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)
Tying EU funds to politics could be double-edged By Eszter Zalan-euobserver-oct 24,17
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:56-In a Twitter thread over the weekend, the head of cabinet of EU Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen, Juho Romakkaniemi suggested that EU member states might be reluctant to support countries where EU core values are challenged, such as Poland and Hungary."How long the other MS [member states] are willing to pay large sums for cohesion if it leads to divergence?," he asked following the Czech elections, which paved the way for an anti-establishment leader, Andrej Babis, who opposes joining the euro and deepening EU integration.Romakkaniemi added that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are among the highest net recipients of EU funds, yet they tend to favour populist, eurosceptic parties.He suggested one of the reasons for this was the unrealistic expectations when joining the EU that these countries "would catch up [to] German living standards in a decade".While Romakkaniemi tweets in a personal capacity, the rare, straight-forward tone and his line of argument highlighted some of the frustrations tangible among policy-makers in Brussels with central and eastern European countries taking EU funds while challenging EU policies and values."These remarks are unfortunate," a high-ranking diplomat from one of the targeted countries told EUobserver."It is true that we sometimes give the impression that we beg, and we have to change that. But the reality is more complex than that," he said.Another EU official pointed out that the tweets tap into a sentiment that is often exploited by political parties: people's dislike of being told by Brussels how things should be done.The source told this website that central and eastern member states "often don't feel like equal partners.""Populism is not an eastern European phenomenon only," noted Milan Nic, senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations.Nic said that - just as in western Europe - people are getting fed up with democracy, and don't see a perspective for themselves.EUobserver has reached out to Juho Romakkaniemi, but have not immediately received a response.His comments came just a few days after EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker hosted the prime ministers of the Visegrad countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in an effort to create a better understanding between the EU executive and the often eurosceptic, reluctant regional players.The issue of the next seven-year EU budget came up, but was "not really the main topic," a source said.The EU official said that linking political conditions to the EU cohesion funds has already been discussed at the early stage of talks on the EU's next seven-year budget.Central and eastern European member states argue that this linkage is against the treaties, the source said."If we create political conditions, you never know where this will stop," the top diplomat said.-Trickles back-Using EU funds to exert political pressure would be a double-edge sword, they argue.Poland's deputy minister for economic development Jerzy Kwiecinski recently told this website that according to studies, net contributors get most of their investment back as profits."For every euro which is invested under the cohesion policy in our countries, 80 cents come back to the EU-15 in different forms - in the form of capital transfers but also in terms of exports and other transfers. So the whole EU benefits from that," he said."A lot of the EU money goes towards infrastructure, where western companies benefit the most," Daniel Bartha, the director of the Budapest-based Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy, told EUobserver.This was confirmed by the EU's budget commissioner.In an interview earlier this year Guenther Oettinger said: "The Poles use the money to place orders with the German construction industry, to buy German machines and German trucks. So net contributors such as Germany should be interested in the structural funds. From an economic perspective, Germany isn't a net contributor but a net recipient.""The cohesion sums are small compared to the benefits," the diplomat insisted, adding that it would be "absurd" to cut into the funds."The cohesion policy is linked to the development of the single market and to compensate weaknesses in capital and infrastructure [in some countries]," he explained.That is why, the EU official pointed out, central and eastern countries "still need those funds to continue catching up."With less EU funds, convergence will be even slower and these funds are "one of the reasons why people in the region are so pro-EU," the official added.-No charity?-The argument that the EU subsidies should not be viewed as charity has also taken root in central and eastern Europe.Bartha said that at the time of joining the EU it was not a choice whether new members would open up their markets or not, it was a precondition.A heavy price was paid for the fast liberalisation of the post-communist economies, he argued, which for instance resulted in weak SMEs and few national corporations in Hungary.The Hungarian government has even called the suggestion to tie political conditions to the EU funds "political blackmail.""We have opened up our markets back in 2004, among circumstances when the Hungarian economy was far from […] being competitive as required by European standards. Don't try to suggest that [the] EU cohesion fund is a gift for central and eastern member states," Zoltan Kovacs, Hunagrian government spokesman told reporters in Brussels last month.-Mixed results-EU funds are nevertheless vital for the economic development for these economies. But their direct effect on the daily lives of the public are nuanced.Milan Nic said that EU funds have been "tremendously important" in public investment in central and eastern Europe.A Hungarian study of EU funds for the period 2007-2013 suggested that the financial assistance keeps the country's economy alive on a respirator, but without much of a long-term effect.GDP growth was 0.3-2 percent higher because of the EU funds in the country, but they only produced 81,000 lasting jobs. They sometimes lead to market distortions, and help reinforce the local political elite.Bartha said the EU should better monitor the spending of EU funds by national governments, but added that with Hungary and Poland refusing to join the European Prosecutors Office, it would be difficult to keep them in check.He expects that during the new round of negotiations over the seven-year EU budget, the "friends of cohesion", a lobby group of member states interested in EU subsidies will be less united and fewer."The Czechs might be net contributors, Romania, the Baltics would be easier to disconnect from the group with perks, and western states will be less willing politically to support the agenda of Poland and Hungary," Bartha said.
EU data chief: MEPs must accept transparency By Nikolaj Nielsen-oct 24,17-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:29-The European Parliament's reliance on a 'data protection' defence to prevent journalists from accessing MEP expenses appears to have taken a blow.Giovanni Buttarelli, the European data protection supervisor, told this website on Tuesday (24 October) that despite the rules governing access, such information may be granted in some cases."Politicians, leaders, have to accept strong limitations in terms of transparency," he said.Buttarelli said he could not comment on the case itself and that he is not familiar with it.But he noted access to document rules, known as regulation 1049/2001, provides for wider transparency when "there is a strong demand for public controls on expenditures, procurement and good behaviour by leaders."A consortium of 29 journalists are demanding to see MEP expense reports on travel costs, general allowance, staff funding, and daily subsistence.But the European parliament has been refusing to disclose how some 751 MEPs spend European taxpayer money, due in part to data protection rules.It also argues that its too much paperwork to process and that it does not possess many of the documents demanded.A first hearing was held at the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice last week, but a verdict is not due anytime soon.But Buttarelli noted access to such information can only be limited in exceptional circumstances and must be defined in narrow terms."We say that transparency and data protection are not opposite," he said.The EU parliament has also argued that its own internal controls and oversight by the EU's anti-fraud office is good enough to ensure compliance and good conduct from the 751 MEPs.But Olaf told this website it has no dedicated staff to probe MEP expense abuse."Olaf has a unit dedicated to internal investigations. However, we have no designated staff members working only on European Parliament cases," noted a spokesperson.Olaf concluded three investigations last year related to the European Parliament, two of which were closed with recommendations.
Catalan secessionists mull snap election as Madrid hangs tough-[Reuters]-By Paul Day-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
MADRID (Reuters) - Secessionist leaders in Catalonia may call a snap election in an attempt to break the deadlock with Madrid over independence, a senior local politician said on Tuesday, but Spanish authorities made clear that would not be enough.Spain says it will impose direct rule on Catalonia from Friday to prevent an illegal push for independence, invoking unprecedented powers to dismiss the regional government. Madrid said an election would not change those plans.The Catalan parliament meets on Thursday to agree on a response to Madrid, and many analysts believe the economically powerful region could formally declare independence.Secessionists in Catalonia say their independence referendum on Oct. 1 - which attracted a 43 percent turnout and was mostly boycotted by those Catalans who want to remain in Spain - has given them a mandate for statehood.Catalonia said on Monday it was confident that its officials, including the police, would defy attempts by Madrid to enforce direct rule.Spanish political and business leaders, along with most Catalonian newspapers, have urged Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to call a regional election before he is stripped of his authority.They say direct rule from Madrid would be a humiliation for Catalonia and pose a serious risk of unrest.Puigdemont has so far remained silent on the matter of an election but an ally of his pro-independence government said he was actively considering this option."We have evidence this is currently on the table," Carles Riera, a Catalan lawmaker for the anti-capitalist CUP party, told a news conference.Calling an election would be a face-saving move for Puigdemont as it could either strengthen his mandate if pro-independence parties won or allow him a graceful exit if they did not.DEBATE? The Spanish government said a snap election would be a first step but Puigdemont would also have to withdraw an ambiguous declaration of independence he made earlier this month.The government had moved to cancel Catalonia's autonomous status because it believed there had been a "serious failure" by Puigdemont to meet his obligations, Justice Minister Rafael Catala said in a radio interview."Everything is not fixed just by calling an election."Catala said that if Puigdemont appeared before the Spanish Senate, it would help to resolve the crisis.A top official in the Senate said that if Puigdemont decided to appear before the house, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy would likely come to the chamber as well so that a proper debate could be organised between the two.The Senate said on Tuesday it had invited Puigdemont to appear before the chamber on Thursday at 5 p.m (1500 GMT) or Friday at 10 a.m (0800 GMT).The Madrid government has so far refused to meet the Catalan leader until he drops his call for independence and Catala said any appearance by Puigdemont had to be within a legal and constitutional framework."If his appearance is within the constitution and the law we'll be delighted ... But if it's just to ratify his position on Catalonia's independence, sadly we will not be able to do anything else than continuing with the measures already set by the government," Catala said.The political uncertainty has taken its toll on Spain's wealthiest region, with hundreds of companies moving their headquarters out of Catalonia.Volkswagen's Spanish unit SEAT, one of the biggest employers in the region, said it would move its registered office if it felt there was no longer legal security in Catalonia, although it had so far not made a decision."Relocating the registered office would respond to the need to seek legal protection, and would make sense the moment we felt it was no longer afforded in the territory where we are located," SEAT Executive Committee Chairman Luca de Meo said in a letter to the company's more than 14,000 employees in the region.(Additional reporting by Sonya Dowsett; writing by Julien Toyer; editing by Jesus Aguado, Mark Heinrich and Giles Elgood)
Demoralized and divided: inside Catalonia's police force-[Reuters]-By Angus Berwick and Sonya Dowsett-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
BARCELONA (Reuters) - With the Spanish government ready to take over the running of Catalonia on Friday, the loyalty of the local police to Madrid or to the Catalan cause will be tested if they are ordered to drag their former political masters from office.Spanish police provoked international outcry by using batons and rubber bullets when they stepped in to try to stop an illegal independence referendum on Oct. 1 after the local Catalan force refused to prevent voting in what has become the worst constitutional crisis in modern Spanish history.Catalonia's secessionist government is intent on resisting Spain's plan to remove it from power, and there are doubts over how a divided and demoralized Mossos d'Esquadra, as the Catalan police are called, would respond if ordered to evict President Carles Puigdemont and his autonomous government by force.National police could once again be on the front line.The local police force is riven by distrust between those for and against Catalan independence and is estranged from Spain's national police forces, according to interviews with Mossos officers and national police.The Civil Guard gave evidence against the Mossos chief in a sedition inquiry after his force stood back and allowed voting to take place, court documents show. Five Mossos officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they believed the 17,000-strong force was split among those who wanted independence and those who opposed it, with three of those saying they would not use force to remove ministers and lawmakers from power."I'm not going to use force and beat people with my baton if they are passive," said a 15-year Mossos veteran and secessionist, who declined to be named.He said many others felt the same, but added: "I would have to obey it. My family has to eat."A Mossos spokeswoman said the force was neutral and not subject to any "political or ideological criteria".Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is intent on thwarting the latest bid for independence by Catalonia, which has 16 percent of the Spanish population but generates 19 percent of the country's economic output, to avoid what he believes will bring economic and social turmoil to the heart of the eurozone.CHAIN OF COMMAND-Officers told Reuters there was also an anti-independence faction in the Mossos d'Esquadra, "Lads' Squad" in Catalan, which uses an encrypted chat app to share views on independence versus allegiance to Madrid.In a bid to impose its authority the Madrid government will replace the Mossos senior leadership, but the question is whether this will be enough to ensure the force's loyalty.The Mossos stance will have a powerful influence on the 7.5 million Catalans as the force has deep roots in Catalan society, having emerged from citizen militias in the 18th century.The Mossos's reputation was enhanced by its handling of an August van attack in Barcelona which killed 14 people.Rajoy will seek Senate approval on Friday to take the unprecedented step of assuming central control of Catalonia, including its government and the running of Mossos.The strategy will replace the Mossos leadership, including its two senior officers and 23 commissioners, and route the chain of command to a national police commander, yet to be appointed, who will report to the interior ministry, officials in Madrid and a Catalan police union said."DISOBEDIENCE EXTREMELY SERIOUS"Spain's foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, said at the weekend, before calls for civil disobedience by the Catalan government, that "we are not going to arrest anyone".But a senior government source said force may be necessary depending on the reaction in Catalonia."If the parliament has to be emptied out and closed, if the councillors' offices have to be cleared out - if they obey there's no problem, but if they don't obey it will have to be enforced," the source said.The months-long standoff between Madrid and pro-independence leaders progressively damaged morale inside Mossos, with hundreds of officers opposed to independence looking to quit the force, officers and union officials say. Some complain they are sidelined by their pro-independence colleagues.Luis Miguel Lorente, head of the national ARP police union, said about 200 Mossos officers had contacted his union for information on how to join national police forces.Spain has sent about 4,000 police reinforcements to Catalonia, where protests on both sides of the independence debate have drawn hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.Extra police have been billeted in two cruise ships in Barcelona harbor. One of the ships is painted with cartoon characters of Tweety Pie and Sylvester the Cat, leading to Tweety Pie being adopted as the mascot of the independence movement by some campaigners.Participants in the referendum opted overwhelmingly for independence, but turnout was only about 43 percent as Catalans who favor remaining part of Spain mainly boycotted the ballot. Secessionists said the result gave them a mandate for statehood.Spain was only restored to democracy following the death in 1975 of dictator Francisco Franco, under whom the Catalan language and traditions were suppressed.NATIONAL POLICE READY-Protests have been peaceful, but the referendum showed how tensions can swiftly escalate when Madrid uses national police, despised by many secessionists, to enforce anti-independence measures. If Mossos stands back again, the senior government source said, national police would step in once more.A defiant Catalan government, which remains in power until the Senate approves Rajoy's plan, said this week its civil servants, including the Mossos, would continue to obey its instructions and those of its legislature.That raises fears that Puigdemont and regional lawmakers, will refuse to leave their offices, or that their supporters may try to help by occupying the offices.As well as replacing Mossos leaders, Madrid may also redeploy Mossos officers away from key government buildings and use national police instead, an interior ministry official said.Relations between the regional and the national forces are at rock bottom and no new joint investigations are being launched, say officers from each force.(Additional reporting by Andres Gonzalez; Editing by Mark Bendeich and Peter Millership)
Louvre asks public to fund prayer book's return to France-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
PARIS — The Louvre museum in Paris is calling on the public to help bring back one of the French Renaissance's greatest decorative works of art.The Book of Hours prayer book — a manuscript bound in gold and encrusted with emerald, ruby and turquoise gemstones — belonged to France's King Francis I, who gifted the treasure to his 10-year-old niece during the 16th century.Deemed by experts to be a masterpiece, the book now belongs to a private collector in Britain.The Louvre says it needs 10 million euros ($11.8 million) to acquire the piece. Luxury group LVMH has pledged half of the money. The museum hopes to raise the rest through a crowdfunding campaign and donations from companies.Louvre President Jean-Luc Martinez says the Book of Hours would become one of the Louvre's iconic pieces alongside the Mona Lisa.The Associated Press.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
It's not a coercive law,' Quebec says amid criticism over face-covering ban-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-October 23, 2017
The Quebec government's new face-covering law will be approached with "common sense," a spokesperson for the province's justice minister says, amid criticism, protests and confusion over how the rules will be applied.Isabelle Marier St-Onge said the provincial government has no intention of establishing a patrol unit to ensure compliance with the legislation, which effectively prohibits a Muslim woman wearing a niqab or burka from accessing public services."It's not a coercive law," Marier St-Onge said in an email, adding that there are no sanctions listed in the legislation for those who don't comply.Generally speaking, she said, the government wants people to uncover their faces when they receive a public service but, she stressed, "we will apply common sense."The rules are for communication, identification and security reasons, and will only apply when deemed necessary.The comments appear to be a departure from those made last week by Marier St-Onge's boss, Quebec Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée.Last Monday, Vallée told CBC Montreal's Daybreak that the law would be in effect for the duration of the public service provided, including a ride on a city bus."As long as the service is being rendered, the face should be uncovered," she said at the time.-Rules fast-tracked-Premier Philippe Couillard's Liberal government has faced a flurry of criticism since the law was adopted last Wednesday.Opponents have called the bill an attack on Muslim women, while municipal politicians have said it's unfair to ask public servants such as bus drivers or library workers to decide who they serve.The premiers of Alberta and Ontario have denounced the law, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said governments shouldn't tell women what they can and cannot wear.Guidelines for how the law is to be applied were originally to be released by next summer at the latest, after a round of consultations with various ministries and government agencies.- Now, in an effort to quell concerns, Vallée's office says the rules will be released this week.Already, on Monday, Health Minister Gaétan Barrette told reporters that "patients needing care in the emergency room will have care provided to them," even if they are wearing a burka or niqab.Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said he's anxious to see those guidelines, "because as far as we see it now, it's not applicable.""We're waiting for them," Pedneaud-Jobin, the caucus president of large cities in the Quebec Union of Municipalities, told Daybreak."Our main message in cities is that this is very at odds with our priorities to make sure people live together better, and we don't see how in any way this bill is going to help us," he said.Civil rights advocates, meanwhile, predict the law will be challenged.Marie-Claude Landry, chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, said it was "extremely worrisome" that the "government would use the law to target and marginalize a group rather than protect those who already suffer at the hands of discrimination.""Laws should be adopted to end discrimination, not promote it," she said.Province facing criticism from both sides-In an interview with The Canadian Press, Vallée said the province is prepared to fight "tooth and nail" to defend both the elements of the law and the province's right to legislate.She noted that most members of Quebec's legislature agree with the principle behind the bill.The two main opposition parties, the Parti Québécois and the Coalition Avenir Québec, have been pressing the government to take a hard stance on the issue.As well, an Angus Reid poll published in early October, before Bill 62 became law, showed that 87 per cent of Quebecers support the bill's objectives.Part of the reason the debate has become so heated, Vallée said, is because Quebec is trailblazing onto new legislative territory, as it did when it passed medically assisted dying legislation."It's not easy to carve a path when legislating, when presenting new law,'' she said."We get criticism both from those who say we're going too far and those who consider that we're not going far enough."
Macron avoids 'lecturing' Egypt on rights, Sisi defends his record-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday it was not up to him to "lecture" Egypt on civil liberties, but told its visiting leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that strengthening human rights was in its interest.Sisi, denying accusations by human rights groups that he had allowed his forces to use torture, told a Paris news conference: "We do not practice torture and ... we must be wary of all the information published by rights organizations."With both France and Egypt concerned by the political vacuum in Libya and the threat from jihadist groups in Egypt, the two countries have cultivated even closer economic and military ties during Sisi's rise to power.But rights organizations have accused France under Macron of turning a blind eye to what they say are increasing violations of freedoms by Sisi's government as the 2018 presidential elections approach."I believe in the sovereignty of states, and therefore, just as I don't accept being lectured on how to govern my country, I don't lecture others," Macron said at a joint news conference with Sisi in Paris following talks."My deeply held conviction is that it's in President Sisi's interest to accompany the defense and consolidation of human rights by the Egyptian state, in the context that only he can be the judge of," the French president said.During their 50-minute meeting, Macron brought up the issue of a dozen cases of alleged abuses of freedoms, in particular relating to Egyptian journalists and human rights activists, sources close to Macron said.Sisi, replying to journalists' questions, said he was responsible for 100 million Egyptians who lived in turbulent times and alongside people who followed "extremist thought" and did not like to co-exist in peace."When it comes to human rights, we're not evading an answer but I hope that we understand it in its true context of a country in Egypt's situation. We are not in Europe, with its intellectual, cultural, civilization and human advancement. We're in a different region."In a report in September, Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced "widespread and systematic" use of torture by Egyptian security forces. The United Nations on Oct. 13 condemned an anti-gay crackdown in Egypt.It also slammed French "indulgence" towards repression in Egypt.Rights' groups accuse France of abandoning principles in favor of economic and security interests.They are particularly critical of the relationship between Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who in his previous role as defense minister developed a personal relationship with Sisi.French officials dismiss the criticism and say the new administration is following a policy of not openly criticizing countries over human rights so as to be more effective in private and work on a case by case basis.Reacting to a lack of progress in respecting human rights and on democratic standards, the United States decided in August to freeze the payment of $195 million in military aid to Egypt.Under the previous government, France concluded several major military agreements with Egypt, including the sale of 24 Rafale combat aircraft, a multi-mission frigate and two Mistral warships in contracts worth some six billion euros.France will discuss the possible sale of more Rafale aircrafts with Sisi, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said earlier on Tuesday.(Reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris and; Nadine Awadalla in Cairo; Writing by Michel Rose; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
New wave of cyber attacks hits Ukraine and Russia-[Reuters]-By Pavel Polityuk and Jack Stubbs-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Cyber attacks using malware called "BadRabbit" hit Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday, causing flight delays at Ukraine's Odessa airport and affecting several media outlets in Russia, including the Interfax news agency.The attack appears to be one of the biggest since the NotPetya cyber attack in June that first hit Ukraine and spread around the world.Interfax, one of the largest news agencies in Russia, said some of its services were hit by an "unprecedented virus attack". The agency will be back online by the end of Tuesday, Yuri Pogorely, Interfax Deputy CEO, told Reuters.A spokeswoman for Odessa airport said a few flights were delayed because workers had to process passenger data manually. The metro system in Kiev also reported a hack on its payment system but said trains were running normally."According to our data, most of the victims targeted by these attacks are located in Russia. We have also seen similar but fewer attacks in Ukraine, Turkey and Germany," said Russian cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab.Ukraine's cyber police chief told Reuters the country was "barely affected".Security researchers said that BadRabbit appears to be a type of malware known as ransomware, which is damaging because it encrypts data on computers, making them inoperable and sometimes halting activity at organizations that use them."This ransomware infects devices through a number of hacked Russian media websites," Kaspersky said about Tuesday's attack.NotPetya in June took down many Ukrainian government agencies and businesses, before spreading rapidly through corporate networks of multinationals with operations or suppliers in eastern Europe.In May, the "WannaCry" ransomware attack forced hospitals, factories and businesses around the world to shut down because they could not access critical computer systems."Based on our investigation, this has been a targeted attack against corporate networks, using methods similar to those used during the ExPetr attack," said Kaspersky Lab, using another name for the NotPetya virus. "However we cannot confirm it is related to ExPetr. We continue our investigation."Ukraine's central bank said Ukrainian banking services, which have been hit by previous attacks, were unaffected.(Additional reporting by Natalia Zinets and Alessandra Prentice in Kiev, Polina Devitt and Christian Lowe in Moscow and Jim Finkle in Toronto; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Peter Graff)
Iraq paramilitaries battle Kurds in push towards Turkish border oil hub-[Reuters]-By Maher Chmaytelli-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi pro-government paramilitaries launched an offensive against Kurdish troops on Tuesday near the Turkish frontier, pushing towards a strategic border crossing and oil export pipeline hub that Baghdad says must come under its control.The Iraqi government has transformed the balance of power in the north of the country since launching a campaign last week to seize back territory from the Kurds, who govern an autonomous region of three northern provinces and had also seized a swathe of other territory in northern Iraq.The Kurds held a referendum on independence last month that Baghdad called illegal. Baghdad responded by seizing back the city of Kirkuk, the oil-producing areas around it, and other territory that the Kurds had captured from Islamic State.Prime Minister Haidar Abadi has ordered his army to recapture all disputed territory, and has also demanded central control of Iraq's border crossings with Turkey, all of which are inside the Kurdish autonomous region itself.A Kurdish official said Kurdish security forces known as Peshmerga had successfully beaten back an advance by Iranian-backed pro-government paramilitaries in the region of Rabi'a, 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Fish-Khabur border area.Fish-Khabur is strategically vital because oil from both Kurdish and government-held parts of northern Iraq cross at a pipeline there into Turkey, the main route out of the area for international export, crucial for any Kurdish independence bid.Abadi told a news conference in Baghdad he will discuss the issue of the border crossing with his Turkish counterpart Benali Yildirim on Wednesday in Ankara.The fighting so far has taken place outside the Kurdish autonomous region, but Fish-Khabur is located within it, so any assault on the border crossing would mark a major escalation, bringing government troops into undisputed Kurdish territory.Crude oil flowing through the Iraqi Kurdistan pipeline to Turkey's port of Ceyhan were up slightly at 300,000 barrels per day on Tuesday, about half the level before the Iraqi takeover of Kirkuk, a shipping source in London said. The pumping rate has risen by about 50,000 bpd since Monday.-TRICKY FOR WASHINGTON-An Iraqi military spokesman denied there had been any clashes in the area. But an Iraqi security source in Baghdad and a rights activist in northwest Iraq said the confrontation had started at dawn and was still going on by midday."Peshmerga repelled the attack and pushed Popular Mobilisation back in to Rabi'a," tweeted KRG President Masoud Barzani's media advisor, Hemin Hawrami. A military spokesman in Baghdad said in response: "There are no clashes."The fighting between the central government and the Kurds is particularly tricky for the United States which is close allies of both sides, arming and training both the Kurds and the central government's army to fight against Islamic State.U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Baghdad this week, but Abadi rebuffed his call for Iraq to reject the role of Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries that fight alongside government troops and have taken a hard line on the Kurds.An Iraqi government security advisor said on Monday Baghdad aimed to bring the three-way border crossing with Turkey and Syria at Fish-Khabur under its control, but he declined to say if a military move was being prepared.The Iraqi government's advance over the past week has been achieved with comparatively little violence, with Kurds mostly withdrawing without a fight.Nevertheless, Amnesty International reported that at least 11 civilians were killed and tens of thousands displaced from Kurdish areas of Tuz Khurmato, a town south of Kirkuk. It said images, videos, photos and dozens of testimonies indicated that hundreds of properties had been looted in a rampage targeting Kurdish parts of the ethnically mixed town.Elections for the presidency and parliament of Iraq's Kurdistan region set for Nov. 1 have been delayed by eight months, the regional parliament announced on Tuesday.The electoral commission said on Monday that parties had failed to present candidates amid turmoil in the region following the Sept. 25 independence referendum.(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Peter Graff)
Warm weather may deprive some areas of vivid red fall colours: expert-[The Canadian Press]-October 23, 2017-YAHOONEWS
Unseasonably warm weather in parts of Canada may deprive some areas of one of their trademark natural attractions — rich fall colours.A forestry expert says the vivid red leaves that draw crowds of tourists to areas of Ontario and parts of Quebec are triggered by bright sunshine combined with cold temperatures.Sean Thomas, a professor of forest ecology at the University of Toronto, says trees start breaking down the chlorophyll in their leaves in the fall in order to draw out nutrients such as nitrogen and store them over the winter.He says chlorophyll is what gives leaves their green colour, so as it is broken down, other pigments such yellow and orange are revealed.Thomas says that process can produce other chemicals that damage plant tissues if exposed to UV radiation.To protect leaves from UV rays, Thomas says red pigments — a trademark of sugar maple trees, among others — emerge as a type of "leaf sunscreen.""The need for that protection is even more acute under cold temperatures," he said. "So those things together, high light plus cold temperature, also have evolved to be the trigger for synthesis of anthocynanins (red or purple pigments)."This year, however, the weather conditions have disrupted the typical process."It's been unseasonably warm and so the trees haven't received the signal that they usually would have," Thomas said. "And it's been a bit cloudy too."Some trees were set off by a bout of cold weather in early September before the mercury rose again, but those that weren't are more likely to just turn yellow as they prepare for winter, he said.If the leaves start to die before the tree can extract nutrients from them, in case of a sudden frost for example, then they simply turn brown, he said.A drop in temperature now probably wouldn't do much to bring out the dramatic reds, Thomas said."There's kind of a time window when that can happen and that's probably passed now," he said.The lack of bright fall colours, however, doesn't indicate poor tree health, Thomas noted."The fact that the trees aren't synthesizing the red pigments, that's not necessarily a bad thing for them," he said. "It's a bad thing for tourism in the autumn, but it's not necessarily a signal that the trees are unhealthy."Trees aren't the only ones affected by the heat — bugs are also missing their normal seasonal cues.Insects that would typically have migrated south or prepared for overwintering by now, including mosquitoes and wasps, are sticking around longer, said Jeremy McNeil, a biology professor at the Western University in London, Ont.That could have a significant impact on next year's populations if some are caught unawares by a blast of cold weather, McNeil said."Whether that's good or bad will depend on what species it is and who you are," he said.We may not mourn the loss of some insects, but a sharp drop in numbers can have a ripple effect on other species that feed on them or rely on them for pollination, he said.Paola Loriggio , The Canadian Press.
American officials investigating after Air Canada flight lands without approval-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO — American aviation officials are investigating after an Air Canada flight from Montreal landed on a San Francisco runway after being told not to.Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says Air Canada flight 781 was inbound to San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night and was initially cleared for landing.But Gregor says air traffic control later instructed the Air Canada crew to abort the landing because the controller wasn't sure whether a previous flight would have completely cleared the runway before the Air Canada jet reached it.He says the Air Canada crew did not acknowledge any of the controller's instructions over the radio, so a supervisor then used a red light gun to alert the crew not to land.But again, the crew didn't respond, and Gregor says the flight landed immediately.After landing, the Air Canada crew told the control tower that they had a radio problem.Gregor says that a radar replay showed the previous arrival was clear of the runway when the Air Canada flight landed.Representatives from Air Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Canadian Press.
Gallant says New Brunswick to have carbon pricing that respects economy-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
FREDERICTON — New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant says his government will introduce carbon pricing that helps combat climate change while respecting his province's economic realities.He says the pricing model will minimize the impact on consumers while calling on industry to reduce emissions or pay its fair share.Gallant says legislation on climate change and carbon pricing will be introduced in the new session of the legislature that opened today with a throne speech read by Lt.-Gov. Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau.In the speech, Vienneau says the government plans to help grow the economy by further reducing the small business tax rate and launching a new strategy aimed at maintaining and growing New Brunswick's population.The speech also says the government plans to spend more on educational infrastructure, introduce legislation to deal with the legalization of recreational marijuana, and help seniors stay in their own homes longer.The speech makes no mention of a recent property assessment scandal, but Gallant says he's waiting for the auditor general to complete her review of the system before making any changes.The Canadian Press.
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:56-In a Twitter thread over the weekend, the head of cabinet of EU Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen, Juho Romakkaniemi suggested that EU member states might be reluctant to support countries where EU core values are challenged, such as Poland and Hungary."How long the other MS [member states] are willing to pay large sums for cohesion if it leads to divergence?," he asked following the Czech elections, which paved the way for an anti-establishment leader, Andrej Babis, who opposes joining the euro and deepening EU integration.Romakkaniemi added that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are among the highest net recipients of EU funds, yet they tend to favour populist, eurosceptic parties.He suggested one of the reasons for this was the unrealistic expectations when joining the EU that these countries "would catch up [to] German living standards in a decade".While Romakkaniemi tweets in a personal capacity, the rare, straight-forward tone and his line of argument highlighted some of the frustrations tangible among policy-makers in Brussels with central and eastern European countries taking EU funds while challenging EU policies and values."These remarks are unfortunate," a high-ranking diplomat from one of the targeted countries told EUobserver."It is true that we sometimes give the impression that we beg, and we have to change that. But the reality is more complex than that," he said.Another EU official pointed out that the tweets tap into a sentiment that is often exploited by political parties: people's dislike of being told by Brussels how things should be done.The source told this website that central and eastern member states "often don't feel like equal partners.""Populism is not an eastern European phenomenon only," noted Milan Nic, senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations.Nic said that - just as in western Europe - people are getting fed up with democracy, and don't see a perspective for themselves.EUobserver has reached out to Juho Romakkaniemi, but have not immediately received a response.His comments came just a few days after EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker hosted the prime ministers of the Visegrad countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in an effort to create a better understanding between the EU executive and the often eurosceptic, reluctant regional players.The issue of the next seven-year EU budget came up, but was "not really the main topic," a source said.The EU official said that linking political conditions to the EU cohesion funds has already been discussed at the early stage of talks on the EU's next seven-year budget.Central and eastern European member states argue that this linkage is against the treaties, the source said."If we create political conditions, you never know where this will stop," the top diplomat said.-Trickles back-Using EU funds to exert political pressure would be a double-edge sword, they argue.Poland's deputy minister for economic development Jerzy Kwiecinski recently told this website that according to studies, net contributors get most of their investment back as profits."For every euro which is invested under the cohesion policy in our countries, 80 cents come back to the EU-15 in different forms - in the form of capital transfers but also in terms of exports and other transfers. So the whole EU benefits from that," he said."A lot of the EU money goes towards infrastructure, where western companies benefit the most," Daniel Bartha, the director of the Budapest-based Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy, told EUobserver.This was confirmed by the EU's budget commissioner.In an interview earlier this year Guenther Oettinger said: "The Poles use the money to place orders with the German construction industry, to buy German machines and German trucks. So net contributors such as Germany should be interested in the structural funds. From an economic perspective, Germany isn't a net contributor but a net recipient.""The cohesion sums are small compared to the benefits," the diplomat insisted, adding that it would be "absurd" to cut into the funds."The cohesion policy is linked to the development of the single market and to compensate weaknesses in capital and infrastructure [in some countries]," he explained.That is why, the EU official pointed out, central and eastern countries "still need those funds to continue catching up."With less EU funds, convergence will be even slower and these funds are "one of the reasons why people in the region are so pro-EU," the official added.-No charity?-The argument that the EU subsidies should not be viewed as charity has also taken root in central and eastern Europe.Bartha said that at the time of joining the EU it was not a choice whether new members would open up their markets or not, it was a precondition.A heavy price was paid for the fast liberalisation of the post-communist economies, he argued, which for instance resulted in weak SMEs and few national corporations in Hungary.The Hungarian government has even called the suggestion to tie political conditions to the EU funds "political blackmail.""We have opened up our markets back in 2004, among circumstances when the Hungarian economy was far from […] being competitive as required by European standards. Don't try to suggest that [the] EU cohesion fund is a gift for central and eastern member states," Zoltan Kovacs, Hunagrian government spokesman told reporters in Brussels last month.-Mixed results-EU funds are nevertheless vital for the economic development for these economies. But their direct effect on the daily lives of the public are nuanced.Milan Nic said that EU funds have been "tremendously important" in public investment in central and eastern Europe.A Hungarian study of EU funds for the period 2007-2013 suggested that the financial assistance keeps the country's economy alive on a respirator, but without much of a long-term effect.GDP growth was 0.3-2 percent higher because of the EU funds in the country, but they only produced 81,000 lasting jobs. They sometimes lead to market distortions, and help reinforce the local political elite.Bartha said the EU should better monitor the spending of EU funds by national governments, but added that with Hungary and Poland refusing to join the European Prosecutors Office, it would be difficult to keep them in check.He expects that during the new round of negotiations over the seven-year EU budget, the "friends of cohesion", a lobby group of member states interested in EU subsidies will be less united and fewer."The Czechs might be net contributors, Romania, the Baltics would be easier to disconnect from the group with perks, and western states will be less willing politically to support the agenda of Poland and Hungary," Bartha said.
EU data chief: MEPs must accept transparency By Nikolaj Nielsen-oct 24,17-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:29-The European Parliament's reliance on a 'data protection' defence to prevent journalists from accessing MEP expenses appears to have taken a blow.Giovanni Buttarelli, the European data protection supervisor, told this website on Tuesday (24 October) that despite the rules governing access, such information may be granted in some cases."Politicians, leaders, have to accept strong limitations in terms of transparency," he said.Buttarelli said he could not comment on the case itself and that he is not familiar with it.But he noted access to document rules, known as regulation 1049/2001, provides for wider transparency when "there is a strong demand for public controls on expenditures, procurement and good behaviour by leaders."A consortium of 29 journalists are demanding to see MEP expense reports on travel costs, general allowance, staff funding, and daily subsistence.But the European parliament has been refusing to disclose how some 751 MEPs spend European taxpayer money, due in part to data protection rules.It also argues that its too much paperwork to process and that it does not possess many of the documents demanded.A first hearing was held at the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice last week, but a verdict is not due anytime soon.But Buttarelli noted access to such information can only be limited in exceptional circumstances and must be defined in narrow terms."We say that transparency and data protection are not opposite," he said.The EU parliament has also argued that its own internal controls and oversight by the EU's anti-fraud office is good enough to ensure compliance and good conduct from the 751 MEPs.But Olaf told this website it has no dedicated staff to probe MEP expense abuse."Olaf has a unit dedicated to internal investigations. However, we have no designated staff members working only on European Parliament cases," noted a spokesperson.Olaf concluded three investigations last year related to the European Parliament, two of which were closed with recommendations.
Catalan secessionists mull snap election as Madrid hangs tough-[Reuters]-By Paul Day-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
MADRID (Reuters) - Secessionist leaders in Catalonia may call a snap election in an attempt to break the deadlock with Madrid over independence, a senior local politician said on Tuesday, but Spanish authorities made clear that would not be enough.Spain says it will impose direct rule on Catalonia from Friday to prevent an illegal push for independence, invoking unprecedented powers to dismiss the regional government. Madrid said an election would not change those plans.The Catalan parliament meets on Thursday to agree on a response to Madrid, and many analysts believe the economically powerful region could formally declare independence.Secessionists in Catalonia say their independence referendum on Oct. 1 - which attracted a 43 percent turnout and was mostly boycotted by those Catalans who want to remain in Spain - has given them a mandate for statehood.Catalonia said on Monday it was confident that its officials, including the police, would defy attempts by Madrid to enforce direct rule.Spanish political and business leaders, along with most Catalonian newspapers, have urged Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to call a regional election before he is stripped of his authority.They say direct rule from Madrid would be a humiliation for Catalonia and pose a serious risk of unrest.Puigdemont has so far remained silent on the matter of an election but an ally of his pro-independence government said he was actively considering this option."We have evidence this is currently on the table," Carles Riera, a Catalan lawmaker for the anti-capitalist CUP party, told a news conference.Calling an election would be a face-saving move for Puigdemont as it could either strengthen his mandate if pro-independence parties won or allow him a graceful exit if they did not.DEBATE? The Spanish government said a snap election would be a first step but Puigdemont would also have to withdraw an ambiguous declaration of independence he made earlier this month.The government had moved to cancel Catalonia's autonomous status because it believed there had been a "serious failure" by Puigdemont to meet his obligations, Justice Minister Rafael Catala said in a radio interview."Everything is not fixed just by calling an election."Catala said that if Puigdemont appeared before the Spanish Senate, it would help to resolve the crisis.A top official in the Senate said that if Puigdemont decided to appear before the house, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy would likely come to the chamber as well so that a proper debate could be organised between the two.The Senate said on Tuesday it had invited Puigdemont to appear before the chamber on Thursday at 5 p.m (1500 GMT) or Friday at 10 a.m (0800 GMT).The Madrid government has so far refused to meet the Catalan leader until he drops his call for independence and Catala said any appearance by Puigdemont had to be within a legal and constitutional framework."If his appearance is within the constitution and the law we'll be delighted ... But if it's just to ratify his position on Catalonia's independence, sadly we will not be able to do anything else than continuing with the measures already set by the government," Catala said.The political uncertainty has taken its toll on Spain's wealthiest region, with hundreds of companies moving their headquarters out of Catalonia.Volkswagen's Spanish unit SEAT, one of the biggest employers in the region, said it would move its registered office if it felt there was no longer legal security in Catalonia, although it had so far not made a decision."Relocating the registered office would respond to the need to seek legal protection, and would make sense the moment we felt it was no longer afforded in the territory where we are located," SEAT Executive Committee Chairman Luca de Meo said in a letter to the company's more than 14,000 employees in the region.(Additional reporting by Sonya Dowsett; writing by Julien Toyer; editing by Jesus Aguado, Mark Heinrich and Giles Elgood)
Demoralized and divided: inside Catalonia's police force-[Reuters]-By Angus Berwick and Sonya Dowsett-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
BARCELONA (Reuters) - With the Spanish government ready to take over the running of Catalonia on Friday, the loyalty of the local police to Madrid or to the Catalan cause will be tested if they are ordered to drag their former political masters from office.Spanish police provoked international outcry by using batons and rubber bullets when they stepped in to try to stop an illegal independence referendum on Oct. 1 after the local Catalan force refused to prevent voting in what has become the worst constitutional crisis in modern Spanish history.Catalonia's secessionist government is intent on resisting Spain's plan to remove it from power, and there are doubts over how a divided and demoralized Mossos d'Esquadra, as the Catalan police are called, would respond if ordered to evict President Carles Puigdemont and his autonomous government by force.National police could once again be on the front line.The local police force is riven by distrust between those for and against Catalan independence and is estranged from Spain's national police forces, according to interviews with Mossos officers and national police.The Civil Guard gave evidence against the Mossos chief in a sedition inquiry after his force stood back and allowed voting to take place, court documents show. Five Mossos officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they believed the 17,000-strong force was split among those who wanted independence and those who opposed it, with three of those saying they would not use force to remove ministers and lawmakers from power."I'm not going to use force and beat people with my baton if they are passive," said a 15-year Mossos veteran and secessionist, who declined to be named.He said many others felt the same, but added: "I would have to obey it. My family has to eat."A Mossos spokeswoman said the force was neutral and not subject to any "political or ideological criteria".Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is intent on thwarting the latest bid for independence by Catalonia, which has 16 percent of the Spanish population but generates 19 percent of the country's economic output, to avoid what he believes will bring economic and social turmoil to the heart of the eurozone.CHAIN OF COMMAND-Officers told Reuters there was also an anti-independence faction in the Mossos d'Esquadra, "Lads' Squad" in Catalan, which uses an encrypted chat app to share views on independence versus allegiance to Madrid.In a bid to impose its authority the Madrid government will replace the Mossos senior leadership, but the question is whether this will be enough to ensure the force's loyalty.The Mossos stance will have a powerful influence on the 7.5 million Catalans as the force has deep roots in Catalan society, having emerged from citizen militias in the 18th century.The Mossos's reputation was enhanced by its handling of an August van attack in Barcelona which killed 14 people.Rajoy will seek Senate approval on Friday to take the unprecedented step of assuming central control of Catalonia, including its government and the running of Mossos.The strategy will replace the Mossos leadership, including its two senior officers and 23 commissioners, and route the chain of command to a national police commander, yet to be appointed, who will report to the interior ministry, officials in Madrid and a Catalan police union said."DISOBEDIENCE EXTREMELY SERIOUS"Spain's foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, said at the weekend, before calls for civil disobedience by the Catalan government, that "we are not going to arrest anyone".But a senior government source said force may be necessary depending on the reaction in Catalonia."If the parliament has to be emptied out and closed, if the councillors' offices have to be cleared out - if they obey there's no problem, but if they don't obey it will have to be enforced," the source said.The months-long standoff between Madrid and pro-independence leaders progressively damaged morale inside Mossos, with hundreds of officers opposed to independence looking to quit the force, officers and union officials say. Some complain they are sidelined by their pro-independence colleagues.Luis Miguel Lorente, head of the national ARP police union, said about 200 Mossos officers had contacted his union for information on how to join national police forces.Spain has sent about 4,000 police reinforcements to Catalonia, where protests on both sides of the independence debate have drawn hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.Extra police have been billeted in two cruise ships in Barcelona harbor. One of the ships is painted with cartoon characters of Tweety Pie and Sylvester the Cat, leading to Tweety Pie being adopted as the mascot of the independence movement by some campaigners.Participants in the referendum opted overwhelmingly for independence, but turnout was only about 43 percent as Catalans who favor remaining part of Spain mainly boycotted the ballot. Secessionists said the result gave them a mandate for statehood.Spain was only restored to democracy following the death in 1975 of dictator Francisco Franco, under whom the Catalan language and traditions were suppressed.NATIONAL POLICE READY-Protests have been peaceful, but the referendum showed how tensions can swiftly escalate when Madrid uses national police, despised by many secessionists, to enforce anti-independence measures. If Mossos stands back again, the senior government source said, national police would step in once more.A defiant Catalan government, which remains in power until the Senate approves Rajoy's plan, said this week its civil servants, including the Mossos, would continue to obey its instructions and those of its legislature.That raises fears that Puigdemont and regional lawmakers, will refuse to leave their offices, or that their supporters may try to help by occupying the offices.As well as replacing Mossos leaders, Madrid may also redeploy Mossos officers away from key government buildings and use national police instead, an interior ministry official said.Relations between the regional and the national forces are at rock bottom and no new joint investigations are being launched, say officers from each force.(Additional reporting by Andres Gonzalez; Editing by Mark Bendeich and Peter Millership)
Louvre asks public to fund prayer book's return to France-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
PARIS — The Louvre museum in Paris is calling on the public to help bring back one of the French Renaissance's greatest decorative works of art.The Book of Hours prayer book — a manuscript bound in gold and encrusted with emerald, ruby and turquoise gemstones — belonged to France's King Francis I, who gifted the treasure to his 10-year-old niece during the 16th century.Deemed by experts to be a masterpiece, the book now belongs to a private collector in Britain.The Louvre says it needs 10 million euros ($11.8 million) to acquire the piece. Luxury group LVMH has pledged half of the money. The museum hopes to raise the rest through a crowdfunding campaign and donations from companies.Louvre President Jean-Luc Martinez says the Book of Hours would become one of the Louvre's iconic pieces alongside the Mona Lisa.The Associated Press.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
It's not a coercive law,' Quebec says amid criticism over face-covering ban-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-October 23, 2017
The Quebec government's new face-covering law will be approached with "common sense," a spokesperson for the province's justice minister says, amid criticism, protests and confusion over how the rules will be applied.Isabelle Marier St-Onge said the provincial government has no intention of establishing a patrol unit to ensure compliance with the legislation, which effectively prohibits a Muslim woman wearing a niqab or burka from accessing public services."It's not a coercive law," Marier St-Onge said in an email, adding that there are no sanctions listed in the legislation for those who don't comply.Generally speaking, she said, the government wants people to uncover their faces when they receive a public service but, she stressed, "we will apply common sense."The rules are for communication, identification and security reasons, and will only apply when deemed necessary.The comments appear to be a departure from those made last week by Marier St-Onge's boss, Quebec Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée.Last Monday, Vallée told CBC Montreal's Daybreak that the law would be in effect for the duration of the public service provided, including a ride on a city bus."As long as the service is being rendered, the face should be uncovered," she said at the time.-Rules fast-tracked-Premier Philippe Couillard's Liberal government has faced a flurry of criticism since the law was adopted last Wednesday.Opponents have called the bill an attack on Muslim women, while municipal politicians have said it's unfair to ask public servants such as bus drivers or library workers to decide who they serve.The premiers of Alberta and Ontario have denounced the law, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said governments shouldn't tell women what they can and cannot wear.Guidelines for how the law is to be applied were originally to be released by next summer at the latest, after a round of consultations with various ministries and government agencies.- Now, in an effort to quell concerns, Vallée's office says the rules will be released this week.Already, on Monday, Health Minister Gaétan Barrette told reporters that "patients needing care in the emergency room will have care provided to them," even if they are wearing a burka or niqab.Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said he's anxious to see those guidelines, "because as far as we see it now, it's not applicable.""We're waiting for them," Pedneaud-Jobin, the caucus president of large cities in the Quebec Union of Municipalities, told Daybreak."Our main message in cities is that this is very at odds with our priorities to make sure people live together better, and we don't see how in any way this bill is going to help us," he said.Civil rights advocates, meanwhile, predict the law will be challenged.Marie-Claude Landry, chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, said it was "extremely worrisome" that the "government would use the law to target and marginalize a group rather than protect those who already suffer at the hands of discrimination.""Laws should be adopted to end discrimination, not promote it," she said.Province facing criticism from both sides-In an interview with The Canadian Press, Vallée said the province is prepared to fight "tooth and nail" to defend both the elements of the law and the province's right to legislate.She noted that most members of Quebec's legislature agree with the principle behind the bill.The two main opposition parties, the Parti Québécois and the Coalition Avenir Québec, have been pressing the government to take a hard stance on the issue.As well, an Angus Reid poll published in early October, before Bill 62 became law, showed that 87 per cent of Quebecers support the bill's objectives.Part of the reason the debate has become so heated, Vallée said, is because Quebec is trailblazing onto new legislative territory, as it did when it passed medically assisted dying legislation."It's not easy to carve a path when legislating, when presenting new law,'' she said."We get criticism both from those who say we're going too far and those who consider that we're not going far enough."
Macron avoids 'lecturing' Egypt on rights, Sisi defends his record-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday it was not up to him to "lecture" Egypt on civil liberties, but told its visiting leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that strengthening human rights was in its interest.Sisi, denying accusations by human rights groups that he had allowed his forces to use torture, told a Paris news conference: "We do not practice torture and ... we must be wary of all the information published by rights organizations."With both France and Egypt concerned by the political vacuum in Libya and the threat from jihadist groups in Egypt, the two countries have cultivated even closer economic and military ties during Sisi's rise to power.But rights organizations have accused France under Macron of turning a blind eye to what they say are increasing violations of freedoms by Sisi's government as the 2018 presidential elections approach."I believe in the sovereignty of states, and therefore, just as I don't accept being lectured on how to govern my country, I don't lecture others," Macron said at a joint news conference with Sisi in Paris following talks."My deeply held conviction is that it's in President Sisi's interest to accompany the defense and consolidation of human rights by the Egyptian state, in the context that only he can be the judge of," the French president said.During their 50-minute meeting, Macron brought up the issue of a dozen cases of alleged abuses of freedoms, in particular relating to Egyptian journalists and human rights activists, sources close to Macron said.Sisi, replying to journalists' questions, said he was responsible for 100 million Egyptians who lived in turbulent times and alongside people who followed "extremist thought" and did not like to co-exist in peace."When it comes to human rights, we're not evading an answer but I hope that we understand it in its true context of a country in Egypt's situation. We are not in Europe, with its intellectual, cultural, civilization and human advancement. We're in a different region."In a report in September, Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced "widespread and systematic" use of torture by Egyptian security forces. The United Nations on Oct. 13 condemned an anti-gay crackdown in Egypt.It also slammed French "indulgence" towards repression in Egypt.Rights' groups accuse France of abandoning principles in favor of economic and security interests.They are particularly critical of the relationship between Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who in his previous role as defense minister developed a personal relationship with Sisi.French officials dismiss the criticism and say the new administration is following a policy of not openly criticizing countries over human rights so as to be more effective in private and work on a case by case basis.Reacting to a lack of progress in respecting human rights and on democratic standards, the United States decided in August to freeze the payment of $195 million in military aid to Egypt.Under the previous government, France concluded several major military agreements with Egypt, including the sale of 24 Rafale combat aircraft, a multi-mission frigate and two Mistral warships in contracts worth some six billion euros.France will discuss the possible sale of more Rafale aircrafts with Sisi, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said earlier on Tuesday.(Reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris and; Nadine Awadalla in Cairo; Writing by Michel Rose; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
New wave of cyber attacks hits Ukraine and Russia-[Reuters]-By Pavel Polityuk and Jack Stubbs-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Cyber attacks using malware called "BadRabbit" hit Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday, causing flight delays at Ukraine's Odessa airport and affecting several media outlets in Russia, including the Interfax news agency.The attack appears to be one of the biggest since the NotPetya cyber attack in June that first hit Ukraine and spread around the world.Interfax, one of the largest news agencies in Russia, said some of its services were hit by an "unprecedented virus attack". The agency will be back online by the end of Tuesday, Yuri Pogorely, Interfax Deputy CEO, told Reuters.A spokeswoman for Odessa airport said a few flights were delayed because workers had to process passenger data manually. The metro system in Kiev also reported a hack on its payment system but said trains were running normally."According to our data, most of the victims targeted by these attacks are located in Russia. We have also seen similar but fewer attacks in Ukraine, Turkey and Germany," said Russian cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab.Ukraine's cyber police chief told Reuters the country was "barely affected".Security researchers said that BadRabbit appears to be a type of malware known as ransomware, which is damaging because it encrypts data on computers, making them inoperable and sometimes halting activity at organizations that use them."This ransomware infects devices through a number of hacked Russian media websites," Kaspersky said about Tuesday's attack.NotPetya in June took down many Ukrainian government agencies and businesses, before spreading rapidly through corporate networks of multinationals with operations or suppliers in eastern Europe.In May, the "WannaCry" ransomware attack forced hospitals, factories and businesses around the world to shut down because they could not access critical computer systems."Based on our investigation, this has been a targeted attack against corporate networks, using methods similar to those used during the ExPetr attack," said Kaspersky Lab, using another name for the NotPetya virus. "However we cannot confirm it is related to ExPetr. We continue our investigation."Ukraine's central bank said Ukrainian banking services, which have been hit by previous attacks, were unaffected.(Additional reporting by Natalia Zinets and Alessandra Prentice in Kiev, Polina Devitt and Christian Lowe in Moscow and Jim Finkle in Toronto; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Peter Graff)
Iraq paramilitaries battle Kurds in push towards Turkish border oil hub-[Reuters]-By Maher Chmaytelli-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi pro-government paramilitaries launched an offensive against Kurdish troops on Tuesday near the Turkish frontier, pushing towards a strategic border crossing and oil export pipeline hub that Baghdad says must come under its control.The Iraqi government has transformed the balance of power in the north of the country since launching a campaign last week to seize back territory from the Kurds, who govern an autonomous region of three northern provinces and had also seized a swathe of other territory in northern Iraq.The Kurds held a referendum on independence last month that Baghdad called illegal. Baghdad responded by seizing back the city of Kirkuk, the oil-producing areas around it, and other territory that the Kurds had captured from Islamic State.Prime Minister Haidar Abadi has ordered his army to recapture all disputed territory, and has also demanded central control of Iraq's border crossings with Turkey, all of which are inside the Kurdish autonomous region itself.A Kurdish official said Kurdish security forces known as Peshmerga had successfully beaten back an advance by Iranian-backed pro-government paramilitaries in the region of Rabi'a, 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Fish-Khabur border area.Fish-Khabur is strategically vital because oil from both Kurdish and government-held parts of northern Iraq cross at a pipeline there into Turkey, the main route out of the area for international export, crucial for any Kurdish independence bid.Abadi told a news conference in Baghdad he will discuss the issue of the border crossing with his Turkish counterpart Benali Yildirim on Wednesday in Ankara.The fighting so far has taken place outside the Kurdish autonomous region, but Fish-Khabur is located within it, so any assault on the border crossing would mark a major escalation, bringing government troops into undisputed Kurdish territory.Crude oil flowing through the Iraqi Kurdistan pipeline to Turkey's port of Ceyhan were up slightly at 300,000 barrels per day on Tuesday, about half the level before the Iraqi takeover of Kirkuk, a shipping source in London said. The pumping rate has risen by about 50,000 bpd since Monday.-TRICKY FOR WASHINGTON-An Iraqi military spokesman denied there had been any clashes in the area. But an Iraqi security source in Baghdad and a rights activist in northwest Iraq said the confrontation had started at dawn and was still going on by midday."Peshmerga repelled the attack and pushed Popular Mobilisation back in to Rabi'a," tweeted KRG President Masoud Barzani's media advisor, Hemin Hawrami. A military spokesman in Baghdad said in response: "There are no clashes."The fighting between the central government and the Kurds is particularly tricky for the United States which is close allies of both sides, arming and training both the Kurds and the central government's army to fight against Islamic State.U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Baghdad this week, but Abadi rebuffed his call for Iraq to reject the role of Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries that fight alongside government troops and have taken a hard line on the Kurds.An Iraqi government security advisor said on Monday Baghdad aimed to bring the three-way border crossing with Turkey and Syria at Fish-Khabur under its control, but he declined to say if a military move was being prepared.The Iraqi government's advance over the past week has been achieved with comparatively little violence, with Kurds mostly withdrawing without a fight.Nevertheless, Amnesty International reported that at least 11 civilians were killed and tens of thousands displaced from Kurdish areas of Tuz Khurmato, a town south of Kirkuk. It said images, videos, photos and dozens of testimonies indicated that hundreds of properties had been looted in a rampage targeting Kurdish parts of the ethnically mixed town.Elections for the presidency and parliament of Iraq's Kurdistan region set for Nov. 1 have been delayed by eight months, the regional parliament announced on Tuesday.The electoral commission said on Monday that parties had failed to present candidates amid turmoil in the region following the Sept. 25 independence referendum.(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Peter Graff)
Warm weather may deprive some areas of vivid red fall colours: expert-[The Canadian Press]-October 23, 2017-YAHOONEWS
Unseasonably warm weather in parts of Canada may deprive some areas of one of their trademark natural attractions — rich fall colours.A forestry expert says the vivid red leaves that draw crowds of tourists to areas of Ontario and parts of Quebec are triggered by bright sunshine combined with cold temperatures.Sean Thomas, a professor of forest ecology at the University of Toronto, says trees start breaking down the chlorophyll in their leaves in the fall in order to draw out nutrients such as nitrogen and store them over the winter.He says chlorophyll is what gives leaves their green colour, so as it is broken down, other pigments such yellow and orange are revealed.Thomas says that process can produce other chemicals that damage plant tissues if exposed to UV radiation.To protect leaves from UV rays, Thomas says red pigments — a trademark of sugar maple trees, among others — emerge as a type of "leaf sunscreen.""The need for that protection is even more acute under cold temperatures," he said. "So those things together, high light plus cold temperature, also have evolved to be the trigger for synthesis of anthocynanins (red or purple pigments)."This year, however, the weather conditions have disrupted the typical process."It's been unseasonably warm and so the trees haven't received the signal that they usually would have," Thomas said. "And it's been a bit cloudy too."Some trees were set off by a bout of cold weather in early September before the mercury rose again, but those that weren't are more likely to just turn yellow as they prepare for winter, he said.If the leaves start to die before the tree can extract nutrients from them, in case of a sudden frost for example, then they simply turn brown, he said.A drop in temperature now probably wouldn't do much to bring out the dramatic reds, Thomas said."There's kind of a time window when that can happen and that's probably passed now," he said.The lack of bright fall colours, however, doesn't indicate poor tree health, Thomas noted."The fact that the trees aren't synthesizing the red pigments, that's not necessarily a bad thing for them," he said. "It's a bad thing for tourism in the autumn, but it's not necessarily a signal that the trees are unhealthy."Trees aren't the only ones affected by the heat — bugs are also missing their normal seasonal cues.Insects that would typically have migrated south or prepared for overwintering by now, including mosquitoes and wasps, are sticking around longer, said Jeremy McNeil, a biology professor at the Western University in London, Ont.That could have a significant impact on next year's populations if some are caught unawares by a blast of cold weather, McNeil said."Whether that's good or bad will depend on what species it is and who you are," he said.We may not mourn the loss of some insects, but a sharp drop in numbers can have a ripple effect on other species that feed on them or rely on them for pollination, he said.Paola Loriggio , The Canadian Press.
American officials investigating after Air Canada flight lands without approval-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO — American aviation officials are investigating after an Air Canada flight from Montreal landed on a San Francisco runway after being told not to.Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says Air Canada flight 781 was inbound to San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night and was initially cleared for landing.But Gregor says air traffic control later instructed the Air Canada crew to abort the landing because the controller wasn't sure whether a previous flight would have completely cleared the runway before the Air Canada jet reached it.He says the Air Canada crew did not acknowledge any of the controller's instructions over the radio, so a supervisor then used a red light gun to alert the crew not to land.But again, the crew didn't respond, and Gregor says the flight landed immediately.After landing, the Air Canada crew told the control tower that they had a radio problem.Gregor says that a radar replay showed the previous arrival was clear of the runway when the Air Canada flight landed.Representatives from Air Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Canadian Press.
Gallant says New Brunswick to have carbon pricing that respects economy-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-October 24, 2017
FREDERICTON — New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant says his government will introduce carbon pricing that helps combat climate change while respecting his province's economic realities.He says the pricing model will minimize the impact on consumers while calling on industry to reduce emissions or pay its fair share.Gallant says legislation on climate change and carbon pricing will be introduced in the new session of the legislature that opened today with a throne speech read by Lt.-Gov. Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau.In the speech, Vienneau says the government plans to help grow the economy by further reducing the small business tax rate and launching a new strategy aimed at maintaining and growing New Brunswick's population.The speech also says the government plans to spend more on educational infrastructure, introduce legislation to deal with the legalization of recreational marijuana, and help seniors stay in their own homes longer.The speech makes no mention of a recent property assessment scandal, but Gallant says he's waiting for the auditor general to complete her review of the system before making any changes.The Canadian Press.
