ISRAEL GETS READY TO OUT HAMAS FROM GAZA AND GET 800 THOUSAND ARABS OUT OF GAZA CITY.

 ISRAEL GETS READY TO OUT HAMAS FROM GAZA AND GET 800 THOUSAND ARABS OUT OF GAZA CITY.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

Surah 15:9 of the Qur’an proclaims:We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).(ISLAM IS A LYING PEDOPHILE, SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT.)

Muslim scholars interpret this ayah (verse) as a divine promise that the text of the Qur’an would be preserved perfectly, down to the smallest detail. The Qur’an therefore offers us a way to test its divine origin, based on whether Allah’s promise in Surah 15:9 was fulfilled. In this pamphlet, we will review the history of the Qur’an according to Muslim sources, allowing us to see if this book has Allah’s stamp of approval.I. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE QUR’AN-The first Qur’anic revelation came to Muhammad around the year 610. Muhammad delivered many more verses to his scribes and companions for memorization and recording over the next two decades. These verses were written on stalks of palm leaves, bones of dead animals, flat stones, and other materials. There was no complete manuscript of the Qur’an during this time.Qur’anic revelation ceased when Muhammad died. Shortly after Muhammad’s death, Caliph Abu Bakr needed to suppress a rebellion, and he sent many huffaz (people who had memorized portions of the Qur’an) to fight at the Battle of Yamama. Many of these huffaz died, and Muslim sources tell us that portions of the Qur’an were lost:Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif—Many (of the passages) of the Qur’an that were sent down were known by those who died on the day of Yamama . . . but they were not known (by those who) survived them, nor were they written down, nor had Abu Bakr, Umar or Uthman (by that time) collected the Qur’an, nor were they found with even one (person) after them.Abu Bakr decided that it was time to gather what remained of the Qur’an in order to prevent more from being lost, and he appointed Zaid ibn Thabit to this task. After Zaid completed his codex around 634 AD, it remained in Abu Bakr’s possession until his death, when it was passed on to Caliph Umar. When Umar died, it was given to Hafsa, a widow of Muhammad. (For a fuller account see Sahih al-Bukhari 4986.)-During Caliph Uthman’s reign, approximately 19 years after the death of Muhammad, disputes arose concerning the correct recitation of the Qur’an. Uthman ordered that Hafsa’s copy of the Qur’an, along with all known textual materials, should be gathered together so that an official version might be compiled. Zaid ibn Thabit, Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Sa’id bin Al-As, and Abdur-Rahman bin Harith worked diligently to construct a revised text of the Qur’an. When it was finished, “Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur’anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4987). The Qur’an we have today is descended from the Uthmanic codex.II. DISPUTES AMONG MUHAMMAD’S SCHOLARS-Not all Muslims approved of the new Qur’an. Indeed, some of Muhammad’s top teachers rejected Zaid’s version.Muhammad once told his followers to “Learn the recitation of the Qur’an from four: from Abdullah bin Masud—he started with him—Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa, Mu’adh bin Jabal and Ubai bin Ka’b” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3808). Interestingly, Ibn Masud (first on Muhammad’s list) held that the Qur’an should only have 111 chapters (today’s version has 114 chapters), and that chapters 1, 113, and 114 shouldn’t have been included in the Qur’an.Because of this (along with hundreds of other textual differences), Ibn Masud went so far as to call the final edition of the Qur’an a deception! He said, “The people have been guilty of deceit in the reading of the Qur’an. I like it better to read according to the recitation of him [i.e. Muhammad] whom I love more than that of Zayd Ibn Thabit” (Ibn Sa’d, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 444).Should Muslims submit to this “deceit”? Not surprisingly, Ibn Masud advised Muslims to reject Zaid’s Qur’an and to keep their own versions—even to hide them so that they wouldn’t be confiscated by the government! He said:Jami at-Tirmidhi 3104—“O you Muslim people! Avoid copying the Mushaf and recitation of this man. By Allah! When I accepted Islam he was but in the loins of a disbelieving man”—meaning Zaid bin Thabit—and it was regarding this that Abdullah bin Mas’ud said: “O people of Al-Iraq! Keep the Musahif that are with you, and conceal them.”But Ibn Masud wasn’t the only one of Muhammad’s trusted teachers who disagreed with Zaid’s Qur’an. Ubayy ibn Ka’b was Muhammad’s best reciter and one of the only Muslims to collect the materials of the Qur’an during Muhammad’s lifetime. Yet Ibn Ka’b believed that Zaid’s Qur’an was missing two chapters! Later Muslims were therefore forced to reject some of Ibn Ka’b’s recitation:Sahih al-Bukhari 5005—Umar said, “Ubayy was the best of us in the recitation (of the Qur’an), yet we leave some of what he recites.” Ubayy says, “I have taken it from the mouth of Allah’s Messenger and will not leave it for anything whatever.”Due to these disputes among Muhammad’s hand-picked reciters, Muslims are faced with a dilemma. If Muslims say that the Qur’an we have today has been perfectly preserved, they must say that Muhammad was horrible at choosing scholars, since he selected men who disagreed with today’s text. If, on the other hand, Muslims say that their prophet would know whom to pick regarding Islam’s holiest book, they must conclude that the Qur’an we have today is flawed!III. MISSING CHAPTERS-Simply knowing the facts about such disputes is enough to dismiss the claim that the Qur’an has been perfectly preserved. Nevertheless, we may go further by briefly considering certain other problems.When Ibn Umar—son of the second Muslim caliph—heard people declaring that they knew the entire Qur’an, he said to them: “Let none of you say, ‘I have learned the whole of the Koran,’ for how does he know what the whole of it is, when much of it has disappeared? Let him rather say, ‘I have learned what is extant thereof’” (Abu Ubaid, Kitab Fada’il-al-Qur’an).One of Muhammad’s companions, Abu Musa, supported this claim when he said that the early Muslims forgot two surahs (chapters) due to laziness:Sahih Muslim 2286—Abu Musa al-Ash’ari sent for the reciters of Basra. They came to him and they were three hundred in number. They recited the Qur’an and he said: You are the best among the inhabitants of Basra, for you are the reciters among them. So continue to recite it. (But bear in mind) that your reciting for a long time may not harden your hearts as were hardened the hearts of those before you. We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah) Bara’at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I remember out of it: “If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of the son of Adam but dust.” And we used to recite a surah which resembled one of the surahs of Musabbihat, and I have forgotten it . . .This shows that entire chapters of the Qur’an were forgotten.IV. MISSING PASSAGES-We know further that large sections of certain chapters came up missing. For instance, Muhammad’s wife Aisha said that roughly two-thirds of Surah 33 was lost:Abu Ubaid, Kitab Fada’il-al-Qur’an—A’isha . . . said, “Surat al-Ahzab (xxxiii) used to be recited in the time of the Prophet with two hundred verses, but when Uthman wrote out the codices he was unable to procure more of it than there is in it today [i.e. 73 verses].”According to Aisha, the collectors simply couldn’t find all of Surah 33. Why not? As we’ve seen, many huffaz were killed at the Battle of Yamama. Apparently, no one who knew the entire chapter survived.V. MISSING VERSES-Aisha also tells us that individual verses of the Qur’an disappeared, sometimes in very interesting ways:Sunan ibn Majah 1944—It was narrated that Aishah said: “The Verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a tame sheep came in and ate it.”The verses on stoning and breastfeeding an adult ten times are not in the Qur’an today. Why? Aisha’s sheep ate them.VI. MISSING PHRASES-Since entire chapters, large portions of chapters, and individual verses of the Qur’an were lost, it should come as no surprise that short phrases were forgotten as well. Let’s consider two examples.First, Surah 33:6 declares that “The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers.” Ubayy ibn Ka’b and other early Muslims held that a phrase (“and he is a father of them”) is missing from this verse. Even the great translator Yusuf Ali admits this in his commentary. Ali writes: “In some Qira’ahs, like that of Ubayy ibn Ka’ab, occur also the words ‘and he is a father of them,’ which imply his spiritual relationship and connection with the words ‘and his wives are their mothers’” (Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an, Note 3674). It seems that Muslims have been left with an incomplete verse.Second, if we open a modern edition of the Qur’an, we find that Surah 2:238 commands Muslims to “Guard strictly your (habit) of prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).” According to Aisha, Muhammad recited this verse as follows: “Guard strictly (the five obligatory) prayers, and the middle Salat, and Salat Al-Asr. And stand before Allah with obedience” (Jami at-Tirmidhi 2982). Hence, the phrase “and Salat Al-Asr” is missing from modern editions.VII. ASSESSMENT-Obviously, the Qur’an has changed significantly over the years. The evidence shows that entire chapters were lost, that large sections of chapters came up missing, that individual verses were forgotten, and that phrases have been left out. Muhammad’s best teachers and reciters couldn’t even agree on which chapters were supposed to be in the Qur’an.This raises an obvious question. What’s the difference between a book that’s been perfectly preserved, and one that hasn’t been perfectly preserved? If Muslims are right, there’s no difference at all. The typical characteristics of a book that hasn’t been perfectly preserved are (1) missing phrases, (2) missing passages, (3) missing chapters, (4) disagreements about what goes back to the original, etc. But the Qur’an has all of these characteristics. Thus, Muslims who are aware of the evidence but who also want to maintain the perfect perseveration of the Qur’an must say something like this: “Yes, the Qur’an has all the characteristics of a book that hasn’t been perfectly preserved, but it’s been perfectly preserved anyway.” Can anyone make sense of such a claim?We must also take note of the obvious. Anyone who has read the Muslim sources (e.g. Hadith, Tafsir, etc.) knows that the Qur’an has not been perfectly preserved. Muslim scholars are well aware of the fact that the Qur’an has been changed, and yet they tell less-educated Muslims that the Qur’an has always been exactly the same. Why are Muslim scholars and leaders deceptive about the history of their book? Moreover, if they are willing to deceive their fellow Muslims about the history of the Qur’an, what else are they being deceptive about?Friends, whenever a book is passed on and copied by human beings, mistakes are going to be made (e.g. spelling errors, inadvertent omissions, intentional changes, and so on). This is true of all books, including the Qur’an and the Bible. The difference between the Qur’an and other books is that the Qur’an promises that no changes in its text will ever occur. As we have seen in this study, the Qur’an has not been perfectly preserved, which means that the promise of Surah 15:9 was not kept. The Qur’an cannot therefore be the Word of God. 

Five Reasons Why Islam is a Cult-Posted on January 21, 2014 by Baron Bodissey-Bob Smith returns with a guest-essay about the cultic characteristics of Islam.[Jihad]-Five Reasons Why Islam is a Cult-Unpleasant fact — worldwide consequences-by Bob Smith

1. A Muslim who quits Islam has to worry about being killed by another Muslim.This is the first rule of Islam. This is why so few Muslims quit the faith. This simple fact — alone — makes Islam a cult. It is hard to understate the significance of this cold hard fact about Islam.This practice is widely followed today throughout the Islamic world. The most frequently quoted Islamic theological source is Sahih Al-Bukhari Number 6922:Allah’s apostle said, “if anyone changes his (Islamic) religion, then kill him.”WikiIslam.net says the following: “the rejection of faith, is a serious offense in Islam. The punishment for apostasy as prescribed by Prophet Muhammad is death”.Don’t let any Muslim try to deny this fact by quoting the Islamic phrase “there is no compulsion in religion”. All Muslims know the Islamic doctrine of “abrogation” negates this phrase. And Muslims only use this phrase when they are trying to deceive non-Muslims.In Afghanistan, NATO had to use a promise of asylum in Europe to get Said Musa out of prison for the crime of converting to Christianity.The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI.org), in clip #3926, translated a broadcast from Al-Arabiya TV on June 14, 2013, which quotes Egyptian Islamist Abu Al-’Ela Abd Rabbo, one of the assassins of secularist Farag Foda in 1992:Interviewer: What was the religious justification for the assassination of Farag Foda? Abu Al-’Ela Abd Rabbo: The punishment for an apostate is death, even if he repents.Need more proof? Simply Google “quit Islam” or, click the this link for an insightful discussion on the issue.
2. Muslims are encouraged to commit violence in the name of Islam.Muslim theological documents — the Koran, Hadith, and Sunna — are filled with statements which encourage devout Muslims to commit violence in the name of Islam.Here are just a few:Slay the unbelievers wherever you find them(2:191) Make war on the infidels living in your neighborhood (9:123) When opportunity arises, kill the infidels wherever you catch them (9:5)Kill the Jews and the Christians if they do not convert to Islam or refuse to pay Jizya tax (9:29) Any religion other than Islam is not acceptable (3:85)The Jews and the Christians are perverts; fight them (9:30) Maim and crucify the infidels if they criticize Islam (5:33) The infidels are unclean; do not let them into a mosque (9:28) Punish the unbelievers with garments of fire, hooked iron rods, boiling water; melt their skin and bellies (22:19) Do not hanker for peace with the infidels; behead them when you catch them (47:4) The unbelievers are stupid; urge the Muslims to fight them (8:65) Muslims must not take the infidels as friends (3:28) Terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an (8:12) Muslims must muster all weapons to terrorize the infidels-In addition to the Muslim theological documents mentioned above, Islamic social norms encourage violence. It is widely noted that Friday is the most likely day when jihad attacks will occur within Muslim society. This is because the mullahs use their Friday pulpits to encourage their flock to commit violence in the name of Islam.In Muslim societies, even the media become involved in the incitement to violence. MEMRI.org has translated thousands of articles from print and electronic media. These translated articles are filled with direct incitement to commit violence in the name of Islam.Remarkably, some of the most glaring examples of incitement to violence come from new “converts” to Islam. Why would a new convert to Islam commit violence? The obvious answer is the “theological” incitement from their new religion — Islam’s core texts.There is an unfortunate PC effort to deny, ignore and whitewash this Islam inspired violence. The amount of violence committed worldwide since 9/11 is simply too high to overlook.The web site The Religion of Peace has been collecting, counting, and publishing a list of deadly Islamic terror attacks worldwide since 9/11/2001. As of January 1, 2014 the number was 22,178. Don’t let the PC crowd tell you it is just the same as the Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or the Jews — make them prove it. Only an intellectual buffoon would try to deny the relationship between Islam and violence.
3. Islam does not allow criticism or change.Islam considers anyone who criticizes or tries to change Islam guilty of blasphemy. And blasphemy is an capital crime under Sharia law. As a result any Muslim who even critiques or attempts to change Islam has to worry about being murdered by some devout Muslim.In Denmark in late 2013, an 18-year-old Muslim named Yahya Hassan received numerous death threats after reading one of his Islam-critical poems on TV.It is bad enough that Muslims can’t criticize Islam, but this rule even applies to non-Muslims in non-Muslim societies. Just look at what happened to Theo Van Gogh in Amsterdam. He made a short movie about women in Islam. As Van Gogh walked to work one morning, he was murdered by a devout Muslim named Mohammed Bouyeri. At his trial the murderer told the court Van Gogh had insulted Islam. “What moved me to do what I did was purely my faith,” Bouyeri went on. “I was motivated by the law that commands me to cut off the head of anyone who insults Allah and his prophet.”The Comedy Central series “South Park” parodied Islam in a couple of 2010 episodes. What happened? According to the New York Times:Mat Stone and Trey Parker the creators of South Park were threatened by the Islamic web site RevolutionMuslim.com. It warned Mat and Trey “what they are doing is stupid, and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”In Seattle, the cartoonist Molly Norris thought she could counter Islamic reality. She declared May 20, 2010 “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”. She published a cartoon with a number of household items (a spool of thread, a cup and saucer, a domino…) all claiming to be Mohammed. Within a week Norris had received numerous death threats. Eventually the Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki put a fatwa on Norris’ head. After talks with the FBI she ultimately had to implement her own “cartoonist protection program”. She has reportedly changed her name, left Seattle, and gone underground.To make matters worse, Islam encourages devout believers to be “self-initiating” in the enforcement of Sharia law. This means any devout Muslim believer anywhere might commit violence in the blink of an eye, if he finds you doing something he considers offensive to Islam.
4. Muslim theology teaches hatred of non-Muslims.This practice is widespread within Islamic society. It has been documented by numerous authors literally thousands of time. (See a long list of articles below.)The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI.org) has recorded and translated hundreds of television broadcasts in which Muslim religious leaders encourage hatred and violence against non-Muslims, and especially the Jews.Here is a screen shot from one:[MEMRI screen cap]To make matters worse, this Islamic hate-theology is being taught right here in Western society right under the noses of politically correct governments.In the United States, the Freedom House Center for Religious Freedom published in 2005 an investigative report titled “Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Invade American Mosques”. This extensive analysis states: “The Saudi Arabian publications in this study, which espouse an ideology of hate and purport to be the authoritative interpretation of Islam, continue to be in plentiful supply at some of our nation’s main mosques and continue to be used as a principal educational resource on Islam for Muslims in America”. (Is there any wonder how the Boston Marathon bombers got their ideas?)In the UK a Dispatches Magazine Channel 4 news undercover reporter joined mosque “worshippers to find a message of religious bigotry and extremism being preached. He captures chilling sermons in which Saudi-trained preachers proclaim the supremacy of Islam, preach hatred for non-Muslims.”After this Dispatches report aired, there was a public outcry. Muslim spokespersons said this was an aberration and that the problem had been cured. Months later Dispatches returned, and found a continuation of hate teaching in the mosques.
5. Islam matches the “Characteristics Associated with Cultic Groups” according to the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA).Here are some of these characteristics, according to the ICSA:The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry — or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar — or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.The leader is not accountable to any authorities.The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members’ participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.I know it is hard to imagine — 20% of humanity is tied up in a deceptive murderous cult — but that’s exactly what the situation is. Islam is a contagious cult that incites its followers to commit violence. Either the non-Muslim world unites and deals with this intellectual Islamic scourge, or Islam will continue its expansion.

Israel enters first stage of planned assault on Gaza City-Israel gave final approval Wednesday for a settlement project that would effectively split the occupied West Bank in two, possibly destroying hopes for a future Palestinian state.Aug. 20, 2025, 5:32 AM EDT / By Paul Goldman and Chantal Da Silva

TEL AVIV — Israel on Wednesday entered the first stages of a planned assault on Gaza City after approving a plan to take it over that includes calling up 60,000 reservists for an expanded military operation in the besieged Palestinian enclave."We have begun the preliminary actions and the initial stages of the offensive on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding positions on the outskirts of Gaza City," Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin told reporters on Wednesday.He added: "We will intensify the strikes on Hamas in Gaza City, the political and military stronghold of the terror organization."Defrin also said that to "minimize harm to civilians," the IDF will be warning citizens to allow them to evacuate."We are continuing to allow humanitarian aid for the residents of the Strip and are even expanding it — with additional central aid distribution points," he said.The U.S. ally appeared to be pushing ahead Wednesday with a new phase of its war despite international opposition — and in the face of a renewed push for a ceasefire with Hamas.Defense Minister Israel Katz has authorized the plans for the major new operation, a spokesperson for the ministry confirmed to NBC News. It will also see an additional 20,000 reservists have their service extended, the Israeli military said.ISRAEL-FRANCE-PALESTINIAN-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-CONFLICT-The assault is expected to force thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza to the south of the strip, which is suffering an intensifying hunger crisis under Israel’s military offensive and aid restrictions.In a statement Wednesday night, the prime minister's office said that "ahead of approval of the plans for the operation in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the timetables — for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas — be shortened.""The Prime Minister expresses his great appreciation for the reservist fighters who have been mobilized and their families, and all IDF soldiers," the statement added. "Together we will win."Hamas did not issue an immediate response to the announcement about Israeli troops taking up positions outside Gaza City.Scores of people in Gaza have starved to death in recent weeks, including dozens of children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave.In addition to mounting global outrage, sweeping protests have increasingly dominated Israel's streets, with growing numbers demanding an end to the offensive in the enclave.Hundreds of thousands staged furious demonstrations last weekend alongside a general strike, fueled in part by fears that the planned Gaza City assault could endanger the lives of remaining hostages.Israel also gave final approval for a widely contested settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively split the territory in two. Palestinians and rights groups have warned the move could destroy plans for a future Palestinian state.Ceasefire talks uncertain-Katz, who replaced Yoav Gallant as defense minister last year, was holding a discussion Tuesday to approve "strike plans in Gaza" with the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other senior defense officials, the defense ministry had said.The announcement of the expanded military operation comes after Israel appeared to shrug off news that Hamas had agreed to the latest proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would free the remaining hostages.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told NBC News on Tuesday that the deal was based on a proposal by President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some of the remaining 50 hostages, both alive and dead, would be released with plans to negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest.“The ball is now in Israel’s court,” Abdelatty said, adding: “We would like a positive response from them as soon as possible in order to deal with the disastrous situation in Gaza, especially the starvation and the killing of civilians.”Asked about the development, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office referred NBC News to a statement the Israeli leader made Monday suggesting he was determined to push ahead with the plan to assume full control of Gaza City and noting that Hamas appeared to be “under immense pressure.”Asked if they could confirm reports that Israel would provide a response to international mediators on the proposal by Friday, the spokesperson said “no” and did not provide further clarification.'There is no safe place'New satellite imagery suggests that a number of people have already begun to flee the area of Gaza City in recent days ahead of Israel’s advance, with the country’s plan to push civilians living in the area into the enclave’s south condemned by rights groups.Imagery captured on Aug. 16 shows that sites just south of Gaza City are seemingly barren, having been packed with what appear to be tent camps just days before, on Aug. 9.Mohammed Abu Sharia, a father of three, said he and his family had been forced to leave their home in Gaza City again — just months after returning from another round of displacement due to Israel’s offensive.“Thank God, we found our house almost intact and habitable, despite the theft of all its contents and the lack of doors or windows,” Abu Sharia, 48, who ran an internet distribution company before Israel’s assault began, told NBC News on Wednesday.The family was able to live in their home for the past six months — but with Israel planning to take over Gaza City, they were now seeking some semblance of refuge in western Gaza.“There is no safe place, neither in the north nor the south,” Abu Sharia said. “My concern is to save the family’s life, as we are suffering from food shortages and the lack of any belongings with us.”“Further displacement and an intensification in hostilities risk worsening an already catastrophic situation,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement.“With more than 80 percent of Gaza already impacted by evacuation orders, it is unimaginable that civilians could be compelled to move to an even smaller area,” it said.Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.Since then, more than 62,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave, with much of the territory destroyed.State Department confirms revocation of 6,000 student visas under Trump-While the criminal element accounted for the lion's share, a number of high-profile cases have involved student visa recipients expressing support for Palestine, Hamas, or otherwise espousing anti-Israel sentiments.By Ben Whedon-Published: August 19, 2025 11:14amThe State Department on Tuesday confirmed that it had revoked 6,000 student visas since the start of the second Trump administration as the agency pursues a crackdown on immigration.The reasons for the revocations varied, with some recipients violating the terms of the visas through overstays and other allegedly expressing support for terrorism, Fox News reported."Every single student visa revoked under the Trump Administration has happened because the individual has either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the United States," a senior State Department official told the outlet."About 4,000 visas alone have been revoked because these visitors broke the law while visiting our country, including records of assault and DUIs," the spokesperson added.While the criminal element accounted for the lion's share, a number of high-profile cases have involved student visa recipients expressing support for Palestine, Hamas, or otherwise espousing anti-Israel sentiments. The administration has also pursued a rigorous crackdown on antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of Oct. 7.Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

Macron: Gaza City takeover will be 'disaster' for both sides-IDF: More than 2,100 terror operatives killed since Gaza fighting resumed in March-Army says Hamas ‘battered and bruised’ as Israel prepares to conquer Gaza City; aid groups say they still can’t get shelter equipment into Gaza despite lifting of restrictions-By Emanuel Fabian,Stav Levaton and Reuters Today, 10:14 pm-AUG 20,25

Since the end of the last ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in March, the Israel Defense Forces has eliminated over 2,100 terror operatives in the fighting there, including many senior Hamas commanders and other leaders in the terror group, the military said Wednesday.The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 10,576 Palestinians have been killed in that time, without differentiating between combatants and civilians. Neither figure can be independently verified.Over 10,000 terror targets have been struck by Israeli Air Force fighter jets, helicopters and drones as well as Navy vessels since March 18, the military said.The IDF said it currently has “operational control” over 75 percent of the Strip’s territory, which was achieved during the army’s latest offensive.“The operational control in the area enabled the IDF to significantly expand its activity, thereby dealing blows to the capabilities and terror infrastructure of the Hamas terror organization and disrupting its chain of command,” the military said.The most significant strike carried out since March was the bombing that eliminated of Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza and brother of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom Israel killed last year; Muhammad Shabana, commander of the terror group’s Rafah Brigade; and Mahdi Quara, commander of the South Khan Younis Battalion.The three, along with other operatives, were killed on May 13 while hiding in a tunnel under the European Hospital in Khan Younis.The IDF said it had also killed several Hamas government leaders, internal security officers, six top commanders in the terror group’s naval commando forces, and dozens of terrorists who invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught — in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and 251 taken hostage.Fighting resumed in March after the collapse of a 60-day ceasefire-hostage release deal.According to the IDF, its offensive against Hamas in recent months “dealt a blow to the combat and command capabilities of the terror organizations in the Gaza Strip” and “created favorable operational conditions intensifying the pressure on the Hamas terror organization and degrading its remaining capabilities.“These achievements constitute the basis for the next moves of the IDF in the Gaza Strip,” the military said, referring to the upcoming planned offensive in Gaza City.The IDF has called up tens of thousands of reservists for the major offensive, which has drawn outrage across the international community, as well as hostage families, who fear the operation will be a death sentence for their loved ones.IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a press conference on Wednesday that Hamas was a “battered and bruised guerrilla organization” following the IDF’s latest operation.“We will deepen the blows to Hamas in Gaza City, a terror stronghold… We will deepen the blows to the terror infrastructure above and below ground, and cut the population’s reliance on Hamas,” he said.Defrin said the IDF “is not waiting” and has already begun preliminary operations in Gaza City, ahead of the offensive aimed at capturing the city.“IDF troops are already taking control of the outskirts of Gaza City,” he said.Meanwhile, aircraft from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Singapore and Indonesia airdropped 154 pallets of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the IDF said.Each pallet contained several hundred kilograms of food, according to the military.Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, does not have relations with Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed reports of starvation in Gaza as “lies” promoted by Hamas. But facing heavy international pressure, in July the government instituted a series of measures to alleviate hunger in the Strip, including airdrops and 10-hour “humanitarian pauses” in military operations in three population centers to allow deliveries of aid.Earlier in August, for the first time in nearly a year, Israel announced it would allow the entry of goods into Gaza through the private sector, an effort aimed at increasing the flow of essential food and hygiene items that were previously only delivered by aid organizations.The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), established to provide aid via an alternative that would keep goods out of Hamas’s hands, has been plagued by near-daily shooting incidents, in which the UN has said seen more than 1,000 killed as they try to reach the GHF distribution centers, allegedly by IDF gunfire.Officials from five aid groups, including UN agencies, told Reuters on Wednesday they have not yet been able to deliver shelter materials to Gaza despite Israeli authorities saying they have lifted restrictions on such supplies, and warned that further delays could cause more Palestinian deaths.“The United Nations and our partners have…not been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke said.“There’s a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed, including Israeli customs clearance.”CARE International, ShelterBox and the Norwegian Refugee Council also said they had not yet received any authorization to deliver shelter materials. Another international NGO, which declined to be identified, said it had been unable to deliver such supplies but was trying to get clearance.Over 1.3 million Gazans lack tents, the United Nations said this month, and more people are expected to be displaced by the planned operation to seize Gaza City.COGAT, the military agency that coordinates aid, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions. It has previously said it invests considerable efforts to ensure aid reaches Gaza and has denied restricting supplies.After nearly two years of war, many displaced Palestinians are living in the rubble of their homes or in tents.“Life in the tent is no life at all…There’s no proper bathroom, not even a decent place to sit. We end up sitting in the street, suffocating in the heat,” 55-year-old Ibrahim Tabassi said in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis.He shares his cramped tent, made from tarpaulin sheets and scrap metal, with nine other family members. Clothes and pots hang inside.Another Gaza resident, Sanaa Abu Jamous, said that she, like many other Gazans, had been using the same tattered tent throughout the war.“My tent is extremely worn out,” she said.The Red Cross told Reuters it had received permission from COGAT to bring in shelter materials from what is known as the Jordanian corridor to Kerem Shalom, but that many challenges remain.The Norwegian Refugee Council, a humanitarian organization, said it had applied for permission to deliver 3,000 tents across Gaza, including the north, but had not yet received a reply.Many aid groups are resisting Israeli demands — under measures imposed in March — to register, because it means disclosing personal information about Palestinian staff.COGAT says the mechanism is a security screening intended to ensure aid goes directly to the population rather than to the Hamas terror groups.ShelterBox’s regional director, Haroon Altaf, said granting permission to only a select number of aid groups would not meet demand for shelter materials.“If it’s only a handful of organizations that can bring shelter aid in, it doesn’t really change much, and it’s deeply concerning. People are going to die because of it,” he said.French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that the planned military offensive in Gaza “can only lead to disaster for both peoples” and called instead for a permanent ceasefire, a hostage release deal, disarmament of Hamas, and an “international stabilization mission” for the Strip.In a post on X, Macron said he had spoken with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and the three leaders share the conviction that expanded Israeli action in Gaza, which is due to begin with the conquest of Gaza City, “risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war.”X trackers and content blocked-Your Firefox settings blocked this content from tracking you across sites or being used for ads.Earlier this month, Netanyahu repeated his position that Israel cannot hand control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority after the war, a position at odds with Macron’s call to strengthen the PA’s role in the Strip.Macron noted that France will co-chair a conference on the two-state solution with Saudi Arabia in New York next month, calling it “the only credible way forward — for the families of the hostages, for Israelis, and for Palestinians alike.”Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000. The unverified figure does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Washington sanctions 4 more ICC officials over cases against Israel and US-Move slammed by international court as ‘flagrant attack’ on its independence; Netanyahu praises decision as ‘a firm step against the false smear campaign targeting Israel’By Jacob Magid and Agencies Today, 9:21 pm-AUG 20,25

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced sanctions against four more members of the International Criminal Court over their efforts to prosecute Israeli and American officials.The move, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who lauded the US for working to counter the “false smear campaign” against Jerusalem.The US designated Judge Nicolas Yann Guillou of France for signing off last year on arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza, along with deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal for upholding those warrants.Judge Kimberly Prost of Canada was also designated for a ruling that authorized the ICC’s investigation into US personnel in Afghanistan.In response, the ICC on Wednesday decried the sanctions as a “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution that operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all regions.”In a statement, the court said the sanctions “constitute also an affront against the Court’s States Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world,” the court added. “The ICC will continue fulfilling mandates in strict accordance with its legal framework, without regard to any pressure or threat.”Netanyahu hailed the announcement of the sanctions, calling them a decisive stand in defense of Israel.“I congratulate Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, for deciding to impose sanctions on the judges of the International Court in The Hague,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. “This is a firm step against the false smear campaign targeting the State of Israel and the IDF, and in favor of truth and justice.”The four ICC officials join four others who were sanctioned by the Trump administration in June, two of whom were also involved in the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.The sanctions announced on Wednesday freeze any US assets of the designated officials and block their entry to the country.Israel and the US view the ICC’s efforts to prosecute Israeli officials as illegitimate, as Jerusalem is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that created the court and because the US doesn’t recognize the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign state with the right to request such action. Israel also denies the charges brought against Netanyahu and Gallant.“The United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach,” Rubio said in a statement announcing the latest batch of sanctions.“The court is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel,” he added.“It remains the policy of the United States government to take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies from the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions,” Rubio continued. “I urge countries that still support the ICC, many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices, to resist the claims of this bankrupt institution.”France on Wednesday expressed dismay at the US decision.A foreign ministry spokesman said the sanctions, including against French jurist Guillou, stood “in contradiction to the principle of an independent judiciary.”In June, the US introduced sanctions against judges Beti Hohler of Slovenia and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin for their part in proceedings that led the court to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, and against Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru and Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, for their roles in the court proceedings that authorized an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan.And in February, chief ICC prosecutor Karim Khan was placed on Washington’s list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons,” barring him from doing business with Americans and placing restrictions on his entry into the US. Khan took a leave of absence earlier this year amid an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct.The Trump administration’s dislike of the court goes back to his first term. In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the court’s work on Afghanistan. Those sanctions were rescinded by president Joe Biden’s administration in early 2021.Trump on Friday welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Alaska even though Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant, a factor that has stopped him from traveling more widely since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine.Stav Levaton and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Four IDF soldiers lightly wounded by blast of old munitions in southern Syria-Army says troops taken to hospital after grenade detonated for unclear reasons; probe of incident underwayBy Emanuel Fabian-Today, 6:38 pm-AUG 20,25

Four soldiers were lightly injured by a blast apparently caused by an old Syrian grenade during operations in southern Syria on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.The military said the troops were taken to a hospital for treatment.According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers had located weapons during an overnight operation in the Mount Hermon area. Among the weapons was an old grenade that exploded for unclear reasons.The IDF said the operation in the area has been wrapped up, and the blast is being investigated.Israel has been involved militarily in Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. In the immediate aftermath, Israel occupied Syria’s demilitarized zone and destroyed most of the Assad military’s facilities in a widespread bombing campaign.Since the fall of the Assad regime, the IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria, mostly within the UN-patrolled buffer zone.Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported Tuesday that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met with Israeli officials to discuss de-escalating tensions and restoring a 1974 ceasefire agreement.There was no immediate comment from Israel on Tuesday’s talks, which Hebrew media outlets had reported would be attended by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack.Israel and Syria have technically been at war since 1948. Israel conquered around two-thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1979 Six Day War, and annexed the territory in 1981, in a move not recognized by much of the international community, with the exception of the United States.A year after the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, Israel and Syria reached an agreement on the disengagement line that Damascus is now pushing to restore.Israeli troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) deep into Syria since December, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”In recent months, the IDF said ground troops had conducted over 300 “routine operations” in southern Syria, including arresting suspected terror operatives, preventing “enemy entrenchment” and thwarting arms smuggling to Lebanon.In July, the IDF conducted airstrikes on Syrian government forces to support Syrian Druze — who have close relations with Israel’s Druze community — amid violent clashes with regime-allied forces in the Sweida area of southern Syria.The military has also been operating a medical facility next to the Druze town of Hader, just across the border, to treat the Druze residents of the town and other Syrians. The “forward mobile triage” site was established in May.The army has been constructing a barrier, dubbed “New East,” along the Israeli-Syrian border, which resembles a trench, to prevent the crossing of vehicles.Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US-led coalition said to capture senior ISIS member in northwest Syria raid-Syrian state TV claims Iraqi man killed in early-morning operation, reported to include landing of troops from helicopters near Turkish border By AP Today, 6:05 pm-AUG 20,25

BEIRUT — A US-led coalition captured a senior member of the Islamic State group in northwest Syria on Wednesday, state media and a war monitor reported. It was not immediately clear if the man was the ISIS supreme leader.The US military did not respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.The operation, which included landing troops from helicopters, occurred before dawn in Atmeh town near the Turkish border, and an ISIS commander known as Abu Hafs al-Qurayshi, an Iraqi citizen, was taken away while another Iraqi citizen was killed, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The Observatory, an anti-Assad organization of uncertain funding, said the man captured had a French-speaking woman with him, and it was not immediately clear if she was taken by the US force or by Syrian security forces who later cordoned the area.Two years ago, ISIS announced that a man called Abu Hafs al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi was named as its new leader after Turkish authorities killed his predecessor.Syrian state TV on Wednesday quoted an unnamed security official as saying the Iraqi man targeted in the operation is known as Ali, adding that his real name is Salah Noman. It said Noman was living in an apartment with his wife, son and mother. It said he was killed in the raid.There was no immediate clarification for the difference in names and accounts reported by state media and the war monitor.ISIS broke away from al-Qaeda more than a decade ago and attracted supporters from around the world after it declared a so-called caliphate in 2014 in large parts of Syria and Iraq. Despite its defeat in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, ISIS terrorists still carry out deadly attacks in both countries and elsewhere.Al-Qurayshi is not the real name of ISIS leaders but comes from Quraysh, the name of the tribe to which Islam’s Prophet Muhammad belonged. ISIS claims its leaders hail from the tribe, and “al-Qurayshi” is part of their nom de guerre.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF searching for operatives who fled back into tunnel-IDF says troops repelled rare large-scale attack in south Gaza; 10 gunmen killed-At least 18 Hamas fighters try to raid army encampment in Khan Younis; 3 soldiers hurt; military thinks the gunmen sought to kidnap troops-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 3:21 pmUpdated at 7:46 pm-AUG 20,25

A cell of at least 18 Hamas operatives attempted to raid an Israel Defense Forces encampment in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, according to a military probe of the unusual incident.Three soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously, in the attack, the IDF said.The military assessed that the Hamas gunmen sought to kidnap troops.According to a military probe, the attack began at around 9 a.m., with the operatives emerging from a tunnel in the south of Khan Younis and opening fire with machine guns and RPGs while approaching the army encampment.Some of the gunmen managed to breach the encampment, where they exchanged fire with troops of the Kfir Brigade.At least ten of the operatives were killed by the troops and in airstrikes directed by the forces, while eight managed to flee back into the tunnel, according to the army probe.The IDF released footage showing the airstrikes and efforts by troops to repel the attack.“The troops identified more than 15 terrorists who emerged from a tunnel and opened fire, including RPG fire, at the forces,” IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a press conference.“In the same incident, several terrorists entered a building where our forces were residing, and the terrorists were eliminated. We are investigating how this occurred, and will draw the necessary conclusions,” Defrin said.A clip circulating online showed the bodies of two gunmen in the army encampment, and another video showed a tank of the 74th Armored Battalion ramming into an RPG-wielding operative amid the attack.The wounded troops served with the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion. One was seriously injured, and the other two are listed in good condition, according to the military.The IDF said it was working to track down the remaining gunmen involved in the attack.Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, took responsibility for the attack in a statement, claiming that its gunmen “stormed the site” and carried out a suicide bombing.Al-Qassam claimed to have targeted several tanks with explosive devices and RPGs, and hit several buildings in the encampment being used by the IDF soldiers, using RPGs and machine-gun fire.“A number of fighters stormed the houses and finished off a number of occupation soldiers inside from point-blank range with light weapons and hand grenades,” the terror group claimed, despite no Israeli soldiers being reported killed in the incident.The terror group also claimed to have carried out sniper fire that “fatally wounded” the commander of a tank, and that it carried out mortar shelling in the area “to secure the withdrawal of the fighters.”“Upon the arrival of the rescue force, one of the martyrs detonated himself among the soldiers, leaving them dead and wounded,” Al-Qassam claimed.Hamas’s military wing said the attack “lasted for several hours,” though according to the IDF probe, the incident was wrapped up in under an hour.During the war, Hamas has repeatedly made exaggerated claims regarding its operations against IDF troops in Gaza.The incident on Wednesday marked a rare case of a relatively large cell of operatives attempting to attack an IDF post. Last month, a cell of at least 12 gunmen tried to attack an IDF logistics road in Khan Younis.Wednesday’s attack came as the IDF was gearing up for a major offensive against Hamas in Gaza City.

Belarus and Iran, both friends of Putin, plan to strengthen military and broader ties-Pezeshkian tells Lukashenko that he can help ‘neutralize’ the impact of ‘illegal Western sanctions,’ citing 40 years of experience-By Mark Trevelyan Today, 3:29 pm-AUG 20,25

REUTERS — Belarus and Iran, two countries that have backed Russia’s war in Ukraine, plan to deepen bilateral ties across all areas including defense, their presidents said at talks in Minsk on Wednesday.Belarusian state news agency Belta said presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Masoud Pezeshkian agreed to work on a strategic partnership treaty.“In conditions of geopolitical turbulence, Minsk and Tehran are undertaking consistent and balanced steps to further develop cooperation, and are working hard to turn each new challenge into a new opportunity,” it quoted Lukashenko as saying.“We are ready to discuss any issues, we have no closed topics,” Lukashenko said, adding that the two countries could partner across a range of areas, including “military-technical cooperation.”Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a launchpad for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and later assented to hosting Russian tactical nuclear missiles.Iran has supplied drones to Russia for use in the war and Pezeshkian signed a strategic cooperation treaty with Putin in January, although it did not include a mutual defense clause.Both Iran and Belarus are under what Pezeshkian described as “illegal Western sanctions.” Belta quoted him as saying Iran was ready to help Belarus “neutralize” such measures, noting that it had more than 40 years of experience in this area.Pezeshkian said the two countries needed to build their economic and other ties to a level that matched the high level of trust between them.“Of course, our common views should be implemented in the economic and cultural spheres, in the development of tourism between our countries, and also, as you noted, in the development of military-technical cooperation,” Belta quoted him as telling Lukashenko.

Pope Leo to visit Lebanon, cardinal says, in pontiff’s likely first trip abroad-Tour expected to include Turkey, as part of celebrations in late November for the 1,700th anniversary of a major early Church council By Joshua McElwee Today, 3:01 pm-AUG 20,25

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) — Pope Leo plans to visit Lebanon, the country’s senior Catholic official announced on Wednesday, in what could be the first visit outside Italy by the new leader of the global Church.The pope will travel to Lebanon “by December,” Cardinal Bechara Rai told the al-Arabiya television channel.Rai, leader of the 3.5-million-member Maronite Catholic Church, did not give a specific date for the visit but said “preparations are already underway.”A Lebanese official familiar with the matter confirmed that discussions were being held about a visit toward the end of the year, though a date had not yet been finalized.Leo, the first US pope, was elected by the world’s Catholic cardinals on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, who had planned to visit Lebanon but was unable to go because of health issues.Lebanon is home to more than two million Catholics, according to Vatican statistics.Attendees holding the flag of Lebanon join youth and pilgrims gathering in Rome’s eastern Tor Vergata neighbourhood for a prayer vigil led by the Pope before Sunday’s Mass as part of the Jubilee of Youth, on August 2, 2025.A Vatican spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Rai’s remarks.A Vatican official, who asked not to be named, confirmed that a trip was being planned and said it could be part of a tour that would also include Turkey.Traveling abroad has become a major part of the modern papacy, with popes seeking to meet local Catholics, spread the faith, and conduct international diplomacy. They often draw crowds in the millions.Francis made 47 visits abroad during his 12-year papacy, travelling to 68 countries. He made a policy of visiting countries that often did not draw international attention as a way of highlighting problems in what he called the “peripheries” of the world.Leo has been expected to visit Turkey in late November as part of celebrations for the 1,700th anniversary of a major early Church council, which took place in Nicaea, now called Iznik.In a message to Lebanon earlier this month, Leo commemorated the fifth anniversary of a huge chemical explosion at the Beirut port that killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.“Beloved and suffering Lebanon remains at the center of our prayers,” said the pope.

Iran says it has developed new, better missiles; will use them if Israel attacks again-Tehran’s defense minister claims Israel was unprepared for strength of counterattack during 12-day war in June, falsely says regime only targeted military sites, not civilian areasBy ToI Staff and AFP Today, 2:47 pm-AUG 20,25

Iran warned on Wednesday that it was prepared for any new Israeli attack, announcing it had developed missiles with greater capabilities than those used during the recent war.“The missiles used in the 12-day war were manufactured… a few years ago,” Defense Minister Aziz Nassirzadeh said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.“Today, we have manufactured and possess missiles with far greater capabilities than previous missiles, and if the Zionist enemy embarks on the adventure again, we will undoubtedly use them.”Nassirzadeh’s comments came after a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that another war with Israel or the United States could begin at any time.“We are not in a ceasefire, we are in a stage of war,” Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to Iran’s Supreme LeaderAli Khamenei, told Iranian media. “I think another war may happen, and after that, there may be no more wars.”Nassirzadeh was speaking on Wednesday with Iranian media outlets on the sidelines of a meeting with allied military personnel, who were visiting the Islamic Republic ahead of the country’s National Defense Industry Day on August 22.According to the semi-official Mehr News Agency, Nassirzadeh spoke extensively about Iran’s “success” during its 12-day war with Israel, which opened on June 13 with a surprise Israeli attack against Tehran’s nuclear and military capabilities.He claimed that Israel had not expected Iran to be able to launch a counterattack as “extensively and precisely” as it did, asserting that 90 percent of all ballistic missiles reached their intended targets.“Unlike the cowardly Zionist regime, which targeted military commanders, scientists, innocent women and children, civilian infrastructure and industrial centers, residential homes, medical centers, relief forces, prisons and the national media, the Islamic Republic of Iran deliberately chose its missile targets,” he proclaimed.Contrary to Nassirzadeh’s claims, Iran’s powerful ballistic missiles not only targeted military bases and research centers, but also damaged 2,305 homes in 240 buildings, along with two universities and a hospital.The attacks killed 31 people and wounded over 3,000 in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.Nassirzadeh said that Iran had not only achieved victory over Israel, but also over the US — which joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities — and any countries that offered assistance in defending against the ballistic missile attacks.“On the other hand stood the Islamic Republic of Iran, which, after more than 40 years of sanctions, relied solely on the capabilities of its fully indigenous defense industries,” Nassirzadeh bragged.He claimed that Iran had agreed to cease its attacks on Israel not because it was backed into a corner, but because it wanted to prevent “the expansion of crisis and war in the region.”“However, we have no trust in the Zionist regime and its supporter, the US, and their adherence to commitments,” he warned. “Should the other side continue its adventurism and hostilities, this time Iran’s response — given our knowledge of our enemy’s weaknesses — will be deadly, surprising, painful, and beyond calculation.”Israel said its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward weaponization.Iran retaliated to Israel’s strikes by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel.

Ship ferrying 1,200 tons of food aid for Gaza nears Israel after departing from Cyprus-Humanitarian assistance was screened by Israeli officials before sailing from Limassol to Ashdod; Cypriot FM says situation in Strip ‘beyond dire’By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 5:37 am-AUG 20,25

A ship that set off from Cyprus loaded with 1,200 tons of food supplies for the Gaza Strip approached the Israeli port of Ashdod on Tuesday in a renewed effort to alleviate the worsening crisis in the Palestinian territory, where food security experts have claimed the “worst-case scenario of famine” is unfolding.The Panamanian-flagged vessel HENKE is loaded with 52 containers carrying food aid such as pasta, rice, baby food and canned goods. Israeli customs officials had screened the aid at the Cypriot port of Limassol, from where the ship departed on Monday.The ship was expected to dock at Ashdod late Tuesday and start offloading the aid on Wednesday.Some 700 tons of the aid is from Cyprus, purchased with money donated by the United Arab Emirates to the so-called Amalthea Fund, set up last year for donors to help with seaborne aid. The rest comes from Italy, the Maltese government, a Catholic religious order in Malta and the Kuwaiti nongovernmental organization Al Salam Association.“The situation is beyond dire,” Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos told The Associated Press.Cyprus was the staging area last year for 22,000 tons of aid deliveries by ship directly to Gaza through a pier operated by the international charity World Central Kitchen and a US military-run docking facility known as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system.By late July 2024, aid groups pulled out of the project, ending a mission plagued by repeated weather and security problems that limited how much food and other emergency supplies could get to those in need.Cypriot Foreign Ministry said the aid mission is led by the United Nations but is a coordinated effort — once offloaded at Ashdod, UN employees will arrange for the aid to be trucked to storage areas and food stations operated by the World Central Kitchen.The charity, which was behind the first aid shipment to Gaza from Cyprus last year aboard a tug-towed barge, is widely trusted in the battered territory.“The contribution of everyone involved is crucial and their commitment incredible,” Kombos said.Shipborne deliveries can bring much larger quantities of aid than the air drops that several nations have recently made in Gaza.United Nations Office for Operations Chief Jorge Moreira da Silva called Tuesday’s shipment a “crucial step in alleviating suffering in Gaza.”“We need rapid, unhindered and safe flow of humanitarian aid for all civilians in need,” he posted on X.The latest shipment comes a day after Hamas said it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israel has not approved the latest proposal so far.Israel announced plans to conquer Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks stalled last month, raising the possibility of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which experts claim is sliding into famine.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed reports of starvation in Gaza as “lies” promoted by Hamas. The UN last week warned that starvation and malnutrition in the Palestinian territory are at their highest levels since the war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which the terrorists abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians.Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000. The unverified figure does not differentiate between civilians or combatants. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

Medical facilities to be expanded in south Gaza-60,000 IDF reservists to be called up in coming days ahead of Gaza City takeover-Reserve troops will get at least 2 weeks’ notice before reporting for duty, with some sent to replace standing army elsewhere; Katz meets top defense officials to approve IDF’s plans-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 4:33 amUpdated at 10:04 am-AUG 20,25

Some 60,000 Israeli reservists were set to receive call-up orders that the military will issue starting Wednesday for an offensive against Hamas in Gaza City, after Defense Minister Israel Katz approved the army’s plans, according to the Israel Defense Forces and security officials.The orders were not immediate, but rather were slated to take place in several waves. The majority — around 40,000-50,000 — would be ordered to show up for duty on September 2. Another wave would take place in November-December, and a third wave in February-March 2026, the IDF said.The number of reservists being called up is in addition to tens of thousands of reservists who are currently serving in the reserves.The IDF said it was also extending reserve duty for some 20,000 reservists who were currently on duty by another 30-40 days. This would bring the total number of reservists at a given time during the offensive to around 130,000.The reservists included three brigades and several more battalions, and many combat support soldiers, including in intelligence and logistics.Not all of the reservists are expected to participate in the operation to capture Gaza City, as some will instead be replacing standing army troops on other fronts.In all, five IDF divisions, made up of tens of thousands of troops, were set to participate in the military’s planned offensive against Hamas in Gaza City, according to the army.The forces included 12 brigade-level teams, each of which has infantry, armored, artillery, and combat engineering forces, along with combat support. In addition, the Gaza Division’s northern and southern brigades — normally tasked with the border — are set to participate in the offensive, bringing the total number of brigades to 14.The reserve call-up orders were sent out after Katz met Tuesday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, other senior officers, and Shin Bet representatives to approve the military’s plans for the capture of Gaza City, his office said.The Gaza City takeover offensive — which Katz approved — was dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots B,” following a previous operation of the same name, which saw the IDF take over 75% of the Strip’s territory in an attempt to pressure Hamas into a hostage deal.A security source said Katz praised the IDF’s plan and preparations during the meeting, which came after the government instructed the military to capture Gaza City.The military said the preparation phases for the offensive have already begun, with an ongoing offensive on the outskirts of Gaza City. The Nahal Infantry Brigade and 7th Armored Brigade have been operating in the Zeitoun neighborhood, and the Givati Infantry Brigade began a new offensive in the Kafr Jabalia area, north of the city.In addition, the IDF said efforts to set up humanitarian infrastructure in the Strip’s south for the estimated one million Palestinian civilians who are set to be displaced from Gaza City have started, including allowing tents and shelter equipment into the Strip in recent days.Katz, during the meeting, approved “humanitarian preparations” for the offensive, his office said.The military said more aid distribution sites and at least two more field hospitals are set to be established. The European Hospital in Khan Younis, which was closed after the IDF raided a Hamas tunnel running underneath it, was also slated to resume operations.“As part of the preparations to move the population from Gaza City to the southern Gaza Strip, talks have begun with international organizations to recruit them to establish additional field hospitals in the south, and there is a positive response to this,” a security official said Wednesday.The official said “there are also plans to expand the existing medical infrastructure in the south in cooperation with the organizations, and in addition, options are being examined to open access routes to additional medical facilities.”“The UN and the organizations have begun formulating a plan to restart the European Hospital as an additional medical response,” the official added.The IDF’s offensive in Gaza City is set to be carried out in several stages, beginning with an evacuation warning for the civilians in the area. Israeli officials have previously said that Palestinians will have until October 7, 2025, to evacuate Gaza City, which coincides with the second anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel.The IDF will then encircle Gaza City before pushing in deeper into the city, including reaching areas that were previously not completely cleared of Hamas infrastructure, military officials said.The meeting and the presentation of the army’s plans to Katz came despite Hamas saying Monday that it had agreed to a truce proposal. Should a hostage-ceasefire deal be reached, the plans to capture Gaza City are likely to be called off.The plans, approved by Katz Tuesday night, were set to be presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.Though Netanyahu has appeared to dismiss Hamas’s acceptance of the offer, after shifting from insisting on a phased hostage release and ceasefire deal to the release of all the captives at one go, sources said Tuesday that Jerusalem was reviewing the proposal.Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Divisive plan to mine phosphates in populated Negev area back on government agenda-Ministers to discuss PMO proposal to fast-track ICL company bid for new mine close to city of Arad that would require evacuating thousands of BedouinBy Sue Surkes-Today, 2:01 am-AUG 20,25

The ministries of environmental protection and health were still formulating their responses on Tuesday to a proposal by the Prime Minister’s Office, due to be discussed on Sunday, to fast-track a bid by the powerful ICL company to secure approval for a controversial new phosphate mine.Green organizations and residents of the eastern Negev have struggled for a decade to stop mining at Sadeh Barir, located around seven kilometers (4.3 miles) from Arad, a city of over 32,000.Arad Mayor Yair Maayan, who opposes the project, wrote to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, saying that despite Netanyahu’s pledge to coordinate any moves on Sadeh Barir with the city, which was made at numerous meetings also attended by Energy Minister Eli Cohen and Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, “we were surprised again to discover, without prior notice,” that Sadir Barir was back on the government’s agenda.He wrote that the project would affect some 100,000 area residents, including 15,000 Bedouin citizens of Al Furah, who would have to be evacuated from the area designated for mining, and for whom no planning for alternative housing had been made. “We are not a Palestinian population, without rights, living over the Green Line [in the West Bank],” he added.Environmental organizations appealed Thursday to the prime minister and other ministers to step back from the proposal.They said the phosphate industry produces the most polluting type of waste — phosphogypsum, a byproduct of phosphoric acid production, which contains radioactive materials — accounting for 80 percent of all industrial waste in Israel. The mining process itself spreads dust containing radioactive materials in quantities that no one has tested, they added. They also charged that the industry is the largest consumer of fresh water, polluting streams and springs across the country.In the past, the Health Ministry has warned that such a mine could lead to an “unreasonable” increase in morbidity and mortality in the area.Supporters of the project include the mayor of Dimona, Benny Biton.In 2022, the Naftali Bennett government said that no decision on Sadeh Barir would be made before an inter-ministerial discussion had been held to thoroughly examine the state’s policy on phosphate mining, including the health, environmental, and economic impacts.Seventeen green organizations signed a letter asking to hold off on unfreezing the plan and reversing the Bennett-era decision, saying that data provided on phosphate reserves, economic and employment implications, and environmental impacts all come from the industry.“This is a policy tailored to one thing like a glove: maximizing ICL’s profits,” they said.Reversing the Bennett government’s plan to examine phosphate mining would “put the plan back on the fast track,” they continued, adding, that “this is a decision that will be made under the radar while the public is preoccupied with war matters, [and constitutes] a move that will affect human lives, public health and the image of the Negev for years to come.”Rotem Amfert, now called ICL Rotem, the company that mines phosphates for the fertilizer industry, was responsible for one of Israel’s worst environmental disasters, when, on June 23, 2017, the wall of an evaporation pond collapsed, sending between 100,000 and 250,000 cubic meters (3.5 million to 8.8 million cubic feet) or more of highly toxic wastewater rushing through the Ashalim stream, southwest of the Dead Sea.At least 13 ibex — a third of those living in the area — and numerous foxes and birds were found dead in the two weeks following the spill, according to the Environmental Protection Ministry.ICL Rotem is also a defendant in Israel’s biggest environmental class action suit to date, which claims that it and another ICL company, Dead Sea Periclase Ltd., allowed tens of millions of cubic meters of industrial effluents — including radioactive ones — to contaminate an aquifer and the Bokek stream near the Dead Sea, a popular tourism site.In a statement, the Energy Ministry said the Sadeh Barir plan would be examined in line with guidelines for an environmental impact assessment, which would be determined by the National Planning and Building Council. That assessment, it said, would include an “in-depth examination of all potential impacts.”It pledged that a decision would only be made “after a thorough and data-based examination” and that if necessary, an updated policy on phosphate mining would also be examined.ICL chose not to respond.

Uzbek cleric on trial for inciting hate, after backing call for jihad against Israel-Alisher Tursunov, widely known as Mubashshir Ahmad and boasting a million followers online, pleads not guilty after endorsing Qatar-based fatwa; could face 5-8 years in prison-By Reuters and ToI Staff 19 August 2025, 8:51 pm

A prominent independent Muslim Uzbek cleric went on trial on Tuesday in Tashkent on charges of promoting extremism and inciting hatred against Israel, in one of the highest-profile cases regarding religious practices in recent years.Alisher Tursunov, widely known as Mubashshir Ahmad, faces charges of inciting religious hatred, distribution of materials that threaten public order and illegal distribution of materials with religious content. In total, the charges carry a penalty of five to eight years in prison.Tursunov, 51, ran a popular religious media project, Azon.uz, which had some 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube before he shut it down in 2023 under threat of legal punishment. He subsequently moved to Turkey, where he was arrested and extradited to Uzbekistan in May.The charges stem from both his work on the Azon.uz project as well as posts the cleric made on social media, according to his lawyer. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, local media reported.In a post on his Telegram channel in April, Tursunov spoke out in favor of a religious ruling issued by the International Union of Muslim Scholars, a Qatar-based group, advocating for jihad against Israel over “the bloodshed in Gaza.”“I would ask our government to listen to these calls,” Tursunov said. “We are all Muslims, including leaders on top, and we should follow the fatwa issued to Muslims.”The fatwa “instructs Muslim governments to support Hamas ‘militarily, economically, and politically’ and to besiege Israel by ‘land, air, and sea,'” according to a report by the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.Uzbekistan, a landlocked, majority Muslim country in Central Asia, home to some 38 million people, has had diplomatic relations with Israel since soon after the fall of the Soviet Union.Islam Karimov, who ruled Uzbekistan as president from 1991 until his death in 2016, was widely accused, including by the US government and international human rights organizations, of cracking down on Muslims under the pretext of fighting religious fundamentalism and terrorism.Karimov’s successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, initially relaxed strict religious restrictions, but in recent years has instituted curbs on religious freedom, according to Human Rights Watch.

Kim Jong Un urges expansion of N. Korea nuclear capability-by AFP Staff Writers.

Seoul (AFP) Aug 18, 2025-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called Tuesday for the "rapid expansion" of the country's nuclear weapons capability, citing ongoing US-South Korea military exercises that he said could "ignite a war"."The US-ROK intensified military nexus and the muscle-flexing are the most obvious manifestation of their will to ignite a war," Kim was quoted as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)."The prevailing situation requires us to make a radical and swift change in the existing military theory and practice and rapid expansion of nuclearization," he said.The comments were made as Kim visited a naval destroyer, Choe Hyon, on Monday and received a report about the warship's weapons systems.He expressed satisfaction that "the major tasks for making the navy high-tech and nuclear-armed" were "progressing as planned" ahead of an assessment target in October, KCNA said.The United States and South Korea on Monday began annual joint exercises aimed at preparing for potential threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.The eleven-day exercises include "several large-scale, live-fire training events," a US army statement said. It called the drills "a defense oriented exercise".South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed on Friday to "respect" North Korea's political system and build "military trust", a day after Pyongyang said it had no interest in improving relations with Seoul.Lee has pledged to pursue dialogue with the nuclear-armed North without preconditions since his election in June, a reversal from his hawkish predecessor.Lee's speech came a day after North Korean leader Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North has "no will to improve relations" with the South.She also denied reports that North Korea was removing propaganda loudspeakers near the countries' border.

India test-fires ballistic missile ahead of US tariff hike.

New Delhi, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-India on Wednesday test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, a government statement said, in an apparent show of strength ahead of a threatened US tariff increase.The Agni-5 missile was successfully launched in India's eastern Odisha state, with authorities saying it "validated all operational and technical parameters."The test-fire came a week before US tariffs are set to double from 25 percent to 50 percent, unless India meets President Donald Trump's demand that it stop buying Russian oil.India last tested the Agni-5 missile in March 2024.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this month that, in the face of US tariffs, India was seeking self-reliance with energy independence and the development of its own defence systems.New Delhi has deepened defence cooperation with Western countries in recent years, including in the Quad alliance with the United States, Japan and Australia as an apparent counter to rival China.But India's relations with China have warmed recently with several bilateral visits, and Modi is scheduled to visit Tianjin later this month in his first visit to the country since 2018.Agni, meaning "fire" in Sanskrit, is the name given to a series of rockets India developed as part of a guided missile development project launched in 1983.The Agni-5 employs technology that enables it to carry several nuclear warheads, so they can split up and hit different targets.

Iran says Europe has no right to extend deadline for snapback sanctions.

Tehran, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday said European powers had no right to trigger snapback sanctions under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal or extend the October deadline to trigger them.His remarks came after Iranian diplomats met in July with counterparts from Germany, France, and Britain -- the first such talks since Israel's attack on Iran the previous month.The 12-day war between the two regional foes derailed Tehran's nuclear negotiations with the United States and prompted Iran to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.The European trio had threatened to trigger the so-called "snapback mechanism" by the end of August, a move that would reimpose sweeping UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 accord, unless Tehran agreed to curb uranium enrichment and restore cooperation with inspectors.According to the Financial Times, the European parties to the deal also offered to extend the October snapback deadline if Iran resumed nuclear talks with Washington and re-engaged with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).It added in its report last week that the offer "remained unanswered by Iran".But on Wednesday, Araghchi expressed Iran's rejection of such an extension."When we believe that they do not have the right to implement snapback, it is natural that they do not have the right to extend its deadline either," he told the state news agency IRNA."We have not yet reached a basis for negotiations with the Europeans," he added.Iran has repeatedly called reimposing sanctions "illegal" and warned of consequences should the European powers opt to activate the mechanism.- 'A new form' -Araghchi also said Iran "cannot completely cut cooperation" with the UN nuclear watchdog, but added that the return of its inspectors was up to the country's top security body, the Supreme National Security Council.In July, Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA in the wake of its war with Israel, citing the agency's failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.The agency's inspectors have since left Iran.Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran in mid-June saw it targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, as well as residential areas, killing over 1,000 people, including senior commanders and nuclear scientists.Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks that killed dozens in Israel.The United States briefly joined the conflict, striking Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24.The war took place two days before a sixth round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington aimed at reaching a nuclear deal to replace the one abandoned by President Donald Trump in 2018 during his first term.Iran has since said cooperation with the IAEA would take "a new form".Earlier this month the agency's deputy head visited Tehran for talks. At the time, deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran and the agency had agreed to "continue consultations".

Iran says 'cannot completely' break with UN nuclear watchdog.

Tehran, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-Iran "cannot completely cut cooperation" with the UN nuclear watchdog but the return of its inspectors is up to the country's security chiefs, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday.The remarks come nearly two months after Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency following its 12-day war with Israel in June.Iran has cited the IAEA's failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities as the reason for its decision, which saw the watchdog's inspectors leave the country following the passing of new legislation by parliament."We cannot completely cut cooperation with the agency," Araghchi said, noting that new fuel rods need to be installed at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in the coming weeks which will require the presence of IAEA inspectors."Under the law passed by parliament, the return of inspectors will be possible through a decision of the Supreme National Security Council," he told the official IRNA news agency in an interview published Wednesday, referring to Iran's top security body.In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, but also hitting residential areas.The United States launched its own attacks on nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.The war derailed talks between Iran and the United States on a new nuclear deal to replace the one abandoned by President Donald Trump during his first term in 2018.Iran has since said cooperation with the agency will take "a new form" and earlier this month the agency's deputy head visited Tehran for talks.At the time, deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran and the agency had agreed to "continue consultations".In recent weeks, Britain, France and Germany have threatened to trigger a snapback of UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 accord if Iran fails to agree a deal on uranium enrichment and cooperation with the IAEA. 

Iranians struggle with GPS disruption after Israel war-By Ramin Khanizadeh and Menna Zaki.

Tehran (AFP) Aug 17, 2025-The streets of Tehran have become a confusing maze for driver Farshad Fooladi amid widespread GPS disruption, still ongoing nearly two months after the end of Iran and Israel's unprecedented 12-day war."For weeks I have been unable to work," said Fooladi, who uses Iran's homegrown ride-hailing app Snapp to find customers. "Most of the time was wasted wandering around aimlessly," the 35-year-old Iranian driver added.Unprecedented disruption has plagued users of GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System, in Iran since Israel's surprise attack in mid-June which triggered a deadly 12-day war.Iran's communications ministry has said the disruptions were necessary for "security and military purposes", without giving further explanation.Missiles, drones and rockets often use GPS or other similar technologies, which involve triangulating signals from multiple satellites, to find their targets.Iran has long employed GPS jamming and spoofing around sensitive military sites but the recent disruptions have been the most sustained and widespread.It remains unclear how long the measures will last or how much damage they have caused to Iranian businesses.Ride-hailing apps, delivery platforms, and even basic mapping services like Google Maps and its Iranian equivalent Neshan have buckled under the interference.In many areas, especially around Tehran, users often spot themselves on the maps hundreds of kilometres away from their actual locations."To get around, you either need a sharp memory for routes or already know the city well," Fooladi said.But the driver, originally from the western Lorestan province and less familiar with the capital's winding backstreets, frequently finds himself running into dead ends."I only pick up passengers who know the directions, " he said, adding the strategy had severely cut his income.- 'Collateral damage' -In early August, the chief executive of the Neshan mapping app, Javad Amel, said in a video interview that daily disruptions through GPS spoofing had been ongoing for years, especially in Tehran.But he explained in recent weeks that Neshan's daily active users "had dropped by 15 percent, while navigation activity on the app fell by 20 percent".The continued disruption has heightened fears of a deepening economic crisis among Iranians.The Islamic republic's economy is already struggling under the weight of decades of international sanctions and mismanagement, compounded by the revival of US President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign earlier this year.Nuclear talks with Washington, which began in April, have also stalled since the United States joined its ally Israel to strike Iranian nuclear sites in June."This war has upended our lives and frozen our future plans," said Fooladi.In a report last week, the Khabar Online news agency warned against the disruption of GPS, saying it caused "collateral damage" to the digital economy and public safety, including delays to emergency services.Former communications minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi argued the disruption was costly and would likely have limited defensive results."Drone manufacturers and operators are not stupid either. If the GPS is disrupted and another positioning system replaces it, they will also use the new system," Jahromi said according to his Telegram channel.- 'Unclear future' -With the significant impact on civilian lives, deputy communications minister Ehsan Chitsaz suggested that Iran could consider alternatives to GPS."Disruptions are created by domestic systems on GPS, and this has pushed us toward alternative options such as BeiDou," he told Iranian daily Ham Mihan in July.The Chinese satellite system BeiDou, fully operational since 2020, is emerging as a global rival to the US-built and operated GPS.Chitsaz said Iran was "drafting a program" so some of the country's location-based services for transport, agriculture could "gradually migrate from GPS to BeiDou".He acknowledged disruptions in Iran, coupled with years-long internet restrictions, have damaged businesses and created "social distrust and despair".But experts say that replacing GPS would be complex."Doing so would require extensive and costly infrastructure changes," said Amir Rashidi of the US-based Miaan group, adding that Iran is currently "highly vulnerable in cyberspace".Many in Iran believe that another confrontation with Israel is on the horizon as Israel and the United States continue to threaten attacks if Iran restarts its nuclear programme, which has been on hold since the war."Everything is uncertain, and we can't plan. The future is unclear," said Mohammad Hossein Ghanbari, a 32-year-old Snapp driver."We don't know whether the war will break out again or what will happen next."

Jihadists attack two military positions in Mali.

Bamako, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-Jihadists have attacked two military installations in Mali, according to the army and other sources, with residents telling AFP Wednesday that both areas came under serious assault.The attacks, which took place Tuesday, were claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM.For more than a decade Mali has faced violence from fighters linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as from separatist movements and criminal gangs.The latest attacks come as the country's junta, which came to power following back-to-back military coups in 2020 and 2021, battles an acute spike in violence.The militants claimed to have taken control of a military camp in the central town of Farabougou on Tuesday morning."At the moment, it's difficult to say what's going on," a resident of Farabougou told AFP Wednesday."There are many jihadists, two-by-two on motorcycles, but from where we are, we haven't seen any soldiers, even though this is the main access road to the village."The militants also attacked a military installation in the southwestern town of Kassela later in the day Tuesday, located just dozens of kilometres from the capital Bamako.Mali's army confirmed Tuesday's attacks, but neither it nor the JNIM gave a death toll."The toll booth and the military detachment were on fire last night," a resident of Kassela told AFP Wednesday. "The area is swarming with Malian and Russian soldiers this morning."Since seizing power Mali's military government has forged ties with Russia, whose mercenaries from the paramilitary Wagner group and its successor Africa Corps have helped the Malian army fight jihadists and other internal adversaries.The junta pivoted to Russia after turning its back on France, arguing that Mali should be free of its former colonial ruler.Yet Mali has continued to struggle to contain the jihadist threat, while the regular army and its Russian allies are frequently accused of committing atrocities against civilians.Mali and its junta-led neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger, which have also broken ties with France, have teamed up to create their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).Each country in the confederation is battling a surge in jihadist violence.sd-mk-lp-bdi-bfm/sbk

China, India pledge to resume flights as Beijing's top diplomat wraps up visit-by AFP Staff Writers.

Beijing (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-China and India announced they would restart direct flights in a string of diplomatic breakthroughs, state media reported Wednesday, as Beijing's foreign minister wrapped up a visit before heading to Pakistan.Following Wang Yi's trip to India, Beijing and New Delhi also agreed to advance talks on their disputed border, resume tourism visa issuance and boost trade between the neighbouring countries.In talks on the border issue with Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval, the two sides agreed to "explore the possibility of advancing boundary demarcation negotiations" and vowed to reopen three border trade markets, according to a Xinhua report Wednesday.Relations between the world's two most populous countries soured after a deadly border clash in 2020.But a thaw began last October when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time in five years at a summit in Russia.Modi will travel to China later in August -- his first visit since 2018.Wang is now due in Pakistan, India's arch-rival and one of China's closest partners in the region."Both India and Pakistan are China's important neighbours. We are willing to enhance friendly cooperation with both countries, and hope that differences between these two countries can be handled properly", foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press conference Tuesday.She described China and Pakistan as "ironclad friends and all-weather strategic partners".China has poured tens of billions of dollars into Pakistan to fund massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects -- part of Beijing's transnational Belt and Road scheme.Islamabad used Chinese-made military hardware, including jets, against India during a four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people.The conflict was sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing -- a charge it denies.Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, which have fought several wars over the Muslim-majority region since their 1947 independence from British rule.Wang said that China supported Islamabad in defending "national sovereignty and territorial integrity", in talks with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in May, days after Islamabad and New Delhi agreed a ceasefire.Wang is due in Pakistan until Friday and will meet with Dar for the sixth round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue, China's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

China slams Germany for 'hyping' regional tensions in Asia-by AFP Staff Writers.

Beijing (AFP) Aug 18, 2025-China lashed out at Germany on Monday, warning Berlin against "inciting confrontation and hyping up tensions" after its foreign minister said Beijing was "increasingly aggressive" in the Asia-Pacific region.During a visit to Japan, Johann Wadephul said China had made repeated threats to "unilaterally change the status quo and shift borders in its favour", citing its behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas."Any escalation in this sensitive hub of international trade would have serious consequences for global security and the world economy," Wadephul said Monday after talks with Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya.A statement issued on Sunday before Wadephul's visit to Japan -- and later Indonesia -- said that China was "increasingly asserting its regional supremacy and, in doing so, is also questioning principles of international law.""China's increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas also has implications for us in Europe: fundamental principles of our global coexistence are at stake here," the statement quoted Wadephul as saying.China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning hit back on Monday, telling a regular news conference that the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea "remains generally stable"."We urge the relevant parties to respect regional countries, resolve issues through dialogue and consultation, and safeguard the common interest of peace and stability, instead of inciting confrontation and hyping up tensions," she said when asked about Wadephul's comments."The Taiwan question is China's internal affair," she added.- 'War machine' support -In the joint press statement in Tokyo, Wadephul also criticised "China's support for the Russian war machine" in Ukraine."Without it, the war of aggression against Ukraine would not be possible. China is Russia's largest supplier of dual-use goods and Russia's best oil and gas customer," Wadephul said.He also said ahead of talks later Monday between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that security guarantees for Kyiv were "crucial".Trump's summit on Friday with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska "made it clear that for a just and lasting peace, Moscow must finally act. Until that happens, pressure on Russia must be increased, including with increased aid to Ukraine," Wadephul said.The talks on Monday in Washington are about establishing "the elements of a negotiated solution on the path to a just peace for Ukraine," he said."Firm security guarantees are crucial for this. Because Ukraine must be able to defend itself effectively even after a ceasefire and peace agreement."burs-je/mtp

Iraq starts work on IS mass grave thought to contain thousands-by AFP Staff Writers.

Baghdad (AFP) Aug 17, 2025-Iraqi authorities have begun excavating the site of a mass grave believed to contain thousands of victims of the Islamic State (IS) group near Mosul city, the project's director told AFP on Sunday.The first phase, which was launched on August 10, includes surface-level excavation at the Khasfa site, director Ahmed al-Assadi said.An AFP correspondent visiting the site in northern Iraq on Sunday said the team unearthed human skulls buried in the sand.Khasfa is located near Mosul, where IS had established the capital of their self-declared "caliphate" before being defeated in Iraq in late 2017.Assadi said that there were no precise figures for the numbers of victims buried there -- one of dozens of mass graves IS left behind in Iraq -- but a UN report from 2018 said Khasfa was likely the country's largest.Official estimates put the number of bodies buried at the site at at least 4,000, with the possibility of thousands more.The project director said the victims buried there include "soldiers executed by IS", members of the Yazidi minority and residents of Mosul.Exhuming the bodies from Khasfa is particularly difficult, Assadi said, as underground sulphur water makes the earth very porous.The water may have also eroded the human remains, complicating DNA identification of victims, he added.Assadi said further studies will be required before his team can dig deeper and exhume bodies at the site -- a sinkhole about 150-metre (nearly 500-foot) deep and 110-metre wide.Iraqi authorities said it was the site of "one of the worst massacres" committed by IS jihadists, executing 280 in a single day in 2016, many of them interior ministry employees.In a lightning advance that began in 2014, IS had seized large swathes Iraq and neighbouring Syria, enforcing a strict interpretation of Islamic law and committing widespread abuses.The United Nations estimates the jihadists left behind more than 200 mass graves which might contain as many as 12,000 bodies.In addition to IS-era mass graves, Iraqi authorities continue to unearth such sites dating to the rule of Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2003.



FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Zephaniah 2:1-15
1 Gather together, yes, gather,O shameless nation,
2 before the decree takes effect[a] -before the day passes away like chaff—before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands;[b] seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.
4 For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.
6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows[c] for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab (JORDAN) and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever.The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations.
12 You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria,(SYRIA) and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts;[d] even the owl and the hedgehog[e]  shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.Sa'ar: No free meals; talks possible if more hostages freed Israel halts aid into Gaza, citing Hamas refusal to extend first phase of truce
Footnotes-a -Zephaniah 2:2 Hebrew gives birth, b-Zephaniah 2:3 Or who carry out his judgment, c-Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves, d-Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation, e-Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain

DANIEL 2:37-45
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

DANIEL 7:17-26
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

THE WORLD IN 10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS LEAD BY THE EUROPEAN UNION THE WORLD LEADER, NOT AMERICA.I PREDICT.

THE EUROPEAN UNION AND REVIVED ROMAN WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 2:31-33,36-43, DAN 7:3-8,17

First From Daniel Chapter 2

1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (HEAD OF GOLD) DAN 2:31-32,36-38, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (CHEST & ARMS OF SILVER) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (WAIST & HIPS OF BRONZE) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (2 LEGS OF IRON) DAN 2:33,40, ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) (FEET IRON & CLAY) DAN 2:33,41-43,10 TOES

Now From Daniel Chapter 7

1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (LION WITH EAGLES WINGS) DAN 7:4, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (BEAR ON HIND LEGS) DAN 7:5, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (LEOPARD 4 WINGS, 4 HEADS) DAN 7:6, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (HUGE IRON TEETH) DAN 7:7 (10 HORNS), ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) DAN 7:8,19-20,23-25 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS
REV 17:9,12, 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS, 7 HILLS ROME. REV 13:1 BEAST WITH 7 HEADS. THE E.U LEADER OF WORLD GOVERNMENT DAN 2:40-45, 7:7-8,23-25,27, 8:23, REV 13:3,7,8,12,14,16

REVELATION 17:10-12
10 And there are seven kings (7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY) five are fallen, (EGYPT, ASSYRIA, BABYLON,:MEDO-PERSIAN,GREECE and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS DAY-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,(FUTURE-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE-EUROPEAN UNION TODAY) he must continue a short space.(7 YEARS OF WORLD DOMINATION-BUT 3 1/2 YEARS OF NEW WORLD ORDER OR ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT)
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS OR REGIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS-NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind,(WORLD SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950

Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man. 

DICK MORRIS-This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don’t look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels.

THE CLUB OF ROME FOUNDER AURELIO PECCEI WANTS THE WORLD IN 10 REGIONAL TRADING BLOCKS.

REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.) 

THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

HERES WHAT THE WORLD WOULD LOOK LIKE (SINCE THERE WILL BE WORLD GOVERNMENT IN THE FUTURE)-UPDATED VERSION

01 CANADA, U.S.A, MEXICO
02 EUROPEAN UNION,WESTERN EUROPE
03 JAPAN
04 AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND, S AFRICA, ISRAEL AND PACIFIC ISLANDS
05 EASTERN EUROPE
06 SOUTHERN, CENTRAL AND LATIN AMERICAS
07 NORTH AFRICA, AND MIDEAST (MOSLEMS)
08 CENTRAL AFRICA
09 SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
10 CENTRAL ASIA

THE CLUB OF ROME WANTS A WORLD CHARISMATIC DICTATOR (EITHER RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL OR SCIENTIFICAL) TO HEAD THIS WORLD GOVERNMENT. REV 13:3,7-8, DAN 7:23-24

WORLD POWERS IN THE END TIME

NORTH - RUSSIA EZEK 38:1-2, 39:1-2
SOUTH - EGYPT DAN 11:42
EAST - CHINA DAN 11:44,REV 16:12
WEST - EUROPEAN UNION DAN 7:23-24 (NOT THE U.S.A)
http://israel7777777.blogspot.ca/2012/03/10-world-trade-blocs-one-world.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2006/09/how-eu-takes-world-control.html 
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/05/one-world-religion-crislam.html 

FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

COUNCIL FOR EUROPE ON DEFENCE
https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/document/download/6d6f889c-e58d-4caa-8f3b-8b93154fe206_en?filename=SAFE%20Regulation.pdf

KILL: UK considering 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine: minister.

London, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-KILL our story 'UK considering 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine: minister' because it contains quotes from August 15 wrongly used by Press Association as quotes from today, August 20.No new version upcoming.

NATO chiefs to discuss Ukraine security guarantees.

Brussels, Belgium, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-NATO military chiefs were set Wednesday to discuss the details of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine, pushing ahead the flurry of global diplomacy aiming to broker an end to Russia's war.But even as diplomatic efforts continued Wednesday, Russian forces claimed fresh advances on the ground and Ukrainian officials reported more deaths from Moscow's missiles.Few details have leaked on the virtual meeting of military chiefs from NATO's 32 member countries, which is due to start at 2:30 pm (1230 GMT).But on Tuesday evening top US officer Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with European military chiefs on the "best options for a potential Ukraine peace deal," a US defence official told AFP.US President Donald Trump brought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to the White House Monday, three days after his landmark encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.Trump, long a fierce critic of the billions of dollars in US support to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, earlier said European nations were "willing to put people on the ground" to secure any settlement. He ruled out sending US troops but suggested it would provide air support instead.But while Trump said Putin had agreed to meet Zelensky and accept some Western security guarantees for Ukraine, Kyiv and Western capitals have responded cautiously, as many of the details remain vague.- Fresh Russian strikes -Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram Wednesday that its troops had captured the villages of Sukhetske and Pankivka in the embattled Donetsk region.They are near a section of the front where the Russian army broke through Ukrainian defences last week, between the logistics hub of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka.In the eastern Kharkiv region, the prosecutor's office said a Russian drone strike on a civilian vehicle had killed two people, aged 70 and 71.Russian glide bombs hit housing in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostiantynivka overnight, trapping as many as four people under rubble, said the town's military administration chief Sergiy Gorbunov.And Russia aerial attacks on the northeastern town of Okhtyrka in the Sumy region wounded at least 14 people, including three children, according to regional governor Oleg Grygorov.Zelensky said these latest strikes showed "the need to put pressure on Moscow", including through sanctions.burs-jj/db

Trump suggests air support but no troops for Ukraine's security-by Mike Heuer.

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 19, 2025-President Donald Trump said the United States would provide air support for Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, but not U.S. troops on the ground.If the war in Ukraine ends soon, U.S. air support would be available to help ensure its security instead of making Ukraine a NATO member, Trump said on Monday evening."When it comes to security, they are willing to put people on the ground," Trump said of Ukraine's European neighbors in a Fox News interview, as reported by The Hill."We're willing to help them with things, especially ... by air because nobody has [the] stuff we have," Trump said.White House press secretary Karolin Leavitt on Tuesday confirmed Trump "definitively" opposes deploying U.S. troops to Ukraine, The Hill reported.Instead, Ukraine's European neighbors and others might support peace by deploying troops there, Axios reported on Tuesday.If so, the United States would be willing to provide air support to help maintain the peace, Trump suggested.Potential U.S. involvement in Ukraine's security is important for enabling a potential peace agreement to end the war that Russia started by invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Monday.Potential air support could be in the form of U.S. pilots engaging Russian aircraft in defensive operations over Ukraine, intercepting missiles or just providing air-to-air refueling.Trump and former President Joe Biden each have said they don't want the United States involved in direct combat with Russian forces.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the Trump administration's lead negotiator for Ukraine security plans, which Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed during their White House meeting on Monday.Whatever peace agreement Ukraine and Russia might make, Trump wants Russia to return tens of thousands of Ukrainian children whom it has abducted from Ukraine, according to CNN.Meanwhile, officials in Switzerland have offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine."We are ready for such a meeting," Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told CNN's broadcast partner SRF on Tuesday."We have always signaled our willingness," Cassis said, "but it, of course, hinges on the willingness of the major powers."The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Putin's arrest for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, including abducting children.Cassis said the Swiss government would not arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin."We can do this despite the arrest warrant against Putin because of our special role and Geneva's role as the European headquarters of the [United Nations]," Cassis explained.Trump talked with Putin following his meeting with Zelensky on Monday and after hosting the Russian president in Alaska on Friday.Trump said he is working to arrange a meeting between Zelensky and Putin within the next two weeks.

U.S. and allies to meet on security guarantees as Trump works on Putin-Zelenskyy summit-Budapest and Geneva have been discussed as potential sites for a summit between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, a senior administration official told NBC News.Aug. 20, 2025, 4:58 AM EDT / Updated Aug. 20, 2025, 8:04 AM EDT By Freddie Clayton

LONDON — United States and NATO military officials were set to meet Wednesday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine as the White House worked to arrange a summit between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin.Ukraine and its European allies appeared buoyed after Trump promised during their meeting in Washington on Monday that the U.S. would provide security guarantees as part of any settlement with Russia — a red-line issue for Kyiv.Trump made clear Tuesday that this would not include U.S. “boots on the ground” but could see the U.S. provide air support as part of such an arrangement.The Kremlin said Wednesday that it was ready to discuss a settlement with Ukraine, including security guarantees, but that talks without Russia were a "road to nowhere." It also appeared in no rush to agree to a leaders' summit.Military chiefs from NATO’s 32 member countries will meet virtually later Wednesday to discuss the way forward. U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich will attend, the chair of NATO’s military committee said.Their meeting comes after Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted several European Chiefs of Defense on Tuesday evening, a defense official told NBC News.Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio will be leading the effort to coordinate security guarantees among allies, according to a White House official.Meanwhile, the White House is actively looking to secure a meeting location and date for a Putin-Zelenskyy summit to discuss an end to the Kremlin's war, according to a senior administration official.The Hungarian capital, Budapest, and Swiss city of Geneva have been discussed as potential sites, the official said, adding that both Trump and Putin have a good relationship with Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.Various nations have offered to host, including Switzerland.Any meeting would be complicated by the arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court, and Moscow appeared in no hurry for Putin and Zelenskyy to sit down together.Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Putin had proposed to continue negotiations during his phone call with Trump on Monday, and "to consider raising the level of the heads of delegations""We are ready for any formats," Lavrov said. "But when it comes to meetings at the highest level, they must be prepared with the utmost care."Lavrov also dismissed any attempt to resolve the question of Ukraine's security without Russia as "a utopia, a road to nowhere."Russian air strikes on Ukraine continued Tuesday night, killing three civilians and injuring dozens more across multiple regions, Ukrainian officials said.Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday it had struck "pier facilities" used to supply fuel to Ukrainian forces.Zelenskyy said on X that Russia had launched a strike "on a gas distribution station in the Odesa region."The ongoing attacks illustrated “the need to put pressure on Moscow,” he said, calling for “new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully effective.”Freddie Clayton is a freelance journalist based in London. 

Paris pans 'manipulation,' says charge 'won't go unanswered'Issuing ultimatum, Netanyahu tells Macron Palestine recognition fuels antisemitism-PM demands French leader ‘replace weakness with action’ on anti-Jewish hatred by Rosh Hashanah next month, after also launching scathing attack on Australian PM-By AFP and ToI Staff 19 August 2025, 10:54 pm

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upbraided French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, charging that the latter’s move to recognize a Palestinian state fuels antisemitism, drawing a combative response from Paris.Late last month, Macron said France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, drawing a swift rebuke from Israel.By announcing the move, France was set to join a growing list of nations to have recognized statehood for the Palestinians since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago. Many Western nations have followed in Paris’s footsteps.In the letter sent to Macron, seen by AFP, Netanyahu said antisemitism had “surged” in France following the announcement.“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas’s refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets,” Netanyahu wrote in the letter.The premier went on to call on Macron to confront antisemitism in France, saying he must “replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23,” known as Rosh Hashanah.The Elysee Palace slammed the accusation as “abject” and “erroneous.”France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens,” the Elysee said, adding that Netanyahu’s letter “will not go unanswered.”“This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation,” it added.Benjamin Haddad, France’s minister for Europe, said the country has “no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism.”The issue, “which is poisoning our European societies,” must not be “exploited,” Haddad added.France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.Australia joined the list earlier this month, announcing its intention to recognize a Palestinian state in September.Sky News reported earlier Tuesday that Netanyahu sent a similar letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, indicating that he’s sending them to the leaders of all countries that announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month.Netanyahu also openly slammed Albanese on Tuesday, labeling him a “weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” in an angry post on his office’s official X account.The personal attack came amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries after the Australian government on Monday canceled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman.Rothman, whose party is in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, had been scheduled to speak at events organized by the Australian Jewish Association.Hours after his visa was canceled, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he had revoked the visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority.In a statement, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said revoking their visas was an “unjustified reaction” by Israel and that Netanyahu’s government was “isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution.”

Marking ‘new chapter’ in ties, Sa’ar inaugurates Israeli embassy in Zambia-Almost 35 years after Jerusalem and Lusaka renewed relations, foreign minister says nation is a ‘strategic partner for Israel in the southern part of Africa’By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff Today, 10:14 pm-AUG 20,25

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar opened an Israeli embassy in Zambia on Wednesday during a diplomatic visit to the southern African country.“It is an honor and a privilege to be here in Lusaka and open Israel’s embassy,” Sa’ar said during his speech at the opening ceremony, alongside his Zambian counterpart, Mulambo Haimbe. “It is a truly emotional moment to raise our flag — the Israeli flag — and to hear HaTikvah, here in Zambia, after 52 years.”Israel and Zambia first established diplomatic ties in 1966, two years after Zambia gained independence from the United Kingdom. But relations were severed at the behest of the Organization of African Unity in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and several Arab countries, and Israel’s diplomatic presence across Africa became greatly reduced.The two countries re-established ties in 1991, but it wasn’t until 2015 that Zambia opened an embassy in Tel Aviv. Until this year, Israel had sufficed with a non-residential ambassador to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. That ambassador, Ofra Farhi, will become the new ambassador to Zambia and take up residence in Lusaka, while retaining her other posts.Speaking on Wednesday, Sa’ar said that the new embassy marks “the beginning of a new chapter between our nations.”“Relations between our countries are not only based on common interests,” he said. “They are also rooted in shared values. These are relations between two nations of believers: believers in ancient traditions based on the holy Bible. It is an alliance of believers. And I know that together we will do great things.”Sa’ar asserted that “these days, many countries in Africa are lining up for Israel to open an embassy in their capitals. We choose to begin in Zambia.”Israel, he said, believes “in Zambia’s potential. We believe that Zambia is a country of values — domestically and in its foreign policy. We believe Zambia is a strategic partner for Israel in the southern part of Africa.”The foreign minister pointed to a number of projects linking the nations, including Israel establishing a trauma and emergency unit in a hospital in the city of Livingston and hosting hundreds of Zambian agricultural students in the Negev, as well as holding “special courses, especially for Zambia, in water management, food security and agriculture.”Earlier Wednesday, Sa’ar said that he and Haimbe had signed a memorandum of understanding “on bilateral consultations” and were enhancing their “partnership in agriculture, health and much more.”Before his trip, the Foreign Ministry said that the decision to open a permanent embassy in Lusaka “forms part of a broader initiative to expand and strengthen relations with African nations,” one of Sa’ar’s “strategic goals” for the ministry this year.In January, Israel announced the decision to open the new embassy, inviting Haimbe to visit Israel, which he did in June.

Poll shows most Americans back Palestine recognition, view Israeli campaign as excessive-Large majority believe US should play role in preventing hunger in Gaza; Witkoff says Trump wants comprehensive deal to end war, bring back all hostages-By Nava Freiberg-and Reuters Today, 6:41 pm-AUG 20,25

A 58-percent majority of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday, reflecting Israel’s increasingly precarious international position after 22 months of a grueling and destructive war in Gaza.Some 33% of respondents did not agree that UN members should recognize a Palestinian state and 9% did not answer.The six-day poll, which closed on Monday, was taken within weeks of three countries — close US allies Canada, Britain and France — announcing they intended to recognize the State of Palestine. This ratcheted up pressure on Israel as the UN and aid groups warned of spreading starvation in Gaza.Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said last week that the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Palestinian enclave has reached “unimaginable levels,” as aid groups warned that Gazans were on the verge of famine.The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that Israel was not letting enough supplies into the Gaza Strip to avert widespread starvation.The UN last week warned that starvation and malnutrition in the Palestinian territory are at their highest levels since the war began with the Hamas-led massacre on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.A larger majority of the Reuters/Ipsos poll respondents, 65%, said the US should take action in Gaza to help people facing starvation, with 28% disagreeing. The number disagreeing included 41% of US President Donald Trump’s Republicans.Trump and many of his fellow Republicans take an “America First” approach to international relations, backing steep cuts to the country’s international food and medical assistance programs in the belief that US funds should assist Americans, not those outside its borders.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed reports of starvation in Gaza as “lies” promoted by Hamas. But facing heavy international pressure, in July the government instituted a series of measures to alleviate hunger in the Strip, including airdrops and 10-hour “humanitarian pauses” in military operations in three population centers to allow deliveries of aid.Earlier in August, for the first time in nearly a year, Israel announced it would allow the entry of goods into Gaza through the private sector, an effort aimed at increasing the flow of essential food and hygiene items that were previously only delivered by aid organizations.The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), established to provide aid via an alternative that would keep goods out of Hamas’s hands, has been plagued by near-daily shooting incidents, in which the UN has said seen more than 1,000 killed as they try to reach the GHF distribution centers, allegedly by IDF gunfire.Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000. The unverified figure does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.The Reuters/Ipsos poll also showed that 59% of Americans believe that Israel’s military response in Gaza has been excessive. Thirty-three percent of respondents disagreed.In a similar Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in February 2024, 53% of respondents agreed that Israel’s response had been excessive, and 42% disagreed.The latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted online, gathered responses from 4,446 US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.Meanwhile, in a Fox News interview aired Tuesday, United States special envoy Steve Witkoff said that Trump wanted to see a comprehensive deal to end the war and return all the hostages.Addressing Hamas’s acceptance this week of a partial ceasefire and hostage-release deal, Witkoff reiterated Trump’s commitment to seeing all the hostages freed.“Now, [Trump] has been very decisive and straightforward… He wants all the hostages back. That is the position that we have,” Witkoff said, referencing a recent post by Trump on Truth Social saying that the hostages will only be freed once Hamas is confronted and destroyed.Trump appeared to align with Netanyahu, who is pressing ahead with an expanded military campaign against Hamas and has vowed that Israel remains committed to a comprehensive deal to free all hostages and end the war on Israel’s terms — which would require Hamas to disarm, allow for the demilitarization of Gaza, grant Israel overall security control of the Strip, and hand over control to a body other than the Palestinian Authority.Still, Netanyahu has not explicitly rejected the proposal approved by Hamas this week, suggesting Jerusalem is keeping its options open.Witkoff added Tuesday, “That conflict should end immediately, 20 hostages should be returned to their families, a commensurate amount of Palestinian prisoners to be released as well, and just let’s end that thing – bring peace and solitude to the Gazan people, and rebuild Gaza as it should be rebuilt as the president has set forth.”He did not address the remaining 30 hostages in Gaza, 28 of whom are confirmed dead, while Israeli officials have said there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others. Earlier this year, Trump endorsed a policy of mass emigration in Gaza and a complete rebuilding of the Strip, though he has appeared to distance himself from the idea in recent months.

Peace Now: Its purpose is to sabotage a political solution-Smotrich rejoices as settlement plan that ‘erases 2-state delusion’ gets final greenlight-Minister fetes ‘historic’ approval of controversial construction scheme in West Bank’s E1 area, upending a decades-long freeze; PA says move divides West Bank into ‘prisons’By Jeremy Sharon and Agencies Today, 4:58 pm-AUG 20,25

A major construction project that would see some 3,400 housing units built in the contentious E1 area in the West Bank, between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, was given final approval Wednesday.Announced last week by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the controversial plan was formally greenlit by the Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration, a Defense Ministry department.Smotrich, who also holds a junior ministerial position in the Defense Ministry that grants him wide say in settlement construction, called the decision “historic.”He described the construction plan as a “significant step that practically erases the two-state delusion and consolidates the Jewish people’s hold on the heart of the Land of Israel.”“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not by slogans but by deeds. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea,” the far-right minister declared.He cast the dramatic move, which will effectively bisect the West Bank, as retaliation against Western states that announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks.The plan received praise from Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach, who said in a statement that he was “pleased to announce that just a short while ago, the Civil Administration approved the planning for the construction of the E1 neighborhood.”Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority slammed the approval, saying it undermines the chances of a two-state solution.The project “fragments… geographic and demographic unity, entrenching the division of the occupied West Bank into isolated areas and cantons that are disconnected from one another, turning them into something akin to real prisons,” the PA’s foreign ministry said in a statement.If the process moves quickly, infrastructure work in E1 could begin in the next few months and construction of homes could start in around a year, according to AP.The E1 settlement project had been frozen for decades amid fierce opposition from the international community, including past US administrations, which feared building a new settlement neighborhood on the mostly empty tract of land would rule out the establishment of a contiguous, viable Palestinian state.The now-approved plan will connect the Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim metropolitan areas, while seemingly scuttling the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian presence between the population centers of Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, and Ramallah — long considered the basis for a Palestinian state.The Peace Now organization, which campaigns against the settlement movement, concurred with Smotrich that the project severely threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state, adding that implementing the plans would move Israel toward becoming a “binational apartheid state.”“Under the cover of war, Smotrich and his minority of messianic friends are establishing a delusional settlement that we will have to evacuate in any agreement,” said the organization, adding that billions of shekels may be spent — and wasted — on the development.“The entire purpose of the settlement in E1 is to sabotage a political solution and rush towards a binational apartheid state,” the group’s statement continued.Last week’s announcement of the move sparked widespread condemnation from European and Arab countries, alongside international organizations, with the United Nations calling on Israel to reverse its decision.UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said to reporters that the plan would “put an end to prospects of a two-state solution.”The European Union similarly urged Israel to desist from its plan, with the agency’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas saying in a statement that the step “undermines the two-state solution while being a breach of international law.”

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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.

EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6  I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8  All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9  I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.

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

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:

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) 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)

Hurricane Erin surge forecast 2-4 feet from Cape Lookout to Duck-At 5 p.m., Erin was packing maximum sustained wind of 105 mph. The Category 2 hurricane remains on a path to steer-By Alan Wooten | The Center Square-Published: August 19, 2025 11:00pm

(The Center Square) -Storm surge flooding and tropical storm conditions from Hurricane Erin are forecast for the Outer Banks of North Carolina starting Wednesday evening.At 5 p.m., Erin was packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The Category 2 hurricane remains on a path to steer clear of the United States mainland, though it is already brushing in large waves and will bring beach erosion and overwash.The storm was 615 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras and 615 miles southwest of Bermuda, moving at 10 mph. Storm surge warnings were in effect from Cape Lookout to Duck; a tropical storm warning was in effect from Beaufort Inlet to Duck, inclusive of the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds; and a tropical storm watch was in effect from north of Duck to Chincoteague, Va.Intensity of the storm is forecast to fluctuate. Hurricane force winds, meaning 74 mph or greater, stayed extended 80 miles from its center throughout Tuesday; tropical storm-force winds, meaning 39 mph or greater, grew to 230 miles from the center.Forecasters said 1-2 inches of rain are expected Wednesday night on the Outer Banks. Swells from the Atlantic Ocean, however, are life-threatening in the surf and rip currents. Storm surge from Cape Lookout to Duck is forecast at 2 to 4 feet.Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Ocracoke Island in Hyde County and Hatteras Island in Dare County. Each county has declared an emergency.Multiple published reports put the number of swimmers rescued between 60 and 70 at Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington on Monday. This was due to rip currents.N.C. 12, the famed 148-mile roadway linking the peninsulas and islands of the Outer Banks, is likely to go underwater and parts could wash away – as often happens with hurricanes.N.C. 12 begins at U.S. 70 at the community of Sea Level and runs to a point just north of Corolla and south of the Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. Two ferries, Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island and Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island, are part of the route.The storm's miss of the state is particularly welcome in light of Hurricane Helene. Recovery from that storm is in its 47th week. Helene killed 107 in the state, 236 across seven states in the South, and caused an estimated $60 billion in damage to North Carolina.

Hurricane Erin prompts tropical storm warning for North Carolina-The storm is not expected to make landfall but could leave dangerous rip currents and flooding in its wake.Aug. 20, 2025, 9:07 AM EDT / By Rebecca Cohen and Kathryn Prociv

A tropical storm warning has been issued for North Carolina as Hurricane Erin churns up the east coast of the U.S. as a Category 2 storm.The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning that the storm was about 335 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. A state of emergency has been declared for the entire state as the storm had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and was moving north at 13 mph, the hurricane center said in its 2 p.m. EDT update.Erin is already a large hurricane, with winds extending outward up to 90 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 265 miles from the center. It is expected to remain a hurricane this week while growing in size as it continues its trek across the Atlantic and eventually turns out to sea."I want to emphasize the importance of taking this storm seriously, because it's a serious storm and conditions can deteriorate quickly," North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said at a Wednesday press conference.The storm is expected to take a turn north-northeast on Wednesday and move over the western Atlantic Ocean between the east coast of the U.S. and Bermuda, before passing south of Atlantic Canada into the weekend, the hurricane center said.Erin will make its closest pass to the U.S. on Thursday, when the onshore winds will be strongest, leading to coastal flood concerns and dangerous rip currents. The heavy rain will remain offshore so that the strong winds will be the most noticeable impact.North Carolina is anticipating coastal flooding from massive waves, tropical-storm-force winds and tidal and storm surges for much of the state shoreline, especially the Outer Banks, as well as life-threatening rip currents for most of the week, Stein said, adding, "No one should be in the ocean."Erin could strengthen on Wednesday and Thursday but is expected to begin weakening by Friday, the hurricane center said."Regardless of the track of the center of the storm, dangerous conditions can be felt far from the eye, especially with the system as large as Erin, regardless of her track," North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray said Wednesday.The 2 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center said the tropical storm warning now covers north of the border of North Carolina and Virginia to Chincoteague, Virginia.Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on X that he is monitoring the storm’s "offshore track," which is "bringing dangerous water conditions to Virginia’s coast," including "extremely dangerous rip tides and rough surf, starting tonight," Youngkin said."Expect tidal flooding at evening high tide, dangerous surf, and beach erosion through Friday," the governor added.A storm surge warning is in effect from Cape Lookout to Duck, North Carolina, where 2 to 4 feet of storm surge flooding is possible along the coast, according to the hurricane center.Additionally, 1 to 2 inches of rain could hit the Outer Banks on Wednesday and Thursday."Weather conditions expected to deteriorate along the coast of North Carolina by this evening," the hurricane center said. "Beachgoers are cautioned against swimming at most U.S. East Coast beaches due to life-threatening rip currents."Video from North Carolina shows major waves rolling onto land, flooding roads and beachfront homes.There were 4 to 5 inches of standing water north of Hatteras Village as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the Dare County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. Crews were working to build dunes in the area.Swells caused by the hurricane will affect the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the east coast of the U.S. over the next several days, with rough oceans expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents, the hurricane center said."Hurricane Erin is already creating extremely dangerous and life threatening rip currents for all of the North Carolina coast that will linger through the week," Ray said. "We've seen a high number of rescues along the coast, and you should avoid swimming anywhere on the North Carolina coast right now."Evacuation orders have been implemented for Dare and Hyde counties in North Carolina, with shelters and recovery centers open across the state, Ray said. North Carolina has requested major disaster declaration for public assistance from the federal government, which would provide additional recovery resources to those impacted, Ray added."If you have not evacuated, make sure you batten down the hatches," Stein said Thursday.The National Weather Service in Jacksonville, Florida, also warned of dangerous surf conditions and rip tides on Wednesday."Dangerous Marine & Surf Conditions worsen today as waves & winds increase. Deadly rip currents, high surf & minor tidal flooding around high tide this evening at the coast," the NWS said on X. "Stay out of the ocean!"Other states this week have similarly issued warnings to stay out of the ocean, including in New Jersey and New York, as beaches in North Carolina already reported several rip current rescues on Tuesday."We are hyper, hyper concerned, first and foremost about complacency, particularly when the weather is really good Thursday afternoon through Sunday, in terms of people sort of thinking about going in the water because these rip currents are brutal," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "Please, don't go into the water."New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday prohibited swimming at Long Island beaches because of the swells that are expected in the area. Swimming at New York City beaches is also barred on Wednesday and Thursday.Coastal towns such as Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Wildwood, New Jersey, have issued no-swimming advisories for the week.Rip currents were observed on Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Wilmington said on X. The agency warned of "dangerous rips & rough surf" that will continue through Friday.Beach closures moved north on Wednesday, with Nantucket Island in Massachusetts issuing a no-swim advisory. The area is expecting surf up to 12 feet on Wednesday and 25 feet on Thursday.Stein on Wednesday warned against getting news about Hurricane Erin from social media as AI misinformation floods channels."It is just too easy for salacious, really dramatic stories to take root and then and spread like wildfire, even in a hurricane, because that's what people click on," Stein said. "If you see something on social media that sparks your interest, just go to a traditional website or news source and find out whether it's true."

From drought to floods, water extremes drive displacement in Afghanistan-By Susannah Walden and Qubad Wali.

Afghanistan (AFP) Aug 20, 2025-Next to small bundles of belongings, Maruf waited for a car to take him and his family away from their village in northern Afghanistan, where drought-ridden land had yielded nothing for years."When you have children and are responsible for their needs, then tell me, what are you still doing in this ruin?" said the 50-year-old.Many of the mud homes around him are already empty, he said, his neighbours having abandoned the village, fleeing "thirst, hunger and a life with no future".Successive wars displaced Afghans over 40 years, but peace has not brought reprieve, as climate change-fuelled shocks drive people from their homes and strain livelihoods.Since the war ended between the now-ruling Taliban and US-led forces in 2021, floods, droughts and other climate change-driven environmental hazards have become the main cause of displacement in the country, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM).In early 2025, nearly five million people across the country were impacted and nearly 400,000 people were displaced, the IOM said in July, citing its Climate Vulnerability Assessment.The majority of Afghans live in mud homes and depend heavily on agriculture and livestock, making them particularly exposed to environmental changes.The water cycle has been sharply impacted, with Afghanistan again in the grip of drought for the fourth time in five years and flash floods devastating land, homes and livelihoods."Crop failure, dry pastures and vanishing water sources are pushing rural communities to the edge," the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said in July."It's getting harder for families to grow food, earn income or stay where they are."Experts and Taliban officials have repeatedly warned of escalating climate risks as temperatures rise, extreme weather events intensify and precipitation patterns shift.The country's limited infrastructure, endemic poverty and international isolation leave Afghans with few resources to adapt and recover -- while already facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises worsened by severe aid cuts.- Too little -Abdul Jalil Rasooli's village in the drought-hit north has watched their way of life wither with their crops.Drought already drove many from his village to Pakistan and Iran a decade ago.Now they've returned, forced back over the border along with more than four million others from the two neighbouring countries since late 2023 -- but to work odd jobs, not the land."Everything comes down to water," said the 64-year-old, retreating from the day's heat in the only home in the village still shaded by leafy trees."Water scarcity ruins everything, it destroys farming, the trees are drying up, and there's no planting anymore," he told AFP.Rasooli holds out hope that the nearby Qosh Tepa canal will bring irrigation from the Amu Darya river. Diggers are carving out the last section of the waterway, but its completion is more than a year away, officials told AFP.It's one of the water infrastructure projects the Taliban authorities have undertaken since ousting the foreign-backed government four years ago.But the theocratic government, largely isolated on the global stage over its restrictions on women, has limited resources to address a crisis long exacerbated by poor environmental, infrastructure and resource management during 40 years of conflict."The measures we have taken so far are not enough," Energy and Water Minister Abdul Latif Mansoor told journalists in July, rattling off a list of dam and canal projects in the pipeline."There are a lot of droughts... this is Allah's will, first we must turn to Allah."Hamayoun Amiri left for Iran when he was a young man and drought struck his father's small plot of land in western Herat province.Forced to return in a June deportation campaign, he found himself back where he started 14 years ago -- with nothing to farm and his father's well water "getting lower and lower every day".The Harirud River was a dry bed in July as it neared the border with downstream Iran, following a road lined with empty mud buildings pummelled back to dust by the province's summer gales.- Too much -Taliban authorities often hold prayers for rain, but while the lack of water has parched the land in some parts of the country, changes in precipitation patterns mean rains can be more of a threat than a blessing.This year, rains have come earlier and heavier amid above-average temperatures, increasing flood risks, the UN said.A warmer atmosphere holds more water, so rain often comes in massive, destructive quantities."The weather has changed," said Mohammad Qasim, a community leader of several villages in central Maidan Wardak battered by flash floods in June."I'm around 54 years old, and we have never experienced problems like this before," he told AFP in the riverbed full of boulders and cracked mud.Eighteen-year-old Wahidullah's family was displaced after their home was damaged beyond repair and all their livestock were drowned.The family of 11 slept in or near a rudimentary tent on high ground, with no plans or means to rebuild."We're worried that if another flood comes, then there will be nothing left and nowhere to go."

Extreme Heat Warnings in Effect Across the West-Millions of people across the western parts of the United States are coping with brutal temperatures, prompting cooling stations to pop up across the region. In Southern California, forecasters are predicting the worst heat wave so far this year, causing elevated fire dangers in the region. NBC’s Steve Patterson reports and TODAY’s Dylan Dreyer tracks the forecast.

At Europe's melting glaciers, signs of climate peril are everywhere-Europe's glaciers are shrinking faster than anywhere else on Earth, leaving behind unstable landscapes.Europe’s glaciers melting at fastest pace on the planet-Aug. 19, 2025, 5:00 AM EDT-By Molly Hunter and Sara Monetta

MORTERATSCH, Switzerland — Almost 7,000 feet above sea level, the trail leading up to Morteratsch Glacier gets a little longer every year.Leo Hösli has made the climb many times. Each step sends shards of stone clattering downhill, debris once sealed beneath glacial ice.Several months ago, Hösli, who is doing doctoral research on Morteratsch, drilled seven stakes into the ice caves at the base of the glacier. By early August, he couldn’t get close enough to take measurements. The summer melt was so fierce that the caves had become too unstable to enter. Setting up a zoom lens, he found only one stake still in place.“They’ve melted out or collapsed under these parts of the ice cave that have fallen down,” Hösli said. “It’s just too warm for the glacier to exist at this state right now.”Europe’s glaciers are shrinking faster, in every dimension, than anywhere else on Earth.A landmark study published in the journal Nature, the largest of its kind, using field measurements and satellite data from 35 research teams, found glaciers in the Alps and Pyrenees have lost about 40% of their mass since 2000. 2022 and 2023 set records for percentage loss, coinciding with peak global temperatures.Morteratsch is one of the most studied glaciers in the world, thanks to its accessibility and its dramatic retreat, more than 2 miles in the last 165 years, driven by human-induced climate change. During our hike up the glacier, Hösli pointed to artifacts that showed just how far the glacier has retreated.“I think walking up here and seeing the signposts, seeing where the glacier used to be a hundred years ago, 50 years ago has more of an effect than just seeing it in a picture,” he said.But the soundtrack is just as striking as the view: rocks clattering down the valley walls, the constant roar of meltwater.Glaciers are the planet’s most visible climate indicators, but because they’re remote, their loss can feel abstract. In Europe, glaciers support several important industries, like agriculture and tourism. Communities depend on meltwater for drinking and farming, as well as on the ice and snow for winter tourism. Downstream, it feeds rivers that eventually result in rising sea levels worldwide.The retreat of glaciers has also left behind unstable landscapes that are rapidly shifting, causing destructive landslides that threaten Alpine villages.Across the border in Austria, Andrea Fischer, the vice-director of the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, said these kinds of mass alpine movements are becoming stronger and more frequent.“One-third of Austria’s glaciers will vanish in the next five years,” Fischer said, standing on what remains of the Stubai Glacier, about 72 miles northeast of Morteratsch. At the top of one of Austria’s most popular ski resorts, Stubai is projected to disappear entirely by 2033.“The end of the Alpine glaciers is really coming very, very close. And we see it. It’s not modeling in the computer. It’s a real fact,” Fischer added as she navigated down a muddy track to the edge of the ice.Global temperatures keep climbing as international efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions falter. Last year was the hottest on record, according to NASA. The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement significantly undermined global climate efforts, making the already difficult goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (about 3 degrees Fahrenheit) close to impossible.Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth and Austria’s temperature has risen 3.1 degrees Celsius since 1900, more than twice the global average. Studying glaciers, Fischer said, is critical to understanding where the climate is headed.“Glaciers are climate archives,” she said. Glaciers preserve records of precipitation and atmospheric circulation stretching back centuries, data that exists nowhere else. “I’m really hunting for every piece of cold ice containing this archive information,” she said, before it’s all gone.For decades, Fischer experimented with ways to slow glacier loss: snowmaking, pumping water into snowpack, “wrapping” ice in reflective white sheets she calls “glacier plasters,” referring to bandages. Twenty years ago, she hoped these sheets could work on a large scale. Today, she knows they can’t.“There is no possibility to save glaciers without saving the climate,” she added.Living in the Alps has always been risky, Fischer said, but today the risks are amplified by global warming-At the base of the Stubai valley, last month, a massive landslide barreled through the village of Neustift, ripping through farmland and damaging a bridge. No one was injured. But Fischer ties it directly to climate change.Melting permafrost can weaken peaks. Heavier rains trigger slides on slopes left destabilized by retreating glaciers.Back in Switzerland, the village of Blatten was obliterated by a glacial slide in May. Villagers were evacuated, but the costly rebuilding will take years.“The next 20 to 50 years will bring extreme changes for us living in the mountains, for all people living on the whole globe,” she said. “And we have to think about the consequences.”And the solutions are within our control, she said.She and Hösli agree that it’s not too late. There’s still a lot worth saving.“There’s still huge amounts of ice here,” Hösli said, scanning the top of Morteratsch. “It’s not a completely lost cause for me. There still is hope and there’s still something we can do,” Hösli said. “It’s too early to give up.”Molly Hunter is a London-based correspondent for NBC News.Sara Monetta is a multimedia producer based in London.

Dangerous heat and wildfire conditions take hold across the West-The situation is yet another example of how extreme heat compounds other threats, like adverse health effects and wildfires.California Extreme Weather Heat-Aug. 20, 2025, 3:32 PM EDT-By Denise Chow

LAS VEGAS — Intense heat will blanket much of the West this week, with temperatures in some states expected to soar to record-breaking highs, elevating the risk of dangerous wildfires and heat-related illness and death.Highs on Wednesday could reach into the triple digits in Southern California, while temperatures in parts of Arizona and Nevada will climb over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).High temperatures are not uncommon in the summer, but climate change is making heat waves more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. The situation in the West is yet another example of how extreme heat compounds other threats, like adverse health effects.This week’s heat wave will worsen already-hot conditions in the desert Southwest and expand across most of California, exacerbating ongoing wildfires and increasing the risk of new ones taking hold.Red flag warnings are in effect Wednesday through Saturday evening for Southern California because the “unseasonably hot” conditions, low humidity and breezy winds are “capable of producing extreme fire behavior,” according to the National Weather Service.Thunderstorms at the tail end of the week, from Friday to Sunday, are also possible in the region, which could trigger lightning strikes that can ignite new fires.California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved fire engines, crews and other firefighting resources into the region to prepare for the high-risk conditions.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday that this week’s heat wave could bring “potentially some of the hottest temperatures of the summer.” Temperatures in Los Angeles could reach 94 degrees F on Thursday and Friday.The sweltering conditions across the western U.S. will increase the risk of heat-related illness or death. Anyone is susceptible when temperatures spike, but lingering heat waves are particularly dangerous for children, people with pre-existing health conditions, older adults and individuals who work outdoors.The health impacts of extreme heat are a significant concern of climate-fueled heat waves.During prolonged heat waves, weather service officials said people should stay in air conditioning, when possible, and avoid strenuous activities. Other heat safety tips include staying hydrated, wearing light clothing and checking in on family members and neighbors.In the Southwest, blisteringly hot conditions will persist over the next several days, possibly challenging some daily temperature records.“Extreme Heat Warning in effect today with afternoon highs within a few degrees of record territory,” the local office of the National Weather Service in Phoenix wrote on X.Phoenix is expected to reach 111 degrees on Wednesday and 112 degrees both Thursday and Friday.Death Valley National Park’s Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center could top 120 degrees on Friday, according to the weather service, while other spots in the Mojave Desert, including Bishop and Barstow, will see temperatures well into the triple digits.In neighboring Nevada, temperatures will similarly remain elevated in the coming days. Las Vegas could hover around 109 degrees for the remainder of the week, while cities such as Laughlin and Needles could hit 115 degrees and 117 degrees, respectively.Meanwhile, a separate heat wave will bake portions of the northern Plains and southern Florida. Parts of Montana could reach up to 104 degrees, while heat advisories across in North Dakota are forecasting heat index values (a measure of what conditions "feel like" when humidity and air temperatures are combined) in the triple digits.In southeastern Florida, heat index values could reach up to 110 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The muggy conditions come as tens of thousands of acres are ablaze in the Florida Everglades, triggering air quality alerts for Broward County.Denise Chow is a science and space reporter for NBC News.