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)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Abbas says Likud bid to annex parts of West Bank has US blessing-PA spokesman says 'outrageous' non-binding resolution by ruling party shows contempt for UN and international decisions-By TOI staff-JAN 01,18
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday condemned a Likud Central Committee vote a day earlier calling for parts of the West Bank to be annexed and implied Washington was involved in it.The resolution “could not be taken without the full support of the US administration, who have refused to condemn Israeli colonial settlements as well as the systematic attacks and crimes of the Israeli occupation against the people of Palestine,” he said, according to the PA’s official Wafa news agency.“We hope that this vote serves as a reminder for the international community that the Israeli government, with the full support of the US administration, is not interested in a just and lasting peace,” Abbas added. “Rather, its main goal is the consolidation of an apartheid regime in all of historic Palestine.”Earlier Monday, a spokesman for the PA said the resolution passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party showed derision for United Nations and other international decisions.Yousef al-Mahmoud called the resolution “an outrageous violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy, especially the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council, as well as an irony and contempt for the entire UN system,” the Palestinian Wafa news service reported.His comments came the day after the Likud Central Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, unanimously voted in favor of urging the faction’s leaders to formally annex parts of the West Bank and allow unlimited construction in the settlements.Mahmoud claimed that the Likud move was a result of US President Donald Trump last month recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.The spokesman stressed that only international law was valid in the disputed territories, “rather than laws imposed by military force and domination.”“The Palestinian land that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, foremost of which our eternal capital Jerusalem, is a land occupied by Israel along with other Arab territories, namely Sinai and the Golan, following the unfortunate aggression of 1967,” Mahmoud noted referring to the Six Day War during which Israel gained control of the contested areas.The vote by Likud Central Committee is not binding on its Knesset lawmakers, but does carry political sway as MKs need the support of the 3,000-member body to succeed in the party’s primaries.The resolution reads: “Fifty years after the liberation of Judea and Samaria, and with them Jerusalem, our eternal capital, the Likud Central Committee calls on Likud’s elected leaders to work to allow unhindered construction and to extend Israeli law and sovereignty in all the areas of liberated settlement in Judea and Samaria.”Netanyahu, long an opponent of such ideological declarations by party institutions, but eager in recent months to appeal to the party’s right-wing base, did not attend the Likud gathering in the central city of Lod.The Hamas terror group said in a statement Sunday the decision represented “the continued harming of Palestinian rights under US auspices,” and said it would only lead to “more resistance.”The resolution marked the first time since the 2005 Israeli pullout from Gaza that party activists have gathered the hundreds of signatures required to propose such a resolution.According to the party’s constitution, any such petition that receives support from over 20 percent of the Central Committee’s members requires the body to convene within 30 days.While the petition had been filed in May, there had been a substantial delay in convening the meeting.
Report: US gives Israel go-ahead to kill powerful Iranian general-Kuwaiti newspaper says Washington and Jerusalem have overcome the differences that saw Americans tipping off Tehran about Israeli attempt to kill Qassem Soleimani 3 years ago-By Sue Surkes-JAN 01,18
US intelligence agencies have given Israel the green light to assassinate the senior Iranian responsible for coordinating military activity on behalf of the Islamic Republic in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida.For the past 20 years or so, Qassem Soleimani has commanded the Quds Force — the branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards responsible for military and clandestine operations outside of the Islamic Republic.Soleimani is a key figure in efforts to prop up Syrian President Bashar Assad and to enable him to retake cities and towns from rebel groups during his country’s ongoing civil war. He is also responsible for providing military aid to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas in Gaza — both of which are committed to the destruction of Israel — as well as to Shia and Kurdish groups in Iraq.Three years ago, Israel came close to assassinating Soleimani near Damascus, al-Jarida quoted unnamed source as saying, but the Americans tipped off the Iranians against the background of intense disagreement between Washington and Jerusalem.That was during the Obama administration, which, according to reports at the time, was so focused on securing the 2015 Iran nuclear accord that it chose to overlook and even obstruct efforts to clamp down on Iranian-backed terror organizations.It’s not clear if the reported tip-off was related to efforts to secure the Iran deal.Today, the Trump and Netanyahu administrations see eye to eye on Iran. Just four days ago, the two countries signed a joint memorandum of understanding laying the groundwork for full cooperation to deal with Iran’s nuclear drive, its missile programs and its other threatening activities, an Israeli TV report said recently.The source told the paper that Soleimani’s assassination would serve both countries’ interests and that US authorities have given Israel the go-ahead to carry it out.There was no immediate reaction to the report from Jerusalem or Washington.
New year, new Mideast-Hebrew dailies hope that Iranian protesters will change regime while some make the tempting comparison to politics at home-By Adiv Sterman-JAN 1,18
The ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Iran top the agenda in Israel’s leading Hebrew-language papers, playing up the disdain some protesters express toward the Islamic regime.As the new year is ushered in, Israel’s leading Hebrew-language papers look abroad at the developments unfolding elsewhere in the Middle East and attempt to decipher what the future of the region hold.The country’s two most popular dailies, Israel Hayom and Yedioth Ahronoth, both lead with the ongoing unrest in Iran over economic hardships and against the regime. Yedioth’s headline quotes an unnamed Iranian protester assessing that “soon you will see millions in the street.” Yedioth frames the protesters as “young Iranians” who are tired of “suffering in silence.” According to the paper, many in Iran are “planning for the moment in which they can escape to Europe,” and the daily notes in a tone more sympathetic than critical that a subculture has developed in the Islamic Republic characterized by “underground parties with sex and alcohol, right under the Revolutionary Guard’s nose.”A more intense portrayal of the demonstrations is brought forth on Israel Hayom’s front page, with an anonymous quote by an activist in Iran warning that the protesters aim to “switch the regime, or die.”Eyal Zisser, a Middle Eastern studies professor at Tel Aviv University and a frequent contributor to Israel Hayom, posits that while the rallies in Iran are a “deep expression of yearning for a change,” there is currently no clear leader who could bring about such a change, and no real agreement about what should come instead of the rule of the ayatollahs. Nevertheless, Zisser writes that there is hope that the demonstrations may cause a ripple effect that will gnaw at the Iranian regime over time and weaken the religious leadership’s hold on the country. Zisser even hints that he believes a new revolution may be sprouting up among the protests on the streets of Tehran and other major Iranian cities.“Few, if any, can predict a popular uprising before it has occurred,” he writes. “For even its heroes and its creators do not always know what the results of their actions may be.”In Haaretz, Amos Biderman’s daily cartoon throws shade at the current Israeli leadership — and, perhaps, at the Likud-aligned Israel Hayom — who while urging on and admiring the anti-regime protests in Iran, claim that the weekly anti-corruption demonstrations in Tel Aviv are merely a pretense for toppling the Jewish state’s democratically elected, right-wing government.“It is the funded by the New Israel Fund,” an illustrated version of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pointing to a television broadcasting the protests, is seen telling President Hassan Rouhani.The cartoon is referencing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates’ frequent accusations that the left-wing New Israel Fund and other non-governmental organizations are the ones behind the anti-corruption protests in Tel Aviv, using the rallies as a means to advance their agenda of unseating the Israeli leader.Meanwhile, Haaretz’s editorial spares no words in condemning the Likud Central Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, for unanimously passing a resolution urging the faction’s leaders to formally annex parts of the West Bank and allow unlimited construction in the settlements.“Representatives of the settlers in Likud exploited Netanyahu’s preoccupation with the corruption investigations against him to try to force him to take a step he had refrained from making,” the paper offers. “The settlers and their representatives in [the Jewish Home party] and Likud are exploiting Netanyahu’s moment of weakness to push him to the right, with the threat of bringing down the coalition hovering in the background.”The editorial, in the left-wing fashion characteristic of Haaretz, makes sure to stress that an annexation such as the one approved by the Likud Central Committee is a dangerous step that can lead to “the establishment of apartheid in areas of the sovereign State of Israel: one law for Jews and another for Palestinians, who will be second-class subjects, without citizenship.”Interestingly enough, while Israel Hayom dedicates some coverage to the Likud resolution, none of the daily’s major analysts or columnists comment on the decision at all. But on a separate note, the paper does present some interesting statistics regarding Israel’s population as the new year begins.According to Israel Hayom, 8.8 million citizens live in the Jewish state, 6.5 million — or 74.6% — of whom are Jewish. Arab Israelis make up 20.9% of the country’s population, while 4.5% consist of other ethnic or religious minorities. Over the past year, Israel’s population grew by 1.9%, or 165,000 people, with 18 percent of the growth attributed to immigration.Twenty-seven thousand new immigrants decided to call Israel their home in 2017, with 75% s coming from European countries, 15% from the United States, 5% from Asia, and 4.3% from Africa.
Pence visit indefinitely postponed due to ‘scheduling conflicts’-Trip delayed by US tax vote had originally been rescheduled for January 14, the day Netanyahu takes off for India-By Raphael Ahren-JAN 1,18
US Vice President Mike Pence’s planned trip to Israel has been indefinitely delayed beyond January, Foreign Ministry officials said Monday.Pence was originally scheduled to arrive in the region in late December, but postponed the trip due to the US administration’s efforts to push a tax reform through Congress.It had also been speculated that the vice president canceled his trip due to the fact that Palestinian officials and leading Muslim and Christian clerics no longer wanted to receive him in protest of US President Donald Trump’s December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.On Monday, the Foreign Ministry published its list of foreign dignitaries due in Israel this month. Pence’s name does not appear on this list.Asked to clarify, Israeli officials said that “due to various scheduling difficulties,” no new date has yet been set for the vice president’s visit.When the trip was rescheduled, administration officials had said Pence would visit January 14, coinciding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure from Israel on a previously scheduled five-day trip to India.Scott Pruitt, the current administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, is due in Israel in late January.Pence was originally due in Israel on December 20 after a trip to Egypt, following closely on the heels of Trump’s Jerusalem decision.He had been slated to hold meetings with Netanyahu and deliver an address to the Knesset. He was to end his trip to Israel with a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin and a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.In Ramallah, he was to sit down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but Abbas later pulled out of the meeting after denouncing Trump’s decision on Jerusalem.The White House at the time said that any delay in the tax vote might have prevented the vice president from departing Washington on time and complicated a tightly orchestrated set of meetings in Egypt and Israel.“The vice president is committed to seeing the tax cut through to the finish line,” said Alyssa Farah, Pence’s press secretary, in a statement. She said Pence “looks forward to traveling to Egypt and Israel in January.”On December 20, the sweeping reform of the US tax code passed a major hurdle on its way to final ratification by Congress.A day later, Pence made a surprise visit to Afghanistan.
Dozens arrested overnight in West Bank raids-Twelve accused of throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at security forces, another 14 suspected of involvement in terror activities-By Stuart Winer-JAN 1,18
Security forces arrested 26 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank late Sunday and early Monday.The 26 were held on suspicion of participating in violent riots in recent weeks or involvement in terror-related activities, the IDF said in a statement.Twelve alleged rioters were suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at IDF soldiers during violent demonstrations that flared up after US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, angering Palestinians.Another 14 Palestinians were arrested on suspicion of involvement in unspecified terror-related activities targeting security forces and Israeli civilians. The suspects were all taken away for questioning.An IDF soldier was lightly injured Sunday when he was struck by a rock during clashes that broke out during an arrest raid in the southern West Bank, the army said.The soldier required medical treatment for his injuries.Israeli forces carry out nightly raids in the West Bank to arrest suspects alleged to be involved in rock throwing, rioting and what it terms as terror activity.Recent weeks have seen an uptick in violence following the December 6 announcement by Trump that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Palestinian leaders have called for “day of rage” protests on Fridays, including weekly protests along the Gaza border fence and West Bank hotspots.In an address December 6 from the White House, Trump defied worldwide warnings and insisted that after repeated failures to achieve peace a new approach was long overdue, describing his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the seat of Israel’s government as merely based on reality.The move was hailed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and by leaders across much of the Israeli political spectrum. Trump stressed that he was not specifying the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in the city, and called for no change in the status quo at the city’s holy sites.However, the move infuriated Palestinians who want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Israel says Jerusalem is its unified capital.
Iran protests enter day 5 despite warning of crackdown-Small cities from north to south brace for increased turnout Monday after joining the mass demonstrations a day earlier-By Agencies and TOI staff-JAN 1,18
TEHRAN, Iran — The largest protests to strike Iran in nearly a decade continued unabated Sunday night with demonstrators across the country poised for a fifth day of unrest, despite stark government warnings of a crackdown to end the stand-off.In addition to major metropolises that have seen mass protests since Thursday, smaller cities from north to south held protests Sunday and were expecting increased turnouts on Monday, according to regional reports.On Sunday, Tehran moved to block access to Instagram and a popular messaging app used by activists to organize, with even President Hassan Rouhani acknowledging the public’s anger over the Islamic Republic’s flagging economy.Rouhani and other leaders made a point to warn that the government wouldn’t hesitate to crack down on those it considers lawbreakers amid the demonstrations, which began Thursday over the economic woes plaguing Iran.“Those who misused cyberspace and spread violence are absolutely known to us and we will definitely confront them,” Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on state television.The outpouring of public discontent — the most widespread since protests following Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election — have been fanned by messages sent on the Telegram messaging app, which authorities blocked Sunday along with the photo-sharing app Instagram, which is owned by social media giant Facebook.Many of the country’s 80 million people are learning about the protests and sharing images of them through Telegram. On Saturday, Telegram shut down one channel of the service over Iranian government allegations that it encouraged violence, which its moderator denied.On Sunday, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov wrote on Twitter that authorities had blocked all access to the app.“Iranian authorities are blocking access to Telegram for the majority of Iranians after our public refusal to shut down … peacefully protesting channels,” he wrote.Iran’s state TV news website, iribnews.ir, said social media in Iran was being temporarily limited as a safety measure.“With a decision by the Supreme National Security Council, activities of Telegram and Instagram are temporarily limited,” the report said, without elaborating.Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, declined to comment.Facebook itself has been banned in Iran since the 2009 protests that followed the re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, some in Iran access it and other banned websites using virtual private networks.Meanwhile, authorities acknowledged the first fatalities in the protests, during clashes late Saturday in Doroud, some 325 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Tehran in Lorestan province, where protesters had gathered for an unauthorized rally, said Habibollah Khojastepour, the security deputy of Lorestan’s governor.“The gathering was to be ended peacefully, but due to the presence of the (agitators), unfortunately, this happened,” Khojastepour said.He did not offer a cause of death for the two protesters, but said “no bullets were shot from police and security forces at the people.”However, the reformist Etemad newspaper quoted Hamid Reza Kazemi, a Lorestan lawmaker, as saying police did open fire during the clashes.“If someone comes to the street and acts like a norm breaker, what would you do?” the newspaper quoted Kazemi as saying.Videos circulating on social media late Saturday also appeared to show fallen protesters in Doroud as gunshots sounded in the background.A beautiful sight to see that people are tearing down posters on khamenie. Rip them all off #IranProtests #Tehran #IranUprising #FreeIran #Kermanshah #Mashhad #RegimeChange #Iranian http://pic.twitter.com/O44guXY9XF— اخبار ایراني Iranian News (@news_iranian) January 1, 2018-Thousands have taken to the streets of cities across Iran, beginning on Thursday in Mashhad, the country’s second-largest city and a holy site for Shiite pilgrims.The protests in the Iranian capital, as well as US President Donald Trump tweeting in support of them, raised the stakes. It also apparently forced state television to break its silence about the unrest, acknowledging Saturday that it hadn’t reported on the protests on orders from security officials.Trump, whose travel bans have blocked Iranians from getting US visas, in his latest tweets on Sunday showed support for the protesters and for their ability to communicate.“The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer,” Trump wrote. “The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!”Rouhani criticized Trump in comments aired Sunday night.“This guy in America who wants to sympathize with our people today has forgotten that he had called Iranian people ‘terrorists’ a few months ago,” Rouhani said. “This person who is against Iran from head to toe does not have the right to be sympathetic to Iranian people.”Several hundred protesters have been arrested so far, beginning with over 50 in Mashhad on Thursday. The semi-official ILNA news agency reported Sunday that authorities had arrested some 80 protesters in the city of Arak, some 280 kilometers (175 miles) south of Tehran, as well as another 200 in Tehran on Saturday night.State TV also has reported that some protesters invoked the name of the US-backed shah, who fled into exile just before Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and later died.Iran’s economy has improved since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Iran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the end of some international sanctions. Tehran now sells its oil on the global market and has signed deals to purchase tens of billions of dollars’ worth of Western aircraft.That improvement has not reached the average Iranian, however. Unemployment remains high, and official inflation has crept up to 10 percent again. A recent increase in egg and poultry prices by as much as 40 percent, which a government spokesman has blamed on a cull over avian flu fears, appears to have been the spark for the economic protests.While the protests have sparked clashes, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its affiliates have not intervened as they have in other unauthorized demonstrations since the 2009 election.Some analysts outside of Iran have suggested that may be because the economic protests initially just put pressure on Rouhani, a relative moderate whose administration struck the nuclear deal.While saying people should be allowed to protest, Rouhani also made a point Sunday of warning demonstrators.“The government will definitely not tolerate those groups who are after the destruction of public property or disrupting the public order or spark riots in the society,” he said.
Blasting regime, Trump says ‘time for change’ in Iran-US president says Islamic Republic 'failing at every level' despite sanctions relief from 'terrible' nuclear deal-By Alexander Fulbright-TOI-JAN 01,18
3:48 pm-Bennett says Lapid ‘Meretz in a blue and white costume’-Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett attacks Yair Lapid, accusing the Yesh Atid party leader of trying to use hawkish rhetoric to conceal left-wing views.“Today Lapid attacked the application of [Israeli] law in Ofra, Tekoa and Eli as a ‘gift to BDS,'” tweets Bennett.Bennett attacks Lapid’s “vision” for a Palestinian state, which the Jewish Home leader says will lead to a “Palestinian flag in ancient Jerusalem.”Bennett says Lapid is “Meretz in a blue and white costume,” referring to the left-wing political party.-3:44 pm-Intelligence minister: Israel not behind Iran protests, but wants regime to fall-Intelligence Minister Israel Katz denies that Israel is responsible for the protests breaking out across Iran over the past week, though he says Israel does fully support them.“Israel is not involved in the commotion in Iran, but other than that, we’re involved in everything else — we want to see this depressing regime get replaced by a democratic government,” Katz tells the Knesset’s powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.“We wish the Iranian people tremendous luck in trying to get democracy,” he says.Katz also reiterates an accusation he’s made in several forums, that Iran is actively assisting terrorist groups, like Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.“Over the past few days we’ve seen direct Iranian involvement in Gaza. Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas are working to upgrade the threat against Israel from Gaza,” he says.— Judah Ari Gross-3:22 pm-Two Christians killed in New Year’s attack on Egypt liquor store-CAIRO — A gunman kills two Copts celebrating the New Year in an Egyptian alcohol shop today, judicial and security sources say, in the latest deadly violence against the Christian minority.The shooting comes just three days after a gunman, identified as a wanted jihadist, killed nine people in an attack on a church south of the capital.An assailant rode up in the back of a motorcycle taxi and opened fire on the liquor store in Cairo’s twin city Giza at around 1:30 a.m. local time, when the streets were still bustling with New Year’s revelers, the sources say.The store’s Coptic owner survived but two of his friends who were celebrating with him were killed.Police are still investigating the motive of the attack, the sources say.— AFP-3:19 pm-Bennett warns failure to pass Shabbat bill could topple government-Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett warns coalition members that not passing a bill that would shutter mini-markets on Shabbat could lead to the government’s fall.“We have also voted for things we didn’t like,” says Bennett at a Jewish Home faction meeting, according to the Walla news site. “But to everyone there is something important.“For us personally essential things are important and if they continue to play games this will dismantle the government and we’ll go to elections,” Bennett warns.The coalition’s Yisrael Beytenu party is opposed to the bill.-2:59 pm-Blasting regime, Trump says ‘time for change’ in Iran-Reacting to ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran, US President Donald Trump tweets it’s “TIME FOR CHANGE!”“Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!” says Trump.Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018-2:46 pm-Rouhani blames Saudis for Iran protests-Iranian President Rouhani says Saudi Arabia and other unnamed countries are behind the anti-regime protests sweeping Iran due to their anger over his country’s “success in the region.”“These [accomplishments] have angered our enemy. Our unity was a bullet (arrow) in their eyes and our progress and success in the world of politics and against the US and the Zionist regime was not bearable to them,” the semi-official Fars news agency reports Rouhani as saying.“They (the Saudis) have blatantly said that we will create problems in Tehran,” he says.-2:40 pm-Lapid says Yesh Atid prepared to fight Shabbat bill in court-Yair Lapid says his Yesh Atid party is prepared to go to court if a bill that would shutter mini-markets on Shabbat passes into law.Speaking at a Yesh Atid faction meeting, Lapid says ultra-Orthodox parties are backing the bill because they “want to show they can tell secular and traditional people how to live.”“We’ll fight this law with all our strength here in the Knesset, in the court, in the streets and the [city] squares. This isn’t a war over religion, this is a war for freedom and for the right to vote, and so no one will tell us how to live,” he says.-2:27 pm-Abbas says Israel, US ‘not interested in a just and lasting peace’-Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas vows to hold Israel “accountable” this year for “its grave and systematic violations of international law.”“We shall make important decisions during 2018, including regarding legal venues, in order to hold Israel accountable for its grave and systematic violations of international law, and to revisit agreements signed with Israel,” says Abbas, according to the PA’s official Wafa news agency.Responding to a Likud Central Committee vote yesterday calling for parts of the West Bank to be annexed, Abbas says the resolution “could not be taken without the full support of the US administration, who have refused to condemn Israeli colonial settlements as well as the systematic attacks and crimes of the Israeli occupation against the people of Palestine.”He says the vote is “part of Israel’s plan to erase the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”“We hope that this vote serves as a reminder for the international community that the Israeli government, with the full support of the US administration, is not interested in a just and lasting peace. Rather its main goal is the consolidation of an Apartheid regime in all of historic Palestine,” he adds.-2:16 pm-Hamas calls Likud vote for partial West Bank annexation ‘an escalation’-Hamas calls a resolution passed by the Likud Central Committee calling for annexing parts of the West Bank and allowing for unlimited settlement building “an escalation” prompted by US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem last month as Israel’s capital.“The #Likud extremist party decision of #annexing #West Bank to occupation sovereignty is an escalation related to #Trump’s decision in the absence of Arab reaction,” the terror group says on its Twitter account.The #Likud extremist party decision of #annexing #West Bank to occupation sovereignty is an escalation related to #Trump's decision in the absence of Arab reaction.— Hamas Movement (@HamasInfoEn) January 1, 2018-2:16 pm-PA condemns Likud party vote to annex parts of West BankThe Palestinian Authority condemns the Likud Central Committee’s unanimous vote calling on the party’s leaders to annex parts of the West Bank and allow unlimited settlement construction.In a statement carried by the PA’s official Wafa new agency, government spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud calls yesterday’s resolution “an outrageous violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy, especially the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council, as well as an irony and contempt for the entire UN system.”“The Palestinian land that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, foremost of which our eternal capital Jerusalem, is a land occupied by Israel along with other Arab territories, namely Sinai and the Golan, following the unfortunate aggression of 1967,” he says.Mahmoud says “laws imposed by [Israeli] military force and domination” have no authority in the West Bank and Gaza.-2:00 pm-Interior Committee approves Shabbat bill ahead of final votes-The Knesset Interior Committee approves a bill that would shutter mini-markets on Shabbat, clearing its way for its final plenum votes.Despite concerns the coalition may lack the necessary votes to pass the bill in its second and third readings, a vote on the draft legislation is expected later today.The opposition and the coalition’s Yisrael Beytenu party are refusing to have one MK skip the votes to compensate for the absence of Likud MK Yehudah Glick, whose wife died this morning.-1:43 pm-Shin Bet breaks up alleged Hamas cell planning West Bank attacks-Israeli security forces break up an alleged Hamas terrorist cell planning to carry out attacks in the West Bank, arresting five of its members in November, the Shin Bet security service reveals Monday.The cell was led by Alaa Salim, a resident of the Palestinian West Bank town of Jaba, north of Jerusalem, but it received its directions from Abdallah Arar, a known Hamas terrorist living in the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet says.Arar, who was convicted for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Israeli man Sasson Nuriel in 2005, was released to the Gaza Strip from an Israeli prison six year later as part of a contentious prisoner exchange to secure the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was being held hostage by Hamas.The service warns that the Gaza-based terrorist group was increasingly trying to carry out attacks in the West Bank and Israel.— Judah Ari Gross-1:42 pm-Rouhani says Iran will respond to ‘rioters and lawbreakers’-TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Monday that the Iranian people will “respond to rioters and lawbreakers” protesting around the country in recent days.“Our nation will deal with this minority who chant slogans against the law and people’s wishes, and insult the sanctities and values of the revolution,” he says in a statement on his official website.“Criticism and protest are an opportunity not a threat. The nation will themselves respond to the rioters and lawbreakers.”— AFP.
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)
Arctic cold mass brings bitter temperatures to most of Canada-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 31, 2017
An arctic air mass is bringing extreme cold to a wide swath over much of Canada tonight and into the new year, with the deep freeze that's expected to continue the next two days having an impact on New Year's Eve planning.Outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations have been cancelled in Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and other cities as temperatures plunge to the –20s. Across Canada, people are being advised to bundle up if they plan to spend time outdoors.Lower B.C. Mainland temperatures are moderate and Atlantic Canada has seasonal temperatures, but much of the rest of Canada is gripped by bitter cold.The coldest spot on Sunday is Rabbit Kettle, N.W.T, with a low of –48.9 C, according to Environment Canada.Ottawa is expecting –20 on Sunday, and –26 overnight into the first day of 2018, so some outdoor celebrations are being scaled back.Public skating on Parliament Hill, the tipi illumination and the winter lightscape shows, including the "Christmas Lights Across Canada" display, are proceeding. Fireworks planned for New Year's Eve on the Hill at midnight will also go ahead as planned.Most of Ontario is under a cold weather alert.Toronto will see a high of –15 C, making it feel like the –20s with the wind chill on Sunday afternoon, and a low of –22 C, with a wind chill value of –30 on Sunday evening, according to Mark Schuster, meteorologist for Environment Canada..On New Year's Day, the forecast is calling for a high of –9 C with windchill values in the –20s during the day, and a low of – 22 C with a wind chill value of –30 in the evening.Early cold snap for Toronto-Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., have scaled back New Year's Eve celebrations as a result.Ontario's cold snap is expected to last the entire first week of 2018. It's also coming earlier in the year than usual, as frigid temperatures often don't arrive until later in January.In Montreal, the same arctic air mass will result in highs of –18 and –21 over the next two days, with temperatures dipping to –27 overnight.Quebec City will experience similar cold, with –18 in the day Sunday and Monday and a low of –31 Monday night.But that's no reason to cut back on the festivities, so New Year's Eve celebrations to go ahead as usual.The bitter cold isn't putting a chill on Winnipeg's New Year's Eve celebrations, despite temperatures of –29 Sunday morning and the temperature with the wind chill projected at –45 Sunday evening.The celebrations will go on at The Forks with a dance party at the festival rink and DJs performing outdoors. There will be a pyrotechnic show at 8 p.m. for families with little ones who need to go to bed earlier before the fireworks go off at midnight.There will also be sleigh rides, a painting show on a snow canvas and crafts for the kids.Winnipeg is a winter city, where they embrace the cold — through many protective layers, said Chelsea Thomson, manager of marketing and communications with The Forks North Portage Partnership."Winnipeg is very cold in the wintertime and it's something that we are very used to. I think that if we cancelled our plans then we would probably have to cancel winter just in general," she said.For a brief time on Sunday, the northern town pf Churchill was the warmest place in Manitoba, with a daytime high of –23.3 C.In southern Manitoba, cities like Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg stayed in the deep, deep freeze with temperatures hovering between –32 C and –29 C.Meteorologist Alysa Pederson said a ridge of high pressure is sitting over Saskatchewan and pushing cold arctic air into Manitoba, while north of that weather system, temperatures are warmer.Wind chill in Saskatchewan-Much of Saskatchewan is under an extreme cold warning heading into 2018.According to Environment Canada, extreme wind chills are expected to remain for prolonged periods of time, especially in the southern half of the province.Temperatures in the minus thirties are combining with strong winds to give temperatures of –40 C to –45 C into the evening and throughout the night.The extreme cold warning means frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin and residents are at a greater risk of hypothermia.Conditions are expected to be less extreme by Tuesday.The province of Alberta was placed under an extreme cold warning Saturday as an arctic air mass blankets much of Canada.Edmonton, Calgary scale back outdoor events-In Calgary, Environment Canada forecasts temperatures to dip to –31 C overnight, which would feel like –44 with the wind chill.The bitter cold has forced the cancellation of the city's outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations planned for Olympic Plaza.The ball will still drop at midnight and it will be broadcast on television.Respite from the cold is in sight as chinook winds are expected to blow in to Calgary on Monday, bringing the temperature to a balmy –4 C. It's expected to reach 9 C by Friday.Edmonton has cancelled its outdoor activities on New Year's Eve due to the extremely cold weather.The forecast for Sunday morning is –40 with the wind chill, according to Environment Canada. At 9 p.m., it's expected to be –36 with the windchill.The city made the decision late Saturday evening to cancel the main stage performances, hayrides, ice carving, bonfires and bannock-making, joining several other major Canadian cities that pulled the plug on outdoor celebrations due to the cold.Fireworks will still happen at the legislature at 9 p.m., but anyone watching them outside is urged to dress for "extreme temperatures," the city said in a media release.B.C.'s Lower Mainland is relatively warm, with a high of 4 C expected Sunday and Monday, but further north, in Prince George, it will be –19 C.Parts of Atlantic Canada also have a reprieve from the frigid air, with Nova Scotia expecting temperatures of –9 to –13.But there was a snow squall watch for Cape Breton and wind chill made it feel like -20 in Sydney, N.S. The New Year's Eve concert on the waterfront in Sydney has been cancelled due to frigid temperatures.In P.E.I. and New Brunswick, temperatures were in the –15 to -18 C range. Charlottetown's New Year's celebrations have been moved indoors.St. John's is expecting a bit of light snow and a high of –2 C on Sunday and –5 C for during New Year's Eve festivities.
2018 starts with record cold in parts of the Midwest-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-January 1, 2018
DES MOINES, Iowa — Bone-chilling cold gripped the middle of the U.S. as 2018 began Monday, breaking a low temperature record, icing some New Year's celebrations and leading to at least two deaths attributed to exposure to the elements.The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories covering a vast area from South Texas all the way to Canada and from Montana and Wyoming in the west through New England to the northern tip of Maine.Dangerously low temperatures enveloped eight Midwest states including parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska along with nearly all of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.The weather service said a temperature of 15 below zero (-26 Celsius) was recorded in Omaha before midnight Sunday, breaking a record low dating back to 1884, and the temperature was still dropping early New Year's Day. That reading did not include the wind chill effect — which could hit negative 40 degrees (-40 Celsius), according to forecasters.Omaha officials cited the forecast last week in postponing the 18th annual New Year's Eve Fireworks Spectacular that draws around 30,000 people.It was even colder in Des Moines early Monday at 20 below zero (-29 Celsius) and wind chill dipping to 31 below zero (-35 Celsius). Des Moines city officials had closed a downtown outdoor ice skating plaza and said it won't reopen until the city emerges from sub-zero temperatures.The wind chill dipped to 36 below zero (-38 Celsius) in Duluth, Minnesota, a city known for its bitter cold winters. Steam rose up from Lake Superior as a ship moved through the harbour where ice was forming from the bitter cold.Bitterly cold temperatures also are spreading across the Deep South, a region more accustomed to brief bursts of arctic air than night after night below zero. Frozen pipes and dead car batteries were concerns from Louisiana to Georgia as overnight temperatures in the teens were predicted across the region by Monday night.An Indianapolis woman was in critical condition after she became confused in the snow and ice and turned her vehicle the wrong direction, driving 150 feet on a retention pond before her vehicle fell through the ice, according to WISH TV. She managed to make an emergency call but the phone went dead when the ice cracked.The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office said two bodies found on Sunday showed signs of hypothermia. They included a man in his 50s found on the ground in an alley and a 34-year-old man. Autopsies are being performed on both men.Milwaukee's annual Polar Bear Plunge at Bradford Beach on Lake Michigan Monday could be more dangerous than usual, a city official told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The wind chill was expected to be about 9 below zero (-13 Celsius) by the time of the event at noon."You're going to get hypothermic," said Milwaukee Fire Battalion Chief Erich Roden. "Everybody wants to do the polar plunge once in their life; it's a bucket list item. Unfortunately, it's something that can cause a lot of harm."The Associated Press.
Trump says U.S. has gotten 'nothing' from Pakistan aid-[Reuters]-By David Shepardson-YAHOONEWS-January 1, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States has "foolishly" handed Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years while getting nothing in return and pledged to put a stop to it. "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump wrote on Twitter. "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools."It was not immediately clear what prompted Trump’s criticism of Pakistan but he has long complained that Islamabad is not doing enough to tackle Islamist militants.The New York Times reported on Dec. 29 that the Trump administration was "strongly considering" whether to withhold $255 million in aid to Pakistan.It said U.S. officials had sought but been denied access to a member of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network captured in Pakistan who potentially could provide information about at least one American hostage.The Trump administration said in August that it was delaying sending the $255 million in aid to Pakistan. Last month, Trump said in a speech the U.S. government makes "massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help."Pakistan counters that it has launched military operations to push out militants from its soil and that 17,000 Pakistanis have died fighting militants or in bombings and other attacks since 2001.The top U.S. general in Afghanistan, John Nicholson, said in November that he had not seen a change in Pakistan’s behavior toward militants, despite the Trump administration’s tougher line against Islamabad.(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Abbas says Likud bid to annex parts of West Bank has US blessing-PA spokesman says 'outrageous' non-binding resolution by ruling party shows contempt for UN and international decisions-By TOI staff-JAN 01,18
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday condemned a Likud Central Committee vote a day earlier calling for parts of the West Bank to be annexed and implied Washington was involved in it.The resolution “could not be taken without the full support of the US administration, who have refused to condemn Israeli colonial settlements as well as the systematic attacks and crimes of the Israeli occupation against the people of Palestine,” he said, according to the PA’s official Wafa news agency.“We hope that this vote serves as a reminder for the international community that the Israeli government, with the full support of the US administration, is not interested in a just and lasting peace,” Abbas added. “Rather, its main goal is the consolidation of an apartheid regime in all of historic Palestine.”Earlier Monday, a spokesman for the PA said the resolution passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party showed derision for United Nations and other international decisions.Yousef al-Mahmoud called the resolution “an outrageous violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy, especially the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council, as well as an irony and contempt for the entire UN system,” the Palestinian Wafa news service reported.His comments came the day after the Likud Central Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, unanimously voted in favor of urging the faction’s leaders to formally annex parts of the West Bank and allow unlimited construction in the settlements.Mahmoud claimed that the Likud move was a result of US President Donald Trump last month recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.The spokesman stressed that only international law was valid in the disputed territories, “rather than laws imposed by military force and domination.”“The Palestinian land that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, foremost of which our eternal capital Jerusalem, is a land occupied by Israel along with other Arab territories, namely Sinai and the Golan, following the unfortunate aggression of 1967,” Mahmoud noted referring to the Six Day War during which Israel gained control of the contested areas.The vote by Likud Central Committee is not binding on its Knesset lawmakers, but does carry political sway as MKs need the support of the 3,000-member body to succeed in the party’s primaries.The resolution reads: “Fifty years after the liberation of Judea and Samaria, and with them Jerusalem, our eternal capital, the Likud Central Committee calls on Likud’s elected leaders to work to allow unhindered construction and to extend Israeli law and sovereignty in all the areas of liberated settlement in Judea and Samaria.”Netanyahu, long an opponent of such ideological declarations by party institutions, but eager in recent months to appeal to the party’s right-wing base, did not attend the Likud gathering in the central city of Lod.The Hamas terror group said in a statement Sunday the decision represented “the continued harming of Palestinian rights under US auspices,” and said it would only lead to “more resistance.”The resolution marked the first time since the 2005 Israeli pullout from Gaza that party activists have gathered the hundreds of signatures required to propose such a resolution.According to the party’s constitution, any such petition that receives support from over 20 percent of the Central Committee’s members requires the body to convene within 30 days.While the petition had been filed in May, there had been a substantial delay in convening the meeting.
Report: US gives Israel go-ahead to kill powerful Iranian general-Kuwaiti newspaper says Washington and Jerusalem have overcome the differences that saw Americans tipping off Tehran about Israeli attempt to kill Qassem Soleimani 3 years ago-By Sue Surkes-JAN 01,18
US intelligence agencies have given Israel the green light to assassinate the senior Iranian responsible for coordinating military activity on behalf of the Islamic Republic in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida.For the past 20 years or so, Qassem Soleimani has commanded the Quds Force — the branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards responsible for military and clandestine operations outside of the Islamic Republic.Soleimani is a key figure in efforts to prop up Syrian President Bashar Assad and to enable him to retake cities and towns from rebel groups during his country’s ongoing civil war. He is also responsible for providing military aid to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas in Gaza — both of which are committed to the destruction of Israel — as well as to Shia and Kurdish groups in Iraq.Three years ago, Israel came close to assassinating Soleimani near Damascus, al-Jarida quoted unnamed source as saying, but the Americans tipped off the Iranians against the background of intense disagreement between Washington and Jerusalem.That was during the Obama administration, which, according to reports at the time, was so focused on securing the 2015 Iran nuclear accord that it chose to overlook and even obstruct efforts to clamp down on Iranian-backed terror organizations.It’s not clear if the reported tip-off was related to efforts to secure the Iran deal.Today, the Trump and Netanyahu administrations see eye to eye on Iran. Just four days ago, the two countries signed a joint memorandum of understanding laying the groundwork for full cooperation to deal with Iran’s nuclear drive, its missile programs and its other threatening activities, an Israeli TV report said recently.The source told the paper that Soleimani’s assassination would serve both countries’ interests and that US authorities have given Israel the go-ahead to carry it out.There was no immediate reaction to the report from Jerusalem or Washington.
New year, new Mideast-Hebrew dailies hope that Iranian protesters will change regime while some make the tempting comparison to politics at home-By Adiv Sterman-JAN 1,18
The ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Iran top the agenda in Israel’s leading Hebrew-language papers, playing up the disdain some protesters express toward the Islamic regime.As the new year is ushered in, Israel’s leading Hebrew-language papers look abroad at the developments unfolding elsewhere in the Middle East and attempt to decipher what the future of the region hold.The country’s two most popular dailies, Israel Hayom and Yedioth Ahronoth, both lead with the ongoing unrest in Iran over economic hardships and against the regime. Yedioth’s headline quotes an unnamed Iranian protester assessing that “soon you will see millions in the street.” Yedioth frames the protesters as “young Iranians” who are tired of “suffering in silence.” According to the paper, many in Iran are “planning for the moment in which they can escape to Europe,” and the daily notes in a tone more sympathetic than critical that a subculture has developed in the Islamic Republic characterized by “underground parties with sex and alcohol, right under the Revolutionary Guard’s nose.”A more intense portrayal of the demonstrations is brought forth on Israel Hayom’s front page, with an anonymous quote by an activist in Iran warning that the protesters aim to “switch the regime, or die.”Eyal Zisser, a Middle Eastern studies professor at Tel Aviv University and a frequent contributor to Israel Hayom, posits that while the rallies in Iran are a “deep expression of yearning for a change,” there is currently no clear leader who could bring about such a change, and no real agreement about what should come instead of the rule of the ayatollahs. Nevertheless, Zisser writes that there is hope that the demonstrations may cause a ripple effect that will gnaw at the Iranian regime over time and weaken the religious leadership’s hold on the country. Zisser even hints that he believes a new revolution may be sprouting up among the protests on the streets of Tehran and other major Iranian cities.“Few, if any, can predict a popular uprising before it has occurred,” he writes. “For even its heroes and its creators do not always know what the results of their actions may be.”In Haaretz, Amos Biderman’s daily cartoon throws shade at the current Israeli leadership — and, perhaps, at the Likud-aligned Israel Hayom — who while urging on and admiring the anti-regime protests in Iran, claim that the weekly anti-corruption demonstrations in Tel Aviv are merely a pretense for toppling the Jewish state’s democratically elected, right-wing government.“It is the funded by the New Israel Fund,” an illustrated version of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pointing to a television broadcasting the protests, is seen telling President Hassan Rouhani.The cartoon is referencing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates’ frequent accusations that the left-wing New Israel Fund and other non-governmental organizations are the ones behind the anti-corruption protests in Tel Aviv, using the rallies as a means to advance their agenda of unseating the Israeli leader.Meanwhile, Haaretz’s editorial spares no words in condemning the Likud Central Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, for unanimously passing a resolution urging the faction’s leaders to formally annex parts of the West Bank and allow unlimited construction in the settlements.“Representatives of the settlers in Likud exploited Netanyahu’s preoccupation with the corruption investigations against him to try to force him to take a step he had refrained from making,” the paper offers. “The settlers and their representatives in [the Jewish Home party] and Likud are exploiting Netanyahu’s moment of weakness to push him to the right, with the threat of bringing down the coalition hovering in the background.”The editorial, in the left-wing fashion characteristic of Haaretz, makes sure to stress that an annexation such as the one approved by the Likud Central Committee is a dangerous step that can lead to “the establishment of apartheid in areas of the sovereign State of Israel: one law for Jews and another for Palestinians, who will be second-class subjects, without citizenship.”Interestingly enough, while Israel Hayom dedicates some coverage to the Likud resolution, none of the daily’s major analysts or columnists comment on the decision at all. But on a separate note, the paper does present some interesting statistics regarding Israel’s population as the new year begins.According to Israel Hayom, 8.8 million citizens live in the Jewish state, 6.5 million — or 74.6% — of whom are Jewish. Arab Israelis make up 20.9% of the country’s population, while 4.5% consist of other ethnic or religious minorities. Over the past year, Israel’s population grew by 1.9%, or 165,000 people, with 18 percent of the growth attributed to immigration.Twenty-seven thousand new immigrants decided to call Israel their home in 2017, with 75% s coming from European countries, 15% from the United States, 5% from Asia, and 4.3% from Africa.
Pence visit indefinitely postponed due to ‘scheduling conflicts’-Trip delayed by US tax vote had originally been rescheduled for January 14, the day Netanyahu takes off for India-By Raphael Ahren-JAN 1,18
US Vice President Mike Pence’s planned trip to Israel has been indefinitely delayed beyond January, Foreign Ministry officials said Monday.Pence was originally scheduled to arrive in the region in late December, but postponed the trip due to the US administration’s efforts to push a tax reform through Congress.It had also been speculated that the vice president canceled his trip due to the fact that Palestinian officials and leading Muslim and Christian clerics no longer wanted to receive him in protest of US President Donald Trump’s December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.On Monday, the Foreign Ministry published its list of foreign dignitaries due in Israel this month. Pence’s name does not appear on this list.Asked to clarify, Israeli officials said that “due to various scheduling difficulties,” no new date has yet been set for the vice president’s visit.When the trip was rescheduled, administration officials had said Pence would visit January 14, coinciding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure from Israel on a previously scheduled five-day trip to India.Scott Pruitt, the current administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, is due in Israel in late January.Pence was originally due in Israel on December 20 after a trip to Egypt, following closely on the heels of Trump’s Jerusalem decision.He had been slated to hold meetings with Netanyahu and deliver an address to the Knesset. He was to end his trip to Israel with a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin and a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.In Ramallah, he was to sit down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but Abbas later pulled out of the meeting after denouncing Trump’s decision on Jerusalem.The White House at the time said that any delay in the tax vote might have prevented the vice president from departing Washington on time and complicated a tightly orchestrated set of meetings in Egypt and Israel.“The vice president is committed to seeing the tax cut through to the finish line,” said Alyssa Farah, Pence’s press secretary, in a statement. She said Pence “looks forward to traveling to Egypt and Israel in January.”On December 20, the sweeping reform of the US tax code passed a major hurdle on its way to final ratification by Congress.A day later, Pence made a surprise visit to Afghanistan.
Dozens arrested overnight in West Bank raids-Twelve accused of throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at security forces, another 14 suspected of involvement in terror activities-By Stuart Winer-JAN 1,18
Security forces arrested 26 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank late Sunday and early Monday.The 26 were held on suspicion of participating in violent riots in recent weeks or involvement in terror-related activities, the IDF said in a statement.Twelve alleged rioters were suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at IDF soldiers during violent demonstrations that flared up after US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, angering Palestinians.Another 14 Palestinians were arrested on suspicion of involvement in unspecified terror-related activities targeting security forces and Israeli civilians. The suspects were all taken away for questioning.An IDF soldier was lightly injured Sunday when he was struck by a rock during clashes that broke out during an arrest raid in the southern West Bank, the army said.The soldier required medical treatment for his injuries.Israeli forces carry out nightly raids in the West Bank to arrest suspects alleged to be involved in rock throwing, rioting and what it terms as terror activity.Recent weeks have seen an uptick in violence following the December 6 announcement by Trump that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Palestinian leaders have called for “day of rage” protests on Fridays, including weekly protests along the Gaza border fence and West Bank hotspots.In an address December 6 from the White House, Trump defied worldwide warnings and insisted that after repeated failures to achieve peace a new approach was long overdue, describing his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the seat of Israel’s government as merely based on reality.The move was hailed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and by leaders across much of the Israeli political spectrum. Trump stressed that he was not specifying the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in the city, and called for no change in the status quo at the city’s holy sites.However, the move infuriated Palestinians who want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Israel says Jerusalem is its unified capital.
Iran protests enter day 5 despite warning of crackdown-Small cities from north to south brace for increased turnout Monday after joining the mass demonstrations a day earlier-By Agencies and TOI staff-JAN 1,18
TEHRAN, Iran — The largest protests to strike Iran in nearly a decade continued unabated Sunday night with demonstrators across the country poised for a fifth day of unrest, despite stark government warnings of a crackdown to end the stand-off.In addition to major metropolises that have seen mass protests since Thursday, smaller cities from north to south held protests Sunday and were expecting increased turnouts on Monday, according to regional reports.On Sunday, Tehran moved to block access to Instagram and a popular messaging app used by activists to organize, with even President Hassan Rouhani acknowledging the public’s anger over the Islamic Republic’s flagging economy.Rouhani and other leaders made a point to warn that the government wouldn’t hesitate to crack down on those it considers lawbreakers amid the demonstrations, which began Thursday over the economic woes plaguing Iran.“Those who misused cyberspace and spread violence are absolutely known to us and we will definitely confront them,” Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on state television.The outpouring of public discontent — the most widespread since protests following Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election — have been fanned by messages sent on the Telegram messaging app, which authorities blocked Sunday along with the photo-sharing app Instagram, which is owned by social media giant Facebook.Many of the country’s 80 million people are learning about the protests and sharing images of them through Telegram. On Saturday, Telegram shut down one channel of the service over Iranian government allegations that it encouraged violence, which its moderator denied.On Sunday, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov wrote on Twitter that authorities had blocked all access to the app.“Iranian authorities are blocking access to Telegram for the majority of Iranians after our public refusal to shut down … peacefully protesting channels,” he wrote.Iran’s state TV news website, iribnews.ir, said social media in Iran was being temporarily limited as a safety measure.“With a decision by the Supreme National Security Council, activities of Telegram and Instagram are temporarily limited,” the report said, without elaborating.Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, declined to comment.Facebook itself has been banned in Iran since the 2009 protests that followed the re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, some in Iran access it and other banned websites using virtual private networks.Meanwhile, authorities acknowledged the first fatalities in the protests, during clashes late Saturday in Doroud, some 325 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Tehran in Lorestan province, where protesters had gathered for an unauthorized rally, said Habibollah Khojastepour, the security deputy of Lorestan’s governor.“The gathering was to be ended peacefully, but due to the presence of the (agitators), unfortunately, this happened,” Khojastepour said.He did not offer a cause of death for the two protesters, but said “no bullets were shot from police and security forces at the people.”However, the reformist Etemad newspaper quoted Hamid Reza Kazemi, a Lorestan lawmaker, as saying police did open fire during the clashes.“If someone comes to the street and acts like a norm breaker, what would you do?” the newspaper quoted Kazemi as saying.Videos circulating on social media late Saturday also appeared to show fallen protesters in Doroud as gunshots sounded in the background.A beautiful sight to see that people are tearing down posters on khamenie. Rip them all off #IranProtests #Tehran #IranUprising #FreeIran #Kermanshah #Mashhad #RegimeChange #Iranian http://pic.twitter.com/O44guXY9XF— اخبار ایراني Iranian News (@news_iranian) January 1, 2018-Thousands have taken to the streets of cities across Iran, beginning on Thursday in Mashhad, the country’s second-largest city and a holy site for Shiite pilgrims.The protests in the Iranian capital, as well as US President Donald Trump tweeting in support of them, raised the stakes. It also apparently forced state television to break its silence about the unrest, acknowledging Saturday that it hadn’t reported on the protests on orders from security officials.Trump, whose travel bans have blocked Iranians from getting US visas, in his latest tweets on Sunday showed support for the protesters and for their ability to communicate.“The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer,” Trump wrote. “The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!”Rouhani criticized Trump in comments aired Sunday night.“This guy in America who wants to sympathize with our people today has forgotten that he had called Iranian people ‘terrorists’ a few months ago,” Rouhani said. “This person who is against Iran from head to toe does not have the right to be sympathetic to Iranian people.”Several hundred protesters have been arrested so far, beginning with over 50 in Mashhad on Thursday. The semi-official ILNA news agency reported Sunday that authorities had arrested some 80 protesters in the city of Arak, some 280 kilometers (175 miles) south of Tehran, as well as another 200 in Tehran on Saturday night.State TV also has reported that some protesters invoked the name of the US-backed shah, who fled into exile just before Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and later died.Iran’s economy has improved since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Iran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the end of some international sanctions. Tehran now sells its oil on the global market and has signed deals to purchase tens of billions of dollars’ worth of Western aircraft.That improvement has not reached the average Iranian, however. Unemployment remains high, and official inflation has crept up to 10 percent again. A recent increase in egg and poultry prices by as much as 40 percent, which a government spokesman has blamed on a cull over avian flu fears, appears to have been the spark for the economic protests.While the protests have sparked clashes, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its affiliates have not intervened as they have in other unauthorized demonstrations since the 2009 election.Some analysts outside of Iran have suggested that may be because the economic protests initially just put pressure on Rouhani, a relative moderate whose administration struck the nuclear deal.While saying people should be allowed to protest, Rouhani also made a point Sunday of warning demonstrators.“The government will definitely not tolerate those groups who are after the destruction of public property or disrupting the public order or spark riots in the society,” he said.
Blasting regime, Trump says ‘time for change’ in Iran-US president says Islamic Republic 'failing at every level' despite sanctions relief from 'terrible' nuclear deal-By Alexander Fulbright-TOI-JAN 01,18
3:48 pm-Bennett says Lapid ‘Meretz in a blue and white costume’-Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett attacks Yair Lapid, accusing the Yesh Atid party leader of trying to use hawkish rhetoric to conceal left-wing views.“Today Lapid attacked the application of [Israeli] law in Ofra, Tekoa and Eli as a ‘gift to BDS,'” tweets Bennett.Bennett attacks Lapid’s “vision” for a Palestinian state, which the Jewish Home leader says will lead to a “Palestinian flag in ancient Jerusalem.”Bennett says Lapid is “Meretz in a blue and white costume,” referring to the left-wing political party.-3:44 pm-Intelligence minister: Israel not behind Iran protests, but wants regime to fall-Intelligence Minister Israel Katz denies that Israel is responsible for the protests breaking out across Iran over the past week, though he says Israel does fully support them.“Israel is not involved in the commotion in Iran, but other than that, we’re involved in everything else — we want to see this depressing regime get replaced by a democratic government,” Katz tells the Knesset’s powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.“We wish the Iranian people tremendous luck in trying to get democracy,” he says.Katz also reiterates an accusation he’s made in several forums, that Iran is actively assisting terrorist groups, like Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.“Over the past few days we’ve seen direct Iranian involvement in Gaza. Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas are working to upgrade the threat against Israel from Gaza,” he says.— Judah Ari Gross-3:22 pm-Two Christians killed in New Year’s attack on Egypt liquor store-CAIRO — A gunman kills two Copts celebrating the New Year in an Egyptian alcohol shop today, judicial and security sources say, in the latest deadly violence against the Christian minority.The shooting comes just three days after a gunman, identified as a wanted jihadist, killed nine people in an attack on a church south of the capital.An assailant rode up in the back of a motorcycle taxi and opened fire on the liquor store in Cairo’s twin city Giza at around 1:30 a.m. local time, when the streets were still bustling with New Year’s revelers, the sources say.The store’s Coptic owner survived but two of his friends who were celebrating with him were killed.Police are still investigating the motive of the attack, the sources say.— AFP-3:19 pm-Bennett warns failure to pass Shabbat bill could topple government-Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett warns coalition members that not passing a bill that would shutter mini-markets on Shabbat could lead to the government’s fall.“We have also voted for things we didn’t like,” says Bennett at a Jewish Home faction meeting, according to the Walla news site. “But to everyone there is something important.“For us personally essential things are important and if they continue to play games this will dismantle the government and we’ll go to elections,” Bennett warns.The coalition’s Yisrael Beytenu party is opposed to the bill.-2:59 pm-Blasting regime, Trump says ‘time for change’ in Iran-Reacting to ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran, US President Donald Trump tweets it’s “TIME FOR CHANGE!”“Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!” says Trump.Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018-2:46 pm-Rouhani blames Saudis for Iran protests-Iranian President Rouhani says Saudi Arabia and other unnamed countries are behind the anti-regime protests sweeping Iran due to their anger over his country’s “success in the region.”“These [accomplishments] have angered our enemy. Our unity was a bullet (arrow) in their eyes and our progress and success in the world of politics and against the US and the Zionist regime was not bearable to them,” the semi-official Fars news agency reports Rouhani as saying.“They (the Saudis) have blatantly said that we will create problems in Tehran,” he says.-2:40 pm-Lapid says Yesh Atid prepared to fight Shabbat bill in court-Yair Lapid says his Yesh Atid party is prepared to go to court if a bill that would shutter mini-markets on Shabbat passes into law.Speaking at a Yesh Atid faction meeting, Lapid says ultra-Orthodox parties are backing the bill because they “want to show they can tell secular and traditional people how to live.”“We’ll fight this law with all our strength here in the Knesset, in the court, in the streets and the [city] squares. This isn’t a war over religion, this is a war for freedom and for the right to vote, and so no one will tell us how to live,” he says.-2:27 pm-Abbas says Israel, US ‘not interested in a just and lasting peace’-Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas vows to hold Israel “accountable” this year for “its grave and systematic violations of international law.”“We shall make important decisions during 2018, including regarding legal venues, in order to hold Israel accountable for its grave and systematic violations of international law, and to revisit agreements signed with Israel,” says Abbas, according to the PA’s official Wafa news agency.Responding to a Likud Central Committee vote yesterday calling for parts of the West Bank to be annexed, Abbas says the resolution “could not be taken without the full support of the US administration, who have refused to condemn Israeli colonial settlements as well as the systematic attacks and crimes of the Israeli occupation against the people of Palestine.”He says the vote is “part of Israel’s plan to erase the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”“We hope that this vote serves as a reminder for the international community that the Israeli government, with the full support of the US administration, is not interested in a just and lasting peace. Rather its main goal is the consolidation of an Apartheid regime in all of historic Palestine,” he adds.-2:16 pm-Hamas calls Likud vote for partial West Bank annexation ‘an escalation’-Hamas calls a resolution passed by the Likud Central Committee calling for annexing parts of the West Bank and allowing for unlimited settlement building “an escalation” prompted by US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem last month as Israel’s capital.“The #Likud extremist party decision of #annexing #West Bank to occupation sovereignty is an escalation related to #Trump’s decision in the absence of Arab reaction,” the terror group says on its Twitter account.The #Likud extremist party decision of #annexing #West Bank to occupation sovereignty is an escalation related to #Trump's decision in the absence of Arab reaction.— Hamas Movement (@HamasInfoEn) January 1, 2018-2:16 pm-PA condemns Likud party vote to annex parts of West BankThe Palestinian Authority condemns the Likud Central Committee’s unanimous vote calling on the party’s leaders to annex parts of the West Bank and allow unlimited settlement construction.In a statement carried by the PA’s official Wafa new agency, government spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud calls yesterday’s resolution “an outrageous violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy, especially the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council, as well as an irony and contempt for the entire UN system.”“The Palestinian land that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, foremost of which our eternal capital Jerusalem, is a land occupied by Israel along with other Arab territories, namely Sinai and the Golan, following the unfortunate aggression of 1967,” he says.Mahmoud says “laws imposed by [Israeli] military force and domination” have no authority in the West Bank and Gaza.-2:00 pm-Interior Committee approves Shabbat bill ahead of final votes-The Knesset Interior Committee approves a bill that would shutter mini-markets on Shabbat, clearing its way for its final plenum votes.Despite concerns the coalition may lack the necessary votes to pass the bill in its second and third readings, a vote on the draft legislation is expected later today.The opposition and the coalition’s Yisrael Beytenu party are refusing to have one MK skip the votes to compensate for the absence of Likud MK Yehudah Glick, whose wife died this morning.-1:43 pm-Shin Bet breaks up alleged Hamas cell planning West Bank attacks-Israeli security forces break up an alleged Hamas terrorist cell planning to carry out attacks in the West Bank, arresting five of its members in November, the Shin Bet security service reveals Monday.The cell was led by Alaa Salim, a resident of the Palestinian West Bank town of Jaba, north of Jerusalem, but it received its directions from Abdallah Arar, a known Hamas terrorist living in the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet says.Arar, who was convicted for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Israeli man Sasson Nuriel in 2005, was released to the Gaza Strip from an Israeli prison six year later as part of a contentious prisoner exchange to secure the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was being held hostage by Hamas.The service warns that the Gaza-based terrorist group was increasingly trying to carry out attacks in the West Bank and Israel.— Judah Ari Gross-1:42 pm-Rouhani says Iran will respond to ‘rioters and lawbreakers’-TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Monday that the Iranian people will “respond to rioters and lawbreakers” protesting around the country in recent days.“Our nation will deal with this minority who chant slogans against the law and people’s wishes, and insult the sanctities and values of the revolution,” he says in a statement on his official website.“Criticism and protest are an opportunity not a threat. The nation will themselves respond to the rioters and lawbreakers.”— AFP.
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)
Arctic cold mass brings bitter temperatures to most of Canada-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 31, 2017
An arctic air mass is bringing extreme cold to a wide swath over much of Canada tonight and into the new year, with the deep freeze that's expected to continue the next two days having an impact on New Year's Eve planning.Outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations have been cancelled in Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and other cities as temperatures plunge to the –20s. Across Canada, people are being advised to bundle up if they plan to spend time outdoors.Lower B.C. Mainland temperatures are moderate and Atlantic Canada has seasonal temperatures, but much of the rest of Canada is gripped by bitter cold.The coldest spot on Sunday is Rabbit Kettle, N.W.T, with a low of –48.9 C, according to Environment Canada.Ottawa is expecting –20 on Sunday, and –26 overnight into the first day of 2018, so some outdoor celebrations are being scaled back.Public skating on Parliament Hill, the tipi illumination and the winter lightscape shows, including the "Christmas Lights Across Canada" display, are proceeding. Fireworks planned for New Year's Eve on the Hill at midnight will also go ahead as planned.Most of Ontario is under a cold weather alert.Toronto will see a high of –15 C, making it feel like the –20s with the wind chill on Sunday afternoon, and a low of –22 C, with a wind chill value of –30 on Sunday evening, according to Mark Schuster, meteorologist for Environment Canada..On New Year's Day, the forecast is calling for a high of –9 C with windchill values in the –20s during the day, and a low of – 22 C with a wind chill value of –30 in the evening.Early cold snap for Toronto-Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., have scaled back New Year's Eve celebrations as a result.Ontario's cold snap is expected to last the entire first week of 2018. It's also coming earlier in the year than usual, as frigid temperatures often don't arrive until later in January.In Montreal, the same arctic air mass will result in highs of –18 and –21 over the next two days, with temperatures dipping to –27 overnight.Quebec City will experience similar cold, with –18 in the day Sunday and Monday and a low of –31 Monday night.But that's no reason to cut back on the festivities, so New Year's Eve celebrations to go ahead as usual.The bitter cold isn't putting a chill on Winnipeg's New Year's Eve celebrations, despite temperatures of –29 Sunday morning and the temperature with the wind chill projected at –45 Sunday evening.The celebrations will go on at The Forks with a dance party at the festival rink and DJs performing outdoors. There will be a pyrotechnic show at 8 p.m. for families with little ones who need to go to bed earlier before the fireworks go off at midnight.There will also be sleigh rides, a painting show on a snow canvas and crafts for the kids.Winnipeg is a winter city, where they embrace the cold — through many protective layers, said Chelsea Thomson, manager of marketing and communications with The Forks North Portage Partnership."Winnipeg is very cold in the wintertime and it's something that we are very used to. I think that if we cancelled our plans then we would probably have to cancel winter just in general," she said.For a brief time on Sunday, the northern town pf Churchill was the warmest place in Manitoba, with a daytime high of –23.3 C.In southern Manitoba, cities like Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg stayed in the deep, deep freeze with temperatures hovering between –32 C and –29 C.Meteorologist Alysa Pederson said a ridge of high pressure is sitting over Saskatchewan and pushing cold arctic air into Manitoba, while north of that weather system, temperatures are warmer.Wind chill in Saskatchewan-Much of Saskatchewan is under an extreme cold warning heading into 2018.According to Environment Canada, extreme wind chills are expected to remain for prolonged periods of time, especially in the southern half of the province.Temperatures in the minus thirties are combining with strong winds to give temperatures of –40 C to –45 C into the evening and throughout the night.The extreme cold warning means frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin and residents are at a greater risk of hypothermia.Conditions are expected to be less extreme by Tuesday.The province of Alberta was placed under an extreme cold warning Saturday as an arctic air mass blankets much of Canada.Edmonton, Calgary scale back outdoor events-In Calgary, Environment Canada forecasts temperatures to dip to –31 C overnight, which would feel like –44 with the wind chill.The bitter cold has forced the cancellation of the city's outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations planned for Olympic Plaza.The ball will still drop at midnight and it will be broadcast on television.Respite from the cold is in sight as chinook winds are expected to blow in to Calgary on Monday, bringing the temperature to a balmy –4 C. It's expected to reach 9 C by Friday.Edmonton has cancelled its outdoor activities on New Year's Eve due to the extremely cold weather.The forecast for Sunday morning is –40 with the wind chill, according to Environment Canada. At 9 p.m., it's expected to be –36 with the windchill.The city made the decision late Saturday evening to cancel the main stage performances, hayrides, ice carving, bonfires and bannock-making, joining several other major Canadian cities that pulled the plug on outdoor celebrations due to the cold.Fireworks will still happen at the legislature at 9 p.m., but anyone watching them outside is urged to dress for "extreme temperatures," the city said in a media release.B.C.'s Lower Mainland is relatively warm, with a high of 4 C expected Sunday and Monday, but further north, in Prince George, it will be –19 C.Parts of Atlantic Canada also have a reprieve from the frigid air, with Nova Scotia expecting temperatures of –9 to –13.But there was a snow squall watch for Cape Breton and wind chill made it feel like -20 in Sydney, N.S. The New Year's Eve concert on the waterfront in Sydney has been cancelled due to frigid temperatures.In P.E.I. and New Brunswick, temperatures were in the –15 to -18 C range. Charlottetown's New Year's celebrations have been moved indoors.St. John's is expecting a bit of light snow and a high of –2 C on Sunday and –5 C for during New Year's Eve festivities.
2018 starts with record cold in parts of the Midwest-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-January 1, 2018
DES MOINES, Iowa — Bone-chilling cold gripped the middle of the U.S. as 2018 began Monday, breaking a low temperature record, icing some New Year's celebrations and leading to at least two deaths attributed to exposure to the elements.The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories covering a vast area from South Texas all the way to Canada and from Montana and Wyoming in the west through New England to the northern tip of Maine.Dangerously low temperatures enveloped eight Midwest states including parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska along with nearly all of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.The weather service said a temperature of 15 below zero (-26 Celsius) was recorded in Omaha before midnight Sunday, breaking a record low dating back to 1884, and the temperature was still dropping early New Year's Day. That reading did not include the wind chill effect — which could hit negative 40 degrees (-40 Celsius), according to forecasters.Omaha officials cited the forecast last week in postponing the 18th annual New Year's Eve Fireworks Spectacular that draws around 30,000 people.It was even colder in Des Moines early Monday at 20 below zero (-29 Celsius) and wind chill dipping to 31 below zero (-35 Celsius). Des Moines city officials had closed a downtown outdoor ice skating plaza and said it won't reopen until the city emerges from sub-zero temperatures.The wind chill dipped to 36 below zero (-38 Celsius) in Duluth, Minnesota, a city known for its bitter cold winters. Steam rose up from Lake Superior as a ship moved through the harbour where ice was forming from the bitter cold.Bitterly cold temperatures also are spreading across the Deep South, a region more accustomed to brief bursts of arctic air than night after night below zero. Frozen pipes and dead car batteries were concerns from Louisiana to Georgia as overnight temperatures in the teens were predicted across the region by Monday night.An Indianapolis woman was in critical condition after she became confused in the snow and ice and turned her vehicle the wrong direction, driving 150 feet on a retention pond before her vehicle fell through the ice, according to WISH TV. She managed to make an emergency call but the phone went dead when the ice cracked.The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office said two bodies found on Sunday showed signs of hypothermia. They included a man in his 50s found on the ground in an alley and a 34-year-old man. Autopsies are being performed on both men.Milwaukee's annual Polar Bear Plunge at Bradford Beach on Lake Michigan Monday could be more dangerous than usual, a city official told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The wind chill was expected to be about 9 below zero (-13 Celsius) by the time of the event at noon."You're going to get hypothermic," said Milwaukee Fire Battalion Chief Erich Roden. "Everybody wants to do the polar plunge once in their life; it's a bucket list item. Unfortunately, it's something that can cause a lot of harm."The Associated Press.
Trump says U.S. has gotten 'nothing' from Pakistan aid-[Reuters]-By David Shepardson-YAHOONEWS-January 1, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States has "foolishly" handed Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years while getting nothing in return and pledged to put a stop to it. "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump wrote on Twitter. "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools."It was not immediately clear what prompted Trump’s criticism of Pakistan but he has long complained that Islamabad is not doing enough to tackle Islamist militants.The New York Times reported on Dec. 29 that the Trump administration was "strongly considering" whether to withhold $255 million in aid to Pakistan.It said U.S. officials had sought but been denied access to a member of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network captured in Pakistan who potentially could provide information about at least one American hostage.The Trump administration said in August that it was delaying sending the $255 million in aid to Pakistan. Last month, Trump said in a speech the U.S. government makes "massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help."Pakistan counters that it has launched military operations to push out militants from its soil and that 17,000 Pakistanis have died fighting militants or in bombings and other attacks since 2001.The top U.S. general in Afghanistan, John Nicholson, said in November that he had not seen a change in Pakistan’s behavior toward militants, despite the Trump administration’s tougher line against Islamabad.(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
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