The Faithful Watchman

Erdogan Tells Turkish Leaders: ‘Jerusalem is Our City’

Emily Jones – October 2, 2020

JERUSALEM, Israel – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Jerusalem belongs to his country during an address to Turkish lawmakers in Ankara on Thursday, The Times of Israel reported.

“In this city that we had to leave in tears during the First World War, it is still possible to come across traces of the Ottoman resistance. So, Jerusalem is our city, a city from us,” he said. “Our first qibla [Islamic direction of prayer] al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem are the symbolic mosques of our faith. In addition, this city is home to the holy places of Christianity and Judaism.”

The Ottoman Empire ruled Jerusalem from 1516-1917 until Great Britain took over after World War I. Erdogan is increasingly pushing the constitutionally secular country towards conservative Islam and considers Jerusalem an extension of Turkey.

Shortly after converting Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia church into a mosque in July, Erdogan set his sights on the holy city.

He said in a Facebook post that the “revival of the Hagia Sophia is a sign towards the return of freedom to the al-Aqsa mosque” in Jerusalem.

https://www1.cbn.com

Texas residents warned of tap water tainted with brain-eating microbe

Guardian – September 26, 2020

Texas officials have warned residents of some communities near Houston to stop using tap water because it might be tainted with a deadly brain-eating microbe.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality warned the Brazosport Water Authority late on Friday of the potential contamination of its water supply by Naegleria fowleri.

The commission issued an advisory warning people not to use tap water for any reason except to flush toilets in Lake Jackson, Freeport, Angleton, Brazoria, Richwood, Oyster Creek, Clute and Rosenberg.

Those communities are home to about 120,000 people. Also affected are the Dow Chemical works in Freeport, which has 4,200 employees, and the Clemens and Wayne Scott state prison units, which have 2,345 inmates and 655 employees.

The Brazosport Water Authority’s water source is the Brazos river.

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater and soil, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It usually infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, from where it travels to the brain and can cause a rare and debilitating disease called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

The infection is usually fatal and typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places such as lakes and rivers. In very rare instances, Naegleria infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources, such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated and contaminated tap water, enters the nose.

https://www.theguardian.com

Intense earthquake swarm near Salton Sea, California

Teo Blašković – October 1, 2020

An intense earthquake swarm started near Salton Sea, California on September 30, 2020, with 421 earthquakes detected by 07:00 UTC on October 1.

The swarm is centered just southeast of Salton Sea, near Westmorland in Imperial Valley, in an area with a history of intense swarms. The most notable earthquakes in the region include M5.8 in 1981 and M5.4 in 2012.
During this earthquake swarm, the probability of larger earthquakes in this region is significantly greater than usual, the USGS said.
The swarm is taking place in Brawley Seismic Zone, a network of small faults that connect the San Andreas and Imperial faults.

The USGS registered a total of 440 earthquakes from 10:06 UTC on September 30 to 07:33 UTC on October 1, 2020, with the largest M4.9 at 00:31 UTC on October 1, followed by M4.5, M4.4, M4.2, and two M4.1.

“This earthquake [M4.9] and the associated swarm are located in an area of diffuse seismic activity between the San Andreas fault in the north and the Imperial fault to the south,” USGS seismologists said in a statement.

“This area has also seen swarms in the past – notably the 1981 Westmorland swarm, which included a M5.8 earthquake, and the 2012 Brawley swarm, which included a M5.4 earthquake. Past swarms in this region have remained active for 1 to 20 days, with an average duration of about a week. The current swarm is occurring about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the south of the swarm that occurred near Bombay Beach in August 2020.”

According to the USGS, there is approximately a 3 in 10 000 chance of a magnitude 7+ earthquake in the vicinity of this swarm in a typical week.

“[This is] one of the largest swarms we have had in the Imperial Valley,” seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said.

https://watchers.news

Chinese authorities abduct and torture priest to force state conversion

Ricky Scaparo – September 29, 2020

(ETH) – China is so hell-bent on destroying Christianity that the Communist authorities in China have now reportedly abducted and tortured a 46-year-old priest in the southeastern province of Fujian for refusing to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, according to a report from the Christian Post.

Bitter Winter, which is a magazine publication that reports on religious liberty and human rights in China state that Father Liu Maochun from the Diocese of Mindong was ruthlessly tortured. The details of the report indicated that Officers banged a “gong beside his ear and shone a bright light into his eyes for several consecutive days—a torture method known as ‘exhausting an eagle’ when people are deprived of sleep for a long time,”

Then Liu Maochun, who assists the diocese’s auxiliary bishop Guo Xijin, was then taken away by Chinese police on Sept. 1st while he was visiting patients in a hospital. He was then taken to a detention house in the county-level city of Fu’an. “The government claimed that Fr. Liu Maochun has disobeyed its rule and was ‘ideologically radical,’” the source was quoted as saying.

The Bishop also refused to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, This comes as the government had earlier pressured one of the deacons in the diocese, threatening to demolish his house and sack his children if he further supported Guo’s refusal to join the Patriotic Church, according to the shocking report. The report also stated that Fr. Maochun may have shared information with foreign media about another priest, Fr. Huang, who too was tortured for not joining the Patriotic Church. China continues cracking down on underground churches and Christian activists and has been for years.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

Iran Building Drone and Missile-Carrying, Electronic Warfare Capable Warship, Commander Reveals

Ilya Tsukanov – September 25, 2020

The Islamic Republic staged large-scale drills in the eastern waters of the Strait of Hormuz, the Makran coast, the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean this month amid tensions with Washington. This week, drones from the Revolutionary Guard Corps captured detailed video footage of a US carrier strike group as it entered the Persian Gulf.

Iran is building a new class of helicopter-carrying warship capable of operating in the world’s oceans, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Commander Rear-Admiral Alireza Tangsiri has revealed.

The domestically built 65-metre-long ships are expected to be unveiled in the near future, Tangsiri said, speaking on television on Thursday evening, without providing any more details.

Separately, Rear-Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, commander of Iran’s Navy, said his force would unveil a new dock ship on Navy Day in November, with the 231-metre-long vessel expected to carry up to seven helicopters, as well as drones, missiles and electronic warfare equipment.

The Moudge-class Dena frigate, the Saba minesweeper and a new class of missile boat are also expected to be unveiled on Navy Day, Khanzadi said adding that the Dena is undergoing its sea final trials, and is more advanced than previously delivered ships of the class.

Tangsiri noted that, as well as the new class of corvettes, the IRGC plans to take delivery of new missile-launching boats capable of accelerating to blazing-fast speeds up to 94 knots.

https://sputniknews.com

Bank of England eyes sub-zero rates in face of virus, Brexit

The Canadian Press – September 17, 2020

LONDON — The Bank of England indicated Thursday that it could cut interest rates below zero for the first time in its 326-year history as it tries to shore up a U.K. economic recovery that is facing the dual headwinds of the coronavirus and Brexit.

After unanimously deciding to maintain the bank’s main interest rate at the record low of 0.1%, the nine-member rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee said it had discussed its “policy toolkit, and the effectiveness of negative policy rates in particular.”

In minutes accompanying the decision, the rate-setters said a recent wave of virus infections has “the potential to weigh further on economic activity, albeit probably on a lesser scale than seen earlier in the year.”

Though the committee noted that recent economic data have been a “little stronger than expected” at its last meeting in early August, it said it is unclear what that says about the future “given the risks.”

One clear concern relates to whether Britain, like others in Europe, will reimpose broad restrictions on businesses and public life after the recent flare-up in virus infections across the region. Already social gatherings are being restricted and certain areas of the U.K. are seeing localized lockdowns.

The British economy suffered one of the deepest recessions in the world this year when many sectors were effectively mothballed to help contain the pandemic. Though it recouped some ground in the summer as lockdown restrictions were eased, the economy was still around 12% smaller at the end of July than it was in February, when the pandemic started in Europe.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com

WSU researchers: Asian giant hornet has potential to spread down West Coast

KIRO 7 – September 23, 2020

PULLMAN, Wash. — Researchers at Washington State University say they have predicted how and where the Asian giant hornet – also dubbed the “murder hornet” — could spread and find ideal places to live in the US and across the world.

The team found that if the hornet gets a foothold in Washington state, it could spread down much of the West Coast.

The hornet could also find habitat throughout the eastern seaboard and parts of Africa, Australia, Europe and South America if humans accidentally transport it.

Researchers say the predictions emphasize how important it is to stop the large hornets in Washington before they spread.

Scientists from the state Department of Agriculture and WSU entomologists examined hundreds of records from the hornet’s native range in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, then used a set of ecological models and climate information to predict where it could likely live across six continents.

“We’re making an educated guess on how fast and far these insects can move, their rate of success in establishing a nest, and offering different scenarios, from least bad to worst. No one has done this before for this species,” said WSU entomologist Javier Illan.

Experts say the Asian giant hornet is a significant threat to Western honey bees. In late summer and fall, hornet colonies attack beehives, destroying entire colonies.

The hornets are most likely to thrive in places with warm summers, mild winters and a lot of rain. High heat will kill them, so their best habitats are in areas with a high temperature of 102 degrees.

Giant hornets could live along much of the US west and east coasts, adjacent parts of Canada, much of Europe, northwestern and southeastern South America, central Africa, eastern Australia and most parts of New Zealand, WSU said in a news release.

https://www.kiro7.com

After Corona now Brucella outbreak in China: Thousands infected by bacteria after leak in biopharmaceutical plant

Strange Sounds – September 20, 2020

Another outbreak in China has sparked a wave of concern among authorities after thousands of people in the northern part of the country tested positive for a bacterial infection.

The infection spread among people working in a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant in Lanzhou city, which produces animal vaccines after a leak occurred last year.

Here’s what you need to know about the new Brucellosis outbreak:
According to Chinese authorities, the biopharmaceutical plant had used expired disinfectants for producing Brucella vaccines for animals between July and August last year. This indicated that the bacteria was not eradicated in the factory exhaust.

Subsequently, the contaminated gas from the factory formed aerosols containing the bacteria, which was then carried by wind to a nearby Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute. This resulted in infecting close to 200 people there as well in December last year.

There are 3,245 people who have contracted Brucellosis, according to health officials in Lanzhou.

Another 1,401 people also tested as an early positive for the disease, news agency AFP reported.

The total positive cases also included 20 students and faculty members of Lanzhou University, some of whom had been to the institute.

https://strangesounds.org

Idaho Police Arrest 3 at Outdoor Church Worship Event in Defiance of Mask Mandate

Ezra Dulis – September 20, 2020

Police in Moscow, Idaho, arrested three people Wednesday for violating social distancing rules as their church sang hymns and Bible psalms outdoors — an event held, in part, to protest the city mayor’s mask mandate, which runs to January 2021.

Officers arrested Gabriel Rench, Rachel Bohnet, and Sean Bohnet, according to Moscow Report, a local independent news outlet. A video uploaded to social media shows Bohnet, a local music teacher, and his wife telling officers they refused to comply with an inaudible order. Moscow Report says the apparent infraction is that they refused to show identification.

Update: The Moscow Police Department’s daily activity log lists the reasons for the arrests as “public health emergency order” violations.

Footage of the couple’s arrest shows the church body singing the hymn “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” as officers place them in handcuffs.

Rench is a co-host of Cross Politic, a Christian political talk show, and a candidate for county commissioner. “You guys should not be doing this,” he told officers as they walked him to a squad car. “And doing this kind of crap for the mayor, this is embarrassing. You guys are stronger than this.”

Released that same day, Rench appeared on his talk show to discuss the arrest, playing extended footage of his conversation with officers. One of his companions is heard telling the officers “We backed you guys” at recent Black Lives Matter protests advocating to defund the police. “They didn’t send you [to enforce social distancing] with BLM to go do that when they said defund you guys. We backed you guys.”

“I got booked in jail; I was in jail for about two hours,” he said. “And as they were de-booking me, or whatever they call it, I’m walking out and I go by their office, which is right next to where I’m getting booked out. And there’s three deputies in the officer, and two of them aren’t wearing masks and sitting right next to each other. And I said, ‘hey, should they get arrested?’”

https://www.breitbart.com

Abortions Set for Another Record High in England and Wales

Editor – September 18, 2020

Almost 110,000 abortions were carried out on residents of England and Wales between January and June this year, the Government has revealed.

Figures released by the Department for Health and Social Care indicated there had been an increase of more than 4,000 on the same period last year.

In the whole of last year, 207,384 abortions were carried out on residents, but pro-life campaigners say 2020 looks “set to eclipse 2019’s total”.

The number of abortions rose sharply in April, 4,500 more than the previous year, after the Government introduced ‘DIY’ home abortions at the end of March.

Under the rules, women can take both pills required for an abortion at home up to ten weeks, following a conversation with a doctor.

There has been a subsequent uptake in medical abortions, rising from 72 per cent of all abortions between January and June 2019 to 82 per cent over the same period this year.

Right to Life UK’s Catherine Robinson called the findings a “national tragedy”.

She said: “Every one of these abortions represents a failure of our society to protect the lives of babies in the womb and a failure to offer full support to women with unplanned pregnancies.

“This year we’ve come together as a nation and made great sacrifices to protect the vulnerable from Covid-19.

“Sadly, at the very same time as protecting one group of vulnerable people, we as society have also ended thousands of young vulnerable lives through abortion.”

https://christiannews.net