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)
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)
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.
Hospital officals: Nearly 500 dead in Sierra Leone mudslides-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 20, 2017
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Churches across Sierra Leone held special services Sunday in memory of those killed in mudslides and flooding earlier this week, as hospital officials announced the toll had risen to nearly 500 bodies collected.More than 600 people remain missing and rescue officials have warned that the chances of finding survivors are decreasing each day. The death toll earlier stood at 450.The Inter-Religious Council called for the services to be held Sunday in honour of the deceased, as special prayers and recitals were offered in mosques Friday and Sunday.The preacher at Buxton Memorial Methodist Church in Freetown, the capital, offered a sermon that looked at mankind's contribution to the disaster, as a gospel band rendered the song "Papa God Sorry for Salone (Sierra Leone)."Large-scale-burials have taken place all this week amid rainy weather that threatened further mudslides.The government of the impoverished West African nation in recent days has warned residents to evacuate a mountainside where a large crack has opened. Thousands of people live in areas at risk and the main focus is making sure they leave before further disaster, authorities have told local media.Aid groups are providing clean water as a health crisis looms."Water sources have been contaminated" and that officials "fear for an outbreak of waterborne diseases," said Saidu Kanu, country director for World Hope International.Foreign aid from the rest of the world is being sent to Freetown, said authorities.___Associated Press journalist Lekan Oyekanmi contributed to this report.Clarence Roy-MacAulay, The Associated Press.
SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.
GENESIS 1:5,14
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS-CHEMICAL WEAPONS
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;(BIOLOGICAL/CHEMICAL/NUCLEAR) and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
ISAIAH 5:20-25
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
THIS SOLAR ECLIPSE WORSHIP IS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL.THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU GOT END OF THE WORLD WORSHIPPERS SPREADING THEIR LIES OVER THE INTERNET.YOU GET HYPER-ALMOST RELIGIOUS EXCITMENT OVER ANYTHING THAT OCCURS IN THE HEAVENS.THIS IS A SIGN IN THE HEAVENS FROM GOD.NOT A WORSHIP CULT.LIKE IT HAS TURNED INTO.
Wear solar specs or make a viewer to safely watch eclipse-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 19, 2017
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Solar glasses are a must for safe viewing of Monday's total solar eclipse, the first to span coast to U.S. coast in 99 years.And parents beware: Eye doctors urge strict adult supervision for eclipse watchers under 16 years old.There should be absolutely no peeking without eclipse glasses or other certified filters except during the two minutes or so when the moon completely blots out the sun, called totality. That's the only time it's safe to view the eclipse without protection. When totality is ending, then it's time to put them back on.Totality means 100 per cent of the sun is covered. That will occur only along a narrow strip stretching from Oregon, through the Midwestern plains, down to South Carolina. The rest of the U.S. gets a partial eclipse that extends into Canada and to the top of South America.Wherever there's only a partial eclipse — you need to keep those solar specs on the whole time.There are other options if you don't have eclipse glasses. You can look indirectly with a pinhole projector that you can make yourself. NASA has a number of designs on its website , including one made with a cereal box . Or grab a kitchen colander — that casts images of the eclipsed sun onto a screen at least 3 feet away.What can happen when you look directly at the sun? You're essentially cooking your retina, the delicate, light-sensitive tissue deep inside the eyeball. Solar radiation can kill those cells. Hours can pass before you realize the extent of the damage.Seconds are enough for retinal sunburn. And unlike with the skin, you can't feel it. The damage can be temporary or permanent.Sunglasses won't work. Certified eclipse glasses or hand-held viewers are a must for direct viewing. Don't use eclipse glasses with filters that are crumpled, scratched or torn. If you can see any light besides the sun, it's time for new solar specs. Also beware if the eclipse glasses are older than 2015, when international safety standards were adopted.Eclipse glasses can be worn directly over your prescription glasses or with contacts. As for binoculars, telescopes and cameras, high-quality solar filters are essential and must be mounted at the front end.___Follow AP's coverage of the total solar eclipse here-Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press.
South Carolina aquarium to monitor animal behavior during eclipse-[Reuters]-By Nathan Frandino-YAHOONEWS-August 19, 2017
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Animals in the path of the first total solar eclipse to travel across the United States in 99 years have a big surprise awaiting them on Monday afternoon, biologists say.Zoos, aquariums and other wildlife parks see the celestial phenomenon as a special research opportunity to observe how birds and mammals react when the moon's shadow blots out most of the sun's light in the middle of the day, experts say.The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, the last spot over which the total eclipse will pass during its coast-to-coast journey, will carefully monitor the behavior of creatures during the minute and 36 seconds when the area goes dark.Biologists have set up video cameras in the Salt Marsh Aviary and Mountain Forest exhibits to gather data.In general, researchers are not particularly concerned that the sudden mid-afternoon darkness will upset animals too much even though the eclipse's approach will come as a complete surprise to them."A little bit of excitement in the days of the animals is a good thing," said aviculturist Monty Wallace. "You don't want the same thing happening to you everyday."Past solar eclipses have left animals appearing confused, with the disappearing sunlight throwing off their circadian rhythms, research shows.Birds at Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park fell silent while others flew in the direction of their roosts during an eclipse in 2001, while hippos "paused and looked nervous," according to a study published in the journal Astronomy and Geophysics.The Charleston aquarium's aviary exhibit is home to two pelicans, six different types of ducks, two white ibises, two types of seagulls and two herons.One of them, a yellow-crowned night heron, is nocturnal, while the other, a little blue heron, is active during the day."I'm interested to see the different behaviors that they would have naturally occurring but at a wrong time of the day, being in the middle of the day when the eclipse happens," Wallace said.The nocturnal heron may forage for food instead of hiding in a tree, its normal daytime behavior, the biologist said, while the little blue heron may take refuge in the trees out of fear of nocturnal predators.Kendle Enter, who works as the animal behaviorist senior biologist at the aquarium, is not expecting any changes in the behavior of two river otters in the Mountain Forest exhibit.At midday on Monday, when the moon's shadow will begin to cross the sun in Charleston, the otters are usually sleeping, she said. Totality is expected at 2:46 p.m., after the otters awaken from their naps."They're either going to sleep through it or they're going to wake up, expecting their food," Enter said.On its website, NASA recommends solar eclipse watchers find out for themselves how animals behave during the eclipse by simply observing pets or local wildlife.An app called iNaturalist is available to record observations and submit them online to compile a database about animal behavior during the eclipse.(Editing by Frank McGurty and Paul Smiao)
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
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.
Wind fans B.C. fires, but growth of two largest blazes is limited-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 19, 2017
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Two of British Columbia's biggest wildfires haven't grown much over the past few days despite being fanned by strong winds.Kevin Skrepnek of the BC Wildfire Service says the winds arrived in the province on Friday as forecast but weren't as strong as feared.He says there was some rain, cooler temperatures and higher humidity.Skrepnek says the Hanceville-Riske Creek fire northwest of William's Lake was no bigger Saturday than it was Friday.The Elephant Hill fire also remained the same size and is now believed to be 25 per cent contained.Both blazes remain out of control.Skrepnek says that despite the rain, it wasn't much, and 14 new fires were sparked since Friday including seven which are believed to have been caused by lightning."It still remains quite dry out there. Whatever showers we did see out there were sporadic and we are expecting another windy day today, unfortunately," Skrepnek told reporters on Saturday afternoon.Crews with the wildfire service work on a maximum of 14 consecutive days, Skrepnek said, but that given that it has been such a busy season and the wildfire service was involved in flood support in the spring, that maximum is being shortened when practical.Skrepnek said the province has been hugely successful over the past month and a half in keeping new fires from becoming serious, noting the big fires they're fighting now began in early July.He gave much of the credit for keeping the new fires from growing to people reporting the fires when they spot them.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
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Trudeau to asylum seekers: Crossing border illegally won't fast-track immigration-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-August 20, 2017
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a message for asylum seekers: crossing illegally into the country doesn't offer an advantage when it comes to obtaining refugee status in Canada."If I could directly speak to people seeking asylum, I'd like to remind them there's no advantage," Trudeau said at a news conference Sunday in Montreal. "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."Trudeau's comments come as the government grapples with a surge in asylum seekers crossing into Quebec.In the first two weeks of August, more than 3,800 people walked over the border into the province, compared to the 2,996 who crossed throughout all of July.Speaking prior to Montreal's Pride Parade, Trudeau stressed that anyone seeking refugee status will have to go through Canada's "rigorous" screening process.He said the government is managing the unprecedented flow of predominantly Haitian asylum seekers and that all of them will be subjected to the usual security checks and evaluations before obtaining refugee status in Canada.Unlike in the United States, Haitians have no special status in Canada. About half of Haitians seeking refugee status in Canada have been denied in the last couple of years.On Thursday, the federal government announced additional measures to deal with the influx of people.Trudeau has faced criticism, notably from Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel, on his handling of the file.In January, Trudeau tweeted "To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength.""Trudeau needs to emphasize the point that many people who make asylum claims in Canada after doing so in the US will be turned away," she wrote on Twitter.
Spain: Police think extremists planned massive bomb attack-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 20, 2017
BARCELONA, Spain — Police put up scores of roadblocks across northeast Spain on Sunday in hopes of capturing a fugitive suspect from the 12-member Islamic extremist cell that staged two vehicle attacks and plotted much deadlier carnage using explosives favoured by Islamic State militants.Complicating the manhunt, though, was the fact that police have so far been unable to identify with absolute certainty who exactly is at large.While police have names for the 12 members of the cell, three people technically remain unaccounted for: two believed killed when the house where the plot was being hatched exploded Wednesday, and a suspected fugitive, Catalan police official Josep Lluis Trapero told reporters Sunday.Trapero declined to confirm that Younes Abouyaaquoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan, was the suspected fugitive who allegedly drove the van that plowed down Barcelona's Las Ramblas promenade Thursday, killing 13 people and injuring 120. Another attack killed one person and injured others hours later in the seaside town of Cambrils."We are working in that line," Trapero said. But he added: "We don't know where he is."Another police official did confirm that three vans tied to the investigation were rented with Abouyaaquoub's credit card: The one used in the Las Ramblas carnage, another found in the northeastern town of Ripoll, where all the main attack suspects lived, and a third found in Vic, on the road between the two.Police believe the cell members had planned to fill the vans with explosives and create a massive attack in Barcelona, the Catalan capital. Trapero confirmed that more than 100 tanks of butane gas were found at the Alcanar house that exploded, as well as ingredients for making the explosive TATP, which was used by the Islamic State group in attacks in Paris and Brussels."Our thesis is that the group had planned one or more attacks with explosives in the city of Barcelona," he said. A more deadly plot was foiled, however, when the house in Alcanar blew up Wednesday night.The investigation was also focused on a missing imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, who police think might have died in the Alcanar explosion. Trapero confirmed the imam was part of the investigation but said police had no solid evidence he was responsible for radicalizing the young men in the cell.In June, Es Satty abruptly quit working at a mosque in Ripoll and has not been seen since.His former mosque denounced the deadly attacks and weeping relatives of the suspects marched into a Ripoll square on Saturday, tearfully denying knowledge of the radical plans of their sons and brothers.Abouyaaquoub's mother said his younger brother Hussein has also disappeared, as has the younger brother of one of five suspects wearing fake explosives belts who were shot dead by police during the Cambrils attack early Friday.Everyone so far known in the cell grew up in Ripoll, a town in the Catalan foothills 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Barcelona. Spanish police searched nine homes in Ripoll, including Es Satty's, and set up roadblocks. French police carried out extra border checks on people coming in from Spain.Neighbours , family members and the mayor of Ripoll said they were shocked by news of young men's alleged involvement in an extremist cell. All were described as well-integrated speakers of both Spanish and Catalan, the regional language.Halima Hychami, the mother of Mohamed Hychami, an attacker believed to have been killed by police, said he told her he was leaving on vacation and would return in about a week. His younger brother, Omar, left mid-afternoon Thursday and has not been heard from since."We found out by watching TV, same as all of you. They never talked about the imam. They were normal boys. They took care of me, booked my flight when I went on vacation. They all had jobs. They didn't steal. Never had a problem with me or anybody else. I can't understand it," she said.Fatima Abouyaaquoub, sister-in-law of the Hychami brothers and the cousin of Younes Abouyaaquoub, found it all hard to believe."I'm still waiting for all of it to be a lie. I don't know if they were brainwashed or they gave them some type of medication or what. I can't explain it," she said.Islamic extremists have made a point of targeting Europe's major tourist attractions, often with rented or hijacked vehicles. But in the last two years, the extremist group has steadily lost ground in its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.On Sunday, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and other officials attended a solemn Mass at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica for the victims of the attacks, who ranged in age from 3 to 80.The archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Joan Josep Omella, said the presence of so many people was a "beautiful mosaic" of unity and urged all to work toward a common objective of "peace, respect, fraternal coexistence and love."Spanish authorities on Sunday confirmed that one of the 14 dead was 7-year-old Julian Cadman, an Australian with dual British nationality, who became separated from his injured mother.Trapero indicated Sunday there might be a 15th victim: a man whose body was found in a car that charged through a police checkpoint after the Barcelona attacks. Police fired on the vehicle and initially thought they had killed the person found inside. A forensics examination revealed no sign of bullet wounds, Trapero said.He said another man was seen running from the scene outside the city, suggesting a possible carjacking, but investigators have not established a link between the checkpoint incident and the terror investigation.Vancouver police also said Sunday that 53-year-old Canadian Ian Moore Wilson was among those killed in Barcelona and his wife Valerie was wounded.Fiona Wilson, his daughter, described her father as an adventurous traveller and thanked those who helped him and her mother in his final moments."In the midst of this tragedy, my dad would want those around him to focus on the extraordinary acts of human kindness that our family has experienced over the past several days, and that is exactly what we intend to do," she said.Francisco Lopez Rodriguez, a 57-year-old Spaniard, was killed with his 3-year-old grand-nephew, Javier Martinez, while walking along the Las Ramblas promenade. His widow Roser is recovering in a hospital."We are a broken family," niece Raquel Baron Lopez posted on Twitter.Other victims included a grandmother, 74, and her granddaughter, 20, from Portugal who were visiting Barcelona to celebrate a birthday; an Italian father who saved his children's lives but lost his own; an American man who was celebrating his first wedding anniversary.The Catalan regional government said 51 attack victims were still hospitalized Sunday, 10 of them in critical condition.___Angela Charlton in Paris; Nicole Winfield in Rome; Alex Oller and Mystyslav Chernov in Ripoll, Spain; and Oleg Cetinic in Alcanar, Spain contributed.Joseph Wilson And Lori Hinnant, The Associated Press.
Barcelona van attack suspect may have crossed into France: Spanish police-[Reuters]-By Angus Berwick-YAHOONEWS-August 20, 2017
BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Spanish police hunting for a suspect after the Barcelona van attack that killed 13 people said on Sunday they could not rule out that he had slipped over the border into France.Spanish police said security operations were under way in Catalonia and on the French border as they try to find Moroccan-born Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, who they believe to be the only one of 12 suspects still at large.Others have been arrested, shot by police or killed in an explosion at a house in Catalonia a day before Thursday's van attack on Las Ramblas, Barcelona's most famous boulevard."We don't have any specific information on this but it cannot be ruled out," Catalan police chief Josep Lluis Trapero told a news conference in Barcelona when asked if Abouyaaqoub could have crossed into France.Spanish media say authorities believe Abouyaaqoub drove the van through crowds of tourists and locals walking along Las Ramblas, leaving a trail of dead and 120 injured. Trapero said he could not confirm who was behind the wheel.A seven-year-old British-Australian boy, Julian Cadman, was confirmed on Sunday as one of 13 killed in the attack.Hours after the Barcelona attack, police shot dead five men wearing fake explosive belts in the resort of Cambrils, further down the coast, after they rammed holidaymakers with a car and stabbed others, killing one woman.Four people have been arrested so far in connection with the attacks - three Moroccans and a citizen of Spain's North African enclave of Melilla.Islamic State said the perpetrators had been responding to its call to target countries involved in a U.S.-led coalition against the Sunni militant group.-RADICALISATION-In little more than a year, Islamist militants have used vehicles as weapons to kill nearly 130 people in France, Germany, Britain, Sweden and Spain.Thursday's attacks were the deadliest in Spain for more than a decade and one focus of the Catalan police investigation is how members of the group were radicalised.One line of enquiry is Ripoll, a quiet town set beneath the Pyrenees mountains, which was home of a number of the mostly Moroccan youths suspected of involvement. Three of those killed in Cambrils were aged between 17 and 24.Another strand running through the young men's lives was a local imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, whose landlord said he left Ripoll two days before the attack.Papers bearing what appeared to be French names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses were seen by reporters in Es Satty's apartment in Ripoll after it was searched by police.Spanish media have depicted Es Satty as being a possible ring-leader who indoctrinated the group.Speaking to reporters at the Ripoll mosque on Saturday, the head of the town's Islamic association, Ali Yassine, declined to comment on whether Es Satty had radicalised the suspects and said there were no problems at the mosque when he was imam.Hannou Ghanimi, the mother of on the run suspect Abouyaaqoub, told reporters on Saturday she wanted her son to give himself up to police, saying she would rather see him in prison than end up dead.Police believe the group opted to launch attacks using vehicles when their base in Alcanar, southwest of Barcelona, was destroyed in an explosion.Police believe that foiled the cell's plans to carry out one or more large-scale bombings in Barcelona. More than 100 butane gas cylinders were found in the remains of the Alcanar house.Spanish media said traces of triacetone triperoxide, a highly volatile explosive that can be made with easily obtainable household chemicals, were also found at the house.-MEMORIALS AND TRIBUTES-Earlier on Sunday Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa joined Catalan leaders for a memorial service to the victims.Mourners have left hundreds of candles, wreaths and bouquets of flowers on Las Ramblas as a tribute. The city's football club, Barcelona FC, meanwhile increased security for its opening league match of the season late on Sunday.Police armed with assault rifles patrolled before the evening game against Real Betis after a government call for reinforced security at big public events."It shows that despite what happened the match has to go on," said Barcelona fan Fakih Hussein. "It's probably even safer than usual now with so much security," said Hussein, 47, who had come with his teenage son.Barcelona's team will wear black arm bands and special shirts with "We are all Barcelona" in the Catalan language in memory of victims.(Additional reporting by Sarah White, Julien Toyer, Adrian Croft, Rodrigo de Miguel, Alba Asenjo and John Miller in Zurich; Writing by Adrian Croft; Editing by Julien Toyer and Jon Boyle)
Spain hunts for driver in van rampage, says Islamist cell dismantled-[Reuters]-By Angus Berwick and Andrés González-August 19, 2017
RIPOLL/BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Police were searching on Saturday for the driver of a van that killed 13 people when it plowed into a crowd in Barcelona and were trying to determine whether two other suspected Islamist militants linked to the attack had died or were at large.The Spanish government said it considered it had dismantled the cell behind Thursday's Barcelona rampage and an attack early on Friday in the Catalan seaside town of Cambrils.Police arrested four people in connection with the attacks Barcelona and Cambrils, where a woman was killed when a car rammed passersby on Friday. Five attackers wearing fake explosive belts were also shot dead in the Catalan town."The cell has been fully dismantled in Barcelona, after examining the people who died, the people who were arrested and carrying out identity checks," Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido told a news conference.But authorities have yet to identify the driver of the van and his whereabouts are unclear, while police and officials in the northeastern region of Catalonia said they still needed to locate up to two other people.Investigators are focusing on a group of at least 12 suspects believed to be behind the deadliest attacks to hit Spain in more than a decade.In little more than a year, militants have used vehicles as weapons to kill nearly 130 people in France, Germany, Britain, Sweden and Spain.None of the nine people arrested or shot dead by police are believed to be the driver who sped into Las Ramblas, leaving a trail of dead and injured among the crowds of tourists and local residents strolling along the Barcelona boulevard.A Moroccan-born 22-year-old called Younes Abouyaaqoub was among those being sought, according to the mayor's office in the Catalan town of Ripoll, where he and other suspects lived.Spanish media reported that Abouyaaqoub may have been the driver of the van in Barcelona, but police and Catalan officials could not confirm this.The driver in the Barcelona attack abandoned the van and fled on foot on Thursday after plowing into the crowd. Fifty people were still in hospital on Saturday following that attack, with 13 in a critical condition.Many were foreign tourists. The Mediterranean region of Catalonian is thronged in the summer months with visitors drawn to its beaches and the port city of Barcelona's museums and tree-lined boulevards.Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks in Cambrils and Barcelona, a statement by the jihadist group said on Saturday.-RAIDS-Police searched a flat in Ripoll on Friday in their hunt for people connected to the attacks, the ninth raid so far on homes in the town nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees near the French border.The flat had been occupied by a man named as Abdelbaki Es Satty, according to a search warrant seen by Reuters. Neighbors said he was an imam, a Muslim prayer leader. His landlord said he had last been seen on Tuesday.Scraps of paper covered in notes were strewn around the flat, which had been turned upside down in the police search.Three Moroccans and a citizen of Spain's North African enclave of Melilla have been arrested so far in connection with the attacks.Apart from Abouyaaqoub, authorities are searching for two other people though it is not certain they are at large.One or even both of them may have been killed in Alcanar, where a house was razed by an explosion shortly before midnight on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Catalonia's home affairs department said.Casting new doubts over the investigation, El Pais said late on Saturday that biological remains of at least three people had been found in the ruins of the Alcanar house. It was not clear whether they could be from the three suspects still sought by the police or if more people were there.Police believe the house in Alcanar was being used to plan one or several large-scale attacks in Barcelona, possibly using a large number of butane gas canisters stored there.The Spanish government maintained its security alert level at four, one notch below the maximum level that would indicate another attack was imminent, but said it would reinforce security in crowded areas and tourist hotspots.Spanish media also said that security at the border with France was being beefed up.-TRIBUTES-Of the 14 dead in the two attacks, five are Spanish, two are Italians, two are Portuguese, one Belgian, one Canadian and one a U.S. citizen, emergency services and authorities from those countries have confirmed so far.A seven-year-old boy with British and Australian nationality who had been missing since the attack in Barcelona was found on Saturday in one of the city's hospitals and was in a serious condition, El Pais newspaper reported.Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia on Saturday visited some of the dozens injured whose nationalities ranged from French and German to Pakistani and the Filipino. They are being treated in various Barcelona hospitals.The royal couple are expected to take part in a Catholic mass on Sunday morning at architect Antoni Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia church, a Barcelona landmark, in honor of the victims of the attack.Barcelona's football team will wear special shirts, bearing the Catalan words for "We are all Barcelona", and black armbands in memory of victims when they play their opening league game of the season on Sunday evening against Real Betis.(Additional reporting by Sarah White, Julien Toyer, Carlos Ruano, Rodrigo de Miguel, Alba Asenjo and Adrian Croft, Writing by Sarah White and Julien Toyer; Editing by Janet Lawrence, Edmund Blair and Lisa Shumaker)
Israeli opposition says Abbas tried to resume security ties with Israel-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 20, 2017
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Israeli opposition lawmakers on Sunday that he had proposed rolling back his month-old suspension of security coordination with Israel, but that it did not respond to the overture, the delegation said.Abbas suspended ties on July 21, demanding that Israel remove metal detectors it had installed outside a Jerusalem compound housing the Al-Aqsa mosque in response to the killing of two of its police guards by gunmen who had holed up there.Amid Palestinian and Jordanian unrest, and U.S. mediation efforts, Israel dismantled the walk-through gates on July 25 and said it would install less obtrusive security measures."We recently communicated with them (Israeli security officials) in an attempt to resume some kind of cooperation," Abbas told a visiting delegation from Israel's left-wing Meretz party, according to a statement issued by the lawmakers."But they have not returned an answer, something that has prevented progress in thawing ties," he was quoted as saying.Abbas aides were not immediately available for comment. His administration's relations with Israel are resented by many Palestinians, such as those from rival Islamist movement Hamas.A Netanyahu aide, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said: "These reported remarks are simply incorrect." The aide declined to elaborate, citing policy of not publishing details on security contacts with the Palestinians.Despite their impasse in peace negotiations, both sides view the coordination as a means of tamping down violence in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians have limited self-rule.Al-Aqsa, Islam's third-holiest shrine, is among areas Israel captured from Jordan in a 1967 war, and where Palestinians want statehood. Jews revere the site as vestige of their two ancient temples. Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan have tried to stave off religious tensions there with delicate access arrangements.Palestinians deemed the metal detectors a breach of this decades-old status quo. As violent protests surged, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians. A Palestinian also knifed three Israelis to death in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.According to the Meretz statement, Abbas said on Sunday that his administration had doubled monitoring of the area since the killing of the two police guards by three Israeli Arab gunmen.Palestinian security forces do not have a formal presence in Jerusalem, all of which Israel claims as its capital - a status not recognised internationally.(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Jon Boyle)
Syria's Assad says Western plots against him foiled but war not yet won-[Reuters]-By Suleiman Al-Khalidi-YAHOONEWS-August 20, 2017
AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday his country had foiled Western designs to topple him but his army had not yet won the fight to end Syria's six-year-old insurgency.In an televised address, Assad said that even though there were signs of victory after six-and-a-half years of civil war, the "battle continues, and where we go later and it becomes possible to talk about victory...that's a different matter".He did not elaborate on that point.However, he said the assistance extended by stalwart allies Russia, Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement had enabled the army to make battlefield gains and reduce the burden of war."Their direct support - politically, economically and militarily - has made possible bigger advances on the battlefield and reduced the losses and burdens of war," Assad added.Assad vowed to pursue an offensive in Syria's vast deserts, where he is backed by Iranian-funded militias and heavy Russian air power that have allowed his troops to capture significant ground from Islamic State insurgents on several major fronts.His government hopes to steal a march on U.S.-backed militias in the attack on Islamic State's last major Syrian stronghold, the Deir al-Zor region that extends to the Iraqi border. The eastward thrust, unthinkable two years ago when Assad seemed in danger, has underlined his ever more confident position and the dilemma facing Western leaders who still want him to leave power in a negotiated transition."Our army is achieving one gain after another every day to eliminate terrorists...We will continue to attack terrorists until the last terrorist on Syrian land," Assad said.He said his country welcomed Russian-brokered local ceasefire deals that Moscow is seeking to extend elsewhere in Syria as these would end bloodshed and bring an end to the insurgency and pardoning of rebels who agree to lay down arms.-"RETURN TO NORMALCY"-"The idea of these de-escalation zones is to stop the bloodletting ... and the eviction of the armed groups handing over their weapons and the return of normalcy," Assad said. "We have an interest in the success of this initiative."Russia has since last month deployed military police beside army checkpoints in southwest Syria and in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus to help ensure calm in deals it has worked out with Syrian rebel groups.Negotiations are under way with mainstream armed groups and local councils to broker a truce in the besieged northern Homs countryside enclave, where rebels have sought the intervention of Moscow to get humanitarian aid to trapped civilians.Rebel leaders are also calling for the release of thousands of detainees held in government security prisons.Many mainstream rebel groups have been skeptical about Moscow's ultimate aims in Syria and cast doubt on its readiness to put genuine pressure on Assad to abide by local truces.They also worry that these ceasefire deals are a means for Assad's army and its allies to redeploy in other areas to recover territory by using firepower freed by the truces.Rebel factions have already accused the army and Iranian-backed militias of ceasefire violations in Eastern Ghouta. The army continues to pound residential areas in rebel-held eastern suburbs of Damascus, witnesses say.Assad, whose government brands many of the Western backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel groups that Moscow has reached truces with as "terrorists", has said his army retained the right to continue to attack insurgents.However, Assad has condemned U.S.-inspired "safe zones" which President Donald Trump earlier this year said he hoped to achieve with Russia, saying such a plan would only "give cover to terrorists".(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Iran parliament clears oil, foreign ministers for Rouhani's new cabinet-[Reuters]-By Babak Dehghanpisheh-YAHOONEWS-August 20, 2017
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Iranian parliament voted on Sunday to keep the oil and foreign ministers, two of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani's key members of cabinet, in their posts.Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh has been credited with the boost in Iran's crude output since many global sanctions were lifted last year and with a multi-billion-dollar deal with France's Total to develop South Pars, the world's largest gas field.Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was Iran's lead negotiator in the landmark 2015 agreement in which Western powers agreed to rescind sanctions on the Islamic Republic in exchange for curbs on its disputed nuclear program."The most important duty of our foreign minister is to stand by the nuclear agreement and not allow America to succeed, not allow Iran's enemies to succeed," Rouhani said in an address to parliament before the vote, broadcast live on state TV."The person who defends the nuclear agreement is standing against the enemies of Iran, in other words standing against America, Israel and some small enemies in the region who are creating trouble."Fourteen other ministerial candidates also received parliamentary approval on Sunday and only one of Rouhani's nominees, the candidate for the ministry of energy, did not gather enough votes.Rouhani was criticized by reformists two weeks ago when he submitted the all-male list of cabinet ministers to parliament.He had mentioned the importance of women's rights in campaign speeches before May's presidential election in which he won a second term. Rouhani appointed two female vice-presidents one day after submitting the list of candidates but the appointments did not defuse the criticism.Vice-presidents do not have ministerial responsibility and do not need parliamentary approval.The approval of most of the ministerial candidates was a boost for Rouhani but he still faces hardline conservative opposition to his outreach to the West through the nuclear deal and his push for an easing of social restrictions at home.In his address, Rouhani - who lacks control over security and judicial organs that answer only to hardline Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - acknowledged the obstacles his administration faces in his second term."We don't have a smooth and easy road ahead. In the current situation, governance in the world, including Europe, America, Asia and other continents, is not easy and smooth, much less in Iran and in this chaotic (Middle East) region which has left us with many problems."(Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Boston police arrest 27 people during protests around 'Free Speech' rally-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 19, 2017
BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston police arrested 27 people in protests surrounding a "Free Speech" rally, Police Commissioner William Evans told reporters on Saturday.Most of the arrests were for disorderly conduct, with some for assault and battery during scuffles between police and protesters, Evans said.(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Far-right protests leave U.S. cities scrambling to balance safety, free speech-[Reuters]-By Sarah N. Lynch and Lisa Lambert-YAHOONEWS-August 18, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cities across the United States are seeking ways to head off the kind of violence seen in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend when white nationalists and neo-Nazis clashed with counter-protesters over the planned removal of a Civil War-era statue.As they step up efforts to pull such monuments from public spaces and brace for a right-wing backlash, municipalities are re-evaluating their approaches to crowd control, permits, weapon regulation and intelligence gathering.White supremacists have been emboldened by statements from President Donald Trump. A potentially volatile demonstration with mostly right-wing speakers is set for Saturday in Boston, with other events coming in days ahead."When you have an environment of anger and people carrying weapons, and a president that is tossing gasoline on that, I think that America should be deeply concerned," said Corey Saylor, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which tracks Muslim hate groups.Mayors face a tug-of-war between ensuring public safety and respecting Americans' cherished constitutional freedoms of speech and assembly, said experts and local leaders. The balancing act is further complicated by the right to carry guns, and even concealed weapons, in many states and cities."Certainly we recognize everyone’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech, but we’re also dedicated to freedom from fear," said Allison Silberberg, mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, a city near Washington, D.C., that has long struggled with what to do about a Confederate statue in the middle of a major road.Silberberg said she is looking forward to the result of a review of how Virginia cities handle permits for demonstrations that was ordered by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe after Charlottesville, where right-wing marchers had a permit.Many expect McAuliffe's review will lead to stricter limits on who can march and where. The mayor of Charlottesville, where a young woman was killed by a man who crashed his car into a crowd, has called for legislation to let local governments ban openly carrying guns at public events.In Boston, authorities have granted a permit for a "Free Speech" rally on Boston Common and a counter-rally expected to draw a larger crowd. Police there have barred demonstrators from bringing sticks, bats or backpacks, as they did in Charlottesville.More than half of U.S. states allow people to attend rallies with firearms, and some allow keeping those guns concealed, said Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization of police department heads.Such policies put police in the position of keeping track of demonstrators and counter-demonstrators, while also "waiting for that first shot to go off," he said, a nearly impossible job.Some cities, but not all, prohibit the other types of weapons used last weekend, such as the long sticks disguised as sign holders that turned into batons, he said.Police departments' main tool for preventing clashes is the process for evaluating whether to grant a demonstration permit. It gives cities some ability to discern possibly violent intentions, plot march routes to steer adversaries away from each other and restrict weapons, Stephens said.The Lexington, Kentucky police department is "doing a lot of intelligence sharing" with federal and state law enforcement, said spokeswoman Brenna Angel.That resulted from a report that a right-wing group planned a rally in Lexington over the possible relocation of two Confederate monuments. Such memorials to those who fought for the Confederacy and the preservation of slavery in the U.S. Civil war are seen by some Americans as offensive and by others as symbols of Southern heritage.Anger on both sides over Confederate symbols is only the latest symptom of rising U.S. political polarization that sometimes escalates from peaceful protest to public violence.As recently as the 1990s, white nationalist groups held demonstrations in small towns that were spectacles but usually peaceful, said Will Potter, a University of Michigan fellow and journalist who tracks domestic terrorist groups and civil rights.More recently, he said, right-wing groups have taken to carrying guns and marching in bigger cities."It's just escalated in the last few months: the rhetoric of these groups, their affiliations with the White House... and the shows of force on the streets," he said.Michael German, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who is now a fellow at the New York University's Brennan Center for Justice, said he first saw a shift in 2016, when violence broke out in Sacramento at a neo-Nazi rally.Earlier this year, he noted, there was fighting at a handful of pro-Trump rallies between alt-right extremists and anti-fascist, or "antifa," counterprotesters.In many cases, German said, local police did not do enough to intervene. The current atmosphere is bringing together the ideological and violent wings of white supremacism "in a dangerous way," he said.(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Lisa Lambert; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Kieran Murray and Lisa Shumaker)
