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Assad's army captured a key breadbasket, and now 600,000 Syrians face starvation
I saw this article and thought I would share. As thing gets worse and worse in the world
and they will get worse, keep your eyes on our Lord and Personal Saviour Jesus Christ.
Jesus will return to take true believers to heaven.
"6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8 KJV
More than half a million people in rebel-held suburbs to the east of Damascus are facing imminent starvation, after the Syrian army broke through rebel lines last week, separating people from the agricultural land that was the area's breadbasket.
The people of East Ghouta have survived a three-year siege thanks to produce grown in fields near their homes — and now that they have lost that territory they face a grim fate, similar to other besieged, and starving, parts of Syria.
President Bashar al-Assad's army and its allies capitalized on infighting between rebel groups in East Ghouta to break through their weakened defensive lines, on May 18. Advancing forces captured six villages and hundreds of acres of farmland in the southern sector of East Ghouta that had been the suburbs' lifeline, a local opposition official said.
The land, known for its wheat and barley harvests and fruit-bearing trees, is "East Ghouta's breadbasket" and "was the most important factor in softening the siege" that the Syrian regime has imposed on the suburbs since late 2012, a member of the local council in Marj, adjacent to the farmland, said.
If rebels prove unable to reverse the Syrian army's advance, "it will turn into a massive humanitarian disaster," added the council member, who requested anonymity for safety reasons and spoke via WhatsApp.
Rural East Ghouta, a picnic destination for Damascenes before the war, became a major center of armed opposition power in 2012. Rebel fighters control territory there uncomfortably close to the Assad government's headquarters, including the neighborhood of Jobar that abuts Damascus proper.
East Ghouta is down to 600,000 inhabitants from a pre-war population of more than 2 million. Those who remained are already familiar with scarcity, after living through years of encirclement by the regime's troops and allied militias. Soldiers stationed at checkpoints along the suburb's entrances prevent the movement of goods and people.
Regime forces use similar siege-and-starve tactics across the country to lower residents' morale and encourage rebels to surrender. The encircled town of Madaya, also near Damascus, made headlines in December 2015 when photos of emaciated residents—more than three dozen of whom have died of starvation since—circulated widely in the international media.
In East Ghouta's case, smugglers use a network of tunnels to sneak in limited quantities of food, which is then sold at inflated prices. The Syrian regime also occasionally allows UN-sponsored humanitarian convoys to enter the suburbs.
But the on-again, off-again humanitarian deliveries and limited smuggling activity do little to meet residents' needs. So East Ghoutans have fallen back on the green stretch of suburbs they inhabit, known for its agriculture long before the war, to ward off hunger.
"Here in East Ghouta, we rely on local agricultural harvests for our daily food," said Mohammed al-Abdullah, a resident of the town of Saqba. "If not for these harvests, people would have died of hunger" under the siege.
Most East Ghoutans eat two meals a day, and the less fortunate eat just one. Whatever is in season is on the table.
"During zucchini season, people eat zucchini for breakfast and lunch," said Douma resident Rawan al-Sheikh, who was speaking over a messaging app like other local people interviewed for this story.
In many cases, local produce has taken the place of traditional carbohydrates—which are scarce and expensive—as a dietary staple. Residents substituted barley and cabbage for bread when siege conditions became particularly dire in 2014, said al-Sheikh.
Recognizing agriculture's value in keeping East Ghoutans alive, opposition officials in exile have supported farming projects to provide them some measure of self-sufficiency. The Syrian National Coalition, a collection of opposition groups that claims to represent the revolution on the international stage, backed a 2014 initiative through its Support Coordination Unit that helped farmers grow eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini, pro-opposition newspaper Enab Baladi reported in 2014.
While the resulting production did not cover residents' nutritional requirements, it did "keep them alive" under siege, an official with the Support Coordination Unit was quoted by Enab Baladi as saying.
Now, East Ghoutans fear a coming famine after the Syrian army and its allies, mainly the Lebanon-based Shia militia Hezbollah, took large parts of the southern sector — an area "rich in summer crops that did a great deal to lighten the siege's intensity," Abdul Haq Hamam, a citizen journalist from Douma, said.
"If rebels don't retake the area, the encirclement is about to get much more difficult," he added.
Or, in the words of Douma city resident Rawan al-Sheikh, absent a successful rebel counter-attack "there's a humanitarian catastrophe coming, maybe in weeks and maybe months."
The armed opposition's loss of large swathes of land in southern East Ghouta last week is one of its biggest military defeats in the Damascus suburbs since 2012. And that is largely due to factional infighting that has weakened the rebels.
East Ghouta's largest opposition group is Jaish al-Islam or JAI, which espouses Salafism, a fundamentalist approach to Islam. The second largest is Feilaq al-Rahman or FAR, affiliated with the more moderate Free Syrian Army.
Together with a third, smaller group, they formed the United Command in 2013 to coordinate military and judicial activities in East Ghouta. But FAR has accused JAI of carrying out a secret assassination campaign targeting their religious and military figures, and of trying to take unilateral control over the administration of East Ghouta; JAI heads the United Command, and other rebels accuse it of eliminating rivals without consulting its nominal allies.
The rival factions engaged in low-level skirmishes and traded mutual accusations throughout April, until tensions exploded into large-scale armed confrontation on April 28, when FAR and allied Jaish al-Fustat attacked JAI's bases across the suburbs. Dozens of fighters and civilians have been killed since then.
Each side says its rival is trying to "partition" East Ghouta by capturing new land and consolidating areas it controls with trenches, land mines, and other fortifications.
From the time the infighting began in April until the Syrian army's successful campaign last week, popular protests demanding reconciliation, and high-level mediation efforts by local notables, repeatedly failed. The brigades escalated their violence and rhetoric even as they put forward two short-lived truce initiatives.
The result was that rivals JAI and FAR pulled hundreds of soldiers away from the front lines and sent them instead to fight in their internal squabble, leaving civilians to fend for themselves as Assad's army attacked, an unnamed rebel commander was quoted by pro-opposition Orient News as saying. His account was consistent with what civilians in Ghouta said over messaging apps, and with other media reports.
"The brigades pulled out before civilians did, who picked up weapons to stop the regime's attacks," said a resident of Deir al-Asafir, south of Ghouta, who gave his name as Abu Ali.
Routed by Assad's army and faced with popular discontent, the feuding rebels announced a prisoner exchange over the weekend as a good faith de-escalation gesture. Residents took matters into their own hands last Friday and organized protests demanding that local rebels unite and turn their attention towards advancing Syrian army forces, according to Enab Baladi.
"The brigades are responsible for the loss of the latest areas," said Abu Ali. "I guarantee that if they returned to cooperative military work, they could recapture what they lost."
and they will get worse, keep your eyes on our Lord and Personal Saviour Jesus Christ.
Jesus will return to take true believers to heaven.
"6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8 KJV
More than half a million people in rebel-held suburbs to the east of Damascus are facing imminent starvation, after the Syrian army broke through rebel lines last week, separating people from the agricultural land that was the area's breadbasket.
The people of East Ghouta have survived a three-year siege thanks to produce grown in fields near their homes — and now that they have lost that territory they face a grim fate, similar to other besieged, and starving, parts of Syria.
President Bashar al-Assad's army and its allies capitalized on infighting between rebel groups in East Ghouta to break through their weakened defensive lines, on May 18. Advancing forces captured six villages and hundreds of acres of farmland in the southern sector of East Ghouta that had been the suburbs' lifeline, a local opposition official said.
The land, known for its wheat and barley harvests and fruit-bearing trees, is "East Ghouta's breadbasket" and "was the most important factor in softening the siege" that the Syrian regime has imposed on the suburbs since late 2012, a member of the local council in Marj, adjacent to the farmland, said.
If rebels prove unable to reverse the Syrian army's advance, "it will turn into a massive humanitarian disaster," added the council member, who requested anonymity for safety reasons and spoke via WhatsApp.
Rural East Ghouta, a picnic destination for Damascenes before the war, became a major center of armed opposition power in 2012. Rebel fighters control territory there uncomfortably close to the Assad government's headquarters, including the neighborhood of Jobar that abuts Damascus proper.
East Ghouta is down to 600,000 inhabitants from a pre-war population of more than 2 million. Those who remained are already familiar with scarcity, after living through years of encirclement by the regime's troops and allied militias. Soldiers stationed at checkpoints along the suburb's entrances prevent the movement of goods and people.
Regime forces use similar siege-and-starve tactics across the country to lower residents' morale and encourage rebels to surrender. The encircled town of Madaya, also near Damascus, made headlines in December 2015 when photos of emaciated residents—more than three dozen of whom have died of starvation since—circulated widely in the international media.
In East Ghouta's case, smugglers use a network of tunnels to sneak in limited quantities of food, which is then sold at inflated prices. The Syrian regime also occasionally allows UN-sponsored humanitarian convoys to enter the suburbs.
But the on-again, off-again humanitarian deliveries and limited smuggling activity do little to meet residents' needs. So East Ghoutans have fallen back on the green stretch of suburbs they inhabit, known for its agriculture long before the war, to ward off hunger.
"Here in East Ghouta, we rely on local agricultural harvests for our daily food," said Mohammed al-Abdullah, a resident of the town of Saqba. "If not for these harvests, people would have died of hunger" under the siege.
Most East Ghoutans eat two meals a day, and the less fortunate eat just one. Whatever is in season is on the table.
"During zucchini season, people eat zucchini for breakfast and lunch," said Douma resident Rawan al-Sheikh, who was speaking over a messaging app like other local people interviewed for this story.
In many cases, local produce has taken the place of traditional carbohydrates—which are scarce and expensive—as a dietary staple. Residents substituted barley and cabbage for bread when siege conditions became particularly dire in 2014, said al-Sheikh.
Recognizing agriculture's value in keeping East Ghoutans alive, opposition officials in exile have supported farming projects to provide them some measure of self-sufficiency. The Syrian National Coalition, a collection of opposition groups that claims to represent the revolution on the international stage, backed a 2014 initiative through its Support Coordination Unit that helped farmers grow eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini, pro-opposition newspaper Enab Baladi reported in 2014.
While the resulting production did not cover residents' nutritional requirements, it did "keep them alive" under siege, an official with the Support Coordination Unit was quoted by Enab Baladi as saying.
Now, East Ghoutans fear a coming famine after the Syrian army and its allies, mainly the Lebanon-based Shia militia Hezbollah, took large parts of the southern sector — an area "rich in summer crops that did a great deal to lighten the siege's intensity," Abdul Haq Hamam, a citizen journalist from Douma, said.
"If rebels don't retake the area, the encirclement is about to get much more difficult," he added.
Or, in the words of Douma city resident Rawan al-Sheikh, absent a successful rebel counter-attack "there's a humanitarian catastrophe coming, maybe in weeks and maybe months."
The armed opposition's loss of large swathes of land in southern East Ghouta last week is one of its biggest military defeats in the Damascus suburbs since 2012. And that is largely due to factional infighting that has weakened the rebels.
East Ghouta's largest opposition group is Jaish al-Islam or JAI, which espouses Salafism, a fundamentalist approach to Islam. The second largest is Feilaq al-Rahman or FAR, affiliated with the more moderate Free Syrian Army.
Together with a third, smaller group, they formed the United Command in 2013 to coordinate military and judicial activities in East Ghouta. But FAR has accused JAI of carrying out a secret assassination campaign targeting their religious and military figures, and of trying to take unilateral control over the administration of East Ghouta; JAI heads the United Command, and other rebels accuse it of eliminating rivals without consulting its nominal allies.
The rival factions engaged in low-level skirmishes and traded mutual accusations throughout April, until tensions exploded into large-scale armed confrontation on April 28, when FAR and allied Jaish al-Fustat attacked JAI's bases across the suburbs. Dozens of fighters and civilians have been killed since then.
Each side says its rival is trying to "partition" East Ghouta by capturing new land and consolidating areas it controls with trenches, land mines, and other fortifications.
From the time the infighting began in April until the Syrian army's successful campaign last week, popular protests demanding reconciliation, and high-level mediation efforts by local notables, repeatedly failed. The brigades escalated their violence and rhetoric even as they put forward two short-lived truce initiatives.
The result was that rivals JAI and FAR pulled hundreds of soldiers away from the front lines and sent them instead to fight in their internal squabble, leaving civilians to fend for themselves as Assad's army attacked, an unnamed rebel commander was quoted by pro-opposition Orient News as saying. His account was consistent with what civilians in Ghouta said over messaging apps, and with other media reports.
"The brigades pulled out before civilians did, who picked up weapons to stop the regime's attacks," said a resident of Deir al-Asafir, south of Ghouta, who gave his name as Abu Ali.
Routed by Assad's army and faced with popular discontent, the feuding rebels announced a prisoner exchange over the weekend as a good faith de-escalation gesture. Residents took matters into their own hands last Friday and organized protests demanding that local rebels unite and turn their attention towards advancing Syrian army forces, according to Enab Baladi.
"The brigades are responsible for the loss of the latest areas," said Abu Ali. "I guarantee that if they returned to cooperative military work, they could recapture what they lost."
More than 280,000 dead in Syria war, monitor says in new toll
I saw this article and thought i would share. As the U.S.A. and the world continue to get
worse and worse, keep you eyes and our Lord and Personal Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus will
return to take true believers to heaven.
"6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8 KJV
Non-jihadist rebel fighters accounted for 48,568 of those killed, while extremist militants -- including non-Syrians -- numbered 47,095.
The Observatory is based in Britain and depends on a network of sources inside Syria to gather its information on the conflict that erupted in March 2011.
This is the strength and losses according wikipeda.
Over 7,600,000 internally displaced (July 2015 UNHCR estimate)
Over 4,000,000 refugees (July 2015 UNHCR estimate)
worse and worse, keep you eyes and our Lord and Personal Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus will
return to take true believers to heaven.
"6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8 KJV
Beirut (AFP) - Syria's
devastating war has killed more than 280,000 people, a monitoring group
said on Thursday in a new toll for the five-year conflict.
The toll of 282,283 includes 81,436 civilians, among
them 14,040 children and 9,106 women, said the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights. Non-jihadist rebel fighters accounted for 48,568 of those killed, while extremist militants -- including non-Syrians -- numbered 47,095.
The Observatory documented the deaths of 101,662 pro-regime fighters, including 56,609 government soldiers.
Another 3,522 of the deaths were unidentified.The Observatory is based in Britain and depends on a network of sources inside Syria to gather its information on the conflict that erupted in March 2011.
The toll was the
first given since a partial truce came into effect between the
government and non-jihadist rebels on February 27.
Several weeks into the truce, the Observatory said violence -- and daily death tolls -- had dropped dramatically.
But since then clashes have broken out in parts of the country where the ceasefire was meant to have taken hold.
The previous toll of 271,138 had been published by the Observatory on February 23.This is the strength and losses according wikipeda.
| ||||||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Syrian Government:55,435–90,435 soldiers killed 38,208–52,208 militiamen killed 6,000 soldiers and militiamen and 2,000 supporters captured  Hezbollah:1,041–1,300 killed  Russia:9 soldiers and 9–15 contractors killed Other non-Syrian fighters: 3,897 killed (  381 killed) |
91,854–137,854 fighters killed 979 protesters killed 27,000 fighters and supporters captured or missing |
 ISIL:8,789+ killed (per SOHR) 16,089+ killed (per SAA and YPG) |
 Rojava:3,109+ killed CJTF–OIR: 2 killed |
| 79,585–93,450 (2,933 foreign) civilian deaths documented by opposition 80 other foreign soldiers killed Total killed: 250,000 (August 2015 UN estimate) 273,520–368,520 (February 2016 SOHR estimate) 470,000 (February 2016 SCPR estimate) 34,500 captured or missing overall |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Over 7,600,000 internally displaced (July 2015 UNHCR estimate)
Over 4,000,000 refugees (July 2015 UNHCR estimate)
Venezuela Goes from Bad to Catastrophe
I saw this article and thought i would share. As things continue to get worse in here in the u.s.a.
and around the world keep your eyes on our Lord and Personal Saviour Jesus Christ who will
return soon.
No more Coca-Cola for Venezuela–there’s not enough sugar. Diet Coke is still around–until the country runs out of aspartame–but the disappearance from store shelves of an icon of globalization is the latest blow for an economy on the edge. In April, the country’s largest private company, Empresas Polar SA, which makes 80% of the beer that Venezuelans consume, closed its doors. The government now rations water, so Venezuelans have begun stealing it from tanker trucks and swimming pools.
and around the world keep your eyes on our Lord and Personal Saviour Jesus Christ who will
return soon.
No more Coca-Cola for Venezuela–there’s not enough sugar. Diet Coke is still around–until the country runs out of aspartame–but the disappearance from store shelves of an icon of globalization is the latest blow for an economy on the edge. In April, the country’s largest private company, Empresas Polar SA, which makes 80% of the beer that Venezuelans consume, closed its doors. The government now rations water, so Venezuelans have begun stealing it from tanker trucks and swimming pools.
Electricity is also in short
supply, and President Nicolás Maduro has ordered public offices to
conserve energy by remaining open just two days a week. An ongoing
drought only makes matters worse. About 65% of the country’s electricity
is generated by a single hydroelectric dam that’s now in serious
trouble. Blackouts, scheduled and otherwise, have become common.
This isn’t just bad luck. Supermarket shelves are often empty, in part
because price controls have discouraged production of staples, and
Maduro is threatening to seize closed factories and nationalize them.
Then there is the government’s oil addiction. Venezuela depends on oil
for about 96% of export earnings and nearly half its federal budget.
When prices were high, policymakers could have created a rainy-day fund.
Some of that money went toward lifting poor people from poverty, but
much was stolen: Venezuela is the most corrupt country in the Americas
and the ninth most corrupt in the world, according to Transparency
International. To balance its budget, Venezuela would need to sell oil
for $121 per barrel, more than twice the current price. The inflation
rate is expected to hit 481% by year’s end and 1,642% by next year.
It’s no surprise Venezuelans are angry. There are 17 demonstrations per
day across the country on average. That discontent helped an opposition
alliance win control of parliament in December for the first time in 17
years. Maduro’s approval rating is at 26%, and 70% of Venezuelans want
him removed from office. The opposition needed 200,000 signatures to
trigger a recall referendum. It got 1.85 million.
Maduro’s remaining allies know they have an out: Venezuela’s
constitution stipulates that if the President is ousted within the final
two years of his term, he is replaced with his Vice President, not by a
new election. Unless a dangerous public uprising forces the issue, the
government will stall to ensure that one of its own takes Maduro’s
place.
But this is all a sideshow. Maduro is a symptom, not the cause, of
Venezuela’s problems. Until the country has a government that can build a
sustainable economic system, its misery will only deepen.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Satellite imagery reveals ISIS's successful attack against a Russian airbase in Syria with pics
I saw this and thought i would share. As thing continue to get worse keep the faith in
Jesus Christ, he is returning soon.
" 6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8 KJV
Satellite imagery reveals ISIS's successful attack against a Russian airbase in Syria
In war, even the most advanced aircraft can be shot down, special operations forces can be ambushed, and well-defended airports and army bases can be shelled and weakened from afar by simple, indirect-fire weapons. Such was the case in an attack claimed by the Islamic State on a strategic loyalist air base in central Syria.Satellite imagery acquired by Stratfor in partnership with AllSource Analysis verifies that the T4 air base was severely damaged by an Islamic State artillery attack. In particular, four Russian Mi-24 attack helicopters appear to have been destroyed.
STRATFOR
The T4 air base, one of the most important Syrian bases in the country, is located in Homs province near the city of Palmyra and near a strategic crossroads of routes that lead to Deir el-Zour, Raqqa, Damascus and other crucial areas. It houses two fixed-wing attack squadrons, one composed of Su-24 aircraft and the other of Su-22 aircraft.
These aircraft have carried out ground-attack missions across Syria, including the operations that eventually forced Islamic State militants out of Palmyra. In addition, the Syrian air force maintains six L-39 trainer aircraft and a few Mi-8/17 transport helicopters at the base.
Moreover, Russian forces have deployed a contingent of attack helicopters to the T4 air base at least since March 2016, supporting the loyalist offensive to retake Palmyra that same month. Based on satellite imagery as well as video of the base, the Russian force consisted of approximately four Mi-24P gunships. So at least according to these open sources, no Syrian Mi-24 helicopters operated from the T4 air base in recent months.
In early May, the Islamic State launched an operation to capture the Shaer natural gas field northeast of the air base. After doing so, the group advanced south, seeking to cut off loyalist forces in Palmyra by severing a road that leads west from Palmyra, passes by the T4 air base, and continues toward Homs city.
Though the Islamic State failed to cut off the road for any extended amount of time, it did move artillery within range of the base, which it subsequently shelled.
Late May 14, the Islamic State claimed that four Russian attack helicopters and 20 trucks loaded with ammunition were destroyed in the attack. Around the same time, loyalist forces reported that an accidental explosion had taken place in an ammunition storage area at the air base.
Working with AllSource, Stratfor has discerned what occurred by looking at satellite imagery of the air base from that time period.
It is clear from the imagery that the northeastern part of the T4 air
base, the section of the airport where helicopter use is concentrated,
sustained considerable damage. Ordnance impact points are visible,
especially around the structurally reinforced aircraft shelter and the
cargo truck marshaling area.
The destruction of four Russian attack helicopters at the base is a
stark reminder of the constant threat that Russia faces in its mission
in Syria. The Russian contribution
to the Syrian government has been notable in defending loyalist
positions and driving back not only rebel but also jihadist forces in
the Syrian conflict.
But it has come with a cost. Even as Russia continues to rely on
aviation and artillery power to support government troops, its forces
are not outside harm's way.
Death toll rises in bombing of Syria government strongholds
I saw this article an d thought i would share.
"6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8All these are the beginning of sorrows."
The attacks — seven bombings altogether — targeted
civilians in the coastal cities of Tartus and Jableh for the first time
in the country's five-year war, raising fears of more violence among
residents living in government bastions who have enjoyed relative quiet.
The wave of explosions also underlined the inability of world powers to
jumpstart Syrian peace talks in Geneva as the violence worsens and
reaches new areas.
Most of those killed in Monday's explosion at the
Jableh National Hospital in the city of Jableh were patients and
visiting family members, but three doctors and nurses were also among
the dead, WHO said.
WHO official Tarek Jasarevic said the organization was basing its information on local authorities.
Syrian government officials said at least 80 died in
Monday's devastating assaults, and have not updated that figure. Syria's
Al-Watan newspaper said Tuesday that the attacks killed 120 people,
while the opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, which tracks the conflict through a network of activists on the
ground, said that 161 were killed.
Kuralenko, who heads the Russian center
monitoring joint efforts with the United States to curb the fighting,
said the Russians have called for a "regime of silence" in Eastern
Ghouta and Darayya starting just after midnight Tuesday morning.
He said Moscow urges "all parties concerned to stop offensive operations and shooting and to distance themselves from the regions controlled by" the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria.
"6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8All these are the beginning of sorrows."
BEIRUT (AP) — A suicide bomber
who targeted a hospital in a Syrian coastal city the previous day killed
43 people, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, as an activist
group raised the overall death toll from the day's unprecedented wave of
attacks on government strongholds to 161.
A coalition of nearly 30 rebel
factions have warned they would consider the partial cease-fire brokered
in late February "dissolved" if the government does not end its
offensives around besieged opposition-held suburbs of Damascus. Yet
fighting had resumed in earnest around the country by late April.
The hospital, which was taking
in victims from at least three other blasts that hit in the city on
Monday — including one at a crowded bus station — was badly damaged and
is no longer operational, WHO added.
The wave of bombings, claimed by
the Islamic State group, struck two cities along Syria's Mediterranean
coast that are government strongholds. Both have so far remained mostly
immune to the violence of Syria's civil war, now in its sixth year.
The attacks signified a major breach in the security of President Bashar Assad's coastal strongholds.
Syria's conflict, which began as a popular uprising
against Assad's government in 2011, quickly descended into a full-blown
civil war. Al-Qaida militants exploited the chaos to establish a
foothold in the country, but the Sunni extremist group soon fractured,
spawning the powerful Islamic State group. IS now controls a large swath
of territory in the northeast and has proclaimed its self-styled
"caliphate" on territories it holds in Syria and Iraq. Al-Qaida remains a
major player in Syria's conflict through its affiliate, the Nusra
Front.
The Russian military said it has
called for a 72-hour cease-fire in Syria between government and
opposition forces in two Damascus suburbs. In a statement issued late
Monday, Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko said this would allow Russian war
planes to carry out airstrikes against the Nusra Front, the Syrian
branch of al-Qaida.
He said Moscow urges "all parties concerned to stop offensive operations and shooting and to distance themselves from the regions controlled by" the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria.
Monday, May 23, 2016
The Syria conflict fanned by Iran
I saw this article and thought i would put on my blog and share it. Another sign that we
are in the end times. I pray for those that are lost to get saved while you still can.
"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Matthew 24:6 KJV
"And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet." Mark 13:7 KJV
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. " Mark 13:8 KJV
"Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom:" Luke 21:10 KJV
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. " Matthew 24:7 KJV
Iran escalating its meddling in Syria has not come without a cost. A rising number of casualties have raised discontent across the board in Iraq. As the ferocious conflict shows no abating sign, reports indicate thousands of Iranian troops being killed and wounded, alongside a minimum of 40 senior IRGC officers losing their lives. In fear of a definite backlash from low-morale IRGC soldiers, Iran has resorted to even more desperate measures to render recruits for the Syria war. A recent IRGC-produced video calls on teenage boys to join the battle in Syria. The methods of propaganda and the used lyrics are alarmingly familiar to the methods used by the mullahs during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War.
“UNICEF has already noted that children were used to the Iraq-Iran war, primarily as mine sweepers sent out ahead of regular troops,” the Digital Journal wrote.
“It has been alleged by the [Iranian opposition] NCRI and other international groups," the piece continues, "that tens of thousands of children were used as minesweepers and in other dangerous roles. Children, in this case, were seen as more expendable than regular troops, and thus more fit for mine sweeping duties.”
Mercenaries
Iran is also seeking new plans by hiring and deploying thousands of Afghans to fight in Syria. More than 1.5 million Afghan refugees are currently living in Iran, according to official regime statistics, of which 800,000 to one million lack any registration documents, unemployed as a result and left to suffer in extreme poverty. Afghans willing to join the battlefront in Syria are offered up to $600 a month and if they return they receive full Iranian citizenship, or their families earn full citizenship if they are killed in battle. The ‘Fatemyoun Division’ has been specifically formed under the direct IRGC Quds Force supervision to organize these recruits. 2,500 Fatemyoun members are currently in Syria and reports indicate more are on the way.
Miserable Results
Skyrocketing casualties and literally no sign of progress have left Iran facing a lethal quagmire in Syria despite the intense mobilization campaign. Tehran originally sought to defeat the West-backed Free Syrian Army and occupy Aleppo and other rebel strongholds under ruthless air cover provided by Russia. All this has miserably failed. Senior Iranian officials are terrified as Moscow is beginning to pull out and negotiating in tête-à -tête talks with Washington. Quds Force chief Qassem Suleimani has recently visited Moscow once again to outright beg Putin for further intervention.
The Roots
Unfortunately, the appeasement policy pursued by the West vis-Ã -vis Iran has been the main contributor to the Syrian nightmare and the rise of Daesh (ISIS). Iran’s die-hard support for al-Assad and his lethal crackdown against his own people prepared the grounds and facilitated Daesh morphing from the corpse of al-Qaeda. The 8-year reign of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, known for his complete devotion to Tehran, allowed Daesh to grasp large swathes of territory across the Levant and northern Mesopotamia. To this end, Europe is facing the largest refugee crises from World War II onward. And yet, all signs indicate the Syria conflict is spiraling out of control with no end sight.
The West needs to finally come to this understanding that the political and humanitarian crisis in Syria can only be resolved by sponsoring the urgent removal of Bashar Assad from the throne. This scenario has a key role for U.S. President Barack Obama and he must rise to the occasion in the final stretch of his tenure. Kicking the can down the road and refusing to take serious action in Syria, while going the limits to seal a nuclear deal with Iran, has only pushed Syria further in the whirlpool conflict we see today engulfing the entire Middle East and beyond into utter turmoil.
Iran’s intervention in Iraq and Syria is the root of this entire dilemma. If peace is sought in both Iraq and Syria, the Iranians must first and foremost be evicted.
are in the end times. I pray for those that are lost to get saved while you still can.
Day by day Iran is expanding
its involvement in the conflict raging onward in Syria. The
Revolutionary Guards has now dispatched a conglomerate of more than
60,000 troops on the ground, consisting of 8,000 notorious Quds Force
members, thousands of foot-soldiers and mercenaries from Afghanistan,
Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan. Tehran is now so utterly embroiled in
shoring the ruthless Bashar al-Assad regime that an Iranian army brigade
consisting of the mullahs’ “Green Berets”, have been dispatched to
Syria. This is the 65th Nohed Brigade and their first mission
in 27 years underlines how desperate times call for desperate measures
for Iran in preventing Assad’s downfall.
An Iranian Province
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has taken a step forward by appointing a personal envoy in
Syria, similar his officials representatives installed in Iran’s 31
provinces. This recent appointment further reinforces the perspective
that Iran considers Syria its own 35th province, and defeat in Syria is viewed a severe blow to the regime. Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, the Iranian military chief of staff, paid a recent visit to Damascus on April 30th to take over direct command of all Iranian, Lebanese Hezbollah and Syrian forces fighting across the country.
High Price & Desperate MeasuresIran escalating its meddling in Syria has not come without a cost. A rising number of casualties have raised discontent across the board in Iraq. As the ferocious conflict shows no abating sign, reports indicate thousands of Iranian troops being killed and wounded, alongside a minimum of 40 senior IRGC officers losing their lives. In fear of a definite backlash from low-morale IRGC soldiers, Iran has resorted to even more desperate measures to render recruits for the Syria war. A recent IRGC-produced video calls on teenage boys to join the battle in Syria. The methods of propaganda and the used lyrics are alarmingly familiar to the methods used by the mullahs during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War.
“UNICEF has already noted that children were used to the Iraq-Iran war, primarily as mine sweepers sent out ahead of regular troops,” the Digital Journal wrote.
“It has been alleged by the [Iranian opposition] NCRI and other international groups," the piece continues, "that tens of thousands of children were used as minesweepers and in other dangerous roles. Children, in this case, were seen as more expendable than regular troops, and thus more fit for mine sweeping duties.”
Mercenaries
Iran is also seeking new plans by hiring and deploying thousands of Afghans to fight in Syria. More than 1.5 million Afghan refugees are currently living in Iran, according to official regime statistics, of which 800,000 to one million lack any registration documents, unemployed as a result and left to suffer in extreme poverty. Afghans willing to join the battlefront in Syria are offered up to $600 a month and if they return they receive full Iranian citizenship, or their families earn full citizenship if they are killed in battle. The ‘Fatemyoun Division’ has been specifically formed under the direct IRGC Quds Force supervision to organize these recruits. 2,500 Fatemyoun members are currently in Syria and reports indicate more are on the way.
Miserable Results
Skyrocketing casualties and literally no sign of progress have left Iran facing a lethal quagmire in Syria despite the intense mobilization campaign. Tehran originally sought to defeat the West-backed Free Syrian Army and occupy Aleppo and other rebel strongholds under ruthless air cover provided by Russia. All this has miserably failed. Senior Iranian officials are terrified as Moscow is beginning to pull out and negotiating in tête-à -tête talks with Washington. Quds Force chief Qassem Suleimani has recently visited Moscow once again to outright beg Putin for further intervention.
The Roots
Unfortunately, the appeasement policy pursued by the West vis-Ã -vis Iran has been the main contributor to the Syrian nightmare and the rise of Daesh (ISIS). Iran’s die-hard support for al-Assad and his lethal crackdown against his own people prepared the grounds and facilitated Daesh morphing from the corpse of al-Qaeda. The 8-year reign of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, known for his complete devotion to Tehran, allowed Daesh to grasp large swathes of territory across the Levant and northern Mesopotamia. To this end, Europe is facing the largest refugee crises from World War II onward. And yet, all signs indicate the Syria conflict is spiraling out of control with no end sight.
The West needs to finally come to this understanding that the political and humanitarian crisis in Syria can only be resolved by sponsoring the urgent removal of Bashar Assad from the throne. This scenario has a key role for U.S. President Barack Obama and he must rise to the occasion in the final stretch of his tenure. Kicking the can down the road and refusing to take serious action in Syria, while going the limits to seal a nuclear deal with Iran, has only pushed Syria further in the whirlpool conflict we see today engulfing the entire Middle East and beyond into utter turmoil.
Iran’s intervention in Iraq and Syria is the root of this entire dilemma. If peace is sought in both Iraq and Syria, the Iranians must first and foremost be evicted.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Cyclonic Storm Roanu
Cyclonic Storm Roanu was a relatively weak tropical cyclone that caused severe flooding in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during May 2016. It is the first tropical cyclone of the annual cyclone season. Roanu originated from a low pressure area that formed south of Sri Lanka. It gradually drifted north and intensified into a cyclonic storm on 19 May. However, wind shear and land interaction caused it to weaken slightly, before reintensifying as it accelerated towards the coast of Bangladesh.
So far, Roanu is responsible for at least 71 deaths in Sri Lanka and another 24 deaths in Bangladesh. Roanu also brought torrential rainfall to the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as it drifted in a generally northeastward direction, close to the coast.
So far, Roanu is responsible for at least 71 deaths in Sri Lanka and another 24 deaths in Bangladesh. Roanu also brought torrential rainfall to the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as it drifted in a generally northeastward direction, close to the coast.
| Formed | 17 May 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissipated | Currently active | |||||||||||||||||
| (Remnant low after 22 May) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Christian 12 year old child Martyred by ISIS
On Wednesday (18 May) the IBTimes UK reported the burning alive
of a Christian child who asked her mum to forgive the Isis militants
who torched her home. The courageous child, believed to be around
12-years-old, was burned in Mosul after her family were raided by the jihadists for 'Jaziya' — a religious tax.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Friday, May 13, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Monday, May 9, 2016
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Raging Canada fires now threaten second province, authorities say
Here is an update on the fire in canada.
Fort McMurray (Canada) (AFP) - Wildfires that ravaged a vast area of western Canada's Alberta province now are threatening a neighboring region, authorities said Sunday, as the inferno -- which doubled in sized in the space of a day -- continued its advance.
The ruthless blaze, fanned by high winds and fueled by tinder-dry conditions, devastated the region around the city of Fort McMurray, and could now spread to neighboring Saskatchewan province some 35 miles (60 kilometers) away.Chad Morrisson, senior wildfire manager for Alberta, said unless the region receives at least four inches (10 centimeters) of rain, "we expect to be out fighting the fire in the forested area for months to come."
He said: "That's not uncommon with such large wildfires," adding that the blaze was moving toward Saskatchewan. Even as fellow Canadians rally to provide them succor and support, thousands of evacuees who fled the fire are coming to grips with the likelihood that they will be unable to see their homes anytime soon -- assuming the dwellings are still standing at all.
Hundreds of firefighters, exhausted and demoralized after days vainly battling a blaze they grimly refer to as "the beast," acknowledged that they will probably have to wait for the fire to burn itself out. Weather forecasters, meanwhile, predict no rain for at least a week in the area, whose oil sands are a vital part of the regional economy.
With 2,000 square kilometers of
forests and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, turned to
ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters
battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure,
including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city,
but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or
destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back
into those areas spared by the inferno.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
"There's a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found
With 2,000 square kilometers of
forests and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, turned to
ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters
battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure,
including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city,
but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or
destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back
into those areas spared by the inferno.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
"There's a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found
With 2,000 square kilometers of
forests and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, turned to
ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters
battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure,
including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city,
but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or
destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back
into those areas spared by the inferno.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
"There's a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found
With 2,000 square kilometers of
forests and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, turned to
ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters
battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure,
including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city,
but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or
destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back
into those areas spared by the inferno.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
"There's a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found
With 2,000 square kilometers of
forests and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, turned to
ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters
battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure,
including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city,
but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or
destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back
into those areas spared by the inferno.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
"There's a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found
With 2,000 square kilometers of
forests and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, turned to
ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters
battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure,
including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city,
but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or
destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back
into those areas spared by the inferno.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
"There's a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found
With 2,000 square kilometers of
forests and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, turned to
ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters
battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure,
including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city,
but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or
destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back
into those areas spared by the inferno.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
"There's a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found temporary shelter with friends or family members, but the government is working furiously to provide accommodations for the others. Many of the employees of the big petroleum companies active in the area come from other parts of Canada and have returned home.
But tens of thousands of other evacuees are scatterered across Alberta in emergency shelters, campgrounds, or even in their cars parked for miles along provincial roads. Many need food, clothing or personal products like diapers.
'We're here, we're safe' -
In Lac La Biche, the first big town south of the forbidden zone, cases of mineral water, clothes and food provided by the Red Cross or donated by fellow Canadians are being distributed by volunteers.
"This is just amazing. It's just amazing to see what's been done. We're overwhelmed, everybody's overwhelmed with how much the whole country has supported us," said Sarah, who evacuated with her family without knowing where they would end up.
"I've said to my daughter the whole way up here, the most important thing is that we're here, we're safe, and everything else is just stuff," she told AFP. By late Saturday, nearly all 25,000 people who were still trapped to the north finally had left town, either via airlift or convoys on the roads.
Paula, a volunteer and
coordinator of the center, said the people who fled Fort McMurray,
putting aside their own distress, have joined in helping distribute aid
to newer arrivals.
Most of them, she said, were evacuated after being trapped in oil-company work camps north of Fort McMurray. Over the last two days, they had reached safety only after crossing the city under police escort, driving through thick clouds of noxious smoke, and passing hundreds of homes still burning or already reduced to ashes along the city's western edge. Notley said large numbers of evacuees could be housed for now in university dormitories in Edmonton or Calgary -- students left them days ago when their spring term ended.
With low humidity, high temperatures and gusty winds, fire conditions remained extreme.
Still, in a glimmer of positive news, the authorities have recorded no fatalities directly linked to the blaze, and winds were pushing the fires away from Fort McMurray.
Across the province, more than 1,400 firefighters, about 133 helicopters, 200 pieces of heavy equipment and more than 27 air tankers are battling 43 separate blazes.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
USGS says swarm of earthquakes detected below Mount St. Helens
I saw this article and thought i would share.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Friday they have discovered a swarm of small earthquakes underneath Mount St. Helens since March, which could mean it’s recharging with magma.
Scientists said the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network detected more than 130 earthquakes, between 1.2 and 4 miles deep, in the region since March 13. Researchers said the majority of the quakes have registered as a magnitude 0.5 or less and some are too small to detect.
There’s no indication there will be an eruption anytime soon, scientists said.
“No anomalous gases, increases in ground inflation or shallow seismicity have been detected with this swarm, and there are no signs of an imminent eruption,” researchers said. “As was observed at Mount St. Helens between 1987-2004, recharge can continue for many years beneath a volcano without an eruption.”
According to the USGS, the quakes are volcano-tectonic – which are commonly seen in active magma systems. Stress pushes fluid through cracks, creating small quakes or tremors.
The magma chamber is likely imparting its own stresses on the crust around and above it, as the system slowly recharges. The stress drives fluids through cracks, producing the small quakes. The current pattern of seismicity is similar to swarms seen at Mount St. Helens in 2013 and 2014; recharge swarms in the 1990s had much higher earthquake rates and energy release.”
The USGS said that data they have collected indicates the volcano is still active. The amount of qukes have been increasing since March, reaching nearly 40 per week.
The biggest eruption of Mount St. Helens occurred nearly 36 years ago in May of 1980. The eruption in Washington state killed 57 people, blasting more than 1,300 feet off its top and rained volcanic ash on surrounding areas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Friday they have discovered a swarm of small earthquakes underneath Mount St. Helens since March, which could mean it’s recharging with magma.
Scientists said the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network detected more than 130 earthquakes, between 1.2 and 4 miles deep, in the region since March 13. Researchers said the majority of the quakes have registered as a magnitude 0.5 or less and some are too small to detect.
There’s no indication there will be an eruption anytime soon, scientists said.
“No anomalous gases, increases in ground inflation or shallow seismicity have been detected with this swarm, and there are no signs of an imminent eruption,” researchers said. “As was observed at Mount St. Helens between 1987-2004, recharge can continue for many years beneath a volcano without an eruption.”
According to the USGS, the quakes are volcano-tectonic – which are commonly seen in active magma systems. Stress pushes fluid through cracks, creating small quakes or tremors.
The magma chamber is likely imparting its own stresses on the crust around and above it, as the system slowly recharges. The stress drives fluids through cracks, producing the small quakes. The current pattern of seismicity is similar to swarms seen at Mount St. Helens in 2013 and 2014; recharge swarms in the 1990s had much higher earthquake rates and energy release.”
The USGS said that data they have collected indicates the volcano is still active. The amount of qukes have been increasing since March, reaching nearly 40 per week.
The biggest eruption of Mount St. Helens occurred nearly 36 years ago in May of 1980. The eruption in Washington state killed 57 people, blasting more than 1,300 feet off its top and rained volcanic ash on surrounding areas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Canada wildfire growing as weather heats up, escape convoy underway
I thought i would share an article i saw.
A raging Canadian wildfire that forced the evacuation of the Alberta oil town of Fort McMurray intensified on Saturday, helped by hot, dry weather, with police escorting a fresh convoy of evacuees out of the region.
A raging Canadian wildfire that forced the evacuation of the Alberta oil town of Fort McMurray intensified on Saturday, helped by hot, dry weather, with police escorting a fresh convoy of evacuees out of the region.
The
blaze, the largest of some 40 wildfires burning across the province of
Alberta, has forced some 88,000 residents, the entire population of Fort
McMurray, to flee for safety.
The
weather, with temperatures on Saturday expected to rise as high as 28
degrees Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit), was hindering efforts to fight the
wildfire, said Matthew Anderson, a wildfire information official with
the Alberta government.
"It's
going to be a very extreme fire hazard kind of day," he told CBC News.
"Today will certainly be a very, very challenging day and the (fire's)
growth potential is quite large."
Earlier in the week most evacuees headed south by car on Alberta government.
"It's
going to be a very extreme fire hazard kind of day," he told CBC News.
"Today will certainly be a very, very challenging day and the (fire's)
growth potential is quite large."
Earlier
in the week most evacuees headed south by car on Alberta Highway 63,
the only land route out of the area, in a slow-moving exodus that left
many temporarily stranded on the roadside as they ran out of gasoline.
But other residents who initially sought shelter in oil camps
and settlements north of the city found themselves cut off in
overcrowded conditions. They were forced on Friday to retrace their
route back through Fort McMurray on Highway 63 as flames continued to
spread.
Television
footage showed the first convoys of about 20 vehicles getting underway
around 6 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) even as smoke from fires filled the
sky.
The
convoys on Friday moved about 2,500 vehicles of evacuees with 7,500
people south, according to a tweet from the Regional Municipality of
Wood Buffalo.
The
northbound lanes of Highways 63 and 881 toward Fort McMurray were
restricted, and parts of Highway 881, the only road in and out of some
evacuated communities south of the city, remain closed, Alberta's
government said on Twitter.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt John Spaans told CBC authorities were not certain how many were still left to travel south.
The
full extent of property losses in Fort McMurray has yet to be
determined, but authorities said some 1,600 structures were believed to
have been destroyed. One analyst estimated insurance losses could exceed
C$9 billion ($7 billion).
Entire
neighborhoods were reduced to ruins, but most evacuees fled without
knowing the fate of their own homes. The majority got away with few
possessions, some forced to leave pets behind.
At least 10 oil sand operators have cut production due to witter.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt John Spaans told CBC authorities were not certain how many were still left to travel south.
The
full extent of property losses in Fort McMurray has yet to be
determined, but authorities said some 1,600 structures were believed to
have been destroyed. One analyst estimated insurance losses could exceed
C$9 billion ($7 billion).
Entire
neighborhoods were reduced to ruins, but most evacuees fled without
knowing the fate of their own homes. The majority got away with few
possessions, some forced to leave pets behind.
At least 10 oil sand operators have cut production due to witter.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt John Spaans told CBC authorities were not certain how many were still left to travel south.
The
full extent of property losses in Fort McMurray has yet to be
determined, but authorities said some 1,600 structures were believed to
have been destroyed. One analyst estimated insurance losses could exceed
C$9 billion ($7 billion).
Entire
neighborhoods were reduced to ruins, but most evacuees fled without
knowing the fate of their own homes. The majority got away with few
possessions, some forced to leave pets behind.
At least 10 oil sand operators have cut production due to evacuations and other emergency measures that complicated delivery of petroleum by rail, pipeline and highway. [CRU/CA]
About
half of Canada's oil sands production capacity has been taken offline
by the conflagration, according to a Reuters estimate.
(Additional reporting by Ethan Lou in Toronto,; Writing by Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Digby Lidstone.
Friday, May 6, 2016
The San Andreas Fault Is ‘Locked and Loaded,’ a Leading Seismologist Warns
A leading earthquake expert has warned
that a section of the San Andreas Fault in Southern California may be
“ready to go,” and that a major temblor that could shake the Los Angeles
metropolitan area is long overdue.
The Los Angeles Times
cites comments from Thomas Jordan, director of the Southern California
Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California, who said the
movement of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates should
amount to a shift of about 16 ft. every 100 years. But the southern part
of the fault has been quiet since a 7.9-magnitude quake hit in 1857 —
too long.
“The
springs on the San Andreas system have been wound very, very tight. And
the southern San Andreas Fault, in particular, looks like it’s locked,
loaded and ready to go,” Jordan said in the keynote speech of an
earthquake conference in Long Beach, Calif.
Jordan
praised efforts by officials in Los Angeles to prepare the city for the
Big One by retrofitting buildings and bolstering water and
telecommunications infrastructure, but the impact of a large quake could
still be massive. The U.S. Geological Survey, in a “ShakeOut Scenario” published in 2008, predicted that a 7.8-magnitude quake on the southern San Andreas Fault would cause about 1,800 deaths and $213 billion worth of damage, taking into account some of the retrofitting
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Sunday, May 1, 2016
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