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)
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Experts say don't be a 'garden hose hero' in the face of an evacuation order-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 22, 2017
In a province that routinely has major wildfires, emergency management consultant Jim Lamorte is surprised more people haven't been killed.Lamorte fears that could change given the reluctance of some British Columbians to obey evacuation orders to stay and protect their properties."I do hear people say from time to time they're going to stay behind and protect their home," he said."It may be tempting to do that, but their experience with wildfire may be no more than a campfire. … That's not what they're going to experience."What they will experience, he said, are falling embers swirling and surrounding them. And they'll feel unbearable heat from as far as a kilometre away.And they may feel the temptation to run to the illusory safety of a structure which could catch fire and ultimately become a tomb.Some won't leave.As of Friday, B.C. had 167 wildfires burning across the province and about 43,000 residents have become evacuees.In Lake Country,in Riske Creek and the First Nation community of Anaham Reserve, some people have chosen not to evacuate.RCMP Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau says if adults don't want to follow an evacuation order, police won't force them to leave."Should the situation worsen, unfortunately, we may no longer be available to get them," Linteau said.Bob Turner with Emergency Management B.C. said people who defy evacuation orders can hamper fire suppression work by forcing crews to work around them instead of treating the land as empty.'They were in over their heads'-Lamorte says this year's fast-moving, wind-driven infernos remind him of wildfires that turned deadly, such as the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Australia that killed 173 people, and the 2003 Cedar Fire near San Diego that killed 15."This is entirely possible with our forests and wildfire history."Sandra Millers Younger experienced the devastation in California firsthand and chronicled it in her book, The Fire Outside My Window.In Younger's case, residents were given only a moments' notice before the flames were all around them.She and her husband managed to escape. Twelve of their neighbours did not."A number of people stayed behind to try and protect their homes," she said. "Some of them were successful, others realized they were in over their heads because they realized you cannot fight 100-foot flames with a garden hose."Don't try to be a garden hose hero. Don't wait until it becomes really scary and then think you'll be able to escape. Because you may not."Lost all possessions-Lamorte says training can prepare a person to protect property from an approaching fire. He recommends the provincial FireSmart manual for how to prepare a rural home from fire."But most people … don't have those things in place and are taking extreme risk," he said.Lamorte said the most effective way to protect a home from wildfire is to keep flammable materials away from a structure — and buy insurance."If they feel [staying behind] is the only way to protect it, then they've taken some wrong steps along the way."Younger lost all of her possessions in the 2003 California fire and she understands why some would want to try and protect their valuable and in some cases, irreplaceable possessions."My advice is to focus on saving your life."
First Nation dealing with wildfires shocked outgoing B.C. government granted mining permits during crisis-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 22, 2017
Wildfires, road blocks and smoke are preventing Agnes William, 60, and about 70 other Tsilhqot'in elders from returning to their home near Williams Lake, B.C.She's been stuck in an Abbotsford hotel for the last week and the Canadian Forces is air-dropping supplies into her Xeni Gwet'in community for those unable to leave.So when she heard the former B.C. government — just days before they lost power — issued the drilling permits for Taseko Mines's controversial New Prosperity mine, she said she was blind sided."It's really insulting, that's just a dirty way to do it," she said from her hotel room.In a written statement, the B.C. government said the notice of work decisions — in this case the drilling permits, "are not political decisions and are made solely by the statutory decision maker, who, in this case, was a senior permitting inspector located in Kamloops."In a letter to Tsilhqot'in communities, Rick Adams, the senior inspector with the Ministry of Energy and Mines for the South Central Region said he appreciated that the notice came at a difficult time given the wildfire situation.However, he added that he made the permit decision last Friday and had to honour his previous commitment to provide timely notification of his decision.Brian Battison, a spokesperson with Taseko Mines, says the application for the permit was routine and made last November.Normally, he said, these types of permits related to field work are turned around in 60 days. But because of the depth of consultation between the provincial government and the Tsilhqot'in Nation, it took 10 months."They knew this permit was coming ... and they have been preparing themselves for it for many months," Battison said.'That was a shocker'-Roger Williams, chief of the Xeni Gwet'in Nation says the notice of permits granted came as a surprise to him."That was a shocker. This is frustrating, a lot of our family members are all over," he said, also from the Abbotsford hotel. The permits authorize 76 km of new or modified trails, 122 drill holes, 367 test pits dug by an excavator, and 20 km of seismic lines near Teztan Biny, also known as Fish Lake, and Nabas — an area of profound cultural and spiritual importance that the Tsilhqot'in successfully fought to protect against two mine proposals.The Tsilhqot'in Nation staunchly opposes the open pit gold and copper mine slated to be constructed right in the middle of their territory, 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake.Taseko Mines says it's a significant project that wil help the economy.Battison said the mine will create $12.7 billion of provincial GDP during production it and it will employ 650 people for about 20 years. He added the company will spend, in that region, about $1,000,000 everyday. Federal approval still needed-While the B.C. government green-lit the exploratory work to prepare the mine, it still needs approval from the federal government.It has been rejected it twice already, but the company is challenging the decision in court. Meanwhile, the project has been going through a provincial environmental review.According to documents provided to the CBC, surveying could begin next week, and drilling could start by August 7.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Severe storms cross Saskatchewan, 4 tornadoes confirmed-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 22, 2017
Four tornadoes have been confirmed after severe storms swept across Saskatchewan Friday night.Tornadoes occurred near Watson, the town of Quill Lake, Fishing Lake and between Wapella and Rocanville, according to Environment Canada.Residents in Outlook woke up Saturday morning to splintered trees - some, right next to their houses."We've had a few storms over the years, but nothing like this. That's once every 25 years, I hope," said Simpson Street resident Marina Matlock.Three trees on Matlock's property snapped in half in the storm, and a large, 40-year-old tree fell and blocked the street from her next-door neighbour's home.Matlock estimates winds in the Outlook area were close to 80 kilometres per hour.In addition, large hail also pounded parts of the province, with toonie-sized hail falling at Grenfell.At North Battleford, winds gusts reached speeds of over 90 kilometres per hour.
Polish parliament steps up showdown with EU By Eric Maurice-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 20. Jul, 17:55-The Polish parliament adopted a controversial reform of the Supreme Court on Thursday (20 July), stepping up a showdown with the EU.The law, which puts the Supreme Court under government control, was passed with 235 votes against 192 and 23 abstentions, just a day after the European Commission had called on Polish authorities to suspend the bill or face a rule of law procedure that could lead to sanctions."We are coming very close to triggering Article 7," the EU executive vice president Frans Timmermans warned on Wednesday, referring to a rule of law procedure.The vote led the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, who is a former Polish prime minister, to publish a statement calling for a solution to a "very serious situation".Tusk said that he proposed a meeting with Polish president Andrej Duda to try to avoid "bleak outcomes which could ultimately lead to the marginalisation of Poland in Europe."He said that the reforms carried out by the Polish government were a "dangerous tendency"."They transport us - in the political sense - in time and in space: backwards and eastwards," he said, adding that they "ruin an already tarnished public opinion of Polish democracy.""Please let us try, Mr President," he urged Duda and called on "serious partners" from Warsaw to talk with the EU.The Supreme Court reform was passed despite the EU's warnings but with a few changes compared to earlier drafts.Under the adopted text, the president of the republic - not the justice minister - will lay down the rules of procedure for the Supreme Court.Also, the president - again, not the justice minister - will also decide which judges may keep their seat in the court when the new law comes into force in 30 days, rather than 14 days as originally planned.A new disciplinary chamber within the Supreme Court will be introduced and disciplinary judges will earn 40 percent more than other judges."We are finishing with the state within the state," justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro said on Thursday.He argued that "raising ethical and moral standards" within the judiciary is necessary,and that this "can only happen by bringing a disciplinary chamber to the Supreme Court.""We want the judges to be impartial and give fair and just sentences," he said."You are destroying the right of Poles to an independent court, destroying the foundations of freedom and parliamentary democracy," Grzegorz Schetyna, the leader of the centre-right opposition Civic Platform said during the parliament debate.Lawmakers also adopted amendments to a law that was passed last Friday to reform the National Council of the Judiciary (NCJ).Under the amendments, members of the NCJ will be chosen by parliament with a three-fifth majority, instead of the simple majority as planned in the text adopted last week. The change was a condition set by president Andrej Duda to sign the law.On Wednesday, commissioner Timmermans had said that the law, together with two other texts passed last week about the appointment of judges, "considerably increase the systemic threats to the rule of law in Poland.""Each law, if adopted, would seriously erode the independence of judiciary. Collectively they would abolish any remaining judicial independence and put the judiciary under full political control of the government," Timmermans said.He added that the consequence of the reforms would be that "judges will serve at the pleasure of the political leaders."The commission will discuss the situation next Wednesday (26 July). It will adopt a third recommendation under the rule of law probe that was launched last year after a reform of the Polish constitutional court, and it will launch infringement procedures for breach of EU law.After Thursday's vote, if the Polish government does not back down, the EU executive could also trigger Article 7 for the first time in EU history.The procedure would have to be confirmed by member states with a qualified majority. Several countries, like Hungary, have said they would oppose the move. But Timmermans assured on Wednesday that the commission's concerns are "broadly shared" by member states.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Israel says Jerusalem mosque metal detectors to stay, may be reduced-[Reuters]-By Dan Williams-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday it would not remove metal detectors whose installation outside a major Jerusalem mosque has triggered the bloodiest clashes with the Palestinians in years, but could eventually reduce their use.Fueling fears of an escalation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would halt security ties with Israel until it scraps the walk-through gates installed at entrances to Al-Aqsa mosque plaza after two police guards were shot dead on July 14.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to convene his security cabinet at 7.30 p.m. (12.30 p.m. ET) to weigh alternatives.However, his right-wing government is wary of being seen to yield to Palestinian pressure over the site, which Jews revere as the vestige of their two ancient temples and which was among areas of East Jerusalem that Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed as its capital in a move not recognized internationally."They (metal detectors) will remain. The murderers will never tell us how to search the murderers," Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli minister for regional development, told Army Radio."If they (Palestinians) do not want to enter the mosque, then let them not enter the mosque."Incensed at what they perceive as a violation of delicate decades-old access arrangements at Islam's third-holiest site, many Palestinians have refused to go through the metal detectors, holding street prayers and often violent protests.Israeli security forces shot three demonstrators dead on Friday, Palestinian medics said. Police said they were investigating the charge. A fourth Jerusalem-area Palestinian was killed on Saturday when an explosive device he was building went off prematurely, the Israeli military said. Palestinian medics said he died of shrapnel wounds to the chest and abdomen.-ABBAS ULTIMATUM-In a sign unrest was spreading, a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis in the occupied West Bank on Friday after vowing on Facebook to take up his knife and heed "Al-Aqsa's call". On Sunday, a rocket was launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip but hit an open area, causing no damage, Israel's military said.Gilad Erdan, Israel's public security minister, warned of potential "large-scale volatility" - a prospect made more likely in the West Bank by the absence of Abbas's help."If Israel wants security coordination to be resumed they have to withdraw those measures," Abbas said in a speech on Sunday, referring to the metal detectors. "They should know that they will eventually lose, because we have been making it our solemn duty to keep up security on our side here and on theirs."Erdan said Israel may eventually do away with metal-detector checks for Muslims entering the Al-Aqsa compounds under alternative arrangements under review. Such arrangements could include reinforcing Israeli police at the entrances and introducing CCTV cameras with facial-recognition technologies."There are, after all, many worshippers whom the police know, regulars, and very elderly people and so on, and it recommended that we avoid putting all of these through metal detectors," Erdan told Army Radio, suggesting that only potential trouble-makers might be subjected to extra screening.Any such substitute arrangement was not ready, he added.However, the Muslim authorities that oversee Al-Aqsa said they would continue to oppose any new Israeli-imposed measures."We stress our absolute rejection of ... all measures by the Occupation (Israel) that would change the historical and religious status in Jerusalem and its sacred sites," the Palestinian grand mufti, acting Palestinian chief justice and Jordanian-run Waqf religious trust said in a joint statement.Jordan and Turkey, among Israel's few Muslim interlocutors, have urged the removal of the metal detectors. The Arab League said on Sunday that Israel was "playing with fire". The U.N. Security Council scheduled a session on the crisis for Monday."We are managing this in a level-headed, determined and responsible way," Netanyahu said in televised remarks before his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Russia to blame for 'hot war' in Ukraine: U.S. special envoy-[Reuters]-By Natalia Zinets and Matthias Williams-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
KIEV (Reuters) - Russian aggression is to blame for violence in eastern Ukraine, where people are dying in what should be seen as a "hot war" rather than a "frozen conflict", the U.S. special envoy to the Ukraine peace talks said on a visit to Ukraine on Sunday.Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, was appointed to his current role on July 7 to help resolve the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists, which has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014.Washington cites the conflict as a key obstacle to better relations with Russia.On a visit to the Ukrainian-held town of Kramatorsk, 690 km (430 miles) southeast of Kiev, Volker said he would prepare a set of recommendations on how Washington can better engage with the peace process."This is not a frozen conflict, this is a hot war, and it's an immediate crisis that we all need to address as quickly as possible," he said.Relations between Ukraine and Russia went into freefall after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent outbreak of a pro-Russian insurgency in the eastern Donbass region.Ukraine accuses Russian of sending in its own soldiers and military equipment, which Moscow denies.Volker replied in the affirmative when asked whether he saw the conflict as being as the result of Russian aggression rather than internal Ukrainian factors."We've seen what's happened, we understand the way this conflict has begun, we understand the way it is being managed today, and that's why it's important that the United States become more engaged."Fighting in the Donbass region has killed 12 people in a particularly bloody week, prompting Germany and France to urge immediate progress in implementing ceasefire agreements signed in Belarus in 2015 that are regularly flouted.Leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia will speak by phone on Monday to discuss the conflict.U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in early July that Russia must make the first move to bring peace to Ukraine, which President Petro Poroshenko called a powerful signal of Washington's backing.A career diplomat, Volker is a former aide to Republican Senator John McCain, a Russia hawk who wants the United States to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, a move the previous administration under Barack Obama shied away from.(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Germany must act now to stop re-run of refugee crisis, Merkel rival says-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
AACHEN, Germany (Reuters) - Germany needs to take action now to prevent a re-run of 2015, when some 890,000 migrants arrived in the country, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Social Democrat challenger for a September election told Reuters on Sunday.In September 2015, Merkel threw open Germany's borders to thousands of migrants to avoid a humanitarian disaster - a move that later hit her popularity and boosted the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), though her conservatives have since recovered and support for the AfD has dropped.Martin Schulz, whose Social Democrats (SPD) are lagging far behind Merkel in the polls ahead of a Sept. 24 election, warned against a repeat scenario after more than 93,000 mainly sub-Saharan African and Bangladeshi migrants have arrived by boat in southern Italy so far in 2017, up 17 percent on the same period last year."The numbers in Italy are worrying - thousands per day," he said in an interview in the western German city of Aachen."If we don't want a repeat of what we experienced in 2015 we need to take action now as the Italians are reaching their limit in terms of what they can do."Other European Union countries need to help Italy, such as by taking in refugees, he added.Schulz said he had spoken to European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday about what financial or logistical help Brussels might be able to offer countries prepared to take in refugees and said he would speak to both the Italian government and the Commission about this during the week.In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Schulz said the situation was "highly explosive" and suggested he wanted to turn it into an election campaign issue, saying: "Those who play for time and try to ignore the topic until the election are acting in a very cynical way."Migrant arrivals in Germany have been far lower this year than in the previous two years, with data from the Interior Ministry showing the number of new arrivals seeking asylum fell to 90,389 in the first half of 2017, about half as many as in the year-earlier period.Last year, some 280,000 migrants arrived in Germany - a sharp drop compared with 2015 - and the refugee issue has not yet played a major role in the election campaign.The latest Emnid poll showed Merkel's conservatives on 38 percent and the SPD on 25 percent.Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) - the Bavarian sister party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) - told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper the situation was calm now but added: "We all know that the wave of migrants will continue."The CSU, which takes a tougher tone on migrants than Merkel's CDU, has long called for an upper limit on the numbers arriving and Seehofer on Sunday repeated his call for a cap of 200,000 per year. Merkel has rejected a cap.Bild am Sonntag said Schulz would travel to Italy on Thursday to meet Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.(Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Mark Potter)
Israel installs new security cameras at Jerusalem holy site-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
JERUSALEM — Israel installed new security cameras Sunday at the entrance to a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, as officials began indicating it was considering "alternatives" to the metal detectors at the contested shrine that set off a weekend of violence and raised tensions in the region.Israel set up the new security measures last week after Arab gunmen opened fire from the shrine, killing two Israeli policemen. It said they were a necessary measure to prevent more attacks and were deployed routinely at holy sites around the world. But Muslims alleged Israel was trying to expand its control at the Muslim-administered site and have launched mass prayer protests.Three Palestinians were killed in street clashes Friday in some of the worst street violence in years, and later a Palestinian stabbed to death three members of an Israeli family.Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who heads the Israeli defence body for Palestinian civilian affairs, said Israel was open to alternatives to lower the tensions."The only thing we want is to ensure no one can enter with weapons again and carry out another attack," he said. "We're willing to examine alternatives to the metal detectors as long as the solution of alternative ensures the prevention of the next attack."However, the top Muslim cleric of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, told the Voice of Palestine he demands a complete return to procedures that were in place before the initial attack at the shrine, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.In a statement Sunday, the Islamic institutions in Jerusalem, of which he is a part, said they "affirm the categorical rejection of the electronic gates and all the measures of occupation."Disputes over the shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, have set off major rounds of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations in the past.On Friday, several thousand Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and in Jerusalem after noon prayers — the centerpiece of the Muslim religious week. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen wounded after protesters burned tires and threw stones and firecrackers. Israeli troops responded with live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas.Late Friday night, a 20-year-old Palestinian identified as Omar al-Abed jumped over the fence of the Halamish settlement near Ramallah and entered a home, surprising a family that was celebrating a new grandchild during their traditional Sabbath dinner. He stabbed to death Yosef Salomon, 70, and his adult children, 46-year-old Chaya and 35-year-old Elad, while his daughter-in-law escaped to a separate room to shelter her young children.A neighbour , an off-duty soldier, heard the screams, rushed to the home and opened fire, wounding the attacker. TV footage showed the floor tiles drenched in blood, and officials called it a "massacre.""This has nothing to do with metal detectors. There is no justification for murdering a grandfather at a party to celebrate the birth of his new grandson," said Oded Revivi, the chief foreign envoy of the Yesha settlers' council.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the attack as "an act of terror, carried out by a beast who was incited with unfathomable hatred."At his weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu vowed the killer's home would be demolished swiftly in retribution and those who incited and glorified his act would be dealt with."Since the beginning of the events I've conducted a series of meetings and evaluations with the all the security officials, including those on the ground. We receive updates on the ground from them and recommendations on how to act and we decide accordingly," he said.Israel has repeatedly accused the Palestinian Authority of permitting anti-Israeli incitement in the public Palestinian discourse and vowed to act against it. The Palestinians reject the allegations, saying Israel's 50-year-old occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state is at the root of widespread Palestinian anger and helps drive violence.Israel has yet to comment on the new cameras and whether they offered a chance to restore calm. A top adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was holding consultations with various countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco, about the crisis.Abbas announced Friday he would "freeze" ties with Israel "on all levels" until the new security measures Israel imposed at the Jerusalem site were removed. Halting security co-ordination with Israel would have far-reaching repercussions and could sharply raise tensions.But Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman says the security ties are more beneficial to the Palestinians anyway, and while Israel can live without them the Palestinians would suffer."We are not going to chase after them," Lieberman told the YNet news site, before lambasting Abbas for not condemning the stabbing attack. "We need to understand that he is not a partner. He is not looking for peace."The assailant said in a pre-attack Facebook post that he expected to be killed in the attack and his father said he was motivated by the violence at the Jerusalem shrine, which in a rare move was briefly shut down last week after the shooting attack.The site is administered by Muslim authorities under the auspices of Jordan but Israel maintains security control of the compound.Anticipating a demolition, local residents in the village of Kobar said the family emptied its home of valuables Saturday. Later, clashes erupted as residents burned tires and hurled rocks at Israeli troops who had searched the home. The military said about 50 people attacked troops who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas.Low-level clashes took place elsewhere throughout the day. In one, a Palestinian died under questionable circumstances. Witnesses said the 23-year-old tried to hurl a metal pipe filled with homemade explosives at Israeli soldiers but it exploded in his hand. Ramallah Hospital director Ahmad Betawi said the man died of shrapnel wounds but could not define what kind without an autopsy.Israel fortified its troops in the West Bank and placed forces on high alert after the attack. The Israeli military said it carried out a wave of overnight arrests of 29 people, including several members of the Islamic Hamas militant group.Gaza's Hamas rulers praised the attack, but stopped short of taking responsibility for it.____Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh contributed to this report from Ramallah, West Bank.Aron Heller, The Associated Press
Syrian army, allies advance against Islamic State east of Raqqa-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and their allies have recaptured territory from Islamic State in countryside southeast of its stronghold Raqqa after air strikes in the area, a pro-Damascus military media unit and war monitors reported.The advances toward the provincial boundary between Raqqa and Deir al-Zor took place late on Saturday, the media unit, run by Damascus ally Lebanese Hezbollah, and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The army seized an oil field in the Sabkha area as part of the advance.It was a rare advance for Damascus's forces in that area, which is close to territory controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated alliance separately fighting Islamic State. It also brings government forces closer to Deir al-Zor province, another Islamic State stronghold.The Syrian army has active front lines with Islamic State in western Raqqa province and has made recent gains there.Incidents between the Syrian military and SDF last month raised tension between Washington and Damascus and its ally Moscow.Separately in the north of Syria, one of the country's most complicated battlegrounds, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are fighting U.S.-backed Kurdish forces over control of some areas along the border, in clashes that threaten to distract from the fight against Islamic State.The Kurdish YPG militia, which forms the largest part of the SDF, controls much of northeastern Syria after capturing vast tracts of land from Islamic State.(Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Mark Potter)
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Experts say don't be a 'garden hose hero' in the face of an evacuation order-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 22, 2017
In a province that routinely has major wildfires, emergency management consultant Jim Lamorte is surprised more people haven't been killed.Lamorte fears that could change given the reluctance of some British Columbians to obey evacuation orders to stay and protect their properties."I do hear people say from time to time they're going to stay behind and protect their home," he said."It may be tempting to do that, but their experience with wildfire may be no more than a campfire. … That's not what they're going to experience."What they will experience, he said, are falling embers swirling and surrounding them. And they'll feel unbearable heat from as far as a kilometre away.And they may feel the temptation to run to the illusory safety of a structure which could catch fire and ultimately become a tomb.Some won't leave.As of Friday, B.C. had 167 wildfires burning across the province and about 43,000 residents have become evacuees.In Lake Country,in Riske Creek and the First Nation community of Anaham Reserve, some people have chosen not to evacuate.RCMP Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau says if adults don't want to follow an evacuation order, police won't force them to leave."Should the situation worsen, unfortunately, we may no longer be available to get them," Linteau said.Bob Turner with Emergency Management B.C. said people who defy evacuation orders can hamper fire suppression work by forcing crews to work around them instead of treating the land as empty.'They were in over their heads'-Lamorte says this year's fast-moving, wind-driven infernos remind him of wildfires that turned deadly, such as the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Australia that killed 173 people, and the 2003 Cedar Fire near San Diego that killed 15."This is entirely possible with our forests and wildfire history."Sandra Millers Younger experienced the devastation in California firsthand and chronicled it in her book, The Fire Outside My Window.In Younger's case, residents were given only a moments' notice before the flames were all around them.She and her husband managed to escape. Twelve of their neighbours did not."A number of people stayed behind to try and protect their homes," she said. "Some of them were successful, others realized they were in over their heads because they realized you cannot fight 100-foot flames with a garden hose."Don't try to be a garden hose hero. Don't wait until it becomes really scary and then think you'll be able to escape. Because you may not."Lost all possessions-Lamorte says training can prepare a person to protect property from an approaching fire. He recommends the provincial FireSmart manual for how to prepare a rural home from fire."But most people … don't have those things in place and are taking extreme risk," he said.Lamorte said the most effective way to protect a home from wildfire is to keep flammable materials away from a structure — and buy insurance."If they feel [staying behind] is the only way to protect it, then they've taken some wrong steps along the way."Younger lost all of her possessions in the 2003 California fire and she understands why some would want to try and protect their valuable and in some cases, irreplaceable possessions."My advice is to focus on saving your life."
First Nation dealing with wildfires shocked outgoing B.C. government granted mining permits during crisis-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 22, 2017
Wildfires, road blocks and smoke are preventing Agnes William, 60, and about 70 other Tsilhqot'in elders from returning to their home near Williams Lake, B.C.She's been stuck in an Abbotsford hotel for the last week and the Canadian Forces is air-dropping supplies into her Xeni Gwet'in community for those unable to leave.So when she heard the former B.C. government — just days before they lost power — issued the drilling permits for Taseko Mines's controversial New Prosperity mine, she said she was blind sided."It's really insulting, that's just a dirty way to do it," she said from her hotel room.In a written statement, the B.C. government said the notice of work decisions — in this case the drilling permits, "are not political decisions and are made solely by the statutory decision maker, who, in this case, was a senior permitting inspector located in Kamloops."In a letter to Tsilhqot'in communities, Rick Adams, the senior inspector with the Ministry of Energy and Mines for the South Central Region said he appreciated that the notice came at a difficult time given the wildfire situation.However, he added that he made the permit decision last Friday and had to honour his previous commitment to provide timely notification of his decision.Brian Battison, a spokesperson with Taseko Mines, says the application for the permit was routine and made last November.Normally, he said, these types of permits related to field work are turned around in 60 days. But because of the depth of consultation between the provincial government and the Tsilhqot'in Nation, it took 10 months."They knew this permit was coming ... and they have been preparing themselves for it for many months," Battison said.'That was a shocker'-Roger Williams, chief of the Xeni Gwet'in Nation says the notice of permits granted came as a surprise to him."That was a shocker. This is frustrating, a lot of our family members are all over," he said, also from the Abbotsford hotel. The permits authorize 76 km of new or modified trails, 122 drill holes, 367 test pits dug by an excavator, and 20 km of seismic lines near Teztan Biny, also known as Fish Lake, and Nabas — an area of profound cultural and spiritual importance that the Tsilhqot'in successfully fought to protect against two mine proposals.The Tsilhqot'in Nation staunchly opposes the open pit gold and copper mine slated to be constructed right in the middle of their territory, 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake.Taseko Mines says it's a significant project that wil help the economy.Battison said the mine will create $12.7 billion of provincial GDP during production it and it will employ 650 people for about 20 years. He added the company will spend, in that region, about $1,000,000 everyday. Federal approval still needed-While the B.C. government green-lit the exploratory work to prepare the mine, it still needs approval from the federal government.It has been rejected it twice already, but the company is challenging the decision in court. Meanwhile, the project has been going through a provincial environmental review.According to documents provided to the CBC, surveying could begin next week, and drilling could start by August 7.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Severe storms cross Saskatchewan, 4 tornadoes confirmed-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 22, 2017
Four tornadoes have been confirmed after severe storms swept across Saskatchewan Friday night.Tornadoes occurred near Watson, the town of Quill Lake, Fishing Lake and between Wapella and Rocanville, according to Environment Canada.Residents in Outlook woke up Saturday morning to splintered trees - some, right next to their houses."We've had a few storms over the years, but nothing like this. That's once every 25 years, I hope," said Simpson Street resident Marina Matlock.Three trees on Matlock's property snapped in half in the storm, and a large, 40-year-old tree fell and blocked the street from her next-door neighbour's home.Matlock estimates winds in the Outlook area were close to 80 kilometres per hour.In addition, large hail also pounded parts of the province, with toonie-sized hail falling at Grenfell.At North Battleford, winds gusts reached speeds of over 90 kilometres per hour.
Polish parliament steps up showdown with EU By Eric Maurice-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 20. Jul, 17:55-The Polish parliament adopted a controversial reform of the Supreme Court on Thursday (20 July), stepping up a showdown with the EU.The law, which puts the Supreme Court under government control, was passed with 235 votes against 192 and 23 abstentions, just a day after the European Commission had called on Polish authorities to suspend the bill or face a rule of law procedure that could lead to sanctions."We are coming very close to triggering Article 7," the EU executive vice president Frans Timmermans warned on Wednesday, referring to a rule of law procedure.The vote led the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, who is a former Polish prime minister, to publish a statement calling for a solution to a "very serious situation".Tusk said that he proposed a meeting with Polish president Andrej Duda to try to avoid "bleak outcomes which could ultimately lead to the marginalisation of Poland in Europe."He said that the reforms carried out by the Polish government were a "dangerous tendency"."They transport us - in the political sense - in time and in space: backwards and eastwards," he said, adding that they "ruin an already tarnished public opinion of Polish democracy.""Please let us try, Mr President," he urged Duda and called on "serious partners" from Warsaw to talk with the EU.The Supreme Court reform was passed despite the EU's warnings but with a few changes compared to earlier drafts.Under the adopted text, the president of the republic - not the justice minister - will lay down the rules of procedure for the Supreme Court.Also, the president - again, not the justice minister - will also decide which judges may keep their seat in the court when the new law comes into force in 30 days, rather than 14 days as originally planned.A new disciplinary chamber within the Supreme Court will be introduced and disciplinary judges will earn 40 percent more than other judges."We are finishing with the state within the state," justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro said on Thursday.He argued that "raising ethical and moral standards" within the judiciary is necessary,and that this "can only happen by bringing a disciplinary chamber to the Supreme Court.""We want the judges to be impartial and give fair and just sentences," he said."You are destroying the right of Poles to an independent court, destroying the foundations of freedom and parliamentary democracy," Grzegorz Schetyna, the leader of the centre-right opposition Civic Platform said during the parliament debate.Lawmakers also adopted amendments to a law that was passed last Friday to reform the National Council of the Judiciary (NCJ).Under the amendments, members of the NCJ will be chosen by parliament with a three-fifth majority, instead of the simple majority as planned in the text adopted last week. The change was a condition set by president Andrej Duda to sign the law.On Wednesday, commissioner Timmermans had said that the law, together with two other texts passed last week about the appointment of judges, "considerably increase the systemic threats to the rule of law in Poland.""Each law, if adopted, would seriously erode the independence of judiciary. Collectively they would abolish any remaining judicial independence and put the judiciary under full political control of the government," Timmermans said.He added that the consequence of the reforms would be that "judges will serve at the pleasure of the political leaders."The commission will discuss the situation next Wednesday (26 July). It will adopt a third recommendation under the rule of law probe that was launched last year after a reform of the Polish constitutional court, and it will launch infringement procedures for breach of EU law.After Thursday's vote, if the Polish government does not back down, the EU executive could also trigger Article 7 for the first time in EU history.The procedure would have to be confirmed by member states with a qualified majority. Several countries, like Hungary, have said they would oppose the move. But Timmermans assured on Wednesday that the commission's concerns are "broadly shared" by member states.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Israel says Jerusalem mosque metal detectors to stay, may be reduced-[Reuters]-By Dan Williams-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday it would not remove metal detectors whose installation outside a major Jerusalem mosque has triggered the bloodiest clashes with the Palestinians in years, but could eventually reduce their use.Fueling fears of an escalation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would halt security ties with Israel until it scraps the walk-through gates installed at entrances to Al-Aqsa mosque plaza after two police guards were shot dead on July 14.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to convene his security cabinet at 7.30 p.m. (12.30 p.m. ET) to weigh alternatives.However, his right-wing government is wary of being seen to yield to Palestinian pressure over the site, which Jews revere as the vestige of their two ancient temples and which was among areas of East Jerusalem that Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed as its capital in a move not recognized internationally."They (metal detectors) will remain. The murderers will never tell us how to search the murderers," Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli minister for regional development, told Army Radio."If they (Palestinians) do not want to enter the mosque, then let them not enter the mosque."Incensed at what they perceive as a violation of delicate decades-old access arrangements at Islam's third-holiest site, many Palestinians have refused to go through the metal detectors, holding street prayers and often violent protests.Israeli security forces shot three demonstrators dead on Friday, Palestinian medics said. Police said they were investigating the charge. A fourth Jerusalem-area Palestinian was killed on Saturday when an explosive device he was building went off prematurely, the Israeli military said. Palestinian medics said he died of shrapnel wounds to the chest and abdomen.-ABBAS ULTIMATUM-In a sign unrest was spreading, a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis in the occupied West Bank on Friday after vowing on Facebook to take up his knife and heed "Al-Aqsa's call". On Sunday, a rocket was launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip but hit an open area, causing no damage, Israel's military said.Gilad Erdan, Israel's public security minister, warned of potential "large-scale volatility" - a prospect made more likely in the West Bank by the absence of Abbas's help."If Israel wants security coordination to be resumed they have to withdraw those measures," Abbas said in a speech on Sunday, referring to the metal detectors. "They should know that they will eventually lose, because we have been making it our solemn duty to keep up security on our side here and on theirs."Erdan said Israel may eventually do away with metal-detector checks for Muslims entering the Al-Aqsa compounds under alternative arrangements under review. Such arrangements could include reinforcing Israeli police at the entrances and introducing CCTV cameras with facial-recognition technologies."There are, after all, many worshippers whom the police know, regulars, and very elderly people and so on, and it recommended that we avoid putting all of these through metal detectors," Erdan told Army Radio, suggesting that only potential trouble-makers might be subjected to extra screening.Any such substitute arrangement was not ready, he added.However, the Muslim authorities that oversee Al-Aqsa said they would continue to oppose any new Israeli-imposed measures."We stress our absolute rejection of ... all measures by the Occupation (Israel) that would change the historical and religious status in Jerusalem and its sacred sites," the Palestinian grand mufti, acting Palestinian chief justice and Jordanian-run Waqf religious trust said in a joint statement.Jordan and Turkey, among Israel's few Muslim interlocutors, have urged the removal of the metal detectors. The Arab League said on Sunday that Israel was "playing with fire". The U.N. Security Council scheduled a session on the crisis for Monday."We are managing this in a level-headed, determined and responsible way," Netanyahu said in televised remarks before his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Russia to blame for 'hot war' in Ukraine: U.S. special envoy-[Reuters]-By Natalia Zinets and Matthias Williams-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
KIEV (Reuters) - Russian aggression is to blame for violence in eastern Ukraine, where people are dying in what should be seen as a "hot war" rather than a "frozen conflict", the U.S. special envoy to the Ukraine peace talks said on a visit to Ukraine on Sunday.Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, was appointed to his current role on July 7 to help resolve the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists, which has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014.Washington cites the conflict as a key obstacle to better relations with Russia.On a visit to the Ukrainian-held town of Kramatorsk, 690 km (430 miles) southeast of Kiev, Volker said he would prepare a set of recommendations on how Washington can better engage with the peace process."This is not a frozen conflict, this is a hot war, and it's an immediate crisis that we all need to address as quickly as possible," he said.Relations between Ukraine and Russia went into freefall after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent outbreak of a pro-Russian insurgency in the eastern Donbass region.Ukraine accuses Russian of sending in its own soldiers and military equipment, which Moscow denies.Volker replied in the affirmative when asked whether he saw the conflict as being as the result of Russian aggression rather than internal Ukrainian factors."We've seen what's happened, we understand the way this conflict has begun, we understand the way it is being managed today, and that's why it's important that the United States become more engaged."Fighting in the Donbass region has killed 12 people in a particularly bloody week, prompting Germany and France to urge immediate progress in implementing ceasefire agreements signed in Belarus in 2015 that are regularly flouted.Leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia will speak by phone on Monday to discuss the conflict.U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in early July that Russia must make the first move to bring peace to Ukraine, which President Petro Poroshenko called a powerful signal of Washington's backing.A career diplomat, Volker is a former aide to Republican Senator John McCain, a Russia hawk who wants the United States to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, a move the previous administration under Barack Obama shied away from.(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Germany must act now to stop re-run of refugee crisis, Merkel rival says-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
AACHEN, Germany (Reuters) - Germany needs to take action now to prevent a re-run of 2015, when some 890,000 migrants arrived in the country, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Social Democrat challenger for a September election told Reuters on Sunday.In September 2015, Merkel threw open Germany's borders to thousands of migrants to avoid a humanitarian disaster - a move that later hit her popularity and boosted the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), though her conservatives have since recovered and support for the AfD has dropped.Martin Schulz, whose Social Democrats (SPD) are lagging far behind Merkel in the polls ahead of a Sept. 24 election, warned against a repeat scenario after more than 93,000 mainly sub-Saharan African and Bangladeshi migrants have arrived by boat in southern Italy so far in 2017, up 17 percent on the same period last year."The numbers in Italy are worrying - thousands per day," he said in an interview in the western German city of Aachen."If we don't want a repeat of what we experienced in 2015 we need to take action now as the Italians are reaching their limit in terms of what they can do."Other European Union countries need to help Italy, such as by taking in refugees, he added.Schulz said he had spoken to European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday about what financial or logistical help Brussels might be able to offer countries prepared to take in refugees and said he would speak to both the Italian government and the Commission about this during the week.In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Schulz said the situation was "highly explosive" and suggested he wanted to turn it into an election campaign issue, saying: "Those who play for time and try to ignore the topic until the election are acting in a very cynical way."Migrant arrivals in Germany have been far lower this year than in the previous two years, with data from the Interior Ministry showing the number of new arrivals seeking asylum fell to 90,389 in the first half of 2017, about half as many as in the year-earlier period.Last year, some 280,000 migrants arrived in Germany - a sharp drop compared with 2015 - and the refugee issue has not yet played a major role in the election campaign.The latest Emnid poll showed Merkel's conservatives on 38 percent and the SPD on 25 percent.Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) - the Bavarian sister party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) - told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper the situation was calm now but added: "We all know that the wave of migrants will continue."The CSU, which takes a tougher tone on migrants than Merkel's CDU, has long called for an upper limit on the numbers arriving and Seehofer on Sunday repeated his call for a cap of 200,000 per year. Merkel has rejected a cap.Bild am Sonntag said Schulz would travel to Italy on Thursday to meet Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.(Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Mark Potter)
Israel installs new security cameras at Jerusalem holy site-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
JERUSALEM — Israel installed new security cameras Sunday at the entrance to a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, as officials began indicating it was considering "alternatives" to the metal detectors at the contested shrine that set off a weekend of violence and raised tensions in the region.Israel set up the new security measures last week after Arab gunmen opened fire from the shrine, killing two Israeli policemen. It said they were a necessary measure to prevent more attacks and were deployed routinely at holy sites around the world. But Muslims alleged Israel was trying to expand its control at the Muslim-administered site and have launched mass prayer protests.Three Palestinians were killed in street clashes Friday in some of the worst street violence in years, and later a Palestinian stabbed to death three members of an Israeli family.Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who heads the Israeli defence body for Palestinian civilian affairs, said Israel was open to alternatives to lower the tensions."The only thing we want is to ensure no one can enter with weapons again and carry out another attack," he said. "We're willing to examine alternatives to the metal detectors as long as the solution of alternative ensures the prevention of the next attack."However, the top Muslim cleric of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, told the Voice of Palestine he demands a complete return to procedures that were in place before the initial attack at the shrine, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.In a statement Sunday, the Islamic institutions in Jerusalem, of which he is a part, said they "affirm the categorical rejection of the electronic gates and all the measures of occupation."Disputes over the shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, have set off major rounds of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations in the past.On Friday, several thousand Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and in Jerusalem after noon prayers — the centerpiece of the Muslim religious week. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen wounded after protesters burned tires and threw stones and firecrackers. Israeli troops responded with live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas.Late Friday night, a 20-year-old Palestinian identified as Omar al-Abed jumped over the fence of the Halamish settlement near Ramallah and entered a home, surprising a family that was celebrating a new grandchild during their traditional Sabbath dinner. He stabbed to death Yosef Salomon, 70, and his adult children, 46-year-old Chaya and 35-year-old Elad, while his daughter-in-law escaped to a separate room to shelter her young children.A neighbour , an off-duty soldier, heard the screams, rushed to the home and opened fire, wounding the attacker. TV footage showed the floor tiles drenched in blood, and officials called it a "massacre.""This has nothing to do with metal detectors. There is no justification for murdering a grandfather at a party to celebrate the birth of his new grandson," said Oded Revivi, the chief foreign envoy of the Yesha settlers' council.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the attack as "an act of terror, carried out by a beast who was incited with unfathomable hatred."At his weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu vowed the killer's home would be demolished swiftly in retribution and those who incited and glorified his act would be dealt with."Since the beginning of the events I've conducted a series of meetings and evaluations with the all the security officials, including those on the ground. We receive updates on the ground from them and recommendations on how to act and we decide accordingly," he said.Israel has repeatedly accused the Palestinian Authority of permitting anti-Israeli incitement in the public Palestinian discourse and vowed to act against it. The Palestinians reject the allegations, saying Israel's 50-year-old occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state is at the root of widespread Palestinian anger and helps drive violence.Israel has yet to comment on the new cameras and whether they offered a chance to restore calm. A top adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was holding consultations with various countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco, about the crisis.Abbas announced Friday he would "freeze" ties with Israel "on all levels" until the new security measures Israel imposed at the Jerusalem site were removed. Halting security co-ordination with Israel would have far-reaching repercussions and could sharply raise tensions.But Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman says the security ties are more beneficial to the Palestinians anyway, and while Israel can live without them the Palestinians would suffer."We are not going to chase after them," Lieberman told the YNet news site, before lambasting Abbas for not condemning the stabbing attack. "We need to understand that he is not a partner. He is not looking for peace."The assailant said in a pre-attack Facebook post that he expected to be killed in the attack and his father said he was motivated by the violence at the Jerusalem shrine, which in a rare move was briefly shut down last week after the shooting attack.The site is administered by Muslim authorities under the auspices of Jordan but Israel maintains security control of the compound.Anticipating a demolition, local residents in the village of Kobar said the family emptied its home of valuables Saturday. Later, clashes erupted as residents burned tires and hurled rocks at Israeli troops who had searched the home. The military said about 50 people attacked troops who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas.Low-level clashes took place elsewhere throughout the day. In one, a Palestinian died under questionable circumstances. Witnesses said the 23-year-old tried to hurl a metal pipe filled with homemade explosives at Israeli soldiers but it exploded in his hand. Ramallah Hospital director Ahmad Betawi said the man died of shrapnel wounds but could not define what kind without an autopsy.Israel fortified its troops in the West Bank and placed forces on high alert after the attack. The Israeli military said it carried out a wave of overnight arrests of 29 people, including several members of the Islamic Hamas militant group.Gaza's Hamas rulers praised the attack, but stopped short of taking responsibility for it.____Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh contributed to this report from Ramallah, West Bank.Aron Heller, The Associated Press
Syrian army, allies advance against Islamic State east of Raqqa-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and their allies have recaptured territory from Islamic State in countryside southeast of its stronghold Raqqa after air strikes in the area, a pro-Damascus military media unit and war monitors reported.The advances toward the provincial boundary between Raqqa and Deir al-Zor took place late on Saturday, the media unit, run by Damascus ally Lebanese Hezbollah, and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The army seized an oil field in the Sabkha area as part of the advance.It was a rare advance for Damascus's forces in that area, which is close to territory controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated alliance separately fighting Islamic State. It also brings government forces closer to Deir al-Zor province, another Islamic State stronghold.The Syrian army has active front lines with Islamic State in western Raqqa province and has made recent gains there.Incidents between the Syrian military and SDF last month raised tension between Washington and Damascus and its ally Moscow.Separately in the north of Syria, one of the country's most complicated battlegrounds, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are fighting U.S.-backed Kurdish forces over control of some areas along the border, in clashes that threaten to distract from the fight against Islamic State.The Kurdish YPG militia, which forms the largest part of the SDF, controls much of northeastern Syria after capturing vast tracts of land from Islamic State.(Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Mark Potter)
Police: 8 dead in truck, 20 dire in immigrant smuggling case-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-July 23, 2017
SAN ANTONIO — Authorities called to a Walmart parking lot in San Antonio overnight found eight people dead and 20 others in dire condition in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer, in what police are calling a horrific case of immigrant smuggling.The truck's driver was arrested and all 28 survivors were taken to hospitals, where 20 were in extremely critical or serious condition, authorities said. Eight others were being treated for lesser injuries, including heat stroke and dehydration. Their nationalities weren't yet known.Temperatures in San Antonio reached 101 degrees (38 Celsius) on Saturday and didn't dip below 90 degrees (32 C) until after 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The truck's trailer also didn't have a working air conditioner system, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said in a news briefing."They were very hot to the touch. So these people were in this trailer without any signs of any type of water," he said. "It was a mass casualty situation for us."A person from the truck initially approached a Walmart employee in the parking lot and asked for water late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, police Chief William McManus said. The employee gave the person the water and then called police, who found the dead and desperate inside the truck.McManus said the driver was arrested, but he didn't release the driver's name.Investigators checked store surveillance video, which showed vehicles had arrived and picked up other people from the tractor-trailer, police said."We're looking at a human trafficking crime this evening," McManus said, adding many of those inside the truck appeared to be adults in their 20s and 30s but that there were also what appears to be two school-age children, as well. He called the case "a horrific tragedy."Investigators could be seen gathering evidence from the truck on Saturday, hours after those who were inside — living and dead — were taken away. The trailer had an Iowa license plate but no other markings. The truck was parked on the side of the Walmart and the investigation didn't appear to be interfering with commerce, as customers could be seen coming and going from the store.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is assisting in the investigation.Other cases of human trafficking in the United States have led to more deaths. In May 2003, 19 immigrants who were being transported from South Texas to Houston inside a sweltering tractor-trailer died.Prosecutors said the driver in the 2003 case heard the immigrants begging and screaming for their lives as they were succumbing to the stifling heat inside his truck but refused to free them. The driver was resentenced in 2011 to nearly 34 years in prison after a federal appeals court overturned the multiple life sentences he had received.In Mexico, smugglers have often crammed migrants bound for the United States into tractor-trailers, sometimes in hidden compartments. Authorities there have made a number of discoveries of large numbers of people being trafficked in such vehicles in dangerous conditions over the years.Last December, Mexican immigration officials found 110 migrants trapped and suffocating inside a truck after it crashed while speeding in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. Most of the migrants were from Central America, and 48 of them were minors. Some were injured in the crash, but there were no fatalities.___Associated Press writer Peter Orsi in Mexico City contributed to this report.Eric Gay, The Associated Press.
