EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD)

I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM.

Saturday, January 02, 2016

VATICAN ACCORD RECOGNIZING DE FACTO PALESTINIAN STATE TAKES EFFECT.

HARD FOUGHT LEGAL BATTLE EXPECTED IN COSBY COURT CASE.

Bill Cosby Arraigned for Alleged Aggravated Indecent Assault-pic-yahoonews-COSBYS MUGSHOT FOR ALLEGED PENETRATION AND DRUGGING OF ANDREA CONSTAND IN 2004.

DECIEVERS WAXING WORSE AND WORSE.

2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers (RAPERS AND SEX SIN DOERS) shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Hard-fought legal battles expected in Cosby case over other accusers and decade-old testimony-[The Canadian Press]-Maryclaire Dale, The Associated Press-December 31, 2015- YAHOONEWS

PHILADELPHIA - Bill Cosby's lawyers went on the attack Thursday after the comedian's arrest, calling the sexual assault charges a flawed, politically motivated case that will not hold up in court.They are expected to try to gut the prosecution's case or get it thrown out altogether by a variety of means, including preventing some of Cosby's numerous other accusers from taking the stand; blocking the use of testimony he gave in a decade-old lawsuit; and making an issue out of the 12 years it took to file charges."I have my doubts they get this to a jury anytime soon," said Los Angeles defence attorney Mark Geragos, noting the thorny legal issues and Cosby's advanced age (78) and infirmities, namely his badly deteriorating eyesight. Geragos, who is not involved in the case, added: "Generally, time is a friend of the defence."A look at some of the likely battle ground issues:___OTHER ACCUSERS-While Cosby is charged with drugging and sexually assaulting just one woman, Andrea Constand, legal experts predict a key pretrial battle over whether some of the dozens of other women who have accused the comedian of violating them can testify, too, to prove he had a "modus operandi.""Prior bad acts" are sometimes allowed as evidence in criminal cases, but judges often take a dim view of such testimony because it can be so damaging. They typically require prosecutors to prove it is directly relevant."We don't want a jury to say, 'If he did it once before, he must have done it now,'" said Philadelphia attorney Jeffrey Lindy, who is unconnected to the Cosby case.Lindy helped defend a Catholic Church official whose child-endangerment conviction for shielding a pedophile priest was overturned by an appeals court in December.The reason: The prosecution put on weeks of testimony about the handling of 21 other priests under suspicion, even though the defendant wasn't charged in connection with any of them. The appeals court called it overkill — in legal terms, more prejudicial than probative.___ PRETRIAL PUBLICITY-Cosby's arrest came after a blizzard of sensational allegations that destroyed his nice-guy image. The effects of the publicity are likely to be an extremely important consideration in picking a jury, said Hank Asbill, a criminal defence lawyer in Washington."People are going to have opinions about him one way or another," Asbill said, "based on his notoriety and his popularity as a celebrity. And people are also going to have opinions about the case."___POLITICS-On Thursday, Cosby lawyer Monique Pressley accused Montgomery County District Attorney-elect Kevin R. Steele of playing politics with Cosby and filing charges against him to make good on a campaign promise.Steele, currently the No. 2 prosecutor in the DA's office, was elected district attorney in November in a hotly contested race in which the Cosby case played a central role. Steele ran ads attacking his opponent, former District Attorney Bruce Castor, for not prosecuting Cosby when Constand first went to police in 2005."What we have is not the effectuation of justice.What we have is the fulfilment of a campaign promise," Pressley said on ABC's "Good Morning America."Steele was travelling and not available for comment.___COSBY'S CIVIL DEPOSITION-Weeks after the decision not to prosecute Cosby in 2005, Constand sued Cosby for sexual battery. He settled a year later, but only after he gave nearly 1,000 pages of deposition testimony. Among other things, Cosby acknowledged that he had repeatedly pursued sex with younger, often-struggling models and actresses and that he obtained quaaludes to give to women he hoped to seduce.Over the summer, a federal judge unsealed excerpts of the deposition at the request of The Associated Press.Cosby's civil lawyers have appealed the unsealing, and his criminal attorneys will no doubt fight to keep them out of the trial, perhaps by arguing that Cosby spoke only after being assured by prosecutors he would not be charged with a crime.But criminal defence lawyer David Rudovsky, who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, said: "What you say at a deposition, or what you say to anybody, can be used unless it's coerced or said without a Miranda warning."___THE 12-YEAR DELAY-Pennsylvania law gives prosecutors 12 years to file felony sexual assault charges. In the Cosby matter, prosecutors made it just under the wire, with Steele saying the unsealed documents and the parade of new accusers over the past decade helped him build a case.But the defence "can still challenge the prosecutor waiting until the 11th hour. There are constitutional rights to a speedy trial," Geragos said.Still, he predicted that will be an uphill battle for Cosby's attorneys.

No plea bargain for 'not guilty' Bill Cosby, lawyer says-Reuters-December 31, 2015 3:33 PM-YAHOONEWS

(Reuters) - Comedian Bill Cosby's lawyer said on Thursday that the entertainer would not consider a plea bargain on charges he sexually assaulted a woman in 2004 after giving her drugs and alcohol.Lawyer Monique Pressley, speaking on NBC's "Today Show," also accused the district attorney's office in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, of playing "political football" with Cosby by making the case a focal point in a recent election.Asked if the defense was open to a plea agreement, Pressley replied: "My client is not guilty, and there will be no consideration on our part of any sort of arrangement."Cosby, 78, was charged on Wednesday in the only criminal case brought against the actor, who has been accused by more than 50 women of sexually abusing them in incidents dating back decades.Pressley said she expected prosecutors would try to establish a pattern of conduct against her client by bringing in allegations from his other accusers, but the defense would fight to keep such evidence out."I believe when you separate what happens in the court of law from what has been allowed to happen in the fictional court of public opinion, you will get an outcome that justice requires," she said on NBC.Cosby, who exemplified the model family man in his long-running hit television series "The Cosby Show," was charged with aggravated indecent assault which carries a maximum penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison.The charge stems from accusations leveled by Andrea Constand, 44, a former basketball team manager at Temple University in Philadelphia, Cosby's alma mater. She settled a civil case against Cosby for an undisclosed sum in 2006.Constand, who now lives in Toronto, has declined to speak to reporters but she tweeted on Thursday, "Let's all stay classy plz! That includes anybody who may be inserting their opinion as to whether anything was fully investigated period."Lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents some of the other women who have accused Cosby or drugging or assaulting them, said on Wednesday that word of the charges "is the best Christmas present they have ever received." Model Beverly Johnson, who has accused the comedian of drugging her in the mid-1980s, said on Twitter: "When it comes down to it, truth is simple. There is nothing that we give to others that does not come back to us in some shape of form."Another of the comedian's accusers, Beth Ferrier, told People magazine on Thursday that the charges against Cosby were "the moment we've all been hoping for.""I'm totally doing back flips. It has been such a totally horrific journey," Ferrier added.Kevin Steele, the newly elected Montgomery County district attorney, had made his intent to prosecute Cosby a campaign issue in November. His office filed the case against before the statute of limitations deadline for criminal prosecution was due to lapse in January."First, before we even have to mount a defense, we'll have to look at the game of political football that this Montgomery County DA's office has played with my client's life," Pressley told ABC's "Good Morning America" show.(Reporting by David Alexander in Washington and Melissa Fares in New York; Writing by Colleen Jenkins and Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)

IRAN WILL CONTINUE HAVING ROCKETS TILL THE US AND ISRAEL PART WAYS.

MORE CLINTON E-MAILS SLUFFED OUT WHEN PEOPLE ARE PREOCUPIED WITH BOOZIN AND HANGOVERS ON NEW YEARS EVE.THE WHITEHOUSE WILL DO ANYTHING TO COVER UP CLINTONS BENGHAZI E-MAILS AND SERVER.ESPECIALLY SINCE DONALD TRUMP IS GOING AFTER BOTH HITLER THE 2ND CLINTONS.

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)

State Department says hundreds of Hillary Clinton emails have been newly classified-[The Canadian Press]-Ken Thomas, The Associated Press-December 31, 2015-YAHOONEWS

WASHINGTON - The State Department said Thursday that portions of 275 emails released on New Year's Eve from Hillary Clinton's time as secretary of state have been newly classified, bringing 2015 to a close for the Democratic presidential front-runner.Clinton has said she didn't send or receive information that was classified at the time via her personal email account, which was run on a private server at her New York home. Republicans have repeatedly questioned whether her use of a private email system put sensitive information at risk.In all, the State Department said 1,274 of Clinton's emails have been retroactively classified since the department started reviewing them for public release.Two emails released Thursday were designated "secret," the second-highest level of classification, which applies to information that could cause serious damage to national security if released. Most of the emails were classified "confidential," which is the lowest level of classification.In a statement Thursday night, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said, "With more than 1,250 emails containing classified information now uncovered, Hillary Clinton's decision to put secrecy over national security by exclusively operating off of a secret email server looks even more reckless."About 5,500 pages of Clinton emails were released on the final day of 2015. Here's a look at what was in the latest batch:__EMAIL USE-Clinton and one of her closest aides, Jake Sullivan, had an exchange in September 2010 that showed considerable confusion over her email practices."I'm never sure which of my emails you receive, so pls let me know if you receive this one and on which address you did," she wrote to Sullivan on a Sunday morning.A few hours later Sullivan responded: "I have just received this email on my personal account, which I check much less frequently than my State Department account. I have not received any emails from you on my State account in recent days — for example, I did not get the email you sent to me and (Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeff) Feltman on the Egyptian custody case. Something is very wrong with the connection there."Sullivan added, "I suppose a near-term fix is to just send messages to this account — my personal account — and I will check it more frequently."Clinton also cited trouble with her BlackBerry in January 2012, according to one of her emails. "Sorry for the delay in responding," she wrote to Jamie Rubin, a diplomat and journalist, saying her BlackBerry was having "a nervous breakdown on my dime!"__SOROS-Billionaire George Soros, a major donor to liberal causes, confided to a former Clinton aide that he made the wrong choice in supporting Barack Obama in the 2008 primaries over Clinton.Soros told Neera Tanden during a dinner sponsored by Democracy Alliance, a liberal group, that he "regretted his decision in the primary — he likes to admit mistakes when he makes them and that was one of them," Tanden told Clinton in a May 2012 email. "He then extolled his work with you from your time as First Lady on."Tanden also said Soros had been "impressed that he can always call/meet" with Clinton on policy issues but he hadn't yet met with Obama. Soros has been a major donor to Priorities USA, a pro-Clinton Democratic super PAC.__2010 MIDTERMS-Politics was never far from Clinton's mind at the State Department. In September 2010, as Republicans threatened to take the majority in the House, Clinton told former policy adviser Neera Tanden, president of the left-leaning think-tank Center for American Progress, "I confess I'm bewildered at how poorly the Dems are doing in driving any message and putting the Rs on the defensive.""Do you and CAP have any ideas as to how to change the dynamic — before it's too late?" Clinton asked. Losing the House would, she wrote, "be a disaster in every way." Republicans seized control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections in what President Barack Obama later called a "shellacking."___SITUATION ROOM PHOTO-Clinton expressed outrage at a Hasidic Jewish newspaper that airbrushed her and another woman out of a famous photograph of officials in the White House Situation Room watching the raid on Osama Bin Laden.The original photo had shown Clinton seated at the table, her hand covering her mouth. Counterterrorism director Audrey Tomason had also been pictured, standing at the back of the room. Both were blacked out in the newspaper's reproduction of the photograph."The Jerusalem Post reported today that a NY Hasidic paper Der Zeitung published the sit room photo w/o me (or Audrey T) photoshopped out perhaps because no woman should be in such a place of power or that I am dressed immodestly!!" Clinton wrote in an email with the subject line "Unbelievable."The email was sent May 8, 2011, to aides, including Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin, and to her daughter, Chelsea, under the alias Diane Reynolds.___CHICAGO-Clinton showed keen interest in the politics of her hometown of Chicago when longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley announced in September 2010 he would not run for re-election.Betsy Ebeling, Clinton's close childhood friend, told Clinton in an email that she was in "shock." Clinton responded: "I'm in shock too," asking Ebeling to "share any and all insights into this huge news (as any real Chicagoan knows it to be!)"Ebeling said the next day that "Rahm rumours are everywhere," referencing then-White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who is now Chicago's mayor.Clinton replied: "I can't tell yet whether Rahm will actually decide to run. So it will be a wild ride the next few months."___RIDING WITH HRC-Philippe Reines, Clinton's senior communications adviser, developed an elaborate flow chart during the summer of 2012 to determine a specific pecking order: Who gets to ride with Hillary? In an email to a group of Clinton advisers, Reines said longtime aide Huma Abedin should ride with Clinton under most circumstances, with deputy chief of staff Jake Sullivan joining Clinton on other occasions. Capricia Marshall, a Clinton insider and the chief of protocol, was also listed as someone who should ride with the secretary of state.The flow chart also includes cases in which Clinton could ride with "Ambassador Tolerable," how they should handle drives covering 10 minutes or more and the circumstances in which Reines "should jump in." As they say, access is power.___BLUMENTHAL-Confidant Sidney Blumenthal wrote Clinton that sanctions freezing Libya's foreign bank accounts presented "serious challenges" to dictator Moammar Gadhafi, but he was still sitting pretty on "143 tons of gold and a similar amount in silver" valued at more than $7 billion.In an April 2, 2011, email, Blumenthal wrote that Gadhafi moved the gold and silver from vaults of the Libyan Central Bank in Tripoli to Sabha, a city in southwest Libya that is in the direction of the nation's border with Niger and Chad. At the time, the World Gold Council also estimated Libya's trove of gold at 143 tons.The gold, Blumenthal wrote, was intended to be used to establish an African currency based on Libyan currency, which African countries then could use instead of the French franc. "French intelligence officers discovered this plan shortly before the rebellion began, and this was one of the factors that influenced President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to commit France to the attack on Libya," Blumenthal wrote.Gadhafi was deposed in August 2011 and killed two months later.___SENATE TIES-A September 2011 exchange with Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland showed Clinton's ties to the female Democrats in the Senate, her former colleagues.Mikulski emailed Clinton, a former New York senator, to celebrate that the Senate had confirmed Wendy Sherman as an assistant secretary of state and invite Clinton to a gathering of female senators.Noting they now meet in the Strom Thurmond room in the Capitol, Mikulski remarked, "Isn't that a hoot" — an apparent reference to the late South Carolina senator's history of womanizing.Clinton wrote back, affectionately addressing Mikulski, the longest-serving female senator, as "dean." Clinton said she probably couldn't make it to the gathering. Mikulski told Clinton she would always be welcome in the Senate and suggested she come over to the State Department "for a Diet Coke or something stronger."___MISSED DEADLINE-The State Department said it wouldn't meet a court-ordered goal of making 82 per cent of Clinton's emails from her time at State public by year's end. The department said prior to Thursday's release that while it has "worked diligently" to come close to the goal, it will fall short because of the large number of documents involved and the holiday schedule.The department said Thursday it plans to release more Clinton emails next week. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took note of the timing of the latest release on Twitter, writing: "Do you believe that The State Department, on NEW YEAR'S EVE, just released more of Hillary's emails. They just want it all to end. BAD!"But Trump's tweet was off-base. A federal judge set the schedule for the release of the emails, not Clinton or the department.__Associated Press writers Josh Lederman, Catherine Lucey, Robert Burns, Jill Colvin, Erica Werner, Becky Bohrer, Justin Juozapavicius, Kathleen Ronayne, Jill Colvin, Chad Day, Deb Riechmann, Michael Sisak, Jill Zeman Bleed, Janie Har, Matthew Brown, Jonathan Cooper, David Eggert and Corey R. Williams contributed to this report.

ONE OF MY MAIN MEN DR BEN CARSON FOR PRESIDENT IN AMERICA IS GETTING MORE BRAZEN ABOUT BECOMING PRESIDENT WITH NEW CHANGES.GO DR BEN CANADA IS CHEERING YOU ON ME PRESIDENT AFTER NOV 2016.

Republican Carson's campaign manager, 20 staff quit-Reuters By Emily Flitter and James Oliphant-JAN 1,16-YAHOONEWS

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Ben Carson's 2016 presidential bid was thrown into chaos on Thursday when his campaign manager and some 20 other staff members quit amid infighting, dropping poll numbers and negative media coverage.Barry Bennett, who oversaw Carson's rapid rise to the top tier of Republican contenders and his later fall, said he quit over differences with another top adviser to Carson, Armstrong Williams.Specifically, Bennett blamed Williams for an interview Carson gave last week to The Washington Post suggesting that the campaign was in disarray. "It's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen a candidate do," Bennett said.Things had "boiled over" with Williams, Bennett told Reuters. "For the past seven weeks, I’ve been doing nothing but putting out Armstrong Williams-started fires," Bennett said.He also charged Williams was behind a story in The New York Times that suggested Carson was out of his depth on foreign policy.Carson's communications director, Doug Watts, also resigned due to differences with Williams, Bennett said. Some 20 staff in total left, he said. Among them was deputy campaign manager Lisa Coen.Williams, a political commentator who holds no official role with the campaign, said he was "shocked" by Bennett's criticism. "They’re giving me a lot more credit than I deserve,” he told Reuters.He suggested Bennett and Watts left the campaign rather than be fired. "Right now, they’re upset and they need a scapegoat, and I’m the scapegoat,” Williams said.Support for Carson has fallen ahead of the first contest - on Feb. 1 in the state of Iowa - for the Republican nomination in the Nov. 8 election.The retired neurosurgeon now places fourth in many national opinion polls after surging into the second slot behind the front-runner, real estate mogul Donald Trump, in the autumn.With the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, elevating national security concerns among voters, Carson has been criticized by rivals for his lack of foreign policy experience. He has never held elected office.Craig Robinson, former political director for Iowa’s Republican Party, said Carson's lack of visibility in Iowa damaged him even though he had the chance to capitalize on his much-touted status as a political outsider."All along, I’ve never really thought this was a serious presidential campaign in that it is actually operating and doing things to get elected," Robinson said.In spite of the poll numbers, Carson's campaign on Wednesday announced a fourth-quarter fundraising haul of about $23 million, and Bennett said Carson remained in a strong position."He’s got millions of dollars on hand," Bennett said. "He should be able to do something with that."Carson's campaign announced that Bob Dees, a retired Army major general, would be the campaign chairman while Ed Brookover, formerly a senior strategist, would serve as campaign manager.For more on the 2016 presidential race, see the Reuters blog, “Tales from the Trail” (http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/)-(Additional reporting by Megan Cassella and Alana Wise; Editing by Alistair Bell and Howard Goller)

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)

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

EU commissioner says risk of EU 'collapse'-By EUOBSERVER

31. Dec 2015, 09:30-The European commissioner for the digital economy Guenther Oettinger on Wednesday said unstable and populist governments are jeopardizing the European Union. "I see for the first time a real danger that the EU could collapse," he said, reports AFP.

Poland passes media law, ignores EU again By Andrew Rettman-EUOBSERVER

BRUSSELS, 31. Dec 2015, 09:29-Polish MPs have passed a law on reform of public media despite growing EU and wider international criticism on democratic standards.The lower chamber, on Wednesday (30 December) passed the bill by 232 votes against 152, with 34 abstentions.It must also be passed by the upper house and signed by the president, but both organs are controlled by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which took power in October.The bill terminates the tenure of the current management of public TV and radio broadcasters and gives PiS the right to directly appoint its own people. It also limits the number of independent supervisory board members.MPs took the decision despite a letter from European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, sent earlier on Wednesday, to the Polish foreign and justice ministers. Timmermans asked them to justify how the law meets EU standards on free speech under article 2 of the EU treaty, article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and a 2010 EU directive on audiovisual services.“ Freedom and pluralism of the media are crucial for a pluralist society in a member state respectful of the common values on which the Union is founded,” he said.The OSCE, a European rights watchdog, and European journalists’ associations, echoed the concerns.Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE’s media freedom chief, said on Wednesday: “I fear the hastily introduced changes will endanger the basic conditions of independence, objectivity and impartiality of public service broadcasters … I urge the Polish government to withdraw the proposal.”Five of Europe’s biggest journalist groups, one day earlier, said: “If the Polish parliament passes these measures … Poland will create a regressive regime which will be without precedent in any other EU country.”The letter was signed by the European Federation of Journalists, the European Broadcasting Union, the Association of European Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.PiS rejected the criticism, however.Witold Waszczykowski, the Polish foreign minister, said Wednesday evening on Timmermans’ appeal that “no such letter has reached my office.”Konrad Szymanski, the EU affairs minister, said: “Poland conducts, and will conduct, responsible and constructive politics in the Union. This or other opinions on changes in Poland’s internal politics won’t prevent that.“Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the PiS party chief, said negative coverage of the developments is due to the fact “most of our [Polish] media are in the hands of German owners” and represents the “defence of a privileged system, in which media … exert too big an influence on public life.”-Constitutional dispute-Speaking on Radio Maryja, a PiS-loyal broadcaster owned by a right-wing Roman Catholic group, he also attacked the head of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, Andrzej Rzeplinski.The PiS government, earlier this week, passed a law extending political control over the tribunal, also ignoring a previous Timmermans letter.Rzeplinski said on Wednesday the tribunal will, on 12 January - one day before an EU commission debate on Poland - issue an opinion on the legality of the reforms.He said it will take its decision based on the pre-reform quorum of judges and pre-reform composition of the tribunal’s members.Kaczynski said: “In my personal opinion, I would treat this as his [Rzeplinski’s] resignation from the … tribunal.”The constitutional dispute has prompted critical remarks by the US.-US concern-Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said on Wednesday: “We are concerned - we care deeply about the character, the quality of Poland’s democracy.”"A system of checks and balances and judicial independence are crucial elements of constitutional democracy and the rule of law.”Two former Polish foreign ministers, Gregorz Schetyna, from the opposition Civic Platform party, and Adam Rotfeld, a left-wing politician turned academic, said PiS threatens to harm Poland’s international standing.“Poland’s position, Poland’s brand, Poland’s success … are suddenly ending and the opinion of Poland, in a very concrete way, is changing in Europe,” Schetyna said in the Polish parliament on Wednesday.Rotfeld told the TVN24 broadcaster: “If it comes to a rupture between Poland and the EU, it will be due to internal [Polish] reasons.”He compared Poland under Kaczynski to Austria under its late, far-right leader Joerg Haider, when Vienna was stigmatised by the EU Council. “Values play a very important role in the EU - democracy and rule of law are key issues,” Rotfeld said.

WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)

EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror(ISM), consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

EU border agency sends officers to Greece-By EUOBSERVER

30. Dec 2015, 09:22-The EU's border agency Frontex said Tuesday it had started to deploy 293 officers and 15 vessels on Greek islands to help Athens cope with the massive influx of migrants, AFP reported. The staff will help with fingerprinting and identifying new arrivals, interpretation and examining the authenticity of documents.

France wants EU to improve passport checks-By EUOBSERVER

29. Dec 2015, 09:28-France called on the EU Monday to do more to detect false Syrian passports in Greece and Italy after two suicide bombers in Paris used fake documents. Interior minister Cazeneuve in a letter to the EU Commission also urged the bloc to make better use of Interpol databases.

Germany to spend €17bn on refugees in 2016-By EUOBSERVER

29. Dec 2015, 09:27-Germany's federal states plan to spend €17 billion on dealing with the refugee crisis in 2016, Die Welt reported Tuesday, citing a survey among finance ministries. It is more than the €15.3 billion the central government planned to allocate to its education and research ministry in 2015, the newspaper notes.

Syrian refugees: Horrific torture haunts new Canadians-[CBC]-December 31, 2015-YAHOO NEWS

Years after enduring unspeakable torture in a Syrian jail, and months after finally landing safely on Canadian soil, he's still haunted.There are many memories from his seven months in captivity, the former dairy factory worker likely never be able to forget, including the time his captors forced him to drink large amounts of juice.At first he didn't understand what they were doing, but then they tightened an elastic band around his genitals so he could not urinate. They then bound his arms and legs behind his back and left him to writhe in agony. He spent the night screaming. He often wished he was dead.Stories like these are common among refugees who've fled Syria and made their way to Canada, which is why helping people like Al Jasem recover from their experiences poses significant challenges for healthcare providers in the Windsor region."I don't think we can come out and say we understand what people have gone through," said Shannon Sasseville of the Erie St.Clair LHIN. "Once we have that understanding as providers, we can better figure out what services need to be available."Al Jasem still doesn't understand why he was captured. He speculates he was swept up in a mass arrest of demonstrators in his hometown, though he says he never protested and was never charged.Dr. Ahmad Chaker, who works with refugees in the Windsor region, has examined Al Jasem's wounds and has been treating him for the past four months.Chaker has visited several refugee camps and has heard hundreds of stories of torture. Al Jasem's story, though, is particularly horrific."It's one of the worst pictures I have seen or I have heard in my life," Chaker told CBC News. "Not only [have I] been in the camps, I have been with lots of people that left Syria and had horrible stories." That's why he wants there more mental health services that cater specifically to the experiences of refugees."We know that trauma counselling is going to be key," Sasseville said. "We know that."During those seven months of torture, Al Jasem's wife could only conclude that her husband was dead. Doing her best to describe her emotions, Itab Al-Khalil said she received no news about her husband."No anything," she said from the family's new home in west Windsor. "Maybe, I think, he died. No call, no anything."Then the call came. A jail guard, who Al Jasem said felt sorry for him, lent him a phone."My husband live," Al-Khalil said. "Oh my gosh. Very happy."Eventually, Al Jasem went to trial and was released without any charges. After reuniting with his wife and children, the family made a long journey to Canada.Al Jasem still works closely with Chaker, getting treatment for his lasting injuries, but he's now trying to focus on being happy. A big part of that happiness is seeing his children adjust to life in Canada.That's something he could only dream about just a few years ago.

New Year's Eve skyscraper fire in Dubai smoulders into 2016 as firefighters try to douse embers- [The Canadian Press]-Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press-January 1, 2016-YAHOO NEWS

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A towering inferno that engulfed a 63-story luxury hotel in Dubai on New Year's Eve still smouldered through the first day of 2016 as firefighters worked to douse its embers on Friday.Authorities said they were still working to determine the cause of the fire that erupted before the city's fireworks extravaganza and raced through the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels and residences in Dubai. It came after a series of fires striking the towers that provide this megacity its futuristic skyline.Dubai officials said only 14 people suffered minor injuries in evacuating the building late Thursday night, but the fire raised new questions about building safety for those living in the United Arab Emirates.The Address would have a prime spot for viewing the midnight fireworks display, centred at the nearby Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. The Address boasts a luxury hotel with nearly 200 rooms, along with more than 600 residential units. Rentals of a one-bedroom can run $70,000 a year.The fire started around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, racing up the sides of the building. Still authorities went ahead with the fireworks show.More than 12 hours later on Friday morning, Dubai firefighters largely watched the fire from the ground, unable at one point to use a water hose on a ladder truck. They later regained water pressure and resumed spraying the building. Restaurants nearby opened for business, but served limited menus as civil defence officials cut natural gas to the area.By the afternoon, the blaze had largely died down, but small fires were still visible burning through some windows, sending smoke into the air.Dubai Civil Defence said the fire appeared to have started on the 20th floor terrace, according to a statement by the government media office. Witnesses who saw the blaze start said they believed it began on the building's ground floor.The Civil Defence said "cooling procedures" were still underway Friday, and that the investigation was underway into the cause.Around 1 million people had been expected to gather around the Burj Khalifa skyscraper to watch the fireworks. Dubai's economy depends heavily on tourism, and New Year's is one of the busiest seasons, drawing people from around the world to watch the fireworks that the emirate puts on at the world's tallest tower, as well as the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab and over a man-made palm-shaped island.Dubai-based Emaar Properties, which built the Burj Khalifa, the Address Downtown and other surrounding developments, declined to immediately answer questions about the fire posed by The Associated Press. It did issue a statement praising authorities "for their immediate and professional support.""An investigation is ongoing and details will be provided once they are ascertained," the statement said.Lt. Gen. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's deputy prime minister and interior minister, also praised first responders to the blaze for "the success of the rescue operation" in comments published by the state-run WAM news agency.But challenges remain as Dubai has faced a series of recent tower fires. In February, a similar blaze spread along the external cladding of Dubai's 86-story Torch tower, one of the world's tallest residential buildings. There were no serious casualties in that fire. In October, another fire broke out in a high-rise residential tower in the Emirati city of Sharjah.___Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap .

2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL - THE ACTUAL START OF WW3

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)

North Korean leader Kim Jo ng Un vows war readiness, but doesn't comment on nuclear program-[The Canadian Press]-Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press-January 1, 2016-YAHOO NEWS

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in an annual New Year's speech Friday that he was ready for war if provoked by "invasive" outsiders, but he stayed away from past threats involving the country's nuclear weapons and long-range missile ambitions.His comments stuck to well-worn propaganda meant to lift his image for the elite residents of one of the world's poorest, most closed countries, and could be read as an attempt to keep ties with rivals Washington and Seoul from getting worse so he can try to turn around a miserable economy and further solidify his leadership."We will continue to work patiently to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula and regional stability. But if invasive outsiders and provocateurs touch us even slightly, we will not be forgiving in the least and sternly answer with a merciless, holy war of justice," said Kim, who wore thick black-rimmed glasses that continued his efforts to mimic the style favoured by his late grandfather, beloved national founder Kim Il Sung.While largely repeating the daily propaganda in state-controlled media, Kim's words will be pored over by analysts for hints about the country's intentions for the coming year. There is little public information about the inner workings and policy goals of North Korea's government, which considers democratic South Korea and its ally the United States its enemies and is pursuing a long-range missile that could carry a nuclear warhead to America's mainland.Some observers had predicted that Kim would avoid overly provocative statements because the county wants to improve relations with South Korea and also China, its most important economic and strategic ally. Ties between North Korea and China have been cool since Kim took power in 2011, but seemed to improve when a senior Chinese official attended a high-profile military parade in Pyongyang in October.Kim said he was open to talks with anyone truly interested in "reconciliation and peace" on the Korean Peninsula, and ready to "aggressively" work to improve ties with the South. But a far larger part of his speech on North Korea's state TV was devoted to criticism of Seoul's approach to inter-Korean talks and its alliance with Washington.He vowed to improve North Korea's struggling economy and living standards, and also called for the military to advance its technologies to develop more "diversified attack means."Analysts say Kim likely wants a push for tangible diplomatic and economic achievements before a convention of the ruling Workers' Party in May, the party's first since 1980, when he is widely expected to announce major state policies and shake up the country's political elite to strengthen his position.The rival Koreas have shown mixed progress in reconciliation efforts since stepping away from a military standoff in August, which started when land mine explosions that Seoul blamed on Pyongyang maimed two South Korean soldiers. The countries ended rare high-level talks last month with no breakthroughs.

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)

Southern states face floods as Midwest rivers recede-[Reuters]-January 1, 2016-YAHOONEWS

(Reuters) - Residents of Southern states along the Mississippi River are bracing for the flooding that has swamped communities in Illinois and Missouri over the last week, causing thousands of evacuations and killing at least 29 people.Officials in Louisiana are checking levees daily, and Exxon Mobil Corp has decided to shut its 340,571 barrel-per-day refined products terminal in Memphis, Tennessee, as floodwaters threatened to inundate the facility just south of the city's downtown."All that water's coming south and we have to be ready for it," Louisiana Lieutenant Governor-Elect Billy Nungesser told CNN. "It's a serious concern. It's early in the season. We usually don't see this until much later."Workers in Tennessee were preparing for the Mississippi River in Memphis to reach flood stage over the weekend."We're moving things up high and we've got our generators out and got some extra water," said Dotty Kirkendoll, a clerk at Riverside Park Marina on McKellar Lake, which feeds off the Mississippi River.Flooding in the U.S. Midwest typically occurs in the spring as snowmelt swells rivers. Freezing weather in the region has added to the challenges as the waters have slowly started to recede from the St. Louis area.Most of the deaths from the rare winter floods have been caused by people driving into flooded areas after days of downpours. Two teenagers remain missing in southern Illinois after their truck was recovered late on Thursday night.Twelve Illinois counties have been declared disaster areas, and Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday ordered Illinois National Guard troops into flooded areas in the southern part of the state to mitigate flood damage and help with evacuation efforts.The Mississippi River is expected to crest at Thebes, in southern Illinois, at 47.5 feet (14 meters) on Sunday, more than 1-1/2 feet above the 1995 record, the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast.Flood warnings were also in effect on Friday for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, the Carolinas, Alabama and Kentucky, the NWS said, while major flooding was occurring on the Arkansas River and its tributaries in that state.Dozens have died in U.S. storms, which also brought unusual winter tornadoes and were part of a wild worldwide weather system over the Christmas holiday period that also saw severe flooding in Britain.More than 100,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes in areas bordering Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina after floods due to heavy summer rains caused by El Niño, authorities have said.Global weather dominated conversation on social media over the holiday season after the international climate deal in Paris.Particularly hard hit in the United States in recent days has been Missouri, which has suffered historic flooding.Close to St. Louis on Friday, the Mississippi River, the second-longest river in the United States, was falling after reaching near-record heights, the NWS said.The Meramec River, which meanders near St. Louis and empties into the Mississippi River, broke height records on Thursday, sending a deluge of water over its banks and forcing the closure of two major highways.Interstates 55 and 44 reopened on Friday, but many other roads remained closed in the St. Louis area, state officials said, causing extreme traffic congestion.Thousands of people evacuated from their homes earlier in the week were waiting to return to their communities and begin the process of cleaning up. Hundreds of structures have been damaged or destroyed, local officials said.(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Daniel Wallis in Denver, Erwin Seba in Houston and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago; Editing by Ruth Pitchford, Bernard Orr)

Some begin picking up pieces after record floods in Missouri, Illinois; others await the worst-[The Canadian Press]-Jim Salter, The Associated Press-January 1, 2016-YAHOONEWS

ST. LOUIS - The worst of the dangerous, deadly winter flood is over in the St. Louis area, leaving residents of several water-logged communities to spend the first day of 2016 assessing damage, cleaning up and figuring out how to bounce back — or in some cases, where to live.Farther south, things were getting worse: Record and near-record crest predictions of the Mississippi River and levee breaks threatened homes in rural southern Missouri and Illinois. Two more levees succumbed Friday, bringing to at least 11 the number of levee failures.The flood, fueled by more than 10 inches of rain over a three-day period that began last weekend, is blamed for 22 deaths. Searchers were still looking for five missing people — two teenagers in Illinois, two men in Missouri and a country music singer in Oklahoma.On Friday, water from the Mississippi, Meremec and Missouri rivers was largely receding in the St. Louis area. Two major highways — Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 — reopened south of St. Louis, meaning commuters who return to work next week won't have hourslong detours. Some evacuees were allowed to return home.But in the far southwestern tip of Illinois, the 500 or so people living behind the Len Small levee, which protects the hamlets of Olive Branch, Hodges Park, Unity and rural homes, were urged to move to higher ground after the Mississippi began pouring over the levee.Alexander County Board Chairman Chalen Tatum said sandbagging efforts were cut off because it was simply too dangerous for the volunteers. Far more water is to come before the Sunday crest."It's going to get ugly," he said.In St. Mary, Missouri, a town of about 360 residents 50 miles south of St. Louis, neighbours and volunteers placed sandbags around homes after a small agricultural levee broke. The Mississippi River was expected to crest there Saturday at about 3 1/2 feet below the 1993 record.The main culprit in the St. Louis region was the Meramac River, a relatively small Mississippi tributary. It had bombarded communities in the far southwestern reaches of the St. Louis suburbs during the week. By Friday, it was relenting, but not before some points topped the 1993 record by 4 feet.Two wastewater treatment plants were so damaged by the floodwaters that raw sewage spewed into the river. A water plant closed at High Ridge.Hundreds of people were evacuated in Pacific, Eureka, Valley Park and Arnold, and many of their homes took in water.Among those were displaced were Damon Thorne, 44, and his 60-year-old mother, Linda, who live together in an Arnold mobile home park that washed away after a small private levee proved no match for the surging Meramec. For now, the Thornes are staying in a Red Cross shelter at a Baptist church."We're just basically homeless," Damon Thorne said. "We have nowhere to go."In West Alton, Missouri, a Mississippi River town that sits near the convergence with the also-elevated Missouri River just north of St. Louis, evacuees couldn't yet return because floodwaters continued to pour over the overwhelmed levee, Mayor Willie Richter said. He estimated that about three-quarters of the homes were damaged.Nearly 1,000 residents left West Alton after the 1993 flood, never to return. Richter said some of the remaining 500 or so may leave this time, too. Richter, 46, said he's staying put in the same house where he grew up. He plans to raise the home off the ground a bit.-"It's our family home, so it's hard to think about leaving," Richter said.Many hard-hit St. Louis-area towns kept residents updated using social media. Valley Park used its Facebook page to advise residents Friday that the evacuation order was lifted, and the city of Arnold's Facebook page urged residents to watch out for snakes in flooded homes.In southeast Missouri, the fast-rising Mississippi damaged about two-dozen homes in Cape Girardeau and threatened a power substation, though the community of nearly 40,000 residents is mostly protected by a flood wall. The crest prediction at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, expected Sunday, was upgraded to a foot and a half above the 1993 record.In nearby Allenville, access into the often-flooded town was cut off by high water. Most of the four dozen residents stayed anyway, using boats to get around."They are used to being isolated and cut off, but with this record height, we're confident some homes will get wet," Cape Girardeau County emergency management director Richard Knaup said. "We're just not sure how many."Parts of the South are also in the flood's path. Moderate Mississippi River flooding is expected in Memphis, where officials were moving to protect roads and an airport. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for the Cumberland River at Dover, Tennessee, through Monday evening.Minor flooding along the Ohio River was affecting the Kentucky cities of Owensboro and Paducah, and the crest wasn't expected until Thursday.___Associated Press journalist Fritz Faerber in Arnold, Missouri, contributed to this report.

Deep snow in California mountains offers hope in drought-Reuters By Sharon Bernstein-December 30, 2015 7:43 PM-YAHOONEWS

PHILLIPS, Calif. (Reuters) - A cold, wet start to California's winter has dumped nearly five feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, state water experts said Wednesday, fueling hope that 2016 will bring enough precipitation to help offset four years of drought.Snow surveyors headed to the mountains in Phillips near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday for the first manual check of the state's snowpack this winter, dipping a long measuring pole into a snow-covered meadow at seven different points to see how deep the white stuff was."There's hope that we will have much more than we had last year," said Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program.His measurements confirmed data gathered earlier in the month by electronic snow sensors showing that the snowpack, which provides a third of the state's water when it melts in the spring, was above normal for the first time in three years.At the Phillips Station monitoring site, snow was 54.7 inches deep on Wednesday, or about 136 percent of average.At nearby Lyons Creek, snow was 58 inches deep, or 120 percent of average.Statewide, electronic monitors showed that the water content of snow in the mountains was at 105 percent of normal, above average for the first time since 2012.By comparison, the snowpack was just 20 percent of normal on Dec. 30, 2013, and 50 percent of normal on Dec. 30, 2014.California is in its fourth year of crushing drought that has killed millions of trees and in 2015 alone cost the state's agricultural economy $1.84 billion and 10,100 jobs, according to the University of California, Davis.The El Nino weather and oceanic phenomenon, characterized by a warming of the Pacific Ocean that often brings precipitation to California, may help ease the drought over the next few months, but experts caution that the state's woes are far from over.A warm winter could cause snow in the mountains to melt too soon, leading to a shortage of water in the state's dry spring and summer. So far, the snow has stuck, prompting ski resorts to open early and sending thousands to the mountains, braving long lift lines and thronging parking lots even on a Wednesday."This year is so much better than last year," said Duke Walton of Sacramento, who was at the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort with his family on Wednesday. "Last year, half the lifts were closed."(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Exxon closes Memphis, Tennessee, terminal on flood risk-[Reuters]-January 1, 2016-YAHOO NEWS

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp shut its 340,571 barrel-per-day refined products terminal along the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, as floodwaters threatened to inundate the facility just south of the city's downtown, a company spokesman said on Friday.Heavy rains in Missouri and Illinois have swollen the Mississippi and its tributaries in the past week, shutting two pipelines feeding the Phillips 66 refinery in Wood River, Illinois, and threatening other refineries, terminals and pipelines along the river to the Gulf Coast in Louisiana."Safety is our first priority and due to rising flood waters, Exxon Mobil's Memphis Terminal has closed its facility," said company spokesman Todd Spitler in an email statement."Impacts to customers will be minimized as alternative supply will be provided," Spitler said. "We will restart the facility as soon as it is safe to do so."Valero Energy Corp's 180,000-bpd refinery in Memphis is expected to remain in operation as floodwaters that have swamped the St. Louis area during the past week move south past Memphis over the weekend, the company has said.The Valero refinery sits alongside a small tributary to the Mississippi and at a higher elevation than the Exxon terminal.Spitler said Exxon had personnel on duty at the terminal who were communicating with government emergency management officials in Memphis.(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney)