRYSTALS ETC) divination n. The art or act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of augury or an alleged supernatural agency.) or an observer of times,(Meaning of observer. ... for sketching it. horoscope - Comes from Greek hora, hour, time, and skopos, observer.) or an enchanter,(The word enchant is derived from the Latin word incantare which refers to uttering an incantation or casting a spell). or a witch,(WITCH. Definition: [noun] a female sorcerer (SORCERY IN THE BIBLE IS DRUGS OR OCCULT ACTIVITY) or magician.)
11 Or a charmer,(charmer means a dealer in spells, especially one who, by binding certain knots, was supposed thereby to bind a curse or a blessing on its object.) or a consulter with familiar spirits,(function as mediums or psychics) or a wizard,(MALE WITCH-influence; a magical spell WITH WANDS) or a necromancer.(one seeking unto the dead.)
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Atheist United Church minister starting new secular community in Toronto-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
TORONTO — A minister deemed unsuitable by the United Church for declaring herself an atheist is now at the heart of an effort to establish a type of church-style, secular community in Canada.Gretta Vosper is one of about 10 founding members of Toronto's Oasis Network, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada and due to launch in February.Oasis communities, which have sprung up in several locations across the United States, are non-faith-based groups that try to draw people together based on five broad-based principles.Among them are notions that reality is best understood through reason rather than religious insight, and that the world's problems are best addressed by people rather than divine intervention.Vosper sees setting up the community in Toronto as a natural extension of the work she's already doing at one of the city's churches.The United Church criticized Vosper for declaring herself an atheist and will hold an ecclesiastical hearing in late 2017 to determine whether or not she will be defrocked as a minister.Vosper is fighting to keep her job as the pastoral leader of the West Hill United Church in east Toronto and said her involvement with the Oasis community builds upon what she has tried to establish there."There's many elements of religion that will be picked up by Oasis, but they're not exclusive to religion," Vosper told The Canadian Press."Religion has carried them forward and done it very, very well in many ways, but also in many ways has done it with drastic results. So to distill the best elements of religion in a way that can allow them to be embraced by an increasingly secular world I think is important, and that's what we're doing."Oasis will maintain many trappings of a traditional church, she said.The group will gather on Sunday mornings, often seen as the time best-suited for family activities, and congregate in a multi-faith centre in downtown Toronto.They will offer programs for children while adults listen to a guest speaker or a local musician.Gatherings will not centre around a single leader, but will instead be shaped by the guest presenters who will help lead discussions of topics that are relevant to the community.Vosper said the group is open to anyone who shares the five core principles of Oasis: "people are more important than beliefs," "reality is known through reason," "human hands solve human problems," "meaning comes from making a difference, and "be accepting and be accepted."She said the goal is to create a free-thinking, compassionate community that offers many of the same benefits regular church-goers have experienced.Vosper said the group is far from an atheist community, adding people of all religious convictions are welcome.Vosper emerged as a controversial figure in United Church circles when she renounced belief in God and the bible in 2013. She recently told a Church review panel that she identified as an atheist as a sign of solidarity with those who were persecuted for challenging religious fundamentalism or extremism.In September that review committee issued a report saying Vosper's lack of belief in God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit made her "not suitable" as a minister.Vosper, 58, who was ordained in 1993, joined her West Hill congregation in 1997 and has been up front about her beliefs for years.Things came to a head after she wrote an open letter to the church's spiritual leader following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris in January 2015, pointing out that belief in God can motivate bad behaviour.The general secretary of the church's council decided on the review of her fitness to preach.Congregation members and fellow ministers have supported her throughout the controversy, with one retired leader asking to be defrocked as a show of support.Follow @mich_mcq on Twitter-Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press.
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.
Magazine-Brexit by accident By Benjamin Fox-euobserver
London, 28. Dec, 07:16-The referendum on 23 June was supposed to put to bed the vexed question of Britain’s relationship with the EU. It did, but not in the way most people expected, with Britons voting by a 52-48 percent margin to leave the EU.Although opinion polls had the vote as "too close to call" throughout the final two months of the campaign, surprisingly few commentators actually thought Brexit would become reality.How did Britain end up in this strange position – a land in which Nigel Farage is the most successful politician and Boris Johnson is foreign secretary? In 2015, the year in which he became the first Conservative leader to win a majority in over 20 years, David Cameron’s career was at the apogee. He had, however, already sown the seeds of his own destruction by promising to hold an in/out EU referendum.“David Cameron couldn’t manage the divisions in his party, and thought he needed to take on Ukip,” Hilary Benn, the Labour chairman of the Exiting the EU Committee in the UK Parliament, told EUobserver.Benn described the referendum as “principally a vote against the status quo”, referencing a backlash from the losers of globalisation. It was, he said, “a reflection of how politics has changed in Europe”, where politics is now “in a state of flux”.The Brexit vote was the product of the same dynamic as the emergence of Syriza, AfD, Marine Le Pen, and Golden Dawn, he added.Much could and, indeed, already has been written by advisers and campaigners on both sides to describe the numerous tactical blunders and misjudgements made over several decades by successive prime ministers that led to the Leave majority.-Leave had the best slogan-In 2016, Cameron secured only thin gruel from his talks with fellow EU leaders – removing Britain from the commitment to “ever closer union” in the EU treaties and a weak pledge to limit access to welfare benefits for migrants. But the main mistake by the Cameron-fronted Remain campaign was misjudging the public mood, focusing almost exclusively on the economic benefits of single market membership.In contrast, the Vote Leave campaign led by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove had the best slogan - "Take back control" - and based their campaign on issues like the cost of EU membership. Shut out of the official campaign, Farage and his Grassroots Out group, bankrolled by multi-millionaire Arron Banks, ran a highly professional campaign focused on immigration and also gained wide access to the airwaves.As with Donald Trump’s shock defeat of Hillary Clinton for the US presidency in November, the referendum was decided by voters in long neglected parts of the UK. The North of England and Wales - former industrial heartlands and long-time Labour strongholds - delivered decisive majorities for Leave.The campaign itself was unedifying, interminable, and thoroughly divisive, marked by the assassination of Jo Cox, a Labour MP and Remain supporter, a week before the poll, by a Nazi-obsessive who shouted "Britain first" as he murdered her.Both sides were extremely economical with the truth, although the most egregious lies tended to come from the lips of Brexiteers.What happens next? Cameron’s half-hearted attempt to secure "special status" within the EU was followed by a half-hearted and misjudged Remain campaign which he fronted, with little help from a moribund Labour party and a Liberal Democrat party on life-support.Voters were essentially asked to vote for David Cameron’s vision of EU membership. But ultimately, Britain’s luckiest politician had rolled the dice one time too many.So what happens next? The new prime minister Theresa May’s letter to the European Council invoking article 50 next March will officially initiate exit negotiations. Britain will leave the bloc in 2019. But it won’t be straightforward.Having insisted that triggering article 50 could be done by executive order without consulting parliament, May’s government was overruled at the High Court in November. Hilary Benn's parliamentary committee began its work in mid-November. However, most Remain supporting MPs have stated that they will not seek to block or delay the Brexit process.The government, meanwhile, has given few clear indications of its key demands, particularly whether it will seek to keep the UK inside the EU’s customs union.-'We campaigned passionately but we lost'-Benn argues that the process of negotiating a new relationship between the UK and the EU will take much longer than the two years specified in the treaty.“Two years is so short…especially in the context of the French and German elections [in spring and autumn 2017]. There will have to be a transitional arrangement,” he says.It is hard to escape the conclusion that the accidental Brexit was, in large part, the product of neglect and circumstance. It is also too late to put the genie back in the bottle.“If you think that trust has broken down in our politics, imagine if this is not implemented. The idea that parliament will turn and say 'we know better' is not going to happen,” said Benn.“We all campaigned passionately for Remain, but we lost.”This story was first published in EUobserver's Europe in Review 2016 magazine. You can download a free PDF version of the magazinehere.
High hydro costs may cut church programs in Windsor region-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
Church officials in the Windsor region say they may have to cut community programs as they grapple with skyrocketing hydro costs.Father Tony Del Ciancio from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church said the electricity bill for the building can range from $800 to $1,500 each month, a cost that leaves the church struggling."It's a challenge from one month to the other," he said, explaining that, although the congregation is very giving, it's difficult to keep up with costs. "Generally most people give the same every month, but the bills don't remain the same, they're always rising."August was especially tough on the church. As temperatures rose, so did the cost of keeping the church and its 400-500 worshippers cool.Del Ciancio said there were concerns the church wouldn't be able to make its payments."We sort of have to rearrange our bills. Whatever is the most imminent, we pay that right away and then ask to pay other bills later on," he said. "We were stretched, but we managed because of the generosity of parishioners."High costs lead to cuts-Rev. Catherine Collins-Baker from Glenwood United Church said hydro costs hit religious groups twice because homeowners have to pay their own bills first, leaving less money for the collection plate."There's less disposable income that's available for people to share," she explained.Collins-Baker said that, although the church has taken steps to decrease its electricity use — including installing timers — hydro prices might force the church to cut programs next year."All of the costs of everything rises all the time," she said. "We still want to continue to do what the ministry Christ calls us to, but we can only do so much with less dollars coming in because of the cost of utilities."
Almost biblical': Fort McMurray wildfire named biggest weather event of 2016-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 28, 2016
The "beast" of a wildfire that charred Fort McMurray, Alta., was named Canada's biggest weather story of the year in an annual list compiled by the country's top meteorologists.The list, which also includes the melting Arctic Sea ice and one of the warmest Novembers on record, was created by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and Environment Canada's chief climatologist, David Phillips.The wildfire forced nearly 90,000 people to desert Canada's oilsands region and reduced thousands of homes to ash in early May, after unseasonably hot, dry weather."It was almost biblical," Phillips said.The dry forest floor acted as kindling for the fire, and high winds blew the flames over highways and rivers. Flames shot high into the air.The heat coming off of the fire — which burned between 800 and 1,000 C — produced twisting winds that turned into small tornadoes, Phillips said.The fire also caused a dry thunderstorm, he said.The wildfire, nicknamed "the beast" for its unpredictability, is the costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. There was an estimated $3.77 billion in claims as of mid-November.Nobody died as a direct result of the fire, though two teenagers were killed in a highway crash south of the city.Phillips noted that most of the top 10 weather stories had to do with this year's uncharacteristic warmth.The heat exacerbated the fire in Fort Mac, and it led to the Arctic Sea ice hitting a new record low.Phillips said that at the end of May, the Beaufort Sea is normally 92 per cent frozen. But this year, it was just a little over half ice-covered, and melting began a full month ahead of normal.Last month was the warmest November on record and the 2015-16 winter season was also warmer than usual. In fact, it was the second warmest winter since country-wide records began in 1948.
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)
Egypt's government approves deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's government has approved a deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and has sent it to parliament for ratification on Thursday, according to state television.Earlier this month, an Egyptian state advisory body recommended that a Cairo court uphold a ruling that annulled an agreement giving Saudi Arabia control of two islands.The agreement, announced in April, caused a public uproar and rare protests by Egyptians who said the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir were Egyptian.In June, the Higher Administrative Court annulled the agreement, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the islands could not be given up. The Egyptian government lodged an appeal.(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; writing by Amina Ismail; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Magazine-Refugee crisis, the vain search for solidarity By Nikolaj Nielsen-dec 29,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:08-More people died crossing the Mediterranean to seek better lives in the EU in 2016 than ever before.Despite widespread search and rescue efforts, over 4,600 people perished after leaving from north Africa and Turkey.It is a figure that shames the EU and one that challenges a long-held narrative that Europe is a beacon for its treatment of refugees and respect for human rights.Instead, EU policies on migration, asylum, border control and security have exposed deep political rifts among member states, as the concept of solidarity becomes ever more elusive.Populist groups in Austria, Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands have used the crisis to weaken the EU and inflame tensions against immigrants.They are following in the footsteps of established government figures in central Europe. In August, leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland reiterated their opposition to refugees and asylum seekers with Muslim backgrounds.France, meanwhile, managed to dismantle and shut down the so-called Jungle in Calais, where around 8,000 people had camped out in a desperate bid to reach the UK.But the big EU plan had always been to somehow undermine the business of migrant smuggling, save lives while doing it, overhaul EU-wide asylum rules, and cut lucrative deals with countries like Afghanistan and Nigeria to send the unwanted back to where they came from.The EU has had some moderate success in keeping people from arriving, while shoring up controls with the Warsaw-based agency Frontex and evolving it into a more powerful and larger European border and coast guard agency.Between February and March, heads of states and governments managed to largely shut down the Western Balkan route, enhance border controls, and sign off a migrant swap deal with Turkey.-The shaky Turkey deal-Turkey, which hosts some 2.7 million Syrian refugees, promised to keep them from crossing the Aegean to reach the Greek islands. In exchange, the EU agreed to set aside €6 billion to finance refugee projects inside Turkey and lift short-term visas for their nationals.But the Germany-backed plan soured following a failed coup against Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in mid-July. The EU wanted Turkey to reform its anti-terror laws but Ankara refused amid repeated threats to scrap the deal altogether.Despite these diplomatic rows, the European Commission wants to keep the deal intact, fearful of a repeat of 2015 when over 800,000 arrived in a matter of months near the year's end.Tens of thousands are trapped in Greece as a result. Those who managed to arrive on the Greek islands from Turkey are pushed into overcrowded camps where violence is rampant and women and children are at risk of sexual and physical abuse.Infants as young as four have allegedly been assaulted at so-called hotspots, an EU concept where arrivals are screened and registered before their asylum claims are heard. The EU commission has absolved itself from any responsibility and says the fault lays squarely with the member states.The hotspots in Greece and Italy had also been intended as a clearing house for a mandatory relocation scheme aimed at distributing 160,000 people over two years.Since its September 2015 launch, the plan has failed to deliver any meaningful results as EU states baulk at being forced into meeting quotas. Even commission president Jean-Claude Juncker made light of it in November when he quipped that Luxembourg was unable to find any refugees willing to relocate to the Grand Duchy."We found 53 after explaining to them that it was close to Germany. They are no longer there [Luxembourg]," he said.-Broken asylum laws-The admission highlights the EU's shattered asylum policies, as reception and conditions in EU states vary widely. With that knowledge, refugees and asylum seekers tend to flock to Germany and Sweden as a matter of preference.The two nations, along with Austria, Denmark, and non-EU state Norway, set up internal border control checks in May and has extended them into 2017 out of fear refugees would want to settle on their territories.Austria had even threatened to shut down its Brenner Pass border with Italy, a major transit route to Germany and northern Europe.The commission, meanwhile, proposed to reform asylum rules known as Dublin that determine which member state is responsible for an asylum seeker's claim. The May proposal included a controversial plan to impose a €250,000 "solidarity contribution", paid by the member state, for each person they refuse to accept under the Dublin transfer rule.Some states are pushing to morph the "solidarity contribution" into a concept known as "flexible solidarity" where governments would have more say over EU asylum rules. The phrase has since morphed into what the Slovak EU presidency is now calling "effective solidarity".All this happened amid a backdrop of growing insecurity following terrorist attacks in Brussels in March, in Nice in July, and to a smaller extent in Germany. The EU launched a broad package of security policies that, in some cases, also aimed at controlling migration as the EU commission piled on intense pressure for Italy and Greece to fingerprint every arriving asylum seeker.The fear is that measures imposed in 2016 risk unravelling in 2017. EU officials remain wary of the deal with Turkey. But focus has shifted to Africa. In October alone, a record number of 27,500 people arrived in Italy from Libya.Many more are likely to do the same in 2017 as the death toll continues to climb.This story was first published in EUobserver's Europe in Review 2016 magazine. You can download a free PDF version of the magazine here.
Syria conflict: Military says nationwide ceasefire agreed-[Sky News]-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
Syria's government has agreed a nationwide ceasefire with rebels in a deal brokered by key ally Russia and opposition-backing Turkey.The truce, due to begin at midnight, is designed to pave the way for a political solution to the conflict after nearly six years of war.Russia's President Vladimir Putin said it would be followed by peace talks in Kazakhstan between President Bashar al Assad's government and the opposition.But one rebel group said the truce excludes Islamic State and the Kurdish YPG militia, while there were conflicting reports about whether it also excludes another group formerly known as the Nusra Front.Mr Putin acknowledged that agreements were "fragile" and would need "special attention and involvement".Aid agency UNICEF told Sky News there was now "no time to waste" as it sought to get access to badly-affected parts of the wartorn country.Russia said the truce would include 62,000 opposition fighters and that it had set up a hotline with Turkey to monitor compliance.Mr Putin also said Russia would scale back its presence in the country, where it has provided crucial support to the government, though he did not specify how many troops or weapons would be withdrawn.Syrian state news agency SANA said the military "declares a comprehensive nationwide cessation of hostilities as of midnight".It said this followed "successes achieved by the armed forces" - an apparent reference to the capture of rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo earlier this month.A spokesman for Syria's opposition National Coalition said it backed the ceasefire and "urges all parties to abide by it".Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement: "With this agreement, parties have agreed to cease all armed attacks, including aerial, and have promised not to expand the areas they control against each other."Several previous attempts to bring an end to the civil war - in which more than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million have had to flee their homes - have failed.Two other nationwide truces, in February and September, were brokered by Russia and the US but Washington now appears to have been sidelined from the process.:: Aleppo under siege: A timeline-Turkey and Russia oversaw a ceasefire in Aleppo earlier this month that allowed remaining rebels and civilians to flee.There were signs following the latest deal that their cooperation had gone beyond peace talks, with Turkish media reporting that Russian war planes had supported a Turkish offensive against Islamic state.UNICEF UK chief operating officer Mark Devlin said it was "imperative" that it should now be able to enter at-risk areas.The charity already has supplies stationed in warehouses in western Aleppo and is on the ground "ready to get into those difficult besieged areas", Mr Devlin said.
Iraqi forces launch second phase of Mosul offensive against Islamic State-[Reuters]-By Isabel Coles and Stephen Kalin-YAHOONEWS-December 29, 2016
NEAR MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces on Thursday began the second phase of their offensive against Islamic State militants in Mosul, pushing from three directions into eastern districts where the battle has been deadlocked for nearly a month.U.S.-backed forces have retaken a quarter of the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq in the biggest ground operation there since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.More than 5,000 soldiers and federal police troops, redeployed from Mosul's southern outskirts, entered half a dozen southeastern districts, while counter-terrorism forces advanced in al-Quds and Karama districts after reinforcements arrived.Other soldiers pushed simultaneously towards the city's northern limits. U.S. military advisers were seen watching operations."At 0700 this morning the three fronts began advancing towards the city centre. The operation is ongoing today and tomorrow and until we liberate the eastern side of the city completely," Lieutenant General Ali Freiji, who was overseeing army operations in the north, told Reuters.A U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqis said the operation had opened two new fronts inside Mosul and limited Islamic State's ability to raise fighter numbers, move them or resupply.The fall of Mosul would probably spell the end for Islamic State's ambition to rule over millions of people in a self-styled caliphate, although the militants would still be capable of waging a traditional insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.-DEEPER U.S. ENGAGEMENT-One elite Iraqi unit encountered sniper and machine gunfire as it advanced alongside federal police in Mosul's Intisar district, an officer said.A plume of white smoke, likely to be from an air strike, rose from a southeastern district while heavy gunfire was audible on the northern front and a commander there said nine suicide car bombs had been disabled.State TV said Islamic State defences were collapsing in the areas of Salam, Intisar, Wahda, Palestine and al-Quds and that fighters' bodies filled the streets there. A military statement later said forces had raised the Iraqi flag in al-Quds.The government's accounts are difficult to confirm as the authorities have increasingly restricted foreign media's access to the battle fronts and areas retaken from Islamic State in and around Mosul. They have given no reason.The military has not entered the city's western side, where 2,000-year-old markets and narrow alleyways would be likely to complicate any advance.The battle for Mosul involves 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security forces and Shi'ite militiamen.U.S. commanders have said in recent weeks that their military advisers will embed more extensively with Iraqi forces.Some were spotted on a roof behind the front lines on Thursday, advising Iraqi commanders and watching the operations.An army colonel said Iraqi forces had suffered few casualties so far."The orders from the senior commanders are clear: no halting, no retreat until we reach the fourth bridge and link up with counter-terrorism units," he said.Coalition forces bombed the last remaining bridge connecting east and west Mosul late on Monday in a bid to block Islamic State's access across the Tigris River."The enemy is currently isolated inside the left (eastern) bank of Mosul," military spokesman Yahia Rassol said on state TV. "In the coming days, Iraqi forces will liberate the entire left bank of Mosul and after that we will tackle the right."-TRAPPED CIVILIANS-The United Nations has expressed concern that destroying the bridges could obstruct the evacuation of civilians. As many as 1.5 million are thought to still be inside.Residents of eastern Mosul reached by phone described fierce clashes that included explosions, air strikes and bombardment by helicopters."My family and I cannot leave the room we are sitting in. We have sealed the windows for hours, but in the afternoon the Iraqi forces arrived and we saw them," said one al-Quds resident.Civilians in western Mosul said clashes were audible from the opposite bank of the river. One of them said Islamic State was boasting in radio broadcasts of attacking areas retaken by Iraqi forces, where many civilians are trapped.Three residents emerged from a northern village on Thursday, including an elderly man who sat down in the road and wept. He said his wife had been shot dead by Islamic State a day earlier as she collected water. Iraqi forces searched the civilians and let them continue to a nearby village.Mosul, the largest city held by Islamic State anywhere across its once vast territorial holdings in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the U.S.-trained Iraqi army out in June 2014.Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who had pledged to retake Mosul by the end of the year, said this week it would take three more months to rout Islamic State from the country.The operation has been slowed by concern to avoid casualties among civilians, who despite food and water shortages have mostly stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as had been expected.More than 114,000 have been displaced so far, according to the United Nations.About 200 civilians who left villages north of Mosul on Thursday, many still with the full beards required by Islamic State, were taken by Kurdish security forces to a nearby camp.(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed in Baghdad; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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