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 190,471,962 - DEAD 4,094,994 - AS OF SAT JUL 17,2021
Ethical questions raised over use of AI to recreate Bourdain’s voice in new docu-Viewers concerned both by the audio fakery and the director’s seeming dismissal of any moral concerns-By Matt O'Brien and Barbara Ortutay-JUL 17,21-Today, 1:03 pm
AP — The revelation that a documentary filmmaker used voice-cloning software to make the late chef Anthony Bourdain say words he never spoke has drawn criticism amid ethical concerns about use of the powerful technology.The movie “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” appeared in cinemas Friday and mostly features real footage of the beloved celebrity chef and globe-trotting television host before he died in 2018. But its director, Morgan Neville, told The New Yorker that a snippet of dialogue was created using artificial intelligence technology.That’s renewed a debate about the future of voice-cloning technology, not just in the entertainment world but in politics and a fast-growing commercial sector dedicated to transforming text into realistic-sounding human speech.“Unapproved voice cloning is a slippery slope,” said Andrew Mason, the founder and CEO of voice generator Descript, in a blog post Friday. “As soon as you get into a world where you’re making subjective judgment calls about whether specific cases can be ethical, it won’t be long before anything goes.”Before this week, most of the public controversy around such technologies focused on the creation of hard-to-detect deepfakes using simulated audio and/or video and their potential to fuel misinformation and political conflict.But Mason, who previously founded and led Groupon, said in an interview that Descript has repeatedly rejected requests to bring back a voice, including from “people who have lost someone and are grieving.”“It’s not even so much that we want to pass judgment,” he said. “We’re just saying you have to have some bright lines in what’s OK and what’s not.”Angry and uncomfortable reactions to the voice cloning in the Bourdain case reflect expectations and issues of disclosure and consent, said Sam Gregory, program director at Witness, a nonprofit working on using video technology for human rights. Obtaining consent and disclosing the technowizardry at work would have been appropriate, he said. Instead, viewers were stunned — first by the fact of the audio fakery, then by the director’s seeming dismissal of any ethical questions — and expressed their displeasure online.“It touches also on our fears of death and ideas about the way people could take control of our digital likeness and make us say or do things without any way to stop it,” Gregory said.Neville hasn’t identified what tool he used to recreate Bourdain’s voice but said he used it for a few sentences that Bourdain wrote but never said aloud.“With the blessing of his estate and literary agent we used AI technology,” Neville said in a written statement. “It was a modern storytelling technique that I used in a few places where I thought it was important to make Tony’s words come alive.”Neville also told GQ magazine that he got the approval of Bourdain’s widow and literary executor. The chef’s wife, Ottavia Busia, responded by tweet: “I certainly was NOT the one who said Tony would have been cool with that.”Although tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Amazon have dominated text-to-speech research, there are now also a number of startups like Descript that offer voice-cloning software. The uses range from talking customer service chatbots to video games and podcasting.Many of these voice cloning companies prominently feature an ethics policy on their website that explains the terms of use. Of nearly a dozen firms contacted by The Associated Press, many said they didn’t recreate Bourdain’s voice and wouldn’t have if asked. Others didn’t respond.“We have pretty strong polices around what can be done on our platform,” said Zohaib Ahmed, founder and CEO of Resemble AI, a Toronto company that sells a custom AI voice generator service. “When you’re creating a voice clone, it requires consent from whoever’s voice it is.”Ahmed said the rare occasions where he’s allowed some posthumous voice cloning were for academic research, including a project working with the voice of Winston Churchill, who died in 1965.Ahmed said a more common commercial use is to edit a TV ad recorded by real voice actors and then customize it to a region by adding a local reference. It’s also used to dub anime movies and other videos, by taking a voice in one language and making it speak a different language, he said.He compared it to past innovations in the entertainment industry, from stunt actors to greenscreen technology.Just seconds or minutes of recorded human speech can help teach an AI system to generate its own synthetic speech, though getting it to capture the clarity and rhythm of Anthony Bourdain’s voice probably took a lot more training, said Rupal Patel, a professor at Northeastern University who runs another voice-generating company, VocaliD, that focuses on customer service chatbots.“If you wanted it to speak really like him, you’d need a lot, maybe 90 minutes of good, clean data,” she said. “You’re building an algorithm that learns to speak like Bourdain spoke.”Neville is an acclaimed documentarian who also directed the Fred Rogers portrait “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and the Oscar-winning “20 Feet From Stardom.” He began making his latest movie in 2019, more than a year after Bourdain’s death by suicide in June 2018.
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.
Syria’s Assad sworn in for 4th term after an election derided overseas-President says the vote, which international community said was neither free nor fair, proves ‘the strength of popular legitimacy that the people have conferred to the state’-By Agencies-JUL 17,21-Today, 1:40 pm
DAMASCUS — President Bashar al-Assad took the oath of office for a fourth term in war-ravaged Syria Saturday, after taking 95 percent of the vote in a controversial election dismissed abroad.Assad was sworn in on the constitution and the Koran in the presence of more than 600 guests, including ministers, businessmen, academics and journalists, organizers said.The elections “have proven the strength of popular legitimacy that the people have conferred to the state,” 55-year-old Assad said, in his inauguration speech.They “have discredited the declarations of Western officials on the legitimacy of the state, the constitution and the homeland,” he added.In power since 2000, Assad’s re-election in a landslide was never in doubt. His new term starts with the country still devastated by 10 years of war and sliding deeper into a worsening economic crisis.The UN estimates that more than 80% of Syrians live under the poverty line. The Syrian currency is in a free fall and basic services and resources have become scarce or are offered at exorbitant parallel market prices. Fighting has largely subsided, but parts of Syria remain out of government-control and foreign troops and militias are deployed in different parts of the country.Nearly half of Syria’s pre-war population is either displaced or living in neighboring countries or Europe as refugees. The war has left nearly half a million killed, tens of thousands missing and devastated the infrastructure.The conflict that began in 2011 started after the government cracked down on peaceful protests, turning the opposition against the decades-long rule of the Assad family into an armed rebellion.Assad, targeted by widening sanctions and isolated by the West, is supported by Iran and Russia, who sent in troops and assistance that have propped him up throughout the war.European and US governments blame Assad and his aides for most of the war’s atrocities. Assad calls his armed opposition terrorists while UN-led talks to end the conflict have lacked any progress.Assad took over in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez, who seized power in 1970 in a bloodless military coup.US and European officials have questioned the legitimacy of the election, saying it violated UN resolutions in place to resolve the conflict, lacks any international monitoring and is unrepresentative of all Syrians.In this photo released by the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency, Syrian President Bashar Assad, center, waves to his supporters upon arrival to takes the oath of office for a fourth seven-year term, at the Syrian Presidential Palace in the capital Damascus, Syria, July 17, 2021 (Syrian Presidency via Facebook via AP)Assad garnered 95.1% of the vote in the election, in which officials said turnout was 78.6% of some 18 million registered voters. There were no independent monitors of the one-day vote. Competition was symbolic, with two candidates running against Assad.On the eve of the May 26 election, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy said the poll was “neither free nor fair,” and Syria’s fragmented opposition has called it a “farce.”With his campaign slogan, “Hope through work,” Assad cast himself as the sole architect of a reconstruction phase for the troubled country.
Jewish man beaten, robbed on his way to synagogue in Brooklyn-NYPD’s Hate Crimes Division investigating attack by 2 masked assailants-By TOI staff-JUL 17,21-Today, 9:36 am
A Jewish man was beaten and robbed by two suspects on his way to synagogue in Brooklyn on Friday morning.The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Division said they were investigating the attack.Police said the man was attacked at at approximately 5:45 a.m. on Friday in the vicinity of 1910 New York Ave in Brooklyn.Security footage of the assalut was released by Shomrim, a private Orthodox Jewish security patrol.In the video, the victim is apparently walking down the street when he is attacked by a man. Seconds later an accomplice joined the assault, which lasted a few seconds. The suspects both wore hoods and masks.Still photos released by the organization apparently showed bloodstains on the sidewalk after the assault.This pair viciously assaulted and robbed a local resident on his way to Shul this morning. His Tefillin were ultimately recovered by our volunteers.#Shomrim is offering a $1k reward for info leading to arrests – call @NYPD63Pct 911 and our hotline 718-338-9797 with any info. pic.twitter.com/i800Fvyjts — Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol (@FlatbushShomrim) July 16, 2021“This pair viciously assaulted and robbed a local resident on his way to Shul this morning. His Tefillin were ultimately recovered by our volunteers,” the patrol group tweeted, using the Hebrew word for the man’s phylacteries.The group said there was a financial reward for any information leading to the arrests of the suspects.Recent months have seen a surge in antisemitic incidents across the US. The organization that advises US Jewish communities on security matters said it recorded an 80% spike in antisemitic acts in May amid Israel’s 11-day conflict with Gaza-based terror groups.
Associated Press-Russia to unveil new fighter jet at Moscow's air show-Sat, July 17, 2021, 6:07 AM·2 min read
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian aircraft makers say they will present a prospective new fighter jet at a Moscow air show that opens next week.The new warplane hidden under tarpaulin was photographed being towed to a parking spot across an airfield in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, where the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon opens Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit the show's opening.Russian media reports said that the new jet has been built by the Sukhoi aircraft maker in a program of development of a light tactical fighter.Unlike Russia's latest Su-57 two-engine stealth fighter, the new aircraft is smaller and has one engine.The new warplane's name is unknown, and there is no information about its capability and deployment prospects.Rostec, the state corporation that includes Russian aircraft makers, said the "fundamentally new military aircraft” will be unveiled Tuesday at the show. In an apparent bid to raise public interest before the presentation, Rostec published a picture of the new plane covered by tarpaulin with “wanna see me naked?” written under it. It also posted a brief video featuring excited foreign customers and the jet's vague shadow over the water.Following the Rostec announcement, Russian plane spotters rushed to Zhukovsky to take pictures of the new plane — an eerie parallel with Cold War times when Western spies tried to get a glimpse of the latest Soviet warplanes at the tightly-guarded airfield that served as the country's top military aircraft test facility.“Russia is one of the few countries in the world with full-cycle capacities for producing advanced aircraft systems, as well as a recognized trendsetter in the creation of combat aircraft," Rostec said.The Kremlin has made modernization of the country's armed forces a top priority amid a bitter strain in relations with the West, which have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, accusations of Russian interference in elections, hacking attacks and other irritants.
Associated Press-Jihadis expand control to new Burkina Faso fronts-Children play on a water pump in an internally displaced camp in Gaoa, Burkina Faso, April 22, 2021. Until recently life was peaceful in western Burkina Faso's Comoe province, but an increase in attacks by extremist groups in the country's west has put the military on edge.-SAM MEDNICK-Sat, July 17, 2021, 3:54 AM
BANFORA, Burkina Faso (AP) — Florent Coulibaly, a soldier in Burkina Faso’s army, says he hasn't been sleeping well for the past few months as he is often roused at 3 a.m. to fight jihadi rebels.Until recently life was peaceful in western Burkina Faso’s Comoe province, but an increase in attacks by extremist groups in the country’s west has put the military on edge.“It tires us. It gives us a lot of work. It scares us, too,” said Coulibaly, 27. “We don’t know where (the jihadis) are going to come from. They see us, but we don’t see them. They know us, but we don’t know them.”Over the past six months, his battalion has doubled its patrols from once a week to twice, but Coulibaly says the men are ill-equipped, overworked and worry the area could be overrun by jihadis.Burkina Faso is experiencing an increase in extremist violence by groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Last month, at least 11 police officers were killed when their patrol was ambushed in the north. The country also experienced its deadliest violence in years when at least 132 civilians were killed in an attack in its Sahel region.The jihadi rebels are also expanding their reach within Burkina Faso. Extremist violence centered in the country’s north and east has spread into the west and southwest areas near Mali and Ivory Coast, bringing residents and security forces in those areas to brace for more conflict.The move into western Burkina Faso makes strategic sense for the groups who can use it as a base to extend their operations in West Africa. The thick vegetation gives them cover and the area can give them territorial control over the smuggling route between Gulf of Guinea countries and Mali.Attacks in three regions of Burkina Faso’s south and southwest quadrupled from four to 17 between 2018 and 2019, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. There were nine attacks last year — a reduction that analysts attribute to increased military operations as well as the expansion of violence across the border in neighboring Ivory Coast.In June, a soldier was killed in northeastern Ivory Coast on the border with Burkina Faso, and in March there was an attack by 60 gunmen on two security outposts in Ivory Coast, killing three people.“This attack confirmed the intention of armed groups to target the north of coastal countries. This is likely a new phase in the groups’ strategy to expand into these areas,” said Florent Geel, deputy director-general for Promediation, an international organization focused on mediation.During a trip in April to the towns of Banfora and Gaoua in the west and southwest, as well as one village near the border with Ivory Coast, local defense groups and security forces told The Associated Press they didn’t have the manpower to stem the violence and felt like it was just a matter of time until the area was inundated by jihadis. Civilians also say they’ve started living in fear.Last year, for the first time, jihadis posted notes on classroom doors warning students and teachers to stay away, said a 35-year-old primary teacher in a village in Comoe province who didn't want to be named for fear of his safety. While his village hasn’t been attacked, it has become militarized with checkpoints stoking paranoia among residents.“The situation is deteriorating .. In the past you could leave (the village) at midnight with your motorbike ... But today you are not going to take the risk ... When you’re sleeping you’re on the lookout, when you hear a strange noise you startle, but before it wasn’t like that,” he said.Large numbers of teachers, including himself, are asking to transfer from less secure villages, which are easier for jihadis to attack, into larger towns like Banfora, he said.Burkina Faso’s army is also trying to work with the Ivorian military by conducting joint patrols and sharing intelligence, but during at least one clash with jihadis, the Ivorian soldiers refused to fight, the military said.Some areas have no security presence and rely on local defense groups to stave off extremists. In Gaoua, a group of Dozos — traditional hunters who operate across the region — said they’re often the first to arrive when there is an attack, with the army showing up three hours later or not at all.“It’s discouraging,” said Noufe Sansan, a Dozo chief. Pointing to a text message on his phone that he received from a security officer informing him that there are more than 60 extremists hiding in a nearby forest, he said news of attacks in the once peaceful area have become almost daily.The Dozos are trying to strengthen their forces and alert the community of the potential for future violence, but want help from the government. Two years ago, they asked for 24 motorbikes to increase mobility to better respond to attacks, but have yet to receive anything, he said.Meanwhile, civilians who escaped the volatility in the north in hopes of rebuilding their lives in more peaceful parts of the country, say they’re fed up from fleeing.Seated on the ground in Niangoloko village, 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Ivory Coast’s border, Saydou Gamsore described how he fled his home last year because of the extremist violence and said if he’s attacked again, he’d rather die than keep moving.“We are tired of running away,” said the 76-year-old. “Even if it means death … I will stay here."
Washington Examiner-China threatens ‘death knell’ for Hong Kong dissidents as US sanctions officials-China threatens ‘death knell’ for Hong Kong dissidents as US sanctions officials-Joel Gehrke-Fri, July 16, 2021, 4:30 PM·3 min read
Secretary of State Antony Blinken blacklisted seven Chinese officials for their role in the crackdown on Hong Kong, as the mainland communist regime vowed to retaliate against dissidents and the United States.“Beijing has chipped away at Hong Kong’s reputation of accountable, transparent governance and respect for individual freedoms and has broken its promise to leave Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy unchanged for 50 years,” Blinken said Friday. “In the face of Beijing’s decisions over the past year that have stifled the democratic aspirations of people in Hong Kong, we are taking action.”LAST PRO-DEMOCRACY NEWS OUTLET IN HONG KONG TO SHUT DOWN AFTER TOP BRASS ARRESTED-Blinken’s sanctions target list was filled with officials at the mainland regime’s liaison office in Hong Kong, who were blacklisted to mark the first anniversary of Beijing’s adoption of a national security law that expanded Chinese Communist control over Hong Kong. Chinese officials declared their “contempt” for that punishment earlier Friday while airing a new threat against the democracy activists in the former British colony.“I also warn the politicians of the United States and the European Parliament that they have grossly trampled on international law and interfered in our country’s internal affairs by imposing meaningless sanctions on us,” the Chinese State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office chief, Xia Baolong, said at a forum celebrating the anniversary of the national security law. “This will only arouse more of our anger and contempt for you and sound the death knell for your agents in Hong Kong.”The dueling diplomatic messages Friday took aim at multinational businesses that drop anchor in Hong Kong, as mainland China hopes to continue to reap the benefits that Hong Kong’s powerhouse economy provided in recent decades. American officials, however, regard the national security law as the destruction of the “one country, two systems” policy that underpinned the U.S. decision to grant Hong Kong special economic status under American law.“Businesses, individuals, and other persons ... that operate in Hong Kong, or have exposure to sanctioned individuals or entities, should be aware of changes to Hong Kong’s laws and regulations,” a business advisory issued by the U.S. government on Friday warns. "As a result of these changes, they should be aware of potential reputational, regulatory, financial, and, in certain instances, legal risks associated with their Hong Kong operations.”Xia, the head of China’s Hong Kong affairs office, insisted that business is good. “The law has given international investors reassurance, and Hong Kong’s status as a financial center has not been compromised in the slightest,” he said.British officials declared Beijing’s overhaul of the territory’s elections process “a clear breach” of the deal that they struck with Beijing before the United Kingdom relinquished sovereignty over Hong Kong, but Chinese officials insist that the “one country, two systems” model remains in place.China will respond strongly to possible US measures,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Friday.
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.
'Within minutes, a wave was in the house'‘Catastrophic’: Europe reels from worst floods in years as death toll passes 150-Hundreds still missing in Germany, Belgium as rescuers work to find survivors; threat not yet over, with swollen Meuse river looking ‘very dangerous’ for nearby town-By Agencies-JUL 17,21-Today, 8:36 am
BERLIN — Devastating floods have torn through entire villages and killed at least 153 people in Europe, most of them in western Germany where stunned emergency services were still combing the wreckage on Saturday.Police said that more than 90 people are now known to have died in western Germany’s Ahrweiler county, one of the worst-hit areas, and more casualties are feared. On Friday, authorities gave a death toll of 63 for Rhineland-Palatinate state, where Ahrweiler is located.Another 43 people were confirmed dead in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany’s most populous. Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported that the death toll in Belgium rose to 27 on Saturday.By Saturday, waters were receding across much of the affected regions, but officials feared that more bodies might be found in cars and trucks that were swept away.Streets and houses were submerged by water in some areas, while cars were left overturned on soaked streets after flood waters passed. Some districts were completely cut off.In Germany’s worst-hit regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, residents who fled the deluge were gradually returning to their homes and scenes of desolation.“Within minutes, a wave was in the house,” said baker Cornelia Schloesser of the torrents that arrived overnight Wednesday in the town of Schuld, carrying her century-old family business with it.“It’s all been a nightmare for 48 hours, we’re going round in circles here but we can’t do anything,” she said, surveying the heaps of twisted metal, broken glass and wood that have piled up at her former storefront.Roger Lewentz, interior minister for Rheinland-Palatinate, told Bild the death toll was likely to rise as emergency services continued to search the affected areas over the coming days.“When emptying cellars or pumping out cellars, we keep coming across people who have lost their lives in these floods,” he said.Adding to the devastation, several more people were feared dead in a landslide in the town of Erftstadt in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) triggered by the floods.Calling the floods “possibly the most catastrophic our country has ever seen,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo declared Tuesday a day of national mourning.Luxembourg and the Netherlands were also hammered by heavy rains, inundating many areas and forcing thousands to be evacuated in the city of Maastricht.-Fearing the worst-In Germany’s hard-hit Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate, several houses collapsed completely, drawing comparisons to the aftermath of a tsunami.“I fear that we will only see the full extent of the disaster in the coming days,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said late Thursday from Washington, where she met with US President Joe Biden.“My empathy and my heart go out to all of those who in this catastrophe lost their loved ones, or who are still worrying about the fate of people still missing.”German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier planned to travel Saturday to Erftstadt, southwest of Cologne, where a harrowing rescue effort unfolded on Friday as people were trapped when the ground gave way and their homes collapsed. Officials feared that some people didn’t manage to escape, but by Saturday morning no casualties had been confirmed.In Ahrweiler, around 1,300 people were unaccounted for, although local authorities told Bild the high number was likely due to damaged phone networks.Lewentz told local media that up to 60 people were believed to be missing “and when you haven’t heard from people for such a long time… you have to fear the worst.”-Billions in damage-Gerd Landsberg, head of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, said the cost of the damage was likely to run into “billions of euros.”In Belgium, the army has been sent to four of the country’s 10 provinces to help with rescue and evacuations.The swollen Meuse river “is going to look very dangerous for Liege,” a nearby city of 200,000 people, warned Wallonia regional president Elio Di Rupo.In Switzerland, lakes and rivers were also swelling after heavy overnight rainfall. In Lucerne in particular, Lake Lucerne had begun to flood the city center.Some parts of western Europe received up to two months’ worth of rainfall in two days on soil that was already near saturation, according to the World Meteorological Organization.But there was some improvement Friday as the water level began to fall back.Climate change? The severe storms have put climate change back at the center of Germany’s election campaign ahead of a September 26 poll marking the end of Merkel’s 16 years in power.Speaking in Berlin, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Germany would “only be able to curb extreme weather situations if we engage in a determined fight against climate change.”The country “must prepare much better” in future, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said, adding that “this extreme weather is a consequence of climate change.”Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding from extreme rainfall.In urban areas with poor drainage and buildings located in flood zones, the damage can be severe.North Rhine-Westphalia premier Armin Laschet, the conservative running to succeed Merkel, called for “speeding up” global efforts to fight climate change, underlining the link between global warming and extreme weather.
Dutch PM blames climate change for deadly flooding in Europe-‘Something is really happening, let’s be clear,’ says Mark Rutte while visiting an area of the Netherlands that suffered damage-By AFP-JUL 17,21-Today, 4:43 pm
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Storms that have lashed Europe are “without doubt” the result of climate change, the Dutch prime minister said, as a collection for the badly hit south of the country topped one million euros.More than 150 people have died in the worst floods in decades in Europe, mostly in Germany, according to the latest toll on Saturday.Several towns in southern Netherlands suffered damage from flooding this week — though they were spared the worst seen in Germany and Belgium — and no deaths have been reported.Asked late Friday during a visit to the southern province of Limburg whether global warming had contributed to the disaster, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that was “without a doubt the case.”“I don’t want to make hasty declarations,” he said. “But something is really happening, let’s be clear.”More than one million euros has been collected for a fund to aid the worst-hit areas in the Netherlands, the ANP news agency reported.To stop any future flood disasters, “the first thing to do, and fortunately we are doing it in the Netherlands, is to give space to rivers,” Rutte said.After major flooding in 1993 and again in early 1995, when 250,000 people and one million animals had to be evacuated, the Dutch reshaped areas around the rivers.More than two billion euros was invested to widen riverbanks. The project was completed in 2019.“We see that neighboring countries are saying ‘we must learn still more from the Dutch to deal with the fact that there will be more water in coming years,'” said Rutte.But the Dutch will also have to “learn lessons” and ask “what more can we do?”
Massive, erratic Oregon wildfire spreads miles a day, destroys dozens of homes-Bootleg Fire burns for 377 square miles — larger than the area of New York City — and is mostly uncontained; crews flee ‘fire cloud’; dry conditions and heat waves sweep region-By Gillian Flaccus-JUL 17,21-Today, 12:37 pm
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — Firefighters scrambled Friday to control a raging inferno in southeastern Oregon that’s spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous wildfires across the US West that are straining resources.Crews had to flee the fire lines late Thursday after a dangerous “fire cloud” started to collapse, threatening them with strong downdrafts and flying embers. An initial review Friday showed the Bootleg Fire destroyed 67 homes and 117 outbuildings overnight in one county. Authorities were still counting the losses in a second county where the flames are surging up to 4 miles (6 kilometers) a day.The blaze has forced 2,000 people to evacuate and is threatening 5,000 buildings that include homes and smaller structures in a rural area just north of the California border, fire spokeswoman Holly Krake said. Active flames are surging along 200 miles (322 kilometers) of the fire’s perimeter, she said, and it’s expected to merge with a smaller, but equally explosive fire by nightfall.The Bootleg Fire is now 377 square miles (976 square kilometers) — larger than the area of New York City — and mostly uncontained.“We’re likely going to continue to see fire growth over miles and miles of active fire line,” Krake said. “We are continuing to add thousands of acres a day, and it has the potential each day, looking forward into the weekend, to continue those 3- to 4-mile runs.”The inferno has stymied firefighters for a week with erratic winds and extremely dangerous fire behavior, including ominous fire clouds that form from superheated air rising to a height of up to 6 miles (10 kilometers) above the blaze.“We’re expecting those same exact conditions to continue and worsen into the weekend,” Krake said of the fire-induced clouds.Early on, the fire doubled in size almost daily, and strong winds Thursday again pushed the flames rapidly. Similar winds gusting up to 30 mph (48 kph) were expected Friday.It’s burning an area north of the California border that has been gripped by extreme drought, like most of the American West.Extremely dry conditions and heat waves tied to climate change have swept the region, making wildfires harder to fight. Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.The blaze was most active on its northeastern flank, pushed by winds from the south toward the rural communities of Summer Lake and Spring Lake. Paisley, to the east of the fire, was also at risk. All the towns are in Lake County, a remote area of lakes and wildlife refuges with a total population of about 8,000.The Bootleg Fire is one of at least a dozen major fires burning in Washington state, Oregon and California as a siege of wildfires takes hold across the drought-stricken West. There were 70 active large fires and complexes of multiple fires that have burned nearly 1,659 square miles (4,297 square kilometers) in the U.S., the National Interagency Fire Center said.In the Pacific Northwest, firefighters say they are facing conditions more typical of late summer or fall than early July.About 200 firefighters were battling but had little control over the 17-square-mile (44-square-kilometer) Red Apple Fire near the Washington city of Wenatchee renowned for its apples. The flames were threatening apple orchards and an electrical substation, but no buildings have been lost, officials said.In California, the Tamarack Fire in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest quickly grew to 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers) on Friday, prompting evacuations in the Markleeville area in Alpine County. The blaze prompted the cancelation of Saturday’s “Death Ride,” a 103-mile (165.76-kilometer) bicycle ride in the so-called California Alps over three Sierra Nevada mountain passes.
1 killed at Iran water shortage protests in restive drought-hit province-Khuzestan governor says ‘opportunists and rioters’ shot protester; province is main oil-producing region; has large Sunni Arab minority which complains of marginalization-By AFP-JUL 17,21-Today, 11:48 am
TEHRAN — A demonstrator was shot dead during protests against water shortages in drought-hit southwestern Iran, state media reported Saturday, with an official blaming the death on “opportunists and rioters.”The demonstrator was killed in the Khuzestan province town of Shadegan, the official IRNA news agency said.“Last night (Friday), a number of Shadegan’s people had gathered to protest water shortages due to the drought, during which opportunists and rioters shot dead one of the demonstrators,” the county’s acting governor, Omid Sabripour, told IRNA.Sabripour said the perpetrators “sought to agitate the people by shooting in the air” and a “young Shadegan resident” was shot in the process.In separate comments to the ISNA news agency, Sabripour said the fire was directed at both the demonstrators and security forces.He added that the victim was a “30-year-old passer-by” and that those responsible were identified and some arrested last night, with a manhunt under way for the others.Nighttime street protests continue in #Iran's Khuzestan Province as people complain about severe water shortages.The video below was filmed in Soosangerd this evening.pic.twitter.com/1yeafmkJ5P — Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) July 16, 2021-A persistent drought in Khuzestan province has led to tensions over water since late March, IRNA reported.Iran has endured repeated droughts over the past decade, particularly in the south.Earlier this month, President Hassan Rouhani said this year’s drought was “unprecedented” with average rainfall down 52 percent compared to the previous year.Earlier this week, the government sent a delegation to Khuzestan to tackle the water shortage.The province is Iran’s main oil-producing region and one of its wealthiest.It is also one of the few areas of mainly Shiite Iran to have a large Sunni Arab minority, which has frequently complained of marginalization.In 2019, the province was a hotspot of anti-government protests that had shaken other areas of the Islamic republic.Farsi-language media based abroad said security forces had cracked down on protesters demonstrating against severe water shortages on Thursday, but domestic media played down the reports.Over the years, blistering summer heatwaves and seasonal sandstorms blowing in from Saudi Arabia and neighboring Iraq have dried up Khuzestan’s once fertile plains.Scientists say climate change amplifies droughts, and their intensity and frequency in turn threaten food security.
Associated Press-UN chief: World faces a `hurricane of humanitarian crises' As the United States warns that up to 900,000 people in Tigray face famine conditions in the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade, little is known about vast areas of Tigray that have been under the control of combatants from all sides since November 2020.An internally displaced woman carries a child outside makeshift tents at Pu Phar Village, Demawso Township, Kayah State on Thursday June 17, 2021.Ethiopia Trapped Beyond Aid-EDITH M. LEDERER-Fri, July 16, 2021, 1:54 PM
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief warned Friday that a “hurricane of humanitarian crises” around the world has left civilians in conflict areas paying the highest price and is compounded by a relentless wave of attacks on humanitarian and medical workers.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said humanitarian needs are outpacing the ability of the United Nations and aid organizations to meet them, “turbocharged by the COVID-19 pandemic“We are in uncharted waters,” he said in a speech to the U.N. Security Council read by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.“The sheer scale of humanitarian needs have never been greater,” Guterres said. “The United Nations and our partners are seeking to reach 160 million people with assistance this year -- the highest figure ever.”He cited Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria as examples of the “bloody surge in humanitarian crises.”From Tigray, he said, the U.N. has heard “credible reports” in the past few months of executions of civilians, arbitrary arrests and detentions, sexual violence against children and forced displacement “on a massive scale.”“In Afghanistan, brutal attacks killed at least 24 civilians, including five health workers, during just one week in June,” he said. “Civilian casualties in the first quarter of this year increased by 29% compared to last year; the increase for women was 37%.”The secretary-general said in Yemen, at least five civilians are killed or injured every day on average, 20 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid, and five million “are face-to-face with famine.”And in last month’s attack on one of the largest hospitals in northern Syria, which killed 19 civilians including three children, one missile reportedly hit the emergency room and another hit the delivery room, he said.Guterres urged the Security Council to take strong and immediate action to support its resolutions on protecting civilians, humanitarian and health care workers, as well as hospitals, schools, water facilities and other “humanitarian space.”Around the world, he said, security incidents affecting humanitarian organizations including shootings, assaults, sexual violence, kidnappings and raids “have increased tenfold since 2001.”In Tigray, 12 aid workers have been killed since the conflict started in November 2020 and many more have been intimidated, harassed and detained, he said.So fair this year, Guterres said, the World Health Organization has recorded 568 incidents affecting the delivery of medical care in 14 conflict zones including shootings, shelling, threats, equipment removals, and the militarization of medical facilities causing 114 deaths of health care workers and patients.The secretary-general said it is becoming more difficult to provide aid to people in need, citing restrictions imposed by governments or parties to conflicts on the movement of humanitarian goods, long visa and customs procedures, delays at checkpoints, and high taxes and fees on supplies.He urged governments to “support aid rather than blocking it,” and to make sure their “counterterrorism operations do not undermine humanitarian operations.”Guterres also urged an end to practices that “politicize humanitarian action” including frequent attempts to interfere in humanitarian organizations’ selection of aid recipients and aid partners, counterterrorism legislation criminalizing humanitarian and medical activities — and conversely politicians and military members portraying aid as part of their counterterrorism agenda.He also urged action to foster greater respect for international humanitarian law including training militaries, to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on humanitarian workers and to ensure that governments protect the ability of aid organizations to engage with all parties to conflict, including armed groups.The secretary-general called on the Security Council to “use its influence to ensure that attacks against schools and hospitals cease immediately, and that these facilities and their personnel are protected.”Robert Mardini, director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, echoed Guterres’ concern at the increasing gap between humanitarian needs and the ability to respond "because of the compounded crises and overlap of armed conflict, the consequence of climate change (and) increase of COVID cases in many places from Afghanistan to Tigray.”Humanitarian budgets are under increasing pressure, he said, “so we are dealing with these terrible dilemmas to be able to set priorities where the most pressing needs are.”Mardini told the council meeting, which focused on protecting civilians and preserving humanitarian space, that humanitarian workers must be able to work in close proximity to those in need, and conflict-affected people and communities must be able to reach aid “in a safe and dignified way.”When there is no humanitarian space, he said, there is “a dire lack of protection and assistance for those who need it most” and humanitarian workers are put “in mortal danger, far too many of them traumatized, missing, maimed or killed.”He highlighted three ICRC concerns: the politicization and manipulation of humanitarian aid, countries insisting on armed escorts to ensure safety for those delivering aid often resulting in “less safety and more security incidents,” and “the growing negative impact of sanctions and counter-terrorism measures on humanitarian aid.”Mardini said divisions in the Security Council, “notably on access to populations in need, are increasing suffering on the frontlines."France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, whose country holds the council presidency and chaired the meeting, called the shrinking of humanitarian space “extremely worrisome.”He said the Security Council must raise awareness and reiterate the principles of humanitarian law, including to armed forces that are parties to conflict and to armed groups.The secretary-general said he has asked the new U.N. humanitarian chief to appoint a special adviser on the preservation of humanitarian space and access to strengthen negotiations on these issues.Le Drian announced that during France’s presidency of the European Union during the first half of 2022 it plans to organize a humanitarian conference along with the European Commission.
