JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Macron revives multi-speed Europe idea By Eric Maurice-AUG 30,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:24-French president Emmanuel Macron has revived the idea of multi-speed Europe, while announcing that he will soon make ten "concrete" proposals to reform the EU after Brexit."We have to think up a Europe with several formats, go further with those who want to go forward, without being hindered by states that want - and it is their right - to go not as fast or not as far," he said on Tuesday (29 August) in a speech to French ambassadors.He said that last year's British vote to leave the EU has shown that the EU must be "more innovative" and "move forward to avoid breaking down".Macron, who was elected in May on a pro-EU platform, insisted that the EU must be "protective" and closer to citizens.He said that he will present, after the German elections that take place on 24 September, a series of "concrete" proposals on issues such as the strengthening of the eurozone, social policies, defence, migration or youth and culture."Our generation has a special responsibility to rebuild Europe," the French president said later on Tuesday, after a meeting with Luxembourg's and Belgium's prime ministers, Xavier Bettel and Charles Michel.The three leaders - who are all under 45, French-speaking and hold liberal views - said that they wanted to create a "coalition of the willing" to reform the EU.At a joint press conference, Macron pointed out that with the eurozone and the passport-free Schengen travel area, the EU was already a multi-speed bloc.He said that "those who think that multi-speed Europe betrays Europe are not looking at how Europe works today.""When we don't manage the closest circles with maximum ambition, we take a risk for all of Europe," he insisted.The French president didn't specify what kind of proposals he intends to make. But he said that the EU leaders should "define objectives, willingness, converging criteria"."On this basis, we'll create ad-hoc formats, enhanced cooperation, [and] that will enable us to go in one direction or another," he said, adding that "a European vanguard, de facto, will form itself".By reviving the idea of a multi-speed Europe, Macron is relaunching a debate that divided member states earlier this year ahead of the Rome summit to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Communities.France - under then-president Francois Hollande - and Germany had pushed the idea of multi-speed Europe, but countries such as the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) had expressed concerns that they would be left behind,-Sixth scenario-After weeks of discussions, the language of the Rome declaration signed by EU leaders in March was toned down."We will act together, at different paces and intensity where necessary, while moving in the same direction," the text said.Just before the Rome summit, the European Commission had also published five scenarios for the future of the EU, including one called "those who want more, do more".On Tuesday, in a speech to EU ambassadors in Brussels, the commission's president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said that he didn't exclude any of the five scenarios, but that he was "convinced that there will be a sixth scenario - that will be the one that we will propose."He said that he will give more details in his state of the Union speech on 13 September in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.But Macron, in his Luxembourg press conference, said that the debate on the EU's future should "not start in the institutions" but through a "more cooperative method", that includes public opinion.He said that a lesson from Brexit was that "we can't move Europe forward despite the people or shielded from the people."
Supercomputing lag could prompt EU brain drain By Peter Teffer-AU 30,17-EUOBSERVER
Brussels, Today, 09:19-The European Union's new commissioner for the digital economy, Mariya Gabriel, has said there is a danger that European computer experts will leave the continent because the bloc is lagging behind in the field of supercomputing.“We need to be very honest with ourselves,” she told journalists in a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday (29 August).“We are not in the top-10 or the top-five in the world when it comes to high-performance computing but we have the potential to do it. That is why we already mobilised some financing for that,” she said.Supercomputing, also called high-performance computing, is used in a range of areas to carry out advanced simulations, for example to model weather patterns, to detect and treat diseases, or to better understand earthquakes.The fastest such computer, according to a ranking called the Top 500, is in China, where the second-fastest is also based.The number three spot is Switzerland, which is not an EU member. The rest of the top-10 is dominated by the United States and Japan.The first EU country on the list is the United Kingdom, whose meteorological office owns the 11th fastest supercomputer. Spain (13), Italy (14), Germany (17), and France (19) are the other EU states in the top-20.In 2012, four of the 10 fastest supercomputers were in EU countries.The EU tries to stimulate research into supercomputing through grants, but has so far taken a soft touch approach with little legislation.The commission is currently in the process of gathering feedback from stakeholders on whether it should take legislative action. The one-month consultation process ends on Thursday.“It's very clear: the European Commission alone, or member states alone cannot do it,” said the Bulgarian politician.“The most important thing is to bring all the efforts together and to have a supercomputing power is also a question of our role in the world,” she added.“If we don't have the capacity to analyse here, the risk is that it moves abroad. Could it mean that our researchers and our innovators have better chances to go where these supercomputing is functioning better?”, she said.-Western European club-She noted that only nine of the 28 EU member states had joined a European initiative to work together on high-performance computing.Last March, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain signed a declaration supporting the development of supercomputing.Since then Belgium and Slovenia also joined. Apart from Slovenia, all signatories are in Western Europe.“In the next months I will try to bring the others on board and to have a more coherent approach,” said Gabriel.-Risk of polarisation-Speaking more generally about the digital economy, Gabriel warned of "a huge risk of new fragmentations, of new polarisation, of new isolation", between connected and unconnected people.“Some jobs will be lost, others will be created, and between those two moments there is uncertainty. We need to accompany this process and to accompany the people," she said.Gabriel became EU commissioner for digital economy and society in July. She was put forward by Bulgaria to join the commission after Kristalina Georgieva left the team.Georgieva had budget in her portfolio, which was taken over by Gabriel's predecessor, Guenther Oettinger.At age 38, former MEP Gabriel is the youngest-ever member of the European Commission.
EU Roma policy struggles to produce results By Nikolaj Nielsen-AUG 30,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:27-The EU's plan to integrate Roma people and help lift Europe's largest minority out of poverty continues to struggle amid persistent reports of discrimination and racism.Vera Jourova, the EU commissioner for justice, told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday (30 August) that efforts to improve the lives of Roma "is not a trivial task" due to, in part, the increasing number of young Roma without jobs or an education.The EU had launched its plans in 2011, but Roma children still remain largely segregated in schools - a practice that led the European Commission to launch infringement procedures over the fast few years against the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.Such procedures may end up at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) should the two sides fail to reach agreement on what needs to be resolved. All three countries face even greater scrutiny once the Commission finalises a probe over the next few weeks into how many children remain separated based on ethnicity."It is not a hesitation on my side or not to continue to the next level [of infringements]," noted Jourova. "The relevant date for making a decision is November, when we see the new figures."Hungary's education minister, Zoltan Balog, had earlier this year stated that Roma children should be segregated in schools, a move that Jourova now appears to accept in areas where only Roma people live."I am not in favour of some kind of social engineering, transferring the Roma children somewhere else to school. I just want to have high quality education even in those segregated Roma schools - that is my requirement," she said.With Bulgaria set to take over the next six-month Council of the EU presidency, Jourova is also hoping for some more progress from Sofia. But the task won't be easy, despite some improvements in the number of Roma children enrolled in early childhood education in Bulgaria.Valeri Simeonov, a minister who heads Bulgaria's council on ethnic minority integration, once described the Roma as "brazen, feral, human-like creatures".Appointed in May of this year to the government post, Simeonov is also one of the founding members of the right-wing National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria. The same party is aligned with Bulgarian National Movement and the Attack party.Jourova said Simeonov's comments on the Roma were absolutely unacceptable, noting that she won't hesitate to go straight to the prime minister if "I see a minister is a racist".But she is also facing a backlash from human rights groups elsewhere.Earlier this year, hundreds of Roma were forcibly evicted from informal settlements around Naples in Italy.Amnesty International said the families were given no alternative housing, amid reports that attempts to start infringement proceedings against Italy on discrimination grounds had been blocked "at the highest level of the European Commission."Asked about the Italian evictions, Jourova said she wanted more facts."I want to be 100 percent [sure]," she said, noting that she prefers dialogue and "strong and intensive pushing" to resolve the problem.-The data on Roma-Jourova's comments follow the publication of the Commission's mid-term review on its Roma strategy, a policy that will continue until 2020.It noted that up to around 80 percent of Roma are at risk of poverty.The Commission says that the rate of Roma youth unemployment and of those not in education has also spiked in Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain."The rate of Roma youth not in education, employment, or training even grew since 2011, which was 56 percent, [and] 63 in 2016," said Jourova.The commission also found that around half of the Roma population in Bulgaria and Romania have no access to basic medical care. Up to 8 million Roma live in the EU.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
Tropical Storm Irma forms over Atlantic-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
MIAMI — The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Irma has formed over the far eastern Atlantic Ocean but poses no immediate threat to land.At 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, the storm was about 420 miles (676 km) west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Maximum sustained winds were 50 mph (85 kmp) with higher gusts. The present movement is west at 13 mph (20 kmp). The general movement is expected to continue for the next couple of days.No coastal watches or warnings are in effect.The Hurricane Center says some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Irma could become a hurricane on Friday.The Associated Press.
Floodwaters drop across much of Houston; death toll at 20-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
HOUSTON — In a glimmer of hope for the hurricane's victims, Harvey's floodwaters are beginning to drop across much of the Houston area, officials said Wednesday. But as the crisis eases, the storm could begin to give up its dead."We have good news," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. "The water levels are going down. And that's for the first time in several days."The number of confirmed deaths rose to 20 when authorities reported that two men drowned on Monday. One of them drove around a barricade and into standing water, while the other tried to swim across a flooded road.Authorities expect the toll to rise as the waters recede and they are able to take full stock of the death and destruction wrought by the catastrophic storm.Some neighbourhoods were still in danger of more flooding. Linder said a levee along Cypress Creek in the northern part of the county could fail and swamp a subdivision where some residents ignored a mandatory evacuation order.The water in two reservoirs that protect downtown Houston from flooding was likely to crest Wednesday at levels slightly below those that were forecast, officials said.Meanwhile, the Texas community of Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated Wednesday as Harvey's rains flooded most major roads out of the city and swamped a shelter for victims fleeing the storm that ravaged the Houston area.The crisis deepened in the coastal city after Harvey rolled ashore overnight for the second time in six days, this time hitting southwestern Louisiana, about 45 miles from Port Arthur.Jefferson County sheriff's Deputy Marcus McLellan said he wasn't sure where the 100 or so evacuees at the civic centre in Port Arthur would be sent. Most were perched on bleacher seats to stay dry, their belongings left mostly on the floor under about a foot (30 centimetres ) of water, he said."People started coming to the shelter on Monday," McLellan said. "And now it's just all the rainfall that's coming in, and there's a canal by there also that's overflowing."In the Houston area, meanwhile, some sunshine was finally in the forecast after five straight days of rain that totalled close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental United States.The dead include a former football and track coach in suburban Houston and a woman who died after she and her young daughter were swept into a rain-swollen drainage canal in Beaumont. The child was rescued clinging to her dead mother, authorities said.Some 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area, and more than 17,000 have sought refuge in Texas shelters. With the water still high in places and many hard-hit areas still inaccessible, those numbers seemed certain to increase.Harvey initially came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Friday, then executed a U-turn and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days, inundating flood-prone Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city.Early Wednesday, Harvey paid a return visit, coming ashore near Cameron, Louisiana, and bringing with it 45 mph winds and a heavy dose of rain.Houston's largest shelter housed 10,000 of the displaced — twice its initial intended capacity — and two additional mega-shelters opened Tuesday.Louisiana's governor offered to take in Harvey victims from Texas, returning a favour done by Houston after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And televangelist Joel Osteen opened his 16,000-seat Houston megachurch to victims after he was blasted on social media.In an apparent response to scattered reports of looting, Houston imposed a midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew, with police saying violators would be arrested.Houston has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for more supplies, including cots and food, for an additional 10,000 people, said Mayor Sylvester Turner.In Port Arthur, Sheriff Zena Stephens told KFDM-TV that authorities were struggling to rescue residents from the flooding.Mayor Derrick Freeman posted on his Facebook page: "city is underwater right now but we are coming!" He also urged residents to get to higher ground and to avoid becoming trapped in attics.Harvey is expected to weaken as it slogs through Louisiana and makes it way northward, with Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri on alert for flooding in the next couple of days."Once we get this thing inland during the day, it's the end of the beginning," said National Hurricane Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen. "Texas is going to get a chance to finally dry out as this system pulls out."But Feltgen cautioned: "We're not done with this. There's still an awful lot of real estate and a lot of people who are going to feel the impacts of the storm."Still, the reprieve from the rain in Houston was welcome.Eugene Rideaux, a 42-year-old mechanic who showed up at Osteen's Lakewood Church to sort donations for evacuees, said he had not been able to work or do much since the storm hit, so he was eager to get out of his dark house and help."It's been so dark for days now, I'm just ready to see some light. Some sunshine. I'm tired of the darkness," Rideaux said. "But it's a tough city, and we're going to make this into a positive and come together."___Associated Press writers Frank Bajak and Michael Graczyk in Houston, Diana Heidgerd and David Warren in Dallas, Seth Borenstein in Washington and Tammy Webber in Chicago contributed to this report.___Nomaan Merchant And Juan Lozano, The Associated Press.
Harvey's rains bring new floods to eastern Texas, Louisiana coast-[Reuters]-By Emily Flitter and Peter Henderson-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
LAKE CHARLES, La./HOUSTON (Reuters) - The tropical storm that devastated Texas' Gulf Coast spread to neighboring Louisiana on Wednesday, while the U.S. energy hub of Houston remained paralyzed by a record rainfall that also drove tens of thousands of people from their homes.Slow-moving Tropical Storm Harvey has killed at least 20 people and sent 30,000 to shelters since coming ashore on Friday near Corpus Christi, Texas, as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. On Wednesday it went on to swamp a stretch of coast from Port Arthur, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana.Harvey was forecast to drop another 3 to 6 inches (7.5 cm) of rain on Wednesday, with a storm surge of up to 4 feet (1.2 m) along the western part of Louisiana's Gulf Coast. The floods shut the nation's largest oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, in the latest hit to U.S. energy infrastructure that has sent gasoline prices climbing.As many as 10 inches (25 cm) of rain were expected in places, according to the National Weather Service.Moody's Analytics is estimating the economic cost from Harvey for southeast Texas at $51 billion to $75 billion, ranking it among the costliest storms in U.S. history.About 300 people who had fled their homes around Lake Charles packed into a civic center that served as an emergency shelter.The shelter was bracing for about 1,500 people rescued from floods by the U.S. Coast Guard, said Angela Jouett, who is running the shelter. The newcomers would represent almost double the shelter's capacity of 800 beds, she said.One shelter resident, Edward Lewis, 54, said he awoke from a deep sleep on Monday night in his home in Lake Charles, swung his legs out of bed and landed in ankle-deep water. He flagged down a passing rescue boat and spent the rest of the night at a church before being taken on a city transit bus to the Lake Charles civic center on Tuesday."No one has said when we can go home," he said.-BABY SAVED BUT NOT MOTHER-In Beaumont, northeast of Houston, a woman clutching her baby daughter was swept away in raging flooding. The baby was saved but the mother died, Beaumont police said.Harvey made landfall for a third time early on Wednesday, and was about 30 miles north of Lake Charles, Louisiana, near the Texas border at 11 a.m. EDT (1600 GMT) with winds up to 45 miles per hour (75 kph).Clear skies in Houston on Wednesday brought relief to the fourth-largest U.S. city after five days of downpours, although people leaving shelters faced new anxieties about the condition of the homes they had fled.Handyman Mike Dickerson, 52, carried a grocery bag of his possessions through Houston's streets as he tried to figure out how to make it back to his home, which was waist-deep in water the last time he saw it."A lot of people are going back now because everything looks dry around here. But people who lost everything have nowhere to go and are still at the convention center," Dickerson said. "They are just telling everyone to call FEMA, tell them about the damage."As of Wednesday morning, Texas officials said close to 49,000 homes had suffered flood damage, with more than 1,000 destroyed. Some 195,000 people have begun the process of seeking federal help, FEMA said.Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner imposed a curfew from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. amid reports of looting, armed robberies and people impersonating police officers.Texas is investigating hundreds of complaints of price gouging involving loaves of bread offered for $15, fuel for $100 a gallon and hotels raising room rates, the state’s attorney general said on Wednesday.U.S. President Donald Trump visited Corpus Christi and Austin on Tuesday to survey damage from the first major natural disaster to test his crisis leadership and discuss the response with state officials."After witnessing first hand the horror & devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, my heart goes out even more so to the great people of Texas!" Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday.The storm made it less likely that Trump would act on his threat to shut the federal government over funding for a border wall, Goldman Sachs economists said on Wednesday. They now estimate the probability of a shutdown at 35 percent, down from 50 percent previously.-LARGEST U.S. REFINERY SHUT-The nation's largest refinery, Valero Energy Corp's 335,000 barrel-per-day facility in Port Arthur was shut, said sources familiar with plant operations.The storm has affected nearly one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity, sparking concerns about gasoline supply. The national average gasoline price rose to $2.404 a gallon, up six cents from a week ago, with higher spikes in Texas.Harvey has drawn comparisons with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans 12 years ago, killing more than 1,800 people and causing some $108 billion in damage.Confirmed fatalities in Houston included Police Sergeant Steve Perez, a 34-year veteran of the force who drowned while attempting to drive to work.In all, 20 people have died, according to government officials and the Houston Chronicle.U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and boats have rescued more than 4,000 people. Thousands of others have been taken to safety by police, rescue workers and citizen volunteers.The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday afternoon said a record 51.88 inches (131.78 cm) of rain had fallen in Texas due to Harvey, a record for the continental United States.(Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg, Gary McWilliams, Ernest Scheyder, Erwin Seba, Ruthy Munoz, Peter Henderson and Andy Sullivan in Houston, David Gaffen in New York, Jon Herskovitz in Austin and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Scott Malone and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott)
Quebec offers blankets, beds and hydro crews to Texas in wake of Hurricane Harvey-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
Quebec is offering to help Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and is at the ready for when officials there say they need it, says Minister of International Relations Christine St-Pierre.St-Pierre says she spoke with Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos Tuesday early afternoon, offering to send equipment and crews to help restore power and to provide blankets, beds, pillows and hygienic products. Above all, St-Pierre said she called to voice Quebec's concern for Texans caught up in the disaster."It was a conversation about how devastating the situation is and we want to express our support to the people of Texas," she told CBC News.Pablos declined the aid for now, instead asking for "prayers from the people of Quebec," the minister said. "He was very touched by the fact we called him."Hydro-Québec crews ready to mobilize-St-Pierre also offered the help of Hydro-Québec crews, which are part of a mutual assistance group connecting electricity utilities in North America's Northeast region. The group also provides assistance in major events outside that territory."Our crews are well-equipped and they have good knowledge of the grid so they can help to restore and rebuild the distribution lines," said Hydro-Québec spokesperson Louis-Olivier Batty. Whether they get there by plane or make the 30-hour drive with utility vehicles depends on the need if it comes, Batty said, adding that Hydro-Québec's trucks "can do a lot of different work."St-Pierre said Hydro-Québec sent 250 technicians in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which caused severe damage and more than 1,800 deaths in seven states in 2005.Strong commercial ties with Texas-Batty said the last time Hydro-Québec crews received help was when strong winds caused about 300,000 power outages in the province in the summer of 2013. At that time, crews from the northeastern United States and from New Brunswick pitched in to help Quebec. The province also received help from American crews during the 1998 Ice Storm."They are our friends, this is what friendship means," St-Pierre said, adding that Quebec's ties with Texas are solidified by its trade relationship, and most notably the aerospace industry."When you are friends, you call and you say, 'Do you need help?' and this is what it is."
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.
Southern B.C. facing widespread air quality advisories due to wildfires-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Wildfires burning in British Columbia's Interior are resulting in poor air quality for much of the southern half of the province.Environment Canada issued an air quality advisory for much of southern B.C., from Metro Vancouver east toward Elk Valley and as far north as Prince George.It warns people with respiratory conditions, infants and the elderly should stay indoors in a place that's cool and ventilated.Metro Vancouver is also warning that in addition to the smoky air caused by wildfires in the U.S., ground-level ozone is also expected to reach advisory levels for parts of the region and Fraser Valley.Regional officials are warning people to avoid strenuous activities outside, especially in the mid-afternoon and early evening when ozone levels are at the highest.Although the wildfire season appears to be far from over, more residents who were forced out of their homes due to a blaze east of Kelowna last week are now allowed to return.The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre said Tuesday an evacuation order affecting nearly 200 people has been replaced with an alert, meaning residents can go home but must still be ready to leave at a moment's notice.The blaze that reached about 465 hectares in size forced out 1,000 people, but by Sunday about 600 were able to return.The BC Wildfire Service said a blaze that was sparked 20 kilometres east of Kelowna on Thursday is now 20 per cent contained.Wildlife experts are warning of the long-term consequences of the historic wildfire season that could make bears more troublesome as they fatten up before hibernation.Wildsafe B.C. provincial co-ordinator Frank Ritcey said there is always increased conflict between bears and humans in autumn, as the bruins search for food.He predicts this fall will be particularly challenging because huge swaths of the province have been charred by wildfires, killing the berries and grasses bears rely on.Residents with gardens and fruit trees are advised to harvest early and often, while garbage cans should be kept secured and indoors until just before pickup.The warning comes as BC Wildfire Service spokesman Kevin Skrepnek predicts the province's wildfire season could stretch into the fall because continued hot, dry weather is forecast over southern B.C.He said the province has spent $404 million fighting fires that have scorched 10,600 square kilometres of timber, bush and grassland since April 1, the greatest area the province has lost to wildfires in a single season. (CHNL, The Canadian Press)-The Canadian Press.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
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, 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).
Millions of infected Brazilian mosquitoes to tackle dengue-Agence France-Presse-August 29, 2017
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazilian scientists on Tuesday began to unleash the first of millions of mosquitoes infected with a bacteria meant to prevent the insects from transmitting the dengue virus to humans.Thousands of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the bacteria were released in front of journalists by scientists from the Fiocruz institute in Rio de Janeiro.The hope is that they will then breed and spread the bacteria, denting the insect population's ability to spread dengue and other viruses including Zika and chikungunya.Scientists have been preparing the project -- developed by Australians who first put the Wolbachia bacteria into mosquitoes -- since last year.Dengue causes fevers, rashes, nausea and in some cases can be fatal, while Zika has been blamed for serious birth defects.In 2016, fears over Zika led to the United Nations health body to declare an international health emergency, ending in November.Fiocruz plans to release 1.6 million infected mosquitoes a week, later stepping that up to three million."We found that when an Aedes aegypti mosquito has this (bacteria), it blocks or reduces the capacity of the mosquito to transmit viruses like dengue, Zika and chikungunya," said the head of the dengue program at Fiocruz, Luciano Moreiro."So the idea is that when they are released, they will transmit this, as if they were immunizing the other mosquitoes and therefore transmission will be reduced."
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Iraqi forces begin house-by-house fight for last Islamic State holdout at Tal Afar-[Reuters]-By Ahmed Rasheed-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi forces backed by Shi’ite paramilitaries began fighting house-by-house in the one town left to take from Islamic State before they can declare complete victory over the group's former stronghold of Tal Afar, military commanders said.Hundreds of battle-hardened IS militants are defending al-Ayadiya, a small town outside Tal Afar which itself is about 80 km (50 miles) west of Mosul, the former de facto IS capital in northern Iraq that was recaptured in July, army officers said."Our soldiers now are engaging in a street fight with the militant group in al-Ayadiya,” Lieutenant General Qasim Nazzal told state television, adding that fighters in groups of three were barricaded inside "every single house and building".The terrain does not allow tanks to enter, so infantry soldiers have been using light weapons and grenades, Colonel Salah Kareem told Reuters.The fighting in al-Ayadiya, 11 km (7 miles) northwest of Tal Afar, has been described by some Iraqi troops as “multiple times worse” than the battle for Mosul, which was flattened by nine months of grinding urban warfare.Colonel Kareem al-Lami said breaching the militants' first line of defense in al-Ayadiya was like opening "the gates of hell".Tal Afar had a pre-war population of more than 200,000. Several thousand are believed to have fled in the weeks before the battle started. According to the United Nations, more than 30,000 had fled since April.Tal Afar became the next target of the U.S.-backed war on Islamic State following the recapture of Mosul the city where the group had declared its “caliphate” over parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
U.S. send extra fighters to police Baltic skies during Russian exercise-[Reuters]-By Andrius Sytas-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
SIAULIAI AIR BASE (Reuters) - The United States has sent a reinforced detachment of fighter planes to police the skies over NATO members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia during a major Russian military exercise in the Baltic region next month.The Zapad war games from Sept. 14 to 20 in Belarus, western Russia and Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, have caused unease in the region, though Russia has said the large-scale exercise will rehearse a purely defensive scenario and will not be a springboard for invasion.Seven U.S. F-15C fighters landed at Siauliai airfield this week to patrol skies over the Baltic countries, three more than normally used since the NATO policing mission was upgraded after the Crimean crisis in 2014.The three Baltic states do not operate their own fighter aircraft and rely on their NATO allies for patrols."We are reinforcing the air police mission for the period (of Zapad). And we are glad to also have additional land troops here," Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Vytautas Umbrasas told reporters at Siauliai, referring to 600 extra U.S. airborne troops being deployed during Zapad in the Baltic states."This is very helpful in a situation like this," he said.Tod Wolters, the top U.S. Air Force commander in Europe, said fighter numbers had been increased due to "training opportunities" in Lithuania, without mentioning Russia during the news conference in Siauliai."The air policing mission will remain as it has been. And the purpose of the air policing mission is to protect the sovereign skies of the three Baltic nations," said Wolters.Moscow says almost 13,000 Russian and Belarussian servicemen will take part in Zapad, as well as around 70 planes and helicopters and 700 pieces of military hardware including tanks, artillery and rocket systems.Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the U.S. Army's top general in Europe, told Reuters last month that U.S. allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine were worried the exercises could be a "Trojan horse" aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus.A Russian deputy defense minister said on Tuesday there was no truth in allegations Russia would use the exercise as a cover to invade and occupy Lithuania, Poland or Ukraine.Suggestions that Russia posed a threat were "myths", the deputy minister, Alexander Fomin, said.Three U.S. exercises will be underway at the same time as Zapad, in Sweden, Poland and Ukraine, and a U.S. armored brigade has already deployed in Europe.(Reporting By Andrius Sytas; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Macron revives multi-speed Europe idea By Eric Maurice-AUG 30,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:24-French president Emmanuel Macron has revived the idea of multi-speed Europe, while announcing that he will soon make ten "concrete" proposals to reform the EU after Brexit."We have to think up a Europe with several formats, go further with those who want to go forward, without being hindered by states that want - and it is their right - to go not as fast or not as far," he said on Tuesday (29 August) in a speech to French ambassadors.He said that last year's British vote to leave the EU has shown that the EU must be "more innovative" and "move forward to avoid breaking down".Macron, who was elected in May on a pro-EU platform, insisted that the EU must be "protective" and closer to citizens.He said that he will present, after the German elections that take place on 24 September, a series of "concrete" proposals on issues such as the strengthening of the eurozone, social policies, defence, migration or youth and culture."Our generation has a special responsibility to rebuild Europe," the French president said later on Tuesday, after a meeting with Luxembourg's and Belgium's prime ministers, Xavier Bettel and Charles Michel.The three leaders - who are all under 45, French-speaking and hold liberal views - said that they wanted to create a "coalition of the willing" to reform the EU.At a joint press conference, Macron pointed out that with the eurozone and the passport-free Schengen travel area, the EU was already a multi-speed bloc.He said that "those who think that multi-speed Europe betrays Europe are not looking at how Europe works today.""When we don't manage the closest circles with maximum ambition, we take a risk for all of Europe," he insisted.The French president didn't specify what kind of proposals he intends to make. But he said that the EU leaders should "define objectives, willingness, converging criteria"."On this basis, we'll create ad-hoc formats, enhanced cooperation, [and] that will enable us to go in one direction or another," he said, adding that "a European vanguard, de facto, will form itself".By reviving the idea of a multi-speed Europe, Macron is relaunching a debate that divided member states earlier this year ahead of the Rome summit to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Communities.France - under then-president Francois Hollande - and Germany had pushed the idea of multi-speed Europe, but countries such as the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) had expressed concerns that they would be left behind,-Sixth scenario-After weeks of discussions, the language of the Rome declaration signed by EU leaders in March was toned down."We will act together, at different paces and intensity where necessary, while moving in the same direction," the text said.Just before the Rome summit, the European Commission had also published five scenarios for the future of the EU, including one called "those who want more, do more".On Tuesday, in a speech to EU ambassadors in Brussels, the commission's president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said that he didn't exclude any of the five scenarios, but that he was "convinced that there will be a sixth scenario - that will be the one that we will propose."He said that he will give more details in his state of the Union speech on 13 September in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.But Macron, in his Luxembourg press conference, said that the debate on the EU's future should "not start in the institutions" but through a "more cooperative method", that includes public opinion.He said that a lesson from Brexit was that "we can't move Europe forward despite the people or shielded from the people."
Supercomputing lag could prompt EU brain drain By Peter Teffer-AU 30,17-EUOBSERVER
Brussels, Today, 09:19-The European Union's new commissioner for the digital economy, Mariya Gabriel, has said there is a danger that European computer experts will leave the continent because the bloc is lagging behind in the field of supercomputing.“We need to be very honest with ourselves,” she told journalists in a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday (29 August).“We are not in the top-10 or the top-five in the world when it comes to high-performance computing but we have the potential to do it. That is why we already mobilised some financing for that,” she said.Supercomputing, also called high-performance computing, is used in a range of areas to carry out advanced simulations, for example to model weather patterns, to detect and treat diseases, or to better understand earthquakes.The fastest such computer, according to a ranking called the Top 500, is in China, where the second-fastest is also based.The number three spot is Switzerland, which is not an EU member. The rest of the top-10 is dominated by the United States and Japan.The first EU country on the list is the United Kingdom, whose meteorological office owns the 11th fastest supercomputer. Spain (13), Italy (14), Germany (17), and France (19) are the other EU states in the top-20.In 2012, four of the 10 fastest supercomputers were in EU countries.The EU tries to stimulate research into supercomputing through grants, but has so far taken a soft touch approach with little legislation.The commission is currently in the process of gathering feedback from stakeholders on whether it should take legislative action. The one-month consultation process ends on Thursday.“It's very clear: the European Commission alone, or member states alone cannot do it,” said the Bulgarian politician.“The most important thing is to bring all the efforts together and to have a supercomputing power is also a question of our role in the world,” she added.“If we don't have the capacity to analyse here, the risk is that it moves abroad. Could it mean that our researchers and our innovators have better chances to go where these supercomputing is functioning better?”, she said.-Western European club-She noted that only nine of the 28 EU member states had joined a European initiative to work together on high-performance computing.Last March, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain signed a declaration supporting the development of supercomputing.Since then Belgium and Slovenia also joined. Apart from Slovenia, all signatories are in Western Europe.“In the next months I will try to bring the others on board and to have a more coherent approach,” said Gabriel.-Risk of polarisation-Speaking more generally about the digital economy, Gabriel warned of "a huge risk of new fragmentations, of new polarisation, of new isolation", between connected and unconnected people.“Some jobs will be lost, others will be created, and between those two moments there is uncertainty. We need to accompany this process and to accompany the people," she said.Gabriel became EU commissioner for digital economy and society in July. She was put forward by Bulgaria to join the commission after Kristalina Georgieva left the team.Georgieva had budget in her portfolio, which was taken over by Gabriel's predecessor, Guenther Oettinger.At age 38, former MEP Gabriel is the youngest-ever member of the European Commission.
EU Roma policy struggles to produce results By Nikolaj Nielsen-AUG 30,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:27-The EU's plan to integrate Roma people and help lift Europe's largest minority out of poverty continues to struggle amid persistent reports of discrimination and racism.Vera Jourova, the EU commissioner for justice, told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday (30 August) that efforts to improve the lives of Roma "is not a trivial task" due to, in part, the increasing number of young Roma without jobs or an education.The EU had launched its plans in 2011, but Roma children still remain largely segregated in schools - a practice that led the European Commission to launch infringement procedures over the fast few years against the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.Such procedures may end up at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) should the two sides fail to reach agreement on what needs to be resolved. All three countries face even greater scrutiny once the Commission finalises a probe over the next few weeks into how many children remain separated based on ethnicity."It is not a hesitation on my side or not to continue to the next level [of infringements]," noted Jourova. "The relevant date for making a decision is November, when we see the new figures."Hungary's education minister, Zoltan Balog, had earlier this year stated that Roma children should be segregated in schools, a move that Jourova now appears to accept in areas where only Roma people live."I am not in favour of some kind of social engineering, transferring the Roma children somewhere else to school. I just want to have high quality education even in those segregated Roma schools - that is my requirement," she said.With Bulgaria set to take over the next six-month Council of the EU presidency, Jourova is also hoping for some more progress from Sofia. But the task won't be easy, despite some improvements in the number of Roma children enrolled in early childhood education in Bulgaria.Valeri Simeonov, a minister who heads Bulgaria's council on ethnic minority integration, once described the Roma as "brazen, feral, human-like creatures".Appointed in May of this year to the government post, Simeonov is also one of the founding members of the right-wing National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria. The same party is aligned with Bulgarian National Movement and the Attack party.Jourova said Simeonov's comments on the Roma were absolutely unacceptable, noting that she won't hesitate to go straight to the prime minister if "I see a minister is a racist".But she is also facing a backlash from human rights groups elsewhere.Earlier this year, hundreds of Roma were forcibly evicted from informal settlements around Naples in Italy.Amnesty International said the families were given no alternative housing, amid reports that attempts to start infringement proceedings against Italy on discrimination grounds had been blocked "at the highest level of the European Commission."Asked about the Italian evictions, Jourova said she wanted more facts."I want to be 100 percent [sure]," she said, noting that she prefers dialogue and "strong and intensive pushing" to resolve the problem.-The data on Roma-Jourova's comments follow the publication of the Commission's mid-term review on its Roma strategy, a policy that will continue until 2020.It noted that up to around 80 percent of Roma are at risk of poverty.The Commission says that the rate of Roma youth unemployment and of those not in education has also spiked in Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain."The rate of Roma youth not in education, employment, or training even grew since 2011, which was 56 percent, [and] 63 in 2016," said Jourova.The commission also found that around half of the Roma population in Bulgaria and Romania have no access to basic medical care. Up to 8 million Roma live in the EU.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
Tropical Storm Irma forms over Atlantic-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
MIAMI — The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Irma has formed over the far eastern Atlantic Ocean but poses no immediate threat to land.At 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, the storm was about 420 miles (676 km) west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Maximum sustained winds were 50 mph (85 kmp) with higher gusts. The present movement is west at 13 mph (20 kmp). The general movement is expected to continue for the next couple of days.No coastal watches or warnings are in effect.The Hurricane Center says some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Irma could become a hurricane on Friday.The Associated Press.
Floodwaters drop across much of Houston; death toll at 20-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
HOUSTON — In a glimmer of hope for the hurricane's victims, Harvey's floodwaters are beginning to drop across much of the Houston area, officials said Wednesday. But as the crisis eases, the storm could begin to give up its dead."We have good news," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. "The water levels are going down. And that's for the first time in several days."The number of confirmed deaths rose to 20 when authorities reported that two men drowned on Monday. One of them drove around a barricade and into standing water, while the other tried to swim across a flooded road.Authorities expect the toll to rise as the waters recede and they are able to take full stock of the death and destruction wrought by the catastrophic storm.Some neighbourhoods were still in danger of more flooding. Linder said a levee along Cypress Creek in the northern part of the county could fail and swamp a subdivision where some residents ignored a mandatory evacuation order.The water in two reservoirs that protect downtown Houston from flooding was likely to crest Wednesday at levels slightly below those that were forecast, officials said.Meanwhile, the Texas community of Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated Wednesday as Harvey's rains flooded most major roads out of the city and swamped a shelter for victims fleeing the storm that ravaged the Houston area.The crisis deepened in the coastal city after Harvey rolled ashore overnight for the second time in six days, this time hitting southwestern Louisiana, about 45 miles from Port Arthur.Jefferson County sheriff's Deputy Marcus McLellan said he wasn't sure where the 100 or so evacuees at the civic centre in Port Arthur would be sent. Most were perched on bleacher seats to stay dry, their belongings left mostly on the floor under about a foot (30 centimetres ) of water, he said."People started coming to the shelter on Monday," McLellan said. "And now it's just all the rainfall that's coming in, and there's a canal by there also that's overflowing."In the Houston area, meanwhile, some sunshine was finally in the forecast after five straight days of rain that totalled close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental United States.The dead include a former football and track coach in suburban Houston and a woman who died after she and her young daughter were swept into a rain-swollen drainage canal in Beaumont. The child was rescued clinging to her dead mother, authorities said.Some 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area, and more than 17,000 have sought refuge in Texas shelters. With the water still high in places and many hard-hit areas still inaccessible, those numbers seemed certain to increase.Harvey initially came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Friday, then executed a U-turn and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days, inundating flood-prone Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city.Early Wednesday, Harvey paid a return visit, coming ashore near Cameron, Louisiana, and bringing with it 45 mph winds and a heavy dose of rain.Houston's largest shelter housed 10,000 of the displaced — twice its initial intended capacity — and two additional mega-shelters opened Tuesday.Louisiana's governor offered to take in Harvey victims from Texas, returning a favour done by Houston after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And televangelist Joel Osteen opened his 16,000-seat Houston megachurch to victims after he was blasted on social media.In an apparent response to scattered reports of looting, Houston imposed a midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew, with police saying violators would be arrested.Houston has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for more supplies, including cots and food, for an additional 10,000 people, said Mayor Sylvester Turner.In Port Arthur, Sheriff Zena Stephens told KFDM-TV that authorities were struggling to rescue residents from the flooding.Mayor Derrick Freeman posted on his Facebook page: "city is underwater right now but we are coming!" He also urged residents to get to higher ground and to avoid becoming trapped in attics.Harvey is expected to weaken as it slogs through Louisiana and makes it way northward, with Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri on alert for flooding in the next couple of days."Once we get this thing inland during the day, it's the end of the beginning," said National Hurricane Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen. "Texas is going to get a chance to finally dry out as this system pulls out."But Feltgen cautioned: "We're not done with this. There's still an awful lot of real estate and a lot of people who are going to feel the impacts of the storm."Still, the reprieve from the rain in Houston was welcome.Eugene Rideaux, a 42-year-old mechanic who showed up at Osteen's Lakewood Church to sort donations for evacuees, said he had not been able to work or do much since the storm hit, so he was eager to get out of his dark house and help."It's been so dark for days now, I'm just ready to see some light. Some sunshine. I'm tired of the darkness," Rideaux said. "But it's a tough city, and we're going to make this into a positive and come together."___Associated Press writers Frank Bajak and Michael Graczyk in Houston, Diana Heidgerd and David Warren in Dallas, Seth Borenstein in Washington and Tammy Webber in Chicago contributed to this report.___Nomaan Merchant And Juan Lozano, The Associated Press.
Harvey's rains bring new floods to eastern Texas, Louisiana coast-[Reuters]-By Emily Flitter and Peter Henderson-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
LAKE CHARLES, La./HOUSTON (Reuters) - The tropical storm that devastated Texas' Gulf Coast spread to neighboring Louisiana on Wednesday, while the U.S. energy hub of Houston remained paralyzed by a record rainfall that also drove tens of thousands of people from their homes.Slow-moving Tropical Storm Harvey has killed at least 20 people and sent 30,000 to shelters since coming ashore on Friday near Corpus Christi, Texas, as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. On Wednesday it went on to swamp a stretch of coast from Port Arthur, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana.Harvey was forecast to drop another 3 to 6 inches (7.5 cm) of rain on Wednesday, with a storm surge of up to 4 feet (1.2 m) along the western part of Louisiana's Gulf Coast. The floods shut the nation's largest oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, in the latest hit to U.S. energy infrastructure that has sent gasoline prices climbing.As many as 10 inches (25 cm) of rain were expected in places, according to the National Weather Service.Moody's Analytics is estimating the economic cost from Harvey for southeast Texas at $51 billion to $75 billion, ranking it among the costliest storms in U.S. history.About 300 people who had fled their homes around Lake Charles packed into a civic center that served as an emergency shelter.The shelter was bracing for about 1,500 people rescued from floods by the U.S. Coast Guard, said Angela Jouett, who is running the shelter. The newcomers would represent almost double the shelter's capacity of 800 beds, she said.One shelter resident, Edward Lewis, 54, said he awoke from a deep sleep on Monday night in his home in Lake Charles, swung his legs out of bed and landed in ankle-deep water. He flagged down a passing rescue boat and spent the rest of the night at a church before being taken on a city transit bus to the Lake Charles civic center on Tuesday."No one has said when we can go home," he said.-BABY SAVED BUT NOT MOTHER-In Beaumont, northeast of Houston, a woman clutching her baby daughter was swept away in raging flooding. The baby was saved but the mother died, Beaumont police said.Harvey made landfall for a third time early on Wednesday, and was about 30 miles north of Lake Charles, Louisiana, near the Texas border at 11 a.m. EDT (1600 GMT) with winds up to 45 miles per hour (75 kph).Clear skies in Houston on Wednesday brought relief to the fourth-largest U.S. city after five days of downpours, although people leaving shelters faced new anxieties about the condition of the homes they had fled.Handyman Mike Dickerson, 52, carried a grocery bag of his possessions through Houston's streets as he tried to figure out how to make it back to his home, which was waist-deep in water the last time he saw it."A lot of people are going back now because everything looks dry around here. But people who lost everything have nowhere to go and are still at the convention center," Dickerson said. "They are just telling everyone to call FEMA, tell them about the damage."As of Wednesday morning, Texas officials said close to 49,000 homes had suffered flood damage, with more than 1,000 destroyed. Some 195,000 people have begun the process of seeking federal help, FEMA said.Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner imposed a curfew from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. amid reports of looting, armed robberies and people impersonating police officers.Texas is investigating hundreds of complaints of price gouging involving loaves of bread offered for $15, fuel for $100 a gallon and hotels raising room rates, the state’s attorney general said on Wednesday.U.S. President Donald Trump visited Corpus Christi and Austin on Tuesday to survey damage from the first major natural disaster to test his crisis leadership and discuss the response with state officials."After witnessing first hand the horror & devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, my heart goes out even more so to the great people of Texas!" Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday.The storm made it less likely that Trump would act on his threat to shut the federal government over funding for a border wall, Goldman Sachs economists said on Wednesday. They now estimate the probability of a shutdown at 35 percent, down from 50 percent previously.-LARGEST U.S. REFINERY SHUT-The nation's largest refinery, Valero Energy Corp's 335,000 barrel-per-day facility in Port Arthur was shut, said sources familiar with plant operations.The storm has affected nearly one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity, sparking concerns about gasoline supply. The national average gasoline price rose to $2.404 a gallon, up six cents from a week ago, with higher spikes in Texas.Harvey has drawn comparisons with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans 12 years ago, killing more than 1,800 people and causing some $108 billion in damage.Confirmed fatalities in Houston included Police Sergeant Steve Perez, a 34-year veteran of the force who drowned while attempting to drive to work.In all, 20 people have died, according to government officials and the Houston Chronicle.U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and boats have rescued more than 4,000 people. Thousands of others have been taken to safety by police, rescue workers and citizen volunteers.The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday afternoon said a record 51.88 inches (131.78 cm) of rain had fallen in Texas due to Harvey, a record for the continental United States.(Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg, Gary McWilliams, Ernest Scheyder, Erwin Seba, Ruthy Munoz, Peter Henderson and Andy Sullivan in Houston, David Gaffen in New York, Jon Herskovitz in Austin and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Scott Malone and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott)
Quebec offers blankets, beds and hydro crews to Texas in wake of Hurricane Harvey-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
Quebec is offering to help Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and is at the ready for when officials there say they need it, says Minister of International Relations Christine St-Pierre.St-Pierre says she spoke with Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos Tuesday early afternoon, offering to send equipment and crews to help restore power and to provide blankets, beds, pillows and hygienic products. Above all, St-Pierre said she called to voice Quebec's concern for Texans caught up in the disaster."It was a conversation about how devastating the situation is and we want to express our support to the people of Texas," she told CBC News.Pablos declined the aid for now, instead asking for "prayers from the people of Quebec," the minister said. "He was very touched by the fact we called him."Hydro-Québec crews ready to mobilize-St-Pierre also offered the help of Hydro-Québec crews, which are part of a mutual assistance group connecting electricity utilities in North America's Northeast region. The group also provides assistance in major events outside that territory."Our crews are well-equipped and they have good knowledge of the grid so they can help to restore and rebuild the distribution lines," said Hydro-Québec spokesperson Louis-Olivier Batty. Whether they get there by plane or make the 30-hour drive with utility vehicles depends on the need if it comes, Batty said, adding that Hydro-Québec's trucks "can do a lot of different work."St-Pierre said Hydro-Québec sent 250 technicians in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which caused severe damage and more than 1,800 deaths in seven states in 2005.Strong commercial ties with Texas-Batty said the last time Hydro-Québec crews received help was when strong winds caused about 300,000 power outages in the province in the summer of 2013. At that time, crews from the northeastern United States and from New Brunswick pitched in to help Quebec. The province also received help from American crews during the 1998 Ice Storm."They are our friends, this is what friendship means," St-Pierre said, adding that Quebec's ties with Texas are solidified by its trade relationship, and most notably the aerospace industry."When you are friends, you call and you say, 'Do you need help?' and this is what it is."
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.
Southern B.C. facing widespread air quality advisories due to wildfires-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 29, 2017
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Wildfires burning in British Columbia's Interior are resulting in poor air quality for much of the southern half of the province.Environment Canada issued an air quality advisory for much of southern B.C., from Metro Vancouver east toward Elk Valley and as far north as Prince George.It warns people with respiratory conditions, infants and the elderly should stay indoors in a place that's cool and ventilated.Metro Vancouver is also warning that in addition to the smoky air caused by wildfires in the U.S., ground-level ozone is also expected to reach advisory levels for parts of the region and Fraser Valley.Regional officials are warning people to avoid strenuous activities outside, especially in the mid-afternoon and early evening when ozone levels are at the highest.Although the wildfire season appears to be far from over, more residents who were forced out of their homes due to a blaze east of Kelowna last week are now allowed to return.The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre said Tuesday an evacuation order affecting nearly 200 people has been replaced with an alert, meaning residents can go home but must still be ready to leave at a moment's notice.The blaze that reached about 465 hectares in size forced out 1,000 people, but by Sunday about 600 were able to return.The BC Wildfire Service said a blaze that was sparked 20 kilometres east of Kelowna on Thursday is now 20 per cent contained.Wildlife experts are warning of the long-term consequences of the historic wildfire season that could make bears more troublesome as they fatten up before hibernation.Wildsafe B.C. provincial co-ordinator Frank Ritcey said there is always increased conflict between bears and humans in autumn, as the bruins search for food.He predicts this fall will be particularly challenging because huge swaths of the province have been charred by wildfires, killing the berries and grasses bears rely on.Residents with gardens and fruit trees are advised to harvest early and often, while garbage cans should be kept secured and indoors until just before pickup.The warning comes as BC Wildfire Service spokesman Kevin Skrepnek predicts the province's wildfire season could stretch into the fall because continued hot, dry weather is forecast over southern B.C.He said the province has spent $404 million fighting fires that have scorched 10,600 square kilometres of timber, bush and grassland since April 1, the greatest area the province has lost to wildfires in a single season. (CHNL, The Canadian Press)-The Canadian Press.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
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, 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).
Millions of infected Brazilian mosquitoes to tackle dengue-Agence France-Presse-August 29, 2017
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazilian scientists on Tuesday began to unleash the first of millions of mosquitoes infected with a bacteria meant to prevent the insects from transmitting the dengue virus to humans.Thousands of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the bacteria were released in front of journalists by scientists from the Fiocruz institute in Rio de Janeiro.The hope is that they will then breed and spread the bacteria, denting the insect population's ability to spread dengue and other viruses including Zika and chikungunya.Scientists have been preparing the project -- developed by Australians who first put the Wolbachia bacteria into mosquitoes -- since last year.Dengue causes fevers, rashes, nausea and in some cases can be fatal, while Zika has been blamed for serious birth defects.In 2016, fears over Zika led to the United Nations health body to declare an international health emergency, ending in November.Fiocruz plans to release 1.6 million infected mosquitoes a week, later stepping that up to three million."We found that when an Aedes aegypti mosquito has this (bacteria), it blocks or reduces the capacity of the mosquito to transmit viruses like dengue, Zika and chikungunya," said the head of the dengue program at Fiocruz, Luciano Moreiro."So the idea is that when they are released, they will transmit this, as if they were immunizing the other mosquitoes and therefore transmission will be reduced."
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Iraqi forces begin house-by-house fight for last Islamic State holdout at Tal Afar-[Reuters]-By Ahmed Rasheed-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi forces backed by Shi’ite paramilitaries began fighting house-by-house in the one town left to take from Islamic State before they can declare complete victory over the group's former stronghold of Tal Afar, military commanders said.Hundreds of battle-hardened IS militants are defending al-Ayadiya, a small town outside Tal Afar which itself is about 80 km (50 miles) west of Mosul, the former de facto IS capital in northern Iraq that was recaptured in July, army officers said."Our soldiers now are engaging in a street fight with the militant group in al-Ayadiya,” Lieutenant General Qasim Nazzal told state television, adding that fighters in groups of three were barricaded inside "every single house and building".The terrain does not allow tanks to enter, so infantry soldiers have been using light weapons and grenades, Colonel Salah Kareem told Reuters.The fighting in al-Ayadiya, 11 km (7 miles) northwest of Tal Afar, has been described by some Iraqi troops as “multiple times worse” than the battle for Mosul, which was flattened by nine months of grinding urban warfare.Colonel Kareem al-Lami said breaching the militants' first line of defense in al-Ayadiya was like opening "the gates of hell".Tal Afar had a pre-war population of more than 200,000. Several thousand are believed to have fled in the weeks before the battle started. According to the United Nations, more than 30,000 had fled since April.Tal Afar became the next target of the U.S.-backed war on Islamic State following the recapture of Mosul the city where the group had declared its “caliphate” over parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
U.S. send extra fighters to police Baltic skies during Russian exercise-[Reuters]-By Andrius Sytas-YAHOONEWS-August 30, 2017
SIAULIAI AIR BASE (Reuters) - The United States has sent a reinforced detachment of fighter planes to police the skies over NATO members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia during a major Russian military exercise in the Baltic region next month.The Zapad war games from Sept. 14 to 20 in Belarus, western Russia and Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, have caused unease in the region, though Russia has said the large-scale exercise will rehearse a purely defensive scenario and will not be a springboard for invasion.Seven U.S. F-15C fighters landed at Siauliai airfield this week to patrol skies over the Baltic countries, three more than normally used since the NATO policing mission was upgraded after the Crimean crisis in 2014.The three Baltic states do not operate their own fighter aircraft and rely on their NATO allies for patrols."We are reinforcing the air police mission for the period (of Zapad). And we are glad to also have additional land troops here," Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Vytautas Umbrasas told reporters at Siauliai, referring to 600 extra U.S. airborne troops being deployed during Zapad in the Baltic states."This is very helpful in a situation like this," he said.Tod Wolters, the top U.S. Air Force commander in Europe, said fighter numbers had been increased due to "training opportunities" in Lithuania, without mentioning Russia during the news conference in Siauliai."The air policing mission will remain as it has been. And the purpose of the air policing mission is to protect the sovereign skies of the three Baltic nations," said Wolters.Moscow says almost 13,000 Russian and Belarussian servicemen will take part in Zapad, as well as around 70 planes and helicopters and 700 pieces of military hardware including tanks, artillery and rocket systems.Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the U.S. Army's top general in Europe, told Reuters last month that U.S. allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine were worried the exercises could be a "Trojan horse" aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus.A Russian deputy defense minister said on Tuesday there was no truth in allegations Russia would use the exercise as a cover to invade and occupy Lithuania, Poland or Ukraine.Suggestions that Russia posed a threat were "myths", the deputy minister, Alexander Fomin, said.Three U.S. exercises will be underway at the same time as Zapad, in Sweden, Poland and Ukraine, and a U.S. armored brigade has already deployed in Europe.(Reporting By Andrius Sytas; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
