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)
FINALLY THESE OBAMA LEFTOVER TRUMP HATERS ARE GETTING NAILED FOR LEAKING INFORMATION TO TRY TO BRING TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION DOWN.
Contractor charged with leaking document about U.S. election hacking: sources-[Reuters]-By Dustin Volz and Mark Hosenball-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday charged a federal contractor with sending classified material to a news organization that sources identified to Reuters as The Intercept, marking one of the first concrete efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on leaks to the media.Reality Leigh Winner, 25, was charged with removing classified material from a government facility located in Georgia. She was arrested on June 3, the Justice Department said.The charges were announced less than an hour after The Intercept published a top-secret document from the U.S. National Security Agency that described Russian efforts to launch cyber attacks on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and send "spear-phising" emails, or targeted emails that try to trick a recipient into clicking on a malicious link to steal data, to more than 100 local election officials days before the presidential election last November.The Justice Department declined to comment on the case beyond its filing. Federal Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.While the charges do not name the publication, a U.S. official with knowledge of the case said Winner was charged with leaking the NSA report to The Intercept. A second official confirmed The Intercept document was authentic and did not dispute that the charges against Winner were directly tied to it.The Intercept's reporting reveals new details behind the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence services were seeking to infiltrate state voter registration systems as part of a broader effort to interfere in the election, discredit Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and help then Republican candidate Donald Trump win the election.The new material does not, however, suggest that actual votes were manipulated.The Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Winter's mother also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.While partially redacted, the NSA document is marked to show it would be up for declassification on May 5, 2042. The indictment against Winner alleges she "printed and improperly removed" classified intelligence reporting that was dated "on or about May 5, 2017."Classified documents are typically due to be declassified after 25 years under an executive order signed under former President Bill Clinton.The NSA opened a facility in Augusta in 2012 at Fort Gordon, a U.S. Army outpost.The FBI and several congressional committees are investigating how Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and whether associated of President Donald Trump may have colluded with Russian intelligence operatives during the campaign.Trump has dismissed the allegations as "fake news," while attempting to refocus attention on leaks of information to the media.Winner graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in 2011. Investigators determined she was one of only six individuals to print the document in question and that she had exchanged emails with the news outlet, according to the indictment.U.S. intelligence agencies including the NSA and CIA have fallen victim to several thefts of classified material in recent years, often at the hands of a federal contractor. For example, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 disclosed secret documents to journalists, including The Intercept's Greenwald, that revealed broad U.S. surveillance programs.(Reporting by Dustin Volz and Mark Hosenball, additional reporting by John Walcott, editing by G Crosse)
DEAD ANIMALS
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,(EARTH) because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
Rat attack: Thousands of rodents swarm Myanmar villages-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
Yangon (AFP) - Thousands of rats have descended on villages on an island in southern Myanmar, a local official said on Tuesday, in what some have taken to be an ill omen of impending disaster.Residents of Haingyi island, one of the larger islands in the Irrawaddy Delta, have been battling the plague of rodents since the critters scurried into their villages over the weekend.Short of pied pipers, desperate authorities have resorted to paying residents 50 kyat (four US cents) for each dead animal in a bid to contain the outbreak."More than 4,000 rats have been killed since they tried to enter the villages," regional MP Phyo Zaw Shwe told AFP."According to traditional beliefs, these animals can predict bad weather. So people here are also worried about floods or earthquakes."Studies by Japanese scientists have shown mice and rats are sensitive to electromagnetic waves similar to what often occurs before a major earthquake -- although there has been no notable seismic activity in Myanmar the last few days.Pictures shared on social media showed locals collecting piles of the dead animals.Phyo Zaw Shwe said some of the bodies had been sent away for testing for disease, but nothing had been found so far.A villager in Than Cho Tan village told local media residents were killing the animals with "sticks, slingshots, and rocks"."This evening, the rats entered our village as well and so far we've managed to kill over 800," he was quoted as saying by News Watch.Myanmar is no stranger to rodent mobs.Chin State, in the northwest, has repeatedly been hit by swarms of rats who come to gorge on bamboo fruit, which only appear once every 50-or-so years.In the latest iteration in 2008, hundreds of people reportedly died when the rats turned from devouring the fruit to eating the crops of the local villagers.
Trois-Rivières fishing festival cancelled after abrupt death of 1000s of rainbow trout-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
Fish biologist Pierre Magnan says a lack of oxygen likely caused more than half the trout introduced to a pond last Friday to die suddenly — forcing the municipality to cancel its participation in the annual fishing festival.The festival is a chance for families to grab their rods and reels and fish for three days without a permit in selected places across Quebec. Last year, the 18th annual event attracted 79,000 participants.However, this year festivities in Trois-Rivières were brought to an unexpected halt.Festival organizers filled a pond in Pie-XII Park with 2,000 rainbow trout on Friday, inviting would-be anglers — especially those between nine and 12 years of age — to fish them for free that day and over the weekend.However, within an hour, nearly all of the trout were afloat belly-up, dead.Fish might have suffocated-The fish "did not survive their new environment," the City of Trois-Rivières said in a news release issued late in the day, Friday. All the weekend's events had to be cancelled.Magnan hypothesized that the trout died from a lack of oxygen."It's very important to look at the relationship between the water temperature and the concentration of oxygen," said Magnan, a professor of biology at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQATR)."You can think there is a lot of oxygen, but if the temperature is too high, the fish aren't able to absorb it."Such mass die-offs are rare, Magnan said, because Quebecers have long mastered the science of stocking fish ponds.The City of Trois-Rivières is still studying what happened.
Nuclear-wary Japan restarts another atomic reactor-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
Tokyo (AFP) - A Japanese utility switched on another nuclear reactor Tuesday in a small victory for the government's pro-atomic push, despite strong public opposition after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown.The restart of the No. 3 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant brings the number of running reactors in Japan to five, while dozens more remain offline.The plant, operated by Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO), is located in Fukui prefecture, some 350 kilometres (215 miles) west of Tokyo.Tuesday's restart comes after the utility switched on Takahama's No 4 reactor last month after a court cleared its restart, despite complaints from local residents over safety concerns. The court also gave the green light to switch on the No. 3 reactor.Japan shut down all of its atomic reactors after a powerful earthquake in March 2011 spawned a huge tsunami that led to meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant.It became the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.Since then, just a handful of reactors have come back online due to public opposition and as legal cases work their way through the courts.However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has aggressively promoted nuclear energy, calling it essential to powering the world's third-largest economy.Much of the public remains wary of nuclear power after the disaster at Fukushima spewed radiation over a large area and forced tens of thousands to leave their homes, with some unlikely to ever return.
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.
Wildfire burning out of control northwest of Quesnel, B.C.[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
The B.C. Wildfire Service is responding to a small but out-of-control wildfire burning about 40 kilometres northwest of Quesnel.Thirty-seven firefighters are working with airtankers, a helicopter and heavy equipment to establish a control line around the perimeter, according to a release.The fire was reported yesterday, about five kilometres south of Pantage Lake, and currently covers 84 hectares.It was 25 per cent contained as of 1 p.m. Monday but still burning out of control, according to B.C. Wildfire Service officials.The fire doesn't pose a current threat to public safety or property, but people are being warned to keep away."The B.C. Wildfire Service strongly urges members of hte public to stay well away from the area where this wildfire is burning, since their presence could put the safety of firefighting crews and others at risk," said a statement from the service.
Police, firefighters issue warning after more suspicious fires strike Vanier-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
Ottawa police and firefighters are warning residents of Vanier to be on alert after a series of suspicious fires in the area that a neighbourhood crime prevention advocate calls "very worrisome."The most recent broke out just before 3 a.m. Sunday at 309 Montfort St., a two-storey home at the corner of Ste Anne Avenue, just off Montreal Road. Someone was home at the time but no one was injured.Arson unit investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.Another fire on May 20 at a two-storey home at 278 Shakespeare St. is also being treated as suspicious. That blaze displaced four people, firefighters said.Because some of the fires began in waste bins, homeowners in the neighbourhood are being asked to bring in their garbage and recycling at night.-Residents 'feeling scared'-Lucie Marleau of Crime Prevention Vanier calls the ongoing arson activity "very worrisome," and said the fires have residents on edge."I've gone from being curious to being concerned, and then that raised to another level of concern. Now the residents are feeling scared, and a little bit angry," she told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Tuesday.Two people have been displaced as a result of the recent fires, Marleau said. To ease fears in the neighbourhood, she wants police to be more forthcoming with information, rather than just recommending residents to bring in recycling and trash bins."My question is whether there's additional police patrol in that area, and I've been told that there is not. So that's disconcerting," she said."I'm also encouraging residents to be vigilant, to report any suspicious behaviour. But we don't know what that suspicious behaviour looks like. So we would like some additional information on what it is that we could do."-Spring fires under investigation-In early April three homes in Vanier went up in flames within hours of each other.Those fires are all still under investigation.Marleau believes promoting and fostering a better sense of community in Vanier can help prevent arson."My definition of crime prevention is broader than just this one thing of bringing in recycle bins and trash cans. My definition extends to saying hi to your neighbours, and saying hi to people on the street. A would-be criminal is less likely to do harm if they see that they've been acknowledged," she said. "I also want neighbours to look out for each other, to report abandoned properties, to report properties that are below standards that aren't being kept, so that they are a risk of being targeted by fire."Anyone with information regarding the fires is asked to call the arson unit of the Ottawa Police Service at 613-236-1222, ext. 3770. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477.
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
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
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)
Third London Bridge attacker Youssef Zaghba 'was stopped trying to travel to Syria last year'-Anthony Pearce-Yahoo News UK-June 6, 2017
Khuram Butt, Rachid Radouane and Youssef Zaghba-Moroccan-Italian Youssef Zaghba, 22, has been named as the third London Bridge attacker, according to reports in Italy.Corriere della Sera is reporting that he was stopped by Italian authorities in March 2016 in an airport in Bologna trying to board a flight to Turkey to then travel to Syria.The paper adds that Italian authorities alerted British and Moroccan authorities about his trips to the Middle East.It reported that Zaghba was charged with international terrorism by Italian authorities, but the charge was later dropped.#Breaking UK police confirm third London Bridge terrorist was Youssef Zaghba, 22, Italian national of Moroccan descent living in east London pic.twitter.com/88l1tMYHK1— Press Association (@PA) June 6, 2017-The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “While formal identification is yet to take place, detectives believe he is 22-year-old Youssef Zaghba, from east London. The deceased’s family have been informed.“He is believed to be an Italian national of Moroccan descent . He was not a police or MI5 subject of interest.”Pakistan-born Khuram Butt, 27, and Rachid Radouane, 30, both from Barking, east London, were the other two attackers.The terrorists murdered seven and injured dozens more in the attack in central London on Saturday night.Today it was revealed that Butt, the ringleader behind the atrocity, worked on the London Underground — after appearing in a document about British jihadis.The extremist, who was shot dead along with two accomplices, after murdering seven and injuring dozens more in the attack, had access to tunnels under Parliament after he worked at Westminster tube station.
Afghan president says last week's bombing killed over 150-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
KABUL — Afghanistan's president said Tuesday that last week's suicide truck bombing in the heart of the capital killed more than 150 people, making it the deadliest single attack in the country since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban.The attack added to growing concerns about whether Afghan forces can defeat the Taliban or an increasingly destructive Islamic State affiliate without further aid from U.S. and international forces, which formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a support and counterterrorism role.No one immediately claimed the bombing, but Afghanistan has alleged Pakistani involvement, accusations denied by Islamabad.President Ashraf Ghani spoke at the opening of the so-called Kabul Process, a gathering of 23 nations, the EU, U.N. and NATO to discuss security and political issues in the country. He again invited the Taliban to peace talks, calling it their "last chance" to give up their 16-year insurgency and join the political process."If Taliban wants to join peace talks, the Afghan government will allow them to open an office, but this is their last chance," Ghani said.The Taliban have steadily expanded their reach over the last two years, seizing control of several districts in different parts of the country. Past attempts at peace talks have failed. The Taliban have refused to negotiate with the government until all foreign forces leave, and still refer to themselves as a government in exile, angering authorities in Kabul.The U.S.-backed government is also struggling to combat an IS affiliate that has carried out a series of major attacks. Ghani said that over the past two years as many as 11,000 foreign fighters have joined the group.Ghani also renewed his criticism of neighbouring Pakistan, saying it was waging an "undeclared war of aggression" against his country. The two countries have long accused each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along their porous border, and their forces exchanged fire over a border dispute last month.Afghan security forces say they are still investigating, but that the explosives used appear to have originated in Pakistan.Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz rejected the allegations, which he said were part of a "malicious agenda" to damage relations between the two countries.The Associated Press.
Brother of Manchester suicide bomber freed without charge-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
LONDON — The brother of the suicide bomber who attacked the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester has been released without charges.The attack on May 22 killed 22 people as well as the bomber Salman Abedi, a Briton of Libyan descent. Police are trying to uncover clues about a suspected network that supported him.Ismail Abedi, the dead bomber's brother, was arrested in the Manchester neighbourhood of Chorlton a day after the attack.Their father, Ramadan Abedi, was arrested in Tripoli on May 24, along with another brother Hashim, who Libyan security forces said was "aware of all the details" of the attack.Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.Ten men remain in custody, Manchester police said.The Associated Press.
US-backed Syrian force attacks IS-held capital of Raqqa-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
BEIRUT — A U.S.-backed Syrian force said Tuesday it has begun an offensive to capture the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group, after months of clearing operations.Raqqa was among the first cities captured by IS, in January 2014, and has been the home of some of the group's most prominent leaders, including those who planned the November 2015 Paris attacks and other international assaults. The battle for the city is expected to be long and bloody, and could mark a major turning point in the war against the extremists.Talal Sillo, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, told reporters that operations have begun in co-ordination with the U.S.-led coalition."We declare today the beginning of the great battle to liberate the city of Raqqa, the alleged capital of terrorism and terrorists," Sillo told a news conference held in northern Syria. "Morale is high and military readiness to implement the military plan is complete, in co-ordination with the U.S.-led coalition."SDF fighters began advancing toward Raqqa in November, capturing wide areas of northern Syria from the extremists. Last week, they reached the northern and eastern gates of the city after intense clashes under the cover of U.S.-led airstrikes.Raqqa is currently surrounded from the east, north and west, and opposition activists have reported intense shelling and airstrikes on the city since Monday night, which killed at least 12 people.The extremists are not expected to give up easily. Iraqi forces launched an offensive to capture the northern city of Mosul, the largest held by IS, in October, and heavy fighting is still underway there.IS stormed across large areas in Syria and Iraq in 2014, declaring a self-styled Islamic caliphate. But it has lost much of that territory over the past two years following grueling campaigns by an array of Syrian and Iraqi forces. The fighting has devastated communities in both countries and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.IS has been fortifying its positions in Raqqa for months, setting up barriers and hanging sheets of cloth over main streets to provide cover from warplanes.A belt of land mines and militant checkpoints circle the city. Inside, all the men have been ordered to wear the jihadis' garb of baggy pants and long shirts in order to make it more difficult to distinguish militants from civilians.Sillo called upon Raqqa residents to stay away from "the enemy's centres and points of fighting."The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy clashes on the edge of Raqqa's eastern neighbourhood of Mashlab as well as inside Division 13, a former Syrian army base now controlled by IS north of the city.Earlier Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported that the airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed 12, including women and children. It said the families were fleeing the city in boats across the Euphrates River ahead of an expected all-out attack by the SDF.The Observatory said 21 people were killed in the Monday night airstrikes. It said they were likely carried out by the U.S.-led coalition.Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press.
Rocket hits Indian diplomatic compound in Afghan capital: police-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
KABUL (Reuters) - A rocket struck an Indian diplomatic compound in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Tuesday, police said, as representatives of about two dozen international delegations met a kilometer or so away to discuss efforts to end violence.Sirens and warnings of "incoming" missiles sounded in a number of embassies, followed by a dull thump as the rocket exploded.Police said no one was injured in the blast, which struck a tennis court, a few blocks away from where the meeting was held.Notoriously inaccurate, rockets are an occasion fired into the city, often towards the fortified downtown area that houses not only the Indian embassy, but a number of other foreign delegations, the headquarters of the international military mission, and Afghan government ministries.On May 31, a huge truck bomb detonated outside gates leading to the fortified area, killing more than 150 Afghans and wounding hundreds.That blast caused serious damage to the German embassy, and lighter damage to the Indian and other embassies nearby.A bomb attack on the Indian embassy in 2008 killed more than 40 people.(Reporting by Mirwais Harooni; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Column / Brexit Briefing-The coronation that nearly lost the crown By Benjamin Fox-JUNE 6,17-EUOBSERVER
London, Today, 08:57-Six weeks ago, the odds for the 8 June snap elections were stacked in Theresa May’s favour.Backed by a poll lead of over 20 points, Conservative pundits expected a landslide win.The main purpose of calling the snap election three years early was to give May a stonking majority that would provide her with a mandate to negotiate the terms of Britain leaving the EU – killing off the prospect of a second referendum on the exit terms.As a bonus, the vote would flatten her opponents in the Labour party, Scottish nationalists, and on her own back-benches in the process. Labour officials, privately, feared that their party could fall below 150 seats – a loss of over 80.May’s pitch last month was to present her Conservatives as the real party of working people by promoting a Red Tory message, including capping energy bills and protecting workers from “unscrupulous bosses”.Her target voters were the Leave majority in Wales and northern England: disaffected Labour supporters.The Conservatives launched their manifesto in Halifax, a town in Yorkshire (northern England), where the Labour MP is defending a small majority. The message was clear that there were few areas where May did not think she could win.Yet, the expected coronation has turned into a bitter fight.Few would deny that May has had a poor campaign. And her mistakes have been self-inflicted.-'Week and wobbly'-Unlike Cameron (who had other faults), May struggles to think on her feet.Her campaign has been painfully stage managed, dominated by speeches to handpicked audiences.The questions of journalists and voters have been answered with clichés and platitudes about "strong and stable" leadership. The refusal to debate with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is not a strong one-on-one performer, was a strange mistake.As the confidence gradually evaporated – “Let’s make June the end of May!” is the chant that has greeted the prime minister at some of her campaign stops – May has gone back to basics.The prime minister who supported the Remain campaign last June, has pulled out the patriot cards, talking of Brexit as a “turning point” in Britain’s history that would see the country “set free from the shackles” of Brussels.There is still little detail on what her vision of Brexit actually is. Voters are essentially being asked to sign another blank cheque.Yet despite morphing from "strong and stable" to "weak and wobbly" (according to the Guardian) in the space of a month, the odds are still in May’s favour for Thursday.She retains a lead on issues such as security and the handling of both the economy and Brexit. May is still has a comfortable lead over Corbyn when it comes to who would make the best prime minister.As the week of the vote started, not a single opinion poll has Labour ahead – the closest had Jeremy Corbyn’s party within one point, but the average puts the Conservatives on 44 percent to Labour’s 37 percent. Repeated on Thursday, that would give May roughly 350 seats out of 650, about 20 gains on the performance of Cameron in 2015, and a majority of about 50 seats.-Terror attacks' impact-A hung parliament or a narrow Labour win will need younger voters to come out in large numbers, more than had voted in last June’s referendum.Under 30s have been most enthused by Jeremy Corbyn, particularly by his party’s pledges to scrap university tuition fees and increase taxes on high earners. They are also the demographic least likely to vote.But it is now too close for comfort. A Conservative win by fewer than five points puts us in hung parliament territory, with the Scottish National party, who are intent on holding a second referendum on independence because of Brexit, potentially holding the balance of power. Defeat for May would make her the shortest-serving prime minister for 90 years.The campaign has been overshadowed by terrorist attacks in Manchester and London.May delivered an uncompromising “enough is enough” speech on Sunday, the morning after the attacks in London that left seven people dead. But the frenzy of the final days of a general election campaign are surely among the worst times to re-write national security policy.Either way, recent history suggests that terror attacks rarely affect election results. Almost all voters have already made up their minds.It is highly unlikely, but far from impossible, that May will lose on Thursday. But the way her campaign is staggering to the finish line suggests that May’s honeymoon is over. Britons have not been impressed.The planned coronation has ended with her coming perilously close to losing the crown.Benjamin Fox, a former reporter for EUobserver, is a consultant with Sovereign Strategy, a London-based PR firm, and a freelance writer.
Two days from UK election, May's record on security in focus after attack-[Reuters]-By Estelle Shirbon-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
LONDON (Reuters) - Two days from a parliamentary election that has been upended by a van and knife attack that killed seven people in the heart of London, Prime Minister Theresa May's record on security dominated the campaign agenda on Tuesday.After police named two of the attackers and revealed that one was previously known to security agencies, May's Conservative Party faced further questions about her record overseeing cuts to police numbers.The latest opinion poll, by Survation for ITV, showed the Conservatives' lead narrowing to just one point from six points in the same poll a week earlier.Police disclosed late on Monday that 27-year-old Khuram Butt, a British citizen born in Pakistan, was known to police and domestic spy agency MI5 but with resources scarce had not been deemed enough of a threat to warrant close monitoring.Butt had appeared in a documentary called "The Jihadis Next Door", broadcast last year by Britain's Channel 4, as part of a group of men who unfurled an Islamic State flag in a park.In Britain's third Islamist attack in as many months, Butt and two others rammed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge on Saturday evening before running into the bustling Borough Market area where they slit throats and stabbed people.All three were wearing fake explosive belts. They were shot dead at the scene by officers within eight minutes of police receiving the first emergency call.A Canadian, a French national and a Briton were among the dead, while other French people, a Spaniard, Australians and a New Zealander were among the 48 who were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May called "an attack on the free world".As interior minister from 2010 to 2016, May oversaw a drop of 20,000 in the number of police officers in England and Wales, which her main opponent, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said should never have happened and warranted her resignation.May hit back that Corbyn himself was weak on the issue of terrorism. He has been criticized for voting against counter-terrorism legislation and expressing reservations about police responding to attacks with "shoot-to-kill" tactics.Police arrested 12 people on Sunday in Barking, east London, but said late on Monday all had been released without charge. Police were searching an address in Ilford, also in the east of the city, on Tuesday morning. No one had been detained.-"ALMOST EUPHORIC"-The other attacker who has been named was 30-year-old Rachid Redouane, who also went by the alias Rachid Elkhdar and claimed to be Moroccan or Libyan, police said. He and Butt both lived in Barking.One of Butt's neighbors, Ikenna Chigbo, told Reuters he had chatted with Butt - known locally as "Abz" - just hours before the attack on Saturday and said he appeared "almost euphoric"."He was very sociable, seemed like an ordinary family man. He would always bring his kid out into the lobby," said Chigbo.Another neighbor, Michael Mimbo, told Reuters that Butt supported the north London football team Arsenal. One of the dead attackers has been pictured wearing an Arsenal shirt.Mimbo said Butt had grown a longer beard and worn traditional Islamic dress more often over the two years he had known him, but showed no sign of radicalization."As an individual he was a cool, calm guy. One of my friends would let Abz babysit his daughter," Mimbo said.The men's rampage followed a suicide bomb attack which killed 22 adults and children at a concert in Manchester two weeks ago, and an attack in March when five people died after a van was driven into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge.Police said they had to prioritize resources on suspects who were believed to be preparing an attack or providing active support for one. Butt did not fall into that category when they last investigated him.May did not answer repeated questions from reporters on Monday on the police cuts she oversaw but said counter-terrorism budgets had been protected and police had the powers they needed.The Conservatives' lead over Labour has narrowed markedly from 20 points or more when May called the election in April to a range between one and 12 points now, although they are still widely expected to win a majority.The narrowing in the polls started before the Manchester and London attacks and appeared to be largely linked to an unpopular policy announcement regarding care for the elderly. The trend has continued since the two attacks, most polls suggest.(Additional reporting by Alistair Smout and Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Contractor charged with leaking document about U.S. election hacking: sources-[Reuters]-By Dustin Volz and Mark Hosenball-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday charged a federal contractor with sending classified material to a news organization that sources identified to Reuters as The Intercept, marking one of the first concrete efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on leaks to the media.Reality Leigh Winner, 25, was charged with removing classified material from a government facility located in Georgia. She was arrested on June 3, the Justice Department said.The charges were announced less than an hour after The Intercept published a top-secret document from the U.S. National Security Agency that described Russian efforts to launch cyber attacks on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and send "spear-phising" emails, or targeted emails that try to trick a recipient into clicking on a malicious link to steal data, to more than 100 local election officials days before the presidential election last November.The Justice Department declined to comment on the case beyond its filing. Federal Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.While the charges do not name the publication, a U.S. official with knowledge of the case said Winner was charged with leaking the NSA report to The Intercept. A second official confirmed The Intercept document was authentic and did not dispute that the charges against Winner were directly tied to it.The Intercept's reporting reveals new details behind the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence services were seeking to infiltrate state voter registration systems as part of a broader effort to interfere in the election, discredit Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and help then Republican candidate Donald Trump win the election.The new material does not, however, suggest that actual votes were manipulated.The Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Winter's mother also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.While partially redacted, the NSA document is marked to show it would be up for declassification on May 5, 2042. The indictment against Winner alleges she "printed and improperly removed" classified intelligence reporting that was dated "on or about May 5, 2017."Classified documents are typically due to be declassified after 25 years under an executive order signed under former President Bill Clinton.The NSA opened a facility in Augusta in 2012 at Fort Gordon, a U.S. Army outpost.The FBI and several congressional committees are investigating how Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and whether associated of President Donald Trump may have colluded with Russian intelligence operatives during the campaign.Trump has dismissed the allegations as "fake news," while attempting to refocus attention on leaks of information to the media.Winner graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in 2011. Investigators determined she was one of only six individuals to print the document in question and that she had exchanged emails with the news outlet, according to the indictment.U.S. intelligence agencies including the NSA and CIA have fallen victim to several thefts of classified material in recent years, often at the hands of a federal contractor. For example, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 disclosed secret documents to journalists, including The Intercept's Greenwald, that revealed broad U.S. surveillance programs.(Reporting by Dustin Volz and Mark Hosenball, additional reporting by John Walcott, editing by G Crosse)
DEAD ANIMALS
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,(EARTH) because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
Rat attack: Thousands of rodents swarm Myanmar villages-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
Yangon (AFP) - Thousands of rats have descended on villages on an island in southern Myanmar, a local official said on Tuesday, in what some have taken to be an ill omen of impending disaster.Residents of Haingyi island, one of the larger islands in the Irrawaddy Delta, have been battling the plague of rodents since the critters scurried into their villages over the weekend.Short of pied pipers, desperate authorities have resorted to paying residents 50 kyat (four US cents) for each dead animal in a bid to contain the outbreak."More than 4,000 rats have been killed since they tried to enter the villages," regional MP Phyo Zaw Shwe told AFP."According to traditional beliefs, these animals can predict bad weather. So people here are also worried about floods or earthquakes."Studies by Japanese scientists have shown mice and rats are sensitive to electromagnetic waves similar to what often occurs before a major earthquake -- although there has been no notable seismic activity in Myanmar the last few days.Pictures shared on social media showed locals collecting piles of the dead animals.Phyo Zaw Shwe said some of the bodies had been sent away for testing for disease, but nothing had been found so far.A villager in Than Cho Tan village told local media residents were killing the animals with "sticks, slingshots, and rocks"."This evening, the rats entered our village as well and so far we've managed to kill over 800," he was quoted as saying by News Watch.Myanmar is no stranger to rodent mobs.Chin State, in the northwest, has repeatedly been hit by swarms of rats who come to gorge on bamboo fruit, which only appear once every 50-or-so years.In the latest iteration in 2008, hundreds of people reportedly died when the rats turned from devouring the fruit to eating the crops of the local villagers.
Trois-Rivières fishing festival cancelled after abrupt death of 1000s of rainbow trout-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
Fish biologist Pierre Magnan says a lack of oxygen likely caused more than half the trout introduced to a pond last Friday to die suddenly — forcing the municipality to cancel its participation in the annual fishing festival.The festival is a chance for families to grab their rods and reels and fish for three days without a permit in selected places across Quebec. Last year, the 18th annual event attracted 79,000 participants.However, this year festivities in Trois-Rivières were brought to an unexpected halt.Festival organizers filled a pond in Pie-XII Park with 2,000 rainbow trout on Friday, inviting would-be anglers — especially those between nine and 12 years of age — to fish them for free that day and over the weekend.However, within an hour, nearly all of the trout were afloat belly-up, dead.Fish might have suffocated-The fish "did not survive their new environment," the City of Trois-Rivières said in a news release issued late in the day, Friday. All the weekend's events had to be cancelled.Magnan hypothesized that the trout died from a lack of oxygen."It's very important to look at the relationship between the water temperature and the concentration of oxygen," said Magnan, a professor of biology at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQATR)."You can think there is a lot of oxygen, but if the temperature is too high, the fish aren't able to absorb it."Such mass die-offs are rare, Magnan said, because Quebecers have long mastered the science of stocking fish ponds.The City of Trois-Rivières is still studying what happened.
Nuclear-wary Japan restarts another atomic reactor-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
Tokyo (AFP) - A Japanese utility switched on another nuclear reactor Tuesday in a small victory for the government's pro-atomic push, despite strong public opposition after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown.The restart of the No. 3 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant brings the number of running reactors in Japan to five, while dozens more remain offline.The plant, operated by Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO), is located in Fukui prefecture, some 350 kilometres (215 miles) west of Tokyo.Tuesday's restart comes after the utility switched on Takahama's No 4 reactor last month after a court cleared its restart, despite complaints from local residents over safety concerns. The court also gave the green light to switch on the No. 3 reactor.Japan shut down all of its atomic reactors after a powerful earthquake in March 2011 spawned a huge tsunami that led to meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant.It became the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.Since then, just a handful of reactors have come back online due to public opposition and as legal cases work their way through the courts.However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has aggressively promoted nuclear energy, calling it essential to powering the world's third-largest economy.Much of the public remains wary of nuclear power after the disaster at Fukushima spewed radiation over a large area and forced tens of thousands to leave their homes, with some unlikely to ever return.
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.
Wildfire burning out of control northwest of Quesnel, B.C.[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
The B.C. Wildfire Service is responding to a small but out-of-control wildfire burning about 40 kilometres northwest of Quesnel.Thirty-seven firefighters are working with airtankers, a helicopter and heavy equipment to establish a control line around the perimeter, according to a release.The fire was reported yesterday, about five kilometres south of Pantage Lake, and currently covers 84 hectares.It was 25 per cent contained as of 1 p.m. Monday but still burning out of control, according to B.C. Wildfire Service officials.The fire doesn't pose a current threat to public safety or property, but people are being warned to keep away."The B.C. Wildfire Service strongly urges members of hte public to stay well away from the area where this wildfire is burning, since their presence could put the safety of firefighting crews and others at risk," said a statement from the service.
Police, firefighters issue warning after more suspicious fires strike Vanier-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 5, 2017
Ottawa police and firefighters are warning residents of Vanier to be on alert after a series of suspicious fires in the area that a neighbourhood crime prevention advocate calls "very worrisome."The most recent broke out just before 3 a.m. Sunday at 309 Montfort St., a two-storey home at the corner of Ste Anne Avenue, just off Montreal Road. Someone was home at the time but no one was injured.Arson unit investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.Another fire on May 20 at a two-storey home at 278 Shakespeare St. is also being treated as suspicious. That blaze displaced four people, firefighters said.Because some of the fires began in waste bins, homeowners in the neighbourhood are being asked to bring in their garbage and recycling at night.-Residents 'feeling scared'-Lucie Marleau of Crime Prevention Vanier calls the ongoing arson activity "very worrisome," and said the fires have residents on edge."I've gone from being curious to being concerned, and then that raised to another level of concern. Now the residents are feeling scared, and a little bit angry," she told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Tuesday.Two people have been displaced as a result of the recent fires, Marleau said. To ease fears in the neighbourhood, she wants police to be more forthcoming with information, rather than just recommending residents to bring in recycling and trash bins."My question is whether there's additional police patrol in that area, and I've been told that there is not. So that's disconcerting," she said."I'm also encouraging residents to be vigilant, to report any suspicious behaviour. But we don't know what that suspicious behaviour looks like. So we would like some additional information on what it is that we could do."-Spring fires under investigation-In early April three homes in Vanier went up in flames within hours of each other.Those fires are all still under investigation.Marleau believes promoting and fostering a better sense of community in Vanier can help prevent arson."My definition of crime prevention is broader than just this one thing of bringing in recycle bins and trash cans. My definition extends to saying hi to your neighbours, and saying hi to people on the street. A would-be criminal is less likely to do harm if they see that they've been acknowledged," she said. "I also want neighbours to look out for each other, to report abandoned properties, to report properties that are below standards that aren't being kept, so that they are a risk of being targeted by fire."Anyone with information regarding the fires is asked to call the arson unit of the Ottawa Police Service at 613-236-1222, ext. 3770. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477.
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
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
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)
Third London Bridge attacker Youssef Zaghba 'was stopped trying to travel to Syria last year'-Anthony Pearce-Yahoo News UK-June 6, 2017
Khuram Butt, Rachid Radouane and Youssef Zaghba-Moroccan-Italian Youssef Zaghba, 22, has been named as the third London Bridge attacker, according to reports in Italy.Corriere della Sera is reporting that he was stopped by Italian authorities in March 2016 in an airport in Bologna trying to board a flight to Turkey to then travel to Syria.The paper adds that Italian authorities alerted British and Moroccan authorities about his trips to the Middle East.It reported that Zaghba was charged with international terrorism by Italian authorities, but the charge was later dropped.#Breaking UK police confirm third London Bridge terrorist was Youssef Zaghba, 22, Italian national of Moroccan descent living in east London pic.twitter.com/88l1tMYHK1— Press Association (@PA) June 6, 2017-The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “While formal identification is yet to take place, detectives believe he is 22-year-old Youssef Zaghba, from east London. The deceased’s family have been informed.“He is believed to be an Italian national of Moroccan descent . He was not a police or MI5 subject of interest.”Pakistan-born Khuram Butt, 27, and Rachid Radouane, 30, both from Barking, east London, were the other two attackers.The terrorists murdered seven and injured dozens more in the attack in central London on Saturday night.Today it was revealed that Butt, the ringleader behind the atrocity, worked on the London Underground — after appearing in a document about British jihadis.The extremist, who was shot dead along with two accomplices, after murdering seven and injuring dozens more in the attack, had access to tunnels under Parliament after he worked at Westminster tube station.
Afghan president says last week's bombing killed over 150-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
KABUL — Afghanistan's president said Tuesday that last week's suicide truck bombing in the heart of the capital killed more than 150 people, making it the deadliest single attack in the country since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban.The attack added to growing concerns about whether Afghan forces can defeat the Taliban or an increasingly destructive Islamic State affiliate without further aid from U.S. and international forces, which formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a support and counterterrorism role.No one immediately claimed the bombing, but Afghanistan has alleged Pakistani involvement, accusations denied by Islamabad.President Ashraf Ghani spoke at the opening of the so-called Kabul Process, a gathering of 23 nations, the EU, U.N. and NATO to discuss security and political issues in the country. He again invited the Taliban to peace talks, calling it their "last chance" to give up their 16-year insurgency and join the political process."If Taliban wants to join peace talks, the Afghan government will allow them to open an office, but this is their last chance," Ghani said.The Taliban have steadily expanded their reach over the last two years, seizing control of several districts in different parts of the country. Past attempts at peace talks have failed. The Taliban have refused to negotiate with the government until all foreign forces leave, and still refer to themselves as a government in exile, angering authorities in Kabul.The U.S.-backed government is also struggling to combat an IS affiliate that has carried out a series of major attacks. Ghani said that over the past two years as many as 11,000 foreign fighters have joined the group.Ghani also renewed his criticism of neighbouring Pakistan, saying it was waging an "undeclared war of aggression" against his country. The two countries have long accused each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along their porous border, and their forces exchanged fire over a border dispute last month.Afghan security forces say they are still investigating, but that the explosives used appear to have originated in Pakistan.Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz rejected the allegations, which he said were part of a "malicious agenda" to damage relations between the two countries.The Associated Press.
Brother of Manchester suicide bomber freed without charge-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
LONDON — The brother of the suicide bomber who attacked the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester has been released without charges.The attack on May 22 killed 22 people as well as the bomber Salman Abedi, a Briton of Libyan descent. Police are trying to uncover clues about a suspected network that supported him.Ismail Abedi, the dead bomber's brother, was arrested in the Manchester neighbourhood of Chorlton a day after the attack.Their father, Ramadan Abedi, was arrested in Tripoli on May 24, along with another brother Hashim, who Libyan security forces said was "aware of all the details" of the attack.Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.Ten men remain in custody, Manchester police said.The Associated Press.
US-backed Syrian force attacks IS-held capital of Raqqa-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
BEIRUT — A U.S.-backed Syrian force said Tuesday it has begun an offensive to capture the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group, after months of clearing operations.Raqqa was among the first cities captured by IS, in January 2014, and has been the home of some of the group's most prominent leaders, including those who planned the November 2015 Paris attacks and other international assaults. The battle for the city is expected to be long and bloody, and could mark a major turning point in the war against the extremists.Talal Sillo, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, told reporters that operations have begun in co-ordination with the U.S.-led coalition."We declare today the beginning of the great battle to liberate the city of Raqqa, the alleged capital of terrorism and terrorists," Sillo told a news conference held in northern Syria. "Morale is high and military readiness to implement the military plan is complete, in co-ordination with the U.S.-led coalition."SDF fighters began advancing toward Raqqa in November, capturing wide areas of northern Syria from the extremists. Last week, they reached the northern and eastern gates of the city after intense clashes under the cover of U.S.-led airstrikes.Raqqa is currently surrounded from the east, north and west, and opposition activists have reported intense shelling and airstrikes on the city since Monday night, which killed at least 12 people.The extremists are not expected to give up easily. Iraqi forces launched an offensive to capture the northern city of Mosul, the largest held by IS, in October, and heavy fighting is still underway there.IS stormed across large areas in Syria and Iraq in 2014, declaring a self-styled Islamic caliphate. But it has lost much of that territory over the past two years following grueling campaigns by an array of Syrian and Iraqi forces. The fighting has devastated communities in both countries and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.IS has been fortifying its positions in Raqqa for months, setting up barriers and hanging sheets of cloth over main streets to provide cover from warplanes.A belt of land mines and militant checkpoints circle the city. Inside, all the men have been ordered to wear the jihadis' garb of baggy pants and long shirts in order to make it more difficult to distinguish militants from civilians.Sillo called upon Raqqa residents to stay away from "the enemy's centres and points of fighting."The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy clashes on the edge of Raqqa's eastern neighbourhood of Mashlab as well as inside Division 13, a former Syrian army base now controlled by IS north of the city.Earlier Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported that the airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed 12, including women and children. It said the families were fleeing the city in boats across the Euphrates River ahead of an expected all-out attack by the SDF.The Observatory said 21 people were killed in the Monday night airstrikes. It said they were likely carried out by the U.S.-led coalition.Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press.
Rocket hits Indian diplomatic compound in Afghan capital: police-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
KABUL (Reuters) - A rocket struck an Indian diplomatic compound in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Tuesday, police said, as representatives of about two dozen international delegations met a kilometer or so away to discuss efforts to end violence.Sirens and warnings of "incoming" missiles sounded in a number of embassies, followed by a dull thump as the rocket exploded.Police said no one was injured in the blast, which struck a tennis court, a few blocks away from where the meeting was held.Notoriously inaccurate, rockets are an occasion fired into the city, often towards the fortified downtown area that houses not only the Indian embassy, but a number of other foreign delegations, the headquarters of the international military mission, and Afghan government ministries.On May 31, a huge truck bomb detonated outside gates leading to the fortified area, killing more than 150 Afghans and wounding hundreds.That blast caused serious damage to the German embassy, and lighter damage to the Indian and other embassies nearby.A bomb attack on the Indian embassy in 2008 killed more than 40 people.(Reporting by Mirwais Harooni; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Column / Brexit Briefing-The coronation that nearly lost the crown By Benjamin Fox-JUNE 6,17-EUOBSERVER
London, Today, 08:57-Six weeks ago, the odds for the 8 June snap elections were stacked in Theresa May’s favour.Backed by a poll lead of over 20 points, Conservative pundits expected a landslide win.The main purpose of calling the snap election three years early was to give May a stonking majority that would provide her with a mandate to negotiate the terms of Britain leaving the EU – killing off the prospect of a second referendum on the exit terms.As a bonus, the vote would flatten her opponents in the Labour party, Scottish nationalists, and on her own back-benches in the process. Labour officials, privately, feared that their party could fall below 150 seats – a loss of over 80.May’s pitch last month was to present her Conservatives as the real party of working people by promoting a Red Tory message, including capping energy bills and protecting workers from “unscrupulous bosses”.Her target voters were the Leave majority in Wales and northern England: disaffected Labour supporters.The Conservatives launched their manifesto in Halifax, a town in Yorkshire (northern England), where the Labour MP is defending a small majority. The message was clear that there were few areas where May did not think she could win.Yet, the expected coronation has turned into a bitter fight.Few would deny that May has had a poor campaign. And her mistakes have been self-inflicted.-'Week and wobbly'-Unlike Cameron (who had other faults), May struggles to think on her feet.Her campaign has been painfully stage managed, dominated by speeches to handpicked audiences.The questions of journalists and voters have been answered with clichés and platitudes about "strong and stable" leadership. The refusal to debate with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is not a strong one-on-one performer, was a strange mistake.As the confidence gradually evaporated – “Let’s make June the end of May!” is the chant that has greeted the prime minister at some of her campaign stops – May has gone back to basics.The prime minister who supported the Remain campaign last June, has pulled out the patriot cards, talking of Brexit as a “turning point” in Britain’s history that would see the country “set free from the shackles” of Brussels.There is still little detail on what her vision of Brexit actually is. Voters are essentially being asked to sign another blank cheque.Yet despite morphing from "strong and stable" to "weak and wobbly" (according to the Guardian) in the space of a month, the odds are still in May’s favour for Thursday.She retains a lead on issues such as security and the handling of both the economy and Brexit. May is still has a comfortable lead over Corbyn when it comes to who would make the best prime minister.As the week of the vote started, not a single opinion poll has Labour ahead – the closest had Jeremy Corbyn’s party within one point, but the average puts the Conservatives on 44 percent to Labour’s 37 percent. Repeated on Thursday, that would give May roughly 350 seats out of 650, about 20 gains on the performance of Cameron in 2015, and a majority of about 50 seats.-Terror attacks' impact-A hung parliament or a narrow Labour win will need younger voters to come out in large numbers, more than had voted in last June’s referendum.Under 30s have been most enthused by Jeremy Corbyn, particularly by his party’s pledges to scrap university tuition fees and increase taxes on high earners. They are also the demographic least likely to vote.But it is now too close for comfort. A Conservative win by fewer than five points puts us in hung parliament territory, with the Scottish National party, who are intent on holding a second referendum on independence because of Brexit, potentially holding the balance of power. Defeat for May would make her the shortest-serving prime minister for 90 years.The campaign has been overshadowed by terrorist attacks in Manchester and London.May delivered an uncompromising “enough is enough” speech on Sunday, the morning after the attacks in London that left seven people dead. But the frenzy of the final days of a general election campaign are surely among the worst times to re-write national security policy.Either way, recent history suggests that terror attacks rarely affect election results. Almost all voters have already made up their minds.It is highly unlikely, but far from impossible, that May will lose on Thursday. But the way her campaign is staggering to the finish line suggests that May’s honeymoon is over. Britons have not been impressed.The planned coronation has ended with her coming perilously close to losing the crown.Benjamin Fox, a former reporter for EUobserver, is a consultant with Sovereign Strategy, a London-based PR firm, and a freelance writer.
Two days from UK election, May's record on security in focus after attack-[Reuters]-By Estelle Shirbon-YAHOONEWS-June 6, 2017
LONDON (Reuters) - Two days from a parliamentary election that has been upended by a van and knife attack that killed seven people in the heart of London, Prime Minister Theresa May's record on security dominated the campaign agenda on Tuesday.After police named two of the attackers and revealed that one was previously known to security agencies, May's Conservative Party faced further questions about her record overseeing cuts to police numbers.The latest opinion poll, by Survation for ITV, showed the Conservatives' lead narrowing to just one point from six points in the same poll a week earlier.Police disclosed late on Monday that 27-year-old Khuram Butt, a British citizen born in Pakistan, was known to police and domestic spy agency MI5 but with resources scarce had not been deemed enough of a threat to warrant close monitoring.Butt had appeared in a documentary called "The Jihadis Next Door", broadcast last year by Britain's Channel 4, as part of a group of men who unfurled an Islamic State flag in a park.In Britain's third Islamist attack in as many months, Butt and two others rammed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge on Saturday evening before running into the bustling Borough Market area where they slit throats and stabbed people.All three were wearing fake explosive belts. They were shot dead at the scene by officers within eight minutes of police receiving the first emergency call.A Canadian, a French national and a Briton were among the dead, while other French people, a Spaniard, Australians and a New Zealander were among the 48 who were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May called "an attack on the free world".As interior minister from 2010 to 2016, May oversaw a drop of 20,000 in the number of police officers in England and Wales, which her main opponent, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said should never have happened and warranted her resignation.May hit back that Corbyn himself was weak on the issue of terrorism. He has been criticized for voting against counter-terrorism legislation and expressing reservations about police responding to attacks with "shoot-to-kill" tactics.Police arrested 12 people on Sunday in Barking, east London, but said late on Monday all had been released without charge. Police were searching an address in Ilford, also in the east of the city, on Tuesday morning. No one had been detained.-"ALMOST EUPHORIC"-The other attacker who has been named was 30-year-old Rachid Redouane, who also went by the alias Rachid Elkhdar and claimed to be Moroccan or Libyan, police said. He and Butt both lived in Barking.One of Butt's neighbors, Ikenna Chigbo, told Reuters he had chatted with Butt - known locally as "Abz" - just hours before the attack on Saturday and said he appeared "almost euphoric"."He was very sociable, seemed like an ordinary family man. He would always bring his kid out into the lobby," said Chigbo.Another neighbor, Michael Mimbo, told Reuters that Butt supported the north London football team Arsenal. One of the dead attackers has been pictured wearing an Arsenal shirt.Mimbo said Butt had grown a longer beard and worn traditional Islamic dress more often over the two years he had known him, but showed no sign of radicalization."As an individual he was a cool, calm guy. One of my friends would let Abz babysit his daughter," Mimbo said.The men's rampage followed a suicide bomb attack which killed 22 adults and children at a concert in Manchester two weeks ago, and an attack in March when five people died after a van was driven into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge.Police said they had to prioritize resources on suspects who were believed to be preparing an attack or providing active support for one. Butt did not fall into that category when they last investigated him.May did not answer repeated questions from reporters on Monday on the police cuts she oversaw but said counter-terrorism budgets had been protected and police had the powers they needed.The Conservatives' lead over Labour has narrowed markedly from 20 points or more when May called the election in April to a range between one and 12 points now, although they are still widely expected to win a majority.The narrowing in the polls started before the Manchester and London attacks and appeared to be largely linked to an unpopular policy announcement regarding care for the elderly. The trend has continued since the two attacks, most polls suggest.(Additional reporting by Alistair Smout and Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
