BRITAIN SAYS WEST CANNOT TREAT RUSSIA AS AN EQUAL PARTNER.

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)

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.

Council of Europe critical of Turkey emergency laws-By EUOBSERVER

9. Dec, 16:18-The Venice Commission, an advisory body at the human rights watchdog Council of Europe, says Turkey is abusing state of emergency laws in its wider efforts to purge so-called state saboteurs after the failed mid-July coup. It said the government is casting too wide a net over people linked to the Fethullah Gulen movement, which Ankara blames for the coup attempt. The full opinion will be published Monday December 12.

EU agencies 'add value' but there is no 'master plan' By Peter Teffer-euobserver

Brussels, 9. Dec, 18:36-The European Union has some 44 agencies entities, but there is no “master plan” of what policy area gets an agency and when or if or how they can be abolished, said the future chairman of the EU Agencies Network this week.“There was never a master plan to say: okay this is our policy field, we think there and there we could need an agency and there it's better to do it in Brussels or the member states,” Bernhard Url told EUobserver.Url, who heads the European Food Safety Authority, will take the helm of the network of EU agencies on 1 March 2017.The group organised an event in Brussels this week, evaluating their work, as well as showcasing the diversity of established agencies.Executive director of the network's current chair, Antonio Campinos, of the European Union Intellectual Property Office, said on Tuesday (6 December) that while EU agencies are “the familiar face of the EU for many Europeans”, there are agencies which are “largely unknown even at EU institutional level”.There are agencies dealing with a wide variety of policy areas: there is an agency that deals with vocational training, one that monitors drugs and drug addiction, and one that aims to improve the living and working conditions of Europeans.Yet there is some consistency missing.While there are agencies dealing with policies on railway transport, maritime safety, and aviation safety, there is no agency for road transport.“I think if you look at the history of how agencies were set up: most of the time there was an issue, a crisis, a shortcoming that policymakers in the Council and Parliament said: 'well, maybe this could be better dealt with by an agency',” said Url.Campinos said the agencies were “delivering essential services on the ground for a relatively small proportion of the overall EU budget - less than 0.8 percent, to be exact”.“Too often people do underestimate the benefits and the value of EU agencies”, said centre-left MEP Derek Vaughan from the UK.Vaughan checked the performance of the agencies and suggested that the EU parliament signed off on their budgets.“I was pleased to see they were getting better, they were getting more efficient, they were improving their services they provided,” said Vaughan.-Politics beats practicality-However, he also found that “there is a potential to say: maybe we could have less agencies in the future”.-Url noted that merging agencies “should not be a taboo topic.”“The first question is: is the task that this agency has been doing still needed? If the task is needed, it has to be decided in which form,” he added.“But it's a highly political decision, as we have seen. They tried to merge agencies, and then the member states come in. It's difficult.”If agencies were to merge, national governments meeting in the council also need to agree.However, they are unable to look at the agencies without taking into account the physical location of agencies spread across the member states.“Member states will say: 'yes, it's a really good idea, we should look at the number of agencies, maybe we could merge a few',” said Vaughan. “But once you point at the agency in their country, then they change their mind. They always change their mind.”Jan Ridzon, a Slovak member of the budget committee of the Council, said Vaughan was right.“It is also about protecting certain national interests of several member states,” he said.Another feature of some agencies is that once established, they quickly pick up tasks.Alberto Pototschnig, director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), told EUobserver that just months after his agency was established, it received an additional assignment: to ensure there was no manipulative trading on energy markets.“The energy sector now is more dynamic than it has ever been,” Pototschnig told EUobserver. “There were tens of years when not much happened in terms of technology. Now we are at a time of great changes.”Those changes and the EU's ambition to integrate energy markets will make it that an agency not hastily abolished.“If the project of integrating markets in Europe continues … I think there will always be a role for some form of European regulatory framework,” said Pototschnig.“It is very difficult for this European regulatory framework to be governed by 28, 27 or 30 national regulatory authorities agreeing on everything on a continuous basis.”

British spies to help EU stop Russian meddling By Andrew Rettman-euobserver

BRUSSELS, 9. Dec, 13:21-Britain’s spy chief has promised to work with EU states to stop efforts to hack elections, amid multiplying concern on Russia’s “hybrid” attacks.Alex Younger, who heads MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency, said in a speech in London on Thursday (8 December) that one of his priorities was to counter “the increasingly dangerous phenomenon of hybrid warfare”.He did not name Russia directly, but he said that “hostile” states were trying to “further their aims” via “cyber-attacks, propaganda [and] subversion of democratic process”.“Our job is to … shine a light on these activities and to help our country and our allies, in particular across Europe, build the resilience they need to protect themselves,” he said.“The risks at stake are profound and represent a fundamental threat to our sovereignty; they should be a concern to all those who share democratic values”, he added.The term hybrid warfare is commonly used to refer to Russia’s mix of covert military action, economic, and information warfare, as showcased in its attack on Ukraine.US intelligence chiefs in October publicly accused Russia of disrupting the American elections.They said “Russia’s senior-most officials” had authorised the hacking and leaking of emails from the Democratic Party to help its rival, the Russia-friendly Donald Trump, who went on to win.Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator on the intelligence committee, also said at the time: “We’re … encouraging the [US] administration to work with our European partners, who have been the subject of even worse meddling, to coordinate a response to this”.The concerns have been echoed by German spy chiefs and by chancellor Angela Merkel, who will fight for re-election next year against the Russia-friendly SPD party and the anti-EU AfD party.Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency, said in a statement on Thursday that Russia’s "disinformation" campaign aimed to “weaken or destabilise the Federal Republic of Germany.”He added: “We see aggressive and increased cyber spying and cyber operations that could potentially endanger German government officials, members of parliament and employees of democratic parties”.Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany’s foreign service, the BND, told Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, in November, that “cyber-attacks are taking place that have no purpose other than to elicit political uncertainty”.“The perpetrators are interested in delegitimising the democratic process as such … We have indications that [the attacks] come from the Russian region”.-France and Italy-France will also hold elections next year, with the Kremlin-funded and anti-EU National Front party doing well in polls.Italy just held a referendum that toppled its pro-EU leader, Matteo Renzi, and boosted the standing of the anti-EU and Russia-friendly 5 Star Movement Party.La Stampa, an Italian newspaper, reported that Russia-based blogs and social media accounts has promulgated fake news designed to harm Renzi.Laura Boldrini, the parliament speaker, said afterward that Italy had to “act now” to halt media attacks.Massimo D’Alema, a former Communist Italian PM, mocked the Russia allegations, however.“I don’t believe there is dark, organised centre, a group of hackers in the Kremlin trying to affect the Italian referendum … I think they could care less”, he said.Augustus Henning, a former head of Germany’s BND spy service, has also doubted the extent of Russia’s influence in Europe.“I don’t see that Czechia is really challenged by Russia, nor is Poland’s internal structure. I don’t think Russia is so strong in the West”, he recently told EUobserver.“The problem for Russia is that they don’t offer a very attractive model of society or the economy”, he said.-Brexit and Trump-With the UK preparing to leave the EU, Younger, the MI6 chief, said on Thursday that Britain would uphold intelligence cooperation “with our European partners, France and Germany foremost amongst them”.With Trump’s win in the US creating further uncertainty on Western unity, Younger added: “I’m often asked what effect the big political changes of 2016, Brexit and the US election result, will have on these relationships. My answer is that I will aim for, and expect, continuity”.“These relationships are long lasting and the personal bonds between us are strong. The threats that we faced before these events have not gone away”, he said.

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)

India's southeast coast braces as cyclone approaches-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 11, 2016

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's weather office called on Sunday for fishermen to stay ashore hours before a very severe cyclone storm was due to strike the southeast coast, including Chennai, one of the most populous Indian cities.The cyclone "Vardah" is moving in from the Bay of Bengal and will landfall along and off Chennai on Monday afternoon with wind speed of 100 kmph, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its latest bulletin.From Sunday evening coastal areas of southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will start getting heavy rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall is likely over Chennai and adjourning areas on Monday, the IMD said.India's cyclone season generally lasts from April to December, often causing dozens of deaths, evacuations of tens of thousands of people from low-lying villages and widespread crop and property damage.In 1999, a "super-cyclone" battered the coast of the eastern state of Odisha for 30 hours with wind speeds reaching 300 kmph. It killed 10,000 people.(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

Toronto crews prepare for 10 to 15 centimetres of snow-[CBC]-yahoonews-December 11, 2016

City crews are ready for a major snowfall expected to start on Sunday in Toronto, the city said in a tweet.It said salt brine has already been applied to hills and bridges.Environment Canada said about 10 cm to 15 cm are expected in Toronto starting Sunday morning. The snowfall is expected to end early Monday. Arnold Ashton, severe weather meteorologist for Environment Canada in Toronto, said conditions will likely be a "little nasty" for Toronto residents because there will be some wind while the snow falls.

About 40 cars in pile-up on snowy highway near Detroit-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 10, 2016

(Reuters) - A pile-up involving about 40 cars in snowy conditions forced the temporary closure of part of Interstate 75 northwest of Detroit on Saturday and several motorists were injured, a spokesman for state police said.Michigan State Police posted photographs on Twitter of cars with damage to their bumpers and several vehicles with their trunks popped open, apparently after colliding with each other.No one was killed in the collision less than 40 miles northwest of Detroit, but some people were transported to area hospitals with injuries that were not life threatening, according to the tweets from the Metro Detroit section of Michigan State Police.The cause of the crash is under investigation, Michigan State Police spokesman Lieutenant Michael Shaw said by telephone."Usually in these types of collisions, more than likely it's from following too closely,” he said.Shaw added that authorities were still seeking to determine how many people were injured in the chain-reaction crash, which he said involved about three semi-tractor trucks in addition to the 40 cars.Northbound Interstate 75 was temporarily closed due to the collision but by Saturday evening Michigan State Police said on Twitter that the northbound side had reopened.(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary Milliken)

Polar vortex redux? U.S. forecasters say it could hit next week-[Reuters]-By Timothy Mclaughlin-YAHOONEWS-December 8, 2016

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Forecasters are sending chills down some spines with a prediction that much of the northern half of the United States could see frigid weather next week similar to life-threatening lows the polar vortex brought to parts of the country in 2014.Anticipation of a freezing blast began to build this week when weather maps and forecast models showed similarities between next week's system and one that developed in January 2014."Upper-level atmosphere configuration very similar in scale & magnitude as infamous Jan 2014 #PolarVortex popularized by me and @afreedma," meteorologist Ryan Maue said on Twitter on Tuesday alongside maps comparing the two weather systems.The southward shift in the polar vortex in 2014 brought the Midwest some of its coldest weather in two decades. Icy conditions snarled travel and thousands of flights were canceled or delayed.Frigid temperatures combined with gusting winds to create life-threatening wind chills as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit below zero (minus 51 Celsius) that killed at least nine people.The coldest weather next week is expected in the Midwest and Northeastern starting around Tuesday, according to forecasts that show temperatures in the single digits in some cities."The air mass on the way for the middle of December is likely to be substantially colder when compared to that of this past week and this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok wrote on Thursday.Temperatures from the Northern and Central plains to wide swathes of the Midwest are likely to drop by between 5 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit compared to temperatures this week, according to AccuWeather.It is unclear how far south the cold air will be felt, according to Pastelok.Chicago, the largest city in the Midwest, is bracing for temperatures in the teens next week, according to an AccuWeather forecast, which showed a low of 17 Fahrenheit (minus 8 Celsius) for Wednesday and Thursday.Further north in Minnesota, Minneapolis-St. Paul NBC affiliate KARE forecasted temperatures dropping to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12 Celsius) on Tuesday of next week, then 8 degrees (minus 13 Celsius) on Wednesday.(Reporting by Timothy McLaughlin in Chicago; Editing by James Dalgleish)

MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL EATS HUMANS FLESH FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL-JERUSALEM

EZEKIEL 39:17-21
17  And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF RUSSIAN/ISLAMIC HORDES AGAINST ISRAEL)
18  Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19  And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20  Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21  And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22  So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.

REVELATION 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;(AGAINST ALL NATIONS ARMIES THAT COME AGAINST JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL)
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

EZEKIEL 38:1-7
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

Britain says West cannot treat Russia as an equal partner-[Reuters]-yahoonews-December 11, 2016

LONDON (Reuters) - The defence minister said on Sunday he was ready to work with his new U.S. counterpart but that Western nations could not treat Russia as an equal partner as Moscow was a strategic competitor.Several appointments by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump have suggested his administration could forge warmer relations with Russia's Vladimir Putin, worrying several European allies, especially in eastern Europe."I'm ready to work with the new Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis... to be strong against Russian aggression towards NATO, to de-escalate tensions with Moscow and as I said to continue to work with Russia on how we get towards a settlement in Syria," Michael Fallon told the BBC."That can't be treating Russia as an equal. Russia is a strategic competitor to us in the West and we have to understand that," he said.Trump is expected to name the chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp as secretary of state, a source told Reuters on Saturday, an appointment that would put in place an official with close ties to the Russian government.Fallon also emphasised Britain's support for Saudi Arabia after foreign minister Boris Johnson told an audience that the Saudis, Iran and others were "puppeteering and playing proxy wars."A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said earlier in the week that Johnson's views did not reflect the government's position on Saudi Arabia and its role in the region.On Sunday, Fallon emphasised support for the kingdom, which since March 2015 has led a coalition launching air strikes in support of the Yemeni government of Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi against Houthi fighters, who are backed by troops loyal to ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh."It (Saudi Arabia) is perfectly entitled to defend itself and it is also leading the coalition to restore the legitimate government of Yemen," Fallon said.(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Louise Ireland and Andrew Heavens)

Iran says Gulf worried about war risks with Trump-[Reuters]-yahoonews-December 11, 2016

DUBAI (Reuters) - Donald Trump's election has led to unease over threats to peace in the region, Iran's defence minister said on Sunday, warning that a war would destroy Israel and the small Gulf Arab states.Trump's election victory has raised the prospect the United States will pull out of a nuclear pact it signed last year with Iran, which Barack Obama's administration has touted as a way to suspend Tehran's suspected drive to develop atomic weapons.During his campaign, Trump called the nuclear pact a "disaster" and "the worst deal ever negotiated" and has signalled he will take a harder line on Iran.This has led to unease among U.S. allies in the Gulf, Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency."Even though a businessman, the assistants that ... (Trump) has chosen may map a different path for him, and this has led to unease, particularly among Persian Gulf countries," Dehghan told a security conference in Tehran, according to Mehr."Considering Trump's character and that he measures the cost of everything in dollars, it does not seem likely that he would take strong action against our country," he said."Enemies may want to impose a war on us based on false calculations and only taking into consideration their material capabilities..."Such a war would mean the destruction of the Zionist regime (Israel) ... and will engulf the whole region and could lead to a world war," Mehr quoted Dehghan as saying."Among other consequences of the war, would be the destruction of the city-states on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, because they lack popular support," Dehghan said, referring to small Western-allied Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.Iran is an arch-enemy of Israel. Tehran and most Gulf states are on opposite sides in Middle East conflicts, with the Islamic republic an ally of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war and of the armed Houthi movement fighting a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen.(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Ros Russell)

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)

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)

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.

China conducts flyover of waterways near Japan, Taiwan-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 11, 2016

BEIJING (AP) — China patrolled the waters of a series of hotly contested islands Sunday, a day after staging a flyover of two strategically important waterways near Taiwan and Japan.Chinese government statements said both weekend exercises were routine. The exercises come shortly after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen spoke to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in a call strongly denounced by China, which considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory.At least 10 Chinese planes on Saturday flew over the Miyako Strait between two Japanese islands, Taiwan's defense ministry said in a statement. Four planes also flew over the nearby Bashi Channel adjacent to Taiwan, according to the statement.The waterways are two of the connections between the contested South and East China seas and the Pacific Ocean.Chinese state media then announced Sunday that three vessels patrolled the Senkaku islands, which are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China, which calls them the Diaoyu.China has staged previous flyovers of both waterways, including last month, as well as patrols of the area around the islands.China did not mention Taiwan in either of its statements announcing the exercises. It instead accused the Japanese of scrambling two of its fighter jets to "interfere" with Chinese pilots, including the launching of "jamming shells, which endangered the safety of Chinese aircraft and crew."Japan's defense ministry did not immediately respond to those allegations Sunday.

Philippine president says he'll accept China arms offer-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 11, 2016

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday that he has decided to accept an arms deal being offered by China under concessional terms, in the latest sign of cozying relations between the once-hostile neighbors.Duterte said in a speech before troops that he'll ask his defense secretary to send military officials to China to receive the firearms, which will be payable over 25 years. He did not provide further details."China is pressing me on the firearms, which are already there. I'll accept them. They're rushing it," Duterte said."We don't need to ask from others because they're willing to give it," he said. "This isn't free, but it's actually a grant payable in 25 years."Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the military is also considering purchasing sniper rifles from Russia, adding that the Philippine army and marines would undertake a study to see whether a deal could be forged. Lorenzana visited Russia last week on Duterte's order to meet defense officials, the first-ever visit by a Philippine defense chief to Moscow since diplomatic ties were established in 1976, officials said."If their sniper rifles are superior as they claim, we may decide to acquire," Lorenzana told The Associated Press. "The army and marines will conduct tests and determine how many they may require."Duterte reached out to China and Russia after taking office in June while taking a hostile stance with the Obama administration after the latter criticized his deadly war on drugs.The Philippines has heavily depended on the U.S., its treaty ally, for weapons, ships and aircraft for years, although it has turned to other countries for defense equipment as it struggled to modernize its underfunded military in recent years.Under Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, relations with China were strained over disputed South China Sea territories, especially after Aquino brought the disputes to international arbitration. China ignored the arbitration case and the eventual ruling handed in July, which invalidated China's sweeping territorial claims.

Trump says U.S. not necessarily bound by "one China" policy-[Reuters]-yahoonewsDecember 11, 2016

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump questioned whether the United States had to be bound by its longstanding position that Taiwan is part of "one China" and brushed aside Beijing's concerns about his decision to accept a phone call from Taiwan's president."I fully understand the 'one China policy,' but I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'one China policy' unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," Trump said on an interview with Fox News Sunday.The congratulatory call that Trump accepted from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was the first such contact with Taiwan by a U.S. president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China."Taiwan is one of China's most sensitive policy issues, and China generally lambastes any form of official contact by foreign governments with Taiwan's leaders.In the Fox interview, Trump criticized China over its policies on issues such as currency, the South China Sea and North Korea and said it was not up to Beijing to decide whether he should take a call from Taiwan's leader."I don't want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me," Trump said. "It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call?""I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it," Trump added.(Reporting By Caren Bohan; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

Trump dismisses reports Russia helped him in U.S. election-[Reuters]-By Doina Chiacu and Howard Schneider-yahoonews-December 11, 2016

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump rejected as "ridiculous" reported U.S. intelligence findings that Russia intervened in the presidential election on his behalf through targeted hacking, saying he did not believe it, according to an interview on "Fox News Sunday."The Republican president-elect's comments casting doubt on reported U.S. intelligence findings pits him against some leading foreign policy voices in the U.S. Senate from his own party who on Sunday expressed alarm about election meddling by Moscow."I think it's ridiculous. I think it's just another excuse. I don't believe it," Trump said in the interview, which was taped on Saturday.He blamed Democrats for putting out the media reports and said he did not believe they came from the Central Intelligence Agency.Trump's dismissal was perhaps aimed at squashing doubts about whether he won the Nov. 8 election fairly. However, his comments could also portend conflicts between the new president and the intelligence agencies he will command and feed criticism that his administration will be soft on Russia.The Republican real estate magnate was expected to appoint as secretary of state Exxon Mobile Corp Chief Executive Rex Tillerson, who has close ties with Moscow and has spoken out against U.S. sanctions on Russia.U.S. intelligence agencies have told Congress and the administration of President Barack Obama that Russia has grown increasingly aggressive in Syria and Ukraine and has stepped up activities in cyberspace including meddling, sometimes covertly, in European and U.S. elections.A senior U.S. intelligence official told Reuters intelligence agencies have concluded with "high confidence" that not only did their Russian counterparts direct the hacking of Democratic Party organizations and leaders, but they did so to undermine Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.The Republican president-elect questioned whether the Central Intelligence Agency was behind the reports that indicated Moscow wanted him in the White House. "I think the Democrats are putting it out," he said in the interview.Two leading Republican voices on foreign policy in the U.S. Senate, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, joined two Democratic senators on Sunday in expressing concern over possible Russian interference in a U.S. presidential election."For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyber attacks at America's physical, economic, and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property. Now our democratic institutions have been targeted," the senators, including Democrats Chuck Schumer and Jack Reed, said in a statement."Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American.""This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country," the senators said in a statement.Reince Priebus, the Republican Party leader Trump picked to be his chief of staff in the White House, attacked the news reports for relying on unidentified sources and denied a New York Times report that the Republican National Committee was hacked. He was speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press."Russian officials have denied all accusations of interference in the U.S. election.(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Howard Schneider; Editing by Mary Milliken and Phil Berlowitz)

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)

Syrian refugees mark the one year anniversary of being welcomed to Canada-[The Canadian Press]-yahoonews-December 11, 2016

MONTREAL — It has been a year since Canada welcomed the first group of Syrians that the government flew out of refugee camps and political leaders are remembering the anniversary this weekend.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and some of his cabinet ministers were on hand Dec. 10, 2015 to greet the first plane load of refugees who arrived at Toronto's Pearson airport.A similar scene played out around the same time in Montreal and that occasion will be remembered today.Federal Immigration Minister John McCallum and Quebec and municipal politicians will gather with Syrian refugees to mark the event.Prime Minister Trudeau noted the anniversary on Twitter and federal Health Minister Jane Philpott, who joined Trudeau in welcoming the first plane load, noted the fond memories she had of that night in a tweet posted Saturday.Images of Trudeau welcoming refugees as they put on winter clothing received extensive international coverage.Although several hundred Syrians had arrived in the preceding weeks by commercial flights, the governing Liberals made the arrival of refugees by government planes a much-publicized event.The refugees were among the 25,000 that the Liberals had promised to bring to Canada last winter.The Canadian Press

Cairo church bombing kills 25, raises fears among Christians-[Reuters]-By Ahmed Mohammed Hassan and Ali Abdelaty-YAHOONEWS-December 11, 2016

CAIRO (Reuters) - A bombing at Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral killed at least 25 people and wounded 49, many of them women and children attending Sunday mass, in the deadliest attack on Egypt's Christian minority in years.The attack comes as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi battles against an Islamist insurgency in Northern Sinai, led by the Egyptian branch of Islamic State. The militant group has also carried out deadly attacks in Cairo and has urged its supporters to launch attacks around the world in recent weeks as it goes on the defensive in its Iraqi and Syrian strongholds.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State supporters celebrated the attack on social media."God bless the person who did this blessed act," wrote one supporter of the militant group on Telegram.The explosion took place in a chapel adjoining the main hall of St Mark's Cathedral, the largest in the metropolis of 20 million, where security is normally tight. The chapel floor and pews were covered with debris, dust and sticky patches of blood."As soon as the priest called us to prepare for prayer, the explosion happened," Emad Shoukry, who was inside when the blast took place, told Reuters."The explosion shook the place... The dust covered the hall and I was looking for the door, although I couldn't see anything... I managed to leave in the middle of screams and there were a lot of people thrown on the ground."Security sources told Reuters at least six children were among the dead, with the blast detonating on the side of the church normally used by women.They said the explosion was caused by a device containing at least 12 kg (26 pounds) of TNT. Police were investigating claims by witnesses that the bomb was concealed in the handbag of a woman who had placed it on the floor of the church and left.Police and armoured vehicles rushed to the area, as dozens of protesters gathered outside the compound demanding revenge. Scuffles broke out with police.A woman sitting near the cathedral in traditional long robes shouted "kill them, kill the terrorists, what are you waiting for?.... Why are you leaving them to bomb our homes?"-"EGYPTIAN BLOOD IS CHEAP"-Though Egypt's Coptic Christians have traditionally been supporters of the government, angry crowds turned their ire against Sisi, saying his government had failed to protect them."As long as Egyptian blood is cheap, down, down with any president..." they chanted. Others chanted "the people demand the fall of the regime", the rallying cry of the 2011 uprising that helped end Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.Sisi's office condemned the attack as an act of terrorism and declared three days of national mourning. Al Azhar, Egypt's main Islamic centre of learning, also denounced the attacks.Orthodox Copts, who comprise about 10 percent of Egypt's 90 million people, are the Middle East's biggest Christian community.Copts face regular attack by Muslim neighbours, who burn their homes and churches in poor rural areas, usually in anger over an inter-faith romance or the construction of church.The last major attack on a church took place as worshippers left a new year's service in Alexandria weeks before the start of the 2011 uprising. At least 21 people were killed.Egypt's Christian community has felt increasingly insecure since Islamic State spread through Iraq and Syria in 2014, ruthlessly targeting religious minorities. In 2015, 21 Egyptian Christians working in Libya were killed by Islamic State.Coptic Pope Tawadros II cut short a visit to Greece after learning of the attack. Coptic officials said they would not allow the bombing to create sectarian differences."We will not allow the terrorist to threaten our national unity with Muslims," Hani Bakhoum, undersecretary of the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate told Egyptian state television.(Additional reporting by Arwa Gaballa and Amr Abdallah; Writing by Amina Ismail and Lin Noueihed; Editing by Ros Russell)

More than 100 killed in church collapse in Nigeria - photojournalist, resident-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 11, 2016

UYO, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least 100 people were killed by the collapse of a church in southeastern Nigeria, a resident and photojournalist who visited the town morgue said on Sunday, a day after the incident."At Uyo teaching hospital where I am now I could see over a hundred corpses, many are heaped on top off each other on the floor," said photojournalist Ini Samuel. "Eye witnesses also said yesterday corpses were packed in four each bag."Gary Ubong, a resident, said the church's roof had collapsed on worshippers while a pastor was being consecrated as bishop in the presence of government officials."I saw more than 100 dead bodies brought out on loaders," said Ubong, who said he had rushed to the scene after the accident. "I also went to two hospitals and saw heaps of dead bodies difficult to count."State police spokeswoman Cordelia Nwawe said 27 had been killed and 30 injured when the Reigners Bible church in Akwa Ibom state capital Uyo collapsed during a service on Saturday. State emergency agency NEMA said in a statement that six people had been killed and 115 injured.State governor Udom Emmanuel, who escaped unhurt from the church service, ordered the arrest of the building contractor, state news agency NAN said.Buildings collapses are frequent in the West African nation and often blamed by officials on lack of construction permits and the use of cheap materials amid widespread corruption.Critics say Nigerian authorities tend to understate the death toll at such accidents or suicide bombings by the Boko Haram jihadist group in the north of the country.During at gas plant blast in southern Nigeria a year ago the presidency said "tens of people" had been killed while witnesses counted more than 100 bodies. Police had then just confirmed eight dead.(Reporting by Anamesere Igboeroteonwu and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Louise Ireland and Ros Russell)

Two girl suicide bombers kill at least three in Nigeria's Maiduguri - official-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 11, 2016

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Two girl suicide bombers killed at least three people and wounded 17 at a market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Sunday, a spokesman for state emergency agency NEMA, Sani Datti, said.Residents said about nine people had been killed.Boko Haram Islamists have been waging an insurgency for seven years in the region to try to establish an Islamic state.The jihadists have frequently targeted crowded areas - such as markets, places of worship and refugee camps - in suicide bomb attacks across northeast Nigeria and in neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.They have killed some 15,000 people and forced more than two million people to flee their homes.Nigeria's army has pushed the militant group back to its stronghold in the vast Sambisa forest in the past few months but the group still stages suicide bombings.(Reporting by Lanre Ola and Reuters Television; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Rhetoric of fascism' on the rise, UN rights chief warns By Eszter Zalan-euobserver

BRUSSELS, 9. Dec, 09:23-The UN's foremost human rights chief has warned of the dangerous rise of the "rhetoric of fascism" in Europe.Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN high commissioner for human rights, has said an "unprecedented pressure on international human rights standards risks unravelling the unique set of protections set in place after the end of Second World War.”Speaking in Geneva on Thursday (8 December), ahead of Human Rights Day, on Saturday, he noted that 2016 has been a disastrous year for human rights across the world.He highlighted the refugee crisis unleashed by the Syrian conflict and extremist movements that subject people to "horrific violence", climate change, and "yawning economic disparities."Ra’ad Al Hussein said these events threaten the liberal world order as we know it."If the growing erosion of the carefully constructed system of human rights and rule of law continues to gather momentum, ultimately everyone will suffer," he warned.This year saw several political upsets, with the UK voting to leave the EU and Donald Trump winning the US presidency, while populist forces gathered strength across the west.Ra’ad Al Hussein warned that hate speech and fascist rhetoric was on the rise across the western world.“In some parts of Europe, and in the United States, anti-foreigner rhetoric full of unbridled vitriol and hatred, is proliferating to a frightening degree, and is increasingly unchallenged," he said in Geneva.He added that "the rhetoric of fascism is no longer confined to a secret underworld of fascists, meeting in ill-lit clubs or on the ‘Deep Net.’ It is becoming part of normal daily discourse."He warned that tearing up the laws and institutions that were designed after World War Two to protect all individuals, and to promote stability and economic prosperity, is "shortsighted and dangerous.""These are not trifles to be tossed aside for personal or political gain,” he said.He warned that "many leaders are failing to grapple effectively and honestly with these complex social and economic issues."As a result, "people are turning in desperation to the siren voices exploiting fears, sowing disinformation and division, and making alluring promises they cannot fulfil," he added, referring to populist forces.Next year might bring another wave of momentum in the rise of populism, with elections coming up in the Netherlands, France and Germany, where populist parties have been gaining popularity.Ra’ad Al Hussein stressed it was within the power of every individual to play a role in pushing back against these forces.The UN is set to launch a campaign entitled "Stand up for someone's rights today" on Saturday, Ra’ad Al Hussein said, arguing protecting these values couldn't be left to institutions alone.The EU will join the UN's campaign."Each of us has an individual responsibility to stand up for these [human] rights," the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Friday (9 December).

Another 4,000 Syrians flee fighting in Aleppo-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 11, 2016

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's state news agency says another 4,000 people have fled the northern city of Aleppo, where government forces are closing in on a rapidly shrinking rebel enclave.State TV on Sunday showed hundreds of Syrians fleeing eastern Aleppo as the fighting raged, saying more than 70,000 people have fled since the wide-scale offensive began earlier this month.A state TV broadcaster said insurgents still control around 7 square kilometers (4 square miles) in the city's east.Rebels captured the eastern half of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and onetime commercial capital, in 2012. The government's recapture of the city would mark its greatest victory since the war began in 2011.Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov says 291 rebels have surrendered. Russia is a key ally of Assad.

Syrian army advances in Aleppo but loses Palmyra to Islamic State-[Reuters]-By Laila Bassam and Suleiman Al-Khalidi-yahoonews-December 11, 2016

ALEPPO, Syria/AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army and its allies made new gains in Aleppo on Sunday, forcing rebels back into an ever shrinking pocket crammed with civilians, but lost control of the desert city of Palmyra to a swift Islamic State attack.Final victory in Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the civil war, would constitute the biggest triumph yet for President Bashar al-Assad and his coalition of Russian air power, Iran and Shi'ite militias.New army gains on Sunday south of Aleppo's historic citadel in the besieged insurgent pocket appeared to bring that end closer, with a rebel official saying world powers seemed to be presenting rebels with a choice of "death or surrender".But the Islamic State attack on Palmyra, 200 km (120 miles) to the southeast, threatens to inflict a serious blow on both Damascus and Moscow, which had trumpeted their capture of the ancient city from the jihadist group in March.Syrian state radio reported on Sunday that the army had evacuated its positions inside Palmyra, whose Roman-era ruins have become an emblem of the nearly six-year conflict. They were redeploying around the city in the face of large jihadist reinforcements after Moscow said its jets had killed hundreds of militants.Islamic State's advance around Palmyra on Thursday and seizure of the city centre on Sunday despite its months of losses elsewhere showed how far Assad is from regaining control of Syria, even as he stands on the cusp of victory in Aleppo.Analysts have warned that even if Assad defeats the main rebellion, he may still face years of guerrilla insurgency and bombing attacks as he tries to reassert his authority.Heavy shelling and air raids pounded Aleppo's rebel enclave from midnight on Saturday and throughout Sunday morning, a Reuters reporter in the city said, with explosions at a rate of more than one a minute. Gunfire was also heard.Russian and U.S. officials are meeting in Geneva on Sunday for more talks on an elusive deal for civilians and fighters to leave the city, diplomats said, but the rebel official said the Aleppo insurgents had had no word yet on their progress.-FIERCE BOMBARDMENT-Thousands of refugees are still pouring from Aleppo's areas of fighting. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, said more than 120,000 civilians had left the eastern part of the city as the government advance closed in, but that tens of thousands remained.The Turkey-based official from the Jabha Shamiya rebel group, which is present in Aleppo, said that the insurgents' enclave was reduced to a narrow strip that was full of civilians and under very fierce bombardment.Without external intervention, the struggle would end badly, the official said: "The result will certainly be a complete end of the district, in a tragic way."The mostly Sunni rebels include groups supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but also some jihadist factions that receive no assistance from the West.The army seized the al-Maadi district on Sunday morning before rebels were able to return and continue fighting there, said the Jabha Shamiya official.A Syrian military source said the army and its allies had captured the al-Asila and Aaajam districts, southeast of Aleppo's ancient citadel, as well as the southern portion of the Karam al-Daadaa neighbourhood.The Observatory also said the army had advanced in those areas.Reuters reporters on a tour of Old City districts captured by the army saw how its historic covered market had been pounded, with ancient quarters reduced to a warren of defensive positions daubed with rebel slogans."Embrace death for Aleppo" was one.State television showed footage of the east Aleppo fighting: a tank moving slowly along a street as soldiers ran alongside it, smoke and dust billowing around them.-PALMYRA-The civil war has pitted Assad and his allies against rebel groups but also involves a secondary conflict setting all of them against Islamic State.The jihadist group seized Palmyra in May 2015, one of its last major conquests after nearly a year of advances in Syria and neighbouring Iraq that took advantage of the region's chaos following the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.Its destruction of some of the best-known ruins and killing of the leading archaeologist in the city provoked global outrage and the army's recapture of Palmyra was presented by Damascus and Moscow as vindicating Russia's entry into the war.A video released online by the militant group showed images of the city and its ruins taken from near the medieval castle overlooking the area.The governor of Homs Province, where Palmyra is located, said on Sunday that the government would do all it could to retake the city.Islamic State has suffered a string of setbacks since late last year, losing its once long stretch of territory on the border with Turkey, an important source of supplies and recruits, as well as the city of Manbij.The group is fighting an assault on its most important possession in Iraq, the city of Mosul. It is also under attack north of Raqqa, its Syrian capital, following a series of air strikes that have killed some of its most important leaders.Russian news agencies reported that air strikes had killed 300 militants overnight near Palmyra but that more than 4,000 fighters had still managed to launch the attack on the city.(Reporting by Laila Bassam in Aleppo, Tom Perry in Beirut and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, writing by Angus McDowall; editing by David Stamp)

Kurdish militants claim responsibility for Istanbul attack that killed 38-[Reuters]-By David Dolan and Tuvan Gumrukcu-yahoonews-December 11, 2016

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - An offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility on Sunday for twin bombings that killed 38 people and wounded 155 outside an Istanbul soccer stadium, an attack for which the Turkish government vowed vengeance.The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), which has claimed several other deadly attacks in Turkey this year, said in a statement on its website that it was behind Saturday night's blasts, which shook a nation still trying to recover from a failed military coup and a number of bombings this year..Saturday's attacks took place near the Vodafone Arena, home to Istanbul's Besiktas soccer team, about two hours after a match at the stadium and appeared to target police officers. The first was a car bomb outside the stadium, followed within a minute by a suicide bomb attack in an adjacent park.TAK, which has claimed responsibility for an Ankara bombing that killed 37, is an offshoot of the PKK, which has carried out a violent, three-decade insurgency, mainly in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast."What we must focus on is this terror burden. Our people should have no doubt we will continue our battle against terror until the end," Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after meeting injured victims in an Istanbul hospital.-'WE WILL HAVE VENGEANCE'-Speaking at a funeral for five of the police officers at the Istanbul police headquarters, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said: "Sooner or later we will have our vengeance. This blood will not be left on the ground, no matter what the price, what the cost."Soylu also warned those who would offer support to the attackers on social media or elsewhere; comments aimed at pro-Kurdish politicians the government accuses of having links to the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States, Europe and Turkey.In recent months thousands of Kurdish politicians have been detained, including dozens of mayors and the leaders of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), parliament's second-biggest opposition party, accused of having links to the PKK.The crackdown against Kurdish politicians has coincided with widespread purges of state institutions after July's failed coup, which the government blames on followers of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric.Turkey says the measures are necessary to defend its security, while rights groups and some Western allies accuse it of skirting the rule of law and trampling on freedoms.In a statement, the pro-Kurdish HDP condemned the attack and urged the government to end what it called the language and politics of "polarisation, hostility and conflict".Soylu said that the first explosion was at an assembly point for riot police. The second came as police surrounded the suicide bomber in the nearby Macka park.Thirty-eight people died, including 30 police and seven civilians, he said. One person remained unidentified.Thirteen people have been detained in connection with the attacks, Soylu said.A total of 155 people were being treated in hospital, with 14 of them in intensive care and five in surgery, Health Minister Recep Akdag told a news conference.Flags flew at half-mast and Sunday was declared a day of national mourning.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said that Turkey's allies should show solidarity with it in the fight against terrorism, a reference to disagreements with the United States over the fellow NATO member's policy on Syria. Washingon backs the Syrian Kurdish YPG in the fight against Islamic State. Turkey, meanwhile, says the militia is an extension of the PKK and a terrorist group.In addition to the Kurdish insurgency, Turkey is battling Islamic State as a member of the United States-led coalition against the jihadist group. Less than a week ago Islamic State urged its supporters to target Turkey's "security, military, economic and media establishment".-'MY SON WAS MASSACRED'-Video purporting to show the father of one of the victims, a 19-year-old medical student in Istanbul for a weekend visit, went viral on social media in Turkey."I don't want my son to be a martyr, my son was massacred," the footage showed the father saying. "His goal was to be a doctor and help people like this, but now I am carrying him back in a funeral car."Security remained tight in Istanbul, with police helicopters buzzing overhead in the Besiktas district near the stadium.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned what hedescribed as "horrific acts of terror", while European leadersalso sent messages of solidarity. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Erdogan to convey her condolences, sources in his office said.The United States condemned the attack and said it stood with its NATO ally.(Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun, Ece Toksabay, Umit Bektas and Gulsen Solaker in Ankara, Humeyra Pamuk, Osman Orsal and Murad Sezer in Istanbul; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Dale Hudson and David Goodman)