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)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
Ireland closes schools as rare hurricane approaches-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
Dublin (AFP) - Ireland has ordered all schools to close Monday as the country braces for an "unprecedented storm" with the arrival of Ophelia, the largest hurricane ever recorded so far east in the Atlantic Ocean."In response to the imminent Storm Ophelia, the Department of Education and Skills is now publicly informing all schools, colleges and other education institutions that they are to remain closed tomorrow, Monday 16 October," the department said in a statement.The decision followed discussions with the government's emergency planning task force and advice "on this unprecedented storm" from Ireland's Met Eireann national weather service, the statement added.Met Eireann issued a nationwide "status red" alert and warned of "potential risk to lives" when the storm hits daytime Monday.Although Ophelia will weaken as the storm travels over cooler seas towards the west coast of Ireland, Met Eireann forecast "violent and destructive gusts".Heavy rain and storm surges are expected to lead to flooding.An amber wind warning has been issued for Northern Ireland between 1400 GMT and 2100 GMT, when gusts could reach up to 130 kph (80 mph)."By the time Ophelia reaches our latitudes, she will be weakening and will be an ex-hurricane," said Steve Ramsdale, chief forecaster at Britain's Met Office national weather service."However, Ex-Ophelia will be bringing some significant impacts to Northern Ireland and western and northern Britain on Monday and Tuesday."Scotland, Wales and parts of England were under yellow warnings issued by the Met Office, which forecast "very strong winds" and heavy rain in some areas.- Travel disruption -Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Sunday that defence forces were being deployed to areas due to be hit by the storm.Ophelia is the 15th named storm of the 2017 Atlantic season, which is expected to last until the end of November.Three major hurricanes -- Harvey, Irma and Maria -- caused catastrophic damage in the Caribbean and the US Gulf Coast.Meteorologists say Ophelia is the most powerful hurricane recorded so far east in the Atlantic and the first since 1939 to travel so far north.It was classed Category 3 on Saturday as it passed near Portugal's Azores islands, which means it packed winds of at least 178 kilometres (110 miles) per hour.When Ophelia reaches Ireland on Monday it is expected to weaken to a "post tropical storm", according to the US National Hurricane Center."Mean wind speeds in excess of 80 kph (50 mph) and gusts in excess of 130 kph (80 mph) are expected, potentially causing structural damage and disruption, with dangerous marine conditions due to high seas and potential flooding," it said.Flights, ferries and buses all face disruption. Cork Airport in southwest Ireland said "cancellations are likely" and urged passengers to check with their airlines in advance of travel.- Sea warning -Matt Crofts, a lifesaving manager with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, said the seas could be "particularly dangerous and unpredictable"."Stormy conditions may be tempting to watch but big waves can easily knock you off your feet."We understand why people want to experience extreme weather, but it?s not worth risking your life, so we strongly urge people to respect the water and watch from a safe distance."Seven of the nine islands in the Azores were put on high alert for the storm's passage, but it did not cause major damage, authorities told reporters.Four trees were torn out of the ground on the island of Sao Miguel and firefighters responded to six incidents across the Azores to deal with small floods or landslides.Several flights between the islands or to the Portuguese mainland were cancelled, affecting about 800 passengers.
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.
California firefighters say they're gaining the upper hand-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — With the winds dying down, fire officials said Sunday they were finally getting the upper hand against the wildfires that have devastated California wine country and other parts of the state over the past week, and thousands of people got the all-clear to return home.While the danger from the deadliest, most destructive cluster of blazes in California history was far from over, the smoky skies started to clear in some places."A week ago this started as a nightmare, and the day we dreamed of has arrived," Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos said.People were being allowed to return home in areas no longer in harm's way, and the number of those under evacuation orders was down to 75,000 from nearly 100,000 the day before.Fire crews were able to gain ground because the winds that fanned the flames did not kick up overnight as much as feared."Conditions have drastically changed from just 24 hours ago, and that is definitely a very good sign," said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, who noted that some of the fires were 50 per cent or more contained. "It's probably a sign we've turned a corner on these fires."The blazes were blamed for at least 40 deaths and destroyed some 5,700 homes and other structures. The death toll could climb as searchers dig through the ruins for people listed as missing. Hundreds were unaccounted for, though authorities said many of them are probably safe but haven't let anyone know.Many evacuees grew increasingly impatient to go home — or at least find out whether their homes were spared. Others were reluctant to go back or to look for another place to live.Juan Hernandez, who escaped with his family from his apartment Oct. 9 before it burned down, still had his car packed and ready to go in case the fires flared up again and threatened his sister's house, where they have been staying in Santa Rosa."Every day we keep hearing sirens at night, alarms," Hernandez said. "We're scared. When you see the fire close to your house, you're scared."At the Sonoma fairgrounds, evacuees watched the San Francisco 49ers play the Redskins on television, received treatment from a chiropractor and got free haircuts.Michael Estrada, who owns a barber shop in neighbouring Marin County but grew up in one of the Santa Rosa neighbourhoods hit hard by the blazes, brought his combs, clippers and scissors and displayed his barbering license in case anyone doubted his credentials."I'm not saving lives," he said. "I'm just here to make somebody's day feel better, make them feel normal."Lois Krier, 86, said it was hard to sleep on a cot in the shelter with people snoring and dogs barking through the night.She and her husband, William Krier, 89, were anxious to get home, but after being evacuated for a second time in a week Saturday, they didn't want to risk having to leave again."We're cautious," she said. "We want to be safe."Nearly 11,000 firefighters were still battling the 15 fires burning across a 100-mile swath of the state.In the wooded hills east of Santa Rosa, where a mandatory evacuation remained in place, firefighters made a stand along Highway 12 to keep the fire from burning a retirement community and advancing onto the floor of Sonoma Valley, known for its wineries.Houses that had benefited from repeated helicopter water drops were still standing as clouds of smoke rose from surrounding ridges. A deer crossed the highway from a burned-out area and wandered into a vineyard not reached by the flames.___Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer in Santa Rosa and Janie Har in San Francisco contributed to this report.___Sudhin Thanawala And Brian Melley, The Associated Press.
More than just wine country is burning in California-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
REDWOOD VALLEY, Calif. — Mendocino County is 70 miles north of California's fabled wine country of Napa and Sonoma counties, now under siege from wildfires. But it's a world away in mood, attitude and, especially, prominence.That helps explain why some residents feel ignored as they deal with their own catastrophic wildfires."We have been hit just as hard as anyone," said Sonya Campbell, who lost her house to the fires. "I don't get why we aren't getting any attention."On Saturday, there was a mixture of anger and resignation in McCarty's Bar here to Mendocino County's fire taking a publicity backseat to the others.Thousands were evacuated and hundreds lost their homes. Eight have died here, including 14-year-old Kai Shepherd, whose parents and sister suffered severe burns.The county is only about an hour's drive north of Santa Rosa, where thousands of homes have been destroyed. But it is dramatically different.Santa Rosa is home to 175,000 residents and hosts numerous hotels and vacation rentals catering to tourists.The population of Mendocino County is about half that, and its popular tourist spots are on the coast. Few visit the inland hamlets east of U.S. Highway 101 where the fire hit the hardest.Among the most ravaged communities is Redwood Valley, a tight-knit town of retirees, urban refugees and locals nestled along the Russian River. It is home to multiple-acre lots of horse owners, goat farmers and folks seeking the quiet life. Many identify as "redneck hippies."The state fire station anchors the civic centre , where a grocery store, gas station and bar are also located. The two bars in the community are where many residents get their news: from the television or from word-of-mouth.There is some disappointment that Sonoma and Napa counties have received the lion's share of attention."I'm so tired of hearing about the wineries," said James Younger, who fled his Redwood Valley home Monday morning and watched the television coverage of Northern California's fires at McCarty's. "There was a sense that no one cared about us. But that's OK. We're self-reliant."Chuck Bartelson lost his home of 20 years. He sat at the bar at McCarty's and was sanguine."What can you do?" he asked rhetorically. He said he wasn't bothered by the attention Sonoma and Napa counties were receiving."I realize that there was devastation there, too," he said.In all, some 7,000 residents in Mendocino County and nearby Lake County have been evacuated.The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office warned that the death toll may climb as they search dozens of homes cool enough to approach.Meanwhile, McCarty's continued to serve as a clearinghouse of information Saturday, and was acting as a de facto evacuation shelter. Residents were picking up supplies that had been dropped there.Bartender Crystal Maples opened the bar Monday at about 2:30 a.m. after a harrowing escape from the fire that forced her to leave her car, crawl under downed power lines and hitch a ride in the back of a pickup with a random motorist who she asked to drop her off at work.Maples said she turned on the lights and television, put on coffee and opened the doors. Soon, the place was overflowing with desperate evacuees. Horse owners tied up their animals in the beer garden. Nobody slept that first night and everyone was glued to the television.Come Monday, Maples sent her daughter to buy air mattresses, and firefighters began bringing supplies, which remain stacked nearly to the ceiling on the bar's dance floor. Dozens slept under pool tables, on the dance floor and outside in their cars and recreational vehicles.By Saturday, the horses had left McCarty's beer garden. Most who slept there this week have found other accommodations — or were allowed to return to their homes."We are resilient here," said Karen McCarty, owner of McCarty's. "We'll get through. We always do."___Paul Elias, The Associated Press.
Pope adds 35 saints to church, nearly all martyrs-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who often laments current persecutions of Christians, has given the Catholic Church 35 new saints, nearly all of them martyrs, from past centuries.The latest saints were proclaimed Sunday during a Mass celebrated by Francis in St. Peter's Square and attended by some 35,000 faithful, many of them pilgrims from the homelands of those being honoured .Thirty martyrs, including priests and lay persons, suffered anti-Catholic persecution in 1645 at the hands of Dutch Calvinists in Brazil, while three children, ages 12 and 13 who were indigenous persons in Mexico, were martyred in the 1520s for refusing to renounce their Catholic faith and return to their ancient traditions.The other two new saints are a 20th-century priest from Spain and an Italian priest who died in 1739.Since becoming pontiff in 2013, Francis has repeatedly paid tribute to Christians suffering or even dying for their faith in current times, especially in the Middle East.At the end of the canonization ceremony, Francis hailed the new saints as "shining witnesses to the Gospel." In recent decades, the Church has stressed that the latest saints can serve as role models for today's Catholics.The Associated Press.
Greek clerics ring church bells to protest gender rights law-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
ATHENS, Greece — Church bells have rung "in mourning" across a western Greek diocese to protest the passing of a law making it easier for people to officially change their gender.Under the guidance of Metropolitan Amvrosios of Kalavryta, a fiery conservative Orthodox bishop, clerics in his diocese decided that starting Sunday church bells are to ring every day, through Saturday, at noon for three minutes. They also called for the repeal of the "anti-Christian and anti-Greek" law."It is an outrageous inspiration for someone to change his gender in a few minutes, with a simple declaration, so contrary to what God has gifted people with ... whoever has 'gender dysphoria' is mentally ill," says a statement adopted by the Kalavryta diocese's clerics Saturday.The statement, which also condemns homosexuality as a "deadly sin" and rails in general against "every kind of bestial deviation," also expressed worries that legislation allowing adoption by same-sex couples will be next."We do not hate the sinner, but the sin," the statement adds.The clerics also said that they will raise protest banners in the city of Aigion, the largest in the diocese.The law, passed with 171 votes in favour in the 300-member parliament last week, allows Greeks over the age of 15 to change the gender listed on their identity cards and other official documents following a simplified procedure in court. Until now, they had to prove they had undergone sex-change surgery and psychiatric assessment.Demetris Nellas, The Associated 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)
New trend of migrant 'yachts' heading to Italy, says Europol By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 13. Oct, 17:45-The EU's police agency Europol says a new trend is emerging of people smuggling migrants on sailing yachts from Turkey to Italy.Europol has logged over 160 trips by this route, noting that migrants are paying up to €6,000 per head. Children are usually charged half price. Such prices may vary by nationality, by the type of boat, and by the number of people transported at the same time.In an email sent on Friday (13 October), the Hague-based agency told EUobserver that the trend emerged following the closure of the Western Balkan route in the spring of 2016.The vast majority take off from the southern coast of Turkey before landing in Apulia, Calabria, or the Syracuse province of Sicily."We are dealing with transnational organised crime groups who are located in Turkey," it said.The skippers are recruited mainly from Ukraine. Others come from Belarus, Georgia, and Russia. A few others come from Azerbaijan, Syria and Turkey.The migrants taking this route are mainly from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Syria.The agency also noted the re-emergence of an alternative route across the Black Sea from Turkey to Romania and an increase in arrivals from the western Mediterranean to Spain.Smugglers are also employing more life-threatening methods of concealment for those that reach mainland Europe. Some hide in a vehicle's engine compartment as they approach a land border.Europol chief Rob Wainright, in a statement, said migrant smuggling "has become a big and dangerous business in Europe."
231 killed in deadliest single attack in Somalia's history-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
MOGADISHU, Somalia — The most powerful bomb blast ever witnessed in Somalia's capital killed at least 231 people with more than 275 injured, a senator said Sunday, making it the deadliest single attack in this Horn of Africa nation. The toll could continue to rise.Abshir Abdi Ahmed cited doctors at overwhelmed hospitals he visited in Mogadishu a day after a truck bomb targeted a crowded street near key government ministries, including foreign affairs. Many of the bodies in mortuaries had not yet been identified, he said.As angry protesters gathered near the scene of the attack, Somalia's government blamed the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group for what it called a "national disaster." However, Africa's deadliest Islamic extremist group, which often targets high-profile areas of the capital, had yet to comment.Al-Shabab earlier this year vowed to step up attacks after both the Trump administration and Somalia's recently elected president announced new military efforts against the group.The Mogadishu bombing is one of the deadliest attacks in sub-Saharan Africa, larger than the Garissa University attack in Kenya in 2015 and the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.Doctors at Mogadishu hospitals struggled to assist badly wounded victims, many burned beyond recognition. "This is really horrendous, unlike any other time in the past," said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital.Inside, bleary-eyed nurses transported a man whose legs had been blown off. He waited as surgeons attended to another badly injured patient. Exhausted doctors struggled to keep their eyes open, while screams from victims and newly bereaved families echoed through the halls."Nearly all of the wounded victims have serious wounds," said nurse Samir Abdi. "Unspeakable horrors." The smell of blood was strong.A teary-eyed Hawo Yusuf looked at her husband's badly burned body. "He may die waiting," she said. "We need help."Ambulance sirens echoed across the city as bewildered families wandered in the rubble of buildings, looking for missing relatives. "In our 10 year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen anything like this," the Aamin Ambulance service tweeted.Grief overwhelmed many."There's nothing I can say. We have lost everything," wept Zainab Sharif, a mother of four who lost her husband. She sat outside a hospital where he was pronounced dead after hours of efforts by doctors to save him.The country's Somali-American leader, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, declared three days of mourning and joined thousands of people who responded to a desperate plea by hospitals to donate blood. "I am appealing all Somali people to come forward and donate," he said.Mogadishu, a city long accustomed to deadly bombings by al-Shabab, was stunned by the force of Saturday's blast. The explosion shattered hopes of recovery in an impoverished country left fragile by decades of conflict, and it again raised doubts over the government's ability to secure the seaside city of more than 2 million people."They don't care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers and children," Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said of the attackers. "They have targeted the most populated area in Mogadishu, killing only civilians."Rescue workers searched for survivors trapped under the rubble of the largely destroyed Safari Hotel, which is close to Somalia's foreign ministry. The explosion blew off metal gates and blast walls erected outside the hotel.The United States condemned the bombing, saying "such cowardly attacks reinvigorate the commitment of the United States to assist our Somali and African Union partners to combat the scourge of terrorism." It tweeted a photo of its charge d'affaires in Somalia donating blood.But the U.S. Africa Command said U.S. forces had not been asked to provide aid. A spokesman told The Associated Press that first responders and local enforcement would handle the response and "the U.S. would offer assistance if and when a request was made."The U.S. military has stepped up drone strikes and other efforts this year against al-Shabab, which is also fighting the Somali military and over 20,000 African Union forces in the country.The United Nations special envoy to Somalia called the attack "revolting," saying an unprecedented number of civilians had been killed. Michael Keating said the U.N. and African Union were supporting the Somali government's response with "logistical support, medical supplies and expertise."The spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack and urged all Somalis to unite against extremism and work together to build a "functional" federal state.Saturday's blast occurred two days after the head of the U.S. Africa Command was in Mogadishu to meet with Somalia's president, and two days after the country's defence minister and army chief resigned for undisclosed reasons.Amid the chaos, the stories of victims began to emerge. Amino Ahmed said one of her friends, a female medical student, was killed on the eve of her graduation. The explosion also killed a couple returning from a hospital after having their first child, said Dahir Amin Jesow, a Somali lawmaker."It's a dark day for us," he said.___Associated Press video journalist Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu, Somalia contributed.Abdi Guled, The Associated Press.
Germany's Merkel suffers state vote setback as coalition talks loom-[Reuters]-By Michelle Martin and Petra Wischgoll-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
BERLIN/HANOVER (Reuters) - Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) defeated Angela Merkel's conservatives in a vote in the northern state of Lower Saxony on Sunday, a setback for the chancellor as she prepares for tricky coalition talks at the national level this week.The SPD, which has governed the swing state home to carmaker Volkswagen with the Greens for four years, won 37.3 percent, well up from 32.6 percent in the last election there in 2013, according to projections on public broadcaster ARD.Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) took 33.4 percent of the vote in the rich agricultural state which has around six million eligible voters, down from 36 percent in 2013.Disgruntled with Merkel's liberal migrant policy, Germans abandoned her party in droves in September's national election to hand the conservatives their worst result since 1949.If confirmed, Sunday's result would be the poorest showing for the CDU in Lower Saxony in 58 years, further weakening Merkel as she tries to put together an alliance with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmentalist Greens.Those parties will this week begin discussions about entering a marriage of convenience untested at the federal level that could drag into 2018.Peter Tauber, the CDU's secretary general, said all three parties involved in national coalition talks had lost support in Lower Saxony, but dismissed the idea that the state vote would have a big impact on the talks."It wouldn't be wise to think this will weigh us down," he said."We have a clear mandate and we take that very seriously and we are talking about serious and important topics ... that's why we're now talking seriously and looking forward."The projections showed the environmentalist Greens, currently junior coalition partner to the SPD in Lower Saxony, on 8.9 percent. The liberal Free Democrats (FDP) won 7.4 percent. Both performed considerably worse than in 2013.The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) cleared the 5-percent threshold to enter parliament with 6.2 percent - albeit far weaker than the 12.6 percent it scored nationally in September.-"JAMAICA" ON THE HORIZON-Merkel's poor showing in September, along with the SPD's insistence on going into opposition, left her with no viable option other than a "Jamaica" coalition, so named because the three parties' colors correspond with the black, yellow and green of Jamaica's flag.It means the prospective partners will need to overcome huge differences on issues ranging from immigration to European Union reform, tax and environmental protection.Katrin Goering-Eckhardt, leader of the Greens in parliament, said forming a coalition would not be easy: "It remains difficult but we can at least get started."A deal brokered last weekend between Merkel's CDU and its conservative Bavarian sister party, the CSU, to cap the number of immigrants is likely to be hard for the Greens to swallow.Merkel has acknowledged the difficulties ahead but added that "unusual combinations can of course bring the opportunity to find some solutions to things that had seemed unsolvable until now"."So now we need to put our noses to the grindstone," she said on the campaign trail in Lower Saxony on Thursday.An SPD-Green coalition has ruled the state for four years, but lost its majority when a Greens lawmaker defected to the CDU, triggering a snap election.Lower Saxony's incumbent SPD premier Stephan Weil said he would talk to all parties except the AfD about forming a coalition. It was the first time the SPD has been the biggest party in the state since 1998. Turnout was about 63 percent, according to broadcaster ARD - higher than in 2013.Sunday's win was the first victory for the SPD under Martin Schulz, who was nominated as its leader in January and suffered three state election defeats earlier this year and then the SPD's worst national result in the post-war era in September.(Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Final assault starts on Syria's Raqqa as some Islamic State fighters quit-[Reuters]-By John Davison and Ellen Francis-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
AIN ISSA, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed militias launched their "final" assault on Syria's Raqqa on Sunday after letting a convoy of Islamic State fighters and their families quit the city, leaving only a hardcore of jihadists to mount a last stand."The battle will continue until the whole city is clean," said a statement by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias.SDF spokesman Talal Selo told Reuters that "no more than 200-300" foreign militants remained to fight on in the city after the convoy left. "This is the final battle," he said.Under the withdrawal deal between Islamic State and tribal elders, the jihadists would let all other civilians trapped in Raqqa have safe passage out of the city, he said. Selo added that he believed only a few may have remained.Raqqa's fall to the SDF now looks imminent after four months of battle hemmed the Islamic State jihadists into a small, bomb-cratered patch of the city."We still expect there to be difficult fighting," said Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the U.S.-led international coalition backing the SDF in the war against Islamic State with air strikes and special forces. The coalition will continue to operate on the basis that civilians remain in Raqqa, he said.Raqqa was the first big Syrian city that Islamic State seized as it declared a "caliphate" and rampaged through Syria and Iraq in 2014, becoming an operations center for attacks abroad and the stage for some of its darkest atrocities.But Islamic State has been in retreat for two years, losing swathes of territory in both countries and forced back into an ever-diminishing foothold along the Euphrates river valley."Last night, the final batch of fighters (who had agreed to leave) left the city," said Mostafa Bali, another SDF spokesman.There were conflicting accounts as to how many people left in the convoy.Selo said 275 Syrian militants left along with their family members. Laila Mostafa, head of the Raqqa Civil Council formed under SDF auspices to oversee the city, said that figure included both the fighters and their family members. In a statement, she denied an earlier comment by another council member that some foreign fighters had left in the convoy.Before the evacuation, the coalition estimated that about 300-400 fighters were still holed up in the Islamic State enclave.HUMAN SHIELDS-Fighters who left in the convoy, which the coalition is tracking, had given biometric data including fingerprints, Dillon said.The convoy was still in territory held by the SDF on Sunday morning, Selo said.Bali described the civilians who left with Islamic State fighters in the convoy as human shields. The jihadists had refused to release them once they left the city as agreed, wanting to take them as far as their destination to guarantee their own safety, he said.Such withdrawals of fighters along with groups of civilians have grown commonplace in Syria's six-year war, as a way for besieging forces to accelerate the fall of populated areas.The convoy would head to the remaining Islamic State territory in eastern Syria, Omar Alloush of the Raqqa Civil Council had said on Saturday.The agreement was brokered by the council and tribal elders to "minimize civilian casualties", the coalition has said. Tribal leaders from Raqqa said they sought to prevent bloodshed among civilians still trapped in the city."If there are any civilians remaining (in the enclave) they would be the families of those foreigners. The civilians exited completely," Selo said on Sunday.The SDF's decision to hasten the battle's end by allowing Islamic State fighters to leave Raqqa was at odds with the stated wishes of the U.S.-led coalition that backs the militias.Dillon said it was not involved in the evacuation but added: "We may not always fully agree with our partners at times. But we have to respect their solutions."In August, the coalition spent weeks preventing a convoy of Islamic State evacuees from an enclave on the Syrian-Lebanon border from reaching jihadist territory in eastern Syria.JIHADIST CAPITAL-The SDF launched the battle for Raqqa on June 6 after a months-long campaign to isolate the city against the north bank of the Euphrates.Islamic State, then known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, had captured the city in January 2014, seizing it from rebel factions which had ousted the Syrian army a few months earlier.As the group became more entrenched in Syria and Iraq leading up to its capture of Mosul in June that year, Raqqa became its most important center, and it celebrated its series of victories with a massive parade through the city.Many of its top leaders were at times based there, and former hostages said Mohammed Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John, imprisoned them along with those he later executed, in a building near an oil installation near the city.The group killed dozens of captured Syrian soldiers there in July 2014 and it was also the site of a slave market for Yazidi women captured in Iraq and given to fighters.The coalition has said Raqqa was a hub for attacks abroad, and in November 2015, after militants killed more than 130 people in Paris, France launched air strikes on Islamic State targets inside Raqqa.But the group is now in disarray. In Syria it does not only face the U.S.-backed SDF offensive but a rival one by the Syrian army supported by Russia, Iran and allied Shi'ite militias.A Syrian military source said on Saturday the army had captured the city of al-Mayadin in the Euphrates valley, leaving Islamic State only a few more towns and villages, and surrounding desert territory, in Syria.But the battle for Raqqa has come at great cost to its people. Intense coalition air strikes and the months of street-to-street fighting have pulverized much of the city. Thousands of people have fled as refugees and hundreds of civilians have died.(Reporting by John Davison in Syria and Ellen Francis in Beirut; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Mark Potter)
North Korea not ready to meet with South Korea in Russia: agencies-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Politicians from North and South Korea will not hold direct talks in Russia on Monday about Pyongyang's nuclear and missile program despite attending the same event and being urged to do so by Moscow, Russian news agencies said on Sunday.Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, is due to discuss the missile crisis in separate talks with a deputy head of North Korea's legislature and the head of South Korea's parliament on the sidelines of a congress of parliamentarians in St Petersburg on Monday.Moscow has called on the two countries to use the opportunity to have their own direct talks to try to narrow their differences.But the RIA news agency on Sunday cited Piotr Tolstoi, the deputy speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament, and an unnamed member of North Korea's delegation as saying there would not be any direct talks.The unnamed North Korean delegate was quoted as saying that U.S. pressure on Pyongyang and U.S. and South Korean military exercises meant preconditions for such talks had not been met.Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the upper house of parliament's foreign affairs committee, said Moscow would try again on Monday to encourage the two delegations to hold face-to-face talks despite the lack of progress.Russian news agencies quoted him as saying that the North Korean delegation had so far declined to hold such talks, while the South Korean delegation had said it was ready for such a meeting."We will definitely not try to coerce or talk somebody into anything," the Interfax news agency cited Kosachyov as saying."(But) it will be pity, both on the human and political level, if another opportunity to de-escalate tensions in relations between North Korea and South Korea is missed."North Korea's nuclear tests and missile launches have stirred global tensions and prompted several rounds of international sanctions at the U.N. Security Council.A de-escalation plan, backed by Russia and China, would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile program and the United States and South Korea simultaneously call a moratorium on large-scale missile exercises, both moves aimed at paving the way for multilateral talks.(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
U.S. diplomacy with North Korea to continue until 'first bomb drops': Tillerson-[Reuters]-By Sarah N. Lynch-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that President Donald Trump had instructed him to continue diplomatic efforts to calm rising tensions with North Korea, saying "those diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bomb drops."Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Tillerson downplayed messages that President Trump had previously posted on Twitter suggesting Tillerson was wasting his time trying to negotiate with "Little Rocket Man," a derogatory nickname Trump has coined for North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.Trump "has made it clear to me to continue my diplomatic efforts," Tillerson said.Tillerson's comments Sunday come amid soaring tensions between the United States and North Korea following a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang and a war of words between the two countries' leaders.North Korea has conducted a series of nuclear tests in recent weeks and ago and launched two missiles over Japan.Tillerson has been in talks with China to enlist its help on getting North Korea to back down.But Trump's recent Twitter messages appeared to undercut Tillerson's efforts, prompting the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker to complain that Trump was publicly castrating Tillerson and hurting diplomatic talks.Tillerson downplayed those tweets Sunday, telling CNN that Trump and China's President Xi Jinping have an extremely close relationship and that China understands the U.S. position."Rest assured that the Chinese are not confused in any way" about the American policy towards North Korea, he added.(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Turkey determined to maintain EU accession process, government says-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is determined to press on with its efforts to join the European Union despite tensions with the bloc, the government said on Sunday ahead of an EU summit which will discuss the frayed relations between Brussels and Ankara.The EU, particularly heavyweight member Germany, has become increasingly critical of Turkey since President Tayyip Erdogan launched a crackdown on critics, including journalists and academics after the July 2016 failed coup.Erdogan accused Berlin of "Nazi-like" tactics in March when it prevented Turkish ministers speaking at expatriate rallies in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an election debate in September that it was clear Turkey should not join the EU and entry talks should end, despite it being a NATO ally."Is there another country that has waited at the EU's doorstep since 1963? There is not," Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency."We are determined to continue this process despite all the setbacks. We, as Turkey, have no intention of pulling back," he said.Turkey's 12-year-long accession talks have ground to a halt since Ankara's crackdown after the failed coup, in which more than 50,000 people have been jailed pending trial and some 150,000 have been sacked or suspended from jobs in the military, private and public sectors.EU leaders will meet on Oct. 19 to discuss deteriorating ties between the bloc and Turkey in a two-day summit. However, Merkel was quoted as saying the summit will not make a conclusive decision on Ankara's accession bid.(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Dominic Evans and Richard Balmforth)
Catalan leader calls for calm ahead of Madrid deadline-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
MADRID (Reuters) - Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont on Sunday called for calm less than 24 hours ahead of a deadline from Spain's central government for him to clarify whether he has declared independence for Catalonia or not.Puigdemont made a symbolic declaration of independence on Tuesday night, only to suspend it seconds later and call for negotiations with Madrid on the region's future.Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has given him until Monday to clarify his position - and then until Thursday to change his mind if he insists on a split - threatening to suspend Catalonia's autonomy if he chooses independence."The (Catalan) Government and I want to reiterate our commitment to peace, civility and serenity, and also to (...) democracy as inspiring the decisions we have to make," Puigdemont said during at a memorial event at Barcelona's Montjuic cemetery."In these difficult hours of hope in Catalonia, let's take a clear attitude against violence (...) in favour of civility, hope, serenity and respect."Though Puigdemont did not indicate how he would reply to Madrid, public Catalan TV broadcaster TV-3 said he would not give a "yes" or "no" answer, but a more elaborate response.The Spanish government has said it will take control of Catalonia if Puigdemont give an ambiguous reply."The answer must be without any ambiguity. He must say 'yes' or 'no'," Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido told Cope radio on Saturday.Puigdemont, who is consulting local parties to prepare his answer, faces a dilemma.If he says he did proclaim independence, the central government will step in. If he says he did not, the far-left Catalan party CUP would probably withdraw its support for his minority government.The Catalan government says 90 percent of Catalans voted for a breakaway in an Oct. 1 referendum that central authorities in Madrid declared illegal and most opponents of independence boycotted, reducing turnout to around 43 percent.Under Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, the central government can suspend the political autonomy of a region if it breaks the law.This article, which enables Rajoy to sack the Catalan government and call a regional election, has not been activated since the constitution was adopted in 1978 after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported on Sunday that if article 155 was invoked, the government would replace the Catalan government with a new set-up to manage the region autonomously, which could be run by politicians or technocrats. Within three months, elections would be held.(Reporting by Jesús Aguado and Rodrigo de Miguel; Editing by Mark Potter)
Turkish army expands deployment in Syria's northwest: rebels-[Reuters]-By Suleiman Al-Khalidi-YAHOONEWS-October 15, 2017
AMMAN (Reuters) - The Turkish army is expanding its deployment in northwest Syria with the goal of encircling a Kurdish enclave and reining in Russian strikes in the Idlib border province under a deal to reduce clashes, rebels and witnesses said on Sunday.A convoy of Turkish army troops entered Syria near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing on Thursday in the first such deployment since last year when Ankara launched a major ground and air offensive to clear Islamic State militants from its last stretch of border with Turkey.At least four convoys carrying scores of armored vehicles and equipment have been stationed in several locations in the first phase of a deployment that is expected to deepen inside rebel-held Idlib, opposition sources said."Nearly 200 troops are now stationed in areas that separate territory under control of Kurdish groups and opposition groups," said Ibrahim al Idlibi, a military adviser in the opposition's Free Syrian Army (FSA).Witnesses said Turkish bulldozers were working around the clock, digging fortifications and setting up observation posts.A new deployment of Turkish armored vehicles and personnel arrived along the Syrian border on Saturday, positioned on the Turkish side, witnesses said.Turkey was expanding its presence in an area where it hopes to act as a barrier to Kurdish ambitions of uniting the isolated Afrin region, north of Idlib, with the rest of a self-declared autonomous Kurdish zone in the country's north.Turkish positions near Samaan castle in the Sheikh Barakat mountains of the fertile, olive-growing province put them just a few kilometers from Kurdish militia forces based in Jendaris."Turkish forces are still in a state of advancing and expanding," said Mustafa al Sejari, a Free Syrian Army official.Turkey says its operations there, along with the Syrian rebel groups it backs, is part of a deal it reached last month with Russia and Iran in Kazakhstan to reduce fighting between insurgents and the Syrian government.Syria on Saturday denounced the Turkish incursion saying it was a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and demanded Ankara pull its troops.[L8N1MP0EN]-The Turkish incursion into the province dominated by the jihadist group Tahrir al Sham, whose backbone is ex-Nusra Front, Syria's former al Qaeda offshoot, has run smoothly.'POSITIONS AS AGREED'Rebel sources familiar with the deployment said the operation was preceded by weeks of coordination between Tahrir al Sham with Turkish intelligence officers to ensure no clashes happened.Free Syrian Army rebel groups said the goal of the campaign was to push deeper into the province, with the expansion of supply lines and observation posts. The jihadists would be retreating further south in a phased withdrawal."The Turks will be taking up positions 40 km deep inside Idlib as agreed," Idlibi said.The goal was ultimately to create a contiguous stretch that goes from Bab al-Hawa all the way to Jarablus city, west of Euphrates River and as far south as the city of Bab, widening a pocket of the northern border under the control of Turkey-backed rebels.Many residents in the towns of Idlib province, where more than two million people live, have welcomed the arrival of Turkish troops.They are seen as a bulwark against heavy Russian and Syrian army bombardment to crush the rebel province that would cause massive devastation and high civilian casualties."The Turks presented the factions of the FSA the military and logistical support so that Idlib escapes the fate of Deir Zor or Raqqa," said Colonel Abdul Jabar Akaidi, a senior commander in the FSA in the north.Heavily populated Idlib has been the target of hundreds of strikes by the Russia and Syrian air forces in the past year that has killed hundreds of civilians and destroyed hospitals and civil defense centers.Six months of relative peace under a Turkish-Russian understanding that gave a temporary reprieve to thousands of people was shattered when Russia resumed an intensive bombing campaign last month when jihadists launched an offensive against Syrian army positions.[L5N1M508R] On Saturday in southern Idlib, jets believed to be Russian killed at least three civilians and injured scores when bombs struck the outskirts of Maarat al Numan.The air raids also targeted a camp run by Failaq al Sham, a Turkey-backed FSA group in Kafr Ruma village where a strike last month killed dozens of its fighters.(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Additonal reporting by Bulent Usta and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Robert Birsel)
