HURRICANE MATTHEW KEEPS STRONG-AND LIBERAL LEADER PM TRUDEAU FORCES ALL OF CANADA TO HAVE A CARBON TAX SYSTEM.

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)

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
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,(2 BILLION) 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).

REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Canada watchdog warns of faulty nuclear monitoring-[AFP]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian regulators are failing to monitor the country's nuclear power plants properly and such safety lapses are unacceptable, an official said Tuesday.Canada has four nuclear plants with a total of 19 reactors in Ontario and New Brunswick provinces. They provide about 17 percent of the nation's electricity.Regulators have carried out inadequate and irregular inspections, and these also failed to take into account risks when deciding which plants to probe, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Julie Gelfand said."I think it's pretty serious," she told a press conference."This kind of lack of precision in a precision industry I think is really not acceptable," she said. "These mistakes should not happen when we're dealing with nuclear power plants."The commissioner also said that some inspections scheduled between 2013 and 2015 were pushed back a year or more because technical specialists were not available, or because of an outage or a rescheduled reactor shutdown.Furthermore, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) was often slow to release the results of its investigations, the watchdog lamented."We concluded that the CNSC could not show that it had adequately managed its site inspections of nuclear power plants," Gelfand said."The CNSC could not demonstrate that its inspection plans included the appropriate number and types of inspections and that it had the staff needed to verify that nuclear power plants were complying with all applicable requirements or that site inspections were carried out according to the CNSC's procedures," she added.The CNSC responded that its oversight procedures are comprehensive but acknowledged the need for better documentation.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to reassure parliamentarians and the public, saying his government would "work to ensure that Canada has the highest standards on nuclear safety and security."

Trudeau's plan for escalating carbon price sparks battle over bottom line-[The Canadian Press]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

OTTAWA — The Liberal government's decision to impose a national floor price on carbon emissions dominated the House of Commons on Tuesday, with critics saying the plan punishes consumers while doing little to combat climate change.All but lost in the immediate, breathless reaction was the reality that the plan announced a day earlier by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won't have much impact, if any, on 87 per cent of Canadians — or their carbon footprint — for the next four years.That's because the rising floor price on CO2 emissions laid out in the federal Liberal plan starts at $10 per tonne and takes until 2021 to catch up with and surpass existing carbon taxes already imposed by British Columbia and Alberta.And the Trudeau model won't affect Ontario and Quebec's existing cap-and-trade carbon market until it can be established that carbon taxes are driving down emissions elsewhere in the country faster than their market caps are already doing. That tricky piece of equivalency has yet to be sorted out.A group of 22 high-profile business and civil leaders endorsed the plan Tuesday, saying Canada is simply pricing emissions "as most of the world's biggest economies are doing."The Smart Prosperity group, which includes executives from Shell Canada, Unilever Canada, Loblaw and major insurance and banking companies, said the plan allows for "regionally tailored paths.""By starting slowly and ramping up over five years, it gives businesses and households time to adjust and plan for lowering their carbon footprints."The plan's cautious approach, however, is being completely overshadowed by Trudeau's audacious communications gambit.The prime minister announced the national floor price Monday in the Commons just as federal, provincial and territorial ministers were meeting in Montreal to negotiate a pan-Canadian carbon plan.Three provincial ministers left the Montreal meeting early to protest the high-handed federal move, and opposition parties remained in high dudgeon Tuesday.Conservative critic Denis Lebel accused Trudeau of creating more federal-provincial tension in less than a year in power than the previous Conservatives did in a decade. Tory MP Ed Fast said the prime minister had "pulled the rug out from under them by announcing a new, massive, billion-dollar carbon tax grab on Canadians." Conservative MP Lisa Raitt painted a harrowing portrait of starving grannies freezing in the dark.NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, meanwhile, lambasted the plan's lack of ambition, asking what Trudeau will tell "the next generation when this betrayal has made climate change worse and jeopardized their future on this planet?"Faced with such discordant assessments, the debate naturally landed on the bottom line: What's it going to cost me? The Canadian Taxpayers Federation and Brad Wall's governing Saskatchewan Party each offered up estimates for the annual cost to an average family, starting at $1,250 a year and topping out at more than $2,500.But such estimates are meaningless, since provincial governments have been repeatedly told by Ottawa that the carbon tax revenues are theirs to use as they see fit — including to cut income, sales or business taxes.Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said it is up to provincial premiers to decide how those revenues should be recycled."You determine the system that makes sense," McKenna said outside the House."You determine how to deal with, for example, agriculture industry, and you determine what should happen with the revenues. You can return the revenues as a tax cut to small business and consumers. You can invest in innovation. You can invest in the agriculture sector. That's not for the federal government (to decide)."In an interview, Fast — a B.C. Conservative — lauded the way Christy Clark's B.C. Liberal government has used carbon taxes to cut income and other taxes but said he's not confident every other province will follow suit."The problem is that not all of the provinces are committed to acting responsibly," he said, pointing to Ontario's Liberal government and its political problems over skyrocketing electricity prices."What I'm saying is the announcement that Justin Trudeau made (Monday) is going to give governments across the country — the provinces and territories — more disposable income to spend on their political priorities."— Follow @BCheadle on Twitter-Bruce Cheadle , The Canadian Press

P.E.I. still considering carbon tax, premier says-[CBC]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

P.E.I. is not going to be rushed into deciding how it will reduce carbon emissions, Premier Wade MacLauchlan said Tuesday, responding to federal demands that the provinces come up with concrete plans to reduce carbon pollution by the end of 2017.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told provincial environment ministers they can craft a cap-and-trade system or put a direct price on carbon pollution, starting at a minimum of $10 a tonne in 2018, rising by $10 each year to $50 a tonne by 2022. "We've been given this choice barely 24 hours ago," MacLauchlan told CBC News, adding government wants "to be sure we think out the various scenarios."A cap-and-trade system would apply to large polluters, like manufacturers — a small sector on P.E.I., where most emissions are from transportation, home heating and farming. -'Later this fall'-The government will wait to decide on carbon emission reduction, MacLauchlan said, until after the release of its new energy strategy and climate change mitigation plan later this fall, MacLauchlan said. "When that energy strategy comes out, there will be a much more advanced context in which to look at this and related measures," he said. Whatever option P.E.I. chooses, MacLauchlan promised government will provide supports to lower-income Islanders. "We're a small player in the global context of climate change," MacLauchlan noted, adding he'd like to see "a mix of actions that we hope will ensure that Prince Edward Islanders do well in what is obviously going to be a green economy." -'Tax grab'-Adopting a carbon tax without a clear plan on how to improve our environment would be "just another tax grab on Islanders," said Opposition Leader Jamie Fox. Environment critic Brad Trivers said MacLauchlan's "non-statement of platitudes" was disappointing. "Either the government does not have a plan for a carbon tax, or they are keeping it secret," Trivers told CBC News, suggesting the government may be delaying perceived bad news of a carbon tax until after the Summerside-Wilmot byelection Oct. 17. -'Sensitive to concerns'-Environment experts have suggested a carbon tax would be good for P.E.I.British Columbia has had a carbon tax for years which that province has declared a glowing success. B.C.'s tax is revenue-neutral, which means all the money it raises is used to lower corporate and personal income taxes and rebates. MacLauchlan would not commit to making any tax on P.E.I. revenue-neutral, adding he is "totally sensitive to concerns" about it.

Alberta carbon levy puts squeeze on students and classrooms-[CBC]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

The impact of Alberta's new carbon tax will be felt directly in the classroom and add pressure to students already facing long commutes in crowded buses, the Elk Island public school board is warning.Trina Boymook, chair of Elk Island Public Schools, said the carbon tax on fuel will cost the district an additional $400,000 this year, and even more when the tax is increased further in 2018."We have over 9,000 students on school buses, and this will be a significant cost or impact to school boards," said Boymook.Boymook said some students are already spending 90 minutes commuting to school each way. Some buses may have to be taken out of service to compensate for the additional costs."Having three to a seat, long ride times, what will this will do for behaviours on the bus?" she asked.The Elk Island board took its concerns to the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) this spring. It received the support of 92 cent of member boards for a motion that school boards be fully rebated on the cost of the carbon levy.ASBA president Helen Clease said the carbon tax will hit all school boards. But it will be felt especially hard in rural areas, where transportation eats up a sizable portion of budgets, and enrolment is declining in some regions."It becomes a major issue because you still have to transport children no matter how far they are, or if the bus is full or not. It still costs the same amount," Clease said.In 2013, after the cancellation of a fuel price contingency fund for school boards, Elk Island was forced to take 15 buses off the road, said Boymook. The board suddenly found itself out $700,000 in funding.Clease said others boards are also still trying to recover from the loss of the contingency fund."It's an individual school board story," said Clease, "but I guarantee you there will be impacts at every school."Pointing out how little schools receive for transportation costs, Boymook said the funding schools receive for diesel doesn't come close to the actual costs."For school buses, we're funded at 60 cents a litre," she said. "I'm not sure who's paying 60 cents anymore for diesel."The Alberta carbon tax, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2017, adds an extra 4.5 cents per litre at the pump for gasoline and 5.4 cents for diesel.Propane will cost 3.1 cents more per litre, while the price of natural gas will see an increase of $1.01 per gigajoule.While individual consumers and families will be eligible for rebates to offset the higher costs, schools and other organizations won't get any reprieve.Province pressed to exempt schools-That's something Boymook hopes will change. She and other school boards have been meeting with Education Minister David Eggen to argue for assistance. She said she hopes the province will reconsider its position and grant exemptions for schools.The ASBA wrote to Eggen in May asking that all schools be exempt from the carbon levy. Helen Clease said they will continue to press the minister.Larissa Liepins, spokesperson for Eggen, said in an email the government is "actively engaged with school boards across Alberta to discuss the impacts of the carbon price." Liepins noted the provincial budget allocated $645 million toward a new energy-efficiency program for organizations and schools.Elk Island is one of the largest school districts in Alberta, serving a mix of urban and rural communities in 42 schools.Edmonton Public Schools is awaiting data from transportation companies to determine how much an impact the new carbon tax will have on its funding.

Federal carbon plan will struggle without support from provinces: Notley-[The Canadian Press]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

CALGARY — Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says her government may not have the legal power to stop Ottawa from imposing its climate plan, but it's warning the Trudeau government against pressing ahead without having the provinces on side.  "The federal government will struggle if they don't have a willing partner in the provinces," Notley told reporters Tuesday in Calgary."We're happy to be that willing partner if they do what Albertans have done for Canada for many, many years, which is do their fair share."Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that provinces must either put a price on carbon that meets or exceeds a national minimum or put a cap-and-trade system in place.The federal plan calls for a $10-per-tonne floor price starting in 2018 that would eventually rise to $50 a tonne in 2022 — two-thirds higher than what Alberta's price will be in 2018.Notley has said she supports the idea of a common national carbon price in principle, but not without meaningful progress on building new market-opening infrastructure."At the end of the day, they would much prefer to adopt a more refined, collaborative, strategic approach that understands the realities of each part of the country. And I expect that that's where they'd like to land," she said."And what we're saying is we're prepared to work on facilitating that landing, but only if Canada has Albertans' backs and allows Alberta to do what it's done for so long, which is build Alberta's economy and Canada's economy."The Alberta government can absorb a higher carbon price than the $30 a tonne it is planning to have in place in 2018, she said, provided oil producers can sell more of their product in international markets.Other provinces have pushed back harder against the plan than Alberta.Environment ministers from Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador walked out of climate meetings in Montreal on Monday after Trudeau announced the plan.Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall called the federal climate announcement a betrayal and said he was stunned at the level of disrespect.Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

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.

Hurricane Matthew pummels Haiti and Cuba, evacuations ordered in US-[AFP]-Amelie Baron-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean's worst storm in nearly a decade.Far to the north, the first evacuations were ordered in the United States as coastal dwellers prepared to flee the approaching monster storm, expected off the east coast later this week.The death toll stood at seven -- three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic -- but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way on.The full scope of its toll, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew's furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines.The bridge that collapsed was on the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti."It's going to be difficult to find an alternative route," civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin told AFP.Next-in-line Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip.The northern eyewall -- the most destructive part of a hurricane, just outside the eye -- "is already pounding" the eastern tip of the island, the US National Hurricane Center said.Americans girded for a taste of nature's fury. South Carolina said it would start evacuating 1.1 million people from its coast starting Wednesday and try to get them at least 160 kilometers (100 miles) inland. Georgia declared a state of emergency in 13 counties."It's not going to be a fast evacuation. It could take up to several hours," South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said. "If you can leave early, do that."- 'Extremely dangerous' -Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak as an "extremely dangerous" Category Four storm -- the maximum is five -- near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti.Matthew began battering Haiti late Monday with strong winds and rising sea levels, before barreling ashore some 400 kilometers west of the capital Port-au-Prince.Even before making landfall along the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola -- the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic -- Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti, with fears that the toll could climb.Four more deaths were reported later in the Dominican Republic.After Cuba, the storm is expected to hit the Bahamas late Tuesday or Wednesday.The hurricane was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas.Rising waters already have caused extensive flooding in and around the flimsy homes and buildings in Haiti's southwest.More than 9,000 Haitians have been evacuated to temporary shelters at area schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said.But civil protection forces have struggled with locals who refused to leave some of the most vulnerable areas.They included the capital's destitute, densely populated neighborhoods, including Cite Soleil -- where a fifth of the half-million residents face serious flooding risks -- and the seaside Cite L'Eternel.- First deluge, then mudslides -Part of the seaport city of Les Cayes was underwater after being deluged by Matthew, also blamed for triggering mudslides.Haiti is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing.Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country's massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel.Before Matthew hit Cuba had evacuated some 316,000 people from the east of the island. In the city of Guantanamo, streets were deserted and streetlights dark.One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Roberto Gates, ventured out to buy rum. "I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we'll see," Gates said.USAID said it has dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica.It also is sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers.The Pentagon said 700 family members were evacuated over the weekend from the Guantanamo Bay US naval base, on Cuba's eastern tip, to Florida.The 61 prisoners who remain at the US prison for terror suspects there will stay put but if the storm gets worse they will be moved to shelters on the base, the Pentagon said.Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit the US East Coast around midweek. Florida and parts of North Carolina have also declared states of emergency.President Barack Obama on Tuesday postponed a trip to South Florida, where he had planned to attend a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton."If #Matthew directly impacts FL there will be massive destruction that we haven't seen in years," Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Twitter.

Cubans prepared for Hurricane Matthew's fury-[AFP]-Rigoberto Diaz-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Guantanamo (Cuba) (AFP) - Hurricane Matthew began pounding Cuba late Tuesday, but residents of the communist island were largely calm, thanks to their high level of preparation and experience weathering previous storms.Deserted roads and unlit street lamps felt anything but normal, however, shortly before the storm hit land late Tuesday afternoon.Government and civil protection agencies placed on high alert in the island nation's four eastern regions had mobilized to coordinate more than 300,000 voluntary evacuations and prepare shops, shelters and food distribution centers with supplies.Roberto Gates was one of the few residents in the city of Guantanamo -- home to 201,000 -- who dared venture outside as a drizzle cooled what would have been a sweltering October day."I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we'll see," the 63-year old said on his way to buy rum.Cuba's internationally recognized prevention and alert system is being tested again after the island was seriously battered by Hurricane Sandy four years ago. Eleven people died, some inside collapsed houses.Local media and many officials have spent the past 48 hours tracking the hurricane's progress."The Cubans have shown an exemplary level of preparation," said Jerome Faure, director for Cuba Oxfam, one of the few international NGOs here."It's enough to look at the number of lives saved during previous storms" compared to other countries in the region.With top winds exceeding 220 kilometers an hour, Matthew is a Category Four storm on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. Sandy was classified as Category Three when it crossed the island.Guantanamo residents were urged to protect their windows with adhesive tape and cardboard, block their doors with iron rods and reinforce tin roofs with sandbags.Alexis Vigo, an unemployed 45-year-old who lives with his mother, Barbara, in a colonial-style house built in 1968, said he felt "safe.""But if it things go wrong," he added, "we can evacuate."His mother, 73, was more anxious. She planned to swallow a pill to calm her nerves and "light a candle and pray when the wind blows."Matthew is the 12th major hurricane to hit Cuba since early 2000. In 2005, Dennis -- Category Three and Four -- killed 16 people on the island.Matthew is expected to remain over Cuba through daybreak Wednesday.

Hurricane Matthew kills four in Dominican Republic-[AFP]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Santo Domingo (AFP) - Hurricane Matthew killed four people, including three children, when it slammed into the Dominican Republic, officials said Tuesday, bringing the total death toll from the storm to at least seven.Two children were killed when their home collapsed on them in the poor hillside neighborhood of Capotillo, in the capital Santo Domingo, said an AFP reporter at the scene.Another died in similar circumstances in the nearby neighborhood of Puya, while a man was killed when a wall fell and crushed him in a district of the capital known as Manoguayabo.The Category Four hurricane barreled into the island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti, shortly after daybreak Tuesday, packing maximum sustained winds of around 230 kilometers (145 miles) per hour.At least three people have been reported killed in Haiti.In both countries, the victims lost their lives as gale-force winds and rain lashed the island overnight, even before Matthew made landfall. Officials warned the death toll could still rise.Dominican officials said they had been forced to evacuate some 800 people. Nearly 18,000 others are sheltering with family or friends.The country's Center for Emergency Operations said the storm damaged nearly 200 homes and cut off 31 towns.It declared a red alert in 19 provinces, including along the Haitian border.Dominican officials warned that heavy rains and winds of up to 60 kilometers an hour "could last for several hours" around the capital.

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.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)

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.

EP top job battle risks getting ugly By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER

Strasbourg, 4. Oct, 19:20-The two biggest European Parliament (EP) political groups will present their candidates for the next president in December, amid rifts over who will get the top post when, and if, the incumbent, Martin Schulz, steps down.The centre-left S&D, Schulz's group, will present their candidate on 8 December, while the centre-right EPP will do the same on 14 December.The race is already stirring tension amid rumour that Schulz intends to stay on despite a power-sharing deal between the two groups.In 2014 they signed an agreement that Schulz would cede his post to an EPP successor.But that deal now appears to be unraveling, with the centre-left accusing the EPP of not holding up its terms and of vying to lead all three EU institutions. The EPP already has Donald Tusk in the European Council, representing member states, and Jean-Claude Juncker at the European Commission.Italian MEP Gianni Pittella, who leads the socialist group, told reporters in Strasbourg, that Schulz needs to remain parliament president in January."We are in favour of Martin Schulz because he safeguards an important role for the parliament at a key moment to make sure that the European Parliament role is not undermined," he said.Pittella has also accused the EPP of reneging on the deal after Tusk landed the top job at the European Council."It was agreed that the presidency of the European Council would go to the Socialist forces. This not being the case, andin the event that the current president of the European Parliament should not be reconfirmed, the imbalance would be even more apparent," he said in a 13-page strategy paper that outlines the group's broad policy direction, published on the Politico website.Two parliament sources told this website that Pittella is also afraid of losing his own job if Schulz does not carry on as president. Schulz was previously the S&D group leader and could possibly take up the post again.Another source said the 2014 agreement didn't include giving the socialists the presidency of the European Council as stated by Pittella.-Juncker backs Schulz-Juncker has also endorsed Schulz for a third term.Despite vying for the EU commission presidency post in 2014, the two men are close and often dine together, along with other group leaders and with commission vice president Frans Timmermans.Meanwhile, other moves are being made to limit Schulz's grip on the 751-seat assembly.The British conservative MEP leader Ashley Fox is pushing to limit the European parliament president to two terms.Last week in the parliament's constitutional affairs committee, he introduced an amendment that would block Schulz from running a third 2.5-year term. Some 50 MEPs from across political groups, excluding the socialists and the Europe of Nations and Freedom party, signed it.It will likely go to a plenary vote in December, around the same time candidates are being officially selected.-The candidates-A handful of possible candidates from the centre-right is already emerging.Among them is French MEP Alain Lamassoure, Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness, and former EU commissioner Antonio Tajani. None of them figure Weber who, at the age of 44, is seen as too young and whose political trajectory may instead take him to Germany.

Tusk is a big problem, says Poland party chief By Eric Maurice-OCT 4,16-EUOBSERVER

BRUSSELS, Today, 15:37-Former Polish prime minister Donald Tusk may not get the support of the current government in Warsaw for a second term as president of the European Council, the head of the ruling party has said."Tusk is a big problem," said Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the Law and Justice (PiS) party."I imagine that the Polish government will not support Donald Tusk's second term in the European Council," he told the Polska-Times daily in an interview that will be published in full on Friday.Tusk, a member of the main opposition Civic Platform, was elected in 2014 as head of the European Council, the EU leaders' body, for two-and-a-half years.Poland cannot veto Tusk's re-election because the vote is by a qualified majority of EU leaders. But a lack of support would weaken him politically.In the interview, Kaczynski refers to an inquiry examining whether to charge Tusk over the 2010 plane crash that killed Lech Kaczynski - a former president and Jaroslaw Kaczynski's twin brother.In April 2010, the plane carrying Kaczynski and some 80 Polish high officials crashed while trying to land in bad weather in the Russian city of Smolensk.Jaroslaw Kaczynski and a part of PiS maintain that Russia and some Polish officials were responsible for the disaster."Should such a person be at the head of the European Council? I have profound doubts," Kaczynski said about Tusk.A previous government report blamed pilot error for the crash, and Tusk has not commented on the accusations.Kaczynski, who briefly served as prime minister when his brother was president, is today only an MP. But he is widely regarded as the power behind prime minister Beata Szydlo and president Andrzej Duda and the instigator of the country's conservative turn.

US to help EU survive Brexit By Aleksandra Eriksson-OCT 4,16-EUOBSERVER

BRUSSELS, Today, 20:01-The EU should push back harder against its detractors and make more of its contribution to peace and prosperity, US state secretary John Kerry said on Tuesday (4 October) in Brussels.”Europe is one of the greatest stories ever told, but it is not often sold as such”, he said at an event sponsored by the by the German Marshall Fund, a US think tank.”Believe in yourself as much as we believe in you,” he said.Kerry was in the EU capital for an international conference on Afghanistan.The state department is trying to act as a cheerleader for the EU to limit the fallout from the UK’s decision to leave and to broker an amicable divorce between its allies.”Our goal, as Brexit talks are launched next spring, is to prove pundits wrong and put to shame those that declared the EU dead,” Kerry said.”We need the strongest possible EU, the strongest possible UK, and a highly integrated, collaborative relationship between them,” he added.Kerry said the EU and the US were at risk from populists who were using xenophobia and nationalism, ideas which he said had “a bad history, a 20th century history”, to build “unrealistic political platforms”.He said people’s legitimate concerns about globalisation, financial inequality, and terrorism, must be addressed however.”We have to fight these [populist] ideas with better ones that provide jobs and implement necessary reforms,” the US secretary said.He said the draft EU-US free trade pact could help in that regard.”The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - TTIP - is not just about giving an additional boost to commerce,” he said. ”Our teams are sending a signal to the rest of the world on the need for high labour and environmental standards.”The trade deal, already three years in the making, is under fire from left-wing politicians and activists.They say it will erode welfare standards, but Kerry said trade ”was not the culprit" - unfair tax systems were.-Tax justice-”We need to share the benefits of trade by domestic and political choices in each of our countries, not by ending trade but through tax policies, social policies, healthcare and education policies”, he said.He said corruption also fed anti-EU and anti-US feeling.”Few things can be more discouraging to a young person than the conviction that the top steps of the economic ladders are reserved for the unscrupulous,” he said.His remarks came despite the fact the US is trying to torpedo EU efforts to make US tech giant Apple pay tax in Europe.The US sees trade relations as less important than its strategic alignment with EU states.Highlighting the importance of security relations, Kerry also urged the European Parliament to approve an EU-US data-sharing pact which, he said, would help fight terrorism.-Syria talks-He struck a darker note on the Syria war.Washington on Monday suspended talks with Moscow over a ceasefire deal, saying Russia had flouted commitments by continuing to fighting alongside the Syrian regime, which the US accused of using chlorine gas."We are not giving up on the Syrian people and we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace," Kerry said.He said Russia would have to behave differently if it was serious about a peace deal."Russia knows exactly what it needs to do in order to get that cessation implemented and in a fair and reasonable way," he said.

Germany and France to share military facilities, aircraft-[AFP]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Paris (AFP) - Germany and France announced plans Tuesday to share an air base and transport planes as part of a military shake-up in the wake of Britain's vote to quit the European Union.The two countries signed an agreement with a view to sharing C-130J Super Hercules military transport planes, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Paris.His German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen, in Paris to sign the deal, told reporters both countries wanted to have the new arrangement in place by 2021.France ordered four C-130Js from US company Lockheed in January.Germany was looking to acquire between four and six of the same aircraft and to base them in France, said Von der Leyen. The two countries were looking at using an air base in Orleans, central France, she added.A member of Le Drian's team said the idea was to make the planes operational for both French and German crew in a first for the two air forces.In July, just weeks after Britain's referendum vote to quit the European Union, Von der Leyen said London had "paralysed" European efforts for a more closely integrated policy.The EU should seize the opportunity to change that, she argued.French officials told AFP last month that Paris and Berlin were drawing up plans for a more "active and useful" defence policy.

Paris climate pact set to enter force after EU greenlight-[Associated Press]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BRUSSELS (AP) — The landmark Paris climate change pact is poised to enter into force around the world after European Union lawmakers endorsed the agreement.In the presence of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the lawmakers voted Tuesday by 610 to 38 with 31 abstentions for the 28 EU nations to simultaneously ratify the agreement to limit global warming.The deal cannot take effect until 55 countries, accounting for at least 55 percent of global emissions, have adopted it. Sixty-two countries had done so as of Tuesday but they accounted only for about 52 percent of emissions. On Wednesday, New Zealand became the 63rd nation to ratify the Paris accord.The EU's fast-track ratification takes the Paris Agreement past the 55 percent threshold. The handover to the U.N. of a legal document formally doing that is expected to happen by Friday."With the action taken by the EU parliament, I am confident that we will be able to cross the 55 percent threshold very soon; in a matter of days," Ban told reporters.The Paris agreement commits rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures that is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns. It requires governments to present national plans to reduce emissions to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).The EU prides itself on being a leader in the fight against global warming, but it came under heavy criticism after the U.S. and China beat the bloc to enact the accord.The EU, which accounts for 12 percent of global emissions, originally planned to wait for its member states to approve the deal domestically, but given the slow pace of progress it moved on their behalf.International momentum has been building to ensure that the deal could enter force by next U.N. climate conference, which starts Nov. 7 in Marrakech, Morocco.

Hints of central bank hawkishness roil markets-[AFP]-John Biers-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

New York (AFP) - Treasury and currency markets were roiled Tuesday by signs that US and European central banks may be closer to monetary tightening measures than previously thought.Yields on US treasuries rose sharply following comments from two Federal Reserve regional presidents who support an imminent interest-rate hike.Yields on government bonds in Europe engineered a similar move higher after Bloomberg News reported that the European Central Bank would probably taper its bond purchases before it ends its quantitative easing stimulus.The US and eurozone currencies rose sharply on the British pound, which hit a 31-year low against the dollar after British Prime Minister Theresa May set a timeframe for the British exit from European Union."The euro had a big move higher at the end of the morning after a Bloomberg story about the ECB," said Vassili Serebriakov, a forex analyst at Credit Agricole."The dollar certainly popped a bit," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities.US stocks finished lower, with the S&P 500 falling 0.5 percent behind weakness in commodities-linked stocks.The stronger dollar weighed heavily on dollar-linked commodities, including oil, copper and gold, which fell below $1,300 an ounce for the first time since June.Dow members ExxonMobil and Chevron both lost about one percent, while Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining plunged 11.2 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively.Earlier equity markets in London, Paris and Frankfurt all gained at least one percent, while bourses in Tokyo and Hong Kong rose by more modest margins.In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury rose to 1.687 percent from 1.625 percent Monday night.The moves followed remarks from Cleveland Fed president Loretta Mester, who said she expects a strong case for a rate hike in November. They were followed by similar comments from Richmond Fed president Jeffrey Lacker.Yields on the French government's 10-year bond rose to 0.266 percent from 0.227 percent, while Spain's rose to 0.977 percent from 0.936 percent. In Germany, the yield on the 10-year was -0.054 percent compared with -0.093 percent.That came after Bloomberg, citing unnamed ECB officials, reported that there was an "informal consensus" that the ECB should gradually scale back its bond-buying program in steps of 10 billion euros.- Key figures around 2100 GMT -New York - DOW: DOWN 0.5 percent at 18,168.45 (close)-New York - S&P: DOWN 0.5 percent at 2,150.49 (close)-New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 0.2 percent at 5,289.66 (close)-London - FTSE 100: UP 1.3 percent at 7,074.34 (close)-Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 1.0 percent at 10,619.61 (close)-Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.1 percent at 4,503.09 (close)-EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.2 percent at 3,034.53 (close)-Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 16,735.65 (close)-Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.5 percent at 23,689.44 (close)-Shanghai - Composite: Closed for holiday-Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2724 from $1.2841 Monday-Euro/pound: UP at 88.05 pence from 87.30 pence-Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1203 from $1.1211-Dollar/yen: UP at 102.88 yen from 101.63 yen-Oil - Brent North Sea (December delivery): DOWN 2 cents at $50.87/barrel-Oil - West Texas Intermediate (November): DOWN 12 cents at $48.69/barrel

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)

WORLD TRAVEL AND KNOWLEDGE INCREASED

DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION FROM WARS) and knowledge shall be increased.(CYBER-COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)

U.N.'s rights boss warns Russia over Syria air strikes-[Reuters]-By Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights chief told Russia on Tuesday that air strikes on civilian targets in the Syrian city of Aleppo may amount to crimes against humanity which could be brought before the International Criminal Court.High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said initiatives to resolve the situation in besieged, rebel-held eastern Aleppo should include proposals to limit the use of the veto by the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.This would enable major powers to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court, a step previously blocked by Russia and China."Such a referral would be more than justified given the rampant and deeply shocking impunity that has characterized the conflict and the magnitude of the crimes that have been committed, some of which may indeed amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," Zeid said in a statement.In New York, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin dismissed Zeid's proposal, telling reporters: “It’s not his responsibility to discuss veto powers.”"Unfortunately my good friend has been overstepping the limits of his responsibilities quite a bit and this is unfortunate.”The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. When asked how Russia viewed the suggestion of limiting the veto rights of permanent Security Council members, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Negatively".Last week Peskov said the Russian air force would continue to support Syrian government troops and that what he called the "war on terror" would continue.Russia is the main military backer of President Bashar al-Assad.Zeid said Syria's government and its allies attacked targets protected by international law, including medical units, aid workers and water-pumping stations.-BANNED BY TREATY-He said that dropping indiscriminate incendiary weapons in heavily populated areas was particularly concerning, as well as being banned by a treaty that Russia is bound by.He compared Aleppo to the World War Two battles of Warsaw and Stalingrad and the attack on Dresden, and said calling the enemy a "terrorist organization" was not an excuse to ignore the laws of war.The rebels' use of inaccurate "hell-fire cannons", homemade mortars that fire gas cylinders packed with explosives and shrapnel, was also totally unacceptable, he said.The World Health Organization said that between Sept. 23 and Oct. 2, 342 people had been killed in eastern Aleppo, including 106 children, and 1,129 had been wounded, including 261 children.Those figures were based on reports from functioning health centers and the true figures were probably much higher, spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said."As of yesterday, we have now only six partially functional hospitals that are in service, only one hospital that offers trauma care services," Chaib told the briefing.WHO still hopes to be able to evacuate sick and wounded from Aleppo, she said.The Syrian government has yet to respond to a U.N. plan for aid convoys in Syria during the month of October, U.N. spokesman Jens Laerke said.(Reporting by Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay, additional reporting by Jack Stubbs in Moscow and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Angus MacSwan)

Moscow slams growing US 'pressure' on its diplomats-[AFP]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Moscow (AFP) - Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday blasted what it termed "pressure" on its US-based diplomats by US intelligence, which it accused of increasingly numerous "recruitment attempts" on Moscow's diplomatic staff."The situation surrounding Russian diplomats in the United States is getting worse all the time," deputy foreign minister Sergei Riabkov said.He said the number of attempts at recruiting diplomats had "significantly increased" over the past two-and-a-half years."The US intelligence services do not shrink from using the most miserable means of pressure, including threats to the health of (diplomats') family members," Ryabkov said in a statement.He also accused Washington of creating "artificial difficulties" and "invented restrictions" on their movements, preventing diplomats being able fully to carry out their duties.Riabkov also accused Washington of carrying out "intense espionage activities" in Russia under diplomatic cover, saying the US military attache in Moscow was regularly seen in proximity to Russian strategic military sites.Relations between Washington and Moscow have dived close to Cold War levels notably following the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine while neither country sees eye to eye on how to resolve the war in Syria.

Russia sends missile system to Syria port-[AFP]-Karam al-Masri with Ayham al-Mohammad in Hasakeh-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - Russia said Tuesday it has sent an advanced missile system to the Syrian port of Tartus, as tensions escalate between it and the United States over the five-year conflict.The announcement came after Washington said it was suspending talks with Moscow aimed at reviving a ceasefire deal over Russia's support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.On the ground, Assad's forces advanced on rebels during intense street fighting in the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, which Russia has been accused of bombing indiscriminately including targeting its hospitals.The UN rights chief called for action to halt the "ghastly avalanche of violence" unfolding in Syria's second city, which is reeling from some of the most brutal fighting in the conflict.Russia, which has denied its strikes have hit hospitals, said it was deploying an S-300 missile system to Tartus on the Mediterranean coast."The S-300 is a purely defensive system and poses no threat to anyone," said defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov."It's not clear why the placement of S-300 in Syria has caused such a stir among our western colleagues," he said in a statement.As well as operating a naval facility in Tartus, Russia runs an air base outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, which currently houses warplanes used in its bombing campaign in support of ally Assad.In August, a Russian official said Moscow was planning to expand into a permanent military facility its Hmeimim air base, which already has an S-400 air defence system, its most modern arsenal.Washington announced late Monday that it would suspend joint efforts to reinstate a nationwide truce, accusing Moscow of abetting Assad's assault on Aleppo.- 'Patience has run out' -"Everybody's patience with Russia has run out," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.A US official said Secretary of State John Kerry was focused on finding a diplomatic solution, but his talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the crisis were over.Kerry said Tuesday the decision was one "we did not come to lightly"."We are not abandoning the pursuit of peace, we are not going to leave the multilateral field, we are going to continue to try to find a way forward in order to end this war," he said."People who are serious about making peace behave differently from the way Russia has chosen to behave," he added.The Kremlin said it "would like to hope for the presence of political wisdom and the continuation of exchanges on particularly sensitive issues that are necessary for maintaining peace and security."And Lavrov said Moscow was "not shirking our responsibility but consider that the crisis can only be resolved collectively."The US-Russia truce plan had envisioned an end to hostilities, increased aid deliveries, and eventual coordination in the fight against jihadists.But it collapsed after a week, with Russia blaming Washington for failing to convince rebels to distance themselves from jihadists.Russia and the US will keep a communications channel open solely to ensure their separate anti-jihadist bombing campaigns do not get in each other's way.The Syrian army announced a major Russian-backed military push nearly two weeks ago to capture the eastern half of Aleppo, once the country's commercial hub.- 'Ghastly avalanche of violence' -The regime forces were "gradually advancing" after street battles on the front line dividing the city, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."They are focusing on the tall buildings, which were once government administration buildings, because they can monitor entire streets and neighbourhoods from there," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.State media said rebel shelling on the government-held west, including the Aleppo University campus, killed six people.More than 300,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in March 2011, and the latest attempt at securing a diplomatic solution to the war has fallen apart.UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein decried the "ghastly avalanche of violence and destruction" in east Aleppo, saying 100 children had been killed in the past 10 days.He urged the Security Council to introduce a limit on its members' veto power, to prevent countries like Russia blocking the referral of Syria's conflict to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.On Monday, the largest hospital in the rebel-held side of Aleppo was completely destroyed in an aerial attack, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, which supports the facility.Only five hospitals remain operational for the estimated 250,000 people living under a crippling government siege in east Aleppo.Elsewhere, Save the Children said heavy shelling killed at least two aid workers at the Khan Eshieh camp for Palestinian refugees near Damascus.

Syria peace efforts must continue despite break with Russia: Kerry-[Reuters]-By David Brunnstrom and Robin Emmott-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday efforts to end Syria's war must continue despite Washington's decision to break off talks with Moscow over what he called its "irresponsible" support for President Bashar al-Assad.The United States on Monday suspended talks with Russia on implementing a ceasefire deal in Syria, accusing Moscow of not living up to its commitments to halt fighting and ensure aid reached besieged communities."We are not giving up on the Syrian people and we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace," Kerry said in a speech in Brussels."We will continue to pursue a meaningful, sustainable, enforceable cessation of hostilities throughout the country – and that includes the grounding of Syrian and Russian combat aircraft in designated areas."Kerry accused Russia of turning a blind eye to Assad's use of chlorine gas and barrel bombs and suggested it was pursuing a scorched earth policy in place of diplomacy."As we know, this tragic war has been made worse by the utter depravity of the regime, that doesn't hesitate to still use gas, chlorine, mixed with other ingredients to kill its citizens, that drops barrel bombs on hospitals and children and women," he said."You also have the irresponsible and profoundly ill-advised decision by Russia to associate its interests and reputation with that of Assad, a man who has been responsible for torturing more than ten thousand people."He said that if Russia was serious about peace, it would have to behave differently than it was now in Syria. "Russia knows exactly what it needs to do in order to get that cessation implemented and in a fair and reasonable way," he said.Kerry said all parties had a duty to enable delivery of humanitarian assistance.European foreign ministers will meet on Oct. 17 to discuss what they can do to help bring peace, after the European Union proposed a new humanitarian plan at the weekend in coordination with the United Nations for the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.But a senior European diplomat said there was little chance that Russia would change strategy, asserting that Moscow was resorting to the same tactics it used on the Chechen capital Grozny, which was devastated in 1994-96 and 1999-2000 wars by Russian forces intent on keeping Chechnya in Russia."Their objective is the total destruction of the opposition. They have a Chechen vision of the conflict. Their method is submission by force," the senior diplomat said.-MILITARY OPTIONS-Russian news agencies, citing Kerry's Syria interlocutor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said Moscow would continue to make efforts to resolve the Syria crisis despite the U.S. suspension of the talks.A spokeswoman for U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said he was in "intensive consultations" on the way forward.The end of the talks could trigger deeper U.S. consideration of military options such as providing more sophisticated arms, logistical support, and training to rebel groups.But the speed with which the ceasefire collapsed - after a U.N. aid convoy was bombed in Syria - appeared to surprise some U.S. officials, leaving them without a clear plan on the immediate way forward.U.S. President Barack Obama has been loath to get more deeply involved and U.S. officials have said he is unlikely to do so with less than four months left in office.Russia said on Tuesday it had deployed an S-300 missile system to its Tartus naval base in Syria."The missile battery is intended to ensure the safety of the naval base...It is unclear why the deployment of the S-300-caused such alarm among our Western partners," the Defence Ministry said. (Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Rebels fend off Aleppo assault as nations seek to rebuild peace process-[Reuters]-By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and David Brunnstrom-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

AMMAN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Tuesday they had repelled an army offensive in southern Aleppo as Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded residential areas, while nations spoke of rebuilding a peace process the United States broke off this week.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who announced on Monday that Washington was suspending talks with Moscow due to Russia's role in the offensive, said peace efforts must carry on.Turkey, long one of the main foes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but which has lately repaired its damaged ties with his ally Russia, said it planned to make a proposal to Washington and Moscow to resurrect a ceasefire that collapsed last month.But on the ground there was no sign of peace with potentially the biggest and most decisive battle of the five-and-a-half year war unfolding as pro-government forces sought to drive anti-Assad rebels from their last major urban stronghold.Assad's government, with Russian air support and Iranian ground forces, launched the assault on Aleppo last month, a week into a ceasefire agreed by Washington and Moscow.The United States and other Western countries say Moscow and Damascus are guilty of war crimes for deliberately targeting civilians, hospitals and aid deliveries to crush the will of more than 250,000 people trapped under siege in Aleppo. The Syrian and Russian governments say they target only militants.Rebels said they inflicted losses on pro-government fighters after hours of clashes on the fringe of Sheikh Saed district, at the southern edge of the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo city."We repelled their attempt to advance in Sheikh Saed and killed 10 regime fighters and destroyed several vehicles," said a fighter from the Failaq al-Sham rebel group who gave his name as Abdullah al-Halabi.Pro-government media said the Syrian army was pressing ahead in a major campaign supported by Iranian-backed militias and Russian air power to take full control of Syria's largest city, divided between rebel and government zones since 2012.In the 15 days since the collapse of the ceasefire, war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented the deaths of 293 civilians in besieged east Aleppo as a result of air strikes and shelling, including 20 on Tuesday. It has documented 25 deaths in government-held west Aleppo from rebel shelling during the 15 days.Opposition sources give higher death tolls in the besieged rebel-held sector, under attack from bombing described as unprecedented in its ferocity. Many hundreds of wounded people have been brought to a handful of functioning hospitals, which are short of supplies and have themselves come under attack.Aid group Médecins Sans Frontières said four of the last eight functioning hospitals in eastern Aleppo had been damaged by air strikes in the past four days. "Doctors are performing brain and abdominal surgeries ... on the floors of the emergency rooms, for lack of available operating theaters," said Pablo Marco, MSF's Middle East operations manager.-'MAKE A DESERT, CALL IT PEACE'-The collapse of the ceasefire last month left U.S. policy on Syria in tatters and was a personal blow for Kerry, who negotiated the truce over months of intense diplomacy with Moscow despite scepticism in Washington, including from other senior figures in the Barack Obama administration.Last month Republican Senator John McCain called Kerry "intrepid but deluded" for relying on Moscow.Kerry suspended talks with Russia on Monday, accusing Moscow of failing to live up to its commitments to halt fighting and assure aid reached besieged communities."We are not giving up on the Syrian people and we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace," Kerry said on Tuesday in a speech in Brussels.He accused Moscow of turning a blind eye to Syria's use of poison gas and "barrel bombs" - oil drums packed with explosives - to kill civilians."Where they make a desert, they call it peace," Kerry said, quoting the Roman historian Tacitus.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Russian news agencies saying Moscow would make efforts to resolve the crisis despite the U.S. suspension of talks.Moscow said it had deployed the advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Syria for the first time to protect its base at Tartous, Russia's only sea base on the Mediterranean.A spokesman for the Turkish president said Tayyip Erdogan could speak by telephone to Obama and President Vladimir Putin about a proposal to revive the Syrian ceasefire. The spokesman did not give details of the proposal. A German official said U.S., British, French, German and Italian officials would meet in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss next steps.The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, said attacks on civilians in Aleppo could amount to crimes against humanity. He suggested countries with a veto at the U.N. Security Council, such as Russia, should be stripped of the power to prevent such serious cases being reported to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.Syria's civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and made half the country homeless in the world's worst refugee crisis. Most regional states and many global powers have been drawn into the conflict to support the opposing sides, and amid the fighting the hardline Sunni Muslim group Islamic State seized much of Syria and neighboring Iraq.Washington is bombing Islamic State but has mostly avoided direct involvement in war elsewhere in Syria, leaving the field open to Russia which joined the conflict a year ago on the side of its longtime ally Assad.Russia says the only way to fight Islamic State is to support Assad. Washington says the Syrian leader has too much blood on his hands and must leave power.-LEVELLED GROUND-A successful assault on Aleppo would deliver the biggest victory of the war for Assad, and leave his government in control of all the major cities of western Syria where the overwhelming majority of the population lives.The rebels, armed and funded by foreign powers including Western countries, Arab States and Turkey, are putting up a bitter fight for districts of Aleppo where they have had years to fortify their positions. They also control other territory and have launched advances of their own.A rebel commander from the Nour al-Din al-Zinki group said the army had opened several fronts simultaneously since the launch of a ground assault in order to stretch rebel forces, and had dropped leaflets from helicopters calling for surrender.Government forces have pressed southwards since securing Handarat, a camp for Palestinians on the northern edge of Aleppo last Thursday following what rebels called carpet bombing. "They leveled the ground and our people had no choice but to retreat under the bombing of the Russians," the Zinki commander said.Rebels still expect the army thrust will slow in residential areas that offer them more cover from air raids.In the heart of the city, warplanes flying at high altitude hit Bustan al Qasr, Hay al Huluk and Fardous neighborhoods with reports of casualties, several rebel contacts said. Rebels believe those planes are Russian.The Russian embassy in Damascus was hit by mortar fire on Monday. Moscow said the shells had been fired from the rebel-held Jobar neighborhood east of Damascus.(Additional reporting by Tom Perry and Lisa Barrington in Beirut, Robin Emmott in Brussels, Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul, Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Peter Millership and Pravin Char)

UAE says Houthi attack on ship in shipping lane was act of terrorism-[Reuters]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday Yemeni Houthi forces had attacked a UAE civilian vessel in a strategic Red Sea shipping lane off the coast of Yemen at the weekend and called the incident an act of terrorism.The UAE foreign ministry, in a statement carried by state news agency WAM, said the civilian ship was targeted by Houthi militia near the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen's southern coast on Saturday."The targeting of the civilian ship in an international channel has serious implications for freedom of navigation, and is an act of terror...," it said, without elaborating.In a statement on Saturday the Houthis said their forces had fired a missile that had destroyed a UAE military vessel that was advancing towards the Red Sea port of Al-Mokha.The UAE military said on Saturday that one of its vessels was damaged in an incident, on which it gave no details, near the strait but there were no injuries to its crew.Hundreds of Emirati soldiers in a Saudi-led coalition have been fighting Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis who control the capital and training Yemeni troops in the port of Aden to help rebuild a state loyal to exiled president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.In 2013, more than 3.4 million barrels of oil per day passed through the 20 km (12 mile) wide Bab al-Mandab, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.(Reporting by Ali Abdelatti; writing by Hadeel Al Sayegh; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Turkey suspends 12,800 police, shuts TV channel-[AFP]-Raziye Akkoc-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday suspended 12,800 police officers over alleged links to an Islamic preacher accused of masterminding the failed July coup, and cut broadcasts of a pro-Kurdish television channel under its controversial state of emergency.Tens of thousands have already been arrested or lost their jobs under the three three-month state of emergency which was declared days after the July 15 coup and was extended on Monday a further 90 days to last well into 2017.Officers entered IMC TV headquarters and cut broadcasts after it was ordered, along with several other outlets, to be closed last week under the emergency laws over accusations of supporting Kurdish militants.A total of 12,801 police were suspended from duty as part of the investigation into the coup attempt, including 2,523 police chiefs, the police headquarters said in a statement.In total, Turkey has around 270,000 police officers.A Turkish official, who did not wish to be named, confirmed the suspensions, adding that the individuals would continue to be paid two-thirds of their salary "pending further investigation".The action was taken over suspected links to the movement of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen which Turkey blames for the failed putsch in July which sought to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power.Gulen, an ally-turned-foe of Erdogan who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, strongly denies Ankara's accusations.Supporters of the Gulen movement, also known as Hizmet (service), insist it is a loose grouping of individuals committed to peace and helping people through education and charities.- Crackdown widens -According to Anadolu, 1,350 of the police officers suspended were working at Ankara police headquarters, which came under attack from the air on the night of the coup.Among those dismissed, a 26-year-old police officer shot himself dead Tuesday in Mersin, a southern city on the Mediterranean coast, Dogan news agency reported.Tens of thousands of people in the judiciary, civil service, military and education sector have been suspended while 32,000 suspects have been placed under arrest on charges of links to the movement.A total of 70,000 people had been investigated, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said last month, adding that the "process" continued.From teachers to former generals and admirals, from bakery magnates to journalists, the investigation into the failed putsch has touched almost all aspects of Turkish life.Also under the state of emergency, Turkish police raided the Istanbul headquarters of prominent pro-Kurdish television channel IMC TV, cutting all transmissions while it was live on air.Before it was cut, staff members in the news studio chanted "free media will not be silenced" while applauding their management.The channel is not accused of supporting the coup but of broadcasting "terror propaganda" for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). It has ridiculed the charges.Later on Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators including journalists from the channel and other outlets subject to closure orders last week gathered near Taksim Square in Istanbul to protest against the raid.Despite a heavy police presence, they did not intervene as protesters shouted "IMC TV cannot be shut down" and carried placards saying: "Free media cannot be silenced", AFP correspondents said.Activists accuse the government of exploiting the emergency laws to launch a crackdown beyond those accused of being coup-plotters or connected to the movement.More than 100 media outlets have been closed down since July while dozens of reporters have been detained or arrested including prominent journalist and writer Ahmet Altan.The government's crackdown has also alarmed Turkey's Western allies, including the European Union, which have warned Ankara that it must act within the rule of law.- 'No matter who' -Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said those found guilty would face punishment "no matter who they were" during a speech to parliament in Ankara."(But) we will never allow those who are innocent to face any grievances."The decision to extend the state of emergency by three months was announced on Monday after a cabinet meeting.Erdogan previously suggested that it might be necessary for the state of emergency to be kept in place for at least 12 months.Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin strongly denied the government was acting arbitrarily under the emergency."The president previously said something important when the first emergency was introduced: this is introduced for the state and not against the people," he said in an interview with Haber-Turk television.

Saudi Arabia says starts naval exercises in Gulf-[Reuters]-October 4, 2016-YAHOONEWS

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia began naval war games including live fire exercises on Tuesday in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil route, official media reported, a move that coincides with heightened tensions with regional rival Iran.Warships, speedboats, air navy aircraft, Marine Corps and special security naval units took part, state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. Live ammunition was fired during activities.The maneuvers are aimed at testing combat readiness "in preparation for the protection of the marine interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any possible aggression," reported SPA quoting commander of the exercises, Rear Admiral Majed bin Hazza'a Al-Qahtani.The drill is also being conducted in the Sea of Oman, SPA reported.Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia is concerned by the growing clout in the region of Shi'ite Iran, which has emerged from years of international economic sanctions following a deal over its nuclear program signed by Tehran and world powers in 2015.Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Muslim countries, backed by the United States, Britain and France, in a war in neighboring Yemen. The campaign, aimed at restoring a government ousted by an Iran-allied militia, is part of a more assertive effort by Riyadh since last year to counter Iran's influence.Some 17 million barrels per day (bpd), or about 30 percent of all seaborne-traded oil, passed through the Strait of Hormuz in 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.(Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh,; Editing by William Maclean and Richard Balmforth)