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)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
J Street: Netanyahu using July 4 as cover to demolish Bedouin village-Liberal pro-Israel group 'outraged' at preparation of bulldozers to raze West Bank hamlet of Khan al-Ahmar-By Stuart Winer and Jacob Magid-TOI-5 July 2018
A liberal pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of using the American July 4 holiday as a “cover” to advance the court-ordered demolition of a West Bank hamlet.Clashes broke out earlier in the day between police and protesters at the illegally built Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem, which is due to be demolished.The J Street organization said in a statement it was “outraged by the Israeli government’s dispatch of bulldozers today.”“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government seems intent on using the July 4th holiday as cover to move forward with demolition plans that have been opposed by dozens of US lawmakers, hundreds of rabbis and thousands of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans,” the group said in a statement.“Netanyahu and his government should know: Even on July 4th, Americans are watching their destructive actions in the West Bank, with deep frustration and concern for the damage they are doing to the future of both Israelis and Palestinians,” J Street said, noting that on July 2 it delivered a letter with 7,000 signatures to the Israeli embassy in Washington opposing the demolition.Residents of Khan al-Ahmar and protesters attempted to block construction equipment from advancing as it was moved into the area to pave an access road to facilitate the demolition of the encampment, with a number of people climbing onto a bulldozer.Eleven people were arrested, including an activist from the B’Tselem rights group. Three police officers were lightly injured in the confrontation, the force said, and some 35 protesters were hurt, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.After a years-long legal battle, the Supreme Court approved the demolition in May. The state says the structures were built without the relevant building permits and pose a threat to residents because of their proximity to a highway.The hamlet has been the subject of international controversy over the years for, among other things, its elementary school, which is made of tires, mud and falafel oil.Critics say building permits are nearly impossible to obtain for Palestinians in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank and the demolition is meant to clear the way for new Jewish settlements.Israel says it has offered the residents an alternative location, near a garbage dump belonging to the Palestinian town of Abu Dis. Bedouin villagers say the location is unsuitable for their way of life, and have asserted that residents of Abu Dis have warned them not to come there.According to the UN, the village has 180 residents.
Austria’s Kurz to Rouhani: ‘Unacceptable’ to question Israel’s right to exist-'Austria is unconditionally committed to the security of Israel and its citizens,' says chancellor as Iranian president visits to salvage nuclear deal-By TOI staff and AFP-5 July 2018
In a joint press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday said he considered it “absolutely unacceptable” to question the right of Israel to exist or call for the Jewish state’s destruction.Ahead of the meeting in Vienna, Kurz had said he would speak plainly with Rouhani about Iran’s role in the Middle East, as Tehran continues to deny accusations it is destabilizing the region.The Austrian leader also condemned those who trivialize the Holocaust, in comments apparently directed at Iranian behavior, and said Vienna was “unconditionally” committed to Israel’s security.“The concerns of Israel have to be taken seriously. Austria is unconditionally committed to the security of Israel and its citizens,” said Kurz, according to a statement from an official spokesperson.“During this memorial year we are particularly aware of our historic responsibility. We strongly condemn all forms of anti-Semitism as well as any form of downplaying or denial of the Holocaust,” he added.Iranian leaders have openly called for Israel’s destruction and the Islamic Republic funds terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas with similar stated aims.In Geneva on Tuesday, Swiss President Alain Berset said that in bilateral talks with Rouhani he had underscored “the need to recognize the state of Israel,” prompting a reply from the Iranian president that Tehran viewed “the Zionist regime as an illegitimate regime,” responsible for fostering conflict in the region.Last month, to mark Al-Quds Day, Rouhani sent a message to the nation, saying, “I believe the land of Palestine will be returned to owners of the land with the help of god.” He also told reporters that, “Israel can never feel that it is in a safe place.” During the event demonstrators chanted, “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”The Austrian leader had visited Israel last month, during which he pledged to “raise awareness” of Israel’s special security needs in Europe. During that visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled Israel was stepping up contacts with Vienna, heaping praise on his counterpart and appearing to signal a thaw in Jerusalem’s freezing out of a far-right coalition party that has been accused of Nazi links.The government headed by Kurz includes the far-right Freedom Party, which Israel boycotts due to its past as a haven for neo-Nazis and its current xenophobic policies.Israel has forcefully opposed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, its arch-foe, and world powers. The Jewish state has also been lobbying world powers and acting to remove Iranian troops from southern Syria over fears Tehran could entrench militarily and launch attacks on the Jewish state from the neighboring country.In my meeting with President #Rouhani I also emphasized that #Israel’s security is non-negotiable for us. Questioning Israel’s right to exist or downplaying the #Holocaust is absolutely unacceptable. 2/2— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) July 4, 2018-Rouhani was in Vienna on the second leg of his European tour to seek assurances over the 2015 nuclear deal. The trip was clouded by the arrest of an Iranian diplomat over an alleged bomb plot against opposition exiles in Paris.Hoping to boost economic cooperation to help offset the return of US sanctions following Washington’s pullout from the historic deal, Rouhani arrived late Tuesday in Vienna — the city where it was signed.“Insofar as it is possible for Iran, we shall remain party to the accord, we shall not quit the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on condition that we can also benefit from it,” Rouhani said.“If the other signatories, apart from the United States, can guarantee Iran’s interests then Iran will stay in the JCPOA,” he insisted.In a move staunchly backed by Israel, US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the agreement nearly two months ago, to the ire of the other signatories — China, France, Germany, Britain and Russia — which along with the European Union have continued to back the accord.“We need a balance between our duties and the hypothesis of restrictions…. We hope for decisive actions regarding trade and the economy,” added Rouhani in comments sending a message to the other deal signatories, whose foreign ministers are due to meet in Vienna on Friday for the first time since Trump’s decision to dump the deal.Austria just took up the European Union’s six-month rotating presidency, while Vienna is the home of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, which monitors Iran’s compliance with the accord.Rouhani’s European trip will be of “prime importance” as it could “provide a more precise picture of cooperation between Iran and Europe,” the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said at the weekend.The Iranian government has itself warned that it will not continue to abide by the nuclear agreement if doing so goes against its economic interests.Rouhani, re-elected in 2017, met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday, and with Kurz later in the day.-‘False flag ploy’-The nuclear deal has been the cornerstone of Rouhani’s policy of greater openness with the West, and the US departure has seen him severely criticized by ultra-conservatives at home.Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has demanded Europe provide a number of economic guarantees in order for Tehran to continue its commitment.Increasing the pressure on Iran’s European partners, he ordered preparations be made to quickly restart nuclear activities in case talks collapse.Rouhani’s visit follows reports of the Iranian diplomat’s arrest along with five others over a purported foiled attack on a rally of thousands of Iranian opposition supporters in Paris.Rouhani has not changed his program over what his foreign minister dismissed as a “false flag ploy” designed as a distraction.How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its “plotters” arrested. Iran unequivocally condemns all violence & terror anywhere, and is ready to work with all concerned to uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy.— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 2, 2018-How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its ‘plotters’ arrested,” Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.Just hours before welcoming Rouhani to Austria, Vienna summoned Iran’s ambassador and announced that the unnamed diplomat’s status would be withdrawn.The diplomat attached to the Iranian embassy in Austria, who was detained in Germany, was believed to be a contact of a couple at the center of the alleged plot.He may soon be extradited to Belgium, which is spearheading a probe into the alleged bomb plot, prosecutors told the German news agency DPA.“We are waiting for full clarification” on the case, Kurz said at a press conference alongside Rouhani.Zarif, who is accompanying Rouhani, will on Friday meet top envoys from the five powers for the first time since Washington’s withdrawal.
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.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
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.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
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)
Tree bark peels like banana after lightning strike-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 5, 2018
Chris Rutkowski heard "a loud boom simultaneously with a lightning flash" that struck near his Winnipeg house, but it wasn't until he was heading to work a few hours later that he saw what had been hit.A tree on the boulevard just a few blocks away was still standing, but its bark had peeled away in strips like a banana."I've seen lightning strikes and damage before. The clincher for me was the large clods of earth thrown out — lightning goes from ground upwards," Rutkowski said about the tree near the corner of Grandmont Boulevard and Delorme Bay in the St. Norbert neighbourhood.The strike came as a brief but boisterous storm rolled through southern Manitoba about 5 a.m. Wednesday, bringing booming thunder, curtains of rain and so much lightning it was like nature's paparazzi.When it hit, visibility on the roads dropped to eight kilometres from 25, according to Environment Canada. It only lasted about 20 minutes but left branches down and big puddles on the streets around Winnipeg.The damage was much heavier southeast of the city, in La Broquerie, where an addition being built to a dairy barn was destroyed."It started raining around 5:20 this morning and it was quite intense," said Rhéal Gagnon, who took photos of the twisted and broken wood of the structure's frame.Rainfall amounts in Winnipeg ranged from nine to 16 mm, while the heaviest downpours were near Brandon and north toward Riding Mountain National Park. Totals in that region ranged from 25 mm to 40 mm.As for the tree in St. Norbert, a spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg said it will be removed."Lightning strikes can have various effects on trees, depending on the moisture content inside the tree and in the ground. Typically, we see a single strip of bark, extending from the crown to the ground, blown away from the tree. The lightning damage to this healthy green ash tree is unique," said city spokesperson Michelle Finley in an emailed statement."Lightning strikes can cause irreparable damage to trees and in those cases, the tree must be removed. Unfortunately this tree will need to be removed due to the damage."
Exploding wildfires in US West derail holiday plans-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-July 5, 2018
DENVER — A growing wildfire destroyed more than 100 homes in the Colorado mountains, while other blazes across the parched U.S. West kept hundreds of other homes under evacuation orders and derailed holiday plans.Authorities announced late Monday that a fire near Fort Garland, about 205 miles (330 kilometres ) southwest of Denver, had destroyed 104 homes in a mountain housing development started by multimillionaire publisher Malcolm Forbes in the 1970s. The damage toll could rise because the burn area is still being surveyed.Tamara Estes' family cabin, which her parents had built in 1963 using wood and rocks from the land, was among the homes destroyed."I think it's sinking in more now. But we're just crying," she said. "My grandmother's antique dining table and her hutch are gone.""It was a sacred place to us," she added.Andy and Robyn Kuehler watched flames approach their cabin via surveillance video from their primary residence in Nebraska."We just got confirmation last night that the house was completely gone. It's ... a very sickening feeling watching the fire coming towards the house," the couple wrote in an email Tuesday.The blaze, labeled the Spring Fire, is one of six large wildfires burning in Colorado and is the largest at 123 square miles (318 square kilometres ) — about five times the size of Manhattan. While investigators believe it was started by a spark from a fire pit, other fires, like one that began burning in wilderness near Fairplay, were started by lightning.Nearly 60 large, active blazes are burning across the West, including nine in New Mexico and six each in Utah and California, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.In Utah, authorities have evacuated 200 to 300 homes because of a growing wildfire near a popular fishing reservoir southeast of Salt Lake City amid hot temperatures and high winds. Several structures have been lost since the fire started Sunday, but it's unclear how many, said Jason Curry of the Utah Division of Forest, Fire and State Lands.Darren Lewis and his extended family planned to spend the Fourth of July at a cabin built nearly 50 years ago by his father and uncle in a wilderness area nestled between canyons and near a mountain river.Instead, Lewis and his family will spend the holiday nervously waiting to hear if a half-century of family memories go up in smoke because of the fire, which has grown to 47 square miles (122 square kilometres )."There's a lot of history and memories that go into this cabin," said Lewis, 44, of Magna, Utah. "The cabin we could rebuild, but the trees that we love would be gone. We're just hoping that the wind blows the other way."Meanwhile, a wind-fueled wildfire in Northern California that continues to send a thick layer of smoke and ash south of San Francisco was threatening more than 900 buildings.The massive blaze was choking skies with ash and smoke, prompting some officials to cancel Fourth of July fireworks shows and urge people to stay indoors to protect themselves from the unhealthy air.At least 2,500 people have been told to evacuate as the so-called County Fire continues to spread, said Anthony Brown, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.Brown said the blaze, which started Saturday and is surging through rugged terrain northwest of Sacramento, has grown to 113 square miles (294 square kilometres ) amid hot and dry weather expected throughout the day. It was 15 per cent contained Tuesday."The weather is better than what we had over the weekend. But it's still hampering our efforts and it's an area of concern," he said.So far this year, wildfires have burned 4,200 square miles in the United States, according to the fire centre . That's a bit below last year's acreage to date — which included the beginning of California's devastating fire season — but above the 10-year average of 3,600 square miles.Because of the Independence Day holiday, authorities are also concerned about the possibility of campfires or fireworks starting new fires because of the dry, hot conditions. In Colorado, many communities have cancelled firework displays, and a number of federal public lands and counties have some degree of fire restrictions in place, banning things like campfires or smoking outdoors.In Arizona, large swaths of national forests and state trust land have been closed since before Memorial Day. Some cities have cancelled fireworks displays because of extreme fire danger.In New Mexico, all or part of three national forests remain closed because of the threat of wildfire, putting a damper on holiday camping plans. The forests that are open have strict rules, especially when it comes to fireworks."We're just urging people to use extreme caution," said Wendy Mason, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico State Forestry Division. "We want people to have fun and enjoy themselves, but we prefer they leave the fireworks shows to the professionals."____Associated Press writers Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco; Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona; and Alina Hartounian in Phoenix contributed to this report.Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press.
Heat alerts issued for parts of New Brunswick as humidex expected to reach 36-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 4, 2018
The New Brunswick government has issued heat health alerts for parts of the province today even though Environment Canada is forecasting "a slight reprieve" from the high humidity.Inland temperatures will reach between 29 C and 32 C, with humidex values ranging from 33 to 36, according to the weather agency.Coastal areas can expect cooler conditions.The provincial Department of Health has issued Level 2 heat alerts for Bathurst and Chaleur, Grand Falls and Victoria County, and the Acadian Peninsula.Sussex, the Kennebecasis Valley, Kings County, St. Stephen and northern Charlotte County are also under a Level 2 warning today and Thursday, when humidity levels are expected to return to closer to 40.Level 2 of the department's three-level alert system indicates "high heat," which means everyone is at increased risk of heat stress and heat stroke.People are urged to check on anyone who doesn't have air conditioning and organizers of sport and recreational activities should build in regular water and rest breaks or consider rescheduling, the department advises.Heat stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention. Call 911 if anyone falls unconscious, has stopped sweating, has a body temperature of 40 C or higher, is confused or agitated, or has rapid, shallow breathing, the department advises.Symptoms of heat stress can include a headache, dizziness or faintness, muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting, rapid breathing and heartbeat, and dry mouth.Anyone experiencing such symptoms should move to a cooler location, take a cool bath or shower or splash cool water on their face and back of the neck, remove any unnecessary clothing and sprinkle remaining clothing with water, and drink plenty of water.Level 1 areas-A Level 1 advisory has been issued for Campbellton and Restigouche County, Edmundston and Madawaska County today. Grand Lake and Queens County, Woodstock and Carleton County, the Stanley-Doaktown-Blackville area, and Grand Falls and Victoria County are also under a Level 1 warning today as well as Thursday.When a Level 1 alert is issued, certain vulnerable people, such as those with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, may be affected, the department warns.Other groups who are the most at risk of the health effects related to extreme heat include: - Young children and older adults. - The homeless and socially isolated. - People using certain medications.During a Level 3 "extreme heat" alert, everyone is at "high risk" for heat-related illnesses and heat stroke, according to the department.The three-level system is based on three factors: intensity, duration and nighttime exposure.Temperatures are expected to return to seasonal normals by the weekend, according to Environment Canada.
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)
Trump shocked aides with repeated talk of invading Venezuela, US official says-US president asked Tillerson, McMaster and Latin American allies of military options to remove Nicolas Maduro from power-By Joshua Goodman-TOI-JUL 5,18
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — As a meeting last August in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions on Venezuela was concluding, US President Donald Trump turned to his top aides and asked an unsettling question: With a fast unraveling Venezuela threatening regional security, why can’t the US just simply invade the troubled country? The suggestion stunned those present at the meeting, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, both of whom have since left the administration. This account of the previously undisclosed conversation comes from a senior administration official familiar with what was said.In an exchange that lasted around five minutes, McMaster and others took turns explaining to Trump how military action could backfire and risk losing hard-won support among Latin American governments to punish President Nicolas Maduro for taking Venezuela down the path of dictatorship, according to the official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.But Trump pushed back. Although he gave no indication he was about to order up military plans, he pointed to what he considered past cases of successful gunboat diplomacy in the region, according to the official, like the invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s.The idea, despite his aides’ best attempts to shoot it down, would nonetheless persist in the president’s head.The next day, August 11, Trump alarmed friends and foes alike with talk of a “military option” to remove Maduro from power. The public remarks were initially dismissed in US policy circles as the sort of martial bluster people have come to expect from the reality TV star turned commander in chief.But shortly afterward, he raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, according to the US official. Two high-ranking Colombian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing Trump confirmed the report.Then in September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump discussed it again, this time at greater length, in a private dinner with leaders from four Latin American allies that included Santos, the same three people said and Politico reported in February.The US official said Trump was specifically briefed not to raise the issue and told it wouldn’t play well, but the first thing the president said at the dinner was, “My staff told me not to say this.” Trump then went around asking each leader if they were sure they didn’t want a military solution, according to the official, who added that each leader told Trump in clear terms they were sure.Eventually, McMaster would pull aside the president and walk him through the dangers of an invasion, the official said.Taken together, the behind-the-scenes talks, the extent and details of which have not been previously reported, highlight how Venezuela’s political and economic crisis has received top attention under Trump in a way that was unimaginable in the Obama administration. But critics say it also underscores how his “America First” foreign policy at times can seem outright reckless, providing ammunition to America’s adversaries.The White House declined to comment on the private conversations. But a National Security Council spokesman reiterated that the US will consider all options at its disposal to help restore Venezuela’s democracy and bring stability. Under Trump’s leadership, the US, Canada and European Union have levied sanctions on dozens of top Venezuelan officials, including Maduro himself, over allegations of corruption, drug trafficking and human rights abuses. The US has also distributed more than $30 million to help Venezuela’s neighbors absorb an influx of more than 1 million migrants who have fled the country.For Maduro, who has long claimed that the US has military designs on Venezuela and its vast oil reserves, Trump’s bellicose talk provided the unpopular leader with an immediate if short-lived boost as he was trying to escape blame for widespread food shortages and hyperinflation. Within days of the president’s talk of a military option, Maduro filled the streets of Caracas with loyalists to condemn “Emperor” Trump’s belligerence, ordered up nationwide military exercises and threatened with arrest opponents he said were plotting his overthrow with the US.“Mind your own business and solve your own problems, Mr. Trump!” thundered Nicolas Maduro, the president’s son, at the government-stacked constituent assembly. “If Venezuela were attacked, the rifles will arrive in New York, Mr. Trump,” the younger Maduro said. “We will take the White House.”Even some of the staunchest US allies were begrudgingly forced to side with Maduro in condemning Trump’s saber rattling. Santos, a big backer of US attempts to isolate Maduro, said an invasion would have zero support in the region. The Mercosur trade bloc, which includes Brazil and Argentina, issued a statement saying “the only acceptable means of promoting democracy are dialogue and diplomacy” and repudiating “any option that implies the use of force.”But among Venezuela’s beleaguered opposition movement, hostility to the idea of a military intervention has slowly eased.A few weeks after Trump’s public comments, Harvard economics professor Ricardo Hausmann, a former Venezuelan planning minister, wrote a syndicated column titled “D Day Venezuela,” in which he called for a “coalition of the willing” made up of regional powers and the US to step in and support militarily a government appointed by the opposition-led national assembly.Mark Feierstein, who oversaw Latin America on the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said that strident US action on Venezuela, however commendable, won’t loosen Maduro’s grip on power if it’s not accompanied by pressure from the streets. However, he thinks Venezuelans have largely been demoralized after a crackdown on protests last year triggered dozens of deaths, and the threat of more repression has forced dozens of opposition leaders into exile.“People inside and outside the administration know they can ignore plenty of what Trump says,” Feierstein, who is now a senior adviser at the Albright Stonebridge Group, said of Trump’s talk of military invasion of Venezuela. “The concern is that it raised expectations among Venezuelans, many of whom are waiting for an external actor to save them.”
Palestinian official: ‘Real estate men’ like Trump won’t solve conflict-Top negotiator Saeb Erekat dismisses US administration's soon-to-be-unveiled peace plan, insists PA will continue to pay prisoners' salaries-By Agencies-TOI-5 July 2018
A senior Palestinian official lashed out at US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying “real estate men” can’t resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The remarks by Saeb Erekat, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s longtime top peace negotiator, came as the White House is expected to unveil a long-awaited peace plan which the Palestinians have already dismissed as pointless.Erekat said the White House “should be run by great men, not real estate men,” and that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “won’t be solved by the tools of real estate men.”He also said the Palestinian Authority will continue its payments to the families of jailed or dead Palestinian terrorists, after Israel passed a law this week withholding millions in taxes it collects for the Palestinians until the PA stops allocating funds for that purpose.The Israeli move deepened a budget crunch for the Palestinians, already hit by US aid cuts.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas cut off all contact with Washington over Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December. As a result, the Palestinians have been excluded from Washington’s efforts to form the peace proposal.Trump has billed his upcoming peace plan as “the deal of the century.” His senior adviser Jared Kushner and his Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt toured the region and held meetings with state leaders in June. The two visited Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt to discuss the much-anticipated peace plan. They did not meet with representatives from the Palestinian Authority.Ahead of their arrival last month, PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh was quoted by Hebrew media as saying the regional talks “whose purpose is to bring a meaningless plan, won’t achieve anything.”During the visit, Kushner gave a rare interview to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds in which he urged Palestinians not to let their “scared” leadership reject the Trump administration peace plan, and voiced doubt about whether Abbas truly wanted an accord.At the time Erekat responded to Kushner’s interview by saying in a statement that the peace plan is an attempt to consolidate “Israel’s colonial control over Palestinian land and lives while telling the Palestinian people that money will compensate for our inalienable rights.“Plain and simple: Palestine and Palestinian rights are not for sale,” he said.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
2 people fall critically ill near UK town where ex-Russian spy was poisoned-Scientists look for link between 'unknown substance' that has hospitalized couple and nerve agent used against Skripals-By Pauline Froissart-TOI-5 July 2018
AMESBURY, United Kingdom (AFP) — Two people are critically ill in a hospital after suspected exposure to an “unknown substance” near the English town where a former Russian spy was poisoned with a nerve agent, officials said Wednesday.Counter-terrorism police, who the led the investigation into the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, said they were assisting local police in the investigation which has been declared a “major incident” by the emergency services.Scientists at Britain’s defense laboratory at Porton Down are carrying out tests to try and establish if there is any connection between the two incidents, British media reported.The couple, a 45-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, were discovered unconscious at a house in a quiet, newly-built area in Amesbury, a village near the prehistoric Stonehenge monument.Local man Sam Hobson, 29, told AFP he was a friend of the pair, identifying them as Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess.He said that Sturgess fell ill first then Rowley later on.“He was sweating loads, dribbling, and you couldn’t speak to him, he was making funny noises and he was rocking backwards and forwards,” Hobson said.“It’s like he was in another world.”Amesbury is about 12 kilometers (eight miles) from Salisbury, where the Skripals were found slumped on a bench in March in an incident that sparked a bitter diplomatic crisis with Russia.-PM ‘regularly updated’-In Salisbury, local residents said they were “shocked” that their quiet area was again hitting the headlines.“I was shocked to hear that something had happened so soon after the last contamination scare,” Patrick Hillman, 70, told AFP.The Skripal poisoning “really affected business and life in general in Salisbury” in recent months, he said.“It is a bit of a scare,” said John Reid, 84.A police officer stands at a cordon at Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury, southern Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street office said the incident was being treated “with the utmost seriousness.”Officials were briefed at an emergency meeting at the Cabinet Office on Wednesday and were due to hold a similar meeting later in the day, while police launched two helplines for those worried about possible contamination.The two patients “are both currently receiving treatment for suspected exposure to an unknown substance at Salisbury District Hospital,” a police statement said.“They are both in a critical condition.”It is the same hospital where the Skripals were treated.The pair were found on Saturday with police saying they initially suspected they had fallen ill after using “heroin or crack cocaine from a contaminated batch of drugs.”“However, further testing is now ongoing to establish the substance which led to these patients becoming ill and we are keeping an open mind.”-‘Such a quiet place’-Security cordons have been set up around the areas where the pair went before they fell ill with security boosted in both Amesbury and Salisbury.A spokesman for Public Health England (PHE) said “it is not believed that there is a significant health risk to the wider public.”Local resident Natalie Smyth, 27, told AFP she saw fire engines and ambulances arrive at the house on Saturday.“They shut the road. They said it was a chemical incident and then that it was drug-related.“It is so strange, it is such a quiet place,” she said, indicating that the emergency services personnel were wearing protective suits.Robert Yuill, a local councillor, said the emergency services reaction to the incident was “far less intense” than after the Skripal poisoning.-Police ‘containing any risk’-Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said there was “no reason to think it’s connected” to the Skripal case.Skripal, 67, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, who was visiting from Moscow, collapsed on March 4 in Salisbury and were treated for an extended period of time before being released from hospital.A police officer who came to their aid, Nick Bailey, was also taken to hospital.Moscow has rejected British accusations of involvement in the Skripal poisoning, which sparked a diplomatic crisis that saw Russia and the West expelling dozens of diplomats in tit-for-tat moves.Britain said a Soviet-made nerve agent dubbed novichok was used on the Skripals.
Rouhani’s Vienna visit to bolster nuclear deal clouded by diplomat’s arrest-Iranian president says Tehran will remain in pact if world powers, apart from US, offer assurances on economic benefits-By Sophie MAKRIS-5 July 2018
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday began the second leg of his European tour seeking assurances over the 2015 nuclear deal, a trip clouded by the arrest of a Tehran diplomat over an alleged bomb plot against opposition exiles in Paris.Hoping to boost economic cooperation to help offset the return of US sanctions following Washington’s pullout from the historic deal, Rouhani arrived late Tuesday in Vienna — the city where it was signed.“Insofar as it is possible for Iran, we shall remain party to the accord, we shall not quit the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on condition that we can also benefit from it,” Rouhani said.“If the other signatories, apart from the United States, can guarantee Iran’s interests then Iran will stay in the JCPOA,” he insisted.US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the agreement nearly two months ago, to the ire of the other signatories — China, France, Germany, Britain and Russia — which along with the European Union have continued to back the accord.“We need a balance between our duties and the hypothesis of restrictions … We hope for decisive actions regarding trade and the economy,” added Rouhani in comments sending a message to the other deal signatories, whose foreign ministers are due to meet in Vienna on Friday for the first time since Trump’s decision to dump the deal.Austria just took up the European Union’s six-month rotating presidency, while Vienna is the home of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, which monitors Iran’s compliance with the accord.New US sanctions against Tehran will encompass businesses from third countries that continue to operate in Iran.A number of foreign firms have already announced they would cease their Iranian activities in light of the looming imposition of sanctions.Iranians had already complained that the hoped-for uptick in foreign investment after the deal had not materialized.Rouhani’s European trip will be of “prime importance” as it could “provide a more precise picture of cooperation between Iran and Europe,” the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said at the weekend.The Iranian government has itself warned that it will not continue to abide by the nuclear agreement if doing so goes against its economic interests.Rouhani, a moderate conservative re-elected in 2017, began meeting President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday, and was set to meet Chancellor Sebastian Kurz later in the day.-‘False flag’ ploy-The nuclear deal has been the cornerstone of Rouhani’s policy of greater openness with the West, and the US departure has seen him severely criticized by ultra-conservatives at home.Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has demanded Europe provide a number of economic guarantees in order for Tehran to continue its commitment.Increasing the pressure on Iran’s European partners, he ordered preparations be made to quickly restart nuclear activities in case talks collapse.Rouhani’s visit follows reports of the Iranian diplomat’s arrest along with five others over a purported foiled attack on a rally of thousands of Iranian opposition supporters in Paris.Rouhani has not changed his program over what his foreign minister dismissed as a “false flag ploy” designed as a distraction.“How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its ‘plotters’ arrested,” Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.Just hours before welcoming Rouhani to Austria, Vienna summoned Iran’s ambassador and announced that the unnamed diplomat’s status would be withdrawn.The diplomat attached to the Iranian embassy in Austria, who was detained in Germany, was believed to be a contact of a couple at the center of the alleged plot.He may soon be extradited to Belgium, which is spearheading a probe into the alleged bomb plot, prosecutors told the German news agency DPA.Zarif, who is accompanying Rouhani, will on Friday meet top envoys from the five powers for the first time since Washington’s withdrawal.Kurz meanwhile said he would speak plainly with Rouhani about Iran’s role in the Middle East, as Tehran continues to deny accusations it is destabilizing the region.Israel has alerted European countries over its concerns that Iran is establishing military positions in Syria, posing a threat to the security of the Jewish state. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supporting Houthis rebels in Yemen’s civil war.Kurz will also find “clear words” to discuss the human rights situation in Iran, the chancellor told Austrian news agency APA.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Ex-minister accused of supplying Iran with names of Israeli defense officials-Prosecution releases heavily redacted indictment against Gonen Segev, which says he carried out 'missions' when asked by Tehran, acted 'with intention of damaging security'-By Judah Ari Gross and Raoul Wootliff-TOI-4 July 2018
A heavily redacted version of the indictment against Gonen Segev, a former minister-turned alleged spy for Iran, was released by the prosecution on Wednesday, including a number of details not previously shared with the public.Segev was indicted in a Jerusalem court last month, but the specific charges against him were not fully released at the time, with only a general description of his alleged crimes offered. The ex-minister is due in court again on Thursday.According to the newly released charge sheet, Segev is accused of “aggravated espionage” — a more severe form of the crime of espionage — as well as assisting the enemy in wartime, attempted aggravated espionage and dozens of counts of attempting to provide information to the enemy.Segev, whose former ministerial responsibilities included energy and infrastructure, allegedly met with Iranian intelligence officials repeatedly over the past six years, including twice in Tehran, having traveled to the Islamic Republic on a non-Israeli passport, according to the Shin Bet security service.In addition to allegedly supplying the Iranians with information, the prosecution also said Segev “carried out various missions when he was asked.” The details of those “missions” were redacted.In the indictment, the prosecution also said the disgraced former minister, who once served time in prison for smuggling ecstasy into Israel, acted “with the intention of damaging the security of the state.”Segev, through his attorneys, has denied that he worked against the interests of Israel, saying that he was trying to act as a double agent against Iran in the hope of returning to the Jewish state as a hero.Following requests from the media, the state prosecutor’s office released the charge sheet against Segev, but with much of the information about his alleged crimes removed from the document as many details of the case remained under a gag order.News of Segev’s arrest and indictment was announced by the Shin Bet on June 18.The month before, Segev was extradited to Israel from Equatorial Guinea, after he tried to travel there from his home in Nigeria.“Segev gave his operators information about [Israel’s] energy sector, about security locations in Israel, and about buildings and officials in diplomatic and security bodies, and more,” the Shin Bet said in a statement at the time.The newly released indictment makes similar claims, saying he provided details about military bases and other security installations, along with the names of defense officials and information he gleaned as minister of energy and infrastructure.“Segev even visited Iran twice to meet with his handlers in full knowledge that they were Iranian intelligence operatives,” the security service said.The Shin Bet said Segev met with his Iranian handlers in hotels and safe houses around the world and used a special encrypted device to send them messages in secret.He was accused of making contact with Israeli figures in security, defense and diplomacy in order to mine them for information to send to Iran.According to the Shin Bet, Segev also tried to make direct connections between his Israeli contacts and Iranian handlers, presenting the intelligence officers as businesspeople.In mid-May, Segev traveled from Nigeria to Equatorial Guinea where he was arrested by local police and sent back to Israel, the intelligence agency said.Segev’s lawyers said in a statement to the press that the full charge sheet painted a “different picture” from that which can be seen from only the parts cleared for publication.Segev was initially held in a Shin Bet facility, where he was kept in solitary confinement, but he was later moved to a regular jail.As somebody who sat in government meetings and headed ministries dealing with energy and national infrastructure, Segev would have had access to sensitive material during his time as a politician. However, defense analysts noted that this was over 20 years ago, meaning much of the information is likely no longer relevant.Given that material relating to the case was not released in full, it was not clear what damage he may have caused to Israeli security.The former politician had been living abroad since his release from prison after he was found guilty of drug smuggling in 2007.Israel’s Hadashot news reported that he initiated the contact with Iran, “knocking on the door” of the Iranian embassy in Nigeria “to offer his services.”Segev was born in Israel in 1956. He was a captain in the IDF and went on to study medicine at Ben Gurion University in the Negev and became a pediatrician.He was elected to the Knesset in 1992, at the age of 35, as part of Raful Eitan’s now defunct Tzomet party.He famously split that party in 1994 and set up the short-lived Yiud faction along with two other Tzomet MKs.He joined Yitzhak Rabin’s governing coalition in January 1995 and was rewarded with a ministerial office: he headed the Energy and Infrastructure Ministry (now known as the Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources) until June 1996. His vote was critical in passing the Oslo II Accord in the Knesset in October 1995. He quit politics after losing his seat in the 1996 elections.Segev then became a businessman, and was arrested in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 ecstasy (MDMA) tablets from the Netherlands into Israel. He also illegally extended his diplomatic license and committed several offenses involving use of credit cards.The former minister was convicted in 2005 of drug smuggling, forgery and fraud. He received a five-year prison sentence as well as a $27,500 fine. He was released from prison in 2007 after a third of his sentence was cut due to satisfactory behavior in jail.However, Segev could not go back to working as a doctor since his medical license was stripped from him shortly before his release. Segev appealed this decision to the Jerusalem District Court, but was rejected.Immediately following his release, Segev left the country and has since been working as a doctor and a businessman in Nigeria. Hadashot TV said he had worked as a doctor for staffers at the Israeli embassy in Nigeria and for the local Jewish community.In 2016, the Israeli Health Ministry rejected a request from Segev to reinstate his medical license in order for him to return to the country.His attorney argued at the time that there were ministers who had committed offenses and still returned to government positions. He cited the example of current Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who has been jailed for bribery and yet returned to the very same ministerial position he held when he committed his crime.
How the Safe Third Country Agreement may lead to more irregular border crossings-[Yahoo Canada News]-Megan DeLaire-July 5, 2018
As advocates call for an end to the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement due to the limitations it places on refugee claimants, one immigration lawyer says the agreement might actually be backfiring for Canada.The treaty, effective since 2004, was designed to stem the flow of refugee claims processed at the Canada-U.S. border by requiring refugees in either country to apply for refugee status in the first country in which they land.So, if a person not from Canada or the U.S. lands in the U.S., they must apply for refugee status there, rather than in Canada. If their application is denied, the claimant can not then submit an application in Canada at a regular border crossing.The same goes for people who land in Canada first.However, since the flow of people making refugee claims is heavier coming to Canada from the U.S. than vice versa, immigration lawyer Joel Sandaluk said it’s always had a greater impact on Canada.“The real purpose of the safe third country agreement I think was essentially to limit the number of eligible claimants to Canada,” Sandaluk said. “I think that under normal circumstances, the agreement operates in a way that is very much favorable to the Canadian government.”That was, until the flow people crossing irregularly into Canada jumped in 2017. Between January 2017 and March 2018, the RCMP intercepted 25, 645 people crossing irregularly into Canada. Ninety-one per cent were intercepted in Quebec.Sandaluk attributes the phenomenon, in part, to a combination of increasingly exclusive refugee system in the U.S., and the nature of the First Safe Country Agreement.This is because of a loophole in the treaty: It only applies to a person who submits a refugee claim in the U.S. and then attempts to make a claim at a regular Canada-U.S. border crossing. It does not apply to those who cross Canada’s long, porous border illegally.“If [refugee claimants] enter Canada irregularly, then that has a way of circumventing the restriction on being eligible to claim refugee status,” Sandaluk explained.“If you present yourself to an officer at a border crossing, you won’t be eligible. If you walk, say, 100 metres to the left and cross in farmer’s field or on the railway tracks, and come around from the other side and see an immigration officer already inside Canada, you are eligible.”As the U.S. government rules out criteria for refugee status that Canada considers acceptable — for example, fear of persecution due to domestic violence or being a member of the LGBTQ community — the range and number of people making claims in Canada grows.“The thing about the agreement is that when it forces people to enter Canada irregularly, it causes a great deal of chaos,” Sandaluk said.And that chaos is something Canadians have become familiar with in recent years.With Quebec — the province hardest hit by the increase in asylum seekers from the U.S. — bracing for a fresh influx of summer border crossings, the federal government announced in February plans to allocate $173.2 million to help border officials.In May, the government announced it would move border and customs agents from the Greater Toronto Area to Quebec over the summer months, prompting fears of travel delays in and around Toronto.Demands for reform-As border agents grapple with growing numbers of people crossing irregularly into Canada, which Sandaluk partly attributes to the Canada-U.S. agreement, politicians and advocates call for changes to the agreement for a different reason.When the agreement was first proposed, Sandaluk said, the Canadian government argued that since Canada and the U.S. both followed the U.N.’s 1951 Refugee Convention, their refugee systems were compatible enough for such an agreement.Where the two countries differ, though, is in how they define some of the criteria for refugee status, and as that criteria becomes more restrictive in the U.S., it does so in Canada for potential refugees impacted by the Safe Third Country Agreement.“There’s a lot of people who might not be able to obtain protection in the U.S. who might then be prevented from accessing the refugee determination system in Canada by the Safe Third Country Agreement,” Sandaluk said.“Outsourcing this kind of determination to a different country, and especially a country that has a very different process, has really felt wrong, I think, to a lot of Canadians.”New Democrat MPs Don Davies and Jenny Kwan are among the Canadian politicians who have called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend the agreement, with Kwan challenging Trudeau to “show moral leadership” by doing so during question period earlier in June.Trump’s US is separating children from their parents as punishment for seeking refugee status & refusing to acknowledge those fleeing domestic & gang violence as refugees. UN calls this cruel & unusual. NDP asks Trudeau to now admit the US is not a safe 3rd country – he refuses.— Don Davies MP (@DonDavies) June 18, 2018-At the time, Trudeau said he wouldn’t “play politics” with the U.S. over its refugee and border policies.Since then, though, he has condemned the Trump administration’s hard line on asylum seekers, and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has said Canada will “continue to monitor” changes to the U.S. asylum system.Despite opposition to the agreement, Sandaluk said it’s unlikely the government will consider suspending it at this point.While opposition to the agreement has existed since it was first enacted, he said the fact that it has generally benefitted the government will likely continue to protect it.“The truth is, the only thing I can imagine making the government change the safe third country agreement or opt out of it,” Sandaluk said, “is if the flow of irregular arrivals has put such a strain in the system that the government decides it’s really not worth it.”
Bylaw on 'fierce or dangerous' dog breeds up for debate at Guysborough council-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-JULY 5, 2018
Councillors for the Municipality of the District of Guysborough will gather Wednesday afternoon to discuss the area's dog control bylaw, including its controversial sections on "fierce or dangerous" dogs.That designation covers pit bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Rottweilers or any mixed-breed dog that includes any of those breeds.Warden Vernon Pitts added the bylaw to the council agenda after hearing of the case of Chico, a nine-year-old mixed-breed dog who lives in Canso with a family of five.The dog's owner, Carrieann Parker, says about two months ago, someone complained to the municipality that Parker had a dog that isn't allowed in the area.According to the dog control bylaw, owners of fierce or dangerous dogs are in violation of the bylaw and can be fined between $100 and $600 or be jailed for up to 30 days.The bylaw also states that the municipality can impound or destroy any fierce or dangerous dog without even notifying the owner.Parker said about a month after the complaint, a municipal worker showed up at her door to take a DNA sample from Chico to determine what breed he is.Last week, she received a hand-delivered letter from the municipality informing her that the DNA test showed Chico is predominantly American Staffordshire terrier and that she would need to find a new home for him outside the municipality "or we will rehome him for you."'Maybe it's time to change the bylaw'-Pitts said it's time to revisit the bylaw, which has been in place since 1995."I want it brought to the table and let's have a discussion on it," he said. "Maybe it's time to change the bylaw. Maybe it's time to abolish it. Maybe it's time to reinforce it. I don't know."Asked whether Pitts will ask council to repeal the bylaw, he said, "I'll see what council has to say. I'm a dog owner, I'll put it to you that way. Like, I wouldn't want anyone coming here and taking my dogs."Pitts offered reassurance to Parker, saying "the dog is safe until this is decided by council.""She don't have to worry about her dog. We're not going to harm the dog."Pitts has served on municipal council for 24 years and voted in favour of the bylaw when it was created."At the time, that was the proper thing to do. That's what I felt, anyway," he said. "But times have changed."Parker said she didn't know what breed Chico was when she got him as a puppy when she was living in Truro, and believed he was a Labrador mix. While she said she was aware there was a bylaw, she didn't know it was a ban and didn't realize she wouldn't be given a chance to prove her dog isn't vicious.Parker said Chico is a beloved member of the family and has never been aggressive toward people."I won't get rid of my dog," she said. "If I have to, I'll move out of the community, as much as I don't want to.... I'm not letting him go."Parker plans to attend the meeting on Wednesday.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
J Street: Netanyahu using July 4 as cover to demolish Bedouin village-Liberal pro-Israel group 'outraged' at preparation of bulldozers to raze West Bank hamlet of Khan al-Ahmar-By Stuart Winer and Jacob Magid-TOI-5 July 2018
A liberal pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of using the American July 4 holiday as a “cover” to advance the court-ordered demolition of a West Bank hamlet.Clashes broke out earlier in the day between police and protesters at the illegally built Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem, which is due to be demolished.The J Street organization said in a statement it was “outraged by the Israeli government’s dispatch of bulldozers today.”“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government seems intent on using the July 4th holiday as cover to move forward with demolition plans that have been opposed by dozens of US lawmakers, hundreds of rabbis and thousands of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans,” the group said in a statement.“Netanyahu and his government should know: Even on July 4th, Americans are watching their destructive actions in the West Bank, with deep frustration and concern for the damage they are doing to the future of both Israelis and Palestinians,” J Street said, noting that on July 2 it delivered a letter with 7,000 signatures to the Israeli embassy in Washington opposing the demolition.Residents of Khan al-Ahmar and protesters attempted to block construction equipment from advancing as it was moved into the area to pave an access road to facilitate the demolition of the encampment, with a number of people climbing onto a bulldozer.Eleven people were arrested, including an activist from the B’Tselem rights group. Three police officers were lightly injured in the confrontation, the force said, and some 35 protesters were hurt, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.After a years-long legal battle, the Supreme Court approved the demolition in May. The state says the structures were built without the relevant building permits and pose a threat to residents because of their proximity to a highway.The hamlet has been the subject of international controversy over the years for, among other things, its elementary school, which is made of tires, mud and falafel oil.Critics say building permits are nearly impossible to obtain for Palestinians in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank and the demolition is meant to clear the way for new Jewish settlements.Israel says it has offered the residents an alternative location, near a garbage dump belonging to the Palestinian town of Abu Dis. Bedouin villagers say the location is unsuitable for their way of life, and have asserted that residents of Abu Dis have warned them not to come there.According to the UN, the village has 180 residents.
Austria’s Kurz to Rouhani: ‘Unacceptable’ to question Israel’s right to exist-'Austria is unconditionally committed to the security of Israel and its citizens,' says chancellor as Iranian president visits to salvage nuclear deal-By TOI staff and AFP-5 July 2018
In a joint press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday said he considered it “absolutely unacceptable” to question the right of Israel to exist or call for the Jewish state’s destruction.Ahead of the meeting in Vienna, Kurz had said he would speak plainly with Rouhani about Iran’s role in the Middle East, as Tehran continues to deny accusations it is destabilizing the region.The Austrian leader also condemned those who trivialize the Holocaust, in comments apparently directed at Iranian behavior, and said Vienna was “unconditionally” committed to Israel’s security.“The concerns of Israel have to be taken seriously. Austria is unconditionally committed to the security of Israel and its citizens,” said Kurz, according to a statement from an official spokesperson.“During this memorial year we are particularly aware of our historic responsibility. We strongly condemn all forms of anti-Semitism as well as any form of downplaying or denial of the Holocaust,” he added.Iranian leaders have openly called for Israel’s destruction and the Islamic Republic funds terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas with similar stated aims.In Geneva on Tuesday, Swiss President Alain Berset said that in bilateral talks with Rouhani he had underscored “the need to recognize the state of Israel,” prompting a reply from the Iranian president that Tehran viewed “the Zionist regime as an illegitimate regime,” responsible for fostering conflict in the region.Last month, to mark Al-Quds Day, Rouhani sent a message to the nation, saying, “I believe the land of Palestine will be returned to owners of the land with the help of god.” He also told reporters that, “Israel can never feel that it is in a safe place.” During the event demonstrators chanted, “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”The Austrian leader had visited Israel last month, during which he pledged to “raise awareness” of Israel’s special security needs in Europe. During that visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled Israel was stepping up contacts with Vienna, heaping praise on his counterpart and appearing to signal a thaw in Jerusalem’s freezing out of a far-right coalition party that has been accused of Nazi links.The government headed by Kurz includes the far-right Freedom Party, which Israel boycotts due to its past as a haven for neo-Nazis and its current xenophobic policies.Israel has forcefully opposed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, its arch-foe, and world powers. The Jewish state has also been lobbying world powers and acting to remove Iranian troops from southern Syria over fears Tehran could entrench militarily and launch attacks on the Jewish state from the neighboring country.In my meeting with President #Rouhani I also emphasized that #Israel’s security is non-negotiable for us. Questioning Israel’s right to exist or downplaying the #Holocaust is absolutely unacceptable. 2/2— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) July 4, 2018-Rouhani was in Vienna on the second leg of his European tour to seek assurances over the 2015 nuclear deal. The trip was clouded by the arrest of an Iranian diplomat over an alleged bomb plot against opposition exiles in Paris.Hoping to boost economic cooperation to help offset the return of US sanctions following Washington’s pullout from the historic deal, Rouhani arrived late Tuesday in Vienna — the city where it was signed.“Insofar as it is possible for Iran, we shall remain party to the accord, we shall not quit the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on condition that we can also benefit from it,” Rouhani said.“If the other signatories, apart from the United States, can guarantee Iran’s interests then Iran will stay in the JCPOA,” he insisted.In a move staunchly backed by Israel, US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the agreement nearly two months ago, to the ire of the other signatories — China, France, Germany, Britain and Russia — which along with the European Union have continued to back the accord.“We need a balance between our duties and the hypothesis of restrictions…. We hope for decisive actions regarding trade and the economy,” added Rouhani in comments sending a message to the other deal signatories, whose foreign ministers are due to meet in Vienna on Friday for the first time since Trump’s decision to dump the deal.Austria just took up the European Union’s six-month rotating presidency, while Vienna is the home of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, which monitors Iran’s compliance with the accord.Rouhani’s European trip will be of “prime importance” as it could “provide a more precise picture of cooperation between Iran and Europe,” the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said at the weekend.The Iranian government has itself warned that it will not continue to abide by the nuclear agreement if doing so goes against its economic interests.Rouhani, re-elected in 2017, met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday, and with Kurz later in the day.-‘False flag ploy’-The nuclear deal has been the cornerstone of Rouhani’s policy of greater openness with the West, and the US departure has seen him severely criticized by ultra-conservatives at home.Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has demanded Europe provide a number of economic guarantees in order for Tehran to continue its commitment.Increasing the pressure on Iran’s European partners, he ordered preparations be made to quickly restart nuclear activities in case talks collapse.Rouhani’s visit follows reports of the Iranian diplomat’s arrest along with five others over a purported foiled attack on a rally of thousands of Iranian opposition supporters in Paris.Rouhani has not changed his program over what his foreign minister dismissed as a “false flag ploy” designed as a distraction.How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its “plotters” arrested. Iran unequivocally condemns all violence & terror anywhere, and is ready to work with all concerned to uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy.— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 2, 2018-How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its ‘plotters’ arrested,” Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.Just hours before welcoming Rouhani to Austria, Vienna summoned Iran’s ambassador and announced that the unnamed diplomat’s status would be withdrawn.The diplomat attached to the Iranian embassy in Austria, who was detained in Germany, was believed to be a contact of a couple at the center of the alleged plot.He may soon be extradited to Belgium, which is spearheading a probe into the alleged bomb plot, prosecutors told the German news agency DPA.“We are waiting for full clarification” on the case, Kurz said at a press conference alongside Rouhani.Zarif, who is accompanying Rouhani, will on Friday meet top envoys from the five powers for the first time since Washington’s withdrawal.
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.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)
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.
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DEUTORONOMY 28:22-24
22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
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)
Tree bark peels like banana after lightning strike-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 5, 2018
Chris Rutkowski heard "a loud boom simultaneously with a lightning flash" that struck near his Winnipeg house, but it wasn't until he was heading to work a few hours later that he saw what had been hit.A tree on the boulevard just a few blocks away was still standing, but its bark had peeled away in strips like a banana."I've seen lightning strikes and damage before. The clincher for me was the large clods of earth thrown out — lightning goes from ground upwards," Rutkowski said about the tree near the corner of Grandmont Boulevard and Delorme Bay in the St. Norbert neighbourhood.The strike came as a brief but boisterous storm rolled through southern Manitoba about 5 a.m. Wednesday, bringing booming thunder, curtains of rain and so much lightning it was like nature's paparazzi.When it hit, visibility on the roads dropped to eight kilometres from 25, according to Environment Canada. It only lasted about 20 minutes but left branches down and big puddles on the streets around Winnipeg.The damage was much heavier southeast of the city, in La Broquerie, where an addition being built to a dairy barn was destroyed."It started raining around 5:20 this morning and it was quite intense," said Rhéal Gagnon, who took photos of the twisted and broken wood of the structure's frame.Rainfall amounts in Winnipeg ranged from nine to 16 mm, while the heaviest downpours were near Brandon and north toward Riding Mountain National Park. Totals in that region ranged from 25 mm to 40 mm.As for the tree in St. Norbert, a spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg said it will be removed."Lightning strikes can have various effects on trees, depending on the moisture content inside the tree and in the ground. Typically, we see a single strip of bark, extending from the crown to the ground, blown away from the tree. The lightning damage to this healthy green ash tree is unique," said city spokesperson Michelle Finley in an emailed statement."Lightning strikes can cause irreparable damage to trees and in those cases, the tree must be removed. Unfortunately this tree will need to be removed due to the damage."
Exploding wildfires in US West derail holiday plans-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-July 5, 2018
DENVER — A growing wildfire destroyed more than 100 homes in the Colorado mountains, while other blazes across the parched U.S. West kept hundreds of other homes under evacuation orders and derailed holiday plans.Authorities announced late Monday that a fire near Fort Garland, about 205 miles (330 kilometres ) southwest of Denver, had destroyed 104 homes in a mountain housing development started by multimillionaire publisher Malcolm Forbes in the 1970s. The damage toll could rise because the burn area is still being surveyed.Tamara Estes' family cabin, which her parents had built in 1963 using wood and rocks from the land, was among the homes destroyed."I think it's sinking in more now. But we're just crying," she said. "My grandmother's antique dining table and her hutch are gone.""It was a sacred place to us," she added.Andy and Robyn Kuehler watched flames approach their cabin via surveillance video from their primary residence in Nebraska."We just got confirmation last night that the house was completely gone. It's ... a very sickening feeling watching the fire coming towards the house," the couple wrote in an email Tuesday.The blaze, labeled the Spring Fire, is one of six large wildfires burning in Colorado and is the largest at 123 square miles (318 square kilometres ) — about five times the size of Manhattan. While investigators believe it was started by a spark from a fire pit, other fires, like one that began burning in wilderness near Fairplay, were started by lightning.Nearly 60 large, active blazes are burning across the West, including nine in New Mexico and six each in Utah and California, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.In Utah, authorities have evacuated 200 to 300 homes because of a growing wildfire near a popular fishing reservoir southeast of Salt Lake City amid hot temperatures and high winds. Several structures have been lost since the fire started Sunday, but it's unclear how many, said Jason Curry of the Utah Division of Forest, Fire and State Lands.Darren Lewis and his extended family planned to spend the Fourth of July at a cabin built nearly 50 years ago by his father and uncle in a wilderness area nestled between canyons and near a mountain river.Instead, Lewis and his family will spend the holiday nervously waiting to hear if a half-century of family memories go up in smoke because of the fire, which has grown to 47 square miles (122 square kilometres )."There's a lot of history and memories that go into this cabin," said Lewis, 44, of Magna, Utah. "The cabin we could rebuild, but the trees that we love would be gone. We're just hoping that the wind blows the other way."Meanwhile, a wind-fueled wildfire in Northern California that continues to send a thick layer of smoke and ash south of San Francisco was threatening more than 900 buildings.The massive blaze was choking skies with ash and smoke, prompting some officials to cancel Fourth of July fireworks shows and urge people to stay indoors to protect themselves from the unhealthy air.At least 2,500 people have been told to evacuate as the so-called County Fire continues to spread, said Anthony Brown, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.Brown said the blaze, which started Saturday and is surging through rugged terrain northwest of Sacramento, has grown to 113 square miles (294 square kilometres ) amid hot and dry weather expected throughout the day. It was 15 per cent contained Tuesday."The weather is better than what we had over the weekend. But it's still hampering our efforts and it's an area of concern," he said.So far this year, wildfires have burned 4,200 square miles in the United States, according to the fire centre . That's a bit below last year's acreage to date — which included the beginning of California's devastating fire season — but above the 10-year average of 3,600 square miles.Because of the Independence Day holiday, authorities are also concerned about the possibility of campfires or fireworks starting new fires because of the dry, hot conditions. In Colorado, many communities have cancelled firework displays, and a number of federal public lands and counties have some degree of fire restrictions in place, banning things like campfires or smoking outdoors.In Arizona, large swaths of national forests and state trust land have been closed since before Memorial Day. Some cities have cancelled fireworks displays because of extreme fire danger.In New Mexico, all or part of three national forests remain closed because of the threat of wildfire, putting a damper on holiday camping plans. The forests that are open have strict rules, especially when it comes to fireworks."We're just urging people to use extreme caution," said Wendy Mason, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico State Forestry Division. "We want people to have fun and enjoy themselves, but we prefer they leave the fireworks shows to the professionals."____Associated Press writers Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco; Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona; and Alina Hartounian in Phoenix contributed to this report.Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press.
Heat alerts issued for parts of New Brunswick as humidex expected to reach 36-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-July 4, 2018
The New Brunswick government has issued heat health alerts for parts of the province today even though Environment Canada is forecasting "a slight reprieve" from the high humidity.Inland temperatures will reach between 29 C and 32 C, with humidex values ranging from 33 to 36, according to the weather agency.Coastal areas can expect cooler conditions.The provincial Department of Health has issued Level 2 heat alerts for Bathurst and Chaleur, Grand Falls and Victoria County, and the Acadian Peninsula.Sussex, the Kennebecasis Valley, Kings County, St. Stephen and northern Charlotte County are also under a Level 2 warning today and Thursday, when humidity levels are expected to return to closer to 40.Level 2 of the department's three-level alert system indicates "high heat," which means everyone is at increased risk of heat stress and heat stroke.People are urged to check on anyone who doesn't have air conditioning and organizers of sport and recreational activities should build in regular water and rest breaks or consider rescheduling, the department advises.Heat stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention. Call 911 if anyone falls unconscious, has stopped sweating, has a body temperature of 40 C or higher, is confused or agitated, or has rapid, shallow breathing, the department advises.Symptoms of heat stress can include a headache, dizziness or faintness, muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting, rapid breathing and heartbeat, and dry mouth.Anyone experiencing such symptoms should move to a cooler location, take a cool bath or shower or splash cool water on their face and back of the neck, remove any unnecessary clothing and sprinkle remaining clothing with water, and drink plenty of water.Level 1 areas-A Level 1 advisory has been issued for Campbellton and Restigouche County, Edmundston and Madawaska County today. Grand Lake and Queens County, Woodstock and Carleton County, the Stanley-Doaktown-Blackville area, and Grand Falls and Victoria County are also under a Level 1 warning today as well as Thursday.When a Level 1 alert is issued, certain vulnerable people, such as those with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, may be affected, the department warns.Other groups who are the most at risk of the health effects related to extreme heat include: - Young children and older adults. - The homeless and socially isolated. - People using certain medications.During a Level 3 "extreme heat" alert, everyone is at "high risk" for heat-related illnesses and heat stroke, according to the department.The three-level system is based on three factors: intensity, duration and nighttime exposure.Temperatures are expected to return to seasonal normals by the weekend, according to Environment Canada.
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)
Trump shocked aides with repeated talk of invading Venezuela, US official says-US president asked Tillerson, McMaster and Latin American allies of military options to remove Nicolas Maduro from power-By Joshua Goodman-TOI-JUL 5,18
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — As a meeting last August in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions on Venezuela was concluding, US President Donald Trump turned to his top aides and asked an unsettling question: With a fast unraveling Venezuela threatening regional security, why can’t the US just simply invade the troubled country? The suggestion stunned those present at the meeting, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, both of whom have since left the administration. This account of the previously undisclosed conversation comes from a senior administration official familiar with what was said.In an exchange that lasted around five minutes, McMaster and others took turns explaining to Trump how military action could backfire and risk losing hard-won support among Latin American governments to punish President Nicolas Maduro for taking Venezuela down the path of dictatorship, according to the official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.But Trump pushed back. Although he gave no indication he was about to order up military plans, he pointed to what he considered past cases of successful gunboat diplomacy in the region, according to the official, like the invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s.The idea, despite his aides’ best attempts to shoot it down, would nonetheless persist in the president’s head.The next day, August 11, Trump alarmed friends and foes alike with talk of a “military option” to remove Maduro from power. The public remarks were initially dismissed in US policy circles as the sort of martial bluster people have come to expect from the reality TV star turned commander in chief.But shortly afterward, he raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, according to the US official. Two high-ranking Colombian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing Trump confirmed the report.Then in September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump discussed it again, this time at greater length, in a private dinner with leaders from four Latin American allies that included Santos, the same three people said and Politico reported in February.The US official said Trump was specifically briefed not to raise the issue and told it wouldn’t play well, but the first thing the president said at the dinner was, “My staff told me not to say this.” Trump then went around asking each leader if they were sure they didn’t want a military solution, according to the official, who added that each leader told Trump in clear terms they were sure.Eventually, McMaster would pull aside the president and walk him through the dangers of an invasion, the official said.Taken together, the behind-the-scenes talks, the extent and details of which have not been previously reported, highlight how Venezuela’s political and economic crisis has received top attention under Trump in a way that was unimaginable in the Obama administration. But critics say it also underscores how his “America First” foreign policy at times can seem outright reckless, providing ammunition to America’s adversaries.The White House declined to comment on the private conversations. But a National Security Council spokesman reiterated that the US will consider all options at its disposal to help restore Venezuela’s democracy and bring stability. Under Trump’s leadership, the US, Canada and European Union have levied sanctions on dozens of top Venezuelan officials, including Maduro himself, over allegations of corruption, drug trafficking and human rights abuses. The US has also distributed more than $30 million to help Venezuela’s neighbors absorb an influx of more than 1 million migrants who have fled the country.For Maduro, who has long claimed that the US has military designs on Venezuela and its vast oil reserves, Trump’s bellicose talk provided the unpopular leader with an immediate if short-lived boost as he was trying to escape blame for widespread food shortages and hyperinflation. Within days of the president’s talk of a military option, Maduro filled the streets of Caracas with loyalists to condemn “Emperor” Trump’s belligerence, ordered up nationwide military exercises and threatened with arrest opponents he said were plotting his overthrow with the US.“Mind your own business and solve your own problems, Mr. Trump!” thundered Nicolas Maduro, the president’s son, at the government-stacked constituent assembly. “If Venezuela were attacked, the rifles will arrive in New York, Mr. Trump,” the younger Maduro said. “We will take the White House.”Even some of the staunchest US allies were begrudgingly forced to side with Maduro in condemning Trump’s saber rattling. Santos, a big backer of US attempts to isolate Maduro, said an invasion would have zero support in the region. The Mercosur trade bloc, which includes Brazil and Argentina, issued a statement saying “the only acceptable means of promoting democracy are dialogue and diplomacy” and repudiating “any option that implies the use of force.”But among Venezuela’s beleaguered opposition movement, hostility to the idea of a military intervention has slowly eased.A few weeks after Trump’s public comments, Harvard economics professor Ricardo Hausmann, a former Venezuelan planning minister, wrote a syndicated column titled “D Day Venezuela,” in which he called for a “coalition of the willing” made up of regional powers and the US to step in and support militarily a government appointed by the opposition-led national assembly.Mark Feierstein, who oversaw Latin America on the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said that strident US action on Venezuela, however commendable, won’t loosen Maduro’s grip on power if it’s not accompanied by pressure from the streets. However, he thinks Venezuelans have largely been demoralized after a crackdown on protests last year triggered dozens of deaths, and the threat of more repression has forced dozens of opposition leaders into exile.“People inside and outside the administration know they can ignore plenty of what Trump says,” Feierstein, who is now a senior adviser at the Albright Stonebridge Group, said of Trump’s talk of military invasion of Venezuela. “The concern is that it raised expectations among Venezuelans, many of whom are waiting for an external actor to save them.”
Palestinian official: ‘Real estate men’ like Trump won’t solve conflict-Top negotiator Saeb Erekat dismisses US administration's soon-to-be-unveiled peace plan, insists PA will continue to pay prisoners' salaries-By Agencies-TOI-5 July 2018
A senior Palestinian official lashed out at US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying “real estate men” can’t resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The remarks by Saeb Erekat, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s longtime top peace negotiator, came as the White House is expected to unveil a long-awaited peace plan which the Palestinians have already dismissed as pointless.Erekat said the White House “should be run by great men, not real estate men,” and that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “won’t be solved by the tools of real estate men.”He also said the Palestinian Authority will continue its payments to the families of jailed or dead Palestinian terrorists, after Israel passed a law this week withholding millions in taxes it collects for the Palestinians until the PA stops allocating funds for that purpose.The Israeli move deepened a budget crunch for the Palestinians, already hit by US aid cuts.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas cut off all contact with Washington over Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December. As a result, the Palestinians have been excluded from Washington’s efforts to form the peace proposal.Trump has billed his upcoming peace plan as “the deal of the century.” His senior adviser Jared Kushner and his Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt toured the region and held meetings with state leaders in June. The two visited Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt to discuss the much-anticipated peace plan. They did not meet with representatives from the Palestinian Authority.Ahead of their arrival last month, PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh was quoted by Hebrew media as saying the regional talks “whose purpose is to bring a meaningless plan, won’t achieve anything.”During the visit, Kushner gave a rare interview to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds in which he urged Palestinians not to let their “scared” leadership reject the Trump administration peace plan, and voiced doubt about whether Abbas truly wanted an accord.At the time Erekat responded to Kushner’s interview by saying in a statement that the peace plan is an attempt to consolidate “Israel’s colonial control over Palestinian land and lives while telling the Palestinian people that money will compensate for our inalienable rights.“Plain and simple: Palestine and Palestinian rights are not for sale,” he said.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
2 people fall critically ill near UK town where ex-Russian spy was poisoned-Scientists look for link between 'unknown substance' that has hospitalized couple and nerve agent used against Skripals-By Pauline Froissart-TOI-5 July 2018
AMESBURY, United Kingdom (AFP) — Two people are critically ill in a hospital after suspected exposure to an “unknown substance” near the English town where a former Russian spy was poisoned with a nerve agent, officials said Wednesday.Counter-terrorism police, who the led the investigation into the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, said they were assisting local police in the investigation which has been declared a “major incident” by the emergency services.Scientists at Britain’s defense laboratory at Porton Down are carrying out tests to try and establish if there is any connection between the two incidents, British media reported.The couple, a 45-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, were discovered unconscious at a house in a quiet, newly-built area in Amesbury, a village near the prehistoric Stonehenge monument.Local man Sam Hobson, 29, told AFP he was a friend of the pair, identifying them as Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess.He said that Sturgess fell ill first then Rowley later on.“He was sweating loads, dribbling, and you couldn’t speak to him, he was making funny noises and he was rocking backwards and forwards,” Hobson said.“It’s like he was in another world.”Amesbury is about 12 kilometers (eight miles) from Salisbury, where the Skripals were found slumped on a bench in March in an incident that sparked a bitter diplomatic crisis with Russia.-PM ‘regularly updated’-In Salisbury, local residents said they were “shocked” that their quiet area was again hitting the headlines.“I was shocked to hear that something had happened so soon after the last contamination scare,” Patrick Hillman, 70, told AFP.The Skripal poisoning “really affected business and life in general in Salisbury” in recent months, he said.“It is a bit of a scare,” said John Reid, 84.A police officer stands at a cordon at Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury, southern Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street office said the incident was being treated “with the utmost seriousness.”Officials were briefed at an emergency meeting at the Cabinet Office on Wednesday and were due to hold a similar meeting later in the day, while police launched two helplines for those worried about possible contamination.The two patients “are both currently receiving treatment for suspected exposure to an unknown substance at Salisbury District Hospital,” a police statement said.“They are both in a critical condition.”It is the same hospital where the Skripals were treated.The pair were found on Saturday with police saying they initially suspected they had fallen ill after using “heroin or crack cocaine from a contaminated batch of drugs.”“However, further testing is now ongoing to establish the substance which led to these patients becoming ill and we are keeping an open mind.”-‘Such a quiet place’-Security cordons have been set up around the areas where the pair went before they fell ill with security boosted in both Amesbury and Salisbury.A spokesman for Public Health England (PHE) said “it is not believed that there is a significant health risk to the wider public.”Local resident Natalie Smyth, 27, told AFP she saw fire engines and ambulances arrive at the house on Saturday.“They shut the road. They said it was a chemical incident and then that it was drug-related.“It is so strange, it is such a quiet place,” she said, indicating that the emergency services personnel were wearing protective suits.Robert Yuill, a local councillor, said the emergency services reaction to the incident was “far less intense” than after the Skripal poisoning.-Police ‘containing any risk’-Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said there was “no reason to think it’s connected” to the Skripal case.Skripal, 67, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, who was visiting from Moscow, collapsed on March 4 in Salisbury and were treated for an extended period of time before being released from hospital.A police officer who came to their aid, Nick Bailey, was also taken to hospital.Moscow has rejected British accusations of involvement in the Skripal poisoning, which sparked a diplomatic crisis that saw Russia and the West expelling dozens of diplomats in tit-for-tat moves.Britain said a Soviet-made nerve agent dubbed novichok was used on the Skripals.
Rouhani’s Vienna visit to bolster nuclear deal clouded by diplomat’s arrest-Iranian president says Tehran will remain in pact if world powers, apart from US, offer assurances on economic benefits-By Sophie MAKRIS-5 July 2018
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday began the second leg of his European tour seeking assurances over the 2015 nuclear deal, a trip clouded by the arrest of a Tehran diplomat over an alleged bomb plot against opposition exiles in Paris.Hoping to boost economic cooperation to help offset the return of US sanctions following Washington’s pullout from the historic deal, Rouhani arrived late Tuesday in Vienna — the city where it was signed.“Insofar as it is possible for Iran, we shall remain party to the accord, we shall not quit the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on condition that we can also benefit from it,” Rouhani said.“If the other signatories, apart from the United States, can guarantee Iran’s interests then Iran will stay in the JCPOA,” he insisted.US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the agreement nearly two months ago, to the ire of the other signatories — China, France, Germany, Britain and Russia — which along with the European Union have continued to back the accord.“We need a balance between our duties and the hypothesis of restrictions … We hope for decisive actions regarding trade and the economy,” added Rouhani in comments sending a message to the other deal signatories, whose foreign ministers are due to meet in Vienna on Friday for the first time since Trump’s decision to dump the deal.Austria just took up the European Union’s six-month rotating presidency, while Vienna is the home of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, which monitors Iran’s compliance with the accord.New US sanctions against Tehran will encompass businesses from third countries that continue to operate in Iran.A number of foreign firms have already announced they would cease their Iranian activities in light of the looming imposition of sanctions.Iranians had already complained that the hoped-for uptick in foreign investment after the deal had not materialized.Rouhani’s European trip will be of “prime importance” as it could “provide a more precise picture of cooperation between Iran and Europe,” the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said at the weekend.The Iranian government has itself warned that it will not continue to abide by the nuclear agreement if doing so goes against its economic interests.Rouhani, a moderate conservative re-elected in 2017, began meeting President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday, and was set to meet Chancellor Sebastian Kurz later in the day.-‘False flag’ ploy-The nuclear deal has been the cornerstone of Rouhani’s policy of greater openness with the West, and the US departure has seen him severely criticized by ultra-conservatives at home.Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has demanded Europe provide a number of economic guarantees in order for Tehran to continue its commitment.Increasing the pressure on Iran’s European partners, he ordered preparations be made to quickly restart nuclear activities in case talks collapse.Rouhani’s visit follows reports of the Iranian diplomat’s arrest along with five others over a purported foiled attack on a rally of thousands of Iranian opposition supporters in Paris.Rouhani has not changed his program over what his foreign minister dismissed as a “false flag ploy” designed as a distraction.“How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its ‘plotters’ arrested,” Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.Just hours before welcoming Rouhani to Austria, Vienna summoned Iran’s ambassador and announced that the unnamed diplomat’s status would be withdrawn.The diplomat attached to the Iranian embassy in Austria, who was detained in Germany, was believed to be a contact of a couple at the center of the alleged plot.He may soon be extradited to Belgium, which is spearheading a probe into the alleged bomb plot, prosecutors told the German news agency DPA.Zarif, who is accompanying Rouhani, will on Friday meet top envoys from the five powers for the first time since Washington’s withdrawal.Kurz meanwhile said he would speak plainly with Rouhani about Iran’s role in the Middle East, as Tehran continues to deny accusations it is destabilizing the region.Israel has alerted European countries over its concerns that Iran is establishing military positions in Syria, posing a threat to the security of the Jewish state. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supporting Houthis rebels in Yemen’s civil war.Kurz will also find “clear words” to discuss the human rights situation in Iran, the chancellor told Austrian news agency APA.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Ex-minister accused of supplying Iran with names of Israeli defense officials-Prosecution releases heavily redacted indictment against Gonen Segev, which says he carried out 'missions' when asked by Tehran, acted 'with intention of damaging security'-By Judah Ari Gross and Raoul Wootliff-TOI-4 July 2018
A heavily redacted version of the indictment against Gonen Segev, a former minister-turned alleged spy for Iran, was released by the prosecution on Wednesday, including a number of details not previously shared with the public.Segev was indicted in a Jerusalem court last month, but the specific charges against him were not fully released at the time, with only a general description of his alleged crimes offered. The ex-minister is due in court again on Thursday.According to the newly released charge sheet, Segev is accused of “aggravated espionage” — a more severe form of the crime of espionage — as well as assisting the enemy in wartime, attempted aggravated espionage and dozens of counts of attempting to provide information to the enemy.Segev, whose former ministerial responsibilities included energy and infrastructure, allegedly met with Iranian intelligence officials repeatedly over the past six years, including twice in Tehran, having traveled to the Islamic Republic on a non-Israeli passport, according to the Shin Bet security service.In addition to allegedly supplying the Iranians with information, the prosecution also said Segev “carried out various missions when he was asked.” The details of those “missions” were redacted.In the indictment, the prosecution also said the disgraced former minister, who once served time in prison for smuggling ecstasy into Israel, acted “with the intention of damaging the security of the state.”Segev, through his attorneys, has denied that he worked against the interests of Israel, saying that he was trying to act as a double agent against Iran in the hope of returning to the Jewish state as a hero.Following requests from the media, the state prosecutor’s office released the charge sheet against Segev, but with much of the information about his alleged crimes removed from the document as many details of the case remained under a gag order.News of Segev’s arrest and indictment was announced by the Shin Bet on June 18.The month before, Segev was extradited to Israel from Equatorial Guinea, after he tried to travel there from his home in Nigeria.“Segev gave his operators information about [Israel’s] energy sector, about security locations in Israel, and about buildings and officials in diplomatic and security bodies, and more,” the Shin Bet said in a statement at the time.The newly released indictment makes similar claims, saying he provided details about military bases and other security installations, along with the names of defense officials and information he gleaned as minister of energy and infrastructure.“Segev even visited Iran twice to meet with his handlers in full knowledge that they were Iranian intelligence operatives,” the security service said.The Shin Bet said Segev met with his Iranian handlers in hotels and safe houses around the world and used a special encrypted device to send them messages in secret.He was accused of making contact with Israeli figures in security, defense and diplomacy in order to mine them for information to send to Iran.According to the Shin Bet, Segev also tried to make direct connections between his Israeli contacts and Iranian handlers, presenting the intelligence officers as businesspeople.In mid-May, Segev traveled from Nigeria to Equatorial Guinea where he was arrested by local police and sent back to Israel, the intelligence agency said.Segev’s lawyers said in a statement to the press that the full charge sheet painted a “different picture” from that which can be seen from only the parts cleared for publication.Segev was initially held in a Shin Bet facility, where he was kept in solitary confinement, but he was later moved to a regular jail.As somebody who sat in government meetings and headed ministries dealing with energy and national infrastructure, Segev would have had access to sensitive material during his time as a politician. However, defense analysts noted that this was over 20 years ago, meaning much of the information is likely no longer relevant.Given that material relating to the case was not released in full, it was not clear what damage he may have caused to Israeli security.The former politician had been living abroad since his release from prison after he was found guilty of drug smuggling in 2007.Israel’s Hadashot news reported that he initiated the contact with Iran, “knocking on the door” of the Iranian embassy in Nigeria “to offer his services.”Segev was born in Israel in 1956. He was a captain in the IDF and went on to study medicine at Ben Gurion University in the Negev and became a pediatrician.He was elected to the Knesset in 1992, at the age of 35, as part of Raful Eitan’s now defunct Tzomet party.He famously split that party in 1994 and set up the short-lived Yiud faction along with two other Tzomet MKs.He joined Yitzhak Rabin’s governing coalition in January 1995 and was rewarded with a ministerial office: he headed the Energy and Infrastructure Ministry (now known as the Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources) until June 1996. His vote was critical in passing the Oslo II Accord in the Knesset in October 1995. He quit politics after losing his seat in the 1996 elections.Segev then became a businessman, and was arrested in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 ecstasy (MDMA) tablets from the Netherlands into Israel. He also illegally extended his diplomatic license and committed several offenses involving use of credit cards.The former minister was convicted in 2005 of drug smuggling, forgery and fraud. He received a five-year prison sentence as well as a $27,500 fine. He was released from prison in 2007 after a third of his sentence was cut due to satisfactory behavior in jail.However, Segev could not go back to working as a doctor since his medical license was stripped from him shortly before his release. Segev appealed this decision to the Jerusalem District Court, but was rejected.Immediately following his release, Segev left the country and has since been working as a doctor and a businessman in Nigeria. Hadashot TV said he had worked as a doctor for staffers at the Israeli embassy in Nigeria and for the local Jewish community.In 2016, the Israeli Health Ministry rejected a request from Segev to reinstate his medical license in order for him to return to the country.His attorney argued at the time that there were ministers who had committed offenses and still returned to government positions. He cited the example of current Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who has been jailed for bribery and yet returned to the very same ministerial position he held when he committed his crime.
How the Safe Third Country Agreement may lead to more irregular border crossings-[Yahoo Canada News]-Megan DeLaire-July 5, 2018
As advocates call for an end to the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement due to the limitations it places on refugee claimants, one immigration lawyer says the agreement might actually be backfiring for Canada.The treaty, effective since 2004, was designed to stem the flow of refugee claims processed at the Canada-U.S. border by requiring refugees in either country to apply for refugee status in the first country in which they land.So, if a person not from Canada or the U.S. lands in the U.S., they must apply for refugee status there, rather than in Canada. If their application is denied, the claimant can not then submit an application in Canada at a regular border crossing.The same goes for people who land in Canada first.However, since the flow of people making refugee claims is heavier coming to Canada from the U.S. than vice versa, immigration lawyer Joel Sandaluk said it’s always had a greater impact on Canada.“The real purpose of the safe third country agreement I think was essentially to limit the number of eligible claimants to Canada,” Sandaluk said. “I think that under normal circumstances, the agreement operates in a way that is very much favorable to the Canadian government.”That was, until the flow people crossing irregularly into Canada jumped in 2017. Between January 2017 and March 2018, the RCMP intercepted 25, 645 people crossing irregularly into Canada. Ninety-one per cent were intercepted in Quebec.Sandaluk attributes the phenomenon, in part, to a combination of increasingly exclusive refugee system in the U.S., and the nature of the First Safe Country Agreement.This is because of a loophole in the treaty: It only applies to a person who submits a refugee claim in the U.S. and then attempts to make a claim at a regular Canada-U.S. border crossing. It does not apply to those who cross Canada’s long, porous border illegally.“If [refugee claimants] enter Canada irregularly, then that has a way of circumventing the restriction on being eligible to claim refugee status,” Sandaluk explained.“If you present yourself to an officer at a border crossing, you won’t be eligible. If you walk, say, 100 metres to the left and cross in farmer’s field or on the railway tracks, and come around from the other side and see an immigration officer already inside Canada, you are eligible.”As the U.S. government rules out criteria for refugee status that Canada considers acceptable — for example, fear of persecution due to domestic violence or being a member of the LGBTQ community — the range and number of people making claims in Canada grows.“The thing about the agreement is that when it forces people to enter Canada irregularly, it causes a great deal of chaos,” Sandaluk said.And that chaos is something Canadians have become familiar with in recent years.With Quebec — the province hardest hit by the increase in asylum seekers from the U.S. — bracing for a fresh influx of summer border crossings, the federal government announced in February plans to allocate $173.2 million to help border officials.In May, the government announced it would move border and customs agents from the Greater Toronto Area to Quebec over the summer months, prompting fears of travel delays in and around Toronto.Demands for reform-As border agents grapple with growing numbers of people crossing irregularly into Canada, which Sandaluk partly attributes to the Canada-U.S. agreement, politicians and advocates call for changes to the agreement for a different reason.When the agreement was first proposed, Sandaluk said, the Canadian government argued that since Canada and the U.S. both followed the U.N.’s 1951 Refugee Convention, their refugee systems were compatible enough for such an agreement.Where the two countries differ, though, is in how they define some of the criteria for refugee status, and as that criteria becomes more restrictive in the U.S., it does so in Canada for potential refugees impacted by the Safe Third Country Agreement.“There’s a lot of people who might not be able to obtain protection in the U.S. who might then be prevented from accessing the refugee determination system in Canada by the Safe Third Country Agreement,” Sandaluk said.“Outsourcing this kind of determination to a different country, and especially a country that has a very different process, has really felt wrong, I think, to a lot of Canadians.”New Democrat MPs Don Davies and Jenny Kwan are among the Canadian politicians who have called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend the agreement, with Kwan challenging Trudeau to “show moral leadership” by doing so during question period earlier in June.Trump’s US is separating children from their parents as punishment for seeking refugee status & refusing to acknowledge those fleeing domestic & gang violence as refugees. UN calls this cruel & unusual. NDP asks Trudeau to now admit the US is not a safe 3rd country – he refuses.— Don Davies MP (@DonDavies) June 18, 2018-At the time, Trudeau said he wouldn’t “play politics” with the U.S. over its refugee and border policies.Since then, though, he has condemned the Trump administration’s hard line on asylum seekers, and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has said Canada will “continue to monitor” changes to the U.S. asylum system.Despite opposition to the agreement, Sandaluk said it’s unlikely the government will consider suspending it at this point.While opposition to the agreement has existed since it was first enacted, he said the fact that it has generally benefitted the government will likely continue to protect it.“The truth is, the only thing I can imagine making the government change the safe third country agreement or opt out of it,” Sandaluk said, “is if the flow of irregular arrivals has put such a strain in the system that the government decides it’s really not worth it.”
Bylaw on 'fierce or dangerous' dog breeds up for debate at Guysborough council-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-JULY 5, 2018
Councillors for the Municipality of the District of Guysborough will gather Wednesday afternoon to discuss the area's dog control bylaw, including its controversial sections on "fierce or dangerous" dogs.That designation covers pit bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Rottweilers or any mixed-breed dog that includes any of those breeds.Warden Vernon Pitts added the bylaw to the council agenda after hearing of the case of Chico, a nine-year-old mixed-breed dog who lives in Canso with a family of five.The dog's owner, Carrieann Parker, says about two months ago, someone complained to the municipality that Parker had a dog that isn't allowed in the area.According to the dog control bylaw, owners of fierce or dangerous dogs are in violation of the bylaw and can be fined between $100 and $600 or be jailed for up to 30 days.The bylaw also states that the municipality can impound or destroy any fierce or dangerous dog without even notifying the owner.Parker said about a month after the complaint, a municipal worker showed up at her door to take a DNA sample from Chico to determine what breed he is.Last week, she received a hand-delivered letter from the municipality informing her that the DNA test showed Chico is predominantly American Staffordshire terrier and that she would need to find a new home for him outside the municipality "or we will rehome him for you."'Maybe it's time to change the bylaw'-Pitts said it's time to revisit the bylaw, which has been in place since 1995."I want it brought to the table and let's have a discussion on it," he said. "Maybe it's time to change the bylaw. Maybe it's time to abolish it. Maybe it's time to reinforce it. I don't know."Asked whether Pitts will ask council to repeal the bylaw, he said, "I'll see what council has to say. I'm a dog owner, I'll put it to you that way. Like, I wouldn't want anyone coming here and taking my dogs."Pitts offered reassurance to Parker, saying "the dog is safe until this is decided by council.""She don't have to worry about her dog. We're not going to harm the dog."Pitts has served on municipal council for 24 years and voted in favour of the bylaw when it was created."At the time, that was the proper thing to do. That's what I felt, anyway," he said. "But times have changed."Parker said she didn't know what breed Chico was when she got him as a puppy when she was living in Truro, and believed he was a Labrador mix. While she said she was aware there was a bylaw, she didn't know it was a ban and didn't realize she wouldn't be given a chance to prove her dog isn't vicious.Parker said Chico is a beloved member of the family and has never been aggressive toward people."I won't get rid of my dog," she said. "If I have to, I'll move out of the community, as much as I don't want to.... I'm not letting him go."Parker plans to attend the meeting on Wednesday.
