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)
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL AND THE ENEMIES OF THE WEST
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA)(JORDAN) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
PSALMS 83:3-7 (COUNTRIES AGAINST ISRAEL)(EXCEPT JORDAN)
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
ISRAEL-WEST ENEMIES EZEK 38:4-6,15-19
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts,(RUSSIA-ARAB/MUSLIMS) thou, and many people with thee,(AFRICAN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
DANIEL 11:44 (CHINA WITH RUSSIA-MUSLIMS)
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-6 ISRAELS ENEMIES DESTROYED
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Saudi Arabia severs ties with Iran: minister-Reuters-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had severed ties with Iran over the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, in a worsening diplomatic crisis between the regional rivals following the kingdom's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric.Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference Iran's diplomatic mission and related entities in Saudi Arabia had been given 48 hours to leave. He said Riyadh would not allow the Islamic Republic to undermine the Sunni kingdom's security.Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early on Sunday and Shi'ite Muslim Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the kingdom's ruling Al Saudi family.Jubeir said the attack in Tehran was in line with what he said were earlier Iranian assaults on foreign embassies there and with Iranian policies of destabilizing the region by creating "terrorist cells" in Saudi Arabia."The kingdom, in light of these realities, announces the cutting of diplomatic relations with Iran and requests the departure of delegates of diplomatic missions of the embassy and consulate and offices related to it within 48 hours. The ambassador has been summoned to notify them," he said.(Reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh, Omar Fahmy in Cairo and Hadeel al-Sayegh in Dubai, Writing by William Maclean; editing by Richard Balmforth)
Iran president says Saudi embassy attack 'totally unjustifiable'-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Tehran (AFP) - Iran's president Sunday condemned the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric but also denounced attacks on the Sunni kingdom's embassy and consulate as "totally unjustifiable" after protesters stormed the compounds."The actions last night by a group of radicals in Tehran and Mashhad leading to damage at the Saudi embassy and consulate are totally unjustifiable, as the buildings should be legally and religiously protected in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Hassan Rouhani said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.At least 44 people were arrested late Saturday for storming the diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad after Saudi Arabia announced it had executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and 46 other men on "terrorism" charges.In Tehran protesters threw petrol bombs and stormed the embassy. The kingdom's consulate in Mashhad, Iran's second biggest city in the country's northeast, was also set on fire. But Rouhani criticised Saudi Arabia for killing Nimr."I have no doubt that the Saudi government has damaged its image, more than before, among the countries in the world -- in particular (among) Islamic countries -- by this un-Islamic act," he said in a statement.Yet, the people of Iran "will not allow rogue elements" to use the incident and "carry out illegal actions that damage the dignity of the Islamic republic establishment", he added."I call on the interior minister to identify the perpetrators of this attack with firm determination and introduce them to the judiciary... so that there will be an end to such appalling actions once and for all."Earlier on Sunday Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Saudi politicians would face "divine revenge" for their actions.
Scalia dismisses concept of religious neutrality in speech-Associated Press By REBECCA SANTANA-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Saturday the idea of religious neutrality is not grounded in the country's constitutional traditions and that God has been good to the U.S. exactly because Americans honor him.Scalia was speaking at a Catholic high school in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, Louisiana. Scalia, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 is the court's longest serving justice. He has consistently been one of the court's more conservative members.He told the audience at Archbishop Rummel High School that there is "no place" in the country's constitutional traditions for the idea that the state must be neutral between religion and its absence."To tell you the truth there is no place for that in our constitutional tradition. Where did that come from?" he said. "To be sure, you can't favor one denomination over another but can't favor religion over non-religion?"He also said there is "nothing wrong" with the idea of presidents and others invoking God in speeches. He said God has been good to America because Americans have honored him.Scalia said during the Sept. 11 attacks he was in Rome at a conference. The next morning, after a speech by President George W. Bush in which he invoked God and asked for his blessing, Scalia said many of the other judges approached him and said they wished their presidents or prime ministers would do the same."God has been very good to us. That we won the revolution was extraordinary. The Battle of Midway was extraordinary. I think one of the reasons God has been good to us is that we have done him honor. Unlike the other countries of the world that do not even invoke his name we do him honor. In presidential addresses, in Thanksgiving proclamations and in many other ways," Scalia said."There is nothing wrong with that and do not let anybody tell you that there is anything wrong with that," he added.Scalia's comments Saturday come as the court prepares to hear arguments later this year in a case that challenges part of President Barack Obama's health care law and whether it adequately shields faith-based hospitals, colleges and charities from having to offer contraceptive coverage to their employees. Scalia is often a lightning rod for controversy on the court.In December he came under fire for comments he made during an affirmative action case, questioning whether some black students would benefit from going to a "slower-track school" instead of Texas' flagship campus in Austin.__Follow Santana on Twitter @ruskygal.
As U.S. abortion case looms, both sides seek personal touch-Reuters By Joan Biskupic-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear its first abortion case in nearly a decade, both sides have been quietly gathering vivid personal accounts from women to supplement the dry legal arguments, believing the effort could appeal particularly to swing-vote Justice Anthony Kennedy.The case, which arises from a challenge to new Texas regulations covering clinics and physicians that perform abortions, could have broad political repercussions in a presidential election year. Depending how the nine justices rule, the court could embolden - or discourage - other states in imposing regulations affecting women's access to abortion.A ruling in the dispute over the socially and politically contentious issue of abortion rights is expected by late June.Some opponents of abortion are seizing on past comments by Kennedy, who has said that some women come to "regret" the procedure and, while affirming a right to abortion, has voted for certain regulations governing the procedure. Seeking to bolster the argument for Texas’s strict requirements, they are signing up women who say they suffered medical complications.The group of health clinics challenging the state, meanwhile, is trying to counter any perception of abortion as an option used only by the young and inexperienced.Taking a page from the successful approach of gay- marriage proponents, they have sought lawyers and other professional women who say abortions helped them for economic, medical or other reasons. They hope the vignettes from lawyers will help justices identify with their view.The diverging experiences will emerge in “friend of the court” briefs – the clinics’ set due on Jan. 4, the Texas state government's set on Feb. 3.The briefs, known as amicus curiae, are compiled to represent the broader outside interests at stake in a case, and are rarely so devoted to personal narratives. The disputed Texas law requires clinics that perform abortions to have hospital-grade facilities and clinic doctors to obtain admitting privileges at a local hospital.The clinics challenging the regulations as an unconstitutional burden on women say Texas is using costly, needless requirements to shut down facilities and restrict access to the procedure. Texas counters that it is safeguarding women’s health.The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), a New York-based non-profit group, is representing the clinics in the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole. Texas’s legal strategy is being coordinated in Austin by state Solicitor General Scott Keller, who worked as a law clerk to Kennedy in 2009-2010.Texas and CRR lawyers would not comment before filing deadlines on details of their respective briefs.-PERSONAL NARRATIVES-For months CRR lawyers have been reaching out for personal testimonies through emails and phone calls, according to women who have been contacted in Texas and elsewhere.Former Democratic Texas state senator Wendy Davis, who led a filibuster against the abortion legislation in 2013 and revealed her two abortions in a memoir a year later, said she was asked in August to join a brief of public officials. She agreed.Davis terminated two pregnancies in the 1990s for medical reasons. “Did I grieve tremendously? Yes, I did, in an indescribable way,” she said in an interview with Reuters. “But never did I regret it.”Heather Busby, director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas in Austin, provided her story for a brief to be filed on behalf of lawyers who had abortions. She said she often wonders whether she would have finished college and gone to law school if she had not ended an unwanted pregnancy at age 22, two decades ago.Among those preparing briefs to support Texas is lawyer Allan Parker of the San Antonio-based Justice Foundation, which runs an “Operation Outcry” website asking women to sign declarations labeled “How My Abortion Hurt Me.”Parker said many women will not be fully identified in the filing, such as a Cindy H., who lived in Texas and now resides in Washington state.She told Reuters her uterus was punctured during an abortion in the 1990s in a Texas clinic and she began hemorrhaging. “I thought I could have bled to death,” she said. Separately, Cindy Collins, an outspoken anti-abortion advocate in Louisiana, said she will be lending her full name to that brief about the harms of abortion.Disputes over abortion rights, like gay marriage, have come down to Kennedy, a 1988 appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan. Kennedy tipped the balance to the liberal side in gay marriage disputes in 2013 and 2015, notably in last June’s landmark ruling for a nationwide right to same-sex marriage.Over a series of decisions, Kennedy moved consistently toward greater protection for gay men and lesbians. On abortion rights, his record has not been as predictable. Based on their records, the current four conservatives are likely to favor the Texas law; the four liberals are likely to reject it.The last time the Supreme Court heard an abortion case, in 2007, Kennedy cited a friend of the court brief from women who said they regretted going through with the procedure.“ While we find no reliable data to measure the phenomenon,” Kennedy wrote, “it seems unexceptionable to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained.”(This story has been refiled to change to Davis from David a second reference to Wendy Davis)(Reporting By Joan Biskupic; editing by Stuart Grudgings.)
IS threatens Britain in new executions video-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Beirut (AFP) - The Islamic State group threatened Britain in an Internet video Sunday showing the killing of five "spies" it said worked with the international coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria.The SITE Intelligence Group said the video shows five men from Raqa, capital of the self-declared jihadist "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq, confessing to carrying out acts of espionage.The British foreign office issued a terse statement saying only: "We are aware of the video and are examining the content."In the footage, an English-speaking IS fighter mocks British Prime Minister David Cameron for challenging IS, and calls him an "imbecile".The "confessions" of the five do not clearly identify which countries they worked with, but one mentions the international coalition led by the United States battling against IS in Iraq and Syria.The video said they passed videos or photos of the living conditions in Raqa to people in Turkey, or monitored the movements of IS fighters.The five are seen wearing orange jumpsuits and kneeling before five masked fighters, all in military fatigues and armed with pistols."This is a message to David Cameron," says one of the gunmen, speaking in a British accent.British warplanes, which were already attacking IS positions in Iraq, at the beginning of December began targeting the jihadists in Syria also.The fighter says those who want to continue fighting "under the banner of Cameron" should ask themselves what would happen to them if they were to fall into IS hands.He also says IS will wage jihad against Britain, before the five men are killed with a bullet to the head.IS often releases propaganda videos when it suffers setbacks on the battlefield, experts say.In Iraq last Sunday, federal forces declared victory in the battle for Ramadi, which IS seized in May 2015.And on December 26, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters in northern Syria seized the strategic Tishreen Dam from IS which the jihadist group had held since 2014.
Trump shrugs off jihadist video that uses his Muslim ban remarks-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Washington (AFP) - After jihadists used his tough remarks about Muslims in a recruitment video, Donald Trump refused to back down, saying in remarks aired Sunday, "I have to say what I have to say."The Republican presidential hopeful made the comments on CBS's "Face the Nation" after a US monitoring group said that his call for a ban on Muslims entering the US had been used in a video by Somalia's extremist Shebab group.Trump's call for a total, if temporary, ban had drawn criticism around the globe, including from Hillary Clinton, the frontrunning Democratic candidate, who said his remarks were used by radicals in recruitment videos -- a suggestion Trump aides had sharply denied.In the new video, the Al Qaeda-affiliated Shebab uses an excerpt from Trump's December 7 speech -- made after an attack by a radicalized couple in California killed 14 people -- to encourage Western Muslims to wage jihad, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.After describing Trump's call for a ban, the video goes on to say, "The West will eventually turn against its Muslim citizens."Asked about it on CBS, the Republican frontrunner seemed to shrug his shoulders."What am I going to do?" Trump asked. "I have to say what I have to say. And you know what I have to say? There's a problem. We have to find out what is the problem. And we have to solve that problem."He said his stance had drawn wide support, and he pointed to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and said, specifically citing the case of Brussels, that many nations were "shutting down cities that had never had a problem before.""Maybe it's not politically correct," Trump said, but "there's a big problem out there."Trump's inflammatory remarks last month sparked global outrage.During a Democratic debate last month, Clinton accused Trump of being "ISIS's best recruiter," referring to the self-described Islamic State group, and said radical jihadists were "showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists."Trump accused her of lying, but Clinton's spokeswoman insisted that his remarks were "being used in social media by ISIS as propaganda."US media outlets were unable to find any footage to back up Clinton's initial claim.The Shebab, who were driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, are fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally backed government, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops.
India's Afghan consulate attacked after deadly air base siege-AFP By Farshad Usyan-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Explosions and gunfire rang out Sunday as militants attempted to storm the Indian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan's Mazar-i-Sharif city, following a deadly assault on an air base in India near the Pakistan border.The attacks threaten to derail Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold diplomatic outreach to arch-rival Pakistan following his first official visit to Afghanistan.No group has so far claimed responsibility for the raid on the consulate in the northern Afghan city, the latest in a series of assaults on Indian installations in the country."We are being attacked," an Indian consulate official told AFP by telephone from inside the heavily-guarded compound."Fighting is still going on."The official, who was hunkered down in a secure area within the complex, said all consulate employees were safe and accounted for.Loud grenade explosions and gunshots were heard as an unknown number of assailants mounted the attack from a building close to the consulate, prompting Afghan forces to cordon off the area."The area is completely blocked by our forces," said Shir Jan Durrani, a police spokesman in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the relatively tranquil province of Balkh."The attackers are holed up inside the building. We are cautiously conducting our clearance operation to avoid any civilian casualties."Vikas Swarup, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman, told AFP that no Indian casualties had been reported so far.The attack comes as Indian forces were again scrambled Sunday following a deadly assault by suspected Islamist insurgents on an air force base in the northern Indian state of Punjab.Seven soldiers and six attackers were confirmed killed in the raid on the Pathankot base, which triggered a 14-hour gun battle Saturday.Officials suspect the gunmen belong to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group that staged the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament which brought the two countries to the brink of war.The attack -- a rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir -- threatens to undermine the fragile peace process between the nuclear-armed rivals.- 'Proxy war' -The violence comes a week after Modi paid a surprise visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian premier in 11 years.The visit immediately followed a whirlwind tour of Kabul, where Modi inaugurated an Indian-built parliament complex and gifted three Russian-made helicopters to the Afghan government.India has been a key supporter of Kabul's post-Taliban government, and analysts have often pointed to the threat of a "proxy war" in Afghanistan between India and Pakistan.Pakistan -- the historic backers of the Taliban -- has long been accused of assisting the insurgents, especially with attacks on Indian targets in Afghanistan.The latest unrest comes amid a renewed international push to revive peace talks with the resurgent militant movement. Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to hold a first round of dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China on January 11 to lay out a comprehensive roadmap for peace.Pakistan, which wields considerable influence over the Taliban, hosted a milestone first round of talks in July but the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.The attack on the consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif marks the latest attack on an Indian target in Afghanistan.In 2008, a car bomb at the Indian embassy in Kabul killed 60 people and the embassy was again hit by a suicide strike in 2009.Nine civilians, including seven children, were killed in August 2013 when suicide bombers targeted the Indian consulate in the main eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.And in May 2014, gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on India's consulate in the main western Afghan city of Herat before being repelled by security forces.
Hackers block Russian minister's cyber account with Turkish symbols-Reuters-JAN 3,16-YAHOO NEWS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A social network account of Russia's communications minister was temporarily blocked on Sunday in a cyberattack carried out by hackers presenting themselves as a Turkish activist group and parading images of a warplane and Turkish flags.Russia's ties with Turkey suffered a severe blow when a Turkish fighter shot down a Russian bomber near the Turkish-Syrian border in November, a move described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a stab in the back".Minister Nikolai Nikiforov's Instagram account was blocked by "The Börteçine Cyber Team" hackers, according to screenshots of the account, published by Russian and Turkish media and featuring Turkish flags, a portrait of Turkey's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and a warplane.Instagram, where users post their pictures and videos, later restored Nikiforov's account and his profile photo, but the minister complained that the technical support team had not reacted to the incident for more than nine hours.Putin said he saw no way of improving ties with Turkey's leadership, while Moscow imposed economic sanctions on Ankara.Turkish media reports suggested in late December that Russian hackers could be behind recent cyberattacks on Turkish internet servers handling more than 300,000 websites.On Dec. 25, Turkish banks reported sporadic disruption to credit card transactions, with local media repeating suggestions that the bombardment of public and financial websites could be coming from Russia, or staged by hacking group Anonymous.(This story has been refiled to restyle headline)-(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Additional reporting by Nick Tattersall in Istanbul; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Militia members occupy US building in Oregon after protest-Associated Press-JAN 3,16-YAHOO NEWS
BURNS, Ore. (AP) — A peaceful protest Saturday in support of an eastern Oregon ranching family facing jail time for arson was followed shortly afterward by an occupation of a building at a national wildlife refuge.Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a standoff with the government over grazing rights, told The Oregonian (http://is.gd/bK7d4E ) that he and two of his brothers were among a group of dozens of people occupying the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page asking for militia members to come help him. He said "this is not a time to stand down. It's a time to stand up and come to Harney County," where Burns is located. Below the video is this statement: "(asterisk)(asterisk)ALL PATRIOTS ITS TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED."-In an interview with reporters late Saturday night that was posted on Facebook, Bundy said he and others are occupying the building because "the people have been abused long enough.""I feel we are in a situation where if we do not do something, if we do not take a hard stand, we'll be in a position where we'll be no longer able to do so," he said.Bundy said the group planned to stay at the refuge indefinitely. "We're planning on staying here for years, absolutely," Ammon Bundy said. "This is not a decision we've made at the last minute."Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward told people to stay away from the building as authorities work to defuse the situation, the Oregonian reported."A collective effort from multiple agencies is currently working on a solution. For the time being please stay away from that area. More information will be provided as it becomes available. Please maintain a peaceful and united front and allow us to work through this situation," Ward said in a statement.An Idaho militia leader who helped organize the earlier march said he knew nothing about activities after a parade of militia members and local residents in Burns walked past the sheriff's office and the home of Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven.Ammon Bundy's father, Cliven Bundy, told Oregon Public Broadcasting on Saturday night that he had nothing to do with the takeover of the building.Bundy said his son felt obligated to intervene on behalf of the Hammonds."That's not exactly what I thought should happen, but I didn't know what to do," he said. "You know, if the Hammonds wouldn't stand, if the sheriff didn't stand, then, you know, the people had to do something. And I guess this is what they did decide to do. I wasn't in on that."His son Ammon told him they are committed to staying in the building, Cliven Bundy told Oregon Public Broadcasting."He told me that they were there for the long run. I guess they figured they're going to be there for whatever time it takes_and I don't know what that means," Cliven Bundy said. "I asked him, 'Well how long can ya, how long you going to stand out there?' He just told me it was for long term."Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland, told The Associated Press the agency was aware of the situation at the national wildlife refuge. She made no further comment.Some local residents feared the Saturday rally would involve more than speeches, flags and marching. But the only real additions to that list seemed to be songs, flowers and pennies.As marchers reached the courthouse, they tossed hundreds of pennies at the locked door. Their message: civilians were buying back their government. After the march passed, two girls swooped in to scavenge the pennies.A few blocks away, Hammond and his wife, Susan, greeted marchers, who planted flower bouquets in the snow. They sang some songs, Hammond said a few words, and the protesters marched back to their cars.Dwight Hammond has said he and his son plan to peacefully report to prison Jan. 4 as ordered by the judge.Dwight Hammond, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, said they lit the fires in 2001 and 2006 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires.The two were convicted of the arsons three years ago and served time — the father three months, the son one year. But a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.The decision has generated controversy in a remote part of the state.In particular, the Hammonds' new sentences touched a nerve with far right groups who repudiate federal authority.Ammon Bundy and a handful of militiamen from other states arrived last month in Burns, some 60 miles from the Hammond ranch.In an email to supporters, Ammon Bundy criticized the U.S. government for a failed legal process.___Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
Illinois considers allowing recall attempts of Chicago mayor-Associated Press By IVAN MORENO-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
CHICAGO (AP) — The furor over recent Chicago police shootings has legislators considering whether voters should be allowed to recall Mayor Rahm Emanuel or future officials who hold his post.Illinois state law currently addresses only the recall of a governor, a provision voters approved in 2010 after former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested and impeached. Now, state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, wants voters to also have the power to remove the mayor of the country's third-largest city.In light of the unrest in the city, Ford said, "It's clearly the right thing to have on the books."But what about mayors in other Illinois cities? What about state lawmakers? How does Illinois compare to other states when it comes to recalls? Here's a closer look at those questions and the particulars of Ford's measure.___ FORD'S RECALL PROPOSAL-Ford introduced his bill on Dec. 9, the day Emanuel addressed the Chicago City Council and apologized for the death of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager who was shot 16 times by a white police officer in October 2014. Emanuel's apology came a couple of weeks after the release of police dashcam video that appeared to show McDonald walking away from officers when he was shot. The video triggered protests and calls for Emanuel's resignation.Emanuel has said he won't step down."We understand there's a desire by some to insert politics into this discussion, but the mayor's focus is not on his own personal politics," Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins said in a statement. "His focus is on taking the action necessary to finally and fully address an issue that has challenged Chicago for decades, and reform the system and culture of policing in Chicago."Under Ford's proposal, two city aldermen would have to sign an affidavit agreeing with a recall petition and organizers must collect more than 88,000 signatures from registered voters in the city. At least 50 signatures must come from each of 50 wards.The proposal would pre-empt local law, so it needs approval from two-thirds of each chamber of the Illinois Legislature to pass during the session that starts this month. The bill would be effective immediately if signed into law, a scenario that can pose legal questions because it would target someone currently in office, said David Melton, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.___WHAT ABOUT OTHER OFFICEHOLDERS?-Ford said in the coming weeks he'll be holding town hall meetings in his district to get constituents' thoughts about the bill and whether it should be expanded to include recall provisions for other officeholders, including other mayors. He said he's willing to consider also including lawmakers but said he didn't do so initially because legislators don't wield the same authority as statewide officeholders or the Chicago mayor.Nineteen states and the District of Columbia allow recalls of state and local officials, according to Joshua Spivak, a recall expert at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College in New York City.Illinois is included in that count but is unique in that its constitution has guidelines for the recall of only the governor."There's no jurisdiction I know of that have just one guy (open to recall)," Spivak said.___HOW COMMON ARE RECALLS?-Despite the recall limits in Illinois law, municipalities can adopt their own ordinances. Still, it's a power that's been rarely used. Recall efforts are expensive and time-consuming endeavors.The last time one happened in Illinois was 2010 in Buffalo Grove, a suburb of Chicago. That's where voters recalled village trustee Lisa Stone.Jennifer Maltas, Buffalo Grove's deputy village manager, said it's believed to be the only recall ever held in the state, and Spivak couldn't find any other cases.Across the country in 2015, there were at least 434 attempts to recall local and state officeholders, according to Spivak's research. Of those, only 93 made it to a recall vote.Only two U.S. governors have ever been recalled — North Carolina's Lynn Frazier in 1921, and California's Gray Davis in 2003.In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall election in 2012, becoming the first governor in U.S. history to do so. The recall came after Walker moved to strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights.
Italy in shock over spate of childbirth deaths-AFP By Angus Mackinnon-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Rome (AFP) - Italian health authorities on Sunday ordered investigations after five women died in childbirth in seven days, shocking a nation with one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world.The deaths occurred across the country between December 25 and 31.While all appear to have explicable causes, their concentration over the holiday period has raised questions over whether hospital staffing may have been a factor and also over whether older mothers-to-be are being sufficiently monitored for warning signs of potentially fatal conditions.In the latest case, Giovanna Lazzari, 29, already a mother of two who was eight months pregnant, died on New Year's Eve in Brescia, northern Italy, a day after coming to an emergency unit with a high fever and symptoms of gastroenteritis, according to her partner Roberto Coppini.As her condition deteriorated, doctors attempted an emergency Cesarean but were unable to save either the mother or the foetus."In a few hours, I lost a baby and a unique mamma. Someone has to tell me what happened," Coppini told reporters."Giovanna sent me a text message during the night in which she told me she had very strong pains but that the doctors were not paying any attention to her."She would have been 30 on January 1. She was young and healthy."Ezio Belleri, the hospital's director general, said an initial review of Lazzari's treatment had not found any indication of errors."The doctors did everything that could be done," he said. "Up to now, nothing indicates that any errors were made."Belleri said the cause of death had been septic shock brought on by haemorrhaging that was likely the result of an unpredictably rapid spread of a very strong bacterial infection.Health minister Beatrice Lorenzin has dispatched experts to establish what happened in Brescia and three of the other four fatal cases. Their first report is due Monday."We have to understand if the recommended procedures were followed or if there were organisational deficiencies," Lorenzin said."The priority is identifying any errors and preventing other tragedies."In two of the other cases, both of which resulted in still births, the mothers, aged 35 and 39, suffered cardiac arrest during labour, according to reports.Anna Massignan, a 34-year-old doctor from Lonigo, near Vicenza who died on Christmas Day, succumbed after an emergency Cesarean eight months into her pregnancy, reportedly following a fall at home. Her son was delivered alive but died several hours later.The one case not being investigated concerned a 23-year-old from Foggia in southern Italy who was approaching her due date and died suddenly at home. Doctors were able to perform a post-mortem Cesarean and save her daughter.- 'Obsolete procedures' -A leading gynaecologist said some of the victims may have paid the price for inadequate screening for the risk of thrombosis or heart problems emerging during the latter stages of pregnancy."With preventative checks we could save so many women in the delivery room," said Rosalba Paesano, Professor of Gynaecological Science at Rome's La Sapienza university."But the health ministry does not say they are required, in reality because they cost too much. The procedures we have in place are obsolete," Paesano told La Repubblica.Consumer group Codacons said it would be filing requests on Monday for prosecutors to look into whether regional authorities and the health ministry had been negligent in their instructions to hospitals regarding screening measures and preventative treatment.Antonio Starita, medical director at Rome's San Camillo hospital, told La Stampa: "The one figure that stands out is that 35 percent of pregnancies in Italy involve women over 35 and, at this age, the maternal mortality risk doubles." Starita said blocks on new hires in parts of the health system could be creating staff shortages, particularly amongst midwives assigned to home visits who could pick up early warning signs of problems in a pregnancy. According to World Bank figures, Italy has had an average of four maternal deaths in pregnancy per 100,000 live births since 2004, one of the ten lowest mortality rates in the world.
Panama canal expansion to be complete 'around May': president-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Panama City (AFP) - Panama's expansion of its century-old canal, which has suffered costly overruns and major delays, is now to be complete "around the month of May," President Juan Carlos Varela said Saturday.The leader, speaking in an address to the nation, also urged the Spanish-led consortium behind the project to leave legal disputes to the "competent authorities" and focus on completing its work on the waterway.The appeal came after a Dispute Adjudication Board hearing a budget overrun row ordered the state's Panama Canal Authority to pay the consortium $17 million for extra labor costs and for a strike called by workers."With respect, I am calling on the contractors for the expansion project to hold dialogue with the Panama Canal Authority, to allow work to be completed, to leave legal disputes in the hands of the competent authorities and to avoid mediatized differences that in no way help the image of the contractors, the Canal Authority and the Republic of Panama," Varela said.The consortium, Grupo Unidos por el Canal de Panama, started the expansion work on the canal in 2007. The project is well behind schedule.The extensions were originally meant to have been completed in October 2014 but were then pushed back to an April 2016 deadline.Varela's announcement indicated that that may have slipped again, to May this year.The work on the century-old canal aims to triple its capacity.The cost of the work was projected at $5.3 billion, but that has been greatly exceeded.Varela also said it was "imperative" to start a study on developing a river basin to guarantee water supplies for human use and for the functioning of the canal.
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)
Mississippi crests in southern Illinois as downriver points brace for flooding-Reuters-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
(Reuters) - Residents of towns in far southern Illinois anxiously awaited flood waters from the swollen Mississippi River to peak on Sunday, with hundreds electing to remain in their homes, as states downstream prepared for the rising waters.The National Weather Service on Sunday canceled a flash flood watch for three southern Illinois counties, where record or near-record river levels had threatened to breach levees. Days of downpours totaling 10 inches or more in spots pushed the Mississippi and smaller rivers over their banks in several states. At least 31 people have died in Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and Arkansas, most of them after vehicles drove into flooded areas.Nine people have died in the Illinois flooding and a dozen counties have been declared disaster areas there, said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.Several hundred residents near breaches in a levee in hard-hit Alexander County in southern Illinois chose to stay put rather than leave their homes as a precaution, Thompson said.Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner planned to continue surveying flood-damaged communities on Sunday after touring several hard-hit areas the previous day.The Mississippi receded further from dangerous levels at St. Louis and farther south at Thebes, Illinois, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Sunday, the NWS said, while the Ohio River was cresting at Cairo, Illinois. The Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet at Cairo.Significant flooding was expected into mid-January along the Mississippi River at points downstream, from Tennessee to Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana."I hope it's going to slow down," said Kristy Morgan, an assistant manager of Little General Marathon Gas in Tiptonville, a small city in the northwest corner of Tennessee."All I know is they have been working around the clock doing sand-bagging," Morgan said of city and county personnel and emergency agencies in the area.The river is expected to crest at the moderate flood stage on Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the NWS. In Louisiana, where crests at some points along the river are not expected until mid-January, officials are checking levees daily.The river is expected to reach major flood stage at all of the measuring points from Arkansas City, Arkansas, to Natchez, Mississippi, the NWS said. Much of the area is covered by levees, though islands and camps inside the levees would be expected to flood, the NWS said.With the Mississippi River reaching high stages, feeder rivers could be expected to see some backup flooding, the NWS said.Exxon Mobil Corp said its 340,000 barrel-per-day refined products terminal in Memphis remained closed. On Friday the company decided to shut the terminal, just south of downtown, as floodwaters threatened to inundate it.(Reporting by David Bailey in Minneapolis, Erwin Seba in Houston and Tim Ghianni in Nashville; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Volcano in Nicaragua spews gas and lava-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Managua (AFP) - A volcano in Nicaragua that has been dormant for 110 years spewed gas and lava Sunday for the second time in a month.The volcano known as Momotombo in the west of the Central American country rumbled into activity before dawn, but then calmed down again, the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies said.No one living near the mountain was hurt, it said.Momotombo stands 1,297 meters (4,255 feet) high, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital Managua, separated by a large lake called Lago Xolotlan.On December 1 the volcano belched gas and ash and then lava that poured onto uninhabited areas on the slopes of the mountain.Then on Christmas Day the volcano was rattled by some 20 small earthquakes of up to 3.0 on the Richter scale, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).Its last big eruption dates back to 1905.In 1980, the volcano emitted lava, but there was no eruptive explosion. In 2006 it emitted gases only.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower: Livestream and Viewing Tips for First Meteor Shower of 2016-Mic By Ashley Edwards-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
2016 is off to a dazzling start: Stargazers will be able to watch Quadrantid meteor shower streak across the sky early Monday morning, at about 3 a.m. EST for those in the United States, according to NASA. According to the agency, the light show could be spectacular or a dud for U.S. watchers — it all depends on predictions. The peak of the shower will last about two hours, NASA said.What is the Quadrantid meteor shower? The Quadrantids, which were first observed around 1825, are named for constellation Quadrans Muralis, which no long exists, according to EarthSky. Astronomer Peter Jenniskens discovered that the Quadrantid's parent body may be asteroid 2003 EH1, but it is not entirely clear where the Quadrantids — which are located between the constellations Bootes the Herdsman and Draco the Dragon — originated. While most meteor showers have a peak of two days, the Quadrantids is much shorter — just a few hours, according to NASA. The Quadrantids are known for their bright, fireball meteors. At its peak, the shower will produce approximately 80 meteors per hour. How to watch: The Quadrantid meteor shower is best viewed in the North Hemisphere — if the forecast is correct, according to EarthSky. According to the International Meteor Association, the best viewing time will be 8 Universal Time (translate your time zone to Universal Time here). It's best to find an area well away from city or street lights to view the meteor shower, according to NASA. The agency suggests lying flat on your back with your feet facing northeast and to bundle up. If you don't want to brave the cold, fear not: Slooh.com will livestream the meteor show starting at 7 p.m. EST. If you miss the Quadrantid meteor shower, Comet Catalina is coming between Jan. 14 to 17. Happy gazing!
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL AND THE ENEMIES OF THE WEST
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA)(JORDAN) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
PSALMS 83:3-7 (COUNTRIES AGAINST ISRAEL)(EXCEPT JORDAN)
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
ISRAEL-WEST ENEMIES EZEK 38:4-6,15-19
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts,(RUSSIA-ARAB/MUSLIMS) thou, and many people with thee,(AFRICAN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
DANIEL 11:44 (CHINA WITH RUSSIA-MUSLIMS)
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-6 ISRAELS ENEMIES DESTROYED
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Saudi Arabia severs ties with Iran: minister-Reuters-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had severed ties with Iran over the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, in a worsening diplomatic crisis between the regional rivals following the kingdom's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric.Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference Iran's diplomatic mission and related entities in Saudi Arabia had been given 48 hours to leave. He said Riyadh would not allow the Islamic Republic to undermine the Sunni kingdom's security.Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early on Sunday and Shi'ite Muslim Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the kingdom's ruling Al Saudi family.Jubeir said the attack in Tehran was in line with what he said were earlier Iranian assaults on foreign embassies there and with Iranian policies of destabilizing the region by creating "terrorist cells" in Saudi Arabia."The kingdom, in light of these realities, announces the cutting of diplomatic relations with Iran and requests the departure of delegates of diplomatic missions of the embassy and consulate and offices related to it within 48 hours. The ambassador has been summoned to notify them," he said.(Reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh, Omar Fahmy in Cairo and Hadeel al-Sayegh in Dubai, Writing by William Maclean; editing by Richard Balmforth)
Iran president says Saudi embassy attack 'totally unjustifiable'-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Tehran (AFP) - Iran's president Sunday condemned the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric but also denounced attacks on the Sunni kingdom's embassy and consulate as "totally unjustifiable" after protesters stormed the compounds."The actions last night by a group of radicals in Tehran and Mashhad leading to damage at the Saudi embassy and consulate are totally unjustifiable, as the buildings should be legally and religiously protected in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Hassan Rouhani said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.At least 44 people were arrested late Saturday for storming the diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad after Saudi Arabia announced it had executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and 46 other men on "terrorism" charges.In Tehran protesters threw petrol bombs and stormed the embassy. The kingdom's consulate in Mashhad, Iran's second biggest city in the country's northeast, was also set on fire. But Rouhani criticised Saudi Arabia for killing Nimr."I have no doubt that the Saudi government has damaged its image, more than before, among the countries in the world -- in particular (among) Islamic countries -- by this un-Islamic act," he said in a statement.Yet, the people of Iran "will not allow rogue elements" to use the incident and "carry out illegal actions that damage the dignity of the Islamic republic establishment", he added."I call on the interior minister to identify the perpetrators of this attack with firm determination and introduce them to the judiciary... so that there will be an end to such appalling actions once and for all."Earlier on Sunday Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Saudi politicians would face "divine revenge" for their actions.
Scalia dismisses concept of religious neutrality in speech-Associated Press By REBECCA SANTANA-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Saturday the idea of religious neutrality is not grounded in the country's constitutional traditions and that God has been good to the U.S. exactly because Americans honor him.Scalia was speaking at a Catholic high school in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, Louisiana. Scalia, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 is the court's longest serving justice. He has consistently been one of the court's more conservative members.He told the audience at Archbishop Rummel High School that there is "no place" in the country's constitutional traditions for the idea that the state must be neutral between religion and its absence."To tell you the truth there is no place for that in our constitutional tradition. Where did that come from?" he said. "To be sure, you can't favor one denomination over another but can't favor religion over non-religion?"He also said there is "nothing wrong" with the idea of presidents and others invoking God in speeches. He said God has been good to America because Americans have honored him.Scalia said during the Sept. 11 attacks he was in Rome at a conference. The next morning, after a speech by President George W. Bush in which he invoked God and asked for his blessing, Scalia said many of the other judges approached him and said they wished their presidents or prime ministers would do the same."God has been very good to us. That we won the revolution was extraordinary. The Battle of Midway was extraordinary. I think one of the reasons God has been good to us is that we have done him honor. Unlike the other countries of the world that do not even invoke his name we do him honor. In presidential addresses, in Thanksgiving proclamations and in many other ways," Scalia said."There is nothing wrong with that and do not let anybody tell you that there is anything wrong with that," he added.Scalia's comments Saturday come as the court prepares to hear arguments later this year in a case that challenges part of President Barack Obama's health care law and whether it adequately shields faith-based hospitals, colleges and charities from having to offer contraceptive coverage to their employees. Scalia is often a lightning rod for controversy on the court.In December he came under fire for comments he made during an affirmative action case, questioning whether some black students would benefit from going to a "slower-track school" instead of Texas' flagship campus in Austin.__Follow Santana on Twitter @ruskygal.
As U.S. abortion case looms, both sides seek personal touch-Reuters By Joan Biskupic-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear its first abortion case in nearly a decade, both sides have been quietly gathering vivid personal accounts from women to supplement the dry legal arguments, believing the effort could appeal particularly to swing-vote Justice Anthony Kennedy.The case, which arises from a challenge to new Texas regulations covering clinics and physicians that perform abortions, could have broad political repercussions in a presidential election year. Depending how the nine justices rule, the court could embolden - or discourage - other states in imposing regulations affecting women's access to abortion.A ruling in the dispute over the socially and politically contentious issue of abortion rights is expected by late June.Some opponents of abortion are seizing on past comments by Kennedy, who has said that some women come to "regret" the procedure and, while affirming a right to abortion, has voted for certain regulations governing the procedure. Seeking to bolster the argument for Texas’s strict requirements, they are signing up women who say they suffered medical complications.The group of health clinics challenging the state, meanwhile, is trying to counter any perception of abortion as an option used only by the young and inexperienced.Taking a page from the successful approach of gay- marriage proponents, they have sought lawyers and other professional women who say abortions helped them for economic, medical or other reasons. They hope the vignettes from lawyers will help justices identify with their view.The diverging experiences will emerge in “friend of the court” briefs – the clinics’ set due on Jan. 4, the Texas state government's set on Feb. 3.The briefs, known as amicus curiae, are compiled to represent the broader outside interests at stake in a case, and are rarely so devoted to personal narratives. The disputed Texas law requires clinics that perform abortions to have hospital-grade facilities and clinic doctors to obtain admitting privileges at a local hospital.The clinics challenging the regulations as an unconstitutional burden on women say Texas is using costly, needless requirements to shut down facilities and restrict access to the procedure. Texas counters that it is safeguarding women’s health.The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), a New York-based non-profit group, is representing the clinics in the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole. Texas’s legal strategy is being coordinated in Austin by state Solicitor General Scott Keller, who worked as a law clerk to Kennedy in 2009-2010.Texas and CRR lawyers would not comment before filing deadlines on details of their respective briefs.-PERSONAL NARRATIVES-For months CRR lawyers have been reaching out for personal testimonies through emails and phone calls, according to women who have been contacted in Texas and elsewhere.Former Democratic Texas state senator Wendy Davis, who led a filibuster against the abortion legislation in 2013 and revealed her two abortions in a memoir a year later, said she was asked in August to join a brief of public officials. She agreed.Davis terminated two pregnancies in the 1990s for medical reasons. “Did I grieve tremendously? Yes, I did, in an indescribable way,” she said in an interview with Reuters. “But never did I regret it.”Heather Busby, director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas in Austin, provided her story for a brief to be filed on behalf of lawyers who had abortions. She said she often wonders whether she would have finished college and gone to law school if she had not ended an unwanted pregnancy at age 22, two decades ago.Among those preparing briefs to support Texas is lawyer Allan Parker of the San Antonio-based Justice Foundation, which runs an “Operation Outcry” website asking women to sign declarations labeled “How My Abortion Hurt Me.”Parker said many women will not be fully identified in the filing, such as a Cindy H., who lived in Texas and now resides in Washington state.She told Reuters her uterus was punctured during an abortion in the 1990s in a Texas clinic and she began hemorrhaging. “I thought I could have bled to death,” she said. Separately, Cindy Collins, an outspoken anti-abortion advocate in Louisiana, said she will be lending her full name to that brief about the harms of abortion.Disputes over abortion rights, like gay marriage, have come down to Kennedy, a 1988 appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan. Kennedy tipped the balance to the liberal side in gay marriage disputes in 2013 and 2015, notably in last June’s landmark ruling for a nationwide right to same-sex marriage.Over a series of decisions, Kennedy moved consistently toward greater protection for gay men and lesbians. On abortion rights, his record has not been as predictable. Based on their records, the current four conservatives are likely to favor the Texas law; the four liberals are likely to reject it.The last time the Supreme Court heard an abortion case, in 2007, Kennedy cited a friend of the court brief from women who said they regretted going through with the procedure.“ While we find no reliable data to measure the phenomenon,” Kennedy wrote, “it seems unexceptionable to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained.”(This story has been refiled to change to Davis from David a second reference to Wendy Davis)(Reporting By Joan Biskupic; editing by Stuart Grudgings.)
IS threatens Britain in new executions video-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Beirut (AFP) - The Islamic State group threatened Britain in an Internet video Sunday showing the killing of five "spies" it said worked with the international coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria.The SITE Intelligence Group said the video shows five men from Raqa, capital of the self-declared jihadist "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq, confessing to carrying out acts of espionage.The British foreign office issued a terse statement saying only: "We are aware of the video and are examining the content."In the footage, an English-speaking IS fighter mocks British Prime Minister David Cameron for challenging IS, and calls him an "imbecile".The "confessions" of the five do not clearly identify which countries they worked with, but one mentions the international coalition led by the United States battling against IS in Iraq and Syria.The video said they passed videos or photos of the living conditions in Raqa to people in Turkey, or monitored the movements of IS fighters.The five are seen wearing orange jumpsuits and kneeling before five masked fighters, all in military fatigues and armed with pistols."This is a message to David Cameron," says one of the gunmen, speaking in a British accent.British warplanes, which were already attacking IS positions in Iraq, at the beginning of December began targeting the jihadists in Syria also.The fighter says those who want to continue fighting "under the banner of Cameron" should ask themselves what would happen to them if they were to fall into IS hands.He also says IS will wage jihad against Britain, before the five men are killed with a bullet to the head.IS often releases propaganda videos when it suffers setbacks on the battlefield, experts say.In Iraq last Sunday, federal forces declared victory in the battle for Ramadi, which IS seized in May 2015.And on December 26, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters in northern Syria seized the strategic Tishreen Dam from IS which the jihadist group had held since 2014.
Trump shrugs off jihadist video that uses his Muslim ban remarks-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Washington (AFP) - After jihadists used his tough remarks about Muslims in a recruitment video, Donald Trump refused to back down, saying in remarks aired Sunday, "I have to say what I have to say."The Republican presidential hopeful made the comments on CBS's "Face the Nation" after a US monitoring group said that his call for a ban on Muslims entering the US had been used in a video by Somalia's extremist Shebab group.Trump's call for a total, if temporary, ban had drawn criticism around the globe, including from Hillary Clinton, the frontrunning Democratic candidate, who said his remarks were used by radicals in recruitment videos -- a suggestion Trump aides had sharply denied.In the new video, the Al Qaeda-affiliated Shebab uses an excerpt from Trump's December 7 speech -- made after an attack by a radicalized couple in California killed 14 people -- to encourage Western Muslims to wage jihad, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.After describing Trump's call for a ban, the video goes on to say, "The West will eventually turn against its Muslim citizens."Asked about it on CBS, the Republican frontrunner seemed to shrug his shoulders."What am I going to do?" Trump asked. "I have to say what I have to say. And you know what I have to say? There's a problem. We have to find out what is the problem. And we have to solve that problem."He said his stance had drawn wide support, and he pointed to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and said, specifically citing the case of Brussels, that many nations were "shutting down cities that had never had a problem before.""Maybe it's not politically correct," Trump said, but "there's a big problem out there."Trump's inflammatory remarks last month sparked global outrage.During a Democratic debate last month, Clinton accused Trump of being "ISIS's best recruiter," referring to the self-described Islamic State group, and said radical jihadists were "showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists."Trump accused her of lying, but Clinton's spokeswoman insisted that his remarks were "being used in social media by ISIS as propaganda."US media outlets were unable to find any footage to back up Clinton's initial claim.The Shebab, who were driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, are fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally backed government, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops.
India's Afghan consulate attacked after deadly air base siege-AFP By Farshad Usyan-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Explosions and gunfire rang out Sunday as militants attempted to storm the Indian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan's Mazar-i-Sharif city, following a deadly assault on an air base in India near the Pakistan border.The attacks threaten to derail Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold diplomatic outreach to arch-rival Pakistan following his first official visit to Afghanistan.No group has so far claimed responsibility for the raid on the consulate in the northern Afghan city, the latest in a series of assaults on Indian installations in the country."We are being attacked," an Indian consulate official told AFP by telephone from inside the heavily-guarded compound."Fighting is still going on."The official, who was hunkered down in a secure area within the complex, said all consulate employees were safe and accounted for.Loud grenade explosions and gunshots were heard as an unknown number of assailants mounted the attack from a building close to the consulate, prompting Afghan forces to cordon off the area."The area is completely blocked by our forces," said Shir Jan Durrani, a police spokesman in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the relatively tranquil province of Balkh."The attackers are holed up inside the building. We are cautiously conducting our clearance operation to avoid any civilian casualties."Vikas Swarup, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman, told AFP that no Indian casualties had been reported so far.The attack comes as Indian forces were again scrambled Sunday following a deadly assault by suspected Islamist insurgents on an air force base in the northern Indian state of Punjab.Seven soldiers and six attackers were confirmed killed in the raid on the Pathankot base, which triggered a 14-hour gun battle Saturday.Officials suspect the gunmen belong to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group that staged the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament which brought the two countries to the brink of war.The attack -- a rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir -- threatens to undermine the fragile peace process between the nuclear-armed rivals.- 'Proxy war' -The violence comes a week after Modi paid a surprise visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian premier in 11 years.The visit immediately followed a whirlwind tour of Kabul, where Modi inaugurated an Indian-built parliament complex and gifted three Russian-made helicopters to the Afghan government.India has been a key supporter of Kabul's post-Taliban government, and analysts have often pointed to the threat of a "proxy war" in Afghanistan between India and Pakistan.Pakistan -- the historic backers of the Taliban -- has long been accused of assisting the insurgents, especially with attacks on Indian targets in Afghanistan.The latest unrest comes amid a renewed international push to revive peace talks with the resurgent militant movement. Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to hold a first round of dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China on January 11 to lay out a comprehensive roadmap for peace.Pakistan, which wields considerable influence over the Taliban, hosted a milestone first round of talks in July but the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.The attack on the consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif marks the latest attack on an Indian target in Afghanistan.In 2008, a car bomb at the Indian embassy in Kabul killed 60 people and the embassy was again hit by a suicide strike in 2009.Nine civilians, including seven children, were killed in August 2013 when suicide bombers targeted the Indian consulate in the main eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.And in May 2014, gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on India's consulate in the main western Afghan city of Herat before being repelled by security forces.
Hackers block Russian minister's cyber account with Turkish symbols-Reuters-JAN 3,16-YAHOO NEWS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A social network account of Russia's communications minister was temporarily blocked on Sunday in a cyberattack carried out by hackers presenting themselves as a Turkish activist group and parading images of a warplane and Turkish flags.Russia's ties with Turkey suffered a severe blow when a Turkish fighter shot down a Russian bomber near the Turkish-Syrian border in November, a move described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a stab in the back".Minister Nikolai Nikiforov's Instagram account was blocked by "The Börteçine Cyber Team" hackers, according to screenshots of the account, published by Russian and Turkish media and featuring Turkish flags, a portrait of Turkey's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and a warplane.Instagram, where users post their pictures and videos, later restored Nikiforov's account and his profile photo, but the minister complained that the technical support team had not reacted to the incident for more than nine hours.Putin said he saw no way of improving ties with Turkey's leadership, while Moscow imposed economic sanctions on Ankara.Turkish media reports suggested in late December that Russian hackers could be behind recent cyberattacks on Turkish internet servers handling more than 300,000 websites.On Dec. 25, Turkish banks reported sporadic disruption to credit card transactions, with local media repeating suggestions that the bombardment of public and financial websites could be coming from Russia, or staged by hacking group Anonymous.(This story has been refiled to restyle headline)-(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Additional reporting by Nick Tattersall in Istanbul; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Militia members occupy US building in Oregon after protest-Associated Press-JAN 3,16-YAHOO NEWS
BURNS, Ore. (AP) — A peaceful protest Saturday in support of an eastern Oregon ranching family facing jail time for arson was followed shortly afterward by an occupation of a building at a national wildlife refuge.Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a standoff with the government over grazing rights, told The Oregonian (http://is.gd/bK7d4E ) that he and two of his brothers were among a group of dozens of people occupying the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page asking for militia members to come help him. He said "this is not a time to stand down. It's a time to stand up and come to Harney County," where Burns is located. Below the video is this statement: "(asterisk)(asterisk)ALL PATRIOTS ITS TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED."-In an interview with reporters late Saturday night that was posted on Facebook, Bundy said he and others are occupying the building because "the people have been abused long enough.""I feel we are in a situation where if we do not do something, if we do not take a hard stand, we'll be in a position where we'll be no longer able to do so," he said.Bundy said the group planned to stay at the refuge indefinitely. "We're planning on staying here for years, absolutely," Ammon Bundy said. "This is not a decision we've made at the last minute."Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward told people to stay away from the building as authorities work to defuse the situation, the Oregonian reported."A collective effort from multiple agencies is currently working on a solution. For the time being please stay away from that area. More information will be provided as it becomes available. Please maintain a peaceful and united front and allow us to work through this situation," Ward said in a statement.An Idaho militia leader who helped organize the earlier march said he knew nothing about activities after a parade of militia members and local residents in Burns walked past the sheriff's office and the home of Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven.Ammon Bundy's father, Cliven Bundy, told Oregon Public Broadcasting on Saturday night that he had nothing to do with the takeover of the building.Bundy said his son felt obligated to intervene on behalf of the Hammonds."That's not exactly what I thought should happen, but I didn't know what to do," he said. "You know, if the Hammonds wouldn't stand, if the sheriff didn't stand, then, you know, the people had to do something. And I guess this is what they did decide to do. I wasn't in on that."His son Ammon told him they are committed to staying in the building, Cliven Bundy told Oregon Public Broadcasting."He told me that they were there for the long run. I guess they figured they're going to be there for whatever time it takes_and I don't know what that means," Cliven Bundy said. "I asked him, 'Well how long can ya, how long you going to stand out there?' He just told me it was for long term."Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland, told The Associated Press the agency was aware of the situation at the national wildlife refuge. She made no further comment.Some local residents feared the Saturday rally would involve more than speeches, flags and marching. But the only real additions to that list seemed to be songs, flowers and pennies.As marchers reached the courthouse, they tossed hundreds of pennies at the locked door. Their message: civilians were buying back their government. After the march passed, two girls swooped in to scavenge the pennies.A few blocks away, Hammond and his wife, Susan, greeted marchers, who planted flower bouquets in the snow. They sang some songs, Hammond said a few words, and the protesters marched back to their cars.Dwight Hammond has said he and his son plan to peacefully report to prison Jan. 4 as ordered by the judge.Dwight Hammond, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, said they lit the fires in 2001 and 2006 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires.The two were convicted of the arsons three years ago and served time — the father three months, the son one year. But a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.The decision has generated controversy in a remote part of the state.In particular, the Hammonds' new sentences touched a nerve with far right groups who repudiate federal authority.Ammon Bundy and a handful of militiamen from other states arrived last month in Burns, some 60 miles from the Hammond ranch.In an email to supporters, Ammon Bundy criticized the U.S. government for a failed legal process.___Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
Illinois considers allowing recall attempts of Chicago mayor-Associated Press By IVAN MORENO-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
CHICAGO (AP) — The furor over recent Chicago police shootings has legislators considering whether voters should be allowed to recall Mayor Rahm Emanuel or future officials who hold his post.Illinois state law currently addresses only the recall of a governor, a provision voters approved in 2010 after former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested and impeached. Now, state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, wants voters to also have the power to remove the mayor of the country's third-largest city.In light of the unrest in the city, Ford said, "It's clearly the right thing to have on the books."But what about mayors in other Illinois cities? What about state lawmakers? How does Illinois compare to other states when it comes to recalls? Here's a closer look at those questions and the particulars of Ford's measure.___ FORD'S RECALL PROPOSAL-Ford introduced his bill on Dec. 9, the day Emanuel addressed the Chicago City Council and apologized for the death of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager who was shot 16 times by a white police officer in October 2014. Emanuel's apology came a couple of weeks after the release of police dashcam video that appeared to show McDonald walking away from officers when he was shot. The video triggered protests and calls for Emanuel's resignation.Emanuel has said he won't step down."We understand there's a desire by some to insert politics into this discussion, but the mayor's focus is not on his own personal politics," Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins said in a statement. "His focus is on taking the action necessary to finally and fully address an issue that has challenged Chicago for decades, and reform the system and culture of policing in Chicago."Under Ford's proposal, two city aldermen would have to sign an affidavit agreeing with a recall petition and organizers must collect more than 88,000 signatures from registered voters in the city. At least 50 signatures must come from each of 50 wards.The proposal would pre-empt local law, so it needs approval from two-thirds of each chamber of the Illinois Legislature to pass during the session that starts this month. The bill would be effective immediately if signed into law, a scenario that can pose legal questions because it would target someone currently in office, said David Melton, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.___WHAT ABOUT OTHER OFFICEHOLDERS?-Ford said in the coming weeks he'll be holding town hall meetings in his district to get constituents' thoughts about the bill and whether it should be expanded to include recall provisions for other officeholders, including other mayors. He said he's willing to consider also including lawmakers but said he didn't do so initially because legislators don't wield the same authority as statewide officeholders or the Chicago mayor.Nineteen states and the District of Columbia allow recalls of state and local officials, according to Joshua Spivak, a recall expert at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College in New York City.Illinois is included in that count but is unique in that its constitution has guidelines for the recall of only the governor."There's no jurisdiction I know of that have just one guy (open to recall)," Spivak said.___HOW COMMON ARE RECALLS?-Despite the recall limits in Illinois law, municipalities can adopt their own ordinances. Still, it's a power that's been rarely used. Recall efforts are expensive and time-consuming endeavors.The last time one happened in Illinois was 2010 in Buffalo Grove, a suburb of Chicago. That's where voters recalled village trustee Lisa Stone.Jennifer Maltas, Buffalo Grove's deputy village manager, said it's believed to be the only recall ever held in the state, and Spivak couldn't find any other cases.Across the country in 2015, there were at least 434 attempts to recall local and state officeholders, according to Spivak's research. Of those, only 93 made it to a recall vote.Only two U.S. governors have ever been recalled — North Carolina's Lynn Frazier in 1921, and California's Gray Davis in 2003.In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall election in 2012, becoming the first governor in U.S. history to do so. The recall came after Walker moved to strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights.
Italy in shock over spate of childbirth deaths-AFP By Angus Mackinnon-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Rome (AFP) - Italian health authorities on Sunday ordered investigations after five women died in childbirth in seven days, shocking a nation with one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world.The deaths occurred across the country between December 25 and 31.While all appear to have explicable causes, their concentration over the holiday period has raised questions over whether hospital staffing may have been a factor and also over whether older mothers-to-be are being sufficiently monitored for warning signs of potentially fatal conditions.In the latest case, Giovanna Lazzari, 29, already a mother of two who was eight months pregnant, died on New Year's Eve in Brescia, northern Italy, a day after coming to an emergency unit with a high fever and symptoms of gastroenteritis, according to her partner Roberto Coppini.As her condition deteriorated, doctors attempted an emergency Cesarean but were unable to save either the mother or the foetus."In a few hours, I lost a baby and a unique mamma. Someone has to tell me what happened," Coppini told reporters."Giovanna sent me a text message during the night in which she told me she had very strong pains but that the doctors were not paying any attention to her."She would have been 30 on January 1. She was young and healthy."Ezio Belleri, the hospital's director general, said an initial review of Lazzari's treatment had not found any indication of errors."The doctors did everything that could be done," he said. "Up to now, nothing indicates that any errors were made."Belleri said the cause of death had been septic shock brought on by haemorrhaging that was likely the result of an unpredictably rapid spread of a very strong bacterial infection.Health minister Beatrice Lorenzin has dispatched experts to establish what happened in Brescia and three of the other four fatal cases. Their first report is due Monday."We have to understand if the recommended procedures were followed or if there were organisational deficiencies," Lorenzin said."The priority is identifying any errors and preventing other tragedies."In two of the other cases, both of which resulted in still births, the mothers, aged 35 and 39, suffered cardiac arrest during labour, according to reports.Anna Massignan, a 34-year-old doctor from Lonigo, near Vicenza who died on Christmas Day, succumbed after an emergency Cesarean eight months into her pregnancy, reportedly following a fall at home. Her son was delivered alive but died several hours later.The one case not being investigated concerned a 23-year-old from Foggia in southern Italy who was approaching her due date and died suddenly at home. Doctors were able to perform a post-mortem Cesarean and save her daughter.- 'Obsolete procedures' -A leading gynaecologist said some of the victims may have paid the price for inadequate screening for the risk of thrombosis or heart problems emerging during the latter stages of pregnancy."With preventative checks we could save so many women in the delivery room," said Rosalba Paesano, Professor of Gynaecological Science at Rome's La Sapienza university."But the health ministry does not say they are required, in reality because they cost too much. The procedures we have in place are obsolete," Paesano told La Repubblica.Consumer group Codacons said it would be filing requests on Monday for prosecutors to look into whether regional authorities and the health ministry had been negligent in their instructions to hospitals regarding screening measures and preventative treatment.Antonio Starita, medical director at Rome's San Camillo hospital, told La Stampa: "The one figure that stands out is that 35 percent of pregnancies in Italy involve women over 35 and, at this age, the maternal mortality risk doubles." Starita said blocks on new hires in parts of the health system could be creating staff shortages, particularly amongst midwives assigned to home visits who could pick up early warning signs of problems in a pregnancy. According to World Bank figures, Italy has had an average of four maternal deaths in pregnancy per 100,000 live births since 2004, one of the ten lowest mortality rates in the world.
Panama canal expansion to be complete 'around May': president-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Panama City (AFP) - Panama's expansion of its century-old canal, which has suffered costly overruns and major delays, is now to be complete "around the month of May," President Juan Carlos Varela said Saturday.The leader, speaking in an address to the nation, also urged the Spanish-led consortium behind the project to leave legal disputes to the "competent authorities" and focus on completing its work on the waterway.The appeal came after a Dispute Adjudication Board hearing a budget overrun row ordered the state's Panama Canal Authority to pay the consortium $17 million for extra labor costs and for a strike called by workers."With respect, I am calling on the contractors for the expansion project to hold dialogue with the Panama Canal Authority, to allow work to be completed, to leave legal disputes in the hands of the competent authorities and to avoid mediatized differences that in no way help the image of the contractors, the Canal Authority and the Republic of Panama," Varela said.The consortium, Grupo Unidos por el Canal de Panama, started the expansion work on the canal in 2007. The project is well behind schedule.The extensions were originally meant to have been completed in October 2014 but were then pushed back to an April 2016 deadline.Varela's announcement indicated that that may have slipped again, to May this year.The work on the century-old canal aims to triple its capacity.The cost of the work was projected at $5.3 billion, but that has been greatly exceeded.Varela also said it was "imperative" to start a study on developing a river basin to guarantee water supplies for human use and for the functioning of the canal.
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)
Mississippi crests in southern Illinois as downriver points brace for flooding-Reuters-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
(Reuters) - Residents of towns in far southern Illinois anxiously awaited flood waters from the swollen Mississippi River to peak on Sunday, with hundreds electing to remain in their homes, as states downstream prepared for the rising waters.The National Weather Service on Sunday canceled a flash flood watch for three southern Illinois counties, where record or near-record river levels had threatened to breach levees. Days of downpours totaling 10 inches or more in spots pushed the Mississippi and smaller rivers over their banks in several states. At least 31 people have died in Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and Arkansas, most of them after vehicles drove into flooded areas.Nine people have died in the Illinois flooding and a dozen counties have been declared disaster areas there, said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.Several hundred residents near breaches in a levee in hard-hit Alexander County in southern Illinois chose to stay put rather than leave their homes as a precaution, Thompson said.Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner planned to continue surveying flood-damaged communities on Sunday after touring several hard-hit areas the previous day.The Mississippi receded further from dangerous levels at St. Louis and farther south at Thebes, Illinois, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Sunday, the NWS said, while the Ohio River was cresting at Cairo, Illinois. The Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet at Cairo.Significant flooding was expected into mid-January along the Mississippi River at points downstream, from Tennessee to Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana."I hope it's going to slow down," said Kristy Morgan, an assistant manager of Little General Marathon Gas in Tiptonville, a small city in the northwest corner of Tennessee."All I know is they have been working around the clock doing sand-bagging," Morgan said of city and county personnel and emergency agencies in the area.The river is expected to crest at the moderate flood stage on Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the NWS. In Louisiana, where crests at some points along the river are not expected until mid-January, officials are checking levees daily.The river is expected to reach major flood stage at all of the measuring points from Arkansas City, Arkansas, to Natchez, Mississippi, the NWS said. Much of the area is covered by levees, though islands and camps inside the levees would be expected to flood, the NWS said.With the Mississippi River reaching high stages, feeder rivers could be expected to see some backup flooding, the NWS said.Exxon Mobil Corp said its 340,000 barrel-per-day refined products terminal in Memphis remained closed. On Friday the company decided to shut the terminal, just south of downtown, as floodwaters threatened to inundate it.(Reporting by David Bailey in Minneapolis, Erwin Seba in Houston and Tim Ghianni in Nashville; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Volcano in Nicaragua spews gas and lava-AFP-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
Managua (AFP) - A volcano in Nicaragua that has been dormant for 110 years spewed gas and lava Sunday for the second time in a month.The volcano known as Momotombo in the west of the Central American country rumbled into activity before dawn, but then calmed down again, the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies said.No one living near the mountain was hurt, it said.Momotombo stands 1,297 meters (4,255 feet) high, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital Managua, separated by a large lake called Lago Xolotlan.On December 1 the volcano belched gas and ash and then lava that poured onto uninhabited areas on the slopes of the mountain.Then on Christmas Day the volcano was rattled by some 20 small earthquakes of up to 3.0 on the Richter scale, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).Its last big eruption dates back to 1905.In 1980, the volcano emitted lava, but there was no eruptive explosion. In 2006 it emitted gases only.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower: Livestream and Viewing Tips for First Meteor Shower of 2016-Mic By Ashley Edwards-JAN 3,16-YAHOONEWS
2016 is off to a dazzling start: Stargazers will be able to watch Quadrantid meteor shower streak across the sky early Monday morning, at about 3 a.m. EST for those in the United States, according to NASA. According to the agency, the light show could be spectacular or a dud for U.S. watchers — it all depends on predictions. The peak of the shower will last about two hours, NASA said.What is the Quadrantid meteor shower? The Quadrantids, which were first observed around 1825, are named for constellation Quadrans Muralis, which no long exists, according to EarthSky. Astronomer Peter Jenniskens discovered that the Quadrantid's parent body may be asteroid 2003 EH1, but it is not entirely clear where the Quadrantids — which are located between the constellations Bootes the Herdsman and Draco the Dragon — originated. While most meteor showers have a peak of two days, the Quadrantids is much shorter — just a few hours, according to NASA. The Quadrantids are known for their bright, fireball meteors. At its peak, the shower will produce approximately 80 meteors per hour. How to watch: The Quadrantid meteor shower is best viewed in the North Hemisphere — if the forecast is correct, according to EarthSky. According to the International Meteor Association, the best viewing time will be 8 Universal Time (translate your time zone to Universal Time here). It's best to find an area well away from city or street lights to view the meteor shower, according to NASA. The agency suggests lying flat on your back with your feet facing northeast and to bundle up. If you don't want to brave the cold, fear not: Slooh.com will livestream the meteor show starting at 7 p.m. EST. If you miss the Quadrantid meteor shower, Comet Catalina is coming between Jan. 14 to 17. Happy gazing!
