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San José (AFP) - A huge power outage plunged millions of people across Central America into darkness Saturday, as authorities from Panama to Costa Rica to El Salvador scrambled to restore electrical service.

The blackout affected some five million people in Costa Rica alone, where officials largely had managed to restore service after a nationwide power outage lasting about five hours.

Authorities pinned blame for the power outages on a downed Panamanian transmission line that adversely affected the power supply for much of the region.

Countries in the region, from Guatemala to Panama, are connected by the same power grid, covering an expanse of some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles).

But that interconnectedness means that the countries of Central America are vulnerable when there are power grid malfunctions in any one.

Chaos reigned in the Costa Rican capital after traffic lights ceased to function, while the main airport in San Jose had to run on backup power until the power system was up and running again.

The blackout was the first experienced in Costa Rica, among the most developed countries in Latin America, since 2001.

Officials said as many as two million people were left in the dark in Panama, with an undetermined number affected in Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Details were not immediately available about how many people were affected by the blackout elsewhere in Central America, or whether they had managed to get their power systems back up and running.

Officials at the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity said power was disrupted throughout the entire country, but was restored in most places by 6:00 pm (0000 GMT).

"ICE is trying to diagnose the problem," Communications Minister Mauricio Herrera, said earlier Saturday referring to the office by its Spanish acronym. He said that workers succeeded in restoring power to some areas of Costa Rica.

ICE said that the origins of the blackout were outside of the country and urged the public to remain indoors while they try to fix the problem.

In Panama, the ETESA government power authority said via Twitter that the nation had experienced just a "partial blackout" and that workers were trying to restore power to the affected areas.

Much of the power was restored about three hours after the blackout started, officials said.

The blackout in Panama occurred about 15 minutes into a major speech delivered by President Juan Carlos Varela to the country's legislature.

Nicaragua for a time had to tap the grid in neighboring Honduras to keep the lights on.

(Yahoo News)

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/3/2017 11:29:08 AM
	China dispatches military vessels & fighter jets to warn off US warship sailing near disputed island Published time: 2 Jul, 2017 16:59 Edited time: 3 Jul, 2017 05:58 FILE PHOTO: The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem © U.S. Navy / Wikipedia China has sent military vessels and warplanes to “warn off” USS Stethem, a guided-missile destroyer, that sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang. “Under the pretext of ‘freedom of navigation,’ the US side once again sent a military vessel into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without China's approval,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that such US behavior “violated Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, and disrupted the peace, security and order of the relevant waters.” "China dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel," the statement reads. Read more Saber-rattling: Naval drills, sanctions & weapon sales revive US tensions with China “The Chinese side is dissatisfied with, and opposed to, the relevant behavior of the US side,” Lu added, calling the US warplane’s maneuvers a “serious political and military provocation.” He said that the US is "deliberately stirring up troubles in the South China Sea, as well as running in the opposite direction from countries in the region who aspire for stability, cooperation and development.” The US Navy did not officially confirm the operation. The US Pacific Fleet spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight, told Fox News that the fleet conducts “routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future,” without specifically mentioning the Sunday incident. However, an unidentified US Defense Department official earlier told Reuters that the US Navy destroyer USS Stethem came within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, which is a part of the Paracel Islands located in the South China Sea between China and Vietnam. The head of US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, recently criticized China’s activity in the region. "China is using its military and economic power to erode the rules-based international order," he said in a speech delivered on Wednesday in Brisbane during the joint US-Australian military exercises. "Fake islands should not be believed by real people," he added, as reported by Fox News. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, said in its recent report that “Beijing has undertaken substantial upgrades of its military infrastructure in the Paracels” and particularly started building new facilities on Triton Island. It was the second such operation conducted by the US during Donald Trump’s presidency. On May 24, the US Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Dewey, came within 12 miles of the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands – another disputed archipelago that lies in the southern part of the South China Sea. Read more Beijing, Washington flex muscles in South China Sea with separate air & navy exercises At that time, the Chinese Defense Ministry also sent two frigates to “warn off” the US vessel and said that it was “firmly opposed to the US behavior of showing force and boosting regional militarization.” The Paracel Islands are contested by China, Taiwan and Vietnam while the Spratlys are also additionally claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. China claims sovereignty over a large part of the South China Sea, a region crucial for China’s maritime trade. China has already built runways, aircraft hangars, radar sites and hardened surface-to-air missile shelters on its artificially-created islands in the region, according to photos analyzed by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Beijing’s actions have sparked concerns in Washington and the US Navy, which is fiercely opposed to this Chinese initiative, has deployed additional warships in the disputed zone, conducted maneuvers near China’s artificial islands, and flown over them, claiming it has been done in the interest of the “freedom of navigation.” In response, China called Washington’s involvement in the dispute the “greatest” threat to the region. In early June, China and the US both held exercises involving air and navy forces, in another episode of confrontation over the disputed South China Sea. The US sent two B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers to fly a 10-hour mission from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, which was conducted in conjunction with the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer the USS Sterett. Read more ‘Irresponsible’: Beijing blasts Pentagon report claiming China eyes more military bases overseas A day earlier, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted its own air and navy exercise off Hong Kong. The patrol mission involved three helicopters and two Type 056 corvettes, the Qinzhou and the Huizhou, the Defense Ministry reported. Jim Dean, managing editor at Veterans today, told RT he believes Washington is getting embroiled in a territorial dispute it has no part in as part of a PR game against China. “This is a part of a sparring campaign that I think is going to go on for quite a while,” Dean said, adding that the latest incident, which comes on the heels of a US arms deal with Taiwan, is “a part of turning the screws” by the US administration. “It [territorial dispute] really does not involve the United States, because it’s on the other side of the world, but the US likes to show the flag,” Dean noted, arguing that the US is inflaming tensions there “just to get the publicity that we can do it and we will continue doing it.” The incident might be also a deliberate move intended to provoke China into deploying more forces in the South China Sea, in order to justify a US response, according to Dean. “We really have some theater going on with this, and this all is going to go on for some time,” he said. (RT)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/3/2017 2:23:39 PM
	Central America hit by massive power outages Marco SIBAJA AFPJuly 1, 2017 Officials at the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity, whose workers are seen at the Reventazon River hydroelectric dam in 2016, said power was disrupted throughout the entire country (AFP Photo/Ezequiel Becerra) San José (AFP) - A huge power outage plunged millions of people across Central America into darkness Saturday, as authorities from Panama to Costa Rica to El Salvador scrambled to restore electrical service. The blackout affected some five million people in Costa Rica alone, where officials largely had managed to restore service after a nationwide power outage lasting about five hours. Authorities pinned blame for the power outages on a downed Panamanian transmission line that adversely affected the power supply for much of the region. Countries in the region, from Guatemala to Panama, are connected by the same power grid, covering an expanse of some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles). But that interconnectedness means that the countries of Central America are vulnerable when there are power grid malfunctions in any one. Chaos reigned in the Costa Rican capital after traffic lights ceased to function, while the main airport in San Jose had to run on backup power until the power system was up and running again. The blackout was the first experienced in Costa Rica, among the most developed countries in Latin America, since 2001. Officials said as many as two million people were left in the dark in Panama, with an undetermined number affected in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Details were not immediately available about how many people were affected by the blackout elsewhere in Central America, or whether they had managed to get their power systems back up and running. Officials at the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity said power was disrupted throughout the entire country, but was restored in most places by 6:00 pm (0000 GMT). "ICE is trying to diagnose the problem," Communications Minister Mauricio Herrera, said earlier Saturday referring to the office by its Spanish acronym. He said that workers succeeded in restoring power to some areas of Costa Rica. ICE said that the origins of the blackout were outside of the country and urged the public to remain indoors while they try to fix the problem. In Panama, the ETESA government power authority said via Twitter that the nation had experienced just a "partial blackout" and that workers were trying to restore power to the affected areas. Much of the power was restored about three hours after the blackout started, officials said. The blackout in Panama occurred about 15 minutes into a major speech delivered by President Juan Carlos Varela to the country's legislature. Nicaragua for a time had to tap the grid in neighboring Honduras to keep the lights on. (Yahoo News)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/3/2017 4:10:29 PM
	‘Israel doing everything to prevent Syria from prevailing against terrorists’ Published time: 2 Jul, 2017 15:53 FILE PHOTO © Yannis Behrakis / Reuters As the possibility of the Syrian government and their allies prevailing in their fight against terrorists approaches, Israel is interceding to do everything it can to prevent that outcome, says investigative journalist Rick Sterling. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fired at a “Syrian military artillery position” on Saturday in response to “projectiles launched” at Israel from Syria, the IDF said on Twitter. Follow IDF ✔@IDFSpokesperson In response to projectiles launched @ Israel from Syria, IDF targeted the Syrian military artillery position that was the source of the fire 4:07 PM - 1 Jul 2017 244 Retweets 542 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy This attack follows five almost identical incidents in the Syrian and Israeli sections of the Golan Heights over the past week. While no casualties have been reported on the Israeli side, two Syrian soldiers were reportedly killed by Israeli fire last Saturday. Investigative journalist Rick Sterling says the situation could escalate, as Israel now seems to be launching cross-border strikes into Syria on an almost daily basis. “As the Syrian army advances and slowly but surely is crushing the armed opposition, the terrorists within Syria, Israel is escalating its attacks and its intervention. It should be noted that where these projectiles are falling is actually Syrian territory; it is Israeli occupied Syria,” he told RT. Meanwhile, the Assad government is not in the position to retaliate against Israel, the journalists said. Follow RT ✔@RT_com IDF targets Syrian army position over ‘errant projectile’ in fifth such exchange over week https://on.rt.com/8gql 4:11 AM - 2 Jul 2017 44 Retweets 38 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy “They’ve got so much fighting going on within Syria. There are so many terrorists and so-called moderate rebels that are allied with Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra. They’ve got their hands full right there, and they don’t need it escalating with Israel. It is really dangerous,” he said. “It is extremely dangerous. It is clearly a violation of Syrian sovereignty. Also, Israel is attacking Syria, even if the so-called projectiles come from the terrorist groups there. So, they’re using this as an excuse, and it has been pointed out that the terrorists can just fire some projectiles into the Israeli occupied territory and get the Israeli to come in and to attack the Syrians in alliance with terrorists,” Sterling said. The Golan Heights has been a contested area since it was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. The journalist noted that Israel has been actively involved in the Syrian conflict “from the start supporting the terrorist campaign.” “The former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren, who was the ambassador to the US – he said explicitly they would prefer the terrorists to the Syrian government. He said: ‘We’d prefer the people we don’t like, who aren’t associated with Iran to those who are.’ Israel has a lot at stake here. They are hell-bent on preventing the Syrian government from stopping terrorism, because they would view that as basically it’s Hezbollah and Iran in alliance with Syria, which is fighting terrorism in Syria,” he said. View image on Twitter Follow RT ✔@RT_com Israeli air force strikes Syrian military position after a projectile launched towards Israel http://on.rt.com/8gmi 6:01 PM - 30 Jun 2017 100 Retweets 69 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy “As the possibility approaches of the Syrian government and their allies prevailing in the conflict, Israel is interceding to do everything they can to prevent that,” Sterling concluded. Massoud Shadjareh, the chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, has stated that Israel’s retaliation is not justified, while also labeling the latest developments as “extremely dangerous.” “I think it is now very clear that Israeli government and the military are actively involved against the Syrian government. Around nine months ago there were many photographs and evidence presented that Israeli armed forces and, indeed, medics were bringing these terrorists who are opposing the Syrian government into Israel and giving them medical treatment, and then sending them back. Last month [it was reported] that the Israeli government is involved in financing these rebel groups,” Shadjareh told RT. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT. (RT)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/3/2017 5:00:29 PM
	Wombs for men: Astonishing prospect as fertility doctors back operations on NHS so transgender women born as boys can have babies · Doctors have said transgender women, born male, should be able to have kids · Gynaecologists say implanting a donor womb into a person born male is possible · Talks planned on if womb transplants for trans-women should be publicly funded · Uterine transplants could even be given to gay and straight men within ten years By Sanchez Manning And Stephen Adams For The Mail On Sunday PUBLISHED: 23:21 BST, 1 July 2017 \| UPDATED: 11:50 BST, 2 July 2017 Hayden Cross, the first British female-to-male transsexual to become pregnant, is due to give birth Transgender women who were born male should be given womb transplants so that they can have children, leadingNHS doctors have told The Mail on Sunday. And fertility experts say taxpayers should fund such transplants for those who identify as women, on the basis of ‘equality enshrined in law’. Leading the debate on the controversial procedure is medical ethics lawyer Dr Amel Alghrani, who is pressing for a talks on whether womb transplants for trans-women should be publicly funded. Dr Alghrani, of Liverpool University, also predicts that a successful programme would lead to others demanding wombs – including gay and straight men who wanted to experience ‘the joys’ of carrying a child. But critics say the NHS should not waste precious resources merely to allow trans-women to pursue an ‘authentic female experience’. Women’s campaigner Laura Perrins said: ‘Most taxpayers will not think this is a good use of resources. It raises profound ethical and moral issues that will have an impact on women’s rights. It will impinge on the meaning of motherhood and womanhood.’ However, gynaecologists are increasingly convinced that implanting a donor womb into a person born with male organs is possible, with one top doctor saying it is just a decade away. They believe the recent success of ‘uterine transplantation’ in women born without wombs has drawn it a step closer. Later this year British doctors hope to start their own charity-funded programme to give donor wombs to at least three UK women. It is the remarkable success of the Swedish team that has triggered calls by transgender women for them to receive womb transplants too. And now some NHS doctors are backing their demands.Consultant gynaecologist Dr Arianna D’Angelo, of the NHS’s Wales Fertility Institute, said it was right from an ‘ethical point of view’. Mr Cross, 21, from Gloucester, who was born Paige, put his sex-change on hold last year so he could have a baby Video playing bottom right... ExpandClose ‘We already have fertility preservation for transgender people, to give them the possibility to have their own genetic child,’ she said. ‘So I don’t see much of a difference between that and actually delivering their own child.’ Dr Francoise Shelfield, a clinical lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology at University College London, who has treated infertile NHS patients for 30 years, added her support. ‘If we are saying we should have equality and we have legislation [defending the rights of transgender people], I do not see why not,’ she said. Their rights to equal treatment, she noted, were ‘actually enshrined in legislation’. WOMBS FOR MEN: COMMENT FROM FEMINIST CAMPAIGNER JULIE BINDEL The prospect of wombs being transplanted into transgender women so they can have babies may seem perfectly reasonable to those who see procreation as a right for all women. But those born male who are dosed with female hormones and undergo cosmetic surgery in order to present as female will never be women. Trans-women pushing for womb transplants on the NHS are driven by a desire to experience childbirth, because it is considered to be an authentic female experience. But this is not about transgender rights – it’s about a twisted notion as to what constitutes a ‘real woman’. This procedure suggests that you can create a woman in a test tube or through a surgeon’s knife. All of the oppression women have been through because of lack of childcare and issues over maternity leave will be pushed aside over whether celebrities such as Caitlyn Jenner should have a womb transplant. Let’s be clear: this is a lifestyle choice, not a health issue. And quite frankly, I’m not sure if men will make good mothers. The doctors’ calls come as Hayden Cross, the first British female-to-male transsexual to become pregnant, is due to give birth. Mr Cross, 21, from Gloucester, who was born Paige, put his sex-change on hold last year so he could have a baby – doing so with sperm from an online donor. Professor Steven Weyers, of Ghent University Hospital, in Belgium, is starting a womb transplant programme involving 20 women later this year. He said he believed transplants for trans-women would happen in ‘maybe a decade’. Dr Alghrani, director of Liverpool University’s Health Law & Regulation Unit and a trained barrister, makes her case in the Journal of Law and the Biosciences, saying that once women started being offered womb transplants, ‘questions will arise as to whether this should be publicly funded’ for trans-women too. She says this would ‘revolutionise reproduction’. It could lead others to demand transplants, including straight men, ‘allowing for couples to jointly share the reproductive burdens and joys of pregnancy’. And she says: ‘Homosexual couples may also wish to procreate in this fashion, while single men may opt for it to avoid surrogacy.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4657830/transgender-women-born-boys-babies-NHS-doctors.html#ixzz4lmqe4gyo Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter \| DailyMail on Facebook
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/3/2017 5:30:54 PM
	‘Until a reboot do us part’: Japanese guys are marrying VR brides (VIDEO) Published time: 1 Jul, 2017 13:44 Edited time: 2 Jul, 2017 12:37 © Ruptly Footage from a bizarre ceremony in Tokyo Friday shows a suited Japanese groom exchanging vows with his cartoon VR girlfriend. The ‘couple’ exchange vows and gaze into each other's eyes via VR headset before engaging in a remarkably awkward first kiss as husband and wife in front of their equally 'real' wedding guests. The concept stems from the anime video game 'Niitzuma Lovely x Cation' in which players can develop and foster relationships with virtual girlfriends. For players in particularly committed relationships with their anime paramours, the game’s creators developed a way for the couples to be joined together in virtual matrimony. No update as of yet on how the couple spent their first night as husband and wife. On a separate note, VR sex suits are now a thing. (RT)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

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China dispatches military vessels & fighter jets to warn off US warship sailing near disputed island

Central America hit by massive power outages

‘Israel doing everything to prevent Syria from prevailing against terrorists’

Wombs for men: Astonishing prospect as fertility doctors back operations on NHS so transgender women born as boys can have babies

WOMBS FOR MEN: COMMENT FROM FEMINIST CAMPAIGNER JULIE BINDEL

‘Until a reboot do us part’: Japanese guys are marrying VR brides (VIDEO)