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)
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
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,(2 BILLION) 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).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
WARN THE PEOPLE-WW3
EZEKIEL 33:1-6
1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
DANIEL 11:40-45 (WW3 BREAKDOWN)
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) 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)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
EU calls for dialogue in US-North Korea nuclear row By Eric Maurice-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 9. Aug, 17:39-The EU reacted cautiously on Wednesday (9 August) to US threats against North Korea, calling for dialogue and stressing Korean responsibility in the escalating tension.The situation is "of great concern to the EU as it is for the rest of international community," European Commission foreign affairs spokeswoman Catherine Ray told journalists.On Tuesday evening, US president Donald Trump warned that North Korea would "face fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it threatens the US with ballistic missiles.Trump's warning came after North Korea recently tested intercontinental missiles and reportedly achieved miniaturisation of nuclear warheads.North Korea replied that that it considered bombing Guam, a US island in the Pacific with an important military base.Ray insisted that "lasting peace and denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula must be achieved through peaceful means" and that "this excludes military action."But she insisted on EU's condemnation of North Korea's "outright violation" of its international obligations and said Pyongyang must "refrain from any further provocative action that could increase regional and global tensions.""The EU will continue to put pressure on DPRK," she said, using the acronym for Democratic Popular Republic of Korea, the official name of the communist dictatorship.The EU spokeswoman said that the EU "expects" North Korea "to engage in credible and meaningful dialogue," and that the EU is "ready to support such dialogue."She added that EU's high representative, Federica Mogherini, held several bilateral meetings about the issue at a summit of Asean, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including with the foreign ministers of the US, China, Russia and South Korea.On Wednesday, the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said that Trump wanted to "send a message" to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to help him "avoid any miscalculation" about US intentions.He added that there wasn't "any immediate threat" and that "Americans should sleep well at night."Trump himself said on Twitter that he hoped that "we will never have to use this [nuclear] power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!"Wednesday marks the 72nd anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki by the US on 9 August 1945, three days after Hiroshima was also bombed.In Paris, the French government spokesman, Christophe Castaner, said that Trump expressed a "determination" that "all US presidents would have had, because they cannot accept that a part of their territory can be targeted by nuclear ballistic missiles."But he added that the France was "preoccupied" by the situation and called on "on all sides to act responsibly."In Berlin, a foreign ministry spokesman said that the German government was watching the "increasing rhetorical escalation … with the greatest concern" and called "on all sides to use restraint."He insisted that a "military option" could not be "the answer in the quest for a nuclear weapon-free" Korean peninsula.Meanwhile, European markets were losing ground amid concerns over the situation. In the early afternoon, London's FTSE index was down 0.6 percent, Frankfurt's Dax down 1.16 percent and Paris's Cac down 1.46 percent.
North Korea details Guam missile plan, calls Trump's warning a 'load of nonsense'-[Reuters]-By Christine Kim and Martin Petty-YAHOONEWS-August 10, 2017
SEOUL/GUAM (Reuters) - North Korea dismissed as a "load of nonsense" warnings by U.S. President Donald Trump that it would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States, and outlined on Thursday detailed plans for a missile strike near the Pacific territory of Guam.North Korea's apparently rapid progress in developing nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland has fueled tensions that erupted into a war of words between Washington and Pyongyang this week, unnerving regional powers and global investors.Trump's unexpected remarks prompted North Korea to say on Thursday it was finalizing plans to fire four intermediate-range missiles over Japan to land 30-40 km (18-25 miles) from Guam, adding detail to a plan first announced on Wednesday.Guam, more than 3,000 km (2,000 miles) to the southeast of North Korea, is home to about 163,000 people and a U.S. Navy base that includes a submarine squadron and a Coast Guard group, and an air base."Sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason and only absolute force can work on him," a report by the North's state-run KCNA news agency said of Trump.The army will complete its plans in mid-August, ready for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's order, KCNA reported, citing General Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army.While North Korea regularly threatens to destroy the United States and its allies, the report was unusual in its detail.Masao Okonogi, professor emeritus at Japan's Keio University, said before the latest KCNA report that Pyongyang may be issuing a warning or advance notice of changes to its missile testing program rather than threatening an attack."I believe this is a message saying they plan to move missile tests from the Sea of Japan to areas around Guam," he told Reuters. "By making this advance notice, they are also sending a tacit message that what they are going to do is not a actual attack."Experts said the detail provided by North Korea made it likely it would follow through with its plans to avoid being seen as weak or lacking in resolve.-AVOIDING MISCALCULATION-Guam Governor Eddie Calvo said there was no heightened threat from North Korea."They like to be unpredictable, they'll pop a missile off when no one is ready and they've done it quite a few times," he told Reuters in an interview."They're now telegraphing their punch, which means they don't want to have any misunderstandings. I think that's a position of fear," he said.Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at South Korea’s state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute, said there was a risk that any missile could land much closer to Guam than planned."The United States will consider it an apparent attack if it lands within its territorial waters and, given the risks involved, will most likely try to shoot them down before they land anywhere close to Guam and its territorial sea," Lee told Reuters."This could elevate the threats to an unprecedented level."The U.S. Seventh Fleet currently has six Aegis ballistic missile defense ships in the region capable of targeting North Korean missiles, and Japan has a further four. Guam also has a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, similar to the that recently installed in South Korea.Japan could legally intercept a North Korean missile headed toward Guam, its defense minister said on Thursday, but experts believe Japan does not currently have the capability to do so.The United States and South Korea remain technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.Tension in the region has risen since North Korea carried out two nuclear bomb tests last year and two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July. Trump has said he will not allow Pyongyang to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States.U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis issued a stark warning on Wednesday, telling Pyongyang it would lose any arms race or conflict."The DPRK should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people," Mattis said in a statement, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.Washington has warned it is ready to use force if needed to stop North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs but that it prefers global diplomatic action. The U.N. Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Saturday.-HEADING FOR CONFRONTATION-In a video of a rally in Pyongyang released by KCNA, Pak Hyong Ryol, the manager of a Pyongyang cornstarch factory, said North Koreans did not mind any kind of sanctions."They cannot stop our advance. This is the answer of our heroic Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il working class which has been grown up under the warm care of the Party,” Pak said, referring to North Korea's first two leaders.North Korea accuses Washington of devising a "preventive war" and has said any plans to execute this would be met with an "all-out war, wiping out all the strongholds of enemies, including the U.S. mainland".China, North Korea's main ally, has consistently urged both sides to work to lower tensions.Influential Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times said the North Korean nuclear issue was heading toward confrontation and it was time for the United States to respond to Pyongyang's security concerns."North Korea has almost been completely isolated by the outside world. Under such extreme circumstances, Pyongyang will weigh all its possible options," it said in an editorial on its website on Thursday. "Washington should stimulate Pyongyang's desire to engage with the outside world and return to the international community."(Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Susan Heavey and John Walcott in WASHINGTON, Soyoung Kim in SEOUL, William Mallard, Tim Kelly, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Linda Sieg in TOKYO, and John Ruwitch in SHANGHAI; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Paul Tait)
U.S., North Korea have few channels through which to resolve crises-[Reuters]-By Jonathan Landay-YAHOONEWS-August 10, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington and Moscow have over decades established mechanisms to prevent crises from spinning out of control, from hotlines to satellites and over-flights that allow the nuclear-armed adversaries to track each other's military deployments.No such safety nets exist between Washington and Pyongyang, worrying experts who say an accident, misstatement or erroneous reading by one side of the other's actions could spiral into full-scale conflict even though neither side wants war.Tensions have risen markedly in the past few days after North Korea warned Washington of a "severe lesson" following U.N. action against it and U.S. President Donald Trump in turn warning that any threats to the United States from Pyongyang would be met with "fire and fury."Trump's unexpected remarks prompted North Korea to respond by saying it was considering plans for a missile strike on the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.Experts said there are limited channels through which the two sides can try to exchange proposals to ease tensions over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs."We have some ad hoc and analogue ways of communicating with North Korea but we don't have anything that has proven itself and can withstand the stress of crises," said Jon Wolfsthal, a top non-proliferation adviser to former President Barack Obama.The two sides have no diplomatic relations, so they have no embassies in each other’s capitals. They maintain contacts through their United Nations missions, their embassies in Beijing and meetings between military officers at Panmunjom, the location on the militarized frontier dividing the Korean Peninsula where the truce that stilled the 1950-53 Korean War was signed.Washington also passes messages through Pyongyang's ally and neighbor China, or Sweden, the U.S. protecting power in Pyongyang.There was a hotline linking Seoul and Pyongyang, but North Korean leader Kim Jong Un severed the channel in 2013 and refused to restore it, said Gary Samore, a former senior White House adviser now with Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.“You can’t handle this crisis through tweets and public statements,” said Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, an arms control group, referring to Trump's penchant for using Twitter to deliver policy announcements.-BASIC AGREEMENTS-Even India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, have a set of basic agreements designed to reduce the risk of an accidental war and a commitment not to attack each other's nuclear sites.In February, the arch rivals, who are steadily expanding their nuclear weapon and missile programs, renewed a pact to inform each other of accidents involving nuclear weapons for another five years so that there was no misinterpretation.The two countries exchange a list of their nuclear sites each January as part of a 1998 agreement not to attack those facilities because of the risk of radiation to population centers.However, experts say India and Pakistan need to take further nuclear confidence-building measures because tensions remain high.It took years during the Cold War for Washington and Moscow to establish hotlines and develop protocols by which their presidents and top officials could verify that the person with whom they were in contact was who they said they were due to a lack of trust, Wolfsthal said."The challenge ... was first how to establish direct contact, president-to-president, military-to-military, and then how to make sure they would be reliable, safe, and secure in the case of a conflict," he said. "How would they verify the identities of people? This is something we took a long, hard slog at for decades."Those protocols are still in use and have become arguably more important in an era of cyberwarfare. Washington and Moscow have also established newer channels. For instance, they use a "deconfliction channel" in Syria where they are both conducting military operations to ensure they do not come into conflict.Even so, there were incidents during the Cold War that brought Washington and Moscow close to the brink of war mainly because of early warning system glitches, said Lisbeth Grolund of the Union of Concerned Scientists, an arms control organization."In one case, in the Soviet Union, they got a warning that an attack was underway. Everything looked real, but the person on the scene there decided to disobey orders and not tell his boss," she said. "And it was a good thing because it was not an attack. Their satellite had seen a reflection off of the clouds."(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal in BERLIN and Sanjeev Miglani in NEW DELHI; Editing by Yara Bayoumy, James Dalgleish and Paul Tait)
The Latest: Japan says it could shoot down NKorean missile-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-August 10, 2017
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and North Korea (all times EDT):1 a.m.Japan says it could shoot down missiles for its U.S. ally if North Korea fires them at Guam.Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told Thursday's parliamentary session that a missile attack on the U.S. territory would breach the U.S. deterrence against an attack on Japan. He said that would be a Japanese national emergency because it would threaten Japan's existence as a nation.He said Japan in that case can exercise the right to "collective" self-defense and activate the Aegis destroyer ship-to-air missile defense system.Onodera's comment underscores Japan's growing military role and reverses its previous position that it can only shoot down missiles headed to Japan.A defense law that took effect last year allows Japan's military to defend U.S. and other allies when they come under enemy attack.11:30 p.m.North Korea has become the latest critic of President Donald Trump's working vacation, accusing him of acting senile while "on the golf links."Gen. Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the North's strategic rocket forces, made the insults via state media Thursday in response to Trump's "fire and fury" threats against North Korea.Trump made the remarks during a meeting at his New Jersey golf resort.Kim said Trump is "extremely getting on the nerves" of his soldiers by making comments that showed his "senility" again.Kim says "sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason who is going senile."North Korea has unleashed personal attacks on past Washington and Seoul leaders. It called former President Barack Obama a monkey and ex-South Korean President Park Geun-hye a prostitute.___10 p.m.South Korea's military says North Korea will face a "stern and strong" response from Washington and Seoul if it acts on threats to fire missiles near Guam.Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Roh Jae-cheon said Thursday that the U.S. and South Korean militaries are prepared to "immediately and sternly punish" any kind of provocation by North Korea, but didn't elaborate on how the allies are preparing.South Korea's presidential office says top national security adviser Chung Eui-yong will chair a national security council meeting in the afternoon to discuss the North Korean threats.___6:10 p.m.North Korea's military says President Donald Trump's warning of "fire and fury" if it threatens the U.S. is a "load of nonsense."The North is responding to Trump's threat in a statement from its military carried by state-run news agency KCNA. The statement says that "only absolute force" can work on someone as "bereft of reason" as Trump.The North Korean statement also says the military action its army "is about to take" will be effective for restraining America's "frantic moves" in and near the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.It says North Korea will complete a plan by mid-August for the "historic enveloping fire at Guam," convey it to the commander in chief of its nuclear force and then "wait for his order." North Korea says it will "keep closely watching the speech and behavior of the U.S."___2:50 p.m.The State Department says President Donald Trump is "on the same page" with the rest of U.S. government with his fiery threat to North Korea.State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the White House, State Department and Pentagon are all in agreement. She says the world, too, is speaking with once voice.Nauert says the pressure by the U.S. and others on Pyongyang "is working."Nauert says Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke to Trump for about an hour after Trump warned Tuesday of "fire and fury" if North Korea escalated its threats.__2:11 p.m.The U.S. ambassador to the U.N.'s Conference on Disarmament says he urged North Korea to "end its threatening behavior," drawing a retort from an envoy from the reclusive Asian country.Ambassador Robert Wood tweeted Wednesday that North Korean "provocations came up at CD informal session" and that he urged Pyongyang to comply with U.N. Security Council demands.The 65-member conference is currently holding working-group meetings behind closed doors, with no press allowed. Diplomats said statements about North Korea made up a small portion of the meeting devoted to broader disarmament issues.South Korea's delegation declined to provide its statement to The Associated Press, saying the meeting was not public. North Korea didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking its right-of-reply statement by its representative, Yong Chol Ju.—Jamey Keaten in Geneva.__1:58 p.m.Russia's U.N. ambassador says President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should "start a dialogue."Vassily Nebenzia said Russia noted Trump's vow to respond to North Korean threats with "fire and fury." He told reporters "our strong wish is that the United States keeps calm and refrains from any moves that would provoke another party to actions that might be dangerous."He said Russia is "ready to do whatever we can to promote dialogue, and through our embassy we are in contact with North Korean authorities."But Nebenzia said at U.N. headquarters in New York that "tensions are too high at the moment" and "we should give it a few days to calm down hopefully."Nebenzia said Russia backs China's proposed suspension-for-suspension, which would see North Korea halt nuclear and ballistic missile activities and the U.S. and South Korean halt military exercises. He says this offers "a way out" of the current situation.__12:50 p.m.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is issuing his own sharp threat to North Korea, saying the regime should cease any consideration of actions that would "lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people."Mattis says any action by North Korea would be grossly overmatched by the U.S., and that Pyongyang would lose any arms race or conflict it started. He says that while the U.S. is pursuing diplomatic solutions, the combined military power of America and its allies is the most robust on Earth.Mattis issued a statement as he traveled to the West Coast. His comments punctuate President Donald Trump's warning that North Korea will be met with "fire and fury" if it threatens the U.S.A new report says Pyongyang's nuclear program is progressing.__12:15 p.m.France is urging all sides "to act responsibly and to de-escalate" tensions over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.French government spokesman Christophe Castaner says Paris is "watching what's going on with concern" and "is ready to put all its means at disposal so we can find a peaceful solution."___11:55 a.m.Bolivia is currently a U.N. Security Council member, and its ambassador says the escalating rhetoric between the United State and North Korea is "really detrimental" to the world body's goal of maintaining global peace and security.Ambassador Sacha Llorentty Soliz "firmly" believes there's no military solution to the North Korean nuclear issue.The Bolivian envoy tells reporters the rhetoric "goes against the spirit" of the latest U.N. sanctions resolution. In addition to imposing new economic penalties, that resolution calls for the quick resumption of international talks on the North's nuclear program.___11:18 a.m.Britain's U.N. ambassador says the United Kingdom "stands shoulder to shoulder with the United States" in tackling the nuclear threat from North Korea and making sure it can't pursue its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.Matthew Rycroft told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday that the U.S. and U.K. have been very clear in demanding a halt to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. He said Kim Jong Un's regime should listen to and "act on that clarity."Rycroft stressed that North Korea "holds the key to sanctions being removed."Asked whether President Donald Trump's escalating rhetoric was hurting prospects for reviving negotiations, Rycroft said "what's hurting the six-party talks is the inability so far of the North Korean regime to do what it has to do which is to halt its nuclear program and to halt its intercontinental ballistic missile program."__8:45 a.m.North Korean authorities have organized a giant rally Wednesday as a show of support for their rejection of the latest round of U.N. sanctions.Tens of thousands of people packed Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang for the event, which followed a familiar format of speeches from a balcony, with the crowd listening below, standing in organized rows interspersed with placards and slogans.Kim Ki Nam, member of the Political Bureau and vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, told the crowd that "the U.S. and its allies have fabricated a sanctions resolution again, taking over the United Nations while picking on our ICBM test launch."__8:20 a.m.President Donald Trump is stressing the United States' nuclear capabilities, saying "there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!" But he added: "Hopefully we will never have to use this power."On Twitter Wednesday, Trump said he had pushed to "renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal." He then added: "Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!"The comments come as Trump and North Korea traded escalating threats. Trump's heated rhetoric comes as his secretary of state seeks to downplay the words.__8:10 a.m.President Donald Trump says the United States' nuclear arsenal is "far stronger and more powerful than ever before."Trump tweeted Wednesday: "My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before...."The tweet came as Trump traded escalating threats with North Korea. Trump on Tuesday threatened "fire and fury" if North Korea made more threats to the U.S. And North Korea's military said it was examining plans for attacking Guam.Trump retweeted news coverage about his heated rhetoric Wednesday.__7:55 a.m.A Republican who's a leading voice on defense issues says President Donald Trump has "basically drawn a red line" with his strong warning on North Korea.The North is threatening the United States with the prospect of a nuclear-armed long-range missile, and Sen. Lindsey Graham says Trump isn't going to just "contain the threat. He's going to stop the threat."The South Carolina lawmaker — a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee — tells CBS' "This Morning" that war would be "horrific" and he believes "we're headed that way unless the world can stop North Korea."In Graham's opinion, "the time for talking is running out."__7:50 a.m.President Donald Trump is retweeting news coverage about his heated rhetoric against North Korea, even as his secretary of state is downplaying Trump's words.On Wednesday morning, Trump retweeted "Fox & Friends" tweets about Trump's fiery rhetoric. One said "Trump vows U.S. 'power' will meet North Korean threat." Another included a video clip of Trump vowing to respond to North Korean threats with "fire and fury."The president's retweets about his rhetoric Tuesday come as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was urging calm. Tillerson said Wednesday as he returned from an Asia trip he doesn't believe there is "any imminent threat."Trump and North Korea have been exchanging escalating threats, with the North saying it was examining plans for attacking Guam. But Tillerson told reporters that nothing he's seen or knows of in the last day dramatically changed the situation.__7:16 a.m.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he doesn't believe there is "any imminent threat" from North Korea, including to the U.S. territory of Guam.Tillerson says that "Americans should sleep well at night." He says that they should "have no concerns about this particular rhetoric of the last few days."Tillerson spoke to reporters Wednesday after President Donald Trump and North Korea traded escalating threats of "fire," with the North saying it was examining plans for attacking Guam.He downplayed speculation that the threats move the U.S. closer to a military option. Tillerson says nothing he's seen or knows of in the last day dramatically changed the situation.Tillerson spoke to reporters as he flew from Malaysia to Washington, stopping in Guam to refuel.
China offers rocket launchers, radar system to Malaysia: reports-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 9, 2017
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - China will offer Malaysia advanced rocket launchers and a radar system to be based on the southern tip of the Southeast Asian country, media reports have said, in a move that could raise security concerns for neighboring Singapore.The offer was to be made by a delegation of Chinese officials who visited Malaysia on Wednesday for the launch of a $13 billion rail project being built by China, news portal The Malaysian Insight reported, quoting an unidentified source.Up to 12 units of the AR3 multiple-launch artillery rocket system (MLRS) will be offered to Malaysia in a purchase program with a loan period of 50 years, the source told the news website.The size of the loan or the cost of the ordnance was not disclosed. The type of radar system was also not disclosed.Singapore's Straits Times also reported the offer, quoting a senior Malaysian government source on Thursday as saying that it was "lightly touched on" during talks between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Chinese State Councillor Wang Yong at the ground-breaking ceremony for the rail project.The Straits Times said a firm decision on the proposal would only be made during a planned visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Malaysia later this year.Reuters could not verify the reports independently."This is the first time I'm hearing it," Malaysia's Treasury Secretary, General Mohammad Irwan Serigar Abdullah, said when asked by Reuters about the Chinese proposal.China’s foreign and defense ministries did not respond immediately respond to requests for comment.Singapore’s foreign affairs and defense ministries were also not immediately available for comment.China has been upset with Singapore in recent months because of what China has viewed as undue interference by the city-state over the South China Sea dispute and Singapore's close defense ties with the United States and self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as a renegade province.The AR3 artillery rocket system was built by China specifically for export. It first came into use in 2011 and is regarded as one of the most powerful MLRS units available.Malaysia signed a deal to purchase four littoral mission ships from China last year.(Reporting by Praveen Menon in KUALA LUMPUR and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Additional reporting by Sam Holmes in SINGAPORE; Editing by Paul Tait)
Putin's visit to breakaway Georgian region 'inappropriate': U.S-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-August 9, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit this week to the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia was "inappropriate," the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.Putin made the visit to Abkhazia on Tuesday and assured it of Moscow's military support, an act of defiance to Western governments that have condemned Russia's backing for separatists.(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; editing by Grant McCool)
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Across the Arab world, a 'Women’s Spring' comes into view-[Christian Science Monitor]-Taylor Luck-YAHOONEWS-August 9, 2017
The changes were as radical as they were swift. On July 26, Tunisia voted to criminalize sexual harassment and discrimination against women. On Aug. 1, Jordan’s Parliament voted to scrap a law that allowed rapists to escape punishment if they married their victims.Lebanon and Iraq now look to follow suit later this year and end their marry-your-rapist laws and criminalize violence against women.As sudden as these victories for women’s rights may seem, they are not an unanticipated wave of change. Rather, they are the result of a quiet women’s revolution taking part in the Arab world that has been decades in the making and has drawn on women’s increased participation in politics and a revolution in cross-border communication, especially in social media.Now, as other Arab countries look to repeal similar repressive laws, lawmakers and community leaders are setting their sights on building on those gains, including equal pay in the workplace.In Jordan, activists have been working to repeal Article 308 – the marry-the-rapist clause – for two decades; but the most recent attempt in 2013 only gathered two dozen signatures in Parliament. In Tunisia, for years after the 2011 revolution that triggered the Arab spring, women’s rights activists saw the proposed law stall time and again.-WOMEN MPS-Yet both Jordan and Tunisia have experienced an important development: an increased number of women elected to parliamentary bodies.Jordan’s 2016 elections saw women grab 20 of Parliament’s 130 seats, the highest proportion of women ever, in an election that fielded a record 252 female candidates. In Tunisia’s parliamentary elections in 2014, women were elected to 31 percent of the parliament’s seats – the highest percentage of any Arab country and more than in France.Activists and experts say many of these women members of Parliament (MPs) used their positions to lobby their governments, cajole colleagues, and introduce debates over issues that lawmakers previously had been unwilling to address.“Women and the civil society expect us to take the first steps, to drive these issues forward, and encourage progress in human rights and women’s rights,” says Wafa Bani Mustafa, a Jordanian MP who led the campaigns to scrap article 308 in 2013 and 2017.“Not all women MPs are on board,” she says, “but those of us that were willing, answered this call.”In Iraq, 25 percent of parliamentarians are women, while in Lebanon a mere 3 percent are.-CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NGOS-Aiding the cause was the establishment of dozens of local, national, and nongovernmental organizations advocating for Arab women throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. These groups gave a channel and lobbying arm for those who supported advancing Arab women’s rights, giving them a “voice at the table” by allowing them to interact with and pressure MPs, the government, and local communities.In Jordan, the Jordanian Women’s Union, Mizan Law Group for Human Rights, and the Jordanian chapter of Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) – all worked to change perceptions in towns and villages by providing statistics on gender-based violence and the personal cases of women wronged by the law or forced to marry their rapist.In Tunisia, the revolution allowed for an explosion of women’s rights groups, such as the League of Tunisian Women Voters and Aswat Nissan, taking up specific causes, including encouraging women candidates and strategic voting. Some 700 civil society organizations work on gender issues in Tunisia.These new groups pushed for changes in laws and discriminatory practices that left women vulnerable to violence or at the mercy of their husbands.“In the mid-90s and early 2000s, we started raising topics you never heard about in public and in the press, such as topics of rape, honor crimes, violence against women, abortion,” says Rana Husseini, a veteran journalist and women’s activist who spearheaded campaigns to end so-called honor killings in Jordan.Arab women activists faced an uphill battle. Opponents – ranging from tribal leaders to nationalists and Islamists – accused women activists of supporting a “Western agenda,” and accused women’s rights groups of attempting to undermine centuries of culture and traditions.“Our traditions and culture call for respect for women, and our religions do not call for killing, for people to appoint themselves as judge and executioner. We fought for two decades to make that case to the public,” Ms. Husseini said.-SHARING LESSONS LEARNED-Over the past decade, another important development strengthened the women’s movement: cross-border solidarity.Regional groups such as the Coalition of Arab Women MPs Combatting Violence Against Women, Karama, and the Arab Women Parliamentarians Forum increased cooperation between Arab women activists and MPs battling to amend or cancel draconian laws in their home countries. For the first time, Arab women activists coordinated their strategies and learned from each other’s successes and failures.“A woman from Jordan learns from Morocco, a woman from Iraq learns from Tunisia, and it goes on – the ability for Arab women to exchange ideas and strategies has been important,” says Hibaaq Osman, the director of Karama and two other regional Arab women’s rights groups.Women’s advancements in Arab countries, the vast majority having inherited similar laws imported by Western colonial powers and upheld by conservative social forces, have had a “domino effect,” emboldening each other, activists say.“We started saying, ‘Why can’t we end article 308 in Jordan, when Egypt has done it in 1999, Morocco in 2014, Tunisia in 2017, and there are motions happening in Lebanon and Iraq?” says Hala Ahed, a legal consultant at the Jordan Women’s Union.“Women’s rights activists can now say; it has been done elsewhere in the Arab world, why not here?”-WOMEN’S SPRING-The groundwork laid in the 1990s and early 2000s left women rights activists poised to take advantage of two important revolutions at the beginning of this decade: the Arab Spring and social media.Despite proving unable to throw off the yoke of authoritarianism across the Arab world, the popular uprisings in 2011 – in part organized and driven by women – showed Arab women that they could mobilize and reach out to supporters and the public even with the most limited resources.Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, select tribal leaders, conservative Islamists, and clerics spoke in the name of citizens, Muslims, and men in general. Arab regimes and monarchies deferred to these groups, which they often relied on for support, as the voice of the people.Now, social media has broken their monopoly, exposing bastions of support for women’s rights in often the most unexpected places.Bedouin tribesmen, men in rural villages, devout women, and imams have all come out in support of ending discriminatory laws and advancing women’s rights during the Jordanian and Tunisian campaigns and even in conservative Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia.The ability of average citizens to have their say has completely changed the debate – and put greater pressure on those arguing to maintain such laws out of respect for “culture and tradition.”“Social media has given a voice to citizens who were previously blocked out of the debate – and it turns out that the majority are for an end to these discriminatory laws,” says Ms. Ahed, the legal consultant.“Seeing citizens of all walks of life voice their support, decision-makers are no longer shying away from women’s rights.”“Women’s rights are human rights, which affect every family,” says Mohammed Suleiman, a 22-year resident of Irbid, in northern Jordan.“If we allow rapists to take away the rights of one woman, they take away the rights of all of us.”“Women’s rights are part of our Arab and Islamic culture, not something imported,” says Reem Ali, an Amman housewife, who was for scrapping the measure.“We are asking to have our rights restored, not for a revolutionary change.”-GULF PROGRESS LACKING-But the wave of women’s activism rocking much of the Arab world is barely making ripples in Gulf Arab states, where patriarchal societies, a lack of political freedoms, and a strict interpretation of Islam are preventing any action from taking hold.In Saudi Arabia, women are still subjected to the guardianship system, under which women are required to have the permission of a male relative or husband to travel, change residence, access health care, marry, or even be given employment.In a lone bright spot in Saudi Arabia, Maryam Otaibi, an activist leading calls for the end to the guardianship system, was released from prisons in July after being held for fleeing her family home without her father’s permission. Her release without a male guardian was hailed by activists as a step toward moving away from the system.In the UAE, a version of the guardianship system exists, there are no formal laws against violence against women, and women who are sexually assaulted face difficulty in reporting charges, Human Rights Watch reports.But even in conflict-hit Arab states, the seeds of women activism – and future change – are being planted.In Syria, where prior to the revolution there was not a single women’s civil society group, there are now hundreds of organizations working across the country on gender-related issues.In Libya, following the overthrow of strongman Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, women formed the Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace and pushed for an election law that allowed fair representation of women in parliament. To this day, under the threat of assassination and kidnapping, women are working for an end to conflict and a return to the rule of law.In Jordan, activists have their sights set on legal loopholes that allow for reduced charges in honor crimes and on women’s inability to pass on citizenship to children born to a foreign father. Women’s unemployment in Jordan and Tunisia, which stand at 33 percent and 27 percent, respectfully, are another cause.In Tunisia and Jordan, women activists say they will continue monitoring, campaigning, and pressuring authorities to make sure their hard-fought gains are applied in the courts and on the ground.“Arab women no longer are going to come to the table where they are expected to act as the table cloth,” says Karama’s Ms. Osman. “They are going to come because they are a force to reckon with.”
Former Syrian rebels flee, hide from army conscription-[Reuters]-By Dahlia Nehme and John Davison-YAHOONEWS-August 10, 2017
BEIRUT (Reuters) - After fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for six years, rebel soldier Abu Mohammed laid down his arms as part of a peace deal in his home town of Moadamiya last year.But he has now fled Syria into Turkey. His reason: the Syrian army told him to report for duty and he feared being sent to his death fighting his former allies or Islamic State."We're tired of war and bloodshed, we've had as much as we can take," Abu Mohammed said in a phone interview from Turkey.The 27-year-old, who declined to give his full name, said he had signed onto the peace deal in Moadamiya, a Damascus suburb that was a rebel stronghold until last year.He said he had been told the Moadamiya agreement would exempt him from frontline duty. "We stayed in the town on that basis."But this spring, he heard that men from Moadamiya had been conscripted not to serve locally but to fight for the government against rebel soldiers."People began to get worried," he said, adding that he left after the army gave him 48 hours to report for military service.Reuters could not independently verify the account of other soldiers from Moadamiya being taken to fight on front lines, but it echoed that of a second former rebel from Moadamiya.Declining to be named, he said defectors were being sent to the front lines in breach of agreements communicated to them verbally by what is officially termed a "reconciliation committee", consisting of officials and local representatives of a defeated area.The government minister responsible for local agreements, Ali Haidar, denied the state had broken any commitments in Moadamiya, saying accusations it had were being promoted by foreign states and rebels "annoyed" by the agreements.He said many former rebels had joined the army, and hundreds had been "martyred in the front lines against terrorism".The rapid succession of agreements in former rebel strongholds near Damascus such as Daraya, Qudsaya and al-Tal underline how far the scales have tipped in Assad's favor in the war that spiraled out of protests against his rule in 2011.It is part of a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Assad since 2015, aided militarily by Russia and Iran.Fear of conscription has been a major sticking point in the local agreements, a diplomatic source said, helping to encourage residents to leave for rebel-held areas of northern Syria in what Assad's opponents call a policy of forced displacement.The government has given safe passage to thousands of rebels and civilians out of government-held territory under the deals.Syrian officials say people are free to choose whether to go or stay put and that the deals are designed to secure peace and restore state services and authority to recaptured areas.-DEEP SCARS-After crushing centers of rebellion in the big cities of western Syria, the Syrian government has brokered agreements with many areas that were once in the hands of rebel fighters.As part of these deals, rebels have the choice of taking safe passage to territory held by insurgents in northern Syria. They can also stay behind on condition that they hand over guns and sign a pledge to never take up arms against the state.Syrian law states that all men must complete 20 months of military service once they turn 18, a term that can be extended in wartime. It does not apply to men who have no brothers.The Syrian military has long been seen as overstretched in the war, leaving the government heavily dependent on Iran-backed Shi'ite militia allies from across the region in its fight against rebel areas in western Syria and Islamic State militants to the east. The former rebels fear being sent as cannon fodder.In the case of Moadamiya, where the deal was finalised in September, conscription was meant to be confined to local areas, according to diplomatic and humanitarian sources and local officials involved in the talks.The psychological scars of Syria’s seven-year old conflict run particularly deep in Moadamiya. The area was one of several near Damascus targeted by chemical weapons in 2013. The West blamed the government for the attack which used sarin gas. Damascus denied any role.The local agreement for the area resulted in hundreds of rebel fighters and their families being evacuated to Idlib. Others, like Abu Mohammed, decided to remain behind and turn in their weapons.-IN HIDING-As part of the agreement, the Syrian state flag was raised again over government buildings in Moadamiya. Restrictions on movement in and out of the area - which is still surrounded by the army - were eased.There is no longer any armed presence inside the town, even from the government side, according to several residents and former opposition activists contacted by Reuters.Yet the second former rebel contacted by Reuters by phone said he and around 100 others there had gone into hiding, fearing enlistment to a front line where he might be killed."The defectors are now stuck in Moadamiya, they won't leave," said the former rebel, who defected to the rebellion in 2012 during his military service and who refused to give his name for fear of discovery.He said he was recently summoned to a meeting where defectors were threatened with arrest if they did not show up for duty. "Some of them joined up, others didn't," he said."I thought of leaving, but my financial situation is very bad," he said, adding that he would need to pay people smugglers $2,600 to get out Syria."I can't think of anything now. I have nothing to think about, I have no dreams or a future."Abu Mohammed said he was smuggled out to Turkey with the help of friends in rebel-held Idlib in northern Syria. He said he had sold his house in Moadamiya to finance his passage.A 50-year-old man whose two eldest sons face conscription said in a separate telephone interview that they needed "psychological preparation" if they were to return to the army."For a young man who not that long ago was fighting the regime, after six years of war - if you now make him join the side he was fighting against, this is a problem," said the man, who gave his name as Mahmoud.Haidar, the minister for national reconciliation, said the terms of reconciliation deals grant former militants and men who abandoned military service six months before conscription once their "legal status is settled".Former fighters in many areas had expressed a desire to join local security units operating under government supervision to safeguard their areas as part of the reconciliation agreements, Haidar said in written answers to questions from Reuters.The state had no objection to this, he said, without saying whether it had been offered to defectors as an alternative to frontline duty.(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Peru fears Venezuela headed toward civil war: foreign minister-[Reuters]-By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino-YAHOONEWS-August 10, 2017
LIMA (Reuters) - Peru fears Venezuela may be headed toward civil war as a political crisis deepens and its economy implodes under the rule of socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Peru's foreign minister told Reuters on Wednesday.Speaking a day after summoning his counterparts from across the region to Lima to condemn the "rupture of democratic order" in Venezuela, Ricardo Luna said Maduro's support at home and abroad had shrunk as he seeks to consolidate power through the constituent assembly, a powerful new body run by the ruling Socialist Party loyalists.Peru has been one of Venezuela's harshest critics since centrist President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski took office a year ago, replacing a former ally of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.Luna called Maduro's accusation that Kuczynski is conspiring with U.S. President Donald Trump "absurd."Peru's concern, he said, is the humanitarian crisis that has already sent waves of Venezuelan refugees to neighboring nations, including some 40,000 to Peru in the past six months."Our fear is that you really have a low-intensity civil war, which would produce a humanitarian crisis of great proportions," Luna said in an interview in his offices in Lima."It's not necessarily going to happen, and it's not easy to compare it to major crisis such as the one we have in Syria. But it is a large country. It's a complex situation. It's something that's been building in time," Luna said.More than 125 people have died in clashes in Venezuela since the opposition began sustained protests in April. On Sunday, Venezuelan authorities quelled an attack on a military base by soldiers and armed civilians, killing two of them in a dramatic escalation of unrest.Luna said Maduro's "autocracy" does not appear to have sufficient support among Venezuelans to hold on to power for several decades as Cuba's government has, and it may not be long before the oil-producing country's economy collapses completely."The last leg can last weeks, months, or even half a year. Not more than that," Luna said.Peru is evaluating new ways to pressure Venezuela to enact democratic reforms, including expelling Venezuela's ambassador from Peru or reducing Peru's diplomatic presence in Venezuela, Luna said.While Maduro might shrug off the Lima Declaration signed by 12 nations on Tuesday, including Canada, Brazil and Mexico, the collective condemnation sends a signal to the world that most in the region no longer sees Venezuela as a democracy, Luna said.The new bloc plans to meet to discuss Venezuela again at the United Nations General Assembly.(Reporting By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino; Editing by Michael Perry)
