Wednesday, March 11, 2015

SPAIN RUSSIA SANCTIONS BENEFICIAL TO NO ONE.

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.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

Mexican peso hits historic low against the dollar-Associated Press-mar 10,16-yahoonews

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican peso has established a historic low against the dollar for a second consecutive day amid expectations of interest rate hikes in the United States.According to the central bank, the peso closed Tuesday with an interbank rate of 15.62 per dollar, down .72 percent from a day earlier when it closed at 15.51.Both days beat the previous low of 15.49 established on March 9, 2009.
Analysts have said the peso faces pressure from speculation that interest rates will soon rise in the U.S. with the improving economy, creating more demand for dollars in Mexico.Last week, the Bank of Mexico auctioned $200 million to slow the peso's fall. The bank announced in December that it would use the mechanism when the peso dropped at least 1.5 percent.

FALSE POPE FROM THE VATICAN

ISAIAH 23:15-17
15  And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16  Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17  And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.

REVELATION 13:11-13
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he (FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADER) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

REVELATION 17:1-5,9,15-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(BOMB OR NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city,(VATICAN) which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

03/10/2015-Tauran: New Camerlengo swears oath in presence of Pope-Card. Tauran-The President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue takes over from Bertone-vatican insider staff

turin-The President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran has been sworn in as new Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, in the presence of Pope Francis who presided the liturgy in the Chapel of Urban VIII and read out the liturgical texts without pronouncing a speech.After reading the text of the oath, Tauran pronounced some brief words of thanks.“The Camerlengo,” a Vatican statement recalls, “is the cardinal who presides the so-called Apostolic Chamber and safeguards and administers the temporal goods and rights of the Holy See during the “sede vacante” (vacant see) period: during this period he is among those who retain their offices, going about their work as normal, and notifies the College of Cardinals of what the Pope would usually be notified of.”Tauran was appointed last 20 December and takes over from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, former Vatican Secretary of State. Also present at the oath-taking ceremony, alongside Pope Francis,was the Archbishop Giampiero Gloder, Vice- Camerlengo; Georg Gänswein, Prefect of the Papal Household; Guido Marini, Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations and Mgr. Giuseppe Sciacca, Auditor General.

03/10/2015-Sandri: “Let us help Christians in the Holy Land fleeing war”-A young girl in Kobane-This was the message contained in a letter sent by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches to the world’s bishops for the annual Good Friday Collection for the Church in the Holy Land-vatican insider staff

rome-“There are millions of refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, where the roar of arms does not cease and the way of dialogue and concord seems completely lost. Senseless hatred seems to prevail instead, along with the helpless desperation of those who have lost everything and have been expulsed from the land of their ancestors.” Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, wrote this in a letter sent to bishops around the world for the annual Good Friday Collection for the Church in the Holy Land. “If the Christians of the Holy Land are encouraged to resist, to the degree possible, the understandable temptation to flee, the faithful throughout the world are asked to take their plight to heart, th eletter reads.”Cardinal Sandri recalled that on Good Friday the Church “expresses by prayer and by this Collection its support for the faith communities and the sacred places in the Holy Land. The need is particularly felt in this time of crisis, through which the entire region of the Middle East is passing.” He also stressed that Francis has particularly at heart the sufferings of so many of our brothers and sisters in this corner of the world, aggravated in the past months because of the continuing hostilities in the region.”The “Collecta pro Terra Sancta”, he added, “this year presents a still more precious opportunity to become pilgrims of faith after the example of the Holy Father, who in May last year visited this patch of land, so dear to Christians, Jews and Muslims alike. It is a chance to become promoters of dialogue through peace, prayer and sharing of burdens”.

03/ 9/2015-Vatican event tackles tough question of women's role in church-Women attend a mass inside a church to celebrate Easter in Chennai-An event at the Vatican Sunday saw an open and frank discussion among women about limitations on their leadership in the church. They spoke about the need for full equality for men and women in church structures-JOSHUA j. McELWEE

VATICAN CITY-A Vatican event Sunday saw a remarkably open and frank discussion among women about the limits on their participation in church structures.Among the topics discussed by the women during the event, held to mark International Women's Day: The need for the church to practice what it preaches about full equality between men and women and to include women in every level of decision-making.The women also expressed a desire for a fundamental rethink regarding how church prelates and documents describe them, saying they are often pigeonholed as reflecting only the sensitive or tender half of humanity."I would like to see women have [the] opportunity to be strong, courageous, intelligent," said Ulla Gudmundson, a former Swedish ambassador to the Holy See, during the discussion. "I would also like to see men have the opportunity to be tender, patient, sensitive."Expressing her dreams for how the church would treat women in the future, another member of the discussion presented a multi-layered vision of a Catholic church where men and women are treated as equals at every level."I dream of a church where it won't matter whether you're a man or a woman and you just respond to God's call of service," said Astrid Gajiwala, an Indian biologist who has worked as a consultant for her bishops' conference."I also dream of a church where men and women would participate equally in all decision making, so that they both would contribute to the policies, the structures, the teaching, and the practice of the church," she said. "And both would engage in ministry."Gudmundson and Gajiwala were speaking Sunday at an event known as Voices of Faith, which was put together as an opportunity for women to share their stories of faith from the Vatican on International Women's Day.Organized by the Liechtenstein-based charitable trust Fidel Götz Foundation, the event was live-streamed around the world from the Vatican's Casina Pio IV, an iconic marble building that is home to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.The panel discussion was just one part of the five-hour event and was moderated by Deborah Rose-Milavec, who is the head of the U.S.-based reform group FutureChurch. The other speakers on the panel were British-Zambian theologian Tina Beattie and Gudrun Sailer, a journalist for the German section of Vatican Radio.In an earlier interview with the National Catholic Reporter, Fidel Götz Foundation executive director Chantal Götz said the Vatican's willingness to host the event was "important because it means the doors are open" for women.Among other speakers Sunday were six other women from various places and circumstances around the world who addressed issues as varied as healthcare needs for women in India, creating opportunities for education for women in refugee camps, and persecution against Christians in the Middle East.Voices of Faith also joined with Caritas Internationalis to award two 10,000 Euro prizes to two organizations run by women that have developed best practices in addressing world hunger.Those awards went to a Lebanon-based group called Basmeh & Zeitooneh that is helping Syrian refugees learn work skills and to Caritas Nicaragua, which is helping women to learn farming skills to help sustain their families and earn income independent of their husbands.The only male speaker at Sunday's event was Jesuit Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, a native Nigerian who just finished service as the provincial of the Jesuit order's province of East Africa.Centering his talk on the April 2014 kidnapping of girls in Nigeria by the terrorist group Boko Haram, Orobator gave a commanding presentation on the discrimination faced by African women and girls.[Joshua J. McElwee is the Vatican Correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.]

03/ 9/2015-Buenos Aires’ “villeros” interview Pope Francis-"Welcome to Cárcova"-La Cárcova News, a home-made newspaper edited by the slum community of “Gran Buenos Aires” has published the Pope’s answers to a series of questions put to him by young people. Drug trafficking, faith, derailed lives, virtual worlds and politics were among the topics covered-Gianni Valente

rome-Two years after his election as Successor of Peter Pope Francis has given another interview covering a wide range of issues. And it was not published by some influential newspaper of international renown. This was not part of a cultural review and there was no expert journalist or editor-in-chief gathering answers: this time, the publication that featured an exclusive interview with the Pope on its front page, was a local newspaper recently launched in “Gran Buenos Aires”, one of the Argentinean capital’s slums, or villas miserias as they are locally known. The newspaper in question is La Cárcova News.It was launched last December and is published by the young people living in Cárcova, a shantytown in the Leon Suarez locality ont he outskirts of Buenos Aires. The slum which first appeared in the 1950s, grew around a local railway station and Fr. José Maria “Pepe” di Paola, a spiritual child of Bergoglio, is currently in charge of the community’s pastoral care. This morning girls and boys from the parish of San Giovanni Bosco made their way through the streets handing out copies of the newspaper to all the villeros.Because it was, in a way, the whole villa that interviewed the Pope. The “collective papal interview” was an unprecedented experiment. Alver Metalli, a journalist who writes for Vatican Insider and is the brains behind the launch of Cárcova’s “street newspaper”, explained how the idea for the papal interview emerged. It came in January, in a chapel courtyard, after a religious procession and was fuelled by “a glass or two of wine”. The idea then turned into a community initiative, with a series of questions selected from a large batch collected by around 600 young people who were involved in the summer camps organised by the parish. Fr. Pepe Di Paola then physically recorded the Pope’s answers when the two met in Rome on 7 February this year.The interview surprises and is unlike any other because of the unusual way in which it was conceived and conducted. There are none of the usual questions regarding civil unions and the placement of women in Vatican dicasteries. No sign of Curia-related issues, including the great discussions surrounding its reform and the disputes over the IOR. The questions are to do with the real lives of girls and boys in the villas. Behind these stories of urban marginalisation, is the throb of fear and the desire to live and be happy. You get a better view of the reality from the peripheries rather than from the centre, Pope Francis reiterated in his answers to the young people. Because if “we go out from the centre and move away from it, we discover more things”. On this occasion, Francis’ answers were more powerful than ever and went straight to the point. They were clear and simple. Below is a summary of the interview.Museum-like young people and Narcocracy. Interviewers recalled that it is often drugs that are the ruin of young people in the villas. Francis condemned the phenomenon as part of a “system” and spoke of a “triumphalism of traffickers. These people sing their victory aloud, they feel that they have won, that they have  triumphed. This is a reality. “There are countries or regions that are totally controlled by drugs.” In relation to young people, the Bishop of Rome reflected on the dangers of the virtual reality and the flow of information and contents through social networks. “We have a great capacity to gather information and this can turning young people into “museums”, into collectors of images and data that dull and weaken their ability to be critical. “In life, fertility does not just come from the accumulation of information or simply through virtual communication (…). Virtual love does not exist. The declaration of virtual love exists, but real love requires physical, concrete contact.”Faith is a gift. “I find it hurtful when I see children who don’t know how to make the sign of the cross. It means the little one has not been given the most important thing a father and a mother can give their child: faith.” Pope Francis said we need to get used to the fact that faith is not a feeling. Sometimes the Lord grants us the grace of this feeling, but faith is more than that. Faith is my relationship with Jesus Christ, I believe that He has saved me. This is really what faith is about. Look back at those moments in your life when you were down, when you were lost and when nothing seemed to go right and observe how Christ saved you.” “After all,” The Pope repeated, “faith is a gift, it is not a psychological state. When you are presented with a gift, you take it don’t you?”Starting over and “wasted” lives. In answer to a question about what makes it possible for people as individuals or within groups to get back on their feet, even when everything seems lost, Francis responded that “everyone can change. Even people facing very trying situations, everyone. I know some people who had let themselves go, who were throwing their lives away and are now married with a family. This is not optimism. It is certainty in two things: in man and in the person. A person is made in the image of God and God does not look down on his own image, he saves it somehow, he always finds a way to retrieve it when it obscured. Secondly, it is the strength of the Holy Spirit that changes the conscience. God does not abandon His children.” Referring to himself, he said: “I have spent a great deal of time away. In those moments, life wasn’t so intense or rich. I am a sinner like all others. It’s just that the Lord leads me to do things that are visible, but how often we see people who do so much good without being seen!”The importance of listening. In answer to another question, the Pope said he was aware he is surrounded by many people who do not agree with what he says and does but he added that “listening to people has never done me any harm. Every time I have listened to people, it’s always worked out well for me. On the occasions I haven’t listened to them, things haven’t work out so well. Because even if you don’t agree with someone, they always - always! – give you something or place you in a situation that pushes you to rethink their position. And this makes you a better person.”Financial lobbying and politics. When asked whether he could give suggestions for Argentinian politicians in view of this year’s elections, Pope Francis limited himself to giving some methodological tips in reference to other countries’ contexts too: he called for a “clear electoral platform, where each individual says: if we win, we are going to do this and this. Very concrete!” Above all, the bishop of Rome hoped that the “election campaign will be free and not financed. Because when election campaigns are financed there are many interests involved and you have to take these into account later on.” The Pope admitted that this was wishful thinking on his part as in reality” money is always needed for manifestos and television coverage.” Nevertheless, there must be transparency in fundraising for election campaigns. As a citizen I know I am financing this candidate with this precise sum of money. There must be transparency and honesty in all areas.”The fear of physical pain. Asked about when he will be paying his first visit to Argentina, Francis confirmed that he should be visiting in 2016 but “it will need to be fitted in with visits to other countries”. Some were concerned after hearing the news on television about “fanatics who want to kill you”. Francis responded by saying that “life is in God’s hands. I said to the Lord: You take care of me. But if it is your will that I should die or that someone should do something to me, I ask you only this: that it won’t hurt.”

WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)

EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror(ISM), consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

Spain: Russia sanctions 'beneficial for no one' By Andrew Rettman-mar 10,15-euobserver

BRUSSELS, Today, 14:59-Spain on Tuesday (10 March) joined a list of EU countries which are publicly critical of Russia sanctions and keen to mend ties.The Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, told press in Moscow after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that “keeping or lifting sanctions depends on whether the agreements on Ukraine are being implemented or not. They [sanctions] are beneficial for no one”.Referring to the recent “Minsk” ceasefire accord, he added: "The Minsk agreements are [being] observed, there’s good news, [heavy] weaponry is being withdrawn … so, I don't see [any reason for] expanding sanctions”.He also noted that Russia’s counter-ban on EU food imports is hurting the Spanish economy and said the EU must take Russia’s interests into account in its relations with Ukraine.“Sanctions are inflicting great damage to the Spanish economy … We have big losses, especially in the agriculture sector”, he said.“I think that we need to somehow include Russia’s interests in the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union - this agreement needs to be complemented by co-operation with Russia.”For his part, Lavrov told media: “We did not discuss sanctions, they were not our choice. We are not going to persuade or ask our European friends about anything. Life will arrange everything back to order.”He added, however: “I would appreciate and prefer a situation where each EU member country would be guided by its national interests.”He accused EU officials of “[trying] to pretend that no progress is being made in fulfilling the military clauses of the Minsk agreements” and of “deliberately escalating the confrontation with Russia”.But he described Spain as a “long-standing and reliable partner” and called the Ukraine crisis “a rough patch” in EU-Russia relations.The two countries also revived an “inter-agency working group” on counter-terrorism and smoothed arrangements for Spanish families to adopt Russian children.Assessments differ to what extent Russia is honouring the Minsk pact.EU Council chief Donald Tusk has said Russian forces violated the accord more than 1,000 times since it was signed last month.The US' top diplomat on Ukraine, Victoria Nuland, told Congress on Tuesday that: “Just yesterday, shelling continued in Shyrokyne - a key village on the way to Mariupol [in south-east Ukraine] - and outside Donetsk on the weekend ... and just in the last few days, we can confirm new transfers of Russian tanks, armoured vehicles, heavy artillery and rocket equipment over the border to the separatists in eastern Ukraine”.Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko has also warned that, as with a previous ceasefire last September, Russia is using the current lull in fighting to rearm and regroup in what look like preparations for a new offensive.Meanwhile, EU diplomats have agreed to extend, for six months, a blacklist of some 150 people and 37 entities in Ukraine on the Russian side.The extension is to be rubber-stamped by EU transport ministers on Friday, barring last-minute objections.EU leaders meeting in Brussels next week will also discuss the big-ticket item - economic sanctions on Russia - which will expire in July unless all 28 EU states agree to roll them over.EU diplomats say the most likely, or "lowest common denominator", outcome is to extend them for six months.Garcia-Margallo’s remarks on Tuesday toed the EU line that sanctions depend on Russia’s actions on the ground.But his Russia-friendly tone aligns Spain with a growing group of EU states who would be happy to go back to business as usual if Russia freezes the status quo.The leaders of Cyprus, Hungary, and Italy went further than Spain by meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in recent weeks.The Italian PM, Matteo Renzi, said in Moscow that Russia’s international isolation should end if he respects the Minsk accords."History has shown that without Russia it is a lot more complicated to find a balance [in international crises],” he said.

March 9, 2015 7:14 pm JST-Pakistan tests long-range missile in Indian Ocean-Nikkei

ISLAMABAD (Kyodo) -- Pakistan on Monday successfully carried out a test of a Shaheen-3 long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear and conventional warhead to 2,750 kilometers, the country's Defense Ministry said.It said "the test launch was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of a weapon system at maximum range."Missiles of the Shaheen series, including Shaheen-2 with a range of 2,000 km, have been tested in the past, but Shaheen-3 marks the first test of a missile system that is capable of hitting a target anywhere in India.The Defense Ministry did not say from where the missile was fired but revealed that it impacted somewhere in the Arabian Sea.     Shaheen missiles can be fired from mobile launchers but are mostly fired from the Sonmiani firing range near Karachi.The ministry said that senior military officials, scientists and engineers from strategic organizations watched the test-firing of the device.It described the test as "yet another milestone of historic significance" and "a major step towards strengthening Pakistan's defense capability."The ministry went on to say that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain had congratulated the engineers and scientists behind the launch.

EU to mediate in Saudi-Swedish dispute on human rights By Jacob Hederos-mar 10,15-euobserver
Stockholm, Today, 20:02-The League of Arab States has “condemned” Saudi-critical remarks by Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom, leaving EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini to mediate.The League, an inter-governmental club of 22 states, had earlier invited Wallstrom to speak on women's rights at an event in Cairo on Monday (9 March), but it cancelled her spot a few hours beforehand due to pressure from Saudi Arabia.It also said, according to the Saudi state mouthpiece, SPA, that Arab ministers “expressed their condemnation and surprise of the issuance of such statements, which are incompatible with the truth that the constitution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is based on the tolerant Islamic Sharia”.The dispute surrounds Wallstrom’s criticism of Saudi Arabian treatment of women and its public flogging of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi, which Wallstrom recently described as “medieval” in the Swedish parliament.The league’s statement doesn’t specify what specific Wallstrom remarks they denounce. Meanwhile, Wallstrom’s office says they were informed of the announcement Monday evening, but downplayed its significance.“I believe that you should interpret this as a way for Saudi Arabia to save its face”, Wallstroms press officer told Swedish press.The EU’s Mogherini will now speak to both Wallstrom and the secretary general of the Arab league, Nabil El Araby, to inform herself of the situation.“We regret that the Swedish foreign minister was not able to deliver her speech”, Mogherini’s spokesperson told press in Brussels on Tuesday, while underlining the value of joint work with the league “on issues such as human rights and universal freedoms”.The Swedish-Saudi disagreement comes amid a controversial military co-operation deal between the two states.Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven government announced Tuesday evening a decision to step away from the deal.But the Arab League dispute isn't the reason behind the move, Lofven said. The decision was taken already last week, according to the PM.The new Swedish government had previously stirred controversy in the Middle East by becoming the first sitting EU country to recognise Palestine.

Mogherini suggests European anti-semitism taskforce-By EUOBSERVER-9. Mar, 16:59

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has backed the creation of an EU taskforce against anti-semitism. "I transferred the idea to (EU commission vice-president) Frans Timmermans, who has the formal authority in this issue, and we are already working on various initiatives", she wrote in Italian newspaper La Republica

Saudi Arabia blocks Swedish FM's woman's rights speech-By EUOBSERVER-Today, 09:18-mar 10,15

Saudi Arabia on Monday blocked Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom from speaking on women’s rights and representation at the League of Arab States in Cairo. "they have reacted strongly to what we have said about democracy and human rights," Wallstrom told Swedish public radio.

Finland: An EU army is not realistic-By EUOBSERVER-Today, 09:20-mar 10,15

Commission president Juncker's idea of an EU army is seen as unrealistic by Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja. He told public broadcaster Yle that "nothing concrete will come of this in the next few years." "Any EU army would at most be comprised of joint military units," he said.

EU leaders undecided on Russia sanctions By Andrew Rettman-mar 10,15-euobserver

BRUSSELS, Today, 09:29-EU leaders have not yet agreed what to say on Russia sanctions at next week’s summit, despite harsh words on Moscow by EU Council chief Donald Tusk in the US.The draft summit conclusions, seen by EUobserver, contain a blank on sanctions for now.They do say that implementation of the “Minsk” ceasefire agreement is “Russia's responsibility” and that there is “full commitment” for closer EU ties with Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.But they also highlight the need to “continue efforts” on EU-Russia-Ukraine talks on gas flows and on the “implementation” of an EU-Ukraine free trade treaty.With the Ukraine conflict posing concerns over security of Russian gas supply, leaders will recommend steps designed to reduce dependence.They say member states should focus on “accelerating infrastructure connections” to share gas and electricity if there is a Russian cut-off.They also call for “ensuring full compliance with EU law and energy security priorities of all agreements with external suppliers that may affect EU energy security”, in a reference to bilateral EU-Russia energy deals which have in the past deepened EU divisions on foreign policy.No extra sanctions.For his part, EU Council chief Donald Tusk, who will chair the summit on 19 and 20 March, spoke harshly of Russia while visiting the US on Monday (9 March).“Our enemies who use propaganda against us, commit acts of violence, and violate the sovereignty of our neighbours - they want to weaken the political commitment of the Western world. Today, we can see with full clarity that they are trying to divide us, from inside of Europe, as well as Europe and America”, he told press alongside US president Barack Obama in the White House.Obama echoed Tusk in saying the West needs to “maintain pressure on Russia” to abide by Minsk.Tusk, in an interview in The New York Times on Sunday, also noted that Russia has violated the Minsk agreement more than 1,000 times since the deal was reaffirmed last month and that, he believes, “Russia wants to rebuild control over the whole of Ukraine”.But despite his strong words he said it's “impossible” to reach an EU consensus on extra sanctions.With Cyprus, Hungary, and Italy in recent weeks courting a rapprochement with Russia, Tusk added: “Some politicians in Europe are ready to believe that there is a chance of good will [from Russian leader Vladimir Putin] … I am more sceptical”.

No arms for Ukraine

The US has during the conflict taken a more hawkish line than the EU 28, including a threat to send weapons to the Ukrainian military.But for his part, Peter Witting, the German ambassador to the US, said on Monday that Obama in February promised German chancellor Angela Merkel he won’t send arms for now.“The two leaders exchanged views on that issue and there was unity by them not to impose, or not to go forward with, the delivery of lethal defensive weapons at this time,” he told the Associated Press news agency.“We have to weigh carefully whether this would inject an additional element that could be a pretext or a trigger for counter-reaction by the Russian leadership”, he said.

Ministers reach political agreement on Juncker plan By Benjamin Fox-mar 10,15-euobserver

BRUSSELS, Today, 20:20-Finance ministers have agreed their position on the EU’s flagship investment fund at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (10 March).The fund is based on a €16 billion in guarantees from the EU budget and €5 billion from the European Investment Bank which the EU executive believes can generate a total of €315 billion over the next three years.Despite the misgivings of several ministers, including the Dutch and German governments, ministers have agreed to set up a steering board to decide the strategy and risk profile of the fund, alongside a nine-person expert committee which will decide which projects to fund."It is clear now that all the member states share the same view with the commission that we need investment,” said EU jobs commissioner Jyrki Katainen.The fund has been billed by the commission as a key tool to kickstart the EU’s weak economy although its aim of a 1:15 leverage ratio has been greeted with scepticism by a large section of the business community.Meanwhile, most of the EU budget funding comes from redeploying existing funds earmarked for the commission’s Horizon 2020 and Connecting Europe programmes, which focused on research and innovation projects and transport and energy infrastructure, giving fuel to critics who say that the plan merely involves repackaging existing projects.Under the scheme, if projects make losses the publicly funded portion would be the first in line to suffer a financial hit, seen as a way to attract private investors.The commission is targeting pension funds and insurance companies - which have long-term investment needs and plenty of resources - as being logical partners for infrastructure schemes in the transport and energy sectors which will inevitably take a number of years to complete.The EU executive had offered governments incentives to invest in the programme by stating that any extra funds provided by national treasuries to bolster the fund’s lending capacity would be given favourable treatment when calculating their debt and deficit levels.Governments have refused to put their own public money into the pot, but the national development banks of Italy, France, Germany and Spain have agreed to put money aside for projects pledging a total of €25.5 billion between them.The commission wants to have agreement on the fund between MEPs and ministers by June in order to start directing money to projects in the second half of this year.In the European Parliament in Strasbourg, meanwhile, MEPs agreed legislation to set up European Long-term Investment Funds (ELTIF) aimed at making it easier for pension funds and insurance companies to invest in businesses or projects. ELTIFs focus on increasing private sector investment in infrastructure projects. They are also seen as a first step towards harmonising Europe’s capital markets by reducing the reliance of businesses on bank lending.

EU nations climate-minded at home, but promoting coal products abroad By Peter Teffer-mar 10,15-euobserver

Brussels, Today, 12:09-EU states like France and Germany might be talking up their climate-change-fighting credentials at home, but they are also helping companies export technology for power plants that run on coal, the most polluting of the fossil fuels.EU taxpayers' money worth $3.8 billion was used as a guarantee for the construction of coal-fired power plants, according to a recently leaked document.While the EU has several policies in place aimed at reducing the emission of greenhouse gases on its territory, there are hardly any rules providing climate standards for projects supported by individual countries' export credit agencies.These government agencies provide guarantees or preferential loans to companies that want to offer a service in a third country, improving their chances of clinching a business deal.An internal document from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based research body, gave a rare insight into the amount of export credits given to companies that provide products for fossil fuel plants and extraction.As recently as 2012, for example, France and the US provided a guarantee worth $1.1 billion for the "design, manufacture, delivery and assembly of the 6 turbine subunits of the Kusile coal-fired power plant" in South Africa.According to the South African company in charge of the construction project, Kusile will be "the fourth-largest coal-fired power station in the world" and will be operational for sixty years.
Between 2003 and 2013, the 34 OECD countries provided export credits for coal-fired electric power plants worth $12.8 billion. Slightly less than a third came from EU countries, with France ($1.8bn) and German ($1.1bn) leading the pack. The largest providers in the OECD are South Korea ($4.1bn) and Japan ($3.3bn).Twenty-one of the 34 OECD members are EU countries.In 2013, US president Barack Obama called for an end to public financing of coal-fired power plants, and Washington has since tried to put the issue on the agenda during international negotiations with other OECD members.A possible restriction on coal technology as a recipient of export credits was discussed during a meeting last Wednesday (4 March), but according to Sebastien Godinot, economist at environmental organisation WWF, an agreement is nowhere in sight.“We know that Poland, the Czech Republic, as well as Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey are opposing more or less any significant step forward”, Godinot told this website.However, he added it is very difficult to learn where countries stand.“They discuss behind closed doors, on agenda's which are not made public, with data which are not published, and they don't tell you what their position really is and what they support or oppose in the discussions.”Some countries have expressed support for the US' opposition to public financing of coal, including the UK, the Netherlands, and more recently, France. According to Godinot, the OECD and the EU are keen on achieving a deal on restricting coal financing this year, ahead of the global climate summit due to begin in Paris at the end of November.The summit is aimed at creating a binding legal agreement between the world's countries to curb emissions.“The rich countries are asking the poor countries to make some efforts. If they ask poor countries to make some effort, but still keep subsidising their own industry for national benefits, it's really selfish. In term of reputation, they look ridiculous”, said Godinot.

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