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)
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)
Top Asian News 11:03 a.m. GMT-[Associated Press]-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Sunday fired a medium-range missile, U.S. and South Korean officials said, in the latest ballistics test for a country speeding up its development of nuclear weapons and missiles. The rocket was fired from an area near the North Korean county of Pukchang, in South Phyongan Province, and flew eastward about 500 kilometers (310 miles), said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It did not immediately provide more details. White House officials traveling in Saudi Arabia with President Donald Trump said the system, which was last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's most recent tests.
North Korea fires another ballistic missile despite sanctions threats-[AFP]-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
North Korea Sunday test-fired a ballistic missile, the latest in a series of launches which have sparked international condemnation and threats of tougher UN sanctions.The South's military said it could not yet identify the type of missile fired from Pukchang in South Pyongan province but it travelled about 500 km (311 miles). Washington described it as a medium-range missile."Our military is closely monitoring signs for additional provocation by the North Korean military and we are keeping a full military readiness," said a statement from the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff.The launch came just one week after the North fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile, which according to Pyongyang flew almost 800 km and could carry a "heavy" nuclear warhead. Analysts said the Hwasong travelled further than any previous ballistic missile launched by the North.The May 14 launch was seen as a significant step forward in the North's weapons capabilities as it accelerates efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the continental United States.The launches, and a threatened sixth nuclear test, have fuelled tension with the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has vowed that such an ICBM launch "won't happen".South Korea's new President Moon Jae-In called a National Security Council meeting in response to the latest launch, Yonhap news agency reported.A White House official visiting Saudi Arabia with Trump confirmed the North had test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile but appeared to play down Sunday's launch."We are aware that North Korea launched an MRBM. This system, last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's three most recent tests," the official said on condition of anonymity.Pyongyang has long had missiles that can reach targets across South Korea and Japan.With an imputed range of 4,500 kilometres the Hwasong-12 also puts US bases on the Pacific island of Guam within reach.- 'Many more' missiles -The UN Security Council met behind closed doors last Tuesday to discuss tightening sanctions on North Korea after its May 14 launch.US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the United States was working with China, Pyongyang's main ally, on a new sanctions resolution and warned that all countries must step up action against North Korea or face measures themselves."We all have to send a sign to North Korea, and that is: 'No more. This is not playtime. This is serious. These threats are not welcome'," Haley told reporters ahead of the meeting."If you are a country that is supplying or supporting North Korea, we will call you out on it," Haley said.The North says it needs missiles and nuclear weapons to deter any attack by the United States.State newspaper Minju Joson Sunday threatened more launches."If the US persists in confrontation with the DPRK (North Korea), the latter will show how the crime-woven history of the US is put to an end," it said."Many more 'Juche weapons' capable of striking the US will be launched from this land. This is the DPRK's answer to the Trump administration," it said, referring to the national philosophy of "Juche" or self-reliance.
North Korean missile reached altitude of about 560 km: official-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
SEOUL (Reuters) - The ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Sunday reached an altitude of about 560 kilometers (348 miles), a South Korean military official said.The missile resembled North Korea's Pukguksong-2 type, an upgraded, extended-range version of its liquid-fuel submarine-launched ballistic missile, the official said by telephone.South Korea's foreign ministry condemned the launch saying in a separate statement that the missile launch was "reckless and irresponsible", dashing the new South Korean government's hopes for peace.New South Korean liberal President Moon Jae-in took office on May 10 pledging a more moderate approach to the North.(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Jack Kim; Editing by Mark Potter)
Japan's Abe says wants to raise North Korea missile issue at G7 summit-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday that he wants to raise the issue of North Korean missile launches at the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Italy this month."I would like to have a thorough discussion about this at the G7 summit," Abe told reporters after a meeting of the National Security Council.North Korea launched a ballistic missile around 0759 GMT from its west coast towards the Sea of Japan, and it likely landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japan's top government spokesman said earlier.(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Exclusive: North Korea's Unit 180, the cyber warfare cell that worries the West-[Reuters]-By Ju-min Park and James Pearson-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 that is likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyber attacks, according to defectors, officials and internet security experts.North Korea has been blamed in recent years for a series of online attacks, mostly on financial networks, in the United States, South Korea and over a dozen other countries.Cyber security researchers have also said they have found technical evidence that could link North Korea with the global WannaCry "ransomware" cyber attack that infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries this month. Pyongyang has called the allegation "ridiculous".The crux of the allegations against North Korea is its connection to a hacking group called Lazarus that is linked to last year's $81 million cyber heist at the Bangladesh central bank and the 2014 attack on Sony's Hollywood studio. The U.S. government has blamed North Korea for the Sony hack and some U.S. officials have said prosecutors are building a case against Pyongyang in the Bangladesh Bank theft.No conclusive proof has been provided and no criminal charges have yet been filed. North Korea has also denied being behind the Sony and banking attacks.North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world and any details of its clandestine operations are difficult to obtain. But experts who study the reclusive country and defectors who have ended up in South Korea or the West have provided some clues.Kim Heung-kwang, a former computer science professor in North Korea who defected to the South in 2004 and still has sources inside North Korea, said Pyongyang's cyber attacks aimed at raising cash are likely organized by Unit 180, a part of the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), its main overseas intelligence agency."Unit 180 is engaged in hacking financial institutions (by) breaching and withdrawing money out of bank accounts," Kim told Reuters. He has previously said that some of his former students have joined North Korea's Strategic Cyber Command, its cyber-army."The hackers go overseas to find somewhere with better internet services than North Korea so as not to leave a trace," Kim added. He said it was likely they went under the cover of being employees of trading firms, overseas branches of North Korean companies, or joint ventures in China or Southeast Asia.James Lewis, a North Korea expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Pyongyang first used hacking as a tool for espionage and then political harassment against South Korean and U.S. targets."They changed after Sony by using hacking to support criminal activities to generate hard currency for the regime," he said."So far, it's worked as well or better as drugs, counterfeiting, smuggling – all their usual tricks," Lewis said.-COST-EFFECTIVE, DENIABLE-The U.S. Department of Defense said in a report submitted to Congress last year that North Korea likely "views cyber as a cost-effective, asymmetric, deniable tool that it can employ with little risk from reprisal attacks, in part because its networks are largely separated from the Internet"."It is likely to use Internet infrastructure from third-party nations," the report said.South Korean officials say they have considerable evidence of North Korea's cyber warfare operations."North Korea is carrying out cyber attacks through third countries to cover up the origin of the attacks and using their information and communication technology infrastructure," Ahn Chong-ghee, South Korea's vice foreign minister, told Reuters in written comments.Besides the Bangladesh Bank heist, he said Pyongyang was also suspected in attacks on banks in the Philippines, Vietnam and Poland.In June last year, police said the North hacked into more than 140,000 computers at 160 South Korean companies and government agencies, planting malicious code as part of a long-term plan to lay the groundwork for a massive cyber attack on its rival.North Korea was also suspected of staging cyber attacks against the South Korean nuclear reactor operator in 2014, although it denied any involvement.That attack was conducted from a base in China, according to Simon Choi, a senior security researcher at Seoul-based anti-virus company Hauri Inc."They operate there so that regardless of what kind of project they do, they have Chinese IP addresses," said Choi, who has conducted extensive research into North Korea's hacking capabilities.-MALAYSIA LINK-Malaysia has also been a base for North Korean cyber operations, according to Yoo Dong-ryul, a former South Korean police researcher who studied North Korean espionage techniques for 25 years."They work in trading or IT programming companies on the surface," Yoo told Reuters. "Some of them run websites and sell game and gambling programs".Two IT firms in Malaysia have links to North Korea's RGB spy agency, according to a Reuters investigation this year, although there was no suggestion either of them was involved in hacking.Michael Madden, a U.S.-based expert on the North Korean leadership, said Unit 180 was one of many elite cyber warfare groups in the North Korean intelligence community."The personnel are recruited from senior middle schools and receive advanced training at some elite training institutions," Madden told Reuters."They have a certain amount of autonomy in their missions and tasking as well," he said, adding that they could be operating from hotels in China or Eastern Europe.In the United States, officials said there was no conclusive evidence that North Korea was behind the WannaCry ransomware, but that was no reason to be complacent."Whether or not they are directly involved with ransomware doesn't change the fact that they are a real cyber threat," said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of prominent U.S. security firm CrowdStrike Inc, added: "Their capabilities have improved steadily over time, and we consider them to be a threat actor that is capable of inflicting significant damage on U.S. private or government networks."(To view a graphic on 'Don't click: The ransomware WannaCry worm' click http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/CYBER-ATTACK/010041552FY/index.html)(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington, Joseph Menn in San Francisco,; Rozanna Latiff and Tom Allard in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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.
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.
U.S. and Pacific Rim countries at odds in heated trade meeting-[Reuters]-By A. Ananthalakshmi and Mai Nguyen-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
HANOI (Reuters) - Japan and other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreed on Sunday to pursue their trade deal without the United States, as the Trump administration's “America First” policy created tension at a meeting of Asia-Pacific countries.Turmoil over global trade negotiations was laid bare at a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which failed to agree on its usual joint statement after U.S. opposition to wording on free trade and fighting protectionism.The meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, was the biggest global trade gathering since U.S. President Donald Trump upended the old order, arguing that multilateral free-trade agreements were costing American jobs and that he wanted to cut new deals.On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific meeting, the 11 remaining countries of the TPP agreed to explore how they could move ahead without erstwhile leader the United States - partly in the hope that Washington would reconsider leaving.New U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said there was no way back."I believe at some point there will be a series of bilateral agreements with partners in this part of the world," the 69-year-old Reagan-era trade negotiator told a news conference. "Bilateral negotiations are better for the United States."Although the TPP members kept the trade agreement alive, they fell short of a wholehearted commitment to advance immediately with a deal that members also see as a way to contain an increasingly dominant China."We're focused on how we can move ahead with 11 countries," New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay said.One of the biggest challenges is keeping on board Vietnam and Malaysia, which signed up for the deal and promised to make major reforms largely to get better U.S. market access."We will need to ensure that our interests remain protected and the benefits derived from it still outweigh the costs," Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed said.The volume of trade between the remaining countries is barely a quarter of the level it would have been if the United States had remained in the TPP.Officials from TPP countries will meet again in Japan in July and bring proposals in November, McClay said.-PROTECTIONISM-Fears of protectionism have grown under the Trump presidency and the failure of the Asia-Pacific countries to agree on their usual joint statement did nothing to quell them.The United States was against wording agreed to by the other 20 APEC countries that supported free trade and opposed protectionism, officials at the talks said.A statement from the Vietnamese chairman of the talks gave a "commitment to promote trade and investment liberalization".But the only announcement from all the members was an "Actions Statement" that contained no such commitments. It mentioned topics such as sustainable growth, small businesses and technical cooperation.The wrangling is similar to what has been seen at gatherings of Group of 20 and Group of Seven financial leaders, where statements were toned down to fit with the new U.S. agenda.Explaining U.S. opposition to using the word protectionism, Lighthizer said the term was being confused with the steps that were really needed to promote free trade."Our view is that we want free trade, we want fair trade, we want a system that leads to greater market efficiency throughout the world," he said.On the sidelines of the APEC meeting, Lighthizer held a series of one-on-one meetings with key partners. Those included China as well as Canada and Mexico, members of the North American Free Trade Agreement which Trump seeks to renegotiate.China, putting itself forward as a global free trade champion in light of the U.S. shift, is pushing an agreement to encompass the vast majority of Asian economies. The Asia trade deal it favors is called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.(Additional reporting by My Pham; Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Stephen Coates)
Pope names cardinals for Laos, Mali, Sweden, Spain, Salvador-[Associated Press]-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has named five new cardinals for Laos, Mali, Sweden, Spain and El Salvador.Francis, in his surprise announcement Sunday to faithful in St. Peter's Square, said his selection reflects the universal nature of the Catholic Church. In some of the countries, like Laos and Sweden, Catholics are a minority.The churchmen will be formally installed as cardinals in a ceremony at the Vatican on June 28.They are Monsignor Jean Zerbo, archbishop of Bamako, Mali; Monsignor Juan Jose Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain; Monsignor Anders Arborelius, bishop of Stockholm; Monsignor Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, apostolic vicar of Pakse, Laos; and Monsignor Gregorio Rosa Chavez, an auxiliary bishop in San Salvador, El Salvador.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Two Chinese cities close poultry markets after H7N9 bird flu infections-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will shut poultry markets in certain districts of two cities after H7N9 bird flu infections were detected, state media reported on Sunday, the latest incidents in this year's more severe outbreak of the virus.A 44-year-old man who sold poultry at a farmers market in southwestern Sichuan province's Zigong city was diagnosed with H7N9, China News Service reported. Local authorities announced a one-month halt to poultry markets in the city's Ziliujing district from midnight on Monday.Separately, a 74-year old man who had visited poultry markets in Shandong province's Binzhou city was also diagnosed with H7N9, China Central Television reported. Binzhou authorities will temporarily halt poultry markets in three of its districts.Bird flu can jump from poultry to humans. Human cases of bird flu have been unusually high for China since last year, with three times more fatalities from H7N9 in the first four months of the year than in all of 2016. But deaths fell in April for the third consecutive month.(Reporting by Jake Spring and Hallie Gu; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
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.
Erdogan to return as ruling party boss after referendum win-[AFP]-Raziye Akkoc-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey's ruling party was on Sunday set to select President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its chief after a nearly three year break, swiftly pouncing on a key change agreed in the controversial April referendum on expanding his powers.The special congress of the the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara was to choose Erdogan -- the only candidate -- to replace Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as party chairman.Erdogan had rejoined the AKP, which he co-founded, on May 2 after a majority of voters on April 16 approved the changes to create an executive presidency.Under the old constitution, the head of state had to sever ties with their political party and Erdogan in August 2014 left the AKP and stepped down as chairman after his election as president.Taking the reins of the party will give Erdogan day-to-day control over its decision making, appointments and strategy as it prepares for elections in 2019.Thousands of party faithful crammed into the Ankara sports arena gave Erdogan a rock star-like reception as he attended his first major party event since 2014.The president threw flowers into the crowds while his personal song by the Turkish pop star Ugur Isilak boomed from the speakers."We are together again," Erdogan told thousands waiting outside the event in a brief preliminary speech from the top of a bus, noting he was resuming his old job after a 998-day absence.- 'My passion, my love' -Rejoining the AKP was the first major change permitted after the referendum, allowing the president to be affiliated with a political party almost immediately.Erdogan narrowly won with 51.4 percent of the vote but most of the new system, including axing the role of premier, will not come into force until elections on November 3, 2019.However as leader, Erdogan can decide the party's direction as it prepares for March 2019 local elections and then simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in November that year.Yildirim, who is staying on as prime minister, will be given a newly-created role of vice chairman, AKP deputy chairman Hayati Yazici said on Saturday.Erdogan led the party for three terms during his premiership between 2003 and 2014, helping build the AKP into an all-conquering election machine that has yet to be defeated at the ballot box.The father-of-four affectionately describes the AKP -- the most effective Islamic rooted-political force in the history of modern Turkey -- as his "fifth child".After becoming a party member again in an emotional grand ceremony in Ankara earlier this month, Erdogan said he had "returned to my home, my passion, my love".With Erdogan as party leader, all eyes will be on a possible cabinet reshuffle, with Hurriyet daily speculating at the weekend that eight to 10 ministers could be reshuffled.- 'Era of transformation' -Once Erdogan is elected by the congress, it will be the first time the president will be both party chairman and head of state since the end of the presidency in 1950 of Ismet Inonu, the successor and right-hand-man of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's modern founder.Images of Erdogan with slogans such as "iron will, strong Turkey" and "full steam ahead with the founding leader" flooded social media and appeared on street billboards.A special congress slogan read "a new breakthrough period: democracy, transformation, reform", hinting at a restructuring of the government as well as changes to the party's executive in the coming weeks and months.Erdogan told party officials "the new period means a new action plan" without giving details, Hurriyet daily reported on Saturday.According to Aykan Erdemir, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, becoming chairman would mean Erdogan gains the "formal authority to determine who runs for office from AKP lists"."This new prerogative will allow him to design both a party apparatus and a parliamentary group composed entirely of loyalists."Well-connected Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi previously said Erdogan would oversee a shake-up of AKP leaders at the local level determined by their success in the referendum.Turkish police on Sunday meanwhile killed in Ankara two suspected members of the Islamic State jihadist group believed to have been planning an attack in the capital. But there was no indication of any link to the congress.
Hardliners in US and Iran stand in way of Rouhani reforms-[AFP]-Eric Randolph-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
Tehran (AFP) - After his re-election triumph, President Hassan Rouhani must now grapple with a fiercely hostile United States and hardliners at home as he struggles to build a more moderate and connected Iran.Iran's entrenched conservative establishment -- particularly in the judiciary and elite Revolutionary Guards -- remain deeply suspicious of Rouhani's talk of civil liberties and building ties with the West."The non-elected institutions will try to prevent Rouhani from applying his reform agenda," said Clement Therme, Iran analyst for the International Institute for Strategic Studies."So he will focus on the economic side. If the daily lives of the population improve, he will be in a stronger position to push for structural reforms on civil rights."Fixing the economy will not be easy. Despite a nuclear deal with world powers, Washington still maintains a raft of sanctions that are scaring off global banks and foreign investors.US President Donald Trump has gone further, threatening to tear up the nuclear deal and visiting Iran's bitter regional rival Saudi Arabia this weekend, where he signed a $110 billion arms deal described as targeting "malign Iranian influence" in the region.Nonetheless, European and Asian governments are determined to keep the nuclear deal alive and take full advantage of the lucrative investment opportunities in Iran.They are cheered by Rouhani's victory over hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who had threatened a tougher, more insular approach to foreign relations."A lot of investors I hadn't heard from for three months were suddenly phoning me this morning. Some are already booking their tickets," said Farid Dehdilani, international adviser for the Iranian Privatisation Organisation after results were announced on Saturday."Dr Rouhani will more aggressively pursue his economic agenda -- investing in factories, production and absorbing foreign capital. I think he'll make his cabinet younger and more agile," he said.- 'A smarter politician' -Challenging the security forces, which control large swathes of the economy and need Iran's resources as a source of patronage, will be tough.And Rouhani notably failed to win the release of jailed opposition leaders or prevent the arrest of several dual nationals by intelligence services outside his control.Many fear his second term could mirror that of reformist president Mohammad Khatami in the early 2000s, when every attempt at reform was frustrated by the hardline establishment.But Rouhani, a long-time regime insider, may be better placed than his predecessors, said politics professor Foad Izadi, of Tehran University."Rouhani has shown himself to be a smarter politician than Khatami was," said Izadi."He's been part of the system long enough to know how to navigate it. Khatami was more ideological which reduced his ability to get things done."Crucially, Rouhani's technocratic approach has allowed him to co-opt key conservatives such as parliament speaker Ali Larijani."The alliance with Larijani has been very helpful to Rouhani in getting his ministers and policies approved. That will continue to be crucial in his second term," said Izadi.- Next supreme leader? -The big long-term question is whether Rouhani can influence the rise of the next supreme leader after the death of the ageing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Raisi, touted as a possible successor, is now out of the running, said Izadi."Maybe he will come back in four years, but with this type of showing we can rest assured that Raisi will not be the next supreme leader. The leader must show popular support."But with hardliners firmly in control of the Assembly of Experts that will choose the next leader, Rouhani and his allies have little influence over the succession.Nonetheless, this weekend's election has given a clear indication that Iran's youthful population supports his vision for the country's future."Iranian people no longer believe in economic populism and radical change," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group."They have the maturity to understand that the solution to their country's predicaments are in competent management of the economy and moderation in international relations."
Nigerian troops battle Boko Haram in Lake Chad area-[Associated Press]-HARUNA UMAR-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian troops fought Boko Haram in the Lake Chad area on Saturday, killing 13 of the Islamic extremists and arresting 10 others, including 6 women believed to have helped smuggle supplies to the insurgents, said an army spokesman.Soldiers of the of 8 Task Force Battalion spent 72 hours clearing the location where the Boko Haram fighters were hiding, said battalion spokesman Col. Timothy Antigha. Many other Boko Haram fighters were wounded by gunfire, he said.The troops, operating in the Chikun Gudu, Tumbuma Karami and Tumbuma Baba areas recovered three AK 47 rifles and one pump-action rifle, assorted rifle magazines and 306 rounds of ammunition, a tool box, a freezer and a Toyota truck, he said.In a related development, army troops, acting on a tip off, rounded up 10 suspected Boko Haram smugglers, he said. The suspects, six females and four males, are being investigated to determine the extent of their involvement with Boko Haram, he said.Since the army regained control of most of the Sambisa Forest area in northeastern Nigeria from Boko Haram in December 2016, Nigerian troops have pursued the extremist fighters in areas where they have fled.Boko Haram's violent campaign to seize Nigerian territory to enforce strict Islamic Shariah rule is responsible for the deaths of thousands and has displaced about 3 million people, mostly women and children, since 2009. Thousands have been kidnapped by Boko Haram, including nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2015.Joyous scenes occurred in the capital, Abuja, Saturday when 82 newly freed Chibok schoolgirls were reunited with their families. Nigeria's government negotiated with Boko Haram, with help from Swiss officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to secure the freedom of the young women from Chibok in return for the release of five extremist commanders.
Afghan official: 20 forces killed in coordinated attacks-[Associated Press]-RAHIM FAIEZ-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Militants launched attacks on several check points in southern Afghanistan killing at least 20 security forces, according to a provincial official.Gul Islam Seyal, spokesman for the provincial governor in Zabul province, said Sunday the battles began late Saturday when dozens of Taliban fighters launched coordinated attacks on security posts in the Shah Joy district. At least 10 other security forces, including national and local policemen, were wounded, he said.Seyal said the Taliban also fired several rounds of mortars on Qalat, the provincial capital.The Taliban did not immediately claim responsibility but they have stepped up attacks in Afghanistan since announcing their spring offensive last month.Also on Sunday, authorities said a German woman and an Afghan security guard were killed and a Finnish woman kidnapped from a Kabul guesthouse overnight.Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the killings took place at 11:30 p.m. local time Saturday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack or the kidnapping. He said Kabul police have begun an investigation.Karoliina Romanoff, spokeswoman for Finnish Foreign Ministry, confirmed that a Finnish citizen was kidnapped but had no details. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it demands "the immediate release of the kidnapped person."Scott Breslin, a worker at Sweden-based organization Operation Mercy, told Swedish news agency TT that one of its workers was missing and that the organization was holding a crisis meeting.___Associated Press writers Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
Trump praises Sisi, says he hopes to visit Egypt-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he hoped to visit Cairo soon, praising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after a meeting in Saudi Arabia and declaring that "safety seems to be very strong" in Egypt.Speaking through a translator, Sisi described Trump as "a unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible."Trump said he was having "very, very important talks" with Sisi."We've really been through a lot together positively," said Trump, who is on his first foreign visit since taking office."I will get to Egypt. We will absolutely be putting that on the list very soon," he said. Sisi had "done a tremendous job under trying circumstance".Sisi has launched the toughest crackdown on Islamists in Egypt's modern history since toppling President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police have been killed fighting militants in Sinai.Last month, Egypt declared a three-month state of emergency after two church bombings claimed by Islamic State killed more than 45 people.Sisi went to Washington last month for talks with Trump intended to improve relations that had been strained under President Barack Obama.Egypt is one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East, receiving $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid annually.Trump thanked Sisi for his help with the release of Egyptian-American charity worker Aya Hijazi last month. Trump and his aides had engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to gain her freedom after attempts by the previous Obama administration failed.(Reporting by Steve Holland, Writing by Sylvia Westall,; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Gulf states, U.S. to ink agreement against terror financing-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
RIYADH (Reuters) - The United States and Gulf Arab countries will sign an agreement on Sunday to coordinate their efforts against the financing of terrorist groups, a senior White House official said, as U.S. President Donald Trump visits the region.Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will sign the memorandum of understanding in Riyadh, where the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is holding a summit with Trump."It's the, we hope, farthest reaching commitment to not finance terrorist organizations that (the U.S.) Treasury will be monitoring with each of their counterparts," said Dina Powell, White House deputy national security adviser for strategy."The unique piece of it is that every single one of them are signatories on how they're responsible and will actually prosecute the financing of terrorism, including individuals."The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.Western officials believe that people living in wealthy Gulf countries have been an important source of funding for Sunni Islamist groups fighting in Iraq and Syria, including Islamic State and al Qaeda.(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Mark Potter)
Trump meeting with Arab leaders ahead of major speech-[Associated Press]-JONATHAN LEMIRE and JULIE PACE-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Donald Trump will use the nation that is home to Islam's holiest site as a backdrop to call for Muslim unity in the fight against terrorism Sunday, as he works to build relationships with Arab leaders.On the second day of his first trip abroad, Trump sought to demonstrate that he'd made progress with an agreement with Gulf Arab states on countering terrorist funding.Under the memorandum of understanding with the Gulf Cooperation Council announced in Saudi Arabia, participants are pledging to prosecute the financing of terrorism, including individuals. The White House did not immediately release the document. But White House adviser Dina Powell said she hoped the deal with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would be the "farthest reaching commitment to not finance terrorist organizations" and would lead to prosecutions.Trump's Sunday speech, the centerpiece of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, will address the leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries to cast the challenge of extremism as a "battle between good and evil" and urge Arab leaders to "drive out the terrorists from your places of worship," according to a draft of the speech obtained by The Associated Press. He also said that in about two weeks he would hold a news conference about the nation's efforts fighting terror.Trump, whose campaign was frequently punctuated by bouts of anti-Islamic rhetoric, is poised to soften some of his language about Islam. Though during the campaign he repeatedly stressed the need to say the words "radical Islamic terrorism" — and criticized his opponent, Hillary Clinton, for not doing so — that phrase is not included in the draft.The speech comes amid a renewed courtship of the United States' Arab allies as Trump held individual meetings with leaders of several nations, including Egypt and Qatar, before participating in a roundtable with the Gulf Cooperation Council and joining Saudi King Salman in opening Riyadh's new anti-terrorism center.A Sunday meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi underscored the kinship, with Trump saluting his counterpart on the April release of Egyptian-American charity worker Aya Hijazi, who had been detained in the country for nearly three years.El-Sissi invited Trump to visit him in Egypt, adding, "You are a unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible." As the participants laughed, Trump responded: "I agree."The president then complimented el-Sissi's choice of footwear, telling his Egyptian counterpart "Love your shoes. Boy, those shoes" after their brief remarks to the press.Trump has shown a willingness to overlook foreign leaders' human rights abuses. And Trump's prepared address notably refrains from mentioning democracy and human rights — topics Arab leaders often view as U.S. moralizing — in favor of the more limited goals of peace and stability."We are not here to lecture — to tell other peoples how to live, what to do or who to be. We are here instead to offer partnership in building a better future for us all," according to the copy of his speech.Two different sources provided the AP with copies of the draft of his remarks, billed as a marquee speech of the trip. The White House confirmed the draft was authentic, but cautioned the president had not yet signed off on the final product and that changes could be made.Trump may seem an unlikely messenger to deliver an olive branch to the Muslim world.During his campaign, he mused, "I think Islam hates us." And only a week after taking office, he signed an executive order to ban immigrants from seven countries — Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen — from entering the United States, a decision that sparked widespread protests at the nation's airports and demonstrations outside the White House.That ban was blocked by the courts. A second order, which dropped Iraq from the list, is tied up in federal court and the federal government is appealing.White House officials have said they consider Trump's visit, and his keynote address, a counterweight to President Barack Obama's debut speech to the Muslim world in 2009 in Cairo.Obama called for understanding and acknowledged some of America's missteps in the region. That speech was denounced by many Republicans and criticized by a number of the United States' Middle East allies as being a sort of apology.Saudi Arabia's leaders soured on Obama, and King Salman did not greet him at the airport during his final visit to the kingdom. But on Saturday, the 81-year-old king, aided by a cane, walked along the red carpet to meet Trump as a fleet of military jets swept through the sky, leaving a red, white and blue trail in their wake. During a ceremony at the grand Saudi Royal Court, the king awarded Trump the Collar of Abdulaziz al Saud, the theocracy's highest civilian honor.Trump bent down so the king could place the gold medal around his neck. Saudi Arabia has previously bestowed the honor on Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Obama.The president's stop in Saudi Arabia's dusty desert capital kicked off his first foreign trip as president, an ambitious, five-stop swing that will take him through the Middle East and into Europe. He's the only American president to make Saudi Arabia — or any Muslim-majority nation — his first overseas visit.Trump arrived in Riyadh besieged by the fallout from his controversial decision to fire FBI Director James Comey and more revelations about the federal investigations into his campaign's possible ties to Russia. But escaping Washington for the gold-plated embrace of the Saudi royal family — a decor not so unlike Trump's own Manhattan home — appeared to give the president a boost.___Associated Press writers Vivian Salama, Ken Thomas and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.___Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Pace at http://twitter.com/@JPaceDC.
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)
Top Asian News 11:03 a.m. GMT-[Associated Press]-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Sunday fired a medium-range missile, U.S. and South Korean officials said, in the latest ballistics test for a country speeding up its development of nuclear weapons and missiles. The rocket was fired from an area near the North Korean county of Pukchang, in South Phyongan Province, and flew eastward about 500 kilometers (310 miles), said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It did not immediately provide more details. White House officials traveling in Saudi Arabia with President Donald Trump said the system, which was last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's most recent tests.
North Korea fires another ballistic missile despite sanctions threats-[AFP]-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
North Korea Sunday test-fired a ballistic missile, the latest in a series of launches which have sparked international condemnation and threats of tougher UN sanctions.The South's military said it could not yet identify the type of missile fired from Pukchang in South Pyongan province but it travelled about 500 km (311 miles). Washington described it as a medium-range missile."Our military is closely monitoring signs for additional provocation by the North Korean military and we are keeping a full military readiness," said a statement from the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff.The launch came just one week after the North fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile, which according to Pyongyang flew almost 800 km and could carry a "heavy" nuclear warhead. Analysts said the Hwasong travelled further than any previous ballistic missile launched by the North.The May 14 launch was seen as a significant step forward in the North's weapons capabilities as it accelerates efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the continental United States.The launches, and a threatened sixth nuclear test, have fuelled tension with the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has vowed that such an ICBM launch "won't happen".South Korea's new President Moon Jae-In called a National Security Council meeting in response to the latest launch, Yonhap news agency reported.A White House official visiting Saudi Arabia with Trump confirmed the North had test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile but appeared to play down Sunday's launch."We are aware that North Korea launched an MRBM. This system, last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's three most recent tests," the official said on condition of anonymity.Pyongyang has long had missiles that can reach targets across South Korea and Japan.With an imputed range of 4,500 kilometres the Hwasong-12 also puts US bases on the Pacific island of Guam within reach.- 'Many more' missiles -The UN Security Council met behind closed doors last Tuesday to discuss tightening sanctions on North Korea after its May 14 launch.US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the United States was working with China, Pyongyang's main ally, on a new sanctions resolution and warned that all countries must step up action against North Korea or face measures themselves."We all have to send a sign to North Korea, and that is: 'No more. This is not playtime. This is serious. These threats are not welcome'," Haley told reporters ahead of the meeting."If you are a country that is supplying or supporting North Korea, we will call you out on it," Haley said.The North says it needs missiles and nuclear weapons to deter any attack by the United States.State newspaper Minju Joson Sunday threatened more launches."If the US persists in confrontation with the DPRK (North Korea), the latter will show how the crime-woven history of the US is put to an end," it said."Many more 'Juche weapons' capable of striking the US will be launched from this land. This is the DPRK's answer to the Trump administration," it said, referring to the national philosophy of "Juche" or self-reliance.
North Korean missile reached altitude of about 560 km: official-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
SEOUL (Reuters) - The ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Sunday reached an altitude of about 560 kilometers (348 miles), a South Korean military official said.The missile resembled North Korea's Pukguksong-2 type, an upgraded, extended-range version of its liquid-fuel submarine-launched ballistic missile, the official said by telephone.South Korea's foreign ministry condemned the launch saying in a separate statement that the missile launch was "reckless and irresponsible", dashing the new South Korean government's hopes for peace.New South Korean liberal President Moon Jae-in took office on May 10 pledging a more moderate approach to the North.(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Jack Kim; Editing by Mark Potter)
Japan's Abe says wants to raise North Korea missile issue at G7 summit-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday that he wants to raise the issue of North Korean missile launches at the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Italy this month."I would like to have a thorough discussion about this at the G7 summit," Abe told reporters after a meeting of the National Security Council.North Korea launched a ballistic missile around 0759 GMT from its west coast towards the Sea of Japan, and it likely landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japan's top government spokesman said earlier.(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Exclusive: North Korea's Unit 180, the cyber warfare cell that worries the West-[Reuters]-By Ju-min Park and James Pearson-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 that is likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyber attacks, according to defectors, officials and internet security experts.North Korea has been blamed in recent years for a series of online attacks, mostly on financial networks, in the United States, South Korea and over a dozen other countries.Cyber security researchers have also said they have found technical evidence that could link North Korea with the global WannaCry "ransomware" cyber attack that infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries this month. Pyongyang has called the allegation "ridiculous".The crux of the allegations against North Korea is its connection to a hacking group called Lazarus that is linked to last year's $81 million cyber heist at the Bangladesh central bank and the 2014 attack on Sony's Hollywood studio. The U.S. government has blamed North Korea for the Sony hack and some U.S. officials have said prosecutors are building a case against Pyongyang in the Bangladesh Bank theft.No conclusive proof has been provided and no criminal charges have yet been filed. North Korea has also denied being behind the Sony and banking attacks.North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world and any details of its clandestine operations are difficult to obtain. But experts who study the reclusive country and defectors who have ended up in South Korea or the West have provided some clues.Kim Heung-kwang, a former computer science professor in North Korea who defected to the South in 2004 and still has sources inside North Korea, said Pyongyang's cyber attacks aimed at raising cash are likely organized by Unit 180, a part of the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), its main overseas intelligence agency."Unit 180 is engaged in hacking financial institutions (by) breaching and withdrawing money out of bank accounts," Kim told Reuters. He has previously said that some of his former students have joined North Korea's Strategic Cyber Command, its cyber-army."The hackers go overseas to find somewhere with better internet services than North Korea so as not to leave a trace," Kim added. He said it was likely they went under the cover of being employees of trading firms, overseas branches of North Korean companies, or joint ventures in China or Southeast Asia.James Lewis, a North Korea expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Pyongyang first used hacking as a tool for espionage and then political harassment against South Korean and U.S. targets."They changed after Sony by using hacking to support criminal activities to generate hard currency for the regime," he said."So far, it's worked as well or better as drugs, counterfeiting, smuggling – all their usual tricks," Lewis said.-COST-EFFECTIVE, DENIABLE-The U.S. Department of Defense said in a report submitted to Congress last year that North Korea likely "views cyber as a cost-effective, asymmetric, deniable tool that it can employ with little risk from reprisal attacks, in part because its networks are largely separated from the Internet"."It is likely to use Internet infrastructure from third-party nations," the report said.South Korean officials say they have considerable evidence of North Korea's cyber warfare operations."North Korea is carrying out cyber attacks through third countries to cover up the origin of the attacks and using their information and communication technology infrastructure," Ahn Chong-ghee, South Korea's vice foreign minister, told Reuters in written comments.Besides the Bangladesh Bank heist, he said Pyongyang was also suspected in attacks on banks in the Philippines, Vietnam and Poland.In June last year, police said the North hacked into more than 140,000 computers at 160 South Korean companies and government agencies, planting malicious code as part of a long-term plan to lay the groundwork for a massive cyber attack on its rival.North Korea was also suspected of staging cyber attacks against the South Korean nuclear reactor operator in 2014, although it denied any involvement.That attack was conducted from a base in China, according to Simon Choi, a senior security researcher at Seoul-based anti-virus company Hauri Inc."They operate there so that regardless of what kind of project they do, they have Chinese IP addresses," said Choi, who has conducted extensive research into North Korea's hacking capabilities.-MALAYSIA LINK-Malaysia has also been a base for North Korean cyber operations, according to Yoo Dong-ryul, a former South Korean police researcher who studied North Korean espionage techniques for 25 years."They work in trading or IT programming companies on the surface," Yoo told Reuters. "Some of them run websites and sell game and gambling programs".Two IT firms in Malaysia have links to North Korea's RGB spy agency, according to a Reuters investigation this year, although there was no suggestion either of them was involved in hacking.Michael Madden, a U.S.-based expert on the North Korean leadership, said Unit 180 was one of many elite cyber warfare groups in the North Korean intelligence community."The personnel are recruited from senior middle schools and receive advanced training at some elite training institutions," Madden told Reuters."They have a certain amount of autonomy in their missions and tasking as well," he said, adding that they could be operating from hotels in China or Eastern Europe.In the United States, officials said there was no conclusive evidence that North Korea was behind the WannaCry ransomware, but that was no reason to be complacent."Whether or not they are directly involved with ransomware doesn't change the fact that they are a real cyber threat," said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of prominent U.S. security firm CrowdStrike Inc, added: "Their capabilities have improved steadily over time, and we consider them to be a threat actor that is capable of inflicting significant damage on U.S. private or government networks."(To view a graphic on 'Don't click: The ransomware WannaCry worm' click http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/CYBER-ATTACK/010041552FY/index.html)(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington, Joseph Menn in San Francisco,; Rozanna Latiff and Tom Allard in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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.
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.
U.S. and Pacific Rim countries at odds in heated trade meeting-[Reuters]-By A. Ananthalakshmi and Mai Nguyen-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
HANOI (Reuters) - Japan and other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreed on Sunday to pursue their trade deal without the United States, as the Trump administration's “America First” policy created tension at a meeting of Asia-Pacific countries.Turmoil over global trade negotiations was laid bare at a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which failed to agree on its usual joint statement after U.S. opposition to wording on free trade and fighting protectionism.The meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, was the biggest global trade gathering since U.S. President Donald Trump upended the old order, arguing that multilateral free-trade agreements were costing American jobs and that he wanted to cut new deals.On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific meeting, the 11 remaining countries of the TPP agreed to explore how they could move ahead without erstwhile leader the United States - partly in the hope that Washington would reconsider leaving.New U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said there was no way back."I believe at some point there will be a series of bilateral agreements with partners in this part of the world," the 69-year-old Reagan-era trade negotiator told a news conference. "Bilateral negotiations are better for the United States."Although the TPP members kept the trade agreement alive, they fell short of a wholehearted commitment to advance immediately with a deal that members also see as a way to contain an increasingly dominant China."We're focused on how we can move ahead with 11 countries," New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay said.One of the biggest challenges is keeping on board Vietnam and Malaysia, which signed up for the deal and promised to make major reforms largely to get better U.S. market access."We will need to ensure that our interests remain protected and the benefits derived from it still outweigh the costs," Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed said.The volume of trade between the remaining countries is barely a quarter of the level it would have been if the United States had remained in the TPP.Officials from TPP countries will meet again in Japan in July and bring proposals in November, McClay said.-PROTECTIONISM-Fears of protectionism have grown under the Trump presidency and the failure of the Asia-Pacific countries to agree on their usual joint statement did nothing to quell them.The United States was against wording agreed to by the other 20 APEC countries that supported free trade and opposed protectionism, officials at the talks said.A statement from the Vietnamese chairman of the talks gave a "commitment to promote trade and investment liberalization".But the only announcement from all the members was an "Actions Statement" that contained no such commitments. It mentioned topics such as sustainable growth, small businesses and technical cooperation.The wrangling is similar to what has been seen at gatherings of Group of 20 and Group of Seven financial leaders, where statements were toned down to fit with the new U.S. agenda.Explaining U.S. opposition to using the word protectionism, Lighthizer said the term was being confused with the steps that were really needed to promote free trade."Our view is that we want free trade, we want fair trade, we want a system that leads to greater market efficiency throughout the world," he said.On the sidelines of the APEC meeting, Lighthizer held a series of one-on-one meetings with key partners. Those included China as well as Canada and Mexico, members of the North American Free Trade Agreement which Trump seeks to renegotiate.China, putting itself forward as a global free trade champion in light of the U.S. shift, is pushing an agreement to encompass the vast majority of Asian economies. The Asia trade deal it favors is called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.(Additional reporting by My Pham; Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Stephen Coates)
Pope names cardinals for Laos, Mali, Sweden, Spain, Salvador-[Associated Press]-yahoonews-May 21, 2017
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has named five new cardinals for Laos, Mali, Sweden, Spain and El Salvador.Francis, in his surprise announcement Sunday to faithful in St. Peter's Square, said his selection reflects the universal nature of the Catholic Church. In some of the countries, like Laos and Sweden, Catholics are a minority.The churchmen will be formally installed as cardinals in a ceremony at the Vatican on June 28.They are Monsignor Jean Zerbo, archbishop of Bamako, Mali; Monsignor Juan Jose Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain; Monsignor Anders Arborelius, bishop of Stockholm; Monsignor Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, apostolic vicar of Pakse, Laos; and Monsignor Gregorio Rosa Chavez, an auxiliary bishop in San Salvador, El Salvador.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Two Chinese cities close poultry markets after H7N9 bird flu infections-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will shut poultry markets in certain districts of two cities after H7N9 bird flu infections were detected, state media reported on Sunday, the latest incidents in this year's more severe outbreak of the virus.A 44-year-old man who sold poultry at a farmers market in southwestern Sichuan province's Zigong city was diagnosed with H7N9, China News Service reported. Local authorities announced a one-month halt to poultry markets in the city's Ziliujing district from midnight on Monday.Separately, a 74-year old man who had visited poultry markets in Shandong province's Binzhou city was also diagnosed with H7N9, China Central Television reported. Binzhou authorities will temporarily halt poultry markets in three of its districts.Bird flu can jump from poultry to humans. Human cases of bird flu have been unusually high for China since last year, with three times more fatalities from H7N9 in the first four months of the year than in all of 2016. But deaths fell in April for the third consecutive month.(Reporting by Jake Spring and Hallie Gu; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
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.
Erdogan to return as ruling party boss after referendum win-[AFP]-Raziye Akkoc-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey's ruling party was on Sunday set to select President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its chief after a nearly three year break, swiftly pouncing on a key change agreed in the controversial April referendum on expanding his powers.The special congress of the the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara was to choose Erdogan -- the only candidate -- to replace Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as party chairman.Erdogan had rejoined the AKP, which he co-founded, on May 2 after a majority of voters on April 16 approved the changes to create an executive presidency.Under the old constitution, the head of state had to sever ties with their political party and Erdogan in August 2014 left the AKP and stepped down as chairman after his election as president.Taking the reins of the party will give Erdogan day-to-day control over its decision making, appointments and strategy as it prepares for elections in 2019.Thousands of party faithful crammed into the Ankara sports arena gave Erdogan a rock star-like reception as he attended his first major party event since 2014.The president threw flowers into the crowds while his personal song by the Turkish pop star Ugur Isilak boomed from the speakers."We are together again," Erdogan told thousands waiting outside the event in a brief preliminary speech from the top of a bus, noting he was resuming his old job after a 998-day absence.- 'My passion, my love' -Rejoining the AKP was the first major change permitted after the referendum, allowing the president to be affiliated with a political party almost immediately.Erdogan narrowly won with 51.4 percent of the vote but most of the new system, including axing the role of premier, will not come into force until elections on November 3, 2019.However as leader, Erdogan can decide the party's direction as it prepares for March 2019 local elections and then simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in November that year.Yildirim, who is staying on as prime minister, will be given a newly-created role of vice chairman, AKP deputy chairman Hayati Yazici said on Saturday.Erdogan led the party for three terms during his premiership between 2003 and 2014, helping build the AKP into an all-conquering election machine that has yet to be defeated at the ballot box.The father-of-four affectionately describes the AKP -- the most effective Islamic rooted-political force in the history of modern Turkey -- as his "fifth child".After becoming a party member again in an emotional grand ceremony in Ankara earlier this month, Erdogan said he had "returned to my home, my passion, my love".With Erdogan as party leader, all eyes will be on a possible cabinet reshuffle, with Hurriyet daily speculating at the weekend that eight to 10 ministers could be reshuffled.- 'Era of transformation' -Once Erdogan is elected by the congress, it will be the first time the president will be both party chairman and head of state since the end of the presidency in 1950 of Ismet Inonu, the successor and right-hand-man of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's modern founder.Images of Erdogan with slogans such as "iron will, strong Turkey" and "full steam ahead with the founding leader" flooded social media and appeared on street billboards.A special congress slogan read "a new breakthrough period: democracy, transformation, reform", hinting at a restructuring of the government as well as changes to the party's executive in the coming weeks and months.Erdogan told party officials "the new period means a new action plan" without giving details, Hurriyet daily reported on Saturday.According to Aykan Erdemir, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, becoming chairman would mean Erdogan gains the "formal authority to determine who runs for office from AKP lists"."This new prerogative will allow him to design both a party apparatus and a parliamentary group composed entirely of loyalists."Well-connected Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi previously said Erdogan would oversee a shake-up of AKP leaders at the local level determined by their success in the referendum.Turkish police on Sunday meanwhile killed in Ankara two suspected members of the Islamic State jihadist group believed to have been planning an attack in the capital. But there was no indication of any link to the congress.
Hardliners in US and Iran stand in way of Rouhani reforms-[AFP]-Eric Randolph-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
Tehran (AFP) - After his re-election triumph, President Hassan Rouhani must now grapple with a fiercely hostile United States and hardliners at home as he struggles to build a more moderate and connected Iran.Iran's entrenched conservative establishment -- particularly in the judiciary and elite Revolutionary Guards -- remain deeply suspicious of Rouhani's talk of civil liberties and building ties with the West."The non-elected institutions will try to prevent Rouhani from applying his reform agenda," said Clement Therme, Iran analyst for the International Institute for Strategic Studies."So he will focus on the economic side. If the daily lives of the population improve, he will be in a stronger position to push for structural reforms on civil rights."Fixing the economy will not be easy. Despite a nuclear deal with world powers, Washington still maintains a raft of sanctions that are scaring off global banks and foreign investors.US President Donald Trump has gone further, threatening to tear up the nuclear deal and visiting Iran's bitter regional rival Saudi Arabia this weekend, where he signed a $110 billion arms deal described as targeting "malign Iranian influence" in the region.Nonetheless, European and Asian governments are determined to keep the nuclear deal alive and take full advantage of the lucrative investment opportunities in Iran.They are cheered by Rouhani's victory over hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who had threatened a tougher, more insular approach to foreign relations."A lot of investors I hadn't heard from for three months were suddenly phoning me this morning. Some are already booking their tickets," said Farid Dehdilani, international adviser for the Iranian Privatisation Organisation after results were announced on Saturday."Dr Rouhani will more aggressively pursue his economic agenda -- investing in factories, production and absorbing foreign capital. I think he'll make his cabinet younger and more agile," he said.- 'A smarter politician' -Challenging the security forces, which control large swathes of the economy and need Iran's resources as a source of patronage, will be tough.And Rouhani notably failed to win the release of jailed opposition leaders or prevent the arrest of several dual nationals by intelligence services outside his control.Many fear his second term could mirror that of reformist president Mohammad Khatami in the early 2000s, when every attempt at reform was frustrated by the hardline establishment.But Rouhani, a long-time regime insider, may be better placed than his predecessors, said politics professor Foad Izadi, of Tehran University."Rouhani has shown himself to be a smarter politician than Khatami was," said Izadi."He's been part of the system long enough to know how to navigate it. Khatami was more ideological which reduced his ability to get things done."Crucially, Rouhani's technocratic approach has allowed him to co-opt key conservatives such as parliament speaker Ali Larijani."The alliance with Larijani has been very helpful to Rouhani in getting his ministers and policies approved. That will continue to be crucial in his second term," said Izadi.- Next supreme leader? -The big long-term question is whether Rouhani can influence the rise of the next supreme leader after the death of the ageing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Raisi, touted as a possible successor, is now out of the running, said Izadi."Maybe he will come back in four years, but with this type of showing we can rest assured that Raisi will not be the next supreme leader. The leader must show popular support."But with hardliners firmly in control of the Assembly of Experts that will choose the next leader, Rouhani and his allies have little influence over the succession.Nonetheless, this weekend's election has given a clear indication that Iran's youthful population supports his vision for the country's future."Iranian people no longer believe in economic populism and radical change," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group."They have the maturity to understand that the solution to their country's predicaments are in competent management of the economy and moderation in international relations."
Nigerian troops battle Boko Haram in Lake Chad area-[Associated Press]-HARUNA UMAR-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian troops fought Boko Haram in the Lake Chad area on Saturday, killing 13 of the Islamic extremists and arresting 10 others, including 6 women believed to have helped smuggle supplies to the insurgents, said an army spokesman.Soldiers of the of 8 Task Force Battalion spent 72 hours clearing the location where the Boko Haram fighters were hiding, said battalion spokesman Col. Timothy Antigha. Many other Boko Haram fighters were wounded by gunfire, he said.The troops, operating in the Chikun Gudu, Tumbuma Karami and Tumbuma Baba areas recovered three AK 47 rifles and one pump-action rifle, assorted rifle magazines and 306 rounds of ammunition, a tool box, a freezer and a Toyota truck, he said.In a related development, army troops, acting on a tip off, rounded up 10 suspected Boko Haram smugglers, he said. The suspects, six females and four males, are being investigated to determine the extent of their involvement with Boko Haram, he said.Since the army regained control of most of the Sambisa Forest area in northeastern Nigeria from Boko Haram in December 2016, Nigerian troops have pursued the extremist fighters in areas where they have fled.Boko Haram's violent campaign to seize Nigerian territory to enforce strict Islamic Shariah rule is responsible for the deaths of thousands and has displaced about 3 million people, mostly women and children, since 2009. Thousands have been kidnapped by Boko Haram, including nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2015.Joyous scenes occurred in the capital, Abuja, Saturday when 82 newly freed Chibok schoolgirls were reunited with their families. Nigeria's government negotiated with Boko Haram, with help from Swiss officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to secure the freedom of the young women from Chibok in return for the release of five extremist commanders.
Afghan official: 20 forces killed in coordinated attacks-[Associated Press]-RAHIM FAIEZ-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Militants launched attacks on several check points in southern Afghanistan killing at least 20 security forces, according to a provincial official.Gul Islam Seyal, spokesman for the provincial governor in Zabul province, said Sunday the battles began late Saturday when dozens of Taliban fighters launched coordinated attacks on security posts in the Shah Joy district. At least 10 other security forces, including national and local policemen, were wounded, he said.Seyal said the Taliban also fired several rounds of mortars on Qalat, the provincial capital.The Taliban did not immediately claim responsibility but they have stepped up attacks in Afghanistan since announcing their spring offensive last month.Also on Sunday, authorities said a German woman and an Afghan security guard were killed and a Finnish woman kidnapped from a Kabul guesthouse overnight.Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the killings took place at 11:30 p.m. local time Saturday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack or the kidnapping. He said Kabul police have begun an investigation.Karoliina Romanoff, spokeswoman for Finnish Foreign Ministry, confirmed that a Finnish citizen was kidnapped but had no details. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it demands "the immediate release of the kidnapped person."Scott Breslin, a worker at Sweden-based organization Operation Mercy, told Swedish news agency TT that one of its workers was missing and that the organization was holding a crisis meeting.___Associated Press writers Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
Trump praises Sisi, says he hopes to visit Egypt-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he hoped to visit Cairo soon, praising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after a meeting in Saudi Arabia and declaring that "safety seems to be very strong" in Egypt.Speaking through a translator, Sisi described Trump as "a unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible."Trump said he was having "very, very important talks" with Sisi."We've really been through a lot together positively," said Trump, who is on his first foreign visit since taking office."I will get to Egypt. We will absolutely be putting that on the list very soon," he said. Sisi had "done a tremendous job under trying circumstance".Sisi has launched the toughest crackdown on Islamists in Egypt's modern history since toppling President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police have been killed fighting militants in Sinai.Last month, Egypt declared a three-month state of emergency after two church bombings claimed by Islamic State killed more than 45 people.Sisi went to Washington last month for talks with Trump intended to improve relations that had been strained under President Barack Obama.Egypt is one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East, receiving $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid annually.Trump thanked Sisi for his help with the release of Egyptian-American charity worker Aya Hijazi last month. Trump and his aides had engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to gain her freedom after attempts by the previous Obama administration failed.(Reporting by Steve Holland, Writing by Sylvia Westall,; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Gulf states, U.S. to ink agreement against terror financing-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
RIYADH (Reuters) - The United States and Gulf Arab countries will sign an agreement on Sunday to coordinate their efforts against the financing of terrorist groups, a senior White House official said, as U.S. President Donald Trump visits the region.Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will sign the memorandum of understanding in Riyadh, where the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is holding a summit with Trump."It's the, we hope, farthest reaching commitment to not finance terrorist organizations that (the U.S.) Treasury will be monitoring with each of their counterparts," said Dina Powell, White House deputy national security adviser for strategy."The unique piece of it is that every single one of them are signatories on how they're responsible and will actually prosecute the financing of terrorism, including individuals."The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.Western officials believe that people living in wealthy Gulf countries have been an important source of funding for Sunni Islamist groups fighting in Iraq and Syria, including Islamic State and al Qaeda.(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Mark Potter)
Trump meeting with Arab leaders ahead of major speech-[Associated Press]-JONATHAN LEMIRE and JULIE PACE-YAHOONEWS-May 21, 2017
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Donald Trump will use the nation that is home to Islam's holiest site as a backdrop to call for Muslim unity in the fight against terrorism Sunday, as he works to build relationships with Arab leaders.On the second day of his first trip abroad, Trump sought to demonstrate that he'd made progress with an agreement with Gulf Arab states on countering terrorist funding.Under the memorandum of understanding with the Gulf Cooperation Council announced in Saudi Arabia, participants are pledging to prosecute the financing of terrorism, including individuals. The White House did not immediately release the document. But White House adviser Dina Powell said she hoped the deal with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would be the "farthest reaching commitment to not finance terrorist organizations" and would lead to prosecutions.Trump's Sunday speech, the centerpiece of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, will address the leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries to cast the challenge of extremism as a "battle between good and evil" and urge Arab leaders to "drive out the terrorists from your places of worship," according to a draft of the speech obtained by The Associated Press. He also said that in about two weeks he would hold a news conference about the nation's efforts fighting terror.Trump, whose campaign was frequently punctuated by bouts of anti-Islamic rhetoric, is poised to soften some of his language about Islam. Though during the campaign he repeatedly stressed the need to say the words "radical Islamic terrorism" — and criticized his opponent, Hillary Clinton, for not doing so — that phrase is not included in the draft.The speech comes amid a renewed courtship of the United States' Arab allies as Trump held individual meetings with leaders of several nations, including Egypt and Qatar, before participating in a roundtable with the Gulf Cooperation Council and joining Saudi King Salman in opening Riyadh's new anti-terrorism center.A Sunday meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi underscored the kinship, with Trump saluting his counterpart on the April release of Egyptian-American charity worker Aya Hijazi, who had been detained in the country for nearly three years.El-Sissi invited Trump to visit him in Egypt, adding, "You are a unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible." As the participants laughed, Trump responded: "I agree."The president then complimented el-Sissi's choice of footwear, telling his Egyptian counterpart "Love your shoes. Boy, those shoes" after their brief remarks to the press.Trump has shown a willingness to overlook foreign leaders' human rights abuses. And Trump's prepared address notably refrains from mentioning democracy and human rights — topics Arab leaders often view as U.S. moralizing — in favor of the more limited goals of peace and stability."We are not here to lecture — to tell other peoples how to live, what to do or who to be. We are here instead to offer partnership in building a better future for us all," according to the copy of his speech.Two different sources provided the AP with copies of the draft of his remarks, billed as a marquee speech of the trip. The White House confirmed the draft was authentic, but cautioned the president had not yet signed off on the final product and that changes could be made.Trump may seem an unlikely messenger to deliver an olive branch to the Muslim world.During his campaign, he mused, "I think Islam hates us." And only a week after taking office, he signed an executive order to ban immigrants from seven countries — Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen — from entering the United States, a decision that sparked widespread protests at the nation's airports and demonstrations outside the White House.That ban was blocked by the courts. A second order, which dropped Iraq from the list, is tied up in federal court and the federal government is appealing.White House officials have said they consider Trump's visit, and his keynote address, a counterweight to President Barack Obama's debut speech to the Muslim world in 2009 in Cairo.Obama called for understanding and acknowledged some of America's missteps in the region. That speech was denounced by many Republicans and criticized by a number of the United States' Middle East allies as being a sort of apology.Saudi Arabia's leaders soured on Obama, and King Salman did not greet him at the airport during his final visit to the kingdom. But on Saturday, the 81-year-old king, aided by a cane, walked along the red carpet to meet Trump as a fleet of military jets swept through the sky, leaving a red, white and blue trail in their wake. During a ceremony at the grand Saudi Royal Court, the king awarded Trump the Collar of Abdulaziz al Saud, the theocracy's highest civilian honor.Trump bent down so the king could place the gold medal around his neck. Saudi Arabia has previously bestowed the honor on Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Obama.The president's stop in Saudi Arabia's dusty desert capital kicked off his first foreign trip as president, an ambitious, five-stop swing that will take him through the Middle East and into Europe. He's the only American president to make Saudi Arabia — or any Muslim-majority nation — his first overseas visit.Trump arrived in Riyadh besieged by the fallout from his controversial decision to fire FBI Director James Comey and more revelations about the federal investigations into his campaign's possible ties to Russia. But escaping Washington for the gold-plated embrace of the Saudi royal family — a decor not so unlike Trump's own Manhattan home — appeared to give the president a boost.___Associated Press writers Vivian Salama, Ken Thomas and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.___Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Pace at http://twitter.com/@JPaceDC.
