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)
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)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
Hurricane Maria brings destruction, heavy floods to Puerto Rico-[Reuters]-By Dave Graham and Robin Respaut-YAHOONEWS-September 20, 2017
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Hurricane Maria, the strongest storm to strike Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years, carved a path of destruction through the U.S. territory on Wednesday, causing widespread flooding and knocking power out across the island after killing at least nine people elsewhere in the Caribbean.Maria, the second major hurricane to roar through the region this month, was generating sustained winds of up to 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour) when it came ashore near Yabucoa, on the southeastern end of the island of 3.4 million people.Making landfall as a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the storm ripped roofs from buildings and turned low-lying roadways into rushing debris-laden rivers.The streets of historic Old Town in the capital, San Juan, were strewn with broken balconies, air conditioning units, shattered lamp posts, fallen power lines and dead birds. Few trees escaped unscathed. Thick branches were torn down from most and others were simply uprooted."The danger continues - there are flood warnings for the whole of Puerto Rico," Governor Ricardo Rossello warned residents on Twitter as the storm headed offshore. "Stay in safe places." He later imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew for the island.News pictures showed whole blocks flooded in areas of the capital, such as the Hato Rey neighborhood. The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported "catastrophic flash flooding" in portions of the island."When we are able to go outside, we are going to find our island destroyed," Abner Gomez, the director of the island's emergency management agency, known by its Spanish language acronym AEMEAD, was quoted as saying by El Nuevo Dia newspaper. "It's a system that has destroyed everything in its path."Electricity was believed to be out across the island, said Pedro Cerame, a spokesman for the governor. Authorities had not yet been able to assess the extent of the damage, he said.By 5 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), Maria's center was located just north of the island, NHC said. As is typical for hurricanes passing over hilly or mountainous terrain, Maria was considerably weakened by the time it moved offshore, with top wind speeds diminishing to 110 mph (175 kph), though the NHC said the storm was likely to regain some strength in the next day or two.Maria was expected to pass near the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic Wednesday night and Thursday before approaching the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas on Thursday night and Friday, the NHC said. So far, it looked unlikely to threaten the continental United States.Storm-related rainfall was expected to range from 20 to 25 inches (50 to 65 cm) on much of Puerto Rico through Friday, according to NHC.Maria had ranked as a Category 5 storm when it struck the eastern Caribbean island nation of Dominica on Monday night with devastating force, killing at least seven people there, government officials. Two more people died in the French territory of Guadeloupe before Maria raked St. Croix, the southern-most of the U.S. Virgin Islands, early on Wednesday, causing widespread damage.Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, also left a trail of destruction in several Caribbean islands and Florida this month, killing at least 84 people. The two other main U.S. Virgin Islands - St. Thomas and St. John - were both hard hit by Irma.-FRAGILE HOMES-Many homes and businesses across Puerto Rico have wooden or tin roofs, cheaper building materials that also keep homes cooler in the balmy Caribbean climate, but that are no match for storms of the intensity of Maria."This might be a new, permanent part of our lives," said Ramon Claudio Ortiz, 71, a retired lawyer. "We're going to have to revisit our building codes."Maria was the second-strongest hurricane ever recorded to hit Puerto Rico, behind the 1928 San Felipe Segundo hurricane, which struck the island as a Category 5 storm and killed more than 300 people.The latest hurricanes came at a time when the island is struggling financially, grappling with the largest municipal debt crisis in U.S. history. Both its government and the public utility have filed for bankruptcy protection amid disputes with creditors.Even though Irma passed north of Puerto Rico, it knocked out power for 70 percent of the island, and killed at least three people.Passing just to the west of St. Croix, home to about half of the U.S. Virgin Islands' 110,000 residents, Maria damaged an estimated 65 percent to 70 percent of the island's buildings, said Holland Redfield, who served six terms in the U.S. Virgin Islands senate."There were a lot of homes that had lost their roofs. It was a sad sight," Redfield said in a phone interview. "I'm in a very densely populated area now, and I see a tremendous amount of confusion. A lot of trees are down."Officials on St. Croix could not be reached for comment.In Guadeloupe, many roads were blocked and 40 percent of the population was without power, France's overseas territories ministry said.The island of Dominica, with a population of about 73,000, was devastated by Maria earlier in the week. Hartley Henry, principal adviser to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that "the country is in a daze."(Reporting by Dave Graham and Robin Respaut in San Juan; Additional reporting by Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City, Richard Lough and French language service in Paris; Writing by Scott Malone and Steve Gorman; Editing by Frances Kerry and Lisa Shumaker)
Storm of the century' Maria pummels Puerto Rico-Hector RETAMAL and Edgardo RODRIGUEZ-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-September 20, 2017
San Juan (AFP) - Hurricane Maria caused devastation across Puerto Rico Wednesday as 150 mile-an-hour winds from the island's worst storm in living memory flooded the capital and sent thousands scurrying to shelters.After killing at least nine people in the Caribbean, Maria slammed into Puerto Rico's southeast coast at daybreak before churning across the US territory which is home to 3.4 million.As tens of thousands of people hunkered down in shelters in the capital San Juan, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz broke down in tears as she spoke of the utter devastation she had witnessed."Many parts of San Juan are completely flooded," Yulin Cruz told reporters in one of the shelters whose roof swayed as she spoke."Our life as we know it has changed... There is a lot of pain and a lot of devastation."Maria made landfall as a Category Four storm on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, initially packing winds of a little over 150 mph (240 kph) before easing slightly as it powered towards San Juan."The wind sounds like a woman screaming at the top of her lungs!" Mike Theiss wrote on Twitter, sheltering in a safe room in the eye of the storm."We are getting absolutely hammered right now."Imy Rigau, who was riding out the storm in her apartment in San Juan, said water had "cascaded" through her ceiling."We are taking refuge in the hallway as there is about a foot of water in my apartment," she told AFP."I boarded up the windows but with all of this, it seems they are going to be blown away. One of them was smashed up, so we are here in the hallway where there are no windows."- 500 shelters -Many of the most vulnerable of Puerto Rico's residents took cover in the 500 shelters set up around the island, with officials warning of life-threatening floods.Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello imposed a 6:00 pm to 6:00 am curfew until Saturday and warned of flooding and mudslides from what he called "the most devastating storm in a century.""I urge the people of Puerto Rico to commit to peace, understanding, and good judgment during these difficult times for our island," he said.Puerto Rico's most catastrophic hurricane was back in 1928 when Hurricane Okeechobee -- also known as San Felipe Segundo -- killed 300 people.Although engineers had managed to restore power to most of the island after the recent Hurricane Irma, Maria caused a new black-out across the island."There is no power on the island and there is very little communications," according to Ricardo Castrodad, a public health official with the US Coast Guard's San Juan sector."As soon as the storm passes and weather conditions are safe, Coast Guard personnel will begin assessments of ports, waterways and port facilities to identify damage and obstructions in the waterways, before they can order the opening of the ports."Brock Long, who heads the US federal government's emergency agency FEMA, warned it could take days for power to be restored on Puerto Rico and the smaller US Virgin Islands which have also been badly hit by Maria.- Dominica devastation -The US and British Virgin Islands -- still struggling to recover from the devastation of Irma -- are also on alert, along with the Turks and Caicos Islands and parts of the Dominican Republic.Maria has already torn through several Caribbean islands, leaving at least seven people dead on the island of Dominica.Communications to Dominica have been largely cut, and its airports and ports have been closed.But an advisor to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, who spoke to the premier by satellite phone, painted a picture of devastation on an island that is home to around 73,000 people."It's difficult to determine the level of fatalities but so far seven are confirmed, as a direct result of the hurricane," Hartley Henry said in a statement.Reports from rural communities spoke of a "total destruction of homes, some roadways and crops," added Henry."The country is in a daze -? no electricity, no running water -- as a result of uprooted pipes in most communities and definitely no landline or cellphone services on island, and that will be for quite a while."In the French territory of Guadeloupe, one person was killed by a falling tree as Maria hit, while another died on the seafront.At least two more are missing after their boat sank off the French territory, while some 40 percent of households were without power.In the US Virgin Islands, locals reported horizontal rain and trees swirling in the wind."Very violent and intense right now as we have just begun to experience hurricane force winds," said 31-year-old Coral Megahy, hunkered down on St Croix island.There had been fears that Maria could wreak fresh havoc on islands that were already flattened by Category Five hurricane Irma earlier in the month.Reports suggested St Martin, a French-Dutch island that was among the most severely hit by Irma with 14 dead, had escaped the worst this time around.Britain, France and the Netherlands had boosted resources in their Caribbean territories ahead of Maria, after heavy criticism of poor preparations for Irma.All three European countries have increased their troop deployments to the region after complaints of looting and lawlessness after Irma.burs-co/cl
Mexico rescuers work into night to save trapped girl as quake toll tops 230-[Reuters]-By Michael O'Boyle and Ana Isabel Martinez-YAHOONEWS-September 20, 2017
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican rescuers on Wednesday labored for a second night amid the rubble to save possible survivors of the country's most lethal earthquake in a generation, including a girl trapped under a school in Mexico City, as the death toll exceeded 230.Television stations broadcast live the painstaking, hours-long attempt to rescue the girl after crews at the school in the south of the city reported seeing her hand move. They threaded a hose through debris to get her water.The girl's name was not made public, but her family waited in anguish nearby.Rescuers moved slowly, erecting makeshift wooden scaffolding to prevent rubble from crumbling further and seeking a path to the child through the unstable ruins. They implored bystanders to be quiet to better hear calls for help.It was part of the careful search for dozens of victims feared buried beneath the Enrique Rebsamen school, where officials reported 21 children and four adults dead after Tuesday's quake. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed."We have a lot of hope that some will still be rescued," said David Porras, one of scores of volunteers helping the search at the school for children aged 3 to 14."But we're slow, like turtles," he said.By Wednesday morning, the workers said a teacher and two students had sent text messages from within the rubble. Parents clung to hope that their children were alive.The magnitude 7.1 quake, which killed at least 93 people in the capital, struck 32 years to the day after a 1985 earthquake that killed thousands. Mexico is also still reeling from a powerful tremor that killed nearly 100 people in the south of the country less than two weeks ago.On Wednesday afternoon, officials told bystanders to move back from the Plaza Condesa building which houses a well-known concert hall frequented by famous international acts and a popular bar in the upscale Condesa neighborhood.The order sparked fears the massive building could collapse, just like an apartment block about 100 meters (yards) away where emergency crews spent Wednesday sifting though rubble.Throughout the capital, crews were joined by volunteers and bystanders who used dogs, cameras, motion detectors and heat-seeking equipment to detect victims who may still be alive.Reinforcements began to arrive from countries including Panama, Israel and Chile, local media reported.In a statement, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said it was sending a Disaster Assistance Response Team to help, at the request of the Mexican government."The United States remains committed to helping our neighbors during this difficult time," the statement said.U.S. President Donald Trump spoke at length with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday, the White House said. On Tuesday, Trump had tweeted: "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you."-VISIBLE RESPONSE-Pena Nieto declared three days of mourning."The priority continues to be rescuing people from collapsed buildings and taking care of the injured," he said. "Every minute counts."The president has been unusually visible since the two earthquakes, a sign of the political sensitivity of disaster relief less than a year before the next presidential election.The government's widely panned response to the 1985 quake caused upheaval in Mexico, which some credited with weakening the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Pena Nieto, the PRI's first president since it lost power in 2000, hopes to elect a party successor next year.On Wednesday, the president traveled to the state of Morelos, just south of the capital, where 71 people died, to survey damage. In Puebla State, site of the earthquake's epicenter, at least 43 died.The earthquake toppled dozens of buildings, tore gas mains and sparked fires across the city and other towns in central Mexico. Falling rubble and billboards crushed cars, and nearly 5 million homes, businesses and other facilities were without power at one point.Although authorities and property owners will need time to fully assess the damage, initial reports suggest that collapses were limited mostly to buildings that predated the 1985 quake, after which stricter building codes were enacted.But even wealthier parts of the capital, including the central Condesa and Roma neighborhoods, were badly damaged as older buildings buckled. Because bedrock is uneven in a city built on a drained lake bed, some districts weather quakes better than others."The central part of Mexico City, in the lake bed, is always going to be a complicated place to build," said Rodrigo Suarez, chief operating officer at Mexico City-based apartment developer Hasta Capital. "These old buildings (may) survive an earthquake or two or three, but since they weren't built to modern code, there's always going to be a risk in major earthquakes.”In Puebla, some 100 miles (158 km) southwest of the capital, parts of colonial-era churches crumbled. In the town of Atzala, a row of coffins lined the street outside a church where the roof collapsed, killing 11 worshipers inside.(Additional reporting by Anthony Esposito, Lizbeth Diaz, Daina Beth Solomon, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Julia Love, Noe Torres; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel and David Alire Garcia; Editing by Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman)
Soft soil makes Mexico City shake like it was built on jelly-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-September 20, 2017
WASHINGTON — The soft soil that lines the ancient lake bed that Mexico City is built on amplified the shaking from Tuesday's earthquake and increased its destructive force, seismologists say as they try to better understand the quake that has killed more than 200 people.Scientists are looking at other quirks of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake, including the absence of aftershocks and if it is somehow related to a distant, even stronger, Mexican temblor that struck a dozen days earlier.-LIKE JELLY-Mexico City is built on deep, soft soil that was once the bottom of a lake. Instead of cushioning the city from earthquakes, it exaggerates their effects, said James Jackson, a professor of geophysics at the University of Cambridge in England.The vibrations, or seismic waves, from the hard rocks below are amplified by the soil and sediments above, making the surface — and the structures built on the surface — shake longer and more intensely."It's like being built on jelly on top of something that is wobbling," Jackson said.The soft sediments were the major cause of damage in Mexico City's 1985 earthquake, according to Cornell University geophysicist Geoffrey Abers.OTHER SOFT SPOTS-The same deep soft soil effect worsened the deadly 2015 Nepal earthquake because Kathmandu is also built on a dry lake bed, Jackson said.While the geology is not quite the same, Los Angeles, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area have soft soil that can amplify seismic waves, according to U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Oliver Boyd. New Zealand has been affected by similar issues in past quakes, he said.-WHERE ARE THE AFTERSHOCKS?-Scientists have been unable to detect any aftershocks as of Wednesday afternoon, said USGS seismologist Paul Earle. Usually an area can expect an aftershock one magnitude lower, which would be in the 6.1 range, he said — even though Tuesday's quake was a type that is usually accompanied by fewer aftershocks.Unlike most earthquakes, it did not happen where two tectonic plates meet. Instead, Tuesday's quake happened in the middle of the Cocos plate, the result of pressure built up as it slips under the North American plate.This so-called "slab fault" quake usually has fewer aftershocks, like the relative quiet after a 2001 earthquake in Seattle. Tuesday's quake was deeper than normal at 51 kilometres (32 miles) below the surface, and deeper quakes are also associated with fewer aftershocks.TWO IN TWELVE DAYS-Tuesday's earthquake was the second in just 12 days in Mexico. The first was a magnitude 8.1 quake that struck southern Mexico and killed at least 90 people.Geologists say the second quake was not an aftershock because it was too far away — about 650 kilometres (400 miles) — from the first. Most aftershocks are within 100 kilometres (62 miles), Earle said.It was also not a release of stress generated by the far-off quake, Earle said.Still, he said, seismologists will probe further to see if there might be some kind of link between the two — or not."Earthquakes are random," Earle said. "Sometimes they happen spaced out in time. Sometimes they happen at the same time."___Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears . His work can be found here .___This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.By Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press.
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)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Palestinian President Abbas says peace closer with Trump engaged-[Reuters]-By Jeff Mason and Yara Bayoumy-YAHOONEWSSeptember 20, 2017
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed optimism on Wednesday about reaching a peace agreement with Israel this year and said U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to the issue would help create the "deal of the century" in the region.Abbas met Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders in New York and thanked him for his support."If this is any proof to anything ... it attests to the seriousness of your Excellency, Mr. President, to achieve the deal of the century in the Middle East during this year or in the coming months, God willing," Abbas said through an interpreter.Trump said his team of advisers was working very hard on the issue, as were Israel, Saudi Arabia and other nations."I think we have a very, very good chance, and I certainly will devote everything within my heart and within my soul to get that deal made," Trump said."We're at a very important juncture, there's a small period of time, and we're going to see what we can do. There can be no promises, obviously," he said.Abbas noted that the Palestinians had met with Trump's team more than 20 times since the U.S. president entered office in January, and he said the fact that Jews and Muslims were celebrating a new year was a positive sign."This is a very sweet coincidence that we can celebrate the new year together within a 24-hour period, and if this is an indication to anything, it means that we can coexist peacefully together," Abbas said.Later at the U.N. gathering, Abbas urged the 193-nation body to end the "Israeli occupation of the state of Palestine" within a set timetable.He also borrowed a campaign line of Trump's, using the phrase "draining the swamp" as an argument for addressing the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. Trump used a similar phrase as a presidential candidate to criticize politicians and policy making in Washington."Beyond any doubt, draining the swamp of colonial occupation of our land and ending its unjust, oppressive and illegal practices against our people would greatly affect the fight against terrorism, depriving terrorist groups of one of the key rallying cries they exploit to promote their repugnant ideas," Abbas said in his prepared remarks.Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the week. The Israeli and Palestinian leaders both went out of their way to praise the U.S. president.The White House played down both meetings in terms of their significance toward peace talks on one of the world's most intractable conflicts that has defied the peacemaking efforts of several U.S. administrations going back decades.The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in the Israeli occupied West Bank, territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.The Palestinian Authority's ambassador to the United States, Husam Zomlot, said “the meeting was forward-looking, and the conversation was deep and frank between the two allies.” The Palestinian Authority said in a statement Abbas told Trump that "peace can be achieved through implementing the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders." Abbas also said "the illegal Israeli settlements policy poses an immediate threat" to that.For at least two decades, the goal of U.S.-led diplomacy has been a “two-state solution”, meaning an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side and at peace with Israel.But neither Trump nor his aides have publicly recommitted to a two-state solution, instead saying it is up to the two parties to work out in peace talks.Abbas’ insistence on a return to 1967 pre-war borders is something Israel has repeatedly rejected.(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Grant McCool and James Dalgleish)
Portugal not yet aboard 'Med alliance' on EU agencies By Peter Teffer-SEP 20,17-EUOBSERVER
Brussels, Today, 17:44-Portugal has not yet decided if it will endorse Greece's proposal to have seven Mediterranean EU member states support each other in the vote for the relocation of two EU agencies after Brexit."We have to see. It is not yet decided," the Portuguese state secretary for EU affairs Ana Paula Zacarias told EUobserver on Wednesday (20 September).In November, Zacarias and her 26 colleagues from across Europe will vote on where the new seat should be of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA).The two agencies are currently based in London, and will have to find a new home because the UK is expected to leave the EU in March 2019.Last week, Zacarias' Greek colleague George Katrougalos proposed that Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain should split the votes in the first round amongst themselves.Except for Cyprus, all countries have submitted bids to host EMA."It is not easy to coordinate, exactly because we are competitors. … What we can do in the first round, is at least not to lose votes to other areas of Europe," Katrougalos said in Athens.At the end of this month the European Commission will publish an assessment of the 27 bids – eight to host EBA and 19 to host EMA.There will then be up to three rounds of voting at a ministerial meeting in Brussels in November, until a candidate is supported by at least fourteen member states.Each country will have three votes.The publication of the commission's assessment will be "a very important moment" in Portugal's process of determining who to vote for, said Zacarias, although she added that it was "already discussing with some partners".Zacarias said that Katrougalos will visit Portugal later this week."We will be talking to him … We need to discuss [it], also in terms of the quality of the candidatures that will be presented. There is a political element in this of course, but there is also a quality element," she said.Complex chess board-Portugal's minister of health, Adalberto Campos Fernandes, was also present at the interview.He noted that the voting procedure will "not necessarily [be] a matter of regional options"."We understand the position of our colleagues from Greece, but I think the chess table will be much more complex and more sophisticated than a matter of regions in Europe," said Campos Fernandes.He added that "we won't exclude the possibility" of Portugal voting for northern European countries and vice versa.Portugal has proposed to host EMA in Porto, its second city after Lisbon."Around the grand area of Porto we have a concentration of many startups and enterprises that deal with the health cluster," said Zacarias.EUobserver's next Regions & Cities magazine, released in October, will look at the impact EU agencies have on its hosts. What do EU agencies bring to the local economy? Do agencies operate as the face of the EU in the member states? For a free copy of the magazine, register now for our newsletter.
Spain arrests Catalan officials By Andrew Rettman-SEP 20,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 17:19-Spanish gendarmes have arrested Catalan officials and seized ballots for an independence referendum on 1 October, prompting appeals for EU help.The Guardia Civil raided 22 buildings and arrested 14 people in Barcelona and in a satellite town, Bigues i Riells, in an anti-referendum operation on Wednesday (20 September).Most of the arrests were senior Catalan officials, including the top economy ministry official, Josep Maria Jove, and his counterpart in the treasury, Josep Maria Salvado.The gendarmes also arrested Mercedes Martinez Martos, the head of an advertising firm, whose warehouse was found to contain 9 million ballot papers, which were seized.Speaking in parliament in Madrid the same day, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy said he had to act because Catalonia had defied a constitutional court order not to hold the independence referendum on 1 October."Logically, the state has to react. There is no democratic state in the world that would accept what these people are trying to do. They've been warned and they know the referendum can't take place," he said."The rule of law works," he added.The Guardia Civil raids prompted fiery denunciations by Catalan leaders.Carles Puigdemont, the president of the Catalan government, said Spain had "de facto suspended self-government and applied a de facto state of emergency".He also said it was a "repressive and intimidatory regime … a democratic disgrace".Ada Colau, the mayor of Barcelona, said it was "a scandal" that "elected officials" had been "detained for political reasons".Gabriel Rufian, a pro-Catalan MP in Madrid, told Rajoy to take his "dirty hands off Catalan institutions".The Guardia Civil raids also prompted a few thousand people to demonstrate on the streets of Barcelona.They chanted slogans such as "We will vote!" and "Occupation forces out!", but remained peaceful.They also chanted "Where is Europe?" in an appeal for international help.In Brussels, three pro-independence Spanish MEPs urged the European Commission to intervene and a handful of pro-Catalan protesters met outside the EU Council HQ.Jordi Sole and Josep-Maria Terricabras from the Green group and Ramon Tremosa from the Liberals called on EU commissioners "to not remain indifferent" to what they called Spain's "siege" of Catalonia.The far-left GUE group and some individual MEPs, such as Slovenian liberal Ivo Vajgl, also complained.But speaking later the same day, EU commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis declined to comment on Wednesday's events."We don't have anything new to add at this stage," he said.The commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said last week that Catalonia should respect the constitutional court ruling.Rajoy's centre-right Popular Party and the centre-left Socialist Party have also spoken of invoking article 155 of the Spanish constitution that could suspend Catalonia's self-rule if things got worse.Recent polls indicated that 70 percent of Catalans wanted the referendum, but only 41 percent wanted independence.The Catalan independence movement began in the 1920s.It was almost always peaceful, but the pro-independence Terra Lliure group, which was active between 1978 and 1995, killed one person.
Bank agency shuns EU invitations By Peter Teffer-SEP 20,17-EUOBSERVER
Brussels/Athens, Today, 09:02-The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) have opposite policies towards visiting cities that have offered to host the London-based EU agencies after Brexit.EMA's executive director, Guido Rasi, visited Athens last week, and was given a tour of the building the EMA would occupy if EU member states choose Greece to host the agency.In stark contrast, the EBA told EUobserver on Tuesday (19 September) that it would turn down any invitations by member states that wanted to show off their candidate city."In line with the EBA's internal decision to ensure objectivity, the EBA senior management or staff has not visited any of the cities and specific buildings bidding to host the Authority," EBA's spokeswoman, Franca Rosa Congiu, said in a written statement."This policy is planned to be maintained until the decision is taken on the future location," she added.Nineteen cities are competing to host the medicines agency, while eight cities are vying to become the new location of the banking authority.The European Commission is currently drafting an assessment of the 27 bids, based on commonly agreed "objective criteria". It will be published at the end of the month.Following that assessment, and a political debate among EU government leaders in October, the member states' interior and EU ministers will decide on the relocations with a vote in November.Although the objective criteria were drawn up to take the needs of the agencies' employees and families into account, the directors and their staff have no direct say in the decision-making process.Many of the member states bidding to host one or both of the agencies have visited their respective offices in London.EBA spokeswoman Congui said the banking agency did host "some" of the bidders that wanted to visit EBA during the preparation phase or to present their bids, "as a matter of courtesy".But EBA drew a red line about visiting candidate cities.-Greek visit-However, the EMA apparently has no such firewall policy.Last Wednesday (13 September), Greece hosted EMA executive director Guido Rasi.He received a tour of the building that Greece has put forward as EMA's potential new office.Alternate foreign minister George Katrougalos, who spoke to EUobserver and three other media outlets on the same day, said he accompanied Rasi on the tour."We think that we are scoring very high on all the criteria put out by the commission," said Katrougalos.After Rasi's visit, EUobserver received the same tour of the building - which is a former tobacco warehouse that became state property after the firm could no longer pay off its debts. As part of the deal, the company fully refurbished the building.According to the tour guide, the room assigned to host the agency's executive director was much larger than the one he currently had in London. It included a private kitchen, shower - and potentially even a bedroom.The premises also host an area to play football and a swimming pool.The press office of EMA confirmed that Rasi had visited Athens and said that the Greek capital "was not the first city visited by EMA's executive director in the context of the agency's relocation".EMA spokesman Edoardo Iannone said it is important that member states "understand the needs and expectations of EMA in this relocation process, so any disruption in continuity of the agency's operations can be avoided".He listed the following cities as having received an EMA delegation: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Malta, Milan, and Vienna.That means candidate cities Bonn, Bratislava, Brussels, Bucharest, Dublin, Helsinki, Lille, Porto, Sofia, Stockholm, Warsaw and Zagreb have not (yet) been visited by an EMA delegation.But Iannone noted that EMA is not "proactively reaching out" to candidate countries to visit them all."Throughout this process, [EMA executive director] Rasi has made a point of making sure that his voice is being heard on behalf of his people," said Tommy Fanning, who is one of Ireland's government representatives promoting Dublin's bid.Fanning told EUobserver last Friday that Ireland too would "very much" like to give Rasi a tour."It's a question of: has the medicines agency the time and the facility to do that across probably nineteen cities in the next month - probably not."-How many staff will quit? Despite the EMA staff not being able to vote on its own future workplace, there are some fears that if workers do not like the new location, they could quit."We are hearing rumours about these kind of, let's say, reticences of some of the personnel to follow," said Greek alternate minister Katrougalos.He referred to one report that said up to 75 percent of staff did not want to leave London."We think that if this is true - we cannot say if it is true, I suppose we are going to hear later on in the process about the validity of these rumours - but if it is, and EMA is going to lose more than half of its staff, it is something that must be taken seriously into account," Katrougalos said.EUobserver's next Regions & Cities magazine, released in October, will look at the impact EU agencies have on its hosts. What do EU agencies bring to the local economy? Do agencies operate as the face of the EU in the member states? For a free copy of the magazine, register now for our newsletter.
Equifax says 100,000 Canadians likely affected by data breach-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-September 19, 2017
TORONTO (Reuters) - Credit scoring company Equifax Inc said on Tuesday that the personal details of around 100,000 Canadians were exposed in the massive breach it disclosed earlier this month.The company said criminals got access to files containing personal information of some Canadian consumers - including names, addresses, social insurance numbers and in some cases credit card information - via a consumer website application intended for use by U.S. consumers.It was the first estimate of Canadian exposure the company has provided since saying on Sept. 7 that Canadian and UK residents were also at risk in the attack, in which details on some 143 million U.S. consumers had been exposed.Lisa Nelson, the president and general manager of Equifax Canada, apologized to those who may have been affected and acknowledged frustration about a lack of clarity, saying the company would write to them with steps they should take.Equifax said last week that it would likely need to contact fewer than 400,000 British consumers whose personal information may have been accessed in the breach.(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Dan Grebler)
