Wednesday, April 20, 2016

NDP DEFENDING CARBON TAX SCAM IN ALBERTA.

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)

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NDP defending carbon tax, high debt and increased borrowing in budget-[CBC]-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

A growing provincial debt and the carbon tax were the focus of sharp attacks by the Opposition in question period Monday, the first since the Alberta government introduced the 2016 budget last week.The budget shows the government plans to borrow billions to finance day-to-day operations and build infrastructure.The government will spend $51.1 billion in 2016, and expects to take in only $1.4 billion in resource royalties, a 90 per cent drop.All that borrowing means Alberta is expected to be $57.6 billion in debt by 2019. Wildrose finance critic Derek Fildebrandt questioned the government's decision to borrow that much money."Soon we'll be spending more than $2 billion a year on interest payments to the banks, instead of on schools, hospitals and roads that we need," he told the legislature. "This isn't just bad financial management, this is morally repugnant."Fildebrandt said the Wildrose warned Finance Minister Joe Ceci last fall that the government would soon exceed its self-imposed ceiling on the ratio of debt to nominal GDP.The 2016 budget forecasts a debt-to-GDP ratio of 15.5 per cent by 2019. Ceci introduced new legislation last week to remove the 15-per-cent limit.Ceci said the measure was necessary to get through a "once in a generation" decline in the economy and two years of recession. He said no one in government or the Opposition predicted in October how bad the situation would get.But Filderbrandt couldn't resist pointing out the quick reversal."He is going to break and repeal his very own debt ceiling law, just four months, 11 days, and 14 hours after he passed it."-Carbon tax effects debated-The budget also revealed details of the carbon tax, set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2017. The government has said 60 per cent of Albertans will receive a full rebate.Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said the government is underestimating the costs of the tax, which he estimates at $1,000 for each family.Earlier in the day, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said the Wildrose is overestimating the cost of the carbon tax to families, which she says will be about $500 on average.Jean said people who need trucks for their jobs or families that need larger vehicles to take their kids to activities such as hockey or ballet will hurt as well.Last week, Notley said people could switch to smaller vehicles to avoid paying more for gas. Although the premier was not in the legislature, Jean challenged her to change the SUV used by her security detail."Will she show leadership by changing herself from her own large Suburban to maybe a Smart Car?" Jean asked.The legislature will start considering the government's main estimates on Thursday. One day after the budget was released, bond rating agency DBRS downgraded Alberta's credit rating from triple-A to double-A.DBRS said the budget revealed a significant fiscal shortfall. The agency also pointed to the government's unwillingness to increase taxes or reduce spending as reasons for the downgrade.A number of economists say the government could solve its revenue problem by introducing a PST or HST. Notley and Ceci both say they will not go back on a campaign promise not to introduce a sales tax.

Study: Dinosaurs were declining long before asteroid hit-[The Canadian Press]-Malcolm Ritter, The Associated Press-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Dinosaurs were in decline long before an asteroid strike polished them off about 66 million years ago, a study says.It's the latest contribution to a long-running debate: Did the asteroid reverse the fortune of a thriving group of animals? Or were dinosaurs already struggling, and the disruptive effects of the asteroid pushed them over the edge to extinction? Or were the dinosaurs headed for oblivion anyway? While some have argued that dinosaurs began petering out some 5 million or 10 million years before their final doom, the new paper suggests it started happening much earlier, maybe 50 million years before the asteroid catastrophe.In terms of species, "they were going extinct faster than they could replace themselves," said paleontologist Manabu Sakamoto of the University of Reading in England.He led a team of British scientists who analyzed three large dinosaur family trees, looking for evidence of when extinctions began to outnumber the appearances of new species.They found that starting to happen about 50 million years before the asteroid for most groups of dinosaurs. Two other groups showed increases rather than declines; if their results are included, the overall time for the start of dinosaur decline shrinks to 24 million years before the final demise.Declining groups include two-legged carnivores like T. rex and the immense, long-necked, four-legged plant eaters known as sauropods. In contrast, another familiar dinosaur, triceratops, belonged to a group that was on the rise.The results appear in a paper released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Sakamoto said it's not clear what caused the long-term declines.The results support the idea that the asteroid strike pushed a struggling group into extinction, rather than the idea that dinosaurs were doomed anyway, he said. He also noted that one group in decline still lives on in its descendants, today's birds.The killer asteroid is thought to have struck the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, creating widespread wildfires and lingering smoke that blocked sunlight, and changing climate.Mark Norell, chair of the paleontology division at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, called Sakamoto's analysis "the best you can do" given the lack of available fossils from that time.Most data came from North America with some from Asia and western Europe he said, and the conclusion would be firmer if fossils could be included from a wider geographical distribution.David Fastovsky, chair of the geosciences department at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, said placing the seeds of the decline so early in time is striking and unexpected. Paleontologists will no doubt examine the study "quite closely," he said.___Online:University of Reading video: https://youtu.be/7X2dz1es-Gw-Journal: http://www.pnas.org-___Follow Malcolm Ritter at http://twitter.com/malcolmritter His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/malcolm-ritter

A replica of Palmyra's Arch of Triumph in Syria has been erected in London-by Ben Pulsford -Tuesday, 19 April 2016-http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36070721

A 20ft-high replica of Palmyra's Arch of Triumph in Syria has been put up in Trafalgar Square in central London.The original arch was destroyed by the Islamic State group (IS) last year and the replica has been crafted using the latest 3D printing and carving technologies by the Institute for Digital Archaeology. It is made out of Egyptian marble.The original arch was two millenia old and was built by the Romans. The replica, which cost £100,000 to make, will be taken around the world, following four days in London. It will be taken to New York, then Dubai before ending up in Syria.

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)

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

Houston recovering from yet another deadly flood-[The Canadian Press]-Michael Graczyk And Nomaan Merchant, The Associated Press-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

HOUSTON - As more than a foot of rain deluged the nation's fourth-largest city, inundating homes, shutting down major highways and leaving at least five people dead, Houston's mayor said there was no immediate solution.Heavy flooding has become nearly an annual rite of passage in the practically sea-level city, where experts have long warned of the potential for catastrophe."I regret anyone whose home is flooded again," said Sylvester Turner, the city's mayor, on Monday. "There's nothing I can say that's going to ease your frustration. We certainly can't control the weather.""A lot of rain coming in a very short period of time, there's nothing you can do," he added.Flash flooding and more rain are possible Tuesday, a day after some areas saw water levels approaching 20 inches. Scores of subdivisions flooded, schools were closed, and power was knocked out to thousands of residents who were urged to shelter in place.In addition to its location, Houston's "gumbo" soft soil, fast-growing population and building boom that has turned empty pastures into housing developments all over the city's suburbs and exurbs make it vulnerable to high waters, experts say.Harris County, where Houston and many of its suburbs are located, has seen a 30 per cent jump in population since 2000. Its surrounding counties have almost grown more than 10 per cent since 2000, according to the Greater Houston Partnership, a business group.Some of the resulting developments include adequate greenspace for water runoff, but not all of them do, said Philip Bedient, an engineering professor at Rice University."Could we have engineered our way out of this?" Bedient said. "Only if we started talking about alterations 35 or 40 years ago."Samuel Brody, director of the Environmental Planning & Sustainability Research Unit at Texas A&M University, last year called Houston "the No. 1 city in America to be injured and die in a flood."Rainstorms last year over Memorial Day weekend caused major flooding that required authorities to rescue 20 people, most of them drivers, from high water. Drivers abandoned at least 2,500 vehicles, and more than 1,000 homes were damaged in the rain.The year before, flash flooding in Houston and suburban counties left cars trapped on major highways.Those storms still pale in comparison to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Allison left behind $5 billion in damages and flooded parts of downtown and the Texas Medical Center, which sits near the Brays Bayou, a key watershed.Bedient has worked with the Texas Medical Center on better preparing its facilities for massive rainfall, including the use of a sophisticated weather alert system that gives the medical centre extra time to activate gates and doors that block excess rainwater.Improving the monitoring of specific watersheds and flood-prone areas might give affected residents the extra bit of time they need to save lives and take protective measures."We can't solve this flood problem in Houston," Bedient said. "All we can do is a better job warning."___Merchant reported from Dallas.

I couldn't believe my eyes': Road washout turns teen hangout-[CBC]-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

A major road washout on the Port au Port Peninsula became a playground Sunday afternoon, sparking concerns from the public.Washout on Port au Port Peninsula could take 2 weeks to fix-After heavy rains last week, a section of Route 463 near Victor's Brook foundered, leaving a major gap in the road and a three-four meter dropoff.The road was closed to passing traffic, leaving many students and commuters travelling an extra 107 kilometres to get around the peninsula. Lourdes Mayor Henry Gaudon went to check on the quiet construction at the site Sunday afternoon, and was shocked by what he saw."I couldn't believe my eyes," Gaudon told CBC News. "I saw seven or eight young teenagers sitting on the edge of the washout. One of them was jumping from the edge of the washout down on to chunks of broken pavement."Gaudon is questioning why the site of the washout wasn't protected.Picture posted online"I was really mortified that there was no security on site because there were these huge culverts there," he said."There were two huge pieces of equipment, and of course, the danger of the washout itself."The Department of Transportation did have staff on site prior to the weekend.Gaudon said it's lucky no one was hurt, and posted the picture of the teens online to warn others to stay away.Contractors Mike Kelly and Sons were on site Monday, replacing the collapsed culvert.Crews are hauling fill from a nearby quarry site and dumping it on Route 463. The road is expected to be repaired by mid-week.

Reporter saves man from sinking car before going live for newscast-[Good News]-David Ingram-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

One reporter covering breaking news went above and beyond his duty after saving a man who drove his car straight into deep floodwater.Local news reporter Steve Campion was recently covering the current flood crisis facing the people of Houston, Texas. The area has experienced unprecedented levels of rain, over a foot of precipitation already, and has seen major flash flooding across several areas.Campion was preparing to go live for a newscast near an overpass when suddenly a car drove straight into a deep area of water, reports The Daily Mail.“Dude, you got to get out of the car!,” Campion yells to the driver. “You’ve got to get out!”The man looks clearly flustered and asks repeatedly what he should do, with Campion again instructing him to leave his car and swim to higher ground.The reporter eventually meets the man halfway in the waist deep floodwater as he swims from his car, which soon becomes fully submerged mere moments after he left the vehicle. It would appear the driver of the car was unaware that the water was as deep as it was. The man at one point even seems to want to go back and somehow try and retrieve his vehicle, but is instructed by Campion that he needs to let it go. The clip ends with the reporter doing an unexpected interview with the driver of the flooded car, who figured the pool water was only a puddle and nothing more.Luckily, the quick thinking Campion was there to lend some help while still staying cool under pressure.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Wildfires force evacuations, state of emergency near Fort St. John, B.C.[The Canadian Press]-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. - A state of emergency has been declared in northern British Columbia, where a number of wildfires have burned buildings, forced residents from their homes and closed roads.A notice posted on The Peace River Regional District says a large area, including Fort St. John and the District of Taylor, has been placed under a state of emergency because there is danger to people and property in the area.Const. Josh Swanback of the Fort St. John RCMP said a number of homes in the area have been evacuated because of three large fires.One fire is burning near Baldonell, one near Charlie Lake on Highway 29, and one further north of Fort St. John on the Alaska Highway, he said.Swanback could not say how many people in total had been evacuated, but added that there are a number of other fires that are also burning that have not yet forced any evacuations.A post on the City of Fort St. John Facebook page says three structures have been lost to the fires.DriveBC reports Highway 29 has been closed in both directions from Bear Flats to Halfway River Bridge because of a blaze.Fire fighters are prioritizing the fires and more crews are on the way to help, said Fire Information Officer Amanda Reynolds.Warm, windy weather has fanned the flames, causing the wildfires to spread, Swanback said.

Aftershocks rattle Japan as deaths from quakes rise to 45-[The Canadian Press]-Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

MINAMIASO, Japan - Japan's southern quake-hit area was rattled by a strong aftershock Tuesday and searchers found a woman's body buried under landslide rubble, raising the death toll from the twin earthquakes to 45.More than 100,000 evacuees, some sleeping in their cars and others in gymnasiums or community centres, were bracing for another chilly night. Many people are afraid to stay in their homes as aftershocks continued to shake the area on the southern island of Kyushu, including a 5.5-magnitude temblor Tuesday afternoon.Authorities were advising people staying in cars and shelters to move about to avoid developing deep-vein thrombosis, or blood clots that develop after being immobile for a long time. Japanese media reported that a 51-year-old woman from Kumamoto had died Monday from the condition.At least 23 people have developed symptoms, Kyodo News service said. Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital said Tuesday it had diagnosed 10 cases, including two people in critical condition.The area around Kumamoto was hit by two quakes within 28 hours of each other late Thursday and early Saturday, triggering landslides that have blocked roads. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said nearly 1,200 houses had been destroyed.Nine people died in the first, magnitude 6.4 earthquake, and at least 36 died in the second one, which registered 7.3. About 1,100 have been injured.The hardest-hit towns are Mashiki, where 20 residents died, and Minamiaso, a remote mountain area where 11 died and the death toll is creeping up as soldiers and emergency workers use backhoes and shovels to search for missing people.Temperatures around Kumamoto city are forecast to fall to 8 degrees Celsius (46 F) overnight.The earthquake damage and loss of power and water is reverberating beyond Kyushu as Toyoto Motor Corp. and other manufacturers have suspended production.Several soldiers carried a woman's body down on a plastic tray covered with an olive-green tarp Tuesday morning as dozens of workers dug through where a mudslide slammed into buildings in Saturday's quake.Food shortages and cuts to water service are plaguing the relief effort.American military airlifts are helping to deliver water, bread, ready-to-eat food and other emergency supplies to remote areas. The U.S. has about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan, and the American military played a large role in rescue and relief in 2011 after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern coast of the main island of Honshu.Limited flights resumed to Kumamoto Airport on Tuesday, but outbound passenger flights remain almost entirely suspended because of severe damage to the terminal building.___Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo contributed to this report.___This story corrects the magnitude of the second earthquake to 7.3 instead of 7.1.

DISEASES

REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

Still many questions about Zika's threat to pregnant women-[The Canadian Press]-Lauran Neergaard, The Associated Press-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

WASHINGTON - Zika may stand convicted of causing devastating birth defects but there still are lots of questions about how much of a threat the virus poses to pregnant women, and what to do about it.Part of the answer has to do with geography: So far, mosquitoes aren't spreading Zika in the mainland U.S. That means for now, the main advice for pregnant women here is to avoid travel to Zika-affected parts of Latin America or the Caribbean. But that could change as mosquito season gets into full swing at home."It would not be surprising at all, if not likely, that we're going to see of a bit" of local Zika transmission, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told Fox News Sunday.Here are some questions and answers about what experts know, and need to learn, as the first mosquito-borne virus known to cause birth defects inches closer to the U.S.Q: Just what birth defects can Zika cause? A: Zika had been considered a nuisance virus until a massive outbreak began last year in Brazil and doctors there reported babies being born with unusually small heads, called microcephaly. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Zika was indeed the culprit — and that it caused a particularly severe form of microcephaly, with serious underlying brain damage, as well as other brain-related abnormalities.Studies increasingly show Zika gets into a fetus' developing brain and kills cells, or stops them from growing further, and even can kill the fetus. But even if the brain seemed to be developing normally, still other studies have found stillbirths, poor fetal growth and other problems.Q: If a mother-to-be becomes infected, how likely is her baby to be harmed? A: No one knows yet. One modeling study of an outbreak in French Polynesia suggested 1 per cent of babies born to women infected during the first trimester alone would have microcephaly. In another study, ultrasound exams spotted some sort of abnormality, not just microcephaly, in nearly 30 per cent of women who had Zika during pregnancy. Studies better designed to answer that question are under way now.Q: Does it matter when during pregnancy the mother is infected? A: Specialists think the first trimester is especially vulnerable, because that's when organs develop. But the brain continues to grow throughout pregnancy and some studies have found signs of trouble even if infection occurred much later. Q: Can the fetus be harmed even if the mother didn't know she was infected? A: Again, that's not clear. Most adults report either mild or no symptoms from Zika, but it could just be that they didn't notice.Q: Then how would pregnant women know if they'd been infected? A: Any who did travel to Zika-affected areas should tell their doctors, who can order the appropriate testing to help determine their risk. There is no treatment for Zika, but those who were infected may need ultrasound exams to check how the fetus is developing.Q: Are mosquitoes the only risk? A: They're the main way Zika spreads, and the reason for CDC's advice for women who are pregnant or attempting conception not to travel to Zika-affected areas. But the virus can be spread through sexual intercourse, too, as it lasts longer in semen than in blood. So if a man is exposed while his partner is pregnant, the CDC advises abstaining or using condoms until the baby is born.Q: Is there any risk to future pregnancies if a non-pregnant woman is infected? A: The CDC says women who travelled to a Zika-affected area or who became infected should wait eight weeks before attempting conception. She may be advised to wait longer if the father-to-be also was exposed or infected.Q: How could Zika begin spreading in the mainland U.S.? A: All it takes is the right kind of mosquito biting a returning traveller who's infected, and then biting someone else nearby. That's why CDC wants all returning travellers to take steps to avoid mosquito bites for three weeks after they return home — by using insect repellent, covering up, or staying indoors.Q: Do officials expect widespread outbreaks in the U.S.? A: No, but they do expect local clusters of cases — just like has happened in previous years with a Zika relative named dengue fever that's spread by the same mosquito, a species named Aedes aegypti. It's not just a threat in the South but reaching into parts of the Midwest and Northeast.Q: When will we see a vaccine? A: Not for a while. NIH's Fauci hopes to begin small safety steps of a candidate by September but that wouldn't make any dent in the Latin American outbreak.Q: Are there risks beyond to a developing fetus? A: Zika also has been linked to a nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome that can be triggered by various infections, and there have been occasional reports of other neurological problems. Researchers need to explore those further.

B.C. Appeal Court rules against pro-life student club in failed charter argument-[The Canadian Press]-Tamsyn Burgmann, The Canadian Press-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

VANCOUVER - A free-speech battle by opponents of abortion at the University of Victoria has been shut down by British Columbia's highest court, a decision that civil liberties advocates say is troubling.In a unanimous ruling, the B.C. Court of Appeal rejected arguments by a pro-life student club claiming the university must consider freedom of expression when restricting use of common space on campus.The court found the charter did not apply, but the B.C. Civil Liberties Association said the judgment did not consider broader implications."It so happens the group that was told it wasn't allowed to speak and to express political opinions on campus was a pro-life group, but it could have been anyone," said the association's executive director Josh Paterson."We don't think it's right that universities should not have to consider students' free expression and freedom of assembly in making those kinds of decisions."The group, called Youth Protecting Youth, was approved for a demonstration by the university in January 2013. But an official revoked the permit after learning the student society had sanctioned the group for allegedly harassing students.The group held the demonstration anyway, in a protest they called a "choice chain."The university responded by suspending the club's outdoor space booking privileges for one year and warned members that any future disregard of its directions could result in discipline.Youth Protecting Youth responded by launching a legal challenge, with its president and the civil liberties association arguing the university's response infringed on the group's charter rights.A panel of three B.C. Appeal Court judges disagreed.They sided with a lower-court ruling that examined the university's scope as a private organization, saying that "when the university books space for non-academic extra-curricular use, it is not implementing a specific government policy or program."However, Paterson said the civil liberties association believes universities making such decisions must take people's charter rights into consideration."These types of decisions, we say, should not be charter-free zones," Paterson said."We are ... troubled by it and we're going to be looking at it to see what should happen," he said of the decision.Representatives for Youth Protecting Youth did not respond to request for comment.A university spokesman declined comment, saying the decision is being reviewed.The case remains open for appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.— Follow @TamsynBurgmann on Twitter

Minister gets earful on visit to Attawapiskat; commits to new youth centre-[The Canadian Press]-Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

ATTAWAPISKAT, Ont. - A young man in the troubled First Nation of Attawapiskat asked the federal indigenous affairs minister on Monday why his community was living in Third World conditions while Canada is greeting refugees with open arms.Robert Sutherland was among several youths to express frustration to Carolyn Bennett over the lack of basic supports so desperately needed by those in his James Bay community."Tell me why we First Nations we live in Third World conditions," he said during a meeting with Bennett and other officials."Why is it so easy for the government to welcome refugees and offer them first-class citizenship in our country? When will Canada wake up and open its eyes to First Nations communities?"Attawapiskat has been rocked for weeks by numerous attempts by young people to kill themselves.The public youth council session followed a private two-hour meeting with Bennett, activist New Democrat MP Charlie Angus and Attawapiskat Chief Bruce Shisheesh, who also made his frustration plain.Bennett was able to commit to a new, properly equipped youth centre as well as some programming for young people, a key demand in the isolated northern Ontario reserve.In addition, a youth delegation from across the region will be invited to Ottawa.Angus called it an important beginning in ending what he called this "cycle of despair.""I'm pleased we have something deliverable for the young people," Angus said."Is this enough given the extent of the crisis that has faced Attawapiskat? No, it's not enough yet, but we have to start with this first step."Speaking briefly after her meeting with the chief, Bennett noted larger issues such as the acute shortage of housing, the desire for a healing lodge as well as the ongoing concerns of the youth.All levels of government and departments need to work together to "provide hope and a plan," she said."The chief is very clear: we need to work no longer Band-Aid and piecemeal."Shisheesh said he's happy with what had been achieved."The meeting was good and we're getting somewhere," he said.But how quickly anything will change remains to be seen. The youth centre, for example, did not carry an immediate dollar figure.In the interim, the youth of Attawapiskat say they're tired of waiting for an acknowledgement of their struggles.A huge part of the problem, they say — some of them tearfully — is that young people have lost a sense of who they are."If we can restore the self-identity to our youth, it gives them something to stand on, it gives them something that's theirs, it gives them something good to live for," Sutherland said."We don't ask for much."

Inuit population also plagued by suicide crisis: leader-[The Canadian Press]-Kristy Kirkup, The Canadian Press-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

OTTAWA - The leader of the country's national Inuit organization says his people are also dealing with devastating rates of suicide.The "heartbreaking" suicide crisis in the First Nation community of Attawapiskat has become a touchstone moment for how mental health issues affect Aboriginal Peoples, Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said Monday.Obed watched the House of Commons emergency debate on the issue last week — a discussion he was pleased to see."I am thankful for the leadership of (NDP indigenous affairs critic) Charlie Angus in bringing the issue forward," Obed said in an interview with The Canadian Press."I was sympathetic to a lot of members of Parliament who shared stories and it was obvious that a number of parliamentarians are passionate about this issue and really want to see positive change, for not only Attawapiskat, but all indigenous communities in Canada, including Inuit."Obed fears, however, that Canada is still stuck treating indigenous suicide in a very different way than other public health crises."We could have a much more informed debate and a much more sophisticated debate and not leave it up to communities to come up with answers to the entire problem," he said.Obed noted there are more than 1,000 attempted suicide calls each year in Nunavut, a territory of just over 30,000 people.The suicide rate for Inuit is 11 times higher than the national average and the majority of deaths by suicide are people under 30, according to Statistics Canada.ITK is also working on identifying more specific suicide figures by working with coroners in the four main jurisdictions where Inuit live — Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec), Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador) and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories.Obed said he hopes the government will move forward on a plan designed specifically to help Inuit people."It is going to take a lot of money and a very fundamentally different way in which we treat this particular issue," Obed said."When I talk to anyone who has power, anyone who has influence in the area of suicide, it is as if we are taking all the things that actually matter, the societal change issues, off the table and to say 'OK, what can we do to reduce Inuit suicide?'"I'm supposed to answer that question and our communities are supposed to come up with a solid answer to the question without (government) doing the things everyone in the world knows that you would do to transform a high-suicide rate society into a low-suicide rate one with the infrastructure ... the environment in which our children are raised. So then we get into the question of 'What are people willing to do instead of what needs to be done'?"Obed also said he is worried about some of the things the Liberal government has said in the federal budget about the funding it is providing to Aboriginal Peoples."There's a lot of statements that this government has made that, I think, are quite frankly irresponsible," he said."They keep talking as if the clean water funds and the education funds are indigenous funding when really they are First Nations, on-reserve funding."Obed said the government has acted to address some long-standing issues, which he applauds as a Canadian, but he does not see the investments as "transformative" from his perspective as an Inuit leader."Inuit get caught up in this all the time where something can be announced and it has nothing to do with our reality because we are not on reserves and our funding relationships are so different," Obed said."I am disappointed that everything seems to be politicized to the point where it is preying upon peoples' ignorance of the complex realities of funding between the federal government and indigenous peoples."—Follow @kkirkup on Twitter

Air pollution activists cover landmark London statues with masks-[Agence France-Presse]-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

London (AFP) - British environmental activists put face masks on famous statues across London on Monday including the one of Horatio Nelson on Trafalgar Square to draw attention to the problem of air pollution.Two Greenpeace campaigners scaled the 52-metre (171-foot) high Nelson's Column in the early hours of Monday to put a mask on the famous naval commander.Masks were put on 17 statues, including Queen Victoria near Buckingham Palace, Eros at Piccadilly Circus and Winston Churchill outside parliament.London's Metropolitan Police said that eight people had been arrested -- two on Trafalgar Square, four on Parliament Square and two on Hyde Park Corner.A parliament spokeswoman confirmed there had been "a minor security incident on the parliamentary estate" which was being dealt with by the police.Greenpeace said it aimed to highlight the health risks caused by the city's poor air quality."Monitoring shows that, if these statues were real people, many of them would often be breathing dangerous, illegal air," campaigner Areeba Hamid said."That's why we've given them face masks. Of course many millions of Londoners, including kids, are breathing that same air," he said.London has some of the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide in Europe and Britain has been ordered to reduce pollution by the European Commission.Nearly 10,000 Londoners die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution, according to calculations by King's College London.On May 5, the city goes to the polls on May 5 to elect a new mayor to replace Boris Johnson and both the main candidates -- Labour's Sadiq Kahn and Conservative Zac Goldsmith -- have promised environmental action."Kitting everyone out with face masks is not the solution. Instead we need to see real political action from the new mayor," Hamid said.The current proposal for an ultra low emission zone, which comes into force in 2020, offers protection to residents and commuters only in central London.Greenpeace has asked for the area to be expanded.

The Latest: Migrants clash with police at Greek camp-[The Canadian Press]-The Associated Press-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BERLIN - The Latest on European efforts to deal with the influx of migrants (all times local):4:55 p.m.Migrants living in an unofficial camp on Greece's northern border with Macedonia have briefly clashed with police after a camp resident was injured, allegedly by a police van.Greek riot police dispersed dozens of protesting migrants who had earlier attacked the vehicle with stones at the Idomeni camp of around 10,000 people. No injuries or arrests were reported.Greek authorities say a Syrian refugee was taken to a hospital Monday with injuries, but their extent and precise causes were unclear. Migrants on the scene said he was hit by the van.Despite appeals from authorities to move to organized shelters, thousands of refugees and migrants have been camped for weeks at Idomeni. They hope that Macedonia will reopen its border and allow them to travel north towards Europe's prosperous heartland.___3:50 p.m.The European Union's border agency says the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Italy more than doubled last month.Frontex said in a statement on Monday that almost 9,600 migrants attempted the crossing, one of the most perilous sea voyages for people seeking sanctuary or jobs in Europe.The figure is more than four times the 2,283 people who set out in March 2015.Frontex said most of those attempting the trip were from sub-Saharan Africa and there is little evidence that migrants from the Middle East or Asia are changing routes.The agency says the number of entries into Greece from Turkey slowed significantly in March from February, but at 26,460 people remains three times the number from a year ago___11:30 a.m.A German Muslim leader drew a parallel between a nationalist party and the Nazis on Monday after a prominent party member said that Islam is incompatible with Germany's constitution.Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has seen its support swell on opposition to the migrant influx to Europe. It also has talked tough about Islam, which deputy leader Beatrix von Storch described in a weekend newspaper interview as "a political ideology that is incompatible with the constitution." She advocated a ban on minarets, muezzins and full veils.Von Storch's comments came ahead of a congress April 30 at which the three-year-old AfD plans to debate and approve an official party program.

CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)

REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

South Korea says North is preparing for 5th nuclear test-[thecanadianpress.com]-thecanadianpress.com-April 18, 2016-YAHOONEWS

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea's president said Monday that there are signs that North Korea is preparing for a fifth nuclear bomb test amid reports of increased activity at the country's main nuclear test site.In a regular meeting with her top adviser, President Park Geun-hye said that North Korea could carry out such a test to try to bolster morale as the country deals with tough international sanctions imposed after it conducted a fourth nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch earlier this year.Park didn't elaborate on what signs pointed to another nuclear test, but ordered the military to be ready to deal with any provocation by Pyongyang, according to media pool reports on the first part of the meeting posted on the website of her office.Speculation about a fifth nuclear test increased last month when the North's state media cited leader Kim Jong Un as ordering a test of a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying warheads.Kim's order came amid rising animosity with South Korea and the United States over their annual military drills that North Korea describes as an invasion rehearsal. The drills are set to run until next week.Analysts say an atomic test could happen before North Korea holds a landmark ruling Workers' Party congress in early May so that Kim can burnish his image as a powerful leader at home and further cement his grip on power.South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Monday that South Korean and U.S. authorities detected two to three times more vehicle and personnel activities than normal this month at the North's northeast Punggye-ri nuclear test site — where all previous four bomb tests took place.A U.S. website that monitors sensitive sites in North Korea said Friday that it saw further signs from satellite imagery that the North was looking to produce more plutonium for nuclear weapons at its main Nyongbyon nuclear complex, north of Pyongyang.Earlier last week, the website 38 North said recent satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri area showed little evidence that Pyongyang was planning a nuclear test, though it added that the country may be able to carry out a test on short notice.Foreign experts said that a fifth test could put North Korean scientists and engineers a step closer toward a goal of manufacturing a warhead small enough to place on a long-range missile that could reach the U.S. mainland.South Korean defence officials say North Korea currently does not have a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, although it has made strides in its weapons development programs in recent years.Last Friday, a North Korean missile launch meant to celebrate the birthday of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder and Kim Jong Un's late grandfather, ended in failure, according to U.S. officials. South Korean media reports said the failed missile was a new, powerful mid-range missile that could theoretically place U.S. military bases in Asia within reach.__Follow Hyung-jin Kim on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hyungjin1972

North Korea can learn from Iran nuclear deal, U.S. says-Reuters-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, which conducted a fourth nuclear test in January in contravention of U.N. Security Council resolutions, can learn from a deal struck between Iran and world powers to freeze its nuclear programme, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.North Korea, which regularly threatens the United States and rich, democratic South Korea, also conducted a long-range rocket launch in February, defying U.N. sanctions.The Security Council last month expanded those sanctions aimed at starving North Korea of funds for its weapons programme on a resolution drafted by the United States and China."Iran made a fundamental choice. It decided to freeze and roll back its nuclear programme and allow inspectors to come in and create the time and space to see if we could agree a comprehensive agreement," Blinken told reporters in Seoul.Iran and six world powers clinched the nuclear agreement in July 2015, which allowed for the easing of sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and United Nations in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear program."It's our hope that the DPRK will be inspired by that example," said Blinken, speaking after a meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts.DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official title.Recent diplomatic progress between the United States and Cuba and Myanmar demonstrated U.S. willingness to engage with countries like North Korea, Blinken said."If a country, even one with which we've had the most profound differences, is prepared to engage seriously and credibly in answering the demands of the international community, we are also prepared to engage," Blinken said.Blinken said on Monday the United States would respond strongly in the case of a further North Korean nuclear test, days after the North's failed attempt to launch what the United States believes was an intermediate-range ballistic missile.(Reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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

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

Brexit would bring serious security consequences: Europol head-[Reuters]-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

LONDON (Reuters) - A British decision to leave the European Union would involve serious security consequences, the director of the European Union's law enforcement agency Europol said on Tuesday."If you put at risk any part of the framework for international police cooperation and intelligence sharing, that Britain currently relies on then there clearly is potential for consequences," Rob Wainwright told Reuters."I think there are some pretty serious security consequences actually," he added. "If we accept that the EU does provide an important part of our security ... then the debate moves on to how do we mitigate that potential loss, so it becomes a damage limitation exercise."Britain votes in a referendum on whether to remain a member of the EU on June 23.Wainwright also said he was not confident that all those involved in carrying out the recent attacks in Paris and Brussels had been arrested.Suicide bombers in Brussels killed 32 people last month and November's attacks in Paris left 130 people dead."I'm not entirely confident," he said when asked whether all the organizers had been detained. "That's because we have a fragmented intelligence picture of precisely who is involved and where they are."Speaking on the sidelines of a security conference in London, he said he was "certainly not confident" that other attacks were not being planned.(Reporting by William James; editing by Stephen Addison)

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

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

WORLD TERRORISM

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

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

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

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

Turkey's Erdogan says European Parliament report 'provocative'-[Reuters]-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

ANKARA (Reuters) - A recent report by the European Parliament that criticised Turkey's record on human rights and media freedom is "provocative" at a time when relations with Europe are on a good track, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.Speaking to a group of local officials in Ankara, Erdogan also said that most of the criticism of Turkey coming from the West had "bad intentions".The European Parliament last week approved its annual progress report on Turkey, a candidate for European Union membership, that criticised Ankara's record on rights and press freedom in 2015.(Reporting by Ercan Gurses and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick Tattersall)

Italy braces for summer migrant arrivals as EU solidarity wavers-[Reuters]-By Steve Scherer-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

ROME (Reuters) - Italy is bracing for an expected rush of boat migrants this summer as the European Union's failed relocation programme ratchets up pressure on the country's shelter system, a top immigration official said.Mario Morcone, the official in charge of managing Italy's immigration system, told Reuters that arrivals were up slightly this year over 2015, when more than 150,000 migrants came by boat, mostly from Libya.As of Monday, about 25,000 boat migrants had come to Italy, compared with just under 24,000 during the same period last year, an increase of 4.7 percent, according to the Interior Ministry.With calmer seas now favouring more crossings, Italy is trying to create 150,000 spots for asylum seekers and migrants in its shelters, where 112,700 are already housed."It's getting more and more complicated to find places and open new immigration centres," Morcone said in his office at the Interior Ministry.According to an EU relocation programme for refugees, up to 40,000 asylum seekers from Syria, Eritrea and Iraq can be shifted to other member countries over two years to help relieve pressure on Italy, a frontline state in Europe's worst immigration crisis since World War Two.Since the plan took effect in October, however, Italy has found spots for just 560 people, Morcone said, because of a lack of solidarity from partners and the programme's focus on only the three nationalities it specifies."Member states are offering only a few spots, the procedures are very slow, and we can relocate only Eritreans. Syrians don't come here, and nor do Iraqis," Morcone said. "On the whole, the response ... is not what had been asked for."Turkey and the EU last month sealed a controversial deal intended to halt illegal migration to Greece from Turkey in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara.The deal aims to shut down a short sea corridor that brought over 850,000 refugees and migrants to Europe last year. Countries along the so-called "Balkan route" have closed their borders to stop movement there as well.Italy is concerned that the migrant flow will shift after the agreement, with more boats coming to Italy from North Africa, and especially from Egypt."Already three or four boats have arrived from Egypt this year," Morcone said. "Egypt could be the main worry.""Since there are people blocked in Greece, we fear that there will be a bypass either through Egypt or Albania or even from Morocco to Spain. We must wait and see how the situation evolves."Because the Mediterranean sea journey to Italy mainly consists of young people from impoverished African countries seeking a better future, Europe must develop a long-term migrant policy focused on Africa."As long as the economic divergence between us is so high, it's impossible to convince people who suffer in some African countries not to come in Europe. Their hopes for a future lie in getting into the Schengen area."(Editing by Tom Heneghan)

Belgium says seen signs that Islamic State has sent more fighters to Europe-[Reuters]-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - There are signs that more Islamic State inspired militants have been sent to Belgium and Europe, Belgian authorities said on Tuesday, maintaining the country's threat status at the second-highest level.Belgium's alert level was cut to three from the maximum of four just two days after the March 22 attacks which killed 32 people at the airport and on the metro in Brussels. It has remained at that level since."There are indications that Islamic State has sent fighters to Europe and Belgium, the threat level which is currently at three will not go down," a spokesman of Belgium's crisis center said.By maintaining the level three status, authorities indicate that an attack is possible and likely.Prosecutors detained two men seen on security footage alongside the metro and airport suicide bombers on April 8, meaning all known Brussels bombings suspects are dead or in custody.(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Dominic Evans)

The Latest: Russia says extremists control opposition team-[The Canadian Press]-The Associated Press-April 19, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BEIRUT - The Latest on the conflict in Syria as escalating violence in the north has prompted opposition representatives to suspend participation in U.N.-sponsored peace talks (all times local):2:30 p.m.Russia's ambassador to the United Nations says extremists took control of the Syrian opposition group, effectively hijacking the Syrian peace talks.Alexei Borodavkin told the Russian Tass news agency on Tuesday that "the suspension of the Syrian opposition delegation's participation in peace talks is proof that, unfortunately, extremists took control within the delegation."Borodavkin said the talks will continue without the groups who pulled out, implying that the extremists were backed by Saudi Arabia, and saying that opposition groups "other than the 'Al Riyadh' groups, would still participate in the peace talks.During the interview with Tass, the ambassador reaffirmed that Russia would continue to support the Syrian army's fight against the Islamic State group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front.___2:15 p.m.The head of the Syrian opposition negotiating team in Geneva has called for international monitors to observe a cessation of hostilities agreement that has been repeatedly violated, urging the U.N. Security Council to take firm actions against violators.Riad Hijab is speaking in Geneva Tuesday, a day after his coalition said it is suspending its participation in the peace talks, which began last week, over government violations of a cease-fire.Hijab complained that supplies and ammunition were denied to rebel forces during the truce period, which began in late February; meanwhile he said the Syrian government continued to receive aid from its allies. He said he hoped the U.S., a main backer of some rebel groups, would continue supplying weapons. He said: "We will fight no matter the circumstances. We will fight even with stones, and will not surrender."___2 p.m.Just hours before attending the official opening of the International Criminal Court's new headquarters, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that people responsible for atrocities in the Syrian civil war must face justice.The ICC has not been able to file any charges linked to the devastating Syrian conflict because the country is not a member state and the United Nations Security Council has not exercised its power to call on the court to launch prosecutions.Speaking to students in a Hague theatre on Tuesday, Ban said the war "has been the scene of the use of chemical weapons, siege and starvation as a tool of war, unlawful detention, torture and indiscriminate and criminal shelling and aerial bombardment of civilians."Those responsible, he says, "must be held to account."___1:30 p.m.The head of the Syrian opposition negotiating team in Geneva says his coalition requires a clear timetable for the political transition in Syria, which he says can't include the incumbent President Bashar Assad.Riad Hijab is speaking in Geneva Tuesday, a day after his coalition said it is suspending its participation in the peace talks, which began last week, over government violations of a cease-fire.Hijab said: "There cannot be a solution in Syria while Bashar Assad is present." He said his coalition can't continue with the talks in Geneva while fighting and suffering continued on the ground.___1:15 p.m.The Kremlin spokesman says Russia will continue to support further talks in Geneva.During a conference call on Tuesday with journalists, Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Russia's support for embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad and said Russia would continue to oppose terrorist groups.Peskov would not confirm reports that President Putin had recently sent Assad a telegram.According to Peskov, President Putin, when speaking to U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday, stressed the need to continue dialogue and maintain the current U.S.-Russia brokered ceasefire.___12:45 a.m.Syrian rebels and activists are reporting intensified fighting in the country's north and centre, while a chief opposition negotiator says the conditions on the ground are not conducive to a political process.The fighting in rural parts of the northern Latakia province, a government stronghold, and in the central Hama and Homs provinces Tuesday comes a day after the Syrian opposition said it is pausing its formal participation in the Geneva talks because of what it said were hundreds of government violations of a cease-fire agreement over two months.Riad Hijab, the head of the Syrian opposition coalition, said on his Twitter account that government and allied forces target residential areas. He said conditions on the ground are not "conducive" to go on with the political talks.

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