Sunday, December 27, 2015

WEEKEND QUAKE RESULTS FOR DEC 26-27 2015 PLUS CHRIST-MAS DAY QUAKES.

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)

EARTHQUAKES

EZEKIEL 37:7,11-14
7  So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.(POSSIBLE QUAKE BRINGS ISRAEL BACK TO LIFE-SO NOISE AND SHAKING-QUAKES WILL ALSO DESTROY ISRAELS ENEMIES)
11  Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12  Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13  And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14  And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

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:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) 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,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

UPDATE-DECEMBER 27, 2015-11:00PM

1 Day, Magnitude 2.5+ Worldwide
31 earthquakes - DownloadUpdated: 2015-12-27 23:59:56 UTCShowing event times using UTC31 earthquakes in map area

    4.4 58km WSW of Illapel, Chile 2015-12-27 23:47:10 UTC 37.3 km
    2.7 29km W of Warm Springs, Nevada 2015-12-27 23:06:57 UTC 7.3 km
    4.9 North Pacific Ocean 2015-12-27 19:24:56 UTC 10.0 km
    4.5 26km ESE of Kurchum, Kazakhstan 2015-12-27 18:39:05 UTC 15.5 km
    4.3 37km ESE of Johannesburg, California 2015-12-27 18:31:18 UTC 3.2 km
    2.5 114km W of Cantwell, Alaska 2015-12-27 17:23:42 UTC 0.1 km
    4.9 140km SW of Dadali, Solomon Islands 2015-12-27 16:50:00 UTC 10.0 km
    4.5 99km NNE of Calama, Chile 2015-12-27 16:22:30 UTC 123.6 km
    3.2 70km NW of Arctic Village, Alaska 2015-12-27 16:19:14 UTC 0.1 km
    3.1 56km SSW of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska 2015-12-27 15:00:44 UTC 100.0 km
    2.5 39km SW of Anchor Point, Alaska 2015-12-27 13:53:29 UTC 52.3 km
    3.4 5km W of Medford, Oklahoma 2015-12-27 13:18:58 UTC 1.0 km
    2.6 155km ENE of McGrath, Alaska 2015-12-27 13:01:21 UTC 0.2 km
    4.5 107km W of El Aguilar, Argentina 2015-12-27 12:28:50 UTC 195.0 km
    3.3 74km NNE of Sutton-Alpine, Alaska 2015-12-27 10:43:45 UTC 31.6 km
    4.6 12km WSW of Bolila, Philippines 2015-12-27 10:13:36 UTC 75.1 km
    2.8 9km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico 2015-12-27 09:39:14 UTC 92.0 km
    4.9 30km S of Ndoi Island, Fiji 2015-12-27 08:06:02 UTC 572.6 km
    2.5 22km ENE of Perry, Oklahoma 2015-12-27 06:52:16 UTC 3.3 km
    4.7 67km SSW of Hirara, Japan 2015-12-27 06:21:37 UTC 30.1 km
    4.7 68km WNW of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea 2015-12-27 05:23:27 UTC 109.6 km
    3.0 41km NNW of Circle Hot Springs Station, Alaska 2015-12-27 05:00:03 UTC 15.3 km
    3.1 10km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands 2015-12-27 03:34:42 UTC 94.0 km
    4.9 201km SSE of `Ohonua, Tonga 2015-12-27 01:13:20 UTC 10.0 km
    3.4 91km WSW of Cantwell, Alaska 2015-12-27 01:03:59 UTC 126.5 km
    4.7 230km ENE of Sola, Vanuatu 2015-12-26 22:53:18 UTC 645.4 km
    5.2 8km ENE of San Isidro, Philippines 2015-12-26 22:11:18 UTC 72.7 km
    4.4 Izu Islands, Japan region 2015-12-26 21:16:22 UTC 455.7 km
    3.3 69km ESE of Lakeview, Oregon 2015-12-26 21:02:24 UTC 10.1 km
    3.6 58km S of Larsen Bay, Alaska 2015-12-26 20:42:13 UTC 100.0 km
    2.6 5km WSW of Houston, Alaska 2015-12-26 20:25:00 UTC 27.1 km
    3.0 8km ESE of Edmond, Oklahoma 2015-12-26 19:41:17 UTC 6.6 km
    2.7 9km NW of Jones, Oklahoma 2015-12-26 19:40:15 UTC 1.3 km
    2.9 47km ENE of Old Iliamna, Alaska 2015-12-26 18:30:04 UTC 100.0 km
    2.7 21km E of Panhandle, Texas 2015-12-26 18:25:21 UTC 4.5 km
    3.0 1km SE of Playita Cortada, Puerto Rico 2015-12-26 18:19:15 UTC 7.0 km
    5.1 87km W of Illapel, Chile 2015-12-26 17:59:37 UTC 10.0 km
    5.0 94km W of Illapel, Chile 2015-12-26 17:58:08 UTC 11.6 km
    4.1 10km S of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 2015-12-26 15:53:37 UTC 18.6 km
    2.6 37km ESE of Bridgeport, California 2015-12-26 14:18:00 UTC 2.7 km
    2.6 50km NNW of Road Town, British Virgin Islands 2015-12-26 14:13:24 UTC 33.0 km
    2.8 47km WNW of Anchor Point, Alaska 2015-12-26 12:47:22 UTC 29.1 km
    2.5 6km W of Cobb, California 2015-12-26 12:44:26 UTC 2.5 km
    3.8 37km ESE of Johannesburg, California 2015-12-26 11:55:16 UTC 0.3 km
    5.2 16km E of Karpathos, Greece 2015-12-26 11:00:53 UTC 38.8 km
    2.8 1km SSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico 2015-12-26 09:09:26 UTC 12.0 km
    3.7 37km ESE of Johannesburg, California 2015-12-26 08:04:30 UTC 0.9 km
    2.7 7km SW of Volcano, Hawaii 2015-12-26 07:21:45 UTC 1.1 km
    4.9 252km WNW of Saumlaki, Indonesia 2015-12-26 06:44:42 UTC 165.3 km
    2.9 16km ESE of Cottonwood, California 2015-12-26 06:30:07 UTC 14.4 km
    2.5 12km NNE of Crescent, Oklahoma 2015-12-26 05:35:05 UTC 4.2 km
    3.7 56km ESE of Nikolski, Alaska 2015-12-26 04:04:37 UTC 22.9 km
    2.7 102km W of Middleton Island, Alaska 2015-12-26 02:38:29 UTC 18.5 km
    4.8 193km NW of Farallon de Pajaros, Northern Mariana Islands 2015-12-26 02:17:24 UTC 294.1 km
    4.9 30km NW of Albardon, Argentina 2015-12-26 01:36:41 UTC 101.6 km
    2.6 17km ESE of Medford, Oklahoma 2015-12-26 00:43:15 UTC 4.9 km
    3.3 28km NNE of Road Town, British Virgin Islands 2015-12-26 00:36:22 UTC 32.0 km
    3.1 65km WSW of Ferndale, California 2015-12-26 00:02:26 UTC -0.3 km
    2.8 6km W of Cobb, California 2015-12-25 23:57:30 UTC 1.6 km
    2.9 36km ESE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 2015-12-25 22:11:18 UTC 103.0 km
    4.8 38km ESE of Sarangani, Philippines 2015-12-25 21:41:01 UTC 57.0 km
    3.0 98km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2015-12-25 20:45:44 UTC 16.0 km
    3.0 58km WNW of The Valley, Anguilla 2015-12-25 20:45:24 UTC 86.0 km
    4.3 91km W of La Ligua, Chile 2015-12-25 20:11:16 UTC 5.7 km
    2.9 83km NW of Cape Yakataga, Alaska 2015-12-25 19:26:23 UTC 18.6 km
    6.3 41km WSW of Ashkasham, Afghanistan 2015-12-25 19:14:47 UTC 203.4 km
    3.9 25km WSW of Medford, Oklahoma 2015-12-25 19:12:25 UTC 4.7 km
    5.7 West Chile Rise 2015-12-25 17:58:05 UTC 10.0 km
    4.7 18km ENE of Morioka-shi, Japan 2015-12-25 16:42:27 UTC 42.5 km
    2.7 62km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2015-12-25 16:10:44 UTC 7.0 km
    4.3 218km NW of Saumlaki, Indonesia 2015-12-25 15:48:07 UTC 148.0 km
    4.5 17km W of Ovalle, Chile 2015-12-25 15:11:50 UTC 35.0 km
    3.0 68km ESE of Lakeview, Oregon 2015-12-25 14:19:10 UTC 10.8 km
    2.6 86km E of Cantwell, Alaska 2015-12-25 14:11:29 UTC 15.4 km
    2.9 25km WSW of Medford, Oklahoma 2015-12-25 13:45:26 UTC 5.0 km
    2.7 69km ESE of Lakeview, Oregon 2015-12-25 08:58:34 UTC 12.5 km
    3.4 64km ENE of Road Town, British Virgin Islands 2015-12-25 08:29:03 UTC 63.0 km
    5.1 56km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu 2015-12-25 07:43:49 UTC 121.4 km
    4.9 South Sandwich Islands region 2015-12-25 06:11:03 UTC 10.0 km
    4.5 79km SW of Atocha, Bolivia 2015-12-25 06:04:31 UTC 211.1 km
    2.8 1km NW of The Geysers, California 2015-12-25 05:54:47 UTC 1.9 km
    3.0 5km NW of The Geysers, California 2015-12-25 05:54:42 UTC 0.8 km
    3.5 82km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico 2015-12-25 05:52:18 UTC 12.0 km
    3.0 68km ESE of Lakeview, Oregon 2015-12-25 05:17:45 UTC 7.2 km
    2.7 70km ESE of Lakeview, Oregon 2015-12-25 04:53:51 UTC 11.1 km
    3.7 37km E of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 2015-12-25 04:17:39 UTC 90.0 km
    3.9 70km ESE of Lakeview, Oregon 2015-12-25 02:36:49 UTC 10.6 km
    4.6 49km SSW of Gra Liyia, Greece 2015-12-25 02:24:32 UTC 20.5 km
    2.9 76km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands 2015-12-25 01:37:14 UTC 22.0 km
    4.5 243km W of Hihifo, Tonga 2015-12-25 00:13:07 UTC 363.2 km
    2.6 71km ESE of Lakeview, Oregon 2015-12-24 23:29:22 UTC 1.9 km

STOCK MARKET AND EARTHQUAKE NEWS
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/the-dow-was-up-185-points-yesterday.html 
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/the-dow-was-up-165-points-yesterday.html 
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/the-dow-was-up-123-points-yesterday.html 
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/the-dow-was-down-367-points-on-friday.html 
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/weekend-quake-results-for-dec-19-20-2015.html  

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE AND 2ND ROUND OF STORMS IN AMERICA COMING.

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)

OTHER STORIES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/storms-kill-15-in-america-australia-and.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/merry-christ-mas-and-happy-new-year.html

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.

California wildfire burns 1,200 acres northwest of Los Angeles, closes highway-Reuters By Patrick T. Fallon-dec 26,15-yahoonews

VENTURA, Calif (Reuters) - A wildfire northwest of Los Angeles burned about 1,200 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of a major highway and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said.More than 600 firefighters battled the blaze in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County, and parts of U.S. Highway 101 were closed, county fire department officials told a news conference.No injuries have been reported, fire officials said. No structures have been damaged by the fire, but nearby Union Pacific rail lines were closed for a period and the fire is a threat to oil, gas and power lines.The highway, a major roadway in the region, may reopen in the afternoon, fire and police officials said."Even if we do open up the roadways, it's still not a contained fire," Ventura County Fire Department Chief Norm Plott told reporters. "It's a very dynamic fire. We're not quite out of the woods yet."As of 1 p.m. local time, the highway was still closed, but officials said it may be reopen soon. Traffic on a nearby state highway was bumper-to-bumper and moving slowly, a Reuters witness reported.The fire is less than 10 percent contained and it will take at least three days to get it under control, fire officials said. The cause of the fire was still under investigation.Helicopters and fixed-wing tankers were helping to battle the blaze with water drops.Fire officials had earlier reported that parts of the Pacific Coast highway also were closed, but a fire department spokeswoman said only a portion that overlaps the 101 was closed. Ventura is about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles.The fire started at around 11 p.m. local time on Friday near Ventura, and strong winds as high as 50 miles per hour and dry vegetation caused it to grow rapidly, fire officials said.At around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday in a video posted on Facebook, Venture County Fire Department Captain Steve Kaufman said the fire was near the beach, "bumping up against the roadway. We're getting a bunch of embers in Solimar east."The Solimar Beach community, with 50 to 60 homes, and a nearby campground were under a mandatory evacuation order, while a voluntary one had been issued for the nearby Faria Beach community, where there are 30 to 40 homes, fire officials said.(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Pravin Char, Hugh Lawson and Dan Grebler)

California wildfire closes popular coastal highway-Associated Press-dec 26,15-yahoonews

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A wind-whipped wildfire closed a major coastal highway in Southern California and forced dozens of homes to be evacuated, authorities said Saturday. No injuries or damages were reported.The fire began late Friday northwest of the city of Ventura and immediately reached Pacific Coast Highway, also known as the 101. It is a major route connecting Northern and Southern California.The fire, fueled by dry timber and winds that reached 50 mph, closed Pacific Coast Highway in both directions on a roughly 15-mile northwest between state highways 150 and 33, forcing holiday motorists to narrow backcountry roads."We had multiple motorists stranded with the flames impinging on the highway," said Ventura County Fire Battalion Chief Fred Burris. "We had motorists making U-turns going opposing directions on the freeway with other motorists, not realizing the situation."The fire spread to more than 1,200 acres and was about 10 percent contained Saturday morning, said Tom Kruschke, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. Steep canyons and winds that quickly changed directions were the biggest obstacles for about 600 firefighters who attacked the blaze on the ground and from the air.About 60 homes in the Solimar Beach community were under mandatory evacuation orders and about 30 homes were put under voluntary evacuation orders, Kruschke said.The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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)

Eight killed in Dallas area amid tornadoes, flooding-Reuters By Lisa Maria Garza-dec 27,15-yahoonews

DALLAS (Reuters) - Eight people died in the greater Dallas area as a storm system brought tornadoes and flooding on Saturday, increasing the death toll from harsh weather in the southern United States this week to 26, according to officials and local media.Authorities in Garland confirmed that five people died after a tornado struck the city, some 15 miles (24 km) northeast of downtown Dallas. Homes, apartments and vehicles were also damaged, police said, but it was not clear how many people were hurt.The five deaths were believed to have been related to vehicles having been struck by a tornado near State Highway 190 and Interstate 30.Two other people were found dead at a gas station in the city of Copeville, another 20 miles (32 km) to the northeast, said Lt. Chris Havey, spokesman for the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, and an infant had died in Blue Ridge.The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes hit multiple cities in the greater Dallas area on Saturday evening, and there were reports of widespread damage and flooding.NWS meteorologist Steve Fano said roughly eight tornadoes may have touched down across seven counties, though preliminary reports could not be confirmed.The Weather Service said at least one tornado struck south of Dallas in Ellis County, where Emergency Management Coordinator Stephanie Parker said: "We have destroyed and damaged homes."Weather officials also confirmed tornadoes hitting the towns of Ovilla, Farmersville and Rowlett. Images uploaded to social media showed a massive tornado near Rowlett, as well as devastated houses and vehicles.The Weather Service said there were reports of debris falling from the sky onto a highway in nearby DeSoto. Fano said that while the tornado threat had dissipated for the region, flash flood watches would extend through the night.Power was out for some 30,000 customers in the region as of Saturday night, according to energy company Oncor.-MORE BODIES IN MISSISSIPPI-Officials in Benton County, Mississippi, on Saturday found the bodies of a man and woman who were missing since being caught in a tornado on Wednesday, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.The cause of their deaths was not disclosed, but they brought the total dead from tornadoes in Mississippi to 10, in addition to 56 people injured, officials said.The tornado damaged 403 homes over a seven-county area in the state, Flynn said. In addition, flooding left 50 homes uninhabitable and closed 40 roads in Monroe County, which got 10 to 12 inches (about 25 to 30 cm) of rain, he said.The tornadoes also killed six people in Tennessee and one each in Arkansas and Alabama, bringing the three- state total to 18.State authorities told local broadcaster WTVY that they had recovered the body of a 5-year-old boy who drowned when the car he was in was swept into floodwaters on Friday. A 22-year-old man who was in the car remains missing, the station said.U.S. post-holiday travelers can expect a mix of stormy weather during the remainder of the weekend, with blizzard conditions in New Mexico and western Texas and flooding rain in the southern plains from south Texas through Indiana, forecasters said.In California, high winds fanned a wildfire that closed parts of the much-traveled U.S. Highway 101 northwest of Los Angeles and forced evacuations, fire officials said.The wet and snowy conditions come after a Christmas Day of unseasonable warmth on the East Coast, with record-high temperatures set or tied in several cities, including New York.(Editing by Chris Michaud and Jacqueline Wong)

Death toll at least 7 in Texas storms that spawned tornadoes-Associated Press By SETH ROBBINS and NOMAAN MERCHANT-dec 27,15-yahoonews

DALLAS (AP) — Tornadoes swept through the Dallas area after dark on Saturday leaving substantial damage and at least seven people dead either from the storm or related traffic accidents, in the latest of a succession of freakish winter weather events across the country.The Texas tornadoes followed days of tumultuous weather in the Southeast including unusual winter tornadoes that left 18 people dead there over the Christmas holiday period.National Weather Service Meteorologist Anthony Bain in Fort Worth said several tornadoes touched down in the Dallas area, although the full extent of damage would not be known until daylight Sunday.The storms left homes had roofs blown away, vehicles mangled or turned upside down, churches damaged, power lines down, natural gas lines burst, trees toppled and debris strewn across neighborhoods. The damage stretched over about a 40-mile-long area from 20 miles south of Dallas to northeast of the city.Joe Harn, police spokesman for Garland, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas, said four people were killed in vehicle accidents during the massive storm, but it's unclear if all four were in the same vehicle or how they died.Three other people died in Collin County, about 45 miles northeast of Dallas, according to sheriff's deputy Chris Havey, although the circumstances were not immediately clear.In the town of Rowlett near Garland, police spokesman Det. Cruz Hernandez said several people were injured although the exact number was known. Two families were barricaded in their homes, he said."As of right now, we are still in the search and rescue mode. We still have some homes that have been demolished and not everyone in the homes has been accounted for," Hernandez said.Residents were being kept out of part of east Rowlett and heavy equipment was brought in to move debris from homes where people may be trapped inside.The Red Cross said it was setting up shelters for people whose homes were damaged by the storm."I think everyone understands now the gravity of what happened," Anita Foster, spokeswoman for American Red Cross of North Texas, said on WFAA television.The twisters — accompanied by torrential rain, wind and some hail — were part of a weather system that could produce major flooding from north Texas through eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, western Arkansas and parts of Missouri.Passengers waiting for flights at Love Field, a major Dallas airport, were moved away from windows during the storm. Flights were temporarily halted from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The Dallas Mavericks NBA game was delayed about half an hour because of the storm.On the other side of Texas, a snowstorm accompanied by plunging temperatures, was expected to leave up to 16 inches of snow in West Texas and much of New Mexico through Sunday evening, according to NWS meteorologist Brendon Rubin-Oster in College Park, Maryland."It's going to be quite dangerous for anyone exposed to these elements," Rubin-Oster said.Snow fell as the Sun Bowl college football game between Miami and Washington State Saturday afternoon in the Mexican border city of in El Paso, which is forecast to get 6 to 8 inches of snow from the storm.In the Southeast, two more deaths linked to weather were reported Saturday in Mississippi, bringing that state's death toll from severe weather over Christmas to 10. Late Saturday, one death was reported in Alabama. Flash flooding closed roads across Alabama and trapped motorists in rapidly rising waters.Ranager Tyler and his son waded into flood water Christmas night and used rope to pull an 11-year-old boy out after his family's car was swept away near Pinson, about 15 miles northeast of Birmingham."The little boy was hanging on to the back of the car," Tyler said Saturday.The family's car was overcome with flood water and ended up in a ditch near Tyler's Pinson home. The rushing water separated the family as they got out of the car, he said. The boy was later reunited with his family.Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said 56 injuries were reported. In a statement, Flynn said preliminary damage estimates show 241 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.More than 400 homes in total were affected, he said. Severe storms are forecast for Sunday night through Monday as a strong cold front pushes through. Tornadoes are possible, and residents are asked to remain alert.The flooding is the result of heavy downpours that have thrashed the southeastern U.S. since Wednesday, bringing record rainfalls in some areas. Four inches of rain walloped the city of Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday — smashing the previous record of 2.2 inches set in 1990.Six people were killed in Tennessee, including three who were found in a car submerged in a creek, according to the Columbia Police Department. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday that authorities were monitoring areas for possible flooding.One person died in Arkansas, and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.Better weather was forecast for the Southeast. Temperatures in the eastern third of the country could set numerous records highs Sunday, Rubin-Oster said. Washington, D.C., could see a record daily temperature of 73 degrees, New York City 65 —which would break a record of more than 50 years —and Orlando, Florida could tie a record of 86 degrees set in 1921.___Contributing to this report are Associated Press writers Maud Beelman in Dallas, Chevel Johnson in New Orleans, Jonathan Landrum in Atlanta, and Dylan Lovan in Louisville. Chandler reported from Montgomery.

Tornado death toll reaches 17 in U.S., more stormy weather looms-Reuters-DEC 26,15-YAHOO NEWS

(Reuters) - The death toll from tornadoes this week in the southern United States has climbed by two to 17, officials said on Saturday, as the nation braced for more stormy weather during the busy post-holiday travel weekend.The bodies of a man and a woman missing in Benton County, Mississippi, since being caught in a tornado on Wednesday, were found by search and rescue teams on Saturday morning, said Greg Flynn, spokesman for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.The cause of their deaths was not disclosed, but they brought the total dead from tornadoes in Mississippi to 10, in addition to 56 people injured, officials said.The tornado destroyed or damaged 403 homes over a seven-county area, Flynn said. In addition, flooding left 50 homes uninhabitable and closed 40 roads in Monroe County, which got 10 to 12 inches (about 25 to 30 cm) of rain, he said.The tornadoes also killed six people in Tennessee and one other in Arkansas, bringing the three-state total to 17. A twister in Birmingham, Alabama, late on Friday afternoon damaged several homes, uprooted trees and caused a handful of minor injuries, police and weather officials reported.Alabama and Mississippi will get another round of rain on Monday night, said Evan Duffey, meteorologist for AccuWeather.In California, high winds on Saturday fanned a wildfire that closed parts of the much-traveled Highway 101 outside Los Angeles and forced evacuations, fire officials said.Meanwhile, U.S. post-holiday travelers can expect a mix of stormy weather this weekend, with blizzard conditions in New Mexico and western Texas, while flooding rain hits the southern plains from south Texas through Indiana, forecasters said on Saturday.The wet and snowy conditions come after a Christmas Day of unseasonable warmth on the East Coast, with record high temperatures set or tied in several cities including New York."It's going to be a pretty active weekend as far as winter weather," Duffey said. "It looks like it's going to be pretty bad across the southwest into the southern plains."Duffey said that given the blizzard conditions expected for Saturday, anyone hoping to travel in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas "should try to get going as soon as you can" to beat the storm.Those with flights through Dallas, St. Louis, Indianapolis and New Orleans should expect delays, according to AccuWeather.(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski and Kevin Murphy; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Bill Rigby)

Over 100,000 flee flooding in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay-Reuters By Mariel Cristaldo and Sarah Marsh-dec 26,15-yahoonews

ASUNCION/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in the bordering areas of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina due to severe flooding in the wake of heavy summer rains brought on by El Niño, authorities said on Saturday.In the worse affected country, Paraguay, around 90,000 people in the area around the capital city of Asuncion have been evacuated, the municipal Emergencies Office said. Many are poor families living in precarious housing along the banks of the River Paraguay.The Paraguayan government has declared a state of emergency in Asuncion and seven regions of the country to free up funds to help those affected. Several people have been killed by trees falling in the storms that caused the flooding, local media reported. There was no official death toll yet.In Alberdi, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Asuncion, the government recommended that several thousand more people living along the banks of the River Paraguay evacuate."(The flooding) was directly influenced by the El Niño phenomenon which has intensified the frequency and intensity of rains," the national Emergencies Office said.This year's "El Nino," which sparks global climate extremes, is the worst in more than 15 years, the U.N. weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said last month."Severe droughts and devastating flooding being experienced throughout the tropics and sub-tropical zones bear the hallmarks of this El Nino, which is the strongest in more than 15 years," WMO chief Michel Jarraud said in a statement. Officials at Paraguay's Emergencies Office said the river might rise even more in the coming days, stabilizing and falling back toward normal levels from January onwards.-BAD INFRASTRUCTURE-In northern Argentina, around 20,000 people have also had to abandon their homes, the government said on Saturday."We are going to have a few complicated months, the consequences will be serious," said Ricardo Colombi, the governor of the Corrientes region, after flying over the worst affected areas with national Cabinet Chief Marcos Pena.Pena said national government aid was already on its way and the new president, Mauricio Macri, who took office earlier this month, intended to make improving infrastructure a priority so that such flooding did not occur again."Argentina has a very big lack of infrastructure," he said. Macri will visit the flooded areas on Sunday.In Uruguay, more than 9,000 people have had to flee their homes, according to the national Emergencies Office, which added that it expected water levels to remain at their current level for several days before subsiding.At least four people have died in Argentina and Uruguay due to the storms and floods, according to local media reports. One was reported to have drowned while another was electrocuted by a fallen power cable.Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff also flew over the flooded areas on the border with Argentina and Uruguay on Saturday morning. Rio Grande do Sul state Civil Defense said 1,795 people were left homeless there after 38 towns were affected by heavy rains.(Additional reporting by Matias Larramendi in Montevideo and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Floods hit parts of England as government scrambles to respond-AFP-dec 26,15-yahoonews

London (AFP) - Heavy rains triggered floods in parts of northern England on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and the deployment of army personnel to shore up overwhelmed defences.Lancashire in northwest England and Yorkshire in the northeast were the worst affected, with environment officials issuing more than 300 alerts in those areas, including 31 warnings of possible deadly floods.The Met Office national weather service issued its most serious "red warning", which calls on those in areas at risk to take action.Around 10,000 homes in the region were without power after a substation was damaged, and many elderly and other vulnerable people were rescued from inundated homes by lifeboat.In some areas water reached the lower windows of houses and shops, turning high streets into muddy waterways, and cars were abandoned after narrow country lanes turned into fast-flowing streams. Underscoring the severity of the deluge, Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit the flood-hit region on Monday after chairing an emergency government COBRA committee meeting on Sunday.An emergency meeting had also been held on Christmas Day."My thoughts are with people whose homes have been flooded. I'll chair a COBRA call tomorrow to ensure everything is being done to help," Cameron tweeted.Officials are under pressure after similar flooding earlier this month in northwest England.The floods in Cumbria caused damage estimated at hundreds of millions of pounds and turned many towns and villages into swamps, prompting angry accusations that the government had failed to spend enough on flood defences. 

ISLAM IS GETTING A TASTE OF THEIR OWN VIOLENT MEDICINE.WHAT GOES AROUND-COMES AROUND.

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)

OTHER STORIES
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/12/mideast-christians-face-apocalypse-at.html

IS leader urges uprising in Saudi, attacks in Israel: recording-AFP-dec 26,15-yahoonews

Beirut (AFP) - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the secretive leader of the Islamic State group, called for an uprising in Saudi Arabia and pledged to attack Israel, in an audio recording released Saturday and attributed to him.The 24-minute recording would be Baghdadi's first in seven months, during which IS has been dealt several blows in Iraq and Syria.There was no way for AFP to authenticate that it was Baghdadi speaking, but the voice appeared to match previous recordings of him.And it was not clear when the recording was made, but it referred to a 34-nation anti-IS coalition announced by Saudi Arabia on December 15."They announced lately a coalition... falsely called 'Islamic,' and announced its goal is to fight the caliphate," said the speaker in the recording circulating among pro-IS Twitter users."If this coalition were Islamic, it would have announced victory and aid to the people of Syria," he said.He called on Saudi citizens to "rise up against the apostate tyrants, and avenge your people in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen".Baghdadi regularly attacks the Saudi kingdom in his recordings.In his last message, he accused Saudi rulers of launching an air campaign against Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen only to please the West.Baghdadi also pledged to attack Israel, saying IS has "not forgotten Palestine for a single moment"."And soon, soon with God's permission, you will hear the footsteps of the mujahedeen... We are getting closer to you day by day," he said.The recording did not appear to be accompanied by multilingual transcripts, which has been in the case with other Baghdadi audio messages.Baghdadi made his first and last public appearances in the summer of 2014 in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which IS holds.

WE SEE ISLAMIC MUSLIM VIOLENCE IS PRODUCING REVENGE AGAINST THEM.

Muslim prayer hall in France damaged as violence continues-Associated Press-DEC 26,15- YAHOO NEWS

PARIS (AP) — A crowd vandalized a Muslim prayer room in Corsica a day after an ambush injured two firefighters responding to an emergency in a housing project, the state prefect on the French island said Saturday.Prefect Christophe Mirmand said police reinforcements were being called into the Corsican capital of Ajaccio from mainland France, and prayer rooms and mosques were being guarded.Two separate investigations were opened, one into the attack on firefighters Thursday and the other into the damage to the prayer room Friday, he said on iTele TV station.Tensions were high on the Mediterranean island, widely known in France as the Isle of Beauty.The violence began Thursday night, when firefighters responding to an emergency call were ambushed in a housing project in the hills of Ajaccio. It was not clear what prompted that violence.On Friday, a gathering of about 600 people that started as a show of support for the injured emergency officials led to more violence when several dozen people broke away, headed to the prayer room. There, they threw objects and tried to burn Qurans and prayer books, officials said. They also vandalized a kebab shop."All these events are linked," Mirmand said.Video showed some in the group shouting "this is our home" before the prayer room was damaged.France's prime minister, Manuel Valls, called Friday for respect for French law after "the intolerable aggression toward firefighters and unacceptable profanation of a Muslim place of prayer."France's interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, condemned those responsible for going after firefighters. He also said the "intolerable exactions" against the place of worship carried the "odor of racism and xenophobia" and would not go unpunished.

Christmas Day fire at Houston mosque appears suspicious: report-Reuters-DEC 26,15-YAHOO NEWS

(Reuters) - A Christmas Day fire at a Houston mosque appears suspicious and started in several places, CNN reported on Saturday, citing a federal official.The Islamic Center of Houston caught fire after Friday prayers when it was mostly empty and no injuries were reported, CNN said. The mosque was part of a strip mall.Special Agent Nicole Strong of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was too soon to determine the fire's cause, CNN said. The blaze drew 80 firefighters, the report said.Strong was not immediately available for comment.Anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the rise in the U.S., stoked by recent Islamic State-related attacks in France and California and anti-Muslim statements by Republican presidential hopefuls.The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which tracks such incidents, said the scale of vandalism, damage and intimidation at American mosques this year is the worst in the six years it has kept records.(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Stephen Powell)

US authorities probe 'suspicious' fire at Texas mosque-AFP-DEC 26,15-YAHOONEWS

Washington (AFP) - US authorities on Saturday were investigating a suspicious fire at a mosque in Texas, weeks after a mass shooting in California by a Muslim couple that sparked fears of a backlash against members of their faith.No one was hurt in the blaze at the Masjid mosque in Houston that broke out Friday afternoon and destroyed the interior of the small house of worship located in a shopping mall, local media reported.The fire had "multiple points of origin" and "appears suspicious," a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told local media.The Council on American-Islamic Relations urged authorities to probe possible foul play."Because of the recent spike in hate incidents targeting mosques nationwide, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this fire," the executive director of the group's Houston chapter, Mustafaa Carroll, said in a statement."Officials are checking surveillance video and say the cause of the fire is 'suspicious,'" the statement said.The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also looking into the incident, according to local news reports.Earlier this month, authorities investigated a suspected case of arson at a mosque in Palm Springs, California.On December 2, a Muslim couple killed 14 people and injured 22 others in an assault in the California city of San Bernardino that is being investigated by the FBI as a terror attack.The rampage has raised fears of a backlash against the Muslim community in the United States, especially in the wake of anti-Muslim rhetoric by Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump.

Body found inside truck linked with California shooting suspect-Reuters By Curtis Skinner-DEC 26,15-YAHOONEWS

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A dead body was found inside a U-Haul truck that was being pushed by a man who fired on transit police in the San Francisco-area city of Hayward, officials said on Saturday.The incident began around 11:15 a.m. on Christmas morning when police with the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system noticed 27-year-old Charles Goetting acting suspiciously in the Hayward BART station parking lot, the agency said.BART spokeswoman Denisse Gonzalez said officers saw Goetting pushing the U-Haul truck and when they attempted to search him, he pulled out a gun and shot one officer in the arm.The two officers returned fire and wounded Goetting. Both Goetting and the officer, who was not identified, were taken to the hospital.The officer had been treated and released by Friday night while Goetting underwent surgery and was in stable condition, police said.Later, investigators discovered the remains of an unidentified adult male inside the U-Haul truck.The San Francisco Chronicle said Goetting was on probation for burglary, firearm possession and dealing drugs. The newspaper said authorities found a backpack with a ski mask and burglary tools inside the U-Haul, which had a switched license plate, and that the gun Goetting used had been stolen.(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Belgian police quiz Brussels school on Paris attacker, media say-AFP-dec 26,15-yahoonews

Brussels (AFP) - The Belgian authorities are questioning staff at a Brussels school attended by one of the Paris attackers whose warnings that he had become worryingly radicalised were missed, press reports said Saturday.The reports, based on Flemish language dailies De Morgen and Het Laaste Nieuws, said Bilal Hadfi had been a student at the Annessens-Funck school before going to Syria in February.Hadfi blew himself up outside the French national stadium in northern Paris during the November 13 attacks which left 130 people dead.The Belga news agency said documents cited in the reports showed that Hadfi's teachers had become concerned at his increasingly radical views, especially his comments over the January attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.The reports said the school informed the education authorities in April that he had gone to Syria but that this information was not then passed on to the police.While Hadfi's name appeared on a list of suspects compiled by Belgium's anti-terror watchdog, the school's warning only came to light after the attacks, the reports said.The police are now trying to establish how that happened as they the search for suspects, included the most wanted, Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam who fled back to the Belgian capital after the attacks.On Thursday, the authorities charged a ninth person in connection with the attacks.

 Woman arraigned in deadly Vegas Strip crash; no plea entered-Lakeisha Nicole Holloway-Associated Press-DEC 23,15-LATIMES

A woman accused of intentionally plowing a car carrying her child through crowds of pedestrians on a Las Vegas Strip sidewalk spent less than two minutes Wednesday getting arraigned on murder, hit-and-run and child abuse charges.Lakeisha Nicole Holloway, 24, pursed her lips and blinked as she was led in shackles into a courtroom. She was not asked to enter a plea but nodded to acknowledge that she understood she'll remain in jail through the holidays while both sides investigate Sunday's crash that killed one and injured dozens.Defense lawyer Joseph Abood later characterized Holloway as "distraught" and overwhelmed. She plans to plead not guilty, he said."This is sad and tragic for everybody involved," he said. "Just because she's charged, doesn't mean she's guilty."A judge set a Jan. 20 date for a preliminary hearing of evidence that police say they're still collecting.Clark County Dist. Atty. Steve Wolfson said outside court that the evidence he has seen is clear, and that additional charges are likely, depending on the results of drug and alcohol tests and police findings. Those charges could include multiple counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon. Wolfson characterized the quality of surveillance video that captured the crash as "superb." He said he believes it clearly shows Holloway intended to kill and injure people in front of the Planet Hollywood and Paris Las Vegas resorts."If you intentionally try and run somebody over, that certainly qualifies as an attempted murder charge, and that's one we are strongly considering," Wolfson said.Left unanswered was what could have led a former award-winning high school graduate to mow down tourists and put her 3-year-old daughter in danger, according to authorities."We have heard nothing but good things about her in the past," Abood said. "This is a surprise to everyone. We have a lot of investigating and a lot of work to do."The crash killed Jessica Valenzuela of Arizona and injured at least 35 others from several states, Mexico and Canada. Three people were still in critical condition, and five others remained hospitalized.Abood, who represented another driver in a similar crash on the Strip in September 2005, said he and co-counsel Scott Coffee will need to see police reports, witness accounts and video before deciding on Holloway's defense. Holloway is on suicide watch in jail, where she is being held without bail. Abood said Holloway's mental health could become an issue but that she had not had a psychological evaluation.Casino and street surveillance video shows a 1996 Oldsmobile moving down a sidewalk and hitting tourists, while the driver avoids street signs, light poles and other vehicles, authorities say. The car swerved back onto Las Vegas Boulevard and then onto the sidewalk again, authorities say. The video may not be made public until a later court hearing.The felony charge of child abuse and neglect accuses Holloway of endangering her daughter, who was riding in the backseat. The girl wasn't hurt in the crash, and child welfare officials are caring for her.Holloway is from Oregon, where she changed her name in October to Paris Paradise Morton. She won honors for overcoming a rough childhood and homelessness to graduate from an alternative high school in Portland.She was featured in a 2012 video produced by the nonprofit Portland Opportunities Industrial ization Center, which helps at-risk youths with education and job training. She said she was going to college and entering the workforce."Today I'm not the same scared girl I used to be," Holloway said in the video. "I'm a mature young woman."The U.S. Forest Service hired her to do administrative work in its Portland office. Holloway joined the agency in 2009 and resigned in 2012, spokesman Glen Sachet said. She took a four-month break in late 2010.Holloway had been in Las Vegas for about a week, police said. After her arrest Sunday, she told investigators she was broke, homeless and tired of being shooed away from casino parking garages, where she and her daughter would sleep in the car.She might have been on her way to Texas to find the girl's estranged father, authorities said.Abood and Coffee didn't answer a question about whether they have spoken with the father.During the incident, people jumped on the car and banged on its windows, but Holloway kept driving, authorities say. She went about a mile with a broken windshield and a flattened tire before pulling into an off-Strip hotel and telling a valet to call 911.A police drug-recognition expert said she wasn't drunk but may have been under the influence of a stimulant.

Chicago 'Black Christmas' protesters march against police violence-Reuters By Justin Madden-December 24, 2015 4:18 PM-YAHOONEWS

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Several hundred protesters against police killings of black men marched on Thursday along Chicago's Michigan Avenue, calling for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to step down and aiming to disrupt Christmas Eve shopping in a glittering, upscale commercial area.The demonstration was peaceful, but after the main march concluded, police scuffled with a few dozen protesters who were trying to block the entrance to an H&M store and to obstruct traffic both ways on Michigan Avenue, a major thoroughfare. During the march, demonstrators chanted "Sixteen shots and a cover-up," protesting the year-long delay in bringing murder charges against police officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot and killed Laquan McDonald in October 2014 as the black teenager walked away from police, according to footage of the incident."Rahm is arrogant enough to not resign. So we're going to continue to put pressure on the business community and allow them to force him to resign," said protester Brother Hall, 64, of the Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville.Police killings, especially of black people, have sparked protests in some U.S. cities over the last year and a half. Black Lives Matter, a loosely organized movement involved in many protests over race and policing issues, is calling holiday demonstrations "Black Christmas."On Wednesday, protesters were arrested in Black Lives Matter demonstrations blocking roadways and highways near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.Also, on Thursday dozens of protesters marched into San Francisco's City Hall over the police killing of a black man earlier this month, demanding the firing of the city's police chief.Chicago has seen a steady stream of protests since late November, when the city released the video of Van Dyke, who is white, shooting McDonald, aged 17.Van Dyke, 37, has been charged with murder and is out on bail pending formal arraignment Dec. 29.Shoppers and tourists mostly took in their stride Thursday's protest, which was not as big as a 2,000-person march on "Black Friday" Nov. 27, which blocked traffic into several Michigan Avenue stores."I think it's a good reminder, especially on Christmas Eve, that it's not all about gifts and the commercialization of Christmas," said Barbara Hutchinson, 64, from St. Louis.More than 70 percent of the 375 people shot by police in Chicago from 2007-2014 were black. The city's population is about one-third African American.Emanuel, on holiday in Cuba, has said he will not step down, but he did bow to protesters and fired police chief Garry McCarthy and agreed to a review of police practices by the U.S. Department of Justice.(Writing by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Alistair Bell)

Chicago police officer shoots, kills man and woman-Reuters By Mary Wisniewski and Justin Madden-dec 26,15-yahoonews

CHICAGO (Reuters) - In a city already troubled by allegations of police misuse of force, a Chicago police officer shot and killed a male college student and a mother of five, both black, on Saturday morning following a report of a domestic disturbance.The police department of the nation's third-largest city is under a federal civil rights investigation for its use of deadly force and officer discipline.A recently released video of the shooting death of a black teenager by a white officer in 2014 has led to multiple protests, with activists calling for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's resignation.The latest shooting happened early on Saturday on the city's west side."Upon arrival, officers were confronted by a combative subject resulting in the discharging of the officer's weapon, fatally wounding two individuals," police said in a statement.The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified the dead as Bettie Jones, 55, and Quintonio Legrier, 19. The Chicago Tribune rendered the name as 'LeGrier' but officials could not immediately confirm that spelling.Family members of Jones said that Legrier, a sophomore at Northern Illinois University, was home for Christmas and visiting his father, landlord of the two-story wooden frame building where the shooting occurred.Family members said police were called after Legrier threatened his father with a metal baseball bat. Jones, who lived in the first-floor apartment, was shot through the door, according to her cousin, Evelyn Glover.There was a single bullet hole in the wooden door. Blood stained the walls and carpet of the tidy apartment, which was decorated for Christmas. Relatives, including children of Bettie Jones, who was a grandmother of 10, were at the building crying and embracing each other."This is a wrongful death. How are you just going to fire through the door?," asked Glover, who added that Jones was recovering from ovarian cancer.Melvin Jones, Jones' older brother, said his sister was a hard-working single mother who had recently started a new job.Janet Cooksey, Legrier's mother, told local news channel CLTV her son had recently been suffering from mental illness."You call for help and you lose someone," she said. "That has to stop."The Independent Police Review Authority, which reviews police conduct, is investigating the shooting. Emanuel recently replaced the authority's chief official in response to complaints about the agency's effectiveness.Use of force by police has sparked national debate after high-profile killings of black men by mainly white officers in several U.S. cities.A prayer vigil for the shootings is planned for Sunday afternoon.(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski and Justin Madden; Additional reporting by Justin Madden in Chicago; Editing by Ruth Pitchford and Bill Rigby)

Donald Trump: Relying on, trying to control free coverage-Donald Trump: a candidate obsessed with his portrayal by the news media he depends on-Associated Press By Jill Colvin, Associated Press-dec 26,15-yahoonews

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Nobody understands the power of the media on public perception quite like Donald Trump. The former reality television star and tabloid king, who has relied on free news coverage and social media to power his presidential campaign, is uniquely obsessed with how the news media portray his events.Trump routinely orders news camera operators to pan the crowds at his rallies to show how large the gatherings are — and then chastises them, with disgust, when they fail to obey. His team has experimented with event setups, often placing groups of supporters on risers behind the candidate so that cameras can't miss the carefully curated faces.He's fumed over television reporters doing live shots from empty auditoriums once his supporters have left. And on Twitter, Trump is one of the most prolific media critics, offering his live commentary of cable news reporters and analysts, lashing out at news outlets he feels have treated him unfairly.The approach is yet another aspect of Trump's unorthodox campaign. As other candidates and their affiliated super PACs have spent millions of dollars on expensive television ads, Trump's campaign has reported spending just $300,000 on a sprinkling of radio ads. Instead, Trump has logged a whopping 22 hours and 46 minutes of free airtime from May 1 to December 15 on Fox News alone, according to a tally by Media Matters for America, a liberal nonprofit group. That's more than twice as much as any other candidate and more than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio combined.While other candidates spend their time at small-scale retail events interacting one-on-one with voters, Trump's campaign centerpiece is the large-scale rally, where he is greeted like a rock star by thousands of adoring — and increasingly boisterous — fans. The events are often held in arenas and convention centers, with crowd sizes that dwarf his rivals — a fact he is never shy to point out."Nobody gets audiences like I get," Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Monday. "We broke the record. And I don't have a guitar, no guitar. Elton John said, 'You get the biggest crowds in the world for a guy without a guitar.'" Despite Trump's off-the-cuff, tangent-filled speeches, the events are meticulously staged. Reporters receive laminated press credentials that include the date and city. At one rally earlier this month, held in a private airplane hangar, Trump staged a dramatic entrance, pulling up to the open venue in his custom 757 as the theme music from the movie "Air Force One" blared on loudspeakers. Entertainment has included live bands and DJs. Kids are sometimes offered free helicopter rides.The spectacle has created a legion of Trump fans who attend one event after the next to hear the candidate speak."This is better than a concert in the '70s," said Trump supporter Bill Kullander, ahead of a recent rally in Des Moines, Iowa — the fourth the 62-year-old had attended so far this year.In Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday, staunch supporters mixed with curious onlookers eager to see the Trump show in action."I just want to hear what he has to say," said Jim Rhodes of Belmont, Michigan. "Am I going to vote for him? Probably not. I like to refer to this as the second comedy show I've been to in my lifetime. The first one was Tim Allen. "Trump loathes the suggestion that his crowd sizes have anything to do with his celebrity status."Look, everywhere I go, I have crowds like this. Everywhere. Everywhere. We have the biggest crowds by far. Because there's a movement going on, folks," he said at a post-debate rally in Mesa, Arizona, earlier this month. "This isn't just like let's go and have a good time.""We have a message, we have a message and the message is we don't want to let other people take advantage of us," Trump said.Trump's events have also become popular venues for protesters, who have grown increasing adept at causing maximum disruption. Their strategies have vexed Trump, who frequently complains about the attention they receive in news reports."Do you ever notice how few it is?" he complained last week. "We've got 9,000 or 10,000 people in here. They'll talk about one guy or two guys. Headline: Trump had pickets. They had like three people, there was nobody outside."The charged atmosphere has also led to frequent violent clashes, with Trump supporters physically assaulting protesters at multiple events. At a recent rally just outside Las Vegas, Ender Austin III said he was assaulted. Trump supporters, he said, called for him to be set on fire. Another shouted, "Heil Trump.""I've never felt so much rage," he said of the crowd.Trump has grappled with how to handle the disruption."I'm trying to be really neutral. To one guy, I said, 'Get him out of here now! .... And they said the next day: It was horrible, horrible the way Trump talked to him."At another event, he said, he'd tried to be nice, urging his fans not to hurt the protesters. "So the next day," he claimed the news media had reported, "Trump was off his game, he was very, very weak.""So you can't win with these people," he complained.This week, Trump tried a different approach, trying to shame his protesters with insults."Look at these people. Boy, what a bunch of losers," he said. "You are a loser, you really are a loser ... Get 'em out."___Associated Press writer Tom Coyne in Grand Rapids, Michigan, contributed to this report.

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

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.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror(ISM), consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

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)

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

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)

IS leader says 'caliphate' well, mocks Saudi-led alliance-Associated Press By ZEINA KARAM- DEC 26,15-YAHOONEWS

BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group on Saturday released a new message purportedly from its reclusive leader, claiming that his self-styled "caliphate" is doing well despite an unprecedented alliance against it and criticizing the recently announced Saudi-led Islamic military coalition against terrorism.In the 24-minute audio, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said airstrikes by the international coalition only increase his group's determination and resolve. The message was al-Baghdadi's first since May, and comes amid battlefield setbacks that IS has recently faced.Meanwhile, a U.S.-backed coalition of rebels in Syria — including Syrian Kurdish, Arab and Christian groups — captured a major dam on the Euphrates River from the Islamic State group as part of the coalition's march on IS-held areas in northern Syria.The coalition, known as Syria Democratic Forces, announced earlier this week a new offensive aimed at cutting supply lines between IS strongholds in the country's north. The SDF said it seized the Tishrin Dam, which supplies much off northern Syria with electricity, on Saturday.An SDF spokesman told AP earlier this week that his forces are also trying to cut the supply lines between the Islamic State's de-facto capital of Raqqa and the group's stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria.The SDF, dominated by the main Kurdish militia in Syria known as YPG, or People's Protection Units, has become a main force in fighting IS.The Islamic State group has come under pressure in Syria and Iraq, where it has declared its self-styled Islamic caliphate on territory that the militant group controls. It lost the town Sinjar in Iraq last month, and areas across the border in Syria at the same time. Iraqi government troops are also advancing in the Islamic State-held city of Ramadi, the provincial capital of the sprawling Anbar province, Iraq's Sunni heartland.Airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition and Russia in Syria have also destroyed Syrian oil facilities and killed several IS leaders in recent weeks."It is unprecedented in the history of our Ummah (Islamic nation) that all the world came against it in one battle, as it is happening today. It is the battle of all the disbelievers against all the Muslims," al-Baghdadi said.He said the U.S.-led alliance does "not scare us... nor do they scatter our resolve because we are the victors in any event."Al-Baghdadi also taunted the United States for not putting boots on the ground. "They do not dare to come, because their hearts are full of fear from the mujahideen,"or holy warriors, he said."America and its allies dream of destroying the caliphate through their proxies and henchmen, and whenever an alliance of theirs fails or a tail is cut, they hasten to establish another, until they recently declared the Salouli (Saudi) alliance that was falsely called Islamic," al-Baghdadi added.If the Saudi-led alliance was truly Islamic, then it would fight the Syrian army and its Russian "masters," as well as Shiites and Jews, al-Baghdadi said.In mid-December, Saudi Arabia announced the new, 34-member alliance against terrorism, to be based in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh. But Shiite powerhouse Iran is not part of the new coalition; neither are Iraq and Syria, whose forces are battling to regain ground from the Islamic State group and whose governments are allied with Tehran.In the audio, al-Baghdadi also warned nations taking part in the war against IS by saying: "We promise you, God permitting, that whoever participates in the war against the Islamic State will pay the price dearly."He threatened Israel by saying, "we haven't forgotten you" and "we are getting closer to you" every day. To Israeli Jews, he said that they "will hide behind trees and stones" from the IS.He also urged Muslims world over to join the IS fight, saying it is their Islamic duty to rise up everywhere.The authenticity of the audio could not be independently confirmed but it was posted on IS-affiliated websites and Twitter as past IS messages. Also, it was produced by the al-Furqan Media Foundation, IS media arm.

Czech leader calls migrant wave in Europe an 'organised invasion'-AFP-dec 26,15-yahoonews

Prague (AFP) - Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his anti-migrant comments, on Saturday called the current wave of refugees to Europe "an organised invasion", and that young men from Syria and Iraq should instead "take up arms" against the Islamic State (IS) group."I am profoundly convinced that we are facing an organised invasion and not a spontaneous movement of refugees," said Zeman in his Christmas message to the Czech Republic released Saturday.He went on to say that compassion was "possible" for refugees who are old or sick and for children, but not for young men who in his view should be back home fighting against jihadists."A large majority of the illegal migrants are young men in good health, and single. I wonder why these men are not taking up arms to go fight for the freedom of their countries against the Islamic State," said Zeman, who was elected Czech president in early 2013.He added that their fleeing their war-torn countries only serves to strengthen the IS group.The 71-year-old evoked a comparison to the situation of Czechs who left their country when it was under Nazi occupation (1939-1945) in order to "fight to liberate the country and not to receive social benefits in Great Britain."It's not the first time Zeman has taken a controversial stance on Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II.In November, the left-winger attended an anti-Islam rally in Prague in the company of far-right politicians and a paramilitary unit.The country's Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who has previously criticised the head of state's comments, said Zeman's Christmas message was based "on prejudices and his habitual simplification of things."A recent survey showed that nearly 70 percent of Czechs oppose the arrival of migrants and refugees in their country.

Belgium restarts ageing Tihange 1 nuclear reactor-AFP-DEC 26,15-YAHOONEWS

Brussels (AFP) - Belgian power utility Electrabel said Saturday it had restarted a nuclear reactor at its ageing Tihange plant, just days after being forced to shut it down following a fire in the electricity supply system.An Electrabel spokesman said the Tihange 1 reactor was put back on line as scheduled and would be running at full power in due course.Last week's shutdown of the reactor was "normal procedure" after such a fire, the company said previously.Tihange 1 is the oldest of three reactors at the plant, about an hour's drive southwest of Brussels, and began service in 1975.It was meant to be closed completely in 2015 but the government decided in 2012 to keep it running until 2025 to help ensure electricity supplies while other energy sources are developed.Environmentalists, especially in neighbouring Germany which is phasing out nuclear power, have criticised extending the life of Belgium's reactors, which they say are too old to be considered safe.Belgium has suffered a series of nuclear mishaps in recent years, with three of the country's seven reactors closed at one point, in two cases due to the discovery of micro-cracks in the reactor vessels.Overnight Thursday, Electrabel was forced to halt another reactor at its Doel plant near the northern city of Antwerp, only days after it was restarted following a 21-month shutdown.The company said at the time it expected to resume operation of the Doel 3 reactor "within a few days."An Electrabel spokeswoman said Saturday that the Doel 1 reactor, halted since early this year and which was supposed to have been restarted on Sunday, will now come on line on Thursday instead.Such slippage in estimated dates was "normal," she added.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

STORMS KILL 15 IN AMERICA-AUSTRALIA AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES.ISRAEL KILLS ANOTHER ARAB TERRORIST.

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)

Israeli officers shoot dead a knife-wielding Palestinian: police-[Reuters]-December 26, 2015- YAHOONEWS

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli policemen shot dead a Palestinian who tried to stab an officer near Jerusalem's walled Old City on Saturday, a police spokeswoman said, as almost three months of heightened violence shows no sign of abating.In the past 12 weeks Israeli forces or armed civilians have killed at least 126 Palestinians, 77 of whom authorities described as assailants. Most others have been killed in clashes with security forces.Palestinians have killed 20 Israelis and a U.S. citizen in the same period, raising fears of a wider escalation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided.Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that on Saturday, officers had approached a man they viewed as suspicious. "The terrorist whipped out a knife and tried to stab a police officer. He was swiftly shot and neutralized," she said.The surge in violence since October has been fueled by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.Palestinian leaders say a young generation sees no hope for the future living under Israeli security restrictions and with a stifled economy.The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014.Violence has also been triggered by Muslim anger over stepped-up Israeli visits to Jerusalem's al Aqsa mosque complex. The site, Islam's holiest outside Saudi Arabia, is also revered by many Jews as a vestige of their biblical temples.Israeli leaders says Islamist groups who call for the destruction of Israel have played a major role in inciting the recent violence.(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Louise Ireland)

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.

More than 100 homes lost in Australia's Christmas Day bushfires-[Reuters]-By Christopher McCall-Reuters-December 26, 2015-YAHOONEWS

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - More than 100 homes burned down in a leading Australian tourist area in bushfires on Christmas Day and the situation remained dangerous on Saturday, as officials predicted more blazes to come later in the hot southern summer.While around 500 firefighters and 13 firefighting aircraft battled the flames along parts of Victoria state's picturesque Great Ocean Road, teams moved in to assess damage from fires that had lit up the night sky along the coast on Christmas.A spokesman for the state's emergency services said 98 homes had been confirmed burned in the community of Wye River and another 18 in nearby Separation Creek, for a total of 116 in the two townships, located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) southwest of Melbourne.Top emergency officials warned that dry conditions posed a threat of more fires for the Great Ocean Road area and the rest of Victoria."This fire doesn't go away," Craig Lapsley, the state's emergency services commissioner, told a news conference."We will be back into hot, windy weather in January without a doubt. Everything's available to burn."The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia's biggest tourist draws with its spectacular scenery and unusual offshore rock formations. It remained mostly closed to traffic on Saturday during what is typically one of its busiest times of the year.Although an evacuation alert was lifted for the popular tourist town of Lorne and rain overnight had helped the firefighting operation, officials said the situation remained potentially dangerous with many hotspots. Images from the scene showed hillsides charred to the ground all the way down to the coast.State Premier Daniel Andrews surveyed the area from the air and commended emergency services, noting that there had so far been no loss of life, but he warned that the number of homes destroyed could rise.Meetings were held on Saturday for hundreds of victims urgently moved out of affected towns on Friday, many spending Christmas night in hurriedly organised shelters.Andrews said financial grants had already been issued to help those who had lost their homes.The fires started with a lightning strike on Dec. 19 and, fanned by winds, have burned more than 2,000 hectares.Walking tracks in the nearby Great Otway National Park have been closed to the public as some of the fires are within the park itself.The disaster is the latest of a string of bushfires to hit Victoria and other states in recent weeks.In 2009, Victoria witnessed Australia's worst ever bushfire disaster, since dubbed "Black Saturday".(Reporting by Chris McCall; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT FIRE INFO.
http://www.fire.ca.gov/
http://calfire.ca.gov/general/firemaps

Southern California Brush Fire Threatens 30 Homes-By MATTHEW FOSTER-DAVID CHIU-Dec 26, 2015, 5:08 AM ET-ABCNEWS

A brush fire in Ventura County, California, late Friday night burned 900 acres and was threatening 30 homes.The fire was burning along U.S. 101 near Solimar Beach and forced the closure of a portion of the highway, reported ABC affiliate KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara.A mandatory evacuations was in place for the Solimar Beach community while a voluntary evacuation was in effect for the Faria Beach community.# solimarfire #venturafire #hwy101 #cstreet #ventura #Carpinteria #Dec26 #californiastreet #NEWS CHANNELS pic.twitter.com/IyHGepgT9N-— Amanda Macias (@AmandaMMacias) December 26, 2015

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)

RARE FULL MOON OVER B.C
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/rare-full-moon-seen-skies-175821412.html?nhp=1

Death Toll Reaches 15 After Severe Storms in South-By PAUL H.B. SHIN-DAVID CHIU-Dec 26, 2015, 6:01 AM ET-ABCNEWS

The death toll from Wednesday’s severe storms in the South has risen to at least 15.The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said on Friday it received reports of another death and another missing person due to the severe weather system that was still affecting the state. That pushed the total number of deaths linked to the weather to eight with two others missing.Six people in Tennessee and one person in Arkansas also died in the storms.Residents Trapped Under Debris After Tornado Hits Near Birmingham, Alabama-At Least 14 Killed in Storms and Tornadoes Across the South and Midwest-Boy Among 7 Dead, 40 Injured in Tornado and Severe Storm Outbreak-Among the dead was a 7-year-old boy in Holly Springs, Mississippi, according to Mayor Kelvin Buck.The MEMA also said there were 60 storm-related injuries in Mississippi, adding that several counties reported flash flooding on Friday due to a stalled front over the state. There were 10 water rescues in Monroe County as a result of floodwaters.The storms caused damage to over 100 homes, mobile homes, and businesses, said the MEMA.Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant issued a declaration of disaster. He said Mississippi was in the recovery stage Thursday as authorities determined how much damage was caused and what federal assistance the state may qualify for.The latest number of weather-related deaths in the South came as the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down near Birmingham, Alabama on Friday. There were reportedly people trapped in damaged homes, according to Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards.Birmingham Mayor William Bell said there were no fatalities that officials knew of. There was one reported injury.Widespread flooding has also been reported in the Birmingham area with over 7 inches of rain in northwestern Alabama and up to 6 inches in northeastern Alabama.The heavy rainfall prompted Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley to declare a state of emergency for counties in the state.Meanwhile, some spots of eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas could receive almost a foot of rain this weekend. Several rivers were expected to rapidly rise in the area and across the region.Daniel Manzo, Ben Stein, Tom Liddy, Kelly Stevenson, Emily Shapiro, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tornado causes damage, injures three in Birmingham, Alabama-Reuters-dec 26,15-yahoonews

(Reuters) - A tornado struck Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, damaging houses, uprooting trees and injuring at least three people in the state's largest city, law enforcement and weather officials said.National Weather Service meteorologist Jody Aaron said the twister was confirmed to have touched down in the southwestern portion of town at about 5 p.m. Central time, (2300 GMT), adding, "There does appear to be some significant damage."Birmingham Police Lieutenant Sean Edwards said at least three people were taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries.Edwards said several houses were damaged, trees were toppled and power was knocked out in the area, but he could provide no further information.Images published online by local media outlets showed lawns scattered with debris from what appeared to be homes and some collapsed structures.Alabama has been hit with storms and heavy rain since Wednesday, and the Weather Service issued flash flood warnings around the region for Friday.(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Steve Gorman and Dan Grebler)

Eastern U.S. sees warm Christmas, winter storm looms for Plains-Reuters By Ian Simpson and Steve Gorman-dec 26,15-yahoonews

(Reuters) - Much of the U.S. East Coast basked in unseasonable warmth on Christmas Day with record high temperatures set or tied in several cities, including New York, even as a tornado hit Alabama and a major winter storm loomed for the southern Rockies and Great Plains.The twister in Birmingham, Alabama, late on Friday afternoon damaged several homes, uprooted trees and caused a handful of minor injuries, police and weather officials reported.National Weather Service meteorologist Jody Aaron said the tornado damage appeared limited to the southwestern end of the city, the state's largest in a region of the South that has been hit hard by three days by thunderstorms and torrential rain.The most noteworthy weather phenomenon for most of Eastern Seaboard, meanwhile, was a continuing pattern of temperatures about 20 degrees above normal.The temperature in Manhattan's Central Park climbed to 66 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest Christmas Day mark in at least 146 years, while Philadelphia topped out at a record-tying 68 degrees F, according to the National Weather Service.Temperatures around Washington, D.C., reached the upper 60s and low-70s F, just a few degrees shy of record highs despite cloudy, damp weather. Both New York and Washington posted record warmth on Thursday, as well.Above-average temperatures were expected to linger along the Eastern seaboard through the holiday weekend, with heavy rains falling across much of the South and mid-Atlantic region raising the possibility of flash floods.Parts of Alabama were deluged by more than a foot of rain Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon, while Georgia also was soaked with nearly 5 inches of precipitation measured at Atlanta's airport, according to the Weather Service.But even as soggy conditions in the South begin to abate, a powerful winter storm was forming across the southern Rockies and Plains, threatening blizzard conditions for parts of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma on Saturday, forecasters said.As much as 2 feet (61 cm) of snow was possible in areas of New Mexico and northern Texas, they said.Snow already was falling on Friday in parts of Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota, a region bisected by heavily traveled Interstate 90."This is coming at a bad time for travel," said Richard Baan, a meteorologist for the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.Heavy rain, and possible flooding, was expected from the same system on Saturday in eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, north-central Texas and Louisiana, Baan said.A separate winter storm in California's Sierra Nevada brought more welcome relief to ski resorts struggling through a four-year drought that has left the mountain snowpack badly depleted. The two largest ski destinations near Lake Tahoe - the Heavenly Mountain Resort and Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows - reported receiving 2 feet and 19 inches of snow, respectively, on Thursday and Friday.Facing delays stemming in part from severe weather this week, package delivery company FedEx Corp said it was manning customer counters with volunteers on Christmas Day.A storm system on Wednesday set off tornadoes that killed at least 15 people in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said on Friday that two people were still missing.(Reporting and writing by Ian Simpson in Washington and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler, Bill Trott and Dan Grebler)

Dozens feared dead after another landslide in a Myanmar jade mine-[Reuters]-By Aung Hla Tun-Reuters-December 26, 2015-YAHOONEWS

YANGON (Reuters) - Dozens of people were feared dead in Myanmar after a landslide hit a jade mining region, workers at a local mining firm said, the second such incident in just over a month.The landslide took place on Friday in Hpakant in the country's northern Kachin State, a rugged region sandwiched between China and India and the heart of Myanmar's multi-billion dollar jade industry controlled by its powerful military."We heard about 50 people were buried in the collapsed dump and four or five bodies were found this morning," Sai Lon, who works at a jade mining company in the area, told Reuters on Saturday.Police in Hpakant, in Mohnyin district, said the landslide took place on Friday afternoon but that they could not confirm casualties."We haven't heard anything from the rescue team yet," said a duty officer at Hpakant Township Police Station who declined to be named.On Nov. 22, a massive landslide in the same mountainous area in Kachin State killed 114 people. The area produces some of the world's highest-quality jade.Deaths in Myanmar's jade mines, where small time prospectors and massive firms vie for the precious stone, underscore the sector's lax safety rules and lack of accountability.Much of the jade mined in Hpakant is believed to be smuggled to neighbouring China, where the green stone is highly prized and is widely believed to bring wealth and longevity.About 800 jade mining firms operate around the town, but activity is dominated by about 10 firms, mostly Chinese-led ventures, according to the Ministry of Mines.Miners have been tearing into Myanmar's northern hills in recent months, in a rush to excavate more jade from the world's richest deposits of the gemstone before a new government, which has promised clean governance, takes office next year.The rush has led to thousands of ethnic villagers being forced off their land.The newly elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party said last month it plans to tighten control over jade mines.A U.S. ban on Myanmar jade remains in place over concerns that jade mining benefits military figures and fuels corruption and rights abuses, despite Washington easing most of its ban on imports from the country after a quasi-civilian government took power in 2011 following five decades of military dictatorship.(Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

China landslide disaster caused by safety breaches - cabinet website-[Reuters]-December 26, 2015-YAHOONEWS

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A landslide in southern China that killed two people and left more than 70 people missing was caused by breaches of construction safety rules and was not a natural disaster, a government website quoted local authorities as saying.An investigation by a team in Shenzhen directed by China's cabinet found the Dec. 20 disaster stemmed from waste construction material in a landfill site rather than a natural geological movement, a statement posted late Friday on the cabinet's website said."Those held accountable will be seriously punished in accordance with the law," the statement said.The man-made disaster, which buried 33 buildings in an industrial park, has raised questions about China's industrial safety standards and lack of oversight that has led to fatal accidents, a by-product of the country's rapid growth.At the Shenzhen industrial park, there is still some risk of more landslides at three separate places and professionals have been brought in to deal with the issue, Xinhua news agency on Friday quoted a Shenzhen official as saying."There are also dangerous chemical items that need to be identified and treated," Yang Shengjun, head of the Shenzhen Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, was quoted as saying.Yang said no air or water contamination has been detected yet, according to Xinhua.The company managing the dump site, Shenzhen Yixianglong, was urged to stop work four days before the disaster, an executive with a government-appointed monitoring agency said on Thursday.Xinhua earlier reported that the dump was being used 10 months after it was supposed to have stopped taking waste, earning Yixianglong some 7.5 million yuan ($1.16 million) in fees.(Reporting by Engen Tham in Shanghai; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

Toxic smog brings nightmare 'white Christmas' to Beijing-[Agence France-Presse]-December 25, 2015-YAHOONEWS

Beijing (AFP) - Beijing residents woke up to a white Christmas Friday morning but with the sky obscured by thick toxic smog rather than snow after more than 100 million people across China had been warned to stay indoors.The capital and surrounding parts of northern China are regularly blanketed in deadly pollution associated with heavy industry and an increase in coal consumption during the winter months.Counts of PM2.5 -- harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs -- in Beijing peaked at 620 micrograms per cubic metre as of early Friday, according to data from the US embassy.The World Health Organization's recommended maximum exposure is 25 micrograms over a 24-hour period."If this only happened a few days a year, I'd put up with it, but it's paralysing for it to be like this every day!" said one angry social media user on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform. "Is this the new normal?"The city posted contradictory alerts for Christmas day, with the Beijing Meteorological Service issuing an orange alert - requiring factories to limit expelled pollutants and schools to cease outdoor activities -- while the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau issued only a yellow alert, the second lowest in a four-tiered, colour-coded warning system.The smog is expected to last until Saturday afternoon.Photos on social media showed empty freeways shrouded in a white-out of haze as authorities shut down highways in the region and grounded flights out of the capital.More than 500 international and domestic arrivals and departures at Beijing's main airport were cancelled due to "heavy fog and low visibility", its website said."In this kind of weather, can Santa even find Beijing?" a user wrote on Sina Weibo.In the neighbouring city of Tianjin, no fewer than 19 freeways were closed early Friday morning, according to the Tianjin Freeway Management Office's official microblog, with CCTV television reporting visibility of less than five metres (15 feet)."Santa can't even get to Tianjin! I was wondering why my stocking had no gifts in it! Smog you better get out of here!" said another Weibo commentor.Beijing issued its first-ever red alert on December 7, declaring emergency pollution measures following scathing public criticism of the city's weak response to choking smog that settled on the capital earlier in the month.Its second and latest red alert, which lasted four days, concluded Tuesday night.

AP Interview: Climate deal caps a long quest for UN chief-AP Interview: UN chief relishes Paris deal after arduous, personal campaign for climate action-Associated Press By Edith m. Lederer, Associated Press-dec 26,15-yahoonews

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- When international negotiators reached a first-of-its kind climate change agreement in Paris this month, the United Nations' normally low-key leader, Ban Ki-moon, celebrated onstage, arms raised in victory and more exuberant than many had ever seen him before.Nearly nine years had passed since, in his first days as secretary-general, Ban surprised world leaders by making global warming a top item on his agenda. Now, on the eve of his final year in office, the cheers in Paris marked the culmination of his nonstop campaign, pressed at summit after summit, with every world leader and from melting glaciers to islands at risk of disappearing.It was an emotional moment, and looking back at the road to Paris in an interview with The Associated Press, Ban paid tribute to many people, including the leaders of the United States, China, India and France. He also spoke proudly of his own role.No other leader in the world "has been raising, without fail, all the time, climate change," Ban said. "I have spent real passion ... and most of my time and energy on this issue."It was quite a shift for the former South Korean foreign minister, whose main focus before becoming the eighth U.N. secretary-general in 2007 was his country's standoff with North Korea.Ban traced his interest in climate change to his yearlong campaign to lead the United Nations, which took him to many countries and broadened his vision of global issues.Two weeks before he was sworn in as secretary-general, Ban told Tim Wirth, then president of the United Nations Foundation, that one of his two highest priorities would be climate change, along with empowering women."You could have blown me away," Wirth said of Ban's choice of tackling global warming. "He had a deep commitment then, and he has stayed with it, and stayed with it, and stayed with it."At the time, climate change was not a popular topic.The 1997 Kyoto treaty, which required only rich countries to limit emissions blamed for global warming, was set to expire in 2012. Negotiations on a new agreement had almost collapsed, Ban said."I thought that I needed to revive this one," he said.His first high-level meeting as U.N. chief was with then- President George W. Bush.The original agenda for their January 2007 meeting didn't include climate change, Ban said, and Bush "seemed to be a little bit surprised" when he raised it.Undeterred, Ban decided to hold the first-ever climate change summit at the United Nations in July 2007.He invited Bush and told him that the success of the summit would depend his participation. Bush came, though he didn't address the summit.That connection paid off at a U.N. conference in Bali in December 2007.The United States, the lone major industrial nation to reject Kyoto, was opposing India's proposal to strengthen requirements for richer nations to help poorer countries with technology to limit emissions. In one of the most memorable moments in climate change diplomacy, tiny Papua New Guinea implored America to lead or get out of the way.An isolated United States capitulated, and the first roadmap for addressing climate change was adopted." Miraculously, I was able to save this one, but I didn't know why," Ban said.In early 2009, he finally found out.Ban and his wife were invited to dinner at the White House in last of the last days of the Bush presidency. Bush told the U.N. chief that when the Bali meeting reached a difficult moment, he got a call from the head of the U.S. delegation asking for instructions.Ban said Bush told him: "Suddenly, you came to my mind. Then I told the delegation head, 'Do what the secretary-general of the U.N. wants to do,'."The secretary-general said he still feels "very much grateful" to Bush."That was the beginning of our success," Ban said.But then came the disappointment of the 2009 Copenhagen climate change negotiations.In Copenhagen, a newly elected President Barack Obama showed "great commitment," even working on proposed global text from his laptop, Ban said. But there were too many differences and negotiations ended with no agreement."From the failure of Copenhagen, we learned a great lesson," Ban said.One was to have every country provide its own national action plan to combat climate change. Another was to get countries to agree to have a universal climate change agreement by 2015.Meanwhile, Ban was traveling the world to spotlight the impacts of climate change. His visits to Antarctica and the Arctic showcased melting ice, and his visits to the Aral Sea in central Asia and Lake Chad in west Africa warned of their disappearance. He visited the low-lying Pacific island nation of Kiribati, where he found a life jacket in his room in case of inundation.He also asked to attend annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund — a first for a U.N. secretary-general — to talk to finance ministers on the need to mobilize $100 billion in climate financing annually by 2020.As the summit in Paris approached, Ban participated in monthly strategy videoconferences with the leaders of France and Peru and later, Germany. One key decision was to reverse the usual negotiations process and have country leaders attend the start of the summit to give impetus and clear direction to negotiators.The Paris opening was the largest-ever gathering of country leaders, with 150 assembled, the secretary-general said.But there were about half a dozen "spoilers," countries ready to block consensus on an agreement. Nicaragua refused to submit its national plan, arguing that rich nations should be compelled to make deeper emission cuts.Ban recalled the moment the Nicaraguan delegation said "we will not block" a deal. The French foreign minister immediately gaveled approval of the agreement, which was later adopted unanimously.The Paris agreement, adopted by nearly 200 nations, calls on both poor and rich countries to cut greenhouse gas pollution. It aims to keep global temperatures from rising another degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) between now and 2100.Ban's perseverance and leadership were essential, said former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, who headed a U.N.-appointed commission that published a groundbreaking report in 1987 outlining the dangers of climate change."This is not a one- man show, but the one man is important," Brundtland said.Without him, "we cannot take for granted that we would be here."Ban's priority for the rest of his term has not changed. With the climate deal imposing no sanctions for non-compliant countries, the secretary-general said he will focus on establishing a framework to ensure U.N. member states follow through on the climate change promises he worked so hard to get.

Japan says armed Chinese vessel enters Japan waters-Reuters-dec 26,15-yahoonews

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Chinese coastguard vessel with what appeared to be gun turrets entered territorial waters claimed by Japan in the East China Sea, Japan's coastguard said on Saturday, adding that it was the first such incursion by an armed Chinese vessel in the disputed area.The vessel was one of three that appeared in the waters off the disputed Senkaku Islands, known in China as the Diaoyus, shortly after 9:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) and left Japanese-claimed waters about 70 minutes later, a Japan coastguard spokes woman said.The vessel had first been sighted in the area on Tuesday afternoon and was sailing 29 km (18 miles) off one of the contested islands as of 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Wednesday, according to Japan's coastguard.At that time, China said its vessels were carrying standard equipment and doing nothing wrong in Chinese waters.Chinese coastguard vessels sail regularly near the islets but the Japanese coastguard spokeswoman said none had ever been seen equipped with arms.The dispute over the Japan-controlled islands has been a major sticking point in the two countries' often contentious relations in recent years.(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

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