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)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these
things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE)
then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE)
draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30
When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that
summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT
COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A
fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES
AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the
garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea,
and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12
And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the
people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume
away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and
their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)
and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM
ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD
PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that
day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they
shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand
shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN
WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say
to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour
every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall
not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be
burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath;
but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for
he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC
BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here
are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through
war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only
Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land
in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half
of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18,
Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY
OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND
IN THE FUTURE
Trump now says ‘no time limit’ to
denuclearize North Korea-US president appears to walk back statements
made after talks with Kim Jong Un, when he said process would start
'very quickly'-By AFP-TOI-JUL 19,18
WASHINGTON — US
President Donald Trump said Tuesday there was no hurry to denuclearize
North Korea under his accord with Kim Jong Un — a shift in tone from
when the US leader said the process would start very soon.“Discussions
are ongoing and they’re going very, very well,” Trump told reporters.
“We have no time limit. We have no speed limit.”Trump said he discussed
North Korea with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday at their
summit in Helsinki.“President Putin is going to be involved in the sense
that he is with us,” Trump said.The Republican president met with Kim
on June 12 for an unprecedented summit in Singapore during which the
North Korean leader pledged to work toward denuclearization of the
peninsula.But the accord did not spell out a timetable for the process
or say how it would be carried out. Diplomats are now expected to hammer
out the details.More than a month later, no concrete progress has been
reported and North Korea has complained the Americans are making
unilateral demands.Before the Singapore summit, the Trump administration
said denuclearization should start “without delay,” and after the
meeting, it spoke of the process beginning “very quickly.”A day after
the meeting, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the bulk of North
Korea’s denuclearization should be completed by the end of Trump’s term
in 2020.The White House has hailed the summit between Kim and Trump in
Singapore as a major breakthrough toward disarming the isolated,
nuclear-armed North in exchange for easing of sanctions and other help
with economic development.Pompeo met with Kim’s key aide this month
during his latest trip to Pyongyang but as soon as he left, the North’s
foreign ministry berated him over his “unilateral and gangster-like”
demands.Trump last week signaled optimism however, unveiling a letter
from Kim in which the young leader hailed the “start of a meaningful
journey” and tweeting “Great progress being made!”
Israel
and EU ink agreement on fighting organized crime, cybercrime,
terrorism-Amid crisis in bilateral relations, Europol inks first-ever
agreement with the police force of a non-EU member state-By Raphael
Ahren-TOI-19 July 2018
Amid an ongoing crisis in
bilateral ties, Israel on Wednesday signed an agreement with the
European Union’s law enforcement agency to strengthen cooperation in the
joint fight against terrorism and organized crime.The “working
agreement” was signed by Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich and Europol
Executive Director Catherine De Bolle in The Hague.The signing marked
Europol’s first-ever working agreement with a country that is not a
member of the EU.“The agreement will enable the Investigations and
Intelligence Division of the Israel National Police to advance its
capabilities to deal in the best way possible with new threats in the
field of organized crime, cybercrime exploited by international criminal
and terrorist elements, fighting terrorism in its various forms, and
crime that crosses borders in the field of social economies,” Alsheich
said, according to a press release issued by Europol.The agreement is
meant to primarily expand cooperation “to combat cross-border criminal
activity,” according to the press release. It allows for the exchange of
“strategic information” and the joint planning of operational
activities.Once it enters into force, the agreement will boost bilateral
efforts to tackle “priority crime areas” affecting both the EU and
Israel, such as fraud, cybercrime, and terrorism, the statement went
on.“Investigations in the EU have occasionally established links to
Israel in the field of financial crime. As Europol supports EU Member
States in identifying cross-border links, the Israeli contribution in
such cases continues to be of utmost importance.”International law
enforcement bodies have long expressed their frustration at Israel’s
inaction concerning financial fraud. The signing of this arrangement
appears to signal a step towards ameliorating this situation.Over the
last decade, Israel has become a global hub of investment scams,
employing more than 10,000 citizens — many of them new immigrants and
foreign-language speakers — in boiler rooms throughout the country,
selling fraudulent binary options, forex, CFDs (contracts for
differences), and cryptocurrency investments over the phone and internet
to people abroad.Victims are lured into investments under false
pretenses, and the vast majority lose their money. When the victim
protests, the “broker” more often than not disappears with the
money.Binary options fraud alone was estimated to be earning between $5
billion and $10 billion a year before, in the wake of reporting by The
Times of Israel, it was banned by a Knesset law last October that took
effect on January 26. Some binary options operatives have simply ignored
the ban, continuing to offer the product from Israel, while others now
sell fraudulent forex or cryptocurrency investments, and still others
have moved their operations abroad to countries including Russia,
Ukraine, Philippines, Panama, Poland, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and
Serbia.De Bolle said that Tuesday’s agreement was a “a major step
forward in enhancing” the relationship between the police forces of
Israel and the EU.“The arrangement will multiply contacts at all levels
and open doors to closer cooperation, making the European Union and
Israel safer.”The agreement marks a rare positive development in
Israel-EU ties, which have been undergoing a serious crisis in recent
weeks.Earlier on Tuesday, Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan
publicly sparred with the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini,
accusing the union of supporting groups promoting boycotts to Israel
and being affiliated with terrorist groups.#EU foreign policy chief
@FedericaMog 's baseless accusations against me won't stop me from
stating the facts:EU taxpayer funds go to NGOs linked to #BDS &
#terror.Mogherini invited me to Brussels to present our evidence. I'm
happy to accept @EUinIsraelhttps://t.co/K61Wk7SwAm— גלעד ארדן
(@giladerdan1) July 17, 2018-Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu summoned the EU’s ambassador to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret, to
the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem for a dressing-down after a television
report that cited the envoy saying the Knesset’s controversial
nation-state bill “reeks of racism.”Giaufret denies having used
derogatory language to describe the legislation.In June, Netanyahu
refused to meet Mogherini in Jerusalem, causing her to cancel a planned
trip to Israel.Simona Weinglass contributed to this report.
In
recording, Netanyahu boasts Israel convinced Trump to quit Iran nuclear
deal-Public broadcaster airs clip of PM telling Likud activists US exit
came after he stood up 'against the whole world' by opposing accord-By
Alexander Fulbright-TOI-19 July 2018
In a video clip
aired Tuesday by Israeli television, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
boasted that Israel was responsible for US President Donald Trump’s
decision to quit the Iran nuclear deal.In the video, which the Kan
public broadcaster said was filmed two weeks ago, Netanyahu can be seen
speaking to activists and senior members from his Likud party.“We
convinced the US president [to exit the deal] and I had to stand up
against the whole world and come out against this agreement,” Netanyahu
says in the video. “And we didn’t give up.”The prime minister then
begins to speak about the Iranian regime — “not the Iranian people, I
have nothing against them” — before he is interrupted by an unidentified
person off-screen who says, “It will disappear with the help of
God.”“You said it. From your mouth to God,” Netanyahu says in response
as the clip ends.Netanyahu does not explain in the video aired by Kan
how he convinced Trump to exit the deal. Trump had vowed to scrap what
he assailed as the “worst deal ever” before becoming president.The prime
minister, who has long railed against the 2015 nuclear deal, gave a
dramatic presentation a little over a week before Trump’s May 8
decision, where he unveiled documents Israel secreted away from Tehran
that he said proved “Iran lied” about its nuclear program.“I said it
from the start, it has to be either fully fixed or fully nixed,”
Netanyahu said at the time. “But if you do nothing to this deal, if you
keep it as is, you will end up with Iran with a nuclear arsenal in a
very short time.”Netanyahu was a vocal opponent of the deal as it was
being negotiated and when it was reached during the Obama
administration. The agreement lifted painful economic sanctions against
Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.Netanyahu has
repeatedly argued that the deal will not prevent Iran from gaining
nuclear weapons capability after its restrictions expire in the next
decade or so.Trump noted the Mossad haul of Iranian documents in his
speech announcing the US pullout from the deal, saying they
“conclusively” showed Iran’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. He
however gave no indication his decision was swayed by Israel.In his
announcement, the US president said the accord would not prevent Iran
from acquiring nuclear arms and he therefore was exiting the agreement
and reimposing sanctions.Trump’s decision was sharply opposed by Iran
and the deal’s other signatories — Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and
China. Those countries are currently working to preserve the accord
following the US pullout.Israel considers Iran its arch-enemy, citing
Iran’s calls for Israel’s destruction, support for terrorist groups
across the region, and growing military activity in neighboring Syria.
Israel has warned that it will not allow Iran, whose troops are backing
Syrian President Bashar Assad, to establish a permanent military
presence in Syria.
People in all 124 Ontario ridings will be consulted on sex ed, says Doug Ford-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-July 19, 2018
TORONTO
— People across Ontario will be consulted before a new sex-education
curriculum is drafted, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday in an attempt to
quell concerns over his government's controversial decision to scrap the
updated lesson plan.The newly elected Progressive Conservatives were
accused of flip-flopping on the issue Monday after the education
minister said in the legislature that concepts like gender identity,
consent and cyber safety would still be taught in the fall only to
backtrack on her comments hours later.Ford had pledged to repeal and
replace the curriculum, which the Liberals updated in 2015, and his
government said last week that when students return to class this fall
they will be taught a version of the curriculum introduced in 1998,
sparking anger from some teachers and parents who say that document is
outdated."We're going to hit 124 ridings," he said, calling it "the
largest consultation ever in Ontario's history when it comes to
education." Ford also attempted to allay concerns from critics that
reverting back to the old curriculum means important issues like cyber
safety, gender identity and consent wont' be taught, putting children at
risk."I think everyone is going to be pleasantly surprised," he said.
"I really do. I don't think this is the end of the world. I think it's
actually healthy. When it comes to teaching our kids, we have to consult
with the parents."Ford said that during the spring election parents
across Ontario told him they wanted more input into the curriculum's
design."We want to go and consult with the parents and get their input,"
he said. "Then we'll move forward with changing the curriculum."Ford's
opposition to the new sex-ed curriculum during the Progressive
Conservative leadership race earlier this year won him the support of
social conservatives within the party base, helping him to victory over
longtime Tory legislator and current health minister Christine
Elliott.NDP legislator Peter Tabuns said the reason the Ford government
is replacing the curriculum is to please social conservatives."Look at
who (Premier Ford's) backers are," he said. "We're talking about some
very deeply conservative, social conservative thinkers who think we
should be back in the 19th century or earlier."Going backward, Tabuns
said, puts children at risk.Meanwhile, a group of teachers have started
an online pledge form, urging fellow educators to sign up and promise to
continue to teach the updated version of the curriculum in their
classrooms this fall.Kate Curtis, speaking for the group who created the
pledge, said the teachers are acting out of a sense of moral and
ethical duty to their students."We as teachers know that we have a
professional and ethical obligation to make sure that our students are
safe, that they feel included both in our classrooms and also that
they're reflected in the curriculum."Curtis said the 1998 curriculum
does not reflect the reality of a teenager's life in 2018 and does not
accurately reference cyber safety, consent or gender identity."The world
has changed immensely in the last 20 years," she said. "Students are
reflecting that change at school ... we really have to reflect that."Two
top officials at Canada's largest school board said Tuesday that they
have not received any direction from the Ontario government regarding
the sex-ed curriculum that will be taught this fall.In a joint
statement, Toronto District School Board chair Robin Pilkey and director
of education John Malloy said that since the provinces' announcement
last week, they have received questions and heard concerns from parents,
staff and students.Regardless of the which version of the curriculum is
taught in September, the board has a responsibility to students that is
guided by the Human Rights Code, provincial legislation that governs
schools and its own policies, the statement said."When we know who our
students are, we can make informed decisions about how to best teach
them in ways that are relevant and engaging," the statement said. "This
means that learning about real-world topics relevant to today's students
will continue in the classroom and teachers will be supported to do
this. This remains a priority in the TDSB."Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian
Press.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
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.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear
the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a
controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth,
nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein
shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of
heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22
The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and
with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword,
and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until
thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25
And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in
the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC)
and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION)
the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing
them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of
heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Hawaii tour boats return to volcano zone after 'lava bomb'-[Reuters]-By Jolyn Rosa-YAHOONEWS-July 19, 2018
HONOLULU
(Reuters) - Tour boats offering a close-up look at lava pouring from
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano into the Pacific Ocean returned to the waters
off the Big Island on Tuesday under new safety rules, a day after 23
passengers were injured by ash and molten rock.Monday's accident
prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to require boat captains to stay at least
300 meters (yards) from lava flowing from fissures in the volcano flank.
Previously, experienced operators such as Shane Turpin, captain of the
boat hit in Monday's explosion, had to stay only 50 meters (164
feet)away.An investigation was under way to determine the exact location
of Turpin's vessel at the time of the blast, said U.S. Coast Guard
spokeswoman Sara Muir. Afterwards authorities will decide whether to
increase the 300-meter restriction zone, she said."It's information all
of our partners are interested in as they look at that zone and decide
whether 300 meters is sufficient," Muir said by telephone.Turpin, owner
of Lava Ocean Tours, said he was well outside the 50-meter zone at the
time of the blast, which caused cuts and burns to numerous passengers.
One woman had her thigh bone broken."We were headed east away from the
flows," Turpin said in a text message. "My recollection is we were
around 200 meters from the flow."-EXPLOSION, THEN SCREAMING-A video
posted on Facebook by Will Bryan, a passenger aboard Turpin's boat the
"Hot Spot", shows glowing orange lava flowing into the ocean and steam
billowing up, then an explosion and the sound of screaming passengers as
rocks pelt the boat."We didn't expect to be that close," said Bryan in a
Facebook message, adding that he suffered a burn and his girlfriend got
ash in her eye.The injuries were the first on a tour boat from flying
lava in recent times, according to U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Amanda
Levasseur.Lava Ocean Tours was set to take tourists out as usual on
Tuesday, although the "Hot Spot" was taken out of service after a
basketball-size "lava bomb" tore a hole through its roof, a company
saleswoman said.Asked if the company had seen cancellations, she said
"not really".Kalapana Cultural Tours, which competes with Turpin's
company, reported normal boat services and no cancellations.Ikaika
Marzo, president of Kalapana Cultural Tours, witnessed Monday's
explosion from a nearby tour boat."We try to make things safe for people
when we take them out," Marzo said in a Facebook post.Hawaii's tourist
agency reassured visitors it was safe to see Kilauea and its lava, the
Big Island's top attractions."Today's unfortunate event is a good
reminder about the risks involved with observing a natural wonder like
this one and the reason officials are continuously monitoring the
eruption to ensure the public is kept at safe distances on land, in the
air and while at sea," Ross Birch, executive director of the Island of
Hawaii Visitors Bureau, said in a statement.(Additional reporting and
writing by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Alison Williams and
Sandra Maler)
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)
Deal
reached to evacuate pro-regime Syria towns, watchdog says-Residents of
Fu'ah and Kafriya, besieged by rebel forces, to be allowed to leave in
exchange for the release of hundreds held in government detention
centers-By Rouba El Husseini-TOI-JUL 19,18
BEIRUT,
Lebanon (AFP) — A deal was reached on Tuesday for the evacuation of two
pro-regime towns in Syria, allowing thousands to leave after three years
of encirclement by hardline rebels.Fu’ah and Kafriya are the last
remaining towns under siege in Syria, where the medieval tactic was
mostly made notorious by government forces in the seven-year
war.Surrounded and bombed by hostile factions, the Shiite-majority towns
became both a rallying cry for the government and a playing card in
callous rebel hands.Their residents are all expected to leave under a
major agreement reached Tuesday between government ally Moscow and rebel
backer Ankara, a war monitor said.“The deal provides for the total
evacuation of residents in the two towns, which are besieged by rebels
and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, to regime territory in nearby Aleppo
province,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham, or HTS, is a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda’s former
affiliate in Syria.Hundreds of people would be released from the
regime’s notorious detention centers in exchange, Observatory head Rami
Abdel Rahman told AFP.A source from HTS also confirmed the deal, telling
AFP that more than 100 buses would evacuate 6,900 people including
fighters and civilians from Fu’ah and Kafriya.The source said 1,500
people would be freed from government-run jails.The agreement has not
been confirmed by any government involved, but Syrian state media
reported Tuesday that it had preliminary information on a deal to free
“thousands” of people from Fu’ah and Kafriya.-‘Haven’t forgotten’-The
towns came under siege in 2015, as rebels and jihadists overran the
surrounding province of Idlib.That cut off access to food and medicine
for their residents outside of United Nations aid deliveries.The
evacuation deal reached Tuesday is not the first for the two tiny
towns.In April 2017, thousands were bused out Fu’ah and Kafriya in
exchange for parallel evacuations from two towns near Damascus that were
being besieged by the government.But a blast targeting a convoy of
evacuees from Fu’ah and Kafriya left 150 people dead, most of them
civilians and including 72 children.Traumatized residents left behind
are now afraid that scenario might happen again.“What are we going to do
with our land and property? Oh my hometown,” said a 42-year-old
resident of Kafriya who spoke on condition of anonymity.“I pray this
will go well — we still haven’t forgotten those that died in the blast,”
he told AFP on Tuesday.Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with
protests against President Bashar Assad that later spun out into
full-fledged war.Early on in the uprising, Turkey began providing
support to rebel groups as Russia and Iran steadfastly backed their man
in Damascus.Those three countries have become the main powerbrokers in
Syria, agreeing last year to create four “de-escalation” zones to pave
the way for a nationwide ceasefire.Idlib is part of one such zone. It
borders Turkey to the northwest but is otherwise almost totally
surrounded by regime territory, prompting fears the government would
eventually attack it.-No Idlib attack?-But the Observatory said the
terms of the new Russia-Turkey deal included keeping the regime from
waging a military operation there.The Britain-based monitor said Turkish
and Russian forces would also jointly patrol a part of the key M5
highway which cuts through Idlib.The M5 connects Damascus to second city
Aleppo in the north.Analyst Nawar Oliver at the Turkey-based Omran
Centre said the evacuation could pave the way for a grand bargain on
Idlib.“Change is inevitably coming to Idlib, but There are numerous
predicaments that need to be resolved, including Fu’ah and Kafriya,
before reaching a final deal,” Oliver told AFP.Assad’s forces have
already recaptured two of the “de-escalation” zones this year: Eastern
Ghouta outside Damascus and an area in central Homs.They sealed their
control over those areas with a blend of military pressure and
negotiated surrenders of rebel groups there.Using the same tactics, they
are now close to seizing the third zone in southern Syria, which
includes the key provinces of Daraa and Quneitra.Heavy air strikes on
Tuesday battered an area straddling the two governorates, killing 15
civilians across two towns, according to the Observatory.Tens of
thousands of civilians remain displaced in a part of Quneitra just a
handful of kilometers (miles) from the Israeli Golan Heights.But Israel,
like Jordan to Syria’s south, has kept the border closed to desperate
displaced families fleeing the assault in recent weeks.
Brawl
at High Court between families of slain terrorists, Israeli
victims-Violence breaks out between Israelis, Palestinians at court
session over Israeli policy of withholding bodies of assailants-By TOI
staff-19 July 2018
Chaos erupted at a High Court session
in Jerusalem Tuesday, when a brawl broke out between the families of
slain Palestinian terrorists and those of Jewish victims.The families
were participating in court deliberations on Israel’s policy of
withholding the bodies of some Palestinian assailants for use as
bargaining chips.The father of Shir Hajaj, an IDF soldier killed in a
January 2017 car ramming attack in Jerusalem, was addressing the judges
when relatives of slain assailants interrupted him. Families from both
sides began exchanging heated insults, which quickly turned to violence.
Hadashot TV news broadcast footage of the confrontation.The judges left
the room and court security was called in to separate the sides. There
was no immediate word on whether arrests were made.In March, the Knesset
passed a law allowing police to withhold the bodies of Palestinian
assailants killed while carrying out terror attacks from burial.The law
came after the High Court of Justice in December ruled Israel could not
longer use terrorists’ bodies as bargaining chips without legislation
explicitly permitting the practice.Under the law, district police
commanders can determine whether to release terrorists’ bodies for
burial. If there is concern the terrorist’s funeral could be used to
carry out an attack or provide a platform for praising terrorism, police
may keep the bodies in custody until further notice, it says.The law
says terrorists’ funerals in recent years have featured praise of
terrorism and incitement for further attacks.The family of a slain IDF
soldier whose remains are held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip have also
urged the state to hold on to terrorists’ bodies and use them to
negotiate the return of soldiers’ bodies.
Saudi Arabia
executes seven people in one day-Among those put to death are two Saudis
and three Chad nationals, convicted of the kidnapping and murder of a
Pakistani security guard-By AFP-TOI-19 July 2018
RIYADH,
Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed seven death row inmates,
who had been convicted of murder and drug trafficking, state media
reported.The ultra-conservative kingdom has one of the world’s highest
rates of execution, with suspects convicted of terrorism, homicide,
rape, armed robbery, and drug trafficking all facing the death
penalty.Two Saudi Arabian citizens and three nationals of Chad were
executed after being sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of
a Pakistani security guard, with the alleged intent of robbing the
warehouse he was guarding, according to the state-run SPA agency.Another
Saudi Arabian was executed for murder after setting a man on fire, SPA
reported.A Lebanese national was executed for attempting to smuggle
captagon into the kingdom, SPA said. Captagon, a drug popular among
fighters in war zones, usually blends amphetamines, caffeine, and other
substances in pill form.Tuesday’s executions bring to 73 the total
number of people put to death in the kingdom this year, according to a
tally by AFP.Saudi Arabia had the third-highest execution rate in the
world in 2017, after China and Iran, according to Amnesty
International.Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the
fairness of trials in the kingdom, governed under a strict form of
Islamic law. The government says the death penalty is a deterrent for
further crime.In April, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next in line
to the throne, suggested the kingdom would consider changing the penalty
from death to life in certain cases, except murder, in an interview
with Time Magazine.
UK PM May threatened rebels with a national election: The Times-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-July 19, 2018
LONDON
(Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May threatened rebel
lawmakers in her Conservative Party with a general election this summer
if they defeated her Brexit plans on customs, The Times newspaper
reported.In one of the most tumultuous periods in recent British
political history, there have been four major elections in the past four
years: the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, the 2015 UK
election, the Brexit referendum of 2016 and the snap election called by
May last year.The Times said that Conservative whips, who enforce
discipline in the party, issued the warning to pro-EU lawmakers, led by
the former ministers Stephen Hammond and Nicky Morgan, minutes before a
crucial vote on Tuesday on customs.May narrowly avoided a defeat in
parliament at the hands of the pro-EU lawmakers from her own party in
the vote.Parliament voted 307 to 301 against an amendment to trade
legislation that would have required the government to try to negotiate a
customs union arrangement with the EU if, by Jan. 21, 2019, it had
failed to negotiate a frictionless free trade deal with the
bloc.(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)
After two-year purge, Turkey to end state of emergency-[AFP]-Stuart WILLIAMS-YAHOONEWS-July 19, 2018
Istanbul
(AFP) - Turkey's state of emergency which was imposed after the failed
2016 coup is to end Wednesday but the opposition fears it will be
replaced by even more repressive legislative measures.President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan declared the state of emergency on July 20, 2016, five
days after warplanes bombed Ankara and bloody clashes broke out in
Istanbul in a doomed putsch bid that claimed 249 lives.The measure,
which normally lasts three months but was extended seven times, has seen
the detention of some 80,000 people and about double that number sacked
from jobs in public institutions.The biggest purge of Turkey's modern
history has targeted not just alleged supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the
US-based preacher blamed for the coup, but also Kurdish activists and
leftists.The former leaders of the opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples'
Democratic Party (HDP) -- Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas -- are
still languishing in jail following their arrest in November 2016 on
charges of links to Kurdish militants.- Same measures, different name
-During last month's presidential election campaign, which he won,
Erdogan pledged that the state of emergency would end.And it will -- at
1:00 am on Thursday (2200 GMT Wednesday), simply by virtue of the
government not asking that it be extended.But the opposition has been
angered by the government's submission of new legislation to parliament
that apparently seeks to formalise some of the harshest aspects of the
emergency.The bill, dubbed "anti-terror" legislation by pro-government
media, will be discussed at commission level on Thursday and then in
plenary session on Monday.The main opposition Republican People's Party
(CHP) said the new measures would amount to a state of emergency on
their own."With this bill, with the measures in this text, the state of
emergency will not be extended for three months, but for three years,"
said the head of the CHP's parliamentary faction, Ozgur Ozel."They make
it look like they are lifting the emergency but in fact they are
continuing it," he added.- Key elements unchanged -Under the proposed
legislation, the authorities will retain for three more years the power
to sack civil servants deemed linked to "terror" groups, retaining a key
power of the state of emergency.Protests and gatherings will be banned
in open public areas after sunset, although they can be authorised until
midnight if they do not disturb the public order.Local authorities will
be able to prohibit individuals from entering or leaving a defined area
for 15 days on security grounds.And suspect can be held without charge
for 48 hours or up to four days in the case of multiple offences.This
period can be extended up to twice if there is difficulty in collecting
evidence or if the case is deemed to be particularly voluminous.-
'Anti-terror fight won't end' -The authorities have also shown no
hesitation in using the special powers of the emergency -- right up to
its final days.Following a decree issued on July 8, 18,632 people were
sacked -- 8,998 of them police officers -- over suspected links to
terror organisations and groups that "act against national security".The
move came just two weeks after Erdogan was reelected under a new system
that gives him greater powers than any Turkish leader since the
aftermath of World War II.The new executive presidency means government
ministries and public institutions are now centralised under the direct
control of the presidency.Erdogan says it is necessary to have a more
efficient government but the opposition claims it has placed Turkey
squarely under one-man rule."The end of the state of emergency does not
mean our fight against terror is going to come to an end," said Justice
Minister Abdulhamit Gul.
