This is the E-mail from Ron Greese concerning the 2015 date for the rapture of the Church which as you saw from my video failed. This is the entire email from Ron.

Most current email from Ron Greese 

From: Rgreese49@aol.com
To: rgreese49@aol.com
Sent: 1/25/2017 10:34:17 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: The Beast (Antichrist) who was, and is not, and yet is (Obama)–Revelation 17:8
THE BEAST (ANTICHRIST) WHO WAS, AND IS NOT, AND YET IS (OBAMA)–REVELATION 17:8

  This is my first post since Dec. of 2015.  In my next post, I will be reflecting on where I went wrong (along with many other watchers), in projecting the probable Rapture/Sudden Destruction to take place in the Fall of 2015.  I have always believed in Progressive Revelation, when trying to analyze Bible Prophecy events.  Most all Bible Prophecy watchers have had to re-examine their positions over the years also, because Bible  Prophecy has not unfolded exactly as they had projected either.  I am very sorry for any problems that my likely time frame for the Rapture/Sudden Destruction, of the Fall of 2015, caused any of you.  Since that time, my studies never showed 2016 to be that time, so I have written nothing for the past 14 months.  So very many good posts have been written on Five Doves in the past few months, pointing to 2017 for the probable time of the Rapture/Sudden Destruction.  I am accumulating many of them in my email inbox, and will try to send a post, in the near future, that will include all of these links, so that we can have them all in one place, and be able to examine them for future reference.  Two of the most recent posts on www.fivedoves.com, that are pointing directly to 2017, have been written by long-time Bible Prophecy scholar, Pastor F.M. Riley, and John Tng, long-time moderator of probably the most prominent Bible Prophecy website in existence, Five Doves.  I want to thank John for his excellent service to the Lord, and amazing perseverance over these past many years, in allowing us Watchers to access his wonderful website.  I first posted on this website in the early 1990’s.  I wrote my first tract on Bible Prophecy in 1989, entitled, “What in the World is Happening?”  I preached my first of many sermons on Bible Prophecy in 1978.  I became a Biblical Watchman (Ezekiel 33), after reading Hal Lindsey’s, “The Late Great Planet Earth” in the mid-1970’s.  I went on to write over 50 Bible Prophecy tracts, with almost 10 million in circulation.  I wrote my final tract and final newsletter in the year 2001, due to the high cost of printing and postage.  I retired from my secular job several years early in 2009, shortly after Barack Hussein Obama became President, to start an internet ministry on Bible Prophecy, never dreaming that I would live to see the year 2017, with still no Rapture.  But here we are, still here.  I know that many of you can easily relate to this.  I write all of this so that new readers might know a little bit about me, and to let you know that I have been at this a very long time, just like John Tng, Pastor Riley, Gerry Almond, Jim Bramlett, and so many others.  I want to encourage ALL Watchers that the End of the Age is now AT THE DOOR.  As the weeks go by, in 2017, I strongly believe that the Biblical signs, pointing us to the End, will be increasing in frequency and intensity, until finally Jesus comes for us, in the Great Escape, the Rapture of the Bride.  There can be very little doubt that the End of the Age is rapidly approaching now.  There is so very much evidence that is now, through Progressive Revelation, pointing directly to 2017, as the probable Year of the Rapture/Sudden Destruction (1st Thess. 4 and 5).  Although I have read many good posts that have given us important signs that seem to point us directly to 2017, I have yet to read any posts that give us what I consider to be the number one BIBLICAL reason that God is revealing 2017 to be the likely time of the Sudden Destruction/Rapture.  When we add this Scriptural reason to everything else that is being presented by Bible Prophecy students, that is seemingly pointing us directly to 2017, I believe that many of you will become as excited as I am right now.  We are SOON going to be with Jesus FOREVER!  What can possibly be more exciting than this?  I will be presenting this to you in my next post. Because I believe that the Rapture and Sudden Destruction will likely be in the last half of 2017, and not the first half, I feel there is one more subject that I must write about first.  It is even more urgent than my next post.  Donald Trump is, at least for now, the President of the U.S.  Like most of you, I did not see this coming.  I am not sure of Trump’s exact role in Bible Prophecy, but I assure you that he is NOT the Antichrist.  Many are now attempting to portray Trump as the Antichrist.  Please do NOT get caught up in this, no matter what so-called evidence is presented to you. I, and so many other Watchers, have written about so very MANY reasons why Barack Hussein Obama is the Antichrist.  In a future post, I will remind us as to many of those reasons.  But, because of Progressive Revelation, I believe that we can now add one more reason to Obama’s credentials as the Biblical Antichrist. If Obama is the Antichrist, and I remain firmly convinced that he is, then he MUST fulfill EVERY Scripture that has been written about the Antichrist.  I believe that we are currently witnessing the Prophetic fulfillment of some very important verses in the Book of Revelation, concerning Obama revealing himself even further as the Antichrist.  As one of his final acts as President of the U.S., Obama ordered the U.S. to NOT veto the resolution to divide up the God-ordained nation of Israel.  Now, for the very first time in history, EVERY nation has turned their back on Israel. This was prophesied in God’s Word.  This is one of the FINAL events that had to be fulfilled in end-time Bible Prophecy.  And it was the Antichrist himself that brought it to pass.  Donald Trump cannot reverse this decision.  This was an irreversible decision with broad implications, bringing the whole world MUCH closer to World War 3, with Israel as the Biblical turning point.  Israel’s enemies will be greatly emboldened by this grievous, and evil deed that Obama has performed.  How awe-inspiring, and yet very sad, it is to watch perhaps the key end-time Bible Prophecy happen before our very eyes! Now let us examine some key Antichrist verses in the Book of Revelation that I believe Obama is in the process of fulfilling: In my Bible, the heading for Revelation 13 is “The Beast (Antichrist) of the Sea”.  I will only refer to verses that seem to point us directly to Barack Hussein Obama, TODAY, as I am writing this.  The whole Chapter refers to the Antichrist and the False Prophet, but certain verses, now that Obama has fulfilled his eight years as President of the U.S., seem to point to Obama as the Antichrist. Revelation13 Verse 3–“And his deadly wound was healed.  And all the world marveled and followed the beast”. Verse 5–“and he was given authority to CONTINUE for forty-two months.” Verse 12–“to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” Verse 18–“the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man:  His number is 666.” Revelation 17 Verse 8–”THE BEAST WHO WAS, AND IS NOT, AND YET IS.” Verses 10–11–“There are also seven kings.  Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come.  And when he comes, he must continue a short time.  THE BEAST WHO WAS, AND IS NOT, IS HIMSELF ALSO THE EIGHTH, AND IS OF THE SEVEN, AND IS GOING TO PERDITION.” Below is a part of a fascinating, and very enlightening article, written by Kevin Heckle, one of the most prominent Biblical posters on Five Doves (www.fivedoves.com), a few years back.  In my years at Bible College, I remember studying Biblical Hermeneutics, which is a study on how to study the Bible.  One of the Principles in studying God’s Word is the Double Reference principle, which means that there are prophetic Scriptures that have a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment (into the future), or a Double Reference.  Below, Kevin shows how Revelation 17:10–11 may have a Double Reference, or a fulfillment back in John’s day, when he wrote the Book of Revelation, and an end-time fulfillment, beginning in 1967, and, because of Progressive Revelation, I would say probably ending in 2017, as Obama, who is the EIGHTH President since 1967, leaves his office as President of the U.S. Everything has not quite worked out exactly as this amazing article projected, but there appears to be a very strong case for applying the Double Reference principle to Rev. 17:10–11, using Obama as the EIGHTH, the projected Scriptural Antichrist.  In this article, Kevin uses 1967 as the starting point.  Israel has always been God’s prophetic timepiece, so almost exclusively, and with justification, the two years that Bible scholars use to re-start God’s prophetic time clock are 1948, when Israel became a nation, or 1967, when Israel re-captured Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War.  How fascinating that we are now entering 2017, one complete Jubilee cycle, since 1967, and EIGHT Presidents since 1967. Here is part of Kevin Heckle’s fascinating and extremely enlightening article, especially in light of Barack Obama, the Antichrist, and the year 2017.  This was written in 2009, but what is written below, I believe applies directly to today, in 2017:    Barack is the Eighth

By:  Kevin Heckle (Sept., 2009)

Revelation 17:10-11– And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.  (11) And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

        At the time of the Apostle John’s writing of the Book of Revelation, which was probably around 69-70 AD, at the earliest, the emperorship of Rome was in contention.  On 6-9-68 AD, Nero, the FIFTH emperor of Rome, committed suicide.  This sparked a struggle for power that lasted about a year and a half, culminating in Vespasian becoming the permanent emperor on 12-21-69 AD.  He defeated three usurpers; Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, to become emperor of Rome. Vespasian retained power for about ten years, until his death on 6-23-79 AD.  His son Titus, who destroyed the Temple, only held the office from the death of his father in 79 AD, until September 13, 81 AD, when he died.  Out of these first seven emperors of Rome, Titus was the one to disperse the Jews, prior to ascending to the throne.

FIVE FALLEN KINGS, at the time of John’s writing the Book of Revelation:

1. Augustus
2. Tiberius
3. Caligula
4. Claudius
5. Nero (Died 68 AD)

ONE IS (Occupied the office of emperor at John’s writing Revelation)

6. Vespasian (Overcame three usurpers on 12-21-69)

THE OTHER NOT YET COME; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 

7. Titus (destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, became emperor in 79 and died only a few short years later in 81)

THAT WAS, AND IS NOT, EVEN HE IS THE EIGHTH, AND OF THE SEVEN

8. Beast? (Antichrist) Will be of Roman Descent

According to Richard L. Wills research at http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/aug2009/richardw820.htm, Barack Hussein Obama fits EXACTLY, as he is the59^th Great Grandson of Caesar Augustus!!!!

By my reckoning, the count stopped with the death of the Roman (Titus), who previously dispersed the Jews in 70 AD.  Barack IS the EIGHTH in line, starting with Caesar Augustus, suspended after Titus (the destroyer of the Temple).  The Eighth could only come to power in the 42^nd year after Jerusalem was restored (1967), as there are only a total of 49 years in the final 70^th week (7 DAYS X 7 YEARS)  (My note:  Obama came to power in 2008–2009, when he was first elected, 42 years from 1967)  

What are some other indicators that Barack is the One?

1. Barack Hussein Obama–Born August 4, 1961
2. August 4, 70 AD, is when the Temple was destroyed.

1) August 4th  is the 216^thday (6x6x6) of the year.  666 is the number of the antichrist.

1. …and the people of the prince that shall come shalldestroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and untothe end of the war desolations are determined.

1)    The 19^th Prime inclusive of one is 61.

2)    The sum of the 18 primes, 2 through 61, equals 501, which is the Hebrew gematria of BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA.

3)   The 61^st Triangular number is 1891.  There are exactly 1891 years between 70 AD and 1961 AD, BARACK’s birth year. 

So, not only is Barack a descendant of the people whom destroyed the Temple, his BIRTH MONTH, BIRTH DAY and BIRTH YEAR are determined by the end of the war, resulting in the destruction of the Temple!!!!

2. June 5, 1967, during the Six-Day War, the Israelis captured Jerusalemfor the first time since August 4, 70 AD. On June 28, 1967, their government annexed East Jerusalemas Israeli territory. 
3. U.S. President LB Johnson (properly elected in 1964) was in office in 1967, beginning a COUNT of EIGHT properly-elected Presidents.
4. LBJ
5. Nixon (Ford took office when Nixon resigned, and was never elected)

iii.             Carter 

1. Reagan
2. Bush Sr.
3. Clinton (sixth)

vii.           Bush Jr. (pass over the enforcement of taxes, ie. “raiser of taxes”, as the Hebrew word is used in this instance one time in the Bible as ‘raiser’.  The rest of its uses are as “pass over”, “pass by”, etc. The word ‘taxes’, in this instance, is not a noun, but rather a verb that means ‘enforcement.’  Bush’s tax cuts will EXPIRE, reverting back to previous levels….thus “over passing” taxes.)

viii.          Obama (the EIGHTH in Rev. 17:11 ) spreads the wealth around in the fattest places of the province (bailouts), changes times and laws (fulfilling Scripture), comes in peaceably with flatteries (fulfilling Scripture) and does not have the honor of the kingdom (questions surrounding his birth place and rapidly-declining popularity, and also fulfilling Scripture.)

666. Obama comes to power in his 47^th year. The reduced gematria of ‘president’ is 47; the Greek gematria of ‘beast’ is 47; the ordinal gematria of 1^st and 2^ndJohn, where the word ‘antichrist’ appears, has a value of 47; 47 is one of only two powers of 666, where all the digits add up to 666.

The rest of this post are my thoughts, not part of Kevin’s study.  Revelation 17:8 says, “The beast who was, and is not, and yet is.”  This verse is the primary reason that, in the past, some Bible Prophecy scholars have believed that the Antichrist would be someone who will be raised from the dead, such as Nero, or John F. Kennedy.  I do not believe that Satan has the power to raise from the dead.  I believe this verse applies to Barack Hussein Obama, and is further proof of the identity of the Antichrist.

Putting this verse into a modern-day context, we might say that Obama WAS in power, as the most powerful man in the world, and IS NOT in power any longer, but will soon be back in power (AND YET IS), once again, as the most powerful man on earth, as the Antichrist, who will rule the entire world.  Thus, the “whole world wonders after the Beast”.

I see three possibilities here.  First, Obama MAY come back into power as the Secretary-General of the United Nations.  Or, he could somehow, in an extreme national emergency, such as the nuclear destruction of New York City (with the President and Vice-President of the U.S. possibly being killed) be re-instated as President of the U.S.  I do believe that New York City is Mystery Babylon, and her total destruction is probably the Sudden Destruction that will take place simultaneously with the Rapture.  The third possibility is this worldwide catastrophe, known as the Sudden Destruction in 1st Thess. 5, will cause the very rapid rise to power of a World President, who would be Obama.

Rev. 13:3 says “And his deadly wound was healed.”  I have always leaned towards a literal fulfillment, meaning a physical wound, but could it possibly be a political wound instead?  Obama has lost his power.  Obama has lost his authority.    Obama has lost most of his legacy, meaning he has been “wounded”, with Trump vowing to repeal and replace Obamacare, and reversing most of his executive orders.  Surely, Trump cannot be President of the U.S. for very long, lest most of the works of the Antichrist be undone.  Surely, the New World Order elite have a plan to put Obama’s agenda, and legacy, and authority, back into place.  I believe this is further evidence of the Sudden Destruction event happening in 2017, to force the world to accept their evil and sinister plan for a one-world government.  All of a sudden, the whole world “wonders after the Beast”, as Obama, who once was the most powerful man on earth, regains his power, his agenda, and his authority.

Rev. 13:5 says that the Beast will be given power and authority to CONTINUE FOR 42 MONTHS.  This tells us that the Antichrist will be a man who has already been in power once.  Did you ever wonder why 42 months?  Why would the whole world give any man power and authority for a period of 42 months.  It seems like an odd amount of time, unless it was a former President of the most powerful country in the world, being put back into power for the last 3 and one-half years of a Presidential term of office. 

The word CONTINUE, combined with THE BEAST WHO WAS, AND IS NOT, AND YET IS (Rev. 17:8) tells us that the EIGHTH (OBAMA) (Rev. 17:11) will regain his power and authority.  Let me suggest to you that the fulfillment of Revelation 18, which will be the total destruction of Mystery Babylon (NYC?), could very possibly bring about this fulfillment of Obama’s role as the Antichrist.  Yes, I do believe that Obama is NOW in the process of fulfilling his final role as the Antichrist.  We do not know all of the details of exactly how this will transpire, but I believe that we will able to view the actual events from Heaven, VERY SOON NOW!!!

Maranatha!                                                                          

Ron Reese 

rgreese49@aol.com

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 24, 2017 Edition

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the prophecy sign for all Bible verses & videos ~

Headline:      Obama quietly gave $221 million to Palestinians just hours before Trump’s inauguration

Headline: State Department reviewing Obama administration’s decision to send Palestinians $221M

Headline: State Department freezes PA-intended funds

The Associated Press reported that the Obama administration passed out millions of taxpayer dollars to left-wing causes just hours before President Donald Trump was inaugurated. The larger portion of the money, $221 million worth, went to the Palestinian Authority despite being put on hold by members of Congress. The AP said a State Department official and several congressional aides confirmed that Obama formally notified Congress of the payout on the Friday morning of the inauguration. The official said former Secretary of State John Kerry had informed some lawmakers of the move shortly before he left the State Department for the last time Thursday. The aides said written notification dated Jan. 20 was sent to Congress just hours before Donald Trump took the oath of office. Obama also released another $4 million for climate change programs and $1.25 million for U.N. organizations. The State Department announced Tuesday that it will review the last-minute decision by former Secretary of State John Kerry to send $221 million to the Palestinians late last week over the objections of congressional Republicans. The department said it would look at the payment and might make adjustments to ensure it comports with the Trump administration’s priorities.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/01/23/obama-quietly-gave-221-million-to-palestinians-just-hours-before-trumps-inauguration/

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/25/state-department-reviewing-obama-admins-last-minute-decision-to-send-palestinians-221m.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223833

Headline:    Israel announces 2,500-home expansion of West Bank settlements

Despite condemnation from the rest of the world, Israel on Tuesday made its second announcement in two days of plans to construct new settlements in another of the territories beyond its 1967 borders. On Tuesday, Israel announced plans to construct 2,500 new units in already-existing settlement blocs in the West Bank a day approving 671 new units in Jerusalem, with both moves seen as taking advantage of U.S President Donald Trump having taken office at the end of last week. “We’re building and will continue to build,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on his Facebook page. The settlement announcements on Monday and Tuesday come within days of Trump’s arrival in the White House. Many see the sudden moves as taking advantage of statements by Trump that he would back off of President Barack Obama‘s years-long pressure on Netanyahu to hold off on construction in hopes of moving forward the endless process for peace between Israel and Palestinians who seek their own state.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/25/Israel-announces-2500-home-expansion-of-West-Bank-settlements/8731485334165/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=13

Headline: UN blasts Israel’s ‘unilateral actions’

Headline: Arab league accuses Israel of ‘contempt’ on settlements

The United Nations on Tuesday denounced Israel’s approval of new homes in Judea and Samaria, saying that “unilateral actions” are an obstacle to peace based on a two-state solution. Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced the approval of 2,500 housing units in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, in order to accommodate the housing needs of the residents and to return their daily routine to normal. The announcement followed the approval earlier this week of 566 new housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ramat Shlomo, Ramot and Pisgat Ze’ev. “For the secretary general there is no plan B for the two-state solution,” UN chief Antonio Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday, hours after Netanyahu and Liberman’s announcement. “In this respect any unilateral decision that can be an obstacle to the two state goal is of grave concern for the secretary general,” he added, according to AFP. Dujarric said the UN’s position on “settlement construction” in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem “has not changed.”
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223824

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/01/25/Arab-league-accuses-Israel-of-contempt-on-settlements-.html

Headline:   Hamas procures NKorean laser-guided missiles

Headline:     Israeli tanks target Hamas posts in Gaza (IDF destroys Hamas target in response to fire from Gaza)

debkafile’s intelligence sources reveal that for the past three weeks, consignments of North Korean Bulsae-2- anti-tank missile have been flowing in from Libya through Sinai and the new tunnels into the hands of Hamas’ armed wing in the Gaza Strip. Bulsae-2 is North Korea’s reverse-engineered version of the old Soviet anti-tank missile called 9K111 Fagot, which uses a so-called wired semi-automatic command to line of sight system. The guidance box mounted on the launcher tracks the missile in flight via an infrared sensor and correct its trajectory by sending signals through a wire reeled out behind it. A laser-guided system used in anti-tank missiles has a different approach. The launcher is equipped with a laser designator, which aims a laser beam at the target, a system widely adopted in the 1980s. The missile has a rear-facing sensor that picks up the beam and makes the missile ride along it. Laser-guided anti-tank missiles have greater range compared to wire-guided ones. Fagot’s range is 2.5km, compared to 5.5km for the 9M133 Kornet, a modern laser-guided anti-tank missile developed by Russia. They are also not vulnerable to radio jamming, unlike missiles that use radio instead of wires. Hamas already possessed this laser-guided missile in the 2014 conflict, but in very small numbers. To date, the terrorist group is estimated to have procured 1,500 Bulsae-2 missiles. This would be enough in the event of another war with Israel to lay down a dense laser-guided anti-tank screen against IDF tanks and armored personnel carriers. Hamas personnel have been sighted training in multiple launches of the North Korean anti-tank weapons. Although the Egyptian air force conducts strikes against the Hamas underground passages passing through Rafah, the traffic carries on without pause. Hamas has sunk four or five tunnels as decoys for the one that is in actual use.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://debka.com/article/25899/Hamas-procures-NKorean-laser-guided-missiles

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/israeli-tanks-target-hamas-posts-gaza/

https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-destroys-hamas-target-in-response-to-fire-from-gaza-2/

Headline:     Council of Europe accuses Israel of ‘systematic unlawful killings’ in Gaza

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted on Tuesday a resolution blaming Israel for the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The resolution, based on an internal report composed by Swedish politician Eva-Lena Jansson, charges Israel with “excessive and intentional force without justification against Palestinian civilians in the buffer zone, including against farmers, journalists, medical crews and peaceful protesters, [which] runs blatantly counter to human rights principles and the international law-enforcement standards.” The resolution was passed with a vote of 46 in favor, 12 against and two abstentions in the assembly during a session in Strasbourg, France. The resolution states that [Israel is to blame for] “cases of deliberate fatal shooting of individuals who posed no imminent danger to human life, which amounts to an appalling pattern of apparently systematic unlawful killings.” It calls for an end to the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, to ensure that medical and humanitarian goods arrive to the citizens of Gaza, to allow Palestinians to seek work places in Israel and to create a multi-annual plan to establish a Palestinian state.
Jan. 25, 2017

https://worldisraelnews.com/council-of-europe-accuses-israel-of-systematic-unlawful-killings-in-gaza/

Jordan

Headline:    King, Russian president hold summit meeting in Moscow

His Majesty King Abdullah II, on Wednesday, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on ways to cement relations between Jordan and Russia and the latest developments in the Middle East and the world. In talks held at the Kremlin, the two leaders emphasized the need to maintain coordination and consultation between Jordan and Russia on various issues of common concern, especially with regard to the Syrian crisis, the peace process in the Middle East and the fight against terrorism. In joint remarks to the media ahead of the meeting, His Majesty King Abdullah II said he was truly delighted to be back in Moscow and hailed the special relationship between the two countries. King Abdullah said: “I am looking very much forward to our bilateral relations and discussions this evening on many issues that Russia plays such a pivotal role, not only internationally but specifically in our region.” “We fully endorsed and supported the Astana process, and we are very grateful for Russia’s role in being able to do this because this will bring, I hope, an inclusive future to all Syrian people. And, again, we will work very closely with you as we process to Geneva talks and other talks,” the King added.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.petra.gov.jo/public_news/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?Menu_ID=&Site_Id=2&lang=2&NewsID=286635&CatID=13

Egypt

Headline:     Israel advises citizens in Egypt’s Sinai to leave, cites attack risk

Headline: Hamas leader Haniyeh visits Egypt in a bid to improve ties

Israel on Tuesday advised its citizens in Egypt’s insurgency-hit Sinai peninsula to leave the region, warning of the threat of an imminent attack. Israeli holidaymakers are often warned of the risks they face in Sinai, which borders Israel, but the “Level 1” alert issued by the anti-terrorism directorate is its most severe warning. It described the threat as “very high and concrete”. “The directorate warns of the possibility of attacks against tourist sites in the Sinai area in the immediate term,” a statement said.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4912394,00.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223809

Headline:     Russia says it will join forces with Syria, rebel groups to fight Islamic State

Headline: Syrian talks in Astana successful: Turkish FM

Headline: Russia, Iran, Turkey Sign Farcical Syria Peace Agreement

Shifting alliances have led to plans for a unified attack on the Islamic State, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday. “The Syrian government, the Russian Aerospace Forces and armed opposition groups are essentially ready to pool efforts and carry out strikes against IS positions in Syria’s regions that are still under their control,” Lavrov told the State Duma, Russia’s parliament, on Wednesday. His comments came after he arrived in Moscow from Astana, Kazakhstan, where two days of talks, brokered by the United Nations, rearranged alliances and commitments to finding a peace process for Syria. Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed to an outline for a Syrian cease-fire and committed the three countries to jointly fight IS and its affiliates. Syrian government representatives and diplomatic agents of rebel groups at the talks were not parties to the agreement, indicating that the fate of Syria’s peace plans are in the hands of foreign countries. The changes in the diplomatic landscape indicate the Syrian military and anti-government rebels are now on the same side, fighting to defeat IS. Russia and Iran, the foremost protectors of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad‘s regime, and Turkey, the rebels’ leading supplier of arms, also seem to be working together.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/25/Russia-says-it-will-join-forces-with-Syria-rebel-groups-to-fight-Islamic-State/5731485354231/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=7

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-talks-astana-successful-turkish-fm/

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/01/25/25-jan-17-world-view-russia-iran-turkey-sign-farcical-syria-peace-agreement/

Headline:        East Ghouta battle intensifies as the Syrian Army rolls through more farms (Rif Dimashq province)

The Syrian Arab Army resumed their large-scale offensive in the East Ghouta region of rural Damascus on Tuesday, capturing more farms between the key town of Hazrama and nearby village of Nashabiyah. Backed by the Syrian Air Force, the 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard and Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) stormed the farms between Nashabiyah and Hazrama, where they were confronted by a large force comprised of militants from Jaysh Al-Islam and Faylaq Al-Rahman. Unable to handle the first wave of the Syrian Army’s onslaught, Jaysh Al-Islam and their allies were forced to retreat from several areas in order to reinforce Nashabiyah’s northern and western flanks.
Jan. 25, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/east-ghouta-battle-intensifies-syrian-army-rolls-farms/

Headline:   Syria Situation Report Dec. 22- January 19, 2017

http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/January%202EDITS%20COT.pdf

http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/January%2019EDITS%20COT.pdf

Headline:      Kurdistan threatens independence if Maliki returns as Iraqi Prime Minister

Masud Barzani, Iraq’s Kurdistan President, announced that he would declare independence for the autonomous region if Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki returned as Prime Minister, he said on Monday. “The moment Maliki assumes cabinet chairmanship, I will declare the independence of Kurdistan without consulting anybody. No matter what happens. I am not staying in an Iraq ruled by al-Maliki,” he was quoted as telling Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. Kurdistan gained autonomous governance based on the 2005 constitution, but is still considered a part of Iraq. The region was created in 1970 based on an agreement with the Iraqi government, ending years of fierce fighting, IraqiNews reported.
Jan. 23, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/kurdistan-threatens-independence-maliki-returns-iraqi-prime-minister/

Headline:   The Campaign of Mosul: January 19-23, 2017

http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Mosul%20City%20Campaign%20JAN19-23%20reduced.pdf

http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Campaign%20for%20Mosul%20Map%20Turkey%20JAN19-23%20reduced.pdf

Headline:   Iraq Situation Report Jan. 12-24, 2017

http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/iraq%20SITREP%202017-01-24%20PDF.pdf

Turkey

Headline:        Turkey Building ‘Great Wall’ on Border With Syria

Headline: Turkey to announce date of constitutional referendum this week: PM Yildirim

The construction of the first section of the wall in the town of Kessab, west of Idlib province, Syria is now complete. Construction of the wall has moved to the city of Kamishli in the east. The height of the wall is up to 3 meters, not counting the barbed wire on top of it. Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Turkey’s position towards its southern neighbor has changed dramatically. At first Turkey supported those who believed “Assad must go” and it was adamant to create a buffer zone in Syria. Now things have changed and Turkey has acceded that the Syrian president should stay in office, however, the wall must be constructed to keep the terrorists out. Turkey, in its defense has declared that the wall will help guards to monitor the border and see who crosses it. In Syria, however, the authorities are less than excited about this wall considering that Turkey did not clarify the exact border demarcation with Syria before beginning construction. Could Turkey have sneakily acquired a little of the Syrian land in the process? According to some reports, it has. Also, from the beginning of the war in Syria, the Syrian-Turkish border which has a range of 822 km, saw a large amount of militants pouring into Syria from Turkey with weapons, machine guns and radical ideas in tow.
Jan. 25, 2017

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201701251050003073-turkey-syria-border-great-wall-barbed-wire/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-politics-constitution-idUSKBN1590VM

Afghanistan

Headline:       Trump told Afghanistan president he would consider troop increase

U.S. President Donald Trump told Afghanistan’s president in a call in December that he would consider sending more American troops, Afghan officials said, in a step to halt the deterioration in the country’s security. Afghan officials say Mr. Trump—at the time president-elect—and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani talked about the security situation and relations with Pakistan and Mr. Trump asked if the Afghan leader needed more U.S. troops. “President-elect Donald J. Trump said he would certainly continue to support Afghanistan security forces and will consider a proposal for more troops after an assessment,” according to one Afghan official briefed on the call. Mr. Trump, who hasn’t outlined a plan for the war in Afghanistan, has inherited a difficult dilemma. He can either risk letting the security situation unravel further or again escalate U.S. involvement in a war that has dragged on for more than 15 years.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/25/trump-told-afghanistan-president-would-consider-troop-increase.html

Libya

Headline:       Libyan forces claim control of long-besieged Benghazi district

East Libyan forces said on Wednesday they had taken complete control of a long contested district in Benghazi after dozens of families and captives trapped by fighting left the area. If confirmed, the capture of Ganfouda district would mark a major gain for the Libyan National Army (LNA) as it seeks to finish a military campaign against Islamist-led opponents that it has been waging for more than two years. “The liberation of Ganfouda is complete,” LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari told Reuters. He added however that the army was yet to secure a separate area known as the “12 Blocks” which lies between Ganfouda and Bosnaib, another neighborhood recently taken by the LNA. A spokesman for the LNA’s Zawiya Martyrs’ brigade, Wahid al-Zawi, said 62 captives had been freed from Ganfouda, as well as 30 families and 46 foreign workers. The fate of civilians trapped in Ganfouda had been a major point of contention, with the United Nations and international human rights groups calling for them to be granted safe passage amid allegations of human rights abuses by both sides.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-benghazi-idUSKBN1591ZE

Headline: ISIS unveils attack drones capable of precision bombing

Headline: Germany on alert over possible ISIS chemical attack on water supply

The Islamic State orgnization on Wednesday unveiled unmanned aerial vehicles that its fighters are using in Iraq. The drones are armed with precise weaponry that can be used for bombings in poor weather conditions or at night. ISIS posted, but shortly afterwards deleted, a video on social networks showing the bombing of Iraqi military targets in the eastern part of the city of Mosul with great precision. The video was filmed by another ISIS drone that monitored the UAV carrying out the attack. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report that the video and other ones on social networks indicate that the terrorist organization can carry out highly effective operations thanks to precise intelligence in its possession.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/19799/ISIS-unveils-attack-drones-capable-of-precision-bombing

http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/19796/Germany-on-alert-over-possible-ISIS-chemical-attack-on-water-supply

Headline:      Seven killed in Shabab attack on Mogadishu hotel

At least seven people were killed after two car bombs exploded outside a popular Mogadishu hotel Wednesday, and gunmen forced their way inside the building and opened fire, police said.
The attack, claimed by the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabab insurgent group, began when a car loaded with explosives rammed the gate of the Dayah Hotel near the Somali parliament and state house.
Gunmen then stormed the hotel and exchanged fire with security guards, according to police official Ibrahim Mohammed. A second massive blast went off after ambulances and journalists had already rushed to the scene, leaving at least four reporters injured, including an AFP photographer who suffered shrapnel wounds to his shoulder and leg. AFP images showed security forces and civilians milling about outside the devastated hotel — its windows and doors blown out — after the first explosion, when a second car exploded with a massive blast, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air and sending people fleeing. Gunfire rang out from the hotel as civilians and rescue workers carried away the injured. “So far we have counted about seven dead, most of them civilians and security guards. There are also many people who were wounded in the two blasts,” said Mohammed.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1044076/world

Headline: At Least 4 Killed in Trio of Suicide Attacks in Nigeria

At least four people were killed in three attacks by suicide bombers in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, police and witnesses said Wednesday. The first attack late Tuesday involved a male bomber who was shot dead by a military sniper after he was seen moving toward a security checkpoint, said Damian Chukwu, police commissioner of Borno state. Then two teenage female suicide bombers attacked early Wednesday. The first was shot dead by soldiers and the second blew herself up after civilian self-defense fighters stopped her from moving toward a mosque, Chukwu said. The bomber and one of the fighters were killed. Maiduguri is the birthplace of the Boko Haram Islamic insurgency which has killed more than 20,000 people since 2009. The group continues to carry out deadly attacks despite the recent claim by Nigeria’s president that it had been crushed.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/killed-trio-suicide-attacks-nigeria-45031800

Headline:      NATO deploys troops from Germany, Belgium to Lithuania

Headline: Doomsday Clock expected to move closer to midnight as threat of global annihilation grows

The first troops dispatched by NATO from Germany and Belgium to beef up its forces against Russia have arrived in Lithuania. On Tuesday, about a dozen German officers arrived in the capital city of Vilnius as part of a planned deployment of a 1,200-strong battalion from other NATO members, including from Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Croatia and France. The battalion will be stationed in Rukla. “My soldiers and I are really happy to be in Lithuania and to start enhanced forward presence together with Lithuanian friends and partners,” the commander of the battalion, Lt. Col. Christoph Huber, told journalists at the airport. Earlier Tuesday, around 30 Belgian forces arrived at the airport, and a ship carrying military equipment docked at the port city of Klaipeda, Lithuania’s military spokesman, Andrius Dilda, said.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/25/NATO-deploys-troops-from-Germany-Belgium-to-Lithuania/9051485351830/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=8

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/25/doomsdayclock-expected-move-closer-midnight-threat-global-annihilation/

January 18, 2017 – 28,000 hens dead due to avian flu in Southern Greece
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalguerrero.com.mx%2Fguerrero%2Fhasta-10-tortugas-muertas-al-dia-encuentran-en-costa-chica%2F&edit-text=&act=url

January 18, 2017 – 10 dead turtles are found every day on the coast of Costa Chica, Mexico
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-birdflu-greece-idUKKBN1522A2?il=0

January 19,  2017 – Tens of thousands of dead fish wash up on a beach in Kvarnakershamn, Sweden
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.helagotland.se%2Fsamhalle%2Fmassdod-av-fisk-i-kvarnakershamn-13814651.aspx&edit-text=&act=url

January 19, 2017 – Mass death of wild birds reported around Lake Victoria, Uganda
http://www.iwacu-burundi.org/englishnews/bird-flu-in-east-africa-burundi-on-alert/

January 19, 2017 – Three whales have been found dead during past month in Nayarit, Mexico
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.comunicae.com.mx%2Fnota%2Finvestigan-la-muerte-de-las-ballenas-104668%2F&edit-text=&act=url

January 20, 2017 – 600,000 chickens killed due to avian flu in Astrakhan, Russia
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Finterfax-russia.ru%2FSouth%2Fmain.asp%3Fid%3D801113&edit-text=&act=url

January 20, 2017 – 800,000 ducks killed due to avian flu in Southwest France
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/01/20/france-says-duck-cull-mostly-over-as-bird-flu-stabilizes.html

January 21, 2017 – 50,000 fish died due to pollution in a river in Oswestry, England
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2017/01/20/hundreds-of-fish-die-in-oswestrys-river-morda-after-chemical-leak/

January 21,2017 – 9 turtles found dead on a beach in Sao Francisco de Itabapoana, Brazil.
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfnoticias.com.br%2Ftartarugas-aparecem-mortas-em-praia-da-regiao&edit-text=&act=url

January 23, 2017 – Thousands of dead herring found washed up in Bjorndal fjord, Norway
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vol.no%2Fnyheter%2Fsortland%2F2017%2F01%2F23%2FFant-tusenvis-av-d%25C3%25B8de-sild-Bj%25C3%25B8rndalsfjorden-14099817.ece&edit-text=&act=url

January 23,2017 – Over 3,000 birds killed due to avian flu in Dhaka, Bangladesh
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-4148924/Bangladesh-finds-two-outbreaks-H5N1-bird-flu-poultry.html

January 24, 2017 – 12 dolphins have stranded and died this month in Asturias, Spain
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lavozdeasturias.es%2Fnoticia%2Fasturias%2F2017%2F01%2F23%2Faparecen-docena-delfines-muertos-va-mes-costa-asturiana%2F00031485198140057665336.htm&edit-text=&act=url

January 24, 2017 – Hundreds of crabs and fish have died in Queensland, Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-24/fish-crabs-die-ward-river-charleville-bribie-island-heat-rain/8206884

January 24, 2017 – Twelve dead dolphins in less than 20 days
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lavozdeasturias.es%2Fnoticia%2Fasturias%2F2017%2F01%2F23%2Faparecen-docena-delfines-muertos-va-mes-costa-asturiana%2F00031485198140057665336.htm&edit-text=&act=url

Headline:        Human cases of bird flu climb in China

The World Health Organization’s director-general warned of escalating cases of bird flu around the world, as human cases of viral infections continue to climb in rural China. On Monday, Dr. Margaret Chan said the WHO is on high alert because of the rising number of outbreaks of human cases of the H5N6 and H7N9 in Asia and in China. “Since 2013, China has reported epidemics of H7N9 infections in humans, now amounting to more than 1,000 cases, of which 38.5 percent were fatal,” Chan said in her address to the WHO executive board. China has reported 16 human infections of the H7N9 avian flu virus, including five deaths, according to state-owned news agency Xinhua. The latest patient, a woman in her 30s, was diagnosed Monday by the Hunan provincial disease control and prevention center. Human H7N9 infections have been reported in other Chinese provinces, including Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei, Henan, Jiangxi and Shandong. Major population centers, including Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao have also reported human infections of the bird flu virus.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/24/Human-cases-of-bird-flu-climb-in-China/3361485274722/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=20

Headline: Christian University to Send Students to Mosque for ‘Religious Experience’

Students enrolled in a world religions course this semester at Texas Christian University must attend a mosque service as part of the class. The field trip was scheduled to take place on Good Friday – one of the most holy days for Christians – observed as the day Jesus Christ was crucified. “Every student is expected to attend this service,” states the syllabus, a copy of which was obtained by The College Fix. “This visit is part of your participation in class. Many other students from our department will join us. It is a religious experience visit. No student is required to participate in mosque’s service during our visit.” Reached for comment, a campus spokesperson said the field trip’s date was assigned in error, that the university is closed on Good Friday, and the professor is working to reschedule the mosque visit.
Jan. 24, 2017

http://www.libertyheadlines.com/christian-university-send-students-mosque-religious-experience/?AID=7236

Headline:       Mexico’s Colima volcano erupts, spurs ash warning

A video has captured Mexico’s Colima volcano erupting on Wednesday, which generated an ash plume about 2.5 miles high as officials warn of falling volcanic debris. The Colima State Civil Protection Unit said officials have established a 5-mile exclusion zone around Colima’s crater. The Colima volcano — known by Mexicans as the Volcano of Fire — is in Mexico’s Colima state, a small state on the Pacific coast. Authorities have also declared an exclusion zone in neighboring Jalisco state. “At the risk of falling ash, we maintain the recommendation to cover eyes and mouths; cover water tanks; that people with respiratory problems avoid, as possible, outdoor activities, and sweep the ash to be deposited in plastic bags,” the Mexican government said in a statement.
Jan. 25, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/25/Watch-Mexicos-Colima-volcano-erupts-spurs-ash-warning/6171485362529/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=2

All earthquakes are instantly posted to the ETRM Facebook page- you do not need to sign up; click the photo below to see the earthquake album ***beginning November 29, 2016, earthquakes of a 5.5 magnitude and higher will be posted

~click the photo to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes for the current year~

Headline:    What’s shaking? List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 24,, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 18, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the prophecy sign for all Bible verses & videos ~

Headline:     With Obama out, 566 new Jewish housing units approved in Jerusalem

Headline:   France demands Israel retract plans for 566 new Jerusalem homes

The municipality of Jerusalem on Sunday approved the construction of 566 new Jewish homes in northern portions of city that were won by Israel from Jordan during the Six Day War of 1967. “After eight difficult years of Obama, we are continuing to build in Jerusalem,” remarked Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat. “I hope that the era of government delays as a result of political pressures has ended and that we will we able to leave to a big building boom in order to strengthen the sovereignty over a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.” The municipality originally made the building plans in late December after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning construction in areas of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. However, the initiative was postponed in order not to further anger the then-outgoing Obama Administation that had abstained from vetoing the UN Security Council resolution condemning Jewish communities in those areas. The new housing units will be built in the neighborhoods of Ramot and Ramat Shlomo in the northwestern parts of Jerusalem as well as in Pisgat Ze’ev, which lies more to the east.
Jan. 22, 2017

https://worldisraelnews.com/566-new-jewish-housing-units-approved-jerusalem/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Trump+Invites+Netanyahu+after+%27Warm+Conversation%27%3B+With+Obama+Out%2C+Israel+Approves+Building+Hundreds+of+Jerusalem+Homes&utm_campaign=20170122_m137152386_Trump+Invites+Netanyahu+after+%27Warm+Conversation%27%3B+With+Obama+Out%2C+Israel+Approves+Building+Hundreds+of+Jerusalem+Homes&utm_term=Post+Obama_3A+566+New+Jewish+Housing+Units+Approved+in+Jerusalem

https://worldisraelnews.com/france-demands-israel-retract-plans-for-566-new-jerusalem-homes/

Headline: Netanyahu promises unfettered construction in East Jerusalem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the high-level security cabinet Sunday he will soon announce expanded construction in the settlement blocs and ease all building restrictions in East Jerusalem. The prime minister said he will remove any political obstacles from regional and local planning committees in order to ease construction in East Jerusalem, according to Hebrew media reports. He added that wide-scale building will soon be green-lighted in the settlement blocs as well. The prime minister also told ministers that his “vision” is that all of the settlements in the West Bank will ultimately come under Israeli sovereignty in any accommodation, Channel 2 news reported. Netanyahu’s declaration on Sunday convinced ministers from the settlement-backing Jewish Home party to postpone a cabinet vote on a bill to annex a West Bank settlement on the outskirts of Jerusalem for at least a month, according to the Haaretz newspaper. The controversial bill, presented by Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, would extend Israeli sovereignty to Ma’ale Adumim. Instead, the cabinet voted unanimously not to approve the proposed legislation until after an expected meeting between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump next month.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-promises-unrestricted-construction-in-east-jerusalem/

Headline: Palestinians threaten consequences if US embassy moves to Jerusalem

Headline: Hamas: We’ll fight embassy move ‘using all means’

Headline: Trump and Netanyahu discuss ‘beginning stage’ of US Embassy move to Jerusalem

Headline: ‘Trump has already sent embassy architects to Jerusalem’

Senior PLO official Saeb Erekat threatened on Monday that the Palestinians will revoke recognition of the State of Israel and seek to have Israel suspended from the UN if the United States moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “The PLO will not be able to continue to recognize Israel as east Jerusalem is annexed,” Erekat said in an interview with Ynet. During the interview, Erekat pointed the finger at the Israeli government saying, “The Israeli government is aligning itself with the most extreme, white supremacist, nationalist, populist parties in Europe and the United States against Arabs and Muslims; these people are inciting war against the values and concepts of Arabs and Muslims. “I hope that Trump will not do it and we urge him not to do it. We urge him to try and bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.” Meanwhile, On Sunday night, Jerusalem City Councilman and Deputy Mayor Meir Turjemon told Channel 10 that in fact preliminary work on a new embassy in Jerusalem had already begun, claiming that a US government architect responsible for designing American diplomatic facilities were examining possible building sites in the Israeli capital. “The architect who designs American embassies around the world has already arrived in Israel to examine the conditions in the field,” Turjemon is quoted as saying. According to the report, three sites already used by the US State Department are now under consideration for use by the embassy.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4911536,00.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223688

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4911174,00.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223671

Headline:    Amona residents call for protest against evacuation

Headline: Bennett: This is the time for action, not excuses

Headline: PM to Bennett: This is not the time for knee-jerk reactions

Residents of the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona say they feel the government betrayed their agreement to compensate them for evacuating peacefully, and call on the public to protest the demolition later this month.  Meanwhile, Education Minister Naftali Bennett called for the government to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Trump Administration and to apply Israeli sovereignty over the city of Maaleh Adumim immediately at the Jewish Home faction meeting Monday. “The US is entering a new era. The State of Israel is also this week entering a new era for national security,” Bennett said. “Prime Minister Netanyahu faces a historic decision: either sovereignty or Palestine. Either sovereignty or ISIS on Route 6.” Bennett continued: “We call upon Prime Minister Netanyahu: don’t miss this opportunity which came only after 50 years. We will give complete backing to the Prime Minister to act with courage and determination. There is a perception that we must continue to manuever and defend, but we must initiate [policy] and stick with it.”
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/amona-residents-call-for-protest-against-evacuation/

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223718

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223719

Jordan

Headline:  King, Abbas discuss Mideast, region ahead of Arab summit

His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday discussed efforts to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations and the regional situation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a Royal Court statement. The talks, held at Al Husseiniya Palace, focused on the importance of the upcoming Arab summit the Kingdom is going to host on March 29 and the issues on its agenda, on top of which are Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause. The Palestinian issue is expected to witness a dramatic turn if new US President Donald Trump makes good on his promise to relocate his country’s embassy to Jerusalem, the east part of which is part of the two-state solution to the Mideast conflict, and where the Hashemite leadership of Jordan is the official custodian of religious shrines. Jordan will work with all regional and international parties to maintain the historic status quo in Jerusalem, the King said in regard to protecting sanctuaries in Palestine. Moreover, the talks focused on the importance of coordination during the upcoming period with the US administration and Congress to discuss the repercussions of any decisions that violate the status quo in Jerusalem on peace and security in the region, and highlighted also regional developments. King Abdullah said that Jordan, through the presidency of the summit, is going to work on reviving the momentum of efforts to solve the conflict and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
Jan. 22, 2017

http://jordantimes.com/news/local/king-abbas-discuss-mideast-region-ahead-arab-summit

Lebanon

Headline:    Lebanese security forces foil attack in capital

Headline: Would-be suicide bomber in Beirut confesses to being a part of ISIS

Lebanon’s National News Agency says local security forces have foiled a suicide bombing attempt in the capital’s bustling commercial district and arrested the would-be attacker.
The national news agency says the attacker was wearing an explosive belt. The agency says he was stopped shortly before midnight Saturday before he walked into a coffee shop in the popular Hamra district. The agency says the young man was injured. There were conflicted reports about the identity of the attacker. The Lebanese Security Forces have announced on their Twitter account that the would be suicide bomber in Beirut yesterday confessed to being a terrorist of ISIS. Preliminary reports also emerged that the would-be suicide bomber was Palestinian, however, this was proven to be false. The ISIS militant was a Lebanese national from Sidon, Lebanon’s third largest city, and located in the south.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1042566/middle-east

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/suicide-bomber-beirut-confesses-part-isis/

Saudi Arabia

Headline:    Yemeni government forces seize Red Sea port of Mokha

Headline: Fresh fighting in Yemen leaves 66 combatants dead

Headline: Egypt extends participation in Arab coalition in Yemen

Yemeni army forces backed by Gulf Arabs fought their way into the Red Sea coast city of Al-Mokha on Monday, military officials said, pushing out Iran-allied Houthi militia. A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war nearly two years ago to back President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces. The so-called National Army loyal to Hadi entered the port area on Mokha’s southwestern edge, an army official said. “Houthi forces began withdrawing this morning, and the city is nearly abandoned after most of its residents departed,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The city and the port under the control of national army.” A spokesman for rival army forces fighting for the Houthis could not be immediately reached for comment.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1043161/middle-east

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1042656/middle-east

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/01/23/Egypt-extends-participation-in-Yemen-conflict.html

Egypt

Headline:    Egypt: Terrorists kill five policemen in the Sinai

According to the report, the terrorists stopped the police vehicle, attacked the officers and then fled the scene. Egypt has been suffering from violent terrorist attacks in the Sinai since the January 2011 revolution that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. The attacks increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Most of the terrorist attacks in the Sinai have been claimed by the Sinai Province terrorist group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). Among the attacks claimed by Sinai Province in recent years were the assassination of a top Egyptian police general, who was gunned down as he left his home in a west Cairo neighborhood, and a bus bombing on a tour bus filled with South Korean tourists in the Sinai.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223687

Headline:   Syria opposition delegates arrive in Astana for peace talks

Headline: Turkey: Immediate Syria solution shouldn’t be expected at Astana talks

Members of the Syrian opposition delegation arrived on Sunday in the Kazakh capital Astana for face-to-face peace talks with the war-torn nation’s government. The talks will be the first time a delegation composed exclusively of opposition groups will negotiate with the regime of Assad. A source close to the opposition’s team told AFP that the delegation had been broadened from eight opposition figures to a total of 14, in addition to 21 legal and political advisers. The 10-member government delegation, headed by its UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari, left Damascus on Sunday, according to Syrian state news agency SANA. The US State Department on Saturday decided not to send a delegation from Washington to attend peace talks in the Kazakh capital next week due to immediate demands of the transition. The State Department’s acting spokesman Mark Toner, however, said US Ambassador to Kazakhstan, George Krol, would attend the Monday talks as an observer.  UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura has said he intends to convene separate peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 8.
Jan. 22, 2017

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1042591/middle-east

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4911530,00.html

Headline: Astana floored by Russian pick as Assad successor

Syrian government and rebel groups launch a fresh peace conference in the Kazakh capital of Astana Monday, Jan.23 in freezing temperatures of minus 20 Centigrade. Although the event is jointly sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran, Moscow is the real power-broker. debkafile’s intelligence sources reveal that the delegations on both sides of the table were caught off-balance by the arrival of Bashar Assad’s former close friend, Gen. Manas Tlass, whom Russia flew in from his place of exile in a Gulf emirate to a prominent seat with the opposition delegation. Gen. Tlass, 53, son of the eminent Gen. Mustafa Tlass, defense minister under President Hafez Assad, was awarded high honors by his son Bashar as one of his closest friends. Although appointed commander of the prestigious 104^th Brigade in the Syrian Republican Guard, Manas chose to defect and flee the country in 2012, not long after the outbreak of the Syrian uprising. Our sources report that Moscow has chosen him as lead player in Syria’s post-Assad era, initially in the transition government in Damascus which is scheduled to start evolving from the peace process kicked off at Astana this week. This does not imply that Bashar Assad will be gone in a day – only that a new mechanism will be put in place to start curtailing his powers. How quickly and how far this process will unfold cannot yet be determined. Iran threatens to be one of the main obstacles to any reduction in Assad’s powers.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://debka.com/article/25898/Astana-floored-by-Russian-pick-as-Assad-successor

Headline:      Assad’s forces advance north toward rebels backed by U.S., Turkey, Gulf states

Syrian forces backed by Russia, Iran and Hizbullah seized several villages from Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) on Jan. 22 as they advanced closer to Turkish-backed rebels in the country’s north. President Bashar Assad’s army and its allies captured the villages of Sora, Moran, Surja al-Saghira and Surja al-Kabira, located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of al-Bab and roughly the same distance east of Aleppo. Anti-Assad rebels supported by Turkish jets, armored vehicles and special forces are attempting to capture al-Bab from ISIL after reaching its northern outskirts a month ago. The main battle in Syria’s civil war is between Assad and his allies and rebels that include groups backed by Turkey, Gulf states and the United States. Both sides, as well as a separate group of Kurdish-led militias, are also fighting against ISIL and retaking territory which the jihadist group controls in northern Syria. “Although Turkey has long been one of the biggest supporters of anti-Assad rebels, its entry into Syria last summer was aimed at pushing ISIL from its border and at stopping Kurdish groups linking two enclaves they control along the frontier,” Reuters reported on Jan. 22. “After rebels lost their pocket of territory in Aleppo in December, Turkey and Assad’s main supporter Russia brokered a ceasefire and peace talks in Syria between the government and insurgents.” Last week, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek seemed to soften Ankara’s position against Assad, saying it was no longer realistic to demand a resolution of the conflict without his involvement.
Jan. 22, 2017

http://www.worldtribune.com/assads-forces-advance-north-toward-rebels-backed-by-u-s-turkey-gulf-states/

Headline:   Islamic State offensive against Assad regime cuts city of Deir Ezzor in two

Headline: Russian strategic aviation hits ISIS targets in Deir Ezzor again

On Jan. 15, the Islamic State launched a new offensive in Deir Ezzor. The eastern Syrian city has been divided between the so-called caliphate and Bashar al Assad’s regime since July 2014. In the two and half years since, the jihadists and Assad’s loyalists have regularly clashed, leading to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. The situation has become even more dire in recent days. Despite fighting on multiple fronts throughout Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State was able to muster enough forces for a significant push into the city. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s men have “effectively cut the besieged enclave in two.” Deir Ezzor’s airport and two neighborhoods in the east have been cut off from the city’s more populous western neighborhoods.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/01/islamic-state-offensive-against-assad-regime-cuts-city-of-deir-ezzor-in-two.php

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-strategic-aviation-hits-isis-targets-deir-ezzor/

Headline:       Iraqi forces take complete control of east Mosul

Iraqi forces have captured all of eastern Mosul, dislodging ISIS militants from the last district they held east of the Tigris river, 100 days after the start of the U.S.-backed campaign, the Defense Ministry said on Monday. Mosul is ISIS’ last major city stronghold in Iraq. “The armed forces succeeded in liberating the left bank of the city of Mosul completely, after inflicting heavy losses in lives and equipment to the enemy,” the ministry said in a statement on its website. Mopping up operations were underway to clear a remaining pocket inside Rashidiya, a northeastern suburb of Mosul, said military spokesman Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool in a statement. Iraqi forces launched a campaign on Oct. 17 to retake Mosul from the hardline Sunni group, which captured the city in 2014, declaring from its Grand Mosque a “caliphate” that also spanned parts of Syria, ruled by its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. A U.S.-led coalition is providing air and ground support to the Iraqi forces. The western side of Mosul could prove more complicated to take than the eastern as it has many narrow streets that tanks and other large armored vehicles cannot pass through.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Jan-23/390644-iraqi-forces-take-complete-control-of-east-mosul.ashx

Turkey

Headline:       Turkey’s New Constitution Would End Its Democracy

With all eyes on the U.S. as it inaugurates a new leader, Turkey is preparing to amend its constitution to make its president even more powerful than the American executive. There’s nothing inherently wrong with replacing parliamentary government with a presidential system. The problem is timing and context: Turkey’s proposed changes, which will go to a national referendum after being approved by parliament, follow the unsuccessful coup against increasingly autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In practice, a revised constitution would make it much easier for Erdogan to consolidate power entirely, taking Turkey out of the democratic column and making it into a dictatorship, pure and simple. The proposed constitutional revision has lots of moving parts. But the most important is to transform Turkey’s modified parliamentary system into a presidential one. The president’s powers now are, in principle, much more limited. He governs alongside a prime minister chosen by the parliamentary majority, who in turn appoints a cabinet that’s responsible to parliament. An important practical and symbolic mechanism of parliamentary oversight of the government is the right of parliament to demand that cabinet ministers appear before it to answer inquiries — a right known as “interpellation.” The new draft would shift the basic structure of the system by abolishing the office of prime minister and giving the president the authority to appoint the members of the cabinet. As part of this change, the parliament’s right to interpellate cabinet ministers would be removed.
Jan. 22, 2017

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-22/turkey-s-new-constitution-would-end-its-democracy

Iran

Headline:    Rebels appear to rule out ceasefire role for Iran

Headline: Iran becomes a major problem

Rebel fighters meeting the Syrian government for the first time in the country’s bloody six-year civil war appear to have rejected a plan for Iran to play a role in monitoring the ceasefire. Alloush said in his opening remarks that the presence of Iranian-sponsored militias alongside regular Syrian government troops made peace more difficult to achieve, and called for them to leave the country. He also called for the release of prisoners from government jails, saying 13,000 women were being held arbitrarily. Alloush insisted the political process would begin with the departure of Assad, Iran, and their militias – a set of demands that put the opposition at loggerheads with the regime. Meanwhile, the Iranians have made it clear to Moscow that they intend to maximize the implementation of Russia’s strategy in Syria and then in the entire Middle East. Iran may create a variety of problems for Russia, including those associated with the resumption of Russian-US cooperation on Syria. It appears that Iran wants Russia to choose between Iran and Turkey. Iran assumes that neither Russia nor Turkey will be able to achieve any practical results in Syria without Iran. Iran also wants Russia to choose between Iran and Washington. In a nutshell, Iran wants Russia to recognize that Teheran holds the key to the regulation of the Syrian crisis. Should Russia decide that the real strategy is built on the cooperation between Moscow and Washington, rather than Moscow and Teheran, the Islamic Republic will be “extremely disappointed.
Jan. 23, 2017

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/23/syria-peace-talks-shaky-start-rebels-refuse-negotiate-face-to-face-astana

http://www.pravdareport.com/world/asia/23-01-2017/136679-iran-0/

Afghanistan

Headline:    Taliban tells new US President Trump to quit Afghanistan

The Taliban has called on President Donald Trump to withdraw US forces from the “quagmire” of Afghanistan, saying that nothing has been achieved in 15 years of war except bloodshed and destruction. In an open letter to the new US president published on one of its official web pages, the insurgent movement said the United States had lost credibility after spending a trillion dollars on a fruitless entanglement. “So, the responsibility to bring to an end this war also rests on your shoulders,” it said. So far, Trump has had little to say publicly about Afghanistan, where some US troops remain as part of the NATO-led coalition’s training mission to support local forces as well as a separate US counter-terrorism mission. Two of his top security appointments – retired Marine Corps General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense and former General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser – both have extensive experience in Afghanistan. The Taliban, however, warned Trump against relying on the kind of “unrealistic” reports presented to former presidents by their generals, saying: “They would emphasize continuation of war and occupation of Afghanistan because they can have better positions and privileges in war.”
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Taliban-tells-new-US-President-Trump-to-quit-Afghanistan-479355

Ethiopia & Sudan

Headline:    Diplomatic row breaks out between South Sudan and Ethiopia

A diplomatic row has broken out between South Sudan and neighbouring Ethiopia following rumours on social media that President Salva Kiir accepted to allow Ethiopian rebels to open their office in the capital Juba. “Rumours have been circulating on social media that when President Kiir visited Egypt, he discussed important issues with the Egyptian officials so that Ethiopian rebels can open an office in Juba, “a senior government official who preferred anonymity told Radio Tamazuj today. “The rumours circulated that the President has accepted to allow the Ethiopian rebels to open their office in Juba and Egypt will support the Ethiopian rebels with guns, because Egypt is having differences with Ethiopia over the issue of Renaissance Dam, so this is what happened on social media,” he added. The official accused the SPLM-IO faction allied to former First Vice President Riek Machar of circulating the rumour in neighbouring Ethiopia.”The rebels now took advantage of that, and this information has already reached the government of Ethiopia,” he said. He pointed out that the government of Ethiopia has decided to cut diplomatic ties with the government of South Sudan and expel South Sudan’s Ambassador to Addis Ababa. “Even if there are differences between us, Ethiopia cannot expel our ambassador, because the ambassador is the ambassador of South Sudan to Ethiopia and at the same time he is representing us in the African Union. So, Ethiopia cannot expel our ambassador,” he said.
Jan. 23, 2017

https://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/diplomatic-row-breaks-out-between-south-sudan-and-ethiopia

Armenia

Headline:   Donald Trump should broker peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia- Washington Times Commentary

President Trump has the historic opportunity to truly earn this prestigious award by using his self-proclaimed mastery of deal-making to resolve one of the world’s intractable conflicts of the former Soviet Union; namely, the “frozen conflict” between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1991, full-scale war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan and despite a cease-fire in 1994, border skirmishes and fighting has continued. Over one million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict and today close to 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory is occupied by Armenian forces. Equally important for Mr. Trump and his national security team, resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be a clear indication as to whether Vladimir Putin wants to be a partner of the United States on the world stage to resolve conflicts or he prefers to manipulate global flash points for Moscow’s strategic gain. Mr. Putin holds the key to resolution of this conflict because of the enormous leverage Russia holds over Armenia. Moscow considers Armenia as its own aircraft carrier in the increasingly strategic and energy-rich Caspian Sea region. Keeping Azerbaijan and Armenia in a state of “frozen conflict” serves Mr. Putin’s short-term ambition of denying Azerbaijan’s natural gas exports to European markets, thus keeping Europe dependent on Russian gas. By insisting on an immediate peace treaty between America’s trusted partner Azerbaijan and Moscow’s ally Armenia, President Trump can find out very soon whether Mr. Putin is a peacemaker or as his critics have charged a destabilizing force around the world. The United States, along with Russia and France, is the co-chair of the Minsk Group tasked with resolving this conflict. Russia has not only sabotaged numerous attempts at resolution of the conflict but has provided military support to Armenia thus prolonging the conflict. And sadly, Washington has been too busy with distractions in the Middle East to take a lead role in establishing a lasting peace between Yerevan and Baku. And yet, both Armenia and Azerbaijan deserve a permanent peace. Mr. Trump can deliver this dream of a new beginning to the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan by leading a robust diplomatic initiative resulting in a permanent solution that is fair to both sides. Mr. Trump’s success would signal to the world that America is back in the business of policing the world to maintain global stability.
Jan. 22, 2017

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/22/donald-trump-should-broker-peace-between-azerbaija/

Headline:   Women’s March against Trump swells to 500,000 in Washington

Hundreds of thousands of women marched in Washington DC as well as in many other US states and world cities, Saturday, the day after Donald Trump was sworn in as President. Many were protesting his election and agenda. The had  multiple messages for the new administration, one of which was: Women’s rights are human rights. The underlying purpose of the protest was to encourage Democrats in the US Congress to stand up to any attempted infringements of those rights.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/19775/Women%E2%80%99s-March-against-Trump-swells-to-500-000-in-Washington

Headline:   Mexico gas protests create havoc at US border crossing

Protesters took control of vehicle lanes at one of the busiest crossings on the U.S. border Sunday to oppose Mexican gasoline price hikes, waving through motorists into Mexico after Mexican authorities abandoned their posts. Motorists headed to Mexico zipped by about 50 demonstrators at the Otay Mesa port of entry connecting San Diego and Tijuana, many of them honking to show support. The demonstrators waved signs to protest gas hikes and air other grievances against the government of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Other protests closed southbound traffic for hours at the San Diego-Tijuana San Ysidro port of entry, the busiest crossing along the 2,000-mile border, and halted southbound traffic at one of two crossings in Nogales, Arizona. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and California Highway Patrol officers closed southbound Interstate 5 to block access to the San Ysidro crossing, diverting traffic several miles east to the Otay Mesa port of entry. Inspections were normal for all travelers entering the U.S. from Mexico. CBP officials didn’t immediately respond to a request seeking more information about the impact of the protests.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/23/mexico-gas-protests-create-havoc-at-us-border-crossing.html

Headline:    Nigerian Army: Boko Haram Attacks Town Previously Bombed By Country’s Air Force

Around 15 Boko Haram fighters were killed when the jihadists attacked a town in northeastern Nigeria, two days after the air force accidentally killed dozens of people there, local and military officials said. On Tuesday, the air force said it had bombed Rann in Borno state, epicentre of Boko Haram’s seven-year-long attempt to create an Islamic caliphate in the northeast. Boko Haram fighters then attacked Rann — home to thousands of people displaced by the jihadists’ insurgency — using two jeeps on Thursday night, residents said. “We battled them for almost 30 minutes,” Lieutenant Colonel Igwe Omoke, commander of the 3rd battalion based in Rann, told Reuters on Friday during a visit organized by the army. “We suddenly saw residents running towards the battalion headquarters and we quickly mobilized troops,” he said. A Reuters reporter saw six dead Boko Haram fighters lying in front of the army base in Rann where many ramshackle huts had been destroyed by the air strike. The attackers had come from nearby Cameroon, less than 10 kilometers away, officers said.
Jan. 21, 2017

http://www.voanews.com/a/boko-haram-attack-on-rann-nigeria/3686346.html

Headline:     10,000 Protest Romania Government Plans to Pardon Prisoners

Thousands of people marched through the Romanian capital and other cities Sunday to protest a government proposal to pardon thousands of prisoners which critics say could reverse the anti-corruption fight. More than 10,000 protesters massed in University Square, and later broke through police lines, before heading toward government headquarters. Thousands also protested in the cities of Cluj, Timisoara in western Romania, in Sibiu and Iasi, a city in the north. The protest in Bucharest ended after nearly four hours. In the capital, protesters yelled: “We want democracy, with thieves in prison.” They cheered after President Klaus Iohannis, a government critic who supports the anti-corruption drive, turned up at the protest. “A gang of politicians who have problems with the law want to change the legislation and weaken the state of law,” Iohannis said. “Romanians are rightly indignant.” Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the governing Social Democratic Party, later accused Iohannis of “inciting social disorder and violence,” suggesting his actions amounted to the start of “a coup d’etat.”
Jan. 22, 2017

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/22/world/europe/ap-eu-romania-prisoner-pardon-protest.html?_r=0

Headline:    Report: Two North Korea ICBMs placed in position

North Korea placed two new intercontinental ballistic missiles into position in an area north of Pyongyang, a Japanese television network reported. NHK reported Sunday two ICBMs that may be equipped with newly developed engines might have been deployed ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s inauguration Friday. A South Korean military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told NHK the two missiles can be “launched at any time.” Last week, Yonhap reported two new road-mobile ICBMs were recently captured by South Korea military intelligence. The new road-mobile ICBMs appear to be shorter than Pyongyang’s other versions, including the 19-20 meters in length KN-08 and the 17-18-meter-long KN-14, officials had told the South Korean news agency.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/23/Report-Two-North-Korea-ICBMs-placed-in-position/8331485181292/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=2

Headline:      Trump Set to Withdraw US from 12-Nation Pacific Rim Trade Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump is set Monday to withdraw the United States from the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal as he starts his first full week in office. The Trans-Pacific Partnership had been negotiated since 2009 during former President Barack Obama’s White House tenure, but the U.S. Congress never ratified it, with numerous lawmakers opposed to or skeptical of the deal. It would have covered trade with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Chile, Canada, Mexico and four other countries. Even before announcing his run for the presidency a year and a half ago, Trump said, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is an attack on America’s business. It does not stop Japan’s currency manipulation. This is a bad deal.” The agreement would have cut more than 18,000 tariffs, including on all U.S. manufactured goods and almost all American farm products. The deal sought to end exploitative child labor and set acceptable work conditions on minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health.
***For ETRM details about the TTP please see this link:

https://endtimesresearchministry.com/prophecy-signs-for-nov-14-2013/

Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.voanews.com/a/trump-set-to-withdraw-from-pacific-rim-trade-deal/3687969.html

Headline:       Turkey Jails American Pastor

American Pastor Andrew Brunson has been jailed in the city of Izmir, in western Turkey, on charges of “being a member of an armed terrorist organization”. Brunson — a U.S. citizen from Black Mountain, North Carolina — has led Protestant churches in Turkey for over 23 years with the knowledge of local authorities, and has raised his family there. Brunson and his wife, Norine, were summoned to the local police station in Izmir on October 7, 2016 to discuss their application to renew their visas. They thought they would be receiving a long-awaited permanent residence card; instead, they were detained by Turkish police. While Norine was released 13 days later, Pastor Brunson was informed he would be detained until deportation, based on being a “threat to national security”. During his 63-day confinement, he was denied access to his Turkish attorney and for part of this time placed in solitary confinement. His belongings, including his glasses, phone, pen and watch, were confiscated. He was also denied a Bible. On December 8, he was taken to a counter-terrorism center in Izmir; then to court. He was questioned, then on December 9 imprisoned after being charged with “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” Pastor Brunson is now in the Sakran 3 Nolu T Tipi Prison near Izmir. The authorities there declined Gatestone Institute’s requests for comment. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents the Brunson family, is working to secure his freedom. “He faces a serious, yet completely unfounded, charge — ‘membership in an armed terrorist organization.’ In fact, the charging documents do not present any evidence against him,” the ACLJ’s Gene Kapp told Gatestone.
Jan. 23, 2017

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9815/turkey-jails-american-pastor

Headline:    Powerful storms kill at least 18 in southeast US

Powerful weekend storms roared through the southeastern United States, killing 18 people as violent weather left a trail of destruction, authorities said. Families in Dougherty County in the state of Georgia huddled on the side of a road Sunday, surveying the wrath of a storm that destroyed mobile homes and downed trees, according to video posted by county commission chairman Chris Cohilas.
“This is absolutely devastating,” Cohilas said in the video uploaded to Facebook. “It looks like a nuclear bomb went off.” “I’ve never seen anything like it.” The county’s emergency management agency tweeted that shelters were being set up for displaced residents. At least 14 people had died in south-central Georgia over the weekend, according to the state’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. And five were still missing according to Adel Mayor Buddy Duke, amid a scene of flattened houses and trees and cars thrown in a heap like toys. Four others died and 20 were injured on Saturday morning by a tornado that swept through southern Mississippi, according to that state’s emergency services agency.
Jan. 23, 2017

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1043156/world

All earthquakes are instantly posted to the ETRM Facebook page- you do not need to sign up; click the photo below to see the earthquake album ***beginning November 29, 2016, earthquakes of a 5.5 magnitude and higher will be posted

~click the photo to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes for the current year~

Headline:    What’s shaking? List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 18, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 11, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the prophecy sign for all Bible verses & videos ~

Headline:      Palestinian Official: Two-State Solution Just Pretext for Taking Over Israel [Video]

Headline: Palestinian parties agree to form unity government

The establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank is only a pretext for Palestinians to take over all of Israel, said an official with Mahmoud Abbas’s political party, Fatah. Azzam Al-Ahmad, a Fatah Central Committee member, told an interviewer on official Palestinian Authority (PA) state TV that a Palestinian state would simply be a stepping stone to a Vietnam-style conquest in which “Palestine” would swallow up the entire country of Israel. Meanwhile, The main Palestinian parties on Tuesday announced a deal to form a national unity government prior to the holding of elections, after three days of reconciliation talks in Moscow. “We have reached agreement under which, within 48 hours, we will call on [Palestinian leader] Mahmoud Abbas to launch consultations on the creation of a government” of national unity, senior Fateh official Azzam Al Ahmad told a press conference, speaking in Arabic. After the government is formed, the Palestinians would set up a national council, which would include Palestinians in exile, and hold elections. “Today the conditions for [such an initiative] are better than ever,” said Ahmad. The non-official talks in Moscow began on Sunday under Russian auspices with the goal of restoring “the unity of the Palestinian people”. Representatives came from Fateh, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other factions. Abbas’ secular party Fateh and the Islamist Hamas have been at loggerheads since the latter seized Gaza in a near civil war in 2007.
Jan. 18, 2017

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/82255/palestinian-official-two-state-solution-just-pretext-taking-israel-watch/#CsG7Oigy2B8gqslm.97

http://jordantimes.com/news/region/palestinian-parties-agree-form-unity-government

Headline:   Obama Appoints Anti-Israel Adviser to Holocaust Museum Council

President Barack Obama appointed White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes to a post on the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s council, the White House Reported Tuesday. Rhodes was probed by Congress over revelations that he served in his sensitive position as the president’s most trusted advisor despite the fact that he had not qualified for security clearances based on FBI background checks in 2008. Rhodes, the son of an Episcopalian father from Texas and a Jewish mother, has been attacked by Jewish groups and media outlets over his role in selling the Iran nuclear to the American public. Rhodes admitted to misleading reporters regarding the actual timeline of US negotiations with Iran, saying he used young, inexperienced reporters to create an “echo chamber” in order to sway public opinion (and Democrats on the Hill) in favor of the deal. Rhodes recently raised many eyebrows when he enlightened reporters about the “tens of thousands” of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria: “Again, I think the question is going to be when history looks at these types of decisions, when people look back and they say, you saw tens of thousands of settlements being constructed, you saw as was addressed in the resolution, incitement to violence on the Palestinian side.” And so, in his characteristic manner, President Obama appointed a man with serious integrity issues to be on the board of an institution that deals daily with attacks on it veracity by forces looking to denigrate and deny the memory of the Holocaust.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/obama-appoints-anti-israel-adviser-to-holocaust-museum-council/2017/01/18/

Headline:       Israeli policeman and Bedouin killed during clashes over demolitions

Headline: Israel faces Bedouin population time bomb

Headline: Israeli Arab leaders call general strike for Thursday to protest demolitions

Two people have been killed in southern Israel during a confrontation between police and Bedouin villagers over the demolition of illegally built homes. Police said an officer was killed in a car-ramming attack in Umm al-Hiran, in the Negev desert, and that the Israeli Arab driver of the car was shot dead. They alleged he was active in an Islamist group and might have been influenced by so-called Islamic State. But locals said he just lost control of his car after being shot by police. The BBC’s Yolande Knell in Jerusalem says tensions are running high in the area. Police spokesman Supt Micky Rosenfeld said a local man had driven at speed towards officers deployed during an operation to demolish 15 structures deemed to have been built without a permit on state land. “A vehicle driven by a terrorist from the Islamic Movement intended to strike a number of officers and carry out an attack,” he said in a statement. “The officers responded and the terrorist was neutralised.” The Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement was outlawed in November 2015, after the Israeli government accused it of fomenting a wave of knife, gun and vehicle-ramming attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs that has killed at least 42 people in the past 16 months.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38662190

http://debka.com/article/25890/Israel-faces-Bedouin-population-time-bomb

http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/19761/Israeli-Arab-leaders-call-general-strike-for-Thursday-to-protest-demolitions

Headline:      UN warns against West Bank annexation calls

The UN’s envoy for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, warned Israel against any plans of annexing the West Bank from Palestine on Tuesday while addressing the United Nations Security Council, which met to bring a resolution to stop Israe’s illegal settlement activities. The comments by Mladenov were sparked by several high ranking Israeli ministers calling for the annexation of Palestinian lands. “Calls have been made for the annexation of parts of or the whole of Area C…Such divisive positions risk destroying the prospects for peace,” he stressed.
Jan. 18, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/un-warns-west-bank-annexation-calls/

Headline: Trump UN envoy pick slams settlements resolution as ‘the ultimate low’

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for ambassador to the UN vowed a sharp pivot in US policy at the international body on Wednesday, questioning its bias against Israel and its inability to address the world’s most pressing crises. At her Senate confirmation hearing, Nikki Haley, who currently serves as South Carolina’s governor, slammed the Obama administration for allowing “mistreatment” of Israel in the halls of an organization with a long record of disproportionately targeted the Jewish state. She called a resolution which passed through the Security Council last month condemning Israel’s settlement enterprise– facilitated by a US abstention– “the ultimate low,” a “terrible mistake,” a “kick in the gut” and a message to the world that America’s commitments to its allies ring hollow. The resolution, numbered 2334, suggested that “being an ally of the United States doesn’t mean anything,” Haley told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “I will not go to New York and abstain when the UN seeks to create an international environment that encourages boycotts of Israel,” Haley said. “I will never abstain when the United Nations takes any action that comes in direct conflict with the interests and values of the United States.”
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.jpost.com/American-Politics/Trump-UN-envoy-pick-slams-settlements-resolution-as-the-ultimate-low-478855

Headline:          Third Temple Grows Closer as Sanhedrin Discovers Rare Holy Wine in the Land
Last week, 30 bottles of wine were delivered to the nascent Sanhedrin, setting in place one more necessary element for the Temple service – and one which is specifically mentioned in prophecy as a precursor to the Messiah. In preparation for the Third Temple, Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin, set out to find wine that is kosher for use in the Temple. Wine has special status in Judaism, as it is required for the Sabbath, holidays like Passover, and rituals like weddings and circumcisions. The requirements for wine to be considered kosher for everyday consumption are more stringent than for any food. The process, from crushing the grapes until bottling, must be performed entirely by Sabbath-observant Jews. Grapes are one of the seven species in which Israel is especially blessed. But the fruit has more biblical significance than many realize. The return of grapes to Israel, notably absent during Islamic rule, when alcohol was prohibited, is prophesied by Micah to herald the coming of the Messiah.
Jan. 18, 2017

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/82239/rare-temple-quality-wine-anticipates-messiah-prophecy-paves-way-third-temple/#KKpKezI3GYPkcYjR.97

Lebanon

Headline:     Israel Steps up Shadow War with Hezbollah

Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) stressed in its annual strategic assessment, released January 2nd, that Hezbollah remains the most serious threat the Jewish state faces. It urged Israel’s intelligence establishment to intensity efforts to block the transfer of advanced weapons systems to Hezbollah — a process that may already be under way with a spate of air and missiles strikes against Syria. The vast majority of the arms supplied to Hezbollah from Iran pass through Syria. Hezbollah, a key force keeping Syrian President Bashar Assad in power amid the war in the country, is reportedly building military bases and seeking to establish a presence in the disputed Golan Heights, a strategic volcanic plateau that overlooks Israel’s agricultural heartland. Iran, Hezbollah’s patron and arms supplier, is listed as the second-ranking military threat by INSS, in part because of its distance from Israel. Combined, Iran and Hezbollah, which serves as the Islamic republic’s strategic arm in the Levant, present a comprehensive threat to Israel that far exceeds any other. This ranges from Iran’s growing ballistic missile force and the nuclear weapons Israel’s military leaders are convinced it will develop in the coming years to Hezbollah’s emerging tactical capabilities. Much of that is due to advanced weaponry it amassed in recent years despite repeated Israeli air strikes against weapons convoys and targeted assassinations in Syria and Lebanon of key figures in acquiring or developing Hezbollah’s firepower. Hezbollah is estimated — largely by Israel — to possess more than 130,000 rockets and missiles, including long-range weapons capable of destroying city blocks. In recent weeks, the covert war between Israel and Hezbollah that has dragged on for five years apparently flared again, possibly this time with higher stakes.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=80866

Saudi Arabia

Headline:      Yemeni Chief: Our struggle is against Israel, not with Saudi Arabia

The president of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, Saleh al-Samad, said to al-Mayadeen television that all attempts for the Saudi-backed forces to reach the strategic Bab-al-Mandeb Strait has been resisted, and that the mercenaries are fighting with the support of Riyadh and on behalf of Israel. The battle “is not with the mercenaries, nor Saudi Arabia, it is a battle with Israel, primarily,” he claimed. He added that Saudi Arabia is too weak to launch such a wide military campaign against Yemen without Israel’s support, pointing to recent meetings between Saudi officials and a number of Israelis, PressTV reported. He then accused Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen’s former president who asked Saudi Arabia to launch war on his home country, of attempting to subjugate the Yemeni people by playing the economic card, in an apparent reference to the embargo that had been imposed on Yemen by Riyadh, the report continued.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/yemeni-chief-our-struggle-is-against-israel-not-with-saudi-arabia/

Egypt

Headline:     Egypt Demands Hamas Hand Over Terror Suspects

Egypt has presented Hamas with a list of conditions that must be met before talks in improving relations between the two parties can take place. Egypt has given Hamas a list of 20 suspected Islamic State-affiliated (IS) terrorists it wants Hamas to hand over. Cairo has rejected Hamas’ offer to hand over 2-3 suspects, saying it insisted all of them be handed over to Egyptian authorities for questioning. In addition, Egypt is also insisting Hamas agree to tighten control of the Sinai-Gaza border, especially the network of tunnels it has dug under the border. Egypt has accused Hamas of allowing the gangs that operate the tunnels to work with Islamic State in northern Sinai. It says Islamic State uses the tunnels to smuggle activists into Gaza, and weapons from Gaza to Islamic State.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/egypt-demands-hamas-hand-over-terror-suspects/2017/01/18/

Headline:         ISIS storms Deir Ezzor in new bid to capture military airport

On Wednesday morning, the Islamic State launched another powerful attack in the Deir Ezzor Governorate, targeting the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) defenses at the Panorama area and Harabish District of the provincial capital. Under heavy bombardment by the Russian Air Force, the Islamic State attempted to seize more territory north of the Deir Ezzor Military Airport in order to completely besiege this installation. Despite sending several waves of combatants towards the Syrian Arab Army’s defenses, the Islamic State was unable to make any important gains near the Panorama Roundabout or Harabish District thus far. According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army in Deir Ezzor has managed to push back all Islamic State militants in the Harabish District, but they are still under heavy assault in the Panorama area. The Syrian Arab Army attempted to reverse the Islamic State’s gains north of the military airport yesterday; however, they were ultimately repelled after a long battle at night.
Jan. 18, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-storms-deir-ezzor-new-bid-capture-military-airport/

Headline:  ISIL’s counter-offensive in western Palmyra (Homs province) ends in disaster

The Islamic State (ISIL) launched a counter-offensive in the western countryside of Palmyra on Tuesday, targeting the areas the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) recently liberated near the Jihar Crossroad. ISIL began the attack by storming the Syrian Arab Army’s defenses near the Jihar Crossroad; this resulted in a fierce battle that would last for three hours on Tuesday. Despite the intensity of the Islamic State attack, the terrorist group was unable to recover any ground near the Jihar Crossroad; instead, they lost two armored vehicles and more than 20 combatants. As a result of this failed Islamic State attack, the Syrian Arab Army launched a counter-assault to advance their front-lines around the Jihar Crossroad and T-4 Pumping Station. So far, the Syrian Arab Army has managed to capture some ground near the T-4 Pumping Station this morning; however, nothing substantial.
Jan. 18, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isils-counter-offensive-western-palmyra-ends-disaster/

Headline:    Iraq military: Troops have ‘full control’ of eastern Mosul

Headline:  US forces establish 4 military bases in Mosul to oversee operations against ISIS

U.S.-backed Iraqi government troops announced on Wednesday they were in “full control” of eastern Mosul, after routing Islamic State militants from that part of the northern city almost exactly three months since the major operation started. The achievement was a “big victory,” said Iraqi Army Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati, who commands the counter-terrorism forces, describing the success of the Iraqi forces as “unprecedented.” Shaghatai, who spoke to reporters in the town of Bartella, just east of Mosul, said plans were now being drawn up to retake the western part of the city. He did not elaborate on when that part of the operation would begin. Wednesday’s advance came after Iraqi troops over the past days intensified their push into the last IS-held neighborhoods in Mosul’s eastern sector, closing in on the Tigris River, which roughly divides the city. Stiff resistance by the militants, thousands of civilians being trapped in their houses by the fighting and bad weather had in the past slowed the advances of the troops. However, skirmishes and clashes continued in some pockets along the Tigris in eastern Mosul, according to Iraqi special forces Maj. Ali Hussein who said his unit was still pushing into the Ghabat area along the river bank. Small arms fire could be heard and at least one civilian was wounded by mortar fire.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/18/iraq-military-troops-have-full-control-eastern-mosul.html

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-forces-establish-4-military-bases-mosul-oversee-operations-isis/

Turkey

Headline:      Russia says joins forces with Turkey to bomb Syria militants

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday Russian war planes had joined forces with Turkish jets to target Islamic State militants holding the town of al-Bab around 40 km northeast of Aleppo. Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoi, a senior Russian Defence Ministry official, said in televised comments it was the first time the air forces of Russia and Turkey had teamed up in this way. The operation had been conducted in agreement with the Syrian government, he said. Rudskoi said the Russian air force was also providing air support to Syrian government troops who he said were trying to fight off an Islamic State assault around the town of Deir al-Zor. Russian jets were also backing a Syrian army offensive near the town of Palmyra, he said, where he warned Islamic State militants might be planning to blow up more of the ancient city’s historical monuments.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4909361,00.html

Iran

Headline:       Iran Against U.S. Presence At Syria Peace Talks In Astana

Iran says it opposes the United States joining peace talks on Syria to be held in Kazakhstan next week. That goes against the position of the other two organizers of the talks, Russia and Turkey, which have said the new U.S. administration of Donald Trump should be represented at the Astana talks, which begin on January 23. “We have not invited them, and we are against their presence,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on January 17, according to the Tasnim news agency. “At this stage, we must keep the tripartite setup,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told AFP on January 18. “Any enlargement could increase the risk of failure.” Russia, Iran, and Turkey pushed for the peace talks after government forces won a major victory last month in retaking eastern Aleppo, a key rebel stronghold through much of the war.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.rferl.org/a/iran-syria-peace-talks-russia-united-states-turkey/28240876.html

Afghanistan

Headline:     Afghanistan Cannot Be Abandoned To China-Pakistan-Russia Troika In 2017 – Analysis

Headline:  Trump and Afghanistan: The Unwelcome Obligation

Afghanistan seemed to have disappeared from the United States radar in the months to the run-up to US Presidential Elections resulting in a void which the China-Pakistan-Russia Troika has exploited to US disadvantage. Strategically the United States invested heavily in Afghanistan in terms of billions of dollars and thousands of US soldiers lost to Pakistan Army duplicitous double-timing the United States while professing to be a trusted ally of long-standing. In 2017, the United States would be well-advised not to let the China-Pakistan-Russia Trilateral muscle into what rightly deserves to be called United States strategic turf. The US incoming Trump Administration’s highest priority task on assumption of office on January 2017 should be not to abandon Afghanistan .On the contrary the United States should ensure that the machinations of the China-Pakistan-Russia Troika by what initially appears only as a ‘pious’ political intervention is not allowed to morph into an eventual some sort of quasi-military Troika intervention.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.eurasiareview.com/18012017-afghanistan-cannot-be-abandoned-to-china-pakistan-russia-troika-in-2017-analysis/

http://thediplomat.com/2017/01/trump-and-afghanistan-the-unwelcome-obligation/

Headline:    Mexico violence: Four killed in Cancun gunfight

Headline:  Teen shoots four, self at American school in northern Mexico

An attack on the government offices in the Mexican beach resort of Cancun has left four people dead, officials say. Police intervened after gunmen opened fire at the Quintana Roo state attorneys’ office. TV showed footage in which intense gunfire could be heard. One policeman and three suspected attackers died, governor Carlos Joaquin said. Five suspects were arrested. Mr Joaquin described the attack as a reaction by gangsters to his crackdown on organised crime. Meanwhile, A teenage student suffering from depression opened fire at a private American school in northern Mexico on Wednesday, injuring three students and a teacher then shooting himself in what state officials called an unprecedented attack that was caught on security video. Aldo Fasci, security spokesman for Nuevo Leon state, said the 15-year-old student pulled out a handgun inside a classroom at the bilingual Colegio Americano del Noreste and began shooting, leaving three of the victims and himself gravely injured.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-38661590

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-shooting-idUSKBN152277?feedType=RSS&feedName=newsOne

Headline:     Mali car bomb ‘kills at least 50 people’ in Gao

Headline:  Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group claims Mali suicide bombing

At least 50 people have been killed in northern Mali in a car bomb attack on a military base, officials say. A vehicle packed with explosives detonated at a camp housing soldiers and members of rival armed groups in the region’s main city, Gao. Mali’s northern desert region has been restive since it was captured by militant Islamists in late 2012. Despite French military intervention in 2013, the region remains tense with sporadic attacks and kidnappings. A source at the UN Mission in Mali (Minusma) is quoted by the AFP news agency as saying it was a suicide attack. The victims were involved in conducting patrols in this highly volatile area under a deal backed by the UN in a bid to stop the violence there. Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has declared three days of national mourning in a tweet following the latest attack. The fight against extremist groups is one of the major challenges of Mr Keita’s government. But a new report by Human Rights Watch says the Malian government is not doing enough to protect civilians from the militants.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38663693

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2017/Jan-18/389959-al-qaeda-linked-islamist-group-claims-mali-suicide-bombing.ashx

Headline:     Gambia Declares State Of Emergency As Leader Refuses To Cede Power

Headline:  People Flee Gambia as Presidential Drama Escalates

Two days before Gambian President Yahya Jammeh is supposed to cede power, he has declared a state of emergency in the country. He has refused to step down to make way for Adama Barrow, who won last month’s election. It wasn’t immediately clear what the state of emergency entailed, but the move appeared to make a handover of power even more unlikely. Barrow, a businessman, is scheduled to take office Thursday. But Jammeh has defiantly said he won’t allow that to happen. In a televised speech on Sunday, he said he has filed an injunction to prevent Barrow from being sworn in until a Supreme Court ruling. “Until then, the status quo remains,” Jammeh said, calling on Gambians to carry on with their everyday activities. Any court decision could take months, The Associated Press reports. The chief justice has “recused himself and said he could not rule on Jammeh’s request for an injunction blocking Barrow’s inauguration.”
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/17/510269964/gambia-declares-state-of-emergency-as-leader-refuses-to-cede-power

http://www.voanews.com/a/people-flee-gambia-as-presidential-drama-escalates/3681210.html

Headline:         Fort Bliss sending 400 U.S. soldiers to Europe in NATO effort

Fort Bliss said it would deploy 400 U.S. soldiers and 24 AH-64 Apache helicopters to Europe in February for a nine-month rotation as part of NATO’s Operation Atlantic Resolve. The troops and helicopters belong to the 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas. “These soldiers will support aviation operations throughout Europe to improve inter-operability and strengthen relationships with allies and partner nations,” Fort Bliss said in a statement. The 1-501st will reinforce the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, from Fort Drum, N.Y., which was the first aviation brigade to support Operation Atlantic Resolve. “We’re looking forward to this exceptional opportunity to work with U.S. Army Europe and our Allies and partners,” Lt. Col. Chris Crotzer, commander of the 1-501st, said in a statement. “We are excited to conduct challenging training with multinational forces across several different countries and to learn about many new cultures while doing so.” In NATO’s Operation Atlantic Resolve, the United States has deployed troops in Europe that will train in Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia for the next nine months as a show of force to directly respond to what the alliance sees as increased Russian aggression.
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/18/Fort-Bliss-sending-400-US-soldiers-to-Europe-in-NATO-effort/2561484744223/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=11

Headline:       Britain to leave EU market as May sets ‘hard Brexit’ course

Headline:      World leaders find hope for globalization in Davos amid populist revolt

Headline:      Dimon Says Euro Zone May Not Survive If Concerns Are Ignored

Britain will quit the EU single market when it leaves the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday in a decisive speech that set a course for a clean break with the world’s largest trading bloc. Setting out a vision that could determine Britain’s future for generations and the shape of the EU itself, May answered criticism that she has been coy about her strategy with a 12-point plan for what has been dubbed a “hard Brexit”. May promised to seek the greatest possible access to European markets but said Britain would aim to establish its own free trade deals with countries far beyond Europe, and impose limits on immigration from the continent. For the first time, she acknowledged that those measures would require withdrawing from the market of 500 million people, founded on principles of free movement of goods and people. “I want to be clear: what I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market,” said May, who became prime minister in the turmoil after Britain voted in June to leave the EU. “Instead, we seek the greatest possible access to it through a new comprehensive, bold and ambitious free trade agreement.”
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-may-priorities-idUSKBN1502H2

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/01/17/chinese-president-warns-against-trade-war-in-davos/?utm_term=.532831b8a308

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-18/dimon-says-euro-zone-may-not-survive-without-change-in-direction

Headline:    New drought strikes millions in Ethiopia, still reeling from El Nino

Millions of Ethiopians face a hunger crisis for a second consecutive year after drought hit sub-Saharan Africa’s second most populous nation, the United Nations said on Tuesday as it appealed for more than $900 million in aid. A strong aid response to last year’s El Nino-linked drought, has almost halved the number of Ethiopians needing food aid to 5.6 million since mid-2016, but a lack of rains once again threatens the country’s ability to feed itself, it said. “Last year, (we were)… able to mount the biggest drought response operation in global history,” Mitiku Kassa, head of Ethiopia’s National Disaster Risk Management Commission, said in a statement. “Today we need that partnership once again as we face a new drought,” he said, appealing for $948 million in aid. Aid is also being ramped up in drought-hit neighbouring Kenya and Somalia. The United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in Somalia, Peter de Clercq, warned on Tuesday of “a significant risk of further deterioration to famine”, appealing for $864 million for 3.9 million Somalis. Ethiopia’s latest rain failure has mainly hit southern livestock-herding communities, unlike last year when hunger was worst in the north and west. “The impact is expected to be most dire in early 2017 among livestock, with unusually early migrations, excess mortality rates and extreme emaciation,” the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement.
Jan. 17, 2017

https://www.yahoo.com/news/drought-strikes-millions-ethiopia-still-reeling-el-nino-134921257–spt.html

Jan. 12, 2017- 10,000 birds dead due to avian flu in Odessa, Ukraine
http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public/wahid.php/Reviewreport/Review?page_refer=MapFullEventReport&reportid=22326

Jan. 12, 2017- Dead turtles found washed ashore in Chennai, India
http://www.ndtv.com/chennai-news/30-olive-ridley-turtles-found-dead-on-chennai-beaches-1647750

Jan. 12, 2017- Hundreds of tons of fish have died in Lake Toba, Indonesia
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdaerah.sindonews.com%2Fread%2F1170197%2F191%2Fratusan-ton-ikan-mati-di-danau-toba-1484153514&edit-text=&act=url

Jan. 13, 2017- Thousands of dead fish wash up along a lagoon in Patagonia 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%2F1531343-preocupacion-la-aparicion-peces-muertos-una-laguna-la-patagonia&edit-text=&act=url

Jan. 13, 2017- Thousands of fish die in a lake in St. Petersburg, Florida
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/1/12/recent_st_pete_fish_.html

Jan. 14, 2017- Mass die off of fish in the waters of Wilhelmshausen, Germany
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hna.de%2Fkassel%2Fkreis-kassel%2Ffuldatal-ort83863%2Fraetselhaftes-fischsterben-bei-wilhelmshausen-7246252.html&edit-text=

Jan. 14, 2017-  Bulgaria reports virulent bird flu at over 50 farms, culling 430,000 poultry
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-birdflu-bulgaria-idUSKBN14Y0HY

Jan. 15, 2017- Experts baffled as ten dolphins are found washed up dead along Cornish coast within a matter of days
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2620898/mystery-as-ten-dolphins-are-found-washed-up-along-cornish-coast-within-a-matter-of-days/

Jan. 17, 2017- Hundreds of dead fish found in a lagoon in Petrolina, Brazil
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fg1.globo.com%2Fpe%2Fpetrolina-regiao%2Fnoticia%2F2017%2F01%2Fcentenas-de-peixes-sao-encontrados-mortos-em-lagoa-de-petrolina-pe.html&edit-text=&act=url

Jan. 17, 2017- St. Petersburg mystery: Why are pelicans dying at Riviera Bay and Coffee Pot Bayou?
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/a-st-petersburg-mystery-why-are-pelicans-dying-at-riviera-bay-and-coffee/2309792

Jan. 17, 2017- Hundreds of dead fish wash up on Hindmarsh Island in Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-17/dead-carp-wash-up-along-hindmarsh-island/8186500

Jan. 17, 2017-  Bird flu found in 6,000 turkey flock at East Lindsey farm close to first outbreak
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-38648058

Jan. 17, 2017- Biologists investigate deaths of 82 stranded dolphins in Florida
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-whales-idUSKBN1511IF

Headline:   Plague Outbreak Hits Remote Part of Madagascar

Even for Madagascar, this is no ordinary bubonic plague outbreak. The African nation has the world’s highest incidence of the bacterial infection that earned the grim name “the Black Death” after it killed an estimated 50 million people in the 14th century. The rat- and flea-borne illness hits the island nation every year from about December to April. But this year is different, says the World Health Organization’s Dr. Eric Bertherat. This latest outbreak has popped up in a completely new area. The mountainous area of Befotaka in southeastern Madagascar has seen 68 cases — of which 27 have died — since the end of last year, according to WHO estimates. Bertherat said there also are unconfirmed reports of a nearby second cluster, of some 30 cases. “This outbreak occurred in a place where they had no plague case reported since 1950,” he told VOA from Geneva, after returning from a recent visit to Madagascar to assess the situation. Even more alarming, he says, is the fact that “it occurred in a very remote and insecure place where it’s very difficult to go. And that’s the main problem, for the time being. There is no one to control the outbreak because we are still trying to organize a kind of rescue operation to go there.”
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.voanews.com/a/plague-outbreak-hits-remote-part-of-madagascar/3681279.html

Headline:      Marijuana-Related Illness Increases in Legalized States

As various states move towards the legalization of marijuana, doctors are noticing the increase of a particular illness that is associated with regular use of the drug. Emergency rooms have been seeing an influx of patients with the same symptoms – severe abdominal pain and intense vomiting – and this increase is particularly high in certain states that have already legalized the use of marijuana. While some doctors have been perplexed by these symptoms, the disease does have a name: cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS. The illness is believed to be caused by regular and long-term use of marijuana. There seems to be a direct correlation between CHS and states that have passed marijuana legalization measures. One study shows that CHS diagnoses nearly doubled at two of Colorado’s hospitals since 2009 – the year that it was decided that Colorado needed a state-regulated medical marijuana distribution system.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://christiannews.net/2017/01/16/marijuana-related-illness-increases-in-legalized-states/

Headline:     Central Italy reels from four strong earthquakes

Four earthquakes measuring above 5 on the Richter scale hit the central Italian region on Wednesday morning, an area which was devastated by a series of quakes last year and is currently suffering from heavy snow.  What we know so far : – The first three quakes came within one hour, at 10:25, 11:14 and 11:25 on Wednesday morning, each with a magnitude of above 5. A fourth major tremor was reported at around 14:33, with a magnitude estimated at 5.3. The quakes were felt in Rome along with other areas of Lazio, Abruzzo and the Marche, and as far away Umbria, Naples and Florence. No casualties or major damage has yet been reported, but there has been minor damage in Amatrice, the town at the epicentre of last August’s quake. Rome’s Metro service and the road connecting Rome and L’Aquila have been suspended
Jan. 18, 2017

http://www.thelocal.it/20170118/5-4-magnitude-earthquake-shakes-central-italy

All earthquakes are instantly posted to the ETRM Facebook page- you do not need to sign up; click the photo below to see the earthquake album ***beginning November 29, 2016, earthquakes of a 5.5 magnitude and higher will be posted

~click the photo to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes for the current year~

Headline:    What’s shaking? List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 11, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the prophecy sign for all Bible verses & videos ~

Headline:     Judea and Samaria Leaders Invited to Trump Inauguration

In marked contrast to outgoing President Obama’s platform that it is illegal for Jews to live in Judea and Samaria, President elect Donald Trump invited  leaders of the Yesha (Judea and Samaria) Council to attend his inauguration on January 20. Oded Revivi, Chief Foreign Envoy of the Yesha Council, confirmed to the media on Friday that the group had been invited. Revivi told the Times of Israel that the invitation is a “clear indication” that the new administration understands the importance of his group. He says he is looking forward to working “with our new friends in the White House.” Revivi will attend the inauguration with Benny Kasriel, mayor of Ma’aleh Adumim, a city of over 37,000 residents located 4 miles from Jerusalem.
Jan. 14, 2017

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/82000/judea-samaria-leaders-invited-trump-inauguration/#pVDdGBO2c6Ror4jK.97

Headline: Israel-Palestinian conflict: Summit warns against unilateral actions

Headline: Trump: Jared Kushner will ‘broker Mideast peace’ for the White House

Representatives of nations at a conference aimed at kick-starting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have warned that neither side should take unilateral actions. In a statement, delegates at the summit in Paris also restated their commitment to the two-state solution. But they shied away from criticising President-elect Donald Trump’s suggested US embassy move to Jerusalem. Palestinians welcomed the conference, but Israel called it “rigged”. Neither side was invited to participate in the day-long summit, which was attended by 70 nations, but they were were invited to hear the conclusions. This led the UK government to question how effective the conference, which it decided to attend in “an observer status”, could be in solving the conflict. A Foreign Office statement said it had “particular reservations” about a conference “intended to advance peace between the parties that does not involve them”, adding that it had not signed up to the joint communique. It also expressed concern about the timing of the event – just days before Mr Trump takes over as US president – and the opposition of Israel. Meanwhile, While serving as a senior adviser in the White House, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will work to “broker a Middle East peace deal,” the president-elect said over the weekend. In an interview with the Times of London, Trump said that Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s husband, would to take on the task of negotiating peace between Israelis and Palestinians– an appointment Trump has previously floated due to the fact that Kushner “knows the region, knows the people, knows the players,” Trump described in a previous interview.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38608990

http://www.jpost.com/American-Politics/Jared-Kushner-will-broker-Middle-East-peace-at-the-White-House-says-Trump-478554

Headline: EU opposes US moving embassy to Jerusalem

The Chief of Foreign Policy for the European Union (EU) expressed her opposition to plans by US President-elect Donald Trump to relocate the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem the AP reported. “It is very important for us all to refrain from unilateral actions, especially those that can have serious consequences in large sectors of public opinion in large parts of the world,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters in Brussels. She warned that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would inflame tensions with the Arab world. “For sure I’m worried that large parts of public opinion in parts of the world that are quite significant — the Arab world but also Africa, Asia and parts of Europe — could have in reaction of a move that for sure would not be in line with … the international consensus.” “We hope that there can be reflection on consequences of any move that is taken,” she added. “We will for sure not move our delegation. That is in Tel Aviv.”
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223373

Headline: Gaza power crisis eases as Qatar donates $12 mln to buy fuel

Headline: Gaza youth sets self ablaze to protest Hamas

An electricity crisis that has caused protests and unrest in the Gaza Strip eased on Monday after Qatar donated $12 million to buy fuel for the Palestinian enclave’s lone power plant, officials said.
For weeks, Gaza’s population of 2 million has been making do with barely a few hours a day of electricity — less than half its usual supply. The Energy Authority run by the enclave’s governing Hamas Islamist group said the Qatari-funded fuel would power a third generator at the power plant and help provide electricity in eight-hour cycles for three months. The cash injection could also ease public pressure on Hamas, whose police forces clashed on Thursday with demonstrators in Jabalya refugee camp protesting against the blackouts. The Interior Ministry said that later in the day it would free several people detained in connection with the protests.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1039781/middle-east

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223364

Headline:   Anti-Assad group calls for Israeli intervention in Syria

The so-called National Salvation Front in Syria, an anti-Syrian government group comprising of mostly Syrians in the diaspora, have proposed a “roadmap” for closer relations with Tel Aviv, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on Monday. SANA explained that the “roadmap” would be to recognize Israel, come to a compromise on the Golan heights that Israel currently and has illegally occupied since 1967, establish ties between the two states, and dismantle all Palestinian resistance forces in Syria. This corresponded with Fahd al-Masri, the group’s spokesman, to call for Tel Aviv to support the anti-government militants, through a set of audio and video messages.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/anti-assad-group-calls-israeli-intervention-syria/

Headline:       Palestinian,17, shot dead in clashes with Israeli forces

A Palestinian teen was shot dead Monday evening during clashes with Israeli security forces in the southern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. The IDF said the shooting occurred during a “violent riot” in which Palestinian hurled rocks at security forces in the Bethlehem-area village of Tuqua, near the settlement of Tekoa in the Etzion Bloc. “Due to the extent of violence, Border Police fired 0.22-caliber rounds toward the main violence instigator, resulting in his death,” an army spokeswoman said. The Tuqua municipality identified the youth as 17-year-old Qusay Hussein Umour. The Palestinian Red Crescent, quoted by the Ma’an news agency, said Umour was detained by Israeli forces after being shot three times, and only handed over to the Palestinians for medical treatment after he had died.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian18-shot-dead-in-clashes-with-israeli-forces/

Headline:      IDF tanks fire at Hamas targets in response to Gaza border shooting

The IDF fired towards Hamas positions in the southern Gaza Strip in response to shots that were fired towards the IDF vehicle earlier Sunday, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said. According to the IDF, the rounds, fired by a tank, was in retaliation to gunfire which damaged an IDF vehicle working near the border fence earlier. Farmers in the area were advised by the army to stop working in the fields and to remain in their homes. A similar incident occurred in December when shots were fired at IDF troops near the southern Gaza Strip and IDF artillery returned fire. The cross-border incident on Sunday occurred as civilians in Gaza organized demonstrations protesting against a serious lack of electricity and gas in the Strip. Hamas is reported to have threatened to resume rocket fire against Israel, blaming Jerusalem for the crisis. “If we feel our leadership is being questioned, we will begin firing at Israel. We will not become like Bashar al-Assad, who threatens Israel but never follows through,” a Hamas spokesman said.
Jan. 15, 2017

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/IDF-tanks-fire-at-Hamas-targets-in-response-to-Gaza-border-shooting-478472

Lebanon

Headline:   Hariri stresses Palestinians’ right of return

Prime Minister Saad Hariri Sunday thanked France for hosting a one-day Conference for Peace in the Middle East, reiterating Lebanon’s backing for the right of return of Palestinian refugees. The French government hosted the conference that brought together over 70 diplomats and organizations in Paris Sunday for a one-day meeting to try to revive the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “We thank France for organizing the Conference for Peace in the Middle East today,” Hariri said via Twitter. The meeting was attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry but neither Israel nor Palestinian authorities sent delegations. “There is no solution except based on the Arab peace initiative adopted in Beirut and the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” the Lebanese Prime Minister added. He also said that Lebanon would remain committed to the unified Arab position.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2017/Jan-16/389510-hariri-stresses-palestinians-right-of-return.ashx

Saudi Arabia

Headline:        IMF Slashes Saudi Arabia Growth Forecast on Lower Oil Output

The International Monetary Fund cut its growth outlook for Saudi Arabia on lower oil production, underscoring the challenges facing the kingdom as it seeks to overhaul its economy. Gross domestic product will expand 0.4 percent in 2017, the lender said in its World Economic Outlook report update on Monday, citing the impact of the recent deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to reduce output. It compares with the fund’s October prediction of 2 percent, and a median estimate of 0.9 percent in a Bloomberg survey. The forecast reflects cuts in government spending as well as the impact of lower oil production, Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, deputy director of the IMF’s research department, told reporters on Monday. “There is a big adjustment in spending downwards,” he said. “There is an adjustment in taxes upwards, and as a result non-oil growth is not going to be as good as it was during periods of strong oil prices.”
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-16/imf-slashes-saudi-arabia-growth-forecast-on-lower-oil-production

Egypt

Headline:      Egypt court upholds ruling halting transfer of islands to Saudi Arabia

A top Egyptian court has upheld a ruling halting a plan to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. The High Administrative Court rejected an appeal by the government against a lower court’s decision to stop it handing over Tiran and Sanafir. Cheers erupted as the judge delivered the verdict, saying the government had failed to provide evidence that the islands were originally Saudi. The transfer deal, signed last April, sparked rare protests in Egypt. Tiran and Sanafir are located at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. They are uninhabited apart from Egyptian troops and multi-national peacekeepers. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said the islands had always belonged to Saudi Arabia and that Riyadh had asked Egypt to station troops there in 1950 to protect them. But Mr Sisi was accused of violating the constitution and “selling” the islands in return for a multi-billion dollar aid package announced during a visit to Cairo by King Salman.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38636222

Headline:   At least six killed in attack on security checkpoint in Egypt’s Western Desert

At least six people were killed in an attack on a security checkpoint in Egypt’s New Valley province in the Western Desert, state television said on Monday, adding that an exchange of fire was still ongoing. The attack took place at around 8:15 pm (1815 GMT) in Naqb checkpoint 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) away from Kharga city, the broadcaster reported. It was not immediately clear if the checkpoint was a police or military one, nor was the identity of the attackers clear.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-4125882/At-six-killed-attack-security-checkpoint-Egypts-Western-Desert-state-TV.html

Headline:  US & Russia to free Palmyra after Trump sworn in

Some of the ambiguity and mystery surrounding the nature of President-elect Donald Trump’s relations with Russia’s Vladimir Putin may disperse after the new US president takes office Thursday, Jan. 20, because one of their first joint military actions is ready to go. debkafile’s military and intelligence sources disclose exclusively that a combined US, Russian, Syrian and Jordanian force is preparing for a major operation to liberate the Syrian heritage town of Palmyra from the Islamic State. Its capture by this allied force would have important ramifications: It would isolate the ISIS forces dug in in northern and central Syria and disconnect them from the jihadists who control extensive areas in the east and the south, including the Euphrates Valley which runs from Syria to Iraq. From Palmyra, the key offensive for ousting ISIS from its Syrian capital, Raqqa, would move a sep closer. The Islamic State would also be distanced from directly menacing Jordan’s borders with Syria and Iraq. This menace came closer last week when ISIS commanders decided to make a grab for the eastern Syrian town of Deir ez-Zour, after they saw Syrian government forces leaving their bases in the town and heading north to Palmyra. Until then, ISIS had occupied part of the strategic town, while keeping the government-held part and the big Syrian air base nearby under siege for the past two years. The allied operation to liberate Palmyra will be the first joint US-Russian military venture embarked on by the Trump administration. It will be a litmus test for the ability of the new US president and the Russian president to work together.
Jan. 15, 2017

http://debka.com/article/25889/US-Russia-to-free-Palmyra-after-Trump-sworn-in

Headline: Syrian rebels to attend Astana peace talks

Syrian rebel groups have decided to attend peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan to press for implementation of a widely violated ceasefire, rebel officials said on Monday, in a boost for Moscow-led diplomacy. Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, set the new diplomatic effort in motion after the Syrian opposition suffered a major defeat last month when it lost the rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo. Rebel groups took the decision at meetings that are underway in Ankara, and are now working to form a delegation that will be different to one sent to peace talks in Geneva last year by a Saudi-backed opposition group. The talks are scheduled for Jan. 23 in Astana. “The factions will go and the first thing they will discuss will be the matter of the ceasefire and the violations by the regime,” said an official in a Free Syrian Army rebel group who declined to be identified because the rebel groups had yet to appoint a spokesman. A second official, Zakaria Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group, said: “The majority of the groups decided to attend. Discussions will be on the ceasefire – the humanitarian issues – aid deliveries, release of detainees.”
Jan. 16, 2017

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/01/16/Syrian-rebels-to-attend-Astana-peace-talks.html

Headline:       Syria war: Dozens dead in IS attack on Deir al-Zour

Headline: ISIS stage fierce attack on Syrian army enclave

Headline: ISIS successfully splits Deir Ezzor enclave in two

Islamic State militants have launched a fierce assault on government-held areas in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour, with dozens reportedly killed. Twelve government soldiers and 20 IS fighters were killed, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. At least two civilians were also killed in IS rocket fire on government-controlled parts of the city, it added. The jihadists have besieged government-held parts of the city, which borders Iraq, since early 2015. IS already controls half of the city as well as most of the surrounding province, which shares the same name. Deir al-Zour connects the militant group’s de facto “capital” in Syria, Raqqa, to territory it controls in Iraq.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38622553

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4908292,00.html

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-successfully-splits-deir-ezzor-enclave-two/

Headline: Syrian Army, Hezbollah attempt to liberate key gas fields in east Homs

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), alongside Hezbollah, continued their large-scale offensive in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate on Monday, striking the Islamic State’s (ISIS) defenses just south of the Jihar and Al-Mahr gas fields. Led by the 800th Regiment of the Republican Guard and Shaheen Group of the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army stormed the Islamic State’s defenses around the Jihar Junction; this resulted in a fierce battle that is still ongoing at the moment. Meanwhile, north of Tiyas village, the Syrian Arab Army’s 167th Brigade of the 18th Tank Division pushed another kilometer towards the Al-Mahr Gas Fields, killing and wounding around 15 Islamic State terrorists this morning.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-hezbollah-attempt-liberate-key-gas-fields-east-homs/

Headline:          Explosions rip through Iraq, leaving at least 21 dead

Three bombs have ripped across several areas in Iraq leaving at least 21 dead and 46 injured. A car bomb struck a checkpoint near the town of Khalis (Diyala province) killing nine people and injuring up to 20 people, including security forces. A bomb also struck central Baghdad which resulted in the death of six people with another 13 injured. In another attack in Baghdad, six people were killed and another 13 injured when a bomb hit a restaurant on Saadon Street. No group has claimed responsibility yet, however it is assumed to be have done by ISIS who are on the decline in Nineveh province and western Anbar.
Jan. 15, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/explosions-rip-iraq-leaving-least-21-dead/

Headline: Iraqi Army liberates several districts en route to Saddam Hussein’s Mosul palace

Headline: PMU believe that ISIS leader al-Baghdadi trapped somewhere near Mosul

The Iraqi Army continued their rapid advance in Mosul today, liberating a number of districts and neighborhoods after clashes with the Islamic State (ISIS) forces. The Iraqi Army began the day by liberating the Kafa’at 2 District near central Mosul, killing over 20 Islamic State terrorists in the process of this advance towards the Kindi District. Following the liberation of Kafa’at 2, the Iraqi Army attacked the Andalus District in central Mosul, capturing this area after another short battle with the Islamic State terrorists on Sunday morning.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-army-liberates-several-districts-en-route-saddam-husseins-mosul-palace/

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pmu-believe-isis-leader-al-baghdadi-trapped-somewhere-near-mosul/

Turkey

Headline:       Roadside bomb in southeast Turkey kills three police officers – security sources

Three Turkish police officers were killed and nine more wounded when a roadside bomb hit a passing police bus in the largely Kurdish southeastern province of Diyarbakir on Monday, security sources said. The bomb was detonated as the bus carrying riot police passed an area near the campus of Diyarbakir’s Dicle University, the sources said. Three of the wounded were in critical condition, the sources added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has previously said it was behind similar attacks on police and soldiers.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-turkey-blast-idUKKBN1501OD?il=0

Iran

Headline:      Iran says it will not renegotiate nuclear deal

Headline: Gunfire rattles Tehran as drone buzzes over Iranian capital

Iran will not renegotiate its nuclear agreement with world powers, even if it faces new U.S. sanctions after Donald Trump becomes president, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday. Trump, who will take office on Friday, has threatened to either scrap the agreement, which curbs Iran’s nuclear program and lifts sanctions against it, or seek a better deal. “There will be no renegotiation and the (agreement) will not be reopened,” said Araqchi, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator at the talks that led to the agreement in 2015, quoted by the state news agency IRNA. “We and many analysts believe that the (agreement) is consolidated. The new U.S. administration will not be able to abandon it,” Araqchi told a news conference in Tehran, held a year after the deal took effect. “Nuclear talks with America are over and we have nothing else to discuss,” he added. “It’s quite likely that the U.S. Congress or the next administration will act against Iran and imposes new sanctions.”
Jan. 16, 2017

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/iran-says-not-renegotiate-nuclear-deal-154202508.html

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/16/gunfire-rattles-tehran-as-drone-buzzes-over-iranian-capital.html

Afghanistan

Headline:      14 clerics in Afghanistan kidnapped by ISIS

14 teachers and 2 administration staff were kidnapped by ISIS terrorists when they attacked a religious seminary in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar Province over the weekend, officials are saying. The attack involving three armed men took place in Nangarhar Province over the weekend, Mohammad Asif Shinwari, spokesman for the provincial education department, said on Monday that the storming of the seminary involved three armed men. The storming occured at the Mesher Mullah Sahib Madrassa while students were taking exams, The Ministry of Education said.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/14-clerics-afghanistan-kidnapped-isis/

Libya

Headline:         Libya forces retake Benghazi district from extremists

Forces loyal to Marshal Khalifa Haftar on Monday retook a district in Libya’s Benghazi from extremists after fighting that killed nine soldiers in two days, a military source said. “We now control the district of Abu Sneib” in the southwest of the city, said a commanding officer in the army headed by Haftar, who backs the parliament in the country’s east. “Our forces now completely surround the Qanfuda area” nearby, the same source said. The source said 52 troops had died in fighting since January 1 in and around Benghazi. Haftar has managed to retake a large part of the eastern coastal city from extremists since Benghazi came under their control in 2014. But extremists still control the central districts of Al-Saberi and Souq al-Hout.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Jan-16/389601-libya-forces-retake-benghazi-district-from-jihadists.ashx

Headline:     At least two dozen dead in ethnic clashes in southeastern Congo

At least two dozen people, most of them women, have been killed over the past week in ethnic violence between Bantus and Pygmies in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a U.N. human rights official said on Monday. The Luba, a Bantu ethnic group, and the Twa, a Pygmy people who inhabit Central Africa’s Great Lakes region, have been in conflict since May 2013 in Congo’s Katanga region, known for its rich deposits of copper and other metals. Clashes have been fueled by social tensions between Bantu villagers and the Twa, a hunting and gathering people who have long been denied access to land and basic services. Attacks by militiamen from both groups have left hundreds dead. José Maria Aranaz, head of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), said that at least 24 people, including 19 women, have been killed in Moba, a town located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, since Jan. 11.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2017/01/16/at-least-two-dozen-dead-in-ethnic-clashes-in-southeastern-congo-n2272237

Headline: Bomb blasts at Nigeria’s Maiduguri University kill 5

Witnesses say two bombs have exploded at Nigeria’s northeastern University of Maiduguri, killing five people. One student said the first blast ripped through the mosque where professors were saying dawn prayers and many are feared among the victims. A university worker said the second bomb went off at an entrance gate. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety. Police spokesman Victor Isuku confirmed Monday’s explosions but said rescuers are still ferrying the wounded to hospitals and evacuating bodies, making it difficult to give a toll. Maiduguri has been attacked many times but this is the first attack on the university blamed on Boko Haram — the Islamic extremist group whose name means “Western education is sinful.”
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4908097,00.html

Headline:   Bahrain city hall set on fire after execution of three prisoners

Demonstrators set fire to a city hall early Monday morning after three men were executed for their role in a bombing that killed three police officers. Bahrain’s interior ministry said the fire at Northern City Hall appeared intentional. The ministry posted on Twitter, “Civil Defence extinguished a fire in the Northern Municipality building. Initial details indicate that foul play was behind the fire. Necessary measures were undertaken.” The Shia opposition has called the execution of Abbas al-Samea, 27, Sami Mushaima, 42, and Ali al-Singace, 21, politically motivated and said they were tortured. Seven others received life sentences. Hundreds of protesters participated in demonstrations Sunday, blocking roads with burning tires. The Bahrain police deployed tear gas to disperse the crowds as demonstrators threw fire bombs.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/16/Bahrain-city-hall-set-on-fire-after-execution-of-three-prisoners/9131484584246/?spt=sec&or=tn

Headline:    Philippines’ Duterte threatens martial law

Martial law could be imposed in the Philippines if the drugs problem worsens, President Rodrigo Duterte has said. The 71-year-old former state prosecutor said the aim would be “to preserve the Filipino people and the youth of this land”. About 6,000 people have been killed in six months under Mr Duterte’s anti-drugs crackdown. He says he is acting to prevent the country from becoming a narco-state. “If I wanted to, and it will deteriorate into something really very virulent, I will declare martial law if I wanted to. No one will be able to stop me,” Mr Duterte said in a speech to businesspeople in the southern city of Davao on Saturday. “My country transcends everything else, even the limitations,” he added. Martial rule would allow Mr Duterte to use the military to enforce civilian law and detain people at length without charge. The Philippines constitution says a president can only declare martial law for 60 days and then only to stop an invasion or a rebellion. Parliament can revoke the measure within 48 hours while the Supreme Court can review its legality.
Jan. 15, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38627740

Headline:       Hundreds of U.S. Marines land in Norway, irking Russia

Headline: Trump’s offer to Russia: an end to sanctions for nuclear arms cut – London Times

Some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment which has irked Norway’s Arctic neighbor Russia. Officials played down any link between the operation and NATO concerns over Russia, but the deployment coincides with the U.S. sending several thousand troops to Poland to beef up its Eastern European allies worried about Moscow’s assertiveness. U.S. troops are to stay in Norway for a year, with the current batch of Marines being replaced after their six-month tour is complete.  Meanwhile, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will propose offering to end sanctions imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea in return for a nuclear arms reduction deal with Moscow, he told The Times of London. Criticizing previous U.S. foreign policy in an interview published on Monday, he described the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 as possibly the gravest error in the history of the United States and akin to “throwing rocks into a beehive”. But Trump, who will be inaugurated on Friday as the 45th U.S. president, raised the prospect of the first big nuclear arms control agreement with Moscow since the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed by President Barack Obama in 2010.
Jan. 16, 2017

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-usa-military-idUSKBN1501CD

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-arms-deal-idUSKBN14Z0YE

Headline:  US woman dies of infection resistant to all 26 available antibiotics

Headline: Drug-resistant ‘nightmare bacteria’ show worrisome ability to diversify and spread

A US woman has died from an infection that was resistant to all 26 available antibiotics, health officials said this week, raising new concerns about the rise of dangerous superbugs. The woman, who was in her 70s, died in Nevada in September, and had recently been hospitalized in India with fractured leg bones, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The cause of death was sepsis, following infection from a rare bacteria known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), which is resistant to all antibiotics available in the United States. The specific strain of CRE, known as Klebsiella pneumoniae, was isolated from one of her wounds in August. Tests were negative for the mcr-1 gene — a great concern to health experts because it makes bacteria resistant to the antibiotic of last resort, colistin. It was unclear how the woman’s infection acquired resistance. Experts said she had been treated repeatedly in India during the last two years for a femur fracture and hip problems, most recently in June 2016. Once the bacteria was identified in Nevada, the patient was isolated to prevent the infection from spreading in the hospital.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-woman-dies-infection-resistant-26-available-antibiotics-223147289.html

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-01-drug-resistant-nightmare-bacteria-worrisome-ability.html

Headline:   Strangers strip off and jump into bed together in a quest to find love on new reality TV show

Can undressing a stranger lead to love? Brave Australians are set to strip off and jump into bed on their first date to find out. In the new reality dating show called Undressed, the matched-up couples must undress each other down to their underwear on their first meeting. The hopeless romantics in search of their soulmate then spend 30 minutes in bed asking a series of personal questions that appear on a large screen in front of them. The social experiment pairs two strangers together, put them in a room furnished only with a bed and a TV, and gets them to undress each other. To get the conversation rolling, the couple would get a range of hot topic questions so the singles could rapidly get to know one another. Questions could include ‘are you a good kisser?’, ‘what issue do you feel strongly about?’ or ‘what was your childhood like?’ To break the ice, the couples are also encouraged to do activities set for them, such as giving a massage or having a pillow fight. In the trailer of the show, which premiers on SBS on Monday night, the strangers are seen awkwardly laughing as they undress each other. At the end of the date, each person is given the choice to stay and get to know their counterpart better – or leave.
Jan. 15, 2017

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4123258/SBS-reality-Undressed-sees-strangers-strip-jump-bed-date.html

Headline: THE FUTURE OF SPYING:  Earth’s atmosphere can be turned into massive surveillance system using LASERS, scientists discover

EARTH’S atmosphere can now be turned into a massive spy lens using cutting edge technology. BAE Systems are designing a directed energy laser system that could allow military commanders to spy on enemy activities from space. BAE believe that within 50 years, one of their aircraft could use an “atmospheric lens” to observe people from very long distances using the Earth’s atmosphere as a tool. The lasers temporarily change the Earth’s atmosphere into magnifying glass structures which can alter light and radio signals. This means users can listen into radio signals for thousands of miles. A spokesperson said: “Within the next 50 years, scientists at BAE Systems believe that battlefield commanders could deploy a new type of directed energy laser and lens system, called a Laser Developed Atmospheric Lens which is capable of enhancing commanders’ ability to observe adversaries’ activities over much greater distances than existing sensors.” “Working with some of the best scientific minds in the UK, we’re able to incorporate emerging and disruptive technologies and evolve the landscape of potential military technologies in ways that, five or ten years ago, many would never have dreamed possible,” added Professor Nick Colosimo, BAE Systems’ Futurist and Technologist.
Jan. 16, 2017

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2626083/bae-systems-turns-earths-atmosphere-into-massive-surveillance-system-using-lasers/

All earthquakes are instantly posted to the ETRM Facebook page- you do not need to sign up; click the photo below to see the earthquake album ***beginning November 29, 2016, earthquakes of a 5.5 magnitude and higher will be posted

~click the photo to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes for the current year~

Headline:    What’s shaking? List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 11, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the prophecy sign for all Bible verses & videos ~

PRAISE: Droves of Middle East Muslims are converting to Christianity

A group supporting Christian broadcasters in the Middle East says that they’re hearing reports of thousands of Muslims converting to Christianity. The Voice For Martyrs Canada made this statement on the welcome movement: Despite the mass exodus of many Christians, the church is far from empty in Syria, Iraq, Jordan and other parts of the Middle East. God has been very faithful. There are strong Christian believers remaining, and tremendous growth is taking place in the lives of new believers who were Muslims. The presence of the church is vitally important. People are desperate and see very little hope, but the fact that there still is a church gives them encouragement and hope. VOMC says that they are hearing from broadcasters they support in Iraq of families all over the Middle East reporting conversions from Islam. “They are sharing exciting news of what God is doing in the Middle East” they happily announced. “There are thousands upon thousands coming to Christ.”
Jan. 12, 2017

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/01/12/droves-of-middle-east-muslims-are-converting-to-christianity/

Headline:     Trump’s Defense Chief Says Tel Aviv is Israel’s capital, not Jerusalem

Headline: Abbas asks Putin to stop Trump from moving the embassy

Headline: PA Grand Mufti says Jerusalem embassy move an ‘assault’ on Muslims

In contrast with the stated policy of the incoming US administration, Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense said that the capital of Israel is Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem.  US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, James Mattis, stated that Israel’s capital is Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. “The capital of Israel that I go to, sir, is Tel Aviv, sir, because that’s where all the government people are. Right now I stick with the current US policy,” Mattis told Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina during his confirmation hearing on Thursday at the Senate Armed Services Committee. Notwithstanding Mattis’ contention, the Knesset – Israel’s parliament – is located in Jerusalem, along with the Prime Minister’s Office, the Supreme Court and many other government offices. When asked by Senator Graham whether he would support moving the US embassy from its current location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Mattis said he would “defer to the nominee for Secretary of State.” Mattis’ remarks are noteworthy in light of the decision by Trump’s transition team to go forward with the president-elect’s plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem despite threats from US Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian officials, including PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Jan. 13, 2017

https://worldisraelnews.com/trump-nominee-sec-defense-israels-capital-tel-aviv-not-jerusalem/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Trump%27s+Defense+Chief+Says+Tel+Aviv+is+Israel%27s+Capital%2C+not+Jerusalem%3B+%27No+Question%27+Obama+Led+anti-Israel+UN+Resolution&utm_campaign=20170112_m136991753_Trump%27s+Defense+Chief+Says+Tel+Aviv+is+Israel%27s+Capital%2C+not+Jerusalem%3B+%27No+Question%27+Obama+Led+anti-Israel+UN+Resolution&utm_term=_0D_0A_09_09_09_09_09_09_09_09_09Trump_E2_80_99s+Defense+Chief+Says+Tel+Aviv+is+Israel_E2_80_99s+Cap

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223249

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/PA-Grand-Mufti-says-Jerusalem-embassy-move-an-assault-on-Muslims-478376

Headline:   70 Nations to Meet in Paris Will Publicly Commit to Dividing the Land of Israel

Headline: Netanyahu says Paris peace meeting ‘rigged’ against Israel

Headline: Paris draft: 2-state solution best for Israel, Palestinians

A draft of the summary statement that will be released at the conclusion of the 70-nation conference in Paris on Sunday has been leaked. As you will see below, this communique is going to call for the division of the land of Israel, for the establishment of a Palestinian state, for the 1967 borders to serve as the basis for final negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians and for the condemnation of any officials that refuse to support a two-state solution. Of course this comes on the heels of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, which many believe represented America’s greatest betrayal of Israel. Israeli government officials are publicly warning that there is a possibility the principles agreed upon at this conference may form the basis for another Security Council resolution before Jan. 20, and this is something we should all be watching for very closely. Last Friday, there was a meeting of senior diplomats from the dozens of Western and Arab countries that will attend the conference. The French delegate, Pierre Vimont, presented them with the first draft of the conference’s summary communiqué and asked for comments. According to Western diplomats, Vimont said France wants to reach a consensus among the participating states on a balanced statement that would stress the centrality of the two-state solution to the international community, but would take this month’s transfer of presidential power in the United States into account. Haaretz exclusively obtained a copy of a draft of the summary statement that will be released following the conference on Sunday, and you can read it for yourself right here.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/62323-70-nations-to-meet-in-paris-will-publicly-commit-to-dividing-the-land-of-israel

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.763974

https://www.yahoo.com/news/netanyahu-condemns-paris-summit-rigged-against-israel-113310702.html

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1038451/middle-east

Headline: Palestinian Embassy Opening in Vatican City on Eve of Evil International Decree

On Friday, just two days before 70 nations gather in Paris to vote on an anti-Israel decree, a new embassy for the Palestinian Authority will be inaugurated in Vatican City. This will be the first Palestinian embassy to be established in a European Union member nation. PA President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with Pope Francis on Saturday. This will be the third time the two have met. When they met last year, Pope Francis referred to Abbas as “an angel of peace‘. When confronted, the Holy See explained that this was an error in translation and the Pope had atually intended to encourage Abbas to make peace with the Israelis. As head of the PA, Abbas has been accused of inciting violence against Jews. Abbas is also the chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) which was recognized by Israel and the US as a terror organization until 1991. The Palestinian representative office in Vatican is one of 98 Palestinian diplomatic and consular representations abroad. The Palestinian representative office is one of 86 foreign representations in the Holy See (Vatican City), and one of 86 foreign representations in Vatican City. Israel does have an embassy in Vatican City, but the Vatican Embassy in Israel is in Tel Aviv. The Vatican has an embassy to Palestine located in East Jerusalem. The Vatican officially recognized a Palestinian State almost two years ago.
Jan. 13, 2017

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/81968/palestinian-embassy-opening-vatican-city-eve-evil-international-decree/#tqot3HecI3JDkchv.97

Headline: Syria: Israel Attacked Air Base Near Damascus

Headline: Syria demands UN punish Israel over airport attack

According to the Syrian news agency SANA, on Friday morning Israeli planes attacked the Mezzeh military airport southwest of the capital Damascus. SANA cited the Syrian army, who said a cluster of missiles had been shot after midnight from the direction of the Kinneret, which hit the vicinity of the airport. It did not report whether or not there were casualties. The army warned Israel it plans to retaliate. This is the third such attack in recent months. According to AP, Damascus residents reported hearing a number of explosions that shook the city. SANA suggested the attack used the new F-35 attack planes Israel has just received from the US. The Syrian army accused Israel of helping assisting “terrorist groups” who fight the Syrian government, saying “the Syrian army command and armed forces warn the Israeli enemy of the repercussions of this blatant attack and stresses it will continue its war on terrorism.” Syria on Friday called for Israel to be “punished” for an alleged missile attack on a major military airport west of Damascus, reports The Associated Press. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the missile attack in two letters sent Friday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres and the president of the UN Security Council. Syria said in its letters that such an attack would not have occurred had it not been for the “direct support from the outgoing American administration and French and British leaderships,” according to AP.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/syria-israel-attacked-air-base-near-damascus/2017/01/13/

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223250

Headline: UN Middle East envoy voices concern over situation in Gaza amid electricity shortages

UN Middle East envoy said Friday that he is concerned with the situation in Gaza amid electricity shortages. UNickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that he is following with great concern the tense situation unfolding in Gaza after 2 million Palestinians have been left with just a couple of hours of electricity per day in the middle of winter, according to Eri Kaneko, associate spokesperson for UN Secretary-Gereral Antonio Guterres. Mladenov called for the full respect of peaceful protest and assembly in Gaza, said Kaneko, citing Mladenov as saying that all responsible authorities must cooperate to resolve the electricity crisis immediately. The police forces of Islamic Hamas movement rule in the Gaza Strip dispersed on Thursday night thousands of demonstrators who protested against an unprecedented electricity crisis in the coastal enclave. Witnesses said that thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in northern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabalia to demonstrate against the unresolved mounting electricity crisis.
Jan. 14, 2017

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-01/14/c_135981186.htm

Headline:    Russian top diplomat to meet with representatives of leading Palestinian organizations

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with representatives of the leading Palestinian organizations on January 16 in Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. “On January 16, the Russian top diplomat will receive representatives of the leading Palestinian organizations who are expected to visit Moscow in order to take part in an informal intra-Palestinian meeting on restoring national unity,” the spokeswoman said. “We plan to reiterate our principal approaches towards overcoming Palestinian divisions.” The intra-Palestinian dialogue, brokered by the Institute of Oriental Studies of Russia’s Academy of Sciences with the assistance of the Islamic Culture and Education Support Fund, will be held in Moscow on January 15-17. Senior officials of Fatah, Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestinian National Initiative party and other Palestinian political forces will participate in the meeting.
Jan. 12, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-top-diplomat-meet-representatives-leading-palestinian-organizations/

Saudi Arabia

Headline:       Houthi forces kill several Saudi soldiers in latest Jizan attack

The Houthi forces struck the Al-Muntazah Military Base in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan Region on Thursday night, scoring a direct hit on a number of sites inside the installation. Using artillery shells and rockets, the Houthi forces managed to kill several soldiers from the Saudi royal army, while also destroying a number of armored vehicles. As a result of this attack, the Saudi Army had to temporarily abandon this base again until their air force arrived on the scene to help push back the encroaching Houthi forces. Elsewhere, the Yemeni Republican Guard destroyed a Saudi military vehicle at the Al-Faraidha military base in the nearby area, a military official added.
Jan. 13, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/houthi-forces-kill-several-saudi-soldiers-latest-jizan-attack/

Egypt

Headline:    Police kill 10 terrorists involved in attacks on North Sinai checkpoints: Interior ministry

The Egyptian interior ministry said on Friday in a statement that police in North Sinai killed 10 terrorist  who were involved in a number of terrorist attacks, including the attacks on security checkpoints earlier this week that left eight policemen one civilian dead. They were killed after a firefight followed a police raid on their hideout, the ministry said. On 9 January, militants attacked two checkpoints in North Sinai, including a major terrorist attack on El-Matafe checkpoint in El-Arish, according to a previous interior ministry statement. The ministry said security forces were able to “fight off the terrorist attack,” killing five militants and injuring three others. The second attack targeted El-Masaeed checkpoint on the Ring Road, killing a police conscript during an exchange of fire with security forces. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for Monday’s terrorist attacks.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/255015/Egypt/Politics-/Police-kill–terrorists-involved-in-attacks-on-Nor.aspx

Headline: Russia deploys more fighter jets to Syria despite announcing military scale down

Headline: Russian trained ‘5th Legion’ arrives in west Palmyra

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that it has deployed new combat aircraft to Syria, despite President Vladimir Putin earlier announcing military scale down in the country. Putin ordered a withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria in December, where they had been fighting in support of the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It followed a ceasefire between rebel forces and government forces brokered by Turkey, Russia and Iran. The defence ministry though confirmed reports that Russia had added four Su-25 jets to its airbase in Latakia. Syrian state media reported on Thursday that three rebel commanders were killed in a Russian airstrike near Idlib. A defence US official told Fox News: “[The Russians] say they are pulling out, but we have seen no evidence to support that. On the contrary, we have seen new things coming in.”
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/russia-deploys-more-fighter-jets-syria-despite-announcing-military-scale-down-1600794?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rss&utm_content=/rss/yahoous&yptr=yahoo

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-trained-5th-legion-arrives-west-palmyra/

Headline:      Assad linked to Syrian chemical attacks

Headline: Turkey: United Syria impossible with Assad

International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters. A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously identified only military units and did not name any commanders or officials. Now a list has been produced of individuals whom the investigators have linked to a series of chlorine bomb attacks in 2014-15 – including Assad, his younger brother Maher and other high-ranking figures – indicating the decision to use toxic weapons came from the very top, according to a source familiar with the inquiry. The Assads could not be reached for comment but a Syrian government official said accusations that government forces had used chemical weapons had “no basis in truth”. The government has repeatedly denied using such weapons during the civil war, which is almost six years old, saying all the attacks highlighted by the inquiry were the work of rebels or the ISIS. The list, which has been seen by Reuters but has not been made public, was based on a combination of evidence compiled by the UN-OPCW team in Syria and information from Western and regional intelligence agencies, according to the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. Reuters was unable to independently review the evidence or to verify it.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/01/13/Assad-linked-to-Syrian-chemical-attacks-for-first-time.html

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/01/13/Turkey-United-peaceful-Syria-impossible-with-Assad.html

Headline: Thousands of soldiers awaiting largest Syrian Army operation in east Aleppo

It has been over 13 months since the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has launched any-sort of military operation in the eastern countryside of Aleppo; however, with their recent success inside the provincial capital, the government forces are poised to conduct their largest operation against the Islamic State (ISIS) in this region. With the Palmyra operation on hold, the Syrian Arab Army’s High Command has mobilized thousands of soldiers from some of their most elite divisions to carry out the offensive against the remaining terrorist forces spread across the Al-Bab Plateau and Deir Hafer Plains. A senior officer from the Syrian Arab Army told Al-Masdar News on Thursday evening that the High Command does not plan on stopping their operations in east Aleppo until their forces have successfully reached the Tabaqa Military Airport. In order to reach the Tabaqa Military Airport, the Syrian Arab Army would have to take the key city of Deir Hafer, which is located along the Aleppo-Raqqa Highway. However, there are some issues that might make this military operation somewhat complicated; for one, the Kurdish-led “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) are quickly advancing to the Tabaqa Military Airport from the northwest. If the Syrian Arab Army plans to take the Tabaqa Military Airport, they will eventually run into the Syrian Democratic Forces along the Aleppo-Raqqa Road. The Syrian Democratic Forces are backed by the U.S. military, so unless the Russians and Americans are working together, this could get ugly.
Jan. 13, 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/thousands-soldiers-awaiting-largest-syrian-army-operation-east-aleppo/

Headline:    The Campaign for ar-Raqqah

The U.S. is proceeding with an emergent strategy to retake ar-Raqqah City from ISIS. The composition of forces and the contours of future operations to clear ISIS from the city remain undecided, despite ongoing operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to isolate the city. Both Turkey and the SDF continue to apply pressure on the U.S.-led coalition to exclude the other in any future capture and governance of ar-Raqqah City. The U.S. nonetheless moved forward with operations to isolate the city in early November to apply dual pressure to ISIS amidst an ongoing campaign to seize Mosul from ISIS in Iraq.
Jan. 12, 2017

http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/campaign-ar-raqqah-january-12-2017

Headline:       Iraqi forces reach Nineveh govt building in Mosul

Iraqi forces fighting ISIS in Mosul reached the Nineveh province governance building and raised the Iraqi flag there on Friday, a senior US defense official said. Elissa Slotkin, the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, also told a Pentagon briefing on the fight against ISIS that a US liaison team is in talks with Turkey about helping its forces near al-Bab in Syria and has provided air support and surveillance in the past. “We are engaged on an hourly basis with the Turks on counter-ISIS campaign in Syria,” Slotkin said. “We have a liaison team that’s resident in Ankara. They are engaging every single day on the full spectrum of coalition support to the campaign.”
Jan. 13, 2017

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/01/13/Iraqi-forces-reach-Nineveh-govt-building-in-Mosul.html

Headline: Complete battlefield map of Iraq: January 2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/complete-battlefield-map-iraq-january-2017/

Headline:   Iraq Situation Report Jan. 6 – 11, 2017

http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iraq-situation-report-january-6-11-2017

Turkey

Headline:      US gives boost to Turkey’s fight against Daesh

Turkey’s threat to close its strategic southern Incirlik Air Base to US-led international coalition flights seem to have paid off, according to analysts. The US recently announced its decision to provide regular aerial intelligence to support Turkey in its military operation against Daesh around the Syrian town of Al-Bab. Incirlik does not belong to NATO, but is a Turkish base that remains open to the operations of NATO forces due to Ankara’s responsibilities under the alliance. The US move came after calls, made for more than a month, by Turkey’s top officials — Ibrahim Kalin, the top aide of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Mevlut Cavusoglu, the minister of foreign affairs — for Washington to support Turkish forces in their fighting against Daesh. There was also questioning over the use of Incirlik airbase by coalition forces that were perceived as not standing by Turkey as the country faced ever-mounting casualties in its Operation Euphrates Shield at Al-Bab, a critical location in the fight against Daesh.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1038301/middle-east

Headline: Cyprus peace talks end with optimism, but Turkey won’t remove troops

Headline: Erdogan: Turkey will be in Cyprus forever

Turkey on Friday said it has no plans to remove its troops from Cyprus at a conference on the reunification of the island in Geneva, Switzerland. Hopes were raised this week after talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, organized by the United Nations, suggested a reunification is attainable. The Mediterranean island was divided between Greek and Turkish spheres of influence in 1974, when Turkish troops intervened after a coup meant to unify Cyprus with Greece. “From now on, you will have to be patient,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a press conference Thursday with Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı and Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades. “There is obviously a way to go; work will continue on Cyprus. We are coming very close to it: A bi-zonal, bi-communal federal state.” He added the negotiators were not seeking a “quick fix” but a “solid and sustainable solution.”
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/13/Cyprus-peace-talks-end-with-optimism-but-Turkey-wont-remove-troops/4611484313868/?spt=sec&or=tn

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/erdogan-turkey-will-cyprus-forever/

Iran

Headline:     Iran approved to import additional 130 tons of uranium

The U.S. and five other world powers have approved Iran importing as much as 130 tons of uranium, Iran’s English language Press TV reported Friday. The TV quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman as saying “the Joint Commission monitoring the implementation of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 approved the purchase on the part of Iran during a meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Wednesday.” Kamalvandi said that the country had previously bought 220 tons of the material, and was currently in possession of a total of 350 tons, “Given that this amounts to a valuable resource, it places us in a very favorable position”. The incoming U.S. administration and many U.S. lawmakers already skeptical of how effective the nuclear deal is in keeping Iran’s nuclear program peaceful over the long term, they might view it as further evidence that Tehran is being given too many concessions.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/13/world/middleeast/ap-ml-iran-nuclear-.html

Afghanistan

Headline:   Afghanistan Disputes US Report on Taliban Gains

Headline:     Deadly Kandahar Blast: Five UAE diplomats among 12 killed

Headline: 36 Afghan parliament staff killed in Kabul attack

The Afghan Government on Thursday pushed back against a U.S. Inspector General’s report that said Afghan forces are losing significant territory to Taliban insurgents and are not capable of keeping the nation secure. “These calculations are not constant,” Mohammad Radmanesh, a spokesperson for the Afghan defense ministry, told VOA’s Afghan service. “Now we have recaptured many areas from the enemy.” On Wednesday, the U.S. Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR) reported that territory under the Afghan government diminished significantly in 2016 and that the Taliban made large gains. “The Afghan national defense and security force has not yet been capable of securing all of Afghanistan and has lost territory to the insurgency,” SIGAR reported. “Last August, the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan … said only 63.4 percent of the country’s territory was under government control — compared to the 72 percent that the military said was controlled by Kabul in November 2015,” SIGAR noted. But the Afghan government said the report does not take into account gains made by Afghan troops in retaking areas after Taliban assaults. The government said it controls nearly two-thirds of the country’s 407 districts. Afghan officials said the Taliban controls 33 districts, less than 10 percent of the national total, and a recent U.S. military assessment lists 116 districts — more than one-quarter of the country — as “contested” areas.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.voanews.com/a/afghanistan-disputes-us-report-on-taliban-gains/3674864.html

http://afghanistantimes.af/deadly-kandahar-blast-five-uae-diplomats-among-12-killed/

http://www.khaama.com/36-afghan-parliament-staff-killed-in-kabul-attack-02655

Sudan

Headline:         President Obama lifts U.S. sanctions on Sudan

The United States will lift trade sanctions on Sudan in a shift of policy, the Obama administration announced. An executive order released Thursday noted the Sudanese government’s “positive actions over the last six months.” The North African country has made improvements in humanitarian efforts, reduced military hostilities and cooperated with the United States on anti-terrorism efforts, the order says. The new U.S. strategy for Sudan, to be revealed Friday, calls for a lifting of sanctions, which will allow Sudan to purchase sorely needed items such as tractors and parts, as well as attract investment. In return, Sudan has promised to improve access for humanitarian organizations and end the bombing of insurgent groups. The embargo can be reinstated by the United States in six months, if necessary. Although sanctions were lifted by Obama’s executive order, the sale of military supplies is still prohibited. Sudan will remain on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, with Iran and Syria, and some Sudanese individuals still face sanctions.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/13/President-Obama-lifts-US-sanctions-on-Sudan/1191484324309/?spt=sec&or=tn

Libya

Headline:     Russian warship anchors off Tobruk in Putin’s latest move for Libyan base

Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, which left Syrian waters earlier this week, arrived Thursday at the port of Tobruk in eastern Libya. The warship was visited by Gen. Khalifa Haftar, commander of an army in eastern Libya and a fierce opponent of the government in Tripoli supported by the UN. After a tour of the warship he held a video call with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the war on terrorist organizations in Libya. DEBKAfile’s military sources: The video call between the minister and the general was unprecedented. Russia has been cultivating its ties with Hafter since his surprise visit to Moscow in November during which Russia offered to provide Hafter’s forces with warplanes, attack helicopters, tanks and various kinds of missiles.
All of these steps are intended to gain a Russian base in eastern Libya that would enable Moscow to establish a naval and air force presence in the central Mediterranean for the first time.
Jan. 12, 2017

http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/19728/Russian-warship-anchors-off-Tobruk-in-Putin-s-latest-move-for-Libyan-base

Tunisia

Headline:        Tunisian police fire tear gas at protesters demanding jobs

Tunisian police firing tear gas clashed on Thursday with hundreds of youths who tossed rocks and petrol bombs in protests over jobs and a lack of development in a town in the country’s south, residents said. Six years after their revolt ousted autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s central and southern regions are still flashpoints for rioting in marginalised towns where many young Tunisians see little economic progress since the uprising. Local residents said police clashed with several hundred young men in the centre of Ben Guerdane, and that protesters lobbed rocks and petrol bombs and set tyres ablaze. “Police are firing tear gas to try to disperse hundreds of youths who are protesting in the centre of the town demanding work,” Fethi Chandoul, a local resident, told Reuters. Jan. 12, 2017

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4906868,00.html

Algeria

Headline:       Algeria claims Israeli spy network uncovered

Arab media outlets reported on Friday that an international spy network operating for Israel was uncovered in Algeria. According to the reports, the network composed 10 members and was based in southern Algeria. The members included operatives from Libya, Mali, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria and Kenya. Algerian security forces also seized sophisticated radios used to transmit information by the spies. Those spies arrested are being held in temporary detention under a court order that accuses them of espionage, creating anarchy in the country and harming national security. Only last month, of Mohammad al-Zawahri, a flight engineer who specialized in unmanned aerial vehicles, was assassinated in Tunisia. According to reports, al-Zawahri had been assisting Hamas terrorism efforts, and Israel was behind the incident.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4907083,00.html

Headline:   3 Suicide Bombers Kill 2 on Market Day in Northeast Nigeria

Three women suicide bombers, including two carrying babies on their backs, detonated explosions Friday at a checkpoint Nigeria’s northeastern town of Madagali where people were being searched before entering a bustling weekly market, witnesses and an official said. The blasts killed the women, the babies and two self-defense fighters who wanted to search the bombers, they said. The fighters’ challenge likely saved many lives. In December, two women suicide bombers killed 57 people and wounded 177, including 120 children, at the Madagali market. Last week, three girl suicide bombers were killed on the outskirts of the same town. Residents blamed Boko Haram Islamic extremists for the attacks. Madagali is 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Maiduguri, the largest city in northeast Nigeria and the birthplace of Boko Haram’s insurgency. “They blew up themselves after they were intercepted by local vigilantes stationed at the checkpoint at the entry to town,” resident David Abawu said by telephone. “Two vigilantes lost their lives in the process.” Two of the bombers had babies strapped to their backs who also died, Adamawa state spokesman Ahmed Sajo told The Associated Press.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/13/world/africa/ap-af-nigeria-boko-haram.html?_r=0

Headline: US launches ‘self-defense strike’ during raid against Shabaab

US Africa Command announced that it launched an airstrike against Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia, while US advisors accompanied Somali and African Union forces in a counterterrorism exercise on Jan. 7. AFRICOM described the offensive under the guise of a “self-defense strike,” as it did on nine other occasions in 2016, when it was really another skirmish in a decade-long military operation against Shabaab. According to AFRICOM, US advisors accompanied a combined force of Somali and African Union troops on a raid in Gaduud, a town just north of Kismayo in southern Somalia. The area is a known hotbed for Shabaab, which has taken over nearby towns and villages. AFRICOM said the combined military force was conducting offensive operations to “disrupt” al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia. “During a counterterrorism operation to disrupt al-Shabaab, the combined partner forces observed al-Shabaab fighters threatening their safety and security,” AFRICOM said. “The US conducted a self-defense strike to neutralize the threat, no enemy fighters were killed.” AFRICOM described Shabaab as a group of “violent extremists” who “endanger the safety and stability of the Somali people.”
Jan. 12, 2017

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/01/us-launches-self-defense-strike-during-raid-against-shabaab.php

Headline:    U.S. troops’ move to Poland unnerves Kremlin

Headline: Why Is Obama Moving Troops Into Poland And Provoking A War With Russia Right Before The Inauguration?

Poland on Thursday welcomed several thousand U.S. troops along with tanks and heavy equipment under a planned NATO operation to beef up its Eastern European allies, vexing the Kremlin, which said the troops’ presence is a threat to Russia. The largest U.S.military reinforcement of Europe in decades of around 2,700 troops, out of 3,500 planned, arrived as part of operation Atlantic Resolve, aimed at showing Moscow Washington’s commitment to its allies. “The main goal of our mission is deterrence and prevention of threats,” U.S. Army Colonel Christopher R. Norrie, commander of the 3rd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, said at a welcome ceremony in Poland’s western city of Zagan. Poland and the Baltic former Soviet Republics requested U.S. and NATO troops after Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014, fearing further military operations in the region by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin, which has previously criticised NATO for its reinforcement in Eastern Europe, said on Thursday the deployment was an aggressive step along its borders. “We consider this a threat to us,” Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin’s spokesman, told journalists on a conference call. “We are talking here about a third country stepping up its military presence in Europe near our borders.”
Jan. 12, 2017

https://www.yahoo.com/news/kremlin-says-u-military-build-poland-national-security-111330103.html

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/why-is-obama-moving-troops-into-poland-and-provoking-a-war-with-russia-right-before-the-inauguration

Headline: South China Sea: China media warn US over ‘confrontation’

Headline: China aircraft carrier crosses Taiwan Strait amid tension

Headline: Only ‘large-scale war’ would allow US to block Beijing from S. China Sea islands, state media warns

Blocking China from islands it has built in contested waters would lead to “devastating confrontation”, Chinese state media have warned. The angry response came after secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson said the US should deny Beijing access to new islands in the South China Sea. Two state-run papers carry editorials strongly criticising his comments. The hawkish Global Times tabloid warned that any such action would lead to “a large-scale war”. Beijing has been building artificial islands on reefs in waters also claimed by other nations. Images published late last year show military defences on some islands, a think-tank says. Speaking at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Mr Tillerson likened China’s island-building to Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. “We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that first, the island-building stops and second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.” China’s official response, from foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, was muted. China had the right to conduct “normal activities” in its own territory, he said.
Jan. 13, 2017

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38607235

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38579559

https://www.rt.com/news/373579-china-islands-tillerson-war/

Jan. 8, 2017- Thousands of fish die suddenly in a dam in East Java, Indonesia
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesindonesia.co.id%2Fread%2F140139%2F20170108%2F121902%2Fribuan-ikan-di-dam-irigasi-karangdoro-banyuwangi-kembali-mati%2F&edit-text=&act=url

Jan. 9, 2017- Thousands of dead fish, plus dead birds found in a quarry lake in Basiglio, Italy
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.milanotoday.it%2Fcronaca%2Fpesci-morti-basiglio.html&edit-text=&act=url

Jan. 9, 2017- Hundreds of fish dying in a lake in Pozzuoli, Italy
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnapoli.fanpage.it%2Flago-d-averno-centinaia-di-pesci-morti-colpa-del-freddo-e-dei-gas-vulcanici%2F&edit-text=&act=url

Jan. 9, 2017- swans have died due to avian flu in Dorset, England
http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/80-swans-dead-at-abbotsbury-swannery-as-bird-flu-hits-herd/story-30041645-detail/story.html

Jan. 9, 2017- Hundreds of dead lobsters, starfish and crabs found washed ashore in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
http://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/2017/1/9/large-number-of-sea-creatures-that-washed-up-in-norris-point-lik.html

Jan. 11, 2017- Massive fish kill found washed up on a lake in New South Wales, Australia
http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/animal-deaths-birds-fish-end-times.html

Headline: City quarantines hundreds of cats amid bird flu outbreak

A rare strain of bird flu has swept through the Big Apple’s animal shelters — and city officials have locked up about 500 felines in a quarantine facility to stop the outbreak. So far, 386 of the purring patients have tested positive for the H7N2 virus — the first time the disease has even been found in cats, officials said. Two of the cats have died, along with the original host: a Bronx shelter adoptee named Alfred, who became sick in October. But workers have no plans to put down any of the sick cats and instead will treat them for the virus, which has baffled the medical staff. It was unclear how Alfred caught H7N2, which remains contagious for up to three weeks, officials said. Even though it is considered only slightly transmittable to humans, workers are taking no chances — wearing hazmat suits whenever they are in the room with the furballs. The cats were rounded up from shelters in all corners of the city over the last two months and taken to a makeshift facility in an industrial section of Long Island City, Queens, set up by the ASPCA. The sick felines are being tested by workers from the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and the process could take up to three months, officials said.
Jan. 12, 2017

http://nypost.com/2017/01/12/city-quarantines-hundreds-of-cats-amid-bird-flu-outbreak/

All earthquakes are instantly posted to the ETRM Facebook page- you do not need to sign up; click the photo below to see the earthquake album ***beginning November 29, 2016, earthquakes of a 5.5 magnitude and higher will be posted

~click the photo to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes for the current year~

Headline:    What’s shaking? List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 11, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices

 Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 6, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Devices