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)
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.
Putin: Russia's military is stronger than anyone's-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
MOSCOW — Russia's military is now stronger than any potential foe, President Vladimir Putin told an annual end-of-year meeting with the defence ministry on Thursday."We can say with certainty: we are stronger now than any potential aggressor," he told the meeting. "Anyone!"His comments come at the end of a year when tensions between Russia and the West have remained strained, largely to do with differing approaches to the civil war in Syria.Tensions between Russia and the West escalated after Russia's annexation in Crimea in 2014 and its involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Last year, Russia began an air force operation in Syria to support President Bashar Assad that's irked the U.S. in particular.Both Russia and NATO members conducted a flurry of military drills near the Russian border this year. Russia has insisted that it's bolstering its forces at the border to react to a growing NATO threat.Speaking at the defence ministry's headquarters in Moscow Putin said Russia should follow closely any military movement along its border as well as changes "in the military and political situation globally." He said Russia should be swift in "adjusting plans to neutralize potential threats to our country."Putin made the comments after Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu presented his annual report, lauding Russia's military achievements in Syria as well as successful efforts to modernize the Russian army.Among other things, Shoigu said Russia "for the first time in its history" has fully covered the Russian border with early warning anti-missile systems. Shoigu complained about an increased number of NATO drone flights along the Russian border announced plans to send more troops to Russia's west, south-west and the Arctic region.Putin thanked the ministry for its work but added that "the situation might change very quickly" in case "we let ourselves relax even for a moment."The Associated Press.
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.
EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3-7
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,(EU WORLD DICTATOR)the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.(SOCIALISM)
13 These have one mind,(SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
2 THESSALONIANS 2:9-12
9 Even him,(EU WORLD DICTATOR) whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,(THE FALSE RESURRECTION BY THE WORLD DICTATOR) that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
GENESIS 49:16-17-POSSIBLY A JEW FROM DAN KILLS THE DICTATOR AT MIDPOINT OF TRIB
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
No one will enter the New World Order... unless he or she will make a pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will take a Luciferian Initiation.- David Spangler Director of Planetary Initiative United Nations.
Focus-EU presidency strengthened Slovakia's government By Lucia Virostkova-DEC 22,16-EUOBSERVER
Bratislava, Today, 09:16-Slovakia's first ever EU presidency drew praise from Brussels officials and succeeded in strengthening the government's political position at home, but probably failed to spark higher public interest in European affairs.Prime minister Robert Fico's government will pass its six-month chairmanship of the EU Council to Malta in January after a turbulent period that included the fallout from the Brexit vote, disputes on trade agreements with Canada and US, and the surprise American presidential election result.“The key success of the Slovak presidency was to get the remaining EU-27 [minus the UK] to agree on the need to keep convincing the European public that it is essential to continue in this unique project,” Fico noted.The Slovak presidency has repeatedly used similar rhetoric about the positive outcomes of European integration.Political scientist Michal Cirner of Presov University told EUobserver that despite the “utmost effort" of the government, the presidency "has not become a top public debate issue, because there is a weak understanding of the whole Brussels business and more interest in other less abstract topics".“Most ordinary people would probably comment that the whole EU presidency was just about gentlemen's entertainment paid by our money,” he said.For some Slovaks, such sentiments were boosted by accusations against the foreign affairs ministry of Miroslav Lajcak regarding overpriced presidency events in Bratislava and alleged fraud in their management.On the national political level, some analysts expected key changes in the Slovak government after the country's term at the EU helm, mainly on the part of Fico's Social Democratic Smer-SD party.Some speculated that Fico would resign next year due to health problems, following heart surgery just weeks before his presidency tasks kicked off in July.But “towards the end of this year, we can see that Robert Fico feels as fit as ever for future political fights”, noted political commentator Marian Lesko.He suggested that the ruling coalition, composed of Smer-SD, the centre-right Slovak National Party (SNS) and Slovak-Hungarian Most-Hid party, would continue despite some internal disputes or different political views – in a bid to prevent early elections and a likely boost of far-right parties.-A 'responsible coalition'-It was also initially widely assumed that interior minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) would walk out after finishing his duties in Brussels because of corruption allegations linking him to a prominent businessman who faces charges of tax fraud.However, as Michal Cirner stated: “If he hasn't left in the heat of the pressure by media, opposition and a part of the public, why would he go now?”Kalinak was recently re-elected with a high support as Smer-SD vice-chairman, while top party officials praised him for how well he managed things at the EU level.“The ruling parties present the Slovak EU presidency as a great triumph and a reason to maintain their 'responsible' coalition of standard political parties,” said Cirner.“They will loudly refer to their performance in Brussels as a key success and remind it to the voters well until the next election.”Despite all the pro-Europe messages over the past six months, the Slovak government may return to a more critical rhetoric, primarily following their national interests in key policies and agendas.Fico has often highlighted Slovakia's role in achieving a quick ratification of Paris climate agreement at the EU level but “it is just logical that Bratislava will continue to protect its industry and energy-intensive sectors”, energy analyst Jozef Badida told EUobserver.-No more political correctness-Similarly, Bratislava has tabled a new concept of “effective solidarity” to establish new EU asylum rules and called for a compromise on the controversial issue of migration and refugee crisis. But it continued to vehemently resist the agreed EU quota on migrant relocation.While the image of Slovakia and its EU presidency was initially strongly influenced by Fico's anti-refugee rhetoric, he is finishing the job with the same appeal for stopping political correctness in European and national public debates.In a speech at a European socialists meeting in Prague early December, he said it was essential to speak openly about the EU's hypocrisy and bureaucracy, because the far-right makes progress by doing so.Recent polls have shown that radicalism is on the rise in Slovakia.A survey by Polis agency published on Wednesday (21 December) put the extreme-right People's Party-Our Slovakia (LSNS) of Marian Kotleba at 11 percent of voting intentions, ahead of all the ruling coalition parties except Smer-SD (27.7 percent). At the March elections LSNS got 8 percent of the votes.According to a research by the Institute for Public Affairs, Kotleba's party is the most popular among Slovaks aged 18-39.In another poll by INEKO institute, over 40 percent of Slovaks said they were convinced that the quality of democracy has deteriorated over the past five years, and one quarter did not oppose the idea of establishing dictatorship.
EU looks to trade treaty for better Turkey relations By Andrew Rettman-DEC 22,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:29-The European Commission has asked member states to upgrade trade relations with Turkey, but said this would be conditional on respect for democracy.The proposal comes amid fraying relations with Turkey over its crackdown on alleged coup sympathisers and Kurdish separatists, as well as its ever-closer links with Russia.The commission said on Wednesday (21 December) it had asked the Council, which represents EU countries, to “modernise” its 1996 Customs Union with Turkey.The upgrade is expected to let Turkey sell almost all types of agricultural products into the EU without tariffs and to relax restrictions on manufactured goods and services, boosting bilateral trade, which is already worth €140 billion a year, by over €30 billion.It would also let Turkish firms bid for public procurement contracts in EU states and would see Turkey included in EU trade deals with third countries.The commission noted that the upgrade would also have political value.It said trade ties “form an essential part of the efforts made by the EU and Turkey to deepen their relations”, but it added that “respect of democracy and fundamental rights will be an essential element of the agreement”.The negotiations are expected to take at least two years.-Boosting Erdogan-Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian handling of July’s failed coup, and of the conflict with Kurdish separatists, has annoyed many in Europe.Austria, as well as the European Parliament, recently said the EU should halt Turkey’s accession talks due to Erdogan’s arrests of tens of thousands of alleged coup plotters and Kurdish sympathisers.The purge included detention of opposition MPs and closures of Erdogan-critical media.Erdogan reacted by threatening to let Syrian refugees go en masse to Europe and by saying he might forego closer EU ties in favour of joining the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.The tension was on show again last week when Belgian authorities detained Maxime Azadi, a Kurdish journalist, on the basis of a Turkish request to Interpol, the international police body in France, prompting an outcry by NGOs, such as the European Federation of Journalists.Erdogan critics, such as Alon Ben-Meir, a scholar of international relations at New York University, have also warned that EU policies that help Turkey to boost economic growth with no strings attached have allowed him to remain popular despite civil rights abuses.-Turkey U-turn-The commission’s proposal also comes amid ever-closer links between Turkey and Russia, which threaten Western strategic interests.Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin recently move ahead on plans to build a new gas pipeline to the EU that risks fomenting internal divisions in Europe by bypassing Ukraine and central and eastern EU states.Russian state media, such as the Sputnik online outlet, have spoken of a U-turn by Turkey toward Russia.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on the day of the commission announcement, accused the EU of lacking solidarity with Turkey on refugees."We know that in many respects Ankara's expectations have been betrayed by Brussels. And therefore this load, these refugees, are carried by Turkey on its shoulders," he said in an interview with the MIR TV satellite broadcaster.He also said the killing of Andrei Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, earlier this week was designed to harm the rapprochement."Murdering Karlov aims to prevent both the normalisation process between the two countries,” Peskov said, adding that Russian investigators in Ankara were trying to identify who was behind the shooting.Karlov was shot dead during a press conference by a Turkish police officer who shouted out that he did it because Russia’s support for the Syrian regime in its brutal assault on the Syrian city of Aleppo.
CRTC declares broadband internet access a basic service-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
The CRTC has declared broadband internet a basic telecommunications service.In a ruling handed down Wednesday, the national regulator ordered the country's internet providers to begin working toward boosting internet service and speeds in rural and isolated areas."The future of our economy, our prosperity and our society — indeed, the future of every citizen — requires us to set ambitious goals, and to get on with connecting all Canadians for the 21st century," said Jean-Pierre Blais, the CRTC's chair, at a news conference in Gatineau, Que."Today's decision signals a fundamental shift in our regulations for basic services from voice-related issues to broadband-related issues."Until now, local landline telephone service was the only service deemed "basic" or essential by the CRTC, although Blais has previously called internet service "vital" and essential to life and success.With today's ruling, the CRTC has set new targets for internet service providers to offer customers in all parts of the country download speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of at least 10 Mbps, and to also offer the option of unlimited data.The CRTC estimates two million Canadian households, or roughly 18 per cent, don't have access to those speeds or data. The CRTC's goal is to reduce that to 10 per cent by 2021 and down to zero in the next 10 to 15 years.To achieve that, the CRTC will require providers pay into a fund that's set to grow to $750 million over five years. The companies will be able to dip into that fund to help pay for the infrastructure needed to extend high-speed service to areas where it is not currently available.The fund is similar to one that subsidized the expansion of local landline telephone service in years past. Providers used to pay 0.53 per cent of their revenues, excluding broadband, into that fund. Now they'll pay the same rate on all revenues, including broadband.Blais said competition and the broader base of revenues for the fund will keep the cost from being passed on to consumers. Small providers will also be able to access the fund to build infrastructure.The CRTC also wants to reduce the occurrence of dropped calls and spotty mobile coverage across the country and on major roads. The ruling identifies LTE as the service standard.-Geographic access but not price-The regulator has not intervened directly to make internet cheaper."The commission's approach to affordability has always been through market forces — to make sure we have enough competitors, we have informed consumers that are working in a dynamic marketplace," Blais said."If that step does not work, then we'll intervene with a regulatory process."Providers will be able to choose what they charge for different speed and data plans. Through competition and the conditions set on the CRTC's infrastructure fund, the regulator hopes service will be affordable.The goal of the policy is to make sure the high-speed option is equally available outside of major cities, where these service levels already exist.Rogers Communications provided a written statement saying it already offers speeds 20 times the CRTC's standard and unlimited plans wherever it offers internet service."While there are still many details to be worked out, we are encouraged by this reasonable plan to help increase access to Canadians in hard to reach areas of our country," said David Watt, senior vice-president of regulatory affairs.-Federal government funds high-speed-Last week, the federal government announced it would be investing up to $500 million to bring high-speed, broadband internet access to 300 rural and remote communities by 2021.Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said the Connect to Innovate program is the modern equivalent of building roads or railway spurs to remote locations, providing internet access to schools, homes and First Nations band offices.That funding was separate from the CRTC announcement, but the two programs can work together in that a company could dip into both funds.Carleton University professor Dwayne Winseck participated in the CRTC's hearings and attended today's announcement."I think the whole idea of just formally including broadband internet into the concept of basic service is a really important milestone for us to have passed," Winseck said. "This is not just a one-off decision."-Winseck said the speed levels the CRTC has targeted are "middle of the road" but can have major cultural policy implications. For example, he said, those speeds would allow multiple users to stream video at the same time and open the door to more video-on-demand.Winseck said a more direct regulatory intervention on retail price has become "anathema" in the last 20 years.OpenMedia, an advocacy group that participated in the CRTC process, issued a statement declaring victory over the "basic service" designation."For too long, rural and underserved communities all across Canada have faced an uphill battle to participate meaningfully in our digital economy," said spokesman Josh Tabins."Today's decision will go a long way toward closing this digital divide. Now that the CRTC has spoken, we need to hold the Trudeau government accountable for ensuring this exciting vision becomes a reality."-Improving data overage notices-The CRTC is also taking steps to improve notices for consumers about when and why they are going over the limits of their data plans.The regulator says Canadians had complained about getting excessive charges on their mobile phone bills, without warning, because of data-sucking apps.Now, wireless providers will have to provide consumers with information about tools to manage their data, better data plans and information to avoid service charges.If consumers don't see an improvement in notices within six months, they can file a complaint against their provider with the CRTC's Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services.
Fire engulfs 140 buildings in Japan, but no deaths reported-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
TOKYO (Reuters) - A fire engulfed about 140 houses, shops and other buildings in a Japanese coastal city on Thursday, injuring five people but causing no deaths, a fire official said.The military was called in to help battle the blaze, which started mid-morning in a residential area of Itoigawa, a city of 44,500 people 230 km (140 miles) northwest of Tokyo."The fire has lost its strength. As of 8:50 p.m., we decided there was little chance of its spreading further," a local fire department official said, adding it would take hours more to put it out completely.Five people suffered minor injuries and evacuation orders were issued for 363 houses nearby, he said.(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; editing by Andrew Roche)
China smog triggers demand for masks, filters, but hobbles deliveries-[Reuters]-By Cate Cadell-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
BEIJING (Reuters) - Near-record pollution levels in parts of China this week proved a two-edged sword for the country's e-commerce titans: orders poured in for anti-smog products, but transport restrictions meant it was a challenge to get these delivered.Up to 50 million orders in north China alone face delivery delays due to grounded planes, closed highways and traffic bans, a spokeswoman for Alibaba Holding Group Ltd told Reuters, citing affiliate Cainiao Network Technology Co Ltd, which oversees China's largest logistics firms.Online shoppers splurged on masks, filters and other anti-pollution gadgets, with e-commerce firms and brands reporting record demand in response to 'red alert' warnings in 24 cities by mid-week."In one day of red alert you'll probably do a month's sales," said Liam Bates, founder of Beijing-based Origins Technology Ltd, which makes air pollution monitors and air filters."But of course no one knows when the pollution will be really, really crazy, so it makes logistics a bit of a nightmare."A consortium of delivery firms under Cainiao Logistics includes ZTO Express Inc, Shanghai YTO Express (Logistics) Co, Shanghai STO Express Co and Yunda Ltd - all of which posted delay warnings on their websites this week.The red alert is the top warning in a four-tier system that triggers a series of regulations, including the closure of schools, factories and offices, and a blanket ban on up to half the vehicles in affected cities. The system was introduced in 2014 as part of a national effort to reconcile China's industrial engine with growing pressure from health groups.The alerts in two dozen cities this week told citizens to stay indoors as air quality index (AQI) readings topped the maximum hazardous limit determined by the World Health Organization, and shrouded northeast China in thick smog.A spokesman for JD.com, China's second-largest e-commerce platform, said orders peaked this week as consumers opted to stay at home. The number of pollution masks sold on the platform during the red alert more than trebled from last week, and sales of air filters rose 50 percent."Purchasing does happen in spikes around high pollution days", said Ben Cavender, a Shanghai-based retail analyst at China Market Research Group. "[Consumers] tend to make their actual purchases when they get the visual reminder of stepping outside and realizing they can't see."According to Baidu, China's top search engine, searches including the term for 'smog' broke previous records on Monday.-SOLD OUT-It's the same consumer concern that has driven a surge in connected gadgets and consumables in the Chinese market, many of which see record sales during red alert events."The volume of people clicking our ads is about 30 times higher during smog periods," said a brand director at Beijing Public Technology Co, who gave only his family name of Liu.He said the company, which makes ionic air cleaning devices for indoor use that can be worn as badges or necklaces, had to initiate an emergency stock transfer program after inventory was entirely sold out on Tuesday.Some merchants said sales spikes on red alert days suggests people don't fully understand the year-round dangers of air pollution."There's still this issue in China that when there are alerts or the air gets really, really bad then everyone freaks out, but the other 90 percent of the time only a small percentage of people care," said Bates at Origins Technology.As pollution levels eased slightly on Thursday, and some red alerts were cancelled, some consumers took to social media to complain about the logistics delays."The face mask I ordered is delayed because of slow deliveries, and now the haze is vanishing," said one user on Weibo. "I guess I'll just save it for the next alert."(Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
Pope decries 'malevolent resistance' to needed Vatican reforms-[Reuters]-By Philip Pullella-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis decried "malevolent" internal resistance to his campaign to reform the Vatican bureaucracy on Thursday and said lay men and women should get top jobs if they are more qualified than clerics.For the third year running, Francis used his annual Christmas greetings to the Roman Catholic Church's central bureaucracy, or Curia, to lecture the assembled cardinals, bishops and other department heads on the need for change.The Argentine-born pontiff, who in his 2014 address said the Italian-dominated Curia suffered from "spiritual Alzheimer's", listed 12 guidelines to reform including better coordination, dedication to service and openness to "the signs of the times".Speaking forcefully, he acknowledged that there had been resistance from some self-centred members of the bureaucracy, some of it open, some of it hidden and some hypocritical."But there has also been some malevolent resistance," Francis, who turned 80 last week, told cardinals, bishops and monsignors gathered in the Vatican's frescoed Sala Clementina."This (type) germinates in distorted minds and presents itself when the devil inspires wicked intentions, often in lambs' clothing," he said.Last month, four conservative cardinals made a rare public challenge to the pope over some of his teachings in a major document on the family, accusing him of sowing confusion on important moral issues and requesting clarification.Francis has not directly answered them but said some people displayed "a certain legalism" and misunderstood the document.After his election in 2013, Francis set out to reform the Curia, whose intrigues, alleged corruption and leaks were widely held responsible for the decision by his predecessor Benedict XVI to become the first pope in six centuries to resign.He has shut departments deemed inefficient or outdated and merged others. He has also worked to make the Vatican's often murky finances transparent according to international standards.In his address, Francis said Curia officials must be less concerned with careers or promotions and more with spiritual renewal, humility and a sober lifestyle.He said the reforms, in which a number of ranking members have lost or will lose power, would be continuous and deep and Curia officials should implement them with "courage ... firm decisions ... (and) unconditional obedience".They would not be like "plastic surgery to remove wrinkles," he said, adding: "Dear brothers, it is not wrinkles that the Church should fear, but stains."The Curia, he said, had to be more multinational, more multicultural and, where possible, less clerical."It would be opportune to foresee access (to Curia jobs) for a greater number of lay faithful, especially in those departments where they can be more competent than clerics ...," he said, adding that lay men and women should be "integrated in leadership roles".Francis called the age-old bureaucratic practice of promoting someone to get them out of the way was "a cancer" that had to end.(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
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)
EU vows to mend terrorist data share failures By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 21. Dec, 17:58-The European Commission is promoting another set of measures to crack down on terrorism and crime as part of its so-called security union.A trio of EU commissioners on Wednesday (21 December) said the latest legislative proposals will "strengthen", "reinforce", and "improve" efforts to fight terrorism financing and make an EU-wide law enforcement database, known as the Schengen information system (SIS), even better.Similar statements were issued in 2012 when the commission announced plans for police access to Eurodac, an EU asylum database, touted as indispensable in the wider struggle against terrorism and serious crime.But four years later and the results, according to a report by an EU agency eu-Lisa, are questionable.Almost 42,000 fingerprint data sets, due in part to "poor quality" and other errors, had to be re-requested by EU states in the last six months of 2015 alone at the height of the refugee and migration crisis.The law enforcement agencies of only five EU states, over the same period, had bothered querying Eurodac for a grand total of 95 times.The database is supposed to help identify and send people with no legal rights to remain in the EU back to their home countries. Plans are underway to include facial imagery.EU security commissioner Julian King told reporters in Brussels that "we are only as a strong as our weakest database."Asked if he was referring to Eurodac, King said there are outstanding issues, including "technological access", data quality, and data protection standards, among the different EU-level databases."We are addressing those issues in a series of meetings with the member states and the member state authorities," he said.-Abdeslam and SIS-Salah Abdeslam, one of the terrorist attackers in Paris, had managed to slip by French police hours after the attacks because Belgian authorities had failed to fully register his details into SIS.He was held for 30 minutes by the French, but then released. Belgium had only entered data on his criminal past but neglected to also input his links to militant Islam.SIS, first launched in 1995, is increasingly used by law authorities throughout the EU's passport-free Schengen states, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, however.SIS real-time alerts help police nab wanted people, find others who are missing, and locate stolen objects.According to the European Commission, it led to 25,000 arrests, located 12,000 missing persons, and found "72,000 travelling serious criminals" between April 2013 and the end of 2015.Britain's National Crime Agency has also described it "as an absolute game-changer for the UK" even at a restricted level given that full access is reserved for Schengen states.The system was accessed 2.9 billion times last year, a 1 billion increase from 2014.But there are also problems, as highlighted by Abdeslam's quick getaway from French police in November last year.EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulous, in a statement, vowed to avoid future Abdeslam repeats."In the future, no critical information should ever be lost on potential terrorist suspects or irregular migrants crossing our external borders," he said.The issue was raised in an EU commission evaluation report, which says the system is riddled with poor quality data. "When creating alerts, member states sometimes enter incorrect or incomplete data," notes the report.The latest plan now aims to expand the database to include alerting police of people who are banned from entering the EU. Police will also have to enter return decisions into the database and on anyone suspected of a terrorist offence.-New category-Another category of "unknown wanted persons" will also be added. More biometric data is also planned, including facial images and DNA of missing people.That information is stored until it is no longer of use or up to five years. The EU says data retention periods do not apply because it concerns people already flagged as either criminals or suspects.The EU's data protection supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli already issued a warning on the topic earlier this year."Border management and law enforcement are distinct objectives and need to be more clearly distinguished. Refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and ordinary travellers may require separate considerations," he said.The vast database, maintained by eu-Lisa, has not been compromised by hacker attacks, noted the Brussels-executive.
Germany hunts 'violent and armed' Tunisian in truck attack-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
BERLIN — Germany on Wednesday launched a Europe-wide manhunt for a "violent and armed" Tunisian man with ties to Islamic extremists who has used at least six different names and three different nationalities, saying he is a suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack.German authorities had considered him a possible terror threat months before the attack, put him under covert surveillance for six months this year and tried to deport him after his asylum application was rejected this summer.Authorities issued a notice to other European countries overnight seeking the arrest of 24-year-old Anis Amri, but initially held off on going public so as not to jeopardize the manhunt. After German media published photos of him and a partial name, federal prosecutors issued a public appeal for the information."Caution: He could be violent and armed," the notice warned. "A reward of up to 100,000 euros ($104,000) has been issued for information leading to the suspect's arrest."A separate European arrest warrant from Germany obtained by The Associated Press states that Amri has at times used at least six different names and three different nationalities. He was described as being of average height and weight, with black hair and brown eyes.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere cautioned that Amri's involvement in the attack wasn't yet certain even though documents in his name were found in the cab of the truck-"This is a suspect, not necessarily the perpetrator," de Maiziere said after briefing Parliament's domestic affairs committee. "We are still investigating in all directions."Twelve people were killed and 48 injured when a truck plowed into a popular Berlin market Monday evening in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Twelve of the wounded were still being treated Wednesday for very serious injuries and some were in critical condition, Berlin health officials said.The suspect apparently arrived in Germany in July 2015 and has lived in three German regions since February, mostly in Berlin, said Ralf Jaeger, the interior minister of western North Rhine-Westphalia state."Security agencies exchanged information about this person in the joint counter-terrorism centre , the last time in November," he said.State prosecutors in Berlin told The AP that they launched an investigation of Amri on March 14 following a tip from federal security agencies.The tip warned that Amri might be planning a break-in to finance the purchase of automatic weapons for use in an attack. Surveillance showed that Amri was involved in drug dealing in a Berlin park and involved in a bar brawl, but found no evidence to substantiate the original warning.The observation was called off in September, by which time Amri had disappeared from his regular haunts in Berlin, prosecutors said.Separately, Amri's asylum application was rejected in July. German authorities prepared to deport him but weren't able to do so because he didn't have valid identity papers, Jaeger said. In August they started trying to get him a replacement passport."Tunisia at first denied that this person was its citizen, and the papers weren't issued for a long time," Jaeger said. "They arrived today."The claim of responsibility by IS did not identify the man seen fleeing from the truck in Berlin, but described him as "a soldier of the Islamic State" who "carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack was reminiscent of a deadly rampage in the southern French city of Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by IS. He also said it wasn't clear whether there was one perpetrator or several in the Berlin attack.On July 14, a Tunisian living in France was shot to death after mowing down 86 Bastille Day revelers with a truck in Nice.Police in Berlin, meanwhile, said they had received over 500 tips on the Monday evening attack.Christmas shoppers were out again in the streets Wednesday in the German capital, and Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller said it was "good to see that Berliners aren't being intimidated.""I don't think there's any need to be afraid," he told ZDF television. "The police presence has been significantly heightened ... and of course other measures taken to find the perpetrator quickly."Mueller argued there are limits to increasing security, given the number of public spaces and events."It wouldn't be our free and open life any more if we escalated security measures so much that people worry about going anywhere, that there are strict entry checks," he said. "We don't want that. It must be appropriate and goal-oriented."____Bouazza ben Bouazza in Tunis and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.Geir Moulson And Frank Jordans, The Associated Press.
Jordan's king vows 'iron fist' response to security threats-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan will respond with an "iron fist" to those threatening its security, King Abdullah II said Wednesday after a series of attacks on police and tourists this week left 14 people dead.The extremist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for some of the shootings, including a gun battle at a Crusader castle popular with foreign visitors. In all, 11 members of the security forces, two Jordanian civilians and a Canadian tourist have been killed in clashes this week. Five gunmen were also killed.The violent has shaken Jordan and raised new concerns about the threat of homegrown Islamic extremism. The pro-Western kingdom is a key member of a U.S.-led military coalition against IS which controls parts of neighbouring Iraq and Syria.Jordan's king chaired a Cabinet meeting Wednesday to deal with the security situation. The state news agency Petra quoted him as saying that "we will respond with an iron fist to any attempts to tamper with the kingdom's security."The meeting was held one day after four police officers were killed during an ambush at a militants' hideout in the central Karak province, also the scene of the earlier shootings.Witness Rami al-Maaytah said Wednesday that a man who led the police to the suspected hideout ran into the house and opened fire on the officers from the roof.The Associated Press.
U.N. envoy calls for Syria ceasefire to avoid 'next Aleppo'-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
GENEVA (Reuters) - A cessation of hostilities across Syria is vital to avoid another deadly battle like the one in Aleppo and get the peace process back on track, the United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.At least 35,000 people, both civilians and fighters, have been evacuated from east Aleppo in a week-long operation, the latest U.N. figures show."Many of them have gone to Idlib, which could be in theory the next Aleppo," de Mistura told journalists in Geneva.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday regaining full control of the northern city of Aleppo was a victory for his Russian and Iranian allies as much as his own country.Russia, Iran and Turkey said on Wednesday they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal, after the three countries held talks in Moscow on Tuesday and adopted a declaration which set out the principles any agreement should adhere to.De Mistura praised the agreement between Turkey and Russia that paved the way for the evacuation and welcomed the joint initiative by the three regional powers for talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana, ahead of U.N. peace talks he has convened in Geneva from Feb. 8."That is why we have been welcoming the Astana initiative. We will welcome any other initiative in that direction so we can wrap it up as we always hoped with some type of totally inclusive international engagement," he said."The priority remains the cessation of hostilities," he said.(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Andrew Roche and Hugh Lawson)
Regina welcomes almost 650 Syrian refugees in one year-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
It's been exactly one year since Radi Al Bardan, his wife Safaa Khamees and their son Rida stepped off a plane at Regina International Airport to an enthusiastic crowd waiting to greet the city's first government-sponsored Syrian refugees.In the 365 days since, Regina's become home to almost 650 fellow Syrian refugees, most of them children.Regina's Open Door Society held a media conference Wednesday to mark the occasion.A number of Syrian newcomers met with media to talk about their first year on the prairies and to put their new English language skills to the test."I understand anything, but speaking is very hard," said Omar Ezzeddin.He and his wife along with their two children arrived in Regina back in January.They're among the 120 Syrian adults currently enrolled in English classes through Open Door Regina.He said learning English has been the hardest part of the transition.That's the case for many of the Syrian newcomers. One year in, not very many have joined the workforce yet. According to the government only 15 of the 245 Syrian families in Saskatchewan have reported employment income through the Resettlement Assistance Program.The Open Door's Getachew Woldeyesus said that's because they're focussing on learning the language and culture, so that they can be successful when they do look for employment.In the meantime, many of the refugees are taking advantage of Open Door's employment and life skills classes, on top of English lessons."Our teachers teach us about life, how to get a job here in Canada, how to be more efficient at work," said Manfi Altleis.Tatiana Zotova is Open Door's manager of language and employment services.She said there are about 70 Syrians in their employment classes learning how to write resumés and cover letters and develop job searching skills."They work on an action plan, they decide on their short term goals and long-term goals and then they work towards that," she said.That's exactly the case for Abdulnasir Al Khalaf. He used to run a business in Syria making sweets and other foods. He's currently working on learning English but he has dreams of starting up a business someday.The majority — about two-thirds — of Regina's new Syrians are children.Altleis has seven of them, all in elementary school, where they're honing their language skills."They like the school. They go to school every day. They are happy here and their teachers are so nice," Altleis said.According to Saskatchewan government numbers, 1,236 Syrians arrived in the province as of September.
Aleppo evacuations in heavy snow end brutal war chapter-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
BEIRUT — Hundreds of rebel fighters and civilians, including small children swaddled in thick blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo in heavy snow on Wednesday as the evacuation of former rebel strongholds entered its final phase.Scenes of buses slowly driving out of Aleppo in a shroud of white offered an evocative finale to what has been one of the most brutal chapters in Syria's civil war.The departures from Aleppo pave the way for President Bashar Assad to assume full control there, after more than four years of fighting over Syria's largest city. It marks the most significant victory for Assad since an uprising against his family's four-decade rule swept the country in 2011.The evacuations were set in motion last week after Syria's opposition agreed to surrender its last footholds in eastern Aleppo. Since then, about 25,000 fighters and civilians have been bused out, according to the United Nations. On Wednesday, buses began evacuating the last rebels and civilians, an estimated 3,000 people.By nightfall, 25 buses carrying hundreds of people had driven in a rare snow storm from eastern Aleppo to opposition-held areas in the countryside near the city, said opposition activist Ahmad Primo, who was monitoring arrivals at the main drop-off point in the Rashideen district.The evacuees got off the buses wearing thick jackets and carrying sacks with belongings. One woman dressed in a black robe and face veil carried a small child swaddled in a heavy yellow blanket. A man held a toddler whose face was peeking out from under a blanket shielding him from falling snow.The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday evening that with the evacuation of the last group of rebels from eastern Aleppo, Assad was in full control, save for a few positions on the western outskirts of the city that were still in rebel hands.Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said patients and all those requiring medical care had been evacuated from the last hospital in the city's east.Pro-government forces repeatedly struck medical facilities in rebel-held neighbourhoods in their push to expel the opposition from Aleppo this year. In November, the U.N. said it believed there were no more functioning medical facilities in the eastern part of the city.Wednesday's bus movements came after evacuations had been suspended for 24 hours, one of several snags and delays since the first bus convoys left the city last week.Frequent disagreements have erupted between the rebels and the government, as well as among rebel groups, over compliance with a wider deal that also includes evacuations from two rebel-besieged villages, Foua and Kfarya.The ICRC said about 750 people have been bused out of the villages, leaving hundreds more to be evacuated.Meanwhile, it was unclear if any U.N. observers were on the ground in eastern Aleppo on Wednesday — two days after a U.N. Security Council resolution approved their urgent deployment.Deputy U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said some U.N. staff were present at a Syrian government checkpoint outside Aleppo's eastern sector, but he couldn't say for sure if any observers had been let into the onetime rebel-held area.Elsewhere in northern Syria, fighting intensified in the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab, where Turkish troops and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters have been trying to drive the extremists out.Turkey's state television said 10 Turkish soldiers were killed Wednesday in three separate suicide attacks in al-Bab.The report by TRT television came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said IS was fighting "for dear life" in al-Bab, carrying out suicide bombings and attacks with improvised explosive devices.A total of 35 Turkish soldiers have died in northern Syria since August, when Turkey sent ground troops to support the Syrian opposition forces in clearing a border area of IS militants and to curb Syrian Kurdish territorial expansion.Meanwhile, a 7-year-old Syrian girl who was evacuated on Monday from eastern Aleppo and whose mother ran a Twitter account in her name met with Erdogan in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Bana Alabed's mother, Fatemah, began operating the account in September, tweeting on her daughter's behalf. The account has garnered some 354,000 followers, and has included tweets to Michelle Obama and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, asking for help.At the United Nations, the Security Council approved the delivery of humanitarian aid across borders and conflict lines in Syria for another year, in a resolution aimed at reaching thousands in need in rebel-held areas.The resolution, adopted unanimously, noted the "the continued deterioration of the devastating humanitarian situation in Syria," where more than 13.5 million people require urgent assistance.Also at the U.N., the General Assembly voted to establish an investigative body that will assist in documenting and prosecuting the most serious violations of international law in Syria, including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.The 193-member world body adopted the resolution over strenuous objections from Syria and Russia, who accused the assembly of interfering in the work of the Security Council.A U.N. board of inquiry said it had received reports that an attack on an aid convoy on the outskirts of Aleppo in September, which killed 10 people and injured 22, was "highly likely" to have been carried out by the Syrian air force but it was unable to reach a definitive conclusion. A summary of the board's report was released by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.___Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.Philip Issa And Karin Laub, The Associated Press.
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.
Putin: Russia's military is stronger than anyone's-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
MOSCOW — Russia's military is now stronger than any potential foe, President Vladimir Putin told an annual end-of-year meeting with the defence ministry on Thursday."We can say with certainty: we are stronger now than any potential aggressor," he told the meeting. "Anyone!"His comments come at the end of a year when tensions between Russia and the West have remained strained, largely to do with differing approaches to the civil war in Syria.Tensions between Russia and the West escalated after Russia's annexation in Crimea in 2014 and its involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Last year, Russia began an air force operation in Syria to support President Bashar Assad that's irked the U.S. in particular.Both Russia and NATO members conducted a flurry of military drills near the Russian border this year. Russia has insisted that it's bolstering its forces at the border to react to a growing NATO threat.Speaking at the defence ministry's headquarters in Moscow Putin said Russia should follow closely any military movement along its border as well as changes "in the military and political situation globally." He said Russia should be swift in "adjusting plans to neutralize potential threats to our country."Putin made the comments after Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu presented his annual report, lauding Russia's military achievements in Syria as well as successful efforts to modernize the Russian army.Among other things, Shoigu said Russia "for the first time in its history" has fully covered the Russian border with early warning anti-missile systems. Shoigu complained about an increased number of NATO drone flights along the Russian border announced plans to send more troops to Russia's west, south-west and the Arctic region.Putin thanked the ministry for its work but added that "the situation might change very quickly" in case "we let ourselves relax even for a moment."The Associated Press.
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.
EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3-7
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,(EU WORLD DICTATOR)the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.(SOCIALISM)
13 These have one mind,(SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
2 THESSALONIANS 2:9-12
9 Even him,(EU WORLD DICTATOR) whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,(THE FALSE RESURRECTION BY THE WORLD DICTATOR) that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
GENESIS 49:16-17-POSSIBLY A JEW FROM DAN KILLS THE DICTATOR AT MIDPOINT OF TRIB
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
No one will enter the New World Order... unless he or she will make a pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will take a Luciferian Initiation.- David Spangler Director of Planetary Initiative United Nations.
Focus-EU presidency strengthened Slovakia's government By Lucia Virostkova-DEC 22,16-EUOBSERVER
Bratislava, Today, 09:16-Slovakia's first ever EU presidency drew praise from Brussels officials and succeeded in strengthening the government's political position at home, but probably failed to spark higher public interest in European affairs.Prime minister Robert Fico's government will pass its six-month chairmanship of the EU Council to Malta in January after a turbulent period that included the fallout from the Brexit vote, disputes on trade agreements with Canada and US, and the surprise American presidential election result.“The key success of the Slovak presidency was to get the remaining EU-27 [minus the UK] to agree on the need to keep convincing the European public that it is essential to continue in this unique project,” Fico noted.The Slovak presidency has repeatedly used similar rhetoric about the positive outcomes of European integration.Political scientist Michal Cirner of Presov University told EUobserver that despite the “utmost effort" of the government, the presidency "has not become a top public debate issue, because there is a weak understanding of the whole Brussels business and more interest in other less abstract topics".“Most ordinary people would probably comment that the whole EU presidency was just about gentlemen's entertainment paid by our money,” he said.For some Slovaks, such sentiments were boosted by accusations against the foreign affairs ministry of Miroslav Lajcak regarding overpriced presidency events in Bratislava and alleged fraud in their management.On the national political level, some analysts expected key changes in the Slovak government after the country's term at the EU helm, mainly on the part of Fico's Social Democratic Smer-SD party.Some speculated that Fico would resign next year due to health problems, following heart surgery just weeks before his presidency tasks kicked off in July.But “towards the end of this year, we can see that Robert Fico feels as fit as ever for future political fights”, noted political commentator Marian Lesko.He suggested that the ruling coalition, composed of Smer-SD, the centre-right Slovak National Party (SNS) and Slovak-Hungarian Most-Hid party, would continue despite some internal disputes or different political views – in a bid to prevent early elections and a likely boost of far-right parties.-A 'responsible coalition'-It was also initially widely assumed that interior minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) would walk out after finishing his duties in Brussels because of corruption allegations linking him to a prominent businessman who faces charges of tax fraud.However, as Michal Cirner stated: “If he hasn't left in the heat of the pressure by media, opposition and a part of the public, why would he go now?”Kalinak was recently re-elected with a high support as Smer-SD vice-chairman, while top party officials praised him for how well he managed things at the EU level.“The ruling parties present the Slovak EU presidency as a great triumph and a reason to maintain their 'responsible' coalition of standard political parties,” said Cirner.“They will loudly refer to their performance in Brussels as a key success and remind it to the voters well until the next election.”Despite all the pro-Europe messages over the past six months, the Slovak government may return to a more critical rhetoric, primarily following their national interests in key policies and agendas.Fico has often highlighted Slovakia's role in achieving a quick ratification of Paris climate agreement at the EU level but “it is just logical that Bratislava will continue to protect its industry and energy-intensive sectors”, energy analyst Jozef Badida told EUobserver.-No more political correctness-Similarly, Bratislava has tabled a new concept of “effective solidarity” to establish new EU asylum rules and called for a compromise on the controversial issue of migration and refugee crisis. But it continued to vehemently resist the agreed EU quota on migrant relocation.While the image of Slovakia and its EU presidency was initially strongly influenced by Fico's anti-refugee rhetoric, he is finishing the job with the same appeal for stopping political correctness in European and national public debates.In a speech at a European socialists meeting in Prague early December, he said it was essential to speak openly about the EU's hypocrisy and bureaucracy, because the far-right makes progress by doing so.Recent polls have shown that radicalism is on the rise in Slovakia.A survey by Polis agency published on Wednesday (21 December) put the extreme-right People's Party-Our Slovakia (LSNS) of Marian Kotleba at 11 percent of voting intentions, ahead of all the ruling coalition parties except Smer-SD (27.7 percent). At the March elections LSNS got 8 percent of the votes.According to a research by the Institute for Public Affairs, Kotleba's party is the most popular among Slovaks aged 18-39.In another poll by INEKO institute, over 40 percent of Slovaks said they were convinced that the quality of democracy has deteriorated over the past five years, and one quarter did not oppose the idea of establishing dictatorship.
EU looks to trade treaty for better Turkey relations By Andrew Rettman-DEC 22,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:29-The European Commission has asked member states to upgrade trade relations with Turkey, but said this would be conditional on respect for democracy.The proposal comes amid fraying relations with Turkey over its crackdown on alleged coup sympathisers and Kurdish separatists, as well as its ever-closer links with Russia.The commission said on Wednesday (21 December) it had asked the Council, which represents EU countries, to “modernise” its 1996 Customs Union with Turkey.The upgrade is expected to let Turkey sell almost all types of agricultural products into the EU without tariffs and to relax restrictions on manufactured goods and services, boosting bilateral trade, which is already worth €140 billion a year, by over €30 billion.It would also let Turkish firms bid for public procurement contracts in EU states and would see Turkey included in EU trade deals with third countries.The commission noted that the upgrade would also have political value.It said trade ties “form an essential part of the efforts made by the EU and Turkey to deepen their relations”, but it added that “respect of democracy and fundamental rights will be an essential element of the agreement”.The negotiations are expected to take at least two years.-Boosting Erdogan-Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian handling of July’s failed coup, and of the conflict with Kurdish separatists, has annoyed many in Europe.Austria, as well as the European Parliament, recently said the EU should halt Turkey’s accession talks due to Erdogan’s arrests of tens of thousands of alleged coup plotters and Kurdish sympathisers.The purge included detention of opposition MPs and closures of Erdogan-critical media.Erdogan reacted by threatening to let Syrian refugees go en masse to Europe and by saying he might forego closer EU ties in favour of joining the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.The tension was on show again last week when Belgian authorities detained Maxime Azadi, a Kurdish journalist, on the basis of a Turkish request to Interpol, the international police body in France, prompting an outcry by NGOs, such as the European Federation of Journalists.Erdogan critics, such as Alon Ben-Meir, a scholar of international relations at New York University, have also warned that EU policies that help Turkey to boost economic growth with no strings attached have allowed him to remain popular despite civil rights abuses.-Turkey U-turn-The commission’s proposal also comes amid ever-closer links between Turkey and Russia, which threaten Western strategic interests.Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin recently move ahead on plans to build a new gas pipeline to the EU that risks fomenting internal divisions in Europe by bypassing Ukraine and central and eastern EU states.Russian state media, such as the Sputnik online outlet, have spoken of a U-turn by Turkey toward Russia.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on the day of the commission announcement, accused the EU of lacking solidarity with Turkey on refugees."We know that in many respects Ankara's expectations have been betrayed by Brussels. And therefore this load, these refugees, are carried by Turkey on its shoulders," he said in an interview with the MIR TV satellite broadcaster.He also said the killing of Andrei Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, earlier this week was designed to harm the rapprochement."Murdering Karlov aims to prevent both the normalisation process between the two countries,” Peskov said, adding that Russian investigators in Ankara were trying to identify who was behind the shooting.Karlov was shot dead during a press conference by a Turkish police officer who shouted out that he did it because Russia’s support for the Syrian regime in its brutal assault on the Syrian city of Aleppo.
CRTC declares broadband internet access a basic service-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
The CRTC has declared broadband internet a basic telecommunications service.In a ruling handed down Wednesday, the national regulator ordered the country's internet providers to begin working toward boosting internet service and speeds in rural and isolated areas."The future of our economy, our prosperity and our society — indeed, the future of every citizen — requires us to set ambitious goals, and to get on with connecting all Canadians for the 21st century," said Jean-Pierre Blais, the CRTC's chair, at a news conference in Gatineau, Que."Today's decision signals a fundamental shift in our regulations for basic services from voice-related issues to broadband-related issues."Until now, local landline telephone service was the only service deemed "basic" or essential by the CRTC, although Blais has previously called internet service "vital" and essential to life and success.With today's ruling, the CRTC has set new targets for internet service providers to offer customers in all parts of the country download speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of at least 10 Mbps, and to also offer the option of unlimited data.The CRTC estimates two million Canadian households, or roughly 18 per cent, don't have access to those speeds or data. The CRTC's goal is to reduce that to 10 per cent by 2021 and down to zero in the next 10 to 15 years.To achieve that, the CRTC will require providers pay into a fund that's set to grow to $750 million over five years. The companies will be able to dip into that fund to help pay for the infrastructure needed to extend high-speed service to areas where it is not currently available.The fund is similar to one that subsidized the expansion of local landline telephone service in years past. Providers used to pay 0.53 per cent of their revenues, excluding broadband, into that fund. Now they'll pay the same rate on all revenues, including broadband.Blais said competition and the broader base of revenues for the fund will keep the cost from being passed on to consumers. Small providers will also be able to access the fund to build infrastructure.The CRTC also wants to reduce the occurrence of dropped calls and spotty mobile coverage across the country and on major roads. The ruling identifies LTE as the service standard.-Geographic access but not price-The regulator has not intervened directly to make internet cheaper."The commission's approach to affordability has always been through market forces — to make sure we have enough competitors, we have informed consumers that are working in a dynamic marketplace," Blais said."If that step does not work, then we'll intervene with a regulatory process."Providers will be able to choose what they charge for different speed and data plans. Through competition and the conditions set on the CRTC's infrastructure fund, the regulator hopes service will be affordable.The goal of the policy is to make sure the high-speed option is equally available outside of major cities, where these service levels already exist.Rogers Communications provided a written statement saying it already offers speeds 20 times the CRTC's standard and unlimited plans wherever it offers internet service."While there are still many details to be worked out, we are encouraged by this reasonable plan to help increase access to Canadians in hard to reach areas of our country," said David Watt, senior vice-president of regulatory affairs.-Federal government funds high-speed-Last week, the federal government announced it would be investing up to $500 million to bring high-speed, broadband internet access to 300 rural and remote communities by 2021.Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said the Connect to Innovate program is the modern equivalent of building roads or railway spurs to remote locations, providing internet access to schools, homes and First Nations band offices.That funding was separate from the CRTC announcement, but the two programs can work together in that a company could dip into both funds.Carleton University professor Dwayne Winseck participated in the CRTC's hearings and attended today's announcement."I think the whole idea of just formally including broadband internet into the concept of basic service is a really important milestone for us to have passed," Winseck said. "This is not just a one-off decision."-Winseck said the speed levels the CRTC has targeted are "middle of the road" but can have major cultural policy implications. For example, he said, those speeds would allow multiple users to stream video at the same time and open the door to more video-on-demand.Winseck said a more direct regulatory intervention on retail price has become "anathema" in the last 20 years.OpenMedia, an advocacy group that participated in the CRTC process, issued a statement declaring victory over the "basic service" designation."For too long, rural and underserved communities all across Canada have faced an uphill battle to participate meaningfully in our digital economy," said spokesman Josh Tabins."Today's decision will go a long way toward closing this digital divide. Now that the CRTC has spoken, we need to hold the Trudeau government accountable for ensuring this exciting vision becomes a reality."-Improving data overage notices-The CRTC is also taking steps to improve notices for consumers about when and why they are going over the limits of their data plans.The regulator says Canadians had complained about getting excessive charges on their mobile phone bills, without warning, because of data-sucking apps.Now, wireless providers will have to provide consumers with information about tools to manage their data, better data plans and information to avoid service charges.If consumers don't see an improvement in notices within six months, they can file a complaint against their provider with the CRTC's Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services.
Fire engulfs 140 buildings in Japan, but no deaths reported-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
TOKYO (Reuters) - A fire engulfed about 140 houses, shops and other buildings in a Japanese coastal city on Thursday, injuring five people but causing no deaths, a fire official said.The military was called in to help battle the blaze, which started mid-morning in a residential area of Itoigawa, a city of 44,500 people 230 km (140 miles) northwest of Tokyo."The fire has lost its strength. As of 8:50 p.m., we decided there was little chance of its spreading further," a local fire department official said, adding it would take hours more to put it out completely.Five people suffered minor injuries and evacuation orders were issued for 363 houses nearby, he said.(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; editing by Andrew Roche)
China smog triggers demand for masks, filters, but hobbles deliveries-[Reuters]-By Cate Cadell-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
BEIJING (Reuters) - Near-record pollution levels in parts of China this week proved a two-edged sword for the country's e-commerce titans: orders poured in for anti-smog products, but transport restrictions meant it was a challenge to get these delivered.Up to 50 million orders in north China alone face delivery delays due to grounded planes, closed highways and traffic bans, a spokeswoman for Alibaba Holding Group Ltd told Reuters, citing affiliate Cainiao Network Technology Co Ltd, which oversees China's largest logistics firms.Online shoppers splurged on masks, filters and other anti-pollution gadgets, with e-commerce firms and brands reporting record demand in response to 'red alert' warnings in 24 cities by mid-week."In one day of red alert you'll probably do a month's sales," said Liam Bates, founder of Beijing-based Origins Technology Ltd, which makes air pollution monitors and air filters."But of course no one knows when the pollution will be really, really crazy, so it makes logistics a bit of a nightmare."A consortium of delivery firms under Cainiao Logistics includes ZTO Express Inc, Shanghai YTO Express (Logistics) Co, Shanghai STO Express Co and Yunda Ltd - all of which posted delay warnings on their websites this week.The red alert is the top warning in a four-tier system that triggers a series of regulations, including the closure of schools, factories and offices, and a blanket ban on up to half the vehicles in affected cities. The system was introduced in 2014 as part of a national effort to reconcile China's industrial engine with growing pressure from health groups.The alerts in two dozen cities this week told citizens to stay indoors as air quality index (AQI) readings topped the maximum hazardous limit determined by the World Health Organization, and shrouded northeast China in thick smog.A spokesman for JD.com, China's second-largest e-commerce platform, said orders peaked this week as consumers opted to stay at home. The number of pollution masks sold on the platform during the red alert more than trebled from last week, and sales of air filters rose 50 percent."Purchasing does happen in spikes around high pollution days", said Ben Cavender, a Shanghai-based retail analyst at China Market Research Group. "[Consumers] tend to make their actual purchases when they get the visual reminder of stepping outside and realizing they can't see."According to Baidu, China's top search engine, searches including the term for 'smog' broke previous records on Monday.-SOLD OUT-It's the same consumer concern that has driven a surge in connected gadgets and consumables in the Chinese market, many of which see record sales during red alert events."The volume of people clicking our ads is about 30 times higher during smog periods," said a brand director at Beijing Public Technology Co, who gave only his family name of Liu.He said the company, which makes ionic air cleaning devices for indoor use that can be worn as badges or necklaces, had to initiate an emergency stock transfer program after inventory was entirely sold out on Tuesday.Some merchants said sales spikes on red alert days suggests people don't fully understand the year-round dangers of air pollution."There's still this issue in China that when there are alerts or the air gets really, really bad then everyone freaks out, but the other 90 percent of the time only a small percentage of people care," said Bates at Origins Technology.As pollution levels eased slightly on Thursday, and some red alerts were cancelled, some consumers took to social media to complain about the logistics delays."The face mask I ordered is delayed because of slow deliveries, and now the haze is vanishing," said one user on Weibo. "I guess I'll just save it for the next alert."(Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
Pope decries 'malevolent resistance' to needed Vatican reforms-[Reuters]-By Philip Pullella-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis decried "malevolent" internal resistance to his campaign to reform the Vatican bureaucracy on Thursday and said lay men and women should get top jobs if they are more qualified than clerics.For the third year running, Francis used his annual Christmas greetings to the Roman Catholic Church's central bureaucracy, or Curia, to lecture the assembled cardinals, bishops and other department heads on the need for change.The Argentine-born pontiff, who in his 2014 address said the Italian-dominated Curia suffered from "spiritual Alzheimer's", listed 12 guidelines to reform including better coordination, dedication to service and openness to "the signs of the times".Speaking forcefully, he acknowledged that there had been resistance from some self-centred members of the bureaucracy, some of it open, some of it hidden and some hypocritical."But there has also been some malevolent resistance," Francis, who turned 80 last week, told cardinals, bishops and monsignors gathered in the Vatican's frescoed Sala Clementina."This (type) germinates in distorted minds and presents itself when the devil inspires wicked intentions, often in lambs' clothing," he said.Last month, four conservative cardinals made a rare public challenge to the pope over some of his teachings in a major document on the family, accusing him of sowing confusion on important moral issues and requesting clarification.Francis has not directly answered them but said some people displayed "a certain legalism" and misunderstood the document.After his election in 2013, Francis set out to reform the Curia, whose intrigues, alleged corruption and leaks were widely held responsible for the decision by his predecessor Benedict XVI to become the first pope in six centuries to resign.He has shut departments deemed inefficient or outdated and merged others. He has also worked to make the Vatican's often murky finances transparent according to international standards.In his address, Francis said Curia officials must be less concerned with careers or promotions and more with spiritual renewal, humility and a sober lifestyle.He said the reforms, in which a number of ranking members have lost or will lose power, would be continuous and deep and Curia officials should implement them with "courage ... firm decisions ... (and) unconditional obedience".They would not be like "plastic surgery to remove wrinkles," he said, adding: "Dear brothers, it is not wrinkles that the Church should fear, but stains."The Curia, he said, had to be more multinational, more multicultural and, where possible, less clerical."It would be opportune to foresee access (to Curia jobs) for a greater number of lay faithful, especially in those departments where they can be more competent than clerics ...," he said, adding that lay men and women should be "integrated in leadership roles".Francis called the age-old bureaucratic practice of promoting someone to get them out of the way was "a cancer" that had to end.(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
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)
EU vows to mend terrorist data share failures By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 21. Dec, 17:58-The European Commission is promoting another set of measures to crack down on terrorism and crime as part of its so-called security union.A trio of EU commissioners on Wednesday (21 December) said the latest legislative proposals will "strengthen", "reinforce", and "improve" efforts to fight terrorism financing and make an EU-wide law enforcement database, known as the Schengen information system (SIS), even better.Similar statements were issued in 2012 when the commission announced plans for police access to Eurodac, an EU asylum database, touted as indispensable in the wider struggle against terrorism and serious crime.But four years later and the results, according to a report by an EU agency eu-Lisa, are questionable.Almost 42,000 fingerprint data sets, due in part to "poor quality" and other errors, had to be re-requested by EU states in the last six months of 2015 alone at the height of the refugee and migration crisis.The law enforcement agencies of only five EU states, over the same period, had bothered querying Eurodac for a grand total of 95 times.The database is supposed to help identify and send people with no legal rights to remain in the EU back to their home countries. Plans are underway to include facial imagery.EU security commissioner Julian King told reporters in Brussels that "we are only as a strong as our weakest database."Asked if he was referring to Eurodac, King said there are outstanding issues, including "technological access", data quality, and data protection standards, among the different EU-level databases."We are addressing those issues in a series of meetings with the member states and the member state authorities," he said.-Abdeslam and SIS-Salah Abdeslam, one of the terrorist attackers in Paris, had managed to slip by French police hours after the attacks because Belgian authorities had failed to fully register his details into SIS.He was held for 30 minutes by the French, but then released. Belgium had only entered data on his criminal past but neglected to also input his links to militant Islam.SIS, first launched in 1995, is increasingly used by law authorities throughout the EU's passport-free Schengen states, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, however.SIS real-time alerts help police nab wanted people, find others who are missing, and locate stolen objects.According to the European Commission, it led to 25,000 arrests, located 12,000 missing persons, and found "72,000 travelling serious criminals" between April 2013 and the end of 2015.Britain's National Crime Agency has also described it "as an absolute game-changer for the UK" even at a restricted level given that full access is reserved for Schengen states.The system was accessed 2.9 billion times last year, a 1 billion increase from 2014.But there are also problems, as highlighted by Abdeslam's quick getaway from French police in November last year.EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulous, in a statement, vowed to avoid future Abdeslam repeats."In the future, no critical information should ever be lost on potential terrorist suspects or irregular migrants crossing our external borders," he said.The issue was raised in an EU commission evaluation report, which says the system is riddled with poor quality data. "When creating alerts, member states sometimes enter incorrect or incomplete data," notes the report.The latest plan now aims to expand the database to include alerting police of people who are banned from entering the EU. Police will also have to enter return decisions into the database and on anyone suspected of a terrorist offence.-New category-Another category of "unknown wanted persons" will also be added. More biometric data is also planned, including facial images and DNA of missing people.That information is stored until it is no longer of use or up to five years. The EU says data retention periods do not apply because it concerns people already flagged as either criminals or suspects.The EU's data protection supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli already issued a warning on the topic earlier this year."Border management and law enforcement are distinct objectives and need to be more clearly distinguished. Refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and ordinary travellers may require separate considerations," he said.The vast database, maintained by eu-Lisa, has not been compromised by hacker attacks, noted the Brussels-executive.
Germany hunts 'violent and armed' Tunisian in truck attack-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
BERLIN — Germany on Wednesday launched a Europe-wide manhunt for a "violent and armed" Tunisian man with ties to Islamic extremists who has used at least six different names and three different nationalities, saying he is a suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack.German authorities had considered him a possible terror threat months before the attack, put him under covert surveillance for six months this year and tried to deport him after his asylum application was rejected this summer.Authorities issued a notice to other European countries overnight seeking the arrest of 24-year-old Anis Amri, but initially held off on going public so as not to jeopardize the manhunt. After German media published photos of him and a partial name, federal prosecutors issued a public appeal for the information."Caution: He could be violent and armed," the notice warned. "A reward of up to 100,000 euros ($104,000) has been issued for information leading to the suspect's arrest."A separate European arrest warrant from Germany obtained by The Associated Press states that Amri has at times used at least six different names and three different nationalities. He was described as being of average height and weight, with black hair and brown eyes.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere cautioned that Amri's involvement in the attack wasn't yet certain even though documents in his name were found in the cab of the truck-"This is a suspect, not necessarily the perpetrator," de Maiziere said after briefing Parliament's domestic affairs committee. "We are still investigating in all directions."Twelve people were killed and 48 injured when a truck plowed into a popular Berlin market Monday evening in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Twelve of the wounded were still being treated Wednesday for very serious injuries and some were in critical condition, Berlin health officials said.The suspect apparently arrived in Germany in July 2015 and has lived in three German regions since February, mostly in Berlin, said Ralf Jaeger, the interior minister of western North Rhine-Westphalia state."Security agencies exchanged information about this person in the joint counter-terrorism centre , the last time in November," he said.State prosecutors in Berlin told The AP that they launched an investigation of Amri on March 14 following a tip from federal security agencies.The tip warned that Amri might be planning a break-in to finance the purchase of automatic weapons for use in an attack. Surveillance showed that Amri was involved in drug dealing in a Berlin park and involved in a bar brawl, but found no evidence to substantiate the original warning.The observation was called off in September, by which time Amri had disappeared from his regular haunts in Berlin, prosecutors said.Separately, Amri's asylum application was rejected in July. German authorities prepared to deport him but weren't able to do so because he didn't have valid identity papers, Jaeger said. In August they started trying to get him a replacement passport."Tunisia at first denied that this person was its citizen, and the papers weren't issued for a long time," Jaeger said. "They arrived today."The claim of responsibility by IS did not identify the man seen fleeing from the truck in Berlin, but described him as "a soldier of the Islamic State" who "carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack was reminiscent of a deadly rampage in the southern French city of Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by IS. He also said it wasn't clear whether there was one perpetrator or several in the Berlin attack.On July 14, a Tunisian living in France was shot to death after mowing down 86 Bastille Day revelers with a truck in Nice.Police in Berlin, meanwhile, said they had received over 500 tips on the Monday evening attack.Christmas shoppers were out again in the streets Wednesday in the German capital, and Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller said it was "good to see that Berliners aren't being intimidated.""I don't think there's any need to be afraid," he told ZDF television. "The police presence has been significantly heightened ... and of course other measures taken to find the perpetrator quickly."Mueller argued there are limits to increasing security, given the number of public spaces and events."It wouldn't be our free and open life any more if we escalated security measures so much that people worry about going anywhere, that there are strict entry checks," he said. "We don't want that. It must be appropriate and goal-oriented."____Bouazza ben Bouazza in Tunis and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.Geir Moulson And Frank Jordans, The Associated Press.
Jordan's king vows 'iron fist' response to security threats-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan will respond with an "iron fist" to those threatening its security, King Abdullah II said Wednesday after a series of attacks on police and tourists this week left 14 people dead.The extremist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for some of the shootings, including a gun battle at a Crusader castle popular with foreign visitors. In all, 11 members of the security forces, two Jordanian civilians and a Canadian tourist have been killed in clashes this week. Five gunmen were also killed.The violent has shaken Jordan and raised new concerns about the threat of homegrown Islamic extremism. The pro-Western kingdom is a key member of a U.S.-led military coalition against IS which controls parts of neighbouring Iraq and Syria.Jordan's king chaired a Cabinet meeting Wednesday to deal with the security situation. The state news agency Petra quoted him as saying that "we will respond with an iron fist to any attempts to tamper with the kingdom's security."The meeting was held one day after four police officers were killed during an ambush at a militants' hideout in the central Karak province, also the scene of the earlier shootings.Witness Rami al-Maaytah said Wednesday that a man who led the police to the suspected hideout ran into the house and opened fire on the officers from the roof.The Associated Press.
U.N. envoy calls for Syria ceasefire to avoid 'next Aleppo'-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 22, 2016
GENEVA (Reuters) - A cessation of hostilities across Syria is vital to avoid another deadly battle like the one in Aleppo and get the peace process back on track, the United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.At least 35,000 people, both civilians and fighters, have been evacuated from east Aleppo in a week-long operation, the latest U.N. figures show."Many of them have gone to Idlib, which could be in theory the next Aleppo," de Mistura told journalists in Geneva.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday regaining full control of the northern city of Aleppo was a victory for his Russian and Iranian allies as much as his own country.Russia, Iran and Turkey said on Wednesday they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal, after the three countries held talks in Moscow on Tuesday and adopted a declaration which set out the principles any agreement should adhere to.De Mistura praised the agreement between Turkey and Russia that paved the way for the evacuation and welcomed the joint initiative by the three regional powers for talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana, ahead of U.N. peace talks he has convened in Geneva from Feb. 8."That is why we have been welcoming the Astana initiative. We will welcome any other initiative in that direction so we can wrap it up as we always hoped with some type of totally inclusive international engagement," he said."The priority remains the cessation of hostilities," he said.(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Andrew Roche and Hugh Lawson)
Regina welcomes almost 650 Syrian refugees in one year-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
It's been exactly one year since Radi Al Bardan, his wife Safaa Khamees and their son Rida stepped off a plane at Regina International Airport to an enthusiastic crowd waiting to greet the city's first government-sponsored Syrian refugees.In the 365 days since, Regina's become home to almost 650 fellow Syrian refugees, most of them children.Regina's Open Door Society held a media conference Wednesday to mark the occasion.A number of Syrian newcomers met with media to talk about their first year on the prairies and to put their new English language skills to the test."I understand anything, but speaking is very hard," said Omar Ezzeddin.He and his wife along with their two children arrived in Regina back in January.They're among the 120 Syrian adults currently enrolled in English classes through Open Door Regina.He said learning English has been the hardest part of the transition.That's the case for many of the Syrian newcomers. One year in, not very many have joined the workforce yet. According to the government only 15 of the 245 Syrian families in Saskatchewan have reported employment income through the Resettlement Assistance Program.The Open Door's Getachew Woldeyesus said that's because they're focussing on learning the language and culture, so that they can be successful when they do look for employment.In the meantime, many of the refugees are taking advantage of Open Door's employment and life skills classes, on top of English lessons."Our teachers teach us about life, how to get a job here in Canada, how to be more efficient at work," said Manfi Altleis.Tatiana Zotova is Open Door's manager of language and employment services.She said there are about 70 Syrians in their employment classes learning how to write resumés and cover letters and develop job searching skills."They work on an action plan, they decide on their short term goals and long-term goals and then they work towards that," she said.That's exactly the case for Abdulnasir Al Khalaf. He used to run a business in Syria making sweets and other foods. He's currently working on learning English but he has dreams of starting up a business someday.The majority — about two-thirds — of Regina's new Syrians are children.Altleis has seven of them, all in elementary school, where they're honing their language skills."They like the school. They go to school every day. They are happy here and their teachers are so nice," Altleis said.According to Saskatchewan government numbers, 1,236 Syrians arrived in the province as of September.
Aleppo evacuations in heavy snow end brutal war chapter-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-December 21, 2016
BEIRUT — Hundreds of rebel fighters and civilians, including small children swaddled in thick blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo in heavy snow on Wednesday as the evacuation of former rebel strongholds entered its final phase.Scenes of buses slowly driving out of Aleppo in a shroud of white offered an evocative finale to what has been one of the most brutal chapters in Syria's civil war.The departures from Aleppo pave the way for President Bashar Assad to assume full control there, after more than four years of fighting over Syria's largest city. It marks the most significant victory for Assad since an uprising against his family's four-decade rule swept the country in 2011.The evacuations were set in motion last week after Syria's opposition agreed to surrender its last footholds in eastern Aleppo. Since then, about 25,000 fighters and civilians have been bused out, according to the United Nations. On Wednesday, buses began evacuating the last rebels and civilians, an estimated 3,000 people.By nightfall, 25 buses carrying hundreds of people had driven in a rare snow storm from eastern Aleppo to opposition-held areas in the countryside near the city, said opposition activist Ahmad Primo, who was monitoring arrivals at the main drop-off point in the Rashideen district.The evacuees got off the buses wearing thick jackets and carrying sacks with belongings. One woman dressed in a black robe and face veil carried a small child swaddled in a heavy yellow blanket. A man held a toddler whose face was peeking out from under a blanket shielding him from falling snow.The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday evening that with the evacuation of the last group of rebels from eastern Aleppo, Assad was in full control, save for a few positions on the western outskirts of the city that were still in rebel hands.Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said patients and all those requiring medical care had been evacuated from the last hospital in the city's east.Pro-government forces repeatedly struck medical facilities in rebel-held neighbourhoods in their push to expel the opposition from Aleppo this year. In November, the U.N. said it believed there were no more functioning medical facilities in the eastern part of the city.Wednesday's bus movements came after evacuations had been suspended for 24 hours, one of several snags and delays since the first bus convoys left the city last week.Frequent disagreements have erupted between the rebels and the government, as well as among rebel groups, over compliance with a wider deal that also includes evacuations from two rebel-besieged villages, Foua and Kfarya.The ICRC said about 750 people have been bused out of the villages, leaving hundreds more to be evacuated.Meanwhile, it was unclear if any U.N. observers were on the ground in eastern Aleppo on Wednesday — two days after a U.N. Security Council resolution approved their urgent deployment.Deputy U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said some U.N. staff were present at a Syrian government checkpoint outside Aleppo's eastern sector, but he couldn't say for sure if any observers had been let into the onetime rebel-held area.Elsewhere in northern Syria, fighting intensified in the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab, where Turkish troops and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters have been trying to drive the extremists out.Turkey's state television said 10 Turkish soldiers were killed Wednesday in three separate suicide attacks in al-Bab.The report by TRT television came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said IS was fighting "for dear life" in al-Bab, carrying out suicide bombings and attacks with improvised explosive devices.A total of 35 Turkish soldiers have died in northern Syria since August, when Turkey sent ground troops to support the Syrian opposition forces in clearing a border area of IS militants and to curb Syrian Kurdish territorial expansion.Meanwhile, a 7-year-old Syrian girl who was evacuated on Monday from eastern Aleppo and whose mother ran a Twitter account in her name met with Erdogan in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Bana Alabed's mother, Fatemah, began operating the account in September, tweeting on her daughter's behalf. The account has garnered some 354,000 followers, and has included tweets to Michelle Obama and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, asking for help.At the United Nations, the Security Council approved the delivery of humanitarian aid across borders and conflict lines in Syria for another year, in a resolution aimed at reaching thousands in need in rebel-held areas.The resolution, adopted unanimously, noted the "the continued deterioration of the devastating humanitarian situation in Syria," where more than 13.5 million people require urgent assistance.Also at the U.N., the General Assembly voted to establish an investigative body that will assist in documenting and prosecuting the most serious violations of international law in Syria, including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.The 193-member world body adopted the resolution over strenuous objections from Syria and Russia, who accused the assembly of interfering in the work of the Security Council.A U.N. board of inquiry said it had received reports that an attack on an aid convoy on the outskirts of Aleppo in September, which killed 10 people and injured 22, was "highly likely" to have been carried out by the Syrian air force but it was unable to reach a definitive conclusion. A summary of the board's report was released by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.___Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.Philip Issa And Karin Laub, The Associated Press.
