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)
MARK OF THE BEAST
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
REVELATION 19:19-21
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war (NOT COMETS KILLING AND COMING) against him (JESUS) that sat on the horse, and against his army.(THE 7 YRS EARLIAR RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (EU WORLD DICTATOR) was taken, and with him the false (VATICAN POPE) prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him (JESUS) that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.(ISRAELS MIGRATION BIRDS EAT ISRAELS ENEMIES FLESH)
REVELATION 20:11-15
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Facial recognition coming in for a landing at Ottawa airport today-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
It's a sure sign that your vacation is coming to an end.That moment when the flight attendant walks down the aisle of the plane, handing out declaration forms, as passengers scramble to find a pen.But the days of the paper form are numbered.Starting Monday, passengers arriving on international flights to the Ottawa airport are encouraged to use a self-serve kiosk, called a primary inspection kiosk, to speed up and streamline the arrival process.To verify a traveller's identity, the new kiosks will a take a photo and compare it to their passport picture.Travellers can either complete an on-screen declaration at the kiosk, or use the newly launched mobile app. Once downloaded, travellers can use it in airplane mode, allowing them to fill it out before they land.They'd then scan their phone at a kiosk before continuing on to baggage claim.NEXUS members will not be able to use the app, but still continue to use the NEXUS kiosks-Passengers waiting at baggage claim on Sunday applauded any process that would cut down their wait time."I was just in Cuba last week and there's a lot of lineup. There's a long bus ride, there's a lineup to check in, there's a lineup for security, then you're on the flight for a while. Then finally you land and then you have to wait in line again for another hour to get through. So, if it would speed up that process, I think it would be a idea," Tamra Segall said."If you hit the sun vacationers and such it can be over an hour wait to get through customs. Overall, not too bad, but anything that would speed it up...all for it," Chuck Albert added.-Security concerns-But Customs and Immigration Union president Jean-Pierre Fortin, who represents 10,000 frontline customs and border agents, wonders why, in 2017, the government is taking humans out of the equation.He says his officers get 18 weeks of intensive training."They're looking for tons of things: your attitude in general, are you nervous...It's a bunch of factors that machines will never be able to detect," he said."They develop these skills actually to make sure that they're stopping the people that they think there's something wrong with."On its website, the border agency says the kiosks are secure and only store non-sensitive information.But that's not enough for everyone.Ian Kerr, Canada research chair in ethics, technology and law at the University of Ottawa, told CBC Radio's All in a Day the kiosks could be outfitted with sensors that function like a lie detector or be programmed with algorithms to assess whether a traveller is a potential risk."We have to think really carefully before we implement [technologies like this] because they can ultimately be used for things beyond the purposes that they started being used," Kerr said.The CBSA was not available for an interview Sunday.
Britain to launch EU exit process on March 29-[AFP]-Alice RITCHIE, with Danny KEMP in Brussels-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
London (AFP) - Britain said Monday it will launch the process of leaving the European Union on March 29, setting a historic and uncharted course to become the first country to withdraw from the bloc by March 2019.Nine months after the stunning referendum vote for Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May's government will finally trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty next week, starting a two-year departure."We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation," said Brexit minister David Davis.The European Commission said immediately that it was ready to begin negotiations, although a source in Brussels said it would take "four to six weeks" to arrange a summit to agree a common EU position.Britain is one of the oldest and largest members of the 28-nation bloc, and its departure has raised fears for the EU's future as eurosceptic movements gain support across the continent.London has repeatedly said it wants to maintain good relations with its European allies, but major battles await, in particular over budget contributions, immigration and future trade ties.Britain has said it wants to agree its divorce and a new relationship with Europe within the two years."We are going to be out there, negotiating hard, delivering on what the British people voted for," May said on Monday.But lawmakers have warned that her government must prepare for the risk they might fail -- and for Britain to crash out of the EU with no agreement in place.- EU seeks 'realism' -The prime minister has long said she would start the Article 50 process by the end of this month.Britain's ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, on Monday informed the office of EU President Donald Tusk that it would do so on March 29, May's spokesman told reporters."We wish the talks to begin promptly, but we fully respect that the 27 (other EU nations) will want to agree their position in advance," the spokesman said.The notification of Article 50 will take the form of a letter to Tusk, likely outlining Britain's key objectives, followed by a statement by May to MPs in the House of Commons.Tusk said he would issue draft guidelines for the negotiations within 48 hours, and officials said EU leaders are then likely to meet at a special summit in early May to approve them."Everything is ready on this side," Margaritis Schinas, the spokesman for European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, told a briefing.Britain's path will be set just days after the EU celebrates the 60th anniversary of its founding Treaty of Rome on March 25.Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the finance ministers of the 19-country euro currency area, said he wanted "realism" from May's government."I hope for realism on the sequence of things, realism on the price that it is going to cost, realism on the complexity and thus the timespan that will be necessary, because those are the things that I have missed so far from the British side," he said.London says the Brexit process is irreversible once Article 50 is triggered, although experts have said there is no legal ban on member states changing their minds before leaving the EU.- 'New positive partnership' -May's preparations were wrong-footed last week when Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who opposes Brexit, announced plans to hold a new independence referendum in a bid to keep its EU ties.The prime minister has said that "now is not the time", and is expected to visit Scotland as part of a pre-Brexit tour of Britain that began on Monday in Wales and will also take in Northern Ireland.May's plan to withdraw Britain from Europe's single market has also provoked concern in Northern Ireland, by raising the prospect of the return of customs posts with EU member Ireland to the south.Davis said ministers would seek a Brexit deal "that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe –- a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union".Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU in the June 23 referendum, while England and Wales voted to leave, resulting in a UK-wide vote of 52 percent for Brexit.
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)
Churchill's grocery shelves bare as residents face another blizzard-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 19, 2017
Another winter blizzard is hitting Churchill, where people are already desperate for groceries that have been delayed since the last blizzard two weeks ago."A lot of families are suffering because they have young children and they need milk," said local resident Lana Bilenduke.No bread or vegetables are for sale at the local store and meat is scarce, she said."Everyone's in a crisis until we get our groceries in."The northern Manitoba town is in the midst of near-zero visibility, wind gusts of 90 km/h and wind chill values in the –40s due to an intense low pressure system over Hudson Bay, according to Environment Canada.The blizzard conditions should ease late this afternoon or early this evening.The forecast calls for five more centimetres of snow, on top of the 60 cm that fell over three days during the previous blizzard. The town has been under a local state of emergency since then.Churchill Deputy Mayor Shane Hutchins said a freight train hasn't come into town in nearly three weeks, and people are still digging out from the earlier blizzard.Deliveries usually come once a week, but shelves are bare at the town's lone supermarket — the Northern Store, he said."I've lived here 50 years and no, we've never had anything like this."Hutchins said people in the town are becoming increasingly frustrated with OmniTrax, the Denver-based company behind the rail line that brings supplies into Churchill.He said there's been "nearly non-existent" communication between the company and the town since snow-clearing plows on the line shut down recently."There's a lot of frustration here," he said.An OmniTrax spokesperson couldn't say when the line would reopen but said the snow on the rail line to Churchill is abnormal and difficult for crews to get rid of."You can only do so much," said Ron Margulis.Margulis disputed Hutchins's assertion OmniTrax has not communicated properly with the town.Margulis said the company is working to get a train into the town and has sent notices to communities affected by the line's temporary closure.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Colorado residents return to homes after Boulder wildfire-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
(Reuters) - Hundreds of people forced from their homes by a small wildfire near the University of Colorado in Boulder were allowed to return to their properties on Monday as firefighters made headway in containing the blaze, officials said.The Sunshine Fire, named after a canyon where it broke out early on Sunday, has scorched 62 acres (25 hectares) of woodland and is 50 percent contained, said Gabi Boerkircher, spokeswoman for the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.No structures have been damaged and no injuries have been reported, Boerkircher said. Authorities have said the blaze appears to have been caused by human activity.The fire on Sunday threatened more than 400 homes in the foothills near the university's campus, and residents were ordered to evacuate.Forecasts had called for high winds, which may have fanned the fire, but the weather instead calmed overnight, allowing firefighters to put out hot spots and flare-ups, officials said.Authorities lifted evacuation orders on Monday morning, re-opening roads and allowing residents to return. Still, a force of nearly 180 firefighters was battling the blaze on Monday.Forecasters have issued a "red flag" warning for the area because of warm temperatures and dry conditions. As a result, firefighters were on guard in case the blaze jumps a containment line.Much of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Nebraska are in drought conditions ranging from moderate to extreme, the agency said.Prairie fires stoked by high winds and tinder-dry vegetation in the southern Great Plains killed at least six people and prompted thousands of residents to evacuate early this month.(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; editing by Grant McCool)
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)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
EU 'ready' for UK to trigger exit process By Eszter Zalan-mar 20,17-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:59-The EU has said it was "ready to begin negotiations" on Britain’s departure from the bloc after the British government said on Monday (20 March) it would trigger the official exit procedure on 29 March."We are ready to begin negotiations, we are waiting for the letter," said European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas."Everything is ready on this side."Schinas spoke after the British government earlier the same day confirmed that it would invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty, which governs the divorce procedure, on 29 March.European Council president Donald Tusk also responded quickly to London's announcement, saying in a tweet that he would put forward the negotiation guidelines within 48 hours of receiving the letter.The guidelines will then be studied by EU capitals, and the text tweaked, as in normal EU summit preparations.Sources said EU leaders would not be ready to tackle the issue at a previously planned summit on 6 April, as it would take four to six weeks to get ready after they received the UK’s notification.The 27 EU leaders, minus the UK, will most likely get together in early May instead.One thing to watch as preparations unfold is the French election, which will produce a new president on 7 May.Diplomats would likely want to avoid an 11 May date, when a new president had already been chosen, but not yet inaugurated.The guidelines - a short and broad political document that will outline the principles of the negotiation mandate for the EU side - are already being prepared by Tusk's office.Different scenarios are being drawn up in the text, sources said, depending on what British leader Theresa May says in her letter of 29 March."It depends on what the UK wants," an EU source said."This needs to be well-prepared, lawyers, experts will have to negotiate this," a second source added.After the 27 leaders agree on the guidelines, the EU commission will, 24 hours later, put forward the formal recommendation for the negotiating directives.These will be more detailed and will give the green light for Michel Barnier, the EU executive's negotiator, to start talks with the UK.The directives will also have to be approved by a council of EU affairs ministers, who will meet on 16 May.
Analysis-EU and India must converge in Kabul-By Constantino Xavier, Arushi Kumar-mar 20,17-euobserver
New Delhi, Today, 09:25-Despite common interests, shared objectives and similar initiatives, biased perceptions have persistently hindered dialogue and cooperation between India and the European Union in Afghanistan.In New Delhi’s perspective, Brussels’ Common Foreign and Security Policy remains on paper and the EU’s efforts in Afghanistan are thus determined by the geostrategic interests of the United States and NATO.Europeans, in turn, tend to dismiss every Indian initiative in Afghanistan as a ploy against Pakistan that risks transforming the country into a proxy battleground.As President Donald Trump threatens to scale back American engagement globally, the EU and India will have to take on a more prominent role and cooperate to keep the United States involved and at the same time, rope in other stakeholders committed to supporting a democratic regime in Kabul.In a joint research project between Carnegie India and the Global Public Policy Institute (Berlin), we found significant areas of EU-India convergence that could facilitate cooperation in Afghanistan.-Work with Afghanistan's neighbors-First, the EU and India should not shy away from a frank dialogue on how best to balance incentives and disincentives to ensure that Pakistan plays a constructive role.Besides guaranteeing transit rights to ISAF, billions of US dollars and Euros in assistance have failed to force Islamabad to seal the Durand Line.As Pakistan’s largest trade partner and a major source of development assistance, Brussels must use its economic leverage to compel Pakistani civilian and military authorities to cease all support for terrorist organisations, isolate the Taliban, and normalise relations with Kabul.If the EU is serious about promoting regional cooperation in South Asia, it must also pressure Islamabad to stop impeding trade and transit between Afghanistan, India and the rest of South Asia.Second, Brussels and Delhi will have to learn how to talk to each other about talking to the Taliban.India has determinedly opposed any type of outreach to the insurgents but, below the radar, it has secretly built communication channels with several Pashtun factions to keep all options open.The EU, on the other hand, played an active role through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group to promote a reconciliation process with the “good” Taliban, and been more optimistic about the chances for a negotiated settlement.If Brussels and New Delhi develop a high-level and frank political dialogue on the potential and dangers of engaging the Afghan Taliban, it is likely that they will find a lot more common ground than expected.Third, Brussels and New Delhi will have to step up their commitments to ensure that the Afghan state’s capacity is further strengthened.The EU and India should pool efforts, for example through joint training for Afghan officials. By rotating through European and Indian institutions, Afghan civil service, military, police and intelligence officials would benefit from a comparative experience.Brussels and New Delhi should also consider joining hands in their democracy assistance projects, supporting Afghanistan’s nascent parliamentary, electoral and civil society institutions, with special emphasis on the rule of law, minority rights, and media freedom.Fourth, following the Iran deal and a timid rapprochement between Brussels and Moscow, there is now scope for greater EU-India convergence on the regional environment.-Iran, China, Russia-In order to avoid Afghanistan from turning into a turf for geopolitical rivalries, Brussels and Delhi must create conditions for greater dialogue and coordinated behaviour between the powers committed to supporting a stable, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan, including Russia, China, and Iran.By hosting the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia ministerial conference, late last year, the EU and India indicated their commitment to this multilateral approach.Fifth, the EU and India have a shared interest in strengthening the Afghan economy by diversifying its external linkages.While Kabul has expressed a desire to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, its excessive reliance on Pakistani trade routes will render it even more susceptible to pressure from Islamabad.Iran plays a key role in Afghan connectivity plans towards the West, via Turkey and Russia, and towards the South, to the Indian Ocean.The success of alternative Eurasian connectivity plans to China’s One Belt One Road, for example the International North-South Transport Corridor, will hinge on the EU’s willingness to lift restrictions on Teheran and, on the other hand, on India’s capacity to invest in infrastructure like Iran’s Chabahar port as a hub to Afghanistan.For EU-India coordination and cooperation to succeed on all these fronts, Brussels and Delhi must invest in a high-level bilateral dialogue on Afghanistan’s internal dynamics and its regional context, and also consider setting up a trilateral EU-India-Afghanistan consultative mechanism.As the United States abandons the driving seat and ceases to micromanage Kabul, the EU and India will have to step up and take on a leading role in support of a stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan.Constantino Xavier is a fellow, and Arushi Kumar is a research assistant at Carnegie India, in New Delhi, where they focus on India’s foreign and security policies towards the regional neighbourhood.Together with C. Raja Mohan, they recently co-authored apolicy brief on the potential for EU-India cooperation in Afghanistan, published by the Global Public Policy Institute
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)
Almost half of Canadians want illegal border crossers deported - Reuters poll-[Reuters]-By Rod Nickel and David Ljunggren-yahoonews-March 20, 2017
WINNIPEG, Manitoba/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nearly half of Canadians want to deport people who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States, and a similar number disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday.A significant minority, four out of 10 respondents, said the border crossers could make Canada "less safe," underlining the potential political risk for Trudeau's Liberal government.The increasing flow of hundreds of asylum-seekers of African and Middle Eastern origin from the United States in recent months has become a contentious issue in Canada.There has been broad bipartisan support for high levels of legal immigration for decades in Canada. But Trudeau has come under pressure over the flow of the illegal migrants. He is questioned about it every time he appears in parliament, from opponents on the left, who want more asylum-seekers to be allowed in, and critics on the right, who say the migrants pose a potential security risk.Canadians appeared to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as their American neighbors, according to the poll, which was conducted between March 8-9. Some 48 percent said they supported "increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally." (For graphics on asylum process, immigration poll see http://tmsnrt.rs/2nyY8CJ)-When asked specifically about the recent border crossings, the same number - 48 percent - said Canada should "send these migrants back to the U.S." Another 36 percent said Canada should "accept these migrants".In the United States, where President Donald Trump was elected partly on his promise to boost deportations, 50 percent of adults supported "increasing the deportation of illegal immigrants," according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the same week.Illegal migrants interviewed by Reuters in Canada said they had been living legally in the United States and had applied for asylum there. But they fled for fear of being enmeshed in Trump's immigration crackdown.Kellie Leitch, a prominent contender to be leader of the official opposition right-leaning Conservative Party, said the opinion poll results reinforced her belief that Canadians did not want Ottawa to accept the asylum-seekers."I am happy to see that my position on illegal border crossers ... has support from the public," she said in an email.-WARMING WEATHER POSES RISK-In the poll, support for deportations was strongest among men, adults lacking a college degree, people who are older and those with higher levels of income."There are so many people in the world who want to come in and go through the right channels," said Greg Janzen, elected leader of a Manitoba border municipality that has seen many border crossers. "That's what's pissing most people off. These guys are jumping the border," he said.Forty-six percent of Canadians feel the influx would have no effect on safety, while 41 percent said it would make Canada less safe, according to the poll."Refugees are much more welcomed when we have gone and selected them ourselves as a country, as opposed to refugees who have chosen us," said Janet Dench, executive director of Canadian Council for Refugees.Of those polled, 46 percent disagreed with how Trudeau was handling the situation, 37 percent agreed, while 17 percent did not know. In January, a separate Ipsos poll found 59 percent of Canadians approved of Trudeau, while 41 percent disapproved.Trudeau faces no immediate threat, since the next elections are not until 2019. His office declined to comment on the poll.Brian Lee Crowley, head of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute public policy think-tank, said the number of illegal migrants could spike as the weather warms, and "if people become convinced there's a large uncontrolled flow of illegal immigrants, I think that will be a very serious political issue for the government."Authorities dismiss the idea they are being lax.Dan Brien, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said trying to slip across the border "is not a 'free' ticket to Canada," and noted that all the asylum-seekers are immediately arrested."If they are found to be inadmissible without a valid claim, deportation procedures are begun," he said when asked about the poll. Those who cannot be identified, are a flight risk or pose a public danger can be detained, he added.According to a separate Ipsos poll in Canada, 23 percent of Canadians listed immigration control as among the top national issues in March, up from 17 percent in December. It ranks behind healthcare, taxes, unemployment and poverty as top concerns.Ottawa set an immigration target of 300,000 for 2017, or just under 1 percent of the population, the same level as 2016. It reduced the 2017 target for resettled refugees to 25,000 from 44,800 in 2016, a year when it welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees.The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English and French throughout Canada. It included responses from 1,001 people 18 years or older. Individual responses were weighted according to the latest population estimates, so that the results reflect the entire population.The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 4 percentage points.(Reporting by David Ljunggren, Rod Nickel and Chris Kahn, additional reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny, editing by Amran Abocar and Ross Colvin)
London, Ont. police arrest man for allegedly threatening to shoot people at mosque-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 19, 2017
Police in London, Ont. have arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly threatening to shoot people inside a mosque, but the mosque doesn't believe the incident was motivated by hate.Officers were called to the London Muslim Mosque on Oxford Street around 1:40 p.m. Sunday, police said in a release.Mosque members were directed to lock the doors while officers were en route. When they arrived shortly afterward, no firearm was located and the man was arrested.No one was injured in the incident and the man now faces charges of uttering threats.In a Facebook post Sunday evening, the mosque stressed that it does not consider the alleged threat to be hate-motivated and believes there is no "ongoing threat."The statement describes a "young man" entering the mosque during "a prayer service, looking for food and assistance."After being provided with food, it says, he "persisted in his asks," and a verbal confrontation ensued culminating in the alleged threats."Volunteers at the mosque have been trained to call London Police in any circumstance where there is any suggestion of a security threat, and this protocol was followed," said the statement."The mosque is currently open and operating under normal schedule," it said.Police continue to investigate.-Anyone with information is asked to contact London police at 519-661-5670 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Islamic State militants capture Iraqi police colonel, 8 officers in west Mosul - official-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State militants captured an Iraqi police colonel and eight other officers in western Mosul after they ran out of ammunication during fierce clashes early Monday morning, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.The officers were caught around 3 a.m. on Monday in Bab Jadid district in Mosul, where Iraqi forces are battling to oust Islamic State after liberating the eastern half of the city. It was unclear where the officers were, the official said.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad; writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Car bomb blast kills at least 23 in south Baghdad - police and medical sources-[Reuters]-YASHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb blast killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 45 others in a mainly Shi'ite district in southern Baghdad on Monday, police and medical sources said.The explosion occurred on a busy commercial street in the Amil neighbourhood, the sources said.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Writing by John Davison in Erbil; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
North Korea's nuclear threat: Where do the US and China go from here?-[Christian Science Monitor]-Michael Holtz-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
For the Chinese, their proposal perhaps seemed obvious: North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile tests in return for the United States and South Korea halting their annual joint military exercises. After the mutual displays of good faith, the two sides could reengage in negotiations.But the idea was quickly shot down in Washington, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson rejected it again last week before visiting Beijing. It became yet another wishful attempt at compromise as the two heavyweights struggle to forge a common strategy over North Korea’s expanding nuclear program.As tensions escalate on the Korean peninsula, China’s patience with the US is growing thin, says Wu Riqiang, a nuclear expert at Renmin University in Beijing. With the North Korean threat growing – Kim Jong-un just tested a new high-thrust missile engine that analysts said could be used in an intercontinental missile – the question now is where the US and China go from here.-OUT OF PATIENCE-Early in his first term, former President Obama touted an new approach of “strategic patience.” Rather than overreact to North Korea's every bomb and missile test, his administration elected to gradually ratchet up sanctions until the isolated county agreed to negotiate.But the policy was more akin to “malign neglect” in the eyes of its critics. By the time Mr. Obama left office earlier this year, experts estimated the North had acquired enough plutonium and highly enriched uranium to build 20 to 25 nuclear weapons. It now appears to be closer than ever to developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of hitting the continental US.Few North Korea observers deny the failure of the strategy. On Friday, Secretary of State Tillerson made clear that the Trump administration would take a tougher approach.“The policy of strategic patience has ended,” Mr. Tillerson said in Seoul after visiting the heavily militarized border between the North and South Korea. “We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security, and economic measures. All options are on the table."All options – including pre-emptive military action – except the mutual freeze proposed by the Chinese, that is. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who proposed the confidence building measures that the US rejected, urged the US to take a "cool-headed” approach to the North.-‘A DIFFERENT COURSE’-Tillerson arrived in Beijing Saturday to try to narrow the strategic gap. President Trump tweeted Friday that China had “done little to help” on North Korea, a notion the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua rejected in a commentary the next day.“Positive results require effort and good faith from both sides,” the commentary said. “China has never fallen short of offering its fair share. It's all up to Washington now.”Tillerson and his hosts managed to strike a cooperative tone, at least publicly, during his 24-hour visit, with Tillerson saying the two sides would work together to get North Korea to take “a different course.” And on Sunday, he said the US looked forward to stronger ties with China in his meeting with President Xi Jinping, who responded that “the China-US relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.”But such cooperation needs careful shaping, says Yang Xiyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.“The most important thing for the meeting was eliminating the uncertainty in the relationship between China and the US,” he says. “For the next step, if the ‘double suspension’ doesn’t work, China will need to think about new ideas.”For now, Tillerson said Washington would focus on tightening UN sanctions against North Korea before pursuing military options. Analysts say he likely pressed Chinese leaders to more fully implement them or risk an expansion of the US air defense system in East Asia, known as THAAD, a move China strongly opposes.Beijing says it’s committed to enforcing economic sanctions. Last month it abruptly halted imports of coal from the North, ending one of Pyongyang's main sources of foreign currency. Still, a recent study by the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based research organization, found that China has allowed materials used to make hydrogen bombs to cross the border. Beijing has long been wary of pushing Pyongyang too hard for fear of sparking a regime collapse and refugee crisis.Zhao Hai, a research fellow at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, says that he wasn’t surprised Tillerson left Beijing without concrete steps on North Korea. He says the real test will come next month when Xi and Trump meet in the US.“The US is still undergoing a review of its North Korean policy and China is also undergoing a domestic debate,” Professor Zhao says. “Both sides need to clarify their common goals so they can come up with common solutions.”-Xie Yujuan contributed reporting.
Vietnam seeks South Korean support in South China Sea-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's Prime Minister sought support for the nation's stance in the South China Sea when he met South Korea's foreign minister in Hanoi on Monday.Vietnam is the country most openly at odds with China over the waterway since the Philippines pulled back from confrontation under President Rodrigo Duterte."The Prime Minister proposed that South Korea continue its support over the position of Vietnam and Southeast Asia on the South China Sea issue and to help the country improve its law enforcement at the sea", the government said in a statement on its website after the meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.The statement did not say whether South Korea backed Vietnam's position on the South China Sea.Yun did affirm his country's willingness to promote ties despite instability in South Korea after the ousting of President Park Geun-hye over a graft scandal.South Korea is Vietnam's biggest foreign investor thanks to companies like Samsung.South Korea and China are currently in dispute over deployment of the U.S. anti-missile defence system. South Korea on Monday has complained to the World Trade Organization about Chinese retaliation against its companies over the deployment.Last week, Vietnam demanded China stop sending cruise ships to the area in response to one of Beijing's latest moves to bolster its claims to the strategic waterway.China claims 90 percent of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the route, through which about $5 trillion of trade passes each year.(Reporting by My Pham; Editing by Julia Glover)
Not soon enough: Today marks the first day of spring-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
Believe it or not, spring has arrived.Winter officially ended this morning at 3.29 a.m. PT when the sun moved directly over the equator, marking the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.It's the time of year when the days grow longer, tree buds swell and temperatures rise.On Sunday, the sun came out — though temperatures remained chilly — giving B.C.'s Lower Mainland a partial taste of what's to come."Forget spring, I want summer," said Elia Chung, a vendor at the farmers market at Hastings Park."We've had way too much cold this winter."Last year at this time, Vancouver streets were already under a canopy of pink cherry blossoms. This year, it's a canopy of buds.Linda Poole, founder of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, said those the blossoms will arrive, they'll just be late."It will just go longer into May," Poole said.According to Environment Canada, temperatures will rise this week, up to 12 C in the Lower Mainland, but the rain returns Tuesday and will stay all week.With files from Deborah Goble.
FBI's Comey says no evidence of Trump wiretap claim, confirms probe-[Reuters]-By Patricia Zengerle and Warren Strobel-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the FBI publicly challenged U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, denying the Republican's claim that former president Barack Obama wiretapped his 2016 election campaign and confirming his agency had launched a criminal investigation into any collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.FBI Director James Comey told a congressional hearing he had seen no evidence to support a claim by Trump that Obama had wiretapped his campaign headquarters in Trump Tower in New York.The president created a controversy in early March when he tweeted without giving evidence that Obama had wiretapped the campaign as the Republican businessman took on Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race."With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee hearing."And we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components: the department has no information that supports those tweets," he said.The committee is investigating accusations that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election by hacking Democratic operatives and releasing embarrassing information. Russia denies the allegations.-RUSSIA PROBE-Comey confirmed the FBI has been investigating since last July possible Russian government efforts to interfere in the election, including any links between Trump's campaign and Moscow."Because it is an open, ongoing investigation and is classified, I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining," Comey said. He said the fact that there is an investigation does not mean charges will be filed.Trump's tweet about wiretapping, which was made without supporting evidence, pulled attention away from the claims of Russian interference.He sent his tweet on Saturday, March 4, two days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had met with Russia’s U.S. ambassador last fall, said he would remove himself from any investigation of Russian interference in the election.U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to help Trump by hacking leading Democrats' emails. Comey said Moscow had long been opposed to Trump's election rival, former secretary of state Clinton."I think that was a fairly easy judgment for the (intelligence) community," he said. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much."The hearing on Monday was a rare open congressional intelligence committee hearing and it revealed a stark partisan divide in focus. Majority Republicans concentrated their questions on leaks of classified information - a concern that Trump frequently mentions - and media reports on issues such as contacts between former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian officials.Democrats sought to highlight such links, and shoot down Trump’s wiretapping claim.(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Bill Trott)
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
REVELATION 19:19-21
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war (NOT COMETS KILLING AND COMING) against him (JESUS) that sat on the horse, and against his army.(THE 7 YRS EARLIAR RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (EU WORLD DICTATOR) was taken, and with him the false (VATICAN POPE) prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him (JESUS) that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.(ISRAELS MIGRATION BIRDS EAT ISRAELS ENEMIES FLESH)
REVELATION 20:11-15
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Facial recognition coming in for a landing at Ottawa airport today-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
It's a sure sign that your vacation is coming to an end.That moment when the flight attendant walks down the aisle of the plane, handing out declaration forms, as passengers scramble to find a pen.But the days of the paper form are numbered.Starting Monday, passengers arriving on international flights to the Ottawa airport are encouraged to use a self-serve kiosk, called a primary inspection kiosk, to speed up and streamline the arrival process.To verify a traveller's identity, the new kiosks will a take a photo and compare it to their passport picture.Travellers can either complete an on-screen declaration at the kiosk, or use the newly launched mobile app. Once downloaded, travellers can use it in airplane mode, allowing them to fill it out before they land.They'd then scan their phone at a kiosk before continuing on to baggage claim.NEXUS members will not be able to use the app, but still continue to use the NEXUS kiosks-Passengers waiting at baggage claim on Sunday applauded any process that would cut down their wait time."I was just in Cuba last week and there's a lot of lineup. There's a long bus ride, there's a lineup to check in, there's a lineup for security, then you're on the flight for a while. Then finally you land and then you have to wait in line again for another hour to get through. So, if it would speed up that process, I think it would be a idea," Tamra Segall said."If you hit the sun vacationers and such it can be over an hour wait to get through customs. Overall, not too bad, but anything that would speed it up...all for it," Chuck Albert added.-Security concerns-But Customs and Immigration Union president Jean-Pierre Fortin, who represents 10,000 frontline customs and border agents, wonders why, in 2017, the government is taking humans out of the equation.He says his officers get 18 weeks of intensive training."They're looking for tons of things: your attitude in general, are you nervous...It's a bunch of factors that machines will never be able to detect," he said."They develop these skills actually to make sure that they're stopping the people that they think there's something wrong with."On its website, the border agency says the kiosks are secure and only store non-sensitive information.But that's not enough for everyone.Ian Kerr, Canada research chair in ethics, technology and law at the University of Ottawa, told CBC Radio's All in a Day the kiosks could be outfitted with sensors that function like a lie detector or be programmed with algorithms to assess whether a traveller is a potential risk."We have to think really carefully before we implement [technologies like this] because they can ultimately be used for things beyond the purposes that they started being used," Kerr said.The CBSA was not available for an interview Sunday.
Britain to launch EU exit process on March 29-[AFP]-Alice RITCHIE, with Danny KEMP in Brussels-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
London (AFP) - Britain said Monday it will launch the process of leaving the European Union on March 29, setting a historic and uncharted course to become the first country to withdraw from the bloc by March 2019.Nine months after the stunning referendum vote for Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May's government will finally trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty next week, starting a two-year departure."We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation," said Brexit minister David Davis.The European Commission said immediately that it was ready to begin negotiations, although a source in Brussels said it would take "four to six weeks" to arrange a summit to agree a common EU position.Britain is one of the oldest and largest members of the 28-nation bloc, and its departure has raised fears for the EU's future as eurosceptic movements gain support across the continent.London has repeatedly said it wants to maintain good relations with its European allies, but major battles await, in particular over budget contributions, immigration and future trade ties.Britain has said it wants to agree its divorce and a new relationship with Europe within the two years."We are going to be out there, negotiating hard, delivering on what the British people voted for," May said on Monday.But lawmakers have warned that her government must prepare for the risk they might fail -- and for Britain to crash out of the EU with no agreement in place.- EU seeks 'realism' -The prime minister has long said she would start the Article 50 process by the end of this month.Britain's ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, on Monday informed the office of EU President Donald Tusk that it would do so on March 29, May's spokesman told reporters."We wish the talks to begin promptly, but we fully respect that the 27 (other EU nations) will want to agree their position in advance," the spokesman said.The notification of Article 50 will take the form of a letter to Tusk, likely outlining Britain's key objectives, followed by a statement by May to MPs in the House of Commons.Tusk said he would issue draft guidelines for the negotiations within 48 hours, and officials said EU leaders are then likely to meet at a special summit in early May to approve them."Everything is ready on this side," Margaritis Schinas, the spokesman for European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, told a briefing.Britain's path will be set just days after the EU celebrates the 60th anniversary of its founding Treaty of Rome on March 25.Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the finance ministers of the 19-country euro currency area, said he wanted "realism" from May's government."I hope for realism on the sequence of things, realism on the price that it is going to cost, realism on the complexity and thus the timespan that will be necessary, because those are the things that I have missed so far from the British side," he said.London says the Brexit process is irreversible once Article 50 is triggered, although experts have said there is no legal ban on member states changing their minds before leaving the EU.- 'New positive partnership' -May's preparations were wrong-footed last week when Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who opposes Brexit, announced plans to hold a new independence referendum in a bid to keep its EU ties.The prime minister has said that "now is not the time", and is expected to visit Scotland as part of a pre-Brexit tour of Britain that began on Monday in Wales and will also take in Northern Ireland.May's plan to withdraw Britain from Europe's single market has also provoked concern in Northern Ireland, by raising the prospect of the return of customs posts with EU member Ireland to the south.Davis said ministers would seek a Brexit deal "that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe –- a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union".Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU in the June 23 referendum, while England and Wales voted to leave, resulting in a UK-wide vote of 52 percent for Brexit.
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)
Churchill's grocery shelves bare as residents face another blizzard-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 19, 2017
Another winter blizzard is hitting Churchill, where people are already desperate for groceries that have been delayed since the last blizzard two weeks ago."A lot of families are suffering because they have young children and they need milk," said local resident Lana Bilenduke.No bread or vegetables are for sale at the local store and meat is scarce, she said."Everyone's in a crisis until we get our groceries in."The northern Manitoba town is in the midst of near-zero visibility, wind gusts of 90 km/h and wind chill values in the –40s due to an intense low pressure system over Hudson Bay, according to Environment Canada.The blizzard conditions should ease late this afternoon or early this evening.The forecast calls for five more centimetres of snow, on top of the 60 cm that fell over three days during the previous blizzard. The town has been under a local state of emergency since then.Churchill Deputy Mayor Shane Hutchins said a freight train hasn't come into town in nearly three weeks, and people are still digging out from the earlier blizzard.Deliveries usually come once a week, but shelves are bare at the town's lone supermarket — the Northern Store, he said."I've lived here 50 years and no, we've never had anything like this."Hutchins said people in the town are becoming increasingly frustrated with OmniTrax, the Denver-based company behind the rail line that brings supplies into Churchill.He said there's been "nearly non-existent" communication between the company and the town since snow-clearing plows on the line shut down recently."There's a lot of frustration here," he said.An OmniTrax spokesperson couldn't say when the line would reopen but said the snow on the rail line to Churchill is abnormal and difficult for crews to get rid of."You can only do so much," said Ron Margulis.Margulis disputed Hutchins's assertion OmniTrax has not communicated properly with the town.Margulis said the company is working to get a train into the town and has sent notices to communities affected by the line's temporary closure.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Colorado residents return to homes after Boulder wildfire-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
(Reuters) - Hundreds of people forced from their homes by a small wildfire near the University of Colorado in Boulder were allowed to return to their properties on Monday as firefighters made headway in containing the blaze, officials said.The Sunshine Fire, named after a canyon where it broke out early on Sunday, has scorched 62 acres (25 hectares) of woodland and is 50 percent contained, said Gabi Boerkircher, spokeswoman for the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.No structures have been damaged and no injuries have been reported, Boerkircher said. Authorities have said the blaze appears to have been caused by human activity.The fire on Sunday threatened more than 400 homes in the foothills near the university's campus, and residents were ordered to evacuate.Forecasts had called for high winds, which may have fanned the fire, but the weather instead calmed overnight, allowing firefighters to put out hot spots and flare-ups, officials said.Authorities lifted evacuation orders on Monday morning, re-opening roads and allowing residents to return. Still, a force of nearly 180 firefighters was battling the blaze on Monday.Forecasters have issued a "red flag" warning for the area because of warm temperatures and dry conditions. As a result, firefighters were on guard in case the blaze jumps a containment line.Much of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Nebraska are in drought conditions ranging from moderate to extreme, the agency said.Prairie fires stoked by high winds and tinder-dry vegetation in the southern Great Plains killed at least six people and prompted thousands of residents to evacuate early this month.(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; editing by Grant McCool)
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)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
EU 'ready' for UK to trigger exit process By Eszter Zalan-mar 20,17-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:59-The EU has said it was "ready to begin negotiations" on Britain’s departure from the bloc after the British government said on Monday (20 March) it would trigger the official exit procedure on 29 March."We are ready to begin negotiations, we are waiting for the letter," said European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas."Everything is ready on this side."Schinas spoke after the British government earlier the same day confirmed that it would invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty, which governs the divorce procedure, on 29 March.European Council president Donald Tusk also responded quickly to London's announcement, saying in a tweet that he would put forward the negotiation guidelines within 48 hours of receiving the letter.The guidelines will then be studied by EU capitals, and the text tweaked, as in normal EU summit preparations.Sources said EU leaders would not be ready to tackle the issue at a previously planned summit on 6 April, as it would take four to six weeks to get ready after they received the UK’s notification.The 27 EU leaders, minus the UK, will most likely get together in early May instead.One thing to watch as preparations unfold is the French election, which will produce a new president on 7 May.Diplomats would likely want to avoid an 11 May date, when a new president had already been chosen, but not yet inaugurated.The guidelines - a short and broad political document that will outline the principles of the negotiation mandate for the EU side - are already being prepared by Tusk's office.Different scenarios are being drawn up in the text, sources said, depending on what British leader Theresa May says in her letter of 29 March."It depends on what the UK wants," an EU source said."This needs to be well-prepared, lawyers, experts will have to negotiate this," a second source added.After the 27 leaders agree on the guidelines, the EU commission will, 24 hours later, put forward the formal recommendation for the negotiating directives.These will be more detailed and will give the green light for Michel Barnier, the EU executive's negotiator, to start talks with the UK.The directives will also have to be approved by a council of EU affairs ministers, who will meet on 16 May.
Analysis-EU and India must converge in Kabul-By Constantino Xavier, Arushi Kumar-mar 20,17-euobserver
New Delhi, Today, 09:25-Despite common interests, shared objectives and similar initiatives, biased perceptions have persistently hindered dialogue and cooperation between India and the European Union in Afghanistan.In New Delhi’s perspective, Brussels’ Common Foreign and Security Policy remains on paper and the EU’s efforts in Afghanistan are thus determined by the geostrategic interests of the United States and NATO.Europeans, in turn, tend to dismiss every Indian initiative in Afghanistan as a ploy against Pakistan that risks transforming the country into a proxy battleground.As President Donald Trump threatens to scale back American engagement globally, the EU and India will have to take on a more prominent role and cooperate to keep the United States involved and at the same time, rope in other stakeholders committed to supporting a democratic regime in Kabul.In a joint research project between Carnegie India and the Global Public Policy Institute (Berlin), we found significant areas of EU-India convergence that could facilitate cooperation in Afghanistan.-Work with Afghanistan's neighbors-First, the EU and India should not shy away from a frank dialogue on how best to balance incentives and disincentives to ensure that Pakistan plays a constructive role.Besides guaranteeing transit rights to ISAF, billions of US dollars and Euros in assistance have failed to force Islamabad to seal the Durand Line.As Pakistan’s largest trade partner and a major source of development assistance, Brussels must use its economic leverage to compel Pakistani civilian and military authorities to cease all support for terrorist organisations, isolate the Taliban, and normalise relations with Kabul.If the EU is serious about promoting regional cooperation in South Asia, it must also pressure Islamabad to stop impeding trade and transit between Afghanistan, India and the rest of South Asia.Second, Brussels and Delhi will have to learn how to talk to each other about talking to the Taliban.India has determinedly opposed any type of outreach to the insurgents but, below the radar, it has secretly built communication channels with several Pashtun factions to keep all options open.The EU, on the other hand, played an active role through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group to promote a reconciliation process with the “good” Taliban, and been more optimistic about the chances for a negotiated settlement.If Brussels and New Delhi develop a high-level and frank political dialogue on the potential and dangers of engaging the Afghan Taliban, it is likely that they will find a lot more common ground than expected.Third, Brussels and New Delhi will have to step up their commitments to ensure that the Afghan state’s capacity is further strengthened.The EU and India should pool efforts, for example through joint training for Afghan officials. By rotating through European and Indian institutions, Afghan civil service, military, police and intelligence officials would benefit from a comparative experience.Brussels and New Delhi should also consider joining hands in their democracy assistance projects, supporting Afghanistan’s nascent parliamentary, electoral and civil society institutions, with special emphasis on the rule of law, minority rights, and media freedom.Fourth, following the Iran deal and a timid rapprochement between Brussels and Moscow, there is now scope for greater EU-India convergence on the regional environment.-Iran, China, Russia-In order to avoid Afghanistan from turning into a turf for geopolitical rivalries, Brussels and Delhi must create conditions for greater dialogue and coordinated behaviour between the powers committed to supporting a stable, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan, including Russia, China, and Iran.By hosting the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia ministerial conference, late last year, the EU and India indicated their commitment to this multilateral approach.Fifth, the EU and India have a shared interest in strengthening the Afghan economy by diversifying its external linkages.While Kabul has expressed a desire to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, its excessive reliance on Pakistani trade routes will render it even more susceptible to pressure from Islamabad.Iran plays a key role in Afghan connectivity plans towards the West, via Turkey and Russia, and towards the South, to the Indian Ocean.The success of alternative Eurasian connectivity plans to China’s One Belt One Road, for example the International North-South Transport Corridor, will hinge on the EU’s willingness to lift restrictions on Teheran and, on the other hand, on India’s capacity to invest in infrastructure like Iran’s Chabahar port as a hub to Afghanistan.For EU-India coordination and cooperation to succeed on all these fronts, Brussels and Delhi must invest in a high-level bilateral dialogue on Afghanistan’s internal dynamics and its regional context, and also consider setting up a trilateral EU-India-Afghanistan consultative mechanism.As the United States abandons the driving seat and ceases to micromanage Kabul, the EU and India will have to step up and take on a leading role in support of a stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan.Constantino Xavier is a fellow, and Arushi Kumar is a research assistant at Carnegie India, in New Delhi, where they focus on India’s foreign and security policies towards the regional neighbourhood.Together with C. Raja Mohan, they recently co-authored apolicy brief on the potential for EU-India cooperation in Afghanistan, published by the Global Public Policy Institute
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)
Almost half of Canadians want illegal border crossers deported - Reuters poll-[Reuters]-By Rod Nickel and David Ljunggren-yahoonews-March 20, 2017
WINNIPEG, Manitoba/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nearly half of Canadians want to deport people who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States, and a similar number disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday.A significant minority, four out of 10 respondents, said the border crossers could make Canada "less safe," underlining the potential political risk for Trudeau's Liberal government.The increasing flow of hundreds of asylum-seekers of African and Middle Eastern origin from the United States in recent months has become a contentious issue in Canada.There has been broad bipartisan support for high levels of legal immigration for decades in Canada. But Trudeau has come under pressure over the flow of the illegal migrants. He is questioned about it every time he appears in parliament, from opponents on the left, who want more asylum-seekers to be allowed in, and critics on the right, who say the migrants pose a potential security risk.Canadians appeared to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as their American neighbors, according to the poll, which was conducted between March 8-9. Some 48 percent said they supported "increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally." (For graphics on asylum process, immigration poll see http://tmsnrt.rs/2nyY8CJ)-When asked specifically about the recent border crossings, the same number - 48 percent - said Canada should "send these migrants back to the U.S." Another 36 percent said Canada should "accept these migrants".In the United States, where President Donald Trump was elected partly on his promise to boost deportations, 50 percent of adults supported "increasing the deportation of illegal immigrants," according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the same week.Illegal migrants interviewed by Reuters in Canada said they had been living legally in the United States and had applied for asylum there. But they fled for fear of being enmeshed in Trump's immigration crackdown.Kellie Leitch, a prominent contender to be leader of the official opposition right-leaning Conservative Party, said the opinion poll results reinforced her belief that Canadians did not want Ottawa to accept the asylum-seekers."I am happy to see that my position on illegal border crossers ... has support from the public," she said in an email.-WARMING WEATHER POSES RISK-In the poll, support for deportations was strongest among men, adults lacking a college degree, people who are older and those with higher levels of income."There are so many people in the world who want to come in and go through the right channels," said Greg Janzen, elected leader of a Manitoba border municipality that has seen many border crossers. "That's what's pissing most people off. These guys are jumping the border," he said.Forty-six percent of Canadians feel the influx would have no effect on safety, while 41 percent said it would make Canada less safe, according to the poll."Refugees are much more welcomed when we have gone and selected them ourselves as a country, as opposed to refugees who have chosen us," said Janet Dench, executive director of Canadian Council for Refugees.Of those polled, 46 percent disagreed with how Trudeau was handling the situation, 37 percent agreed, while 17 percent did not know. In January, a separate Ipsos poll found 59 percent of Canadians approved of Trudeau, while 41 percent disapproved.Trudeau faces no immediate threat, since the next elections are not until 2019. His office declined to comment on the poll.Brian Lee Crowley, head of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute public policy think-tank, said the number of illegal migrants could spike as the weather warms, and "if people become convinced there's a large uncontrolled flow of illegal immigrants, I think that will be a very serious political issue for the government."Authorities dismiss the idea they are being lax.Dan Brien, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said trying to slip across the border "is not a 'free' ticket to Canada," and noted that all the asylum-seekers are immediately arrested."If they are found to be inadmissible without a valid claim, deportation procedures are begun," he said when asked about the poll. Those who cannot be identified, are a flight risk or pose a public danger can be detained, he added.According to a separate Ipsos poll in Canada, 23 percent of Canadians listed immigration control as among the top national issues in March, up from 17 percent in December. It ranks behind healthcare, taxes, unemployment and poverty as top concerns.Ottawa set an immigration target of 300,000 for 2017, or just under 1 percent of the population, the same level as 2016. It reduced the 2017 target for resettled refugees to 25,000 from 44,800 in 2016, a year when it welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees.The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English and French throughout Canada. It included responses from 1,001 people 18 years or older. Individual responses were weighted according to the latest population estimates, so that the results reflect the entire population.The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 4 percentage points.(Reporting by David Ljunggren, Rod Nickel and Chris Kahn, additional reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny, editing by Amran Abocar and Ross Colvin)
London, Ont. police arrest man for allegedly threatening to shoot people at mosque-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 19, 2017
Police in London, Ont. have arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly threatening to shoot people inside a mosque, but the mosque doesn't believe the incident was motivated by hate.Officers were called to the London Muslim Mosque on Oxford Street around 1:40 p.m. Sunday, police said in a release.Mosque members were directed to lock the doors while officers were en route. When they arrived shortly afterward, no firearm was located and the man was arrested.No one was injured in the incident and the man now faces charges of uttering threats.In a Facebook post Sunday evening, the mosque stressed that it does not consider the alleged threat to be hate-motivated and believes there is no "ongoing threat."The statement describes a "young man" entering the mosque during "a prayer service, looking for food and assistance."After being provided with food, it says, he "persisted in his asks," and a verbal confrontation ensued culminating in the alleged threats."Volunteers at the mosque have been trained to call London Police in any circumstance where there is any suggestion of a security threat, and this protocol was followed," said the statement."The mosque is currently open and operating under normal schedule," it said.Police continue to investigate.-Anyone with information is asked to contact London police at 519-661-5670 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Islamic State militants capture Iraqi police colonel, 8 officers in west Mosul - official-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State militants captured an Iraqi police colonel and eight other officers in western Mosul after they ran out of ammunication during fierce clashes early Monday morning, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.The officers were caught around 3 a.m. on Monday in Bab Jadid district in Mosul, where Iraqi forces are battling to oust Islamic State after liberating the eastern half of the city. It was unclear where the officers were, the official said.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad; writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Car bomb blast kills at least 23 in south Baghdad - police and medical sources-[Reuters]-YASHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb blast killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 45 others in a mainly Shi'ite district in southern Baghdad on Monday, police and medical sources said.The explosion occurred on a busy commercial street in the Amil neighbourhood, the sources said.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Writing by John Davison in Erbil; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
North Korea's nuclear threat: Where do the US and China go from here?-[Christian Science Monitor]-Michael Holtz-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
For the Chinese, their proposal perhaps seemed obvious: North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile tests in return for the United States and South Korea halting their annual joint military exercises. After the mutual displays of good faith, the two sides could reengage in negotiations.But the idea was quickly shot down in Washington, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson rejected it again last week before visiting Beijing. It became yet another wishful attempt at compromise as the two heavyweights struggle to forge a common strategy over North Korea’s expanding nuclear program.As tensions escalate on the Korean peninsula, China’s patience with the US is growing thin, says Wu Riqiang, a nuclear expert at Renmin University in Beijing. With the North Korean threat growing – Kim Jong-un just tested a new high-thrust missile engine that analysts said could be used in an intercontinental missile – the question now is where the US and China go from here.-OUT OF PATIENCE-Early in his first term, former President Obama touted an new approach of “strategic patience.” Rather than overreact to North Korea's every bomb and missile test, his administration elected to gradually ratchet up sanctions until the isolated county agreed to negotiate.But the policy was more akin to “malign neglect” in the eyes of its critics. By the time Mr. Obama left office earlier this year, experts estimated the North had acquired enough plutonium and highly enriched uranium to build 20 to 25 nuclear weapons. It now appears to be closer than ever to developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of hitting the continental US.Few North Korea observers deny the failure of the strategy. On Friday, Secretary of State Tillerson made clear that the Trump administration would take a tougher approach.“The policy of strategic patience has ended,” Mr. Tillerson said in Seoul after visiting the heavily militarized border between the North and South Korea. “We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security, and economic measures. All options are on the table."All options – including pre-emptive military action – except the mutual freeze proposed by the Chinese, that is. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who proposed the confidence building measures that the US rejected, urged the US to take a "cool-headed” approach to the North.-‘A DIFFERENT COURSE’-Tillerson arrived in Beijing Saturday to try to narrow the strategic gap. President Trump tweeted Friday that China had “done little to help” on North Korea, a notion the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua rejected in a commentary the next day.“Positive results require effort and good faith from both sides,” the commentary said. “China has never fallen short of offering its fair share. It's all up to Washington now.”Tillerson and his hosts managed to strike a cooperative tone, at least publicly, during his 24-hour visit, with Tillerson saying the two sides would work together to get North Korea to take “a different course.” And on Sunday, he said the US looked forward to stronger ties with China in his meeting with President Xi Jinping, who responded that “the China-US relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.”But such cooperation needs careful shaping, says Yang Xiyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.“The most important thing for the meeting was eliminating the uncertainty in the relationship between China and the US,” he says. “For the next step, if the ‘double suspension’ doesn’t work, China will need to think about new ideas.”For now, Tillerson said Washington would focus on tightening UN sanctions against North Korea before pursuing military options. Analysts say he likely pressed Chinese leaders to more fully implement them or risk an expansion of the US air defense system in East Asia, known as THAAD, a move China strongly opposes.Beijing says it’s committed to enforcing economic sanctions. Last month it abruptly halted imports of coal from the North, ending one of Pyongyang's main sources of foreign currency. Still, a recent study by the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based research organization, found that China has allowed materials used to make hydrogen bombs to cross the border. Beijing has long been wary of pushing Pyongyang too hard for fear of sparking a regime collapse and refugee crisis.Zhao Hai, a research fellow at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, says that he wasn’t surprised Tillerson left Beijing without concrete steps on North Korea. He says the real test will come next month when Xi and Trump meet in the US.“The US is still undergoing a review of its North Korean policy and China is also undergoing a domestic debate,” Professor Zhao says. “Both sides need to clarify their common goals so they can come up with common solutions.”-Xie Yujuan contributed reporting.
Vietnam seeks South Korean support in South China Sea-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's Prime Minister sought support for the nation's stance in the South China Sea when he met South Korea's foreign minister in Hanoi on Monday.Vietnam is the country most openly at odds with China over the waterway since the Philippines pulled back from confrontation under President Rodrigo Duterte."The Prime Minister proposed that South Korea continue its support over the position of Vietnam and Southeast Asia on the South China Sea issue and to help the country improve its law enforcement at the sea", the government said in a statement on its website after the meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.The statement did not say whether South Korea backed Vietnam's position on the South China Sea.Yun did affirm his country's willingness to promote ties despite instability in South Korea after the ousting of President Park Geun-hye over a graft scandal.South Korea is Vietnam's biggest foreign investor thanks to companies like Samsung.South Korea and China are currently in dispute over deployment of the U.S. anti-missile defence system. South Korea on Monday has complained to the World Trade Organization about Chinese retaliation against its companies over the deployment.Last week, Vietnam demanded China stop sending cruise ships to the area in response to one of Beijing's latest moves to bolster its claims to the strategic waterway.China claims 90 percent of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the route, through which about $5 trillion of trade passes each year.(Reporting by My Pham; Editing by Julia Glover)
Not soon enough: Today marks the first day of spring-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
Believe it or not, spring has arrived.Winter officially ended this morning at 3.29 a.m. PT when the sun moved directly over the equator, marking the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.It's the time of year when the days grow longer, tree buds swell and temperatures rise.On Sunday, the sun came out — though temperatures remained chilly — giving B.C.'s Lower Mainland a partial taste of what's to come."Forget spring, I want summer," said Elia Chung, a vendor at the farmers market at Hastings Park."We've had way too much cold this winter."Last year at this time, Vancouver streets were already under a canopy of pink cherry blossoms. This year, it's a canopy of buds.Linda Poole, founder of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, said those the blossoms will arrive, they'll just be late."It will just go longer into May," Poole said.According to Environment Canada, temperatures will rise this week, up to 12 C in the Lower Mainland, but the rain returns Tuesday and will stay all week.With files from Deborah Goble.
FBI's Comey says no evidence of Trump wiretap claim, confirms probe-[Reuters]-By Patricia Zengerle and Warren Strobel-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the FBI publicly challenged U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, denying the Republican's claim that former president Barack Obama wiretapped his 2016 election campaign and confirming his agency had launched a criminal investigation into any collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.FBI Director James Comey told a congressional hearing he had seen no evidence to support a claim by Trump that Obama had wiretapped his campaign headquarters in Trump Tower in New York.The president created a controversy in early March when he tweeted without giving evidence that Obama had wiretapped the campaign as the Republican businessman took on Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race."With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee hearing."And we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components: the department has no information that supports those tweets," he said.The committee is investigating accusations that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election by hacking Democratic operatives and releasing embarrassing information. Russia denies the allegations.-RUSSIA PROBE-Comey confirmed the FBI has been investigating since last July possible Russian government efforts to interfere in the election, including any links between Trump's campaign and Moscow."Because it is an open, ongoing investigation and is classified, I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining," Comey said. He said the fact that there is an investigation does not mean charges will be filed.Trump's tweet about wiretapping, which was made without supporting evidence, pulled attention away from the claims of Russian interference.He sent his tweet on Saturday, March 4, two days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had met with Russia’s U.S. ambassador last fall, said he would remove himself from any investigation of Russian interference in the election.U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to help Trump by hacking leading Democrats' emails. Comey said Moscow had long been opposed to Trump's election rival, former secretary of state Clinton."I think that was a fairly easy judgment for the (intelligence) community," he said. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much."The hearing on Monday was a rare open congressional intelligence committee hearing and it revealed a stark partisan divide in focus. Majority Republicans concentrated their questions on leaks of classified information - a concern that Trump frequently mentions - and media reports on issues such as contacts between former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian officials.Democrats sought to highlight such links, and shoot down Trump’s wiretapping claim.(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Bill Trott)