Feb. 24, 2017- Christians flee Egypt’s Sinai
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Headline: Despite détente with Israel, Turkey to host Hamas confab
Despite the recent thawing of ties between Israel and Turkey, Istanbul is set to play host this weekend to a well-attended conference whose speakers and organizers are either affiliated with Hamas or once held senior posts in the Palestinian terror group. The Conference for Palestinians Abroad is named for the group organizing the event. It has faced vociferous criticism from the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization, who accuse the organizers of undermining the PLO’s position as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Hamas’s military wing is one of the bodies publicizing the event, slated for Saturday and Sunday, which is also hosting among its speakers members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas has held similar events not just in Turkey, but throughout Africa and Latin America. It uses the Muslim Brotherhood organizational infrastructures in those countries to organize the events, connect to activists, raise funds and engage in public relations worldwide.
Feb. 23, 2017
http://www.timesofisrael.com/despite-detente-with-israel-turkey-to-host-major-hamas-confab/
Jordan
Headline: Jordanians hit streets to protest against austerity tax rises
Headline: US embassy issues advisory over planned Friday protest
Hundreds of Jordanians protested Friday across the kingdom against the government’s decision to impose new taxes on a string of goods and services, calling on the cabinet to resign. The government earlier this month imposed new sales taxes on internet and mobile use, bread, domestic fuel and petrol, cigarettes and fizzy drinks. About 1,500 Jordanians took to the streets of central Amman after Friday prayers at the Husseini Mosque in a protest organised by the opposition Muslim Brotherhood. The demonstrators marched from the mosque to the seat of the nearby municipality chanting slogans demanding the fall of the government and venting anger at the price rises. “The people of Jordan are on fire, all because of the rise in prices,” some chanted, AFP correspondents said. “The government that raises prices must fall, the government that impoverishes people must go,” was another rallying cry, as demonstrators held up signs that read: “Raising prices is playing with fire.”
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jordan-protests-austerity-amman-islamic-action-front-1070106411
http://jordantimes.com/news/local/us-embassy-issues-advisory-over-planned-friday-protest
Lebanon
Headline: Lebanon: What a Challenge to Hezbollah Means for the Region
Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia, which is locked in a political standoff in Beirut over key legislation, embroiled in the Syrian conflict and on alert for possible military skirmishes with Israel, may have yet another challenge to deal with. A previously unknown group, Liwa al-Mazlumin (Brigade of the Oppressed), has reportedly posted flyers in Beirut’s southern suburbs decrying the absence of effective governance and policing. Since Hezbollah has long controlled the area, the act is clearly meant as a criticism of the Shiite militant group. In particular, Liwa al-Mazlumin is aggrieved by the lack of efforts to combat the widespread use of narcotics and other drugs in Lebanon, especially among young people. Hezbollah has been unwilling to confront the groups that control the illicit narcotics trade in Lebanon because its involvement in the Syrian conflict has stretched its forces thin. Furthermore, the militant organization also profits from transnational drug trafficking through the Bekaa Valley, where the groups operate. So far, the new group’s protests are focused locally, but they could have widespread regional implications. If Liwa al-Mazlumin manages to challenge Hezbollah’s control in southern Beirut, the militant group may have to turn its attentions from Syria and Israel to work on quelling dissent in its stronghold and preventing adversaries from exploiting its vulnerability.
Feb. 24, 2017
https://www.stratfor.com/snapshots/lebanon-what-challenge-hezbollah-means-region
Saudi Arabia
Headline: Yemen fighting and suicide bomb kill 48
Headline: Yemeni forces target Jordanian F-16 fighter jet over Saudi Arabia
Headline: Saudi-backed forces, Sudanese Army advance north of Yemen’s Mocha Port
A suicide bomber killed eight people at a Yemeni army base Friday as clashes between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels left 35 dead and five civilians died in shelling, security and local officials said. The bomber blew up his vehicle at the entrance to Najda Camp in Abyan province’s capital Zinjibar, just 55 kilometers (33 miles) from second city Aden where the government is based.
The attacker failed to get through the gate and heavy exchanges of fire ensued as other assailants tried to penetrate it. The explosives were concealed in the back of a pick-up truck under a pile of firewood, the sources said. Al-Qaeda, which has taken advantage of nearly two years of fighting between loyalists and rebels who control the capital Sanaa to entrench their presence in swathes of the south, claimed responsibility for the attack, the SITE Intelligence Group reported. Further north, in the central province of Baida, fierce clashes erupted Friday between pro-government tribes and Shiite Houthi rebels, a local official said. Twenty rebels and six tribal fighters were killed in heavy fighting near Walad Rabi district, the source said, adding that the clashes flared when the Houthis tried to take control of a tribal territory.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1059136/middle-east
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/jordanian-jet-fighter-crashes-in-southern-saudi-arabia/758661
Headline: Iraq carries out airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria – PM statement
The Iraqi prime minister said he had directed the military to conduct airstrikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) targets in Syrian territory. The strikes come in response to recent bombings in Baghdad, he added. “We are determined to chase terrorism that tries to kill our sons and citizens wherever it is found, so we gave orders to the air force command to strike Islamic State positions in Hosaiba and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territory as they were responsible for recent bombings in Baghdad,” Haider al-Abbadi said in a statement. “The heroes of the sky executed the operation and responded to the terrorists with amazing success.” IS claimed responsibility for a deadly attack that took place on February 16 in southern Baghdad, when a car bomb blast ripped through the area, killing at least 45 and injuring dozens. Albu Kamal was targeted by the US-led coalition earlier this week. On Thursday, three strikes engaged an IS unit and also destroyed four oil refinement stills and a vehicle. Later in the day, an Iraqi military commander has confirmed the airstrikes “were successful,” adding that they involved F-16 fighter jets, AP reported. A seniour security official told Reuters “the strikes targeted Islamic State’s headquarters used for making car bombs in Albu Kamal… after Iraqi intelligence received tips from their sources inside Syria.”
Feb. 24, 2017
https://www.rt.com/news/378485-iraq-airstrikes-isis-syria/
Headline: As 30-day deadline to Pentagon for ISIS plan nears, Trump to weigh options
The Pentagon will present to President Donald Trump a “full range of options” to fight Islamic State (ISIS) that could include U.S. boots on the ground in Syria. “I’m in the business of providing the president with options,” Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Feb. 23. Following through on a campaign promise, Trump on Jan. 28 ordered a 30-day review of the U.S. strategy on ISIS. Defense Secretary Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis is expected to present the president with the plan next week, according to the Pentagon. “We’ve been given a task to go to the president with options to accelerate the defeat of ISIS specifically, but obviously other violent extremist groups as well,” Dunford said. “So we’re going to go to him with a full range of options from which he can choose.” The Trump administration reportedly scrapped a detailed plan left by former President Barack Obama’s administration that outlined a strategy to train Kurdish forces, provide them with new equipment, and help them retake Raqqa, instead telling the Pentagon to come up with new options, according to a Feb. 23 report by McClatchy’s D.C. Bureau. In his first week in office, Trump said he would “absolutely do safe zones in Syria” for people displaced by the violence in order to stem the flow of refugees from the country, a move that would require boots on the ground. Feb. 24, 2017
Headline: Russia Vows To Veto Sanctions On Syria Over Chemical Weapons
Russia says it is ready to veto a draft UN resolution calling for sanctions against Syria over the use of chemical weapons on civilians. “There is an argument that the resolution itself contradicts the fundamental principle of presumption of innocence before the investigation is over,” said Vladimir Safronkov, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, after a Security Council meeting. Safronkov told reporters there is “tremendous pressure” on an inquiry into the use of chemical weapons in Syria to produce a one-sided result. “We will veto it,” Safronkov said of the resolution if it was put to a vote. The inquiry is run jointly by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Russia is the largest international backer of the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. Safronkov’s statement later drew a rebuke from U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-vows-to-veto-sanctions-syria-chemical-weapons/28331004.html
Headline: Syria: ‘Car bomb kills 51’ near al-Bab (Aleppo province) after IS defeat
A car bomb has killed at least 51 people in a rebel-held village near the Syrian town of al-Bab, sources in the region and monitors say. The blast – claimed by Islamic State (IS) militants – destroyed a rebel post in Sousian, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. The village is 8km (five miles) north-west of al-Bab, from which Turkish-backed rebels drove out IS on Thursday. Turkey says the rebels now have “control of all neighbourhoods” there. “Activities continue to clear areas under control of obstacles, mines and hand-made explosives,” the country’s military said. IS claimed the car bomb attack, in a statement carried by its Amaq news outlet. Many civilians were gathering to seek permission to return to al-Bab when the bomb exploded, the opposition-run Qasioun news agency said.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39075851
Headline: Syria Situation Report Feb. 16- Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Feb%2024EDITS%20COT.pdf
Headline: Iraqi forces storm Mosul airport, military base
U.S.-backed Iraqi security forces captured Mosul airport from Islamic State on Thursday, advancing on multiple fronts towards the jihadists’ last major stronghold in the western half of the city. The troops have gained ground rapidly in outlying areas south of the city, Iraq’s second largest, since launching a new phase of a four-month offensive to terminate Islamic State’s territorial holdings in the country. Elite counter terrorism forces joined the battle on Thursday in the southwest, entering the Ghozlani army base and pushing towards the districts of Tal al-Rayyan and al-Mamoun. Federal police and an elite interior ministry unit known as Rapid Response drove Humvees flying Iraqi flags into the perimeter of the airport, and state television later said they had taken full control of the heavily damaged facility. Islamic State fought back with suicide car bombs, drones carrying grenades and mortars, Reuters correspondents in the area said. The burnt corpses of two militants and the motorcycle from which they had fired at Iraqi forces were lying under a tree, apparently hit by an air strike. “Daesh (Islamic State) resistance is not inconsiderable but they are trying to save their strength for inside the city,” First Lieutenant Ahmed al-Ghalabi of the Rapid Response force said outside the airport’s main entrance.
Feb. 23, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-mosul-idUSKBN1620HI?il=0
Headline: Campaign for Mosul Feb. 22-24, 2017
Ezekiel 38:13: “Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’ As the attack begins, we see specific nations that are mentioned which only give their formal protest against the invading armies. The nations which give their formal protest are not engaged in the battle. Sheba and Dedan in verse 13 are modern day Saudi Arabia. Great Britain is what is referred to in the Old Testament as Tarshish. The nations which broke away from Great Britain are the United States, Canada, and Australia; these nations are considered the young lions of Tarshish or Great Britain in modern day terms.
Headline: USA could be ‘associate member’ of Commonwealth to reap rewards from forgotten ‘treasure’
THE United States could eventually become an “associate member” of the Commonwealth, according to plans being drawn up by the Royal Commonwealth Society. The move, which is said to have the backing of the Queen, is believed to have come about because of US President Donald Trump’s love of Britain and the Royal Family. With the UK making plans to leave the European Union (EU) officials are keen to build up international relations through the Commonwealth in an number of areas, including trade. Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society Michael Lake told The Telegraph: “The UK rather left this treasure in the attic, and forgot about it because people were so glued to Brussels.” Mr Lake said the plans had been hastened by the “opportunity of a new president, and the slightly dangerous but great fun opportunity that the ‘Bad Boys of Brexit’ offered”. The director added that opening a branch in the US would help cement ties with America, opening up new connections in Anglo-American relations. Mr Lake wrote a letter to Mr Trump, which was transported by Andrew Wigmore, a close aide to Nigel Farage which was then handed to the US President by the former UKIP leader. Mr Lake wrote in his letter that opening a Commonwealth branch in America would help the UK and the US “find imaginative ways” in which they could work together. The two men, along with businessman Arron Banks visited Mr Trump shortly after his election and Mr Farage continues to have close links with the Republican President. Mr Wigmore is said to be “very positive” by the response from the US.
Feb. 23, 2017
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/771189/Commonweath-United-States-Queen-Donald-Trump-Michael-Lake
Turkey
Headline: Turkey Ramps Up Pressure on Washington to Abandon Syrian Kurds
Top Turkish officials are increasing pressure on the United States to dissolve the American military partnership with Syrian Kurds in the battle against Islamic State. With just days to go before the Pentagon is expected to deliver to U.S. President Donald Trump a new war plan to defeat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, Turkey, a NATO ally, is urging Washington to earmark Syrian opposition groups aligned with Ankara for the push to drive Islamic State militants from their de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. This week, there has been a parade of senior Turkish officials making the point publicly time and again, urging the U.S. to drop its support of the Kurds and exclude the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, from the assault to capture Raqqa. Instead, they want the U.S. to train and arm Syrian militias who have been fighting alongside the Turks in northern Syria in Operation Euphrates Shield, a months-long Turkish intervention in northern Syria west of Raqqa aimed at clearing both IS and the YPG from territory close to the Turkish border.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-ramp-up-pressure-washington-abandon-syrian-kurds/3738502.html
Iran
Headline: Arab countries shouldn’t make peace with Israel, Iran’s president says
Headline: Iran is training its military college students in Syrian war zones
Speaking on Wednesday at a conference in Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged Arab countries not to sign peace agreements with Israel. Rouhani claimed that Arab states, located close to or far from Israel, should not adopt the position that Israel and Zionism are not the enemy of most Muslim countries. He also claimed that the Palestinian issue is the most critical one in the Muslim world. The Iranian president made the speech during the closing ceremony of the two-day “Sixth International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada”. Meanwhile, Iran announced that it sent the officers of Imam Hussein Military University to Syria to be trained in the field in the ranks of the revolutionary guards forces stationed in different parts of the country to fight the opposition factions and suppress the six-year-long uprising of the Syrian people against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. VOA news radio shed light on the comments of General Morteza Safari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, who told Tasnim agency that “about 100 officers from the Imam Hussein faculty, a subsidiary to the Revolutionary Guards, were sent to Syria to train in combat situations.” Safari revealed that a number of students who were sent in the two-month mission have been killed in the battlefield, others were injured, while the rest of them stayed there for a longer period of time.” The Imam Hussein University of the Revolutionary Guards has announced that it sent its students to fight in Syria and Iraq under a dedicated training program to prepare officers.
Feb. 24, 2017
Afghanistan
Headline: Warning Update: The Expansion of ISIS in Northwestern Afghanistan
Headline: Taliban claims it downed Afghan helicopter
ISIS Wilayat Khorasan may be developing a regional powerbase in northwestern Afghanistan. Former Taliban militants operating in the name of ISIS executed international aid workers and held others captive in a prison in Jowzjan Province in February 2017, a step change in ISIS’s operations in Afghanistan. ISIS may increasingly use this hub to regenerate manpower as it suffers losses elsewhere, threatening US and NATO interests in multiple regions across Afghanistan. Malign external actors like Russia and Iran could also use ISIS’s expansion in the region to validate their support of Taliban militants and undermine the U.S. and NATO. The expansion of ISIS’s Caliphate in Afghanistan would grant ISIS an additional logistical hub to receive and train foreign fighters as it becomes more difficult for foreign fighters to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, The Afghan Taliban claimed it shot down an Afghan military helicopter in Kunduz yesterday as it was returning from an operation in the neighboring province of Takhar. Afghan officials later claimed that the helicopter made an “emergency landing” after encountering mechanical problems. In the past, Afghan officials have been less than forthcoming about the loss of aircraft as a result of enemy fire. The Taliban reported yesterday on Voice of Jihad, its official propaganda outlet, that “Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate shot down an enemy attack helicopter Thursday in Dashti Archi district of Kunduz as two of the enemy helicopter gunships were en route back to Kunduz from Takhar.” The Taliban also claimed it “seized” two DShK machine guns from the wreckage.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/warning-update-expansion-isis-northwestern-afghanistan
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/02/taliban-claims-it-downed-afghan-helicopter.php
Libya
Headline: Tripoli fighting continues for second day
Al-Burki and Ganiewa armed brigades continued Friday their heavy exchange of fire in Tripoli for the second day. Both rival groups engaged in heavy street fighting in Abu Salim neighborhood leaving around 10 gunmen from both sides dead. The two warring groups traded accusations over abduction of their fighters, igniting the clashes in densely populated areas. Social media users posted several photos and videos showing the intense exchange of fire and damage caused to civilians’ properties. Ceasefire efforts reached by mediators last night have failed. The Libyan Red Crescent managed to evacuate a family from the clashes zone while many others are still trapped. Ganiewa armed group, which is under the Interior Ministry of Presidency Council, claimed on Friday its control of Al-Burki’s barracks, but the latter was quick to deny this. There was no comment from the UN-installed Presidency Council, but the Salvation Government urged in a statement both sides to stop fighting and called its military units to get ready for intervention to suppress the chaos if both parties refused to comply with the ceasefire calls.
Feb. 24, 2017
https://www.libyaobserver.ly/news/tripoli-fighting-continues-second-day
Morocco
Headline: Morocco urges UN to end Polisario ‘provocation’
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Friday asked the United Nations to take urgent measures to end “provocation” by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front threatening the ceasefire in the disputed Western Sahara. Morocco insists that the former Spanish colony is an integral part of its kingdom, but the Polisario is demanding a referendum on self-determination. The two sides fought for control of the Western Sahara from 1974 to 1991, with Rabat gaining control of the territory before a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect. Mohammed VI spoke on Friday with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to deplore “repeated incursion by armed Polisario men” in the Guerguerat district, a royal court statement said. The king said that Polisario “provocation” and “premeditated” action in the region took place a month before Morocco rejoined the African Union in January. Morocco had quit the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 after the bloc admitted the former Western Sahara as a separate member. Mohammed VI urged Guterres to “take urgent and necessary measures to put an end to this inadmissable situation which is seriously threatening the (1991) ceasefire and placing regional stability at risk,” the statement said.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4257884/Morocco-urges-UN-end-Polisario-provocation.html
Headline: Outsourced protests bring ‘threat of violence’ to GOP town halls
Headline: French voters call on Barack Obama to run in country’s presidential election
Headline: When will Obama the Revolutionary Renegade strike?
Headline: Bernie Sanders: Town hall protests are just the beginning
Organized leftist protesters who are “bent on dividing the nation” are engaging in “political thuggery” and sabotaging Republican town hall events, GOP congressmen say. Thousands of leftists, as part of a nationwide “storm-the-town-halls” strategy, organized by groups like the George Soros-funded MoveOn.org, are creating media buzz as they shout down lawmakers at the GOP town halls, Valerie Richardson reported for The Washington Times on Feb. 22. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas and other Republicans are opting during the congressional recess for town halls conducted by phone, at least “until the threat of violence at town hall meetings recedes,” he said. “Unfortunately, at this time there are groups from the more violent strains of the leftist ideology, some even being paid, who are preying on public town halls to wreak havoc and threaten public safety,” Gohmert said in a letter to his constituents. “The concerns are more than hypothetical,” Richardson’s report said, noting that the 71-year-old district director for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, “hit her head, fainted and was hospitalized” Feb. 14 after activists with Indivisible, a new protest group, tried to force open the office door. A 2-year-old girl was also knocked down in the tussle. Furious, Rohrabacher blasted the protesters as “part of a nationwide, anti-Trump mobilization” who are “engaged in political thuggery, pure and simple.”
Feb. 23, 2017
http://www.worldtribune.com/outsourced-protests-bring-threats-of-violence-to-gop-town-halls/
http://canadafreepress.com/article/when-will-obama-the-revolutionary-renegade-strike
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/politics/bernie-sanders-republican-town-halls/
Headline: South Africa clashes at anti-foreigner protest in Pretoria
South African police have used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds at an anti-immigrant march in the capital, Pretoria. A low-flying police helicopter was deployed to break up a stand-off between local protesters and foreigners, with both groups armed with sticks, bricks and knives. President Jacob Zuma said the protests were “anti-crime” not “anti-foreigner”. Many unemployed South Africans accuse migrants of taking their jobs. Mr Zuma has condemned recent acts of violence and intimidation directed at African immigrants living in South Africa. Earlier this week, angry mobs attacked Nigerians and looted shops belonging to Somalis, Pakistani and other migrants in townships around Pretoria and parts of Johannesburg. “They [foreigners] should know that this they are a guest in my house. I am treating them with respect. They should treat me with respect,” one angry protester told the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko at the scene. Nigerians in South Africa were “notorious” for dealing drugs, he added, calling for greater checks on foreigners coming into the country.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39076751
Headline: Pakistan blast: At least eight dead in Lahore
At least eight people have been killed by an explosion in the Pakistani city of Lahore, officials say. The blast, which ripped through a shopping area, injured dozens more. Initial reports suggested an electricity generator exploded, but police later said that it may have been a bomb. Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bombings claimed by Islamist militant groups in recent days. There was no immediate claim for the latest blast. It happened in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority suburb. Television footage showed buildings, cars and motorbikes damaged by the explosion. The provincial Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said that investigators had found traces of explosive material at the site and were trying to establish how and why it was in the building.
Feb. 23, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39062521
Headline: China builds shelters for missile systems in South China Sea
Headline: US Flexes Its Military Muscle Off China
China has built structures to house surface-to-air missile systems at three outposts in the disputed Spratly Islands, according to a U.S. think tank. Satellite images of the islands analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies show Beijing may have started construction on the buildings between late September and early November 2016. The timing of the expansion “indicates they are not reactions to the political cycle in Washington, but rather part of a steady pattern of Chinese militarization,” according to CSIS. The presence of SAM batteries on the islands would strengthen China’s defense capabilities throughout the nine-dash line, a demarcation line used by China to claim large areas of the South China Sea. A total of eight buildings have been completed, with each structure measuring about 66 feet in length and 33 feet in width. “This could allow transporter-erector-launcher vehicles carrying missiles – like the HQ-9 SAM systems China has already deployed on Woody Island [in the Paracels] – stationed within the structures to fire from inside without exposing themselves,” according to CSIS.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-flexes-its-military-muscle-off-china/ar-AAnk76Y?li=BBnb7Kz
Headline: Trump vows military build-up during CPAC speech
US President Donald Trump said he would make a massive budget request for one of the “greatest military buildups in American history” on Friday in a feisty, campaign-style speech extolling robust nationalism to eager conservative activists. Trump used remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an organization that gave him one of his first platforms in his improbable journey to the US presidency, to defend his unabashed “America first” policies. Ahead of a nationally televised speech to Congress on Tuesday, Trump outlined plans for strengthening the US military, already the world’s most powerful fighting force, and other initiatives such as tax reform and regulatory rollback. Trump said he would aim to upgrade the military in both offensive and defensive capabilities, with a massive spending request to Congress that would make the country’s defense “bigger and better and stronger than ever before.” “And, hopefully, we’ll never have to use it, but nobody is going to mess with us. Nobody. It will be one of the greatest military buildups in American history,” Trump said.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-vows-military-build-up-during-CPAC-speech-482532
Headline: Royal Bank of Scotland losses more than treble to £7bn
Royal Bank of Scotland has reported a £7bn annual loss as past problems continue to dog its performance. The deficit is more than treble 2015’s loss of £2bn. It is the ninth year in a row RBS has failed to make a profit. The loss came as the bank set aside more money to deal with legal action in the US and its abandoned attempt to spin off its Williams & Glyn business. RBS plans to cut costs by £2bn over the next four years, which will mean job cuts and further branch closures. Chief executive Ross McEwan told the BBC the cost cuts were “huge, and unfortunately there will be job losses amongst that”. “Branches have been closing and will continue to close. The shape of a branch is changing, and what people do in a branch is changing,” he added. The bank – which is 72%-government owned – has racked up more than £50bn of losses since the £45.5bn taxpayer bailout during the financial crisis.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39074461
February 18, 2017 – Dolphin and whale deaths rise fivefold with 56 mammals washing up on beaches in Ireland
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/dolphin-and-whale-deaths-rise-fivefold-with-56-mammals-washing-up-on-beaches-443235.html
February 19, 2017 – Dead fish found floating in the waters of Saguling, Indonesia
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jawapos.com%2Fread%2F2017%2F02%2F19%2F110785%2Fsatu-ton-ikan-nila-di-waduk-saguling-mati&edit-text=&act=url
February 19, 2017 – Hundreds of dead fish wash up on a lake in Minnesota
http://www.kare11.com/news/fish-kill-luring-onlookers-to-lake-minnetonka/409606767
February 20, 2017 – 10,000 freshwater fish species found dead at Lake Oanab Namibia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnYinn69tfo
February 21, 2017 – Dozens of dead sea birds found along the coast in Puerto Natales, Chile
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fradiopolar.com%2Fnoticia_129123.html&edit-text=&act=url
February 21, 2017 – Bird flu returns to Vietnam; outbreaks kill thousands of poultry
http://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/bird-flu-returns-to-vietnam-outbreaks-kill-thousands-of-poultry-3544433.html
February 21, 2017 – 600k ducks to be slaughtered in France due to bird flu
https://www.rt.com/news/378120-france-kills-foiegras-ducks/
February 21, 2017 – More than 500 waterfowl found dead near Parma Idaho
http://www.idahopress.com/news/local/more-than-waterfowl-found-dead-near-parma/article_b97c2bc7-5742-5890-b877-abb34fb86dea.html
February 21, 2017 – China’s H7N9 bird flu mutates, no immediate added threat to human
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-02/21/c_136071472.htm
February 22, 2017 – Massive fish die off in lake Eber in Afyon Province, Turkey
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hurriyet.com.tr%2Feberde-toplu-balik-olumleri-40371476&edit-text=&act=url
February 22, 2017 – Thousands of birds slaughtered in South Korea avian flu outbreak
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/02/22/Thousands-of-birds-slaughtered-in-South-Korea-avian-flu-outbreak/6441487788454/
February 22, 2017 – 6 tons of tilapia die in South Cotabato Philippines
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/21/17/6-tons-of-tilapia-die-in-south-cotabato-fish-kill
February 22, 2017 – Dolphin ‘massacre’ claim as 100 wash up in eight weeks in Cornwall England
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/dolphin-massacre-claim-as-100-wash-up-in-eight-weeks/story-30155876-detail/story.html
Headline: Chicago Has Deadliest Day of 2017, Seven Killed, Including Pregnant Woman
After suffering its most dangerous year for decades, Chicago is already on track for an even worse year of bloodshed, murder, and crime as Tuesday counted seven dead in a single day. The victims included a pregnant woman. Just after 9 PM on February 22, Chicago police found a 20-year-old man and a pregnant woman shot in the city’s Chatham neighborhood, Chicago’s WGN TV reported. The man was found shot in a parked car and the woman was discovered lying on a sidewalk. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital but both were pronounced dead. The male shooting victim was a known gang member. The name of the female victim is not being released. Thus far this year, Chicago has already suffered 99 homicides with 94 of those deaths by firearm. 2017 is also already ahead of 2016 with over 400 shooting victims. By the end of February last year the city saw only 202 shootings with 46 dead.
Feb. 23, 2017
Headline: Witches Casting ‘Mass Spell’ On Donald Trump
Witches of the world are uniting against the President of the United States, and it might just spark off a war of spells vs. prayers. A document has been circulating around the internet recently, detailing a “A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him (version 2.0).” Presumably, version 1.0 was unsuccessful, but witches are nothing if not resilient. While the instructions don’t give a clear idea of what the spell is supposed to do or what ‘binding’ Trump will accomplish, it is very inclusive. “This binding spell is open source, and may be modified to fit your preferred spiritual practice or magical system,” the description reads. The spell is scheduled to be cast on Friday, Feb. 24 at midnight, and is counting on “the mass energy of participants” nationwide to be effective. In addition to some incantations, the spell involves “an unflattering picture of trump (small),” a “tiny stub of an orange candle,” and an “ashtray or dish of sand.”
Feb. 23, 2017
https://www.yahoo.com/news/witches-worldwide-plan-cast-spell-213014852.html
Headline: Pope Praises ‘Precious’ Torah to Rabbis, Calls for Interfaith ‘Covenant’
Headline: Pope Francis: ‘Better to Be an Atheist’ Than a Hypocritical Catholic
Pope Francis on Thursday received a group of Rabbis led by his long time friend from Buenos Aires, Rabbi Abraham Skorka, Vatican Radio reported. The delegation offered a new edition of the Torah. “The Torah, which Saint John Paul II called ‘the living teaching of the living God’ (Address for the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Declaration “Nostra Aetate”, 6 December 1990, manifests the paternal and visceral love of God, a love shown in words and concrete gestures, a love that becomes covenant. The very word covenant is resonant with associations that bring us together. God is the greatest and most faithful covenantal partner. He called Abraham in order to form from him a people who would become a blessing for all peoples of the earth. God desires a world in which men and women are bound to him and as a result live in harmony among themselves and with creation. “The fraternal and institutional dialogue between Jews and Christians is now well-established and effective, made so by encounters that are ongoing and collaborative. The gift that you are making to me today is fully a part of this dialogue, which finds expression not only in words but also in gestures. The extensive introduction to the text and the editor’s note emphasize this dialogical approach and communicate a cultural vision of openness, mutual respect and peace that accords with the spiritual message of the Torah. The important religious figures who have worked on this new edition have paid special attention both to the literary aspect of the text and to the full-color illustrations that add further value to the publication.
Feb. 24, 2017
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/84113/pope-francis-praises-precious-torah-summit-rabbis/
http://www.voanews.com/a/pope-francis-better-atheist-than-hypocritical-catholic/3737911.html
Headline: Christians flee Egypt’s Sinai after militant killings
Suspected Islamic militants gunned down a Christian man inside his home in northern Sinai, officials and a priest said Friday, the latest in a string of sectarian killings there that has sent hundreds of Christians fleeing and raised accusations the government is failing to protect the community. The militants stormed the home of Kamel Youssef, a plumber, on Thursday and shot him to death in front of his wife and children in the town of el-Arish, said two security officials and the priest. The officers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters, as did the priest, fearing retaliation by militants. The priest said initial reports that the man’s daughter was kidnapped and killed turned out to be incorrect. No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. But Egypt’s Islamic State group affiliate, which is based in the Sinai Peninsula and which in December carried out a devastating suicide bombing against a Cairo church, vowed in a video earlier this week to step up attacks against the embattled Coptic Christian minority. It described them as “infidels” empowering the West against Muslims. That stoked panic among Christians, who before Thursday’s death had already seen six members of their community killed in recent weeks. Over the past two days, around 75 Christian families — hundreds of people — have arrived from Sinai in the city of Ismailia on the Suez Canal, according to Mina Thabet, a researcher with the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms who visited the families.
Feb. 24, 2017
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/02/24/christians-flee-egypts-sinai-after-militant-killings.html
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Headline: What’s shaking? 
List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~
