March 1, 2017- Islam Set To Overtake Christianity As Most Popular Religion
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Headline: 27 days after Amona, police evacuate 9 Ofra homes
Headline: Amona HQ announces hunger strike
Hundreds of activists from Ofra, the broader Judea and Samaria region and from around Israel confronted police personnel and in some cases actively fought with them in protest at the evacuation and pending destruction of nine houses in the settlement. Emotions among the home owners and protesters were high especially coming so swiftly on the heels of the evacuation and destruction of the Amona outpost earlier this month. Some of the former residents of Amona went to Ofra to protest the destruction of the houses there. At least eight policemen were injured, two of whom were taken to hospital for treatment, while at least two protesters were arrested for attacking police personnel. After eight of the homes were evacuated by the early afternoon, several hundred protesters, some who had been extracted by police from other houses, packed themselves into every room of the final house, filling up the staircase, the balconies and taking up position on the roof as well. During the evacuation of this house, 18 protesters were injured, most of whom were minors, a spokesperson for the Binyamin municipal region said, and were treated at a medical site in Ofra. Two others were sent to hospital for treatment, one, a 14-year old, with injuries to his hand. Although the evacuation was mostly non-violent, large numbers of the protesters refused to leave of their own volition and had to be forcibly removed, in many cases requiring four policemen or women to take out each activist.
Feb. 28, 2017
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/225838
Lebanon
Headline: Hezbollah Threatens Israel With Sign on Lebanese Border
A large sign was recently placed on the Israel-Lebanon border that threatened retaliation against Israel for killing Hezbollah terrorists, the Israeli news website NRG reported Monday. The sign featured the words “the account is not settled” alongside three images of Hezbollah commanders, including Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in 2008 by a bomb believed to have been planted by Israel. The sign also displayed a map of routes that the Iran-backed terror group could take to infiltrate villages in northern Israel. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed two years ago that the next time Hezbollah attacked Israel, it would “enter into Galilee and…go even beyond the Galilee.” Lebanese media reported earlier this month that Hezbollah had dug tunnels and acquired “game-changing” weapons on Israel’s northern border. The Israel Defense Forces has adapted its strategy to counter Hezbollah efforts to infiltrate Israel by land or by sea, and has built physical obstacles to make it harder for Hezbollah to enter the country. Israeli security forces broke up a terror plot in the Golan Heights in October after a farmer stumbled over a cache of explosives.
Feb. 28, 2017
http://www.thetower.org/4650-hezbollah-threatens-israel-with-sign-on-lebanese-border/
Headline: Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria sanctions
Headline: US to persuade EU partners to sanction Syria over alleged chemical attacks
Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a UN resolution backed by Western powers that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use. The measure drafted by Britain, France and the United States won nine votes in favour at the Security Council while three countries opposed it — China, Russia and Bolivia. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt abstained. UN resolutions require nine positive votes and no veto to be adopted. It was the seventh time that Russia, Syria’s top military ally, has used its veto power to shield the Damascus regime. China, also one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, has joined Russia in vetoing six resolutions on Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that imposing sanctions on Syria during ongoing peace talks in Geneva was “completely inappropriate” and would undermine the effort to end Syria’s nearly six-year war. “This resolution is very appropriate,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council after the measure was defeated in the vote. “It is a sad day on the Security Council when members start making excuses for other member states killing their own people.” “The world is definitely a more dangerous place,” she said. The resolution would have put 11 Syrians, mainly military commanders, and 10 entities linked to chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015 on a UN sanctions blacklist.
March 1, 2017
http://jordantimes.com/news/region/russia-china-veto-un-resolution-syria-sanctions
Headline: The Arab Summit may bury hatchet with Assad
Secret contacts currently underway ahead of the Arab League summit later this month may bring about a sea change in the Arab world’s relationship with Syrian President Bashar Assad, debkafile’s sources report. On Saturday, Feb. 25, Egypt’s parliamentary committee for Arab affairs called for the return of Syria to the Arab League. This step symbolized an initiative launched by a number of leaders to invite Syrian President Bashar Assad to the March 29 Arab Summit in Amman – five years after Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League over the savage civil war then at its height. Three leaders are spearheading the moves for Assad’s reacceptance by the Arab community, whether together or separately: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah. All three hope to see a historic handshake and greetings between Assad and Saudi King Salman. This would signify the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia which backed the Syrian rebels, and the Assad regime. But for Assad, it would mark collective Arab recognition of his personal victory, when few expected him to come out alive from the nearly seven sevens of cruel warfare, first sparked by the Arab Spring of December 2010. Putin’s interest in this epic event is self-evident. When he launched a major Russian intervention in the Syrian war in September 2015, President Barack Obama predicted that the Russian army would sink in the Syrian quagmire. The Russian leader proved him wrong, and his reputation in the Arab world would soar if he coujld persuade King Salman to accept Assad’s return to the Arab summit.
March 1, 2017
http://debka.com/article/25944/The-Arab-Summit-may-bury-hatchet-with-Assad
Headline: Damascus opens up trade route with Kurds in northern Syria
Following a huge advance in eastern Aleppo, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has officially linked up with the ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) and a region dubbed Rojava by Kurdish politicians vying for an independent Kurdistan in northern Syria. Effectively, Kurdish residents are able to reach the isolated Sheikh Maqsoud district in Aleppo city while family members of SAA troops stationed around Hasakah and Qamishli can visit their relatives for the first time since 2012. With trade flowing between Kurdish-held and Syrian-held areas of the country for the first time ever, the SAA and SDF are also supporting each other militarily on the battlefield in eastern Aleppo due to the aforementioned parties sharing common foes; namely, the Turkish Armed Forces and ISIS. Next up, the SDF and SAA will try to expand their narrow trade route to secure safe passage of goods and supply trucks. Should government forces expel Turkish troops from Al-Bab, this would secure the M4-Highway between Manbij and Aleppo for future trade. Nevertheless, the Syrian Government remains opposed to the concept of Rojava and an independent Kurdish state in northern Syria.
Feb. 28, 2017
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/damascus-opens-trade-route-kurds-northern-syria/
Headline: Turkey, Syrian rebels attack US-allied militia in Aleppo province
Headline: Turkish Army seizes two villages from Kurdish forces amid push towards Manbij
Headline: US State Senator: Turkey wants to annex northern Syria
The Turkish army and allied Syrian rebels attacked villages held by U.S.-allied militias near the city of Manbij in northern Syria on Wednesday, a spokesman for the militias said, an escalation of Turkey’s military campaign in the border area. There was no immediate comment from Turkey, which is waging its “Euphrates Shield” campaign with Syrian rebels to drive both Islamic State and Kurdish militias away from the frontier. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said this week Manbij was the next target of the campaign following the capture of al-Bab from Islamic State last week. The new attack focused on a string of villages controlled by the Manbij Military Council, part of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, the spokesman for the Manbij Military Council told Reuters. “There is a very big attack by the Euphrates Shield and Turkish army on the villages and areas of the Manbij Military Council,” Sharfan Darwish said. He named eight villages some 27 km (17 miles) west of Manbij. “There are fierce clashes … and heavy artillery bombardment.” The fighting was the fiercest between the two sides since August last year, when Turkey and the rebels fought SDF-allied groups in an advance towards Manbij from the Turkish border. The area has been mostly calm since a ceasefire that month which the United States helped to broker. An upsurge in fighting between sides supported by two powerful NATO members will pose even more of a challenge for U.S. strategy in the battle against Islamic State, and further complicate northern Syria’s already crowded battlefield.
March 1, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-north-idUSKBN1684SB
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-state-senator-turkey-wants-annex-northern-syria/
Headline: Syrian Army retakes Palmyra citadel from ISIS – sources to RT (Homs Province)
Syrian government forces and their allies have liberated the Palmyra citadel located on a hill overlooking the town from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, sources tell RT. “Pro-government forces are now in control of several strategic mountains that are overlooking the ancient city of Palmyra. They also have under their control the famous citadel,” RT’s Lizzie Phelan reports, citing sources that are in direct contact with the army command center on the Palmyra front. The Syrian Army does not have any forces stationed in the citadel, as it is filled with improvised explosive devices, but it is under their control, she added. The Syrian Army took control over “the heights surrounding the historic citadel of Palmyra and as well as the SyriaTel hill after Islamic State militants abruptly left the area,” a field commander told RIA Novosti. As a result, Palmyra is now “at a stone throw” from the Syrian Army, which is rapidly advancing towards the city, the commander added. The army is now storming a hotel district in the southwestern part of Palmyra, RIA Novosti reports, citing a source.
March 1, 2017
https://www.rt.com/news/379073-syrian-palmyra-citadel-isis/
Headline: UN: 8,000 people flee West Mosul as fight against ISIS intensifies
Headline: ISIS using more suicide vehicles and armed drones in Mosul
Headline: Iraqi army controls main roads out of Mosul, trapping ISIS
The UN has said that over 8,000 people have fled the intense clashes between ISIS and Iraqi forces in West Mosul. The UN’s humanitarian aid agency said on Tuesday that it will set up displacement camps for the people escaping the fighting. “So far today (Tuesday), we have around 300 displaced people — men and women and children,” said Brigadier General Salman Hashem of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service. “There are more coming. They’re stopped at a checkpoint when they arrive and separated. The men are searched and then checked against a database,” he added.
March 1, 2017
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/un-8000-people-flee-west-mosul-fight-isis-intensifies/
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4929143,00.html
Headline: Iraq Situation Report Feb. 17-28, 2017
http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/iraq%20SITREP%202017-02-28%20PDF.pdf
Turkey
Headline: Iran, Turkey presidents meet to defuse tensions
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Wednesday to improve ties, including in the fight against terrorism, Iran’s state news agency IRNA said, following some angry exchanges between the regional rivals. Tehran and Ankara support opposite sides in the conflict in Syria. Largely Shi’ite Muslim Iran backs the government of President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey, which is majority Sunni, has backed elements of the Syrian opposition. Last month Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu both accused Iran of trying to destabilize Syria and Iraq and of sectarianism, prompting Tehran to summon Ankara’s ambassador. In an apparent response to Ankara’s accusations, Rouhani was quoted by IRNA as saying on Wednesday: “Iran supports the territorial integrity of regional countries … especially Iraq and Syria.” “Resolving political differences (between Iran and Turkey) can lead to regional stability,” Rouhani was quoted as saying at his meeting with Erdogan, on the sidelines of an economic cooperation summit in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Regional rivalry between Iran and Turkey is nothing new, but political analysts have linked Ankara’s tougher rhetoric to U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to the Middle East.
March 1, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-turkey-diplomacy-idUSKBN1684K6
Afghanistan
Headline: ‘Taliban infiltrator’ aids police killing in Helmand province
Headline: Dozens Of Police Killed In Coordinated Attacks
Headline: Another northern Afghan district falls to the Taliban
Twelve policemen have been killed in an “insider attack” in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, officials say. A police source told the BBC that an infiltrator from the Taliban had allowed militants into the outpost in the regional capital, Lashkar Gah. The infiltrator fled with the Taliban. Other reports said the infiltrator killed the policemen himself. A spokesperson for the provincial governor confirmed the attack, but did not provide details. Local television news reported that the Taliban seized weapons and ammunition from the scene, and that a local hospital had confirmed receipt of at least 11 bodies. But a Helmand police official made no mention of a Taliban infiltrator in his comments on the attack. “The Taliban attacked a guard with silenced guns and then entered the check post,” Helmand deputy police chief Haji Gulai told Reuters news agency. “They attacked other policemen with hand grenades and killed all of them. They later took their weapons and ammunition and escaped.”
Feb. 28, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39112831
Headline: Blasts, gunfire rock Afghan capital
A pair of suicide bombings, both claimed by the Taliban, struck the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, an Afghan official said. Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said that one bomber targeted the gates of a police station in western Kabul as part of a coordinated attack and that a gunbattle between police and an unknown number of armed attackers was ongoing. Mohibullah Zeer, a Public Health Ministry official, said that one person was killed and at least 37 wounded. Meanwhile a second suicide bomber on foot carried out another attack in eastern Kabul, targeting an office belonging to the national intelligence service. Danish said two people were wounded in that attack. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for both attacks.
March 1, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1061551/world
Libya
Headline: Kremlin Condemns NATO’s ‘Barbaric’ Libya Intervention Ahead of PM Visit
The Kremlin has revived its criticism of the U.S.-led intervention in Libya, days ahead of a possible visit by the war-torn north African country’s prime minister, state news agency Itar-Tass reports. The NATO operation in 2011 toppled Libyan authoritarian leader Muammar al-Qaddafi quickly but the limited planning for rebuilding the country politically resulted in a collapse into civil war. Islamist extremist groups have risen to prominence in the country and ex-U.S. President Barack Obama pointed to the lack of planning as his worst mistake in his last year in office. Russia was opposed to the move though did not block the resolution for an intervention in the United Nations Security Council. Regardless, Libya has become the Kremlin’s standard example of Western inadequacy in the Middle East. Monday Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman gave yet another clue that Moscow intends to play a role in restoring a strong regime in the country.
March 1, 2017
http://www.newsweek.com/kremlin-condemns-natos-barbaric-libya-intervention-ahead-pm-visit-562507
Tunisia
Headline: Tunisia troops take fight to jihadists
Soldiers shot dead two suspected jihadists in the mountainous Kasserine region of central Tunisia, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. It said more might have been killed on Tuesday evening but the operation on Mount Sammama was still continuing so it was a preliminary toll. Tunisian media cited military sources as saying that as many as seven suspected jihadists might have been killed. A hospital source in Kasserine said one soldier had suffered a bullet wound. Mount Sammama is adjacent to Mount Chaambi, considered to be the main rear base of the jihadists near the border with Algeria. Soldiers shot dead two suspected jihadists in the same area on February 17. Since its 2011 revolution, Tunisia has experienced an increase in jihadist attacks that have cost the lives of dozens of members of the security forces and also 59 foreign tourists.
March 1, 2017
http://www.enca.com/africa/tunisia-troops-take-fight-to-jihadists
Armenia
Headline: Armenia-backed separatists say one soldier killed in clashes with Azeri forces
Armenian-backed separatists said on Wednesday one of their soldiers was killed in clashes with Azeri forces along the boundary with the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. Clashes over control of the region, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, have stoked fears of a wider conflict breaking out in the South Caucasus, which is crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines. Nagorno-Karabakh’s self-declared defence ministry said Azeri forces had been violating ceasefire agreements since the morning. The Azeri defence ministry said that their forces detected and destroyed some Armenian combat vehicles during a manoeuvre. “The Armenian armed forces have been suffering losses, mainly mercenaries of Armenian origin,” the Azeri defence ministry said in a statement. Five Azeri soldiers were killed in clashes with Armenian-backed separatists last week and both sides have been accusing each other of an attempted incursion.
March 1, 2017
http://news.trust.org/item/20170301185653-luxad
Headline: Islam Set To Overtake Christianity As Most Popular Religion
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and will overtake Christianity as the most popular before the end of this century, according to an analysis of religious surveys published Tuesday by the Pew Research Center. With 1.6 billion, Muslims made up 23 percent of the world’s population, according to a 2010 Pew estimate. That figure was still some way short of the 2.2 billion Christians which comprised 31 percent of the population. However, by 2050 there could be near parity between the numbers of adherents of the two religions for the first time in history. The reasons for this rapid growth are thought to be the greater number of children Muslims have compared to other religious groups and the comparatively young age of Muslims. The largest percentage of Muslims are currently in the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the Middle East and North Africa. Indonesia currently has the largest number of Muslims of any country, but that title could be taken by India by 2050. By that point, it is also projected that Muslims will also make up 10 percent of Europe’s population.
Feb. 28, 2017
Headline: Bloody Islamic State video puts China in cross-hairs
Islamic State militants from China’s Uighur ethnic minority have vowed to return home and “shed blood like rivers”, according to a jihadist-tracking firm, in what experts said marked the first IS threat against Chinese targets. The threat came in a half-hour video released Monday by a division of the Islamic State in western Iraq and featuring militants from China’s Uighur ethnic group, said the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which analysed the footage. China has for years blamed exiled Uighur “separatists” for a series of violent attacks in its western Xinjiang region — the Uighur homeland — and warned of the potential for militants to link up with global jihadist groups. In the video, a Uighur fighter issued the threat against China just before executing an alleged informant. “Oh, you Chinese who do not understand what people say! We are the soldiers of the Caliphate, and we will come to you to clarify to you with the tongues of our weapons, to shed blood like rivers and avenging the oppressed,” according to SITE’s translation. A traditionally Muslim group, many Uighurs complain of cultural and religious repression and discrimination by China. It appears to be the Islamic State’s “first direct threat” against China, Dr. Michael Clarke, an expert on Xinjiang at the National Security College of Australian National University, told AFP.
March 1, 2017
Headline: PAC-3 missiles deployed on Taiwan’s east coast ‘in response to Chinese military strategy’
One of the world’s most powerful air defense missile systems, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), has been stationed on Taiwan’s east coast, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a report, citing China’s “changing military strategy.” The ministry confirmed that (PAC-3) missile systems were moved to the area of Hualien and Taitung to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself in the event of an attack, Taiwan’s national news agency, CNA, reported. It is the first time Taiwan’s military has acknowledged stationing the missiles in the scantly populated Hualien and Taitung areas, according to Taiwan News. Until now, Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems were believed to have been located close to the populous cities of Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung, the newspaper said. The MND said in a report that Taiwan’s military is determined to boost its combat readiness through innovations in military drills and training, deployment of military forces, and enhanced exchanges between various branches of the armed forces, in light of increased military spending by China, CNA reported. Taiwan’s armed forces will be conducting routine patrols, air force training sessions, and joint air-naval exercises to enhance their ability to protect the fishing rights and safety of Taiwanese fishermen in the South China Sea, Taiwan’s national news agency said, citing the ministry’s report.
March 1, 2017
https://www.rt.com/news/379055-pac-missiles-taiwan-china/
Headline: NY Teamsters Pension Becomes First To Run Out Of Money As Expert Warns “Pension Tsunami” Is Coming
The New York Teamsters Road Carriers Local 707 Pension Fund has won the unfortunate award for “First Pension to Officially Run Out of Money.” According to the New York Daily News, and a host of angry former truck drivers who’ve had their pension benefits slashed, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) has officially been forced to step in and take over payments to retirees of the Local 707, albeit at a much lower rate. Teamsters Local 707’s pension fund is the first to officially bottom out financially — which happened this month. “I had a union job for 30 years,” Chmil said. “We had collectively bargained contracts that promised us a pension. I paid into it with every paycheck. Everyone told us, ‘Don’t worry, you have a union job, your pension is guaranteed.’ Well, so much for that.” “It’s a nightmare, it has just devastated all of our lives. I’ve gone from having $48,000 a year to less than half that,” said Chmil, one of five Local 707 retirees who agreed to share their stories with the Daily News last week. “I don’t want other people to have to go through this. We need everyone to wake up and do something; that’s why we’re talking,” said Ray Narvaez. Of course, the Teamsters 707 and other Teamster pension boards attempted to submit plans that would have cut benefits in order to prolong payments to retirees but those plans were universally rejected by the Obama administration…better that the pensions just run out of cash completely. Per Pensions & Investments: The Obama administration is in denial about the necessity of cutting pension benefits under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014 to try to put distressed multiemployer plans on sounder financial footings and make them more sustainable. It must face reality and order the Treasury Department to stop blocking action. So far the department, required under the act to approve proposed reductions, has rejected proposals by the Teamsters Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Plan and the Road Carriers Local 707 Pension Fund. Ten plans total have applied for cuts, including the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund, Syracuse, whose Aug. 31 application is too new to be listed on the Treasury’s website. The Road Carriers 707 application stated that the plan projects it will become insolvent in February — only about five months away — absent suspension of benefits. As desperate as the plan’s financial situation appears to be, the Treasury denied the application.
Feb. 28, 2017
Headline: More Austerity Looms as Greece, Lenders Resume Bailout Talks
Greece and its lenders resumed a long-stalled review of its bailout Tuesday, with the government in Athens braced to commit to yet more austerity in exchange for the funds the country needs to remain solvent. The review has dragged on for months, partly because of a rift between the European Union and the International Monetary Fund over Greece’s fiscal goals and prospects next year — when the current rescue program expires — and beyond. To help break the impasse, the leftist-led government last week agreed to pre-legislate economic reforms, including cuts in income tax breaks and pensions, to come into effect from the start of 2019, the year the next parliamentary elections are due. The IMF, still undecided on whether to participate in what is Greece’s third rescue package, says Athens cannot meet its targets unless it is granted further debt relief and adopts extra belt-tightening measures. Greece’s European lenders, notably Germany, oppose debt relief.
Feb. 28, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/more-austerity-looms-greece-lenders-resume-bailout-talks/3744577.html
Headline: Venezuela is down to its last $10 billion
Venezuela only has $10.5 billion in foreign reserves left, according to its most recent central bank data. For rest of the year, Venezuela owes roughly $7.2 billion in outstanding debt payments. In 2011, Venezuela had roughly $30 billion in reserves. In 2015, it had $20 billion. The trend can’t persist much longer, but it’s hard to know exactly when Venezuela will run completely out of cash. “The question is: Where is the floor?” says Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America fixed income strategy at Nomura Holdings. “If oil prices stagnate and foreign reserves reach zero, then the clock is going to start on a default.” According to the country’s recently released 2016 financial report, about $7.7 billion of its remaining $10.5 billion of reserves is in gold. To make debt payments in the past year, Venezuela shipped gold to Switzerland. The thinning reserves paint a scary financial picture as the country faces a humanitarian crisis sparked by an economic meltdown. Venezuelans are suffering massive food and medical shortages, as well as skyrocketing grocery prices.
March 1, 2017
http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/01/news/economy/venezuela-cash/index.html
Headline: Somalia President Declares Drought a National Disaster
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has declared a state of disaster as the Horn of Africa nation struggles with a severe drought and food crisis. According to the United Nations, the crisis in Somalia threatens 6.2 million people, more than half the population. Conditions are driest in the north. Crop production and livestock numbers have fallen sharply after back-to-back poor rainy seasons last year. Last week, U.N. aid agencies warned there is only a two-month window to avert a catastrophe in Somalia. The World Health Organization says the current drought conditions are also causing the spread of disease. It says that since early January, more than 6,000 cases of cholera have been reported, as well as more than 2,500 cases of suspected measles. The United Nations has launched $825 million appeal for Somalia to cover the first half of 2017.
Feb. 28, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/somalia-drought/3743540.html
February 23, 2017 – Massive die off of fish in a river in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/173282/mass-fish-death-in-thanh-hoa-province-sparked-pollution-concerns.html
February 25, 2017 – More than a thousand heads of livestock have died in Tehuantepec, Mexico
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fimparcialoaxaca.mx%2Fistmo%2FgUo%2Fhan-muerto-m%25C3%25A1s-de-mil-cabezas-de-ganado&edit-text=&act=url
February 25, 2017 – Hundreds of dead fish appear on beaches in Uruguay due to heat wave in Montevideo, Uruguay
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnoticieros.televisa.com%2Fultimas-noticias%2Finternacional%2F2017-02-25%2Faparecen-cientos-peces-muertos-playas-uruguay-ola-calor%2F&edit-text=&act=url
February 27, 2017 – The outbreak of bird flu forced the slaughter of birds on two other farms in Sant Gregori Spain
http://translate.google.com/translate?act=url&depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=auto&sp=nmt1&tl=en&u=http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/medio-ambiente/gripe-aviar-sacrificio-patos-granjas-sant-gregori-5864708
February 27, 2017 – Bird Flu Kills 42,000 Birds During Attacks On Plateau Farms Nigeria
https://www.360nobs.com/2017/02/bird-flu-kills-42000-birds-attacks-plateau-farms/
February 27, 2017 – Thousands of fish were killed on the banks of the Magdalena River Colombia
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnoticias.caracoltv.com%2Fmedellin%2Festa-es-la-razon-por-la-que-miles-de-peces-resultaron-muertos-en-riberas-del-rio-magdalena&edit-text=&act=url
February 28, 2017 – Fourth dead whale washes ashore in Virginia
http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/virginia/2017/02/28/whale-washes-ashore-assateague/98518324/
February 28, 2017 – Major fish kill in Nowendoc River New South Wales, Australia
http://www.gloucesteradvocate.com.au/story/4496754/major-fish-kill-in-nowendoc-river/
February 28, 2017 – Hungary, Romania report more H5N8 as Korea details H5N6 virus
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2017/02/hungary-romania-report-more-h5n8-korea-details-h5n6-virus
February 28, 2017 – Due to the heat, about 200 cows died in La Pampa Argentina
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.minutouno.com%2Fnotas%2F1538959-por-el-calor-murieron-cerca-200-vacas-la-pampa&edit-text=&act=url
February 28, 2017 – State wildlife officials report 4,200 waterfowl deaths caused by avian cholera, Idaho
http://www.idahopress.com/news/local/state-wildlife-officials-report-waterfowl-deaths-caused-by-avian-cholera/article_ea5a08dc-47a3-5b01-8501-5de06e461b25.html
February 28, 2017 – Hundreds of dead fish found along beaches in Huatulco, Mexico
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eluniversal.com.mx%2Farticulo%2Festados%2F2017%2F02%2F28%2Faparecen-peces-muertos-en-playas-de-huatulco&edit-text=&act=url
February 28, 2017 – Tons of dead fish found washed up along the beaches of Apetlon, Austria
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.meinbezirk.at%2Fneusiedl-am-see%2Flokales%2Ftonnen-toter-fische-in-der-langen-lacke-d2038717.html&edit-text=&act=url
Headline: Nicaragua woman burnt on a fire in exorcism ritual
Headline: Face-biter said he fled demon-like figure before killings
A young woman in an isolated part of Nicaragua has died a week after being tied up and allegedly thrown on a fire in an exorcism ritual. Family members told local media that Vilma Trujillo had been attacked by four people led by a man who said he was an evangelical pastor. Juan Rocha denied burning Mrs Trujillo, saying evil spirits had suspended her above the fire and then dropped her. Relatives found Mrs Trujillo, 25, hours later with severe burns. The police have arrested Mr Rocha and a number of other people allegedly involved in the attack. The victim’s husband, Reynaldo Peralta Rodriguez, said the mother-of-two was taken inside a church last week when members thought she was possessed after allegedly trying to attack people with a machete, the Associated Press reports. “It’s unforgiveable what they did to us,” he was quoted as saying. “They killed my wife, the mother of my two little ones. Now what am I going to tell them?” Pablo Cuevas, a spokesman for Nicaragua’s Human Rights Commission, called on the government for firmer control over religious sects in the country. “It is incredible that these things can happen today, there has to be a review by the authorities into all the different denominations and religions,” he said. “We can’t have things like this happening.”
March 1, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39123952
https://www.yahoo.com/tv/dr-phil-interview-face-biting-suspect-released-113548910.html
Headline: VOLCANO WARNING Panic in Sicily as Mount Etna BLOWS in huge eruption on Italy holiday isle
Italy’s Mount Etna has started spewing lava in what is its second eruption of the year. Giant fountains of lava could be seen sprouting from the volcano, located on the isle of Sicily, as far away as Catania, around 30 kilometres away, and the resort town of Taormina. The Meteorological Observatory in Nunziata said: “You can clearly see the lava fountains, although currently modest, as it escapes from the crater in the southeast.” An orange air alert has been issued, meaning that airspace will remain open but authorities will continue to monitor the situation. While civil protection authorities has declared a yellow alert level and, as prescribed by the municipal emergency plan, an ordinance was issued to restrict access to the summit of Etna. Authorities added that there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities, and expect it to remain that way with the eruption posing little threat to nearby settlements. The large volcano began erupting on February 27, and the eruptions are expected to continue for several days.
Feb. 28, 2017
http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/773141/Mount-Etna-volcano-BLOWS-Sicily-eruption
Headline: Storm that spawned 24 tornado reports barrels east; 3 dead
A powerful and wide-reaching line of severe storms barreled east on Wednesday threatening new damage, after spinning off as many as 24 tornadoes across the central U.S., killing at least three people. Tornado reports emerged up and down the state of Illinois on Tuesday. Compact but strong storms known as supercells triggered widespread damage from Arkansas to Ohio, as wind-whipped wildfires destroyed homes in Texas. Parts of the eastern and southeastern U.S. could be in the crosshairs next. Tornado watches were in effect for parts of Kentucky and Tennessee through Wednesday morning. In Ottawa, Illinois, state Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Patti Thompson said a tornado victim was killed by an uprooted tree. In nearby Naplate, storms ripped homes into pieces.
March 1, 2017
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/01/at-least-24-reports-tornadoes-across-central-us-3-killed.html
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