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)
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Optimism in Bonn about fusion reactor, despite Brexit By Peter Teffer-EUOBSERVER
Bonn, 15. Nov, 16:55-As climate negotiators were discussing words and commas in preparation for implementing the Paris agreement at one area of the Bonn climate conference in Germany, another zone is reminiscent of a trade fair - with countries and companies offering green solutions.But while many propose reducing carbon emissions in the coming years, one exhibition offers a solution for a longer timeframe."We are trying to replicate the energy of the sun," engineer Shakeib Ali Arshad told this website earlier this week.Arshad works for Fusion for Energy (F4E), an EU organisation that contributes to a complicated, ambitious international project to create fusion power.Fusion is the process of colliding the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, a reaction that occurs naturally in the sun – hence the comparison."It's safe, clean, and long-term," said Arshad.The fuel for the fusion reactor, hydrogen, can last millions of years, he said.The physics has proven possible but at small scale fusion requires large amounts of energy. The current challenge is to prove that a fusion reactor can be built which produces more power than it consumes.It is called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and it is being built in Europe, in southern France.The European Union is paying for 45 percent of the material, with the rest being provided by China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States."ITER is a very big project, beyond the capacity of any one player to build this on their own," said Arshad."This machine is perhaps the most complex machine that humans have tried to build," the British scientist noted."In the centre of this device you've got the highest temperatures in the universe and two metres out you've got superconducting magnets with the coldest temperatures in the universe."Only the international space station and the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) are perhaps comparable in their intricacies, he added.It has been marred with some delays and revised budgets: earlier this year the EU and its six global partners agreed that the budget will be some €20 billion.On Monday (13 November), the European Court of Auditors said in a report about 2016 accounts that the money spent on the European team, F4E, was all "legal and regular".However, the auditors noted that the UK decision to leave the EU and Euratom means that the contribution of the UK to the project will have to be part of the Brexit negotiations."This may have a significant effect on the future activities of the F4E Joint Undertaking and the ITER project," they said.But according to Arshad, the point of no return has passed."We've placed big contracts for big equipment. This machine will get built.""This machine will demonstrate the scientific viability, and I think in the fusion community you will find there is a fair amount of confidence that we will succeed on that."But a commercially viable power plant running on fusion, that is another story.It will likely have to be even larger than the ITER machine, which will be 30 metres tall and 30 metres wide, and have a weight of around 23,000 tonnes."Right now we are moving from physics to engineering problems. Then we have to move from engineering to commercial problems in that last stage," said Arshad.The ITER machine is expected to be completed by 2025, when experiments can begin, lasting perhaps two decades.The first reactor that will demonstrate commerical viability will probably not be built before 2050, said Arshad.But he added that it is not a question of "if", but of "when"."I think fusion is such a big fuel resource, it is obviously going to be the biggest part of the solution for mankind. Even though this is on a time horizon that most people don't consider."Does Arshad think he will be living in a retirement home that has power provided by a fusion reactor, this website asked? "Probably not at that stage. I'm older than you might imagine. I'm 51," he said, laughing."Hopefully our children will get to see some fusion power and then it will increase from there."Animation by the ITER organisation.
Ex-Catalan leader to head campaign for election from Belgium-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-November 15, 2017
BARCELONA, Spain — The fugitive leader of Catalonia's secessionist movement said Wednesday that he will repeat as his party's leading candidate in upcoming elections for the Spanish region while he fights extradition from Belgium.Carles Puigdemont told El Punt-Avui television from Brussels that he is handpicking a list of candidates to run under him in Dec. 21 elections for Catalonia's regional parliament, which were called by Spain's national government after the region's legislators voted to declare independence.He said that the list, running under the name "Together For Catalonia" (Junts pel Catalunya), will include members from his Democratic Party of Catalonia (PDeCAT) and some independents without a background in politics."I have told PDeCAT that I need to make a list that is more mine than of the party so the greatest number of people feel comfortable," Puigdemont said. "PDeCAT has accepted it and is working toward it."The Democratic Party of Catalonia confirmed to The Associated Press that its national board decided Wednesday to accept Puigdemont's proposal to create his own list.Puigdemont said he plans to run his campaign from Brussels, where he and four former Cabinet members are facing an extradition hearing that could send them back to Spain to face accusations of rebellion and sedition. A Belgian judge released them from custody after they turned themselves in more than a week ago under the condition that they remain in Belgium."I am excited to campaign, but with limitations," Puigdemont said. "I don't have the right to leave Belgium and obviously I won't."Puigdemont is a wanted man since he fled Spain following a crackdown by authorities after Catalonia's parliament voted in favour of a declaration of independence Oct. 27. He has said he went to the European Union's capital because he didn't trust that he would be fairly treated by Spanish courts.Puigdemont and the other four former ministers have their extradition hearing Friday. However, the entire extradition process could take months.He and 13 other former Cabinet members face prison sentences of up to 30 years. Nine former members of his government remained in Spain and were sent to prison by a judge while the investigation proceeds.Spain's government responded to the northeastern region's declaration of independence by firing Puigdemont's government, dissolving Catalonia's Parliament and calling snap elections that it hopes will lead to a victory by parties against independence.Polls forecast a tight race between parties in favour of secession and those who want to preserve centuries-old ties with the rest of Spain. According to the polls, Puigdemont's party is poised to lose votes, while the pro-secession Republican Left is expected to get the biggest block of votes yet fall well short of an outright majority.Puigdemont said he was disappointed that he failed to persuade the Republic Left party to join his coalition.Catalan separatists claim a mandate for independence from the results of a referendum on secession held Oct. 1 despite a ban by Spain's top court, a boycott by parties against independence and its failure to meet international standards. Forty-three per cent of eligible voters turned out to cast ballots in the face of police raids on polling places.If Puigdemont is convicted, besides jail time he could be banned from holding public office.Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has pledged to quash all attempts of a breakaway, citing the Spanish constitution's provision that the nation is "indivisible."Earlier Wednesday, Rajoy expressed confidence his government could handle any outside attempts to tamper with the election in Catalonia after his government had said there were indications of cyber-meddling by foreigners. Rajoy declined to give details on what security measures Spain would take to prevent or counter electronic interference with the vote, but said "people will vote with complete liberty."Spanish Defence Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal said Monday that "many actions" to mount a misinformation campaign to destabilize Catalonia had "come from Russian territory" and elsewhere in recent months. However, both Cospedal and Rajoy said Spain had no indication the Russian government was involved.Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed insinuations of Russian meddling in Catalonia as unsubstantiated."We consider these accusations unfounded," Peskov said Wednesday, adding that Spain's concerns sounded like a "continuation of the hysteria in the U.S. and some other countries."___Associated Press writer Ciaran Giles reported this story from Madrid and AP writer Joseph Wilson reported in Barcelona. AP writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.Ciaran Giles And Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press.
56 lawsuits against Catholic Church that allege sexual abuse are before N.B. courts-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-November 15, 2017
Almost every month for a year, lawsuits have been filed against the Catholic Church in New Brunswick by alleged victims seeking compensation for sexual abuse by priests.Many of the priests are dead, but that hasn't stopped the lawsuits in Moncton, Bathurst and Edmundston from piling up.CBC News has found at least 56 lawsuits are still before the courts, despite an extensive conciliation process a few years ago.At least 11 priests are targeted in the accusations, and one name appears far more often than others. - 4 New Brunswick priests caught in sexual abuse allegations "It's very difficult to see all these new allegations coming in," said Moncton Archbishop Valéry Vienneau."We are going through a very difficult time. It certainly has not helped our credibility, as priests and as a church."Thirty-two of the accusations are against one individual — Camille Leger.Leger was the priest in the Sainte-Thérèse-d'Avila Parish in Cap-Pelé between 1957 and 1980. He died in 1990 without ever being accused or convicted of any crimes. His accusers all came forward after his death.The archbishop said he was surprised by the sheer number."It seems that he was a predator all the years that he was in that parish," Vienneau said.According to the court documents, most of Leger's alleged victims were young boys, generally between seven and 15 years old.Many of them were altar boys at the parish, or boy scouts, who were chaperoned by Leger.They all allege in court documents that Leger developed a close relationship with them, where he was able to be alone with them.The sexual abuse often took place in Sainte-Therese-d'Avila church itself, in Leger's car, during church-organized trips or at boy scout camp, it's alleged.For some, the abuse allegedly went on for up to seven years, and Leger is accused of using his position of authority to make sure his victims kept silent.Vienneau, also from Cap-Pelé, was 10 years old when Leger started working at Sainte-Therese-d'Avila.He said he was never a victim of the abuse himself and only found out about the allegations much later.But he knew many of the alleged victims, and this has been especially difficult for him.He said they often come to see him."It's not easy to talk about that," he said. "Even if it's 40, 50, 60 years ago. It's not. Some of these victims have never spoken about what happened to them, to anyone."Vienneau admitted that lawyers for the archdiocese sometimes advise him against speaking to the victims, but said that as a pastor, he feels that he must.Number shocks former judge-The 56 new lawsuits were all filed after an extensive conciliation process.Between 2012 and 2014, retired judge Michel Bastarache, who was brought in by the church, spoke to hundreds of victims and worked out a compensation formula for the church to pay them all.In the end, the Archdiocese of Moncton had to come up with $10.6 million for victims, and the Diocese of Bathurst $5.5 million.Victims received between $15,000 and $300,000, depending on the severity of the abuse, how old they were when it started, and how many years it lasted. Bastarache said the conciliation process had to be delayed three times to accommodate new victims, which is why he's taken aback by so many lawsuits still before the courts."I'm just surprised that the numbers are so high," he said.He also wonders why these alleged victims didn't take advantage of the process and are choosing to go to court instead."I heard about a hundred victims in Bathurst, another hundred in Moncton, and those people — 90 per cent of them, wanted absolute confidentiality," said Bastarache."A lot of them never told their story to anyone, not even in their family."Finger pointed at church, too-The Catholic Church is named in all the lawsuits, accused of knowing or saying it should have known about the alleged abuse.The allegations haven't been tested in court.One lawsuit claims the church knew Leger took an unusual interest in children, that some parents had made complaints about him, that he spoke of his "sins" to other priests during confession, and that he was even reported to archdiocese officials for sexual misconduct, yet nothing was done to stop the abuse.Fernand Arsenault, a priest for 20 years before he chose to leave the church, knew members of the community and is saddened every time he hears of new allegations of sexual abuse.He accused the church of turning a blind eye to the abuse and concealing the crimes of those priests."It's a terrible mistake," said Arsenault. "Because we would have saved many lives."Arsenault said that years ago, if a priest reported another priest, he would have been punished, not the abuser.But the church, in every filed statement of defence, has systematically denied knowing about any of the abuse at the time.The archbishop said it was a different culture back then, and these things weren't talked about."We were in a culture where everything was hidden," Vienneau said. "Nowadays everything is open.""Sometimes we judge those 30, 40 years with the eyes of today," he said. "That is very difficult too. Because in those days a lot of that was not seen as crime."It was seen as sin. Today we see it as a sin, but we also see it as a crime."Do you have a tip about this story? Please click here to send your story to CBC New Brunswick.
Transgender woman sues over placement in male prison-[The Canadian Press]-The Canadian PressNovember 15, 2017
BOSTON — A transgender woman behind bars at an all-male prison in Massachusetts filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to force the state to transfer her to a women's facility, saying she is routinely harassed by male inmates and lives in fear of being attacked.The 52-year-old inmate, who is identified in the complaint only as Jane Doe, has gender dysphoria and has received hormone therapy for decades, including in prison, her attorneys say. Despite that, she has been forced to shower in the view of male prisoners and undergo strip searches by male correctional officers, "who routinely grope her breasts," the lawsuit says."She shouldn't be punished for being transgender and that's what's happening here," said Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD's Transgender Rights Project and one of the attorneys representing the inmate.A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Correction declined to comment on the complaint.The inmate, who is serving a three-to-four-year sentence for a nonviolent drug offence , asked to be moved to the women's prison but was told she could not be sent there until she has genital surgery, the lawsuit says. She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which the American Psychiatric Association defines as a conflict between a person's physical gender and the gender with which they identify.The lawsuit says prison staff once forced her to strip with her cell door open while male inmates watched outside and made inappropriate comments about her body. It also claims that male inmates "crowd into the bathroom excitedly" when she showers, harass her in the bathrooms and have tried to "physically force themselves on her.""She is often afraid to leave her cell for fear of harassment and violence from DOC prisoners, staff and correctional officers," the lawsuit says.Levi said that other states, such as California and Pennsylvania, have allowed transgender offenders to live with inmates of the sex with which they identify.____Follow Alanna Durkin Richer @aedurkinricher .Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press.
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)
Las Vegas shooting lawsuits stack up with 14 more filed-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-November 15, 2017
CHICAGO — Legal action following the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert is picking up with lawsuits filed Wednesday on behalf of 14 concertgoers, including some who were shot or injured trying to escape and one woman who is so traumatized that she has since mistaken the sound of rain for gunshots.The hotel-casino from where Stephen Paddock fired, concert organizers and the makers and sellers of a bump stock gun accessory that enabled him to fire rapidly are named as defendants. The court filings argue that they all share blame for the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history.The 14 civil complaints, filed together in state court in Las Vegas, follow at least three others filed since Paddock opened fire Oct. 1 from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds of others. The lawsuit seeks unspecific compensation for both "physical and mental injuries."The challenge for mass-shooting lawsuits is clearing a high legal bar to prove someone other than the shooter bears any responsibility. Such litigation typically drags for years and can end with victims and their families receiving little to nothing.One of those suing, Elisha Seng, described in a phone interview haunting images she can't dispel — of bullets thudding around her on the concert grounds and of turning to see a young woman covered in blood after being shot, clutching her throat and falling forward."I don't sleep at night and, when I do, I have nightmares," said the 46-year-old from Bartlett, Illinois, just outside Chicago. Recently, as heavy rain began to fall outside overnight, she jumped up from her bed. "I thought it was gunshots."Seng, who wasn't physically injured, returned to work as a sales representative, but said she quickly tires from her lack of sleep. Going to concert or sports halls can prompt flashbacks. She recently attended a Chicago Blackhawks game and found herself nervously calculating the best escape routes should someone open fire.A Chicago law firm helped to prepare the filings, which include several plaintiffs from the Chicago area. Victims named in the suits also include a California man, Anthony Crisci, who was rushed to a hospital with a gunshot wound in a truck crowded with other victims.Among deficiencies at the concert venue were poorly marked exits, Wednesday's filings say. And the hotel, it says, should have had gunfire-location devices that pinpoint where shots are coming from.The 64-year-old Paddock, who killed himself just before his room was stormed, is also named in a bid to seize assets from his estate.Paddock was able to use VIP status conferred on him as a high-stakes gambler to stockpile more than 20 rifles in his hotel suite, including by using exclusive access to a service elevator over days, the filings say. They argue what should have been routine checks of Paddock's bags and his room would have revealed his growing arsenal.The filings name a leading bump stock maker, Texas-based Slide Fire Solutions, as a defendant. A lead attorney, Chicago-based Antonio Romanucci, said it wasn't yet clear which manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer made and sold the specific bump stock that Paddock used, but that the idea was to hold "the entire supply chain" responsible. Messages seeking comment from Slide Fire weren't returned.MGM Resorts International, the parent company of Mandalay Bay, called the shooting "a meticulously planned, evil ... act" in a statement Wednesday and added that it would respond to any allegations only through "the appropriate legal channels." Live Nation, a concert organizer named in the filings, said in a statement it cannot comment on pending litigation, but that the company remains "heartbroken for the victims."Bump stocks were originally created ostensibly to make it easier for people with disabilities to shoot. But the filings allege that Slide Fire geared its marketing to regular gun owners who wanted their semi-automatic rifles to mimic fully automatic weapons.Civil cases in mass shootings are becoming increasingly common.Romanucci has also filed a lawsuit on behalf of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people last year in Orlando, Florida. It alleges, among other things, that a security firm that once employed gunman Omar Mateen knew Mateen was mentally unstable and had threatened violence, and should have alerted authorities. Mateen was killed in a shootout with police.The 2007 Virginia Tech campus shooting in which Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people illustrated the difficulties posed by such lawsuits. In 2013, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned a jury verdict siding with parents of two victims who claimed the state was negligent. A statement from the state attorney general's office at the time said the reversal showed what it had argued during years of litigation: "Cho was the lone person responsible for this tragedy."Cho killed himself after his rampage.Seng said she joined the civil case to force better security at concerts and at hotels. She said she can't fathom how a hotel-casino that devotes so many resources to catching gamblers that cheat didn't notice Paddock bringing in high-powered weapons over a number of days."They can catch a person counting cards," she said. "But they can't catch someone carrying bags of guns."___Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm-Michael Tarm, The Associated Press.
Thousands mourn 8 family members killed in Texas church-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-November 15, 2017
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — Three thousand people mourned eight members of a family who were among the more than two dozen killed in a shooting at a small Texas church Wednesday before the funeral procession headed to a cemetery near the site of the massacre.Surrounding the multicolored caskets, mourners released light pink and blue balloons at a graveside service for the Holcombe family in rural Wilson County.Church member and survivor John Holcombe had invited the public to attend the funeral of his pregnant wife, Crystal, 36, and three of her children from a previous marriage, Greg Hill, 13, Emily Hill, 11, and Megan Hill, 9; his parents, 60-year-old Bryan and Karla Holcombe, 58; a brother, 36-year-old Marc Holcombe, and Marc's 18-month-old daughter, Noah.Fire marshals had to turn hundreds more people away from the services at an events centre in Floresville, Texas, about 12 miles (19 kilometres ) from the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, where the Nov. 5 shooting occurred.News reporters were barred from entering the event centre and were being held in a pen with two trucks obscuring the view inside.In an earlier Facebook post, John Holcombe thanked friends and well-wishers for their support, adding: "Please continue to pray for us."The gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, began firing into First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs as Bryan Holcombe, an assistant pastor, ascended to the pulpit. Walking up and down the centre aisle, Kelley killed 25 people at the church, including crying babies at point-blank range, according to witness accounts. Authorities have put the official toll at 26, because Crystal Holcombe was pregnant.John Holcombe was managing the church's audio-visual operations at the back of the building when gunfire erupted. He and Crystal's 7-year-old daughter Evelyn escaped the barrage. Crystal's eldest child, 14-year-old Philip, had stayed home from church services that day.After his rampage, Kelley fled in a vehicle parked near the church, pursued by a barefoot observer with an AR assault rifle and another man in a pick-up truck. The man with the rifle shot and struck Kelley but authorities say the gunman died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Investigators have said the attack appeared to stem from a domestic dispute Kelley was having with his mother-in-law, a member of the church who wasn't present that day. However, among the victims was Lula White, the gunman's wife's 71-year-old grandmother.Kelley had a history of domestic violence: He was given a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force after pleading guilty to assaulting his first wife and stepson.Under federal law, anyone convicted of domestic violence cannot purchase a firearm. But the Air Force failed to inform federal law enforcement authorities that Kelley had been court-martialed. When he tried to buy guns after his release from a military prison, his conviction was not in the database used to conduct background checks, and the purchases went through.In addition to those killed, another 20 people were injured in the shooting. Eight survivors remained hospitalized Wednesday at two San Antonio-area hospitals, their conditions ranging from good to critical.Emily Schmall And Eric Gay, The Associated Press.
Zimbabwe on knife's edge after military seizes power-[Reuters]-By Cris Chinaka-YAHOONEWS-November 15, 2017
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe was on a knife's edge on Thursday after the military seized power in what it dubbed a targeted operation against "criminals" in the entourage of President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the southern African nation for almost four decades.It was not clear whether the apparent military coup would bring a formal end to the 93-year-old Mugabe's rule. The main goal of the generals appeared to be preventing Mugabe's wife Grace, 41 years his junior, from succeeding him.Local media reported South Africa's defense and state security ministers, dispatched by President Jacob Zuma as regional envoys, arrived in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, on Wednesday night and were expected to meet both Mugabe and the military. Their ultimate goal was not clear.Zuma earlier called for "calm and restraint" and asked the defense forces "to ensure that peace and stability are not undermined in Zimbabwe," South Africa's neighbor, which has lurched from crisis to crisis over the past two decades.The South African presidency said Mugabe had told Zuma over the phone that he was confined to his home but was otherwise fine and the military said it was keeping him and his family safe.Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as a liberation hero, is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa's most promising states.He plunged Zimbabwe into a fresh political crisis last week by firing his vice president and presumed successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75 - known as the "crocodile" - for showing "traits of disloyalty".The generals believed that move was aimed at clearing a path for Grace Mugabe to take over and said on Monday they were prepared to "step in" if purges of their allies did not end.Tanks blocked roads after dark and soldiers with automatic weapons kept up their patrols, but the situation appeared calm.Whatever the final outcome, the events could signal a once-in-a-generation change for the former British colony, a regional breadbasket reduced to destitution by economic policies Mugabe's critics have long blamed on him.(Reporting by Cris Chinaka; Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Peter Cooney)
UN to vote on rival resolutions on chemical weapons in Syria-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-November 15, 2017
The United States is calling for a vote Thursday on a resolution to extend the mandate of experts trying to determine who was responsible for chemical attacks in Syria, a measure that is likely to face a Russian veto.A rival Russian resolution, which is opposed by the U.S. and other Security Council members, is also expected to be put to a vote.The result is likely to be that neither resolution is adopted and the Joint Investigative Mechanism, known as the JIM, will cease operations when its current mandate expires at midnight Thursday.This would be a serious blow to efforts to hold those responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria accountable.Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch, warned last year that "without accountability, the cycle of abuses in Syria by all parties to the conflict — whether by chemical or conventional weapons — will continue unabated."At the heart of the dispute is the demand by Russia, Syria's most important ally, for changes in the way the JIM operates.In September 2013, Syria accepted a Russian proposal to relinquish its chemical weapons stockpile and join the Chemical Weapons Convention. That averted a U.S. military strike in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which implements the 1997 convention, investigates alleged use of chemical weapons. But it is not authorized to determine responsibility and that is why the United States and Russia worked together to draft the resolution establishing the U.N.-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism in 2015.But Russia has been highly critical of the JIM's findings that the Syrian government used chlorine gas in at least two attacks in 2014 and 2015 and used sarin in an aerial attack on Khan Sheikhoun last April 4 that killed about 100 people and affected about 200 others who survived the nerve agent.Syria has denied any use of chemical weapons, while Russia has accused the JIM of using faulty methods to determine that President Bashar Assad's government was to blame for the attacks, including not visiting Khan Sheikhoun.The JIM has also accused the Islamic State extremist group of using mustard gas in 2015 and again in September 2016 in Um Hosh in Aleppo.The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said in a statement Wednesday calling for the vote that "there are many more instances of chemical weapons use in Syria that must be investigated.""The United States hopes the Security Council will stand united in the face of chemical weapons use against civilians and extend the work of this critical group," the statement said. "Not doing so would only give consent to such atrocities while tragically failing the Syrian people who have suffered from these despicable acts."Both the U.S. and Russian draft resolutions would extend the JIM's mandate that the council agreed to in previous resolutions for another year. They say the JIM should work "in an independent, impartial and professional manner in implementing its mandate."But the U.S. draft would support the JIM's experts pursuing investigations "in a manner they deem appropriate." And it would underscore the importance of the JIM "conducting its investigations according to high methodological standards" and basing its findings on "evidentiary levels" outlined in 2016.The Russian draft, by contrast, requests the JIM to visit Khan Sheikhoun and re-evaluate its findings. And it welcomes the "full and profound co-operation " extended by the Syrian government in establishing facts related to the Khan Sheikhoun and Um Hosh attacks.It also would order the JIM to be guided by the "high standards" in the Chemical Weapons Convention and using additional evidence in its investigations. And it would ask Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to recruit experienced staff from as wide a geographical basis "as practicable."Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press.
