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)
Glick does not back two-state solution, but tells Times of Israel he wants reconciliation with the Palestinians-Entering Knesset, Temple Mount activist brushes off doomsday predictions-While critics warn of explosion, Yehuda Glick says he will advocate for change of ‘absurd and evil’ status quo at holy site, defends Reform Jews; Palestinians seemingly unfazed-By Marissa Newman May 25, 2016, 1:12 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
For a man shot point-blank four times in 2014 by a Palestinian gunman who branded him the “enemy of Al-Aqsa,” incoming Likud MK and Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick is remarkably dismissive of any connection between his vocal advocacy of Jewish prayer at Judaism’s holy site and Palestinian terrorism.“I don’t understand that complaint,” the US-born Orthodox rabbi told The Times of Israel, referring to the argument that his activism stokes violence and fatalistic predictions that his entry to the Knesset Wednesday could trigger attacks — or a World War III.The 50-year-old redhead was sworn in to the Knesset on Wednesday after former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon resigned from parliament last Friday.Glick, who directs Haliba, an organization that brings Jewish groups to visit the Temple Mount, is pledging to work within the Knesset to change the “absurd and evil” arrangements at the volatile compound, where Jews may visit, but are forbidden from praying.Although Israel has repeatedly reassured the Palestinians and Arab states that it will not alter the status quo at the flashpoint site, Glick is confident he will find allies in the Knesset to support his cause.And asked whether he would tone down his lobbying if asked to do so for security reasons, he said there would be “no reasoning” behind such a request and maintained: “I will continue advocating.”But in perhaps the first glimmers of the obstacles he may encounter in parliament, on Monday Glick paid his last visit to the Temple Mount as a private citizen. (As an Israeli lawmaker, Glick will be effectively barred from the Temple Mount, a ban for which he he has in the past voiced support.) Although he said he coordinated the visit with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Glick was subsequently reprimanded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“This is the last time you do this to me,” Netanyahu was heard telling a stunned Glick at the end of a Likud faction meeting on Monday afternoon.-A muted Palestinian response-Some critics warn that new MK Glick, a symbol of sought-for change at the Temple Mount, could spell trouble.“Yehuda Glick’s joining the Knesset would create even more pressure on the government to change the status quo arrangements on the Temple Mount,” said Dr. Motti Inbari, an associate professor of religion at UNC Pembroke and expert on the Jewish Temple Mount movements, speaking days before Glick was sworn in. “I am doubtful that he can change anything, but the two appointments of [presumptive defense minister Avigdor] Liberman and Glick send a message of a harder line by the Israeli government, and I will not be surprised if the Muslims would see it a provocation against them and counterreact.“He’s part of a movement that deals in pyromania,” added Daniel Seidmann, an attorney and expert in Jerusalem’s geopolitics. “There are few threats that create a clear and present danger to the most vital interests of Israel more than a radical change on the Temple Mount.”But the Palestinian response to Glick’s joining the Knesset has thus far been muted, with Arabic news outlets reporting the move (as they reported every time he ascended to the Temple Mount), but no official condemnation or exceptional outrage in sight as a seven-month wave of violence sparked largely by perceived threats to Al-Aqsa is on the wane.Speaking from the Temple Mount Monday, Glick declared that his goal was to bring peace to the fraught site. A 2014 video shows him happily reciting a prayer in Arabic with Muslim worshipers.“Know that everything that I do stems from the peace this place represents. I hope that it’s remembered that peace is the name of God, and everything I do for the country, the people and for Jerusalem, is driven by this city, the city of peace,” he said.-‘I believe in liberty, I believe in equality’-Born in Brooklyn, New York, Glick moved to Israel at the age of nine and attributes his use of the language of civil rights and equality to his American upbringing. Entering the Knesset, Glick was required to give up his US citizenship, something he says he has “mixed feelings” about. It’s “part of me,” he says, while emphasizing that he now feels “100% Israeli.” Prior to his Temple Mount activism, he worked for nearly a decade in the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, quitting in protest of Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza.He lives in the West Bank settlement of Otniel, and was a neighbor to slain Israeli woman Dafna Meir, who was stabbed to death in her home earlier this year. Like Meir, Glick is the foster parent of two children, and father of six. He and his wife are also the legal guardians to the six children of Tali and Yitzhak Ames, who were killed in a terrorist attack in 2010.While reviled by Palestinians as an “extremist” and “provocateur,” Glick casts himself as an avowed human rights activist and frames the debate over Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount as a human rights issue.“I’m a very big supporter of human rights and I think we should do whatever we can to promote freedom of speech for everybody. I believe in liberty, I believe in equality and I think those are the basic values the Jewish state is based on,” Glick said.Michael Melchior, a former government minister who was active with Glick’s father, Shimon, in the liberal-religious Meimad party, has questioned whether Glick should be celebrated as a voice of tolerance. While Melchior admires Glick’s use of universalist language in his Temple Mount work, he said Glick is inconsistent in that he does not advocate for Palestinian rights.“The human rights motive is used to say, ‘Well, why shouldn’t Jews have the right to pray everywhere?’” Melchior said. “But the human rights motive is a universal motive. If you believe in human rights, will you apply that to everything else that has to do with human rights?”But Glick, who does not believe in the two-state solution and maintains Israel and the world must abandon the initiative, told The Times of Israel the government must improve the lives of Palestinians.“That’s our goal: I don’t think we want to live in a state where there are two kinds of civilians, [where] everybody has a different kind of law. There are people that are suffering, and there are very severe human rights issues,” he said. “I think the best thing to do is talk. The best thing to do is talk openly. I feel people are not so willing to trust each other, and we have to work to build up some kind of model of dialogue based on trust.”Reconciling with the Palestinians and bringing them into the Israeli fold won’t happen “in one day,” he said. “But it will not happen at all if we don’t start working on it gradually.”-‘Reform Jews no less Jewish than everybody else’-In tune with his call for dialogue, Glick said there is “extremism” in Israeli discourse and encourages a “more civilized” debate over the issues dividing Israeli society.“I think we should do whatever we can to calm things down. Find a common denominator,” he said. On one of the most divisive issues recently, the manslaughter conviction of an IDF soldier accused of shooting dead a disarmed Palestinian stabber, he said: “We don’t have to call him a murderer, but he’s not a hero.”“The soldier made a big mistake. And as a soldier, when you make mistakes, you pay for your mistakes.”Glick has also condemned the apparently unprovoked police brutality against an Arab supermarket worker in Tel Aviv and said he had hoped he would be entering a broader unity government with the Zionist Union.“I would have been very happy if there had been a wider government. I think that should be our goal,” he said.Glick’s views on freedom of worship also extends to the new mixed-gender plaza at the Western Wall, and he said he was confounded by the opposition to the new section, which has largely come from the ultra-Orthodox parties in the Knesset.“Everybody should be able to pray as he wishes. I don’t understand where the problem begins,” he said. “Reform Jews are no less Jewish than everybody else.”“Why does the fact that I want to pray differently than you — why should that bother you?” he said fervently. “I don’t understand.”Dov Lieber and JTA contributed to this report.
In rare show of independence, US pro-Israel heavyweights press hard for two-state solution-Jewish community leaders are drafting proposals for the next president, some of them at odds with the Israeli government, that seek to satisfy Palestinian demand for sovereignty, Israeli security needs-By Ron Kampeas May 25, 2016, 2:07 am-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In a rare and sharp split with Israel’s government policy, a group of Jewish community leaders want to get a proposal for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the next president’s desk.Two complementary US and Israeli working papers to be launched next week propose immediate actions Israel can take to prepare the ground for two states and a longer-term security structure that aims to satisfy Palestinian ambitions for sovereignty and Israeli security needs.Elements of the proposals, including dismantling some settlements now and preparing for Palestinian sovereignty in Jerusalem, are radical departures from the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government, perhaps the most right wing in Israeli history. Tactically, getting the next president to kick-start new talks is also anathema to Netanyahu, who regards outside pressure as counterproductive.The organization behind the push, the Israel Policy Forum, is not new to such initiatives. It was established in the early 1990s at the behest of late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who went over the head of what was then a hawkish pro-Israel establishment to seek US Jewish backing for his peace talks with the Palestinians.This time, however, the party doing the reaching over is not the Israeli prime minister but Jewish community heavyweights who have helmed major Jewish organizations, from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to the Anti-Defamation League.In the last 18 months or so, the Israel Policy Forum has signed to its board Alan Solow and Robert Sugarman, past chairmen of the Presidents Conference, the Jewish community’s foreign policy umbrella group. Sugarman also is a past president of the ADL.On board, too, are Robert Elman and Robert Goodkind, past presidents of the American Jewish Committee, and Susie Gelman, a past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and an early major funder of The Israel Project. Solow, Sugarman and Gelman, with Israel Policy Forum staff, met last week with JTA.The Israel Policy Forum has never disbanded, but the new heavyweights represent the kind of clout it hasn’t seen in years.The initiative will formally launch at a conference here on May 31, showcasing proposals for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from veterans of the Israeli and American diplomatic establishments — represented by Commanders for Israel’s Security and the Center for a New American Security, respectively.Mainstream Jewish groups have long been resistant to openly challenging Israel on security issues. Solow said that was less of a consideration in Israel’s volatile political climate.“One doesn’t know what Israel’s government is going to look like in a week,” he said.Solow also noted the stasis following the collapse of the last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks in 2014 that has driven Democrats to criticize Israel more freely as they see the prospects of two states diminish.“Taking on the perspective from those in the pro-Israel community, the only reasonable Zionist solution is to have two states for two people,” Solow said.Both likely presidential nominees, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, have said they would like to address Israeli-Palestinian peace.“Every time a new administration comes into office, these issues get a fresh look, that’s a historical fact,” said Solow, probably the Jewish leader who has been closest to President Barack Obama.The board members lend the initiative political clout in an election year in which much media attention on pro-Israel voices is focused on Republican mega-donors such as casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and hedge funder Paul Singer, who have sharply hawkish outlooks. Adelson, who endorsed Trump this month — reportedly to the tune of $100 million plus — is often depicted in the media as the bellwether of the “pro-Israel” donor class.Adelson is close to Netanyahu and has called a Palestinian state a “steppingstone for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people.” He broke with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in 2007 when he discovered it was tacitly backing then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s peace initiative.While Trump says he is eager to see if he can bring about a two-state solution, most of the Republicans he defeated had all but abandoned the idea in the near term — a skepticism that still prevails among congressional Republicans.David Halperin, the Israel Policy Forum’s director, said he had secured meetings with Republicans to discuss the project, but with more difficulty than he had with Democrats.“In the current political climate, we would like to make this more bipartisan,” he said.So is this initiative, at least in part, about making it clear that the pro-Israel buck does not start and stop in Adelson’s suite at his Las Vegas Venetian? “You’re not going to get disagreement from us,” Sugarman said.Solow said the polling demonstrates that the “overwhelming number of American Jews support the position we’re taking.” The fact that members of the IPF board have held significant leadership roles in American Jewry “will provide additional credibility” to the initiative, he said.The Israel Policy Forum is planning private and public presentations for Jewish community leaders and members of Congress. The board members will be a key presence.“We are the connector to the American Jewish community on all of this,” Gelman said.Sugarman said the plan for two states would couple with a robust and detailed effort to keep Israel secure, a commonplace posture in Israel — at least on the center and left — he said was missing from the American Jewish conversation. Much of Israel’s right now rejects the two-state solution.“It’s never been pushed here the way IPF is pushing it,” he said.AIPAC in principle is in favor of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but the prominent pro-Israel lobbying group would never consider getting ahead of the Israeli government in advancing how to define two states as these plans do. For J Street, the organizing principle is two states, and since its 2008 founding the more liberal lobbying group has made inroads among Democrats. But its tough criticisms of Israel have alienated the same Jewish institutions that the IPF board members have on their resumes.The emphasis of the proposals is on preparing Israel psychologically, politically and militarily for two states while countering what the authors of the Israeli plan describe as “fear mongering” from those who oppose Palestinian statehood.Israel “must seize the initiative to determine its destiny and shape a better future for our and our neighbor’s children,” the 67-page Commanders for Israel’s Security plan says. “There is no exclusively military solution to the conflict or to waves of terror.”The Israeli team’s proposals include, among other recommendations for immediate action, a settlement freeze, encouraging settlers who live outside the West Bank security fence to move back inside its perimeter and setting up a precursor for Palestinian sovereignty in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.The Center for a New American Security proposals to be unveiled May 31 will focus on the long-range security underpinnings of a peace plan.“We want to make sure that there are real tangible plans out there, that there are options to deal with security,” said Michael Koplow, policy director for the Israel Policy Forum.
Mighty Iran forced world to strike nuke deal, supreme leader says-Ayatollah Khamenei warns against ‘soft war’ West is waging on Islamic Republic in bid to erode power from within-By Times of Israel staff May 26, 2016, 4:57 pm
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that Tehran, through its “might,” forced world powers into striking last year’s nuclear deal, but urged vigilance against the West’s “soft war” against the Islamic Republic.After years of negotiations, Iran and world powers, led by the United States, reached an agreement last year to freeze and inspect Iran’s rogue nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.“The other sides accepted (to recognize) Iran’s nuclear industry after they saw Iran’s might,” demonstrated by Tehran’s ability to enrich uranium to 20%, Khamenei told a meeting of the Assembly of Experts Thursday.“The enemy which once wasn’t ready to accept even the existence of one centrifuge in Iran, was forced to accept the same fact after facing the country’s nuclear power,” Fars news quoted Khamenei saying. “Actually, the Americans didn’t make this concession but we took it in light of our own power.”Speaking to the council entrusted with the authority to appoint the next supreme leader, Khamenei warned that Iranian officials “should be vigilant about the West’s continued soft war against Iran… the enemies want to weaken the system from inside,” Reuters reported.Earlier this week Iran’s Assembly of Experts chose ultra-conservative Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati to head the key body.The 89-year-old cleric is one of the few hardliners who secured reelection in a February vote that saw a landslide for reformist and moderates in the capital and big gains elsewhere.Hardliners like Jannati nonetheless control the Islamic Republic’s judiciary, military, and Guardian Council, the body that oversees laws and election candidates, and public broadcasters, Reuters reported.“By impairing centers of powers in Iran, it will be easy to harm the establishment from inside.”
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Muslim mob attacked Christian homes in Egyptian province-[The Canadian Press]-Hamza Hendawi, The Associated Press-May 26, 2016-YAHOONEWS
CAIRO - A Muslim mob ransacked and torched seven Christian homes last week in a province south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman, according to a statement by the local Orthodox Coptic church.Released late Wednesday, the statement said that during the attack last Friday, the mother of the Christian man, who had fled the village in Minya province, was publicly stripped of her clothes by the mob to humiliate her.The statement was signed by Anba Makarios, Minya's top Christian cleric, who on Wednesday night told a talks show host on the private Dream TV network that the elderly woman was dragged out of her home by the mob who beat her and insulted her before they stripped her of her clothes and paraded her naked on the streets while chanting Allahu Akbar, or "God is great."The woman had only reported the incident to the police five days later, said Makarios, adding that she had found it too difficult to "swallow the humiliation" she suffered.Extramarital affairs or sex between unmarried couples are taboo among both Muslims and Christians in conservative Egypt. They often attract violent reactions in rural areas, where questions of honour can lead to deadly family feuds that endure for years or result in ostracizing of the perpetrators.Christian men cannot marry Muslim women in Egypt unless they convert to Islam first, but Muslim men can marry Christian women. An affair between a Christian man and a Muslim woman is almost certain to cause a great deal of trouble, particularly in rural areas.Anba Makarios said in the statement that police arrived at the scene of Friday's violence nearly two hours after the attack began and arrested six people. The family of the Christian man had notified the police of threats against them by Muslim villagers the day before the attack, he said."No one did anything and the police took no pre-emptive or security measures in anticipation of the attacks," the cleric said in another TV interview Wednesday night. "We are not living in a jungle or a tribal society. It's incorrect for anyone to declare himself judge, police and ruler," he told Ahmed Moussa, a prominent talk show host on the private Sada el-Balad television.Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of more than 90 million people, have long complained of discrimination in the mostly Muslim nation.President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, in office since 2014, has sought to address some of their grievances, changing election laws to allow more Christians into the national legislature and easing restrictions on building new churches and renovating old ones.But many Christians say they are still consistently victimized in disputes with Muslims.Criminal gangs have often targeted wealthy Christian families south of Cairo in recent years, kidnapping their children for ransom. There have also been scores of cases in recent years of underage Christian girls lured away from their families by Muslim men who force them to convert and keep them in hiding until they reach adulthood. Christians often complain that police don't do enough to pursue the Muslim perpetrators.At least 35 per cent of Minya's population is Christian, the largest in any of Egypt's 27 provinces.Makarios also told Moussa of Sada el-Balad television that the late arrival of the police gave the attackers "ample time" to do what they had set out to do. He predicted the village crisis will most likely be handled through a government-sponsored meeting of the two sides in which the Christians will be forced to accept "humiliating" conditions for reconciliation.If the case were different, and a Muslim man was having an affair with a Christian woman, the reaction would have hardly been so violent, he added."It is a disgrace for honest men to remain silent while accepting, seeing or hearing this," Makarios said.
Sun will align directly over Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, on Friday-By Tuqa Khalid, CNN-Updated 8:45 AM ET, Thu May 26, 2016
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN)It is Islam's holiest shrine -- and for a few moments on Friday, it will also be the easiest to find.Astronomers say the sun will pass directly over the top of the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia at 12:18 p.m. local time -- coinciding with the call to Friday prayers at the mosque -- and when it does, the cube-shaped structure, draped in black silk at the center of the world's most sacred Muslim site, will cast no shadow.Muslims across the world must face the direction -- known as the "Qibla" -- of the Kaaba when praying. Friday's alignment of the sun over the shrine, which happens twice a year, means the faithful can find the Qibla simply by facing the sun."This celestial phenomenon will enable people all over the Earth who can see the sun at that moment to determine the direction of the Qibla through the simplest and easiest ways," Mulhim bin Mohammed Al Hindi, an astronomy researcher at King Abdulaziz University in Riyadh, told Saudi news agency SPA. "A man facing the sun (at that moment) will be heading to the Qibla with an accuracy of 100%."Those living near the Kaaba, however, will find it more difficult than the rest of the world to locate the direction the sun is traveling, and will have to rely on an ancient method to locate the sun. "They can determine the Qibla through the shadows of objects," Al Hindi said. "If a pen is situated vertically, the Qibla's direction will be the exact opposite to the pen's shadow."Using shadows to determine the Qibla dates back to the 12th century, according to Al Hindi. Facing the Kaaba -- Islam's holiest site and the destination for the annual pilgrimage known as the Hajj -- is one of the religion's chief requirements, in addition to performing ablution (ritual cleansing with water) and reciting verses of the Quran while praying.
EU asks for G7's help on refugees By Eric Maurice-MAY 26,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:08-The EU is asking the help of the G7 group of wealthy nations to cope with the refugee crisis."We would also like the global community to show solidarity and recognise the fact that this is a global crisis," European Council president Donald Tusk said on Thursday (26 May) at the beginning of the G7 summit in Ise-Shima, Japan."We need the leadership of G7. And honestly speaking if we do not take the lead in managing this crisis nobody else will," he told journalists.Tusk noted that because of geography, Europe would continue to bear the most responsibility in managing the crisis, but he said the G7 could provide help in three areas.The first area is global assistance to refugees – especially in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, which together host around 4 million Syrian refugees.These countries were “providing a global public good, and this public good must be financed by the global community”, Tusk said.The council president also called on the G7 to "encourage international financial institutions and other donors to raise their assistance"."EU funds for Syria, Africa and Turkey, along with the work of the European Investment Bank serve as a role model for all of us," he said.-More action needed-Tusk said that more action was needed "to make legal channels of migration possible" and said that the G7 should "encourage the establishment of resettlement schemes and other legal forms of migration all around the world"."Europe is doing a lot and we are happy to share our experiences," he said. "Those who criticise us should rather think how to increase their assistance because what Europe provides is already massive."Tusk was speaking at the start of a two-day summit between leaders of Japan, the US, Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Italy and the EU, where global economy will be topping the agenda.Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who opened the meeting by taking his counterparts to Ise Jingu, one of Shinto's holiest temples, expects the summit to back his ideas for fiscal stimulus to boost the world economy.Security issues - mainly terrorism, tensions around Chinese military activities and the North Korean nuclear programme - will also be discussed, as well as climate change and the refugee crisis.-New crisis-After that more than one million people reached Europe last year, mainly through Turkey and the Balkans, arrivals of refugees have gone down since the EU sealed a deal with Turkey in March.Speaking to journalists in Ise-Shima, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the deal was "already producing effects".But after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to stop controlling migrant flows to Europe if Turkey did not get accelerated visa liberalisation, Juncker said he expected Turkey to "stick to its commitments"."Threats are not the best diplomatic instrument you can use – one should stop using them because they will produce no effect whatsoever," he said.As EU leaders expect G7 support for refugees, concerns over a new crisis in the Mediterranean have grown in recent days.More than 500 people were rescued on Tuesday by the Italian navy off the Libyan coast. Around 2,600 were rescued the day before, and 800 on Sunday.On Monday, EU foreign affairs ministers decided to train Libyan coastguard to participate in Sophia, the EU's anti migrant-smuggling naval operation.
Terrorists likely stockpiling explosives in EU, says Europol By Nikolaj Nielsen-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 24. May, 09:30-The threat of terrorists attacks in the EU remains the top national security concern among member states, with some 211 foiled plots last year alone, according to a top EU security official.The threat of another attack similar in scale to the Paris attack in November last year or in Brussels this past March has national authorities on edge.Manuel Navarrete Paniagua, the head of the European Counter Terrorism Centre at the EU police agency Europol, told euro-deputies on Monday (23 May) that terrorist cells in the EU were likely stockpiling explosives for later use."We have some information reported by the member states that terrorists groups are trying to establish large clandestine stockpiles of explosives in the European Union to be used eventually in large scale home attacks," he said.Paniagua was briefing MEPs in the civil liberties committee on the yet-to-be published EU Terrorism Situation & Trend Report (TE-SAT) compiled by Europol and member states.The report is set for publication in a few weeks' time.Paniagua cited figures and broader conclusions due in the report, noting that "jihadist terrorism" remains the top threat to security in the European Union.The latest attacks in the EU suggest much better coordination among the terrorists than previously thought. He said their combined use of explosives and firearms was also a novelty and a threat that is evolving rapidly.Authorities have yet to nail down any single profile of a home-grown terrorist or foreign fighter.But he said many have petty criminal backgrounds. He pointed out a significant proportion of foreign fighters have also been diagnosed with mental problems.More than 4,000 so-called foreign fighters have been identified in the EU and entered into a Europol database."Using the terrorist financial tracking programme, we provided last year more than 2,700 leads regarding foreign terrorist fighters to the member states," he said.Some 1,057 people were also arrested last year on terrorism-related offences, he said.He said there are also unconfirmed reports that some jihadist militants have set up training camps in the Western Balkans and some EU states.-Terrorists and migration flows-Other concerns related to terrorists exploiting the migration flows from Turkey and elsewhere to enter the European Union."We found no evidence of the systematic of using this flow to infiltrate terrorists into the European Union. But they do, they use it, we have some cases, some of the people that perpetrated the Paris attacks were eventually disguised in this immigration flow," he said.Paniagua said migrants were being victimised twice as result. First they flee terrorists and then again when the same attempt to infiltrate the EU by hiding among the refugees, he said."Again, we have no indication that this systematic," he said.Earlier this month, Europol announced it would deploy some 200 counter-terrorist and other investigators to migrant arrival centres known as hotspots in Italy and Greece.Of those, Europol said it would dispatch around 50 "at key points on the external border of the EU" to track down and help identify suspected criminals and terrorists.A European Commission report earlier this month noted that Turkey is suspected to have around 1,300 Turkish citizens fighting alongside Islamic militant groups in Syria and Iraq.It noted that the plan to lift visa restrictions on Turkish nationals "could potentially have an impact on the terrorist risk in the EU".
Finance ministers baulk at tax-avoidance rules By Aleksandra Eriksson-MAY 26,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:10-EU finance ministers have failed to agree a scheme to outlaw some of the most common practices used by large companies to avoid paying taxes.“We could strike a deal very quickly,” said Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who chaired the meeting on Wednesday (25 May) and had hoped to sign off the deal.“We could have done it by simply giving in to objections of different ministers. But that’s not the way we are doing this. We need an effective deal, not just a deal,” he told reporters.Dijsselbloem was confident his colleagues would solve outstanding issues in the coming weeks and back the proposal at their next meeting in June, before the end of the Dutch presidency of the Council of the EU.EU countries came under pressure to crack down on tax avoidance after a massive leak of documents from a Panama-based law firm revealed how companies and wealthy individuals used loopholes and legal practices to dodge taxes.EU states lose up to €70 billion in revenue every year because of tax avoidance, according to estimates by MEPs.“We have to deliver. Public support for fighting tax avoidance and aggressive planning is very strong,” Dijsselbloem added.The draft directive is partly based on recommendations from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) on fighting tax planning strategies that take advantage of legal loopholes and shift profits to low tax locations.But some ministers fear that doing so will hurt their national interests.One bone of contention is a rule that would stop parent companies from shifting income to subsidiaries in lower-taxed jurisdictions, the so-called controlled foreign company (CFC) rule.-Competitiveness-Ireland and Luxembourg, which have lower companies taxes than most, said the wording was not consistent with European case law, an allegation that was rebuffed by European commissioner for economy Pierre Moscovici.Some countries raised concerns that competitiveness would suffer if non-EU countries did not take similar steps.Dijsselbloem hopes an expert committee - the Code of Conduct Group on Business Taxation - will provide guidelines that shed light on what constitutes valid commercial reasons and genuine economic activities.Another proposal to tax money that comes back to the EU from tax-free or low-tax countries met such opposition that it may be scrapped."We still think it's a good idea," Moscovici said. "But we won't let it become an obstacle to adopting the proposal."Some were also concerned that the proposal would be used by the EU to gain legal powers over taxation. They suggested the commission should sign an annex to deny this was the case.The draft directive must be approved unanimously, as it concerns tax matters.The council of finance ministers approved rules on tax reporting by the largest multinational companies, those whose annual revenue exceeds €750 million. It also gave the commission heads-up to make a list of tax havens.-Panama Papers probe-Meanwhile, the European Parliament’s legal service approved members’ efforts to set up a special inquiry on tax avoidance and money laundering.”We will look at the role of intermediaries - banks, investment funds, tax advisers, the big four accounting firms - in facilitating tax avoidance and money laundering,” Green MEP Sven Giegold told EUobserver.Parliament wants to know why the commission did not use existing EU rules to control the booming industry.If the commission failed to apply the law, it could be guilty of contravention and maladministration.The legal green light to set up the committee came on Tuesday (24 May).That means MEPs could elect committee members during the next plenary session. The committee is expected to hold a first meeting in June in order to schedule its work after the summer recess.
STEPHEN HARPER SHOULD RUN AS A THIRD PARTY LEADER IN AMERICA.THEY NEED A BIG TIME CHRISTIAN AND ISRAEL SUPPORTER AS THEIR PRESIDENT.AND STEPHEN IS BOTH.
Harper prepares final farewell to party ahead of plans to step down as MP-[The Canadian Press]-Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press-May 25, 2016-YAHOONEWS
OTTAWA - Stephen Harper is slowly closing his Ottawa office as he prepares to step down after serving for over 14 years as a member of Parliament.The former prime minister and Conservative party leader is not expected to return when the House does next fall, already handing out new personal contact information to some as he prepares to launch his next career as an advocate for international causes that dominated his foreign policy while in office.Harper resigned as Conservative leader after his party lost the October election, but stayed on as MP for his Calgary riding — a move not without precedent but which left many wondering how his party could move on if he wasn't.But he has discussed with several confidants in recent months what he might to do next. Plans are slowly coalescing for a foundation or institute that would focus on foreign policy matters such as advocacy for Israel and Ukraine and maternal, newborn and child health.Spots on several corporate boards are being considered as well.Harper already tested the waters for a role in international affairs when he travelled to Las Vegas in April to speak with the Republican Jewish Coalition on a range of issues including how to unite a fractured party and Middle East causes."Thanks all for a great weekend in support of Israel," read a message from his Twitter account after that meeting.The issue of party unity is expected to be a theme of Harper's speech to the Conservative convention in Vancouver on Thursday night, when he addresses party members in public for the first time since election night. Some hint of his future plans may also be in those remarks.Harper was first elected in 1993 as a Reform MP and served until 1997 when he left to join a conservative advocacy group. He returned to the Commons in 2002 as the leader of the Canadian Alliance and of the Official Opposition, going on to become the leader of the modern day Conservatives in 2004.A spokesperson for the former prime minister did not return requests for comment.He has kept a low public profile since his party lost the last election, refraining entirely from any public comment on the new government — even as it dismantles elements of his government's agenda.He has been present in the House of Commons for votes. And widely circulated online was a screen shot of his surprised look in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau charging across the floor of the Commons last week, grabbing the Tory whip and colliding with NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the process.Those close to Harper say while many have sought his advice on issues before the House in recent months, he has not inserted himself into many conversations and despite an appearance at the party's first caucus meeting, has not taken an active role there either.Many MPs and party members have spoken critically since the election about the control Harper exerted over the party machine and from the prime minister's office. The verdict in Sen. Mike Duffy's trial last month was also a scathing indictment of some of the things that happened under Harper's watch.Some of that bad blood will resurface at the Conservative convention this weekend with several resolutions set to be debated on handing more power to the grassroots of the party.Harper's speech is expected to be short, and one he had to be convinced to give in person, rather than by video message which had been one suggestion on the table early on.The 57-year-old is fond of telling friends the only reason anyone ever paid attention to him was that he was prime minister; and now that he isn't, it's someone else's turn.Follow @StephanieLevitz on Twitter
Trump secures delegates needed to clinch Republican presidential nomination - AP-[Reuters]-May 26, 2016-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has reached the number of delegates needed to secure the party's presidential nomination, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing its own delegate count.A small number of unbound delegates said they would support Trump at the party's July convention, the AP reported, pushing the billionaire businessman over the 1,237-delegate threshold he needed to avoid a contested convention ahead of the Nov. 8 election.Trump, a billionaire New York real estate magnate and former reality TV star, had become the presumptive Republican nominee earlier this month when his final two rivals dropped out of the race. But securing the necessary delegates effectively ends Trump's primary campaign, in which he outlasted 16 other Republicans seeking the nomination.Republicans are expected to finalise their pick when delegates vote during the July 18-21 convention in Cleveland.Trump would face either former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who are vying for the Democratic nomination.(Reporting by Megan Cassella; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Jonathan Oatis)
Clinton Email Scandal: Hillary Never Got Legal OK For Her Risky Setup-INVESTERS DAILY-MAY 25,16
When Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server located in the basement of her New York home became public a year ago, Clinton claimed that there was nothing wrong with what she had done.“I fully complied with every rule I was governed by,” she said at her March 2015 news conference. She’s repeated that claim many times since.But a new report from the State Department’s inspector general says that, in fact, Clinton broke the rules.The report found that Clinton didn’t seek legal approval for the unusual set up, according to the Washington Post, which obtained an advance copy of the IG report.What’s more, the IG said, the State Department staff wouldn’t have given her the OK, because of “the security risks in doing so.”Those risks are at the heart of the Clinton email scandal. By using a home-brew server, Clinton allowed sometimes highly classified material to be sent and received over her very vulnerable server.Despite Clinton’s early denial that none of the emails she sent or received were classified, it turns out that roughly 2,000 were deemed classified when the State Department reviewed them before public release. The Post found that Clinton wrote 104 of them herself.The IG also said that, “At a minimum, Secretary Clinton should have surrendered all emails dealing with Department issues before leaving government service.”Clinton didn’t turn over those emails until more than year after she stepped down as secretary of state, and even then she decided on her own which emails were “work-related” and deleted the rest.“Because she did not do so, she did not comply with the Department’s policies that were implemented in accordance with the Federal Records Act,” the report said.To state the obvious, “did not comply” is the opposite of “fully complied.”Which means Clinton was either lying when she made her claim — one of many lies that she’s racked up as the email scandal unfolded — or she was unaware of the rules. Either way, it’s a damning indictment of her credibility.With Clinton’s poll numbers sagging, this revelation isn’t going help her public image.
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