Monday, March 14, 2016

GERMANWINGS PROBE SEEKS CLEARER RULES ON PILOTS MENTAL HEALTH WHILE SUICIDING PLANES THEY DRIVE LIKE ISLAM THE MARTYR CULT OF DEATH AND BEHEADING.

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)

Germanwings probe seeks 'clearer rules' on pilots' mental health-AFP By Djallal Malti-MAR 13,16-YAHOONEWS

Paris (AFP) - French investigators probing the Germanwings plane crash called on Sunday for "clearer rules" on the lifting of medical confidentiality if pilots show signs of psychological problems.The plane was deliberately flown into a French mountainside by its co-pilot Andreas Lubitz in March last year in a tragedy that cost 150 lives and raised unprecedented aviation safety questions.In their final conclusions on the disaster, BEA civil aviation experts recommended more stringent medical checks for pilots, but stopped short of suggesting changes to the current system of flight deck door locks, which can only be opened by the pilot in the cockpit.Lubitz, 27, who was suffering from depression, was allowed to continue flying despite having been seen by doctors dozens of times in the years preceding the crash."Clearer rules are needed to establish when it is necessary to lift medical confidentiality," investigator Arnaud Desjardin said at the launch of the BEA report."Several doctors in private practice had the information (that Lubitz) was ill," he said."This information was not passed on to aeronautical authorities or to his employer Germanwings."The report also recommended regular analysis of pilots to check for "psychological or psychiatric problems".Lubitz crashed the plane he was co-piloting on March 24, 2015, after locking the pilot out of the cockpit.The Airbus 320 was operated by Germanwings, the budget airline subsidiary of Lufthansa.Ten minutes later, the jet ploughed into an Alpine mountain, killing all 144 passengers and six crew.Despite being seen so many times by doctors, under German law none was able to alert his employers to his state of mind and he was allowed to continue flying.- 'Systematic failures' -Germany's pilot union Cockpit welcomed the French investigators' recommendations, calling them a "balanced package of measures"."The safety recommendations... form a balanced package of measures to prevent a repeat of such disasters," said Markus Wahl, spokesman for the union, calling for it to be "implemented in its entirety".In a statement, France's main pilots union, the SNPL, said that lifting medical confidentiality "would not help much" and called for improved monitoring of pilots, providing it was not done in "a punitive spirit".On the black box voice recorder recovered at the crash scene in southeastern France, all that is heard from Lubitz is regular breathing.The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has already recommended stepping up medical testing for pilots, including more psychological tests.BEA chief Remi Jouty said the French investigation had sought to identify the "systematic failures which led to this accident".The investigators had also looked at the "balance between medical secrecy and flight security".Following the crash, European aviation authorities have already recommended making it compulsory to have two people in the cockpit at any time during flights.Some countries are opposed to the measure, however, with Germany's pilots' union believing it poses "risks that outweigh any supposed improvements in security".But the BEA did not recommend changes to the current system of flight deck door locks, which are designed to keep intruders out."The door design is to protect the cockpit against intrusions, and we regarded the terrorist threat as still present, as the news shows us, so we didn't bring in the need to protect the cockpit against potential terrorists within," Jouty said.In the aftermath of the September 11 2001 attacks, many companies adopted the locks to prevent attackers from taking control of civilian aircraft."The threat posed by terrorism still exists," Jouty said.- Lessons to be learned -Among the victims of the crash were 72 Germans, including a group of 16 high school students, and 50 Spaniards.A German lawyer for some of the families of the dead said this month they intended to sue the training school in Phoenix, Arizona, which Lubitz attended, claiming it should have flagged up his psychological problems."The co-pilot interrupted his training there for a while due to psychological problems," lawyer Christof Wellens said. "He shouldn't have been allowed to resume his training."Lufthansa has paid 50,000 euros ($56,000) per victim in an initial payment and offered an additional 25,000 euros to each of the families plus 10,000 euros to each immediate relative including parents, children and spouse."Nothing can turn back the clock or bring the innocent victims back but the families now want to see important lessons learned from this," said aviation lawyer Jim Morris, who is representing the British families involved."The severity of his mental health condition raises very serious questions about how he was assessed and how the fitness of commercial airline pilots should be assessed," he told Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper.

Trump digs in after weekend violence: 'I'm just the messenger'-Reuters By Doina Chiacu-MAR 13,16-YAHOONEWS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump refused to take responsibility on Sunday for clashes that have erupted at his campaign events, saying he was not inciting violence but giving voice to the anger of his supporters.The real estate tycoon used a round of television appearances to beat back furious criticism from Republican rivals and Democrats alike that he was encouraging discord with divisive language disparaging Muslims and immigrants."I don't accept responsibility. I do not condone violence in any shape," Trump said on NBC's "Meet the Press."The tension at his rallies, Trump said, came from people being "sick and tired" of American leadership that has cost them jobs through international trade deals, failed to defeat Islamic State terrorism and treats military veterans poorly."The people are angry at that - they're not angry about something I'm saying. I'm just the messenger," Trump said.Trump, front-runner for the Republican nomination, appeared unchastened after simmering tensions between his supporters and protesters angry over his positions on immigration and Muslims erupted on Friday night, forcing him to cancel a Chicago rally and casting a shadow over his campaign appearances on Saturday.The disturbances erupted days before the next five presidential nominating contests on Tuesday, which could cement the New York billionaire's lead over Republican rivals U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich.The scenes in Chicago followed several weeks of violence at Trump rallies, in which protesters and journalists have been punched, tackled and hustled out of venues, raising concerns about security heading into the Nov. 8 presidential election to replace Democratic President Barack Obama.Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination, as well as Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, heaped criticism on the New York billionaire after Friday's clashes.Kasich said Trump had created a "toxic environment." On Sunday he stressed that he was hearing Trump supporters' concerns about job stability, wages and the future and that he was the candidate who could "fix things"."I'm not interested in what he says. I'm interested in appealing to his voters," Kasich said on ABC's "This Week.""Those are the people that need to hear me."Trump, who has rallies scheduled on Sunday in Illinois, Ohio and Florida, hopes to beat both Kasich and Rubio, the U.S. senator from Florida, in their home states on Tuesday.A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll showed Trump leading Rubio 43 percent to 22 percent among likely primary voters in Florida. Trump lags Ohio's popular governor in that state, 33 percent to Kasich's 39 percent, the poll showed. The survey had a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.Both states award all their delegates to the winner.-BLAME THE PROTESTERS-Sarah Palin, the vice presidential candidate in Republican John McCain's failed 2008 campaign against Obama, planned to attend a Trump rally in Florida on Sunday. Eight years ago, Palin and McCain drew criticism for overheated campaign rallies marked by crowds openly hostile to Obama, who became the first African American president.Trump has harnessed the discontent of white, working class voters angry over international trade deals that cost them jobs. He has proposed building a wall along the southern U.S. border, disparaged some Mexican immigrants as criminals and advocated a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.On Sunday, he turned the criticism of his rallies against the protesters he called professional "disrupters" sent by Sanders, the U.S. senator from Vermont."Bernie Sanders is lying when he says his disruptors aren't told to go to my events. Be careful Bernie, or my supporters will go to yours!" Trump said on Twitter early on Sunday.Sanders responded by warning that Trump has been an "incredibly divisive" figure whose "rhetoric is inciting violence." "So I really hope he tones it down. This is not good for the country," Sanders said on CBS' "Face the Nation."Trump showed no signs of toning down. He accused the protesters of arriving at his rallies armed with tomatoes to throw at him or of sticking their middle finger up.Trump said one 78-year-old supporter who sucker-punched a young black man being led out of a rally last week "got carried away" and told NBC he had instructed his staff to look into paying the man's legal fees.Trump has used aggressive language against protesters at his rallies, yelling at them to get out and once saying he would like to punch one of them."Donald Trump on a regular basis incites his crowd," Rubio said on ABC's "This Week." "There are people out there that are unbalanced. There are people out there that listen to this stuff and we don't know how they're going to react... We're going to have an ugly scene here. We've already seen these ugly scenes."(Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikana and Patrick Rucker; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Stephen Powell and Peter Graff)

REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

Opinion-Lessons from Fukushima for EU energy policy By Ian Hudghton-EUOBSERVER

BRUSSELS, 11. Mar, 08:44-On 11 March 2011, one of the biggest earthquakes in history shook Japan’s northeast. The Tohoku earthquake triggered a 10-metre (33ft) tsunami, which smashed into the power plant on the Fukushima coastline precipitating three nuclear meltdowns and forcing nearby towns to evacuate.The disaster killed over 19,000 people across Japan and caused an estimated 16.9 trillion yen (€136 billion) in damages.Five years on from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster - which remains the world’s second worst disaster after Chernobyl in 1986 - some 10,000 children whose families fled Fukushima Prefecture have yet to return.Despite Tokyo’s pledge of 26.3 trillion yen (€211 billion) over five years and a further 6 trillion between now and 2020 to rebuild the disaster area, the Japanese population are reported to be picking up the bill.The Financial Times recently found that the nuclear disaster has cost Japanese taxpayers almost €90.8 billion, as the underlying cost of the disaster is mainly “being pay by the public, either through electricity bills or as tax”, according to Ritsumeikan University professor Kenichi Oshima.The wider consequences stemming from the Fukushima disaster are far-ranging. Radioactivity from the nuclear disaster can still be found in some freshwater fish and ocean bottom dwellers near Fukushima have a higher risk of contamination with the radioactive chemical cesium.-Public awareness-In a recent investigation, Greenpeace found that over 9 million cubic metres of nuclear waste are scattered over at least 113,000 locations across Fukushima prefecture.The NGO’s underwater investigation is set to release findings on the extent to which the Pacific Ocean and local rivers have been contaminated by radioactive material later this month.Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a cautious, sceptical attitude over Japan’s nuclear future is prevailing. The disaster changed the national debate over energy policy overnight. As some analysts suggest, the crisis “dramatically raised public awareness about energy use and sparked strong anti-nuclear sentiment”.But the New York Times recently commented despite the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the accidents at the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear plants, Japan never faced the levels of popular opposition to nuclear power seen in the US and Europe, before the disaster at Fukushima.I welcome the measures taken by Japan to address the disaster - including the recent indictment of three former Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) executives on charges of criminal negligence - but there remains a lot to be done.Following the Fukushima disaster, one by one the country's nuclear plants were shut-down for maintenance checks and prevented from restarting as a result of widespread public concern.-Anti-nuclear sentiment-Earlier this week, the Otsu District Court ordered Kansai Electric Power to shut down two of its nuclear reactors in Takahama, western Japan following complaints by local residents over the safety of the plant.It seems that even despite the Nuclear Regulation Authority being established in 2012, the Japanese population are wary of any nuclear plant restarting. Yet so far four out of the 43 operable reactors in Japan have restarted under the new, post-Fukushima safety rules.Japan still relies heavily on nuclear power for domestic energy purposes, which constituted almost 30 percent of Japan’s energy mix prior to 2011.The country’s industry ministry is aiming to make nuclear energy account for 20-22 percent of the country’s electricity mix by 2030 with renewable energy sources to make up for 22-24 percent, liquefied natural gas set at 27 percent and coal at 26 percent of electricity generation between now and 2030.Earlier this week Japan’s former prime minister, Naoto Kan, who held office at the time of March 2011 stated that over the past five years, Japan spent two years without a single nuclear plant on line.He said that “we can secure enough power without nuclear plants and I believe we should stay away from the large risk posed by nuclear plants and focus instead on renewable energy by changing our sources of power”.Opinion polls across Japan reveal a growing anti-nuclear sentiment. In a nationwide survey sent to all of Japan’s local authorities - of which 99.6 percent responded - 44.6 percent sought cuts in Japan’s dependence on nuclear power and 21 percent requested the eventual abolishment of nuclear power generation.-Renewable energy-Given the public mood, I am hopeful that Japan continues to diversify its energy mix, and decrease its over-reliance on nuclear energy altogether.For a country such as the UK, who is undoubtedly able to rely on a diverse range of energy options, the nuclear way is quite clearly not the way forward.As I said back in 2011, Fukushima offers us a clear-cut example of why we must retain our opposition to the development of nuclear power stations in Scotland and across the UK. The construction of the two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset, England is therefore an unwelcomed, costly and high-risk expense for the taxpayer.The Guardian reports that the UK government agreed to pay £92.50 (€119.40) for each unit of electricity: more than double the market price now.With an abundance of natural resources and opportunities for renewable energy sources, not at least offshore wind and tidal power along with wave energy, there is simply no justification for the UK Government to opt out of a cleaner, safer, more cost effective solution to the UK’s energy needs.Five years on from the Fukushima disaster, I hope that Japan finds alternative, renewable efficient and most importantly safe means to provide energy and that the UK, along with other EU states, commemorate the victims of Fukushima with the view to opt for renewable sources of energy over a high-risk and unnecessarily expensive nuclear energy future.Ian Hudghton is the president of the Scottish National Party and a member of the European Parliament’s delegation to Japan

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE 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.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

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.

Palestinians join exodus to EU, says PLO's Erekat By Andrew Rettman-EUOBSERVER

BRUSSELS, 8. Mar, 09:01-Palestinians are joining the Middle East exodus to Europe in greater numbers because of the Syria war and Israeli occupation, a senior Palestinian official has said.Saeb Erekat, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), told EUobserver from Ramallah in the West Bank that “thousands” had already left for Europe.“What other options have they? We have people dying of starvation in al-Yarmouk refugee camp [in Syria], and thousands of Palestinians leaving Syria and Lebanon trying to reach Europe,” he said.“The UN has said that Gaza will be unfit for human habitation by 2020, but Israel’s siege of Gaza continues.”The Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza are home to some 4.5 million Palestinians.Two million more live in refugee camps in Jordan in a legacy of wars in 1948 and 1967. Another 500,000 live in camps in Lebanon and a further 500,000 in Syria.Frontex, the EU border control agency in Warsaw, said just six Palestinians were intercepted trying to enter the EU via irregular crossings to Greece in January of last year, but that figure rose to 488 in August. It peaked at 1,747 in October and stayed high (1,142) in January of this year despite bad weather.The real number is likely to be much bigger because most Palestinians travel without ID papers, making them difficult to count.Easo, the EU asylum agency in Malta, said up to 19,000 Palestinians applied for asylum in the EU last year, compared with 15,680 in 2014 and 9,590 in 2013.It said most of them were “Palestinian ‘refugees’ or persons of Palestinian origin who were previously long term residents of countries now affected by the Syria conflict”.It said they have a 53 percent to 87 percent chance of success, depending on which EU state handles their claim.-Israel 'killing hope'-The number of Palestinians on the move is likely to go up if the spate of knife and car-ramming attacks on Israelis that has been going on since last year escalates into a full-scale uprising.Erekat blamed the instability on the Israeli occupation.“[Israeli] prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist government have done everything possible to kill hope in the minds and hearts of Palestinians. What they see on a daily basis are more settlements, land grabbing, checkpoints, siege, military raids, settler attacks and systematic denial of their rights,” he said.He said the Arab-Israeli conflict also contributes to instability in Syria, the main source of the EU refugee crisis.“You can’t defeat Daesh without ending the Israeli occupation,” he said, using an Arabic name for Islamic State, a jihadist group which controls parts of Syria and Iraq.“Lack of hope could lead people to commit desperate acts like joining Daesh. Though the numbers of Palestinians joining them are minimal, this is not a situation that can be taken for granted.”-Sanctions call-The 60-year old Palestinian diplomat has served as the PLO’s chief negotiator in Arab-Israeli peace talks for most of the past 20 years.He welcomed a French project to set a deadline for new peace talks after which France would recognise Palestine in its 1967 borders.“Recognising Palestine is not going to end the occupation, but it’s a strong message to the Palestinian people in terms of support for their rights. European countries will be investing in peace,” he said.He also welcomed an EU retail label code on settler food, wine, and cosmetics exports that was published last year. But he advocated tougher action.“Effective actions against Israeli settlements are banning of settlement products, divestment and sanctions on companies profiting from the occupation,” he said.-Apartheid jibe-The UN and the EU advocate a two-state solution to the conflict.Erekat said: “I sincerely don’t see any other solution but a two-state solution for the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians.”But he added: “I personally think that Israel doesn’t want a two-state solution. The Israeli government believes in … one state with two systems, which means Apartheid.”He said Israel’s impunity in the EU and US is part of the problem.“Radicals that could not even get close to the Knesset [the Israeli parliament] 20 years ago are now part of the government coalition. But I also believe that this [Israeli policy] has a lot to do with pragmatism: Israel has the feeling that no matter what, they’ll never be held accountable,” he said.He said the only “morally acceptable” alternative to two states is “one single, democratic state in all of historical Palestine”.-'Stop making excuses'-“If they don’t like the idea of two sovereign states living side by side, I call upon them to talk to us and let’s set the terms for a one-state solution. But they should not even dream that our people will accept anything short of … the right to self-determination, freedom,” Erekat said.The one-state model would imperil Israel’s objective to be a “homeland of the Jews” in demographic terms.Based on Erekat's comments, EUobserver asked the Israeli mission to the EU if any models other than the two-state solution would be acceptable to Israel.The mission asked for its statement to be published in full.“Israel's declared and unequivocal position is two states for two people,” the statement said.“In order to achieve this Mr Erekat and his colleagues should engage in direct negotiations and stop making excuses as to why they can't come to the table. Prime minster Netanyahu has repeatedly stated his willingness to restart direct talks - be it in Jerusalem or Ramallah. All other personal beliefs should be challenged in the negotiation room.”

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)

IS group commander Shishani 'clinically dead:' monitor-AFP-MAR 13,16-YAHOONEWS

Beirut (AFP) - Top Islamic State group commander Omar al-Shishani has been "clinically dead" for several days after a US air strike in northern Syria, a monitoring group said Sunday."Shishani is not able to breathe on his own and is using machines. He has been clinically dead for several days," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Abdel Rahman said the notorious red-bearded commander, known as Omar the Chechen, was in a hospital in the northern province of Raqa, IS's bastion in Syria.A US official said on March 9 that Shishani "likely died" in a barrage of US-led air strikes on March 4 in northeastern Syria.The official branded Shishani "the ISIL equivalent of the secretary of defence", using another acronym for the group.Abdel Rahman at the time said the jihadist had been "seriously injured" in the strike on his convoy, but that he had not died.Shishani was one of the IS leaders most wanted by Washington, which put a $5 million bounty on his head.Shishani comes from the Pankisi Gorge, a mainly ethnic Chechen region of ex-Soviet state Georgia.As early as May 2013, when IS was just emerging in Syria, he was appointed the group's military commander for the north of the country.While Shishani's exact rank is unclear, Richard Barrett of the US-based Soufan Group has described him as IS's "most senior military commander", adding that he has been in charge of key battles.Shishani is not, however, a member of IS's political leadership, a structure that is even murkier than its military command.The lack of a US presence on the ground makes it difficult to assess the success of operations targeting militants in Syria, and Shishani's death has been falsely reported several times.

Russia: Turkish Troops in Syria for Operation Against Kurds-By suzan fraser, associated press-ANKARA, Turkey — Mar 13, 2016, 12:57 PM ET-ABCNEWS-YAHOONEWS

Russia on Sunday accused Turkey of sending its military across the Syrian border to prevent Kurdish groups there from consolidating their positions, while Turkish authorities imposed curfews on two mainly Kurdish towns where Turkey's security forces are set to launch large-scale operations against Kurdish militants.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia has evidence of Turkey's "creeping expansion" in northern Syria."According to our information, they are digging in a few hundred meters from the border inside Syria," Lavrov said in an interview with Russian REN TV broadcast on Sunday.Calls placed to Turkish officials weren't answered.In southeastern Turkey, authorities have imposed curfews in several flashpoints since August to root out militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who had set up barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives. The military operations have raised concerns over human rights violations and scores of civilian deaths. Tens of thousands of people have also been displaced by the fighting.The governor's office for Hakkari province, which borders Iraq and Iran, said a new 24-hour curfew would take effect in the town Yuksekova at 2000 GMT (4 p.m. EDT) Sunday, adding that entering and leaving the town would also be banned. The announcement came as news reports said dozens of tanks had been deployed to the town.Soon after, authorities in Mardin province announced that a round-the-clock curfew would take effect in the town of Nusaybin — on the border with Syria — at midnight.Residents were seen leaving Nusaybin on Sunday, packing cars or heading toward the bus terminal even before the curfew was announced, the Dogan news agency reported. Some tanks were parked at a school ahead of the planned offensive, it said.Turkey's military last week ended a three-month operation against the militants in the historic Sur district of Diyarbakir — the largest city in the country's mostly Kurdish southeast. On Sunday, authorities eased the curfew in some streets and one neighborhood of Sur, but the siege over the district's main areas was still in place.The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union. A fragile peace process between the PKK and the Turkish state collapsed in July, reigniting a battle that has cost tens of thousands of lives since 1984.Lavrov was asked about a REN TV report broadcast two weeks ago of Turkish tanks and artillery along the Syrian border near the Syrian city of Kobane. The foreign minister said he had seen the reports, but gave no further details about what Russia maintains is Turkey's military presence inside Syria.Lavrov said Turkey has declared a sovereign right to create a security zone on Syrian territory to prevent the unification of Kurdish enclaves located to the east and to the west in northern Syria.-----Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report.

S. Africa, Nigeria: African giants battle for economic supremacy-AFP By Pierre Donadieu in Johannesburg and Joel Olatunde Agoi in Lagos-MAR 13,16-YAHOONEWS

Johannesburg (AFP) - When South Africa's President Jacob Zuma visited Nigeria last week he was on a delicate mission to mend rifts between the continent's two economic powerhouses.From economic rivalry to political friction, relations between South Africa and Nigeria have been strained in recent years.The election of Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari into office last May did not immediately ease the tension.When Zuma visited Abuja last week, Buhari set aside diplomacy and accused one of South Africa's largest companies of failing the country in its fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.Telecoms giant MTN was fined $3.9 billion for missing a deadline to disconnect 5.1 million unregistered SIM cards, a legal requirement aimed at hampering the militant Islamists.Buhari said MTN was "very slow" in cutting off the lines and that the unregistered lines were used by "terrorists" and "contributed to the casualties".The Nigerian government's concern "was basically on the security, not the fine imposed on the MTN," he said.But MTN is not the only South African company riding rough waves in Nigeria.Hotel and resort chain group Sun International is also a target of investigation by the country's economic financial crimes commission."We have an exemplary track record of operating in many countries over the past 30 years, but the difficulties we have experienced in Nigeria are unprecedented," Michael Farr, Sun International group's general manager for communications, told AFP."We'll continue to evaluate the situation and therefore our options."Africa's largest satellite broadcaster, Johannesburg-headquartered Multichoice, last year came under pressure to reduce its tariffs following accusations by the Nigerian authorities that it was abusing its dominant position.Some South African companies, such as the Truworths clothing retailer, have pulled out of the country altogether."We closed our four stores in Nigeria because we were unable to send stock to stores due to the regulations in Nigeria," Michael Mark, Truworths CEO told AFP.- 'Targeted because of envy' -Following the rebasing of its gross domestic product figures in April 2014, Nigeria became the continent's largest economy, overtaking South Africa.While 120 South African companies operate in Nigeria, the west African nation is only Pretoria's seventh-biggest trading partner on the continent."Some South African business people and officials suspect that South African companies are being targeted because of envy from local competitors," said Peter Fabricius, an analyst with the Institute of Security Studies in Pretoria.But "many Nigerians believe (MTN) was grossly negligent about obeying the rules and arrogant," said Fabricius.Muda Yussuf, the director general of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that it "does not mean these companies are being targeted"."It is just that companies operating anywhere have to comply with the laws governing business behaviours in their host countries. It does not matter if the companies are from South Africa or somewhere else."Laws are made to be obeyed. What happened to MTN can happen to any Nigerian company."After signing more than 30 bilateral agreements on trade, energy, defence and security among others, Pretoria put a positive spin on the visit."The visit of Zuma... is a testimony that there is no undercurrent of 'cold war' between Nigeria and South Africa," said Sola Oni, investment analyst and former senior manager with the Nigeria Stock Exchange."Nigeria is such a strategic country that cannot be easily ignored by any country globally," said Oni.But both countries are facing economic headwinds.South Africa's growth is undermined by the slowdown in China and falling commodity prices, while Nigeria, the continent's top oil producer, is suffering from low oil prices.

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