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)
MURDER
JEREMIAH 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;(GOD ORDAINED OR LIVES BEFORE WE WERE EVEN CREATED IN A WOMANS BODY)(GOD NEVER CREATED ANYONE HOMOSEXUAL)(AND THIS TELLS US ABORTION IS MURDER) and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
GENESIS 6:11-13 (EARTH DESTROYED BECAUSE OF TERRORISM,MURDERS)
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with 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 through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
JOHN 8:44
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
EXODUS 20:13
13 Thou shalt not kill.(Murder)(THAT INCLUDES ABORTION)
EXODUS 21:12
12 He that smiteth (MURDER)a man,(OR BABY) so that he die, shall be surely put to death.(THATS THE DEATH PENALTY PEOPLE)
REVELATION 9:20-21
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils,(OCCULT) and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries,(DRUG ADDICTIONS) nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
US to end funding for UN Population Fund over abortion: official-[AFP]-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
Washington (AFP) - The US government plans to stop funding the United Nations Population Fund because of the organization's "coercive" family planning practices, including providing abortions, officials in Washington said late Monday.According to a State Department official, President Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "to take all necessary actions, to the extent permitted by law, to ensure that US taxpayer dollars do not fund organizations or programs that support or participate in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization."The funding cut would go into effect during the 2017 fiscal year, the official said in a statement.The decision to terminate US donations to the UN agency was "based on the fact that China's family planning policies still involve the use of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization, and UNFPA partners on family planning activities with the Chinese government agency responsible for these coercive policies," the statement said."The determination will result in withholding $32.5 million of fiscal year 2017 funding, provided for UNFPA," it said, adding that the funds instead will be directed to other global health programs.The UN Population Fund in 2015 received contributions totaling $979 million, according to its website.The organization, which provides reproductive health and birth control services in more than 150 countries and territories, said early Tuesday that it "regrets" the decision by Washington "to deny any future funding for its life-saving work the world over."UNFPA said in a statement in which it also vigorously pushed back against "erroneous" US charges that it plays a role in forced abortions and sterilizations in China."UNFPA refutes this claim, as all of its work promotes the human rights of individuals and couples to make their own decisions, free of coercion or discrimination," it said."Indeed, United Nations Member States have long described UNFPA's work in China as a force for good."The organization lamented the loss of funding by Washington, a "founding member" of the UNFPA.The group said it has saved "tens of thousands of mothers from preventable deaths and disabilities, in addition to "combatting gender-based violence and reducing the scourge of maternal deaths in the world's most fragile settings."And in the controversial area of reproductive choice, the organization said that Washington until now had "partnered with UNFPA to protect and promoted the reproductive health and rights of women and girls, thereby fostering healthier women and girls and their families."
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
EU-Israeli gas pipeline to compete with Russia By Andrew Rettman-APR 4,17-EOBSERVERU
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:14-The EU and three member states have backed a plan for Israel to reduce Europe’s gas dependence on Russia.The European Commission and ministers from Cyprus, Greece, and Italy signed up to build a new gas pipeline from Israel to Europe at a meeting in Tel Aviv on Monday (3 April).The 2,200-km East Med pipeline would connect Israeli and Cypriot offshore gas fields to Greece and Italy.It is designed to come online in 2025 with a capacity of up to 16 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year.It would be the longest and deepest ever built, but an EU co-financed feasibility study by Italian firm IGI Poseidon said the project should go ahead.Speaking in Tel Aviv on Monday, EU energy commissioner Miguel Arias Canete took a swipe at a competing Russian project, Nord Stream 2."North Stream is a pipeline [that] adds nothing to the [EU’s] security of supply," he said.He said the commission’s strategy was “to diversify sources, routes, and suppliers” and hinted that Israel was a safer partner than Russia, which has used gas to blackmail neighbouring countries.“Cyprus and Israel are very reliable suppliers,” he said.With Nord Stream 2 disliked by Baltic, central European, and Nordic states, Canete added that the Israeli project “is a pipe that unites and will have the full support of all the members of the European Union”.Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s energy minister, said US investment banks, such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, got excited about the €6 billion project when they learned that the commission was on board.“When they heard that the European energy commissioner was behind it [and] ready to give some assistance, that was very helpful,” he said.He said the amount of gas discovered for export so far, up to 500 bcm, was “just the tip of the iceberg”.Carlo Calenda, Italy’s economic development minister, said Rome would seek the backing of the G7 club of wealthy nations, which includes Canada, Japan, and the US, for the pipeline at a summit in Sicily in May.The Cypriot energy minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said the project would “showcase” the region’s potential as an alternative EU supplier.The much bigger Nord Stream 2 pipeline is designed to pump 55 bcm of gas a year to Germany from 2020, concentrating EU supplies in Russia and Germany’s hands.It faces open questions on whether EU laws would apply to its offshore section, as well as complaints from the Polish energy regulator, but Russia has already started buying pipe segments.-Political risk-The East Med pipeline is to run through Cypriot waters to avoid disputed maritime zones with Turkey and Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus.But EU-Israeli cooperation carries other political risks.According to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, the EU’s envoy to Israel delivered a stinging rebuke on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians last week.He said Israeli evictions in the West Bank constituted “forced transfers” in violation of Israel’s “obligations” under the Geneva Convention as an “occupying power”.The ambassador, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, read out the EU note, which had been approved by all 28 member states in the bloc's Political and Security Committee, at a meeting with Israel’s top foreign ministry official.The EU foreign service had planned to hold a summit with Israel in February to upgrade relations, but plans were put on hold after a surge in Israeli settlement expansion.
MPs urge May to put price tag on Brexit By Eszter Zalan-APR 4,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:19-The British government's claim that no deal with the EU would be better than a bad deal is "unsubstantiated" because of a lack of proper analysis, a UK parliamentary committee has warned.The House of Commons Brexit committee, in a report published on Tuesday (4 April), urged prime minister Theresa May to work out how much a no deal scenario would cost.The committee also said it was important to avoid reaching a situation where no deal is concluded."The Government has talked about walking away from a bad deal, but has not yet explained what terms would be demonstrably worse for the UK than ‘no deal’," the Brexit committee said."The Government should therefore conduct a thorough assessment of the economic, legal and other implications of leaving the EU at the end of the Article 50 period with ‘no deal’ in place," it added, asking that the results of the assessment to be published."Without an economic assessment of ‘no deal’ having been done and without evidence that steps are being taken to mitigate what would be the damaging effect of such an outcome, the Government’s assertion that 'no deal is better than a bad deal', is unsubstantiated," the committee's report claims.-Too gloomy-However, MPs were split along party lines on backing the assessment, with pro-Leave MPs saying that the report was biased and "too gloomy".In the end, the report was backed by 11 MPs to 6.Last month, Brexit minister David Davis admitted in front of the committee that there had been no economic assessment of a "no deal" scenario since last June's referendum."I cannot quantify that in detail yet. I may well do in about a years' time," he told MPs in March.Failing to reach an agreement "is not as frightening as some people think, but it is not as simple as some people think", Davis claimed.Last year, the UK Treasury estimated that crashing out of the EU and trading with the bloc on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms could cost the UK 7.5 percent in lost GDP growth by 2030.The Brexit committee's report warns that “falling back on WTO terms would mean not just a return to tariffs, but the reappearance of non-tariff barriers".-More red tape-"That would mean more paperwork, border checks and bureaucratic requirements for British companies trading with the EU. For many businesses these can be far more costly than the actual tariff itself," it adds.MPs also warned that negotiating a good free trade agreement - one that covers financial services - with the EU was vital, as trade in services accounts for 42 percent of the UK's exports to the EU."The Government will need to provide clarity on how it will address divergence in rules and standards, and resolve trade disputes, outside of the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU," they said.The MPs warned that it is not yet clear if negotiations can be wrapped up within 18 months, as was set out by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, and before the two-year period ends, which is inscribed in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.The report also urges the government to keep the UK's migration policy flexible with the EU to "ensure that sectors currently reliant on EU workers do not face a sudden shortage of labour".In January Theresa May said that the UK would rather walk away without any agreement rather than submit to difficult terms if the other 27 member states try to play hard with London.In her letter invoking the exit procedure from the EU last week, May called for an ambitious free trade agreement with the EU, whereas the bloc's leaders have warned that those talks can only start on substance once the UK is out of the EU.
Pope allows schismatic society to celebrate marriages-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has taken another step to bring a breakaway traditionalist society back under his wing by allowing its priests to celebrate marriages that will be recognized by Rome.The measure announced Tuesday follows the pope's decision in 2015 to allow priests of the schismatic Society of St. Pius X to validly hear confessions.The permissions come amid continuing negotiations to regularize the status of the Swiss-based society, which split from the Vatican over the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.The Vatican letter to bishops' conferences announcing the change says the society remains "irregular," but only "for the time being."For months, news reports have suggested that a deal is near to give the society the same legal status in the church as another Catholic movement, Opus Dei.
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)
Colombia starts to bury 273 landslide victims, search continues-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-April 3, 2017
MOCOA, Colombia (Reuters) - Scores of decomposing cadavers were being released for burial on Monday as rescuers continued to search for victims of weekend flooding and landslides that devastated a city in southern Colombia, killing at least 273 people.Desperate families queued for blocks in the heat to search a morgue for loved ones who died when several rivers burst their banks in the early hours of Saturday, sending water, mud and debris crashing down streets and into houses as people slept.Bodies wrapped in white sheets lay on the concrete floor of the morgue as officials sought to bury them as soon as possible to avoid the spread of disease. The government has begun vaccination against infection."Please speed up delivery of the bodies because they are decomposing," said Yadira Andrea Munoz, a 45-year-old housewife who expected to receive the remains of two relatives who died in the tragedy.But officials asked for families to be patient."We don't want bodies to be delivered wrongly," said Carlos Eduardo Valdes, head of the forensic science institute.The death toll has ticked up during the day as rescuers searched with dogs and machinery in the mud-choked rubble.Many families in Mocoa have spent days and nights digging through the debris with their hands despite a lack of food, clean water and electricity.President Juan Manuel Santos, who made a third visit to the area on Monday, blamed climate change for the disaster, saying Mocoa had received one-third of its usual monthly rain in just one night, causing the rivers to burst their banks.Others said deforestation in surrounding mountains meant there were few trees to prevent water washing down bare slopes.More than 500 people were staying in emergency housing and social services had helped 10 lost children find their parents. As many as 43 children were killed.Families of the dead will receive about $6,400 in aid and the government will cover hospital and funeral costs.Even in a country where heavy rains, a mountainous landscape and informal construction combine to make landslides a common occurrence, the scale of the Mocoa disaster was daunting compared with recent tragedies, including a 2015 landslide that killed nearly 100 people.Colombia's deadliest landslide, the 1985 Armero disaster, killed more than 20,000 people.Santos urged Colombians to take precautions against flooding and continued rains.Flooding in Peru last month killed more than 100 people and destroyed infrastructure.(Reporting by Andres Rojas, Helen Murphy Luis Jaime Acosta and Jaime Saldarriaga; Editing by James Dalgleish and Lisa Shumaker)
U.S. Southeast on guard for tornadoes after storm kills four-[Reuters]-By Ian Simpson-YAHOONEWS-April 3, 2017
(Reuters) - A powerful storm system in the southeastern United States that killed four people, including a woman swept away by flood waters while she called 911, put much of the region under a tornado watch on Monday and delayed hundreds of flights.The storm front could dump up to an inch (2.5 cm) of rain as far north as New England as it rumbles through the Carolinas and the Middle Atlantic states later on Monday with high winds and thunderstorms, National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Sullivan said."It's just a very strong system," he said. "It's covering a very broad part of the eastern United States, so it's all tied together."A 52-year-old woman driving in the storm's heavy rains died in Florence, Mississippi, after her car went into a swollen creek at about 4:30 a.m. EDT, said David Ruth, the Rankin County coroner.The woman called 911 as her car went down, but rescuers were unable to reach her in time in the heavily wooded area, he said."It took three hours for the waters to recede enough to find her car," Ruth said.Another woman was killed overnight in Tallahatchie County when high winds dropped a tree on her home, said Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ray Coleman.About 18,000 homes and businesses were without power in Mississippi, he said.On Sunday, a tornado flipped over a mobile home near Lafayette, Louisiana, killing a toddler and her mother.Much of eastern Georgia and western South Carolina were under a tornado watch on Monday, along with the Florida Panhandle. The National Weather Service said there had been 19 reports of tornadoes on Monday.The bad weather briefly halted flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, delaying more than 600 flights, according to FlightAware.com. Flights at North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport also were stopped amid heavy rain, the airport said on Twitter.Facing the possibility of severe weather, the University of South Carolina postponed a celebration for the school's women's basketball team, which won the national collegiate championship on Sunday.(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Lisa Shumaker)
Floodwater start to subside in Manitoba but not out of the woods yet: officials-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 3, 2017
CARMAN, Man. — Some of the floodwater that prompted states of emergencies and evacuations in small Manitoba communities is starting to subside, although officials say the danger is not over yet.Rising water from the spring melt over the weekend forced dozens of people from the Peguis First Nation along the Fisher River north of Winnipeg.There were also evacuees from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation along the Assiniboine River in western Manitoba.Closer to Winnipeg, ice jams on the Boyne River caused water to pour into dozens of basements on the weekend.The community of 3,400 closed its high school and elementary school Monday as a precaution.But Premier Brian Pallister says the weather is co-operating in most areas and ice jams are breaking up."It's a little early to breathe a sigh of relief yet, but nature has been co-operative in diminishing the likelihood of floods in a number of our water basins," Pallister told the legislature Monday."Local people seem to have things in hand ... and I know that if needed, Manitobans, as they always have, will rise to the challenge."Carman's schools were expecting to reopen Tuesday, Pallister added.Flooding is an almost annual event in Manitoba, as spring melt water from as far away as Alberta and South Dakota passes through the province, sometimes butting up against still-icy sections of north-flowing rivers.Winnipeg is protected by the Red River Floodway, a massive ditch that diverts water around the city. Smaller communities along the Red have large dikes that can be completely sealed to keep the water at bay.The Red Cross was handling evacuees Monday from Peguis First Nation and Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.Local states of emergencies remained in effect for eight other communities.The Canadian Press.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Six more charged over London asylum seeker attack-[AFP]-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
London (AFP) - British police on Tuesday charged another six people over a suspected hate crime attack on a teenage Kurdish-Iranian asylum seeker in London, bringing the total facing court to 13.Reker Ahmed, 17, was left with a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain after he was set upon by a group of up to 30 people at a bus stop outside a pub in Croydon, south London, on Friday.Seven people were charged on Monday over the attack and another six were charged on Tuesday -- including a 15-year-old boy. All the suspects are local to Croydon, and the eldest is aged 24."I think this was probably confidence by numbers," Police Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan said on Monday as she described the attack on Ahmed, who was with two friends at the time."It started off with this smaller group of people who were joined by between 20 to 30 and they just viciously attacked these individuals because they were asylum seekers."All the suspects have been charged with violent disorder, and three of them have also been charged with racially-aggravated grievous bodily harm.
UN says some 300,000 displaced by fighting in Iraq's Mosul-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The United Nations says around 300,000 people have been displaced by the U.S.-backed Iraqi operation to drive the Islamic State group from Mosul, the country's second largest city.The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Tuesday that a total of 392,000 people have fled their homes since the offensive began in October, but that 94,500 have since returned. The International Organization for Migration puts the number currently displaced at 302,400.Many of the displaced live in large refugee camps just outside the city. Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January but heavy fighting is still underway in the more densely populated western half. Of those who have fled, the IOM says nearly 236,000 come from western Mosul.
Erdogan, Putin discuss suspected gas attack on Syria's Idlib: presidential sources-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a suspected gas attack on Syria's rebel-held Idlib on Tuesday, Turkish presidential sources said.The attack, believed to be by Syrian government jets, killed at least 58 people including 11 children under the age of eight in the northwestern province of Idlib, a war monitor and medical workers said."President Erdogan touched on the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Idlib. President Erdogan said such inhumane attacks are unacceptable," a statement attributed to presidential sources said.They said the two leaders had also emphasized the importance of maintaining the ongoing ceasefire in Syria.(Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Ece Toksabay; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler)
More than 3,000 South Sudanese flee to Uganda after raid on border town: refugees-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
NGOMOROMO, Uganda (Reuters) - More than 3,000 South Sudanese fled into neighboring Uganda on Tuesday after government soldiers attacked the border town of Pajok, killing men, women and children indiscriminately, refugees said.The attack by government SPLA forces is the latest to hit southern towns near the Ugandan border as a three-year civil war spreads across the world's youngest nation.South Sudan government officials were not immediately reachable for comment."If you ran, you got shot. If you got arrested you got slaughtered," said 35-year-old Lokang Jacky, drawing his index finger across his throat for emphasis.Refugees and Ugandan intelligence officials said fighting started at 8:00 a.m. on Monday with a three-pronged assault on the town, which is normally home to 50,000 people."The town is completely empty," a pastor who gave his name as Mondaa said. "If they catch anybody, they will kill them."In late March, rebels loyal to former vice president Riek Machar said they freed prisoners from a jail in another border town of Kajo-Keji around 100 km (60 miles) south of the capital Juba.But the government disputed this, saying the rebels had raided a prison, freed a number of people it described as prisoners-of-war, then left.South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but slid into violence in late 2013 when rivalry between President Salva Kiir and his then-deputy Machar ignited a civil war that has often followed ethnic lines.The conflict has displaced millions from their homes, split much of the population along ethnic lines and paralyzed agriculture, leaving the country facing famine, according to the United Nations.(Editing by Stephen Powell)
The Latest: Kazakh among 14 killed in St. Petersburg blast-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — The Latest on the deadly subway bombing in St. Petersburg (all times local):-2:20 p.m.The foreign ministry of the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan says a Kazakh citizen was among the 14 killed in Monday's blast on the St. Petersburg subway.The ministry said on its website on Tuesday that relatives have identified the victim's body, and that it will be taken to Kazakhstan for burial.The St. Petersburg City Hall said there are several foreign nationals among those killed and 49 injured but it would not give details.Russian officials said investigators have identified a man whose body parts were found on the train and who is suspected to be a suicide bomber___2:05 p.m.Russian news agencies say the St. Petersburg subway stations shut down after a bomb threat have reopened.At least four stations were closed on Tuesday after a call about a possible bomb.Russian news agencies on Tuesday quoted the subway administration that full service on all lines and at all stations was restored by early afternoon.The bomb scare follows a train bombing on Monday that killed at least 14 people in Russia's second-largest city.___1:10 p.m.Russian investigators say they believe a suicide bomber was behind a deadly attack on the subway in Russia's second-largest city on Monday.A blast inside a train on the St. Petersburg subway claimed 14 lives and injured dozens.The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Tuesday that they suspect that a man whose body fragments they found in the train was a suicide bomber. The committee said they identified him but would not release the details in the interests of the probe.Earlier, Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security identified a suspect as Kyrgyz-born Russian Akbarzhon Dzhalilov. It is unclear whether the Russian and Kyrgyz statements referred to the same man.___1 p.m.The Kremlin spokesman says intelligence agencies will look into the fact that Monday's subway blast in St. Petersburg happened while President Vladimir Putin was in town.Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the fact that Putin was in the city when the bomb went off, although several dozen miles away from where he was hosting talks, "makes one pause" and is "something for the intelligence agencies to analyze."The explosion on a subway train under Russia's second-largest city killed at least 14 people on Monday and wounded dozens.___12:35 p.m.Four subway stations in St. Petersburg are now closed following a bomb threat, the day after a bomb killed 14 people and wounded dozens.The Sennaya Square station in the city center was cordoned off on Tuesday, and commuters were told via a PA announcement that three more stations have also been closed down.A bomb went off on a subway train under Russia's second-largest city on Monday. A second device was found and deactivated.___12:15 p.m.The driver of the St. Petersburg subway train hit by a bomb appeared in front of reporters on Tuesday looking tired but not visibly shaken by the events of the previous day.Alexander Kavernin, 50, who has worked on the subway for 14 years said he heard the sound of a blast while his train was running, called security and carried on to the station as the emergency instructions prescribe."I had no time to think about fear at that moment," he said.The decision to keep moving was praised by authorities as aiding evacuation efforts and reducing the danger to passengers who would have had to walk along the electrified tracks.Oleg Alexeyev, 53, who trains sniffer dogs for the police, went to the Technological Institute station Tuesday morning to lay flowers in the memory of those who died nearby."I traveled on the same route this morning just to see how it felt and think about life. You begin to feel the thin line about life and death," he said.The explosion occurred in midafternoon as the train traveled between stations on one of the city's north-south lines.___12:05 p.m.Russian emergency officials say they have closed a subway station in St. Petersburg following a bomb threat.The press office of the local emergency situations ministry said on Tuesday they received a call about a bomb at the Sennaya Square station.An explosion on a moving train near the same station killed 14 people on Monday and wounded dozens.Fire engines and ambulances were seen parked on the square outside the security cordon on Sennaya Tuesday morning.___11:20 a.m.Russia's health minister has raised the death toll from Monday's blast on the St. Petersburg subway to 14.Veronika Skvortsova said in a televised briefing on Tuesday that 11 people died on the spot, one died in an ambulance and two at the hospital. Forty-nine people are still hospitalized, Skvortsova said.An unidentified explosive device went off in a subway train under Russia's second-largest city while President Vladimir Putin was visiting the city. A second bomb was found and deactivated. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.___9:30 a.m.The intelligence agency in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan says the man behind Monday's deadly bombing on the St. Petersburg subway is a Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen.A bomb blast tore through a subway train under Russia's second-largest city on Monday, killing 11 people and wounding more than 40. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came while President Vladimir Putin was visiting the city, his hometown.Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security said in a statement on Tuesday that the man behind the bombing is a Kyrgyz-born Russian national. The intelligence agency said it is cooperating with Russian authorities to help the investigation.It is unclear whether the attack was a suicide bombing or whether the bomber got away.
Syrians risk all in flight from Raqqa-[Reuters]-By Rodi Said and Suleiman Al-Khalidi-YAHOONEWS-April 4, 2017
AIN ISSA, Syria/AMMAN (Reuters) - People from Raqqa are fleeing their city under cover of night as U.S.-backed forces close in on the Islamic State stronghold, running a gauntlet of minefields and hostile fighters instead of risking death in a major battle expected to begin soon.Islamic State has used threats and coercion to stop people leaving, forcibly returning some to the city in an apparent effort to use them as human shields against the looming assault by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.At a camp north of Raqqa, Syrians who escaped the city in the last few days say Islamic State checkpoints are now disappearing as fighters either leave for the front lines or withdraw to strongholds to the south."There are no longer checkpoints. There were before, but they evacuated," said Abdullah Hamad Ali, who escaped Raqqa on Saturday night by foot, guided by a smuggler to whom he paid $2,100 to get his family out of the city."We walked through farmland planted with mines," he told Reuters at the camp in Ain Issa, a town around 45 km (30 miles) north of Raqqa where more than 3,000 people from the city are sheltering in SDF-held territory.The assault on Raqqa promises to be a defining moment in the U.S.-led war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Along with the Iraqi army's campaign to drive Islamic State out of Mosul, it threatens to deal a major blow to the militants.It is unclear how many people remain in Raqqa, Islamic State's Syrian base of operations for more than three years and a major symbol of the cross-border "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria. The city's population has been estimated at 200,000 before the recent departures.The U.S.-led coalition and SDF are still expecting a tough fight. Islamic State has been digging fortifications and trenches in the city in readiness for an attack which the Kurdish YPG militia has said will begin in April.-QUESTIONING CHILDREN-As civilians struggle to leave, Islamic State is doing its best to stop them.The jihadists have executed at least one man for smuggling families out of Raqqa, said Abdullah Shabaan, a former resident who fled earlier this year but remains in contact with people in the city. He said he had given up trying to get relatives out of Raqqa for now because of the risks.Fighters at remaining Islamic State checkpoints on roads out of the city have been asking children rather than their parents where they are going in an effort to catch them out, said Ali Mohamad, speaking at the Ain Issa camp. People found heading to SDF areas have been sent back into Raqqa and their drivers detained.Barricades and fortifications have been erected in the city."The situation in Raqqa was terrible," said Mostafa al-Ahmad, who also left Raqqa on Sunday for Ain Issa. "The SDF is the one advancing, so we thought, 'let's just go over to them and get it over with'," he said.Many in Raqqa are hoping to see the back of Islamic State, which has imposed an ultra-hardline interpretation of Islam and brought foreign militants from all over the world to their city. Many of those foreigners have now gone, according to residents.But Islamic State has been whipping up fear of the alternative, for months telling people in Raqqa that the YPG was coming to commit atrocities against them, said one resident, speaking via the internet from the predominantly Arab city.The SDF dismisses this as IS propaganda designed to discourage the people of Raqqa from fleeing to SDF-held areas.-PRICES SOAR-Islamic State has added to the panic in other ways.Its warning that the Tabqa Dam, 40 km (25 miles) up river, was in danger of collapse triggered panic in the city. Many rushed to high ground to escape a flood that never came.The scare led thousands to sleep in the desert hills on the city's outskirts, according to three former residents of Raqqa who had heard the details.Islamic State said the U.S.-led coalition had bombed the dam, which is under IS control. Both the SDF and U.S.-led coalition denied that, and say there is no danger of collapse.The growing intensity of coalition air strikes has been another big worry in the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported a spike in civilian deaths from air strikes in the Raqqa area in March.In one incident, it said 33 people were killed at a school near Raqqa. The coalition says militants were killed.Residents say Islamic State military positions including weapons stores have been placed near civilian buildings, including a bakery that was hit in recent weeks.Prices are meanwhile sky-rocketing due to an ever tightening siege. Bridges across the Euphrates River, which borders Raqqa to the south, have all been destroyed. Produce is brought across the river by boat, and costs four times what it used to.People in contact with relations in the city say they are asking to be sent money just to survive. "It's too expensive to buy food these days," said Raed Bani Amer, who spoke to his family in Raqqa in recent days.Mazen Hasoun, an activist from Raqqa in Europe who is in touch with friends and relatives in the city, said the militants were busy digging trenches, even in the backstreets.A well-known Saudi cleric was among the foreign members of the group no longer seen in the city, said one resident, who had heard the news from his father."I hear the Sheikh is busy with the Mujahideen on the front lines," he said. "He has no time to deliver sermons these days."(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Tom Perry and Giles Elgood)
