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)
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
North Korea fires missile over Japan in aggressive test-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before plunging into the northern Pacific Ocean, officials said Tuesday, an aggressive test-flight over the territory of a close U.S. ally that sends a clear message of defiance as Washington and Seoul conduct war games nearby.Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile travelled around 2,700 kilometres (1,677 miles) and reached a maximum height of 550 kilometres (341 miles) as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The launch appeared to be the first of a North Korean missile to cross over Japan, though some rockets it said were used to put satellites into space have done so. It also appeared to be the North's longest-ever missile test, but South Korean officials couldn't immediately confirm.Each new test puts the North a step closer toward its goal of an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can reliably target the United States. The North has launched at an unusually fast pace this year, and some analysts believe the North could have viable long-range nuclear missiles before the end of President Donald Trump's first term in early 2021.The South Korean military said it is analyzing the launch with the United States and has strengthened its monitoring and preparation in case of further actions from North Korea. Analysts speculate the North may have tested a new intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang recently threatened to fire toward the U.S. territory of Guam, which hosts a major military base. This missile landed nowhere near Guam, which is about 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) south of Tokyo, but the length of its flight path may have been designed for the North to show it could follow through on its threat. Seoul says the missile was launched from Sunan, which is where Pyongyang's international airport is, opening the possibility that North Korea launched a road-mobile missile from an airport runway.It was North Korea's 13th launch of ballistic missiles this year, said Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman of Seoul's JCS. The JCS said it was the first time North Korea fired a ballistic missile from Sunan.North Korea will no doubt be watching the world's reaction to see if it can use Tuesday's flight over Japan as a precedent for future launches. Japanese officials said there was no damage to ships or anything else reported. Japan's NHK TV said the missile separated into three parts. "We will do our utmost to protect people's lives," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. "This reckless act of launching a missile that flies over our country is an unprecedented, serious and important threat."Tuesday's launch comes days after the North fired what was assessed as three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and a month after its second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which analysts say could reach deep into the U.S. mainland when perfected.South Korea's Foreign Ministry warned that the North will face a "strong response" from the U.S.-South Korean alliance if what it called nuclear and missile provocations continue. The ministry also urged Pyongyang to accept talks over its nuclear program and acknowledge that abandoning its nuclear ambitions is the only way to guarantee its security and economic development.In a rare move, South Korea's military released footage of its own missile tests it says were conducted last week. The videos showed two types of new missiles with ranges of 800 kilometres (497 miles) and 500 kilometres (310 miles) being fired from truck-mounted launchers during three tests conducted on Aug. 24.South Korea's Agency for Defence Development said the launches represented the last flight test for the longer-range missile before it is operationally deployed. Such missiles, which would be latest additions to South Korea's Hyumoo family of missiles, are considered key components to the so-called "kill chain" pre-emptive strike capability the South is pursuing to cope with the North's growing nuclear and missile threat.South Korea also said its air force also conducted a live-fire drill involving four F-15 fighters dropping eight MK-84 bombs that accurately hit targets at a military field near the country's eastern coast. Park Su-hyun, spokesman of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said the exercise was conducted after Moon directed the military to "display a strong capability to punish" the North.Park said Moon's national security director Chung Eui-yong and Seoul's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa called Trump's national security adviser H.R. McMaster and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, respectively, to discuss the launch.The launch over Japan isn't a total surprise. Earlier this month, when threatening to lob four Hwasong-12s, which are new intermediate-range missiles, into the waters near Guam, North Korea specifically said they would fly over Japanese territory. North Korea in June also angrily reacted to the launch of a Japanese satellite it said was aimed at spying on the North and said Tokyo was no longer entitled to fault Pyongyang "no matter what it launches or whether that crosses the sky above Japan."North Korea typically reacts with anger to U.S.-South Korean military drills, which are happening now, often testing weapons and threatening Seoul and Washington in its state-controlled media. But animosity is higher than usual following threats by Trump to unleash "fire and fury" on the North, and Pyongyang's stated plan to consider firing some of its missiles near Guam.Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military official who is now an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the early flight data suggests the North Korean missile was likely a Hwasong-12. Other possibilities, he said, include a midrange Musudan, a missile with a potential 3, 500-kilometre (2,180-mile) range that puts much of the Asia-Pacific region within reach, or a Pukguksong-2, a solid-fuel missile that can be fired faster and more secretly than weapons using liquid fuel.South Korea's military didn't immediately confirm whether the North Korean missile was fired from Pyongyang's airport. Moon Seong Mook, a former South Korean military official and current analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said the airport's runways could provide the ideal space to launch a road-mobile missile like the Hwasong-12. By launching from its capital, the North might have been trying to demonstrate the ability to launch its missiles from anywhere, Moon said."The launch doubled as a threat to Washington, not only because of the U.S. military bases in Japan, but also that the North showed it has the real capability to fire missiles to waters near Guam if it chose to shoot them in that direction," Moon said.North Korea first fired a rocket over Japanese territory in August of 1998 when a multistage rocket that outside experts called "Taepodong-1" flew about 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) before landing in the Pacific Ocean. The North later said it launched a satellite.North Korea flew another rocket over Japan again in April 2009 and said that, too, was carrying a satellite. The North claimed success, but the U.S. North American Aerospace Defence Command says no satellite reached orbit. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned North Korean satellite launches as covers meant to test banned long-range missile technology. Some parts of a space launch vehicle reportedly flew over Okinawa last year after separating from the rocket.Pyongyang regularly claims the U.S.-South Korean military exercises are an invasion rehearsal, although analysts say the North's anger is partly because the impoverished country must react with its own expensive drills and weapons tests. The allies say the war games are defensive and meant to counter North Korean aggression.North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Ja Song Nam, wrote recently that the exercises are "provocative and aggressive" at a time when the Korean Peninsula is "like a time bomb."___Associated Press journalist Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.Foster Klug And Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press
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)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
AN ALLTIME HIGH RECORD OF WATER WAS ESTABLISHED YESTERDAY AT 49 INCHES OR 4 FEET 1 INCHES OF WATER FLOODED TEXAS SO FAR.AND THE RECORD AMOUNT COULD GET ANOTHER 15 INCHES AS HARVEY REFLOODS TEXAS AGAIN. SO TEXAS COULD GET THE CONTINENTAL ALL TIME RECORD OF 64 INCHES OF FLOOD WATERS OR 5 FEET 4 INCHES OF FLOOD WATERS.
Harvey sets Texas rainfall record for tropical cyclone: NWS-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Harvey has set a rainfall record for tropical cyclones in the state of Texas, with 49.32 inches (125.3 cm) of rain observed at a location southeast of Houston, the National Weather Service said on Tuesday.The state's previous record was established in 1978 by cyclone Amelia, in Medina, Texas, according to the NWS. A total of 14 observed locales have seen more than 40 inches of rain as of 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) during Harvey, NWS said.The reports are preliminary, NWS said.(Reporting By David Gaffen; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Levee breaches due to Harvey at Houston suburb forcing evacuation-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A levee along the Brazos River south of Houston breached on Tuesday due to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey, forcing officials to call for residents to evacuate low-lying areas.Matt Sebesta, the chief administrator of Brazoria County, urged residents of the Columbia Lakes neighborhood to leave."They need to get out. Get to higher ground in Angleton," the county seat, he said in a televised interview.Columbia Lakes is located about 50 miles (80 km) from Houston, close to Brazos River.The Houston area's rivers have started to flood. Harris County officials earlier on Tuesday warned resident of six northern Houston neighborhoods to evacuate around two water reservoirs that had started overflowing.(Reporting by Gary McWilliams and Marianna Parraga; Editing by Dan Grebler and Bill Trott)
Pair of 70-year-old dams protecting Houston overflow-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
HOUSTON — A pair of 70-year-old reservoir dams that protect downtown Houston from flooding began overflowing Tuesday, adding to the rising floodwaters from Harvey that have crippled the city after five consecutive days of rain.Engineers began releasing water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs Monday to ease the strain on the dams. But the releases were not enough to relieve the pressure after one of the heaviest downpours in U.S. history, Army Corps of Engineers officials said. Both reservoirs are at record highs.The release of the water means that more homes and streets will flood, and some homes will be inundated for up to a month, said Jeff Lindner of the Harris County Flood Control District.The county is trying to determine where the water will go, Lindner said.Meanwhile, more than 17,000 people are seeking refuge in Texas shelters, the American Red Cross said. With rescues continuing, that number seemed certain to grow.Calls for rescue have so overwhelmed emergency teams that they have had little time to search for bodies. And officials acknowledge that fatalities from Harvey could soar once the floodwaters start to recede from one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centres .More than four days after the storm ravaged the Texas coastline as a Category 4 hurricane, authorities had confirmed only three deaths — including a woman killed Monday when heavy rains dislodged a large oak tree onto her trailer home in the small town of Porter. But unconfirmed reports of others missing or presumed dead were growing."We know in these kinds of events that, sadly, the death toll goes up historically," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told The Associated Press. "I'm really worried about how many bodies we're going to find."One Houston woman said Monday that she presumes six members of a family, including four of her grandchildren, died after their van sank into Greens Bayou in East Houston.Virginia Saldivar told The Associated Press her brother-in-law was driving the van Sunday when a strong current took the vehicle over a bridge and into the bayou. The driver was able to get out and urged the children to escape through the back door, Saldivar said, but they could not."I'm just hoping we find the bodies," Saldivar said.Houston emergency officials could not confirm the deaths.A spokeswoman for a Houston hotel said one of its employees disappeared while helping about 100 guests and workers evacuate the building.The disaster is unfolding on an epic scale, with the nation's fourth-largest city mostly paralyzed by the storm that parked itself over the Gulf Coast. With nearly 2 more feet (61 centimetres ) of rain expected on top of the 30-plus inches (76 centimetres ) in some places, authorities worried the worst might be yet to come.Early Tuesday, Harvey continued to drench Houston and the surrounding area. Rain fell at about half an inch (1 centimetre ) per hour over Harris County — home to Houston — and up to 2 inches (5 centimetres ) per hour to the east.The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles (25,900 square kilometres ), an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. It's crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometres ) of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles (80 kilometres ) to the southeast from downtown.President Donald Trump was expected Tuesday in Corpus Christi and Austin for briefings on the first major natural disaster of his administration. Vice-President Mike Pence said in an interview with Corpus Christi radio station KKTX that he will visit southeast Texas later this week.Forecasters expect the storm to linger over the Gulf before heading back inland east of Houston sometime Wednesday. The system will then head north and lose its tropical strength.It could creep as far east as Mississippi by Thursday, meaning New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina unleashed its full wrath in 2005, is in Harvey's path. Foreboding images of Harvey were lighting up weather radar screens early Tuesday, the 12th anniversary of the day Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish.Rescuers meanwhile continued plucking people from inundated Houston neighbourhoods . Mayor Sylvester Turner put the number by police at more than 3,000. The Coast Guard said it also had rescued more than 3,000 by boat and air and was taking more than 1,000 calls per hour.Chris Thorn was among the many volunteers still helping with the mass evacuation that began Sunday. He drove with a buddy from the Dallas area with their flat-bottom hunting boat to pull strangers out of the water."I couldn't sit at home and watch it on TV and do nothing since I have a boat and all the tools to help," he said.Nearly 6,000 inmates displaced by flooding have been moved from prisons in the Houston area to other facilities in South and East Texas, according to the state Department of Criminal Justice.A mandatory evacuation was ordered for the low-lying Houston suburb of Dickinson, home to 20,000. Police cited the city's fragile infrastructure in the floods, limited working utilities and concern about the weather forecast.In Houston, questions continued to swirl about why the mayor did not issue a similar evacuation order.Turner has repeatedly defended the decision and did so again Monday, insisting that a mass evacuation of millions of people by car was a greater risk than enduring the storm."Both the county judge and I sat down together and decided that we were not in direct path of the storm, of the hurricane, and the safest thing to do was for people to stay put, make the necessary preparations. I have no doubt that the decision we made was the right decision."He added, "Can you imagine if millions of people had left the city of Houston and then tried to come back in right now?"By Tuesday morning, more than 9,000 people were at the city's largest shelter set up inside the George R. Brown Convention Center — which originally had an estimated capacity of 5,000.Red Cross spokesman Lloyd Ziel said that volunteers made more space inside the centre , which also was used to house Hurricane Katrina refugees from New Orleans in 2005, in part by pushing some cots closer together. A shortage of cots means some people will have to sleep on chairs or the floor.The centre settled down at night, after an occasionally chaotic day that saw thousands of evacuees arrive in the pouring rain. Officers and volunteers at times rushed to attend to those with medical needs.Before the storm is gone, up to 20 more inches (51 centimetres ) of rain could fall, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said Monday.That means the flooding will get worse in the days ahead and the floodwaters will be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on, the weather service said.Sometime Tuesday or early Wednesday, parts of the Houston region will probably break the nearly 40-year-old U.S. record for the biggest rainfall from a tropical system — 48 inches (120 centimetres ) — set by Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978 in Texas, meteorologists said.___Associated Press writers Juan Lozano and Nomaan Merchant in Houston and David Warren in Dallas contributed to this report.___Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb .Michael Graczyk And David J. Phillip, The Associated Press.
Scientists say warming makes storms, like Harvey, wetter-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
WASHINGTON — By the time the rain stops, Harvey will have dumped about 1 million gallons of water for every man, woman and child in southeastern Texas — a soggy, record-breaking glimpse of the wet and wild future global warming could bring, scientists say.While scientists are quick to say climate change didn't cause Harvey and that they haven't determined yet whether the storm was made worse by global warming, they do note that warmer air and water mean wetter and possibly more intense hurricanes in the future."This is the kind of thing we are going to get more of," said Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer. "This storm should serve as warning."There's a scientifically accepted method for determining if some wild weather event has the fingerprints of man-made climate change, and it involves intricate calculations. Those could take weeks or months to complete, and then even longer to be checked by other scientists.In general, though, climate scientists agree that future storms will dump much more rain than the same size storms did in the past.That's because warmer air holds more water. With every degree Fahrenheit, the atmosphere can hold and then dump an additional 4 per cent of water (7 per cent for every degree Celsius), several scientists say.Global warming also means warmer seas, and warm water is what fuels hurricanes.When Harvey moved toward Texas, water in the Gulf of Mexico was nearly 2 degrees (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal, said Weather Underground meteorology director Jeff Masters. Hurricanes need at least 79 degrees F (26 C) as fuel, and water at least that warm ran more than 300 feet (100 metres ) deep in the Gulf, according to University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.Several studies show that the top 1 per cent of the strongest downpours are already happening much more frequently. Also, calculations done Monday by MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel show that the drenching received by Rockport, Texas, used to be maybe a once-in-1,800-years event for that city, but with warmer air holding more water and changes in storm steering currents since 2010, it is now a once-every-300-years event.There's a lot of debate among climate scientists over what role, if any, global warming may have played in causing Harvey to stall over Texas, which was a huge factor in the catastrophic flooding. If the hurricane had moved on like a normal storm, it wouldn't have dumped as much rain in any one spot.Harvey stalled because it is sandwiched between two high-pressure fronts that push it in opposite directions, and those fronts are stuck.Oppenheimer and some others theorize that there's a connection between melting sea ice in the Arctic and changes in the jet stream and the weather patterns that make these "blocking fronts" more common. Others, like Masters, contend it's too early to say.University of Washington atmospheric scientist Cliff Mass said climate change is simply not powerful enough to create off-the-chart events like Harvey's rainfall."You really can't pin global warming on something this extreme. It has to be natural variability," Mass said. "It may juice it up slightly but not create this phenomenal anomaly.""We're breaking one record after another with this thing," Mass said.Sometime Tuesday or early Wednesday, parts of the Houston region will have broken the nearly 40-year-old U.S. record for the heaviest rainfall from a tropical system — 48 inches (120 centimetres ), set by Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978 in Texas, several meteorologists say.Already 15 trillion gallons (57 trillion litres ) of rain have fallen on a large area, and an additional 5 trillion or 6 trillion gallons are forecast by the end of Wednesday, meteorologist Ryan Maue of WeatherBell Analytics calculates. That's enough water to fill all the NFL and Division 1 college football stadiums more than 100 times over.Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press.
U.S. Midwest refiners eye best quarter in two years as Harvey hits rivals-[Reuters]-By Jarrett Renshaw-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. refiners in the Midwest will be among the biggest winners after Hurricane Harvey dealt a blow to their competitors on the U.S. Gulf Coast.Refiners such as PBF Energy and HollyFrontier that are not hit by Harvey are on course for their best quarter in two years amid fears of fuel shortages that helped push profit margins for making gasoline up as much as 21 percent on Monday.The U.S. refining industry enjoyed strong margins in recent weeks and the fallout from the hurricane is likely to extend the bullish run for weeks. Midwest refiners have the added advantage of pricing their fuel based on benchmark prices in the Gulf Coast markets, which hit five-year highs on Monday."The Midwest refineries are best positioned. They will get the same boost in prices without the disruption," said Mark Broadbent, a refinery analyst with Wood Mackenzie.PBF Energy shares closed on Monday up 8.3 percent, while HollyFrontier ended the day up 6.5 percent.Valero and Phillips 66, refiners with significant capacity shuttered in the Gulf, closed the day up just 1.1 percent and 0.28 percent, respectively.More than 2 million barrels per day of U.S. refining capacity remain shut because of Harvey, which slammed into the Texas coast near Corpus Christi late on Friday. Restarting those plants even under the best conditions can take a week or more.Compounding matters is that the Houston Ship Channel, a prime artery for crude supplies, could be closed for an extended period of time.The storm is set to keep dumping torrential rain on the state for days, potentially delaying refinery restarts. If any of them are damaged, strong profit margins for other refineries will last longer."Once the rain stops, we finally can get assessment of any damage and how long this will take," said Broadbent.The U.S. East Coast is largely supplied via the Colonial Pipeline from the Gulf Coast, but those supplies are expected to be tight in upcoming weeks as refiners in and around Houston get back on their feet.Philadelphia Energy Solutions booked cargoes of gasoline into Florida, a traditional Gulf Coast market, two shipping sources said on Monday.West Coast refineries are expected to ship barrels into the western side of Mexico in coming days and weeks, temporarily replacing an emerging market for Gulf Coast refiners, the shipping source said.U.S. refineries were running at near full rates in the weeks before the storm, chasing healthy margins as the critical summer driving season comes to a close and leaving very little spare capacity to help supply the hard-hit Texas region as it recovers from the storm."The Gulf Coast is not only going to need gasoline for transportation, but to rebuild a society," Ed Hirs, an energy professor at the University of Houston, said on Monday. "For those refineries not impacted, they will certainly profit."(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Additional reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault; Editing by Simon Webb and Peter Cooney)
Let's get serious, EU tells UK By Eric Maurice-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 28. Aug, 19:03-EU and British negotiators started the third round of Brexit talks on Monday (28 August) amid growing disagreements on how the process is going."To be honest I am concerned. Time passes quickly," EU main negotiator Michel Barnier said before meeting UK Brexit secretary David Davis."We must start negotiating seriously," Barnier said, calling on the UK government to present its positions "on all separation issues."He said the position papers that the UK government published earlier this month did not "remove ambiguity".He also said that the EU would "not accept that separation issues are not addressed properly.""This is necessary to make sufficient progress," he added, referring to the EU position that there will be no discussion on future EU-UK relations unless EU leaders agree at their summit in October that enough progress had been made.The three main issues on which the EU27 wants progress are EU citizens' rights, the future of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the Brexit financial settlement.For his part, Davis suggested that the EU was sticking to a rigid position and called on "flexibility and imagination from both sides".It is "something I think the the Council asks for on some subjects," he noted in reply to Barnier's remark that the negotiation guidelines set out by the EU were "clear".The UK government has argued in recent days that talks about the future, especially on trade, should start before the three main issues were settled.It also said that how the Irish border will be managed will depend on the future relationship.On Monday, the UK's Daily Telegraph reported that the EU "could be open to a Brexit climbdown over trade talks amid revolt led by France," prompting the French governmen to issue a denial.In Brussels, Davis said that the "large number of papers" put out by his government covered important issues and that they were the "product of hard work and detailed thinking".As Barnier said he was "ready to intensify negotiations," Davis replied that the Brits were "ready to roll up [their] sleeves."-Legal analysis-The current round of talks is likely to be a transition one before two others in September and October that will be crucial ahead of the October summit.Officials noted on Monday that talks this week will be mainly technical rather than political.The main sticking point will be the financial settlement.Last week, British foreign secretary Boris Johnson admitted that the UK would meet its obligations but added that it will do so "as we understand them."The UK government this week will present to the EU its legal analysis about the settlement but it will not publish a position paper on the issue.The three working groups on citizens' rights, the financial settlement, and other issues will meet on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. Discussions on Northern Ireland will be held on Wednesday.
LUKEWARM CHURCHES
REVELATION 3:15-19
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I(GOD) will spue (VOMIT) thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Joel Osteen's Houston Megachurch To House Displaced When 'Shelters Reach Capacity'-[HuffPost]-Jenna Amatulli-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
After receiving heavy criticism for keeping its doors closed while thousands remained without shelter, Pastor Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch will open its doors on Tuesday to residents who have been displaced by the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.“We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need,” reads a statement by church spokesman and Osteen’s father-in-law Donald Iloff from Monday, according to CNN.On Monday, multiple outlets reported that the church, which seats 16,800 people, remained closed due to flooding conditions that made it “inaccessible,” according to Lakewood Facebook post. By Tuesday, the church was prepared to open its doors. “We are prepared to shelter people once the cities and county shelters reach capacity. Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of this storm in helping our fellow citizens rebuild their lives,” Iloff told CNN.The statement indicated the church won’t house anyone until “cities and county shelters reach capacity,” which resulted in even more backlash.Oh after the shelters reach capacity. He was letting everybody else the so called non-believers do the work of the Lord 1st.— Micheé Mee (@Meeposh21) August 29, 2017 -once shelters reach capacity? Do you think it's Christ-like to sleep 2 feet from a stranger on an air mattress in a gym? Buy a soul, Joel-— Sheila G. (@SheRa1145) August 29, 2017-Let me understand, only after the shelters are full will JO church open doors???? SMH. Not the Lord's way at all.— SportsLover (@Somoca) August 29, 2017 -Harvey has wreaked havoc on Texas since making landfall on Friday night, leaving many without power and thousands displaced to temporary shelters. Osteen’s Lakewood Church, a 16,800-seat indoor arena, announced on Facebook on Sunday that it wasn’t able to house anyone in need because it was “inaccessible due to severe flooding.” Many criticized the decision and questioned if the church remained inaccessible“Why isn’t Joel Osteen mega church in Houston Texas is not open to the public in need of shelter, food and protection?” one person asked on Twitter.“You know who hasn’t opened his enormous, tax-exempt mega-church as a shelter? Joel Osteen. About all those tax-free millions, Joel...” said another.According to freelance reporter Ruth Graham, one Lakewood representative said the church wasn’t flooded, but “would be difficult for most people to access due to nearby flooding.”Social media pressure to open the church mounted on Monday. Announcing it would open its doors on Tuesday, the church provided photos of the standing water in their hallways and the parking lot to CNN, with Ilof adding that “the area around the church flooded on Monday” and “at least three people came to the church for help before they were taken to the George Brown Convention Center.”A Lakewood representative told CNN that “the water has already receded” from inside the church. In the past, Osteen’s megachurch has aided in relief efforts for the city by hosting benefit concerts and/or sheltering displaced Texans. Hopefully, they will show the same kindness to residents this time around.This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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)
Macron wants asylum claims to start in Africa By Nikolaj Nielsen-AUG 29,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:29-French president Emmanuel Macron wants to set up safe zones in Niger and Chad to process asylum applications of people already recognised as refugees by the United Nations.Speaking to reporters on Monday (28 August), Macron said the centres would "identify" refugees that have a right to asylum and kick off the asylum procedure "on African territory".In what appears to resemble so-called hotspots, Macron said the proposal would prevent people with rights to international protection from disembarking on boats from Libya to Europe."It is through cooperation in security and justice, with at times a military presence on the ground, that we have decided, the European countries along with Niger and Chad, to prevent migrants from leaving towards Libya."A similar plan announced by Macron in July for Libya was quickly dismissed.But Macron's latest comments followed Monday's mini-summit on Africa in Paris, attended by the leaders of Chad, Niger, and Libya, as well as Germany, Italy and Spain. The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, was also present."Hotspots is probably not the best term to designate the centres," noted Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, who was speaking alongside Macron at a joint-press conference.Idriss Deby, president of Chad, said his country would not open offices that would attract people across Africa to ask for asylum to enter Europe."There won't be posts opened that call upon all the migrants from across the continent to come to our borders," he said.Instead, Deby said the centres would be accessible to people already recognised as refugees by the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) and who reside in the country.Over the weekend, the EU had also signed off on contracts to release some €50 million to finance a new multinational military force with troops from Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in cooperation with the French. The joint military task force will be headquartered in Mali.The African troops are tasked with cracking down on trafficking, drug smuggling, weapon smuggling, and terrorism, with additional military support expected from both Germany and France. France already has some 4,000 troops operating in the volatile region."We consider it a very important step in order to get a better grasp of the security situation in the borders between the countries that are involved in West Africa," a senior EU official told reporters in June.Niger, a major transit route, is also said to have managed to curtail the flow of people heading towards Libya.The EU claims 72,000 had passed through Agadez last May, as opposed to 7,000 this year. But those figures are disputed given the drop is based on incomplete data from only two monitoring points.The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM) is also working on the ground in Niger and Chad to assist people who want to return to their countries of origin, on a voluntary basis.Other measures discussed at the summit include EU-financed development programmes to boost job opportunities in Africa."In the coming days, we will also launch a private investment plan supported by the European Commission, which will be able to mobilise up to €44 billion in private investment in Africa for economic development," said Mogherini.Mogherini said such investments, on top of some €20 billion invested annually in Africa by the EU and member states, mean there is no need to invent a new Marshall Plan for the continent.Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of Libya’s UN-backed government, had also requested more help to control the porous southern borders.The EU's mission to Libya has had its mandate extended to the end of 2018. But the broad insecurity in Libya means the EU presence is limited, given that the mission remains based in Tunisia.Unable to control large swathes of the country, Sarraj is at the mercy of some 1,500 armed militia groups and a international community unable to engage.Italy earlier this month had wanted to send six navy ships to help the Libyan coastguard but had to scale back following protests from Tripoli and threats from Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar.The EU had announced some €46 million in June to support Libyan border management as it continues to train its coastguard.
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
North Korea fires missile over Japan in aggressive test-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before plunging into the northern Pacific Ocean, officials said Tuesday, an aggressive test-flight over the territory of a close U.S. ally that sends a clear message of defiance as Washington and Seoul conduct war games nearby.Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile travelled around 2,700 kilometres (1,677 miles) and reached a maximum height of 550 kilometres (341 miles) as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The launch appeared to be the first of a North Korean missile to cross over Japan, though some rockets it said were used to put satellites into space have done so. It also appeared to be the North's longest-ever missile test, but South Korean officials couldn't immediately confirm.Each new test puts the North a step closer toward its goal of an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can reliably target the United States. The North has launched at an unusually fast pace this year, and some analysts believe the North could have viable long-range nuclear missiles before the end of President Donald Trump's first term in early 2021.The South Korean military said it is analyzing the launch with the United States and has strengthened its monitoring and preparation in case of further actions from North Korea. Analysts speculate the North may have tested a new intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang recently threatened to fire toward the U.S. territory of Guam, which hosts a major military base. This missile landed nowhere near Guam, which is about 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) south of Tokyo, but the length of its flight path may have been designed for the North to show it could follow through on its threat. Seoul says the missile was launched from Sunan, which is where Pyongyang's international airport is, opening the possibility that North Korea launched a road-mobile missile from an airport runway.It was North Korea's 13th launch of ballistic missiles this year, said Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman of Seoul's JCS. The JCS said it was the first time North Korea fired a ballistic missile from Sunan.North Korea will no doubt be watching the world's reaction to see if it can use Tuesday's flight over Japan as a precedent for future launches. Japanese officials said there was no damage to ships or anything else reported. Japan's NHK TV said the missile separated into three parts. "We will do our utmost to protect people's lives," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. "This reckless act of launching a missile that flies over our country is an unprecedented, serious and important threat."Tuesday's launch comes days after the North fired what was assessed as three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and a month after its second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which analysts say could reach deep into the U.S. mainland when perfected.South Korea's Foreign Ministry warned that the North will face a "strong response" from the U.S.-South Korean alliance if what it called nuclear and missile provocations continue. The ministry also urged Pyongyang to accept talks over its nuclear program and acknowledge that abandoning its nuclear ambitions is the only way to guarantee its security and economic development.In a rare move, South Korea's military released footage of its own missile tests it says were conducted last week. The videos showed two types of new missiles with ranges of 800 kilometres (497 miles) and 500 kilometres (310 miles) being fired from truck-mounted launchers during three tests conducted on Aug. 24.South Korea's Agency for Defence Development said the launches represented the last flight test for the longer-range missile before it is operationally deployed. Such missiles, which would be latest additions to South Korea's Hyumoo family of missiles, are considered key components to the so-called "kill chain" pre-emptive strike capability the South is pursuing to cope with the North's growing nuclear and missile threat.South Korea also said its air force also conducted a live-fire drill involving four F-15 fighters dropping eight MK-84 bombs that accurately hit targets at a military field near the country's eastern coast. Park Su-hyun, spokesman of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said the exercise was conducted after Moon directed the military to "display a strong capability to punish" the North.Park said Moon's national security director Chung Eui-yong and Seoul's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa called Trump's national security adviser H.R. McMaster and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, respectively, to discuss the launch.The launch over Japan isn't a total surprise. Earlier this month, when threatening to lob four Hwasong-12s, which are new intermediate-range missiles, into the waters near Guam, North Korea specifically said they would fly over Japanese territory. North Korea in June also angrily reacted to the launch of a Japanese satellite it said was aimed at spying on the North and said Tokyo was no longer entitled to fault Pyongyang "no matter what it launches or whether that crosses the sky above Japan."North Korea typically reacts with anger to U.S.-South Korean military drills, which are happening now, often testing weapons and threatening Seoul and Washington in its state-controlled media. But animosity is higher than usual following threats by Trump to unleash "fire and fury" on the North, and Pyongyang's stated plan to consider firing some of its missiles near Guam.Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military official who is now an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the early flight data suggests the North Korean missile was likely a Hwasong-12. Other possibilities, he said, include a midrange Musudan, a missile with a potential 3, 500-kilometre (2,180-mile) range that puts much of the Asia-Pacific region within reach, or a Pukguksong-2, a solid-fuel missile that can be fired faster and more secretly than weapons using liquid fuel.South Korea's military didn't immediately confirm whether the North Korean missile was fired from Pyongyang's airport. Moon Seong Mook, a former South Korean military official and current analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said the airport's runways could provide the ideal space to launch a road-mobile missile like the Hwasong-12. By launching from its capital, the North might have been trying to demonstrate the ability to launch its missiles from anywhere, Moon said."The launch doubled as a threat to Washington, not only because of the U.S. military bases in Japan, but also that the North showed it has the real capability to fire missiles to waters near Guam if it chose to shoot them in that direction," Moon said.North Korea first fired a rocket over Japanese territory in August of 1998 when a multistage rocket that outside experts called "Taepodong-1" flew about 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) before landing in the Pacific Ocean. The North later said it launched a satellite.North Korea flew another rocket over Japan again in April 2009 and said that, too, was carrying a satellite. The North claimed success, but the U.S. North American Aerospace Defence Command says no satellite reached orbit. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned North Korean satellite launches as covers meant to test banned long-range missile technology. Some parts of a space launch vehicle reportedly flew over Okinawa last year after separating from the rocket.Pyongyang regularly claims the U.S.-South Korean military exercises are an invasion rehearsal, although analysts say the North's anger is partly because the impoverished country must react with its own expensive drills and weapons tests. The allies say the war games are defensive and meant to counter North Korean aggression.North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Ja Song Nam, wrote recently that the exercises are "provocative and aggressive" at a time when the Korean Peninsula is "like a time bomb."___Associated Press journalist Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.Foster Klug And Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press
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)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
AN ALLTIME HIGH RECORD OF WATER WAS ESTABLISHED YESTERDAY AT 49 INCHES OR 4 FEET 1 INCHES OF WATER FLOODED TEXAS SO FAR.AND THE RECORD AMOUNT COULD GET ANOTHER 15 INCHES AS HARVEY REFLOODS TEXAS AGAIN. SO TEXAS COULD GET THE CONTINENTAL ALL TIME RECORD OF 64 INCHES OF FLOOD WATERS OR 5 FEET 4 INCHES OF FLOOD WATERS.
Harvey sets Texas rainfall record for tropical cyclone: NWS-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Harvey has set a rainfall record for tropical cyclones in the state of Texas, with 49.32 inches (125.3 cm) of rain observed at a location southeast of Houston, the National Weather Service said on Tuesday.The state's previous record was established in 1978 by cyclone Amelia, in Medina, Texas, according to the NWS. A total of 14 observed locales have seen more than 40 inches of rain as of 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) during Harvey, NWS said.The reports are preliminary, NWS said.(Reporting By David Gaffen; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Levee breaches due to Harvey at Houston suburb forcing evacuation-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A levee along the Brazos River south of Houston breached on Tuesday due to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey, forcing officials to call for residents to evacuate low-lying areas.Matt Sebesta, the chief administrator of Brazoria County, urged residents of the Columbia Lakes neighborhood to leave."They need to get out. Get to higher ground in Angleton," the county seat, he said in a televised interview.Columbia Lakes is located about 50 miles (80 km) from Houston, close to Brazos River.The Houston area's rivers have started to flood. Harris County officials earlier on Tuesday warned resident of six northern Houston neighborhoods to evacuate around two water reservoirs that had started overflowing.(Reporting by Gary McWilliams and Marianna Parraga; Editing by Dan Grebler and Bill Trott)
Pair of 70-year-old dams protecting Houston overflow-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
HOUSTON — A pair of 70-year-old reservoir dams that protect downtown Houston from flooding began overflowing Tuesday, adding to the rising floodwaters from Harvey that have crippled the city after five consecutive days of rain.Engineers began releasing water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs Monday to ease the strain on the dams. But the releases were not enough to relieve the pressure after one of the heaviest downpours in U.S. history, Army Corps of Engineers officials said. Both reservoirs are at record highs.The release of the water means that more homes and streets will flood, and some homes will be inundated for up to a month, said Jeff Lindner of the Harris County Flood Control District.The county is trying to determine where the water will go, Lindner said.Meanwhile, more than 17,000 people are seeking refuge in Texas shelters, the American Red Cross said. With rescues continuing, that number seemed certain to grow.Calls for rescue have so overwhelmed emergency teams that they have had little time to search for bodies. And officials acknowledge that fatalities from Harvey could soar once the floodwaters start to recede from one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centres .More than four days after the storm ravaged the Texas coastline as a Category 4 hurricane, authorities had confirmed only three deaths — including a woman killed Monday when heavy rains dislodged a large oak tree onto her trailer home in the small town of Porter. But unconfirmed reports of others missing or presumed dead were growing."We know in these kinds of events that, sadly, the death toll goes up historically," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told The Associated Press. "I'm really worried about how many bodies we're going to find."One Houston woman said Monday that she presumes six members of a family, including four of her grandchildren, died after their van sank into Greens Bayou in East Houston.Virginia Saldivar told The Associated Press her brother-in-law was driving the van Sunday when a strong current took the vehicle over a bridge and into the bayou. The driver was able to get out and urged the children to escape through the back door, Saldivar said, but they could not."I'm just hoping we find the bodies," Saldivar said.Houston emergency officials could not confirm the deaths.A spokeswoman for a Houston hotel said one of its employees disappeared while helping about 100 guests and workers evacuate the building.The disaster is unfolding on an epic scale, with the nation's fourth-largest city mostly paralyzed by the storm that parked itself over the Gulf Coast. With nearly 2 more feet (61 centimetres ) of rain expected on top of the 30-plus inches (76 centimetres ) in some places, authorities worried the worst might be yet to come.Early Tuesday, Harvey continued to drench Houston and the surrounding area. Rain fell at about half an inch (1 centimetre ) per hour over Harris County — home to Houston — and up to 2 inches (5 centimetres ) per hour to the east.The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles (25,900 square kilometres ), an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. It's crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometres ) of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles (80 kilometres ) to the southeast from downtown.President Donald Trump was expected Tuesday in Corpus Christi and Austin for briefings on the first major natural disaster of his administration. Vice-President Mike Pence said in an interview with Corpus Christi radio station KKTX that he will visit southeast Texas later this week.Forecasters expect the storm to linger over the Gulf before heading back inland east of Houston sometime Wednesday. The system will then head north and lose its tropical strength.It could creep as far east as Mississippi by Thursday, meaning New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina unleashed its full wrath in 2005, is in Harvey's path. Foreboding images of Harvey were lighting up weather radar screens early Tuesday, the 12th anniversary of the day Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish.Rescuers meanwhile continued plucking people from inundated Houston neighbourhoods . Mayor Sylvester Turner put the number by police at more than 3,000. The Coast Guard said it also had rescued more than 3,000 by boat and air and was taking more than 1,000 calls per hour.Chris Thorn was among the many volunteers still helping with the mass evacuation that began Sunday. He drove with a buddy from the Dallas area with their flat-bottom hunting boat to pull strangers out of the water."I couldn't sit at home and watch it on TV and do nothing since I have a boat and all the tools to help," he said.Nearly 6,000 inmates displaced by flooding have been moved from prisons in the Houston area to other facilities in South and East Texas, according to the state Department of Criminal Justice.A mandatory evacuation was ordered for the low-lying Houston suburb of Dickinson, home to 20,000. Police cited the city's fragile infrastructure in the floods, limited working utilities and concern about the weather forecast.In Houston, questions continued to swirl about why the mayor did not issue a similar evacuation order.Turner has repeatedly defended the decision and did so again Monday, insisting that a mass evacuation of millions of people by car was a greater risk than enduring the storm."Both the county judge and I sat down together and decided that we were not in direct path of the storm, of the hurricane, and the safest thing to do was for people to stay put, make the necessary preparations. I have no doubt that the decision we made was the right decision."He added, "Can you imagine if millions of people had left the city of Houston and then tried to come back in right now?"By Tuesday morning, more than 9,000 people were at the city's largest shelter set up inside the George R. Brown Convention Center — which originally had an estimated capacity of 5,000.Red Cross spokesman Lloyd Ziel said that volunteers made more space inside the centre , which also was used to house Hurricane Katrina refugees from New Orleans in 2005, in part by pushing some cots closer together. A shortage of cots means some people will have to sleep on chairs or the floor.The centre settled down at night, after an occasionally chaotic day that saw thousands of evacuees arrive in the pouring rain. Officers and volunteers at times rushed to attend to those with medical needs.Before the storm is gone, up to 20 more inches (51 centimetres ) of rain could fall, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said Monday.That means the flooding will get worse in the days ahead and the floodwaters will be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on, the weather service said.Sometime Tuesday or early Wednesday, parts of the Houston region will probably break the nearly 40-year-old U.S. record for the biggest rainfall from a tropical system — 48 inches (120 centimetres ) — set by Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978 in Texas, meteorologists said.___Associated Press writers Juan Lozano and Nomaan Merchant in Houston and David Warren in Dallas contributed to this report.___Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb .Michael Graczyk And David J. Phillip, The Associated Press.
Scientists say warming makes storms, like Harvey, wetter-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
WASHINGTON — By the time the rain stops, Harvey will have dumped about 1 million gallons of water for every man, woman and child in southeastern Texas — a soggy, record-breaking glimpse of the wet and wild future global warming could bring, scientists say.While scientists are quick to say climate change didn't cause Harvey and that they haven't determined yet whether the storm was made worse by global warming, they do note that warmer air and water mean wetter and possibly more intense hurricanes in the future."This is the kind of thing we are going to get more of," said Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer. "This storm should serve as warning."There's a scientifically accepted method for determining if some wild weather event has the fingerprints of man-made climate change, and it involves intricate calculations. Those could take weeks or months to complete, and then even longer to be checked by other scientists.In general, though, climate scientists agree that future storms will dump much more rain than the same size storms did in the past.That's because warmer air holds more water. With every degree Fahrenheit, the atmosphere can hold and then dump an additional 4 per cent of water (7 per cent for every degree Celsius), several scientists say.Global warming also means warmer seas, and warm water is what fuels hurricanes.When Harvey moved toward Texas, water in the Gulf of Mexico was nearly 2 degrees (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal, said Weather Underground meteorology director Jeff Masters. Hurricanes need at least 79 degrees F (26 C) as fuel, and water at least that warm ran more than 300 feet (100 metres ) deep in the Gulf, according to University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.Several studies show that the top 1 per cent of the strongest downpours are already happening much more frequently. Also, calculations done Monday by MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel show that the drenching received by Rockport, Texas, used to be maybe a once-in-1,800-years event for that city, but with warmer air holding more water and changes in storm steering currents since 2010, it is now a once-every-300-years event.There's a lot of debate among climate scientists over what role, if any, global warming may have played in causing Harvey to stall over Texas, which was a huge factor in the catastrophic flooding. If the hurricane had moved on like a normal storm, it wouldn't have dumped as much rain in any one spot.Harvey stalled because it is sandwiched between two high-pressure fronts that push it in opposite directions, and those fronts are stuck.Oppenheimer and some others theorize that there's a connection between melting sea ice in the Arctic and changes in the jet stream and the weather patterns that make these "blocking fronts" more common. Others, like Masters, contend it's too early to say.University of Washington atmospheric scientist Cliff Mass said climate change is simply not powerful enough to create off-the-chart events like Harvey's rainfall."You really can't pin global warming on something this extreme. It has to be natural variability," Mass said. "It may juice it up slightly but not create this phenomenal anomaly.""We're breaking one record after another with this thing," Mass said.Sometime Tuesday or early Wednesday, parts of the Houston region will have broken the nearly 40-year-old U.S. record for the heaviest rainfall from a tropical system — 48 inches (120 centimetres ), set by Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978 in Texas, several meteorologists say.Already 15 trillion gallons (57 trillion litres ) of rain have fallen on a large area, and an additional 5 trillion or 6 trillion gallons are forecast by the end of Wednesday, meteorologist Ryan Maue of WeatherBell Analytics calculates. That's enough water to fill all the NFL and Division 1 college football stadiums more than 100 times over.Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press.
U.S. Midwest refiners eye best quarter in two years as Harvey hits rivals-[Reuters]-By Jarrett Renshaw-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. refiners in the Midwest will be among the biggest winners after Hurricane Harvey dealt a blow to their competitors on the U.S. Gulf Coast.Refiners such as PBF Energy and HollyFrontier that are not hit by Harvey are on course for their best quarter in two years amid fears of fuel shortages that helped push profit margins for making gasoline up as much as 21 percent on Monday.The U.S. refining industry enjoyed strong margins in recent weeks and the fallout from the hurricane is likely to extend the bullish run for weeks. Midwest refiners have the added advantage of pricing their fuel based on benchmark prices in the Gulf Coast markets, which hit five-year highs on Monday."The Midwest refineries are best positioned. They will get the same boost in prices without the disruption," said Mark Broadbent, a refinery analyst with Wood Mackenzie.PBF Energy shares closed on Monday up 8.3 percent, while HollyFrontier ended the day up 6.5 percent.Valero and Phillips 66, refiners with significant capacity shuttered in the Gulf, closed the day up just 1.1 percent and 0.28 percent, respectively.More than 2 million barrels per day of U.S. refining capacity remain shut because of Harvey, which slammed into the Texas coast near Corpus Christi late on Friday. Restarting those plants even under the best conditions can take a week or more.Compounding matters is that the Houston Ship Channel, a prime artery for crude supplies, could be closed for an extended period of time.The storm is set to keep dumping torrential rain on the state for days, potentially delaying refinery restarts. If any of them are damaged, strong profit margins for other refineries will last longer."Once the rain stops, we finally can get assessment of any damage and how long this will take," said Broadbent.The U.S. East Coast is largely supplied via the Colonial Pipeline from the Gulf Coast, but those supplies are expected to be tight in upcoming weeks as refiners in and around Houston get back on their feet.Philadelphia Energy Solutions booked cargoes of gasoline into Florida, a traditional Gulf Coast market, two shipping sources said on Monday.West Coast refineries are expected to ship barrels into the western side of Mexico in coming days and weeks, temporarily replacing an emerging market for Gulf Coast refiners, the shipping source said.U.S. refineries were running at near full rates in the weeks before the storm, chasing healthy margins as the critical summer driving season comes to a close and leaving very little spare capacity to help supply the hard-hit Texas region as it recovers from the storm."The Gulf Coast is not only going to need gasoline for transportation, but to rebuild a society," Ed Hirs, an energy professor at the University of Houston, said on Monday. "For those refineries not impacted, they will certainly profit."(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Additional reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault; Editing by Simon Webb and Peter Cooney)
Let's get serious, EU tells UK By Eric Maurice-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 28. Aug, 19:03-EU and British negotiators started the third round of Brexit talks on Monday (28 August) amid growing disagreements on how the process is going."To be honest I am concerned. Time passes quickly," EU main negotiator Michel Barnier said before meeting UK Brexit secretary David Davis."We must start negotiating seriously," Barnier said, calling on the UK government to present its positions "on all separation issues."He said the position papers that the UK government published earlier this month did not "remove ambiguity".He also said that the EU would "not accept that separation issues are not addressed properly.""This is necessary to make sufficient progress," he added, referring to the EU position that there will be no discussion on future EU-UK relations unless EU leaders agree at their summit in October that enough progress had been made.The three main issues on which the EU27 wants progress are EU citizens' rights, the future of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the Brexit financial settlement.For his part, Davis suggested that the EU was sticking to a rigid position and called on "flexibility and imagination from both sides".It is "something I think the the Council asks for on some subjects," he noted in reply to Barnier's remark that the negotiation guidelines set out by the EU were "clear".The UK government has argued in recent days that talks about the future, especially on trade, should start before the three main issues were settled.It also said that how the Irish border will be managed will depend on the future relationship.On Monday, the UK's Daily Telegraph reported that the EU "could be open to a Brexit climbdown over trade talks amid revolt led by France," prompting the French governmen to issue a denial.In Brussels, Davis said that the "large number of papers" put out by his government covered important issues and that they were the "product of hard work and detailed thinking".As Barnier said he was "ready to intensify negotiations," Davis replied that the Brits were "ready to roll up [their] sleeves."-Legal analysis-The current round of talks is likely to be a transition one before two others in September and October that will be crucial ahead of the October summit.Officials noted on Monday that talks this week will be mainly technical rather than political.The main sticking point will be the financial settlement.Last week, British foreign secretary Boris Johnson admitted that the UK would meet its obligations but added that it will do so "as we understand them."The UK government this week will present to the EU its legal analysis about the settlement but it will not publish a position paper on the issue.The three working groups on citizens' rights, the financial settlement, and other issues will meet on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. Discussions on Northern Ireland will be held on Wednesday.
LUKEWARM CHURCHES
REVELATION 3:15-19
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I(GOD) will spue (VOMIT) thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Joel Osteen's Houston Megachurch To House Displaced When 'Shelters Reach Capacity'-[HuffPost]-Jenna Amatulli-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
After receiving heavy criticism for keeping its doors closed while thousands remained without shelter, Pastor Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch will open its doors on Tuesday to residents who have been displaced by the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.“We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need,” reads a statement by church spokesman and Osteen’s father-in-law Donald Iloff from Monday, according to CNN.On Monday, multiple outlets reported that the church, which seats 16,800 people, remained closed due to flooding conditions that made it “inaccessible,” according to Lakewood Facebook post. By Tuesday, the church was prepared to open its doors. “We are prepared to shelter people once the cities and county shelters reach capacity. Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of this storm in helping our fellow citizens rebuild their lives,” Iloff told CNN.The statement indicated the church won’t house anyone until “cities and county shelters reach capacity,” which resulted in even more backlash.Oh after the shelters reach capacity. He was letting everybody else the so called non-believers do the work of the Lord 1st.— Micheé Mee (@Meeposh21) August 29, 2017 -once shelters reach capacity? Do you think it's Christ-like to sleep 2 feet from a stranger on an air mattress in a gym? Buy a soul, Joel-— Sheila G. (@SheRa1145) August 29, 2017-Let me understand, only after the shelters are full will JO church open doors???? SMH. Not the Lord's way at all.— SportsLover (@Somoca) August 29, 2017 -Harvey has wreaked havoc on Texas since making landfall on Friday night, leaving many without power and thousands displaced to temporary shelters. Osteen’s Lakewood Church, a 16,800-seat indoor arena, announced on Facebook on Sunday that it wasn’t able to house anyone in need because it was “inaccessible due to severe flooding.” Many criticized the decision and questioned if the church remained inaccessible“Why isn’t Joel Osteen mega church in Houston Texas is not open to the public in need of shelter, food and protection?” one person asked on Twitter.“You know who hasn’t opened his enormous, tax-exempt mega-church as a shelter? Joel Osteen. About all those tax-free millions, Joel...” said another.According to freelance reporter Ruth Graham, one Lakewood representative said the church wasn’t flooded, but “would be difficult for most people to access due to nearby flooding.”Social media pressure to open the church mounted on Monday. Announcing it would open its doors on Tuesday, the church provided photos of the standing water in their hallways and the parking lot to CNN, with Ilof adding that “the area around the church flooded on Monday” and “at least three people came to the church for help before they were taken to the George Brown Convention Center.”A Lakewood representative told CNN that “the water has already receded” from inside the church. In the past, Osteen’s megachurch has aided in relief efforts for the city by hosting benefit concerts and/or sheltering displaced Texans. Hopefully, they will show the same kindness to residents this time around.This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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)
Macron wants asylum claims to start in Africa By Nikolaj Nielsen-AUG 29,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:29-French president Emmanuel Macron wants to set up safe zones in Niger and Chad to process asylum applications of people already recognised as refugees by the United Nations.Speaking to reporters on Monday (28 August), Macron said the centres would "identify" refugees that have a right to asylum and kick off the asylum procedure "on African territory".In what appears to resemble so-called hotspots, Macron said the proposal would prevent people with rights to international protection from disembarking on boats from Libya to Europe."It is through cooperation in security and justice, with at times a military presence on the ground, that we have decided, the European countries along with Niger and Chad, to prevent migrants from leaving towards Libya."A similar plan announced by Macron in July for Libya was quickly dismissed.But Macron's latest comments followed Monday's mini-summit on Africa in Paris, attended by the leaders of Chad, Niger, and Libya, as well as Germany, Italy and Spain. The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, was also present."Hotspots is probably not the best term to designate the centres," noted Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, who was speaking alongside Macron at a joint-press conference.Idriss Deby, president of Chad, said his country would not open offices that would attract people across Africa to ask for asylum to enter Europe."There won't be posts opened that call upon all the migrants from across the continent to come to our borders," he said.Instead, Deby said the centres would be accessible to people already recognised as refugees by the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) and who reside in the country.Over the weekend, the EU had also signed off on contracts to release some €50 million to finance a new multinational military force with troops from Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in cooperation with the French. The joint military task force will be headquartered in Mali.The African troops are tasked with cracking down on trafficking, drug smuggling, weapon smuggling, and terrorism, with additional military support expected from both Germany and France. France already has some 4,000 troops operating in the volatile region."We consider it a very important step in order to get a better grasp of the security situation in the borders between the countries that are involved in West Africa," a senior EU official told reporters in June.Niger, a major transit route, is also said to have managed to curtail the flow of people heading towards Libya.The EU claims 72,000 had passed through Agadez last May, as opposed to 7,000 this year. But those figures are disputed given the drop is based on incomplete data from only two monitoring points.The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM) is also working on the ground in Niger and Chad to assist people who want to return to their countries of origin, on a voluntary basis.Other measures discussed at the summit include EU-financed development programmes to boost job opportunities in Africa."In the coming days, we will also launch a private investment plan supported by the European Commission, which will be able to mobilise up to €44 billion in private investment in Africa for economic development," said Mogherini.Mogherini said such investments, on top of some €20 billion invested annually in Africa by the EU and member states, mean there is no need to invent a new Marshall Plan for the continent.Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of Libya’s UN-backed government, had also requested more help to control the porous southern borders.The EU's mission to Libya has had its mandate extended to the end of 2018. But the broad insecurity in Libya means the EU presence is limited, given that the mission remains based in Tunisia.Unable to control large swathes of the country, Sarraj is at the mercy of some 1,500 armed militia groups and a international community unable to engage.Italy earlier this month had wanted to send six navy ships to help the Libyan coastguard but had to scale back following protests from Tripoli and threats from Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar.The EU had announced some €46 million in June to support Libyan border management as it continues to train its coastguard.
