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)
DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN
REVELATION 6:7-8 (500 MILLION DEAD EACH FROM THE 4 JUDGEMENTS)(2 BILLION TOT DEAD HERE)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 billion) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).
THE COVID-19 TOTALS.
WORLD OVER ALL CASES 199,759,063 - DEAD 4,252,547 - AS OF TUE AUG 03,2021
Co-author of peer-reviewed study: 'Some countries are lying' Global COVID death toll over a million higher than reported, Israeli study finds-4.22 million have been reported dead but many were left out, say Hebrew University researchers, pointing to authoritarian regimes downplaying virus and others unable to keep track-By Nathan Jeffay-AUG 3,21-Today, 10:05 am
There have been over a million more coronavirus deaths around the world than shown by official statistics, an Israeli study claims.Around 4.22 million people have been reported dead from COVID-19 worldwide, but researchers from Hebrew University say that inaccuracies in some countries and intentional downplaying of the virus in others have led to significant underreporting of mortality.The suggestion is not a new one, but their contribution is peer-reviewed research, published in the eLife journal, evaluating the extent of the phenomenon in different countrieEconomist Dr. Ariel Karlinsky and statistician Dr. Dmitry Kobak have studied around half the countries in the world, asking how much higher deaths were during the pandemic compared to normal times, based on statistics from previous years adjusted to reflect population changes.This is known as the number of excess deaths.Their estimate of a million-plus unreported COVID deaths is based on those 103 countries alone, and as their ongoing research expands to other countries, they expect the estimate to rise.Their data is based on calculations assessing the shortfall between the reported number of coronavirus deaths and the total of excess deaths, mostly using statistics collected during the spring. They argue that much of the shortfall consists of deaths caused by the coronavirus but categorized in other terms.This effect is most pronounced in authoritarian countries. In Russia, when the research was completed in the spring, there were 110,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths, but there were 500,000 excess deaths.In Belarus there were just 390 confirmed virus deaths but 5,700 excess deaths, and in Nicaragua, widely criticized for downplaying the disease, there were 140 reported coronavirus deaths but 7,000 excess deaths.“In some countries, normally very authoritarian countries such as Russia, Belarus and Nicaragua, the polite thing to say is they are obfuscating truth,” Karlinsky told The Times of Israel. “I think they are lying to show the rest of the world they are powerful and everything is under control.”In most developed countries, the margins are relatively smaller and likely to reflect inevitable statistical discrepancies, “largely from the start of the pandemic when testing was not yet widespread,” he said.In the United States, for example, there were 590,000 recorded coronavirus deaths and 640,000 excess deaths.“There are also countries that want to report accurately but even today don’t have capacity to do so,” Karlinsky noted, giving the example of Peru, which struggled to record statistics and then doubled its death count after review in May. “In most Latin American countries, numbers are impacted by a lack of testing capacity.”Karlinsky said that the true extent of underreporting isn’t clear from the statistics, suggesting that an analysis of Israel helps to explain why.Israel is one of the few countries where the number of excess deaths is smaller than the number of recorded COVID-19 deaths: 5,000 versus 6,477.Karlinsky suggested this was because lockdowns and social distancing meant that influenza was hardly existent in Israel, though in a normal year it causes around a significant number of deaths.By the same logic, he said, the margin of underreporting is actually greater than the figures suggest in countries like Russia.“As well as highlighting underreporting, our study emphasizes that the coronavirus has caused many more deaths than we would have expected to see,” Karlinsky said.“This is important, because we have long heard some people claiming that COVID deaths are just a rebranding of ordinary deaths. This research shows clearly that even if you don’t designate the deaths as COVID deaths, there is a very noticeable increase in mortality in almost all of the countries we investigate.“They used to say these are people who would be dying anyway. But the excess deaths calculation shows that many more people have been dying than you would normally see,” Karlinsky said.
Israel Aerospace Industries inks $237 million radar deal with German military-Long-range system will boost Germany’s airspace surveillance, ballistic missile defense, company says-By Luke Tress-AUG 3,21-Today, 11:09 am
Israel Aerospace Industries has signed a deal worth 200 million euros ($237 million) to supply advanced radars to the German military.The four long-range radar systems will help modernize Germany’s airspace surveillance and ballistic missile defense capabilities, IAI said in a Thursday statement.The system will contribute to NATO defense against long-range weapon threats, the company said.IAI will collaborate via its ELTA subsidiary on the project with the German firm Hensoldt, a leading European defense company that produces sensors for security applications.“IAI is proud of the German army’s decision and sees the cooperation with Hensoldt as a significant step in advancing and deepening activities in Europe and Germany in particular,” said ELTA’s Eyal Shapira.In June, ELTA inked a 36 million euro ($43 million) deal to supply 69 tactical mobile radar systems to the German army. ELTA supplies the radar array for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.IAI and the German military have also collaborated on the Heron drone system. The company opened an office in Berlin in 2018 to support its European operations.Germany and Israel share close military ties, including joint training exercises in both countries. Germany supplies submarines and missile boats to the Israeli navy.IAI develops and manufactures advanced systems for air, space, sea, land, cyber and homeland security. Since 1953, the company has provided technology solutions to government and commercial customers worldwide, including satellites, missiles, weapon systems and munitions, unmanned and robotic systems and radar.
Rabbi of New York City LGBTQ synagogue to rejoin US religious freedom commission-Biden picks Sharon Kleinbaum, long-time leader of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, for panel that works advance international freedom of belief-By JTA and TOI staff-AUG 3,21-Today, 11:00 am
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, who has led New York City’s Congregation Beth Simchat Torah since 1992, is one of US President Joe Biden’s choices to join the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.Kleinbaum has served previously on the commission, which monitors religious freedom abroad, according to the Biden administration’s announcement Friday.Biden also announced the appointment of Khizr Khan, who rose to prominence as a moral voice after his son, a US Army captain, was killed in Iraq.Kleinbaum is known for her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ and human rights, including in Israel.Her support for the liberal pro-Israel lobby J Street led to a right-wing political action committee running an ad last year that called her an “antisemite,” drawing condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League and others.Praise for Kleinbaum poured in after the announcement, including from New York City politicians and from her wife, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.I'm so incredibly proud of my wife @Skleinbaum. She's been a powerful voice for religious freedom, for human rights and for LGTBQ rights .She will bring that passion & purpose to her re-appointment to the US Comm’n on Int’l Religious Freedom https://t.co/wuLVS5ltVv— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) July 30, 2021-The development came after the White House on Friday announced its appointment of Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt to serve as US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.Lipstadt was a favorite for the role, and pressure had mounted on the Biden administration to fill the position amid an uptick in antisemitic incidents in recent months.
Bennett slams EU envoy’s planned attendance at swearing-in of Iran’s Raisi-AUG 3,21-Today, 3:24 pm
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticizes the EU over the planned attendance of a top diplomat at the swearing-in of President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.“Raisi is the most extreme Iranian present up to now, and the competition is tough. I call from here to the EU: You can’t talk about human rights and at the same time pay homage to a murderer, a hangman, who assassinated hundreds of regime opponents,” the prime minister says.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)
IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)
ISAIAH 34:10
10 It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
031 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)
COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AM
EZEKIEL 39:11-22
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13 Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)(EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN THE JORDAN VALLEY)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ARMIES)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
Associated Press-NATO, EU join criticism of Iran over merchant ship attack-Tue, August 3, 2021, 7:27 AM
BRUSSELS (AP) — The NATO military alliance and the European Union on Tuesday joined a growing chorus of international condemnation of Iran’s alleged attack on a merchant ship in the Arabian Sea last week and urged Tehran to respect its international obligations.Last Thursday’s drone strike on the MV Mercer Street killed a British national and a Romanian. It was the first known fatal strike on commercial shipping in the region after years of tensions over the tattered nuclear deal between western nations and Iran.NATO spokesman Dylan White said the 30-nation alliance joins members the U.S., U.K. and Romania “in strongly condemning the recent fatal attack on the MV Mercer Street off the coast of Oman, and express our condolences to Romania and the United Kingdom for the losses they have suffered.”“Freedom of navigation is vital for all NATO allies, and must be upheld in accordance with international law,” White said. “Allies remain concerned by Iran’s destabilizing actions in the region, and call on Tehran to respect its international obligations.”The U.S.-led military alliance plays no role in the region or in the Iran nuclear agreement, although some of its member countries do.The EU, meanwhile, deplored the attack, expressed its condolences for the victims and called for a thorough independent investigation.“Such acts contrary to the security and freedom of navigation in the region are unacceptable,” European Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said. “All parties concerned must avoid all actions that could undermine peace and regional stability.”
Bennett warns Iran after deadly attack on Israeli-linked ship-AUG 3,21-Today, 3:11 pm
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warns Iran as he tours the northern border with top military officials.“To sit serenely in Tehran while you ignite the entire Middle East — that’s over,” Bennett says.The warning comes after a deadly attack on an Israeli-linked ship last week that has been blamed on Iran.“We are working to enlist the whole world, but at the time we know how to act alone,” the premier says. “Iran knows the price that we’ll exact when someone threatens our security.”Iran supreme leader Khamenei formally tasks ultraconservative Raisi as president-Hardliner, who takes over as country is in negotiations over nuclear deal and crippling sanctions, vows nation’s economy won’t be tied to ‘will of foreigners’-By Agencies and TOI staff-AUG 3,21-Today, 1:26 pm
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader officially endorsed his hardline protégé as the nation’s next president on Tuesday, two days ahead of Ebrahim Raisi’s inauguration.“Following the people’s choice, I task the wise, indefatigable, experienced and popular Hojatoleslam Ebrahim Raisi as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote in a decree read out by his chief of staff at a ceremony.In his speech, Khamenei advised Raisi, a former judiciary chief, to “empower the country’s poor people and improve the national currency.”While repeating his usual anti-West rhetoric about Iran’s “enemies” seeking to sway public opinion, Khamenei struck a milder tone during the endorsement. He focused on Iran’s mounting domestic issues, praising Raisi’s anti-corruption campaign and asking him to encourage local production.“The nation needs competent, effective and brave management,” Khamenei said.Without commenting on stalled nuclear negotiations in Vienna, Raisi stressed he would “pursue the removal of oppressive sanctions” in order to salvage the crippled economy.“We will not [tie] the people’s dining tables and the economy to the will of the foreigners,” he said.In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei greets participants in an endorsement ceremony to give his official seal of approval to newly elected President Ebrahim Raisi, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 3, 2021. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)-The new president’s ascension comes at a sensitive time for Iran and the wider Middle East.Iran is reeling from crushing US sanctions that have devastated the economy, led to the crash of the Iranian riyal and hit ordinary Iranians hard in a crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.Tuesday’s ceremony marked Raisi’s formal accession to office. He will then be sworn in before parliament on Thursday, when he is to submit his proposed government lineup.Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned a European Union decision to send diplomat Enrique Mora to the upcoming inauguration ceremony. No change in Mora’s plan to attend has since been announced or reported.Raisi won a presidential election in June in which more than half the electorate stayed away after many political heavyweights were barred from standing.A former judiciary chief, he has been criticized by the West for his human rights record.Raisi is on a blacklist of Iranian officials sanctioned by Washington, due to his complicity in a “brutal crackdown” on protests and “extrajudicial executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.”Amnesty International has accused Raisi of having played a key role as a prosecutor on the “death commission” that sent thousands of prisoners to their deaths in 1988, described as a crime against humanity by the rights group.The 60-year-old also faces the United States, Britain, and Israel’s warnings to Iran over a deadly tanker attack last week for which Tehran denies responsibility.Doubts about an imminent return to Tehran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal, which granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear program, have become a dark cloud dangling over the incoming hardline administration.The collapse of the nuclear agreement after former US president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the accord three years ago doomed the relatively moderate administration of outgoing Hassan Rouhani, who has seen his popularity plummet.Rouhani sat stone-faced throughout the endorsement ceremony.The 2015 deal saw Iran accept curbs on its nuclear capabilities in return for an easing of sanctions.After pulling out of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the US ramped up sanctions again, as Tehran pulled back from most of its nuclear commitments.US sanctions have choked Iran and its vital oil exports, and the economy contracted by more than six percent in both 2018 and 2019.Trump’s successor US President Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin the landmark nuclear accord and lift sanctions if Iran moves back into compliance with the agreement.The US has engaged in indirect negotiations with Iran alongside formal talks in Vienna with the accord’s remaining parties — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.But escalating tensions in the Middle East now risk complicating the diplomatic choreography. The West has blamed Iran for a drone attack last week that struck an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman, killing a British security guard and a Romanian crew member.Iran has denied involvement in the incident, which marks the first-known fatal assault after a yearslong shadow war targeting commercial shipping in the region.-Economy top challenge-Iran’s economic woes, exacerbated by US sanctions, will be the new president’s top challenge, said Clement Therme, a researcher at the European University Institute in Italy.“His main objective will be to improve the economic situation by reinforcing the Islamic republic’s economic relations with neighboring countries” and others such as Russia and China, Therme said.In the winter of 2017-2018, and again in 2019, street protests sparked by the economic crisis rocked the country.And last month, demonstrators in oil-rich Khuzestan province, which has been hit by drought, took to the streets to vent their anger.The economic malaise has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has officially cost more than 90,000 lives and also hit many Iranians in the pocket.In his final cabinet meeting on Sunday, Rouhani defended his track record but apologized over the “hardships” Iranians have had to endure.
Missing Belarusian activist found hanged in Ukraine; police open murder probe-Vitaly Shishov, 26, was head of Belarusian House in Ukraine, an organization that helps his compatriots flee repression in Belarus; group accuses Lukashenko regime of murder-By Ania TSOUKANOVA-AUG 3,21-Today, 12:51 pm
KIEV, Ukraine (AFP) — A missing Belarusian activist has been found hanged in a park in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, police said on Tuesday, adding that they had opened a murder probe.Vitaly Shishov, 26, headed the Belarusian House in Ukraine, an organization helping his compatriots flee repression in Belarus.Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko has been cracking down on any form of dissent since mass protests erupted after last year’s elections, which were deemed unfair by the West.A large number of Belarusians have fled, many of them to neighboring Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania.“Belarusian citizen Vitaly Shishov, who had gone missing in Kyiv yesterday, was today found hanged in one of the Kiev parks, not far from where he lived,” police said in a statement.Police said they had opened a murder probe and would pursue all leads including a possible “murder disguised as a suicide.”Terrible: #Belarus citizen, Vitaly Shishov, who went missing after he went for a morning run in Kyiv #Ukraine on Monday, was found hanged in a Kiev park.Shishov led an NGO that helps Belarusians who flee persecution.A murder probe has been opened.https://t.co/Y55Jn8Uvw6 pic.twitter.com/7KTcTEDagU — Lotte Leicht (@LotteLeicht1) August 3, 2021-The Belarusian House in Ukraine accused the Lukashenko regime of being behind the murder of Shishov.“There is no doubt that this is an operation planned by Chekists to liquidate a Belarusian who presented a true danger to the regime,” the NGO said in a statement, referring to security service agents.The activist went jogging in Kyiv on Monday morning but did not return and could not be reached on his cellphone.Shishov moved to pro-Western Ukraine in the autumn of 2020, after joining anti-government protests in Belarus, and helped establish the Belarusian House in Ukraine.The group said that Shishov had been involved in everything from helping fellow compatriots to settle in Ukraine to staging anti-regime protests.The group also said that it had repeatedly received warnings about possible “provocations, including kidnapping and liquidation.”Friends of Shishov said he had been followed by “strangers” while jogging recently, human rights organization Viasna has said.Belarusian authorities have used force to put down historic demonstrations against Lukashenko’s rule and have been trying to snuff out remaining dissent, jailing university students and shutting down independent media.Shishov’s death came as Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said over the weekend that she was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics and threatened with forced repatriation for criticizing her athletics federation.The sprinter, who was granted a humanitarian visa by Poland on Monday, said she feared being jailed if she returned to her country.Her husband, Arseny Zdanevich, told AFP on Monday he had fled from Belarus to Ukraine and was hoping to join his wife “in the near future.”Lukashenko sparked international outrage in May by dispatching a fighter jet to intercept a Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania in order to arrest a dissident onboard.
Israel seeking to bolster PA, says senior official ahead of Bennett’s US visit-Defense Ministry holding off on settlement building approvals but will okay plans when timing is right, giving preference to projects in so-called blocs, says Israeli official-By Jacob Magid-AUG 3,21-Today, 11:19 am
NEW YORK — The new Israeli government is seeking to strengthen the Palestinian Authority as it enters a post-Netanyahu era and to bolster its own ties with the Democratic administration in Washington, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Sunday.“Our policy is first and foremost to strengthen the Palestinian Authority. Whatever Hamas receives, three times as much should be given to the PA,” said the official, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.The approach being taken by the new unity government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid flies in the face of the one maintained during the tenure of ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu, when relations with the PA hit an all-time low.But the shift will likely be essential to improving Israel’s relations with the US where the entry of Joe Biden into the White House marks a return to traditional American support for the two-state solution.The new mindset is at the center of Israel’s policy both in the West Bank where the PA is based and in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Hamas terror group.Expanding the equation-Discussing Israel’s position on Gaza reconstruction after the 11-day conflict Israel fought with terror groups there in May, the official acknowledged that Israel has since been engaged in indirect talks with Hamas via Egyptian mediators in Cairo.While the main players of those talks may be Israel and Hamas, the official said, Jerusalem has been adamant that the negotiation table be expanded.“We are saying that the PA needs to be part of this equation… because it is the moderate faction,” the official argued.A Jordanian mobile field hospital passes into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, through the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main passage point for goods entering Gaza from Israel, on May 21, 2021, after a ceasefire brokered by Egypt between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas terror group. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)-Israel is hoping this approach will result in Ramallah being tasked with distributing Qatari humanitarian aid in Gaza, the official said, while admitting that the matter is more dependent on approval from Hamas and Qatar.In an effort to prevent the rearmament of Hamas, Bennett’s government says, it will no longer allow the bimonthly entrance of tens of millions of dollars in cash from Qatar. Instead, it is demanding a third party — such as the PA or the UN — be charged with divvying out the funds in hopes that they will be more closely monitored and won’t be used to bankroll Hamas military operations.The Israeli position — along with its insistence that larger reconstruction projects for the Strip be conditioned on Hamas’s return of the two fallen IDF soldiers and two Israeli civilians it holds captive — have led to a dead end in the Cairo negotiations, but the official said that a development could still take place overnight.-West by West BankAs for the West Bank, going about strengthening the PA is an easier task for the new Israeli government.The senior official briefing ToI pointed to the Sunday cabinet decision to increase the number of work permits Israel provides for Palestinians by 15,000. The workers’ incomes are an important source of funding for the Palestinian economy, which has been battered by diminished international aid and a tough pandemic year.“We will try and advance all sorts of economic initiatives with the PA to try and strengthen their institutions as best we can… based on the understanding that this government won’t be able to strike a peace deal [with the Palestinians], but we can… work to ‘shrink the conflict,'” the official said, borrowing a phrase used by Israeli philosopher Micah Goodman, whose centrist political views have been coming to the attention of a growing number of cabinet members.Pressed for additional examples of how Israel might go about strengthening the PA, the official said Israel is prepared to give PA security forces greater room to operate in the West Bank and will try “to embarrass them less, by limiting as much as possible [IDF] operations that take place in front of PA police stations.”In June, an IDF arrest operation outside the PA Military Intelligence Unit headquarters in Jenin ended in the deaths of two PA security officers in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces.Other avenues for bolstering Ramallah being considered include expanding the list of imports Israel allows into the West Bank and authorizing the purchase of additional operational equipment by PA security forces, “such as GPS software,” the official said. “This helps create a reality in which there is better governance in [the West Bank].”The Defense Ministry is also looking into whether it can authorize Palestinian ID cards for roughly 7,000 undocumented Palestinians living in the West Bank’s Area C, which is under Israeli security and civilian control, the official said. The Oslo Accords of the 1990s made Israel temporarily responsible for approving new IDs for Palestinians in the West Bank, given that the IDF controls all crossings into the territory, but granting identity cards for thousands often stalls due to Israeli security concerns.The official acknowledged that there are limitations to the new policy goal. Last month, the security cabinet voted to withhold nearly NIS 600 million ($184 million) from the PA to offset funds that Ramallah paid in so-called terror stipends to security prisoners and their families in the past year.“We delayed the implementation of the [offsetting terrorists’ stipends] law, but in the end we must follow it,” the official said. “The PA said it’s looking at ways to reform their payment policy, so we’re waiting for them to do that.”And when the government has sought to boost cooperation with the PA, it has not always found a willing partner. Ramallah backed out of an agreement last month to trade a million Israeli coronavirus vaccines in exchange for an equal number of doses to be acquired by the PA at a later date after it was publicized that the Israeli vaccines were slated to expire within weeks, even though Israel was using doses from the batch on its own population.The Israeli government is also restricted by its unique makeup, with centrist and dovish ministers from the Yesh Atid, Blue and White, Labor and Meretz parties who are interested in reaching a political settlement with the PA holding key roles. On the other hand, they are balanced out by a prime minister from the hawkish Yamina party along with other cabinet members from the right-wing New Hope and Yisrael Beytenu parties who are on record with much less accommodating views toward the PA.But evidently recognizing that a publicly hardline approach will win him few friends in Washington, Bennett too has begun speaking of his desire to “shrink the conflict” and improve economic conditions for the Palestinians. He has also allowed senior officials to hold no fewer than six phone calls and meetings with their Palestinian counterparts since being sworn into office less than two months ago.Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s call last month with PA President Mahmoud Abbas was the first official conversation between an Israeli minister and the Palestinian premier since 2017.Differentiating between the blocs and isolated settlements-The senior official spoke to ToI as Bennett’s senior aides were arriving to Washington to meet with their American counterparts in preparation for the prime minister’s upcoming White House visit.The new government has been determined to demonstrate that it is capable of improving ties with both parties in the US, and not just with Republicans, who rushed to Israel’s side during the Netanyahu era.Part of this strategy has included an apparent reset of settlement policy, which went largely unchecked over the last four years when former US president Donald Trump was in office.The Defense Ministry body responsible for authorizing settlement construction hasn’t convened in eight months — covering the entire period since Biden entered office.The official said that the Civil Administration’s High Planning Subcommittee will be convened “at some point” and the building plans for the settlements will be released in a “smart manner.”“The policy is to first and foremost grant approvals in towns within the blocs where there is no problem to develop them, while projects beyond the blocs will be approved on an as-needed basis,” the official said, indicating a shift from the previous government, which sought to avoid differentiating between the so-called settlement blocs closer to the Green Line and the more isolated settlements deep in the West Bank.Netanyahu announced plans to annex all of Israel’s settlements last year but was forced to backtrack when the United Arab Emirates conditioned their normalization agreement with the Jewish state on Jerusalem’s shelving of the controversial plan for the West Bank.There are ideological differences between Gantz — whose office is in charge of most affairs in the West Bank over which Israel maintains military control — and Bennett, who heads the new government and has historically backed annexation of a majority of the West Bank.The heads of the eight parties making up the prospective new government meet in the Knesset on June 13, 2021. Left to right: Ra’am head Mansour Abbas, Labor chief Merav Michaeli, Blue and White head Benny Gantz, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, Yamina chief Naftali Bennett, New Hope head Gideon Sa’ar, Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman and Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz (Ariel Zandberg)“We’ll have to approve a certain number of projects that on the one hand will allow people to live there and on the other hand don’t cause us diplomatic damage,” the official said, while admitting that it was unclear when the High Planning subcommittee would convene next. “I’m not sure if it’ll take two weeks, a month, or three.”But following up on the new goal of strengthening the PA, the official, that new approvals for Israeli settlements could well be coupled with building permits for Palestinians in Area C, who have long suffered from a lack of such authorizations.The official said that the US response to the new Israeli approach has been positive and that the two countries share the objective of bolstering Ramallah, “so we’re working together in order to do that.”
Associated Press-Hamas re-elects Ismail Haniyeh as supreme leader-WAFAA SHURAFA-Sun, August 1, 2021, 8:53 AM
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Islamic militant group Hamas on Sunday said it has re-elected its supreme leader.Ismail Haniyeh, who has been living in exile for the past two years, was given a new four-year term by the Shura Council, the Islamic group's top decision-making body. He was unopposed.Haniyeh is a former aid to Hamas' founder, Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in 2004.He served as the Palestinian prime minister after Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006 — a year before the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza from the rival Fatah-led forces of President Mahmoud Abbas. He served as Hamas' leader in the group's Gaza stronghold before being elected as head of the movement in 2017.Haniyeh left Gaza in 2019 and has split his time between Turkey and Qatar. He has not said whether he will return.Hamas is an Islamic movement that seeks Israel's destruction. Since taking control of Gaza in 2007, the group has fought four wars against Israel, most recently in May, and numerous smaller battles over the years.The repeated fighting, combined with an Egyptian-Israeli blockade, has decimated Gaza's economy, with unemployment hovering around 50%.
SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.
GENESIS 1:5,145 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS-CHEMICAL WEAPONS
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;(BIOLOGICAL/CHEMICAL/NUCLEAR) and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) 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)
REVELATION 16:21 80-120LB HAIL ON HUMANS
21And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent:(80-120 LBS) and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke (DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
FEARFUL SIGHTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,221 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Massive forest fire near Jerusalem drives residents from homes-Six planes and dozens of firefighting units battle blaze that fire commissioner says was likely human-started, though not clear if deliberately or through negligence-By Stuart Winer-AUG 3,21-Today, 2:30 pm
A large brushfire broke out Tuesday on the outskirts of Jerusalem close to a number of residential homes, forcing the evacuation of dozens of families.Despite the ongoing heatwave, the local fire chief said the blaze was likely started by people rather than the weather.Six firefighting planes dumped retardant on the flames as 11 firefighter units worked to contain the blaze, which was approaching the community of Shoresh, about five kilometers west of Jerusalem.Another 13 firefighting units from other parts of the country were drafted to assist in the emergency, Hebrew media reported.The fire spread over an area of around 24 acres and came to within 350 meters of Shoresh.Some 60 families were told to leave their homes, Fire and Rescue Services Jerusalem District Commander Nissim Twito told the Kan public broadcaster. A nearby commercial center with a gas station was also cleared of people.Though Israel has been experiencing searing summer heat, with temperatures in Jerusalem on Tuesday reaching 34° Celsius (93.2° Fahrenheit), Fire and Rescue Commissioner Dedi Simchi said that human action rather than the weather was likely to blame.“It seems it was not the weather that started the fire, but there is no doubt it is accelerating it and making it bigger,” Simchi told Kan, noting there had been no reports of lightning during the day.Simchi said the fire was apparently started by people but said it was not clear if it was deliberate or through negligence.The fire also forced the closure of Route 1, the main highway connecting the capital to the coastal plain, between the Sha’ar Hagai and Hemed interchanges.In June several fires broke out in areas near Jerusalem, forcing the evacuation of homes, with authorities suspecting the blazes were deliberately set by West Bank Palestinians.
Associated Press-Seoul: North Korea releases army rice reserves amid shortage-HYUNG-JIN KIM-Tue, August 3, 2021, 3:37 AM
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is releasing emergency military rice reserves as its food shortage worsens, South Korea’s spy agency said Tuesday, with a heat wave and drought reducing the country's supply.The country's moribund economy is continuously being battered by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, and while mass starvation and social chaos have not been reported, observers expect further deterioration of North Korea's food situation until the autumn harvest.Seoul's National Intelligence Service told a closed-door parliamentary committee meeting that North Korea is supplying rice reserved for wartime uses to citizens left with little food, other laborers and rural state agencies, according to Ha Tae-keung, one of the lawmakers who attended the session.Ha cited the NIS as saying an ongoing heat wave and drought have wiped out rice, corn and other crops and killed livestock in North Korea. The NIS said North Korea's leadership views fighting the drought as “a matter of national existence” and is focusing on increasing public awareness of its campaign, Ha said.Another lawmaker, Kim Byung-kee, quoted the NIS as saying that North Korea normally needs about 5.5 million tons of food to feed its 26 million people but is currently short of 1 million tons. He said the NIS told the lawmakers that North Korea is running out of its grain stockpiles.The price of rice, the most important crop in North Korea, once doubled from early this year. The price briefly stabilized in July before soaring again, Kim cited the NIS as saying.Ha said North Korea is trying to control the price of grains to which its public is most sensitive.The lawmakers didn’t elaborate on North Korea's food situation or actions it was taking.But Kwon Tae-jin, an expert at the private GS&J Institute in South Korea, said North Korea is likely releasing the military reserves to sell at a cheaper price than at markets to stabilize prices. He said rice prices are “considerably unstable” in North Korea because the government has a limit in supplying such rice.North Korea had similar food shortages in past years before the pandemic, according to Kwon, but its needs were met by the smuggling of rice and other grains via the North’s porous border with China. But the North’s ongoing pandemic-caused border shutdowns made it extremely difficult for such smuggling to happen, worsening this year’s food shortage, Kwon said.The NIS has a spotty record in confirming developments in North Korea, one of the world’s most secretive countries. But its latest assessment came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un admitted his country faces the “worst-ever” crisis due to the pandemic and other difficulties and even a possible dire food shortage.During a key ruling party meeting in June, Kim urged officials to find ways to boost agricultural production, saying the country’s food situation “is now getting tense.” Earlier, he even compared the ongoing pandemic-related difficulties to a 1990s famine that killed hundreds of thousands.Kwon said North Korea's current food problem will continue until it harvests corns, rice and other grains in September and October. But he said North Korea won't likely suffer a humanitarian disaster like the 1990s famine, during which he said the public found little grains left at most markets. Currently, he said North Korean citizens can still buy grains at an expensive price at markets if they have money.Other experts say China, North Korea’s main ally and aid benefactor, also won’t likely let a massive famine happen in the North. They say China worries about North Korean refugees flooding over the border or the establishment of a pro-U.S., unified Korea on its doorstep.
Associated Press-In heat emergency, southern Europe scrambles for resources-Greece Heatwave-People stand on rocks near a beach of Kavouri suburb, southwest of Athens, Greece, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. The heat wave is expected to peak Monday, with temperatures inland ranging from 42 to 46 degrees Celsius (107.6 to 114.8 Fahrenheit). Temperatures will remain at 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) or above in much of Greece until at least Friday, meteorologists say. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)-DEREK GATOPOULOS, MEHMET GUZEL and COLLEEN BARRY-Mon, August 2, 2021, 9:11 AM
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A heat wave baking southeast Europe has fueled deadly wildfires in Turkey and threatened the national power grid in Greece as governments scrambled Monday to secure the resources needed to cope with the emergency.Temperatures reached 45 C (113 F) in inland areas of Greece and nearby countries and are expected to remain high for most of the week.Battling deadly wildfires along its coastline for a sixth day, Turkey broadened an appeal for international assistance and was promised water-dropping planes from the European Union. The fires have been blamed for the deaths of eight people in recent days.The help for residents in Turkey's fire-ravaged areas couldn't come soon enough. At the coastal village of Bozalan, resident Esra Sanli looked over at the blaze.“It’s burning. It’s obviously burning. There’s no plane, there’s no helicopter, there are no (access) roads,” she said, sobbing. “How is this going to be extinguished? How?”In Greece, an emergency was declared in fire-hit areas on the island of Rhodes, which is near the Turkish coast. Workers with health conditions were allowed to take time off work, while Greek coal-fired power stations slated for retirement were brought back into service to shore up the national grid, under pressure due to the widespread use of air conditioning.Pregnant and other vulnerable workers in North Macedonia were told to stay home.Dann Mitchell, a professor of climate science at the University of Bristol, said the heat wave in southeast Europe “is not at all unexpected, and very likely enhanced due to human-induced climate change.”"The number of extreme heat events around the world is increasing year on year, with the top 10 hottest years on record all occurring since 2005,” Mitchell told The Associated Press.“This year, we have seen a number of significant events, including a particularly dramatic heat wave in western Canada and the U.S., that was extreme even for current levels of climate change," Mitchell said. "These black swan events have always happened, but now they sit on the background of a hotter climate, so are even more deadly.”As hot weather edged southward, Italy and Croatia were experiencing storms as well as wildfires. A small tornado in Istria, on Croatia’s northern Adriatic coast, toppled trees that destroyed several cars, hours before a large wildfire erupted outside the nearby resort of Trogir, threatening homes and the local power supply.Some 30 people were treated for light smoke inhalation in Italy’s coastal city of Pescara after flames tore through a nearby pine forest. Beach-goers nearby had to be rescued by sea Sunday from that wildfire.“That zone of pine forest is a nature reserve, and it’s completely destroyed. It brings tears to see it. The environmental damage is incalculable. This is the heart of the city, its green lung and today it is destroyed,” Pescara Mayor Carlo Masci said.Cyprus, recovering from a major wildfire last month, kept water-dropping planes on patrol to respond to fires as they broke out.“If you don’t react right away with a massive response to any outbreak, things can turn difficult quickly,” forestry service chief Charalambos Alexandrou told state-run media. “The conditions are war-like.”On a visit to the power grid operator Monday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged members of the public to avoid daytime use of ovens, washing machines and other energy-demanding appliances to reduce the risk of blackouts. He described the weather conditions in Greece as the most severe since a deadly heat wave in 1987.It was the year that Ioanna Vergou, deputy mayor of the northern Greek town of Skydra, was born. The town of 5,500 briefly ranked among the hottest in the country. She said municipal workers had been given earlier shifts and those needing public services were handed water and sent to an air-conditioned waiting area.“Many people here have compared the heat wave to what happened in 1987,” she said. “But hopefully it will be easier this time round. We are all just waiting for it to pass.”___ Mehmet Guzel reported from Cokertme, Turkey and Colleen Barry reported from Milan, Italy. Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Ayse Wieting in Istanbul, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, and Konstantin Testorides in Skopje, North Macedonia also contributed. ___Follow all AP stories about climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/Climate
Associated Press-Evacuations lifted as progress made against fires in US West-Cal Fire Capts. Derek Leong, right, and Tristan Gale monitor a firing operation, where crews set a ground fire to stop a wildfire from spreading, while battling the Dixie Fire in Lassen National Forest, Calif., on Monday, July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)-APTOPIX California Wildfires-Mon, August 2, 2021, 3:30 AM
BLY, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters in Oregon reported good progress in the battle against the nation's largest wildfire, while authorities canceled evacuation orders near a major blaze in Northern California and another on Hawaii's Big Island.Containment of the Bootleg Fire in remote southern Oregon was up to 84% late Sunday. It was 56% contained a day earlier.“That reflects several good days of work on the ground where crews have been able to reinforce and build additional containment lines,” fire spokesman Al Nash said.The blaze has scorched over 646 square miles (1,673 square kilometers) since being sparked by lightning July 6 in the Fremont-Winema National Forest.California's Dixie Fire covered nearly 388 square miles (1,005 square kilometers) in mountains where 42 homes and other buildings have been destroyed.The fire was 33% contained Sunday evening, and evacuation orders and warnings had earlier been lifted for several areas of Butte and Plumas counties.The cause of the blaze was still under investigation.Authorities warned that with unpredictable winds and extremely dry fuels, the risk of flare-ups remained high.In recent days, lightning sparked two wildfires that threatened remote homes in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Evacuation warnings remained in place Sunday for communities along the Trinity River.In Montana, a wind-driven wildfire destroyed more than a dozen homes, outbuildings and other structures, authorities said Sunday. Evacuations were ordered after flames jumped a highway and moved toward communities near Flathead Lake in the northwestern part of the state.Crews also battled major blazes in northeast Washington and northern Idaho.Nearly 22,000 firefighters and support personnel were battling 91 large, active wildfires covering 2,813 square miles (7,285 square kilometers) in mostly western states, the National Interagency Fire Center said.A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.The U.S. Drought Monitor reported last week that while a robust monsoon has delivered drought-easing rainfall to the Southwest, critically dry conditions persist across Northern California and the Northwest, where there has been an expansion of “exceptional drought,” the worst category.Dry conditions and powerful winds made for dangerous fire conditions in Hawaii. A wind advisory was issued Sunday for portions of Lanai, Maui and the Big Island.A fast-moving wildfire on Hawaii’s Big Island grew to 62.5 square miles (101 square kilometers), prompting mandatory evacuation orders. Those orders — which forced thousands of residents out of their homes — were lifted Sunday evening. However, authorities told residents to remain alert.“County officials ask all residents of the affected areas to only return home if absolutely necessary,” Hawaii County spokesperson Cyrus Johnasen said in a statement. “Smoke and other conditions may make returns unsafe for those with prior and underlying respiratory conditions.”Local media reported at least two homes had been destroyed. Two community shelters were open for residents who weren't able to return home, the Hawaii Red Cross said.
