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)
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
No one will enter the New World Order... unless he or she will make a pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will take a Luciferian Initiation.- David Spangler Director of Planetary Initiative United Nations.
THE EU WORLD DICTATOR
REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(EU WORLD DICTATOR) and he that sat on him had a bow;(PEACE) and a crown was given unto him:(WORLD LEADER) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS. 10 HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES ON THE SCENE BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR, COMES FROM 1 OF THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3 COUNTRIES RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT STARTED THE EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE 7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM SATAN,HE COMES FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION. JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE EARTH.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16 And he (FALSE POPE) causeth all,(WORLD SOCIALISM) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he (THE EU DICTATOR) do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
Juncker envisages EU of core groups By Andrew Rettman-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 24. Feb, 09:19-European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker has said that EU states which wanted deeper integration should press ahead in core groups in reaction to the UK’s departure.“We can do many things together, but this is no longer a time when we can imagine everyone doing the same thing together," he said at a speech in the Louvain-la-Neuve university in Belgium on Thursday (23 February).“We have to come up with an answer to this historical question, which is to ask ourselves: 'Do we want to move ahead as 28 - we’ve already lost the 28th [the UK] - or should it not be that those who want to go forward more rapidly can do so without bothering the others by putting in place a more structured framework that is open to everyone?'”, he said.Referring to a commission policy paper on the issue due out this month, he added: "I will argue for this in the coming days."He did not specify in which areas he would like to see core-group integration, but his speech praised the single currency, which comprises 19 out of the 28 EU states.It also said the EU should press ahead with military cooperation, referring to French and German ideas that were to use an EU treaty clause on “structured permanent cooperation” between a coalition of willing countries.Speaking to the Bloomberg news agency the same day, Austrian chancellor Christian Kern said the Brexit talks, due to start in March, were about bigger issues than just future UK relations.“Brexit is not only about the relation to Great Britain, it’s about the role and unity of Europe itself and so therefore it’s really a very sensitive negotiation procedure,” he said.He predicted the talks would be “not as easy as the British expect” and would cause “frustration” among Leave advocates who had expected a “free lunch”.He said Britain would face a bill of “around €60 billion” on its EU budgetary commitments and warned against the UK trying to turn itself into a tax haven to compete with Europe.“If they start to reduce their corporate taxes to an unreasonable level, then there will be a certain reaction,” he said."They need access to the European market and so they have to behave in a decent and reasonable manner,” the Austrian leader said.
EU's big four back 'multi-speed' Europe-By Eszter Zalan-MAR 7,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:28-Leaders of the EU's four largest economies threw their weight behind a multi-speed Europe on Monday (6 March) as the European Union prepares for life after Brexit, with rising populism, and an uncertain US strategy over Europe.The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain met in the palace of Versailles to prepare for a 25 March EU summit in Rome, marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which gave way for European integration.German chancellor Angela Merkel, head of the EU's economic powerhouse, said leaders need to find the courage to forge ahead with integration despite opposition from others. Otherwise they risk the fate of the EU."We need to have the courage for some countries to go ahead if not everyone wants to participate. A Europe of different speeds is necessary, otherwise we will probably get stuck," Merkel said at a joint press conference."If Europe gets stuck and doesn't develop further, then this work of peace may run into danger faster than one might think," she added.French president Francois Hollande argued that "unity does not mean uniformity".He called for new forms of cooperation to allow some member states to push ahead quickly in the area of defense and the eurozone, deepening of economic and monetary union, harmonising social policy and tax policy.Other EU members could opt out of measures intended to deepen integration, Hollande added.Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy and Italy's premier Paolo Gentiloni also supported the idea of a multi-speed Europe.Last week EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker proposed five scenarios the EU could take after the UK leaves the bloc. One of the playbooks would for the first time officially back a multi-speed Europe.While different groups of member states already work together at various levels of integration – 19 in the eurozone, 23 EU members in the Schengen passport-free travel zone – it has never been an official policy to acknowledge and promote the different speeds of integration.Juncker's proposals aim to have member states commit to one scenario and then sticking to it.Reforming the block will be the topic at the 25 March Rome summit, as founding members such as the Netherlands, France and Germany all face crunch elections this year amid the rise of populist, anti-immigration, anti-EU, nationalistic parties.Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg had supported the idea of a multi-speed Europe.But some governments, especially in the bloc's eastern flank, fear this could entrench divisions to their disadvantage.Last week Finland's premier Juha Sipila also said he opposed the idea, arguing that EU countries should move together.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(UNITED NATIONS TROOPS) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
EU agrees to set up military training HQ-By EUOBSERVER-6. Mar, 17:56
EU states Monday agreed to set up an HQ for military training missions in what some see as the nucleus of a future European army. The HQ, to be called a Military Planning and Conduct Capability facility, will have about 30 staff and will start work next month and will take charge of three existing EU training missions - in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Mali, and in Somalia.
EU military HQ to take charge of Africa missions By Andrew Rettman, Nikolaj Nielsen, Eric Maurice-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 6. Mar, 18:50-EU states agreed to set up a new HQ for military training missions on Monday (6 March) in what some see as the nucleus of a future European army.The HQ, to be called a Military Planning and Conduct Capability facility, will be housed in an EU building on Avenue Cortenbergh in Brussels which already hosts EU military experts, the EU Military Staff.It will have about 30 personnel, most of whom will be pulled in from other EU departments, and will be led by a Finnish lieutenant-general, Esa Pulkkinen, who also heads the military experts bureau.The HQ is to start work in April and to take charge of three existing EU training missions - in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Mali, and in Somalia - in the next few months.A senior EU official said on Monday that the HQ would take care of the missions’ administrative and financial needs and would brief EU diplomats on what they were doing.The official said that, under current arrangements, military commanders in the field in Mali or Somalia, for instance, had to go back and forth to Brussels to do the work.“Now the field commander can concentrate on field issues”, the official said.The official said the HQ would also help to coordinate the missions' logistical, medical, legal, and communications' needs.The official added that the HQ might, following a review in 2018, take charge of military missions that have a combat element, such as Sophia, the EU naval operation designed to fight human smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea.“It’s for member states to define how much more they want to do,” the official said.Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign relations chief, said at a foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday that the HQ was “not a European army - I know there is this label going around - but it’s a more effective way of handling our military work”.She voiced “pride” in the “unanimous” decision, noting that the EU had in the past shown “divisiveness” on military cooperation.France, Germany, and Italy have led the push for deeper EU military integration as a reaction to the UK’s decision to leave the bloc and due to increasing instability in Europe’s eastern and southern neighbourhood.Italy, in a “vision” paper last September, called for the creation of a “powerful and usable European Force that can also be employed in support to Nato or UN operations”.Other states, such as Finland, had called for more “pragmatic” cooperation, while the UK had said it opposed anything that would compete with Nato.Speaking on Monday, Didier Reynders, the Belgian foreign minister, called the new HQ “a first step”, adding that when it comes to “a European army, maybe later”.Michael Ayrault, the French foreign minister, said: "It's necessary that we make progress [on defence] in a world of uncertainties".He added that defence cooperation was "important" for Franco-German relations as well as for European security and that it showed that Europe was "advancing ... despite Brexit and despite the US elections", referring to US president Donald Trump's anti-EU comments.German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen, said: “We took a very important step toward a European security and defence union, because we have become very concrete”.She said that non-EU states, including post-Brexit UK, could “join in selectively with certain [military] projects or missions”.“The Norwegians have great interest in this, the British have great interest in this,” she said.The British defence minister, Michael Fallon, said the UK would “continue to cooperate with our European partners on defence and security”.He noted that UK had a large component in Sophia and that it was sending troops to Estonia, Poland, and Romania as part of a Nato mission to deter Russian aggression.He added that "sensible" EU countries, such as the Nordic states and the Netherlands, shared Britain's concerns that an EU army could undermine Nato, however.He also downplayed the new "Military Planning and Conduct Capability" centre, saying: "There will be no new [military] headquarters, no new general officer. The current director of the EU military staff will be director of the military planning and conduct capability".
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)
Cyclone Enawo batters Madagascar, threatens capital-[AFP]-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
Antananarivo (AFP) - Tropical cyclone Enawo struck Madagascar on Tuesday, buffeting the island with powerful winds, heavy rain and high seas and threatening to cause chaos in the capital, the country's weather agency said."Enawo made landfall and struck... with terrible winds of 210 km/h (130 mph) with some gales of 290 km/h" from around midday (0900 GMT) Tuesday, according to the head of the Madagascar's Weather Service, Samueline Rahariveloarimiza.She warned that the capital Antananarivo was in "imminent danger" with the cyclone expected to reach the city of 1.4 million people on Wednesday.The entire north of the island nation, which lies 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of mainland Africa, is on "red alert", Rahariveloarimiza told AFP.Reports of injuries or damage caused by the cyclone's arrival were not immediately available.Strong winds and heavy winds have been battering Antalaha and Cape Masoala in the country's northeast since Monday. The island's north is particularly exposed to extreme weather systems.Residents in Enawo's path have been advised in recent days to evacuate low-lying areas, seek shelter and stock up on on food and water.Rescue teams were deployed across the island ahead of Enawo's arrival.Madagascar's storm season normally runs from November through February and claims dozens of lives every year.In 2012, tropical storm Irina and tropical cyclone Giovanna claimed more than 100 lives.The Indian Ocean island has suffered severe drought and food shortages since 2015, with the southern region the worst affected.
Europe launches latest earth observation satellite-[Associated Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
PARIS (AP) — The European Space Agency has launched into orbit a fifth Sentinel satellite as part of its Copernicus earth observation program.The 1.1 ton Sentinel-2B was successfully launched from French Guiana. It's joining twin satellite Sentinel-2A, which has been in orbit since 2015. Both have been designed to provide high-resolution optical images for land services.The ESA said the twins will help produce extremely precise data expected to benefit agriculture as well as study climate and environment. Sentinel-2B will help track pollution of lakes and coastal waters, monitor land changes or produce disaster maps by providing information on floods, volcanic eruptions and landslide.According to ESA, Copernicus "can now build up an image covering the entire planet in just 5 days, cutting the time needed to image the globe by half."
MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL EATS HUMANS FLESH FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL-JERUSALEM
EZEKIEL 39:11-12,18
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
EZEKIEL 39:17-21
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF RUSSIAN/ISLAMIC HORDES AGAINST ISRAEL)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
REVELATION 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;(AGAINST ALL NATIONS ARMIES THAT COME AGAINST JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL)
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
EZEKIEL 38:1-7
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
Turkish, US and Russian military chiefs meet on Syria, Iraq-[Associated Press]-BASSEM MROUE and SUZAN FRASER-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
BEIRUT (AP) — The top generals from Turkey, the United States and Russia met Tuesday to discuss developments in Syria and Iraq as Syrian government forces made fresh gains fighting the Islamic State group.The surprise meeting between Turkey's Gen. Hulusi Akar, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, took place in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya.The talks, announced by Turkey, come amid rising tensions in northern Syria, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters, U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces and Russian-allied Syrian troops are fighting their way toward the IS group's de facto capital, Raqqa.Turkey, a NATO ally, views the Kurdish group that dominates the Syria Democratic Forces as terrorists and has threatened to drive them from the northern city of Manbij, which the alliance captured from the militants last year with the aid of U.S. airstrikes. Turkey and Syria meanwhile support opposite sides in the Syrian civil war.The U.S. has a few hundred special operations forces embedded with the SDF and wants the alliance to lead the march on Raqqa, where IS militants are believed to have planned international attacks.The Pentagon said Monday that U.S. forces have also taken up positions on the outskirts of Manbij to try to keep a lid on tensions.On Monday, SDF fighters blocked the main road linking Raqqa with the eastern IS-held city of Deir el-Zour. The SDF is now stationed eight kilometers (five miles) north of Raqqa.Elsewhere in northern Syria, government forces and their allies marched closer to a main water pumping station controlled by IS in Aleppo province, Syria's military and an activist group said.The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said troops are now just miles from the station, which supplies the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest, with water.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the advance near the town of Deir Hafer, the Jarrah air base and the Khafseh pumping station.The advance is part of a dayslong government offensive against IS backed by Russian airstrikes. Taking the water station would ease Aleppo's water shortage.In the center of the country, Syrian troops captured the Jazal oil field from the extremists after days of fighting, state TV said, quoting an unnamed military official. The TV said military experts are dismantling explosives left behind while firefighters are working on extinguishing one of the wells that was torched by the extremists.____Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria contributed to this report.
Russia: World court has no jurisdiction in Ukraine case-[Associated Press]-MIKE CORDER-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Russia on Tuesday rejected allegations that it sponsors terrorism by funneling arms and money to separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine and is also responsible for discriminating against ethnic groups in Crimea.Roman Kolodkin, the legal director of Russia's foreign ministry, said that a case filed by Ukraine at the International Court of Justice making the allegations is an attempt to draw the court into ruling on "issues between Ukraine and Russia that are clearly beyond the court's jurisdiction in this case."The opening of a legal front in the long-running dispute between Moscow and Kiev comes as clashes continue between rebels and Ukrainian forces in conflict-torn eastern Ukraine.Kiev wants the world court to rule that Russia is breaching treaties on terrorist financing and racial discrimination. Hearings this week are focused on Ukraine's request for the court to issue "provisional measures" including an order for Moscow to halt financing to rebels in eastern Ukraine and to stop discriminating against non-Russians in Crimea.As part of its main case, Ukraine also wants the court to order Russia to pay reparations for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine by a surface-to-air missile on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.International investigators have concluded that the Buk missile was fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there, a finding that Moscow rejects.Parents of victims of the downing demonstrated outside the court Tuesday, setting up signs calling for "Justice for MH17.""The message is a very simple one: We are asking for the truth regarding the MH17 disaster," said Thomas Schansman, whose 18-year-old son Quinn, a joint Dutch-American national, was killed. "We are asking the Russian government to take responsibility finally for what they did."Samuel Wordsworth, a lawyer representing Russia, told judges in the ornate Peace Palace that there was no evidence linking Russia to the downing of the aircraft. "There is no evidence, plausible or otherwise, that Russia provided weaponry to any party with the intent or knowledge that such weaponry be used to shoot down civilian aircraft," he said.Lawyers for Russia said that no international organizations monitoring clashes between rebels and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine have characterized acts such as indiscriminate shelling as terrorism, and added that Ukrainian forces also were responsible for such shelling in rebel-held regions. They also rejected claims that Russia discriminates against Tatars in Crimea.The main case will likely take years to resolve. Judges are expected to take weeks to rule on the request for interim measures.
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
North Korea warns of 'actual war', U.S. calls it 'pariah'-[Reuters]-By Stephanie Nebehay-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea faced a chorus of condemnation on Tuesday for its latest ballistic missile tests but declared that ongoing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises were aimed at conducting a "pre-emptive nuclear attack" against Pyongyang.Ju Yong Choi, a North Korean diplomat, told the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that the annual drills were "a major cause of escalation of tension that might turn into actual war" on the divided Korean peninsula."The ongoing joint military exercise is carried out with massive mobilization of troops, unprecedented in size, and various types of U.S. strategic forces including nuclear carriers, nuclear strategic bombers and Stealth fighters," Ju told the 61-member forum."It will certainly jeopardize peace and stability in the region and drive the situation in the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war," he said.During the stormy 90-minute session, envoys from more than a dozen countries, including North Korea's main ally China, as well as Britain, France, Russia and the United States, condemned North Korea's test-firing of four ballistic missiles on Monday.Robert Wood, U.S. Disarmament Ambassador, condemned North Korea's tests as its latest violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang's weapons program represented a "clear threat to the national security of every country of the region", he said.The United States had an "iron-clad commitment to defend its allies" and the joint military exercises carried out with Seoul for more than 40 years were "transparent and defense-oriented".Referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Wood said: "It should be very clear to the DPRK that it is a pariah, it is an outlier, it is in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and that the countries represented in this room are not going to stand by and just let the DPRK violate international law."(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Tom Miles and Catherine Evans)
China warns US it will face consequences over anti-missile system in South Korea-Toby Meyjes for Metro.co.ukTuesday 7 Mar 2017 9:31 am
China has said it will take measures against the US anti-missile system being deployed in South Korea warning that both countries will bear the consequences.The Chinese government said it is ‘firmly opposed’ to the deployment of the missile-defence system after US missile launchers and other equipment arrived in South Korea today.South Korea decided to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in July in response to missile threat from North Korea.However, China has objected that THAAD’s radar can penetrate its territory.Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said today that China will ‘definitely be taking necessary measures to safeguard our own security interest’.He added ‘all consequences’ resulting from that will be borne by the US and South Korea.The equipment arrived just a day after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles into the ocean near Japan.But South Korea has said it was considering filing a complaint against China to the World Trade Organisation over what it called trade retaliations.South Korean companies in China have reported cyber attacks, store closures and fines, while the the country’s media has called for a boycott of South Korean good and services.Airline Jeju Air has seen an application for flights between the two countries rejected several times this year, however, no reason has been given.Reports also stated the government ordered that tour operators in China stop selling trips to South Korea last week.But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said its stance that law-abiding foreign companies are welcome and will be protected remains the same.Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/07/china-warns-us-it-will-face-consequences-over-anti-missile-system-in-south-korea-6492740/#ixzz4adqXKqpv
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
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)
Refugee claims soar at Quebec-U.S. border, new figures show-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-March 6, 2017
There were seven times more refugee claims at Quebec's land border in February than in the same month a year earlier, according to new statistics provided by the Canada Border Services Agency.A total of 724 people made claims last month after crossing into the province from the U.S. by land, compared with 99 in February 2016.In January, 452 people claimed asylum at Quebec border crossings — a 230 per cent increase from January 2016.The latest figures underscore the practical and political challenges facing the Canadian government as it deals with a recent surge in asylum seekers.Ottawa monitors situation-Federal cabinet ministers are expected to discuss the rise in asylum seekers at a meeting on Tuesday.The figures also came as U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new version of his controversial travel ban, aiming to withstand court challenges while still barring citizens from six Muslim-majority countries from acquiring new visas and putting restrictions on the U.S. refugee program.The revised travel order leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries but still affects would-be visitors from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.Immigration lawyers in Montreal believe the rise in asylum seekers is at least partly due to the political climate south of the border under the new president.Big increase come spring? Experts and officials believe the number of asylum seekers could climb further in the spring, when the temperature increases, making it easier to cross illegally into the country.Though other Canadian provinces have also seen a surge in illegal crossings at the Canada- U.S., especially Manitoba, Quebec has seen the biggest jump in recent months.Officials believe that may be due to Quebec's proximity to major U.S. hubs like New York City and Washington.Over the past several months, asylum seekers have been frequently spotted at irregular crossings along the Quebec-U.S. border, often arriving by taxi at Roxham Road in New York and walking into Hemmingford on the Canadian side.Jacqueline Roby, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency, couldn't say how many of the refugee claimants crossed legally and how many crossed illegally.The latest countrywide numbers were also not immediately available, she said in an email.
EU court says member states don't have to issue humanitarian visas-[Reuters]-By Robert-Jan Bartunek and Gabriela Baczynska-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union states do not have to admit people on humanitarian grounds, even if they are at risk of torture or inhuman treatment, the EU's top court ruled on Tuesday, cutting off a possible channel for asylum seekers into the bloc.The decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) goes against advice from its advocate general, who said last month that such visas had to be issued under EU law.It spares EU states a new big headache at a time when they are pushing to stem immigration by cutting off asylum seekers and labor migrants alike after taking in some 1.6 million people arriving across the Mediterranean in 2014-2016.The court ruled on the case of a Syrian family from the city of Aleppo who applied for a visa to stay with acquaintances in Belgium in October. Belgian authorities had refused the visa, leading to a court battle."Member States are not required, under EU law, to grant a humanitarian visa to persons who wish to enter their territory with a view to applying for asylum, but they remain free to do so on the basis of their national law," the court said.While EU member states can now issue such visas if they choose, an EU-wide legal obligation to do so would have paved the way for many new applications they would then have been unable to reject.Some European lawmakers, as well as aid groups, have called for such a solution, saying EU embassies and consulates outside of the bloc should handle such requests."NGOs (non-governmental organizations) wanted to move the EU border to the embassies but the ECJ has reined them in. A good thing," said Belgium's migration minister, Theo Francken.EU states have struggled to accommodate the migrants and refugees who made it into the bloc, ensure sufficient security screening and agree between themselves on how to share out the responsibility.They have waged bitter political battles over that for some two years now, with no sign of agreement emerging on the horizon.The bloc has hence increasingly started to turn to countries south and east of the Mediterranean to have them block people on their way to Europe and be able to send them back more easily."Had the court ruled otherwise, it would have been a huge, a massive problem," said a diplomat in Brussels who is involved in EU migration policies.(Additional reporting by Tom Koerkemeier; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Refusing refugees would cost EU funds, MEP says By Eszter Zalan-MAR 7,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 08:52-EU countries that refuse to take in asylum seekers should have their structural funds suspended, suggests the European Parliament’s rapporteur for reforming the EU’s so-called Dublin asylum system.Instead of the European Commission’s original proposal of fining countries €250,000 for each asylum seeker that is refused, MEP Cecilia Wikstroem suggests suspending payments from the European Structural and Investment Funds to the country in question.“I found it unethical to put a price tag on an individual,” Wikstroem told journalists on Monday (6 March).“Countries shouldn’t receive as much [money] if they don’t comply with EU law,” she added.According to the EU Commission's plans rolled out last May, the new asylum system would automatically introduce a relocation scheme if a particular country is overwhelmed by an influx of people.If a country receives over 150 percent of its allocated asylum applications (a reference number calculated by the size and the wealth of the country), an automatic, mandatory relocation of people to other EU countries would begin.If any country refuses to participate, it would have to pay a fine, a "solidarity contribution" of €250,000 per asylum applicant it would have taken according to the reference quota, the Commission proposed.However it is unclear yet how the Wiktroem's suspension mechanism would work, but she said she has worked on the idea with the legal services, and that it is possible to implement.“The majority of the member states are in favour of it,” the Swedish liberal MEP claimed.-Transition period-The rapporteur, who will present her report to the European Parliament's civil liberties committee on Thursday, will also introduce a five-year transition period for countries that need time “to adapt and prepare” to receive asylum seekers.The country should gradually take in asylum seekers, starting with 20 percent of the quota key suggested by the European Commission.Wikstroem is positive these measures will convince those countries that are currently reluctant to take asylum seekers.She even said Slovakia's interior minister, Robert Kalinak, one of the countries that refused to take in asylum seekers, said that it is an idea that “could be sold”.The MEP said that the notion of “flexible solidarity”, introduced by Slovakia when it held the EU presidency last year “is not good enough”. This scheme allowed those countries that do not want to take asylum seekers to contribute to the common external border control, and asylum policy with personnel or equipment.Wikstroem also seeks to tweak the Commission’s proposal on what would trigger the relocation of asylum seekers from a front-line country.If an EU country experiences an uncommonly high influx of people, their relocation to other countries should be triggered automatically when that country has reached 100 percent of its allocated share, and not 150 percent as the EU executive suggested.However, if an EU country fails to guard its borders and lets unregistered asylum seekers travel onto other EU countries, it should be possible for the EU Council to suspend transfers from this member state, Wikstroem argues.She also suggests that the Commission’s proposal puts an unfair administrative burden on the front-line member states. The proposal sets out that front-line countries are to establish whether an asylum application is acceptable before sending the applicant to the country that will eventually process the asylum application.Wikstroem suggests that admissibility should be checked by the country responsible for processing the application.-No outsourcing-She dismissed the idea that application centres should be established outside the EU."We should never outsource our responsibility for people in need to third countries, to me this is crystal clear. We should not externalise our external borders to a country in a different continent," she said.The rapporteur also suggests to speed up family reunifications if an asylum seeker claims to have family in an EU country.While she maintains that asylum seekers would not be allowed to choose which member state to go to, they could express a preference. Member states would then still be able to decide on accepting that particular applicant.Wikstroem would also make it possible for a maximum of 30 people to register as a group, for instance those who have traveled together. However, this would not imply that they could be relocated to a different member state together.She would also reinforce the special focus on children, especially unaccompanied minors, for whom guardians should be appointed within five days.Wikstroem is confident the member states will agree to most of her suggestions, but she has her own red lines in the upcoming negotiations with governments.“I need to know we are changing things on the ground, if not, I’m not in,” she said.
KHAN THE CON TOLD TRUMP HE COULD HAVE HIS AMERICAN CONSTITUTION. I SAY TO KHAN THE CON-YOU CAN GET A CANADIAN CHARTER OF TRAVEL TO LEARN HOW TRUMP HATERS DO NOT GET TO TRAVEL IN CANADA IF YOUR A RADICAL MUSLIM.
Khizr Khan cancels Toronto talk after travel privileges 'being reviewed': organizer-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 6, 2017
TORONTO — The organizer of a luncheon featuring a speech by the father of an American Muslim soldier killed in Iraq said Monday that the event was cancelled because the man's "travel privileges are being reviewed."Ramsay Talks said Khizr Khan, who has publicly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, was scheduled to be in Toronto on Tuesday to talk about tolerance, understanding and unity."Late Sunday evening Khizr Khan, an American citizen for over 30 years, was notified that his travel privileges are being reviewed," Ramsay Talks said in a statement on its Facebook page.The company, which couldn't be reached immediately for comment, didn't say who is reviewing Khan's travel privileges.Ramsay Talks did, however, include what it said was a comment from Khan in its statement."This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad," Khan was quoted saying in Ramsay Talks' statement. "I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future."In advertising Khan's speech, Ramsay Talks had said the Harvard-trained lawyer who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan decades ago was going to talk about "what we can do about the appalling turn of events in Washington — so that we don't all end up sacrificing everything."Khan rose to prominence last year when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention about his son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who died in Iraq in 2004 trying to protect his unit from a suicide bomber.Khizr Khan held up his pocket-sized constitution and said Trump had sacrificed "nothing."Trump fired back a few weeks before the election saying Khan's son would still be alive if he was president in 2004 because he wouldn't have troops in Iraq — falsely insisting he was opposed to the Iraq War before it started.Khan has become a public face against Trump's immigration policies."There comes a time in an ordinary citizen's life where you have to gather all the courage you have and you stand up and speak against tyranny and speak against un-American hate," Khan said in October.On Monday, Trump unveiled a revised travel ban that temporarily halts entry to the U.S. for people from six Muslim-majority nations who are seeking new visas and suspends the country's refugee program.The Canadian Press.
New Trump travel ban under review by Liberals watching for border impact-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 6, 2017
OTTAWA — A delay in implementation of the new iteration of U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial immigration ban has bought Canadian officials some breathing room as they try to figure out whether anyone in Canada could be affected by new executive order unveiled Monday.Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the Canadian government will review the revised version to fully understand what's at stake, but for the moment it appears Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be treated as they always have been."Obviously, this is a detailed matter with some careful nuances and we're going to be looking at all of the details so that we can provide Canadians with complete information about everything they need to know," he said.The revised travel order leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries, but still affects would-be visitors and immigrants to the U.S. from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya who currently do not hold a valid U.S. visa. It also suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days, though refugees already formally scheduled for travel will be allowed entry. The revised order comes into effect on March 16.Canadian officials were left scrambling in January by Trump's original executive order, which came down late on a Friday afternoon and immediately threw global travel into chaos as border, airline, customs and other officials were unsure about how and to whom it exactly applied.Among other things, many Canadian permanent residents who were holders of Nexus cards that are supposed to speed entry into the U.S. found themselves turned away, while some American visa holders in Canada feared being unable to return home.The federal immigration minister implemented a temporary public policy to assist those who could have been stranded. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said that since the policy came into effect on Jan. 31, it has received one request from someone looking to extend their in stay in Canada.Also since January, hundreds of people have come to Canada from the U.S. to seek asylum since the original travel ban was implemented, a phenomenon now under careful scrutiny by Goodale and other federal departments.The federal cabinet will discuss the issue Tuesday and cabinet ministers will also have the chance to grill U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on those issues when he comes to Ottawa later this week for a meeting."We need to make sure we are sharing information and operating on the same fact base on both sides of the border," Goodale said.The original order sparked protests around the country and was ultimately blocked by U.S. federal courts, but some civil liberties associations said Monday the new one still doesn't pass muster as the ban is in place for predominantly Muslim countries and as such, constitutes discrimination on the basis of religion.NDP Leader Tom Mulcair called the revised travel ban "racist" and pushed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to say whether he considers the U.S. is a safe country for refugees — a nod to the existing Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country agreement which governs asylum claims lodged at the border.Trudeau did not directly answer the question, repeating instead his conviction that Canada remains open and welcoming to all.That messaging, plus the travel ban and the Safe Third Country agreement have been cited as the reason in recent weeks that so many people have been crossing into Canada to lodge asylum claims.The agreement says a refugee claimant must apply for asylum in whichever of the two countries they arrive first — unless they qualify for an exception — but since it only applies to those who cross at official border points, many are finding their way into Canada at unofficial ones.Conservative MP Ted Falk, whose Provencher riding includes Emerson-Franklin, Man., where nearly 200 people have crossed illegally into Canada since the start of the year, accused asylum seekers of "jumping the queue" and taking advantage of Canada's generosity."It appears as though some people have misunderstood (Trudeau) to mean, you know, come any way that you want — come legally, come illegally, it doesn't matter," he said.Falk said the government should "close the loophole" that encourages people to essentially cross the border in fields and ditches instead of at official crossings.— with files from Steve Lambert-Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press.
Fighting between Libyan smugglers kills 22 migrants - IOM-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
GENEVA (Reuters) - Fighting between rival people-smuggling gangs on Libya's Mediterranean coast has killed 22 people, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.The dead were thought to be migrants rather than smugglers because they were sub-Saharan Africans, IOM spokesman Joel Millman said. More than 100 people were wounded, he told a news briefing in Geneva, citing information from colleagues in Libya.The latest deaths come in addition to the 140 bodies found on Libyan beaches so far this year, while there have been 477 deaths at sea on the route from Libya.So far this year 15,760 migrants have arrived in Italy, up from 9,101 in the same period of 2016, while almost 3,000 migrants have been rescued at sea and brought back to Libya, Millman said.The number of migrants setting off for Italy by boat from Africa has risen more than 50 percent so far this year, after half a million people arrived during the past three years.Italy is promising to send more migrants who do not qualify for asylum back home, either by force or with their consent."This is creating all kinds of activity in the smuggling industry, and apparently that activity has reached the level of violent shootouts that left 22 killed in the last couple of days," Millman said.He also said 62 Syrians also showed up among migrants arriving in Italy. Syrian refugees have mainly gone to Europe via Turkey and Greece, a route which was effectively blocked last year by a deal between the European Union and Turkey. Fewer than 200 Syrians made the trip from Libya to Italy last year."So with 62, obviously we're not setting records, but it could be a shift showing that that traffic has come back across North Africa, maybe coming to Libya again," Millman said.(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Syrian army nears Islamic State-held water station supplying Aleppo-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has advanced to the outskirts of an Islamic State-held village in northern Syria where a pumping facility provides water for Aleppo, a monitor said on Tuesday.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said the army and allied forces made gains east of Aleppo city, as Syrian and Russian planes pounded the rural areas.The army and its allies moved closer to the al-Khafsa area on the western bank of the Euphrates River, where the water treatment and pumping plants are located, and to the al-Jarrah military airport, the Observatory said-A Syrian military source said the army had advanced to areas "very close" to both.Aleppo's main water supply has been cut off for nearly two months, and the city's residents now rely mainly on ground wells or water purchased from private vendors.A military media unit run by Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's government forces, said the army was within 3 km (2 miles) of the water facility.Islamic State is losing ground in northern Syria to three separate campaigns - by the Russian-backed Syrian army, by U.S-backed Syrian militias, and by Turkey and allied Syrian rebel groups.(Reporting by Ellen Francis and Tom Perry; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Iraqi forces recapture Mosul government buildings, museum-[Reuters]-By Isabel Coles and John Davison-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi government forces fighting to drive Islamic State from western Mosul on Tuesday recaptured the main government building, the central bank branch and the museum where three years ago the militants had smashed statues and artifacts.The government buildings had been destroyed and were not used by Islamic State, but their capture still represented a symbolic victory in the battle over the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq.An elite Rapid Response team stormed the Nineveh governorate building and government complex in an overnight raid, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi said.They also seized a building that housed Islamic State's main court of justice, known for its harsh sentences, including stonings, throwing people off building roofs and chopping off hands, reflecting Islamic State's extreme ideology."They killed tens from Daesh," Mohammadawi said, referring to Islamic State by one of its Arabic acronyms. The raid took over an hour.The militants looted the central bank when they took over the city in 2014 and took videos of themselves destroying statues and artifacts.Illegal traffic in antiquities that abound in the territory under their control, from the sites of Palmyra in Syria to Nineveh in Iraq, was one of their main source of income.Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi flew into to Mosul to visit the troops engaged in the fighting.The breakthrough paves the way for the U.S.-backed forces to attack the militants in the old city of Mosul, the most complicated phase in the nearly five-month campaign due to the density of the population and the narrowness of the alleyways. The militants are dug in amongst civilians in the historic district.It was from the Nuri Mosque in the old city that the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared in 2014 a caliphate also spanning parts of neighboring Syria.The old city lies on the western bank of the Tigris river that cuts Mosul in two. About 750,000 people were estimated by aid organizations to live in west Mosul when the offensive started on this side of the city on Feb. 19.The Iraqi forces took the eastern half in January, after 100 days of fighting. They are backed by air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition.Defeating Islamic State in Mosul would crush the Iraqi wing of the self-declared caliphate, which also suffering setbacks in Syria.U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces cut the last main road out of the Islamic State capital there, Raqqa, on Monday. Islamic State is also fighting off the Russian-backed Syrian army as well as and Turkey and allied Syrian rebels.The number of Islamic State fighters in Mosul was estimated at 6,000 at the start of the offensive on Oct. 17, by the Iraqi military who estimate several thousands have been killed since.Lined up against them is a 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Iranian-trained Shi'ite Muslim paramilitary groups.More than 40,000 people fled their homes in the past week, bringing the total number of displaced since the start of the offensive to more than 21,000, according to the United Nations.Dozens more streamed out of the Mamoun district in southwestern Mosul toward U.S.-trained Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) troops as machinegunfire rang out in the background.U.S. special forces were also seen walking betweeen buildings in the same area, some of them carrying assault rifles with scopes and silencers. Helicopters attacked targets just north of their positions as thick smoke filled the sky from various explosions.Agencies say camps to accommodate them are nearly full even though the United Nations said last month that more than 400,000 people still in western Mosul could be displaced.Several thousands have been killed and wounded in the fighting, both civilians and military, according to aid organizations.(Writing by Maher Chmaytell; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
U.S.-backed Syrian militias will close in on Raqqa: spokesman-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 7, 2017
BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Syrian militias will tighten the chokehold on Islamic State's base in Raqqa, after cutting the last main road out of the city, a spokesman said on Tuesday.The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) severed the highway between Raqqa and the jihadists' stronghold of Deir al-Zor province on Monday, dealing a major blow to Islamic State which is under intense military pressure in both Syria and Iraq.Islamic State is losing ground to three separate campaigns in northern Syria - by the SDF militias, by the Russian-backed Syrian army, and by Turkey and allied Syrian rebels.The SDF advance means all main roads out of Raqqa are now cut. The U.S.-backed militias now plan to capture surrounding rural areas and advance towards the city to isolate it completely, SDF spokesman Talal Silo told Reuters.In some areas, the militias were still up to 20 kilometers from the city limits, he added.The SDF alliance, including the Kurdish YPG militia and Arab groups, launched a campaign in November to encircle and ultimately capture Raqqa from Islamic State, with air strikes and special forces support from a U.S.-led coalition."The frontlines have not reached the city yet, they are still in the countryside," Silo said. "The campaign will go on until the city is completely cut off."The first two phases of the SDF campaign targeted areas to the north and west of Raqqa, with the third phase targeting areas to the east of the city.Raqqa city is bordered to the south by the Euphrates River. The U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State has mounted numerous air strikes targeting the bridges over the river, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported.(Reporting by Tom Perry, Writing by Ellen Francis; Editing by Dominic Evans)
North Korea, Malaysia step up dispute over Kim's death-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 6, 2017
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — The bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother escalated dramatically Tuesday, with Pyongyang saying it had banned Malaysians from leaving North Korea.That was followed quickly by Malaysia saying North Korean embassy staff were barred from leaving its country. Malaysia had already expelled the North Korean ambassador on Monday.The North's Foreign Ministry told the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang that it would temporarily ban the exit of Malaysian citizens now in the North, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.It said the exit ban will be valid "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of (North Korea) in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia."Malaysia is pursuing several North Korean suspects allegedly involved in the killing, including a diplomat at the North's Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has not accused the North of being behind the killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport three weeks ago, but South Korean has.Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Marican told reporters at parliament that there are 11 Malaysians in North Korea: Three working at the Malaysian Embassy, two United Nations workers and six family members.The North said Malaysian diplomats and citizens "may work and live normally under the same conditions and circumstances as before" during the period of the temporary exit ban.It also said that the Malaysian ambassador would be expelled, although he has already been recalled to Malaysia.Kim Jong Nam died less than 20 minutes after two women wiped VX nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, authorities say. The women, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, have been charged with murder.North Korea has denied any role in the killing and accused Malaysia of conspiring with its enemies. North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol rejected a Malaysian autopsy that found Kim was killed with VX, a banned chemical weapon.On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the decision to expel Kang sent a clear message."It means that we are firm in defending our sovereignty and dignity," Najib said. "Don't ever insult our country and don't try to cause disruptions here."Malaysian authorities declared Kang "persona non grata" on Saturday and gave him two days to leave the country. He arrived late Monday afternoon at the Kuala Lumpur airport, where he told reporters that Malaysia was doing "great harm" to the countries' relations.Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea was behind the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX.North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed.Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, has said Kim probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said pathologists have ruled that out.The two women accused of poisoning Kim say they were duped into thinking they were taking part in a harmless prank.Malaysia is looking for seven North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. The three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia.___Ng reported from Ku Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Hyung-Jin Kim And Eileen Ng, The Associated Press.
