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)
Russia stance on Assad suggests divergence with Iran- By Jack Stubbs and Polina Devitt-NOV 3,15-YAHOONEWS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia does not see keeping Bashar al-Assad in power as a matter of principle, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Tuesday in comments that suggested a divergence of opinion with Iran, the Syrian president's other main international backer.Fuelling speculation of Russian-Iranian differences over Assad, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps suggested on Monday that Tehran may be more committed to him than Moscow was.However, one senior regional official cautioned against reading too much into the public statements on Assad, saying there is no difference between Russia and Iran over him. They agree on his staying in office, and that it is up to the Syrian people to elect their president, the official said.Russia and Iran agreed on his staying in office, and that it was up to the Syrian people to elect their president.While Russia and Iran have been Assad's foremost foreign supporters during Syria's four-year-old war, the United States, its Gulf allies and Turkey have insisted the president must step down as part of any eventual peace deal.Talks in Vienna on Friday among the main foreign players involved in diplomatic efforts on Syria failed to reach agreement on Assad.Asked by a reporter on Tuesday if saving Assad was a matter of principle for Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "Absolutely not, we never said that.""We are not saying that Assad should leave or stay," RIA news agency quoted her as saying.But another regime change in the Middle East could be a catastrophe that "could simply turn the whole region into a large black hole", she added.Zakharova said Russia had not changed its policy on Assad and that his fate should be decided by the Syrian people.But her remarks appeared to suggest a difference of approach compared with Iran, which has sent forces to fight alongside Assad's military and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it backs, has also sent fighters.The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, acknowledged that Russia "may not care if Assad stays in power as we do". The Tasnim news agency quoted him on Monday as saying: "We don't know any better person to replace him."Nevertheless, the senior regional official, who is familiar with diplomatic contacts on Syria, poured cold water on any suggestion of a split. "Forget it. There is no Russian-Iranian difference over the matter of Assad،" the official told Reuters.NATIONAL DIALOGUE-Syria's deputy foreign minister rejected the idea of a transitional period sought by Western states that want Assad removed from power."We are talking about a national dialogue in Syria and an expanded government and a constitutional process. We are not at all talking about what is called a transitional period," Faisal Mekdad said during a visit to Iran.He said Assad had been elected president by a large majority and the Syrian people had confirmed there was no alternative to him as leader.Assad's Syrian and foreign opponents, however, dismissed last year's election as a sham.Russia intervened militarily at the end of September to support Assad by launching bombing raids on rebel groups trying to overthrow him.Russian and U.S. air forces held a joint training exercise in Syria on Tuesday aimed at preventing dangerous encounters between their aircraft, Russia's defense ministry said. Syria's skies are becoming increasingly crowded as Russia and a U.S.-led coalition carry out separate air campaigns.A U.S. military official said a U.S. fighter jet and a Russian fighter aircraft had conducted a communications test over south central Syria to validate safety protocols. The two aircraft came within 5 miles (8 km) of one another in a test that lasted about 3 minutes, the official said.The United States has sharply criticized Russia's air strikes and has ruled out any military coordination with Moscow. But the U.S. and Russian militaries did agree last month to the protocols, including how to communicate with each other during a close encounter in the air.In a sign of the sensitivities, the Pentagon said calling Tuesday's procedure a military "exercise" was incorrect, adding that had been only a "test".DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS-Moscow meanwhile has shown increasing flexibility in diplomatic efforts to resolve a conflict that has killed 250,000 and displaced millions.Syrian government officials and members of the country's splintered opposition could meet in Moscow next week, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying.He did not say which opposition members might attend, but the invitation appeared to suggest a change in tone from Moscow, which has until now dismissed such groups.In Washington, the U.S. State Department said t was premature for Moscow to invite Syrian opposition to talks in Russia.One Russian analyst said Moscow's goal was not to support Assad, but to save the Syrian state and defeat terrorist groups. "It is the beginning of a political process," said Irina Zvyagelskaya, a Middle East analyst at the Russian Academy of Sciences.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss attempts to start a dialogue between Damascus and the opposition, Moscow's foreign ministry said.At the talks in Vienna, where Russia was the leading player, Moscow said it wanted opposition groups to participate in future discussions on the Syria crisis and exchanged a list of 38 names with Saudi Arabia.The list included mostly former and current members of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNC), Syria's Western-backed political opposition bloc, Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday.On the battlefield, a newly-formed U.S.- backed Syrian rebel alliance advanced against Islamic State in the northeast province of Hasaka on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.In the west, Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes in Hama province while unidentified jets bombarded the outskirts of the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa in the north.Syrian government forces and allied militia clashed in fierce battles with Islamic State fighters southeast of Aleppo city, the Observatory said.(Additional reporting by Tom Perry, Laila Bassam and Sylvia Westall; Writing by Giles Elgood; editing by David Stamp)
Pope still faces stiff resistance to reform Vatican, new books say-Reuters By Philip Pullella-NOV 3,15-YAHOONEWS
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Two new books by Italian journalists depict a Vatican plagued by mismanage ment, greed, cronyism and corruption and where Pope Francis still faces stiff resistance from the old guard to his reform agenda.The books, "Merchants in the Temple," by Gianluigi Nuzzi and "Avarice," by Emiliano Fittipaldi, which are being released in Italy on Wednesday, have already been condemned by the Vatican.On Monday, the Vatican said the books "generate confusing, partial, and tendentious interpretations" in a statement that announced the arrest of two members of a commission the pope had set up to study financial reforms.The two, including a high-ranking cleric of the Holy See, were arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents to the authors.One highlight of Nuzzi's book, which was made available to Reuters before publication, is the transcript of a recording of the pope at a meeting in July 2013 - four months after his election - in which he complains to top Vatican officials about its murky finances."We have to better clarify the finances of the Holy See and make them more transparent," he is quoted as saying in the recording, which the author says was made secretly by someone in the room."C-l-a-r-i-t-y. That is what's done in the most humble companies and we have to do it, too," he says, adding that "It is no exaggeration to say most of our costs are out of control".Nuzzi rose to fame in 2012 with the book "His Holiness," which was in large part based on leaked documents from Paolo Gabriele, the butler of former Pope Benedict who stole documents from the pope's desk.That scandal, which led to the butler's arrest and imprisonment, became known as "Vatileaks" and the uproar it caused is believed to have led at least in part to Benedict's decision to resign the following year.BETRAYAL OF TRUST-Nuzzi's latest book is based in part on documents said to have been leaked by the arrested commission members, whose behavior the Vatican called a "serious betrayal of the trust bestowed by the pope".He writes of irregularities in the funding of causes to declare saints in the Roman Catholic Church, the purported diverting of funds intended for the poor to plug administrative deficits and the lavish lifestyle of some cardinals.Nuzzi writes that the management of Peter's Pence, a collection taken up yearly around the world for charities and sent to Rome, "is an enigma cloaked in the most impenetrable secrecy".Maintenance and restoration contracts were handed out at inflated prices, Vatican real estate is worth seven times what it is listed on the account books and the city- state's pension fund is fast approaching collapse, he writes.He says Francis, who was given a mandate by the cardinals who elected him in 2013 to clean up Vatican finances, still encounters "entrenched and tenacious resistance" to his agenda.In the other book, "Avarice," which is also based on leaked documents, Fittipaldi writes that some funds from a foundation that runs a Vatican-owned children's hospital in Rome were diverted to pay for the renovation of an apartment belonging to a senior cardinal.Fittipaldi, a journalist for the newsweekly L'Espresso, says the foundation paid 24,000 euros for a helicopter flight to take the same cardinal to southern Italy for a charity event, according to excerpts in Rome's La Repubblica newspaper. The Vatican's statement on Monday accused the authors of the books of trying to reap advantages from receiving stolen documents, saying this was "a gravely illegal act".Both have rejected the accusations, saying they are just doing their jobs.(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Grant McCool)
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
Taiwan, China leaders to hold historic meeting in Singapore on Saturday-By J.R. Wu and Ben Blanchard | Reuters – nov 3,15-yahoonews
TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore on Saturday in the first such meeting of leaders from the two rivals since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949.The historic meeting comes at a sensitive time in Taiwan, with elections for a new president and legislature being held on Jan. 16 amid rising anti-China sentiment, particularly among younger Taiwanese who don't believe Taiwan benefits from closer economic ties with its giant neighbour. Ma's office said in a statement that the purpose of his trip was to "consolidate cross-strait peace and maintain the status quo". Ma would not sign any agreements, nor issue any joint statements with China during the trip, it added.Zhang Zhijun, head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the two leaders will "exchange views on promoting the peaceful development of cross-Taiwan Straits relations", according to a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency."This is a pragmatic arrangement made in accordance with the one-China principle under the situation where the political dispute across the Taiwan Strait has yet to be resolved," Zhang added.China deems the island a breakaway province to be taken back, by force if necessary, particularly if it makes moves toward independence.Ma has made improving economic links with China a key policy since he took office in 2008, and has signed a series of landmark business and tourism deals, though there has been no progress on resolving their political differences.He is set to step down next year due to term limits, with his ruling pro-China Nationalist Party, known as the Kuomintang (KMT), trailing badly in opinion polls behind the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which traditionally favours independence and is loathed by the Chinese Communist Party.KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu supports a continuation of Ma's China policies. The DPP says it believes only Taiwan's people can decide its future. Beijing takes this to mean it wants independence.DPP presidential frontrunner Tsai Ing-wen has said she will "maintain the status quo" but has not elaborated on how she plans to do so.Experts said China could be trying to influence the election, adding Ma was taking a risk in meeting Xi with the poll only 10 weeks away.China could be trying to show that ties will improve if Taiwan continues to be ruled by the KMT, said Aaron Friedberg, professor at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University."It's conceivable that they had something like that in mind. They may be rewarding President Ma for policies that he has pursued, that in general have tended to favour closer relations between Taiwan and the mainland," Friedberg said. Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said there had been a shift in public opinion in Taiwan towards more scepticism about the relationship with China." There is less public support for forging economic cooperation agreements with the mainland, than there was when Ma Ying-jeou came to power," Glaser said."It's hard to see how this (meeting) is really going to help his party remain in power."-PROTESTS EXPECTED-Protesters are expected to gather outside Taiwan's parliament on Wednesday, where the cabinet would meet with leaders of parliament and the island's political parties to discuss the trip.Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the island's top China policymaking body, will hold a press conference on Wednesday, while Ma will hold a news briefing on Thursday, the presidential office said.White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters it was too early to call the meeting a turning point."We would certainly welcome steps that are taken on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to try to reduce tensions and improve cross-strait relations," Earnest said. "But, you know, we'll have to see what actually comes out of the meeting."Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to Taiwan following their defeat by Mao Zedong's Communists at the end of the Chinese civil war. Since then Taiwan has been self-ruled. Previous Chinese attempts to influence Taiwan's elections have backfired.In 1996, then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin ordered live fire missile tests and war games in the seas around Taiwan to try and intimidate voters not to back Lee Teng-hui, who China believed was moving the island closer to formal independence. The crisis brought the two sides to the verge of conflict and prompted the United States to sail a carrier task force through the Taiwan Strait in a warning to Beijing.Lee won the election by a landslide.In March this year, Ma flew to Singapore to pay his respects after the death of the city-state's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, a diplomatically sensitive visit given China's stance that Taiwan is a renegade province.China, which maintains a good relationship with Singapore, holds that there is only "One China" and Taiwan is part of it.However, Singapore also maintains a close, informal relationship with Taiwan and the two signed a free trade pact in 2013.In 1993, Singapore was the location of the first direct talks between China and Taiwan since 1949.(Additional reporting by Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Dean Yates)
Join ballistic missile defence, involve NATO in Arctic, experts tell Trudeau-By Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – nov 3,15-yahoonews
OTTAWA - A panel of leading defence and security experts say Canada's new government should take the politically sensitive step of joining the U.S. ballistic missile defence program and talk with NATO about how to improve military deterrence in the Arctic.The Centre for International Policy Studies released a report Tuesday that could provide the Justin Trudeau's Liberals with a road map to implement some of the party's ambitious military and diplomatic proposals.The study group includes the country's former overseas operations commander, a former NATO ambassador who served as cabinet secretary for intelligence, a former diplomat who has experience as a treasury board official and two notable defence analysts.Paul Martin's Liberal government opted in 2005 not to join missile defence — a decision the Harper government was reconsidering before it was defeated in the Oct. 19 election.Bob McRae, who represented Canada at NATO until 2011, says no government has wanted to touch the subject for years, but noted the world has changed and that it's important for a Canadian to be in the room in a crisis when decisions are made that affect the security of the country.When it comes to overall defence policy, the report makes a series of recommendations. Among them: mending a frayed relationship with the United Nations; participating in more peacekeeping operations and putting forward a "credible" position on climate change, which the authors argue is a security issue."Splendid isolation is not option for Canada," McRae told a discussion group at the University of Ottawa on Tuesday.James Mitchell, who started his career as a diplomat and spent time as an assistant cabinet secretary, said "Canada can and should be doing more in the world."Retired lieutenant-general Stuart Beare, who commanded Canadian troops overseas, said it's important the new government to do its homework in terms of delivering a comprehensive security and defence policy and it needs to answer fundamental questions about complex, emerging issues: "Why do we care? What are the Canadian interests at play?"A newly assertive Russia means Canada should push NATO to develop contingency plans for military action involving allies who border the Arctic Ocean.But the most contentious among the recommendations would be joining ballistic missile defence — known as BMD. A decade ago, there was fierce opposition to the proposal, which the NDP described as an attempt to weaponize space.McRae said Canada is virtually alone among its allies in not participating.At the moment, when U.S. commanders talk about ballistic missile defence at NORAD, Canadians are required to excuse themselves — an uncomfor table point two former Liberal defence ministers made in testifying before the Senate last year.The report places a lot of emphasis on a return to dealing with multilateral institutions, such as the UN, where the new government should "take immediate steps to restore Canada's standing."Elinor Sloan, a defence analyst at Carleton University, says re-engaging with other nations, including those Canada might not agree with, is key, particularly in the war against the Islamic State.The outgoing Conservative government routinely thumbed its nose at the UN and diplomats — speaking to The Canadian Press on background because they were not authorized to talk publicly — said the country was often shut out of meetings and sometimes considered a disruptive presence, especially on climate change.The report's authors say they want to look forward."Where did Canada lose it's way at the UN? I don't think it's useful to go back over past stories," said McCrae. "Let me phrase it in this way: It's extremely important for any prime minister of Canada to attend the UN General Assembly to be seen, to be heard and to be voicing Canada's interests and its priorities. That goes without saying."The Liberals have already signalled they're willing to mend fences internationally and contribute more to peacekeeping.Separately, the new government needs to do a better job of surveillance in the Arctic — something that might be addressed with the Liberal promise of buying high-endurance drones.Defence academic Stefanie Von Hlatky, of Queens University, also said the government needs to also remind itself about some brutal lessons learned by both Canada and NATO during more than a decade of fighting in Afghanistan.
Opposition questions travel expenses to promote SaskPower's carbon capture project-CBC – nov 3,15-yahoonews
Saskatchewan's Opposition leader is questioning the nearly half-a-million dollars spent on travel by the head of SaskPower's carbon capture project.Cam Broten said until the project is actually working properly, Mike Monea should stop travelling the world promoting it."What is he selling? There's no clear answer from government on that," Broten said to reporters after question period on Tuesday."What is he telling people? Is it the lines that we heard from Mr. Wall last week about things running optimally? Is it like the news releases that say it's exceeding expectations?"According to public disclosure documents, Monea's travel expenses from 2009 through 2014 total $476,143.The government confirmed that today. Monea is in Saudi Arabia promoting SaskPower's carbon capture experience.The president of SaskPower, Mike Marsh, said the government-owned utility needs to position itself in case there is demand for its expertise."It may appear right now that it's very early in the game, but unless you get out there and establish your position in that community, the opportunities won't present themselves," Marsh said.Broten wonders what those opportunities are, given recent revelations about the efficiency of Boundary Dam's carbon capture plant, as well as the fact SaskPower does not own the carbon capture technology itself."Some day there will be somebody who comes knocking on the door," Marsh said.He said SaskPower may be able to sell its experience adding a carbon capture plant to an existing power station, something that has never been done before.
Public security minister says some Quebec schools closed after emailed threat-By Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – nov 3,15-yahoonews
MONTREAL - Quebec's acting public security minister says an emailed threat to schools in many parts of the province led to closures, bomb sweeps and a beefed up police presence on Tuesday.Pierre Moreau said Tuesday some 61 institutions were affected by the threat.Moreau said the threat in question was a single email that was sent to some primary and secondary schools as well as some junior colleges in various cities across the province. He said it threatened that bombs could be planted over several days up until Friday and that thus police will keep a close watch.Quebec Provincial Police said they hadn't turned up any explosive devices as of Tuesday afternoon and that 53 schools were given the all-clear.The missive was authored by a so-called coalition Moreau identified as "Red Sceptre" — a group unknown to authorities.Police intelligence caught wind of the threat early Tuesday, with the email being sent to institutions and school boards directly. Moreau said it complained of the quality of education and the attitude of teachers and their union.Moreau said an email with the same content was sent to each institution, suggesting bombs being set at specific times and implying the complicity of those working in some of the institutions.He added that there were threats in Ontario also.North Bay police said there was a threat to Canadore College on Tuesday morning. Sgt. Jim Kilroy said police searched the campus with "negative results."Ontario's education ministry said the Toronto District School Board also received a bomb threat, but it was not made to any specific school and no schools were locked down or evacuated.Moreau said the Quebec threats are under investigation by provincial police.Moreau said the email was not related to the labour negotiations between the province's teachers and the government over a new collective agreement, although the document refers to ongoing pressure tactics by teachers.A spate of schools and institutions, both French and English, from various parts of the province were closed after the threat, with some electing to shut for the day.Schools were searched in Western Quebec, in the Abitibi region, and in Sherbrooke as well as certain establishments in Montreal and Quebec City. Evacuation orders also affected junior colleges in several cities, including Trois-Rivières and Drummondville.Moreau mused the actions could be considered a terrorist attack, given the impact on a large portion of the population.Premier Philippe Couillard told reporters at the provincial legislature his immediate thoughts went to many worried parents across the province."It's a disgusting act, a cowardly act," Couillard said. "I know that the police inquiry will follow its course and if the inquiry identifies the responsible people, they will be prosecuted to the most severe extent that they can."Follow @sidhartha_b on Twitter.
Russia stance on Assad suggests divergence with Iran- By Jack Stubbs and Polina Devitt-NOV 3,15-YAHOONEWS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia does not see keeping Bashar al-Assad in power as a matter of principle, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Tuesday in comments that suggested a divergence of opinion with Iran, the Syrian president's other main international backer.Fuelling speculation of Russian-Iranian differences over Assad, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps suggested on Monday that Tehran may be more committed to him than Moscow was.However, one senior regional official cautioned against reading too much into the public statements on Assad, saying there is no difference between Russia and Iran over him. They agree on his staying in office, and that it is up to the Syrian people to elect their president, the official said.Russia and Iran agreed on his staying in office, and that it was up to the Syrian people to elect their president.While Russia and Iran have been Assad's foremost foreign supporters during Syria's four-year-old war, the United States, its Gulf allies and Turkey have insisted the president must step down as part of any eventual peace deal.Talks in Vienna on Friday among the main foreign players involved in diplomatic efforts on Syria failed to reach agreement on Assad.Asked by a reporter on Tuesday if saving Assad was a matter of principle for Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "Absolutely not, we never said that.""We are not saying that Assad should leave or stay," RIA news agency quoted her as saying.But another regime change in the Middle East could be a catastrophe that "could simply turn the whole region into a large black hole", she added.Zakharova said Russia had not changed its policy on Assad and that his fate should be decided by the Syrian people.But her remarks appeared to suggest a difference of approach compared with Iran, which has sent forces to fight alongside Assad's military and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it backs, has also sent fighters.The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, acknowledged that Russia "may not care if Assad stays in power as we do". The Tasnim news agency quoted him on Monday as saying: "We don't know any better person to replace him."Nevertheless, the senior regional official, who is familiar with diplomatic contacts on Syria, poured cold water on any suggestion of a split. "Forget it. There is no Russian-Iranian difference over the matter of Assad،" the official told Reuters.NATIONAL DIALOGUE-Syria's deputy foreign minister rejected the idea of a transitional period sought by Western states that want Assad removed from power."We are talking about a national dialogue in Syria and an expanded government and a constitutional process. We are not at all talking about what is called a transitional period," Faisal Mekdad said during a visit to Iran.He said Assad had been elected president by a large majority and the Syrian people had confirmed there was no alternative to him as leader.Assad's Syrian and foreign opponents, however, dismissed last year's election as a sham.Russia intervened militarily at the end of September to support Assad by launching bombing raids on rebel groups trying to overthrow him.Russian and U.S. air forces held a joint training exercise in Syria on Tuesday aimed at preventing dangerous encounters between their aircraft, Russia's defense ministry said. Syria's skies are becoming increasingly crowded as Russia and a U.S.-led coalition carry out separate air campaigns.A U.S. military official said a U.S. fighter jet and a Russian fighter aircraft had conducted a communications test over south central Syria to validate safety protocols. The two aircraft came within 5 miles (8 km) of one another in a test that lasted about 3 minutes, the official said.The United States has sharply criticized Russia's air strikes and has ruled out any military coordination with Moscow. But the U.S. and Russian militaries did agree last month to the protocols, including how to communicate with each other during a close encounter in the air.In a sign of the sensitivities, the Pentagon said calling Tuesday's procedure a military "exercise" was incorrect, adding that had been only a "test".DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS-Moscow meanwhile has shown increasing flexibility in diplomatic efforts to resolve a conflict that has killed 250,000 and displaced millions.Syrian government officials and members of the country's splintered opposition could meet in Moscow next week, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying.He did not say which opposition members might attend, but the invitation appeared to suggest a change in tone from Moscow, which has until now dismissed such groups.In Washington, the U.S. State Department said t was premature for Moscow to invite Syrian opposition to talks in Russia.One Russian analyst said Moscow's goal was not to support Assad, but to save the Syrian state and defeat terrorist groups. "It is the beginning of a political process," said Irina Zvyagelskaya, a Middle East analyst at the Russian Academy of Sciences.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss attempts to start a dialogue between Damascus and the opposition, Moscow's foreign ministry said.At the talks in Vienna, where Russia was the leading player, Moscow said it wanted opposition groups to participate in future discussions on the Syria crisis and exchanged a list of 38 names with Saudi Arabia.The list included mostly former and current members of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNC), Syria's Western-backed political opposition bloc, Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday.On the battlefield, a newly-formed U.S.- backed Syrian rebel alliance advanced against Islamic State in the northeast province of Hasaka on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.In the west, Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes in Hama province while unidentified jets bombarded the outskirts of the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa in the north.Syrian government forces and allied militia clashed in fierce battles with Islamic State fighters southeast of Aleppo city, the Observatory said.(Additional reporting by Tom Perry, Laila Bassam and Sylvia Westall; Writing by Giles Elgood; editing by David Stamp)
Pope still faces stiff resistance to reform Vatican, new books say-Reuters By Philip Pullella-NOV 3,15-YAHOONEWS
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Two new books by Italian journalists depict a Vatican plagued by mismanage ment, greed, cronyism and corruption and where Pope Francis still faces stiff resistance from the old guard to his reform agenda.The books, "Merchants in the Temple," by Gianluigi Nuzzi and "Avarice," by Emiliano Fittipaldi, which are being released in Italy on Wednesday, have already been condemned by the Vatican.On Monday, the Vatican said the books "generate confusing, partial, and tendentious interpretations" in a statement that announced the arrest of two members of a commission the pope had set up to study financial reforms.The two, including a high-ranking cleric of the Holy See, were arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents to the authors.One highlight of Nuzzi's book, which was made available to Reuters before publication, is the transcript of a recording of the pope at a meeting in July 2013 - four months after his election - in which he complains to top Vatican officials about its murky finances."We have to better clarify the finances of the Holy See and make them more transparent," he is quoted as saying in the recording, which the author says was made secretly by someone in the room."C-l-a-r-i-t-y. That is what's done in the most humble companies and we have to do it, too," he says, adding that "It is no exaggeration to say most of our costs are out of control".Nuzzi rose to fame in 2012 with the book "His Holiness," which was in large part based on leaked documents from Paolo Gabriele, the butler of former Pope Benedict who stole documents from the pope's desk.That scandal, which led to the butler's arrest and imprisonment, became known as "Vatileaks" and the uproar it caused is believed to have led at least in part to Benedict's decision to resign the following year.BETRAYAL OF TRUST-Nuzzi's latest book is based in part on documents said to have been leaked by the arrested commission members, whose behavior the Vatican called a "serious betrayal of the trust bestowed by the pope".He writes of irregularities in the funding of causes to declare saints in the Roman Catholic Church, the purported diverting of funds intended for the poor to plug administrative deficits and the lavish lifestyle of some cardinals.Nuzzi writes that the management of Peter's Pence, a collection taken up yearly around the world for charities and sent to Rome, "is an enigma cloaked in the most impenetrable secrecy".Maintenance and restoration contracts were handed out at inflated prices, Vatican real estate is worth seven times what it is listed on the account books and the city- state's pension fund is fast approaching collapse, he writes.He says Francis, who was given a mandate by the cardinals who elected him in 2013 to clean up Vatican finances, still encounters "entrenched and tenacious resistance" to his agenda.In the other book, "Avarice," which is also based on leaked documents, Fittipaldi writes that some funds from a foundation that runs a Vatican-owned children's hospital in Rome were diverted to pay for the renovation of an apartment belonging to a senior cardinal.Fittipaldi, a journalist for the newsweekly L'Espresso, says the foundation paid 24,000 euros for a helicopter flight to take the same cardinal to southern Italy for a charity event, according to excerpts in Rome's La Repubblica newspaper. The Vatican's statement on Monday accused the authors of the books of trying to reap advantages from receiving stolen documents, saying this was "a gravely illegal act".Both have rejected the accusations, saying they are just doing their jobs.(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Grant McCool)
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
Taiwan, China leaders to hold historic meeting in Singapore on Saturday-By J.R. Wu and Ben Blanchard | Reuters – nov 3,15-yahoonews
TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore on Saturday in the first such meeting of leaders from the two rivals since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949.The historic meeting comes at a sensitive time in Taiwan, with elections for a new president and legislature being held on Jan. 16 amid rising anti-China sentiment, particularly among younger Taiwanese who don't believe Taiwan benefits from closer economic ties with its giant neighbour. Ma's office said in a statement that the purpose of his trip was to "consolidate cross-strait peace and maintain the status quo". Ma would not sign any agreements, nor issue any joint statements with China during the trip, it added.Zhang Zhijun, head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the two leaders will "exchange views on promoting the peaceful development of cross-Taiwan Straits relations", according to a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency."This is a pragmatic arrangement made in accordance with the one-China principle under the situation where the political dispute across the Taiwan Strait has yet to be resolved," Zhang added.China deems the island a breakaway province to be taken back, by force if necessary, particularly if it makes moves toward independence.Ma has made improving economic links with China a key policy since he took office in 2008, and has signed a series of landmark business and tourism deals, though there has been no progress on resolving their political differences.He is set to step down next year due to term limits, with his ruling pro-China Nationalist Party, known as the Kuomintang (KMT), trailing badly in opinion polls behind the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which traditionally favours independence and is loathed by the Chinese Communist Party.KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu supports a continuation of Ma's China policies. The DPP says it believes only Taiwan's people can decide its future. Beijing takes this to mean it wants independence.DPP presidential frontrunner Tsai Ing-wen has said she will "maintain the status quo" but has not elaborated on how she plans to do so.Experts said China could be trying to influence the election, adding Ma was taking a risk in meeting Xi with the poll only 10 weeks away.China could be trying to show that ties will improve if Taiwan continues to be ruled by the KMT, said Aaron Friedberg, professor at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University."It's conceivable that they had something like that in mind. They may be rewarding President Ma for policies that he has pursued, that in general have tended to favour closer relations between Taiwan and the mainland," Friedberg said. Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said there had been a shift in public opinion in Taiwan towards more scepticism about the relationship with China." There is less public support for forging economic cooperation agreements with the mainland, than there was when Ma Ying-jeou came to power," Glaser said."It's hard to see how this (meeting) is really going to help his party remain in power."-PROTESTS EXPECTED-Protesters are expected to gather outside Taiwan's parliament on Wednesday, where the cabinet would meet with leaders of parliament and the island's political parties to discuss the trip.Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the island's top China policymaking body, will hold a press conference on Wednesday, while Ma will hold a news briefing on Thursday, the presidential office said.White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters it was too early to call the meeting a turning point."We would certainly welcome steps that are taken on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to try to reduce tensions and improve cross-strait relations," Earnest said. "But, you know, we'll have to see what actually comes out of the meeting."Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to Taiwan following their defeat by Mao Zedong's Communists at the end of the Chinese civil war. Since then Taiwan has been self-ruled. Previous Chinese attempts to influence Taiwan's elections have backfired.In 1996, then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin ordered live fire missile tests and war games in the seas around Taiwan to try and intimidate voters not to back Lee Teng-hui, who China believed was moving the island closer to formal independence. The crisis brought the two sides to the verge of conflict and prompted the United States to sail a carrier task force through the Taiwan Strait in a warning to Beijing.Lee won the election by a landslide.In March this year, Ma flew to Singapore to pay his respects after the death of the city-state's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, a diplomatically sensitive visit given China's stance that Taiwan is a renegade province.China, which maintains a good relationship with Singapore, holds that there is only "One China" and Taiwan is part of it.However, Singapore also maintains a close, informal relationship with Taiwan and the two signed a free trade pact in 2013.In 1993, Singapore was the location of the first direct talks between China and Taiwan since 1949.(Additional reporting by Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Dean Yates)
Join ballistic missile defence, involve NATO in Arctic, experts tell Trudeau-By Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – nov 3,15-yahoonews
OTTAWA - A panel of leading defence and security experts say Canada's new government should take the politically sensitive step of joining the U.S. ballistic missile defence program and talk with NATO about how to improve military deterrence in the Arctic.The Centre for International Policy Studies released a report Tuesday that could provide the Justin Trudeau's Liberals with a road map to implement some of the party's ambitious military and diplomatic proposals.The study group includes the country's former overseas operations commander, a former NATO ambassador who served as cabinet secretary for intelligence, a former diplomat who has experience as a treasury board official and two notable defence analysts.Paul Martin's Liberal government opted in 2005 not to join missile defence — a decision the Harper government was reconsidering before it was defeated in the Oct. 19 election.Bob McRae, who represented Canada at NATO until 2011, says no government has wanted to touch the subject for years, but noted the world has changed and that it's important for a Canadian to be in the room in a crisis when decisions are made that affect the security of the country.When it comes to overall defence policy, the report makes a series of recommendations. Among them: mending a frayed relationship with the United Nations; participating in more peacekeeping operations and putting forward a "credible" position on climate change, which the authors argue is a security issue."Splendid isolation is not option for Canada," McRae told a discussion group at the University of Ottawa on Tuesday.James Mitchell, who started his career as a diplomat and spent time as an assistant cabinet secretary, said "Canada can and should be doing more in the world."Retired lieutenant-general Stuart Beare, who commanded Canadian troops overseas, said it's important the new government to do its homework in terms of delivering a comprehensive security and defence policy and it needs to answer fundamental questions about complex, emerging issues: "Why do we care? What are the Canadian interests at play?"A newly assertive Russia means Canada should push NATO to develop contingency plans for military action involving allies who border the Arctic Ocean.But the most contentious among the recommendations would be joining ballistic missile defence — known as BMD. A decade ago, there was fierce opposition to the proposal, which the NDP described as an attempt to weaponize space.McRae said Canada is virtually alone among its allies in not participating.At the moment, when U.S. commanders talk about ballistic missile defence at NORAD, Canadians are required to excuse themselves — an uncomfor table point two former Liberal defence ministers made in testifying before the Senate last year.The report places a lot of emphasis on a return to dealing with multilateral institutions, such as the UN, where the new government should "take immediate steps to restore Canada's standing."Elinor Sloan, a defence analyst at Carleton University, says re-engaging with other nations, including those Canada might not agree with, is key, particularly in the war against the Islamic State.The outgoing Conservative government routinely thumbed its nose at the UN and diplomats — speaking to The Canadian Press on background because they were not authorized to talk publicly — said the country was often shut out of meetings and sometimes considered a disruptive presence, especially on climate change.The report's authors say they want to look forward."Where did Canada lose it's way at the UN? I don't think it's useful to go back over past stories," said McCrae. "Let me phrase it in this way: It's extremely important for any prime minister of Canada to attend the UN General Assembly to be seen, to be heard and to be voicing Canada's interests and its priorities. That goes without saying."The Liberals have already signalled they're willing to mend fences internationally and contribute more to peacekeeping.Separately, the new government needs to do a better job of surveillance in the Arctic — something that might be addressed with the Liberal promise of buying high-endurance drones.Defence academic Stefanie Von Hlatky, of Queens University, also said the government needs to also remind itself about some brutal lessons learned by both Canada and NATO during more than a decade of fighting in Afghanistan.
Opposition questions travel expenses to promote SaskPower's carbon capture project-CBC – nov 3,15-yahoonews
Saskatchewan's Opposition leader is questioning the nearly half-a-million dollars spent on travel by the head of SaskPower's carbon capture project.Cam Broten said until the project is actually working properly, Mike Monea should stop travelling the world promoting it."What is he selling? There's no clear answer from government on that," Broten said to reporters after question period on Tuesday."What is he telling people? Is it the lines that we heard from Mr. Wall last week about things running optimally? Is it like the news releases that say it's exceeding expectations?"According to public disclosure documents, Monea's travel expenses from 2009 through 2014 total $476,143.The government confirmed that today. Monea is in Saudi Arabia promoting SaskPower's carbon capture experience.The president of SaskPower, Mike Marsh, said the government-owned utility needs to position itself in case there is demand for its expertise."It may appear right now that it's very early in the game, but unless you get out there and establish your position in that community, the opportunities won't present themselves," Marsh said.Broten wonders what those opportunities are, given recent revelations about the efficiency of Boundary Dam's carbon capture plant, as well as the fact SaskPower does not own the carbon capture technology itself."Some day there will be somebody who comes knocking on the door," Marsh said.He said SaskPower may be able to sell its experience adding a carbon capture plant to an existing power station, something that has never been done before.
Public security minister says some Quebec schools closed after emailed threat-By Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – nov 3,15-yahoonews
MONTREAL - Quebec's acting public security minister says an emailed threat to schools in many parts of the province led to closures, bomb sweeps and a beefed up police presence on Tuesday.Pierre Moreau said Tuesday some 61 institutions were affected by the threat.Moreau said the threat in question was a single email that was sent to some primary and secondary schools as well as some junior colleges in various cities across the province. He said it threatened that bombs could be planted over several days up until Friday and that thus police will keep a close watch.Quebec Provincial Police said they hadn't turned up any explosive devices as of Tuesday afternoon and that 53 schools were given the all-clear.The missive was authored by a so-called coalition Moreau identified as "Red Sceptre" — a group unknown to authorities.Police intelligence caught wind of the threat early Tuesday, with the email being sent to institutions and school boards directly. Moreau said it complained of the quality of education and the attitude of teachers and their union.Moreau said an email with the same content was sent to each institution, suggesting bombs being set at specific times and implying the complicity of those working in some of the institutions.He added that there were threats in Ontario also.North Bay police said there was a threat to Canadore College on Tuesday morning. Sgt. Jim Kilroy said police searched the campus with "negative results."Ontario's education ministry said the Toronto District School Board also received a bomb threat, but it was not made to any specific school and no schools were locked down or evacuated.Moreau said the Quebec threats are under investigation by provincial police.Moreau said the email was not related to the labour negotiations between the province's teachers and the government over a new collective agreement, although the document refers to ongoing pressure tactics by teachers.A spate of schools and institutions, both French and English, from various parts of the province were closed after the threat, with some electing to shut for the day.Schools were searched in Western Quebec, in the Abitibi region, and in Sherbrooke as well as certain establishments in Montreal and Quebec City. Evacuation orders also affected junior colleges in several cities, including Trois-Rivières and Drummondville.Moreau mused the actions could be considered a terrorist attack, given the impact on a large portion of the population.Premier Philippe Couillard told reporters at the provincial legislature his immediate thoughts went to many worried parents across the province."It's a disgusting act, a cowardly act," Couillard said. "I know that the police inquiry will follow its course and if the inquiry identifies the responsible people, they will be prosecuted to the most severe extent that they can."Follow @sidhartha_b on Twitter.
