Pestilence

Oxfam: Yemen cholera outbreak nearing largest in recorded history - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Yemen's massive cholera outbreak could infect more than one million people by the end of the year, experts believe. The World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean reported 745,205 suspected cholera cases and 2,119 associated deaths in the country as of Wednesday."

Rumors of War

Rex Tillerson visits China as North Koreans ‘tire’ of anti-U.S. rallies - UPI.com
UPI reports: "U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to meet with Chinese officials on Saturday in a trip that could be an opportunity to provide Beijing with clarification, regarding recent comments from U.S. President Donald Trump on North Korea. The visit comes at a time when North Koreans say ordinary people are weary of anti-American propaganda."

Comment: I have to wonder how the intrepid reporter learned that ordinary North Koreans are weary of anti-American propaganda? Is she looking at public opinion expressed on Twitter? Perhaps a public opinion poll? Or, is it possible that one source is responsible for the sweeping assertion that ordinary people weary of the propaganda?

War

Islamic State releases message said to be from leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The Islamic State on Thursday released a tape purportedly of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi -- the first such transmission since Russia claimed an airstrike may have killed the 46-year-old this spring. The 46-minute audio message sent to supporters on a chat application appears to have been recorded somewhat recently, as Baghdadi mentioned the Islamic State's losses in Mosul and Raqqa, and indirectly referred to this summer's terrorist attacks on a London train and in Barcelona."

Comment: Well, that's unfortunate, but it only means that new efforts and resources will be directed to returning him to a deceased status. 

Rumors of War - King of the North

Senator says Russian internet trolls stoked NFL debate - Reuters
Reuters reports: "A U.S. senator on Wednesday said Russian internet trolls, seeking to polarize Americans, helped fuel a debate ignited by President Donald Trump over whether NFL players should have the right to kneel during the national anthem. The assertion, made by Republican James Lankford, comes as congressional investigators probing Moscow’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election are focusing on how Russian agents used social media to spread divisive political content."

Russian-linked Twitter accounts stoked NFL anthem debate - CNET
CNET reports: "Attempts by Russia-linked social media accounts to influence events in the US apparently weren't limited to last year's US election. A network of Twitter accounts suspected of links to Russia were used this weekend to stoke the controversy over whether NFL players should stand for pregame performances of the national anthem, The New York Times reported late Wednesday. The accounts pushed both sides of the debate, using hashtags such as #boycottnfl, #standforouranthem and #takeaknee, the newspaper reported."

Black Lives Matter ad on Facebook targeted Baltimore and Ferguson - CNN
CNN reports: "At least one of the Facebook ads bought by Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign referenced Black Lives Matter and was specifically targeted to reach audiences in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, sources with knowledge of the ads told CNN."

Comment: During the Cold War both superpowers used pretty much the same playbook to destabilize areas of the world under their rivals control. Low-level proxy wars involved covert agitation and propaganda campaigns as well as psychological warfare operations. The strategy called for attempts to destabilize populations, stoke civil unrest and promote distrust of social and political institutions. It appears to this observer that credible evidence exists that Russia has directed such efforts towards Europe over the past decade and has recently started such covert operations here in the United States. The people of the U.S. and their elected representatives need to untangle this issue from partisan spin and recognize the real and present threat posed by foreign interference. Russia's actions stop short of being an act of war, but they are most definitely hostile and should not be dismissed as fake news.

Rumors of War

North Korea calls Trump's words a declaration of war - UPI.com
UPI reports: "North Korea's foreign minister said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump has declared war against his country and Pyongyang holds the right to self-defense. Trump tweeted over the weekend that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his regime 'won't be around much longer.'"

Sarah Sanders: Donald Trump's words don't constitute 'declaration of war' - UPI.com:
UPI reports: "The White House has denied North Korea's statement that President Donald Trump's most recent comments on the country constitute a 'declaration of war.' 'We have not declared war on North Korea, and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said during Monday afternoon's press briefing."

Comment: It would be amusing and farcical if it wasn't so deadly serious. Is it possible that the most deadly military conflict in decades could be triggered by ill-considered rhetoric? 

Earthquakes

New magnitude-6.1 earthquake strikes Mexico - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Mexico was struck by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake on Saturday morning, believed to be an aftershock of another deadly earlier this month. The earthquake was centered near the town of Juchitan in Oaxaca, where director of Civil Protection Heliodoro Diaz reported there were no casualties from the third earthquake to strike the country in the month of September. He added that local residents were anxious after dealing with a number of tremors."

Comment: Praying for the people of Mexico that they will have some time to recover and rebuild. They really need to move their capital, Mexico City, but I doubt that is something they could realistically do. It's sad, because their vulnerability to quakes will never really go away.

Rumors of War - Persia

Iran conducts successful test of Khorramshahr ballistic missile - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Iran performed a successful test of a ballistic missile on Friday, hours after it was unveiled during a military parade. Video footage from the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting showed the test at an undisclosed location from four angles and captured the moment the warhead of the missile was discharged. [...] The missile can carry multiple warheads and its range would make it easily capable of reaching Israel and Saudi Arabia."

Comment: One of the little known or appreciated facts about the recent Iranian nuclear deal is that it placed no limits on ballistic missiles. It's as if we placed limits on their ability to have gasoline but they can produce all the cars they want. If they keep making cars, then what does that tell us? Do they plan on having gasoline in the future?

Pestilence

'Super malaria' spreads in South East Asia - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Scientists are sounding the alarm warning of a 'super malaria' that is resistant to anti-malaria drugs and is spreading rapidly in Southeast Asia. Researchers first identified the anti-malaria drug resistant strain in 2007 in Cambodia, and found it has since spread through Thailand, Laos and southern Vietnam."

Comment: Well, that's not good.  I think this is going to be slightly bigger than Zika. Time to invest in more bug spray.

War

U.S.-led forces open fight to reclaim Islamic State stronghold in Iraq - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Iraqi forces launched an offensive Thursday to reclaim the Islamic State-held town of Hawija, military officials said. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the operation began at dawn Thursday in Sharqat, west of Hawija, and promised to expel IS militants from every bit of Iraqi land. [...] A U.S.-led coalition backed Iraqi forces with airstrikes Thursday, and U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon said American forces stand "shoulder to shoulder with our Iraqi brothers" in the operation."

Comment: How's the war in Iraq going? It's going. 

Pestilence

Sound the mosquito alarm, across the USA - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Two species of disease-transmitting mosquitoes could likely flourish in most of the United States, government researchers report. Specifically, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus could survive and reproduce for at least part of the year in three-quarters of the counties in the lower 48 states if introduced there, according to researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These two species can transmit viruses that cause Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. [...] Temperature is the strongest factor in determining whether the two species can survive and reproduce, the researchers said."

Comment: Are mosquitoes going from being a nuisance to being a health threat in areas that did not normally have to worry about it? It's hard to tell from this report. I don't think so, as this report appears to be about a study mapping areas of potential mosquito activity with an emphasis on potential. I would not say the article is click-bait but certainly intentionally sensational and alarmist. So rare for the news media to do that, right?

Pestilence

WHO warns of lack of new antibiotics under development - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are on the rise, and the World Health Organization issued a warning Wednesday of the lack of new antibiotics under development while the threat of antimicrobial resistance grows. [...] The new WHO report found most of the antibiotics currently being developed are modifications of existing classes of antibiotics, calling them short-term solutions with few potential treatment options for antibiotic-resistant infections seen as posing the greatest threat."

Comment: I'm glad they are calling attention to this. The medical community recognizes the need for new antibiotics but the pharmaceutical industry has little profit incentive to create new antibiotics until the need (ie. the market) arises. The world may need a new class of cheap antibiotics but Big Pharma would rather make expensive pills that desperate people must have, so I'm sure the research dollars will flow only after an outbreak demonstrates antibiotic-resistance. In other words, people are going to have to die before it becomes a real priority.

Covenant with Many - Peace of Jerusalem

Hamas invites Palestinian Authority to control Gaza 'unimpeded' - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The chief of Hamas' Political Bureau said Tuesday that the group is ready to receive the Palestinian Unity Government in Gaza. [...] The announcement is a reiteration of Hamas' decision on Sunday to dissolve its governing body in the Gaza Strip to give the Palestinian Authority full governmental control in Gaza. Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip for more than a decade, but recently agreed to demands set by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, to hold elections, which haven't occurred since 2007."

Comment: Looks like the siege worked.  Or did it? As you know, one of the fictions embraced by the international community is that there is a united "Palestinian people" with which Israel can make peace. In reality, the Palestinians have been having a low-level civil war for many years between a "moderate" wing and an Islamist wing, both governing territory from different capitals and having very different views of the future. Thanks to a blockade facilitated by Egypt and Israel, the Hamas faction ruling Gaza appears to have capitulated to Fatah, the "moderate" faction that the international community likes to believe represents all Palestinians. I would suggest to the leaders of Fatah that they exercise great caution. The fortunes of Hamas may have suffered under the blockade but their primary source of support is Iran, and Iranian forces are now just one international border away in Syria and they don't appear to be going anywhere soon.

Earthquakes

AP - Powerful earthquake hits central Mexico, collapses buildings
AP reports: "A magnitude 7.1 earthquake jolted central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing some buildings, cracking the facades of others and scattering rubble on streets on the anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. The quake caused buildings to sway sickeningly in Mexico City and sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets, but the full extent of the damage was not yet clear. Mexican media broadcast images of several collapsed buildings in heavily populated parts of the city. The U.S. Geological Survey calculated its magnitude at 7.1 and said it was centered near the Puebla state town of Raboso, about 76 miles (123 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City."

Comment: A magnitude 7.1 quake is a powerful earthquake, it's a good thing it did not directly strike Mexico City, the loss of life would have been great.  

Wars & Rumors of War

U.S., South Korea conduct bombing drills to warn North - UPI.com:
UPI reports: "The United States and South Korea conducted joint drills over South Korean airspace on Monday afternoon, weeks after North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test and the United Nations Security Council adopted sanctions curtailing oil exports to the country. The United States deployed four F-35B jets and two supersonic B-1B bombers, and jointly trained with four F-15K bombers of the South Korean air force, South Korean news service Newsis reported. The aircraft conducted mock-bombing training exercises over a training ground in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province in central South Korea."

Comment: Nothing like a practice bombing raid to send a strong signal.  Anyone listening?

War

Manhunt on after London subway terror attack; threat level at 'critical' - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Police began a manhunt Friday after an explosion rocked a crowded London subway car in what officials say was a terror attack during the morning rush hour. The blast occurred as a train left Parsons Green station and caused a fire that swept through the subway car. Authorities are investigating the event as a terrorist-related attack, London Metropolitan Police said. Government officials raised the terror threat level in England from 'severe' to 'critical,' which means an attack is 'expected imminently.'"

Comment: I was going to post this under the "Wars" and "Rumors of War" tags but really, there's no rumor here, is there?  The Islamic State has already claimed credit for the subway attack. There may be some who doubt that IS had a hand in planning or carrying out the attack and certainly the ongoing investigation will look into that, but even if they just inspired this, even if it was a lone wolf activated by IS propaganda, isn't that still an act of war?

Rumors of War - King of the North

Russia war games ignite concern among nearby NATO nations - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Russia launched its week-long military exercises in Belarus on Thursday, with nearly 13,000 troops massing near the borders of several NATO countries. The Atlantic alliance is concerned the triennial exercises could be a rehearsal for real military action, or a ruse of war. Last conducted in 2014, the "Zapad," or "western" exercises, were followed months later by a war in Ukraine's eastern provinces. [...] NATO has also stepped up its security, deploying 4,300 troops to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and has increased flyover policing in those countries."

Comment: It's all fun and war games until Ukraine loses an eye. I have to admit to a certain admiration for what Putin has accomplished. Most of the world moved on from the Cold War and we are all pretty much into a 21st Century mindset but not Putin, he is still a Cold Warrior at heart. I can't deny a ruler wanting to make their country great again and restore the glory of faded empire. That's a story as old as time, well, as old as recorded history. Putin does have something going for him, a good argument and a basis for resentment. After the Cold War ended, the West did not follow Churchill's famous dictum and failed to offer magnanimity after our victory. We promised a "Europe whole and free" while extending the NATO alliance to Russia's borders and interfering in domestic affairs to a degree that most Americans would find objectionable if another country did the same. I'm convinced that's why Putin interfered with our presidential election. Goose and gander as they say. Still, there is no denying the cold reality that a war over territory has once again returned to the heart of Europe. Ukraine will never be the same. I'm not sure what it will take for Europe or the U.S. to fully update mental images of Russia and make the appropriate adjustments. A mental adjustment is needed. Just look at our U.S. domestic politics where the usually national security focused party - the Republicans - seem entirely unconcerned that Russia interfered in our presidential election. In another time, Russia's actions would have been seen as a grave threat to national security if not an act of war. Now, not so much. Psychology and PR are very strange things. It's clear Putin is a master strategist and is playing on multiple levels. I can only hope those making strategic choices in Europe and the U.S. are up for the challenge. The Great Game can be fun for those playing at the top, but for those below, it remains a very deadly game.

Rumors of War

North Korea fires ballistic missile, South Korea, Japan say - UPI.com
UPI reports: "North Korea fired an ballistic missile from its capital city of Pyongyang, South Korean and Japanese officials said Friday. Reports of the fired missile prompted Japan to warn residents to take shelter, BBC News reported. 'North Korea fired an unidentified missile from near Sunan, Pyongyang, around 6:57 a.m. which flew over Japan to the North Pacific,' the South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff said."

Comment: Do you think Kim felt neglected? After all, we've been focused on hurricanes and domestic politics and he kind of fell off the radar. Maybe another missile launch will help get him back into the headlines? I wonder if has a PR firm helping him out? Seriously though, what makes this provocative is not that he is firing missiles into the open ocean but that they are going over Japan. One slight miscalculation and many people could be killed in Japan. It's becoming increasingly difficult to imagine that all of this ends with anything other than a military conflict.

Wickedness Increases

Student killed in shooting at Spokane-area high school - UPI.com
UPI reports: "A student was killed Wednesday in a shooting at a high school south of Spokane, Wash., as five others were injured. A suspect has been detained. Police responded to the shooting around 10:30 a.m. at Freeman High School in Rockford, 20 miles south of Spokane, the Spokesman-Review reported. Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said the suspect was in custody after 'the threat from the shooter has been eliminated,' according to a KREM-TV report."

Comment: I suppose that the most recent generation who have grown up with school shootings can be excused for accepting them as normal but I don't think I'll ever really accept them as "just one of those things." That kids are killed by other kids in schools seems so far outside the bounds of what reality should be that I just have no words for it. And yet, it's part of the "new normal" and this story will be unlikely to stay in the headlines beyond one or two days before being overtaken by some new sensational headline. Perilous times indeed!

Gog Alliance - King of the North

Turkey to purchase S-400 surface-to-air missiles from Russia - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Turkey has signed an agreement with Russia for the purchase of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missiles, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced. Erdogan has complained that Western weapons were too expensive and has been seeking alternatives. [...] The purchase is part of increased military and political ties between Turkey and Russia and gradual estrangement between the key NATO member and Western powers. Turkey has the second largest army in NATO, and members of the alliance are encouraged to buy compatible weapons systems to help coordination and logistics during wartime."

Comment: This is a shock! Who saw this coming? Oh wait, every student of Bible prophecy saw this coming...for decades. It's time to admit that Turkey's drift away from the West and into Russia's alliance of the Unhappy and Disgruntled is less a drift and more like a beeline.  It's time for Togarmah to join the Gog Alliance. Perhaps NATO could give Turkey a nudge?

War

Five U.S. troops wounded in Afghanistan on 9/11 anniversary - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Five U.S. troops were wounded in an apparent suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan Monday, the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that propelled the United States into a war still raging today. The suicide bomber drove a car bomb into an armored convoy near the Bagram Air Base in northern Afghanistan, officials told Fox News. The attack affected the NATO-led coalition, Operation Resolute Support, and at least one more troop from an undisclosed country was wounded in the bombing, as well. [...] More than 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed Afghanistan since President George W. Bush launched a war there in 2001. Estimates vary regarding the financial cost of the war in Afghanistan, but they range between $841 billion and $2 trillion. In August, President Donald Trump announced he would increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan."

Comment:  It was a somber 9/11 anniversary all around. Praying that the security services will continue to be vigilant against potential attacks and that the weapons of the enemy will be turned back against them.

Roaring Seas & Waves

Deadly Hurricane Irma leaves 2M without power - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Hurricane Irma has caused at least one death and left 2 million people in Florida without electricity Sunday morning after the storm made landfall in the Keys. The storm reached Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys at 9:10 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said. The storm was skirting the state's west coast and was forecast to make another landfall near Fort Myers and Naples on Sunday evening."

Comment: Praying for Florida and all those in the path of the storm.

Roaring Sea and Waves

What is storm surge and why is it so dangerous? - Yahoo News
AFP reports: "The biggest threat to human life during a hurricane is often the storm surge, which occurs when sea level rises dramatically during a storm, sending a wall of water gushing over land. Forecasters warn that the storm surge from Hurricane Irma could reach 15 feet (4.5 meters) along parts of the Florida coast in the coming hours. [...] Rising seas and warming oceans due to climate change are also expected to amplify the effects of storm surge in the coming decades. Numerous studies have predicted that storm surges will become more frequent and deadly as the planet warms."

Comment: In my opinion the increasing major storms and damage they cause are in line with Bible prophecy (Luke 21:25). I know many people are skeptical about climate change because they believe it's a reflection of an underlying political agenda among climate activists, but I think they miss the bigger picture. Does it really matter if climate change is caused by human activity or is part of the natural climate cycle or some combination of the two? It's happening even as people argue about it.

Earthquakes

Death toll increases after Mexico's strongest earthquake in a century - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Dozens of people are dead in Mexico after the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in 100 years, officials said Friday. [...] The quake was strong enough to be felt in Mexico City, 630 miles to the northwest. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the magnitude at 8.1, but other institutions rated it between 8.2 and 8.4. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a news conference Friday that the earthquake was the strongest to hit the nation in a century -- and that 50 million Mexicans felt shaking."

Comment: I'm struck by the historic nature of many of the events we are witnessing. Headlines tells us that the hurricane storms in the Atlantic are the strongest ever recorded in the region and now here is a report telling us that this earthquake in Mexico was the most powerful in a century.  It's almost like we should be paying attention to this.

Signs in the Sun

Grab eclipse glasses: Large sunspots visible, produce solar flares - UPI.com
UPI reports: "We're heading into the bottom of solar minimum, when the sun tends to have fewer sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections - large expulsions of plasma, electrons and ions and magnetic fields. But despite where we are in the sun's cycle, activity on the sun has dramatically picked up over the past few days. On and off, these two sunspots have been flaring and shooting out coronal mass ejections, directed toward Earth. [...] We don't need to worry about this coronal mass ejection being 'the big one' - a solar storm direct hit that could cause widespread power blackouts and trigger as much as $2 trillion worth of damage, according to a National Academy of Sciences study. But this storm, on the back of this month's abnormally active space weather, may wind up on the larger end of the scale, and will be the subject of lots of analysis and research."

Comment: Did you keep your eclipse glasses? 

Pestilence

Yemen's Cholera Epidemic Hits 600,000, Confounding Expectations - Scientific American Scientific American reports: "Yemen’s cholera outbreak has infected 612,703 people and killed 2,048 since it began in April, and some districts are still reporting sharp rises in new cases, data from the World Health Organization and Yemen’s health ministry showed on Tuesday. The overall spread of the epidemic has slowed in the past two months, with the daily number of new suspected cases cut to around 3,000 in recent days. However the epidemic, the most explosive on record in terms of its rapid spread, has continually confounded expectations."

Comment: Really starting to see a spike in Luke 21:11 signs. This cholera outbreak in Yemen has not been as widely reported as it should be, perhaps because it's mostly due to war and not a natural outbreak. 

Rumors of War - Kings of the East

China’s top diplomat says he approves further North Korea sanctions - UPI.com
UPI reports: "China's top diplomat said Thursday he agrees additional sanctions need to be imposed on North Korea, following the country's sixth nuclear test Sunday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the statement during a joint press conference in Beijing with Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara -- a sign China could be willing to cooperate on further sanctions. [...] The United States is circulating a draft resolution at the Security Council, that would allow U.S. Navy and Air Force ships to stop and search North Korean vessels in international waters, The New York Times reported. Military interdictions at sea, however, could raise tensions not seen since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when President John F. Kennedy ordered a blockade of the island, according to the report."

Radiation levels up in China after North Korea nuclear test - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Radiation levels are rising in areas of China close to the North Korean border. But at least one Chinese analyst says it is too early to tell whether the changes are a result of North Korea's sixth nuclear test Sunday, the South China Morning Post reported."

Comment: It doesn't matter how allied China and North Korea may be, nor does it matter how China considers the North a strategic buffer, the radiation in the wind and the water simply doesn't care about such things. China has much to lose from a reckless nuclear neighbor.

Wars & Rumors of War

Japan politicians consider tactical nukes, dialogue with North Korea - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Discussions of deploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons are growing in Japan, where concern is mounting that North Korea's recent nuclear test and missile provocations could ultimately culminate in an attack on Japanese soil."

Comment: We have entered into the strange logic of an arms race where both sides see the defensive moves of the other as escalatory.

Wars & Rumors of War

Experts: North Korea exploded 100-kiloton bomb, risking disaster - UPI.com
UPI reports: "North Korea's sixth nuclear test may have involved a bomb that released the same energy as 108 kilotons of TNT, according to a team of Chinese scientists. But Japan's defense ministry said the bomb could have unleashed as much as 120 kilotons. [...] Nuclear experts said the explosion on Sunday was four to 16 times more powerful than Hiroshima, and North Korea may be in the process of developing a hydrogen bomb."

U.S. Pacific Fleet, South Korea army prep 'military response' plan - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and South Korea's defense minister said they agreed to prepare a 'practical military response plan' to what Adm. Scott Swift described as Pyongyang's 'self-destructive' acts, following the country's sixth nuclear test. Swift, who oversees 200 ships and submarines, 1,180 aircraft and more than 140,000 sailors, also said the U.S. Navy plans to deploy strategic assets, including a carrier strike group, to the peninsula, Yonhap reported. "

Comment: I miss the "good-old-days" when you go could away for a holiday weekend and not worry about missing something important...like a hydrogen bomb test.