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)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Pence hails ‘the miracle of Israel’s rebirth’ in 70th birthday wishes-US vice president sends congratulatory message for Independence Day, calling the Jewish state 'an inspiration to the world and the American people'-By TOI staff-APR 19,18
US Vice President Mike Pence hailed “the miracle of Israel’s rebirth” Wednesday in a tweet congratulating the Jewish state on the occasion of its 70th anniversary.“Today we join our great ally Israel as they celebrate their 70th Anniversary of Independence,” Pence said in a message linking to a tweet posted earlier by US President Donald Trump.The congratulations came as Israel moved from the somber Memorial Day for fallen soldiers to the celebratory Independence Day, which this year marks 70 years since the creation of the state.“The miracle of Israel’s rebirth in her historic homeland is an inspiration to the world & the American people are proud to stand w/ Israel on this historic day and every day,” Pence said.Today we join our great ally Israel as they celebrate their 70th Anniversary of Independence. The miracle of Israel’s rebirth in her historic homeland is an inspiration to the world & the American people are proud to stand w/ Israel on this historic day and every day. #Israel70 https://t.co/379sHj02lB— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) April 18, 2018-The United States has “no better friends anywhere” than Israel, Trump had said in his earlier tweet, congratulating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israelis on the country’s 70th anniversary.“Best wishes to Prime Minister @Netanyahu and all of the people of Israel on the 70th Anniversary of your Great Independence,” Trump tweeted. “We have no better friends anywhere. Looking forward to moving our Embassy to Jerusalem next month!”Netanyahu, who retweeted Trump’s message shortly after its publication, responded in kind several hours later.“Thank you, President Trump! We too have no better friend than America. We are greatly looking forward to your moving the embassy to Jerusalem, Israel’s eternal capital,” he tweeted.On Wednesday evening, Israel began to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding on May 14, 1948. Israel marks Independence Day according to the Hebrew calendar, on the 5th of Iyar — which this year falls on Thursday, April 19 — and festivities began on Wednesday evening.Trump vowed to move the US embassy to the holy city last December, when he also formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In January, he announced that the process would be expedited and a new facility would open in May, to coincide with Israel’s birthday.A ribbon-cutting ceremony is being planned for mid-May. Trump has, as yet, not committed to attending the inauguration. The Times of Israel has learned that his senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kushner’s wife, White House adviser Ivanka Trump, are considering traveling to Israel to attend.The Palestinians have seen the move as a provocation, and have said it effectively negates the possibility of the Trump administration serving as an honest broker in peace talks. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other PA officials have since refused to meet with anyone on Trump’s team.On Monday, the PLO’s US envoy said the decision to “take Jerusalem off the table,” invoking the president’s frequent phrase, was more like “removing the table all together.”Eric Cortellessa staff contributed to this report.
Abbas warmly welcomes terrorist released after 20 years in jail-Fatah official applauds Rajaei Haddad, accomplice in 1997 murder of Gabriel Hirschberg, as 'a leader, a hero and a fighter'-By TOI staff-APR 19,18
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed a terrorist immediately upon his release from a 20-year sentence in Israel prison for murder, in an hour-long meeting that focused on Palestinian prisoners.Rajaei Haddad was saluted by other Fatah members as “a leader, a hero, and a fighter.”Palestinian Authority TV showed footage of the meeting between Abbas and Haddad, who spent two decades in prison for his role in the November 1997 murder of yeshiva student Gabriel Hirschberg in the Old City of Jerusalem, in an April 10 television report. The report stressed “that our leadership gives top priority to the issue of our prisoners.”Haddad told viewers of Abbas’ concern for the well-being of all the jailed Palestinian terrorists.“The president asked me about each and every one,” Haddad said. “We sat together for a full hour and he listened to me. He asked me about the prisoners, listened to me, and wrote down everything. The president sends his regards (to the prisoners).”Haddad was released from jail on March 14. He was the lookout for the terror attack on Hagai Street, signalling to Ayman al-Sharbati when he saw two yeshiva students approaching. Al-Sharbati, who is still in prison, opened fire with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, killing Hirschberg and seriously wounding the other student.The news clip, translated by the MEMRI Middle East Media Research Institute, also showed a celebration held in Jerusalem to welcome the released terrorist that was attended by senior members of Fatah, the dominant party ruling the Palestinian Authority.“First, let me salute our prisoners who are languishing in prison,” said Fatah Revolutionary Council secretary Adnan Ghaith, “Here, in our capital of Jerusalem, our people welcome a leader, a hero, and a fighter, who sacrificed 20 years for the sake of Jerusalem, Palestine, and our great people.”In addition to supporting the other prisoners, Fatah said the celebrations were intended to send a message to the Israelis that the issue of prisoners and “martyrs” was non-negotiable.“I am very happy to join the people of Jerusalem, our eternal capital, in welcoming this Fatah knight, who spent 20 years in the prisons of the Israeli occupation, in defense of our land, our people, our independence and our freedom,” said Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Moheisen. “This (event) is a message of loyalty to the prisoners, the heroes. It is also a message to the occupation that the issue of the prisoners and martyrs is where we draw the line.”The meeting between Abbas and Haddad came some two weeks before US President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that cuts some aid to the Palestinians until they end stipends to terrorists and the families of slain attackers, as he approved a massive $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill. Abbas condemned the Taylor Force Act and vowed to continue paying families of “martyrs and prisoners.” Yusef al Mahmoud, spokesperson for the PA government in Ramallah, said that the US should instead have called for “ending the occupation and suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Iran quake, at least 5.5 in magnitude, strikes near nuclear power plant-Temblor epicenter 100 kilometers east of Bushehr; state media says no damage caused in sparsely populated area-By Nasser Karimi-APR 19,18-TOI
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An earthquake of at least magnitude 5.5 struck in southern Iran near the country’s sole nuclear power plant on Thursday morning, shaking countries across the Persian Gulf. There was no immediate report of damage or injuries.The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 9:34 a.m. some 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Bushehr. That’s home to the Bushehr Nuclear Power, the only operating nuclear power plant in the Islamic Republic.The USGS put the earthquake’s magnitude at 5.5 while Iranian state television, citing officials, described the quake as a magnitude 5.9. Varying magnitudes are common immediately after a temblor.Iranian state TV, which put the earthquake’s epicenter near the town of Kaki, did not report any damage at Bushehr plant, which has seen other earthquakes in the past and is built to resist damage from a temblor. Authorities later said the quake did not affect routine operations at the plant, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.The Iran Red Crescent described the epicenter as being in a sparsely populated area.In Bahrain, an island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia, people said they felt the quake and evacuated from high-rise buildings. Some in Qatar also felt the quake and evacuated tall buildings in Doha’s West Bay area. People in Kuwait City also felt the temblor.The USGS put the earthquake’s depth at 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) below the surface. Shallow earthquakes often have broader damage.A magnitude 5 earthquake can cause considerable damage.Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. Bam is near the Bushehr nuclear plant, which wasn’t damaged at that time.In November, a major 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous region of Iran near the Iraqi border, killing over 530 people and injuring thousands in Iran alone. In Iraq, nine people were killed and 550 were injured, all in the country’s northern Kurdish region.
In first, European Parliament condemns Hamas for terror, use of human shields-After intense negotiations, resolution also demands restraint from Israel, slams IDF's use of live fire against Gaza marches on border, and calls for lifting of Gaza blockade-By Raphael Ahren-TOI-APR 19,18
The European Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a resolution that denounces Hamas as a terrorist group that uses human shields, calls for Israel’s destruction and “seems to aim at escalating tensions” at the Gaza-Israel border.The motion also calls for the release of Israeli citizens and the bodies of fallen soldiers held by the Palestinian terror group in the coastal enclave.The carefully balanced text, which was the result of intense negotiations between the parliament’s various factions but was eventually jointly submitted by all major political groups, also backs calls for probes into Israel’s use of live ammunition to fend off protesters at the border and calls on Israel to exercise restraint.It passed with 524 “yes” votes, 30 “no” votes and 92 abstentions.Pro-Israel advocacy groups welcomed the resolution, stressing the unusual fact that a European Union body found strong words of condemnation not only for Israel but also for Hamas.The three-page motion starts off by noting that the now-weekly “March of Return” at the Gaza border was organized by civil society groups, that Hamas asked people to join the marches and that Israelis reported that stones and firebombs were thrown against troops and that some protesters tried to damage the border fence and infiltrate into Israel.The text goes on to note that the IDF used live ammunition, killing “close to 30 Palestinians” and wounding thousands.It then recalls the fact that Hamas is listed by the EU as a terrorist organization that calls for Israel’s destruction and continues to launch rockets from Gaza into Israeli territory.It also states that “Hamas continues to keep the population under control and pressure in the Gaza Strip, which remains a hub of internationally recognized terrorist organizations,” and heavily curtails “basic freedoms, including of association and expression.”“The European Parliament… Calls for utmost restraint and underlines that the priority must be to avoid any further escalation of violence and loss of life; Expresses its regret of the loss of lives; condemns the killings and injuries of innocent Palestinian demonstrators in the Gaza Strip over the past three weeks and urges IDF to refrain from using lethal force against unarmed protesters,” the resolution reads.It then goes on to acknowledge “Israel’s security challenges and the need to protect its territory and borders while using proportionate means” and “condemns the terror attacks of Hamas and other militant groups against Israel from the Gaza Strip, including the firing of rockets, infiltrations into Israeli territory, and the building of tunnels.”The lawmakers then express concern that “Hamas seems to aim at escalating tensions” and “strongly condemns the continuous tactic of Hamas to use civilians for the purpose of shielding terrorist activities.”Stressing the Palestinians’ right to peaceful protest and calling on Israel to respect this right, the motion calls on protest leaders to “avoid any incitement to violence, as well as to ensure that any protests, demonstrations and assemblies remain strictly non-violent and cannot be exploited for other means.”While the resolution takes note of the Israeli army’s fact-finding missions into past protests, it supports the calls for “independent and transparent investigations into these violent events,” which had been made by the EU, the United Nations and many individual states.“Intentional use of lethal force against protesters who do not pose an imminent threat to life or serious injury violates international human rights law and in the context of occupation is a serious breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” it states.It also calls for an “immediate and unconditional end to the blockade and closure of the Gaza Strip,” which, it argues, results in “a deteriorating unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the area.”The resolution demands the “freeing and the return to Israel” of Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, two Israeli citizens held by Hamas in Gaza against their will, and calls for the return of the remains of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, two IDF soldiers who fell in the last war between Israel and Hamas. The EU lawmakers also offer “condolences to their families.”“The above points are extremely important in any discussion regarding the Gaza Strip and I am pleased they were successfully pushed for by the ECR [European Conservatives and Reformists] Group to be included in the EP resolution,” said MEP Anders Vistisen, the vice chair of the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, who played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the resolution’s passing.“Though the resolution is far from perfect and the left continuously seeks to blur reality, the ECR will continue to be the voice of reason,” he added. “I take the opportunity to stand with Israel over its recent mourning of all its fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, and I extend my warmest congratulations to Israel for its 70th birthday which is celebrated today.”The American Jewish Committee’s Europe branch had partial praise for resolution.“The AJC Transatlantic Institute today praised the European Parliament for condemning Hamas for the war crimes it committed during the recent violent protests, but criticized the EU legislature for urging in its resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip an ‘unconditional’ end to Israel’s naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory,” the organization said in a statement.“We all want to see Gaza become the next Singapore. But calling for the ‘unconditional’ end to Israel’s targeted blockade is at this time – unfortunately – neither realistic nor an even remotely reasonable proposal,” said Daniel Schwammenthal, director of AJC’s EU office.“The European Parliament deserves praise for its clear-eyed assessment of Hamas’s responsibility for escalating the violent protests. By also spelling out and condemning Hamas’s war crimes – such as using its own people as human shields and firing rockets on Israeli cities – Parliament has taken a principled stand,” said Schwammenthal.At the same time, “Publicly urging a sister democracy and close friend to investigate in a ‘transparent’ manner seems – at the very least – somewhat out-of-place,” he said.
Suspected Brussels Jewish museum killer to stand trial-Belgian judge rules there is enough evidence against French jihadist Mehdi Nemmouche in 2014 attack that killed four, including two Israeli tourists-By AFP-TOI-APR 19,18
BRUSSELS, Belgium — Frenchman Mehdi Nemmouche was ordered Thursday to stand trial in Brussels for allegedly killing four people at a Jewish museum four years ago in a jihadist attack, his lawyer said.Judges decided there was enough evidence to try Nemmouche, 33, and alleged accomplice Nacer Bendrer, who is also French, in the Belgian capital for the attack in 2014, lawyer Henri Laquay told AFP.He did not name a date but the trial is expected to begin later this year or early next year.The judges decided there was not enough evidence to put Mounir Attalah, a third Frenchman linked to the attack, on trial.On May 24, 2014 a gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire in the entrance hall of the museum in the center of the Belgian capital, killing two Israeli tourists, a French volunteer, and a Belgian museum receptionist.Six days later Nemmouche was arrested in the southern French port city of Marseille when getting off a bus from Brussels.Nemmouche had returned from Syria where he had been fighting with Islamist extremists.Nacer Bendrer was formally charged as an accomplice in the attack in February 2015 in Brussels, two months after his arrest near Marseille in possession of various weapons.These included a Kalachnikov assault rifle like the one used at the Jewish museum.Nemmouche has been linked to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader of the November 13, 2015 Paris gun and bombing attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds of others.Abaaoud died in a police shootout near the French capital days after the massacre.The Paris attacks were allegedly plotted in Brussels by the same cell that carried out the suicide bombings in the Belgian capital’s airport and a metro train station on March 22, 2016, killing 32 people.The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks and the Brussels 2016 attacks.
SpaceX blasts off NASA’s new spacecraft on quest to find new planets-Tess, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, will scan neighboring stars in an effort to find celestial bodies outside our solar system-By Marcia Dunn-TOI-APR 19,18
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — NASA’s Tess spacecraft embarked Wednesday on a quest to find new worlds around neighboring stars that could support life.Tess rode a SpaceX Falcon rocket through the evening sky, aiming for an orbit stretching all the way to the moon.The satellite — the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or Tess — will scan almost the entire sky for at least two years, starting at the closest, brightest stars in an effort to find and identify any planets around them. Hundreds of thousands of stars will be scrutinized, with the expectation that thousands of exoplanets — planets outside our own solar system — will be revealed right in our cosmic backyard.Rocky and icy planets, hot gas giants and, possibly, water worlds. Super-Earths between the sizes of Earth and Neptune. Maybe even an Earth twin.“The sky will become more beautiful, will become more awesome” knowing there are planets orbiting the stars we see twinkling at night, said NASA’s top science administrator, Thomas Zurbuchen.Discoveries by Tess and other missions, he noted, will bring us closer to answering questions that have lingered for thousands of years.Does life exist beyond Earth? If so, is it microbial or more advanced? But Tess won’t look for life. It’s not designed for that. Rather, it will scout for planets of all sorts, but especially those in the so-called Goldilocks or habitable zone of a star: an orbit where temperatures are neither too cold nor too hot, but just right for life-nourishing water.The most promising candidates will be studied by bigger, more powerful observatories of the future, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, due to launch in another few years as the heir to Hubble. These telescopes will scour the planets’ atmospheres for any of the ingredients of life: water vapor, oxygen, methane, carbon dioxide.“Tess will tell us where to look at and when to look,” said the mission’s chief scientist, George Ricker of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Tess is the successor to NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, on its last legs after discovering a few thousand exoplanets over the past nine years.Astronomers anticipate more than doubling Kepler’s confirmed planetary count of more than 2,600, once Tess’ four wide-view cameras begin scientific observations in early summer. Unlike Tess, Kepler could only scour a sliver of the sky.The total exoplanet census currently stands at more than 3,700 confirmed, with another 4,500 on the not-yet-verified list. That’s a lot considering the first one popped up barely two decades ago.Until about 25 years ago, the only known planets were in our own solar system, noted NASA’s director of astrophysics, Paul Hertz.While Kepler has focused on stars thousands of light-years away, Tess will concentrate on our stellar neighbors, dozens or hundreds of light-years away. Most of Tess’ targets will be cool, common red dwarf stars, thought to be rich breeding grounds for planets.To find the planets, Tess will use the same transit method employed by Kepler, watching for regular, fleeting dips in stellar brightness that would indicate a planet passing in front of its star. That’s the best astronomers can do for now.By sticking to stars closer to home, it will be easier for Webb and other massive telescopes planned for space and Earth to sniff out possible signs of life in the atmosphere. It also will be more feasible for robotic explorers to set sail for these new worlds in the decades and centuries ahead.For such a large undertaking, Tess is surprisingly compact and its mission relatively inexpensive at $337 million.Smaller than a stacked washer-dryer, the 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide, 800-pound spacecraft (1.5-meters by 1.2-meters and 362 kilograms) is bound for an elongated orbit of Earth, with the far end skirting the orbit of the moon.Tess should come within a few thousand miles of the lunar surface on May 17. The moon’s gravity will help get the satellite in the right orbit and keep it there. The cameras — equipped with wide-angle lenses a mere 4 inches across (10 centimeters) — will be off during the lunar flyby.“No moon selfie,” said Robert Lockwood of Orbital ATK, which built Tess.Tess team members reveled in Wednesday’s smooth, photogenic flight through clear skies, and NASA officials were delighted to clear the way for a May 5 launch of the Mars lander, InSight, from California.SpaceX employees had another reason to celebrate: The first-stage booster rocket landed on an ocean platform following liftoff, to be recycled for a future NASA mission.“It was incredible, it was so emotional,” said MIT researcher Natalia Guerrero. “I can’t wait to get started on collecting data.”
UN in talks with Syria, Russia on security for chemical weapons experts-Safety of inspectors a concern after advance team probing Douma attack comes under fire during a reconnaissance tour-By AFP-TOI-APR 19,18
UNITED NATIONS, United States — A UN team is discussing security arrangements with Syrian and Russian authorities in Douma to allow experts to deploy soon to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack, UN security officials said Wednesday.The fact-finding mission from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the Syrian town of Douma was put on hold after the UN security team was fired at during a reconnaissance tour on Tuesday.In a report sent to the Security Council and obtained by AFP, the UN department of safety and security (UNDSS) said they were hoping to make arrangements that would allow the team to deploy “at the earliest possible time.”“UNDSS in Damascus is now engaged in further discussions and coordination with representatives of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Russian military police on how to enhance and reinforce security arrangements in specific locations in Douma,” said the report sent to council members.This should allow the fact-finding mission to deploy to those locations “at the earliest possible time and based on lessons learned during the advance security visit.”The OPCW team arrived in Damascus on Saturday and are to carry out an on-site investigation in Douma of the suspected gas attack on April 7 that reportedly killed more than 40 people.The United States, France and Britain have accused President Bashar Assad’s forces of carrying out the attack.Russia and Syria deny that toxic gas was used in Douma.On Tuesday, the UN security team was escorted by Russian military police to two sites in Douma, a town near Damascus that was retaken last week following a Russian-backed Syrian offensive.At the first site, the UN team and the Russian military escort “encountered a large peaceful demonstration” while at the second location “there was an explosion followed by small-arms fire directed at UNDSS team and the Russian military police,” said the report.The UN team left the site “under the cover and protection of the Russian military police and safely returned to Damascus,” it added.OPCW chief Ahmet Uzumcu earlier briefed ambassadors in The Hague on the incident and said the team required “unhindered access to the sites” to carry out its work.Syria’s UN ambassador Bashar Jaafari told the Security Council on Tuesday that the OPCW experts would begin their investigation once they received the all-clear from the UN team.
DANIEL 7:23-24
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.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
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-7 YEARS.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.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
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.
Analysis-New EU party finance rules short circuit accountability By Nikolaj Nielsen-euobserver apr 19,18
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:19-The EU's response to weeding out corruption when it comes to financing European political parties is a lesson in how to short circuit accountability.On Tuesday (17 April), EU lawmakers passed a raft of new rules that will make it a lot easier for parties and their think tanks to spend taxpayer money without getting into trouble.But, in fact, the latest rules simply lower the bar for EU grants without directly challenging the dodgy donations and loans that underpinned numerous scams in the lead up to the reforms.Even warnings from the European Court of Auditors fell on deaf ears. It had demanded EU policy makers to specifically regulate donations and loans.Parties have to raise their own seed money before getting grants from the EU. Most struggled, others scammed the system.But instead of tackling the loans and donations culture behind recent scandals, lawmakers simply dropped the amount of its own resources a party needed to get the EU grants.Such tactics were in full display last summer. In fact, MEPs in the constitutional affairs committee wanted the threshold lowered even further - from the current 15 percent down to 7.5 percent."Imposing a contribution in own resources, which is difficult to find, might be too great of a constraint," said Didier Klethi, the EU parliament's director general of finance. Klethi pointed out three foundations had since gone into liquidation.On Tuesday, 561 MEPs agreed, 89 opposed, and 36 abstained in a vote that launches the new EU rules. Among other reforms, the level for own funding is now set at 10 percent for parties, and five percent for foundations.The issue originally kicked off in April 2016, when the centre-right EPP, the centre-left S&D, and the liberal Alde, drafted a letter to then president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz.That letter was in part a response to media revelations on how far-right parties were cheating the system by gaming donations and racking up massive loans.The image broadcast painted the EU parliament in a bad light and was a public relations nightmare given its struggle to claim greater democratic legitimacy.The letter demanded the regulation on funding parties be reformed, which included, among other things, reducing the 15 percent co-financing obligation. The cut was later supported by the Greens, who had up until then been sidelined in the internal reform talks.The Greens were unhappy about earlier proposals to increase the number of MEPs required to form a European political party. The three other groups bargained with the Greens, agreed to lower the number of MEPs needed to create a party. In exchange, the Greens supported moves to reduce co-financing limits.But easier access to taxpayer money is not the only dubious result from this week's vote.-History-A look back at how these rules came about provides an indication into the thinking and the ideals that have morphed over the years. It shows the legal wrangles in the wider effort to create the semi-mythical European public space.The process took some twenty years, starting from the 1992 treaty of Maastricht to the first EU regulation on political parties in 2004.The Maastricht treaty made bold statements. It said political parties at European level are important as a factor for integration within the Union. It said they contribute to "forming European awareness" and in "expressing the political will of the citizens."Five years later, the Amsterdam treaty laid down the legal basis allowing them to receive money from the EU budget. But it was national parties that ended up getting the cash, undermining the spirit of Maastricht.It then took another four years before the treaty of Nice decided to regulate the funding spree.Later, a 2004 regulation opened the EU parliament's budget to party grants. Those rules were amended in 2007 to adjust the minimum co-financing requirement and officially recognised party foundations in the hopes of increasing voter turnout.More importantly for the parties, it authorised them to spend the money on European parliament elections.The European Commission in 2012 then proposed further funding reforms, put in place minimum standards on donations, and set up an new oversight authority.It was signed off by the co-legislators, paving the way for the 2014 European Parliament elections and an agreement on how to nominate and elect the next European commission president.Although the visibility of European parties increased, voter turnout remained consistently in a slump, a phenomenon that has gone broadly unchanged since 1979.The next EU elections are in 2019. What to do? -Semi-state agencies-With European parties and their foundations now being almost entirely financed by the public purse, questions are being raised on how well equipped they are to uphold the civic contract first highlighted in the Treaty of Maastricht."You can easily argue that this turns the parties – at least financially – more and more into 'semi-state agencies', since they depend almost entirely on European subsidies for their existence," said Wouter Wolfs, a researcher at KU Leuven, a Belgian university, in an email.He noted lowering the co-financing rate also lowers the incentive for parties and foundations to strengthen their 'financial' ties to society, because from now on, they'll have to collect fewer own resources.The EU response to strengthening those ties is to force national parties to publish the logo and programme of 'their' Europarty on their websites. Those logos now have to appear some 12 months before a Europarty submits its application for funding.
Zuckerberg under pressure to face EU lawmakers over data scandal-[Reuters]-By Foo Yun Chee-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
STRASBOURG (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg came under pressure from EU lawmakers on Wednesday to come to Europe and shed light on the data breach involving Cambridge Analytica that affected nearly three million Europeans.The world's largest social network is under fire worldwide after information about nearly 87 million users wrongly ended up in the hands of the British political consultancy, a firm hired by Donald Trump for his 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.European Parliament President Antonio Tajani last week repeated his request to Zuckerberg to appear before the assembly, saying that sending a junior executive would not suffice.In his letter to the Facebook CEO, Tajani said the company should bear in mind that lawmakers play a key role in crafting tough rules governing online tech giants."Let me also stress that one of the Parliament's future priorities will be to reinforce the regulatory framework to ensure a well-functioning digital market with high level protection for our citizens," he wrote.EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, who recently spoke to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, said Zuckerberg should heed the lawmakers' call."This case is too important to treat as business as usual," Jourova told an assembly of lawmakers."I advised Sheryl Sandberg that Zuckerberg should accept the invitation from the European Parliament. (EU digital chief Andrius) Ansip refers to the invitation as a measure of rebuilding trust," she said.Facebook did not respond to a request for comment. Zuckerberg fielded 10 hours of questions over two days from nearly 100 U.S. lawmakers last week and emerged largely unscathed. He will meet Ansip in San Francisco on Tuesday.Another European lawmaker Sophia in't Veld echoed the call from her colleagues, saying that the Facebook CEO should do them the same courtesy."I think Zuckerberg would be well advised to appear at the Parliament out of respect for Europeans," she said.Lawmaker Viviane Reding, the architect of the EU's landmark privacy law which will come into effect on May 25, giving Europeans more control over their online data, said the right laws would bring back trust among users.(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Adrian Croft)
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
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: 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, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Summer forecast for B.C.: Dry service stations, gas prices of $2 per litre-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
British Columbia should prepare for a tumultuous summer as Alberta plans to retaliate against pipeline roadblocks by turning off the taps, says a petroleum industry analyst.The sudden loss of oil export from Alberta to the west coast would wreak havoc on the B.C. economy, said Dan McTeague, a senior analyst with the website GasBuddy.com.Already high gas prices would surge beyond $2 per litre and limited supplies would quickly run dry, McTeague said."Beyond just the price shock, you would also have some trouble servicing all your gas stations," McTeague said."At least half of the stations would be going through rolling blackouts, or at least shutdowns, with stations having no fuel at all for several days."The Alberta government says it intends to limit exports if B.C. continues to block Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.Bill 12, introduced by Alberta's NDP government on Monday, gives Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd wide discretionary power to limit shipments of oil, gas and refined products to B.C.Kinder Morgan said earlier this month it was halting most work on the project, citing ongoing opposition from the B.C. government. 'This would be pervasive' The impact of fuel shortages would spill over into the national economy, McTeague said. It would undercut the value of the Canadian dollar, and send markets into a downturn."This would be pervasive," McTeague said. "Your marine system would be affected, the airlines would be impacted."Your mining, your forestry, your agriculture industries — all of which rely on fossil fuels like diesel — would be hit hard to the point where there would be significant economic consequences."If Alberta does retaliate, there would be little recourse for B.C. which is acutely dependent on Alberta oil and lacks the infrastructure to source it from other markets, McTeague said."There is no one else out there that is going sell gasoline into this market," he said. "You just don't have the logistics or the infrastructure to handle that and storage capacity would also be a challenge."This can't be done overnight. It would take several months, if not years of planning, and that's clearly not what would happen in this scenario." 'They are not bluffing' B.C. Attorney General David Eby told reporters at the B.C. legislature Tuesday that Bill 12 is unconstitutional. He described it as a political bluff and suggested that Alberta has no intention of ever delivering on its threat.But McTeague said the B.C. government should be taking the threats more seriously. Alberta has no choice but to defend itself, he said. "I suspect that Alberta is going to have to make it abundantly clear that they are not bluffing as the attorney general seems to indicate in his press releases," he said."I find that disturbing. I'm not sure if they live in an another world, in that part of the political spectrum, but the reality is that this could very well happen and if it does, we all lose."
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI5_pMvLZd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT-NEW AGE MOVEMENT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(UNITED NATIONS TROOPS) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
Investigation-Obscurity surrounds EU military fund's expert groups By Peter Teffer-APR 19,18
Brussels, Today, 17:06-The European Commission is having difficulty finding adequate military experts to sit on an advisory group - raising questions about the implementation of a controversial defence research programme.In addition, the commission may be breaking its own transparency rules over a second expert group on defence research, which contains member states experts.The two groups of experts are meant to provide advice on how to spend EU funds on a new military research programme, but much is unclear about how and even if they operate."It is the first time in its history that the European Union is spending money on research and development of weapons," said Bram Vranken, campaigner for the Belgian peace movement Vredesactie (Peace Action)."That these military programmes are clouded in a veil of secrecy is calling into question the democratic legitimacy of these policies," he told EUobserver in an email.The three-year programme is called the Preparatory Action on Defence Research – 'preparatory' because the €90m project is a trial run meant to prepare the ground for a much larger European Defence Fund.How to spend the money is determined via annual work programmes. Last month the commission adopted the work programme for 2018. In 2017, some €25m was already committed to projects.However, an advisory group that was supposed to give independent expert input in the discussions on the work programme, is apparently not yet operational.According to the commission's register of expert groups the first meeting was estimated to take place in "May/June 2017", but no meetings have been registered.The register page also lists no members.The group's rules of procedures are also missing. Instead, the webpage said: "The group will adopt its rules of procedure at the 1st meeting." – indicating that the first meeting has not yet taken place.-Extended deadline-"The selection procedure for the Advisory Group of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) is still ongoing," said commission spokeswoman Lucia Caudet in an emailed statement.The original deadline for interested experts to apply was 21 April 2017 – a year ago on Saturday. The deadline was then extended by 3.5 weeks."The deadline of the call for experts for the advisory group was indeed extended to achieve a better mix of expertise and a wider diversity in terms of geography, gender and types of stakeholders and representatives," the spokeswoman added.However, it remains unclear why almost a year after the new deadline no experts have been selected.Caudet did not answer EUobserver's question why it was more difficult to get experts for this expert group, compared to others – the commission has years of experience after setting up hundreds of expert groups.She also did not answer in detail when this website asked why the 2018 work programme had been adopted while the expert group was not ready."The yearly work programmes for the defence research Preparatory Action are decided by the commission in close cooperation with the member states," she merely stated.'Best possible external advice' Nevertheless, the commission document which called for applications said one of the group's two key tasks would be "to provide consistent and consolidated advice to the commission services during the preparation of the annual work programmes within the frame of the Preparatory Action (PA)"."Within the frame of the PA, the commission is responsible for drawing up yearly work programmes with calls for research proposals. In doing so, the commission wishes to draw on the best possible external advice," the document said."The group must provide advice on relevant objectives and scientific, technological and innovation priorities by way of opinions, recommendations or reports. The advice received from the group will complement other sources of external advice received by the commission services."The document also said that the expert group should have up to 22 members, who "shall be appointed for the duration of the preparatory action, including the period before its launch".None of that is apparently happening.In February, a left-wing Swedish MEP also asked the commission questions about the advisory group, but these have not yet been answered - although the six-week deadline for the commission to respond passed two weeks ago.As if? The European Defence Agency (EDA), which coordinates the programme, did not want to comment on the advisory group.Its head of unit for the Preparatory Action, Dirk Tielbuerger, only wanted to comment on a second expert group related to the Preparatory Action: the As-If Programme Committee for Defence Research. The peculiar name is not an abbreviation, but literally refers to the phrase 'as if' the expert group was already a formal programme committee.Programme committees are set up for research programmes like Horizon2020, but because the European Defence Fund is not yet legally in place, the Preparatory Action could not have a formal programme committee, Tielbuerger explained to EUobserver in a phone interview on Wednesday (18 April).Its members are experts from the 28 EU member states – Norway and the EDA have been given observer status.According to Tielbuerger, the committee had met "four to five times".The expert group register webpage – managed by the commission – however only listed one meeting, on 21 March 2017.The register has the agenda for that first meeting online, but no minutes or presentations.This seems to be in conflict with the commission's own rules on transparency, as also written down in the draft terms of reference of the As-If group."[The European Commission's industry directorate-general] DG GROW shall make available all relevant documents, including the agendas, the minutes and the participants' submissions, either on the register of expert groups or via a link from the register to a dedicated website, where this information can be found," the document says."In particular, DG GROW shall publish the agenda and other relevant background documents in due time ahead of the meeting, followed by timely publication of minutes," it added.Campaigner Bram Vranken said the commission was thus violating its own rules."Considering the controversial nature of these EU military programmes, the least the commission could do is to follow its own transparency rules," he said.
EU granted protection to half million people in 2017-By EUOBSERVER-APR 19,18
Today, 12:48-The EU granted protection to 538,000 people in 2017, a decrease of 25% compared to 2016, Eurostat said Thursday. The largest group, 33%, were Syrians, ahead of Afghans (19%) and Iraqis (12%). Some 50 percent were granted refugee status, 35% subsidiary protection, 14% authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons. Germany accepted the most requests (325,400), ahead of France (40,600), Italy (35,100) and Austria (34,000).
HOMOSEXUALS.(SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS)(TRANSGENDER MIXED BAG ALSO)
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.
GOD CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE IN MARRIAGE
GENESIS 1:27-28
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,(HAVE LOTS OF CHILDREN) and replenish the earth,(HOMOSEXUALS CAN NOT REPLENISH THE EARTH WITH CHILDREN)(BY HAVING SEX WITH EACH OTHER) and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
GENESIS 2:21-24
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
MATTHEW 19:4-6
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Trudeau attends Commonwealth meeting looking for less plastic, more LGBTQ rights-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
LONDON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was expected to add his voice Thursday to those calling for less plastic in the world's oceans and more LGBTQ rights around the globe as he ends a three-country foreign tour at a gathering of Commonwealth leaders in Britain's capital.But Trudeau could face resistance on the latter — particularly from some African countries that have been forcefully pushing back against the U.K., Canada and other champions of gender and sexual equality.The Commonwealth summit represents a rare opportunity for Canada's prime minister to meet and hear from 52 counterparts from six continents, most of whom share some type of link to the old British Empire.The institution has suffered over the years from relatively low engagement by its main member, Britain. There have been hopes for renewal as Brexit looms on the horizon and the U.K. looks for new partnerships to replace the EU."As we leave the European Union, our relationships with Commonwealth countries become even more important than they were," British High Commissioner to Canada Susan le Jeune d'Allegeershecque said in an interview."And we are looking at a certain rebalancing in our international engagement, and that will include more focus on countries of the Commonwealth."The Commonwealth itself, however, has suffered from Britain's own disinterest, as well as questions of relevance given that many of its members — particularly from Africa and parts of Asia — have worrisome records on democracy and human rights.That includes LGBTQ rights, which Canada and the U.K. have been pressing as a priority for the organization against significant opposition from many Commonwealth members, a majority of whom still outlaw same-sex activities.Despite that opposition, which saw LGBTQ rights kept off the official summit agenda, Trudeau met Thursday with Commonwealth gay-rights activists at the Canadian High Commission to reassure them of his continued support."The LGBT issue is one of the most outstanding issues that demonstrates maybe the Commonwealth isn't as good at bringing people together around shared values and principles as we should be," he said."I'm very much looking forward to hearing from all of you on how I can continue to be an ally, what would be most impactful for me to be challenging and exhorting and nudging and encouraging the leaders to move forward."In an interview after the meeting, the activists, who are all members of the Commonwealth Equality Network, welcomed Trudeau's continued work but lamented the continued opposition voiced by other leaders."I can't even get close to my prime minister or my president," said Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, executive director of Sri Lanka's Equal Ground rights group and co-chair of the Commonwealth Equality Network."So we need to use international platforms with help from leaders like Prime Minister Trudeau."Trudeau was also expected Thursday to support British Prime Minister Theresa May's call for Commonwealth members to curb the use of plastics as she looks at banning plastic straws, cotton swabs and other single-use items.Such products have been under fire in the U.K. since the airing of a stunning BBC documentary that included a detailed look at the impact of plastics on the world's oceans.Canada has made reducing the use of plastic to protect the oceans a G7 priority and moved to ban plastic microbeads in bath and body products, and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's office said it plans to go further."By working with provinces and territories, and in consultation with Indigenous Peoples, industry, municipalities, non-profit organizations and research institutions," McKenna's office said in a statement, "the government of Canada will develop an approach to keep plastic within the economy and out of landfills and the environment."— Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter-Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press.
The Latest: Expert at Cosby trial talks quaaludes, Benadryl-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — The Latest on Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial (all times local):12:10 p.m.A prosecution drug expert is telling jurors that Bill Cosby's chief accuser could have been made woozy by either the cold and allergy medicine Benadryl or by quaaludes.Dr. Timothy Rohrig, a forensic toxicologist, testified at Cosby's sexual assault retrial on Thursday.Andrea Constand says Cosby gave her three unidentified blue pills that knocked her out and then sexually assaulted her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Cosby says he gave her Benadryl to help her relax and that she consented to a sexual encounter.He has previously acknowledged giving quaaludes, a now-banned sedative, to women before sex back in the 1970s.Rohrig says Benadryl's main ingredient can cause sedation, muscle weakness and clumsiness. He says quaaludes also have a tendency to make people sleepy.The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.___9:45 a.m.The judge in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial is rejecting the defence's fifth bid for a mistrial.Cosby's lawyers argued on Thursday that prosecutors were out of line for implying they were wrong to help star defence witness Marguerite Jackson write a statement outlining how she says Cosby's chief accuser mused about framing a celebrity.Prosecutor Stewart Ryan irked Cosby's lawyers during Jackson's cross-examination by repeatedly saying they "created" her affidavit.The judge says there is "simply no grounds for a mistrial" and that Cosby's lawyers are raising the issue too late.Judge Steven O'Neill is also slamming the comedian's lawyers for dragging out the trial by having just one witness ready to testify Thursday.Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. He says it was consensual.___8:35 a.m.Bill Cosby has arrived for the ninth day of his sexual assault retrial.The 80-year-old comedian arrived at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse Thursday morning where the jury is expected to hear from a pair of drug experts.The prosecution's expert, Dr. Timothy Rohrig, testified at Cosby's last trial that wooziness and other effects chief accuser Andrea Constand described could have been caused by quaaludes or over-the-counter Benadryl.The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.___12:40 a.m.Bill Cosby's lawyers have turned to their star witness in the comedian's sexual assault retrial.Temple University academic adviser Marguerite Jackson testified on Wednesday that chief accuser Andrea Constand spoke about fabricating sexual assault allegations against a high-profile person so she could "get that money" from a lawsuit.Jackson took the witness stand the same day jurors heard Cosby's explosive deposition testimony about giving quaaludes to women before sex.The jury is expected to hear from a pair of drug experts on Thursday.The prosecution's expert, Dr. Timothy Rohrig, testified at Cosby's last trial that wooziness and other effects Constand described could have been caused by quaaludes or over-the-counter Benadryl.The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.The Associated Press.
Trump launches effort to boost U.S. weapons sales abroad-[Reuters]-By Mike Stone-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration rolled out a long-awaited overhaul of U.S. arms export policy on Thursday aimed at expanding sales to allies, saying it will bolster the American defense industry and create jobs at home.The White House aims to cut the time it takes to approve arms deals, lowering the hurdle to bigger sales and sales of more powerful weapons, and increasing the role of senior U.S. officials in shepherding deals across the finish line, as earlier reported by Reuters.The initiative builds on President Donald Trump's efforts to personally boost arms sales on calls with foreign heads of state.Companies that stand to benefit from the new policy most include Boeing Co and the other top U.S. defense contractors, Lockheed Martin Corp , Raytheon Co , General Dynamics Corp and Northrop Grumman Corp .The plans have been in the works for a year, with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro playing a major role in driving the project forward.Navarro said in a statement the new policies "will create American manufacturing jobs, strengthen our allies and partners, support a robust defense industrial base at home, and promote American economic and security interests abroad."Human rights will now carry equal weight alongside other considerations in planned arms sales including the needs of allied nations and the economic loss if the U.S. contractor does not win the sale when decisions are made on whether to approve an arms deal."This is a balanced policy," said Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, an official with the State Department who oversees arms export agreements. "We absolutely look at human rights as one of a set of considerations that we look at."The planned revision of U.S. weapons export policy also includes a new drone export policy that allows smaller lethal drones that can fire missiles and surveillance drones of all sizes will soon become more widely available to U.S. allies, Reuters reported in March.Two potential beneficiaries of the rule changes, Textron Inc and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc , currently market smaller armed drones internationally.The full text of the drone policy will remain classified along a list of potential buyers being given fast-track treatment is expanding to include more countries, a State Department official told Reuters this week.Previously, U.S. government sources had said that more NATO members, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf partners as well as treaty allies such as Japan and South Korea would be given the favorable treatment regarding drone sales.Trump has pressed foreign governments to buy more U.S.-made weapons in nearly every call he has had with a head of state of major allies, a State Department official said earlier this week.The new policy will go well beyond a relaxation of rules for foreign military sales under President Barack Obama in 2014 that enabled U.S. arms contractors to sell more overseas than ever before.(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington D.C. Editing by Chris Sanders and Alistair Bell)
Rare glimpse of Assad family ties to Russia in kids' stay at seaside camp-[Reuters]-By David Axelrod-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
SEVASTOPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - News that Russia hosted the teenage children of Bashar al-Assad at a lavishly-rebuilt Black Sea summer camp in Crimea last year has given a rare glimpse into the personal lives of the Syrian president's family and his close relationship to Moscow.Nestled on the Crimean coast since 1925, the Artek Seaside camp served for decades as an elite summer holiday resort for children of those favored by the Soviet Communist Party and foreign delegations invited from its satellite states.Russia has given the camp a $180 million renovation since seizing the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Guests stay in newly-built dormitories by the sea.That Assad's sons Hafez and Karim and daughter Zein had stayed there last year with a group of other Syrian children was made public only this week, when a Russian lawmaker on a delegation to Damascus said Assad had mentioned it.Alexei Kasprzhak, the resort's director, told Reuters he learned of the children's identities only after they arrived last year. The three children were given no special treatment, joining the regular programme with the other Syrian children in their group, he said.If any of the other Syrian children had any issues with being at camp with the president's kids, "it passed quickly and didn't create any problems for us and therefore we didn't have to resolve them, thank God," Kasprzhak told Reuters.A source close to the camp's management who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president's children "didn't stick out at all" during their three-week stay."They also attended all the events organized in the camp, they went to the evening campfire like everyone else, so it is not the case that they lived in some kind of special premises or slept on special pillows."The choice of destination shows how close Assad's personal ties with Russia have become since Moscow entered the Syrian conflict in September 2015, turning the tide in his favor. Now in its eighth year, the war has killed more than 500,000 people.The Seaside camp, 12 km (7.5 miles) from the Crimean city of Yalta, is the oldest of a network of 10 Artek camps run by the Education Ministry. During the Soviet era, winning a place there for a summer was a valued prize both for Soviet children and for visitors from countries in Moscow's orbit.In 2015, a year after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, the Russian government launched a five-year programme to revamp it. As of last June over 11 billion roubles ($180.71 million) had been spent on renovations, the RIA news agency reported.Records published on the state procurement site show that 9.2 billion roubles worth of tenders to develop the resort were awarded to Stroygazmontazh, a construction firm on U.S. and European sanctions blacklists, owned by Arkady Rotenberg, a former judo sparring partner of president Vladimir Putin.(Additional reporting by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Peter Graff)
POWER OUTAGE
REVELATION 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;(EU'S KINGDOM) and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Puerto Rico restores power to over 70 percent of customers after blackout-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Puerto Rico's power company said it had restored power to over 1.1 million homes and businesses by Thursday morning after a transmission line failure cut service to almost all of the island's 3.4 million residents the day before.The Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority, known as PREPA, was working to restore power to the less than 30 percent of customers in the U.S. territory still without power after Wednesday morning's blackout.The power line failure in southern Puerto Rico was the latest in a string of operational and political headaches for the bankrupt, storm-ravaged power utility.The utility has struggled to escape the headlines since Hurricane Maria wiped out power to all of Puerto Rico on Sept. 20.Maria, the worst storm to hit the island in 90 years, devastated Puerto Rico's electrical grid, and thousands were still without power at the time of Wednesday's blackout.PREPA said on Twitter that several power plants were back in service, including units at Central Aguirre, EcoElectrica, Central Costa Sur, Yabucoa and Palo Seco.The blackout was caused by the failure of a 230-kilovolt transmission line between the oil-fired Aguirre generating complex in Salinas and AES Corp's coal-fired power plant in Guayama, PREPA said in a statement on Wednesday.PREPA estimated on Wednesday that it would take 24 to 36 hours to restore service to all customers that had power before Wednesday's blackout.Before the outage, PREPA said 1.43 million homes and businesses had electric service. That is 97.2 percent of the utility's 1.47 million total customers.Many of the remaining 40,000 customers have been without power since Hurricane Maria.PREPA has suffered several blackouts since the storm, including an outage last week affecting about 870,000 customers, and has been in bankruptcy since July, owing some $9 billion to mutual funds, hedge funds and other investors.(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Ukraine moves to split church from Russia as elections approach-[Reuters]-By Natalia Zinets-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Orthodox church could become independent of Moscow under the terms of a presidential initiative lawmakers approved on Thursday, a move that President Petro Poroshenko said would make it harder for Russia to meddle in Ukrainian affairs.Ukraine's pro-Western leaders have sought step by step to move the former Soviet republic out of Russia's orbit, after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and a Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine.The Moscow Patriarchate is part of the Russian Orthodox Church and has a sizeable following in Ukraine. Kiev considers it a tool for the Kremlin to wield influence.Poroshenko met Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, in Istanbul last week, to seek support for giving autocephalous status - effectively, making it independent - to the Ukrainian church."Unity is our main weapon in the fight against the Russian aggressor," Poroshenko told parliament. "This question goes far beyond the ecclesiastical. It is about our finally acquiring independence from Moscow."Poroshenko compared having an autocephalous church to Kiev's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO, "because the Kremlin regards the Russian church as one of the key tools of influence over Ukraine."Asked about the issue on his daily conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian state media as saying:"Of course, actions aimed at splitting up the churches are unlikely to be supported and unlikely to be welcomed." A spokesman at Patriarch Bartholomew's office declined comment. Poroshenko has previously suggested he has the Patriarch's support for an independent church but could not divulge many details about their meeting.The Moscow Patriarchate sees itself as the only legitimate Orthodox church in Ukraine. It vies for influence with the Kiev Patriarchate, a branch of the Orthodox Church that broke away from Moscow in 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union, and other Orthodox and Catholic denominations.The Kiev Patriarchate's leader has been sharply critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and in 2014 called him possessed by Satan.Putin in turn has cultivated strong ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, adopting more conservative policies and prompting critics to suggest the line separating state and church has become blurred.Thursday's parliamentary motion was opposed by the Opposition Bloc, the heir to the party once headed by the pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovich. The party called the move a gambit by Poroshenko ahead of elections next year."We believe that the presidential campaign began today," its leader, Yuriy Boyko, said. "The bad news is that the presidential campaign begins with the most sensitive topic for society - the issue of religion. The state has no right to interfere in religious matters."(Additional reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Pence hails ‘the miracle of Israel’s rebirth’ in 70th birthday wishes-US vice president sends congratulatory message for Independence Day, calling the Jewish state 'an inspiration to the world and the American people'-By TOI staff-APR 19,18
US Vice President Mike Pence hailed “the miracle of Israel’s rebirth” Wednesday in a tweet congratulating the Jewish state on the occasion of its 70th anniversary.“Today we join our great ally Israel as they celebrate their 70th Anniversary of Independence,” Pence said in a message linking to a tweet posted earlier by US President Donald Trump.The congratulations came as Israel moved from the somber Memorial Day for fallen soldiers to the celebratory Independence Day, which this year marks 70 years since the creation of the state.“The miracle of Israel’s rebirth in her historic homeland is an inspiration to the world & the American people are proud to stand w/ Israel on this historic day and every day,” Pence said.Today we join our great ally Israel as they celebrate their 70th Anniversary of Independence. The miracle of Israel’s rebirth in her historic homeland is an inspiration to the world & the American people are proud to stand w/ Israel on this historic day and every day. #Israel70 https://t.co/379sHj02lB— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) April 18, 2018-The United States has “no better friends anywhere” than Israel, Trump had said in his earlier tweet, congratulating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israelis on the country’s 70th anniversary.“Best wishes to Prime Minister @Netanyahu and all of the people of Israel on the 70th Anniversary of your Great Independence,” Trump tweeted. “We have no better friends anywhere. Looking forward to moving our Embassy to Jerusalem next month!”Netanyahu, who retweeted Trump’s message shortly after its publication, responded in kind several hours later.“Thank you, President Trump! We too have no better friend than America. We are greatly looking forward to your moving the embassy to Jerusalem, Israel’s eternal capital,” he tweeted.On Wednesday evening, Israel began to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding on May 14, 1948. Israel marks Independence Day according to the Hebrew calendar, on the 5th of Iyar — which this year falls on Thursday, April 19 — and festivities began on Wednesday evening.Trump vowed to move the US embassy to the holy city last December, when he also formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In January, he announced that the process would be expedited and a new facility would open in May, to coincide with Israel’s birthday.A ribbon-cutting ceremony is being planned for mid-May. Trump has, as yet, not committed to attending the inauguration. The Times of Israel has learned that his senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kushner’s wife, White House adviser Ivanka Trump, are considering traveling to Israel to attend.The Palestinians have seen the move as a provocation, and have said it effectively negates the possibility of the Trump administration serving as an honest broker in peace talks. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other PA officials have since refused to meet with anyone on Trump’s team.On Monday, the PLO’s US envoy said the decision to “take Jerusalem off the table,” invoking the president’s frequent phrase, was more like “removing the table all together.”Eric Cortellessa staff contributed to this report.
Abbas warmly welcomes terrorist released after 20 years in jail-Fatah official applauds Rajaei Haddad, accomplice in 1997 murder of Gabriel Hirschberg, as 'a leader, a hero and a fighter'-By TOI staff-APR 19,18
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed a terrorist immediately upon his release from a 20-year sentence in Israel prison for murder, in an hour-long meeting that focused on Palestinian prisoners.Rajaei Haddad was saluted by other Fatah members as “a leader, a hero, and a fighter.”Palestinian Authority TV showed footage of the meeting between Abbas and Haddad, who spent two decades in prison for his role in the November 1997 murder of yeshiva student Gabriel Hirschberg in the Old City of Jerusalem, in an April 10 television report. The report stressed “that our leadership gives top priority to the issue of our prisoners.”Haddad told viewers of Abbas’ concern for the well-being of all the jailed Palestinian terrorists.“The president asked me about each and every one,” Haddad said. “We sat together for a full hour and he listened to me. He asked me about the prisoners, listened to me, and wrote down everything. The president sends his regards (to the prisoners).”Haddad was released from jail on March 14. He was the lookout for the terror attack on Hagai Street, signalling to Ayman al-Sharbati when he saw two yeshiva students approaching. Al-Sharbati, who is still in prison, opened fire with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, killing Hirschberg and seriously wounding the other student.The news clip, translated by the MEMRI Middle East Media Research Institute, also showed a celebration held in Jerusalem to welcome the released terrorist that was attended by senior members of Fatah, the dominant party ruling the Palestinian Authority.“First, let me salute our prisoners who are languishing in prison,” said Fatah Revolutionary Council secretary Adnan Ghaith, “Here, in our capital of Jerusalem, our people welcome a leader, a hero, and a fighter, who sacrificed 20 years for the sake of Jerusalem, Palestine, and our great people.”In addition to supporting the other prisoners, Fatah said the celebrations were intended to send a message to the Israelis that the issue of prisoners and “martyrs” was non-negotiable.“I am very happy to join the people of Jerusalem, our eternal capital, in welcoming this Fatah knight, who spent 20 years in the prisons of the Israeli occupation, in defense of our land, our people, our independence and our freedom,” said Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Moheisen. “This (event) is a message of loyalty to the prisoners, the heroes. It is also a message to the occupation that the issue of the prisoners and martyrs is where we draw the line.”The meeting between Abbas and Haddad came some two weeks before US President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that cuts some aid to the Palestinians until they end stipends to terrorists and the families of slain attackers, as he approved a massive $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill. Abbas condemned the Taylor Force Act and vowed to continue paying families of “martyrs and prisoners.” Yusef al Mahmoud, spokesperson for the PA government in Ramallah, said that the US should instead have called for “ending the occupation and suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Iran quake, at least 5.5 in magnitude, strikes near nuclear power plant-Temblor epicenter 100 kilometers east of Bushehr; state media says no damage caused in sparsely populated area-By Nasser Karimi-APR 19,18-TOI
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An earthquake of at least magnitude 5.5 struck in southern Iran near the country’s sole nuclear power plant on Thursday morning, shaking countries across the Persian Gulf. There was no immediate report of damage or injuries.The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 9:34 a.m. some 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Bushehr. That’s home to the Bushehr Nuclear Power, the only operating nuclear power plant in the Islamic Republic.The USGS put the earthquake’s magnitude at 5.5 while Iranian state television, citing officials, described the quake as a magnitude 5.9. Varying magnitudes are common immediately after a temblor.Iranian state TV, which put the earthquake’s epicenter near the town of Kaki, did not report any damage at Bushehr plant, which has seen other earthquakes in the past and is built to resist damage from a temblor. Authorities later said the quake did not affect routine operations at the plant, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.The Iran Red Crescent described the epicenter as being in a sparsely populated area.In Bahrain, an island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia, people said they felt the quake and evacuated from high-rise buildings. Some in Qatar also felt the quake and evacuated tall buildings in Doha’s West Bay area. People in Kuwait City also felt the temblor.The USGS put the earthquake’s depth at 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) below the surface. Shallow earthquakes often have broader damage.A magnitude 5 earthquake can cause considerable damage.Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. Bam is near the Bushehr nuclear plant, which wasn’t damaged at that time.In November, a major 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous region of Iran near the Iraqi border, killing over 530 people and injuring thousands in Iran alone. In Iraq, nine people were killed and 550 were injured, all in the country’s northern Kurdish region.
In first, European Parliament condemns Hamas for terror, use of human shields-After intense negotiations, resolution also demands restraint from Israel, slams IDF's use of live fire against Gaza marches on border, and calls for lifting of Gaza blockade-By Raphael Ahren-TOI-APR 19,18
The European Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a resolution that denounces Hamas as a terrorist group that uses human shields, calls for Israel’s destruction and “seems to aim at escalating tensions” at the Gaza-Israel border.The motion also calls for the release of Israeli citizens and the bodies of fallen soldiers held by the Palestinian terror group in the coastal enclave.The carefully balanced text, which was the result of intense negotiations between the parliament’s various factions but was eventually jointly submitted by all major political groups, also backs calls for probes into Israel’s use of live ammunition to fend off protesters at the border and calls on Israel to exercise restraint.It passed with 524 “yes” votes, 30 “no” votes and 92 abstentions.Pro-Israel advocacy groups welcomed the resolution, stressing the unusual fact that a European Union body found strong words of condemnation not only for Israel but also for Hamas.The three-page motion starts off by noting that the now-weekly “March of Return” at the Gaza border was organized by civil society groups, that Hamas asked people to join the marches and that Israelis reported that stones and firebombs were thrown against troops and that some protesters tried to damage the border fence and infiltrate into Israel.The text goes on to note that the IDF used live ammunition, killing “close to 30 Palestinians” and wounding thousands.It then recalls the fact that Hamas is listed by the EU as a terrorist organization that calls for Israel’s destruction and continues to launch rockets from Gaza into Israeli territory.It also states that “Hamas continues to keep the population under control and pressure in the Gaza Strip, which remains a hub of internationally recognized terrorist organizations,” and heavily curtails “basic freedoms, including of association and expression.”“The European Parliament… Calls for utmost restraint and underlines that the priority must be to avoid any further escalation of violence and loss of life; Expresses its regret of the loss of lives; condemns the killings and injuries of innocent Palestinian demonstrators in the Gaza Strip over the past three weeks and urges IDF to refrain from using lethal force against unarmed protesters,” the resolution reads.It then goes on to acknowledge “Israel’s security challenges and the need to protect its territory and borders while using proportionate means” and “condemns the terror attacks of Hamas and other militant groups against Israel from the Gaza Strip, including the firing of rockets, infiltrations into Israeli territory, and the building of tunnels.”The lawmakers then express concern that “Hamas seems to aim at escalating tensions” and “strongly condemns the continuous tactic of Hamas to use civilians for the purpose of shielding terrorist activities.”Stressing the Palestinians’ right to peaceful protest and calling on Israel to respect this right, the motion calls on protest leaders to “avoid any incitement to violence, as well as to ensure that any protests, demonstrations and assemblies remain strictly non-violent and cannot be exploited for other means.”While the resolution takes note of the Israeli army’s fact-finding missions into past protests, it supports the calls for “independent and transparent investigations into these violent events,” which had been made by the EU, the United Nations and many individual states.“Intentional use of lethal force against protesters who do not pose an imminent threat to life or serious injury violates international human rights law and in the context of occupation is a serious breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” it states.It also calls for an “immediate and unconditional end to the blockade and closure of the Gaza Strip,” which, it argues, results in “a deteriorating unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the area.”The resolution demands the “freeing and the return to Israel” of Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, two Israeli citizens held by Hamas in Gaza against their will, and calls for the return of the remains of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, two IDF soldiers who fell in the last war between Israel and Hamas. The EU lawmakers also offer “condolences to their families.”“The above points are extremely important in any discussion regarding the Gaza Strip and I am pleased they were successfully pushed for by the ECR [European Conservatives and Reformists] Group to be included in the EP resolution,” said MEP Anders Vistisen, the vice chair of the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, who played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the resolution’s passing.“Though the resolution is far from perfect and the left continuously seeks to blur reality, the ECR will continue to be the voice of reason,” he added. “I take the opportunity to stand with Israel over its recent mourning of all its fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, and I extend my warmest congratulations to Israel for its 70th birthday which is celebrated today.”The American Jewish Committee’s Europe branch had partial praise for resolution.“The AJC Transatlantic Institute today praised the European Parliament for condemning Hamas for the war crimes it committed during the recent violent protests, but criticized the EU legislature for urging in its resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip an ‘unconditional’ end to Israel’s naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory,” the organization said in a statement.“We all want to see Gaza become the next Singapore. But calling for the ‘unconditional’ end to Israel’s targeted blockade is at this time – unfortunately – neither realistic nor an even remotely reasonable proposal,” said Daniel Schwammenthal, director of AJC’s EU office.“The European Parliament deserves praise for its clear-eyed assessment of Hamas’s responsibility for escalating the violent protests. By also spelling out and condemning Hamas’s war crimes – such as using its own people as human shields and firing rockets on Israeli cities – Parliament has taken a principled stand,” said Schwammenthal.At the same time, “Publicly urging a sister democracy and close friend to investigate in a ‘transparent’ manner seems – at the very least – somewhat out-of-place,” he said.
Suspected Brussels Jewish museum killer to stand trial-Belgian judge rules there is enough evidence against French jihadist Mehdi Nemmouche in 2014 attack that killed four, including two Israeli tourists-By AFP-TOI-APR 19,18
BRUSSELS, Belgium — Frenchman Mehdi Nemmouche was ordered Thursday to stand trial in Brussels for allegedly killing four people at a Jewish museum four years ago in a jihadist attack, his lawyer said.Judges decided there was enough evidence to try Nemmouche, 33, and alleged accomplice Nacer Bendrer, who is also French, in the Belgian capital for the attack in 2014, lawyer Henri Laquay told AFP.He did not name a date but the trial is expected to begin later this year or early next year.The judges decided there was not enough evidence to put Mounir Attalah, a third Frenchman linked to the attack, on trial.On May 24, 2014 a gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire in the entrance hall of the museum in the center of the Belgian capital, killing two Israeli tourists, a French volunteer, and a Belgian museum receptionist.Six days later Nemmouche was arrested in the southern French port city of Marseille when getting off a bus from Brussels.Nemmouche had returned from Syria where he had been fighting with Islamist extremists.Nacer Bendrer was formally charged as an accomplice in the attack in February 2015 in Brussels, two months after his arrest near Marseille in possession of various weapons.These included a Kalachnikov assault rifle like the one used at the Jewish museum.Nemmouche has been linked to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader of the November 13, 2015 Paris gun and bombing attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds of others.Abaaoud died in a police shootout near the French capital days after the massacre.The Paris attacks were allegedly plotted in Brussels by the same cell that carried out the suicide bombings in the Belgian capital’s airport and a metro train station on March 22, 2016, killing 32 people.The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks and the Brussels 2016 attacks.
SpaceX blasts off NASA’s new spacecraft on quest to find new planets-Tess, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, will scan neighboring stars in an effort to find celestial bodies outside our solar system-By Marcia Dunn-TOI-APR 19,18
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — NASA’s Tess spacecraft embarked Wednesday on a quest to find new worlds around neighboring stars that could support life.Tess rode a SpaceX Falcon rocket through the evening sky, aiming for an orbit stretching all the way to the moon.The satellite — the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or Tess — will scan almost the entire sky for at least two years, starting at the closest, brightest stars in an effort to find and identify any planets around them. Hundreds of thousands of stars will be scrutinized, with the expectation that thousands of exoplanets — planets outside our own solar system — will be revealed right in our cosmic backyard.Rocky and icy planets, hot gas giants and, possibly, water worlds. Super-Earths between the sizes of Earth and Neptune. Maybe even an Earth twin.“The sky will become more beautiful, will become more awesome” knowing there are planets orbiting the stars we see twinkling at night, said NASA’s top science administrator, Thomas Zurbuchen.Discoveries by Tess and other missions, he noted, will bring us closer to answering questions that have lingered for thousands of years.Does life exist beyond Earth? If so, is it microbial or more advanced? But Tess won’t look for life. It’s not designed for that. Rather, it will scout for planets of all sorts, but especially those in the so-called Goldilocks or habitable zone of a star: an orbit where temperatures are neither too cold nor too hot, but just right for life-nourishing water.The most promising candidates will be studied by bigger, more powerful observatories of the future, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, due to launch in another few years as the heir to Hubble. These telescopes will scour the planets’ atmospheres for any of the ingredients of life: water vapor, oxygen, methane, carbon dioxide.“Tess will tell us where to look at and when to look,” said the mission’s chief scientist, George Ricker of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Tess is the successor to NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, on its last legs after discovering a few thousand exoplanets over the past nine years.Astronomers anticipate more than doubling Kepler’s confirmed planetary count of more than 2,600, once Tess’ four wide-view cameras begin scientific observations in early summer. Unlike Tess, Kepler could only scour a sliver of the sky.The total exoplanet census currently stands at more than 3,700 confirmed, with another 4,500 on the not-yet-verified list. That’s a lot considering the first one popped up barely two decades ago.Until about 25 years ago, the only known planets were in our own solar system, noted NASA’s director of astrophysics, Paul Hertz.While Kepler has focused on stars thousands of light-years away, Tess will concentrate on our stellar neighbors, dozens or hundreds of light-years away. Most of Tess’ targets will be cool, common red dwarf stars, thought to be rich breeding grounds for planets.To find the planets, Tess will use the same transit method employed by Kepler, watching for regular, fleeting dips in stellar brightness that would indicate a planet passing in front of its star. That’s the best astronomers can do for now.By sticking to stars closer to home, it will be easier for Webb and other massive telescopes planned for space and Earth to sniff out possible signs of life in the atmosphere. It also will be more feasible for robotic explorers to set sail for these new worlds in the decades and centuries ahead.For such a large undertaking, Tess is surprisingly compact and its mission relatively inexpensive at $337 million.Smaller than a stacked washer-dryer, the 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide, 800-pound spacecraft (1.5-meters by 1.2-meters and 362 kilograms) is bound for an elongated orbit of Earth, with the far end skirting the orbit of the moon.Tess should come within a few thousand miles of the lunar surface on May 17. The moon’s gravity will help get the satellite in the right orbit and keep it there. The cameras — equipped with wide-angle lenses a mere 4 inches across (10 centimeters) — will be off during the lunar flyby.“No moon selfie,” said Robert Lockwood of Orbital ATK, which built Tess.Tess team members reveled in Wednesday’s smooth, photogenic flight through clear skies, and NASA officials were delighted to clear the way for a May 5 launch of the Mars lander, InSight, from California.SpaceX employees had another reason to celebrate: The first-stage booster rocket landed on an ocean platform following liftoff, to be recycled for a future NASA mission.“It was incredible, it was so emotional,” said MIT researcher Natalia Guerrero. “I can’t wait to get started on collecting data.”
UN in talks with Syria, Russia on security for chemical weapons experts-Safety of inspectors a concern after advance team probing Douma attack comes under fire during a reconnaissance tour-By AFP-TOI-APR 19,18
UNITED NATIONS, United States — A UN team is discussing security arrangements with Syrian and Russian authorities in Douma to allow experts to deploy soon to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack, UN security officials said Wednesday.The fact-finding mission from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the Syrian town of Douma was put on hold after the UN security team was fired at during a reconnaissance tour on Tuesday.In a report sent to the Security Council and obtained by AFP, the UN department of safety and security (UNDSS) said they were hoping to make arrangements that would allow the team to deploy “at the earliest possible time.”“UNDSS in Damascus is now engaged in further discussions and coordination with representatives of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Russian military police on how to enhance and reinforce security arrangements in specific locations in Douma,” said the report sent to council members.This should allow the fact-finding mission to deploy to those locations “at the earliest possible time and based on lessons learned during the advance security visit.”The OPCW team arrived in Damascus on Saturday and are to carry out an on-site investigation in Douma of the suspected gas attack on April 7 that reportedly killed more than 40 people.The United States, France and Britain have accused President Bashar Assad’s forces of carrying out the attack.Russia and Syria deny that toxic gas was used in Douma.On Tuesday, the UN security team was escorted by Russian military police to two sites in Douma, a town near Damascus that was retaken last week following a Russian-backed Syrian offensive.At the first site, the UN team and the Russian military escort “encountered a large peaceful demonstration” while at the second location “there was an explosion followed by small-arms fire directed at UNDSS team and the Russian military police,” said the report.The UN team left the site “under the cover and protection of the Russian military police and safely returned to Damascus,” it added.OPCW chief Ahmet Uzumcu earlier briefed ambassadors in The Hague on the incident and said the team required “unhindered access to the sites” to carry out its work.Syria’s UN ambassador Bashar Jaafari told the Security Council on Tuesday that the OPCW experts would begin their investigation once they received the all-clear from the UN team.
DANIEL 7:23-24
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.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
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-7 YEARS.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.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
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.
Analysis-New EU party finance rules short circuit accountability By Nikolaj Nielsen-euobserver apr 19,18
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:19-The EU's response to weeding out corruption when it comes to financing European political parties is a lesson in how to short circuit accountability.On Tuesday (17 April), EU lawmakers passed a raft of new rules that will make it a lot easier for parties and their think tanks to spend taxpayer money without getting into trouble.But, in fact, the latest rules simply lower the bar for EU grants without directly challenging the dodgy donations and loans that underpinned numerous scams in the lead up to the reforms.Even warnings from the European Court of Auditors fell on deaf ears. It had demanded EU policy makers to specifically regulate donations and loans.Parties have to raise their own seed money before getting grants from the EU. Most struggled, others scammed the system.But instead of tackling the loans and donations culture behind recent scandals, lawmakers simply dropped the amount of its own resources a party needed to get the EU grants.Such tactics were in full display last summer. In fact, MEPs in the constitutional affairs committee wanted the threshold lowered even further - from the current 15 percent down to 7.5 percent."Imposing a contribution in own resources, which is difficult to find, might be too great of a constraint," said Didier Klethi, the EU parliament's director general of finance. Klethi pointed out three foundations had since gone into liquidation.On Tuesday, 561 MEPs agreed, 89 opposed, and 36 abstained in a vote that launches the new EU rules. Among other reforms, the level for own funding is now set at 10 percent for parties, and five percent for foundations.The issue originally kicked off in April 2016, when the centre-right EPP, the centre-left S&D, and the liberal Alde, drafted a letter to then president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz.That letter was in part a response to media revelations on how far-right parties were cheating the system by gaming donations and racking up massive loans.The image broadcast painted the EU parliament in a bad light and was a public relations nightmare given its struggle to claim greater democratic legitimacy.The letter demanded the regulation on funding parties be reformed, which included, among other things, reducing the 15 percent co-financing obligation. The cut was later supported by the Greens, who had up until then been sidelined in the internal reform talks.The Greens were unhappy about earlier proposals to increase the number of MEPs required to form a European political party. The three other groups bargained with the Greens, agreed to lower the number of MEPs needed to create a party. In exchange, the Greens supported moves to reduce co-financing limits.But easier access to taxpayer money is not the only dubious result from this week's vote.-History-A look back at how these rules came about provides an indication into the thinking and the ideals that have morphed over the years. It shows the legal wrangles in the wider effort to create the semi-mythical European public space.The process took some twenty years, starting from the 1992 treaty of Maastricht to the first EU regulation on political parties in 2004.The Maastricht treaty made bold statements. It said political parties at European level are important as a factor for integration within the Union. It said they contribute to "forming European awareness" and in "expressing the political will of the citizens."Five years later, the Amsterdam treaty laid down the legal basis allowing them to receive money from the EU budget. But it was national parties that ended up getting the cash, undermining the spirit of Maastricht.It then took another four years before the treaty of Nice decided to regulate the funding spree.Later, a 2004 regulation opened the EU parliament's budget to party grants. Those rules were amended in 2007 to adjust the minimum co-financing requirement and officially recognised party foundations in the hopes of increasing voter turnout.More importantly for the parties, it authorised them to spend the money on European parliament elections.The European Commission in 2012 then proposed further funding reforms, put in place minimum standards on donations, and set up an new oversight authority.It was signed off by the co-legislators, paving the way for the 2014 European Parliament elections and an agreement on how to nominate and elect the next European commission president.Although the visibility of European parties increased, voter turnout remained consistently in a slump, a phenomenon that has gone broadly unchanged since 1979.The next EU elections are in 2019. What to do? -Semi-state agencies-With European parties and their foundations now being almost entirely financed by the public purse, questions are being raised on how well equipped they are to uphold the civic contract first highlighted in the Treaty of Maastricht."You can easily argue that this turns the parties – at least financially – more and more into 'semi-state agencies', since they depend almost entirely on European subsidies for their existence," said Wouter Wolfs, a researcher at KU Leuven, a Belgian university, in an email.He noted lowering the co-financing rate also lowers the incentive for parties and foundations to strengthen their 'financial' ties to society, because from now on, they'll have to collect fewer own resources.The EU response to strengthening those ties is to force national parties to publish the logo and programme of 'their' Europarty on their websites. Those logos now have to appear some 12 months before a Europarty submits its application for funding.
Zuckerberg under pressure to face EU lawmakers over data scandal-[Reuters]-By Foo Yun Chee-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
STRASBOURG (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg came under pressure from EU lawmakers on Wednesday to come to Europe and shed light on the data breach involving Cambridge Analytica that affected nearly three million Europeans.The world's largest social network is under fire worldwide after information about nearly 87 million users wrongly ended up in the hands of the British political consultancy, a firm hired by Donald Trump for his 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.European Parliament President Antonio Tajani last week repeated his request to Zuckerberg to appear before the assembly, saying that sending a junior executive would not suffice.In his letter to the Facebook CEO, Tajani said the company should bear in mind that lawmakers play a key role in crafting tough rules governing online tech giants."Let me also stress that one of the Parliament's future priorities will be to reinforce the regulatory framework to ensure a well-functioning digital market with high level protection for our citizens," he wrote.EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, who recently spoke to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, said Zuckerberg should heed the lawmakers' call."This case is too important to treat as business as usual," Jourova told an assembly of lawmakers."I advised Sheryl Sandberg that Zuckerberg should accept the invitation from the European Parliament. (EU digital chief Andrius) Ansip refers to the invitation as a measure of rebuilding trust," she said.Facebook did not respond to a request for comment. Zuckerberg fielded 10 hours of questions over two days from nearly 100 U.S. lawmakers last week and emerged largely unscathed. He will meet Ansip in San Francisco on Tuesday.Another European lawmaker Sophia in't Veld echoed the call from her colleagues, saying that the Facebook CEO should do them the same courtesy."I think Zuckerberg would be well advised to appear at the Parliament out of respect for Europeans," she said.Lawmaker Viviane Reding, the architect of the EU's landmark privacy law which will come into effect on May 25, giving Europeans more control over their online data, said the right laws would bring back trust among users.(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Adrian Croft)
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
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: 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, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Summer forecast for B.C.: Dry service stations, gas prices of $2 per litre-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
British Columbia should prepare for a tumultuous summer as Alberta plans to retaliate against pipeline roadblocks by turning off the taps, says a petroleum industry analyst.The sudden loss of oil export from Alberta to the west coast would wreak havoc on the B.C. economy, said Dan McTeague, a senior analyst with the website GasBuddy.com.Already high gas prices would surge beyond $2 per litre and limited supplies would quickly run dry, McTeague said."Beyond just the price shock, you would also have some trouble servicing all your gas stations," McTeague said."At least half of the stations would be going through rolling blackouts, or at least shutdowns, with stations having no fuel at all for several days."The Alberta government says it intends to limit exports if B.C. continues to block Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.Bill 12, introduced by Alberta's NDP government on Monday, gives Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd wide discretionary power to limit shipments of oil, gas and refined products to B.C.Kinder Morgan said earlier this month it was halting most work on the project, citing ongoing opposition from the B.C. government. 'This would be pervasive' The impact of fuel shortages would spill over into the national economy, McTeague said. It would undercut the value of the Canadian dollar, and send markets into a downturn."This would be pervasive," McTeague said. "Your marine system would be affected, the airlines would be impacted."Your mining, your forestry, your agriculture industries — all of which rely on fossil fuels like diesel — would be hit hard to the point where there would be significant economic consequences."If Alberta does retaliate, there would be little recourse for B.C. which is acutely dependent on Alberta oil and lacks the infrastructure to source it from other markets, McTeague said."There is no one else out there that is going sell gasoline into this market," he said. "You just don't have the logistics or the infrastructure to handle that and storage capacity would also be a challenge."This can't be done overnight. It would take several months, if not years of planning, and that's clearly not what would happen in this scenario." 'They are not bluffing' B.C. Attorney General David Eby told reporters at the B.C. legislature Tuesday that Bill 12 is unconstitutional. He described it as a political bluff and suggested that Alberta has no intention of ever delivering on its threat.But McTeague said the B.C. government should be taking the threats more seriously. Alberta has no choice but to defend itself, he said. "I suspect that Alberta is going to have to make it abundantly clear that they are not bluffing as the attorney general seems to indicate in his press releases," he said."I find that disturbing. I'm not sure if they live in an another world, in that part of the political spectrum, but the reality is that this could very well happen and if it does, we all lose."
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI5_pMvLZd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT-NEW AGE MOVEMENT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(UNITED NATIONS TROOPS) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
Investigation-Obscurity surrounds EU military fund's expert groups By Peter Teffer-APR 19,18
Brussels, Today, 17:06-The European Commission is having difficulty finding adequate military experts to sit on an advisory group - raising questions about the implementation of a controversial defence research programme.In addition, the commission may be breaking its own transparency rules over a second expert group on defence research, which contains member states experts.The two groups of experts are meant to provide advice on how to spend EU funds on a new military research programme, but much is unclear about how and even if they operate."It is the first time in its history that the European Union is spending money on research and development of weapons," said Bram Vranken, campaigner for the Belgian peace movement Vredesactie (Peace Action)."That these military programmes are clouded in a veil of secrecy is calling into question the democratic legitimacy of these policies," he told EUobserver in an email.The three-year programme is called the Preparatory Action on Defence Research – 'preparatory' because the €90m project is a trial run meant to prepare the ground for a much larger European Defence Fund.How to spend the money is determined via annual work programmes. Last month the commission adopted the work programme for 2018. In 2017, some €25m was already committed to projects.However, an advisory group that was supposed to give independent expert input in the discussions on the work programme, is apparently not yet operational.According to the commission's register of expert groups the first meeting was estimated to take place in "May/June 2017", but no meetings have been registered.The register page also lists no members.The group's rules of procedures are also missing. Instead, the webpage said: "The group will adopt its rules of procedure at the 1st meeting." – indicating that the first meeting has not yet taken place.-Extended deadline-"The selection procedure for the Advisory Group of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) is still ongoing," said commission spokeswoman Lucia Caudet in an emailed statement.The original deadline for interested experts to apply was 21 April 2017 – a year ago on Saturday. The deadline was then extended by 3.5 weeks."The deadline of the call for experts for the advisory group was indeed extended to achieve a better mix of expertise and a wider diversity in terms of geography, gender and types of stakeholders and representatives," the spokeswoman added.However, it remains unclear why almost a year after the new deadline no experts have been selected.Caudet did not answer EUobserver's question why it was more difficult to get experts for this expert group, compared to others – the commission has years of experience after setting up hundreds of expert groups.She also did not answer in detail when this website asked why the 2018 work programme had been adopted while the expert group was not ready."The yearly work programmes for the defence research Preparatory Action are decided by the commission in close cooperation with the member states," she merely stated.'Best possible external advice' Nevertheless, the commission document which called for applications said one of the group's two key tasks would be "to provide consistent and consolidated advice to the commission services during the preparation of the annual work programmes within the frame of the Preparatory Action (PA)"."Within the frame of the PA, the commission is responsible for drawing up yearly work programmes with calls for research proposals. In doing so, the commission wishes to draw on the best possible external advice," the document said."The group must provide advice on relevant objectives and scientific, technological and innovation priorities by way of opinions, recommendations or reports. The advice received from the group will complement other sources of external advice received by the commission services."The document also said that the expert group should have up to 22 members, who "shall be appointed for the duration of the preparatory action, including the period before its launch".None of that is apparently happening.In February, a left-wing Swedish MEP also asked the commission questions about the advisory group, but these have not yet been answered - although the six-week deadline for the commission to respond passed two weeks ago.As if? The European Defence Agency (EDA), which coordinates the programme, did not want to comment on the advisory group.Its head of unit for the Preparatory Action, Dirk Tielbuerger, only wanted to comment on a second expert group related to the Preparatory Action: the As-If Programme Committee for Defence Research. The peculiar name is not an abbreviation, but literally refers to the phrase 'as if' the expert group was already a formal programme committee.Programme committees are set up for research programmes like Horizon2020, but because the European Defence Fund is not yet legally in place, the Preparatory Action could not have a formal programme committee, Tielbuerger explained to EUobserver in a phone interview on Wednesday (18 April).Its members are experts from the 28 EU member states – Norway and the EDA have been given observer status.According to Tielbuerger, the committee had met "four to five times".The expert group register webpage – managed by the commission – however only listed one meeting, on 21 March 2017.The register has the agenda for that first meeting online, but no minutes or presentations.This seems to be in conflict with the commission's own rules on transparency, as also written down in the draft terms of reference of the As-If group."[The European Commission's industry directorate-general] DG GROW shall make available all relevant documents, including the agendas, the minutes and the participants' submissions, either on the register of expert groups or via a link from the register to a dedicated website, where this information can be found," the document says."In particular, DG GROW shall publish the agenda and other relevant background documents in due time ahead of the meeting, followed by timely publication of minutes," it added.Campaigner Bram Vranken said the commission was thus violating its own rules."Considering the controversial nature of these EU military programmes, the least the commission could do is to follow its own transparency rules," he said.
EU granted protection to half million people in 2017-By EUOBSERVER-APR 19,18
Today, 12:48-The EU granted protection to 538,000 people in 2017, a decrease of 25% compared to 2016, Eurostat said Thursday. The largest group, 33%, were Syrians, ahead of Afghans (19%) and Iraqis (12%). Some 50 percent were granted refugee status, 35% subsidiary protection, 14% authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons. Germany accepted the most requests (325,400), ahead of France (40,600), Italy (35,100) and Austria (34,000).
HOMOSEXUALS.(SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS)(TRANSGENDER MIXED BAG ALSO)
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.
GOD CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE IN MARRIAGE
GENESIS 1:27-28
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,(HAVE LOTS OF CHILDREN) and replenish the earth,(HOMOSEXUALS CAN NOT REPLENISH THE EARTH WITH CHILDREN)(BY HAVING SEX WITH EACH OTHER) and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
GENESIS 2:21-24
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
MATTHEW 19:4-6
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Trudeau attends Commonwealth meeting looking for less plastic, more LGBTQ rights-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
LONDON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was expected to add his voice Thursday to those calling for less plastic in the world's oceans and more LGBTQ rights around the globe as he ends a three-country foreign tour at a gathering of Commonwealth leaders in Britain's capital.But Trudeau could face resistance on the latter — particularly from some African countries that have been forcefully pushing back against the U.K., Canada and other champions of gender and sexual equality.The Commonwealth summit represents a rare opportunity for Canada's prime minister to meet and hear from 52 counterparts from six continents, most of whom share some type of link to the old British Empire.The institution has suffered over the years from relatively low engagement by its main member, Britain. There have been hopes for renewal as Brexit looms on the horizon and the U.K. looks for new partnerships to replace the EU."As we leave the European Union, our relationships with Commonwealth countries become even more important than they were," British High Commissioner to Canada Susan le Jeune d'Allegeershecque said in an interview."And we are looking at a certain rebalancing in our international engagement, and that will include more focus on countries of the Commonwealth."The Commonwealth itself, however, has suffered from Britain's own disinterest, as well as questions of relevance given that many of its members — particularly from Africa and parts of Asia — have worrisome records on democracy and human rights.That includes LGBTQ rights, which Canada and the U.K. have been pressing as a priority for the organization against significant opposition from many Commonwealth members, a majority of whom still outlaw same-sex activities.Despite that opposition, which saw LGBTQ rights kept off the official summit agenda, Trudeau met Thursday with Commonwealth gay-rights activists at the Canadian High Commission to reassure them of his continued support."The LGBT issue is one of the most outstanding issues that demonstrates maybe the Commonwealth isn't as good at bringing people together around shared values and principles as we should be," he said."I'm very much looking forward to hearing from all of you on how I can continue to be an ally, what would be most impactful for me to be challenging and exhorting and nudging and encouraging the leaders to move forward."In an interview after the meeting, the activists, who are all members of the Commonwealth Equality Network, welcomed Trudeau's continued work but lamented the continued opposition voiced by other leaders."I can't even get close to my prime minister or my president," said Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, executive director of Sri Lanka's Equal Ground rights group and co-chair of the Commonwealth Equality Network."So we need to use international platforms with help from leaders like Prime Minister Trudeau."Trudeau was also expected Thursday to support British Prime Minister Theresa May's call for Commonwealth members to curb the use of plastics as she looks at banning plastic straws, cotton swabs and other single-use items.Such products have been under fire in the U.K. since the airing of a stunning BBC documentary that included a detailed look at the impact of plastics on the world's oceans.Canada has made reducing the use of plastic to protect the oceans a G7 priority and moved to ban plastic microbeads in bath and body products, and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's office said it plans to go further."By working with provinces and territories, and in consultation with Indigenous Peoples, industry, municipalities, non-profit organizations and research institutions," McKenna's office said in a statement, "the government of Canada will develop an approach to keep plastic within the economy and out of landfills and the environment."— Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter-Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press.
The Latest: Expert at Cosby trial talks quaaludes, Benadryl-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — The Latest on Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial (all times local):12:10 p.m.A prosecution drug expert is telling jurors that Bill Cosby's chief accuser could have been made woozy by either the cold and allergy medicine Benadryl or by quaaludes.Dr. Timothy Rohrig, a forensic toxicologist, testified at Cosby's sexual assault retrial on Thursday.Andrea Constand says Cosby gave her three unidentified blue pills that knocked her out and then sexually assaulted her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Cosby says he gave her Benadryl to help her relax and that she consented to a sexual encounter.He has previously acknowledged giving quaaludes, a now-banned sedative, to women before sex back in the 1970s.Rohrig says Benadryl's main ingredient can cause sedation, muscle weakness and clumsiness. He says quaaludes also have a tendency to make people sleepy.The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.___9:45 a.m.The judge in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial is rejecting the defence's fifth bid for a mistrial.Cosby's lawyers argued on Thursday that prosecutors were out of line for implying they were wrong to help star defence witness Marguerite Jackson write a statement outlining how she says Cosby's chief accuser mused about framing a celebrity.Prosecutor Stewart Ryan irked Cosby's lawyers during Jackson's cross-examination by repeatedly saying they "created" her affidavit.The judge says there is "simply no grounds for a mistrial" and that Cosby's lawyers are raising the issue too late.Judge Steven O'Neill is also slamming the comedian's lawyers for dragging out the trial by having just one witness ready to testify Thursday.Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. He says it was consensual.___8:35 a.m.Bill Cosby has arrived for the ninth day of his sexual assault retrial.The 80-year-old comedian arrived at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse Thursday morning where the jury is expected to hear from a pair of drug experts.The prosecution's expert, Dr. Timothy Rohrig, testified at Cosby's last trial that wooziness and other effects chief accuser Andrea Constand described could have been caused by quaaludes or over-the-counter Benadryl.The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.___12:40 a.m.Bill Cosby's lawyers have turned to their star witness in the comedian's sexual assault retrial.Temple University academic adviser Marguerite Jackson testified on Wednesday that chief accuser Andrea Constand spoke about fabricating sexual assault allegations against a high-profile person so she could "get that money" from a lawsuit.Jackson took the witness stand the same day jurors heard Cosby's explosive deposition testimony about giving quaaludes to women before sex.The jury is expected to hear from a pair of drug experts on Thursday.The prosecution's expert, Dr. Timothy Rohrig, testified at Cosby's last trial that wooziness and other effects Constand described could have been caused by quaaludes or over-the-counter Benadryl.The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.The Associated Press.
Trump launches effort to boost U.S. weapons sales abroad-[Reuters]-By Mike Stone-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration rolled out a long-awaited overhaul of U.S. arms export policy on Thursday aimed at expanding sales to allies, saying it will bolster the American defense industry and create jobs at home.The White House aims to cut the time it takes to approve arms deals, lowering the hurdle to bigger sales and sales of more powerful weapons, and increasing the role of senior U.S. officials in shepherding deals across the finish line, as earlier reported by Reuters.The initiative builds on President Donald Trump's efforts to personally boost arms sales on calls with foreign heads of state.Companies that stand to benefit from the new policy most include Boeing Co and the other top U.S. defense contractors, Lockheed Martin Corp , Raytheon Co , General Dynamics Corp and Northrop Grumman Corp .The plans have been in the works for a year, with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro playing a major role in driving the project forward.Navarro said in a statement the new policies "will create American manufacturing jobs, strengthen our allies and partners, support a robust defense industrial base at home, and promote American economic and security interests abroad."Human rights will now carry equal weight alongside other considerations in planned arms sales including the needs of allied nations and the economic loss if the U.S. contractor does not win the sale when decisions are made on whether to approve an arms deal."This is a balanced policy," said Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, an official with the State Department who oversees arms export agreements. "We absolutely look at human rights as one of a set of considerations that we look at."The planned revision of U.S. weapons export policy also includes a new drone export policy that allows smaller lethal drones that can fire missiles and surveillance drones of all sizes will soon become more widely available to U.S. allies, Reuters reported in March.Two potential beneficiaries of the rule changes, Textron Inc and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc , currently market smaller armed drones internationally.The full text of the drone policy will remain classified along a list of potential buyers being given fast-track treatment is expanding to include more countries, a State Department official told Reuters this week.Previously, U.S. government sources had said that more NATO members, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf partners as well as treaty allies such as Japan and South Korea would be given the favorable treatment regarding drone sales.Trump has pressed foreign governments to buy more U.S.-made weapons in nearly every call he has had with a head of state of major allies, a State Department official said earlier this week.The new policy will go well beyond a relaxation of rules for foreign military sales under President Barack Obama in 2014 that enabled U.S. arms contractors to sell more overseas than ever before.(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington D.C. Editing by Chris Sanders and Alistair Bell)
Rare glimpse of Assad family ties to Russia in kids' stay at seaside camp-[Reuters]-By David Axelrod-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
SEVASTOPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - News that Russia hosted the teenage children of Bashar al-Assad at a lavishly-rebuilt Black Sea summer camp in Crimea last year has given a rare glimpse into the personal lives of the Syrian president's family and his close relationship to Moscow.Nestled on the Crimean coast since 1925, the Artek Seaside camp served for decades as an elite summer holiday resort for children of those favored by the Soviet Communist Party and foreign delegations invited from its satellite states.Russia has given the camp a $180 million renovation since seizing the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Guests stay in newly-built dormitories by the sea.That Assad's sons Hafez and Karim and daughter Zein had stayed there last year with a group of other Syrian children was made public only this week, when a Russian lawmaker on a delegation to Damascus said Assad had mentioned it.Alexei Kasprzhak, the resort's director, told Reuters he learned of the children's identities only after they arrived last year. The three children were given no special treatment, joining the regular programme with the other Syrian children in their group, he said.If any of the other Syrian children had any issues with being at camp with the president's kids, "it passed quickly and didn't create any problems for us and therefore we didn't have to resolve them, thank God," Kasprzhak told Reuters.A source close to the camp's management who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president's children "didn't stick out at all" during their three-week stay."They also attended all the events organized in the camp, they went to the evening campfire like everyone else, so it is not the case that they lived in some kind of special premises or slept on special pillows."The choice of destination shows how close Assad's personal ties with Russia have become since Moscow entered the Syrian conflict in September 2015, turning the tide in his favor. Now in its eighth year, the war has killed more than 500,000 people.The Seaside camp, 12 km (7.5 miles) from the Crimean city of Yalta, is the oldest of a network of 10 Artek camps run by the Education Ministry. During the Soviet era, winning a place there for a summer was a valued prize both for Soviet children and for visitors from countries in Moscow's orbit.In 2015, a year after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, the Russian government launched a five-year programme to revamp it. As of last June over 11 billion roubles ($180.71 million) had been spent on renovations, the RIA news agency reported.Records published on the state procurement site show that 9.2 billion roubles worth of tenders to develop the resort were awarded to Stroygazmontazh, a construction firm on U.S. and European sanctions blacklists, owned by Arkady Rotenberg, a former judo sparring partner of president Vladimir Putin.(Additional reporting by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Peter Graff)
POWER OUTAGE
REVELATION 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;(EU'S KINGDOM) and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Puerto Rico restores power to over 70 percent of customers after blackout-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Puerto Rico's power company said it had restored power to over 1.1 million homes and businesses by Thursday morning after a transmission line failure cut service to almost all of the island's 3.4 million residents the day before.The Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority, known as PREPA, was working to restore power to the less than 30 percent of customers in the U.S. territory still without power after Wednesday morning's blackout.The power line failure in southern Puerto Rico was the latest in a string of operational and political headaches for the bankrupt, storm-ravaged power utility.The utility has struggled to escape the headlines since Hurricane Maria wiped out power to all of Puerto Rico on Sept. 20.Maria, the worst storm to hit the island in 90 years, devastated Puerto Rico's electrical grid, and thousands were still without power at the time of Wednesday's blackout.PREPA said on Twitter that several power plants were back in service, including units at Central Aguirre, EcoElectrica, Central Costa Sur, Yabucoa and Palo Seco.The blackout was caused by the failure of a 230-kilovolt transmission line between the oil-fired Aguirre generating complex in Salinas and AES Corp's coal-fired power plant in Guayama, PREPA said in a statement on Wednesday.PREPA estimated on Wednesday that it would take 24 to 36 hours to restore service to all customers that had power before Wednesday's blackout.Before the outage, PREPA said 1.43 million homes and businesses had electric service. That is 97.2 percent of the utility's 1.47 million total customers.Many of the remaining 40,000 customers have been without power since Hurricane Maria.PREPA has suffered several blackouts since the storm, including an outage last week affecting about 870,000 customers, and has been in bankruptcy since July, owing some $9 billion to mutual funds, hedge funds and other investors.(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Ukraine moves to split church from Russia as elections approach-[Reuters]-By Natalia Zinets-YAHOONEWS-April 19, 2018
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Orthodox church could become independent of Moscow under the terms of a presidential initiative lawmakers approved on Thursday, a move that President Petro Poroshenko said would make it harder for Russia to meddle in Ukrainian affairs.Ukraine's pro-Western leaders have sought step by step to move the former Soviet republic out of Russia's orbit, after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and a Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine.The Moscow Patriarchate is part of the Russian Orthodox Church and has a sizeable following in Ukraine. Kiev considers it a tool for the Kremlin to wield influence.Poroshenko met Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, in Istanbul last week, to seek support for giving autocephalous status - effectively, making it independent - to the Ukrainian church."Unity is our main weapon in the fight against the Russian aggressor," Poroshenko told parliament. "This question goes far beyond the ecclesiastical. It is about our finally acquiring independence from Moscow."Poroshenko compared having an autocephalous church to Kiev's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO, "because the Kremlin regards the Russian church as one of the key tools of influence over Ukraine."Asked about the issue on his daily conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian state media as saying:"Of course, actions aimed at splitting up the churches are unlikely to be supported and unlikely to be welcomed." A spokesman at Patriarch Bartholomew's office declined comment. Poroshenko has previously suggested he has the Patriarch's support for an independent church but could not divulge many details about their meeting.The Moscow Patriarchate sees itself as the only legitimate Orthodox church in Ukraine. It vies for influence with the Kiev Patriarchate, a branch of the Orthodox Church that broke away from Moscow in 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union, and other Orthodox and Catholic denominations.The Kiev Patriarchate's leader has been sharply critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and in 2014 called him possessed by Satan.Putin in turn has cultivated strong ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, adopting more conservative policies and prompting critics to suggest the line separating state and church has become blurred.Thursday's parliamentary motion was opposed by the Opposition Bloc, the heir to the party once headed by the pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovich. The party called the move a gambit by Poroshenko ahead of elections next year."We believe that the presidential campaign began today," its leader, Yuriy Boyko, said. "The bad news is that the presidential campaign begins with the most sensitive topic for society - the issue of religion. The state has no right to interfere in religious matters."(Additional reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
