Friday, February 28, 2014

RUSSIA TROOPS COPTERS IN CRIMEA AND KIEV

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

CNN IS BREAKING THE NEWS WITH WOLFY BLITZER THAT RUSSIAN TROOPS -  POSSIBLY THOUSANDS WITH COPTERS HAVE ENTERED INTO KIEV AND CRIMEA.OF COURSE OBBBAMA MADE A FAKE THREAT TO RUSSIA AS USUAL JUST LIKE HE CLAIMED HE WOULD DO SOMETHING IN SYRIA.BUT NEVER DID.FOR GET ABOUT THAT COWARD OBAMA.BECAUSE PUTIN WILL SMASH OBAMA TO PEICES WITH A THREAT.

Obama warns Russia "there will be costs" for any military intervention in Ukraine




WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama warns Russia "there will be costs" for any military intervention in Ukraine.


AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)

IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)

ISAIAH 34:10
10  It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30  The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31  One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32  And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)

COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AMERICA)

REVELATION 18:3-6,19-21
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,(U.S.A) and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,(U.S.A) and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her,(AMERICA) my people,(CHRISTIANS,JEWS) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her (AMERICA-NEW YORK) even as she rewarded you,(WITH FALSE FLAG TERRORISM) and double unto her double according to her works:(DOUBLE-EMP 1ST,THEN RUSSIA NUKE ATTACKS U.S.A) in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.(PROBABLY A RUSSIAN CYBER ATTACK WILL SET THE WHOLE SITUATION UP AS RUSSIA HACKS THE USA ARMY COMPUTERS.THEN THE EMP,THEN THE NUKE ATTACK)
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

2,000 Armed Russians Patrol Crimea's Airports


Some 2,000 armed Russian have been reported in Crimea on Friday in what the Ukrainian government dubbed an “armed invasion,” one day after pro-Russian gunmen took control of the Crimean parliament in the aftermath of the ousting of former president Viktor Yanukovych.Crimea is a region in southern Ukraine, home to a pro-Russian majority and a smaller group of pro-Ukrainian government ethnic Tatars.The armed men patrolling the airport are wearing unmarked green uniforms, and are reportedly not directly Russian military, but may be “blackwater” troops — security contractors working for the Russian military. This video shows scores of helicopters flying to the airport at Sevastopol, which is still operational, despite all flights from Ukraine being cancelled.“They don’t have Russian military uniforms and the Russian government is denying they are part of the Russian military,” Dimitri Simes, president of the Center for the National Interest, told the Daily Beast. “But these are people that are legally allowed to perform services to the Russian fleet.”
Ukraine’s acting president Oleksandr Turchynov accused Russia of aggression and personally called on Putin to “stop provocations.” Despite the fact that Ukrainian officials consider this a “military invasion and occupation,” Russia has so far denied involvement.
“In an act of naked aggression against Ukraine, and under the pretense of military exercises, Russia has brought military forces into the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” Turchynov said.
Information from the region is sparse, but there are reports that gunmen have seized the Ukrtelecom building, cutting off 80 percent of Sevastopol’s phone and Internet connections. Meanwhile, Flightradar24.com tweeted that flights are actually avoiding the closed airspace over Simferopol. Roads to the airport at Sevastopol have been cut off, and some Russian sympathizers calling themselves “local militia” are obstructing road spike barriers to block highways that connect the Crimean peninsula to mainland Ukraine.Secretary of State John Kerry today warned Moscow to restrain from meddling in Ukrainian affairs and stating that military moves in Crimea would be a “grave mistake.”“While we were told that they are not engaging in any violation of the sovereignty and do not intend to, I nevertheless made it clear that that could be misinterpreted in this moment,” Secretary Kerry said today. “[I]t is important for everybody to be extremely careful not to inflame the situation and not to send the wrong messages.”Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called on Russia to “not violate the Budapest Memorandum,” a 1994 diplomatic agreement signed by Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. that guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as an independent state.Former president Viktor Yanukovych is currently camped out in Russia, where, during a press conference in Rostov-on-Don today, he declared that he is still the rightful president who will “fight for Ukraine.” “I’m asking Russia to protect me from extremists,” he said at the conference.The U.N. Security Council called for an emergency session for later on Friday at the request of Ukraine’s new leaders.

Fact Sheet:  NATO Partnership for Peace


What It Is

--   A U.S. initiative, Partnership for Peace (PFP) was launched by 
the January 1994 NATO summit to establish strong links between 
NATO, its new democratic partners in the former Soviet bloc, and 
some of Europe's traditionally neutral countries to enhance European 
security.

--  It provides a framework for enhanced political and military 
cooperation for joint multilateral crisis management activities, 
such as humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping.

--  It enables PFP members to consult with NATO when faced with a 
direct threat to its security but does not extend NATO security 
guarantees. Participation in PFP does not guarantee entry into NATO, 
but it is the best preparation for states interested in becoming 
NATO members. 


Who Has Joined

--  26 countries:  Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, 
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Poland, 
Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, 
Uzbekistan.  


How It Works

--  Once a country has joined the PFP, it submits a Presentation 
Document to NATO explaining what resources it will contribute to 
PFP activities and the steps that it will take to meet PFP political 
goals, such as democratic control of the military.  To date, Albania, 
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, 
Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, 
Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Ukraine have submitted Presentation 
Documents.

--  A unique Individual Partnership Program (IPP), is then agreed to 
with the alliance. IPPs set forth shared objectives, (for instance, 
establishing democratic control over military forces; developing 
transparency in defense planning and budgetary processes; 
developing inter-operability with NATO forces) and list activities 
planned to meet those objectives.  

--  NATO has reached agreement on IPPs with Albania, Bulgaria, 
Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, 
Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden. IPPs  for several other partners are 
under consideration.

--  Partners can assign personnel on a full-time basis to NATO 
Headquarters in Brussels and to the Partnership Coordination Cell 
(PCC) at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in 
Mons, Belgium.   

--  Partners may participate in an optional Defense Planning and 
Review Process (PARP) designed to evaluate and enhance a partner 
nation's interoperability with NATO. Participating states work with 
NATO to develop interoperability objectives, which can be used to 
help refine IPPs. As of May 12, 14 partners�Albania, Bulgaria, Czech 
Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, 
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Ukraine�are participating 
in PARP.
https://www.fas.org/man/nato/offdocs/us_95/dos950519.htm 

GET SIGNED UP FOR THE EU DICTATORS VOTES EUROPEAN UNION CITIZENS

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(THE FALSE POPE WHO DEFECTED FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH) causeth all,(IN THE WORLD ) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(MICROCHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast,(WORLD DICTATORS NAME INGRAVED ON YOUR SKIN OR TATTOOED ON YOU OR IN THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the number of his name.(THE NUMBERS OF HIS NAME INGRAVED IN THE MICROCHIP IMLPLANT)-(ALL THESE WILL TELL THE WORLD DICTATOR THAT YOUR WITH HIM AND AGAINST KING JESUS-GOD)
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:(WORLD LEADER) for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)OR(60020202006)(SOME KIND OF NUMBER IMPLANTED IN THE MICROCHIP THAT TELLS THE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TOTAL ALLIGIENCE TO HIM AND NOT JESUS)(ITS AN ETERNAL DECISION YOU MAKE)(YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY)(YOU TAKE THE DICTATORS NAME OR NUMBER UNDER YOUR SKIN,YOUR DOOMED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND TORMENTS FOREVER,NEVER ENDING MEANT ONLY FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS,NOT HUMAN BEINGS).OR YOU REFUSE THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT AND GO ON THE SIDE OF KING JESUS AND RULE FOREVER WITH HIM ON EARTH.YOU CHOOSE,ITS YOUR DECISION.

Germany: IMF 'central' to Ukraine aid package

Today @ 16:43-FEB 28,14-EUOBSERVER
By Valentina Pop

Berlin - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should be "central" to the financial rescue package being cobbled together for Ukraine, a German government spokeswoman said on Friday in Berlin (28 February).
  • IMF chief Lagarde (l) and EU economics commissioner Rehn (r) are both involved in Ukraine aid talks (Photo: consilium.europa.eu)
She added that German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has phoned his Russian counterpart, Anton Siluanov, to discuss the bailout after the Kremlin late on Thursday said it wants to be involved.Schaeuble also phoned IMF chief Christine Lagarde and EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn, who are sending senior officials to Kiev next week.The German spokeswoman declined to confirm a figure.But Germany’s Der Spiegel reports the emergency aid will be around €4 billion, while Rehn has said the EU institutions will boost their previous pledge of macro-financial assistance from €610 million to €1 billion and that the rest will come from IMF and bilateral loans.This is close to the sum that Ukraine's new leadership has asked for to cover the country's immediate financial needs.Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Ukraine’s new interim Prime Minister, Arsenyi Yatesenuk, to congratulate him on winning parliamentary support on Thursday.Merkel also voiced concerns about Ukraine’s territorial integrity, amid rising tensions in its ethnic Russian-dominated Crimean peninsula.Armed men took control of two airports in the region on Friday in what Ukraine's new leaders described as an invasion and occupation by Russian forces.Merkel’s call to Yatesenuk cements EU and US recognition of the new authorities despite Russia’s view they seized power illegitmately.But the German government spokeswoman noted that Yatsenyuk’s team must be a "transition government” only and that early elections must be held. They are scheduled for 25 May.The German foreign ministry also urged Yatsenyuk to take measures against far-right and anti-Semitic elements on the streets of Kiev, describing reports of their increased activities as a matter of "great concern.”For his part, the ousted Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovych, on Friday held a press conference in Russia.He claimed he had to leave Kiev due to threats and said he is ready to return to Ukraine if his safety is ensured. He also said, however: “I do not accept any attempts for an [outside] intervention, to break the sovereignty and the integrity of the Ukrainian nation."The German government spokeswoman avoiding giving a clear answer on what Berlin thinks of his legitimacy. "It is up to the Ukrainian people to decide on its rulers," she said.
Yanukovych is currently a wanted man in Ukraine for his role in the deaths of dozens of protesters in the unrest in recent weeks.The EU is also considering imposing a visa ban and asset freeze on between eight and 11 Yanukovych officials deemed guilty of human rights abuses.Switzerland has taken the lead in terms of European sanctions so far.It froze the assets of 20 regime members on Thursday and named and shamed them on Friday, giving an indication of who might make the EU-level blacklist.It named Yanukovych himself and his older son, Oleksander.It included 10 former Yanukovych governent ministers: Serhiy Arbuzov; Mykola Azarov; Raisa Bohatyryova; Oleksander Klymenko; Yuri Kolobov; Volodymyr Kozak; Olena Lukash; Mykola Prysyazhnyuk; Eduard Stavytsky; and Vitaly Zakharchenko.It also named Yanukovych’s former chief of staff, Andriy Klyuev, his brother Serhiy, who “owned” Yanukovych’s private mansion, and the former prosecutor general, Viktor Pshonka, among others.Austria, where Azarov, for one, has real estate, and offshore banking centre Liechtenstein took similar measures on Friday.A spokesman for the German finance ministry said such a move "is possible" in Germany as well, but declined to comment on details.

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(TAKE OVER 3 WORLD REGIONS)

LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

Merkel: EU needs Britain in order to reform

27.02.14 @ 15:47-EUOBSERVER
By Valentina Pop
Berlin - Chancellor Angela Merkel, the first German leader to address the British Parliament in almost 30 years, made a strong case for why the EU "needs" the UK on Thursday (27 February).Both the Conservative Prime Minister, David Cameron and, reportedly, the Labour opposition party, are envisaging a referendum on British EU membership if they win elections next year."We need a strong United Kingdom with a strong voice in the EU," Merkel said in English.After having liberated the continent from Nazi rule, Britain "does not need to bring proof of its commitment to Europe and freedom," she added.She thanked the 1.7 million British servicemen who served in Germany and said her country was "grateful" to Britain for trusting in German democracy after the horrors of the Second World War."We owe it to Churchill, de Gaulle, Adenauer that conflicts of interest nowadays are resolved at table, not on the battlefields," Merkel said, referring to Europe's wartime and post-war leaders.But with all the focus on what unites Germany and Britain, ranging from foreign policy to EU budget cuts, Merkel from the very outset downplayed expectations raised by British politicians that she will back Cameron's push a complete overhaul of the EU."Some expect my speech to pave the way for a fundamental reform of the European architecture which will satisfy all kinds of alleged or actual British wishes. I am afraid they are in for a disappointment," she said."Others are expecting the exact opposite, that I will deliver the clear and simple message here in London that the rest of Europe is not prepared to pay almost any price to keep Britain in the European Union. I am afraid these hopes will be disappointed as well."EU reform, yes, but "step by step," not in "great leaps," the Chancellor noted, switching again to English and quoting from the speech of German President Richard von Weizsaecker, who spoke in the British Parliament in 1987.On freedom of movement - a thorny issue for Cameron who seeks to curb the access of people from other EU countries to social benefits - Merkel said it was "one of the greatest achievements" of the European project."But it is also true that in order to maintain this and gain the acceptance of our citizens, we need to muster the courage to point out the mistakes and tackle them," she noted.She did not shy away from pointing at the financial sector and its responsibility for the euro-crisis."Never again should taxpayers have to pay for the mistakes of banks and financial institutions. The financial industry has a responsibility for the common good. I say that on purpose here in London, because the City of London is of great importance for the European financial market and for the economy of all EU countries," the Chancellor said.

Millions could miss out on EU vote as registration deadline looms

27.02.14 @ 09:47-EUOBSERVER
By Benjamin Fox
BRUSSELS - May's European elections may be three months away, but for those who are yet to register to vote, this week may be their final chance to make sure they get their hands on a ballot paper.Like the voting itself, which starts in some countries on 22 May but is staggered across the following three days, each country has its own national deadline to register to vote.People living in France or Spain who are not already on the electoral register have already missed the boat. Citizens living in Belgium, Greece and Luxembourg have less than 48 hours to meet the deadline of 28 February.An estimated 8 million Europeans of voting age live outside the country they were born in, roughly equivalent to the entire population of Austria.With 2.2 million and 1.9 million respectively, Germany and the UK have more than half of the EU's expat community, followed by Spain and Italy. With over 600,000 non-national EU citizens, however, Belgium has the largest number of expats as a proportion of its population.Registrations by EU citizens to vote in their country of residence rather than origin have doubled in the past twenty years, from 5.9 percent in 1994 to 11.6 percent in 2009, but expats are surprisingly reluctant to exercise their right to vote.Around 10 percent of EU citizens living in another EU country had taken advantage of their right to vote and stand in local elections, according to a 2012 report by the European Commission.Those working in and around the EU institutions are scarcely more likely to turn out to vote. A survey of 9,000 EU expats by the Brussels-Europe Liaison Office in July 2013 found that just 14 percent had voted in the previous year's municipal elections.Moreover, some countries make it easier than others. Fourteen EU countries - Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden - automatically include all residents, including non-national EU citizens, on the electoral rolls when they register as a resident.For other countries, registering to vote can either be done online or, more reliably, at the local town hall.Meanwhile, the number of election candidates standing in countries different to their nationality remains small, though it rose from 57 candidates at the 2004 elections to 81 in 2009.EU officials are aware of the problem of having millions of disenfranchised voters scattered across the bloc, mindful that turnout at European elections has fallen steadily from 61 percent to 43 percent in 2009, since direct elections were introduced in 1979.But the powers of the EU's executive arm are limited. The European Court of Justice has made clear that the administration of elections is up to national governments, precluding the prospect of a single pan-EU registration deadline.But the Commission has still taken action against a series of governments for making it harder for EU expats to vote than nationals.The low rates of registration are not necessarily because of a lack of knowledge. More than two thirds of Europeans know that they have the right to vote in other EU member states, according to a Eurobarometer poll taken in 2010 following the last European elections.But the same poll found that more than 80 percent of voters thought that turnout would be higher if there was more information about the elections and if the poll was held on the same day across Europe.
There has also been a mixed record of implementing EU voting rights by governments.Eleven member states - Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia - were instructed by the Commission in 2011 and 2012 to re-write domestic electoral law following claims that they were requiring additional registration requirements for non-nationals and failing to provide them with adequate information about their voting rights.In its inquest to the 2009 elections, the Commission also found that EU citizens in Lithuania and Slovenia were only granted the right to vote after a minimum of five years’ residence, while Maltese legislation required all EU expats wishing to register on the electoral roll to present a Maltese ID card.The question of getting EU nationals to vote outside their home country remains a vexed one.Most expats will continue to vote in their country of nationality. But for the millions of Europeans who can't or won't be able to do that, they have a matter of days and weeks to avoid being missing out on their right to vote.

Voter registration deadlines

France - 31 December 2013
Spain - 30 January 2014
Belgium - 28 February 2014
Greece - 28 February 2014
Luxembourg - 28 February 2014
Finland - 6 March 2014
Austria - 10 March 2014
Italy - 10 March 2014
Romania - 25 March 2014
Portugal - 25 March 2014
Malta - 31 March 2014
Cyprus - 2 April 2014
Netherlands - 8 April 2014
Lithuania - 10 April 2014
Czech Republic - 13 April 2014
Slovakia - 14 April 2014
Bulgaria - 15 April 2014
Denmark - 22 April 2014
Latvia - 24 April 2014
Slovenia - 25 April 2014
Estonia - 25 April 2014
Croatia - 25 April 2014
Sweden - 25 April 2014
Germany - 4 May 2014
UK - 6 May 2014
Hungary - 9 May 2014
Ireland - 10 May 2014
Poland - 20 May 2014

Antici protocols' shed light on EU crisis summits

27.02.14 @ 10:00-EUOBSERVER
By Valentina Pop
Berlin - EU summits are a tiresome affair. The Cypriot President had to install a bed in his delegation room to take a nap now and then during the all-nighters discussing Greek bailouts or other pressing euro-matters.
  • Merkel (c) is the most powerful and longest-serving EU leader (Photo: consilium.europa.eu)
France's Nicolas Sarkozy preferred caffeine. He instructed his diplomats to install a Nespresso machine in the delegation room. He also brought along his own cook because he disliked Belgian cuisine."Europa's Strippenzieher," meaning "The ones pulling the strings in Europe" - a book to be launched on Thursday (27 February) in Berlin - is full of such quirky details.Its authors, Cerstin Gammelin and Raimund Loew - the Brussels correspondents of German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Austrian broadcaster ORF - also managed to obtain secret transcripts of the almost monthly EU summits held during 2010-2013 at the height of the euro-crisis.They are called Antici protocols and are the only official - but secret - records of the meetings.Antici is Brussels jargon for a national diplomat who keeps records of what is being said at the summits. The name derives from Paolo Massimo Antici, an Italian diplomat in the 1970s, who invented the system. It is mostly based on hearsay. The EU council's Antici diplomat, who sits at the table with the EU leaders, gets out every 15 minutes to report to the national Anticis what has been said. While he is out, another Antici colleague replaces him."No Antici writer has heard with his own ears what he is writing, but these protcols are the closest to a verbatim of the leaders' discussions," the book says.The protocols document the power brokerage led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who mostly got her way in every meeting.
For most of the crisis meetings, she could count on Sarkozy to back her up.A record of the October 2011 summit shows that British Prime Minister David Cameron called for "big and bold actions" - meaning a €2-3 trillion permanent bailout fund.But Sarkozy and Merkel ganged up against him.“[Cameron] missed a good opportunity to shut up. We are fed up with you criticising us constantly and telling us what to do. You say you hate the euro, but you are getting involved in our sessions," says Sarkozy.Merkel is more diplomatic, but also firm: "We leave the fund at what we agreed, without going to €2,000 and up to €3,000 billion, or we agree that non-euro countries also pay up."Cameron gets the message and says nothing further. The "European Stability Mechanism" is set up with €500 billion.Its predecessor, the temporary bailout fund, the EFSF, was created in 2010 for the Irish and Portuguese bailouts to the tune of €440 billion.An EU diplomat involved in the negotiations recounts how they came up with the final figure: "We thought we would need €200 billion. And calculated that the Germans would hammer down half of it. Fearing this and knowing that €100 billion will never be enough, we doubled to €400 billion. Then we added 10 percent so that together with the €60 billion of the EU commission we would arrive at €500 billion. And we were perplexed when the Germans didn't cut anything."It was a rare moment of German generosity.Two other transcripts - the 2010 March and October summits - show how tough a negotiator Merkel is.In March she refuses to give more money to EU poverty reduction goals, despite a fiery discussion and a majority of countries in favour. European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso seeks a political accord that by 2020 EU countries should reduce by 20 million the number of people hit by poverty and social exclusion."There will be no consent from Germany on poverty reduction. It may sound rough, but this is no EU competence, this is national competence," Merkel says, adding that the Bundestag will never agree to such an EU target, as it would require extra financial resources.Only the Netherlands are backing her. Sarkozy is quiet. Austria, normally a German ally, is on Barroso's side. So are Greece and Portugal.In the end, a compromise is found at the suggestion of EU veteran Jean-Claude Juncker, at the time the Prime Minister of Luxembourg. The definition of poverty is broadened, so that more people are included and the 20 million target can be reached more easily. Merkel can subscribe to that.A few months later, after having agreed to the first Greek bailout but frustrated that the country is not delivering on its commitments, Merkel suggests a shocking solution: breaches of the deficit rules to be treated equally to human rights breaches."Article 7 [of the EU treaty] foresees possibility to withdraw voting rights in very serious situations. This is not a public humiliation, when you see that you endanger the euro, all euro-countries and ultimately the very existence of the EU," she said on 28 October 2010.Article 7 - suspending the voting rights of a country in the EU council - was introduced in the EU treaty after Austria formed a coalition government with a far-right party, prompting a boycott by EU countries who saw this as a breach of human rights, freedom and democracy."We accepted article 7 for human rights violations. We have to show the same degree of seriousness when we deal with the euro issue," Merkel adds.The Romanian President, Traian Basescu, is the first to object. "This situation cannot be equated to a violation of human rights," he says.Luxembourg, Spain, Greece are also outraged.
Only Sarkozy backs Merkel, again. "Suspending voting rights is mentioned in the treaty, this is not unreasonable," he says.EU council chief Herman Van Rompuy concludes that "we must analyse this issue further", as the discussion is not ripe for a decision.She may have been too blunt then, but over the years Merkel has perfected her way of getting more strings attached to every bailout or concession she agreed to.
Even at the June 2012 summit, when France - now represented by President Francois Hollande - teamed up with Italy and Spain and managed to get Merkel to agree to the bailout fund being used directly to save banks, she managed to delay the process by extra conditions so that in the end it never happened.With Juncker stepping down at the end of 2013, Merkel is now the longest-serving Prime Minister of an EU country.The book speculates that when the EU Council chief mandate is up for renewal in 2017, Merkel could be the one to take it over, as it will be only half a year before the German elections.But the authors also question this scenario: "Can Merkel be as powerful in Brussels as she is in Berlin? Won't she have to be a subordinate of the new German Chancellor as the current EU chief is now?"Something for future Antici protocols to clarify.

02/28/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Vatican publishes Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for March 2014

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Francis prays before an icon of Christ
(©EIDON) Francis prays before an icon of Christ
vatican insider staff rome The Holy See Press Office has released the Pope's universal prayer intention for March. It is “that all cultures may respect the rights and dignity of women”.

His prayer intention for evangelisation is “that many young people may accept the Lord's invitation to consecrate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel”.






02/25/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Ratzinger: “My resignation is valid. Speculations are simply absurd”

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Benedict XVI and Francis: a blending of papacies
(©Ansa) Benedict XVI and Francis: a blending of papacies

Benedict XVI responds to a letter sent to him by the Vatican correspondent Andrea Tornielli. The journalist sent him some questions regarding the alleged pressures and conspiracies which some claim led to his resignation

ANDREA TORNIELLI vatican city “There is absolutely no doubt regarding the validity of my resignation from the Petrine ministry” and the “speculations” surrounding it are “simply absurd”. Joseph Ratzinger was not forced to resign, he was not pressured into it and he did not fall victim to a conspiracy: his resignation was genuine and valid and there is no “diarchy” (dual government) in the Church today. There is a reigning Pope, Francis, who leads the Catholic Church and  an Emeritus Pope whose “only purpose” is to pray for his successor.The Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has put pen to paper to set the record straight on the historic decision he took one year ago, in response to the various interpretations that have been circulating in the press and on the web regarding his gesture. Writing from the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican, he replied in person to a letter with some questions which we sent him a few days ago, after certain comments made in the Italian and international press about his resignation. Ratzinger was brief and to the point; he denied speculations about any secret reasons behind his resignation and urged people not to give undue importance to certain choices he has made, such as his decision to carry on wearing the white cassock after stepping down as Bishop of Rome.Readers will recall the shock announcement Benedict XVI made on 11 February 2013, informing cardinals at the Consistory of his free decision to resign ingravescente aetate (because of old age): “I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.” He also announced that the Apostolic See was going to be vacant as of the evening of 28 February when the cardinals would meet to begin the process of electing his successor. In the days that followed, Ratzinger informed he would be keeping his papal name Benedict XVI (the name with which he signed the letter he sent us), that he would from that moment on be referred to as Pope Emeritus (this title also appears in print on the letter) and that he planned to carry on wearing a white cassock, albeit a simpler version than the papal one: Ratzinger does not wear the short shoulder cape, known as the “pellegrina” and without the fascia.At his final General Audience on 27 February 2013, Benedict XVI told a packed and sunny St. Peter’s Square that: “In these last few months, I have felt my strength diminish and I have asked God with insistency in my prayers to illuminate me with his light and make me take the best decision. I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit. Loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, painful choices, always keeping the good of the Church in mind and not ourselves.”He added that his decision to withdraw from the public spot light “hidden from the world”, did not mean a return to private life. “My decision to resign the active exercise of the ministry does not revoke this. I do not return to private life, to a life of travel, meetings, receptions, conferences, and so on. I am not abandoning the cross, but remaining in a new way at the side of the crucified Lord. I no longer bear the power of office for the governance of the Church, but in the service of prayer I remain, so to speak, in the enclosure of Saint Peter,” he said.

It was these words regarding his wish to stay within “the enclosure of Saint Peter” that led some to think that Benedict XVI’s decision to resign had not been taken freely and was therefore not valid. The idea that the Pope Emeritus wanted to cut out a role for himself as a “shadow Pope”, was light years away from the real Ratzinger. After Francis’ election, the changes he brought with him and the electric effect his words and personal testimony have had on the Church, comparisons with his predecessor were to be expected. This is after all what always happens when a new Pope takes charge. Benedict XVI himself has always rejected this comparison. Over the past weeks, as the anniversary of his resignation approaches, some have gone a bit too far, suggesting that Benedict XVI’s resignation may not have lacked validity and that he is therefore still playing an active and institutional role beside the reigning Pope.On 16 February, the author of this article sent the Pope Emeritus a letter with some specific questions regarding these interpretations. A response came two days later. “There is absolutely no doubt regarding the validity of my resignation from the Petrine ministry,” Ratzinger wrote in his letter of reply. The only condition for the validity of my resignation is the complete freedom of my decision. Speculations regarding its validity are simply absurd.” Those closest to Ratzinger had been aware of the possibility of his resignation for a long time and he himself confirmed it in a book-length interview with the German journalist Peter Seewald (“Light of the World”, 2010): “If a pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign."It was inevitable that this shock decision was going to be linked to the Vatileaks scandal and the conspiracies in the Roman Curia. After all, this was the first time in two thousand years that a Pope had decided to step down from the pontificate because of old age. Benedict XVI’s entire pontificate was a Via Crucis, especially his final years. : first the paedophilia scandal which he courageously dealt with without attributing the blame to lobbies or “external enemies” of the Church , but to “persecution”, an evil that comes from within the Church itself; then the leaked documents which the former Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, took from his desk. And so Ratzinger’s resignation was linked to these events. But in the interview with Peter Seewald, Benedict XVI explained that a ship could not be abandoned in the midst of a storm. This is why he decided to wait until the Vatileaks saga, Gabriele’s trial and the investigation into the Vatileaks case being carried out by the Commission of three cardinals were all over before he announced his resignation. Only after this did he step down.In the letter he sent to us, the Pope Emeritus answered some questions regarding his decision to keep his papal name and continue dressing in white. “I continue to wear the white cassock and kept the name Benedict for purely practical reasons. At the moment of my resignation there were no other clothes available. In any case, I wear the white cassock in a visibly different way to how the Pope wears it. This is another case of completely unfounded speculations being made,” he wrote.Benedict XVI proved this at last Saturday’s Consistory - which Francis had invited him to – when he took a seat along with the cardinal bishops instead of accepting the special seat that was offered to him. When Francis came up to him to greet and embrace him at the start and end of the ceremony, Benedict removed his zucchetto as a sign of respect and also to show that there is only one reigning Pope.A few weeks ago, the Swiss theologian Hans Kung quoted a passage from a letter Benedict XVI received regarding Francis. Words which leave no room for doubt: “I'm grateful to be bound by a great identity of views and a heartfelt friendship with Pope Francis. Today, I see my last and final job to support his pontificate with prayer." Some on the web questioned the validity of these words or tried to twist them. We asked the Pope Emeritus to comment on this too. “Professor Kรผng quoted the content of my letter to him word for word and correctly,” he wrote in his reply. He ended by saying he hoped he had answered our questions in “a clear and adequate way”.

EARTHQUAKES

ISAIAH 42:15
15  I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.

MATTHEW 24:7-8
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.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

1 Day, Magnitude 2.5+ Worldwide

29 earthquakes - DownloadUpdated: 2014-02-28 12:33:54 UTC-05:00Showing event times using Local System Time (UTC-05:00)29 earthquakes in map area
  1. 2.6 41km S of Manley Hot Springs, Alaska 2014-02-28 11:45:41 UTC-05:00 0.0 km
  2. 2.5 54km WSW of North Nenana, Alaska 2014-02-28 11:45:28 UTC-05:00 12.0 km
  3. 4.9 33km WSW of Valparaiso, Chile 2014-02-28 11:31:29 UTC-05:00 28.2 km
  4. 4.9 South of Africa 2014-02-28 10:30:50 UTC-05:00 10.0 km
  5. 3.1 73km N of Road Town, British Virgin Islands 2014-02-28 09:29:09 UTC-05:00 36.0 km
  6. 4.8 107km NW of Riohacha, Colombia 2014-02-28 07:54:35 UTC-05:00 10.0 km
  7. 4.6 173km W of Sabtang, Philippines 2014-02-28 05:58:47 UTC-05:00 10.1 km
  8. 2.7 63km NNE of Talkeetna, Alaska 2014-02-28 05:40:16 UTC-05:00 70.6 km
  9. 4.7 102km SW of Leksula, Indonesia 2014-02-28 05:29:58 UTC-05:00 407.4 km
  10. 4.8 113km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia 2014-02-28 04:09:58 05:00 48.5 km
  11. 2.6 4km S of Volcano, Hawaii 2014-02-28 04:08:21 UTC-05:00 3.0 km
  12. 4.5 242km SSE of Bayan-Ovoo, Mongolia 2014-02-28 03:10:42 UTC-05:00 14.0 km
  13. 4.8 235km SE of Hihifo, Tonga 2014-02-28 02:49:13 UTC-05:00 10.0 km
  14. 5.1 126km ESE of Mohean, India 2014-02-28 00:50:37 UTC-05:00 87.3 km
  15. 2.8 75km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-02-27 23:39:21 UTC-05:00 38.0 km
  16. 2.9 102km SSE of Adak, Alaska 2014-02-27 22:02:26 UTC-05:00 31.1 km
  17. 5.3 Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge 2014-02-27 21:48:08 UTC-05:00 10.0 km
  18. 4.9 164km W of Sabtang, Philippines 2014-02-27 21:28:39 UTC-05:00 35.0 km
  19. 3.3 104km SSE of Adak, Alaska 2014-02-27 20:47:24 UTC-05:00 25.6 km
  20. 3.0 47km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-02-27 20:25:36 UTC-05:00 64.0 km
  21. 3.5 12km N of Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska 2014-02-27 20:21:21 UTC-05:00 85.7 km
  22. 3.3 59km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2014-02-27 19:51:47 UTC-05:00 54.0 km
  23. 2.5 64km W of Anchorage, Alaska 2014-02-27 19:38:08 UTC-05:00 53.3 km
  24. 4.8 Banda Sea 2014-02-27 17:32:35 UTC-05:00 34.5 km
  25. 2.9 16km WSW of Kodiak Station, Alaska 2014-02-27 14:09:48 UTC-05:00 100.0 km
  26. 2.9 84km SSE of Adak, Alaska 2014-02-27 13:55:19 UTC-05:00 42.1 km
  27. 4.0 37km NW of San Simeon, California 2014-02-27 13:52:30 UTC-05:00 9.8 km
  28. 3.4 113km NNE of Road Town, British Virgin Islands 2014-02-27 13:48:49 UTC-05:00 40.0 km
  29. 3.3 44km SSW of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska 2014-02-27 13:41:58 UTC-05:00 122.5 km

WATCH FOR AFGHANISTAN TO HAVE THE NEXT ARAB SPRING

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

I HAD TO PUT THIS STORY BACK UP BECAUSE THE EX UKRAINE LEADER WHO SKIPPED TO RUSSIA NOW IS SAYING THE SAME THING I'M SAYING HERE.THAT THE WEST CREATES THESE ARAB SPRINGS TO OVER THROW DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS TO BRING IN RADICAL MUSLIM LOVING SHARIA LAW CULT DICTATORS TO CONTROL THE WORLD.

THE FRUIT OF OBAMA

WELL NOW I SEE IN THE NEWS THAT AMERICA WANTS TO TAKE ALL ITS TROOPS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.WHY COULD THIS BE.MAYBE BECAUSE OBAMA NEVER GOT HIS OWN WAY OF NOT ALLOWING THE 65 FREED PRISONERS IN AFGHANISTAN BY KARZAI.NOT TO BE DONE.BUT OBAMA COULD SURE QUICKLY FORCE ISRAEL TO FREE 78 ARAB MURDERERS FROM THEIR PRISONS IN THE NAME OF A SO CALLED PEACE PROCESS.BUT WHEN AFGHAN MURDERERS ARE SET FREE THAT MURDERERD AMERICAN SOLDIERS.OBAMA WAS CRYING FOWL AND NOW TAKING THEIR TROOPS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.

THE WAY OBAMA WORKS.IS WE CAN EXPECT AFTER THE AMERICANS TAKE THEIR TROOPS OUT.THAT THERE WILL JUST SUDDENLY BE AN ARAB SPRING IN AFGHANISTAN.SURPRISE-SURPRISE.OBAMAS REVENGE WILL THEN BE TO OVER THROW KARZAI IN THE NAME OF DEMOCROCY FOR THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN.JUST WAIT AND SEE.AND IF NOT-IT WILL BE BECAUSE I AM TIPPING USE OFF TO OBAMAS TRUE FRUIT HERE.I'M STARTING TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS FRAUD-MUSLIM SYMPATHIZER IN OFFICE OBAMA FOR WHAT HE TRUELY IS.....A DICTATOR CONTROL FREAK.WHO IF YOU GO AGAINST-YOUR COUNTRY ENDS UP WITH AN ARAB SPRING AND THEIR GOVERNMENT OVERTHROWN.AND MUSLIM LEADERS INCERTED INSTEAD OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERS.


No bluff: U.S. planning possible withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan
By Barbara Starr and Tom Cohen, CNN-updated 8:57 PM EST, Tue February 25, 2014


-President Obama calls Afghan leader to discuss security agreement
-Obama orders planning for bringing home all U.S. troops at the end of 2014
-Afghan President Karzai refuses to sign a deal to keep some troops there
-The White House says an agreement could happen after Karzai leaves office in April

Washington (CNN) -- We're not bluffing, the Obama administration told Afghanistan on Tuesday in announcing for the first time it has started planning for the possible withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of the year if no security agreement is signed.Statements by the White House and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel showed President Barack Obama's impatience with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign the agreement that would keep several thousand American troops in the country after combat operations conclude this year.In a phone call with Karzai on Tuesday to discuss upcoming elections for a new Afghan leader, Obama made clear that time was running out to properly plan for keeping any U.S. forces in the country beyond 2014, the White House said.Meanwhile, a senior Pakistani official warned that pulling out U.S. troops could have dire consequences, leading to a civil war in Afghanistan.

Obama calling

"President Obama has asked the Pentagon to ensure that it has adequate plans in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the United States not keep any troops in Afghanistan after 2014," said the White House statement.Abdullah Abdullah on Afghan future.Soldiers return to new and familiar faces.Hagel: Cuts reflect 'repositioning'It also noted that a deal remained possible with a new Afghan leader, even if Karzai fails to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement before the April election chooses his successor.

History not repeating itself in Afghanistan

"Should we have a BSA and a willing and committed partner in the Afghan government, a limited post-2014 mission focused on training, advising, and assisting Afghan forces and going after the remnants of core al Qaeda could be in the interests of the United States and Afghanistan," the White House said. "Therefore, we will leave open the possibility of concluding a BSA with Afghanistan later this year."In his separate statement, Hagel said he strongly supported the order by Obama to "ensure adequate plans are in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the United States not keep any troops in Afghanistan after 2014."Speaking at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia Tuesday afternoon, Hagel said the situation in Afghanistan will likely be a top item on the agenda at a NATO ministerial conference in Brussels this week.
Obama, he said, has been very clear that the possibility of U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan depends "on whether we have a bilateral security agreement signed by the Afghani government, to assure our rights of our troops and other important elements that are required any time America has troops in another country."

Pakistani official: Don't do it

A senior Pakistani government official told CNN that a full withdrawal of U.S. troops should not be considered, declaring that "the zero option means civil war in Afghanistan."Speaking on condition of not being identified, the Pakistani official predicted that 30% of Afghan forces would desert if U.S. forces leave the country.For the Pentagon, Obama's order means preparing for all contingencies."For the first time, the commander in chief has told us to begin planning for a complete withdrawal" from Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official told CNN.While the option to keep troops there remains, the situation has reached a point where the Pentagon has to begin planning for all possibilities, the official added.More than 33,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan as the Obama administration winds down the almost 13-year war that began shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.The security agreement negotiated between Afghanistan and the United States would cover a continuing mission after 2014 focused on training Afghan forces and counterterrorism.Pentagon: If freed Afghan prisoners return to fight, they're 'legitimate targets'

Afghan presidential contender says he'll sign if elected

While Karzai has balked at signing, a leading contender to succeed him told CNN's Christiane Amanpour this month that the agreement should proceed.Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah said he would sign the deal to keep international forces in Afghanistan, and aid dollars flowing, if elected in April.Abdullah said Afghanistan will need the financial and military support of the international community "for years to come."White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday that that longer it takes for security agreement to get signed, the more difficult it will be to properly plan and carry out a U.S. mission after 2014.Continued delay would result in a smaller and less ambitious mission, Carney said. Asked what happens if no agreement gets signed, he said: "We cannot and will not have U.S. troops on the ground" without a signed deal.Karzai's not-so-crazy end gameLeading contender for Afghanistan president vows to sign troop agreement if elected.CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.

HERES THE REAL REASON OBAMA IS WITHDRAWING THE TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN.I'M NOT STUPID.ITS NOT BECAUSE OF SOME SECURITY DEAL.

Karzai rejects U.S. warnings over freed Afghan detainees
By Humeyra Pamuk and Hamid Shalizi-ANKARA/KABUL Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:53pm EST


(Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday rejected criticism of his government's release of 65 detainees viewed by Washington as dangerous militants, further fanning tensions with the United States as the international mission in Afghanistan winds down.Afghan officials described the release as justice for its own citizens who had faced unfounded U.S. accusations. But the United States expressed deep concern over the decision and NATO, which runs the 12-year-old foreign military operation supporting the Karzai government, denounced it as "a major step backward"."If Afghan judicial authorities decide to release a prisoner, it is of no concern to the U.S.," Karzai told a news conference in the Turkish capital Ankara after talks with Turkey's president and Pakistan's prime minister."I hope the U.S. will stop harassing Afghanistan's procedures and judicial authority. I hope the United States will now begin to respect Afghan sovereignty," said Karzai, who after more than a decade in power is to step down after April elections.Karzai's government has long complained that foreign forces have locked up Afghans on dubious grounds, with no proper judicial process.In an unusually strong statement, the U.S. military force in Kabul said some of the released detainees had killed both Afghans and foreign soldiers and now posed a fresh threat."U.S. and Afghan forces risked their lives to ensure the safety of the Afghan people. We call upon the (Kabul government) to consider the potentially lethal effects of today's releases," it said, adding that the released detainees may resume their "criminal behavior".U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf called on Kabul to ensure that released detainees do not carry out any acts of violence "and to immediately bring to justice any who would.""Afghanistan is a sovereign country, (Karzai) is right about that. They can make their own decisions," Harf said."We have been very clear, however, that we have a legitimate force protection concern for the lives of coalition forces, of Afghan security forces and Afghan civilians because these men have been released."In the U.S. Congress, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon, said he was "appalled" by Kabul's decision. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said he would introduce a resolution condemning Karzai's actions and would seek to cut off some U.S. development aid in response.Video provided to Reuters by the Afghan Defence Ministry showed the prisoners, with jackets or blankets over their traditional Afghan garb, shaking hands with Afghan military officials as they left the prison.Abdul Shakor Dadras, head of the Afghan board charged with reviewing the prisoners' cases, said their detention had been unjustified from the outset, despite the U.S. claims."I believe the release of these 65 people will benefit the Afghan nation and it will benefit the American nation and American government," Dadras told Reuters Television.In Brussels, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen echoed the U.S. criticism of the release of the detainees."This decision, which appears to have been made based on political calculations and without regard for due process before the Afghan courts, is a major step backwards for the rule of law in Afghanistan, and poses serious security concerns," he said.

'SONS OF THEIR COUNTRY'

The prisoners were part of a much larger group of detainees transferred to Afghan authority last year as one milestone in the U.S. and NATO transition out of Afghanistan. A coalition of foreign forces has been battling the Taliban since the Islamist group was ousted in 2001.More than 500 of those prisoners have already been released, a U.S. military official said on condition of anonymity, while others were recommended for prosecution in Afghan courts.The 65 freed on Thursday were part of a group of 88 whose proposed release had prompted U.S. objections. The fate of the remaining 23 prisoners in the group is still being examined by the Afghan government, the official said.An unnamed prisoner, speaking in the footage provided by the Afghan Defence Ministry, said those detained at Bagram prison were "sons of their country, whose ancestors fought against Russia," referring to what many Afghans see as the Afghan Mujahideen's honorable fight against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.While U.S. officials have said U.S. forces would try to kill or capture the men if they took up arms against them, it remains unclear whether U.S. or coalition forces would try to apprehend or target them pre-emptively.The detainees have become one more issue fuelling tension in U.S.-Afghan ties ahead of the April presidential poll and the planned pullout of most foreign troops by the end of the year.The Obama administration has been pressing Karzai for months to sign a bilateral security agreement with Washington that would allow some U.S. troops to stay beyond that deadline.It was unclear what effect the release would have on U.S. deliberations about what a possible post-2014 troop presence could look like or on its view of the stalled security pact.The U.S. military official said the United States had provided Afghan officials with "hundreds of pages" of what he described as evidence or leads against the prisoners.Some of the detainees, he said, had been linked by biometric data to the production or placement of improvised explosive devices, sometimes through fingerprints left on adhesive tape used to assemble homemade bombs.(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in Brussels and Lesley Wroughton, Patricia Zengerle and Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Missy Ryan in Kabul; Editing by Paul Tait, Gareth Jones and Mohammad Zargham)

75 PERCENT OF ISRAELI JEWS WOULD ACCEPT PEACE DEAL

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

Transfer of part of Western Wall to right-wing group to be blocked

Cabinet secretary says plan to give City of David Foundation control over Robinson’s Arch won’t go through after Reform, Conservative cry foul

February 28, 2014, 3:07 am 0-The Times of Israel
Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit intends to block a draft agreement that would transfer control of parts of the Western Wall to a right-wing Israeli nonprofit.Mandelblit’s decision to oppose the tentative deal comes shortly after a group of Reform and Conservative rabbis sent him a letter strongly protesting the transfer of control.Under the deal, the government would have transferred control of the Jerusalem Archaeological Park and Davidson Center to the City of David Foundation, according to Haaretz.The foundation currently runs the City of David tourist site outside Jerusalem’s Old City and works to settle Jews in the surrounding Arab neighborhood.The Israeli Reform and Conservative movements have been negotiating with the government for months to expand a non-Orthodox prayer space at Robinson’s Arch, a section of the Western Wall that the deal would have included.On Wednesday, the CEO of Israel’s Masorti Movement, Yizhar Hess, told JTA that the Reform and Conservative leaderships were not notified of the deal with the City of David Foundation before it was drafted.Hess said that if implemented, the draft agreement would depart from a compromise on the Western Wall outlined  last year by the Jewish Agency for Israel’s chairman, Natan Sharansky. Sharansky’s outline proposed creating a pluralist council to manage the site.“One of the primary issues of our negotiation, from the earliest stages of the Sharansky plan, was that religious governance and authority over the site would be granted to duly appointed religious leaders of the Reform and Masorti/ Conservative movements, to serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister or his designates,” the rabbis’ letter stated. “Surely you will understand that we would like to know why the Government of the State of Israel does not accept our legitimacy to form a governance body, but find the [City of David Foundation] suitable to do this and much more.”Women of the Wall, a women’s prayer group that meets monthly at the Western Wall and that is also negotiating the Robinson’s Arch expansion, also protested the draft agreement.

Police to restrict Friday prayers on Temple Mount

Announcement comes after protesters burn Israeli flag, throw rocks near entrance to al-Aqsa compound

February 27, 2014, 11:14 pm 0-The times of Israel
Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount Friday will be restricted Friday for fear of riots, police said. Only women, children and men over the age of 50 bearing Israeli ID cards will be allowed access to the holy site.
The announcement followed a protest in Jerusalem’s Old City that turned violent Thursday, when dozens of Palestinians hurled firecrackers and stones at police forces, while others attempted to set fire to the Lions’ Gate near the entrance to the al-Aqsa mosque compound.According to Ynet, several demonstrators also burned an Israeli flag in protest of a recent government debate over Jewish prayer rights at the Temple Mount, as well as the death of an Arab inmate in the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba several days ago. The protesters were heard chanting “a million martyrs [will] march to Al-Aqsa.”The protests began after a large number of youths requested to carry the body of Jihad al-Tawil, a traffic violator who died after being diagnosed with cancer and suffering a heart attack, up to the Temple Mount.After police did not grant them access to the holy site, the youths attempted to ignite an abandoned police post near the Lions’ Gate. At that point, police broke up the gathering and the protesters fled towards East Jerusalem.
No one was reported to have been injured during the clashes.
Israeli riot police seen during clashes on  the Temple Mount in September. (photo credit: Sliman Khader/Flash 90)
Israeli riot police seen during clashes on the Temple Mount in September. (photo credit: Sliman Khader/Flash 90)
On Tuesday, the Knesset held a first of its kind debate to examine the right of non-Muslims to enter and pray at the holy compound in Jerusalem, with over 30 MKs from both right-wing and left-wing parties seeking to voice their opinion on the divisive topic.The discussion ended late Tuesday with no vote being taken.Almost all of the parliament’s Arab members chose not to attend the session in protest over the decision to hold it.
The debate, headlined “the loss of Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount” and rescheduled from last week, was initiated by right-wing lawmaker MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud), whose visits to the Temple Mount have drawn media and police attention. Feiglin was arrested for praying there in October 2012 and January 2013, before he became an MK, and visited the Mount earlier this week ahead of the debate.Police restrictions bar Jews from praying or engaging in other religious activities while on visits to the Mount for fear that they will provoke a violent reaction from Muslims, a policy Feiglin said was absurd.The Temple Mount is jointly administered by the Jordanian government and the Jerusalem-based Islamic Waqf, an arrangement that has been in place since Israel captured the Old City and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed them. Regarded as a holy site by both Judaism and Islam, proposed changes to the status quo at the Mount are often a source of unrest.Hamas and Palestinian Authority officials, together with leaders of the Islamic Movement in the Galilee, have long accused Israel of planning to take control of the Muslim sites on the Mount.Lazar Berman, Gavriel Fiske, The Associated Press and AFP contributed to this report.

Poll: Three quarters of Israeli Jews would accept peace deal

More than 50% define themselves as right wing and don’t trust the Palestinians, yet would vote for a new Netanyahu-led centrist party

February 27, 2014, 9:59 pm 11-The Times of Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas promotes the Arab Peace Initiative during a speech at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa in Jordan, May 26, 2013 (photo credit: AP/Jim Young)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas promotes the Arab Peace Initiative during a speech at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa in Jordan, May 26, 2013 (photo credit: AP/Jim Young)
Three quarters of Hebrew-speaking Israelis would support a peace agreement with the Palestinians based on the Arab Peace Initiative, and more than half would vote for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to leave the Likud and create a new party, according to a new poll published Thursday.The survey, commissioned by the non-profit Israeli Peace Initiative, was conducted earlier this month among a representative sample of 500 Hebrew-speaking Israelis. The poll’s sponsors said it indicated that a large majority of the country’s Jews hold hawkish views regarding the peace process but would be willing to accept a deal if they understood what Israel stands to gain from an accord normalizing diplomatic and trade relations with the entire Arab world.According to the survey, 76 percent of respondents said they are “sure” or “think” that they would be willing to support an agreement after they were told about nine different elements of the deal, all based on the Arab Peace Initiative, presented to them in a way that made them seem beneficial to Israel. More than 60 percent of respondents said they would likely support a regional peace treaty even before any components of it were discussed.“This represents a statistically significant increase over the findings in other surveys conducted over the past few months,” according to the authors of the survey.“The significance of this poll shows that a) Israelis indeed hold right-wing views, b) they don’t believe the Palestinians, c) they will accept a far-reaching deal based on the Arab Peace Initiative if presented properly to them and d), that they will support Bibi Netanyahu if he does make such a heroic decision,” said IPI’s Koby Huberman, during a conference call with reporters Thursday.“If [Israelis] understand the underlying logic of involving the Arab states in the equation and moving toward the end of the Israeli-Arab conflict, then they would be willing to accept a package deal that is far-more reaching than if it was a just a bilateral agreement.”More than half of the poll’s respondents said they consider themselves either “extreme right wing” (28 percent) or “soft right” (24 percent). About 30 percent define their political position as centrist and 16 percent as either “soft left” or “extreme left.”First adopted by the Arab League in 2002, the Arab Peace Initiative promises Israel “full diplomatic and normal relations” with 57 Arab and Muslim states, in exchange for a “comprehensive peace agreement” with the Palestinians. Israelis leaders have so far reacted mostly coldly to the initiative, unhappy about some of its terms.This week’s poll presented respondents with what Huberman called a “legitimate interpretation” of the Arab Peace Initiative, though not with its exact wording. Some of the terms presented to the respondents included the creation of a demilitarized Palestine, settlements remaining under Israeli sovereignty with only “minor territorial exchanges,” East Jerusalem as capital, no right of return for Palestinian refugees (with the with the exception of “a symbolic number”), security arrangements to protect against Iran and terror, and the promise that economic access to “300 million consumers and a billion residents [in the Arab and Muslim world] will improve the situation of Israeli citizens.”Some 70 percent of respondents indicated a willingness to support these parameters. Only two of the nine components — the future of the holy sites, which would not be under any specific sovereignty but managed separately by each religious group, and the division of Jerusalem — received the support of slightly less than 50 percent.Seventy-two percent of respondents believed that Israelis are interested in signing a peace treaty to end the conflict. However, 77 percent are convinced that the Palestinians are not interested in reaching such an agreement.Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that any possible peace agreement would have to be submitted to a referendum. “It is important that every citizen have a direct vote on fateful decisions such as these that will determine the future of the state,” he said in July, when the ongoing US-brokered peace negotiations resumed last summer.According to the poll, conducted by Israeli research institute New Wave Research, 73 percent of the Israeli public would support the prime minister if he were to present a peace treaty based on the nine components. Fifty-six percent said they would vote for him if he broke away from the Likud — most of whose senior members are opposed to a two-state deal with the Palestinians — and were to create a new centrist party.“In summarizing the demographic variables, it is important to note that previous surveys reveal that younger respondents and women tended towards weak support for the principle of a regional agreement to end the conflict,” the poll’s authors noted. “This time, it is clear that support for peace agreements and willingness to support the components of the agreement among these two population groups is now similar to that what they are among the rest of the population.”

Massive ultra-Orthodox demonstration set for Sunday

Protest against draft law expected to disrupt routine in Jerusalem; Route 1 and bus station to close; schools near city entrance to shut early

February 27, 2014, 11:56 pm 14-The Times of Israel
A large demonstration called by ultra-Orthodox leaders on Sunday in Jerusalem is expected to snarl traffic, close roads and shut down public transportation around the entrance to the city and the Knesset, police said on Thursday.The protest against the draft law is expected to disrupt normal routine in Jerusalem and authorities are to deploy a large security contingent in an effort to keep the peace. In the past, ultra-Orthodox protesters have clashed with police — earlier this month in Ashdod, a protest which drew several hundred led to over a dozen arrests for rioting.The authorities said that Route 1, the main road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, would be closed after 2 p.m. Sunday from the Latrun area to the capital, and the Jerusalem Central Bus Station would also be shut down in the afternoon.Police warned of heavy traffic and blocked roads in the area around the entrance to Jerusalem and the Knesset. Buses and light rail service near the entrance to the city will cease Sunday afternoon, and public schools near the entrance to Jerusalem will close at 1 p.m.Most public transportation and schools in the city are to function normally, police noted.
Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor Yisrael Kellerman, one of the organizers of the event, said he hoped hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox would come. “We wanted to bring the Haredi community from the entire country,” he told Haredi news site Kikar Shabbat. “There were some difficulties because within a few short days we had to bring everyone — we have to bring thousands of buses; we hope that hundreds of thousands will arrive.”Kellerman also said that Mayor Nir Barkat was cooperating in coordinating the event, as were security and rescue services.Last week, ultra-Orthodox leaders debated the wisdom of holding large-scale public protests against the proposed draft law, which would require yeshiva students to do military or national service and punish individuals who do not report for service or institutions which facilitate resisting the law.The latest version of the draft bill has faced scathing criticism from ultra-Orthodox leaders over its inclusion of individual criminal sanctions against draft-dodgers that would kick in if the community as a whole failed to meet rising quotas for the draft. But it has also faced criticism from proponents of an equal draft for delaying such criminal sanctions until mid-2017, after the next election.Haviv Rettig Gur contributed to this report.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

CHRISTIAN PROTECTION BILL GETS VETOED BY ARIZONA - NO PROTECTION FOR THE BIBLE AGAIN

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.

HOMOSEXUALS.(SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS)

LEVITICUS 20:13
13  If a man also lie with mankind,(ANOTHER MAN) as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

LEVITICUS 18:22
22  Thou shalt not lie with mankind,(ANOTHER MAN) as with womankind: it is abomination.

2 TIMOTHY 3:3
3 Without natural affection,(HOMOSEXUALS) trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

1 CORINTHIANS 6:9,
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,(HARDENED SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERRS) nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

PSALMS 14:1
1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

ROMANS 1:18-32
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:(HOMOSEXUALITY,AND ALL SEX SINS)
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:(LESBIENS)
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly,(SODOMITES) and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.(AIDS ETC)
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

IN NEWS-HITLARY CLINTON IS GETTING READY FOR THE 2016 RUN.PROMOTING THE OBAMACARE HOGWASH DICTATORSHIP.

AND JAN BREWER IN ARIZONA HAS CAVED INTO THE PRO HOMOSEXUAL LOBBY AND CNN IN VETOING THE CHRISTIAN RIGHTS BILL.THAT WOULD HAVE PROTECTED CHRISTIANS FROM HAVING TO DO STUFF AGAINST THE BIBLE.NOW CHRISTIANS WILL BE FORCED TO MARRY THE GAYS ETC AGAINST THEIR WILLS. AND THE BIBLE.ARIZONA YOU BAD.SINCE CNN AND GAY BOY - CIA AGENT COOPER WERE FORCING THE POINT DAILY FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS I HAVE NOTICED.THE SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS WIN ANOTHER ONE.ONCE AGAIN THE SODOMITE GOD HATERS GET THEIR LOBBY OF CASH TO WIN THE PROPAGANDA BY THE MEDIA AND FORCE ARIZONA TO VETO THE BILL.FOR THE GOOD OF THE EARTH AND THE BEST OF JOBS OF COURSE.

Arizona governor vetoes controversial anti-gay, ‘religious freedom’ bill


Eric Pfeiffer
Yahoo News
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer announced that she has vetoed a bill that would have allowed state businesses to discriminate against gay and lesbian customers.“The bill is broadly worded and could result in unintended and negative consequences," Brewer told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. "After weighing all of the arguments I have vetoed Senate Bill 1062 moments ago.”Brewer made her remarks during a press conference announced with little notice on Wednesday evening.Despite the short notice, a large crowd of demonstrators quickly gathered outside the state capital in Phoenix before Brewer made her remarks. The crowd of demonstrators erupted into cheers after Brewer’s announcement.Senate bill 1062 generated national attention after it was passed by the Republican controlled legislature. However, its momentum quickly stalled after it was criticized by a number of local business leader and the state’s two Republican U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake.Flake and McCain saluted Brewer on Wednesday night in posts to their respective Twitter accounts:“I have protected religious freedoms when there is a present concern,” Brewer said, defending her decision during the press conference. “And I have a record to prove it.”
Despite herself being conservative Republican lawmaker, Brewer used her remarks to criticize the state Senate for making the religious freedom bill a priority over other concerns.The bill was pushed by the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative group opposed to same sex marriage.“This is the first policy bill to cross my desk,” Brewer said. “It does not address a specific concern related to Arizona. I have not heard one example where a business owner’s liberty has been put into jeopardy.”Brewer said she had previously instructed state lawmakers that “passing a responsible budget that continues Arizona’s economic comeback,” should be the legislature’s top priority.On Tuesday, Brewer hinted at her decision, writing on her Twitter account:“I call them like I see them despite the tears or the boos from the crowd,” Brewer said. “I took the necessary time to make the right decision.”Brewer said she met with attorneys and policy advisers who both supported and opposed the bill. She also offered condolences to religious individuals who feel their freedom is being called into question in light of rapid advancements in gay rights and marriage equality.“Religious liberty is a core American and Arizona value. So is nondiscrimination,” Brewer said. “Going forward let’s turn the ugliness over Senate bill 1062 into a greater search for greater respect and understanding among all Arizonans and Americans.”After concluding her remarks, Brewer quickly exited the podium without taking questions from the press.

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI denies resignation invalid


AFP

Vatican City (AFP) - Pope emeritus Benedict XVI on Wednesday rejected as "simply absurd" the notions that his resignation might not be valid and that the Vatican hierarchy was now divided between loyalty to him and to Pope Francis."There is no doubt at all on the validity of my renunciation," Benedict said in an unprecedented letter published in the La Stampa daily, after it had written to him with questions about when he stepped down in 2013."The only condition for validity is that the decision be taken in full freedom. Speculation over an invalid renunciation is simply absurd," said Benedict XVI, whose Latin title is now "pontifex emeritus".Benedict became the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign in February last year, when he said he could no longer carry on because of his declining health.He now lives in a former monastery inside Vatican grounds and made a rare public appearance this month at a ceremony in St Peter's Basilica for the appointment of new cardinals by his successor, Pope Francis.Born in Germany as Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict has continued wearing his papal white cassock, which has caused some confusion, but he addressed this question as simply a "practical" issue."Keeping the white cassock and the name Benedict are simply practical. At the time of the renunciation, there were no other cassocks available," he said.
"I wear my white cassock in a way that is distinct from that of the pope. Again, there is speculation here that has no foundation whatsoever," he added.Benedict also said he had "a great identity of views and heartfelt friendship" with Francis and would devote himself to supporting the papacy through prayer.


North Korea fires four short-range missiles: South Korea

Reuters
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired four short-range missiles toward the sea off the country's east coast on Thursday, a media official at South Korea's Defence Ministry said, while providing no information on the purpose of the firing.North Korea fired the missiles at 5:42 p.m. (0342 ET) from a mountain site just north of the border with the South, the official said.North Korea has in the past fired short-range missiles into the sea as part of military exercises.(Reporting by Choonsik Yoo and Jane Chung; Editing by Robert Birsel)

MUSLIM NATIONS (SLAUGHTERED BY NUKES FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL)

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages;(ISRAEL) I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil,(OIL IS IN SPOIL) and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

EZEKIEL 39:1-8,11-21
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13 Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)(EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN THE JORDAN VALLEY)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ARMIES)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye (MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL) shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.(RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS)
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I (GOD-JESUS) will set my glory among the heathen,(WORLD NATIONS) and all the heathen (WORLD NATIONS) shall see my judgment that I have executed,(AGAINST ISRAELS ENEMIES) and my (GODS) hand that I have laid upon them.(ISRAELS HATER ENEMIES)

JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37  For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)

EZEKIEL 35:3-6,11-15
3  And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir,(ARABS) I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
4  I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
5  Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred,(AGAINST ISRAEL) and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
6  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
11  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
12  And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
13  Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
14  Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.(ARAB,MUSLIMS)
15  As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir,(ARABS) and all Idumea,(ARAB,MUSLIMS) even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

ISAIAH 17:1,11-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD KILLED IN OVERNIGHT RAID) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

AMOS 1:5
5  I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden:(IRAQ) and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,(JORDAN) saith the LORD.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

JEREMIAH 47:1-7
1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN/ARABS) before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.
2  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north,(NORTHERN TSUNAMI POSSIBLY) and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
3  At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses,(ISRAELS ARMY) at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;(ISRAEL POSSIBLY NUKES GAZA)
4  Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines,(PALESTINIAN FAKE ARABS) and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
5  Baldness is come upon Gaza;(NUKED POSSIBLY) Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?
6  O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
7  How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? (MEDITTERANEAN SEA) there hath he appointed it.

EGYPT

ISAIAH 19:1-5
1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south ( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS-MUSLIMS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them,(BEFORE THE NUKE GOES OFF) and behind them a desolate wilderness;(AFTER THE ATOMIC BOMB GOES OFF) yea, and nothing shall escape them.(EVERYTHING NUKED)
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate,(SIBERIAN DESERT) with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

JEREMIAH 8:7
7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times;(MIGRATION TIME) and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming;(IN MIGRATION SEASON) but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.(WW3 MIGRATING BIRDS EAT ISRAELS ENEMIES FLESH AND BLOOD)

YANUKOVYCH IS IN MOSCOW.KISSING PUTINS HAND AND SIPPING VODKA.AND WATCHING ON TV HOW THE NEW LEADERS IN UKRAINE WANT HIM ARRESTED FOR MASS MURDER.BUT HE AND PUTIN LAUGH AND CONTINUES SIPPING THEIR VODKA. 

I HEARD PUTIN WILL ATTACK IN UKRAINE ITS JUST A MATTER OF MINUTES,HOURS OR DAYS AT THE MOST.BUT PUTIN WILL GO INTO UKRAINE.THE PLANES ARE ON STAND BY.RUSSIAS PUTIN ALSO SAYS HE WILL GUARD HIS BLACK SEA FLEET IN THE UKRAINE WITH HIS LIFE.

AND AGA KHAN THE LEADER OF 15 MILLION SHIITE ISMALI MUSLIMS IS CURRENTLY IN CANADA TALKING WITH HARPER AND TALKING AT A MEETING. THIS KHAN GUY HAS BIGTIME SHIITE MUSLIM INFLUENCE AND HE WILL BE STARTING SOME BUSINESS OR SOMETHING IN OTTAWA.ONCE AGAIN ISLAM INFILTRATES CANADA.I NEVER EVER EVEN HEARD OF THIS AGA KHAN GUY UNTIL 10 MINUTES AGO.OVIOUSLY THE ARAB-MUSLIMS IN PSALMS 83 ARE THESE ISMALI SHIITES.


PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

AKDN IN CANADA
http://www.akdn.org/canada 
http://www.akdn.org/canada_social.asp
http://www.worldpartnershipwalk.com/en/
http://www.akdn.org/canada_pluralism.asp
http://www.akdn.org/canada_culture.asp

Global Centre for Pluralism-AGA KHAN ISMALI MUSLIMS WORLD LEADER

Version franรงaise The Global Centre for Pluralism is a major new international centre for research, education and exchange about the values, practices and policies that underpin pluralist societies. Drawing inspiration from the Canadian experience, the centre will function as a global repository and source for knowledge about fostering pluralistic values, policies, and practices. It will undertake research, deliver programmes, facilitate dialogue, develop pedagogical materials and work with civil society partners worldwide to build the capacities of individuals, groups, educational institutions and governments to promote indigenous approaches to pluralism in their own countries and communities. It will work with countries to nurture successful civil societies in which every citizen, irrespective of cultural, religious or ethnic differences, is able to realize his or her full potential.Under the terms of the agreement, the Government of Canada will contribute C$30 million towards the establishment of the Centre’s endowment fund. The Aga Khan will contribute a minimum of C$30 million toward the endowment and the refurbishing of the former Canadian War Museum, which the Government is making available on a long-term lease to serve as the Centre’s global headquarters.
For more information, please see the Global Centre for Pluralism website.

Media Advisory - Aga Khan to address special joint session of parliament on Thursday, February 27

OTTAWA, Feb. 26, 2014 /CNW/ - His Highness the Aga Khan, founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, arrived in Canada today to deliver an historic address to the Canadian Parliament at the invitation of The Prime Minister of Canada, The Right Honourable Stephen Harper.His Highness the Aga Khan joins a handful of individuals who are not a head of state or government to address a joint session of Parliament. He is also the first faith leader to address the Canadian Parliament.Speaking about the invitation in a press release issued by the Canadian government, Prime Minister Harper stated that "Our Government is honoured to once again welcome His Highness the Aga Khan to Canada. Our country has a warm and lasting friendship with His Highness, who was granted honorary Canadian citizenship for his leadership as a champion of international development, pluralism and tolerance around the world."The Aga Khan, the AKDN and the Ismaili community have long-standing ties to Canada. The Government of Canada and the Aga Khan Development Network collaborate on development projects around the world. Partnership has been particularly strong in promoting maternal, newborn and child health - one of Canada's key development priorities. His Highness has launched several institutions in Canada, which stem from his admiration of Canada's success as a pluralistic nation.These include the Global Centre for Pluralism - a joint initiative of the Canadian government and the Ismaili Imamat - as well as the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat. In May 2010, Prime Minister Harper and His Highness presided over the Foundation Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, and the Aga Khan Museum, the first museum in North America dedicated exclusively to Islamic arts and cultures.His Highness the Aga Khan will deliver the historic address to a joint session of the Canadian Parliament on February 27, 2014 at 11 am EST. For information or pictures, please see AKDN.org.
SOURCE Aga Khan Council For Canada
For further information:
Semin Abdulla
Senior Communications Officer 

Aga Khan Development Network
Semin.abdulla@akdn.org
Faiza Hirji
Aga Khan Council for Canada
faiza_hirji@hotmail.com
(289) 921-0578

Ukraine Parliament Approves New Government

FILE - Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine's new prime minister is seen talking to interim President Oleksandr Turchynov and lawmakers in Ukraine's parliament in Kyiv.
FILE - Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine's new prime minister is seen talking to interim President Oleksandr Turchynov and lawmakers in Ukraine's parliament in Kyiv.
VOA NewsRFE/RL
Ukraine's parliament has approved a new cabinet replacing that of ousted president Viktor Yanukovych.
The new government, comprising more than 20 ministers, is headed by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a former foreign and economics minister.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk

-39 years old
-trained lawyer and economist
-Born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine
-Head of National Bank of Ukraine (2003-2005)
-Minister of Economy (2005-2006)
-Foreign Minister (2007)
-Close ally of Yulia Tymoshenko
-Unsuccessfully ran for president in 2010
-Leader of Ukraine's Fatherland Party
The new cabinet gained the support of 331 lawmakers in the 450-mandate chamber.

Addressing lawmakers, Yatsenyuk warned of "unpopular" decisions ahead to tackle the country's economic crisis. He vowed Ukraine will sign an Association Agreement with the European Union but also said Kyiv wanted a partnership with Russia. He further vowed that his government will preserve Ukraine's territorial integrity. "We are committed to the territorial integrity and unity of my country," Yatsenyuk said. "And the new government will do everything and use all legal means to stabilize the situation in Crimea and to convince the entire world and all Ukrainian neighbors that Ukraine is a sovereign united country and no separatism is allowed."

Tensions in Crimea rising

Meanwhile, Ukraine's acting president has warned Russia against moving troops outside its base in Crimea. The warning follows the seizure of the local parliament building by unidentified gunmen.Oleksandr Turchnyov warned its powerful neighbor that if Russian troops advance beyond their base in Sevastapol, Ukraine will consider it “military aggression.”Russia has expressed concern about the majority Russian-speaking population of Crimea following the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Russia leases a military base on the southern peninsula for its Black Sea Fleet.Amateur video Thursday showed a line of unidentified armored personnel carriers said to be approaching the regional capital Simferopol. The video could not be independently confirmed.In Simferopol overnight, armed men seized government buildings and raised the Russian flag.Local resident Maxim, who did not give his last name, described the storming of the building.He said no one knows what is going on inside now, but he witnessed some 30 fully armed men kick out police stationed in the buildings. He said the gunmen brought in rocket propelled grenades, sniper rifles and other weapons.Today's developments follow dueling rallies on Tuesday in Simferopol between pro-Moscow and pro-Kyiv activists. Tensions between Ukraine and Russia are also high on the Ukrainian border, with Russia having ordered emergency military exercises in the area. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu described the maneuvers as testing troops' readiness to deal with threats to national security. Some 150,000 Russian troops are reportedly taking part in the drill.A White House statement Wednesday urged “outside players in the region” to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Washington wants to “remind all governments of their political commitments to transparency about military activities” under international obligations designed to ensure peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region, said a White House spokesman. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a Russian military intervention in Ukraine would be a “grave mistake.”

Russia protecting Yanukovych

Meanwhile, Russia has agreed to ensure the personal safety of Ukraine's ousted president Viktor Yanukovych, Russian news agencies quoted a source in the authorities as saying on Thursday."In connection with the appeal by president Yanukovych for his personal security to be guaranteed, I report that the request has been granted on the territory of the Russian Federation,'' the source was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.Yanukovych has said he still considers himself Ukraine's head of state and has asked Russia to ensure his personal safety.The ousted leader released a statement to Russian news agencies on Thursday, from an undisclosed location. Yanukovych has not been seen in public since Saturday, when Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss him and set early elections for May 25. Some information for this report was provided by Elizabeth Arrott reporting from Ukraine, and Reuters

Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovich said on Thursday he was still the legitimate president of his country and that people in its southeastern and southern regions would never accept the “lawlessness” brought by leaders chosen by a mob.Russian news agencies quoted a statement by Yanukovich as saying he had asked Moscow to guarantee his personal safety. The statement could not be independently verified and it was not clear where Yanukovich was, although some media groups have suggested he is in Moscow after fleeing Ukraine, where he was toppled by opposition forces at the weekend.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said he had no information and could not comment on the statement.“I, Viktor Fedorovich Yanukovich appeal to the people of Ukraine. As before I still consider myself to be the lawful head of the Ukrainian state, chosen freely by the will of the Ukrainian people,” he was quoted as saying. “Now it is becoming clear that the people in southeastern Ukraine and in Crimea do not accept the power vacuum and complete lawlessness in the country, when the heads of ministries are appointed by the mob.”“On the streets of many cities of our country there is an orgy of extremism,” he said, adding that he and his closest aides had been threatened physically. “I have to ask the Russian authorities to provide me with personal safety from the actions of extremists.”Russian television showed what it said was a copy of the statement. Interfax news agency quoted a source in the authorities as saying Moscow would ensure Yanukovich’s safety on the Russian territory. “In connection with the appeal by president Yanukovich for his personal security to be guaranteed, I report that the request has been granted on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the source was quoted as saying.Reuters

Russia war games over Ukraine prompt US warning


Associated Press
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia ordered 150,000 troops to test their combat readiness Wednesday in a show of force that prompted a blunt warning from the United States that any military intervention in Ukraine would be a "grave mistake."Vladimir Putin's announcement of huge new war games came as Ukraine's protest leaders named a millionaire former banker to head a new government after the pro-Russian president went into hiding.The new government, which is expected to be formally approved by parliament Thursday, will face the hugely complicated task of restoring stability in a country that is not only deeply divided politically but on the verge of financial collapse. Its fugitive president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled the capital last week.In Kiev's Independence Square, the heart of the protest movement against Yanukovych, the interim leaders who seized control after he disappeared proposed Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the country's new prime minister. The 39-year-old served as economy minister, foreign minister and parliamentary speaker before Yanukovych took office in 2010, and is widely viewed as a technocratic reformer who enjoys the support of the U.S.Across Ukraine, the divided allegiances between Russia and the West were on full display as fistfights broke out between pro- and anti-Russia protesters in the strategic Crimea peninsula.Amid the tensions, Putin put the military on alert for massive exercises involving most of the military units in western Russia, and announced measures to tighten security at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.The maneuvers will involve some 150,000 troops, 880 tanks, 90 aircraft and 80 navy ships, and are intended to "check the troops' readiness for action in crisis situations that threaten the nation's military security," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.
The move prompted a sharp rebuke from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who warned Russia against any military intervention in Ukraine."Any kind of military intervention that would violate the sovereign territorial integrity of Ukraine would be a huge, a grave mistake," Kerry told reporters in Washington. "The territorial integrity of Ukraine needs to be respected."In delivering the message, Kerry also announced that the Obama administration was planning $1 billion in loan guarantees for Ukraine and would consider additional direct assistance for the former Soviet republic.Still, Kerry insisted that U.S. policy was not aimed at reducing Russia's influence in Ukraine or other former Soviet republics, but rather to see their people realize aspirations for freedom in robust democracies with strong economies."This is not 'Rocky IV'," Kerry said, referring to the 1985 Sylvester Stallone film in which an aging American boxer takes on a daunting Soviet muscleman. "It is not a zero-sum game. We do not view it through the lens of East-West, Russia-U.S. or anything else. We view it as an example of people within a sovereign nation who are expressing their desire to choose their future. And that's a very powerful force."Russia denied the military maneuvers had any connection to the situation in Ukraine, but the massive show of force appeared intended to show both the new Ukrainian authorities and the West that the Kremlin was ready to use all means to protect its interests.
While Russia has pledged not to intervene in Ukraine's domestic affairs, it has issued a flurry of statements voicing concern about the situation of Russian speakers in Ukraine, including in the Crimea.The strategic region, which hosts a major Russian naval base and where the majority of the population are Russian speakers, has strong ties to Moscow. It only became part of Ukraine in 1954 when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred jurisdiction from Russia — a move that was a mere formality until the 1991 Soviet collapse meant Crimea landed in an independent Ukraine.Igor Korotchenko, a former colonel of the Russian military's General Staff, wrote a commentary in a Russian online newspaper, slon.ru, saying "if illegal armed formations attempt to overthrow the local government in Crimea by force, a civil war will start and Russia couldn't ignore it."Still, while the exercises include most units from Russia's Western Military District and some from the Central Military District that spreads across the Urals and part of Siberia, it does not involve troops from the Southern Military District, such as the Black Sea Fleet and areas in southern Russia that neighbor Ukraine.This seemed to signal that Moscow does not want to go too far. By flexing its military muscles Russia clearly wants to show the West it must seriously consider its interests in Ukraine, while avoiding inflaming tensions further.In Crimea, fistfights broke out between rival demonstrators in the regional capital of Simferopol when some 20,000 Muslim Tatars rallying in support of Ukraine's interim leaders clashed with a smaller pro-Russian rally.The protesters shouted and attacked each other with stones, bottles and punches, as police and leaders of both rallies struggled to keep the two groups apart.One health official said at least 20 people were injured, while the local health ministry said one person died from an apparent heart attack. Tatar leaders said there was a second fatality when a woman was trampled to death by the crowd. Authorities did not confirm that.The Tatars, a Muslim ethnic group who have lived in Crimea for centuries, were brutally deported in 1944 by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, but have since returned.One of the first jobs for Yatsenyuk and other members of his new Cabinet will be seeking outside financial help from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. Economists say Ukraine is close to financial collapse, with its currency under pressure and its treasury almost empty. The acting finance minister has said Ukraine will need $35 billion in bailout loans to get through the next two years.Any such deal will require a new prime minister to take unpopular steps, such as raising the price of gas to consumers. The state gas company charges as little as one-fifth of what it pays for imported Russian gas. The IMF unsuccessfully pressed Ukraine to halt the practice under two earlier bailouts, and halted aid when Kiev wouldn't comply.
The European Commission's top officials held a meeting Wednesday in Brussels to discuss how the 28-nation bloc can provide rapid financial assistance to Ukraine.___Vladimir Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press writers Maria Danilova and David McHugh in Kiev, Svetlana Fedas in Lviv, and Yuras Karmanau in Simferopol contributed to this report.

Ukraine: Pro-Russia gunmen seize offices in Crimea


Associated Press
SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Dozens of heavily armed gunmen seized control of local government buildings in Ukraine's Crimea region early Thursday and raised the Russian flag, mirroring the three-month protest movement that drove Ukraine's pro-Russian president into hiding last week.The moves escalated tensions in Ukraine, whose population is divided in loyalties between Russia and the West. Some 150,000 Russian soldiers carried out military exercises and fighter jets patrolled the border, as a respected Russian newspaper reported that Moscow is sheltering fugitive Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.In a statement published by three Russian news agencies, the fugitive president said he is asking Russia's protection from "extremists" and that he still considers himself to be Ukraine's legitimate leader. An unnamed Russian official said that his request was "satisfied in the territory of Russia," the Russian agencies said.
Oleksandr Turchynov, who stepped in as acting president after Yanukovych's flight, warned that any move by Russian troops off of their base in Crimea "will be considered a military aggression."In Kiev, lawmakers were expected to approve the new government that will face the hugely complicated task of restoring stability in a country that is not only deeply divided politically but on the verge of financial collapse.Protest leaders said Wednesday that they would propose Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the country's new prime minister. The 39-year-old served as economy minister, foreign minister and parliamentary speaker before Yanukovych took office in 2010, and is widely viewed as a technocratic reformer who enjoys the support of the U.S.
Yanukovych fled after riot police attacked protesters in Kiev's central square, killing more than 80 people, and European and Russian officials intervened. He has not been seen publicly since Saturday, when he said he remained the legitimately elected president — a position that has been backed by Russia.Russia's respected RBK newspaper reported that Yanukovych was seen in a Moscow hotel and is now staying in a Kremlin sanatorium just outside the city. The report was impossible to confirm, but security at the Ukraina Hotel was unusually heavy late Wednesday, with police parked outside and guards throughout the lobby. Some of Yanukovych's allies, also reported to have been at the hotel, may have still been there.RBK said Yanukovych himself had moved to the Barvikha sanatorium, which is run by the presidential administration's property department. The spokesman for that department, Viktor Khrekov, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he has no information about this. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman also said he had no information about Yanukovych's reported arrival in Moscow.RBK said the information came from one of Russia's wealthiest businessmen and was confirmed by a government official, neither of whom was identified. The article carried the byline of respected journalists, including RBK Editor-in-Chief Elizaveta Osetinskaya, who has high-level contacts in Russian business circles.In a clear warning to Ukraine, Putin on Wednesday ordered massive military exercises involving most of the military units in western Russia. On Thursday, as part of the exercises, 90 fighter jets were put on combat alert and were patrolling the border with Ukraine, Russian news agencies quoted the Defense Ministry as saying.The military also announced measures to tighten security at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean peninsula in southeastern Ukraine.The military maneuvers prompted a sharp rebuke from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who warned Russia that any military intervention in Ukraine would be a "grave mistake."The Russian Foreign Ministry voiced concern Thursday about the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine and vowed to protect their interests. State-owned ITAR-Tass news agency quoted a statement read at a session of the ministry's board on Thursday, saying that Russia "will have a firm and uncompromising response to violations of the rights of compatriots by foreign states."Russia has accused Ukraine's interim leaders of failing to control radicals who threaten the Russia-speaking population in Ukraine's east and south, which includes the Crimean Peninsula.Witnesses said the gunmen in Simferopol, the Crimean regional capital, wore unmarked camouflage uniforms and carried rocket-propelled grenades, sniper rifles and other weapons. They raised the Russian flag over the local parliament building.The men did not immediately voice any demands and threw a flash grenade in response to a journalist's questions. They wore black and orange ribbons, a Russian symbol of the victory in World War II, and put up a sign reading "Crimea is Russia."Maxim, a pro-Russian activist who refused to give his last name, said he and other activists had camped overnight outside the local parliament in Simferopol when 50-60 heavily armed men wearing flak jackets and carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers and sniper rifles took over the building."Our activists were sitting there all night calmly, building the barricades," he said. "At 5 o'clock unknown men turned up and went to the building. They got into the courtyard and put everyone on the ground."They were asking who we were. When we said we stand for the Russian language and Russia, they said: 'Don't be afraid. We're with you.' Then they began to storm the building bringing down the doors," he said. "They didn't look like volunteers or amateurs; they were professionals. This was clearly a well-organized operation.""Who are they?" he added. "Nobody knows."In a statement, the local government said Crimean Prime Minister Anatoly Mogilyev had tried to negotiate with the gunmen but was told "they were not authorized to negotiate and present demands."
Ukraine's acting interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said on his Facebook page that police were sealing off the area."Measures have been taken to counter extremist actions and not allow the situation to escalate into an armed confrontation in the center of the city," he said.Phone calls to the Crimean legislature rang unanswered, and its website was down.___Associated Press writers Maria Danilova and Karl Ritter in Kiev and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.

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