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Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 3 2021 Edition by Frank DiMora

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~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the FLASHING “prophecy sign” for all Bible verses & videos, which will take you to the TABS you see at the top of the website; there you will find all the Bible verses and most current videos related to that area of prophecy~

‎On September ‎2017, I  put on a prophecy seminar at Trinity Nazarene Church in Lompoc Ca.  In that seminar I showed my video on the coming Third Jewish Temple Jesus Christ warned us about. If you do not know what our Lord prophesied about this Third Temple here are four places in the bible that address this coming Temple.  

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:  and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).  Just so you know, the sacrifices and oblation are done in the Temple.  Jesus refers to the Daniel prophecy below.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)” (Matthew 24:15).

“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.² But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Revelation 11:1-2). 

In my prophecy seminar in 2017, I warned the people at Trinity that there would be coming  a lot of talk about building the Third Temple in the near future.  Since that seminar this last days prophecy about the coming Third Temple has sped up. The talk about building the Temple sped up so much I had to up-date the information on the coming Third Temple. On Mar 7, 2019 I posted my video on the coming Temple to my YouTube channel.  Since March of 2019, there have been even more signs we are getting very close to witnessing Israel building that Third Temple.  If you are new to this prophecy I suggest you watch my 2019, video below and my video on the signing of the Abraham According between Israel and the UAE.  Daniel talked about a covenant between Israel and many people which are the Islamic people. Since the signing of that new Abraham Accord one Islamic nation another are making peace with Israel!  Anyone who understand bible prophecy understands how huge these end times signs are.  Before you watch those videos below here are some new reports showing us the signs that things are changing over the Temple Mount issue.  Keep in mind for years the Arabs have been keeping the Jews from going up to the Temple Mount area where the first and second Temple once sound.  However, as I have been warning for years the Jews are now starting to make there way up that that Temple Mount area. 

“A new Member of Knesset, a resident of the Golan, firmly established his political path with a powerful act of faith by praying on the Temple Mount. Likud won 36 seats In the last elections but recent infighting led to longtime Likudnik Gideon Sa’ar breaking away to form his own party. Rather than weaken the party, the move allowed new and enthusiastic members to step into the breach.  Nissim Vaturi, as the 40th candidate on the Likud list, stepped up, representing a unique and necessary voice in the government. Sworn in two weeks ago, Vaturi made a bold declaration of his intentions by ascending to the Temple Mount on Sunday and praying.  “On the merit of this act, may we merit full Redemption and may we merit redeeming this place for the Shechina (holy presence) to dwell, and to build the Holy Temple quickly and in our days.”

NOT THE ONLY ONE

Vaturi is the second Likud Knesset member to not only enter the Temple Mount, but to call for the construction of the third Temple this month. Earlier in December, Israel365News reported that fellow Likud parliamentarian Amit Halevi lit Chanukah candles on Tuesday outside of the Temple Mount and said that step-by-step, Israel is getting closer to the Temple.  Vaturi then recited the ‘Shehecheyanu” blessing which is recited upon auspicious and joyous occasions. “It is the right of every Jew to be able to go anywhere in the Holy Land, especially in the Holy city of Jerusalem, this place where we were before anyone else.”
https://www.israel365news.com/163236/another-israeli-lawmaker-enters-temple-mount-calls-to-build-3rd-temple/?vgo_ee=NuAmpMC91IwBvsg14HPsAt83r3rW%2BcB5J5zi59DJh%2BQ%3D

When you watch the the second video below you will see more news concerning news about building the Third Temple. 

I post this type of news connecting bible prophecy with current events not to scare anyone but to warn them as to what Jesus said to look for in those last days.  If we are witnessing all the last days signs Jesus said would take place all at the same time then why wait to take Christ as your savior.? After all that is why Jesus gave us so much information about what to look for in the days prior to His second coming. It is sad to see so many people are not ready for what is coming on this generation.  Keep in mind, Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 told us the following: ³³ So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. ³⁴ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

In my free prophecy book The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth you will see for yourself over the years everything Jesus said would happen all at the same time is,  in fact, taking place right now.  Once we see the Third Temple being built you will know that the last 7 years Jesus warned about have begun.  If anyone who has questions about what you saw and read in today’s post you can email me at fjdimora@gmail.com. 

10 injured in explosion near Lebanon-Syria border

Some 10 people were injured after explosions were reported at a gas storage warehouse in the town of Al-Qasr in northeastern Lebanon near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Sunday evening, according to Lebanese media. The explosion occurred while Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was speaking to mark the anniversary of the assassination of former IRGC Quds Force commander Qassam Soleimani. Intense flights of IDF aircraft were reported by Lebanese media over southern and central Lebanon throughout the afternoon and evening, including when the explosion occurred. Hezbollah has been accused of smuggling goods and dollars from Lebanon into Syria and harming the Lebanese economy, as well as smuggling weapons from Syria into Lebanon. According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the warehouse where the explosion took place on Sunday is owned by a person who is close with Hezbollah. A Fars Air Qeshm flight landed in Damascus from Iran on Sunday morning and returned to Tehran on Sunday afternoon, according to civilian flight tracking sites. The airline is suspected of being used to smuggle weapons from Iran to Syria and Lebanon.
Jan. 4, 2021

Saudi Arabia to reopen airspace, land border to Qatar, says Kuwait

Saudi Arabia will reopen its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar as of Monday, Kuwait’s foreign minister said in televised comments, citing a deal towards resolving a political dispute that led Riyadh and its allies to impose a boycott on Qatar. Saudi state agency SPA quoted Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying the annual gathering of Gulf leaders would unite Gulf ranks “in the face of challenges facing the region”. Kuwait’s foreign minister said a declaration would be signed at the summit, which was postponed from its usual December date as Riyadh pushed for an agreement towards ending the rift. Doha had been given 13 demands, ranging from closing Al Jazeera television and shuttering a Turkish base to cutting links to the Muslim Brotherhood and downgrading ties with Iran. Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, joined by Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook, a special State Department adviser, were flying to the Saudi Arabia to attend the signing ceremony, a senior Trump administration official said.
Jan. 4, 2021

At least 15 killed in Syria road attack

Gunmen killed at least 15 people in Syria, mostly government soldiers traveling on a bus in the second such road ambush in recent days, a war monitor said Monday. The ambush late Sunday resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers, four allied fighters and three civilians, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, updating an earlier toll. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the monitor said the Daesh group was to blame. Another 15 people were wounded, with cars and fuel tankers also attacked, in the Wadi Al-Azib area of Hama province. Syria’s official news agency SANA said the “terrorist attack” killed nine people, all civilians. Last week, the IS group said it ambushed a bus on December 30 in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province, killing at least 37 soldiers.
Jan. 4, 2021

Iran resumes 20% uranium enrichment, seizes South Korean tanker

Iran has resumed the production of 20% enriched uranium at its underground nuclear facility in Fordow, an Iranian government spokesman said Monday. Iranian state media later reported that authorities had seized a South Korean-flagged tanker and arrested its crew, alleging “oil pollution” in the Persian Gulf. The news comes amid heightened U.S. fears of a possible Iranian attack, one year after the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. 20% enriched uranium — which is banned under the 2015 nuclear deal — can’t be used for military purposes, but is a step closer to the 90% enrichment needed to build a nuclear bomb. The announcement come less than three weeks before Biden assumes office, and is perceived as an Iranian attempt to pressure the new administration to move quickly toward rejoining the nuclear deal and easing sanctions.
Jan. 4, 2021 

National Guard Activated to Help Support Police During Pro-Trump Protests

Some 100 National Guardsmen will be in Washington this week to help support police officers patrolling protests planned by President Donald Trump supporters this week. “We have received confirmation that the D.C. National Guard will be assisting the Metropolitan Police Department, beginning tomorrow through the life cycle of this event,” Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III told reporters at a press conference on Monday. National Guard personnel will be assisting police officers with crowd management and traffic control, freeing officers “to focus on anyone who’s intent on instigating, agitating, or participating in violence in our city,” he added. Bowser said guardsmen would not be armed and would not be engaged in domestic surveillance, searches, or seizures of Americans. Pro-Trump ralliers plan on gathering in D.C. this week to protest during the counting of electoral votes. The main locations police expect people to gather are the U.S. Capitol, Freedom Plaza, and the Ellipse near the White House.
Jan. 4, 2021

The First Country To Move To A 100% Digital Monetary System Is… Venezuela

Venezuela’s government is planning to move to a fully digital economy as hyperinflation has made worthless bolivar notes practically disappear, and dollarization expands through the local financial system. As Bloomberg reports, some banks have had technical meetings with Venezuela’s central bank in an attempt to solve the problem amid high skepticism and caution due to U.S. sanctions. But Maduro vowed to create “payment formats” allowing transactions using savings and checking accounts in U.S. dollars, which is especially bizarre since Venezuela has been technically cut off from SWIFT and so Caracas may have no choice but to become the world’s first fully digital monetary regime. And yet, comedy or not, central banks the world over will be closely watching to see just how Venezuela will screw up this experiment of becoming the world’s first fully digital economy, because as we have been warning for a while: digital currencies – under the protective umbrella of the so-called ISO 20022 – are coming to every broke country near you in the next 12-24 months.
Jan. 3, 2021

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver closes Congress’ opening prayer with ‘amen and awoman’

A House Democrat tasked with leading the body in an opening prayer for the new Congress has gendered the word “amen.” To close a prayer he delivered from the House chamber Sunday to mark the swearing in of the 117th Congress, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), an ordained minister, altered the traditional “amen” to say “amen and awoman.” “May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace,” Cleaver said during his two-minute invocation, “peace in our families, peace across this land, and dare I ask, o Lord, peace even in this chamber.” “We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma (a Hindu deity), and ‘God’ known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and awoman.” While Cleaver may have been trying to be inclusive to women, “amen” is not a gendered word. The word translates from Hebrew to mean “so be it.”
Jan. 4, 2021

New York State Assembly Proposes New Bill A416 That Would Take “Disease Carriers” And Place Them In ‘Holding Area’ Designated By Governor Cuomo

416
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
(PREFILED)
January 6, 2021

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section2120-a to read as follows:§ 2120-A. REMOVAL AND DETENTION OF CASES, CONTACTS  AND  CARRIERS  WHOARE OR MAY BE A DANGER TO PUBLIC HEALTH; OTHER ORDERS. 1. THE PROVISIONSOF  THIS  SECTION  SHALL  BE  UTILIZED  IN  THE  EVENT THAT THE GOVERNORDECLARES A STATE OF HEALTH EMERGENCY DUE TO AN EPIDEMIC OF ANY  COMMUNI-CABLE DISEASE.2.  UPON  DETERMINING BY CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE THAT THE HEALTHOF OTHERS IS OR MAY BE ENDANGERED BY A  CASE,  CONTACT  OR  CARRIER,  ORSUSPECTED  CASE, CONTACT OR CARRIER OF A CONTAGIOUS DISEASE THAT, IN THEOPINION OF THE GOVERNOR, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE  COMMISSIONER,  MAYPOSE  AN  IMMINENT AND SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH RESULTINGIN SEVERE MORBIDITY OR HIGH MORTALITY, THE GOVERNOR OR HIS OR HER  DELE-GEE,  INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO THE COMMISSIONER OR THE HEADS OFLOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, MAY ORDER THE REMOVAL AND/OR DETENTION OF SUCHA PERSON OR OF A GROUP OF SUCH PERSONS BY ISSUING A SINGLE ORDER,  IDEN-TIFYING  SUCH  PERSONS  EITHER  BY  NAME  OR  BY  A  REASONABLY SPECIFICDESCRIPTION OF THE INDIVIDUALS OR GROUP BEING DETAINED. SUCH  PERSON  ORGROUP OF PERSONS SHALL BE DETAINED IN A MEDICAL FACILITY OR OTHER APPRO-PRIATE  FACILITY  OR  PREMISES  DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNOR OR HIS OR HERDELEGEE AND COMPLYING WITH SUBDIVISION FIVE OF THIS SECTION.

Controversial Bill Gates-funded plan to dim the sun’s rays moves forward quietly

A bizarre-sounding plan to save Earth funded by tech guru Bill Gates is “quietly” moving forward. The plan — to dim the sun’s rays and their impact on the earth — is reportedly all in the name of helping to revitalize the environment and thus save the human race. The billionaire philanthropist is set on saving the Earth no matter the cost. “While you may have been paying attention to [Gates’] efforts on vaccination and lockdowns, you may not have noticed that one of Gates’ most controversial causes just got a go-ahead: A project that would help block out the sun,” the Western Journal’s Douglas Golden wrote.  Reuters reported that the geo-engineering plan — a Harvard University project funded largely by Gates— “plans to test out a controversial theory that global warming can be stopped by spraying particles into the atmosphere that would reflect the sun’s rays.” The news organization reported that the Swedish Space Corporation has already taken strides in testing out the theory. In a small step, the Swedish Space Corporation agreed this week to help Harvard researchers launch a balloon near the Arctic town of Kiruna next June. It would carry a gondola with 600 kg of scientific equipment 20 km (12 miles) high. “The idea is simple: spray a bunch of particles into the stratosphere, and they will cool the planet by reflecting some of the Sun’s rays back into space,” Nature’s Jeff Tollefson wrote in 2018. “Scientists have already witnessed the principle in action.”
Dec. 28, 2020

“Bomb Cyclone” Detonates Over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands Unleashing Hurricane Force Winds

A monster storm explosively intensified in the northern Pacific near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands on New Year’s Eve, battering the region with hurricane-force winds, heavy seas, and torrential rains, according to Reuters. “It’s the most intense storm ever recorded in the North Pacific, excluding typhoons,” said Brian Brettschneider, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist with the National Weather Service (NWS).  The storm is classified as a “bomb cyclone” after meteorologists recorded barometric pressure of 921 millibars, a record-low reading for the region, equivalent to the center of a Category 4 hurricane. The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) tweeted Thursday night: “Here is the latest surface analysis showing a strong storm with winds to #hurricaneforce moving toward the Bering Sea. The central pressure is 921 MB making it one of the strongest storms to ever impact the North Pacific. Winds are expected to reach 95 kts near the low center!”
Jan 1, 2021

Tropical Cyclone “Imogen” to hit Queensland with strong winds, dangerous storm tide and heavy rain, Australia

A tropical low formed on January 1 near Groote Eylandt in the western Gulf of Carpentaria, about 635 km (395 miles) ESE of Darwin in favorable environmental conditions, characterized by very warm sea surface temperatures of up to 31 °C (88 °F), low to moderate vertical wind shear and established poleward outflow channel in the upper levels. A Tropical Cyclone Watch was issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) at 00:00 UTC on January 2 for parts of the northwestern Queensland coast. The low continued intensifying and was named Imogen at 06:00 UTC today. At the time, the system had maximum 10-minute winds of 65 km/h (40 mph), maximum 3-second wind gusts up to 100 km/h (62 mph), and a central pressure of 991 hPa. It was moving SE at 12 km/h (7 mph).
Jan. 3, 2021

Asteroid 2021 AA flew past Earth at 0.6 LD

Fireball as bright as the full Moon spotted over southern Spain

Daylight fireball over Bahia, Brazil

A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2021 AA flew past Earth at a distance of 0.62 LD / 0.00159 AU (237 860 km / 147 800 miles) from the center of our planet at 13:16 UTC on January 1, 2021. This is the first known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year. In 2020, we had 107 such flybys, up from 77 in 2019, 76 in 2018, 55 in 2017, and 53 in 2016. Asteroid 2021 AA was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey, Arizona on January 2, one day after it made its close approach to Earth. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 11 and 24 m (36 – 79 feet).
Jan. 4, 2021

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

Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth January 3 2021 Edition by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Device

~Find Us on MeWe and Brighteon~ click Brighteon & MeWe photos below

 ~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the FLASHING “prophecy sign” for all Bible verses & videos, which will take you to the TABS you see at the top of the website; there you will find all the Bible verses and most current videos related to that area of prophecy~

Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth Dec. 26, 2020 Edition by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Device

~Find Us on MeWe and Brighteon~ click Brighteon & MeWe photos below

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the FLASHING “prophecy sign” for all Bible verses & videos, which will take you to the TABS you see at the top of the website; there you will find all the Bible verses and most current videos related to that area of prophecy~

Gaza militants fire two rockets toward southern Israel

IDF strikes Gaza in response to earlier rocket attacks

The IDF struck targets belonging to Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Striplate Friday night in response to rockets fired from Gaza into Israeli territory earlier in the night. During the IDF operation, a rocket weapon production site was targeted, in addition to underground infrastructure and a Hamas military post. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said after the strike that “the IDF condemns any kind of terror attacks against Israel, and it is ready and prepared to act in determinations against attempts to harm Israeli citizens and against Israeli sovereignty. “Attacks by the IDF won’t break the will of the Palestinian people, but strengthen their resolve to insist on their rights,” a Hamas statement released after the attacks read.
Dec. 26, 2020

Hezbollah: We’ve doubled our precision-missile arsenal and can strike Israel anywhere

Hezbollah leader reveals Soleimani and Assad behind supply of anti-tank missiles to Gaza

Hezbollah’s Nasrallah claims Saudi-US-Israel plot to assassinate him

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said Sunday his group now has twice as many precision-guided missiles as it had a year ago, saying Israel’s efforts to prevent it from acquiring them have failed. Hassan Nasrallah, in an end-of-year interview with the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, said his group has the capability to strike anywhere in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. During the four-hour interview, Nasrallah said there are many matters related to his group that Israel has no knowledge of because those are kept in a “very tight circle.” Nasrallah repeated vows that Iran and its allies will avenge the U.S. killing of the commander of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Qassim Soleimani, in a drone attack a year ago in Iraq. “That revenge is coming no matter how long it takes,” he told Al-Mayadeen TV, sitting with a picture of Soleimani to his left. Nasrallah also vowed to avenge Israel’s killing of a Hezbollah fighter in Syria earlier this year.
Dec. 28, 2020

Reports: Israeli airstrikes in Syria target pro-Iran weapons facilities, kill 6

Syrian state media said Israel carried out airstrikes in the central province of Hama early Friday morning. Syria’s official news agency SANA said the attack occurred near the town of Masyaf and that the missiles were fired from Lebanese territory. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-Syrian opposition organization, claimed the strikes hit positions of Iran-backed militias and killed at least six foreign paramilitaries. The claim could not be verified. The Observatory said the strikes targeted the Iran-backed groups’ arms depots and facilities for manufacturing short-range missiles. The Associated Press said Israeli jets flew very low over parts of Lebanon before the strikes, including over Beirut, frightening some of the city’s residents.
Dec. 25, 2020

Turkey warns Libya’s Haftar and supporters against attacking its forces

Libyan Army threatens to respond to Turkish forces in ‘appropriate and unexpected manner’

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar warned on Sunday that the forces of Khalifa Haftar and their supporters based in eastern Libya would be viewed as “legitimate targets” if they attempted to attack Turkish forces in the region. Speaking during a visit to Turkish troops in Tripoli, Akar said Haftar’s forces and his supporters would have “nowhere to run” if they attacked Turkish forces, adding they would become targets for Ankara “everywhere.”
Dec. 28, 2020

US says it will open a consulate in disputed Western Sahara

The State Department said Thursday the United States will open a consulate in Western Sahara following President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the process of opening the facility has begun. That process involves finding and securing a suitable property for a mission before personnel are hired. It was not immediately clear when or where it would be open but until then Pompeo said the U.S. Embassy in Rabat would operate a virtual consulate to serve Western Sahara. Recognizing Western Sahara was a reversal of decades of U.S. policy and the move has been heavily criticized, not least by those in Western Sahara who have fought for independence and want a referendum on the territory’s future.
Dec. 24, 2020

Russia will defend Armenia if Azerbaijan attacks border region: Pashinyan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Sunday that Russia will intervene to ensure the security of Armenia in the event that Azerbaijan attempts to launch any attack on the Syunik border region. “The most important issue is ensuring security … As a result of the measures that have been taken, a war has been prevented in Syunik, not only today, but in general,” Pashinyan said, speaking on state television in Armenia. He continued, “Our deployment took place in a way that ensures that in the event that Syunik is tampered with, the armed forces of Armenia and even Russia will intervene.”
Dec. 28, 2020

Belarus authorities crack down on Lukashenko protesters

Hundreds of Belarusians spent the last weekend of 2020 taking to the streets in a largely peaceful demonstration, releasing red and white helium-filled balloons. More than a dozen people have been detained. Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets of Belarus on Sunday to protest against President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than a quarter of a century. Local human rights center Viasna said 13 people were detained during the traditional weekend protests — 10 in Minsk and three more in other Belarusian cities. Belarus media reported that groups of people took part in small rallies scattered throughout the country and that heavy security forces were also present in Minsk. Videos showed protesters with red and white flags marching through courtyards in residential areas of the capital, chanting “Long live Belarus!” and “As long as we’re united, we’re invincible.” There have been more than 30,000 detentions since the protests began.
Dec. 27, 2020

Chinese delegation meets Nepal PM amid political crisis

A Chinese delegation reportedly held talks with Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and President Bidya Devi Bhandari in Kathmandu on Sunday in a first diplomatic step by the neighbouring power after the prime minister dissolved parliament a week ago. The four-member delegation led by Guo Yezhou, a vice minister in the international department of the Communist Party of China, arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday to assess the political situation following the rift in the governing Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Prime Minister Oli decided to dissolve the country’s parliament last Sunday and called for parliamentary election more than a year ahead of the schedule following a power struggle in the NCP. He had led an alliance with former Maoist rebels to a landslide victory in 2017. The move triggered deep political unrest and street protests in the Himalayan nation as it grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and left the ruling party on the verge of a split. “I think the Chinese have come to assess the overall situation after the dissolution of parliament and virtual break-up of the Nepal Communist Party,” said Narayan Khadka, a senior leader of the opposition Nepali Congress party. The Chinese Embassy in Nepal was not immediately available for comment.
Dec. 28, 2020

Polls open in Central African Republic amid fears of unrest in first elections since peace deal

Voting has begun in Central African Republic’s presidential and legislative elections after a campaign period marked by violence between rebels and government forces. The government blames the unrest on former president Francois Bozize, who returned from exile a year ago and has been blocked from running in the election. He has been accused of joining up with armed groups to destabilise the country and launch a coup. He has denied it. Despite calls from the opposition to delay the vote amid the insecurity, the Constitutional Court rejected a postponement. President Faustin-Archange Touadera, seeking a second term, has tried to reassure candidates and voters that the voting will be secure. This is the central African country’s first election since a peace deal was signed between the government and 14 rebel groups in February 2019, although fighting continues. Three peacekeepers from Burundi were killed by armed combatants and two others wounded on Friday. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attacks in the Dekoua and Bakouma areas ahead of the elections, calling for swift justice and saying they may constitute war crimes. The UN retook the town of Bambari last week from rebels. Rebel groups have also seized several towns near the capital, Bangui. Voters went to the polls in the capital on Sunday, though others had fled the violence over the holiday weekend.
Dec. 27, 2020

The Persecution of Christians, November 2020

The following are among the abuses inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of November 2020.  While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location. Here is a sample:
“They tried to force some of our Christians to convert to Islam. They also tried to force my wife and our four children to convert to Islam, but when they refused to convert, they shot my wife in the head while our four children were cut into pieces with a Somali sword. — Morningstar News, Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Islamic militants turned a village soccer field in northern Mozambique into an execution ground when they beheaded more than 50 people during three days of savage violence…. More than 2,000 people have been killed and about 430,000 left homeless in the region since 2017.” — Barnabas Aid, Mozambique.
For two months after kidnapping a deaf and mute Christian teenage girl her, five Muslim men repeatedly gang-raped and tortured her. All this time, police ignored the parents’ pleas to intervene. It was only when a local authority took up the case, and only after months of court meetings, that the girl was located and returned to her parents. One of the kidnappers insisted the girl had willingly converted to Islam and married him. — British Pakistani Christian Association, Pakistan.
Dec. 27, 2020

Former CDC Director Calls For ‘Immunity Passports’

Singapore Airlines launches ‘digital health passport’

Dr. Thomas Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday proposed the idea of certificates of vaccination like “immunity passports” for U.S. citizens to prove they’ve been inoculated, claiming the measure could help the country return “back to a new normal.” Speaking on “CBS This Morning,” Frieden, who was appointed CDC director by Barack Obama, said that “done right, immunity passports could be one of a series of things that could help us get to a new normal as soon as possible.” Concerning the immunity passports, Frieden said there should be certain standards that need to be followed before such a policy is implemented. “First of, absolute privacy. No ability of people to use that data for anything else. Second, absolutely opt-in,” he said. “If you don’t want one, you don’t have to get one. And third, complete transparency about how they’re being used so that there are no surprises anywhere.” Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang last week also proposed an idea about a need for proof of vaccination.
Dec. 24, 2020

New earthquake swarm under Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands

A new seismic swarm started under Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma island, Canary Islands at 21:26 UTC on December 23, 2020. The alert level remains at Green (1 of 4) — Carry out your activities normally. Since 2017, Cumbre Vieja has experienced 7 seismic swarms — 1 in 2017, 1 in 2018, and 5 in 2020.​  The last eruption of this volcano took place in 1971 (VEI 2). According to the Volcanological Institute of Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), the swarm consists of small-magnitude events at depths between 20 and 30 km (12.3 – 18.6 miles). From 21:26 UTC on December 23 to 07:38 UTC on December 26, a total of 602 earthquakes have been detected, of which 126 have been located. The epicenters are mainly on the western slope of Cumbre Vieja. Since the beginning of the series, the maximum magnitude of the localized earthquakes is 2.3 mbLg. So far, the energy released in the form of earthquakes in the present series reaches a value of 6×10⁹ Joules.
Dec. 26, 2020

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

Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth Dec. 3, 2020 Edition by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Device

~Find Us on MeWe and Brighteon~ click Brighteon & MeWe photos below

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the FLASHING “prophecy sign” for all Bible verses & videos, which will take you to the TABS you see at the top of the website; there you will find all the Bible verses and most current videos related to that area of prophecy~

Election prevention bill fails, Israel headed to elections on March 23

Naftali Bennett slams Netanyahu, declares he’s running to become PM

A bill proposed to avoid Knesset dispersal and the fourth elections over the last two years has failed to pass on Monday night, sealing Israel’s fate. 47 MKs voted for the bill, while 49 voted against. The 23rd Knesset will be dissolved automatically at midnight on Tuesday night. Prior to the vote, Gantz called Netanyahu on Monday with upgraded demands for preventing a March 23 election. The list included preventing harm to the rule of law, approving all key appointments, passing the 2020 and 2021 state budgets and closing all loopholes that would prevent Gantz from becoming prime minister next November. A bill that would postpone the deadline for passing the budget and prevent early elections from being initiated passed in the Knesset House Committee by a seven to five vote on Monday afternoon. Even before Gantz’s ultimatum to Netanyahu, passing the bill into law by Tuesday night’s deadline would have been a challenge, due to rebellions in Blue and White and Likud, and further complicated by MKs suffering from COVID-19. Ultimately, the bill failed to pass. There are at least two MKs remaining in Likud who could defect to Sa’ar’s party soon, and as many as five MKs in Blue and White could end up opposing the bill.
Dec. 23, 2020

Israel Hopes for Rapprochement With Fifth Muslim Country Before Trump Exit, Minister Says

Israel is working towards formalizing relations with a fifth Muslim country during US President Donald Trump’s term, which ends next month, an Israeli government minister told Ynet TV on Wednesday. Asked if a fifth country could sign up before Trump steps down on Jan 20, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis told Ynet TV: “We are working in that direction.” “There will be an American announcement about another country that is going public with the normalization of relations with Israel and, in essence, with the infrastructure for an accord — a peace accord,” he said. He declined to name the country but said there were two main candidates. One is in the Gulf, he said, giving Oman as a possibility while adding that Saudi Arabia is not. The other candidate, further to the east, is a “Muslim country that is not small” but is not Pakistan, Akunis said.
***Please also see:
Tunisia says it does not intend to normalize relations with Israel

Trump administration attempts to lure Indonesia into recognizing Israel with $2bn in aid 
Dec. 23, 2020

Report says several dozen killed in latest Ethiopia massacre

Tigray: Hundreds of civilians reported killed in artillery strikes, warns UN rights chief

An Ethiopian news agency says several dozen people have been killed in the latest massacre along ethnic lines in the western part of the country. The Amhara Mass Media Agency, affiliated with the country’s Amhara region, cites witnesses as saying the attack occurred early Wednesday morning in the Metekel zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz region. The attack occurred a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the region and spoke about the need to bring those responsible for recent attacks to justice. Ethnic tensions are a major challenge as Abiy tries to promote national unity in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups. The witnesses, speaking by phone, said houses were burned in the attack in Bikuji county. It was not immediately clear who the attackers were. The ruling party in the region, the Benishangul-Gumuz Prosperity Party, said in a statement that “armed bandits” had committed a “horrifying crime.”
Dec. 23, 2020

Libyan Army captures strategic city in oil rich region

The Libyan National Army (LNA) has reportedly entered and established full control over the city of Ubari in southwestern Libya this evening. According to Al-Arabiya, ​”The Libyan army entered the city of Ubari and took full control of it.” The capture of Ubari by the Libyan National Army comes just days after they gave the militias there a deadline to withdrawal; they refused, thus resulting in a military operation. The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) forces have slammed the move by the LNA as a new violation of the ceasefire that was established earlier this year. On the other hand, the Turkish parliament approved on Tuesday, a request from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the work of Turkish military forces in Libya for a period of 18 months, at a time when Ankara strongly supports the Government of National Accord in Tripoli.
Dec. 22, 2020

Western Sahara: UN Reiterates ‘Unchanged Position’ During Security Council Meeting

Morocco Must Counter Pro-Polisario Narrative in US Media

The UN Security Council held a meeting behind closed doors on Monday to discuss recent developments on Western Sahara. The meeting came after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara on December 10. During the Security Council meeting at the request of Germany, UN officials briefed the members of the body on the latest developments in the decades-long dispute. The US move was unprecedented, taking by surprise both Security Council members and the whole international community following the lingering territorial conflict. Refraining from openly frustrating Algeria and the Polisario Front, the US  promoted the UN-moderated political process while implicitly supporting  Morocco’s autonomy initiative as a credible, realistic, and serious solution to end the Western Sahara conflict. Polisario and its supporters, Algeria and South Africa, however, continue to oppose Morocco’s territorial integrity, promoting independence and a referendum. The UN resolutions continue to call on parties to the conflict, including Algeria, Mauritania, Polisario, and Morocco to engage in the political process to end the conflict. The resolutions also repeatedly emphasize the importance and “credibility” of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
Dec. 23, 2020

Armenians take to streets of Yerevan to call for PM’s resignation

Thousands of people took to the Armenian capital’s streets again Tuesday, demanding the prime minister’s resignation over his handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan. Armenian opposition politicians and their supporters have been calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down for weeks since he signed a peace deal that halted 44 days of deadly fighting at the cost of territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Crowds of protesters on Tuesday besieged government buildings in Yerevan, chanting “Nikol, go away!” In other parts of Armenia, protesters were reported to have blocked several major roads. Several hours into the rally, opposition supporters erected tents on Yerevan’s main square. “We have pitched the tents and intend to stay as long as possible, including overnight. Pashinyan needs to resign,” Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a member of the opposition Dashnaktsutyun party, was quoted by the Russian state news agency Tass as saying. The opposition also called on Pashinyan’s My Step coalition, which currently has the majority of seats in the parliament, to sit down for talks on Tuesday. My Step so far has not commented on the proposal.
Dec. 22, 2020

US Slaps Sanctions On Belarus Police Over Crackdown

Belarus Update: Promised Major Opposition Protest March Fizzles

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on Belarus police units and a senior security official over their violent crackdown on mass protests following the strongman leaders contested reelection. The Treasury Department said it will freeze any US assets and bar transactions with first deputy interior minister Gennady Kazakevich, who in October appeared in a video threatening protesters with lethal force. “We stand with the brave people of Belarus and support their right to free and fair elections,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, denouncing ongoing “efforts to undermine Belarusian democracy.” The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on three security bodies involved in the crackdown including the Minsk Special Purpose Police Unit.
Dec. 23, 2020

CAR rebels seize Bambari city, Russia confirms sending military

UN Says Seized C.African Town Under Peacekeepers’ Control

Rebels in the Central African Republic have seized Bambari, the country’s fourth-largest city, five days before nationwide elections, according to the local mayor, government and UN sources. “The town is under the control of armed groups,” Bambari Mayor Abel Matchipata said on Tuesday, while a senior government official confirmed “they are in the town, we are waiting for reinforcements, which are on their way”. The sources said the rebels were led by an armed group called the Unity for Peace in Central Africa (UPC), one of the militias contesting the government in the run-up to the December 27 polls. The attack triggered a two-hour gunfight with CAR troops and the United Nations’ peacekeeping force MINUSCA, sources in NGOs and the UN said. The attack follows the government’s accusations at the weekend that former president Francois Bozize was seeking to mount a coup with armed groups before upcoming elections. At CAR’s request, Russia and Rwanda have sent military personnel to support the troubled country. Russia on Tuesday said it had dispatched 300 military instructors to the CAR at Bangui’s request “to train the military personnel of the national army” under an existing cooperation agreement.
Dec. 23, 2020

New Science Paper Proposes AI-Based Formula To Pre-Identify Twitter Users Who Post “Unreliable” Information

Google told its scientists to ‘strike a positive tone’ in AI research – documents

“Thought crime” or “precrime” is a theme commonly referenced in science fiction novels. It is the idea that computers and supertechnology in a surveillance state setup can be used to predict who will commit a crime and who will not, and with the purpose not of stopping actual crime, but with preventing anybody from expressing any disagreement with the way the system is being operated, allowing those in charge to commit crimes with complete freedom and imprisoning or destroying the rest of the public.Unfortunately, there has been a trend toward embracing ‘precrime’ type thinking across the world. I do not mean just in China with the ‘social credit’ system, but in the US with aggressive policing and the use of cameras and other AI-type programs to attempt to predict crime before it happens. As this trend continues, one can see the danger of this right now as a new science paper has proposed an AI-based formula to pre-identify Twitter users who spread “fake news”. “Social media has become a popular source for online news consumption with millions of users worldwide. However, it has become a primary platform for spreading disinformation with severe societal implications. Automatically identifying social media users that are likely to propagate posts from handles of unreliable news sources sometime in the future is of utmost importance for early detection and prevention of disinformation diffusion in a network, and has yet to be explored. To that end, we present a novel task for predicting whether a user will repost content from Twitter handles of unreliable news sources by leveraging linguistic information from the user’s own posts. We develop a new dataset of approximately 6.2K Twitter users mapped into two categories: (1) those that have reposted content from unreliable news sources; and (2) those that repost content only from reliable sources. For our task, we evaluate a battery of supervised machine learning models as well as state-of-the-art neural models, achieving up to 79.7 macro F1. In addition, our linguistic feature analysis uncovers differences in language use and style between the two user categories.”
Dec. 23, 2020

Progressive group launches new Methodist denomination

A group of progressive United Methodists and other Christians have launched a new denomination named the Liberation Methodist Connexion, or LMX. The new church aims to center on the voices of people of color as well as queer and transgender individuals—those the LMX organizers see as marginalized in the United Methodist Church. “We are a grassroots denomination of former, current, and non-Methodist faith leaders working on the unfolding of the kin-dom of God,” the LMX says on its website. “We intentionally invite the full participation of all who are living out their God-given identities and expressions.” The LMX is getting off the ground after decades of intensifying debate within the United Methodist Church about how inclusive to be of LGBTQ Christians. United Methodists expected to take up a proposal to resolve the dispute over same-sex marriage and gay ordination through a formal denominational separation at the General Conference this spring. However, coronavirus-related shut­downs postponed the lawmaking assembly, which is now scheduled for fall 2021.
Dec. 14, 2020

Increased seismicity under Hudson volcano, alert level raised, Chile

Strong eruption at Sheveluch volcano, ash up to 8.5 km (28 000 feet) a.s.l., Russia

The National Geology and Mining Service of Chile (SERNAGEOMIN) has raised the alert level for Cerro Hudson volcano from Green to Yellow (2 of 4) on December 22, 2020. The last eruption of this volcano took place in 2011 (VEI 2). This volcano has a history of VEI 6 and VEI 5 eruptions, with the last VEI 5 from August 8 to October 27, 1991 — this was Chile’s second-largest eruption of the 20^th century. The decision to raise the alert level was made after the evaluation of activity from December 1 to 15, which showed increased seismicity under the volcano — volcano-tectonic, long-period, and hybrid earthquakes were detected. Meanwhile, A strong eruption took place at Sheveluch volcano, Kamchatka, Russia at 00:35 UTC on December 22, 2020, with volcanic ash rising up to 8.5 km (28 000 feet) above sea level. As a result, KVERT raised the Aviation Color Code to Red at 01:22 UTC. According to visual data from Ust-Kamchatsk, explosions sent ash up to 8 km (25 240 feet) a.s.l. and an ash plume extended to the northeast of the volcano to a distance of 42 km (26 miles). *** These are the latest volcanoes showing activity in the last few days (Italy, Hawaii and New Zealand)
***Please also see ETRM Dec. 21 report regarding recent volcanic activity
http://endtimesresearchministry.com/dec-21-2020-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn-the-star-of-bethlehem/ 
Dec. 23, 2020

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

Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth Dec. 3, 2020 Edition by Frank DiMora

How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Device

~Find Us on MeWe and Brighteon~ click Brighteon & MeWe photos below

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the FLASHING “prophecy sign” for all Bible verses & videos, which will take you to the TABS you see at the top of the website; there you will find all the Bible verses and most current videos related to that area of prophecy~

Former Republican Policymakers Urge Biden to Rescind Trump’s Morocco Deal

Former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, two of the most influential Republican voices on foreign policy and national security, have harshly criticized the Trump administration’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, urging the administration of President-elect Joe Biden to reverse the move. The Trump administration’s move was part of a broader deal to establish diplomatic ties between Israel and Morocco, which became the fourth Arab state to normalize relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords. Baker, however, echoed the United Nations, European Union and African Union in terming the deal an “astounding retreat from the principles of international law and diplomacy” in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post on Friday, calling on Biden to “rescind this rash and cynical action.”
Dec. 20, 2020

Will the King of Morocco Get a Seat on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount?

The latest peace agreement between Israel and Morocco might introduce yet another player into Islam’s push to control the Temple Mount. Moroccan kings have always considered themselves defenders of Jerusalem’s Islamic holy sites. For this reason, in 1969, two years following the reunification of Jerusalem, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) was founded in the Moroccan capital of Rabat. On that occasion, the number one agenda of the OIC was to “liberate” the al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem. Today, the OIC includes 56 Muslim member states and claims to represent all Islam. With the Palestinian Authority, there are 57. One of the most important committees in the original OIC was the Jerusalem Committee, which only dealt with the liberation of Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque. But now the cards are being shuffled in the Islamic power game over the al-Aqsa Mosque, now that Israel and Morocco are officially friends and Israel is quietly and carefully moving closer to Saudi Arabia. Up until now, the country of Jordan has been the sole guardian of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. As a result of Donald Trump’s American “Deal of the Century,” the competition with regard to who will lead as the Islamic protector of the Jerusalem mosques has also heated up.
Dec. 20, 2020

PLO lays forth conditions for Palestine to restore ties with US

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has laid forth certain conditions for normalising ties with the United States. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chaired a meeting of the PLO Executive Committee on Saturday. The committee agreed to restore ties with the US if the new administration allows for the PLO office in Washington to resume its work. Other conditions include withdrawing support for Israeli plans to extend its sovereignty over parts of the West Bank and settlement activity and resuming two-state solution discussions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to extend Israel’s sovereignty over Palestinian lands, but the plan, which comes under outgoing US President Donald Trump’s peace deal for some countries in the Middle East, has been postponed. Netanyahu’s plans to extend Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian territories has been condemned by members of the United Nations and the European Union. Hamas said at the end of June that it would consider the extension of Israeli sovereignty over additional parts of the West Bank a declaration of war against the Palestinians. In May, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas terminated all treaties with the US and Israel after Netanyahu announced plans to extend Tel Aviv’s sovereignty to some parts of the West Bank during a swearing-in ceremony of his new cabinet.
Dec. 20, 2020

Yemen’s president announces new power-sharing government

Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi announced on Friday the formation of a power-sharing government, in accordance with the terms of the Riyadh Agreement jointly signed with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in November last year. He confirmed the appointment of Moein Abdel-Malik as prime minister and Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as minister of foreign affairs. “The government consists of 24 portfolios divided equally between the north and south, as stipulated in the Riyadh Agreement,” Hadi said. The announcement was made on Yemeni state TV late on Friday night. The Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed the formation of a government “that includes all components of the Yemeni spectrum.” Abdul-Malik said that this new phase for Yemen will hasten the end of the Houthi coup and the restoration of state control over all of the country. He added that it will ease the suffering of the Yemeni people, remove the Iranian threat to neighboring countries, restore the security of international navigation in the region.
Dec. 19, 2020

SDF rejects handing over key town to Syrian gov’t, asks Russia to intervene to stop Turkey

The spokesperson of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Kino Gabriel, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday that the SDF rejects handing over the key town of ‘Ain ‘Issa to the government, while calling on Russia to intervene to stop Turkey and its allied militants there. “There are no changes to the control of Ain Issa. We are committed to previous agreements, and there are no new understandings. If there are to be new deals, they will be officially announced,” Gabriel told journalist Wladimir van Wilgenburg of Kurdistan 24. “Our communications with the Russian forces in the area are in place, especially concerning Ain Issa and other violations in the region,” he continued. According to Gabriel, the communication between the SDF and Russia has to do with stopping the Turkish forces and their allied militants, which launched a powerful attack on ‘Ain ‘Issa over the weekend. “The communications are focused on stopping the attacks by the armed groups, and we are awaiting a transparent and practical response from the Russian side to stop the violations committed by the Turkish-backed armed groups.”
Dec. 21, 2020

US Embassy Comes Under Rocket Attack In Baghdad, Anti-Missile Defenses Active

At least eight Katyusha rockets landed in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone in an attack targeting the U.S. Embassy, causing some minor damage on the compound on Sunday, the Iraqi military and the embassy said on Sunday. The Iraqi military said an “outlaw group” fired eight rockets. Most of the missiles hit a residential complex and a security checkpoint inside the zone, damaging buildings and cars and wounding one Iraqi soldier, a military statement said. Sirens blared from the embassy compound inside the zone, which houses government buildings and foreign missions. An anti-rocket system diverted one of the rockets, said one security official whose office is inside the Green Zone. The U.S. Embassy condemned the attack and urged all Iraqi political and governmental leaders to take steps to prevent such attacks and to hold accountable those responsible.
Dec. 20, 2020

US Nuclear Submarine Enters Strait Of Hormuz; Navy Issues Rare Public Disclosure Of Location

In an extremely rare announcement, the US Navy has publicly declared the location of one of its nuclear submarines, apparently as a “message” and warning to Tehran. The nuclear submarine USS Georgia is now transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the vital narrow waterway where Iran’s IRGC frequently patrols, reportedly armed with up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. One geopolitical media monitoring group noted that— “It’s the first time in 8 years the U.S. Navy has publicly disclosed that one of its nuclear submarines is transiting the Strait of Hormuz.” “The nuclear-power Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729), along with the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal (CG 73) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), transited the Strait of Hormuz entering the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 21,” the Navy said in a statement. This comes as the region is on edge less than two weeks to go ahead of the first anniversary of the US assassination by drone of IRGC Quds Force chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, 2020. CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie is currently in the Middle East on a surprise visit, likely in Iraq (the precise location is undisclosed for security reasons, according to media statements). The visit is also considered part of the “message” to Iran to stand down.
Dec. 21, 2020

8 killed, 15 injured in Afghan car blast targeting politician

A car bomb detonated in the Afghan capital of Kabul has killed at least eight people and injured 15 others including a member of parliament, officials said. Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Afghanistan Ministry of the Interior, said terrorists conducted the attack on Sunday, causing severe damage to houses around the blast site. In a statement, President Ashraf Ghani “vehemently denounced” the attack, which he said targeted the convoy of politician Khan Mohammad Wardak, who was injured in the blast. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Arian said whoever was behind it “failed and certainly did not achieve their goals.” The blast was conducted amid a rash of such attacks throughout the country and ongoing negotiations between the government and the Taliban to end the near two-decade war in the Middle Eastern country. The Ministry of the Interior said terrorists have conducted 37 suicide attacks and 510 blasts in the last three months.
Dec. 21, 2020

Cross-border attack prompts urgent talks between Sudan and Ethiopia

African Union says Ethiopia acted legitimately in Tigray

The Sudanese Prime Minister has met his Ethiopian counterpart, as his forces continue their advances to reclaim territories controlled by Ethiopian militias along the two countries’ shared border. Abdalla Hamdok’s office said the meeting with Abiy Ahmed took place in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, on the sidelines of a summit of a regional bloc on Sunday (Monday AEDT). His office said Sudanese and Ethiopian officials would convene on Tuesday in Sudan’s capital for border talks. It did not give further details. The two leaders’ meeting came just days after a cross-border attack by Ethiopian forces and militias that killed at least four Sudanese troops and wounded a dozen others in the Abu Tyour area in eastern Sudan’s al-Qadarif province. Sudan’s state-run news agency reported at the weekend that the military had deployed “large reinforcements” into al-Qadarif province to reclaim territories controlled by Ethiopian farmers and militias in Sudan’s al-Fashqa border area.
Dec. 21, 2020

Armenian Protesters Force PM To Curtail Mourning Trip

Demonstrators in Armenia blocked roads on Monday and forced Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to cut short an official visit, as anger in the country grows over a contentious peace deal with Azerbijan. Pashinyan has come under pressure from the opposition to resign after agreeing to the peace accord with Azerbaijan that saw Armenia cede swathes of disputed territory after a brief conflict. Clashes over Karabakh ended in November with the Moscow-brokered peace agreement that saw Azerbaijan with Turkey’s military and political backing make decisive gains in the disputed territory. The opposition has branded Pashinyan a traitor for agreeing to end the war on Azerbaijan’s terms and has insisted that he stand down.
Dec. 21, 2020

Russia, Rwanda Send Troops To C.Africa After Alleged Coup Bid

The Central African Republic said Monday that Russia and Rwanda had sent in hundreds of troops after an alleged attempted coup ahead of upcoming elections. The government in CAR, one of the world’s poorest and most unstable countries, accused former president Francois Bozize on Saturday of fomenting a would-be putsch by three militias. The armed groups on Friday started to advance on the capital Bangui along key highways after declaring an alliance, the government said. The UN peacekeeping force MINUSCA announced on Sunday that the rebels had been stopped or pushed back and the situation was “under control”. “Russia has sent several hundred soldiers and heavy weapons” under a bilateral cooperation agreement, government spokesman Ange Maxime Kazagui said. “The Rwandans have also sent several hundred men who are on the ground and have started fighting.” Rwanda confirmed that its soldiers had been deployed, but gave no figures. The armed groups sought to “disrupt the elections” and Rwanda “also learned that some of them wanted to target our own forces in Central Africa because our forces there have been uncompromising,” Rwandan President Paul Kagame said. There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow about the Russian deployment although the Kremlin said the situation in the country was of “serious concern”.
Dec. 21, 2020

Pepper spray and pepper balls used by protesters and police at Oregon Capitol

Monday’s special session at the Oregon Capitol was slightly disrupted as protestors – who appeared to oppose policies closing certain businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus – tried in vain to get into a largely-empty capitol. Aside from dozens of police officers from the Salem Police Department and the Oregon State Police, lawmakers, some staff and reporters were the only ones permitted inside the building on Monday, causing an uproar among protestors, who wanted to be let inside. After an hour or so of confrontations and standoffs on the northwest side of the Capitol, police made at least two arrests. Protestors used some type of spray and police responded by using pepper balls, according to Lt. Teven Upkes of Salem Police.
Dec. 21, 2020

Nepal president dissolves Parliament; elections next spring

Nepal’s president dissolved Parliament on Sunday after the prime minister recommended the move amid an escalating feud within his Communist Party that is likely to push the Himalayan nation into a political crisis. Parliamentary elections will be held on April 30 and May 10, according to a statement from President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s office. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli decided to dissolve Parliament at a Cabinet meeting Sunday and immediately presented his recommendation. Oli became prime minister after his Nepal Communist Party won elections three years ago. Oli’s party and the party of former Maoist rebels had merged to form a strong communist party to win the election. There has, however, been a power tussle with the leader of the former Maoists rebels, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the co-chair of the party. Oli has refused to succeed him as the prime minister or lead the party, causing problems within the party. The opposition has repeatedly accused Oli’s government of corruption and his administration has faced criticism over its handling of the coronavirus. The number of virus cases in Nepal has reached 243,184, including 1,777 deaths. Oli also has been accused of moving closer to China and drifting away from Nepal’s traditional partner India since taking over power. This has caused problems between Oli and New Delhi.
Dec. 20, 2020

More Than 150 Anti-Lukashenka Demonstrators Detained In Belarus

A Belarusian human rights group says security forces have detained more than people during protests calling on strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka to step down. The Vyasna rights group published the names of 151 people that it said had been detained in the capital Minsk and the cities of Barysau, Homel, Hrodna, Salihorsk, Smilovichi, Navapolatsk, Brest, and other locations. Marches and rallies were reported in several districts of Minsk, accordng to RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, with many carrying the opposition’s red-and-white flag or banners. It was the 19th Sunday in a row on which opposition marches took place in the capital. Smaller protests were also held in other towns and cities across Belarus.
Dec. 20, 2020

U.K. Braces for Possible Shortages of Some Foods as France Closes Border to Trade Over New Covid Strain

The U.K. was braced for potential food shortages and disruption to manufacturing Monday if France continued a ban on freight as well as people traveling from Britain in an effort to stop the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus. The move to bar entry from the U.K., announced by Paris late Sunday, cuts off Britain’s main freight link to Europe, shutting down trade between ports like Dover and Calais that handle up to 10,000 trucks a day. The travel ban, initially set for 48 hours, came as a host of nations including Germany, Canada and Denmark barred passengers from Britain after U.K. officials said a new, more transmissible strain of coronavirus was responsible for a surge in cases in London and southeast England. To combat the spread, officials in the U.K. imposed fresh restrictions across the most affected areas at the weekend, while curtailing plans to loosen measures for the Christmas period nationwide.
Dec. 21, 2020

World Economic Forum: Digital Davos 2021 to Reveal ‘Great Reset Initiative’

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has revealed its Davos 2021 Agenda, confirming the annual gathering of political and business elites next month will be a digital event heralding the public unveiling of its Great Reset Initiative. In a preview to the digital “Davos Dialogues”, the WEF asserts, “The time to rebuild trust and to make crucial choices is fast approaching as the need to reset priorities and the urgency to reform systems grow stronger around the world.” The need for “global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the Great Reset” in the post-cornavirus world has never been stronger, it adds. It then continues to set out the exact plan of WEF action to reshape the modern world in a pattern of its own design. The WEF says: An entire week of global programming will be dedicated to helping leaders choose innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery over the next year. The Davos Agenda will also mark the launch of the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset Initiative and begin the preparation of the Special Annual Meeting in the spring. Each day will focus on one of the five domains of the Great Reset Initiative. As Breitbart News reported, there has been much discussion as to the exact form the much-discussed Great Reset Initiative will take. Last month in a WEF panel discussion, former Secretary of State John Kerry laid out one possible element. He said President-elect Joe Biden is ready to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement — which threatens to eliminate more than a million American jobs — and be a driver of the ”Great Reset” whereby unelected global bureaucrats are looking to alter the world’s economy by abolishing money, private property, and democracy for the sake of a “New World Order,” according to James Delingpole.
***SEE ETRM DEC 4^TH SPECIAL REPORT:
http://endtimesresearchministry.com/dec-4-2020-special-report-seeing-the-bigger-picture/ 
Dec. 21, 2020

Vatican says use of Covid-19 vaccines made from fetal tissue aborted in the 1960s is ethical

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) said in a statement released on Monday that it was ethical for Roman Catholics to use coronavirus vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses. In the document approved by Pope Francis on 17 December, the doctrinal congregation said that all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used, “with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion.” The Catholic Church approves the use of vaccines produced with cell lines derived from two fetuses aborted in the 1960s, Vatican News said. Noting that a grave danger exists in the form of an “uncontainable spread of a serious pathological agent,” the CDF stressed that vaccination is not a moral obligation and must be voluntary. But it said: “In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed.”
Dec. 21, 2020

Secular Democrats of America PAC Urging Biden To Remove God From America

Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin and California Democrat Jared Huffman have teamed up to urge Joe Biden to remove God from America in a 28-page document proposed by the Secular Democrats of America PAC, a report says. “The Biden Administration should quickly debunk the right-wing myth that personal free exercise of religion is a license to discriminate against other people in the provision of services in government and the marketplace,” Raskin told Religious News. “Trump’s ministers and judges have turned religious free exercise into a weapon against anti-discrimination law, and this essential fallacy must be corrected,” he emphasized. In an effort to reframe patriotism, the group’s proposal stressed the need to remove “In God We Trust” and terms like “God and country” and instead use the country’s one-time-use 1956 motto “E Pluribus Unum”, which means “out of many, one”. “Tens of millions of secular Americans stood with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Election Day because they want a government that reflects their values. President Trump placed religious privilege above both individual freedom and our democratic way of life,” explained Levin through a statement on their proposal to Biden. In addition, the Secular Democrats raised the need to repeal the Religious Freedom Restoration Act so that the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare could be implemented across the board, including religious organizations.
Dec. 15, 2020

FDA now investigating after multiple allergic reactions to Pfizer COVID vaccine reported across US

CDC Issues New Guidelines, Launches Probe After 1000s Negatively-Affected Following COVID-19 Vaccination

Chicago-area hospital abruptly halts administering COVID vaccine after multiple reactions in staff members

EEOC: Employers can require employees to get COVID-19 vaccine

Researchers Warn COVID-19 Vaccines May Increase Risk of HIV Infection

Do Mask Mandates Work? New Analysis Suggests They Don’t

Thousands of people have been unable to work or perform daily activities, or required care from a healthcare professional, after getting the new COVID-19 vaccine, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of Dec. 18, 3,150 people reported what the agency terms “Health Impact Events” after getting vaccinated. The definition of the term is: “unable to perform normal daily activities, unable to work, required care from doctor or health care professional.” The CDC said that 272,001 doses of the vaccine were administered as of Dec. 19. That means most people who were vaccinated did not experience negative effects. The CDC has identified six case reports of anaphylaxis, or severe allergic reaction, that occurred following vaccination with the new vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday they are investigating after multiple allergic reactions were reported in people who had just received Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said at a press conference that five allergic reactions occurred this week in more than one state. The reactions were reportedly similar to those seen in the United Kingdom last week. Meanwhile, The Lancet medical journal is warning Covid-19 vaccines currently in development could increase the risk of acquiring HIV, potentially leading to an increase in infections.
Dec. 21, 2020

COVID-19: New strain found in Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Australia and Gibraltar

New strain of COVID-19 is driving South Africa’s resurgence

WHO says Covid is mutating at slower rate than flu as new strain in U.K. appears more contagious

‘Show us the evidence’: Scientists call for clarity on claim that new Covid-19 variant strain is 70% more contagious

Cases of the new coronavirus strain spreading rapidly in the UK – known as VUI-202012/01 – have been confirmed in Denmark, Italy, Gibraltar, the Netherlands and Australia. France and South Africa also believe they have cases of the mutation but these have not been confirmed. French health minister Olivier Veran said it is “entirely possible” the new variant is already circulating in France, but no cases have been officially identified yet. First detected in London and the South East earlier this month, it is up to 70% more infectious than the original strain because it has a much bigger viral load. It is now present in all parts of the UK apart from Northern Ireland. A string of countries from Europe and as far as Canada and Hong Kong have already temporarily suspended travel to Britain. Meanwhile, South Africa has announced that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus is driving the country’s current resurgence of the disease, which is seeing higher numbers of confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The new variant, known as 501.V2, is dominant among new confirmed infections in South Africa, according to health officials and scientists leading the country’s virus strategy.
Dec. 21, 2020

Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (Star of Bethlehem) on December 21

A rare great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will take place at 18:11 UTC on December 21, with the two planets passing just 6.1 arcminutes (about one-fifth the apparent width of the moon) of each other, as seen from Earth. Coincidentally, the December solstice is taking place on the same day. The two planets will lie deep in the southern sky at the time of the conjunction, at a declination of 20°S, making the best views from the southern hemisphere. But they will still be visible to any northern observers who are willing to find a clear southern-western horizon. They will only be visible in the early evening sky so the best time to see them will be soon after sunset. To some, they might appear as a single bright star. The last time most of the world had an opportunity to view the great conjunction was on March 5, 1226, when they were separated by just 2 arcminutes. The last time when they passed so close to each other, however, was on July 16, 1623 (5 arcminutes apart), but they weren’t visible from the entire planet.
Dec. 20, 2020

Strong explosive eruption at Etna volcano, Aviation Color Code raised to Red, Italy

New eruption at Kilauea’s summit caldera, Aviation Color Code raised to Red, Hawai’i

Increased volcanic unrest at Mount Ruapehu, Alert Level and Aviation Color Code raised, New Zealand

A new paroxysmal eruptive episode started at Etna volcano, Italy on the morning of December 21, 2020. The Aviation Color Code has been raised to Red at 09:34 UTC. According to the Etna Volcano Observatory, a strong intensification of strombolian activity started at Etna’s Southeast Crater at 09:08 UTC. The weather conditions don’t allow continuous observation of the current phenomenon. From a seismic perspective, the average amplitude of volcanic tremor in the Southeast Crater has high values. Infrasonic activity is also very sustained, with high values ​​both in the frequency of occurrence and in the amplitude of infrasonic events.
Dec. 21, 2020

NASA warns of three asteroids headed towards Earth

NASA Near Earth Object Approaches

As 2020 draws to a close and the number of existential threats to life on Earth appears to diminish at least slightly, NASA is warning about the close flybys of three asteroids over 40 meters in diameter. On December 21 alone, three asteroids ranging from 5.1 meters to 45 meters in diameter are expected to shoot past the Earth. The tiny, five-meter 2020 YB has already passed the planet at a relatively close 899,000km. Dwarfing their space rock companion are the 45-meter (or roughly half the height of the Statue of Liberty) 2017XQ60 and the 42-meter (a third the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza) 2020 XA3, passing at 4.1 million and 4.8 million kilometers respectively. Next up, on Tuesday, December 22, the 14-meter asteroid 2020 XH6 will pass at a distance of 2.4 million kilometers, followed shortly afterwards by the 41-meter (2.5 times the height of the Hollywood Sign) 2020 YP at 5.7 million km.
Dec. 21, 2020

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~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the FLASHING “prophecy sign” for all Bible verses & videos, which will take you to the TABS you see at the top of the website; there you will find all the Bible verses and most current videos related to that area of prophecy~

Report: Sudan revokes citizenship of former Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal

Sudan has revoked the citizenship of former Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and some 3,000 other foreign nationals, Arab media sources reported on Wednesday. The move comes after the United States formally removed Sudan from a blacklist of state-sponsors of terrorism on Monday, less than two months after the African country reportedly agreed to normalize relations with Israel. Mashaal, 64, stepped down as Hamas chief in 2017, and has been living in exile for over three decades in numerous Arab states including Jordan and Syria for fear of Israeli assassination. In late 2019 it was reported that he was mulling a political comeback. The bid was said to be supported by Qatar, where he resides, and Turkey, which offers top Hamas officials a safe haven in Istanbul.
Dec. 17, 2020

Right livid with Gantz saying Jerusalem has ‘room’ for Palestinian capital

Prominent figures on Israel’s Right are furious with Defense Minister and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz for saying in an interview to the Saudi news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat, published Thursday, that he did not envision full regional peace without the Palestinians and that Jerusalem had enough room to include the capital of a future Palestinian state. When asked about the status of Jerusalem, Gantz was quoted saying, “Jerusalem must remain united, but it will include a place for a Palestinian capital. It is a very big city and full of places sacred to us all.” Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Rafi Peretz (Habayit Hayehudi) said in a Twitter post that “United Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, not the capital of anyone else. This is where our forefathers walked and this is where we were created. Gantz, I know you enough to know you believe that, too.” Gantz, a former IDF chief of staff, was also criticized by the movement Habitchonistim, comprised of former military officials, which issued a statement calling on him to resign and take back his remarks.
Dec. 17, 2020

Netanyahu, Gantz aides negotiate as Knesset barrels toward election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled Sunday’s cabinet meeting, eliminating one of the last possible opportunities to avoid an election being called next week. Yet Hod Betzer, a top aide to Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and Yaakov Atrakchi, an attorney close to Netanyahu, attempted to negotiate a compromise to stave off the election. If the Knesset does not pass the 2020 budget by 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 23, the legislature will automatically be dispersed, launching a new election. At this point, that is the most likely scenario.
***See also ETRM Dec. 2 report 
MKs approve preliminary vote to dissolve Knesset 
Dec. 18, 2020

Turkey has evacuated seven Syrian military posts – report

Turkish forces resume heavy attack on key town in northern Syria

Turkey has evacuated seven military observation posts in northwest Syria, pulling back troops from territory controlled by the Syrian government to areas held by insurgents and Turkey-backed rebels, a Turkish source said on Friday. Turkey had set up a dozen military posts in the region in 2018 as part of an ill-fated deal it reached with Russia and Iran to calm fighting between Syrian government troops and rebels. Several Turkish military posts were surrounded last year by the Russian-backed Syrian government forces. Turkey vowed at the time to maintain its presence at all of them but it started withdrawing in October. The source, who requested anonymity, said the last of the evacuations was completed on Thursday night, and the forces were being redeployed within territory controlled by the Ankara-backed forces under an understanding reached with Russia.
****This may possibly be part of a larger agreement made with Russia regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh cease fire
Dec. 18, 2020

Rocket Attack Hits US Base in Oil Field in Northeastern Syria

Iran demands immediate withdrawal of US forces inside Syria

Late on December 17, a rocket attack targeted a U.S.-led coalition base in one of northeastern Syria’s largest oil fields. Local sources said several rockets struck the base at the al-Omar oil fields in the late hours of the night. The rockets landed as a U.S.-led coalition convoy was entering the oil fields. No casualties or material losses have been reported, thus far. Following the rocket attack, U.S. forces carried out a combing operation in a graveyard next to the oil fields. Coalition fighter jets and attack helicopters backed the operation.
Dec. 18, 2020

Iran builds at underground nuclear facility amid US tensions

With arms embargo lifted, Iran races to upgrade its arsenal

Iran’s Global Terror Network Lurks Behind its Threats of Vengeance

Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the US over its atomic program, satellite photos obtained Friday by The Associated Press show. Iran has not publicly acknowledged any new construction at Fordo, whose discovery by the West in 2009 came in an earlier round of brinkmanship before world powers struck the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. While the purpose of the building remains unclear, any work at Fordo likely will trigger new concern in the waning days of the Trump administration before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.  Meanwhile, Iran plans on buying advanced military systems, including armed drones, air defense systems, fighter jets and tanks, Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami told local media Wednesday. Hatami noted that Iran entered negotiations “with several countries” even before the arms embargo was lifted earlier this year, adding that the talks were now in their “advanced stages.” Tehran is also in talks to sell several domestically produced weapon systems, including anti-tank missile systems, he said.
***Please see ETRM Dec. 9 report of this news:
Satellite imagery shows Iran’s nuclear program is going underground 
Dec. 18, 2020

Bomb Kills 15 Civilians in Eastern Afghanistan

Officials in Afghanistan say a bomb explosion Friday killed at least 15 civilians, most of them children, in eastern Ghazni province. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said that explosives were packed in a three-wheel rickshaw, parked near a ceremony in Gilan district, where the Muslim holy book Quran was being recited at the time. The powerful blast also wounded at least 20 people, he added. Most of the victims of Friday’s blast were said to be under 18 years old. It was not immediately known who placed the rickshaw near the event. But the Taliban, which controls large parts of Ghazni, asserted that the blast was caused by “unexploded ordnance” and 12 children were among those killed. The insurgent group said in a statement the victims were “selling unexploded shells” when the incident occurred.
Dec. 18, 2020

US Unemployed Rising, Evictions, Mortgages Crisis Brewing, Small Business Collapsing: Economic Consequences of a 2nd ‘Mitigation’ Bill

Former Goldman CFO Calls For Universal Basic Income “To Stave Off Revolution”

As of mid-December 2020 the US economy has begun showing increasing signs of an exceptionally weak 4th quarter, October-December, growth. After having collapsed -10.5% in the March-June 2020 period, followed by a partial ‘rebound’ (not sustained recovery) in the 3rd quarter, July-September 2020, the economy is now slowing rapidly once again. Dismal reports of consumer and especially retail sales in October-November appear driving the slowing growth—in turn driven by rising unemployment claims, a growing number of permanent layoffs by large businesses as the economy structurally changes long term, and, shorter term, by a sharp rise in Covid deaths, infections, and consequent partial shutdown of the services sector of the US economy throughout the US. This scenario and trends has pushed more economists, mainstream included, to predict an even sharper 1st quarter 2021, contraction in the economy. Even a normally conservative forecast source like JPM Chase Bank’s research has raised the likelihood of a bona fide 2nd contraction of the US economy early next year—i.e. a ‘double dip’ recession, that this writer has been predicting since last March 2020. The failure of both parties in Congress to pass a fiscal stimulus bill as late as mid-December 2020 has exacerbated the slowing economy and likelihood of a further contraction.
Dec. 17, 2020

Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop…

Why Post-Coronavirus America Will Have Massive Poverty

On Thursday we learned that the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits last week was the highest in four months… The US job market continues to suffer, and Thursday brought more bad news. Another 885,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week — an increase from the week prior and higher than the 800,000 claims that economists were expecting. To put this in perspective, the previous all-time record prior to 2020 was just 695,000, and that old record was set all the way back in 1982. In addition, the number of Americans that are collecting unemployment aid from two major federal programs is also on the rise again… The number of jobless people who are collecting aid from one of the two federal extended-benefit programs – the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which offers coverage to gig workers and others who don´t qualify for traditional benefits – surged to 9.2 million from 8.6 million for the week that ended Nov. 28. Major companies keep laying off more workers at an astounding pace. For example, on Thursday we learned that Coca-Cola will be eliminating 12 percent of their entire U.S. workforce… Meanwhile, Congress is getting close to approving yet another “stimulus package”, and the Federal Reserve is promising to do whatever it takes to support the financial markets. Trillions upon trillions of dollars are being slammed into the system, and as a result M2 is up more than 60 percent so far this year. In other words, our money supply has been increasing at an almost vertical rate in 2020. Other industrialized nations have also been flooding their systems with new money, and this is really starting to drive up food prices all over the globe.
Dec. 17, 2020

IMF Says Universal Central Bank Digital Currency Could Reshape Future of Global Payments

Visa Proposes Method for Offline Digital Currency Payments

The IMF says a universally-accepted central bank digital currency (CBDC) could radically transform the status quo of the global payments and financial system. In a new paper on the reserve currency landscape, the IMF highlights emerging trends in CBDC development and says a universal digital currency could benefit governments and consumers alike. “Recently, the idea of a universal CBDC has also gained prominence. A synthetic hegemonic currency, backed by a basket of CBDCs, could provide more efficient domestic and cross-border payment services, benefiting from the credibility of multiple central banks that support it. Such an architecture could change the demand for reserves denominated in currencies in the basket based on their relative weight.” Meanwhile, Visa has proposed an offline payment system for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in a new research paper. The payments giant’s paper, “Towards a Two-Tier Hierarchical Infrastructure: An Offline Payment System for Central Bank Digital Currencies,” acknowledges the benefits of CBDCs—but says they should, when they finally become available, be able to be made without an internet connection. CBDCs are digitalized forms of fiat currencies that could run on a blockchain, but don’t necessarily have to use distributed ledger technology. Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin, a CBDC would likely be controlled by a single entity (such as the Bank of England).
Dec. 17, 2020

Covid vaccine certificates could lead to ‘global identity document’ used for all aspects of life, human rights NGO warns

Covid-19 vaccination programs being launched around the world open the door to new forms of identification that could lead to greater government control over daily life, Privacy International has cautioned in a new report. In its analysis, the UK-based human rights group said that vaccination cards and “immunity” passports being issued by some governments could pave the way for “digital identity schemes” and other forms of ID. While countries like the UK insist that such documents are simply used to keep a record of vaccinations and remind people when they need to receive a second dose of the drug, Privacy International detailed how the seemingly benign cards, which on their face appear “necessary,” could evolve into something quite different. The group said that if vaccines ever become a requirement, or are used to grant certain privileges, there becomes a need to “verify” any related documents, essentially turning the card into a “pass.”  According to the organization, such “function creep” could be harnessed by authorities to roll out a digital ID that can be used for law enforcement, counter-terrorism and immigration – areas that typically fall outside the scope of public health. Using the coronavirus pandemic, governments could “shortcut public debate” about these new forms of identification and what they mean for the lives of citizens, Privacy International noted. The group also argued that it would be “unfair” to tie certain privileges or rights to Covid-19 vaccination, as the drug is not available to everyone and some parts of the world may not gain access to jab in the next year. Several countries have already signaled that they intend to use vaccine certificates or passports to regulate what people can and cannot do. On Thursday, Brazil’s top court ruled that citizens can be legally “required” to take a coronavirus jab, laying the ground for “sanctions” for those who refuse the drug. In Israel, the government has made it clear that those who are vaccinated will be allowed to “enter places that will still be restricted to other populations.”
Dec. 18, 2020

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”  1 Timothy 4:1-3

World religious leaders unite to demand ban on gay conversion therapy

Almost 400 religious leaders from each of the world’s leading faiths have called for national governments to end laws that discriminate against same sex relationships while also demanding an end to LGBT+ conversion therapies. Signatories — including anti-apartheid campaigner and former Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, and Bishop of Liverpool — call for “an end to violence and criminalisation against LGBT+ people and for a global ban on conversion therapy”. “We recognise that certain religious teachings have, throughout the ages, been misused to cause deep pain and offence to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex”, the open letter, which was organised by the Ozanne Foundation charity and signed by figures from 35 nations, adds. The statement from faith leaders comes ahead of the Foreign Office sponsored Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives .
Dec. 18, 2020

Antarctica hit by 30 000 earthquakes in 3 months

More than 30 000 earthquakes have been registered in the Bransfield Strait, an ocean channel between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, since the end of August 2020, according to the University of Chile. The strait is now expanding 15 cm (6 inches) per year from the Antarctic Peninsula, nearly 20 times faster than before. The strongest earthquake in the sequence was M6.0 at a depth of 15 km (9 miles) at 23:49 UTC on November 6. According to the National Seismological Center at the University of Chile, the swarm is centered in the Bransfield Strait, a 96 km (60 miles) ocean channel between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The center said several tectonic plates and microplates meet in this area, leading to frequent rumbling, but the past three months have been unusual. Most of the seismicity is concentrated at the beginning of the sequence, mainly during the month of September, with more than a thousand earthquakes a day, the center said, as reported by Reuters.
Dec. 18, 2020

Snow piling up at an unprecedented rate in Japan

Military deployed after record snowfall strands more than 2 000 vehicles in Japan

The season’s most powerful cold air mass is bringing remarkably heavy snow to wide swaths of Japan on Wednesday, December 17, 2020. Meteorologists said the snow is falling at an unprecedented rate due to the combination of unseasonably cold Siberian air and unseasonably warm ocean temperatures. As of 02:00 UTC (11:00 LT) on Wednesday, snow accumulation has reached 1.26 m (4.1 feet) in NIshiwaga Town, Iwate Prefecture, which was more than four times the average snowfall at this time of the year. In the neighboring Akita Prefecture, police said 30 vehicles were deployed on a highway near the prefectural border due to a trailer truck that got stuck in the snow. A 15 km (9 miles) long portion of the highway was closed for around four hours due to heavy snow on the ground.
Dec. 18, 2020

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

Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth Dec. 3, 2020 Edition by Frank DiMora

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~Find Us on MeWe and Brighteon~ click Brighteon & MeWe photos below

~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the FLASHING “prophecy sign” for all Bible verses & videos, which will take you to the TABS you see at the top of the website; there you will find all the Bible verses and most current videos related to that area of prophecy~

Israel normalizes ties with Bhutan

Israel established full diplomatic relations with Bhutan for the first time on Saturday night. Ambassador to India Ron Malka and his Bhutanese counterpart Vetsop Namgyel signed the final agreement normalizing ties on Saturday night. The countries’ foreign ministries held secret talks over the past year towards the goal of forging official ties, which included delegations between the two capitals Jerusalem and Thimphu. The effort to make relations between the two countries was not connected to the Abraham Accords, in which four Arab countries – United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – normalized ties with Israel in as many months, with American mediation. In fact, Bhutan does not even have official diplomatic relations with the US.
Dec. 12, 2020

Oman, Indonesia likely next countries to forge ties with Israel

Oman and Indonesia could be next in line to establish diplomatic relations with Israel in the coming weeks, a diplomatic source said Sunday. The Trump administration is continuing in its efforts to bring more Arab and Muslim countries into the Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco have agreed to normalization with Israel. US Vice President Mike Pence plans to visit Israel in January, as first reported by The Jerusalem Post last week, Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) told Army Radio on Sunday. While here, Pence may announce that another country will establish relations with Israel, he added. The diplomatic source identified Oman and Indonesia as two countries with which talks have advanced and with whom normalization could be announced before US President Donald Trump leaves office on January 20.
****See also:
Will Oman be next? Rumors swirls that Gulf State will sign peace deal with Israel 
Oman welcomes Bahrain-Israel normalization decision 
As Trump says 5 Arab states to join Abraham Accords soon, diplomatic source say Oman will be next 
Dec. 13, 2020

Israel-Iran shadow war locks in on southeastern Syria

In the last weeks of the Trump administration, Israel is fast-tracking the military drive to push Iran and its helpers back from their advance on southern Syria and the Golan border. The IDF is urged to hurry up in case the Biden administration decides that Iran’s presence in Syria need not be addressed by the US in a potential renegotiated nuclear deal with Tehran. Iran is using the uncertain transition period to advance on the Syrian-Israel Golan border by infiltrating and hiding behind Syrian army positions in the southern Syrian provinces of Deraa, Quneitra and Sweida. The Iranians are also practicing clandestine tactics on the Syrian Golan with the help of a special Hizballah unit and dozens of local armed groups and soldiers, taking advantage of the overall chaos prevailing in the region. The IDF is hitting back by expanding the targets of its air strikes to include the Syrian regime army positions hosting or covering Iranian Revolutionary Guards or Shiite militia forces in the south and the east. The success of the IDF’s ramped-up operations to counter Iran’s strategy was indicated by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi in an end-of-year summary last Thursday, Dec. 10. “Iran has begun cutting back on its military presence in Syria as a result of our operations,’ he said, “but there is still a long way to go before the job is done.” The tempo and quality of Israeli strikes against Iranian assets in Syria, including kinetic operations, the general said, have been enhanced this year, along with more numerous covert and clandestine missions.”
Dec. 13, 2020

US imposes sanctions against Turkey over S-400 deal

On Monday, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Turkish Defense Industries Administration and its head, Ismail Demir. The Treasury Department website said Washington had imposed sanctions on three other individuals linked to the Turkish Defense Industries Administration. Last week, Reuters reported on the United States’ plans to impose sanctions against Turkey over its purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. Bloomberg also said that US President Donald Trump signed a package of sanctions against Turkey, against the backdrop of the Russian S-400 missile defense system deal that Turkey had bought. The agency stated that sanctions against Turkey will be imposed under the “CAATSA” (Combating America’s enemies through sanctions) law. It is worth noting that the leaders of the European Union countries decided on December 11 to expand sanctions against Turkey and adopt an additional blacklist based on a decision issued on November 11, 2019 regarding imposing restrictions against Ankara due to its “illegal” activities in the Mediterranean.
Dec. 14, 2020

Powerful explosion hits key Iranian oil pipeline

Two people were killed and ten others were wounded on Monday, in an explosion at an industrial unit south of the Iranian capital, Tehran. The Iranian Fars news agency said that the explosion occurred in the industrial city ​​of Salafjakan in the province of Qom, and was followed by a fire. On Sunday, firefighting teams in Iran managed to contain an explosion caused by an oil leak in a pipeline that pumps crude oil to Isfahan, the second largest refinery in the country. Several explosions and fires have followed in Iran during the earlier this year, as gas capsules exploded in a medical clinic north of Tehran, killing and wounding dozens. In addition, a fire broke out in an electrical transformer in the city of Ahvaz, southern Iran, and another explosion hit the east of the capital, Tehran, near the Khojar missile base and near the Parchin military site. Iranian media said that Tehran does not exclude an act of sabotage by opposition groups or a cyber attack by America and Israel in these fires and explosions, especially with regard to the explosion of the Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan, in the center of the country, which occurred last August.
Dec. 14, 2020

Sudan PM Visits Ethiopia for Talks on Restive Tigray Region

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok briefly visited Addis Ababa Sunday for talks on Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region, where fighting has caused tens of thousands of people to flee to neighboring Sudan. “I look forward to having productive discussions on political, humanitarian and security matters of common concern that serve the future of peace, stability and prosperity for our two sisterly nations and the region,” Hamdok wrote on Twitter early in his visit. Hamdok’s visit was initially scheduled to last for two days, but he returned to Sudan after a few hours. It was not clear why the trip was cut short. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says the violence in Tigray has stopped and that there is no need for Sudan’s offer to broker a cease-fire.
Dec. 13, 2020

US recognition of Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara illegal: Algeria

Trump Faces Backlash on Western Sahara Recognition

Algeria has rejected a decision by outgoing US President Donald Trump to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, saying the move lacks legal effect and undermines de-escalation efforts in the region. In a statement released on Saturday, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said Trump’s decision “has no legal effect because it contradicts UN resolutions, especially UN Security Council resolutions on Western Sahara.” “The proclamation would undermine the de-escalation efforts made at all levels in order to pave the way for launching a real political process,” it added. The remarks came after the United States adopted a new map of Morocco that included Western Sahara. “This map is a tangible representation of President Trump’s bold proclamation two days ago – recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara,” US Ambassador to Rabat David Fischer said during a ceremony at the American diplomatic mission. He then signed the “new official US government map of the kingdom of Morocco” and noted that it would be presented to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
Dec. 13, 2020

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict flares despite ceasefire

Russian forces intervene to stop battle between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Karabakh

Azerbaijan announced on Sunday that four of its troops had been killed in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region since a peace deal with Armenian separatists was agreed in early November. The defence ministry said a group of Armenian fighters remained in the mountainous province — breaking the terms of the Russian-brokered truce — and had recently launched fatal attacks on Azerbaijan’s forces. The ministry said three servicemen were killed in a separatist ambush on November 26 and another sustained fatal injuries during an attack near the village of Hadrut on Tuesday. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other breaching the truce that ended six weeks of fighting between the longstanding foes for control of the breakaway region. Armenia said on Sunday that six separatist fighters were injured in clashes with Azerbaijan troops after skirmishes broke out on Friday evening. The Armenian defence ministry reported hours of fighting near Hadrut on Saturday, including with heavy artillery, claiming Azerbaijan had bolstered its military presence in the area.
Dec. 14, 2020

Mayhem in Washington, DC, as Trump supporters, opponents clash; at least 4 stabbed, 23 arrested

Trump supporters, counterprotesters violently clash in Olympia WA; 1 shot, 2 arrested

Pedestrians struck in Midtown Manhattan during protest, 1 seriously hurt

Chaos erupted in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, hours after two pro-Trump rallies ended. Groups of Proud Boys and Antifa activists clashed under cover of darkness, with police repeatedly forcing them apart amid reports of brawls and stabbings. At least four stabbings occurred near a bar that served as a gathering spot for the Proud Boys, according to the Washington Post. The victims were hospitalized, possibly with life-threatening injuries, a D.C. Fire Department spokesman told the newspaper. She also said police pepper-sprayed a group of protesters a few blocks away and later reported that at least two people had been stabbed, citing fire officials. As of 9 p.m. ET, 23 people had been arrested, including 10 charged with misdemeanor assault, six with assaulting a police officer and four will rioting, FOX 5 of Washington reported. One suspect was carrying an illegal stun gun. At least two D.C. police officers were hospitalized with moderate injuries, the report added.
Dec. 13, 2020

Anti-Lukashenko Protesters Detained in Belarus – Rights Group

Police in Belarus detained 135 demonstrators at a Sunday march, the Belarusian rights group Viasna-96 (Spring-96) said, as weekly protests demanding the resignation of veteran President Alexander Lukashenko continued. More than 120 marches took place in the Belarus capital Minsk and other cities on Sunday, with numbers at each ranging from dozens to several hundred, according to local news outlet Nasha Niva. Police regularly arrest participants, issuing numbers of detainees on Mondays. Some protesters marched in outlying residential areas of Minsk, waving white flags with a red stripe in the middle, a symbol of the opposition, and shouting “long live Belarus”. More than 30,000 people have been detained in Belarus since the start of the protests in August, according to opposition leaders.
Dec. 13, 2020

November 29, 2020- Over 10,000 turkeys killed due to avian flu in Yorkshire, Northern England. Link

November 30, 2020- Ducks killed due to avian flu in South Korea. Link

November 30, 2020- Hundreds of birds ‘kill themselves’ by flying into apartment block, ‘a mystery’ in China. Link

December 1, 2020- Thousands of dead rays, shrimp, fish wash up in Florida, America. Link

December 3, 2020- Chickens killed due to avian flu in Germany. Link

December 8, 2020- Dead dolphins found washed up in Devon, England. Link

December 8, 2020- Thousands of dead fish appear in the Salado River, Argentina. Link

December 11, 2020- Thousands of dead fish found in a dam in Mohmand District, Pakistan. Link

December 11, 2020- Turkeys killed due to avian flu in Norfolk, England. Link

December 13, 2020- Almost 300 dead seals found washed up on beaches in Dagestan, Russia. Link

Drought intensifies across High Plains, western and southern US

California’s Drought Worsens in December

Colorado activates municipal drought response for second time ever as water forecast worsens

This U.S. Drought Monitor week saw intensification of drought across parts of the western U.S. including California, Nevada, and Colorado where precipitation has been below normal since the beginning of the Water Year (Oct. 1). In California, statewide snow water content is currently at 36% of the historical average for the date (Dec. 7) and Water-Year-to-Date precipitation (statewide) is ranging from the bottom 10% to the bottom 33% with some areas in the Mojave Desert experiencing the driest on record for the period. According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the 6-month period from June to November 2020 was the hottest and driest on record for both Arizona and California. Current snowpack conditions across the West are generally reflective of a La Niña-like precipitation pattern with the mountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest and some areas of the northern Rockies observing near-normal to above-normal snowpack conditions.
Dec. 10, 2020

Asteroid 2020 XF4 to flyby Earth at 0.8 LD on December 16

Asteroid 2020 XX3 to flyby Earth at 0.1 LD on December 18

A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2020 XF4 will flyby Earth at a distance of 0.89 LD / 0.00229 AU (342 579 km / 212 868 miles) from the center of our planet on December 16, 2020. This is the 103^rd known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and 8^th so far this month. 2020 XF4 was first observed at Palomar Mountain (Zwicky Transient Facility), California on December 10, six days before its close approach. Meanwhile, asteroid designated 2020 XX3 will fly by Earth at a distance of 0.15 LD / 0.00038 AU (56 847 km / 35 323 miles) from the center of our planet on December 18, 2020. 2020 XX3 was first observed at Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala on December 10, eight days before its close approach.
Dec. 13, 2020

Strong explosive eruption at Etna volcano, Italy

A strong explosive eruption started at Etna volcano on December 13, 2020, ejecting volcanic ash up to 4.8 km (16 000 feet) above sea level by 23:00 UTC. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red. Monitoring networks observed increased strombolian activity at the SE Crater starting at 19:20 UTC on December 13, INGV’s Etna Observatory reported. At the same time, there was a sudden increase in the magnitude of the volcanic tremor that has risen from average to high levels, the observatory said at 22:22 UTC, adding that the amplitude is still growing. In addition, an increase in infrasonic activity has been observed both in the number and amplitude of infrasonic events. Two eruptive fissures opened on the southeastern side of the SE Crater, producing two lava flows propagating towards the S and SW, whose fronts remained confined to an altitude of about 2 850 m (9 350 feet) a.s.l. Three pyroclastic flows were observed at 22:15 and 22:16 UTC.
Dec. 14, 2020

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Morocco, Israel normalize ties as US recognizes Western Sahara

Could peace deal with Morocco herald impending accord with Saudi Arabia?

Israel and Morocco have agreed to establish diplomatic relations, US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday. Morocco became the fourth Arab country to normalize ties with Israel in four months, following the Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. In exchange, Trump announced that he signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, a disputed territory. Like the Gulf states, Morocco views Iran as a threat. Rabat cut ties with Tehran in 2018, because Iran funded Western Sahara separatist movement Polisario via Hezbollah. Long before that, Morocco had a relationship with Israeli intelligence agencies. Moroccan King Hassan II gave Israel recordings of an Arab League meeting that helped Israel prepare for the Six Day War in 1967, according to former IDF intelligence chief Shlomo Gazit and the former intelligence officer and cabinet minister Rafi Eitan.
****See also:
Morocco said likely to be one of the next states to normalize ties with Israel Aug. 17, 2020
Moroccan PM rejects normalizing ties with Israel Aug. 19, 2020
Dec. 10, 2020

Israel joins UAE, Morocco and Bahrain in Int’l Security Alliance

In an unprecedented move, Israel officially joined the International Security Alliance (ISA) on Wednesday night, becoming its tenth member and joining countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain. Other countries in the alliance include France, Italy, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, And Slovakia. The move is “an important step in promoting peace security in our region,” said Public Security Minister Amir Ohana in an ISA forum on Wednesday night. “On behalf of the government of Israel, we are proud that you have chosen us to be members of this important alliance,” Ohana said as he thanked his UAE counterpart Sheik Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also serves as UAE deputy prime minister.
Dec. 10, 2020

Israel must annex West Bank prior to Trump exit, coalition chair says

Israel must take advantage of this period before US President Donald Trump leaves office to apply sovereignty to all the West Bank settlements, Coalition Chairman MK Miki Zohar (Likud) said on Thursday, during a special virtual event to mark the first night of Hanukkah. “Israel has to work to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley. It has to take this opportunity to apply sovereignty in many of the settlements, if not all of the settlements,” Zohar said. Earlier this year Israel and the United States agreed to suspend plans to annex West Bank settlements in exchange for normalization deals between Israel and both Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. In the aftermath of Trump’s electoral loss, right-wing politicians and activists have renewed their campaign for annexation now, fearing that such a move would be impossible once US President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Zohar said he wants the entire issue to be dealt with now. Netanyahu is the one who placed the idea of sovereignty on Trump’s table. “We have seen that in the US government today there is a lot of will to help Israel in these matters and we do not know what will happen after there is a change of administration,’ he said. “I hope we don’t miss this opportunity,” he said. Zohar alluded to the promise Netanyahu and the Likud Party made to the public during the last elections to apply sovereignty and said that it had an obligation to the Israeli public to move forward on the matter.
Dec. 10, 2020

Abdullah: No to undermining Jordan’s control of Jerusalem holy sites

UN support drops for speaking of Temple Mount as solely a Muslim site

According to the unconfirmed reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials of the Trump administration have offered Saudi Arabia a role in managing al-Aqsa mosque if Riyadh agrees to establish relations with Israel. Jordan will not accept any attempts to change Jerusalem’s historical and legal status quo, Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Thursday, adding that the kingdom would not give up its status as custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city. The Jordanian monarch’s statement came in wake of reports that the Jordanians are worried of losing their status as custodians of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which dates back to 1924, when the Supreme Muslim Council, the highest body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandatory Palestine, accepted Hussein bin Ali (Hashemite Sharif of Mecca) as custodian of al-Aqsa Mosque. Meanwhile, Support has dropped slightly at the United Nations for a General Assembly resolution that referenced the most holy site in Judaism, the Temple Mount, as solely the Muslim site al-Haram al-Sharif.
****Please see ETRM Nov. 16^th report:
Saudi Media Exposes Lie: Al Aksa Mosque isn’t on the Temple Mount 
Dec. 11, 2020

Charges in Beirut port blast stir controversy in Lebanon

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group on Friday criticized charges filed by a prosecutor against the caretaker prime minister and three former ministers over the massive explosion in Beirut’s port, describing it as “political targeting.” The group called on investigating judge Fadi Sawwan to reconsider his decision, saying it lacked legal and constitutional basis and that the four were being selectively charged. Similar criticism was voiced by Lebanon’s grand mufti, the top cleric for Sunni Muslims, and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who said the charges against caretaker Premier Hassan Diab targeted the prime ministry as a position and were a violation of the constitution. In a surprise move, he filed charges against Diab and three former ministers on Thursday, accusing them of negligence that led to the death of hundreds of people. The four are the most senior officials to be charged in the investigation and are set to be questioned as defendants next week by Sawwan. Diab, who is supported by Hezbollah and its political allies, resigned in the wake of the Aug. 4 explosion and remains in his post in a caretaker capacity, as Lebanese officials have failed to agree on a new Cabinet.
Dec. 11, 2020

Netanyahu to Make First Official Visit to Egypt in More Than a Decade

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to head to Egypt for a state visit in the coming days, at the request of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, officials in Cairo have confirmed to Israel Hayom. The official visit will be the first by an Israeli prime minister to the country in over 10 years. Netanyahu is expected to discuss a series of regional issues with the Egyptian leader, chief among them bolstering security and diplomatic ties in light of the Iranian threat and coordinating positions between Jerusalem and Cairo ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s entry into the White House. The Egyptian officials said the government was concerned that a Biden administration would be hostile to Cairo and that it would sign onto a new nuclear deal with Iran that would undermine regional stability. The officials further said that Cairo placed great importance on the Abraham Accords as well as the regional alliance being forged between Israel and other moderate Sunni Arab states and Sudan.
Dec. 10, 2020

Car bomb kills 16 including 3 Turkish personnel in NE Syria

A car bomb killed 16 people including two civilians and three Turkish personnel on Thursday at a checkpoint in the Turkish-held border town of Ras Al-Ain in northeast Syria, a war monitor said. The other 11 killed were local security forces or members of a Turkish-backed faction manning the checkpoint, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Twelve more were wounded, it said. Turkey said two of its gendarmes had been killed and a further eight wounded. In a separate incident, Daesh killed nine Iran-trained Syrian fighters in an attack on one of their positions in eastern Syria on Thursday, a war monitor said. The Observatory said a Daesh sleeper cell carried out the dawn attack on the desert outpost outside the Euphrates Valley town of Al-Mayadeen.
Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman said the fighters killed were Syrians led and trained by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. At least two Daesh fighters were killed in ensuing clashes.
Dec. 11, 2020

US bracing for possible attacks by pro-Iran forces in Iraq: report

US forces in the Middle East have been preparing for possible attacks against American troops and diplomatic employees located in Iraq carried out by local militias supposedly supported by Iran, CNN reported, citing anonymous US defence officials. One source said US forces have seen “indications” of preparations by militias and called the entire situation “worrisome”. Another media outlet, Politico, separately reported on 10 December that US forces deployed in the Middle East have been put on high alert amid concerns that Iran might carry out attacks against American personnel. The attack was reportedly expected to be either retaliation for the murder of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November, or an act of revenge on the one-year anniversary of the assassination of IRGC General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. Against the backdrop of these reports, the US redeployed two of its B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers to the Middle East. The massive aircraft, capable of carrying conventional and nuclear weapons, conducted a 36-hour-long flight across Europe and the Middle East in what was described in an AP report, citing anonymous officials, as a “direct message of deterrence to Iran”.
Dec. 11, 2020

Turkey appoints new ambassador to Israel

Al-Monitor reported that Turkey has appointed a new ambassador to Israel within the framework of efforts exerted to normalize relations between Ankara and Israel and to collect points at the expense of the new US administration. The website said the new ambassador is Ufuk Ulutas, 40, head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Strategic Research Center. Ulutas has served as president of SETA, a pro-government think-tank, and has written a number of research papers on Middle Eastern politics and Jewish history and is considered an expert on Iran. The website quoted sources close to Ulutas as saying that he is “very supportive of the Palestinians.” Since May 2018, Turkey and Israel have not exchanged ambassadors after the political crisis over moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
***See also ETRM Dec. 7^th report:
Erdogan confidant sends Israel another message of reconciliation 
Dec. 10, 2020

Ethiopia returning Eritrean refugees to Tigray camps; U.N. concerned over move

Ethiopia Insists It Will Control Aid To Troubled Tigray

US Urges Eritrea To Pull Out Of Tigray

Ethiopia’s government said on Friday it was returning Eritrean refugees to camps in the northern Tigray region, a move that prompted concerns from the United Nations refugee agency, which does not have access to the camps. The refugees are being taken from the capital Addis Ababa back to two camps they had fled from during a month of fighting between the military and a rebellious regional force because it is now safe and stable in Tigray, the government said in a statement. Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed insisted Friday that his government would take the lead in delivering aid to Tigray, where his troops have been fighting forces loyal to the regional government. The United Nations and aid agencies have been unable to access the region since the start of fighting and are deeply worried over the plight of civilians and refugees — as well as their own staff on the ground — and have called for unfettered access.
Dec. 11, 2020

US recognizes Western Sahara as part of Morocco

Polisario ‘regrets’ U.S. stance on Moroccan claim to Western Sahara

Fallout between Trump and top GOP senator made Morocco-Israel deal possible

In exchange for Moroccan normalization of ties with Israel, Trump announced that he signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, a disputed territory. The White House also urged the sides in the Western Sahara conflict to return to the negotiating table under the framework of Morocco’s plan for autonomy for the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara. The US plans to open a consulate in Dakhla, in Western Sahara, which the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said would have “a primarily economic vocation.” Kushner said recognizing Moroccan sovereignty in the Western Sahara was “something that seemed inevitable at this point; is something that we think advances the region and helps bring more clarity to where things are going.”
Dec. 11, 2020

Protesters Block Yerevan Streets As Pressure Builds On Armenia’s Prime Minister To Step Down

Turkey’s Erdogan says Armenia needs new leaders

Opposition activists have blocked several streets in Yerevan as pressure continues to build on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian amid opposition calls for him to step down over last month’s cease-fire deal with Azerbaijan. Protesters chanted, “Armenia without Nikol” and “Nikol must go!” as they flooded streets in the center of the Armenian capital on December 11, even after Pashinian and his party indicated a day earlier that they were “ready to discuss” the possibility of holding fresh parliamentary elections. “The authorities are ready to start such discussions on the condition, as the prime minister noted, that no party threatens others,” Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonian told reporters on December 10. Opposition supporters have rallied in Yerevan and other Armenian cities since Pashinian agreed to the Moscow-brokered deal that took effect on November 10, ending six weeks of fierce fighting in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Dec. 11, 2020

Thailand protesters seek UN help to repeal royal defamation law

Thai democracy activists rallied at the UN’s Bangkok office on Thursday (Dec 10) and asked the body to pressure the kingdom into repealing royal defamation laws they say are being used to suppress their movement. 23 leaders are facing charges under the legislation for headlining demonstrations demanding reforms to the monarchy and more scrutiny of the royal family’s financial arrangements. Lese majeste crimes have been on the books for over a century in Thailand, but were last strengthened in 1976. The use of the law has slowed since 2018 due to the “mercy” of the king, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, but last month the premier gave the green light to deploy it again after months of protests. Hundreds of protesters also rallied Thursday at a Bangkok memorial that commemorates the lives of pro-democracy supporters lost during a military massacre in 1973. Overnight police also installed shipping containers stacked on top of each other and razor wire blockades to stop protesters from marching towards Government House, a royal palace and other sensitive sites. Besides calling for reforms to the monarchy, protesters are demanding a rewrite of a military-scripted constitution and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha – who came to power in a 2014 coup.
Dec. 10, 2020

Federal Spending Sets Record Through November; Deficit Second-Highest Ever

Producer Prices Rise at Fastest Pace Since February

The federal government spent a record $886,587,000,000 in the first two months of fiscal 2021 (October and November), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released today. At the same time, the federal government ran a deficit of $429,337,000,000, which is the second highest deficit the federal government has ever run in the first two months of a fiscal year.
Dec. 10, 2020

Celebration in Argentina after lawmakers pass bill to legalize abortion

Lawmakers in Argentina’s lower house of congress narrowly passed legislation Friday to legalize abortion, a key parliamentary step that followed nearly an entire day of contentious debate. The Chamber of Deputies passed the bill by a vote of 131-117 after 20 hours of debate. The bill, if it becomes law, would make it legal to end pregnancies up to 14 weeks — and Argentina would be just the fourth Latin American country to legalize abortion. The bill is part of President Alberto Fernandez’s social agenda, which leans heavily toward reforms for women’s rights. While the bill faces uncertainty in the Argentine Senate, Fernandez’s support lends the abortion-rights movement a voice it did not have under former center-right President Mauricio Macri. A bill legalizing abortion was narrowly defeated two years ago in Argentina’s Senate, which has long been opposed to abortion-rights legislation.
Dec. 11, 2020

FDA lists 22 potential adverse effects of new COVID-19 vaccine (page 16 both links)

FDA Safety Surveillance of COVID-19 Vaccines : DRAFT Working list of possible adverse event outcomes ***Subject to change***

Guillain-Barré syndrome, Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, Transverse myelitis, Encephalitis/myelitis/encephalomyelitis/ meningoencephalitis/meningitis/ encepholapathy, Convulsions/seizures, Stroke, Narcolepsy and cataplexy, Anaphylaxis, Acute myocardial infarction Myocarditis/pericarditis, Autoimmune disease, Deaths , Pregnancy and birth outcomes, Other acute demyelinating diseases, Non-anaphylactic allergic reactions, Thrombocytopenia, Disseminated intravascular coagulation, Venous thromboembolism, Arthritis and arthralgia/joint pain, Kawasaki disease, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, Vaccine enhanced disease

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