U.S. VOWS MORE COMPLEX TRAINING IN EUROPE TO DETER RUSSIA.STORMS-COLD IN NORTH AMERICA,EUROPE.

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)

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

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

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

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

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

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

North Korea says can test-launch ICBM at any time: KCNA-[Reuters]-By Jack Kim and Tony Munroe-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Sunday it can test launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, saying the United States' hostile policy was to blame for its arms development.Kim said on Jan. 1 that his nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)."The ICBM will be launched anytime and anywhere determined by the supreme headquarters of the DPRK," an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency, using the acronym for the country's name.The North is formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.The United States said on Thursday that North Korea had demonstrated a "qualitative" improvement in its nuclear and missile capabilities after an unprecedented level of tests last year.Experts have said that while North Korea may be close to testing an ICBM, it would likely take years to perfect the weapon.Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is around 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from the North. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or further.U.S. President-elect Donald Trump responded on Monday to Kim's comments on an ICBM test by declaring in a tweet that "It won't happen!"A U.S. State Department spokesman said last week that the United States does not believe that North Korea is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile.North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The sanctions were tightened last month after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 9."The U.S. is wholly to blame for pushing the DPRK to have developed ICBM as it has desperately resorted to anachronistic policy hostile toward the DPRK for decades to encroach upon its sovereignty and vital rights," KCNA quoted the spokesman as saying."Anyone who wants to deal with the DPRK would be well advised to secure a new way of thinking after having clear understanding of it," the spokesman said, according to KCNA.(Reporting by Jack Kim, Tony Munroe and Ju-min Park; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Jane Merriman)

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

2016 was warmest year on record, EU program warns By Eszter Zalan-EUOBSERVER

BRUSSELS, 6. Jan, 09:15-Last year was the warmest on record and almost 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than temperatures in the 1750s, according to an EU earth observation project.The Copernicus Climate Change Service also said 2016 was 0.2 degrees Celsius warmer than 2015, the previous record-breaking year.Figures published by the service’s London branch on Thursday (5 January) showed that global temperatures in 2016 exceeded 14.8 degrees Celsius, being 1.3 degrees higher than when records began in the mid-18th century.Copernicus, which gathers data on climate, migration, and agriculture in order to flag up trends and to warn of emergencies, is a joint project of the EU and the European Space Agency.The up-to-date information is free and open to private citizens and public authorities.In 2015, 174 countries agreed in Paris to limit global warming to less than 2  degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to limit the temperature increase to 1.5  degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.However, data from Copernicus shows that global temperatures in February 2016 already touched the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit.Global temperatures also remained well above average in the second half of 2016, in a development linked to low sea-ice cover in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the service said.The largest differences in regional average temperatures were found in the Arctic.Copernicus warned that future temperature increases could cause billions of euros of damage and affect the availability of fresh water and crop yields."Land and sea temperatures are rising along with sea-levels, while the world’s sea-ice extent, glacier volume and snow cover are decreasing; rainfall patterns are changing and climate-related extremes such as heatwaves, floods and droughts are increasing in frequency and intensity for many regions," Juan Garces de Marcilla, the director of the Copernicus service, said in a statement.Copernicus observed other extremes last year, for instance, mass-scale wildfires in Canada and Siberia due to high surface temperatures.It also recorded an increase in CO2, the gas that contributes to global warming, in the atmosphere.It said that vegetation growth in the summer months of 2016 was inadequate to take up the extra CO2 levels, as had usually been the case.Copernicus' data is based on millions of daily measurements.Its latest findings are another wake-up call for governments to tackle climate change.The election of Donald Trump in the US has put a question mark over the future of the Paris climate accord, however.Trump, who takes office on 20 January, has said that the US, one of the world’s worst polluters, might withdraw from the pact.He has also cast doubt on the human cause of climate change despite the scientific consensus on the subject.He said that it could be a Chinese hoax designed to make US manufacturing less competitive and voiced support for the coal and oil industries.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

Eastern United States digs out from big snowstorm, braces for cold-[Reuters]-By Alex Dobuzinskis-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

(Reuters) - The eastern United States began digging out on Saturday from a massive storm that dumped heavy snow from Georgia to Massachusetts, knocking out power for thousands of people and causing hundreds of car crashes, officials said as they warned of more cold weather ahead.The snowstorm also caused flight delays and cancellations across the country.The snow began falling heavily on Friday in parts of Georgia, North and South Carolina and Virginia and lasted until mid-day on Saturday, meteorologist Andrew Orrison of the Weather Prediction Center said by phone.Some of the heaviest snowfall, accumulating to about a foot (30 cm), was in southeast Virginia around Williamsburg and in northern North Carolina, Orrison said. Parts of northern Georgia had over six inches (15 cm) of snow, he said.Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said in a statement that thousands of power outages were reported and city officials in the Atlanta area asked residents to check on elderly people who might lack electricity.At least one warming center in Atlanta, where people could get out of the cold, was filled to capacity, the city said on its Twitter page.Some interstate highways were impassable overnight going into Saturday and multiple traffic collisions had been reported, Deal's statement said.The driver of a sport utility vehicle hit a patch of ice on Interstate 75 in Monroe County, Georgia, careened off the roadway, struck a tree and was killed, the county Sheriff's Office said in a statement.North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper on social media said the state had more than 700 accidents - but no fatalities - and about 20,000 power outages. The snowstorm prompted Cooper, a Democrat, to postpone his inauguration ceremony planned for Saturday."This was actually, for the season, the most significant winter storm the Southeast has had," Orrison said.In Connecticut, about 20 cars and a tanker truck were mangled in a pile-up crash in the snow on Interstate 91 in Middletown, State Police said on Twitter.At least one vehicle could be seen wedged under the tanker, in video posted online by the police agency. It added that no serious injuries resulted from the pile-up.More than a foot of snow fell in parts of New England, Orrison said. That region had also seen heavy snow last month.The storm interfered with many people's travel plans, with tracking service FlightAware.com reporting 3,657 flight delays and 3,458 cancellations by Saturday evening for trips around the United States, into or out of the country.The National Weather Service warned residents of the eastern United States to prepare for cold temperatures on Sunday.In particular, areas of North Carolina and Virginia already hit with heavy snow could see temperatures fall to the single digits Fahrenheit (about minus 15 degrees Celsius), Orrison said.Meanwhile, rainfall from a Pacific storm lashing parts of California was expected to intensify on Sunday and potentially cause flooding and mudslides, especially in areas stripped bare by wildfires, officials said.(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Villages submerged in Thai floods-BBC News•January 7, 2017-YAHOONEWS

At least 12 people have died and many villages have been submerged after heavy rains caused severe flooding in southern Thailand.

Deep freeze grips Europe, threatens homeless, migrants-[Associated Press]-JOVANA GEC-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Blizzards and dangerously low temperatures persisted in parts of Europe on Sunday, prompting Pope Francis to draw attention to the homeless suffering in freezing weather. In Serbia, aid workers scrambled to help hundreds of migrants sleeping rough in parks and makeshift shelters.The extreme winter weather that has gripped Europe in the past days has caused more than a dozen deaths, left villages cut off, caused power and water outages, frozen rivers and lakes, grounded flights and led to road accidents. Serbia's authorities on Sunday banned river traffic on its stretch of the Danube — one of Europe's main rivers — because of ice and strong wind.Two men died of cold in Poland on Saturday, bringing the nation's death toll from winter weather to 55 since Nov. 1, authorities said Sunday. Temperatures dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) in the mountains of southern Poland.In Italy, eight deaths were blamed on the cold, including a man who died in the basement of an unused building in Milan, and another one on a street flanking Florence's Arno River. Francis asked God to "warm our hearts so we'll help" the homeless.In Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, several hundred men, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, remained in an abandoned customs warehouse by the city's bus station, where aid organizations distributed heaters, blankets, clothes and food in an attempt to keep them warm."We are all working together to help these people," Mirjana Milenkovski, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency, said.While most of the several thousand migrants in Serbia have stayed in the Balkan country's asylum centers, hundreds have refused to do so, looking for ways to move on toward western Europe.In neighboring Bulgaria, police said two men from Iraq and a Somali woman died from cold in the mountains near Turkey as they tried to make their way toward Europe. Many in the Belgrade warehouse were sick after few days in extreme cold, aid workers said."The next few days are critical, and for sure the health condition of these people is worsening," said Stephane Moissaing, MSF Head of Mission in Serbia.German federal police said Sunday they picked up 19 migrants — including five children — at a highway stop in Bavaria who were suffering from hypothermia after their driver disappeared and left them on the back of an unheated a truck for hours in the freezing cold.Elsewhere, emergency measures were declared in several municipalities in Serbia's south and southwest. Dozens of villages in Serbia's remote Pestar region were sealed off by heavy snow, prompting the evacuation of some 100 people by emergency crews. Authorities said 70 kilometers of water pipes there were frozen.Numerous villages in northern Bulgaria also were left without electricity and water. Power outages were also reported throughout the region.Polar temperatures of between minus 15 and minus 26 degrees Celsius (5 and minus 15 Fahrenheit) saw ice forming on the Adriatic sea and the Danube, while countless smaller rivers, lakes and ponds froze.Montenegro's port of Bar in southern Adriatic closed down on Saturday, while sea traffic was suspended for days in neighboring Croatia.Police in Bulgaria said a passenger train was derailed Sunday after it hit a pile of snow in the central part of the country. Snow fell on Istanbul, Turkey, for the third straight day, and Turkish Airlines grounded hundreds of flights in and out of the city's two airports.A dozen major roads remained closed in Romania due to heavy snow and some ferry services between Romania and Bulgaria across the Danube were canceled. Authorities said schools would be closed Monday and Tuesday in many areas, including in the capital, Bucharest.Four Portuguese nationals were killed when a bus skidded on an icy road in eastern France early Sunday. The road is notorious for fatal accidents.Black ice across northern and western Germany has caused countless accidents and injuries — firefighters in the city of Hamburg said Sunday they were called to weather-related accidents 415 times during the weekend.Near Hannover, one person died in a car accident when his car skidded against a tree on an icy road, German news agency dpa reported. City authorities shut down the public transportation system and across the country, people were asked to wait out the severe weather conditions at home.For hundreds of Muscovites, however, the fact that the temperature had plunged to minus-27 Celsius (minus 17 Fahrenheit) was no reason to avoid going for a group bicycle ride. About 500 cyclists, many equipped with fur hats and other nonstandard gear, held a ride of about eight kilometers (five miles) along the Moscow River on Sunday as the capital shivered through a fierce cold snap.____Veselin Toshkov in Sofia; Marko Drobnjakovic in Belgrade; Sabina Niksic in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Frances D'Emilio in Rome; Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland; Alison Mutler in Bucharest, Romania; Mike Corder in Istanbul; Jim Heintz in Moscow; and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.

Winter storm hits Atlantic Canada, smog warning still in effect in Quebec-Winter weather grips Canada-CTVNews.ca Staff-Published Sunday, January 8, 2017 9:48AM EST

Hazardous winter conditions are expected in store for the East Coast, warns Environment Canada.A low pressure system carried a winter storm into Nova Scotia early Sunday, bringing with it the possibility of up to 40 cm of snow.A winter storm warning issued Saturday remains in effect for Prince Edward Island, parts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, with more snow expected throughout the day.Snow or ice pellets will change to flurries in the morning over most of Nova Scotia. Northern areas could see an additional 5 to 10 cm of snow.Between 10 and 20 cm of snow are expected in Newfoundland.Prince Edward Island can expect up to 15 cm of snow.Elsewhere in the country, between 10 and 15 cm of snow is expected in southwestern Ontario.A smog warning remains in effect for Montreal, Laval and much of the surrounding area.Environment Canada issued the warning Saturday and urged residents to limit use of fireplaces and wood-burning stoves.They also warned that exposure to smog can be dangerous to children with asthma and those with respiratory issues and heart disease. Anyone suffering from those ailments is advised to avoid intense physical activity outdoors while the warning is in effect.Parts of B.C. can expect considerable snowfall, with up to 15 cm in the forecast for metro Vancouver by Monday morning.

Smog warning remains in effect in Montreal-CBC-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

Montreal, Laval and much of the surrounding area are still under a smog warning this morning.Environment Canada first issued the warning on Saturday."Smog especially affects asthmatic children and people with respiratory ailments or heart disease. It is therefore recommended that these individuals avoid intense physical activity outdoors until the smog warning is lifted," the weather agency said in a statement Sunday.Environment Canada urged residents to limit the use of fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, noting that wood heating is the main source of fine particles that contribute to smog during winter."This activity generates the largest number of these particulates, more than industrial activities and transportation," Environment Canada said.It also encouraged people to use public transit if possible and for drivers to avoid unnecessarily idling.Air quality improving? The smog warning comes after a recent report that suggested air quality in the city has improved.According to data compiled by Radio-Canada, 2016 was the best year in terms of air quality since 2002.The number of days in Montreal where air quality was considered "poor" and dangerous to public health dropped by about 60 per cent in one year.In total, there were only five days with smog warnings in 2016 and they were all in the winter.Environmental advocates say the improvements are mostly due to the shuttering of Ontario's coal-fired power plants.

Another Quebec town turns to beet juice to battle icy roads-CBC-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

The town of Cowansville, Que., is taking a slightly different approach when it comes to salting icy roads this season.In an effort to reduce its ecological footprint, the municipality in the Eastern Townships has added a little beet juice into the mix, which is meant to save money and protect the environment."The beet juice is sprayed directly on the salt," said Sylvain Perreault, infrastructure superintendent for the town."A portion of the beet is given to the animals. The rest is used to deglaze roads."By mixing beet juice with ordinary road salt, the municipality uses less total and minimizes the environmental impact.-Veggie power-Cowansville isn't the first municipality to use beet juice.Last year, the City of Laval introduced a pilot project involving the extract of white beets in an effort to cut down on the cost of snow removal services and make them more environmentally friendly.Toronto, Halifax and Saint John, N.B., are also among those who use beets to keep their roads clear.In total, Cowansville estimates it will use 30 per cent less salt this year as a result of the new method.The project cost about $20,000 to install the necessary equipment, an investment that they expect to recover in less than two years."For the moment, it's very conclusive. Especially in cold weather, we noticed a lot of positive effects, on dirt roads or gravel too," said Perreault.

Free salt, sand, once again on offer from City of Vancouver-CBC-YAHOONEWS-January 7, 2017

With snow in the forecast again for Saturday night, the City of Vancouver says it will once again have free salt and sand on offer Sunday morning at 10 Vancouver Fire and Rescue halls.The city also provided free salt and sand on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — twice daily —but those supplies were quickly snapped up.Icy streets and sidewalks have made life miserable for pedestrians and drivers due to an unusual cold snap that has gripped Vancouver for almost a month."We have been monitoring uptake, line-ups and there are some halls with more demand so in those cases either more material was delivered or we did a third drop off," said a city spokesperson in an email.On Saturday, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Metro Vancouver, which says a "weak Pacific system will bring a band of light snow tonight and produce a couple of centimetres of accumulation by Sunday morning."Meanwhile Vancouver city councillor George Affleck is calling for an independent investigation into the city's snow removal plans.Affleck says too many people have been trapped in their homes due to icy sidewalks and streets, and garbage and recycling has been left uncollected for weeks in some neighbourhoods.On its website, the City of Vancouver says more than 260 staff have been redeployed from other projects to help with snow removal and 150 additional staff have been brought on to salt and sand residential streets.Up until the end of 2016, it spent $2.5 million on snow and ice mitigation and so far used between 6,500-7,000 tonnes of salt, triple the amount used in the last two winter periods combined.In Surrey, officials say more than 12,000 tonnes of salt has been spread on streets since early December. Surrey still has 7,000 tonnes of salt in reserve and is mixing that with sand."We're blending material now," said operations manager Rob Costanzo. "We've have been doing so since before Christmas. In a typical snow year we'll just use straight salt and that's easier because it really reduces the impact of clean up costs."In a typical year, Surrey uses about 4,000 tonnes of salt for de-icing, while in the big snowstorm of 2008-2009, the city used about 14,000 tonnes.In Vancouver, residents will be limited to one bucket of salt each and must bring their own containers to the free salt and sand pick-ups.

FAMINE

EZEKIEL 5:16
16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)

Egypt, world's largest wheat buyer, appoints new head of agriculture quarantine-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt, the world's largest wheat buyer, has appointed a new head to its agriculture quarantine agency, the body that last year threw the massive wheat buying programme into disarray when it tightened import regulations on a common wheat fungus.The new head is Najla Mousa Balabel, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.Balabel replaces Ibrahim Imbaby, who had been appointed to head the agency in March.The ministry did not give a reason for the change.Imbaby had replaced Saad Moussa, who insisted that imported wheat should contain zero levels of the ergot fungus against more internationally acceptable standards of 0.05 percent.This led to decreased supplier participation in government held tenders and a stand-off of nearly a year between the quarantine agency and Egypt's state buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC).After a resolution to the ergot problem was reached and the 0.05 percent standard was adopted, a decree was issued in November giving another government body, the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC), the bulk of the responsibility for inspecting wheat and other agricultural products at ports.GASC has since resumed its regular purchasing pattern of wheat.(Reporting by Maha El Dahan; Writing by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)

IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)

ISAIAH 34:10
10  It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30  The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31  One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32  And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)

COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AMERICA)

REVELATION 18:3-6,19-21
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,(U.S.A) and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,(U.S.A) and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her,(AMERICA) my people,(CHRISTIANS,JEWS) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her (AMERICA-NEW YORK) even as she rewarded you,(WITH FALSE FLAG TERRORISM) and double unto her double according to her works:(DOUBLE-EMP 1ST,THEN RUSSIA NUKE ATTACKS U.S.A) in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.(PROBABLY A RUSSIAN CYBER ATTACK WILL SET THE WHOLE SITUATION UP AS RUSSIA HACKS THE USA ARMY COMPUTERS.THEN THE EMP,THEN THE NUKE ATTACK)
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

U.S. military vows more complex training in Europe to deter Russia-Reuters-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

BREMERHAVEN, Germany (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Sunday vowed to increase the scope and complexity of its European training exercises to deter Russian aggression, as more U.S. tanks, trucks and other equipment arrived in Germany for a big buildup on NATO's eastern flank."Let me be clear: This is one part of our efforts to deter Russian aggression, ensure the territorial integrity of our allies and maintain a Europe that is whole, free, prosperous, and at peace," U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Tim Ray, deputy commander of U.S. European Command, said in prepared remarks.Ray underscored the United States' "rock-solid commitment to Europe" in the northern German port of Bremerhaven, where he marked the arrival in recent days of some 2,800 pieces of military equipment that will be used by nearly 4,000 U.S. troops in exercises in NATO states near Russia.The U.S. and NATO buildup in eastern Europe comes days after U.S. intelligence agencies accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering an effort to help Republican Donald Trump's electoral chances by discrediting Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign.Ray said the U.S. military's nearly 70,000 service members in Europe were adapting to rapidly changing strategic challenges such as Russia's military operations in Ukraine, migrant flows from Syria, and Islamist radicalism, as evidenced by a truck attack in Berlin that killed 12 people in December.The U.S. military and NATO are seeking to boost their ability to quickly respond to emerging threats by pre-positioning supplies and equipment across Europe, while upgrading airfields, ranges and other infrastructure after years of neglect."We will also increase the scope and complexity of many exercises in our portfolio focusing on joint interoperability, missile defense and crisis response operations," Ray said.The newly arrived tanks and trucks were just one part of a larger force that included equipment in "space, cyberspace, the air and sea," he said.The U.S. and Polish military are gearing up for a large "massing" exercise at the end of January.U.S. officials say this year's military exercises will focus on better integrating disparate military components and domains, instead of focusing on single areas of concern, such as air superiority, as they were in the past.(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Mark Potter)

Russians scoff at US report on election meddling-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

MOSCOW (AP) — A report by U.S. security services blaming Russia for meddling in the U.S. presidential race has brought stinging rejoinders from Russian politicians and news media.Alexei Pushkov, a member of the upper house of parliament's defense and security committee, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction."In another tweet on Saturday, Pushkov suggested that President "Obama is alarmed: Republicans trust Putin more than Democrats."Margarita Simonyan, the editor of government-funded satellite TV channel RT that is frequently mentioned in the U.S. report, said in a blog post: "Dear CIA: what you have written here is a complete fail."

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)

ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD KILLED IN OVERNIGHT RAID) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

Nigeria marks 1,000 days since kidnap of Chibok girls-[AFP]-Ola Awoniyi with Stephanie Findlay in Lagos-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

Abuja (AFP) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Sunday he was hopeful the remaining 195 Chibok schoolgirls will be rescued, as he marked 1,000 days since the mass abduction by Boko Haram that drew global attention to the jihadist insurgency.Buhari said his government was committed to finding the rest of the more than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted almost three years ago from the northeastern town of Chibok.Only two dozen have been found or rescued since they were seized in April 2014, some of whom had babies in captivity."We are hopeful that many more will still return," Buhari said. "The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts."Our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to."In the capital Abuja, Bring Back Our Girls campaigners were preparing to march to the presidential villa later Sunday."We just can't forget the 195 of them that are still there," Aisha Yesufu, a representative of the group, told AFP."We have to look and bring them back home," Yesufu said."They are citizens. If president Buhari's daughter was taken, would he just stand back? They are as Nigerian as his own daughter."- Intense criticism -Last week, the Nigerian army said it had rescued another Chibok girl, Rakiya Abubakar, along with her six-month-old baby. Another two schoolgirls have been found in the past year by troops.In October, 21 Chibok girls were released by Boko Haram after negotiations with the Nigerian government brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government.The release was hailed as a breakthrough that would lead to the recovery of remaining girls in captivity.At the time, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the government was hoping to secure the release of 83 other girls, but there has been no update on those negotiations.Despite winning back swathes of territory from Boko Haram jihadists, Buhari has faced intense criticism for failing to recover the young captives, who became the defining symbol of Boko Haram's brutal campaign to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in the country.Nigeria has recently trumpeted a major victory in its battle against Boko Haram, claiming in late December that its army has routed the jihadists from their Sambisa forest stronghold in Borno state.But Boko Haram still poses a threat to the war-torn region, launching sporadic raids on remote villages in Nigeria and deadly attacks on soldiers in neighbouring Chad and Niger.

Austria proposes to offshore EU asylum By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER

BRUSSELS, 6. Jan, 09:27-Austria is seeking to create a new set of EU asylum rules that would offshore applications and impose entry caps for each EU state.The move aims to overhaul existing EU asylum legislation in what Austria's defence minister Hans Peter Doskozil described as being in a "failed" state in an interview with Germany's Bild newspaper."It's about ending the failed European asylum policies. We must admit to ourselves and be honest that the EU has limited capacity to absorb more migrants. We must stop illegal immigration," the social democrat minister told the paper on Thursday (5 January).Doskozil wants the application process to instead take place in centres in countries like Niger and Jordan, possibly run by the United Nations.People entitled to protection would then be sent to an EU state. Doskozil said it would also allow people who cannot afford to travel to the EU to claim asylum to instead apply at the centres.They would also be used to dispatch migrants with return orders, but who are stuck in the EU.EU states conducted around 200 return operations by air between January and November last year, but the majority of rejected asylum seekers still remain in the EU. Many are unable to return because their countries of origin refuse to accept them.Matthias Ruete, who directs the EU commission's home affairs branch, told MEPs last December that the lack of coordination among EU states and "insufficient detention or closed reception capacity" slowed the return process.Doskozil wants to send them packing to "protection zones" attached to the centres until further notice.-Germany mulls 'flexible annual targets' on asylum-The Doskozil plan also envisages member states imposing their own caps, despite German resistance. Last year, Austria announced an asylum claims cap of 37,500.German chancellor Angela Merkel refused any upper limit on asylum claims, despite resistance from the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party.The CSU, a sister party of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), wants an annual 200,000 limit.The CDU now appears to be more open to the idea ahead of the upcoming federal elections in Germany.According to German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the CDU has "floated the idea of flexible annual targets for asylum seeker numbers."Doskozil is set to present the plan to his counterparts at the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) club in February before promoting the idea in Brussels.The regional forum brings together ministers from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia.He also told the CEDC last November that the EU needed to prepare for a possible collapse of the EU-Turkey migrant swap deal.The migrant pact saw Turkey curb the number of refugees getting into Greece, but Ankara has repeatedly threatened to suspend it amid fraying EU relations.

Attacks in and around Baghdad kill 23-The Canadian Press-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

BAGHDAD — A wave of attacks in and around Baghdad on Sunday killed at least 23 people, the latest in a series of assaults blamed on the Islamic State group.A suicide car bomb ripped through a wholesale market in the sprawling Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City, killing at least seven people and wounding 15, said Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, the Interior Ministry spokesman. He said a member of the security forces spotted the bomber and opened fire but was unable to prevent the attack.A policeman and two medical officials gave a higher toll, saying 16 people were killed in the attack and another 47 wounded.At a hospital where victims of the attack had been taken, a body exploded inside a morgue refrigerator. The medics said it appeared to have been a second attacker who was killed by shrapnel from the first explosion.IS claimed the attack, saying it was targeting Shiites. The Sunni extremist group views Iraq's Shiite majority as apostates deserving of death.Elsewhere in the city, a suicide bomber killed nine shoppers and wounded 16 others at a fruit and vegetable market in a mainly Shiite neighbourhood . Three additional bombings in and around the capital killed seven people and wounded 24 others.Police and medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.The Islamic State group has carried out a string of bombings in Baghdad over the past week, killing dozens of people. A suicide bomber struck Sadr City last week, killing more than 40 people.The latest attacks come as Iraqi forces are trying to drive IS militants from the northern city of Mosul in a massive operation launched in mid-October. In recent days, troops have pushed closer to the Tigris River, which splits the city in half.Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, fell to IS in the summer of 2014, when the militants swept over much of northern and western Iraq.___Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj contributed to this report.Sinan Salaheddin, The Associated Press.

Air strikes resume on rebel-held Damascus water-source valley-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes resumed on Sunday in a rebel-held valley near Damascus containing the Syrian capital's main water supply, a day after insurgents and the government failed to agree a plan to repair the springs knocked out of service two weeks ago.The government and allied fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched an offensive two weeks ago to take back Wadi Barada, a mountainous valley overlooked by pro-government military positions where springs provided water to four million people in the capital.The government says it wants to enter the rugged valley to permanently secure water supply to the capital. Rebels and local activists say pro-government forces are using the water issue to score a political victory weeks after the fall of Aleppo city, using siege and bombardment to force fighters into agreeing to leave.Through a series of so-called settlement agreements, sieges and army offensives, the Syrian government, backed by Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, has been steadily suppressing armed opposition around the capital.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said air strikes began on Sunday morning, after a lull since Saturday morning during which a new round of negotiations over repairs took place.A military media unit run by the Syrian government's ally Hezbollah said on Sunday it was suspending a ceasefire in the Wadi Barada area because rebels were disrupting negotiations and had opened fire on repair teams.The Wadi Barada media office, run by local activists connected to the negotiating team, said it was untrue that any repair team had entered the valley, saying engineers had waited at the area's border while negotiations went on.The Hezbollah-affiliated media unit also said it was the Syrian Islamist militia formerly called the Nusra Front which fired on the teams. The Syrian government has said Nusra Front, now called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and Islamic State were excluded from a nationwide ceasefire which came into force 10 days ago.The Wadi Barada media office denied the Nusra fighters were present in the valley.-WATER FIGHT-Rebels in Wadi Barada have allowed government engineers to maintain and operate the valley's pumping station, which supplies 70 percent of Damascus and its surroundings, since they took control of the area in 2012.Fighters have, however, cut water supplies several times in the past to put pressure on the army not to overrun the area.The United Nations said the spring was damaged two weeks ago because "infrastructure was deliberately targeted", without saying who was responsible, and warned shortages in the capital could lead to waterborne disease outbreaks.Rebels and activists say the spring was damaged by pro-government force bombardment. The government said rebels polluted the spring with diesel, forcing the state to cut supplies.Ali Haidar, who as national reconciliation minister has been responsible for negotiating local truce deals which see rebels given safe passage out of areas which the government then moves into, told Sham radio station on Saturday the spring would remain under state control after repairs, "to prevent water again being cut to the capital".A U.N. spokesman said this week sabotaging civilian water supplies constituted a war crime.Activists in the valley warned on Saturday of deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the mountainous valley, which they say has a population of 50,000 of local people and 30,000 internally displaced Syrians.The United Nations estimates 45,000 people live in the Wadi Barada area, and thinks at least 7,000 people have been displaced form the area in recent fighting.(Reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Iraqi special forces reach Tigris river in Mosul - spokesman-Reuters-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi special forces reached the eastern bank of the Tigris river in Mosul on Sunday for the first time in a U.S.-backed assault on Islamic State, and clashed with militants near a historic site in the city, military officials said.Elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) units fought their way to a bridge over the Tigris which has been damaged in fighting, CTS spokesman Sabah al-Numan said.It was the first time Iraqi forces have reached the river in the city itself since the operation to drive IS out of Mosul began in October. Iraqi forces have so far only penetrated eastern districts of Mosul, which is bissected by the river. The city is Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq.CTS forces backed by U.S.-led air raids meanwhile clashed with Islamic State militants near a historic site a short distance away, an officer said, as they tried to drive the jihadists out of more districts in the city."This morning CTS troops advanced in two directions towards the Baladiyat and Sukkar districts," Lt.General Abdelwahab al-Saadi said."During the advance, Daesh (Islamic State) tried to confront us from the historic hill," he said, apparently referring to a hill located near the ruins of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, east of the Tigris river and inside Mosul.Saadi said Iraqi forces and warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition "dealt with" IS fighters who had gone up the hill to use it as a firing position. Dozens of the militants were killed, he added.The CTS has spearheaded advances into eastern Mosul in the nearly 12-week campaign.Forces including the CTS and army units have advanced further into Mosul in recent days, helped by new tactics and better coordination to gain fresh momentum after getting bogged down inside the city towards the end of the year.(Reporting by Stephen Kalin in Mosul, Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad; Writing by John Davison in Baghdad,; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Retiree and volunteer fireman among Florida airport shooting fatalities-[Reuters]-By Gina Cherelus-YAHOONEWS-January 7, 2017

(Reuters) - A volunteer firefighter in his sixties and a retiree en route to a cruise ship vacation with her husband were among the five travelers fatally gunned down during Friday's airport attack in Florida, according to relatives and friends.Authorities have not named any of the victims of the rampage in a crowded baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale's airport, which also left six others shot and dozens more with injuries suffered in the chaos as people fled.But a picture of some of those killed began to emerge on Saturday from local media reports and in testimonials by family and friends.Terry Andres, a volunteer fireman from Virginia Beach, Virginia, was at the airport to go on vacation with his wife, his daughter told local broadcaster WAVY-TV.She said he would have been celebrating his 63rd birthday later this month. He was shot multiple times, WAVY-TV reported, but his wife of 40 years was not hurt.Andres had served since 2004 with the Oceana Volunteer Fire Department, where he was remembered fondly."He was well liked and respected for both his dedication to being a volunteer as well as his professional approach to his job as a support tech," the department said in a statement on Saturday. "We mourn his passing as we do all the victims of the senseless attack in Ft. Lauderdale."Another of those killed was Olda Woltering, a retiree from Marietta, Georgia who was on vacation with her husband Ralph, according to people who recalled her as a prominent figure at the city's Transfiguration Catholic Church."She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend," said Chip Oudt, a fellow churchgoer who said they had been close. "She will be missed."Woltering joined the church with her husband in 1978. Others who worshipped there described her as always happy."Olga was so charming, calling everybody 'Lovey' or 'Love' in her unmistakable British accent," church officials said in a statement. "Her life revolved around her kids, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and hundreds of extended family at Transfiguration."A third fatality was Michael Oehme of Council Bluffs, Iowa. He had also been on his way to take a cruise ship vacation with his wife when he was shot.His wife, Kari Oehme, was shot in the shoulder and will survive, according to Omaha television station WOWT.Mark Lea, a witness who told the station he saw the couple at the scene, recalled running to help the victims."Did not know her any way, shape or form," Lea said of Kari Oehme. "I saw that she was down and injured in a pool of blood, which was hers and just stopped to help and console her and kind of minimize her from going further into shock."Authorities say three of the six victims taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds are in intensive care, while the others are in good condition. They have not given more details.(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Chris Reese)

Death penalty possible in Florida airport shooting case-[Associated Press]-KELLI KENNEDY-YAHOONEWS-January 8, 2017

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — While investigators try to figure out the motive of an Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida, the suspected gunman was charged and could face the death penalty if convicted.Esteban Santiago, 26, was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death — which carries a maximum punishment of execution — and weapons charges.Santiago told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism."Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and visitors," U.S Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with a cooperative Santiago, who is a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.FBI Agent George Piro said Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska."Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack," Piro said. "We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack."Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said."He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldn't say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and "I knew it was more than just a firecracker," he said.Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter."He was just kind of randomly shooting people," he said. "If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting."Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.Lea went to help the injured and a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who she described. Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said. The man, Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims on Saturday.Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices."How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.Santiago, who is in federal custody with no bail, will face federal charges and is expected to appear in court Monday, Piro said.It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag — not a carry-on — and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage — his gun, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.___Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami; Tamara Lush in Pembroke Pines, Florida; Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; David Koenig in Dallas; and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.___This story corrects the short headline to remove reference to US seeking death penalty.