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)
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
N. Korea leader defends 'hydrogen bomb' test-AFP By Park Chan-Kyong-jan 10,16-yahoonews
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un on Sunday justified what he claimed was his country's first hydrogen bomb test as self-defence to prevent nuclear war with the US, in his first comments since the explosion. Pyongyang on Wednesday carried out its fourth nuclear test, angering the international community and raising tensions with neighbouring South Korea.The test was "a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the US-led imperialists," Kim was quoted as saying."It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise," he added, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The North regularly accuses the US and its ally South Korea of warmongering.Kim's comments came during a visit to the Ministry of People's Armed Forces to congratulate them on the "successful" detonation, KCNA said, without giving the date of the visit.They echo an official commentary published late Friday, which cited toppled leaders Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moamer Kadhafi in Libya as examples of what happens when countries forsake their nuclear ambitions.The test has angered world powers, including the North's key ally China, and the UN Security Council has said it will roll out new measures to punish the maverick state.South Korea has resumed high-decibel propaganda broadcasts across the border in response, which the North said were driving the divided peninsula to "the brink of war".North Korea claimed it used a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, which is far more powerful than other nuclear devices, although experts said seismic activity suggested it was not strong enough.The test came just two days before Kim's 33rd birthday and ahead of a rare ruling party congress scheduled to take place in May -- the first such gathering for 35 years.The North is expected to lay out a range of key policies during the congress, which Kim said will be a "historic turning point in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche (self-independence)"."Let us defend the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea by strengthening the political and military might of the People's Army in every way", Kim said, adding that strengthening the military is a priority.The state Korean Central TV late on Friday released video footage of a purportedly new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test.But South Korean media suggested the footage was an edited compilation of the North's third SLBM test, conducted last month in the Sea of Japan, and a different ballistic missile test from 2014.
Kim visits military as Koreas slide into Cold War standoff-Associated Press By FOSTER KLUG and KIM TONG-HYUNG-JAN 10,16-YAHOONEWS
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's leader has taken a victory tour of military headquarters to celebrate the country's widely disputed claim of a hydrogen bomb test.Kim Jong Un called the nuclear test "a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the U.S.-led imperialists," according to a dispatch Sunday from state-run Korean Central News Agency."It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticize," Kim was reported as saying during his tour of the People's Armed Forces Ministry. The tone of Kim's comments, which sought to glorify him and justify a test that has been viewed with outrage by much of the world, is typical of state media propaganda.But they also provide insight into North Korea's long-maintained argument that it is the presence of tens of thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea and Japan, and a "hostile" U.S. policy that seeks to topple the government in Pyongyang, that make North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons absolutely necessary.Kim posed for photos with leading military officials in front of statues of the two members of his family who had led the country previously — Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.In his reported comments, he also sought to link the purported success of the nuclear test to a ruling Workers' Party convention in May, the party's first since 1980. He's expected to use the congress to announce major state policies and shake up the country's political elite to further consolidate his power.Kim's tour came as world powers looked for ways to punish the North over a nuclear test that, even if not of a hydrogen bomb, still likely pushes Pyongyang closer to its goal of a nuclear-armed missile that can reach the U.S. mainland.In the wake of the test on Wednesday, the two Koreas have settled into the kind of Cold War-era standoff that has defined their relationship over the past seven decades. Since Friday, South Korea has been blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda from huge speakers along the border, and the North is reportedly using speakers of its own in an attempt to keep its soldiers from hearing the South Korean messages.A top North Korean ruling party official's recent warning that the South's broadcasts have pushed the Korean Peninsula "toward the brink of war" is typical of Pyongyang's over-the-top rhetoric. But it is also indicative of the real fury that the broadcasts, which criticize the country's revered dictatorship, cause in the North.North Korea considers the South Korean broadcasts tantamount to an act of war. When Seoul Korea briefly resumed propaganda broadcasts in August after an 11-year break, Seoul says the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire.South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing an anonymous military source, reported late Saturday that the North had started its own broadcasts, presumably to keep its soldiers from hearing the South Korean broadcasts. The North's broadcasts were too weak to hear clearly on the South Korean side of the border. South Korean military officials wouldn't confirm the Yonhap report.Besides the "brink of war" comment, Workers' Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam said in comments broadcasts on state TV on Friday that Pyongyang's rivals are "jealous" of the North's successful hydrogen bomb test.Many outside governments and experts question whether the blast was in fact a powerful hydrogen test.South Korean troops, near about 10 sites where loudspeakers started blaring propaganda Friday, were on the highest alert, but have not detected any unusual movement from North Korea along the border, said an official from Seoul's Defense Ministry, who refused to be named, citing office rules.Yonhap said Seoul had deployed missiles, artillery and other weapons systems near the border to swiftly deal with any possible North Korean provocation. The ministry did not confirm the report.Officials say broadcasts from the South's loudspeakers can travel about 10 kilometers (6 miles) during the day and 24 kilometers (15 miles) at night. That reaches many of the huge force of North Korean soldiers stationed near the border, as well as residents in border towns such as Kaesong, where the Koreas jointly operate an industrial park that has been a valuable cash source for the impoverished North.Seoul also planned to use mobile speakers to broadcast from a small South Korean island just a few kilometers (miles) from North Korean shores.While the South's broadcasts also include news and pop music, much of the programming challenges North Korea's government more directly."We hope that our fellow Koreans in the North will be able to live in a society that doesn't invade individual lives as soon as possible," a female presenter said in parts of the broadcast that officials revealed to South Korean media. "Countries run by dictatorships even try to control human instincts."Marathon talks by the Koreas in August eased anger and stopped the broadcasts, which Seoul started after blaming North Korean land mines for maiming two soldiers. It might be more difficult to do so now. Seoul can't stand down easily, some analysts say, and it's highly unlikely that the North will express regret for its nuclear test, which is a source of intense national pride.Responding to the bomb test, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged China, the North's only major ally and biggest aid provider, to end "business as usual" with North Korea.Diplomats at a U.N. Security Council emergency session pledged to swiftly pursue new sanctions. For current sanctions and any new penalties to work, better cooperation and stronger implementation from China is seen as key.The South Korean and U.S. militaries also discussed the deployment of U.S. "strategic assets," Seoul's Defense Ministry said. Officials refused to elaborate, but the assets would likely include B-52 bombers, F-22 stealth fighters and nuclear-powered submarines.After North Korea's third nuclear test, in 2013, the U.S. took the unusual step of sending its most powerful warplanes to drills with South Korea in a show of force. B-2 and B-52 bombers are capable of delivering nuclear weapons.It may take weeks or longer to confirm or refute the North's claim that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, which would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal.___Follow Foster Klug, AP's Seoul bureau chief, on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@APKlug . Follow Kim Tong-hyung at www.twitter.com/@kimtonghyung
U.S. may deploy aircraft carrier to Korean peninsula next month: Yonhap-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States is considering deploying an aircraft carrier to the Korean peninsula next month, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said on Sunday.U.S. Forces Korea said it had no knowledge of the matter, when asked about the Yonhap report.U.S. forces flew a B-52 bomber over its ally South Korea on Sunday following North Korea's nuclear bomb test last week.Yonhap said it was possible that a carrier would join a U.S.-South Korea joint naval exercise to send a warning message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said his country conducted a hydrogen bomb test as a self-defense step against what it said was a U.S. threat of nuclear war.(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Eric Meijer)
US bomber flies over S. Korea as show of force against North-AFP By Jung Yeon-Je-jan 10,16-yahoonews
The US sent a heavy bomber over South Korea on Sunday in a show of force as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un insisted his country's latest nuclear test was carried out in self-defence.The test on Wednesday of what the North claimed was its first hydrogen bomb has sparked international alarm and raised tensions along the inter-Korean frontier, with Seoul reviving cross-border propaganda broadcasts.Sunday's overflight saw a B52 Stratofortress, which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, briefly roar over the Osan Air Base, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of the inter-Korean border, the US military and an eye-witness said.It was escorted by a South Korean and an American jet.The B52 conducted a low-level flight before heading back to Andersen Air Base in Guam, where it is stationed.The mission was conducted "in response to recent provocative action by North Korea", US Forces Korea said in a statement.The aircraft are known to have taken part in joint annual US-South Korea military exercises that have enraged Pyongyang, but their flights over South Korea are rarely publicised.The last time such a flight was made public was in 2013, after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test.At that time, the US dispatched both a B52 and the more sophisticated B2 stealth bomber to South Korea in a show of military muscle against the North.Wednesday's nuclear test was Pyongyang's fourth, though experts have questioned North Korea's claim of the explosion having been triggered by a hydrogen bomb.On Friday, the North's state broadcaster also released video footage of a submarine-launched ballistic missile test, though South Korean media have suggested the footage was an edited compilation of a previous test.- 'Ironclad' commitment -Lieutenant General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, commander of the US 7th Air Force and Deputy Commander of the US Forces Korea, said on Sunday that the United States maintained an "ironclad" commitment to the defence of South Korea. This commitment includes "extended deterrence provided by our conventional forces and our nuclear umbrella", he said in a statement."B52 missions reinforce the US commitment to the security of our allies and partners, and demonstrate one of the many alliance capabilities available for the defence" of South Korea, he said."As demonstrated by today's mission, the combined US and Republic of Korea air forces work and train together closely every day, and we are totally prepared to meet any threat to our alliance."The annual US-South Korea joint military exercises regularly spark angry reactions from North Korea, which brands them "nuclear war drills" against it.Key Resolve/Foal Eagle, one of the annual joint exercises, is expected to take place in March.South Korea hosts 28,000 US troops as the two Koreas technically remain at war because the Korean War of 1950-53 ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty.Sunday's show of force came as Kim Jong-Un claimed the nuclear test was carried out in self-defence, to prevent a nuclear war with the United States.In his first public remarks since the explosion, Kim said the test was "a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the US-led imperialists"."It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise," he added, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The North regularly accuses the US and its ally South Korea of warmongering.An official commentary published by KCNA late Friday also cited toppled leaders Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Moamer Kadhafi of Libya as examples of what happens when countries forsake their nuclear ambitions.The nuclear test has angered world powers, including the North's key ally China, and the UN Security Council has said it will roll out new measures to punish the maverick state.
Facts about B-52 bomber, which flew over South Korea-Associated Press By The Associated Press-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Facts about the U.S. B-52 long-range bomber, which flew over South Korea on Sunday in response to North Korea's fourth nuclear test last week:B-52s were one arm of the nuclear deterrent force during the Cold War and were used in the carpet-bombings of North Vietnam. During the 1991 Gulf War, they dropped 40 percent of the ordnance on Iraq. With airborne refueling, the planes — now fitted to launch cruise missiles as well as drop bombs — can fly around the world. During the first Gulf War, B-52s took off from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, fired missiles at Iraq, and returned home in a marathon 35-hour mission. They were also used in the 1999 air campaign against Yugoslavia and pounded al-Qaida and Taliban positions in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002. The B-52 also played a role in Operation Iraqi Freedom.First deployed: 1955-Length: 159 feet, 4 inches (47.8 meters)-Wingspan: 185 feet (55.5 meters)-Speed: 650 mph (1,045.85 kph)-Range: 8,800 miles (14,159 kilometers) without refueling-Armaments: 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms) of ordnance, which can include bombs, mines and missiles-Crew: Five.Inventory: 58 active, 18 reserve.Cost: US$84 million-___Source: U.S. Air Force
Giant statue of ex-Chinese leader Mao Zedong demolished-AFP-January 8, 2016 5:33 AM-yahoonews
Beijing (AFP) - A gargantuan gold-painted statue of Communist China's founding father Mao Zedong has suddenly been demolished, apparently for lacking government approval, state media said Friday, days after images of it went viral.Images of the statue of a seated Mao towering 37 metres (121 feet) over empty fields in the central province of Henan made worldwide headlines this week.But the three million yuan ($460,000) structure has been destroyed, the People's Net news portal cited local officials as saying, adding the reason was "unclear".The website is linked to the People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party.It cited reports from unspecified media as saying the likeness of the man who ruled China with an iron grip for nearly three decades until his death in 1976 "was not registered or approved" by the local government. Pictures circulating online -- which could not be immediately verified by AFP -- showed a gaping hole in the rear of Mao's massive golden torso, and his head shrouded in black. Local officials could not immediately be reached.Construction was reportedly funded by several local entrepreneurs and finished in December after nine months of labour, the HMR.cn portal said this week.Despite being blamed for millions of deaths, Mao is still widely revered in China and credited with uniting the country.The Communist leadership tightly controls public discussion of history and seeks to use his legacy to shore up its support. China's current President Xi Jinping has praised Mao as a "great figure" and revived some of his rhetoric and centralisation of power, while following the party's 1980s conclusion that he also made "mistakes".Some Internet users criticised the statue, pointing out its location in Henan, the centre of a famine in the late 1950s resulting from Mao's economic policies estimated to have killed as many as 40 million people."Have you forgotten about the Great Famine, building that?" asked one poster on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.Others questioned the statue's resemblance to the "Great Helmsman", who also launched the decade-long Cultural Revolution that saw violence and destruction nationwide.
Japan PM aims for constitutional revision with help from opposition-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday he aimed to get a two-thirds majority from his ruling bloc and like-minded opposition parties at an upper house election this summer to enable him to revise the constitution.Abe has made clear he wants to revise the U.S.-drafted, pacifist constitution, but formal amendment requires approval by two-thirds of both houses of parliament and a majority in a referendum.Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, already command a two-thirds majority in the lower house, but only hold a simple majority in the upper chamber."It will be very difficult for the ruling bloc alone to win a two-thirds majority," Abe told a TV news program."Besides the LDP and Komeito, I aim to form a two-thirds majority with those positive and responsible people who are thinking of a constitutional revision."Abe mentioned "Osaka Ishin No Kai", or the Osaka Innovation Party, as one possible partner backing the revision.Admirers view the constitution as the source of Japan's peace, prosperity and democracy.Many of Abe's conservative backers, who have long wanted to rewrite the constitution but lacked the political means, view it as a shoddy document written, in the words of one commentary, "with malice and vengeance" to keep Japan forever subdued.A change proposed by the LDP would make clear Japan has the right to maintain a military and deploy it at home and abroad, but Abe said debate would probably deepen as to which chapter of the constitution should be revised.(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Pakistan tells U.S. that India attack probe will 'bring out the truth'-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry his country is swiftly investigating who was behind last week's attack on an Indian air force base, and that it would "bring out the truth".The assault on the base near the Pakistan border has thrown into doubt diplomatic talks planned for later this month between the nuclear-armed rivals.Kerry, speaking to Sharif by telephone, said he hoped the attack would not derail the talks that he said were in the interests of regional security, according to a statement from the Pakistani prime minister's office late on Saturday."The Prime Minister told Secretary Kerry that we are swiftly carrying out investigations in a transparent manner and will bring out the truth," it said. "The world will see our effectiveness and sincerity in this regard."A meeting between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan had been scheduled for Jan. 15, but it is unclear if it will still happen, after six militants launched an assault on Jan. 2 against the base and killed seven security personnel.India has called on Islamabad to take "prompt and decisive" action against militants it blames for the assault, which only ended after a four-day operation to secure the base.New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of supporting militant groups and helping them to launch attacks inside India, an accusation Pakistan rejects.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the base, at Pathankot in the northern state of Punjab, where he was briefed on how security forces had responded to end the attack.It remains unclear how the attackers infiltrated the fortified base, which has a 24-km (15-mile) perimeter surrounded by a 3-metre (10-foot) wall topped with concertina wire. (Reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)
IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)
ISAIAH 34:10
10 It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)
COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AMERICA)
REVELATION 18:3-6,19-21
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,(U.S.A) and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,(U.S.A) and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her,(AMERICA) my people,(CHRISTIANS,JEWS) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her (AMERICA-NEW YORK) even as she rewarded you,(WITH FALSE FLAG TERRORISM) and double unto her double according to her works:(DOUBLE-EMP 1ST,THEN RUSSIA NUKE ATTACKS U.S.A) in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.(PROBABLY A RUSSIAN CYBER ATTACK WILL SET THE WHOLE SITUATION UP AS RUSSIA HACKS THE USA ARMY COMPUTERS.THEN THE EMP,THEN THE NUKE ATTACK)
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
U.S. releases video it says shows Iranian rockets near American warships-Reuters By Will Dunham-jan 10,16-yahoonews
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy released black-and-white video on Saturday it said was taken by an American helicopter showing an Iranian Revolutionary Guards vessel firing unguided rockets on Dec. 26 near warships including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran on Dec. 31 denied that its Revolutionary Guards vessels had launched the rockets as the United States claimed, with a Revolutionary Guards spokesman saying the "false" accusation was "akin to psychological warfare."The U.S. Navy said the infrared radar footage showed an Iranian "fast inshore attack craft" launching several rockets on Dec. 26 "in close proximity" to the Truman, the guided missile destroyer USS Bulkeley, the French naval frigate FS Provence and commercial ships in the busy waterway.The dispute underscored the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran despite last year's international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program.The video, taken by a Seahawk helicopter, runs about 30 seconds. The Navy said the rockets were fired "within an internationally recognized maritime traffic lane" as the Truman and the other ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf.The U.S. military on Dec. 29 made public its account of the incident. A U.S. Central Command spokesman at the time called the Iranian actions "highly provocative, unsafe and unprofessional" and said they called into question Iran's commitment to the security of a waterway vital to international commerce.Central Command also said at the time that Iran had provided only 23 minutes of advance notification of its intention to fire rockets. It said the Truman and the two other warships were part of the U.S.-led coalition supporting air strikes against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria.Iran and six world powers, including the United States, reached a deal last July to remove certain U.S., European Union and U.N. sanctions on Tehran in exchange for Iran accepting limits on its nuclear program.(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Russia blocks transit of Ukrainian goods: Kiev-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Kiev (AFP) - Russia has blocked the transit of Ukrainian goods heading to other countries, Kiev officials said Saturday after the two neighbouring nations imposed food embargoes in their mutual trade war."The transit of Ukrainian goods has not yet begun", having been blocked since the start of the new year, the spokeswoman for Ukraine's infrastructure ministry, Kristina Nikolayeva, told AFP.The ministry said that since January 1, under new Russian regulations, Ukrainian goods headed for Central Asia or China can only enter Russia via Belarus. They must also be sealed to prevent them from being unloaded in Russia.A Russian embargo on Ukrainian food imports took effect on January 1, with Kiev issuing mirror sanctions in response.Moscow has also barred Ukraine from a free trade zone linking numerous ex-Soviet countries. Russia introduced the latest measures on transit of goods without explaining how they should be implemented, with officials absent during public holidays lasting until Monday, said Nikolayeva."They brought in these transit rules but didn't prepare a mechanism for how exactly this will work: what kind of seals are needed, what kind of control measures are needed. As a result Russia is not letting Ukrainian trucks across its border," she said.At present, "we are recommending our carriers not to send anything in that direction," Nikolayeva added.Ukraine's trade representative Natalia Mykolska has complained that the transit problem is holding up trade with partners such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Wednesday discussed the problem with his Kazakh counterpart Karim Massimov, the government press service said.Yatsenyuk said he would inform the World Trade Organisation of the "unlawful actions of the Russian Federation regarding the transit of Ukrainian goods" and would ask the global trade body to "respond to such actions."Kiev meanwhile is seeking alternative transit routes for its goods that bypass Russia.Ukraine intends to ship a test delivery to China on Friday across the Black Sea and then via Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the infrastructure ministry said.Russia and Ukraine are experiencing an unprecedented crisis in relations after a pro-Western government took power in Ukraine in 2014 followed by Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Vandals destroy crosses at Israel Christian cemetery-AFP-jan 9,16-yahoonews
Jerusalem (AFP) - Vandals have destroyed dozens of crosses at a Christian cemetery west of Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarchate in the city said Saturday, urging Israeli authorities to bring the culprits to justice.The church did not say who was behind the desecration but in recent years there have been a spate of hate crimes targeting churches and Christian cemeteries, with the perpetrators believed to be Jewish extremists."Salesian fathers responsible for the monastery in Beit Jamal reported that unknown persons desecrated their monastery's cemetery," the patriarchate said in a statement."The fathers reported also that tens of crosses were destroyed at their cemetery," it said, condemning the attack which apparently took place in December. Beit Jamal is near the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem.Vandals had desecrated the cemetery of the Catholic monastery of Beit Jamal, which is run by the Salesian order, in September 1981, said the statement.The patriarchate urged "the police... and the Israeli authorities in general to invest every possible effort" to bring to justice those responsible for this and past desecrations."We do hope that more efforts be made to educate all inhabitants of the country to respect each other despite their different religious backgrounds," said the English language statement.In April, vandals had smashed gravestones at a Maronite Christian cemetery in a village near Israel's northern border with Lebanon.In June, arsonists attacked the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where many Christians believe Jesus fed 5,000 people in the miracle of the five loaves and two fish.One building within the compound was totally destroyed in the blaze but the church itself was not damaged.Hebrew graffiti was scrawled on another building that read "idols will be cast out" or destroyed -- part of a common Jewish prayer.Two suspected Jewish extremists were charged in connection with the arson and graffiti, and Israel said it would compensate church officials for the damage.
Huge Catholic parade held under heavy security in Manila-Associated Press By JIM GOMEZ and BULLIT MARQUEZ-January 9, 2016 5:00 AM-yahoonews
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — More than a million Filipino Roman Catholic devotees jammed Manila's streets Saturday for an annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Christ that was held under extra heavy security following the Paris attacks.About 5,000 police and soldiers were deployed to secure the daylong procession of the Black Nazarene in one of Asia's largest religious festivals, although no specific threat was being monitored.The huge crowd reached more than a million by noon, Manila police Chief Superintendent Rolando Nana said.The raucous gathering is a security nightmare for the Philippines, a poor Southeast Asian country battling widespread crime nationwide and Muslim extremists in the south. Police sharpshooters, bomb-sniffing dogs and SWAT teams stood by and surveillance drones were flown over the slow-moving procession.Security forces randomly checked bags for weapons, firecrackers and pointed objects, including umbrellas, which were banned. Coast guard and navy personnel patrolled a major river where the procession crossed over.Although there was no specific terrorist threat, security concerns were sparked by recent brazen attacks by Islamic State group extremists in countries such as France, police said.A tired devotee fainted during the procession and died from an unspecified ailment. Nearly 1,000 other people received treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, including many who got bruised or sustained fractures while jostling through the thick crowds to get close to or have their white towels wiped on the wooden statue of Christ, which was on a carriage pulled by a rope by men in maroon shirts, according to Gwendolyn Pang of the Philippine Red Cross.The wooden statue of Christ, crowned with thorns and bearing a cross, is believed to have been brought from Mexico to Manila on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire, but the charred statue survived. Some believe the statue's survival from fires and earthquakes through the centuries and intense bombings during World War II is a testament to its mystical powers.The spectacle reflects the Philippines' unique brand of Catholicism, which includes folk superstitions, in Asia's largest Catholic nation. Dozens of Filipinos have themselves nailed to crosses on Good Friday in another tradition to emulate Christ's suffering that draws huge crowds each year.Mostly barefoot, the devotees from all walks of life brave the crowds and heat to pray for good health, jobs, fortune and solution to all sorts of predicaments.Dante Avila, a 22-year-old factory worker, said he was wrongly implicated in the shooting to death of a child in a gang brawl in November in his neighborhood in suburban Caloocan city. Fearing for his life, he said he fled from home and hid in a province and showed up at the procession to pray to the Nazarene to help him prove his innocence."I swear to God I'm innocent," Avila said from a stretcher in a first-aid station, where medics treated the injured.After struggling to touch Christ's statue, he got crushed by the crowd and fainted.Another devotee, Arvin Tamayo, and his family rented a truck to parade life-size statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary, a ritual they have been doing every year since his father died of cancer in 2009."We're praying for good health," he said. "It's so financially and emotionally draining to see somebody in the family die slowly in pain."
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror(ISM), consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
'We want our safety back', say hundreds of women at Cologne protest-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Cologne (Germany) (AFP) - Around 500 women staged a noisy protest Saturday in the German city of Cologne against a shocking rash of sexual violence during New Year's festivities that was blamed on migrants.Carrying signs bearing slogans like "No violence against women" and "No means no! It's the law! Stay off of us!", the women banged pots and blew whistles as they rallied outside Cologne's famed Gothic cathedral.Others waved banners saying "Protect our women and children", as outrage grew in Germany over the spate of assaults.Cologne police have recorded some 200 complaints, ranging from groping to two reported rapes during New Year's festivities.Witnesses have said the assaults were perpetrated by men of "North African or Arab" appearance, inflaming a debate over Germany's ability to integrate about 1.1 million asylum seekers who arrived in 2015.German federal police have so far identified 32 suspects, 22 of whom are asylum seekers, in connection with 76 offences, 12 of which had a sexual nature, the interior ministry said."We want our safety back. We are against all violence against women," said protest organiser Martina Schumeckers, 57, a musician."I am standing here for all mothers, daughters, granddaughters, grandmothers, for them all to be able to move around safely especially in our Cologne," she told AFP.
Bombs hamper troops two weeks after victory declared in Iraq's Ramadi-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two weeks after declaring victory over Islamic State in Ramadi, Iraq's elite counter-terrorism forces have pushed militants out to its eastern suburbs, but bombs littering the streets are holding up efforts to rebuild the city, officials said.Ramadi, the largest city retaken by government forces, was touted as the first major success for Iraq's army since it collapsed in the face of Islamic State's lightning advance across the country's north and west 18 months ago.But almost all the city remains off-limits to its residents, most of whom fled before the army advance, said security services."The security forces are advancing to a large degree inside Ramadi. Most areas are now under their control," Anbar governor Sohaib al-Rawi said on Saturday at a temporary government complex southeast of the city."Most of the streets in Ramadi are mined with explosives so it requires large efforts and expertise," he added.The counter-terrorism forces which spearheaded the military campaign to retake the capital of western Anbar province are securing only main streets and buildings considered tactically important, security sources said.They have built up earth banks at the entrance of central neighborhoods deemed clear of militants but still laden with explosives, and marked many buildings' exteriors as "mined", the sources added.The United Nations Development Programme is still waiting for the green light from the Iraqi government to enter the city and start work to rebuild it.(Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Canada PM condemns pepper spray attack on Syrian refugees-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday condemned an attack on Syrian refugees who were pepper-sprayed during a welcome event in Vancouver, an incident police are treating as a hate crime.The group of newly arrived Syrians, which included children, was sprayed by an unknown bicyclist as they gathered outdoors Friday for a welcome function at the Muslim Association of Canada Centre, Vancouver police said."This isn't who we are - and doesn't reflect the warm welcome Canadians have offered," Trudeau wrote on Twitter Saturday."I condemn the attack on Syrian refugees in Vancouver," he added.Police said "a number of people" were treated by paramedics and the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service for pepper spray exposure.Public broadcaster CBC pegged the number of affected people at as many as 30."Although the motive for the pepper-spraying is unknown at this time, investigators are treating it as a hate-motivated crime, until determined otherwise," the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said in a statement.Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson tweeted that the incident "was a disgusting display of hate - and Vancouver won't stand for it."The VPD is carrying out an investigation and searching for the perpetrator, who is thought to have been wearing a white hooded sweatshirt.No arrests have been made, it said."This is an act of cowardice condemned by all Canadians of conscience," said board chair for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, Kashif Ahmed, in a statement.The Canadian government said it welcomed more than 6,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 but fell short of its pledge to take in 10,000. It vowed, however, to meet that target in January.Canada takes in an average of 250,000 refugees from around the world each year.
Hundreds of French mosques open their doors to the public-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Paris (AFP) - Hundreds of mosques across France are participating in a major open-house event this weekend, offering visitors the opportunity to come in for tea and a chat about Islam in a country shaken by jihadist attacks.Dubbed "a brotherly cup of tea", the weekend initiative took different forms with local mosques handing out hot drinks and pastries, offering guided visits, putting on debates and calligraphy workshops, and even inviting people to attend one of the five daily prayers.Organised by the country's leading Muslim body, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), it aims to stimulate dialogue about Islam and create a greater sense of "national cohesion", a year after 17 people were killed in jihadist attacks in Paris targeting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket."The objective is to create a space where people can be together and meet normal Muslim worshippers and all of our fellow citizens," CFCM president Anouar Kbibech told AFP.The idea is to use the anniversary of the January 7-9 attacks to "highlight the real values of Islam, to set straight the cliches about links to violence and terrorism," he said, describing the venture as a "gesture of openness"."Instead of dwelling on these tragic acts, it seemed more useful and important to celebrate 'the spirit of January 11'," he said, referring to the date last year when millions of people took to the streets in a mass show of solidarity.- 'Preachers of hate' -Following further attacks in November, in which jihadists killed 130 people, France declared a state of emergency which has seen police staging around 20 raids on Muslim places of worship. At least three have been closed on suspicion of radicalising their members.In a small prayer hall in Ajaccio on the French island of Corsica, which was attacked on Christmas day, Jean-Francois, in his sixties, took up the invitation to visit."If someone holds out their hand, I accept it and I shake it," he said, while drinking a steaming cup of tea.French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve accepted an invitation to visit a mosque near Paris, and hailed the initiative. France needs, more than ever, "the engagement of all Muslims in France," he said, while warning that "the self-proclaimed preachers of hate" in mosques would be dealt with severely.Although not all of France's 2,500 mosques and places of worship are taking part, the most important ones are, including the Grand Mosque of Paris.The event comes after a year which saw a surge in anti-Muslim acts in France, some of which targeted places of worship, although the number was much lower after the November bloodshed than after the January attacks.France's five million Muslims often complain of discrimination, notably on the employment front.
Saudi Arabia may take more measures against Iran in execution row: foreign minister-Reuters-jan 9,16-yahoonews
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia may take further measures against Iran after cutting ties with its regional rival this week, the Saudi foreign minister said on Saturday, in a major row over the kingdom's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.Adel al-Jubeir's comments came in a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), convened to discuss tensions with Iran after attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions there."We are looking at additional measures to be taken if it (Iran) continues with its current policies," Jubeir said, without elaborating on what these measures could be.The crisis between conservative Sunni kingdom and Shi'ite power Iran, both major oil exporters, started when Saudi Arabia executed Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Jan. 2, triggering outrage among Shi'ites across the Middle East.In Iran, protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, prompting Riyadh to sever relations. Tehran cut all commercial ties with Riyadh, and banned pilgrims from traveling to Mecca."The escalation is coming from Iran, not from Saudi Arabia or the GCC .... We are evaluating Iran's moves and taking steps to counter them..things will be clearer in the near future," Jubeir said.After the meeting the GCC, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, condemned what they said was Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Saudi Arabia and the region.Jubeir also said his country had asked the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, of which Iran is a member, to convene an extraordinary meeting to discuss the aggression against its embassy.Iran has said the kingdom is to blame for the diplomatic crisis.In a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon published by Iranian news agencies earlier on Saturday, Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif complained about Saudi Arabia's "provocations" towards Tehran.(Reporting By Maha El Dahan in Abu Dhabi and Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Two dead, hundreds hurt in Philippines religious festival-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Manila (AFP) - Two people died and hundreds were injured during a huge religious festival in the Philippines, where barefoot crowds hurled themselves at a statue of Jesus believed to have healing powers, authorities said Sunday.More than a million people turned out for the festival of the Black Nazarene on Saturday, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, to see the life-sized statue wheeled through the streets of Manila.Risking life and limb, shoeless men and women chanting "Viva!" (Long Live) ran over heads and shoulders to touch the icon as it made its way through the capital of Asia's most fervently Catholic country.Father Douglas Badong, rector of the Manila church where the statue is based, said one of the street vendors at the festival suffered a fatal heart attack."Because of the crowd, the heat, his body couldn't take it," he told AFP.Another 27-year-old man, who was reportedly suffering from a liver ailment, passed out after helping to drag the statue's float and could not be revived, Badong added.Police said at its height, about 1.5 million people took part in the seven-kilometre (4.5-mile) parade, which runs to the icon's home inside the downtown Quiapo church.Many believe the Black Nazarene has miraculous powers and sick people will often resort to desperate measures to try to touch it.Philippine Red Cross secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang said her agency, which had a field hospital at the site, treated almost 1,600 people who were injured during the festivities.Some 55 of them were "major cases", such as fractures caused by the huge crush of people or strokes caused by stress, more than double the number last year.Many of them were already ill, she told AFP, adding: "They probably thought if they take part in the procession, they would get better." Manila's civil defence chief Johnny Yu said the procession was "a successful event", despite the deaths and injuries, some of which he said was down to sick people taking part.
Trump escalates attacks on Ted Cruz's eligibility to run-Associated Press By SCOTT BAUER and JILL COLVIN-jan 10,16-yahoonews
WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump taunted fellow Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz over his eligibility to be president on Saturday, offering the following response to Cruz's instance that he's a natural born citizen: "You're not.""You can't have a person running for office, even though Ted is very glib and he goes out and he says, 'Oh, well, I'm a natural born citizen.' The point is, you're not," Trump said during a rally in Clear Lake, Iowa."I mean, you've got to get a declaratory judgement, you have to have the courts come up with a ruling or you have a candidate who just cannot run because the other side will immediately bring suit and you've got that cloud on your head."Cruz, who has long maintained there is no issue with his Canadian birth since his mother was a U.S. citizen, repeated Saturday that "the laws and facts are quite straightforward." The Constitution says only a "natural born citizen" may be president. Legal scholars generally agree the description covers foreign-born children of U.S. parents."I understand that a lot of candidates in the field are dismayed. They're dismayed because they're seeing conservatives uniting behind our campaign," Cruz told reporters Saturday night before the 28th and final campaign stop of a six-day swing through Iowa. "As that happens you're seeing candidates trying to throw whatever rocks they can. That's fine, that's their prerogative. I like Donald Trump, I respect Donald Trump, he's welcome to toss whatever attacks he wants."The comments were the latest sign that the delicate detente between the Texas senator and the billionaire businessman on display last year has been shattered as Cruz has jumped ahead of Trump in polls in Iowa, which holds its leadoff caucuses Feb. 1.Trump late last year began efforts to undermine Cruz, questioning the senator's religion and accusing him at recent events of stealing his idea to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The intensity escalated this past week when Trump questioned whether the Canadian-born Cruz was eligible to be president.On Saturday, Trump lashed out at Cruz on multiple fronts at a rally in Ottumwa, expressing bafflement that he's not beating Cruz in Iowa polls to a packed, 665-person capacity auditorium, with many more voters crowded into an overflow room."The polls are essentially tied. I don't get it," Trump said in the first of several references to Cruz.The billionaire also attacked Cruz's apparent shift on ethanol subsidies, the influence of wealthy campaign donors and renewed questions about the Texas senator's Canadian birth."He's got to straighten out his problem," Trump said just two minutes into his address. "You can't have that problem and go and be the nominee."The rhetoric intensified later in the day, when a Trump delivered a second, saltier speech at a rally in Clear Lake."You cannot put someone there, folks, that's going to go in and he's going to be immediately sued by the Democrats because they're saying he was born in Canada, he's not allowed to run for president," Trump said of Cruz, who renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014.Trump again called on Cruz to get a court judgment about his ballot status — advice Cruz has rejected — before suggesting the issue would cost Cruz the nomination."I don't want to win this way," he said. "I want to win fair and square."Up until now, Cruz has been careful not to take on Trump directly. But he appeared to offer a counterpunch on Friday, when he suggested that Trump wasn't devoting the time and energy to wooing Iowa voters that history shows is needed to win."There is an Iowa way of campaigning and deciding caucuses," Cruz told supporters packed into a basement of a pizza restaurant in Decorah. "I believe the only way to compete and win in the state of Iowa is to come and spend the time asking the voters for their support. Looking them in the eye.""You come here, you have the humility to stand before the men and women of this state and answer your questions," he said in a Charles City coffee shop Friday when the question came up again.With Trump in Iowa for the first time in the new year, Iowans were also seeing a sharp contrast between the grinding Iowa campaign of Cruz and the splashy mega-rallies that have become as much Trump's brand as his gilded hotels. Both have attracted overflow crowds: Trump at large halls and stadiums; Cruz in countless coffee shops, convenience stores, churches and diners.While Trump's style marks a break from tradition, his campaign says he's able to reach far more potential voters than candidates at smaller events can do.Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said earlier in the week that Trump has a series of stops planned for the next three weeks leading to the caucuses, including multiple overnight stays."Next couple of weeks, I'm going to be seeing you so much that you're going to be so sick of me," Trump said in Clear Lake.___Colvin reported from New Jersey. Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Ottumwa, Iowa, contributed to this report.___Follow Scott Bauer and Jill Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbauerAP and https://twitter.com/colvinj
Natalie Cole's death due to rare lung disease, heart failure-Reuters-January 8, 2016 2:51 PM-yahoonews
(Reuters) - Singer Natalie Cole died of a rare lung disease that was first diagnosed five years ago and led to heart failure, her family said.In the first official news on her cause of death on Dec. 31, the family of the Grammy-winning jazz, pop and soul singer said that Cole was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension after a successful kidney transplant in 2009."She responded well to pulmonary arterial hypertension specific agents over many years, during which she performed many concerts worldwide, but eventually succumbed to intractable right heart failure, an outcome that unfortunately commonly occurs in this progressive disorder," her family said in a statement on Friday.Cole's death at age 65 in a Los Angeles hospital caused an outpouring of tributes from the music world for the daughter of late singing legend Nat King Cole.Cole underwent a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with hepatitis C following a period of heroin, crack and drug abuse and came back to perform concerts around the world.(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Burns, Ore., residents visit besieged land refuge; find common ground with Bundy movement-As the federal land occupation hits day eight, locals visiting the besieged refuge find, ‘They’re cowboys. They’re one of us.'-By Caitlin Dickson-Yahoo News-jan 9,16
BURNS, Ore. — “He’s coming,” a man on horseback shouted, waving a large American flag against the glistening backdrop of the snow-covered Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.“He” was Ammon Bundy, the leader of a group of armed protesters who have occupied this federal refuge in southeastern Oregon for a week. Flanked by supporters, including his brother Ryan and spokesman LaVoy Finicum, Bundy made his way up the hill Friday to tell a swarm of reporters that he and his fellow occupiers were not planning to heed the sheriff’s recent offer of safe retreat from the town, at least not yet.“We plan on staying,” Bundy said. “I’m not afraid to go out of state. I don’t need an escort.”The longer they stay — the occupation is in day eight — the more local people have gone to the refuge to try to understand the motivation of these men who traveled across three states to take over the nature reserve. And they seem to be leaving persuaded that the Bundy crusade is finally shining a light on an issue they’d like the nation to understand.Yahoo News spent time with several locals visiting the refuge on Thursday and Friday.On Thursday, Joe and Becky Kingen, ranchers from Fields, about 112 miles south of Burns, paid a visit with their kids, Monte, 11, and 7-year-old Riata. Monte, an enterprising sixth-grade journalist, was seeking an interview with the Bundys — and wound up getting more access than many of the national news outlets whose reporters have been staking out the refuge for days.Interviewing Ryan Bundy, young Monte Kingen asked, “What do you hope to accomplish,” to which Bundy replied, “The best-case scenario, we hope to make it where you guys can ranch without the intrusion of the federal government. We want to be able to see you guys be free.”His parents also came with a purpose.“We’d like to thank them for what they’re doing here,” Becky Kingen told Yahoo News, as snow began to fall outside the occupied U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters. Kingen said she and her family appreciate the effort to raise awareness about what the Bundys and others argue is an overreach of federal control of public lands.Kingen said she hopes the outcome of the occupation is that “the ranchers can take a hold of more of what happens with the land that’s used around here.”Later that evening, when Ammon Bundy returned to the refuge following a brief meeting with Harney County Sheriff David Ward, he was greeted by several local ranchers eating pizza around a campfire. Among them was Rich Sampson, whose property is adjacent to the wildlife refuge.Sampson said he and his neighbors were initially concerned about what was happening in their own backyard, but were put at ease once they saw the situation for themselves.“We walked down that road, not knowing what we were walking into and spoke to these people,” said Sampson, sporting a shearling denim jacket and the kind of tan that comes from years of working outside. “We went home and told everybody in our community, ‘We’re not frightened. They’re cowboys. They’re one of us.’”While Ammon Bundy has reportedly owned a variety of small businesses in Arizona, where he lives, he and brother Ryan are two of notorious Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s 14 children. Bundy gained national headlines back in 2014 when he and a militia of his own held an armed standoff against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, who’d been sent to round up Bundy’s cattle in exchange for the million dollars of debt he’d accumulated by failing to pay federal grazing fees for the past two decades.Sampson said he didn’t understand why the schools in Burns, some 30 miles away from the refuge, were still closed when the nearby Crane schools had reopened on Tuesday.“We’ve gone on with our lives as usual,” Sampson said, also noting that in the two times he’d been to the refuge since Bundy and his crew set up camp, he had not seen a single firearm.“We were told you were a bunch of gun-totin’ crazies,” he said. “Where are the guns?”While a number of the protesters were, in fact, seen walking around the refuge with handguns holstered to their belts, the group does seem to be toning down its rhetoric since LaVoy Finicum camped outside with his rifle on Tuesday night in anticipation of an FBI raid.The Arizona rancher had been prepared for a shootout if FBI agents pointed guns at him, telling NBC News at the time, “There are more important things than your life.”On Thursday, however, Finicum told reporters that “this is intended to be a peaceful occupation.”“We want you to know the only reason that we have guns here is for our own personal protection and safety,” he said. “We should never ever point guns at each other.”Finicum continued to present a softer image on Friday, proudly showing off his daughters and their young children at a press conference.Bundy also appeared subdued on Friday, humbly thanking all the people from the local community who’ve shared support, as well as food and supplies. He even sounded a bit choked up when talking about his determination to follow through with his mission: to return the federal wildlife refuge to the people of Harney County and to get Dwight and Steven Hammond, local ranchers who’d been convicted of arson for burning federal land, out of prison.When one reporter asked Bundy what he would’ve done if Sheriff Ward had tried to handcuff him during their meeting Thursday, Finicum advised him not to answer the question and he complied.Bundy said the occupiers would consider Ward’s offer for free passage out of town, but insisted that they had no plans to leave yet.Asked when the occupiers plan to leave the wildlife refuge, Bundy said, “Not a minute too early.”Ward’s office released a statement Friday saying that because “the people on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge made it clear that they have no intention of honoring the sheriff’s request to leave,” Ward had no plans for further calls or meetings with Bundy.However, the statement said, “the sheriff is keeping all options open.”
Mexico drug lord back in jail, betrayed by biopic bid-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Mexico City (AFP) - Betrayed by his desire to make a biopic, Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was back Saturday in the prison he escaped from six months ago, amid calls to extradite him to the US.The world's most wanted drug baron was arrested in a military raid early Friday that left five suspects dead in Los Mochis, a coastal city in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa.Hours later, the Sinaloa cartel kingpin was flown in a military helicopter from Mexico City to the Altiplano maximum-security prison, the scene of his daring July 11 escape some 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of the capital.On July 11, after just 17 months at Altiplano, Guzman slipped through a hole in his cell's shower, climbed on a motorcycle mounted on rails, and traveled 1.5 kilometers (one mile) through a tunnel to freedom.But six months later, Guzman was back in the prison after authorities located him, in part because the kingpin wanted to make a biographical film about himself, according to Attorney General Arely Gomez.Gomez said an "important aspect that allowed us to locate him was that we discovered Guzman's intention to make a biographical film, for which he established contact with actresses and producers.""The follow-up work allowed us to document meetings between attorneys of the now-detainee and these people," she said, adding that the matter was under investigation.- Another tunnel escape -The manhunt led to his recapture, which featured one last underground escape for the man who became known as "The Lord of Tunnels" for his ability to ship drugs to the US under the border and dig his way out of trouble.Guzman was nearly captured in the mountain region in October, but marines chasing him in a helicopter decided not to shoot because he was accompanied by two women and a girl, Gomez said.The months-long investigation culminated in a house in Los Mochis, which authorities began to stake out in December.Marines were met by gunfire when they swooped in on Friday, leaving five suspects dead and one marine wounded. Six others were detained in the operation.Guzman and his security chief fled through the city's drainage system, repeating a tactic the drug kingpin successfully used in escaping authorities in 2014 in the nearby city of Culiacan. This time however the marines expected such a move, Gomez said.The wanted men came out of a manhole and stole a car, but they were captured on a road and taken to a motel, where Guzman was seated on a bed, wearing a dirty sleeveless shirt -- an ignominious end for a kingpin whose billionaire drug business reaches as far as Asia and Europe.- Extradition calls -The 58-year-old's arrest provided a major sigh of relief for President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose administration was humiliated when Guzman broke out of prison."Mission accomplished: We got him," Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter.But calls quickly mounted among US politicians for Mexico to ship Guzman to the United States, where he also faces charges in half a dozen US states. The Americans had sent an extradition request two weeks before his July escape.Some questioned Mexico's ability to hold on to Guzman, who previously escaped from another maximum-security prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart with inside help.More than a dozen prison and federal police officials have been arrested on charges of helping Guzman flee again last year, along with several associates of the drug lord who worked from the outside on building the tunnel."Given that 'El Chapo' has already escaped from Mexican prison twice, this third opportunity to bring him to justice cannot be squandered," said US senator and Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. Senator John McCain congratulated Mexico's navy for the capture, but he added: "Now let's extradite him to the US."President Barack Obama's administration did not indicate whether it would press Pena Nieto to send Guzman across the border.US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Guzman will "now have to answer for his alleged crimes," without indicating where.The Mexican attorney general's office secured an extradition warrant in September, but Guzman's attorneys sought an injunction that could delay the process. But a leading Mexican politician, Senator Miguel Barbosa of the leftist opposition Democratic Revolution Party, is already opposing an extradition."The easiest thing would be to swiftly extradite 'Chapo' Guzman and, once again, the Mexican state shows that it doesn't have the strength to punish those who commit crimes in our territory," Barbosa said.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Ice cream maker Blue Bell reports listeria found again in facility-Reuters By Jim Forsyth-January 8, 2016 3:37 PM-yahoonews
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries, which stopped production and distribution of ice cream to 25 states in April after the discovery of listeria bacteria, said on Friday that listeria was discovered again in a production facility.The company did not specify in a statement in which of its three facilities listeria had been found but said that none was found in any of its ice cream. Blue Bell said it is moving to eliminate the bacteria through a "seek and destroy" process."We expect to periodically find microbiological indications in our facilities," said Blue Bell, which declined comment beyond the statement. The company credited its "enhanced, robust testing system" for why it found the bacteria.The company noted that because listeria is commonly found in the natural environment, "no manufacturer can ever assume it will be entirely eradicated."Blue Bell, ranked the No. 1 ice cream brand in the country in 2014, recalled all products last spring after 10 reported cases of listeria in four states were linked to Blue Bell frozen treats. Three of the people sickened, all hospital patients in Kansas, later died.The disease, caused by eating food contaminated with listeria, primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Blue Bell suspended production at its plants in Brenham, Texas; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Sylacauga, Alabama last spring and said it conducted a major overhaul of production at all three plants.Blue Bell laid off or furloughed hundreds of employees as a result of the shutdown.Starting in November, the company began a phased process of returning its ice cream to store shelves. The company said the next phase of the process, in which ice cream will be distributed in Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, and Virginia, will proceed as planned.(Reporting by Jim Forsyth in San Antonio; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Steve Orlofsky)
POWER OUTAGE
REVELATION 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;(EU'S KINGDOM) and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Climate Change Could Cause Power Blackouts Worldwide-By Taylor Hill | Takepart.com-jan 9,16-yahoonews
The record heat waves and devastating droughts that accompany climate change could also hurt the world’s electricity production, according to a new study.As temperatures warm and drought periods grow longer and more severe over the next 50 years, the water levels in rivers and lakes are expected to fall.For 98 percent of the world’s power plants, that’s a problem and could result in a 30 percent decrease in electricity production some months at most power stations.Natural water flow is needed to generate energy from hydroelectric plants, and cold water is essential for cooling at any thermal power plant—nuclear, natural gas, biomass, or even a solar power plant that uses the sun to convert water into steam to drive a generator.In the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers looked at 1,400 thermoelectric power plants and more than 24,000 hydropower plants worldwide. The paper expanded on previous research that showed reduced summer water availability and higher water temperatures associated with climate change could result in significant reductions in electricity production in Europe and the United States.The U.S., southern South America, southern Africa, central and southern Europe, Southeast Asia and southern Australia are all vulnerable regions, said Michelle van Vliet , IIASA researcher and study coauthor, “Declines in mean annual stream flow are projected combined with strong increases in water temperature under changing climate—and the hotter the water, the less effective it is as a coolant,” he noted.“This reduces the potential for both hydropower and thermoelectric power generation in these regions,” van Vliet added.“We clearly show that power plants are not only causing climate change, but they might also be affected in major ways by climate,” said study coauthor Keywan Riahi, energy program director at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.Riahi said reductions in electricity production capacity are likely at more than 60 percent of power plants worldwide by 2050.“I was most surprised about the possible magnitude of the impacts for fossil and nuclear power plants when looking at the results for specific months,” Riahi said. “For two-thirds of these plants globally, our study shows that there will be months where losses in generation capacity are greater than 30 percent by the 2050s. This is quite significant.”the researchers said hydropower plants need to adapt by increasing energy efficiency by 10 percent to offset expected water flow reductions. Nuclear and fossil fuel plants can switch from freshwater-dependent cooling to air cooling, or—where possible—seawater cooling. Another option, which Riahi said the study didn’t look into, is to scale up renewables like wind and photovoltaic solar that do not contribute to the carbon emissions influencing climate change or use much g water resources.Photovoltaic power stations like Arizona’s 290- megawatta Agua Caliente project deploy tens of thousands of solar panels like those found on residential rooftops that convert light directly into electricity. Water is only used to wash the dust off the panels.“In order to sustain water and energy security in the next decades, the electricity focus will need to increase their focus on climate change adaptation in addition to mitigation,” van Vliet said.
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)
As rain pummels California, some see a way to fight drought-Associated Press By ELLIOT SPAGAT-January 8, 2016 1:41 PM-yahoonews
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Much of the torrential rain that fell on Southern California this week flowed right into the ocean, just like it did before the state's epic drought.That seemed like a good idea for many years, as storm drains provided a crucial defense against flooding. But with California entering what may be a fifth year of drought, water agencies slowly are moving to capture and store more of this precious resource."That was the 19th, 20th century thinking: 'Let's get that water out of here as fast as possible,'" said Deborah Bloome, senior director of policy at TreePeople, a nonprofit group that is working to increase rain capture in the Los Angeles area.Now, people are more likely to see a rapidly disappearing flood — nearly 3 inches fell on much of Southern California this week — as a wasted opportunity.The State Water Resources Control Board approved a broad plan Wednesday for capturing more rain. The regulator is launching a road show this month to explain how it will dole out $200 million for projects to collect rain, part of a $7.5 billion water bond voters approved in November 2014.Los Angeles expects to collect 3.3 billion more gallons a year from projects now under construction. The city eventually plans to capture 20 billion more gallons than the 10 billion it collects during normal years and up to 26 billion gallons during wet years.Still, many believe more can be done, through projects large and small."This is a source of water that has been neglected for far too long," said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, which authored a 2014 report with the Natural Resources Defense Council that estimated urban California could capture an additional 630,000 acre-feet of rain a year, roughly enough for 1.2 million households. "It is untapped, and it has enormous potential." Southern California imports a lion's share of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River, on aqueducts that stretch hundreds of miles. The drought has slashed water consumption across the state and renewed interest in developing new water sources, like recycling and seawater desalination. California's rainy season usually runs from January to early March with short but intense storms, creating a limited window. Parched Southern California needs the water most and has long had reservoirs to capture some of it. But much of the water dumped by El Nino's storms streamed down gutters and curbs through a concrete jungle, into drains that go into the Pacific.Los Angeles County captured 3.2 billion gallons during this week's storms as of Thursday afternoon, largely through 27 holding ponds, said Steven Frasher, a spokesman for the public works department. Water from the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers flowed into fields that percolate into aquifers for future pumping.The Orange County Water District, which relies on rain capture for about 10 percent of its supplies to 2.4 million people south of Los Angeles, collected about 3.3 billion gallons from this week's storms as of Thursday afternoon. The captured water flows into the Army Corps of Engineers' Prado Dam and is slowly released 11 miles downstream on the Santa Ana River, to ponds that seep into an aquifer. The rest goes into the ocean."In a dry year, we capture essentially all of it. In a big, wet year, we lose more. On average, we capture about 50 percent," said Greg Woodside, the agency's executive director of planning and natural resources.The San Diego region, unlike Los Angeles and Orange counties, lacks large ground aquifers that can store water. San Diego collected about 800 million gallons this week at nine reservoirs as of Thursday morning, city spokesman Kurt Kidman said.The region gets 7 percent of its water from rain on average and about 20 percent during the last El Nino storms in 1998, said Dana Friehauf, water resources manager for the San Diego County Water Authority."There's the potential to do more," Friehauf said. "We have to look at the cost to our ratepayers and see what makes sense."Modest efforts are taking hold across Southern California.In Los Angeles, the city gutted a 16-foot- wide concrete street median that runs the length of 12 football fields and replaced it with vegetation that captures rain over 111 acres. The $3.4 million project, completed in 2014, is designed to collect enough water to fill more than 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools a year.Bloome's group, TreePeople, operates a 216,000-gallon underground cistern at Coldwater Canyon Park, collecting rain from a conference center roof and a parking lot to be pumped for irrigation.Even smaller projects are being eyed for potentially big impact. In November, TreePeople unveiled a 1,320-gallon tank at a home in North Hollywood, which can be regulated remotely by computer to drain before major rain, ensuring there is room to capture water. The group plans to equip several more houses by next month."We want to show folks this works for El Nino," Bloome said.
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
N. Korea leader defends 'hydrogen bomb' test-AFP By Park Chan-Kyong-jan 10,16-yahoonews
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un on Sunday justified what he claimed was his country's first hydrogen bomb test as self-defence to prevent nuclear war with the US, in his first comments since the explosion. Pyongyang on Wednesday carried out its fourth nuclear test, angering the international community and raising tensions with neighbouring South Korea.The test was "a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the US-led imperialists," Kim was quoted as saying."It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise," he added, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The North regularly accuses the US and its ally South Korea of warmongering.Kim's comments came during a visit to the Ministry of People's Armed Forces to congratulate them on the "successful" detonation, KCNA said, without giving the date of the visit.They echo an official commentary published late Friday, which cited toppled leaders Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moamer Kadhafi in Libya as examples of what happens when countries forsake their nuclear ambitions.The test has angered world powers, including the North's key ally China, and the UN Security Council has said it will roll out new measures to punish the maverick state.South Korea has resumed high-decibel propaganda broadcasts across the border in response, which the North said were driving the divided peninsula to "the brink of war".North Korea claimed it used a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, which is far more powerful than other nuclear devices, although experts said seismic activity suggested it was not strong enough.The test came just two days before Kim's 33rd birthday and ahead of a rare ruling party congress scheduled to take place in May -- the first such gathering for 35 years.The North is expected to lay out a range of key policies during the congress, which Kim said will be a "historic turning point in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche (self-independence)"."Let us defend the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea by strengthening the political and military might of the People's Army in every way", Kim said, adding that strengthening the military is a priority.The state Korean Central TV late on Friday released video footage of a purportedly new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test.But South Korean media suggested the footage was an edited compilation of the North's third SLBM test, conducted last month in the Sea of Japan, and a different ballistic missile test from 2014.
Kim visits military as Koreas slide into Cold War standoff-Associated Press By FOSTER KLUG and KIM TONG-HYUNG-JAN 10,16-YAHOONEWS
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's leader has taken a victory tour of military headquarters to celebrate the country's widely disputed claim of a hydrogen bomb test.Kim Jong Un called the nuclear test "a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the U.S.-led imperialists," according to a dispatch Sunday from state-run Korean Central News Agency."It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticize," Kim was reported as saying during his tour of the People's Armed Forces Ministry. The tone of Kim's comments, which sought to glorify him and justify a test that has been viewed with outrage by much of the world, is typical of state media propaganda.But they also provide insight into North Korea's long-maintained argument that it is the presence of tens of thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea and Japan, and a "hostile" U.S. policy that seeks to topple the government in Pyongyang, that make North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons absolutely necessary.Kim posed for photos with leading military officials in front of statues of the two members of his family who had led the country previously — Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.In his reported comments, he also sought to link the purported success of the nuclear test to a ruling Workers' Party convention in May, the party's first since 1980. He's expected to use the congress to announce major state policies and shake up the country's political elite to further consolidate his power.Kim's tour came as world powers looked for ways to punish the North over a nuclear test that, even if not of a hydrogen bomb, still likely pushes Pyongyang closer to its goal of a nuclear-armed missile that can reach the U.S. mainland.In the wake of the test on Wednesday, the two Koreas have settled into the kind of Cold War-era standoff that has defined their relationship over the past seven decades. Since Friday, South Korea has been blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda from huge speakers along the border, and the North is reportedly using speakers of its own in an attempt to keep its soldiers from hearing the South Korean messages.A top North Korean ruling party official's recent warning that the South's broadcasts have pushed the Korean Peninsula "toward the brink of war" is typical of Pyongyang's over-the-top rhetoric. But it is also indicative of the real fury that the broadcasts, which criticize the country's revered dictatorship, cause in the North.North Korea considers the South Korean broadcasts tantamount to an act of war. When Seoul Korea briefly resumed propaganda broadcasts in August after an 11-year break, Seoul says the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire.South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing an anonymous military source, reported late Saturday that the North had started its own broadcasts, presumably to keep its soldiers from hearing the South Korean broadcasts. The North's broadcasts were too weak to hear clearly on the South Korean side of the border. South Korean military officials wouldn't confirm the Yonhap report.Besides the "brink of war" comment, Workers' Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam said in comments broadcasts on state TV on Friday that Pyongyang's rivals are "jealous" of the North's successful hydrogen bomb test.Many outside governments and experts question whether the blast was in fact a powerful hydrogen test.South Korean troops, near about 10 sites where loudspeakers started blaring propaganda Friday, were on the highest alert, but have not detected any unusual movement from North Korea along the border, said an official from Seoul's Defense Ministry, who refused to be named, citing office rules.Yonhap said Seoul had deployed missiles, artillery and other weapons systems near the border to swiftly deal with any possible North Korean provocation. The ministry did not confirm the report.Officials say broadcasts from the South's loudspeakers can travel about 10 kilometers (6 miles) during the day and 24 kilometers (15 miles) at night. That reaches many of the huge force of North Korean soldiers stationed near the border, as well as residents in border towns such as Kaesong, where the Koreas jointly operate an industrial park that has been a valuable cash source for the impoverished North.Seoul also planned to use mobile speakers to broadcast from a small South Korean island just a few kilometers (miles) from North Korean shores.While the South's broadcasts also include news and pop music, much of the programming challenges North Korea's government more directly."We hope that our fellow Koreans in the North will be able to live in a society that doesn't invade individual lives as soon as possible," a female presenter said in parts of the broadcast that officials revealed to South Korean media. "Countries run by dictatorships even try to control human instincts."Marathon talks by the Koreas in August eased anger and stopped the broadcasts, which Seoul started after blaming North Korean land mines for maiming two soldiers. It might be more difficult to do so now. Seoul can't stand down easily, some analysts say, and it's highly unlikely that the North will express regret for its nuclear test, which is a source of intense national pride.Responding to the bomb test, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged China, the North's only major ally and biggest aid provider, to end "business as usual" with North Korea.Diplomats at a U.N. Security Council emergency session pledged to swiftly pursue new sanctions. For current sanctions and any new penalties to work, better cooperation and stronger implementation from China is seen as key.The South Korean and U.S. militaries also discussed the deployment of U.S. "strategic assets," Seoul's Defense Ministry said. Officials refused to elaborate, but the assets would likely include B-52 bombers, F-22 stealth fighters and nuclear-powered submarines.After North Korea's third nuclear test, in 2013, the U.S. took the unusual step of sending its most powerful warplanes to drills with South Korea in a show of force. B-2 and B-52 bombers are capable of delivering nuclear weapons.It may take weeks or longer to confirm or refute the North's claim that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, which would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal.___Follow Foster Klug, AP's Seoul bureau chief, on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@APKlug . Follow Kim Tong-hyung at www.twitter.com/@kimtonghyung
U.S. may deploy aircraft carrier to Korean peninsula next month: Yonhap-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States is considering deploying an aircraft carrier to the Korean peninsula next month, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said on Sunday.U.S. Forces Korea said it had no knowledge of the matter, when asked about the Yonhap report.U.S. forces flew a B-52 bomber over its ally South Korea on Sunday following North Korea's nuclear bomb test last week.Yonhap said it was possible that a carrier would join a U.S.-South Korea joint naval exercise to send a warning message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said his country conducted a hydrogen bomb test as a self-defense step against what it said was a U.S. threat of nuclear war.(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Eric Meijer)
US bomber flies over S. Korea as show of force against North-AFP By Jung Yeon-Je-jan 10,16-yahoonews
The US sent a heavy bomber over South Korea on Sunday in a show of force as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un insisted his country's latest nuclear test was carried out in self-defence.The test on Wednesday of what the North claimed was its first hydrogen bomb has sparked international alarm and raised tensions along the inter-Korean frontier, with Seoul reviving cross-border propaganda broadcasts.Sunday's overflight saw a B52 Stratofortress, which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, briefly roar over the Osan Air Base, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of the inter-Korean border, the US military and an eye-witness said.It was escorted by a South Korean and an American jet.The B52 conducted a low-level flight before heading back to Andersen Air Base in Guam, where it is stationed.The mission was conducted "in response to recent provocative action by North Korea", US Forces Korea said in a statement.The aircraft are known to have taken part in joint annual US-South Korea military exercises that have enraged Pyongyang, but their flights over South Korea are rarely publicised.The last time such a flight was made public was in 2013, after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test.At that time, the US dispatched both a B52 and the more sophisticated B2 stealth bomber to South Korea in a show of military muscle against the North.Wednesday's nuclear test was Pyongyang's fourth, though experts have questioned North Korea's claim of the explosion having been triggered by a hydrogen bomb.On Friday, the North's state broadcaster also released video footage of a submarine-launched ballistic missile test, though South Korean media have suggested the footage was an edited compilation of a previous test.- 'Ironclad' commitment -Lieutenant General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, commander of the US 7th Air Force and Deputy Commander of the US Forces Korea, said on Sunday that the United States maintained an "ironclad" commitment to the defence of South Korea. This commitment includes "extended deterrence provided by our conventional forces and our nuclear umbrella", he said in a statement."B52 missions reinforce the US commitment to the security of our allies and partners, and demonstrate one of the many alliance capabilities available for the defence" of South Korea, he said."As demonstrated by today's mission, the combined US and Republic of Korea air forces work and train together closely every day, and we are totally prepared to meet any threat to our alliance."The annual US-South Korea joint military exercises regularly spark angry reactions from North Korea, which brands them "nuclear war drills" against it.Key Resolve/Foal Eagle, one of the annual joint exercises, is expected to take place in March.South Korea hosts 28,000 US troops as the two Koreas technically remain at war because the Korean War of 1950-53 ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty.Sunday's show of force came as Kim Jong-Un claimed the nuclear test was carried out in self-defence, to prevent a nuclear war with the United States.In his first public remarks since the explosion, Kim said the test was "a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the US-led imperialists"."It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise," he added, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The North regularly accuses the US and its ally South Korea of warmongering.An official commentary published by KCNA late Friday also cited toppled leaders Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Moamer Kadhafi of Libya as examples of what happens when countries forsake their nuclear ambitions.The nuclear test has angered world powers, including the North's key ally China, and the UN Security Council has said it will roll out new measures to punish the maverick state.
Facts about B-52 bomber, which flew over South Korea-Associated Press By The Associated Press-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Facts about the U.S. B-52 long-range bomber, which flew over South Korea on Sunday in response to North Korea's fourth nuclear test last week:B-52s were one arm of the nuclear deterrent force during the Cold War and were used in the carpet-bombings of North Vietnam. During the 1991 Gulf War, they dropped 40 percent of the ordnance on Iraq. With airborne refueling, the planes — now fitted to launch cruise missiles as well as drop bombs — can fly around the world. During the first Gulf War, B-52s took off from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, fired missiles at Iraq, and returned home in a marathon 35-hour mission. They were also used in the 1999 air campaign against Yugoslavia and pounded al-Qaida and Taliban positions in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002. The B-52 also played a role in Operation Iraqi Freedom.First deployed: 1955-Length: 159 feet, 4 inches (47.8 meters)-Wingspan: 185 feet (55.5 meters)-Speed: 650 mph (1,045.85 kph)-Range: 8,800 miles (14,159 kilometers) without refueling-Armaments: 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms) of ordnance, which can include bombs, mines and missiles-Crew: Five.Inventory: 58 active, 18 reserve.Cost: US$84 million-___Source: U.S. Air Force
Giant statue of ex-Chinese leader Mao Zedong demolished-AFP-January 8, 2016 5:33 AM-yahoonews
Beijing (AFP) - A gargantuan gold-painted statue of Communist China's founding father Mao Zedong has suddenly been demolished, apparently for lacking government approval, state media said Friday, days after images of it went viral.Images of the statue of a seated Mao towering 37 metres (121 feet) over empty fields in the central province of Henan made worldwide headlines this week.But the three million yuan ($460,000) structure has been destroyed, the People's Net news portal cited local officials as saying, adding the reason was "unclear".The website is linked to the People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party.It cited reports from unspecified media as saying the likeness of the man who ruled China with an iron grip for nearly three decades until his death in 1976 "was not registered or approved" by the local government. Pictures circulating online -- which could not be immediately verified by AFP -- showed a gaping hole in the rear of Mao's massive golden torso, and his head shrouded in black. Local officials could not immediately be reached.Construction was reportedly funded by several local entrepreneurs and finished in December after nine months of labour, the HMR.cn portal said this week.Despite being blamed for millions of deaths, Mao is still widely revered in China and credited with uniting the country.The Communist leadership tightly controls public discussion of history and seeks to use his legacy to shore up its support. China's current President Xi Jinping has praised Mao as a "great figure" and revived some of his rhetoric and centralisation of power, while following the party's 1980s conclusion that he also made "mistakes".Some Internet users criticised the statue, pointing out its location in Henan, the centre of a famine in the late 1950s resulting from Mao's economic policies estimated to have killed as many as 40 million people."Have you forgotten about the Great Famine, building that?" asked one poster on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.Others questioned the statue's resemblance to the "Great Helmsman", who also launched the decade-long Cultural Revolution that saw violence and destruction nationwide.
Japan PM aims for constitutional revision with help from opposition-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday he aimed to get a two-thirds majority from his ruling bloc and like-minded opposition parties at an upper house election this summer to enable him to revise the constitution.Abe has made clear he wants to revise the U.S.-drafted, pacifist constitution, but formal amendment requires approval by two-thirds of both houses of parliament and a majority in a referendum.Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, already command a two-thirds majority in the lower house, but only hold a simple majority in the upper chamber."It will be very difficult for the ruling bloc alone to win a two-thirds majority," Abe told a TV news program."Besides the LDP and Komeito, I aim to form a two-thirds majority with those positive and responsible people who are thinking of a constitutional revision."Abe mentioned "Osaka Ishin No Kai", or the Osaka Innovation Party, as one possible partner backing the revision.Admirers view the constitution as the source of Japan's peace, prosperity and democracy.Many of Abe's conservative backers, who have long wanted to rewrite the constitution but lacked the political means, view it as a shoddy document written, in the words of one commentary, "with malice and vengeance" to keep Japan forever subdued.A change proposed by the LDP would make clear Japan has the right to maintain a military and deploy it at home and abroad, but Abe said debate would probably deepen as to which chapter of the constitution should be revised.(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Pakistan tells U.S. that India attack probe will 'bring out the truth'-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry his country is swiftly investigating who was behind last week's attack on an Indian air force base, and that it would "bring out the truth".The assault on the base near the Pakistan border has thrown into doubt diplomatic talks planned for later this month between the nuclear-armed rivals.Kerry, speaking to Sharif by telephone, said he hoped the attack would not derail the talks that he said were in the interests of regional security, according to a statement from the Pakistani prime minister's office late on Saturday."The Prime Minister told Secretary Kerry that we are swiftly carrying out investigations in a transparent manner and will bring out the truth," it said. "The world will see our effectiveness and sincerity in this regard."A meeting between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan had been scheduled for Jan. 15, but it is unclear if it will still happen, after six militants launched an assault on Jan. 2 against the base and killed seven security personnel.India has called on Islamabad to take "prompt and decisive" action against militants it blames for the assault, which only ended after a four-day operation to secure the base.New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of supporting militant groups and helping them to launch attacks inside India, an accusation Pakistan rejects.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the base, at Pathankot in the northern state of Punjab, where he was briefed on how security forces had responded to end the attack.It remains unclear how the attackers infiltrated the fortified base, which has a 24-km (15-mile) perimeter surrounded by a 3-metre (10-foot) wall topped with concertina wire. (Reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)
IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)
ISAIAH 34:10
10 It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)
COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AMERICA)
REVELATION 18:3-6,19-21
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,(U.S.A) and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,(U.S.A) and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her,(AMERICA) my people,(CHRISTIANS,JEWS) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her (AMERICA-NEW YORK) even as she rewarded you,(WITH FALSE FLAG TERRORISM) and double unto her double according to her works:(DOUBLE-EMP 1ST,THEN RUSSIA NUKE ATTACKS U.S.A) in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.(PROBABLY A RUSSIAN CYBER ATTACK WILL SET THE WHOLE SITUATION UP AS RUSSIA HACKS THE USA ARMY COMPUTERS.THEN THE EMP,THEN THE NUKE ATTACK)
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
U.S. releases video it says shows Iranian rockets near American warships-Reuters By Will Dunham-jan 10,16-yahoonews
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy released black-and-white video on Saturday it said was taken by an American helicopter showing an Iranian Revolutionary Guards vessel firing unguided rockets on Dec. 26 near warships including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran on Dec. 31 denied that its Revolutionary Guards vessels had launched the rockets as the United States claimed, with a Revolutionary Guards spokesman saying the "false" accusation was "akin to psychological warfare."The U.S. Navy said the infrared radar footage showed an Iranian "fast inshore attack craft" launching several rockets on Dec. 26 "in close proximity" to the Truman, the guided missile destroyer USS Bulkeley, the French naval frigate FS Provence and commercial ships in the busy waterway.The dispute underscored the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran despite last year's international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program.The video, taken by a Seahawk helicopter, runs about 30 seconds. The Navy said the rockets were fired "within an internationally recognized maritime traffic lane" as the Truman and the other ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf.The U.S. military on Dec. 29 made public its account of the incident. A U.S. Central Command spokesman at the time called the Iranian actions "highly provocative, unsafe and unprofessional" and said they called into question Iran's commitment to the security of a waterway vital to international commerce.Central Command also said at the time that Iran had provided only 23 minutes of advance notification of its intention to fire rockets. It said the Truman and the two other warships were part of the U.S.-led coalition supporting air strikes against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria.Iran and six world powers, including the United States, reached a deal last July to remove certain U.S., European Union and U.N. sanctions on Tehran in exchange for Iran accepting limits on its nuclear program.(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Russia blocks transit of Ukrainian goods: Kiev-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Kiev (AFP) - Russia has blocked the transit of Ukrainian goods heading to other countries, Kiev officials said Saturday after the two neighbouring nations imposed food embargoes in their mutual trade war."The transit of Ukrainian goods has not yet begun", having been blocked since the start of the new year, the spokeswoman for Ukraine's infrastructure ministry, Kristina Nikolayeva, told AFP.The ministry said that since January 1, under new Russian regulations, Ukrainian goods headed for Central Asia or China can only enter Russia via Belarus. They must also be sealed to prevent them from being unloaded in Russia.A Russian embargo on Ukrainian food imports took effect on January 1, with Kiev issuing mirror sanctions in response.Moscow has also barred Ukraine from a free trade zone linking numerous ex-Soviet countries. Russia introduced the latest measures on transit of goods without explaining how they should be implemented, with officials absent during public holidays lasting until Monday, said Nikolayeva."They brought in these transit rules but didn't prepare a mechanism for how exactly this will work: what kind of seals are needed, what kind of control measures are needed. As a result Russia is not letting Ukrainian trucks across its border," she said.At present, "we are recommending our carriers not to send anything in that direction," Nikolayeva added.Ukraine's trade representative Natalia Mykolska has complained that the transit problem is holding up trade with partners such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Wednesday discussed the problem with his Kazakh counterpart Karim Massimov, the government press service said.Yatsenyuk said he would inform the World Trade Organisation of the "unlawful actions of the Russian Federation regarding the transit of Ukrainian goods" and would ask the global trade body to "respond to such actions."Kiev meanwhile is seeking alternative transit routes for its goods that bypass Russia.Ukraine intends to ship a test delivery to China on Friday across the Black Sea and then via Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the infrastructure ministry said.Russia and Ukraine are experiencing an unprecedented crisis in relations after a pro-Western government took power in Ukraine in 2014 followed by Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Vandals destroy crosses at Israel Christian cemetery-AFP-jan 9,16-yahoonews
Jerusalem (AFP) - Vandals have destroyed dozens of crosses at a Christian cemetery west of Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarchate in the city said Saturday, urging Israeli authorities to bring the culprits to justice.The church did not say who was behind the desecration but in recent years there have been a spate of hate crimes targeting churches and Christian cemeteries, with the perpetrators believed to be Jewish extremists."Salesian fathers responsible for the monastery in Beit Jamal reported that unknown persons desecrated their monastery's cemetery," the patriarchate said in a statement."The fathers reported also that tens of crosses were destroyed at their cemetery," it said, condemning the attack which apparently took place in December. Beit Jamal is near the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem.Vandals had desecrated the cemetery of the Catholic monastery of Beit Jamal, which is run by the Salesian order, in September 1981, said the statement.The patriarchate urged "the police... and the Israeli authorities in general to invest every possible effort" to bring to justice those responsible for this and past desecrations."We do hope that more efforts be made to educate all inhabitants of the country to respect each other despite their different religious backgrounds," said the English language statement.In April, vandals had smashed gravestones at a Maronite Christian cemetery in a village near Israel's northern border with Lebanon.In June, arsonists attacked the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where many Christians believe Jesus fed 5,000 people in the miracle of the five loaves and two fish.One building within the compound was totally destroyed in the blaze but the church itself was not damaged.Hebrew graffiti was scrawled on another building that read "idols will be cast out" or destroyed -- part of a common Jewish prayer.Two suspected Jewish extremists were charged in connection with the arson and graffiti, and Israel said it would compensate church officials for the damage.
Huge Catholic parade held under heavy security in Manila-Associated Press By JIM GOMEZ and BULLIT MARQUEZ-January 9, 2016 5:00 AM-yahoonews
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — More than a million Filipino Roman Catholic devotees jammed Manila's streets Saturday for an annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Christ that was held under extra heavy security following the Paris attacks.About 5,000 police and soldiers were deployed to secure the daylong procession of the Black Nazarene in one of Asia's largest religious festivals, although no specific threat was being monitored.The huge crowd reached more than a million by noon, Manila police Chief Superintendent Rolando Nana said.The raucous gathering is a security nightmare for the Philippines, a poor Southeast Asian country battling widespread crime nationwide and Muslim extremists in the south. Police sharpshooters, bomb-sniffing dogs and SWAT teams stood by and surveillance drones were flown over the slow-moving procession.Security forces randomly checked bags for weapons, firecrackers and pointed objects, including umbrellas, which were banned. Coast guard and navy personnel patrolled a major river where the procession crossed over.Although there was no specific terrorist threat, security concerns were sparked by recent brazen attacks by Islamic State group extremists in countries such as France, police said.A tired devotee fainted during the procession and died from an unspecified ailment. Nearly 1,000 other people received treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, including many who got bruised or sustained fractures while jostling through the thick crowds to get close to or have their white towels wiped on the wooden statue of Christ, which was on a carriage pulled by a rope by men in maroon shirts, according to Gwendolyn Pang of the Philippine Red Cross.The wooden statue of Christ, crowned with thorns and bearing a cross, is believed to have been brought from Mexico to Manila on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire, but the charred statue survived. Some believe the statue's survival from fires and earthquakes through the centuries and intense bombings during World War II is a testament to its mystical powers.The spectacle reflects the Philippines' unique brand of Catholicism, which includes folk superstitions, in Asia's largest Catholic nation. Dozens of Filipinos have themselves nailed to crosses on Good Friday in another tradition to emulate Christ's suffering that draws huge crowds each year.Mostly barefoot, the devotees from all walks of life brave the crowds and heat to pray for good health, jobs, fortune and solution to all sorts of predicaments.Dante Avila, a 22-year-old factory worker, said he was wrongly implicated in the shooting to death of a child in a gang brawl in November in his neighborhood in suburban Caloocan city. Fearing for his life, he said he fled from home and hid in a province and showed up at the procession to pray to the Nazarene to help him prove his innocence."I swear to God I'm innocent," Avila said from a stretcher in a first-aid station, where medics treated the injured.After struggling to touch Christ's statue, he got crushed by the crowd and fainted.Another devotee, Arvin Tamayo, and his family rented a truck to parade life-size statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary, a ritual they have been doing every year since his father died of cancer in 2009."We're praying for good health," he said. "It's so financially and emotionally draining to see somebody in the family die slowly in pain."
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror(ISM), consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
'We want our safety back', say hundreds of women at Cologne protest-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Cologne (Germany) (AFP) - Around 500 women staged a noisy protest Saturday in the German city of Cologne against a shocking rash of sexual violence during New Year's festivities that was blamed on migrants.Carrying signs bearing slogans like "No violence against women" and "No means no! It's the law! Stay off of us!", the women banged pots and blew whistles as they rallied outside Cologne's famed Gothic cathedral.Others waved banners saying "Protect our women and children", as outrage grew in Germany over the spate of assaults.Cologne police have recorded some 200 complaints, ranging from groping to two reported rapes during New Year's festivities.Witnesses have said the assaults were perpetrated by men of "North African or Arab" appearance, inflaming a debate over Germany's ability to integrate about 1.1 million asylum seekers who arrived in 2015.German federal police have so far identified 32 suspects, 22 of whom are asylum seekers, in connection with 76 offences, 12 of which had a sexual nature, the interior ministry said."We want our safety back. We are against all violence against women," said protest organiser Martina Schumeckers, 57, a musician."I am standing here for all mothers, daughters, granddaughters, grandmothers, for them all to be able to move around safely especially in our Cologne," she told AFP.
Bombs hamper troops two weeks after victory declared in Iraq's Ramadi-Reuters-jan 10,16-yahoonews
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two weeks after declaring victory over Islamic State in Ramadi, Iraq's elite counter-terrorism forces have pushed militants out to its eastern suburbs, but bombs littering the streets are holding up efforts to rebuild the city, officials said.Ramadi, the largest city retaken by government forces, was touted as the first major success for Iraq's army since it collapsed in the face of Islamic State's lightning advance across the country's north and west 18 months ago.But almost all the city remains off-limits to its residents, most of whom fled before the army advance, said security services."The security forces are advancing to a large degree inside Ramadi. Most areas are now under their control," Anbar governor Sohaib al-Rawi said on Saturday at a temporary government complex southeast of the city."Most of the streets in Ramadi are mined with explosives so it requires large efforts and expertise," he added.The counter-terrorism forces which spearheaded the military campaign to retake the capital of western Anbar province are securing only main streets and buildings considered tactically important, security sources said.They have built up earth banks at the entrance of central neighborhoods deemed clear of militants but still laden with explosives, and marked many buildings' exteriors as "mined", the sources added.The United Nations Development Programme is still waiting for the green light from the Iraqi government to enter the city and start work to rebuild it.(Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Canada PM condemns pepper spray attack on Syrian refugees-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday condemned an attack on Syrian refugees who were pepper-sprayed during a welcome event in Vancouver, an incident police are treating as a hate crime.The group of newly arrived Syrians, which included children, was sprayed by an unknown bicyclist as they gathered outdoors Friday for a welcome function at the Muslim Association of Canada Centre, Vancouver police said."This isn't who we are - and doesn't reflect the warm welcome Canadians have offered," Trudeau wrote on Twitter Saturday."I condemn the attack on Syrian refugees in Vancouver," he added.Police said "a number of people" were treated by paramedics and the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service for pepper spray exposure.Public broadcaster CBC pegged the number of affected people at as many as 30."Although the motive for the pepper-spraying is unknown at this time, investigators are treating it as a hate-motivated crime, until determined otherwise," the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said in a statement.Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson tweeted that the incident "was a disgusting display of hate - and Vancouver won't stand for it."The VPD is carrying out an investigation and searching for the perpetrator, who is thought to have been wearing a white hooded sweatshirt.No arrests have been made, it said."This is an act of cowardice condemned by all Canadians of conscience," said board chair for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, Kashif Ahmed, in a statement.The Canadian government said it welcomed more than 6,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 but fell short of its pledge to take in 10,000. It vowed, however, to meet that target in January.Canada takes in an average of 250,000 refugees from around the world each year.
Hundreds of French mosques open their doors to the public-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Paris (AFP) - Hundreds of mosques across France are participating in a major open-house event this weekend, offering visitors the opportunity to come in for tea and a chat about Islam in a country shaken by jihadist attacks.Dubbed "a brotherly cup of tea", the weekend initiative took different forms with local mosques handing out hot drinks and pastries, offering guided visits, putting on debates and calligraphy workshops, and even inviting people to attend one of the five daily prayers.Organised by the country's leading Muslim body, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), it aims to stimulate dialogue about Islam and create a greater sense of "national cohesion", a year after 17 people were killed in jihadist attacks in Paris targeting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket."The objective is to create a space where people can be together and meet normal Muslim worshippers and all of our fellow citizens," CFCM president Anouar Kbibech told AFP.The idea is to use the anniversary of the January 7-9 attacks to "highlight the real values of Islam, to set straight the cliches about links to violence and terrorism," he said, describing the venture as a "gesture of openness"."Instead of dwelling on these tragic acts, it seemed more useful and important to celebrate 'the spirit of January 11'," he said, referring to the date last year when millions of people took to the streets in a mass show of solidarity.- 'Preachers of hate' -Following further attacks in November, in which jihadists killed 130 people, France declared a state of emergency which has seen police staging around 20 raids on Muslim places of worship. At least three have been closed on suspicion of radicalising their members.In a small prayer hall in Ajaccio on the French island of Corsica, which was attacked on Christmas day, Jean-Francois, in his sixties, took up the invitation to visit."If someone holds out their hand, I accept it and I shake it," he said, while drinking a steaming cup of tea.French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve accepted an invitation to visit a mosque near Paris, and hailed the initiative. France needs, more than ever, "the engagement of all Muslims in France," he said, while warning that "the self-proclaimed preachers of hate" in mosques would be dealt with severely.Although not all of France's 2,500 mosques and places of worship are taking part, the most important ones are, including the Grand Mosque of Paris.The event comes after a year which saw a surge in anti-Muslim acts in France, some of which targeted places of worship, although the number was much lower after the November bloodshed than after the January attacks.France's five million Muslims often complain of discrimination, notably on the employment front.
Saudi Arabia may take more measures against Iran in execution row: foreign minister-Reuters-jan 9,16-yahoonews
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia may take further measures against Iran after cutting ties with its regional rival this week, the Saudi foreign minister said on Saturday, in a major row over the kingdom's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.Adel al-Jubeir's comments came in a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), convened to discuss tensions with Iran after attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions there."We are looking at additional measures to be taken if it (Iran) continues with its current policies," Jubeir said, without elaborating on what these measures could be.The crisis between conservative Sunni kingdom and Shi'ite power Iran, both major oil exporters, started when Saudi Arabia executed Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Jan. 2, triggering outrage among Shi'ites across the Middle East.In Iran, protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, prompting Riyadh to sever relations. Tehran cut all commercial ties with Riyadh, and banned pilgrims from traveling to Mecca."The escalation is coming from Iran, not from Saudi Arabia or the GCC .... We are evaluating Iran's moves and taking steps to counter them..things will be clearer in the near future," Jubeir said.After the meeting the GCC, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, condemned what they said was Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Saudi Arabia and the region.Jubeir also said his country had asked the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, of which Iran is a member, to convene an extraordinary meeting to discuss the aggression against its embassy.Iran has said the kingdom is to blame for the diplomatic crisis.In a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon published by Iranian news agencies earlier on Saturday, Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif complained about Saudi Arabia's "provocations" towards Tehran.(Reporting By Maha El Dahan in Abu Dhabi and Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Two dead, hundreds hurt in Philippines religious festival-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Manila (AFP) - Two people died and hundreds were injured during a huge religious festival in the Philippines, where barefoot crowds hurled themselves at a statue of Jesus believed to have healing powers, authorities said Sunday.More than a million people turned out for the festival of the Black Nazarene on Saturday, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, to see the life-sized statue wheeled through the streets of Manila.Risking life and limb, shoeless men and women chanting "Viva!" (Long Live) ran over heads and shoulders to touch the icon as it made its way through the capital of Asia's most fervently Catholic country.Father Douglas Badong, rector of the Manila church where the statue is based, said one of the street vendors at the festival suffered a fatal heart attack."Because of the crowd, the heat, his body couldn't take it," he told AFP.Another 27-year-old man, who was reportedly suffering from a liver ailment, passed out after helping to drag the statue's float and could not be revived, Badong added.Police said at its height, about 1.5 million people took part in the seven-kilometre (4.5-mile) parade, which runs to the icon's home inside the downtown Quiapo church.Many believe the Black Nazarene has miraculous powers and sick people will often resort to desperate measures to try to touch it.Philippine Red Cross secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang said her agency, which had a field hospital at the site, treated almost 1,600 people who were injured during the festivities.Some 55 of them were "major cases", such as fractures caused by the huge crush of people or strokes caused by stress, more than double the number last year.Many of them were already ill, she told AFP, adding: "They probably thought if they take part in the procession, they would get better." Manila's civil defence chief Johnny Yu said the procession was "a successful event", despite the deaths and injuries, some of which he said was down to sick people taking part.
Trump escalates attacks on Ted Cruz's eligibility to run-Associated Press By SCOTT BAUER and JILL COLVIN-jan 10,16-yahoonews
WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump taunted fellow Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz over his eligibility to be president on Saturday, offering the following response to Cruz's instance that he's a natural born citizen: "You're not.""You can't have a person running for office, even though Ted is very glib and he goes out and he says, 'Oh, well, I'm a natural born citizen.' The point is, you're not," Trump said during a rally in Clear Lake, Iowa."I mean, you've got to get a declaratory judgement, you have to have the courts come up with a ruling or you have a candidate who just cannot run because the other side will immediately bring suit and you've got that cloud on your head."Cruz, who has long maintained there is no issue with his Canadian birth since his mother was a U.S. citizen, repeated Saturday that "the laws and facts are quite straightforward." The Constitution says only a "natural born citizen" may be president. Legal scholars generally agree the description covers foreign-born children of U.S. parents."I understand that a lot of candidates in the field are dismayed. They're dismayed because they're seeing conservatives uniting behind our campaign," Cruz told reporters Saturday night before the 28th and final campaign stop of a six-day swing through Iowa. "As that happens you're seeing candidates trying to throw whatever rocks they can. That's fine, that's their prerogative. I like Donald Trump, I respect Donald Trump, he's welcome to toss whatever attacks he wants."The comments were the latest sign that the delicate detente between the Texas senator and the billionaire businessman on display last year has been shattered as Cruz has jumped ahead of Trump in polls in Iowa, which holds its leadoff caucuses Feb. 1.Trump late last year began efforts to undermine Cruz, questioning the senator's religion and accusing him at recent events of stealing his idea to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The intensity escalated this past week when Trump questioned whether the Canadian-born Cruz was eligible to be president.On Saturday, Trump lashed out at Cruz on multiple fronts at a rally in Ottumwa, expressing bafflement that he's not beating Cruz in Iowa polls to a packed, 665-person capacity auditorium, with many more voters crowded into an overflow room."The polls are essentially tied. I don't get it," Trump said in the first of several references to Cruz.The billionaire also attacked Cruz's apparent shift on ethanol subsidies, the influence of wealthy campaign donors and renewed questions about the Texas senator's Canadian birth."He's got to straighten out his problem," Trump said just two minutes into his address. "You can't have that problem and go and be the nominee."The rhetoric intensified later in the day, when a Trump delivered a second, saltier speech at a rally in Clear Lake."You cannot put someone there, folks, that's going to go in and he's going to be immediately sued by the Democrats because they're saying he was born in Canada, he's not allowed to run for president," Trump said of Cruz, who renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014.Trump again called on Cruz to get a court judgment about his ballot status — advice Cruz has rejected — before suggesting the issue would cost Cruz the nomination."I don't want to win this way," he said. "I want to win fair and square."Up until now, Cruz has been careful not to take on Trump directly. But he appeared to offer a counterpunch on Friday, when he suggested that Trump wasn't devoting the time and energy to wooing Iowa voters that history shows is needed to win."There is an Iowa way of campaigning and deciding caucuses," Cruz told supporters packed into a basement of a pizza restaurant in Decorah. "I believe the only way to compete and win in the state of Iowa is to come and spend the time asking the voters for their support. Looking them in the eye.""You come here, you have the humility to stand before the men and women of this state and answer your questions," he said in a Charles City coffee shop Friday when the question came up again.With Trump in Iowa for the first time in the new year, Iowans were also seeing a sharp contrast between the grinding Iowa campaign of Cruz and the splashy mega-rallies that have become as much Trump's brand as his gilded hotels. Both have attracted overflow crowds: Trump at large halls and stadiums; Cruz in countless coffee shops, convenience stores, churches and diners.While Trump's style marks a break from tradition, his campaign says he's able to reach far more potential voters than candidates at smaller events can do.Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said earlier in the week that Trump has a series of stops planned for the next three weeks leading to the caucuses, including multiple overnight stays."Next couple of weeks, I'm going to be seeing you so much that you're going to be so sick of me," Trump said in Clear Lake.___Colvin reported from New Jersey. Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Ottumwa, Iowa, contributed to this report.___Follow Scott Bauer and Jill Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbauerAP and https://twitter.com/colvinj
Natalie Cole's death due to rare lung disease, heart failure-Reuters-January 8, 2016 2:51 PM-yahoonews
(Reuters) - Singer Natalie Cole died of a rare lung disease that was first diagnosed five years ago and led to heart failure, her family said.In the first official news on her cause of death on Dec. 31, the family of the Grammy-winning jazz, pop and soul singer said that Cole was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension after a successful kidney transplant in 2009."She responded well to pulmonary arterial hypertension specific agents over many years, during which she performed many concerts worldwide, but eventually succumbed to intractable right heart failure, an outcome that unfortunately commonly occurs in this progressive disorder," her family said in a statement on Friday.Cole's death at age 65 in a Los Angeles hospital caused an outpouring of tributes from the music world for the daughter of late singing legend Nat King Cole.Cole underwent a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with hepatitis C following a period of heroin, crack and drug abuse and came back to perform concerts around the world.(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Burns, Ore., residents visit besieged land refuge; find common ground with Bundy movement-As the federal land occupation hits day eight, locals visiting the besieged refuge find, ‘They’re cowboys. They’re one of us.'-By Caitlin Dickson-Yahoo News-jan 9,16
BURNS, Ore. — “He’s coming,” a man on horseback shouted, waving a large American flag against the glistening backdrop of the snow-covered Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.“He” was Ammon Bundy, the leader of a group of armed protesters who have occupied this federal refuge in southeastern Oregon for a week. Flanked by supporters, including his brother Ryan and spokesman LaVoy Finicum, Bundy made his way up the hill Friday to tell a swarm of reporters that he and his fellow occupiers were not planning to heed the sheriff’s recent offer of safe retreat from the town, at least not yet.“We plan on staying,” Bundy said. “I’m not afraid to go out of state. I don’t need an escort.”The longer they stay — the occupation is in day eight — the more local people have gone to the refuge to try to understand the motivation of these men who traveled across three states to take over the nature reserve. And they seem to be leaving persuaded that the Bundy crusade is finally shining a light on an issue they’d like the nation to understand.Yahoo News spent time with several locals visiting the refuge on Thursday and Friday.On Thursday, Joe and Becky Kingen, ranchers from Fields, about 112 miles south of Burns, paid a visit with their kids, Monte, 11, and 7-year-old Riata. Monte, an enterprising sixth-grade journalist, was seeking an interview with the Bundys — and wound up getting more access than many of the national news outlets whose reporters have been staking out the refuge for days.Interviewing Ryan Bundy, young Monte Kingen asked, “What do you hope to accomplish,” to which Bundy replied, “The best-case scenario, we hope to make it where you guys can ranch without the intrusion of the federal government. We want to be able to see you guys be free.”His parents also came with a purpose.“We’d like to thank them for what they’re doing here,” Becky Kingen told Yahoo News, as snow began to fall outside the occupied U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters. Kingen said she and her family appreciate the effort to raise awareness about what the Bundys and others argue is an overreach of federal control of public lands.Kingen said she hopes the outcome of the occupation is that “the ranchers can take a hold of more of what happens with the land that’s used around here.”Later that evening, when Ammon Bundy returned to the refuge following a brief meeting with Harney County Sheriff David Ward, he was greeted by several local ranchers eating pizza around a campfire. Among them was Rich Sampson, whose property is adjacent to the wildlife refuge.Sampson said he and his neighbors were initially concerned about what was happening in their own backyard, but were put at ease once they saw the situation for themselves.“We walked down that road, not knowing what we were walking into and spoke to these people,” said Sampson, sporting a shearling denim jacket and the kind of tan that comes from years of working outside. “We went home and told everybody in our community, ‘We’re not frightened. They’re cowboys. They’re one of us.’”While Ammon Bundy has reportedly owned a variety of small businesses in Arizona, where he lives, he and brother Ryan are two of notorious Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s 14 children. Bundy gained national headlines back in 2014 when he and a militia of his own held an armed standoff against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, who’d been sent to round up Bundy’s cattle in exchange for the million dollars of debt he’d accumulated by failing to pay federal grazing fees for the past two decades.Sampson said he didn’t understand why the schools in Burns, some 30 miles away from the refuge, were still closed when the nearby Crane schools had reopened on Tuesday.“We’ve gone on with our lives as usual,” Sampson said, also noting that in the two times he’d been to the refuge since Bundy and his crew set up camp, he had not seen a single firearm.“We were told you were a bunch of gun-totin’ crazies,” he said. “Where are the guns?”While a number of the protesters were, in fact, seen walking around the refuge with handguns holstered to their belts, the group does seem to be toning down its rhetoric since LaVoy Finicum camped outside with his rifle on Tuesday night in anticipation of an FBI raid.The Arizona rancher had been prepared for a shootout if FBI agents pointed guns at him, telling NBC News at the time, “There are more important things than your life.”On Thursday, however, Finicum told reporters that “this is intended to be a peaceful occupation.”“We want you to know the only reason that we have guns here is for our own personal protection and safety,” he said. “We should never ever point guns at each other.”Finicum continued to present a softer image on Friday, proudly showing off his daughters and their young children at a press conference.Bundy also appeared subdued on Friday, humbly thanking all the people from the local community who’ve shared support, as well as food and supplies. He even sounded a bit choked up when talking about his determination to follow through with his mission: to return the federal wildlife refuge to the people of Harney County and to get Dwight and Steven Hammond, local ranchers who’d been convicted of arson for burning federal land, out of prison.When one reporter asked Bundy what he would’ve done if Sheriff Ward had tried to handcuff him during their meeting Thursday, Finicum advised him not to answer the question and he complied.Bundy said the occupiers would consider Ward’s offer for free passage out of town, but insisted that they had no plans to leave yet.Asked when the occupiers plan to leave the wildlife refuge, Bundy said, “Not a minute too early.”Ward’s office released a statement Friday saying that because “the people on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge made it clear that they have no intention of honoring the sheriff’s request to leave,” Ward had no plans for further calls or meetings with Bundy.However, the statement said, “the sheriff is keeping all options open.”
Mexico drug lord back in jail, betrayed by biopic bid-AFP-jan 10,16-yahoonews
Mexico City (AFP) - Betrayed by his desire to make a biopic, Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was back Saturday in the prison he escaped from six months ago, amid calls to extradite him to the US.The world's most wanted drug baron was arrested in a military raid early Friday that left five suspects dead in Los Mochis, a coastal city in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa.Hours later, the Sinaloa cartel kingpin was flown in a military helicopter from Mexico City to the Altiplano maximum-security prison, the scene of his daring July 11 escape some 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of the capital.On July 11, after just 17 months at Altiplano, Guzman slipped through a hole in his cell's shower, climbed on a motorcycle mounted on rails, and traveled 1.5 kilometers (one mile) through a tunnel to freedom.But six months later, Guzman was back in the prison after authorities located him, in part because the kingpin wanted to make a biographical film about himself, according to Attorney General Arely Gomez.Gomez said an "important aspect that allowed us to locate him was that we discovered Guzman's intention to make a biographical film, for which he established contact with actresses and producers.""The follow-up work allowed us to document meetings between attorneys of the now-detainee and these people," she said, adding that the matter was under investigation.- Another tunnel escape -The manhunt led to his recapture, which featured one last underground escape for the man who became known as "The Lord of Tunnels" for his ability to ship drugs to the US under the border and dig his way out of trouble.Guzman was nearly captured in the mountain region in October, but marines chasing him in a helicopter decided not to shoot because he was accompanied by two women and a girl, Gomez said.The months-long investigation culminated in a house in Los Mochis, which authorities began to stake out in December.Marines were met by gunfire when they swooped in on Friday, leaving five suspects dead and one marine wounded. Six others were detained in the operation.Guzman and his security chief fled through the city's drainage system, repeating a tactic the drug kingpin successfully used in escaping authorities in 2014 in the nearby city of Culiacan. This time however the marines expected such a move, Gomez said.The wanted men came out of a manhole and stole a car, but they were captured on a road and taken to a motel, where Guzman was seated on a bed, wearing a dirty sleeveless shirt -- an ignominious end for a kingpin whose billionaire drug business reaches as far as Asia and Europe.- Extradition calls -The 58-year-old's arrest provided a major sigh of relief for President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose administration was humiliated when Guzman broke out of prison."Mission accomplished: We got him," Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter.But calls quickly mounted among US politicians for Mexico to ship Guzman to the United States, where he also faces charges in half a dozen US states. The Americans had sent an extradition request two weeks before his July escape.Some questioned Mexico's ability to hold on to Guzman, who previously escaped from another maximum-security prison in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart with inside help.More than a dozen prison and federal police officials have been arrested on charges of helping Guzman flee again last year, along with several associates of the drug lord who worked from the outside on building the tunnel."Given that 'El Chapo' has already escaped from Mexican prison twice, this third opportunity to bring him to justice cannot be squandered," said US senator and Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. Senator John McCain congratulated Mexico's navy for the capture, but he added: "Now let's extradite him to the US."President Barack Obama's administration did not indicate whether it would press Pena Nieto to send Guzman across the border.US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Guzman will "now have to answer for his alleged crimes," without indicating where.The Mexican attorney general's office secured an extradition warrant in September, but Guzman's attorneys sought an injunction that could delay the process. But a leading Mexican politician, Senator Miguel Barbosa of the leftist opposition Democratic Revolution Party, is already opposing an extradition."The easiest thing would be to swiftly extradite 'Chapo' Guzman and, once again, the Mexican state shows that it doesn't have the strength to punish those who commit crimes in our territory," Barbosa said.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Ice cream maker Blue Bell reports listeria found again in facility-Reuters By Jim Forsyth-January 8, 2016 3:37 PM-yahoonews
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries, which stopped production and distribution of ice cream to 25 states in April after the discovery of listeria bacteria, said on Friday that listeria was discovered again in a production facility.The company did not specify in a statement in which of its three facilities listeria had been found but said that none was found in any of its ice cream. Blue Bell said it is moving to eliminate the bacteria through a "seek and destroy" process."We expect to periodically find microbiological indications in our facilities," said Blue Bell, which declined comment beyond the statement. The company credited its "enhanced, robust testing system" for why it found the bacteria.The company noted that because listeria is commonly found in the natural environment, "no manufacturer can ever assume it will be entirely eradicated."Blue Bell, ranked the No. 1 ice cream brand in the country in 2014, recalled all products last spring after 10 reported cases of listeria in four states were linked to Blue Bell frozen treats. Three of the people sickened, all hospital patients in Kansas, later died.The disease, caused by eating food contaminated with listeria, primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Blue Bell suspended production at its plants in Brenham, Texas; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Sylacauga, Alabama last spring and said it conducted a major overhaul of production at all three plants.Blue Bell laid off or furloughed hundreds of employees as a result of the shutdown.Starting in November, the company began a phased process of returning its ice cream to store shelves. The company said the next phase of the process, in which ice cream will be distributed in Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, and Virginia, will proceed as planned.(Reporting by Jim Forsyth in San Antonio; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Steve Orlofsky)
POWER OUTAGE
REVELATION 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;(EU'S KINGDOM) and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Climate Change Could Cause Power Blackouts Worldwide-By Taylor Hill | Takepart.com-jan 9,16-yahoonews
The record heat waves and devastating droughts that accompany climate change could also hurt the world’s electricity production, according to a new study.As temperatures warm and drought periods grow longer and more severe over the next 50 years, the water levels in rivers and lakes are expected to fall.For 98 percent of the world’s power plants, that’s a problem and could result in a 30 percent decrease in electricity production some months at most power stations.Natural water flow is needed to generate energy from hydroelectric plants, and cold water is essential for cooling at any thermal power plant—nuclear, natural gas, biomass, or even a solar power plant that uses the sun to convert water into steam to drive a generator.In the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers looked at 1,400 thermoelectric power plants and more than 24,000 hydropower plants worldwide. The paper expanded on previous research that showed reduced summer water availability and higher water temperatures associated with climate change could result in significant reductions in electricity production in Europe and the United States.The U.S., southern South America, southern Africa, central and southern Europe, Southeast Asia and southern Australia are all vulnerable regions, said Michelle van Vliet , IIASA researcher and study coauthor, “Declines in mean annual stream flow are projected combined with strong increases in water temperature under changing climate—and the hotter the water, the less effective it is as a coolant,” he noted.“This reduces the potential for both hydropower and thermoelectric power generation in these regions,” van Vliet added.“We clearly show that power plants are not only causing climate change, but they might also be affected in major ways by climate,” said study coauthor Keywan Riahi, energy program director at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.Riahi said reductions in electricity production capacity are likely at more than 60 percent of power plants worldwide by 2050.“I was most surprised about the possible magnitude of the impacts for fossil and nuclear power plants when looking at the results for specific months,” Riahi said. “For two-thirds of these plants globally, our study shows that there will be months where losses in generation capacity are greater than 30 percent by the 2050s. This is quite significant.”the researchers said hydropower plants need to adapt by increasing energy efficiency by 10 percent to offset expected water flow reductions. Nuclear and fossil fuel plants can switch from freshwater-dependent cooling to air cooling, or—where possible—seawater cooling. Another option, which Riahi said the study didn’t look into, is to scale up renewables like wind and photovoltaic solar that do not contribute to the carbon emissions influencing climate change or use much g water resources.Photovoltaic power stations like Arizona’s 290- megawatta Agua Caliente project deploy tens of thousands of solar panels like those found on residential rooftops that convert light directly into electricity. Water is only used to wash the dust off the panels.“In order to sustain water and energy security in the next decades, the electricity focus will need to increase their focus on climate change adaptation in addition to mitigation,” van Vliet said.
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)
As rain pummels California, some see a way to fight drought-Associated Press By ELLIOT SPAGAT-January 8, 2016 1:41 PM-yahoonews
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Much of the torrential rain that fell on Southern California this week flowed right into the ocean, just like it did before the state's epic drought.That seemed like a good idea for many years, as storm drains provided a crucial defense against flooding. But with California entering what may be a fifth year of drought, water agencies slowly are moving to capture and store more of this precious resource."That was the 19th, 20th century thinking: 'Let's get that water out of here as fast as possible,'" said Deborah Bloome, senior director of policy at TreePeople, a nonprofit group that is working to increase rain capture in the Los Angeles area.Now, people are more likely to see a rapidly disappearing flood — nearly 3 inches fell on much of Southern California this week — as a wasted opportunity.The State Water Resources Control Board approved a broad plan Wednesday for capturing more rain. The regulator is launching a road show this month to explain how it will dole out $200 million for projects to collect rain, part of a $7.5 billion water bond voters approved in November 2014.Los Angeles expects to collect 3.3 billion more gallons a year from projects now under construction. The city eventually plans to capture 20 billion more gallons than the 10 billion it collects during normal years and up to 26 billion gallons during wet years.Still, many believe more can be done, through projects large and small."This is a source of water that has been neglected for far too long," said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, which authored a 2014 report with the Natural Resources Defense Council that estimated urban California could capture an additional 630,000 acre-feet of rain a year, roughly enough for 1.2 million households. "It is untapped, and it has enormous potential." Southern California imports a lion's share of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River, on aqueducts that stretch hundreds of miles. The drought has slashed water consumption across the state and renewed interest in developing new water sources, like recycling and seawater desalination. California's rainy season usually runs from January to early March with short but intense storms, creating a limited window. Parched Southern California needs the water most and has long had reservoirs to capture some of it. But much of the water dumped by El Nino's storms streamed down gutters and curbs through a concrete jungle, into drains that go into the Pacific.Los Angeles County captured 3.2 billion gallons during this week's storms as of Thursday afternoon, largely through 27 holding ponds, said Steven Frasher, a spokesman for the public works department. Water from the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers flowed into fields that percolate into aquifers for future pumping.The Orange County Water District, which relies on rain capture for about 10 percent of its supplies to 2.4 million people south of Los Angeles, collected about 3.3 billion gallons from this week's storms as of Thursday afternoon. The captured water flows into the Army Corps of Engineers' Prado Dam and is slowly released 11 miles downstream on the Santa Ana River, to ponds that seep into an aquifer. The rest goes into the ocean."In a dry year, we capture essentially all of it. In a big, wet year, we lose more. On average, we capture about 50 percent," said Greg Woodside, the agency's executive director of planning and natural resources.The San Diego region, unlike Los Angeles and Orange counties, lacks large ground aquifers that can store water. San Diego collected about 800 million gallons this week at nine reservoirs as of Thursday morning, city spokesman Kurt Kidman said.The region gets 7 percent of its water from rain on average and about 20 percent during the last El Nino storms in 1998, said Dana Friehauf, water resources manager for the San Diego County Water Authority."There's the potential to do more," Friehauf said. "We have to look at the cost to our ratepayers and see what makes sense."Modest efforts are taking hold across Southern California.In Los Angeles, the city gutted a 16-foot- wide concrete street median that runs the length of 12 football fields and replaced it with vegetation that captures rain over 111 acres. The $3.4 million project, completed in 2014, is designed to collect enough water to fill more than 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools a year.Bloome's group, TreePeople, operates a 216,000-gallon underground cistern at Coldwater Canyon Park, collecting rain from a conference center roof and a parking lot to be pumped for irrigation.Even smaller projects are being eyed for potentially big impact. In November, TreePeople unveiled a 1,320-gallon tank at a home in North Hollywood, which can be regulated remotely by computer to drain before major rain, ensuring there is room to capture water. The group plans to equip several more houses by next month."We want to show folks this works for El Nino," Bloome said.