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)
Tue Dec 20, 2016 | 4:08 AM EST-Trump wins Electoral College vote; a few electors break ranks-REUTERS By Eric M. Johnson and Jon Herskovitz | SEATTLE/AUSTIN, Texas
Republican Donald Trump prevailed in U.S. Electoral College voting on Monday to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House.Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen U.S. electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state’s directives, the largest number of “faithless electors” seen in more than a century.The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious Nov. 8 election.Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin's Electoral College balloting. In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting: “Dump Trump” and waving signs reading: “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You” gathered at the state capitol trying to sway electors.In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump.With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country."I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans," Trump said in a statement responding to the results.The Electoral College assigns each state electors equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. The votes will be officially counted during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.When voters go to the polls to cast a ballot for president, they are actually choosing a presidential candidate's preferred slate of electors for their state.-'FAITHLESS ELECTORS'-The "faithless electors" as they are known represent a rare break from the tradition of casting an Electoral College ballot as directed by the outcome of that state's popular election.The most recent instance of a "faithless elector" was in 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The practice has been very rare in modern times, with only eight such electors since 1900, each in a different election.The two Republican breaks on Monday came from Texas, where the voting is by secret ballot. One Republican elector voted for Ron Paul, a favorite among Libertarians and former Republican congressman, and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who challenged Trump in the race for the Republican nomination.Republican elector Christopher Suprun from Texas had said he would not vote for Trump, explaining in an op-ed in the New York Times that he had concerns about Trump's foreign policy experience and business conflicts.On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide.Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas.Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump.The founding fathers "said the electoral college was not to elect a demagogue, was not to elect someone influenced by foreign powers, was not to elect someone who is unfit for office. Trump fails on all three counts, unlike any candidate we’ve ever seen in American history," Chiafalo said in an interview.-'GREAT ANGST'-Washington's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, said after the vote that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "This was a very difficult decision made this year. There is great angst abroad in the land,” Inslee said.Twenty-four states have laws trying to prevent electors - most of whom have close ties to their parties - from breaking ranks.In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot.In Hawaii, one of the state’s four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the state’s Election Day outcome, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspapers.In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector.In Minnesota, one of the state’s 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the state’s electoral votes were then cast for her.(Additional reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del., Keith Coffman and Rick Wilking in Denver, and Roberta Rampton, David Morgan and Julia Harte in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
Electoral College Vote Seals Trump White House Victory-Andrew Rafferty-DEC 19,16-CNBC-NBC NEWS
The Electoral College formalized Donald Trump's election victory on Monday despite protests around the country to encourage GOP electors to abandon the Republican.The president-elect easily racked up the 270 electoral votes needed to send him to the White House. Interest in the normally mundane voting process spiked this year as opposition to Trump continues to fester, fueled by Clinton's success in capturing over 2.6 million more votes than her Republican opponent."Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy," Trump said in a statement. "I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States."He added, "this election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans."Anti-Trump protesters descended on state capitols throughout the U.S. in a last-ditch effort to persuade so-called "faithless electors" in states Trump won to change their vote. Many of the Republicans casting ballots said they were inundated with calls and emails urging them to dump Trump.And some electors did break with how their state voted, albeit in unexpected ways. In Washington, a state Clinton won by 16 points, the former secretary of state received just eight of the state's 12 electoral votes. Colin Powell received three votes and Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle received one as part of an effort to promote a candidate other than Trump.An elector in both Maine and Minnesota attempted to cast a ballot for Bernie Sanders, who unsuccessfully challenged Clinton in the Democratic primary. However state laws requiring electors to follow the statewide vote invalidated both efforts.Only one Republican elector, Christopher Suprun of Texas, publicly pledged not to vote for Trump despite his state heavily favoring the president-elect last month. One other Texas elector also abandoned Trump in the final vote.An Associated Press survey of the electoral college's 538 members found there was little interest from members in breaking from voting how their states did. Thirty-seven electors would have needed to defect from Trump to endanger him from winning.The Electoral College met in all fifty states and Washington, D.C. on Monday. Congress will certify the results on Jan. 6 and the president will be inaugurated Jan. 20.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI5_pMvLZd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 DIVSION REGION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
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-How the EU cosied up to the defence lobby By Crina Boros-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:06-A faceless building at Number 10 Rue Montoyer in Brussels hosts two tenants with an influential grip on the European Union security policy. Situated in the heart of “the European Quarter”, Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) shares its address with the European Organisation for Security (EOS).Both lobby bodies represent defence and security companies that win EU-funded contracts and appear very successful in winning tenders and setting the EU's security agenda.They are among the estimated 30,000 lobbyists who try to influence EU lawmakers in Brussels, often raising concerns about conflict of interest in the depths of EU policy making.Things changed in the security sector when the EU set up a security research programme in 2005. The programme aimed to develop a European security industry, according to J Peter Burgess, an expert in the geopolitics of risk at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris.Its focus shifted towards immigration and cybersecurity, on the back of an internationally bruising economic crisis, the rise of right-wing political parties, chronic unemployment, and the refugee crisis.Part of EU’s strategy was to consult industry actors on related policies, programmes and their implementation in shaping projects for tender, so the Commission set up advisory groups.From 2007 to 2013, the Security Advisory Group (SAG) served a programme called Security under EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7). Over the seven years, FP7 had a budget of over €50 billion, of which €1.4 billion was set aside for its Security programme.In 2014, FP7 was rebranded as Horizon 2020 (H2020) and €1.6 billion was earmarked to be spent on a programme called Secure Societies between 2014 and 2020.-Lobby fraternities-The industry has gained significant influence in shaping security policies, not the least through EOS and ASD.Initially in 2007, five out of 20 SAG experts were working for organisations affiliated to the EOS.In 2010, when the SAG group updated its memberships, about a third of the committee’s advisers (seven out of 22) were affiliated to an EOS member.The security advisory group (SAG) serving the FP7 changed its name to Protection And Security Advisory Group (PASAG) under the new framework H2020.Seven out of 30 PASAG members work with EOS-affiliated companies and even more have worked for or in partnerships with one.Investigate Europe has carried out in-depth research into the backgrounds of consultants and the firms that win EU tenders, and revealing how industry stakeholders advise the commission, and then profit from their decisions.The European Organisation for Security (EOS) lobby group has become a stable presence in the security advisory committees.Out of 39 SAG consultants hired for their expertise, at least 15 had ties with companies that won FP7 security research contracts.EOS chief Luigi Rebuffi has been both a SAG and PASAG consultant. He also works for defence and security giant Thales, another EOS-affiliated EU contracts winner.PASAG member Cristina Leone is an employee of Finmeccanica, an Italian multinational defence and security company that has won tenders for EU-funded security research. Finmeccanica is part of the EOS family, and Leone works for ASD.EU contractor and EOS member Airbus, one of the world’s largest defence companies, is linked to PASAG consultant Brigitte Serreault.From the same lobby family, the Fraunhofer Institute, a German research organisation, is linked to two PASAG members. Fraunhofer won security contracts under the Secure Societies programme.Additionally, five academic institutions that hire PASAG members receive EU funding for security research: the University of Athens, the University of Oxford, the University of Brighton, the University of Salford and the University of Birmingham.-Blurring transparency-The commission used to be transparent about its consultants’ industry affiliation. But under Horizon 2020, it blurred their employment ties.Experts can now join EU advisory groups in a “personal capacity”, meaning “acting independently and expressing their own personal views” according to the commission.Since May 2016, they have to sign a declaration of acceptance when they join, declaring “any conflict of interest that they could have,” to be filed by December 30, a commission spokesperson said.“When an advisory group expert knowingly conceals a conflict of interest and this is discovered once a member, the commission will exclude the expert in question from the group,” said the spokesperson.Other members - who may be appointed to represent an interest, a stakeholder, a company, government department or authorities from non-EU states, an NGO or an institution of some sort - are not required to file a declaration of interest.Under present regulations, companies that employ European Commission consultants have no restrictions bidding for EU-funded projects.All security consultants and their employers contacted have rebuffed allegations of wrongdoing.“Members of advisory groups are chosen for their expertise and frequently have connections with organisations bidding for research,” ex-FP7 consultant Andrew Sleigh said. “This is one of the reasons advisory groups are never involved in any way in assessment, selection or procurement decisions.”Not every PASAG consultant has filed a declaration of interest in spite of the commission’s current regulations. Anne Lambert, a British civil servant, left without submitting hers.Lambert worked for NATS, an air traffic control services provider, until March 2014. She joined the commission’s expert group in December 2015 and resigned less than a year later.She told Investigative Europe that she did not complete a declaration of interest because "the deadline for members of the commission’s expert groups… was after [she] had resigned from PASAG.”"There seems to be a very incomplete understanding among some people of what a conflict of interest looks like,” EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly told Investigate Europe.She pointed out that a conflict of interest must be declared even if not exercised, and that filling in a declaration of interest is mandatory. The ombudsman called for the commission to take action against potential conflicts of interest.-A lobby backstage-Official documents from the commission show that industry lobbyists are a vital part in shaping the European policy.A memo obtained by Dutch news website De Correspondent through an Access to Documents request mentions a meeting in November 2015 between the EU commission’s director general for Migration and Home Affairs Matthias Ruete and three lobbyists.Among them were Burkard Schmitt, a former EU official versed in all aspects of security and defence, now working for ASD; and Alberto de Benedictis, a former manager of the Italian arms company Finmeccanica, who served as ADS chairman until early 2016.The meeting was to discuss a research programme called Security for Europe and its Citizens.The memo, written for EU officials ahead of the meeting, noted that ASD “had actively taken part in discussions to shape our strategic documents”.Under a reform of SAG, it said, “representatives from industry, or with a strong industrial background, will be more numerous than in the past”.“We have six more names from industry on the list for 2016, 2017 or 2018 replacements. This will lead to a slight overall increase of industry representation in the SAG,” the memo reads.Officials concluded that the Call for Proposals attracted more industry applicants in 2015 than in the previous year “because topics are more of interest to the industry”.A 2014 assessment of security measures under the FP7 framework by the EU Parliament's citizens’ rights and constitutional affairs policy department was broadly critical of the influence of lobbyists.“This closed community in the making, interested in the development of huge margins of profits for the industry, has successfully framed the parameters and rationale of EU-funded security research, in which the main stakeholders have increasingly played a role of gatekeepers,” the study said.Following a complaint by anti-lobby organisation Corporate Europe Observatory, Ombudsman O'Reilly conducted her own investigation into the EU commission’s advisory bodies.She concluded in her 2015 report that there was “the perceived imbalance in favour of corporate interests in certain groups and potential conflicts of interest of experts who participate in their personal capacity”.In addition to Crina Boros, journalists Wojciech Ciesla, Ingeborg Eliassen, Christophe Garach, Nikolas Leontopoulos, Maria Maggiore, Paulo Pena, Harald Schumann, Elisa Simantke also contributed to this investigation for Investigate Europe.Investigate Europe is supported by Germany's Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Rudolf-Augstein-Stiftung and Stiftung Hübner&Kennedy, the Norwegian foundation Fritt Ord and the Open Society Initiative for Europe.
EU states set to oppose tax transparency bid By Nikolaj Nielsen-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:22-EU states are moving to oppose an EU commission tax transparency plan despite public backlash against wealthy people hiding their money in secret offshore accounts.Diplomats on Tuesday (20 December) plan to drop proposals to grant public access to registers that reveal the true owners of businesses and trusts.The registers are part of a larger transparency drive to shed light on tax dodging schemes that cost national coffers in the EU an estimated €70 billion a year.But a compromise text from the Slovak EU presidency now restricts access to such registers to people who can demonstrate a "legitimate interest", or those who work with the police.The "legitimate interest" criterion is likely to make it more difficult for journalists, civil society, and the general public to access the information."No-one seems to agree on what legitimate interest means," the Financial Transparency Coalition, an NGO, wrote in a blog ahead of the meeting.-Further loopholes-The latest amendment is part of the EU commission's reform of the anti-money laundering directive. The directive was adopted in 2015 but revised in the wake of the Panama Papers leak earlier this year to make registers fully public.The Panama cache of 11.5 million records had revealed how some 140 politicians and public officials from around the world, with the help of major banks, hid assets by setting up front companies.But Bloomberg BNA news website earlier this month reported that EU states are now using data protection rules to quash setting up the public registers.EU states can still make the registers public if they so choose but must "respect the protection of fundamental rights of individuals in particular the right to privacy and protection of personal data", notes the Slovak paper.Not every member state supports the plan.Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Slovenia and the UK have already decided to make their registers public.Another issue is that the EU commission wanted to make sure that anyone who had at least a 10 percent stake must be revealed, but EU states are pushing to increase the threshold to 25 percent.Despite the EU commission efforts, tax transparency campaigners say it contains loopholes.Family trusts, for example, can still be used to hide money because the commission makes a distinction between commercial and non-commercial trusts.
MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL EATS HUMANS FLESH FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL-JERUSALEM
EZEKIEL 39:17-21
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF RUSSIAN/ISLAMIC HORDES AGAINST ISRAEL)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
REVELATION 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;(AGAINST ALL NATIONS ARMIES THAT COME AGAINST JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL)
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
EZEKIEL 38:1-7
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
Russia says new U.S. sanctions are hostile acts, promises response-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 20, 2016
MOSCOW (Reuters) - New U.S. sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict are hostile acts by the outgoing Obama administration and Russia will expand its sanctions lists against the United States in response, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency."We retain the right to choose the time, place and form pf our responsive actions in a way that suits us," Ryabkov told TASS.(Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Fighter jet deal showcases Russia-Serbia ties By Eszter Zalan-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:25-Serbia will sign a deal this week with Russia that includes six MiG-29 fighter jets, highlighting Moscow's efforts to boost its influence in the Balkans.Serbia's prime minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday (19 December) that he would travel to Moscow later this week to sign the deal, adding that the jets were needed "to protect our freedom and sovereignty", according to the Associated Press news agency.Serbia will receive the fighter jets from Russia, decommissioned by the Russian air force, and will only have to pay for their modernisation, Serbian media reported earlier."If we want to save our Serbia, we have to be strong ... and pay whatever we have to," Vucic said.He added that he would also negotiate the purchase of Russian air defence systems.The deal comes as Russia intensifies efforts to prevent the Balkans aligning further with the West and amid growing tensions between Serbia and neighbouring Croatia, which is already a Nato and EU member.Croatia earlier this month opposed opening a new accession chapter in EU membership talks with Serbia.At the time, Serbian foreign minister Ivica Dacic told journalists that if "Croatia is the one to decide about whether Serbia will enter the EU", then his interest in EU membership had waned.He also warned that Croatia could one day use Nato weapons against Serbia or Republika Srpska, the ethnic Serb entity in Bosnia.Dacic said Serbia would not seek to join Nato and would never support sanctions on Russia.Croatia and Serbia fought a bloody war after the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.The Associated Press quoted Serbian officials saying the military upgrade is to protect Serbia from an alleged threat from Croatia.Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that Moscow was keen to help Serbia boost its defence capabilities and to discuss a free trade deal with the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-led bloc of ex-Soviet states.Russia has been keen to keep close ties with Serbia, where people tend to be hostile towards Nato because of the bombing of Serbia in 1999.They also tend to view Western efforts to help create an independent Kosovo, a republic that broke away from Serbia in 2008, with distrust.Regional tensions have been on the rise following an alleged election-day coup attempt in October by Serbian and Russian nationalists against Montenegro's pro-Western government.The attempt came as Montenegro prepares to join Nato next year.Serbia has been an EU candidate country since 2011 and has opened four chapters out of the 35 needed to join the bloc.
Diplomat murder is provocation, say Russia and Turkey By Eric Maurice-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:10-Russia and Turkey both sought to limit the diplomatic fallout after Russia's envoy to Ankara was shot dead on Monday (19 December).Russian president Vladimir Putin said the killing of ambassador Andrei Karlov at an exhibition opening was "clearly a provocation".He said in a statement that the act was "aimed at undermining the improvement and normalisation of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria".The killer, a Turkish riot police officer, shouted after shooting: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria."Aleppo has been for months under Russian and Syrian bombs where many civilians have been trapped, waiting for humanitarian aid and to be evacuated. Russia has been accused of war crimes for targeting civilians."We have to know who organized this killing and gave orders to the assassin," Putin said, adding that the "only response" would be to "step up the fight against terrorism".The Russian leader had been called earlier by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also said the killing was a "provocation"."Our relations with Russia are significant," Erdogan told the Turkish press agency Anadolu. "I am calling on those who aim to destroy our relations: You are waiting in vain. You will never reach your goals."In a statement, the Turkish foreign ministry added that Turkey would "not allow this attack to overshadow Turkish-Russian friendship".In November 2015, tensions had flared between Ankara and Moscow after a Russian jet had been downed by Turkish air force at the limit of Turkish and Syrian fly zones. But the incident had not stopped Putin and Erdogan getting diplomatically closer.Karlov's assassination happened a day before a meeting in Moscow of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defence ministers about the future of Syria.Russia and Iran support the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad while Turkey has long called for Assad to quit power, but the three countries have engaged in a rapprochement that keeps western powers away from discussions."We hope to speak in detail and concrete terms with those who can really bring about an improvement in the situation on the ground, while our Western partners are busier with rhetoric and propaganda and aren’t influencing those who listen to them," Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday before the Ankara killing.The meeting was not cancelled despite the diplomat's assassination.Turkish authorities linked Karlov's killer to the US-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan's arch-enemy whose alleged supporters have been arrested en masse since a failed coup last July that was attributed to Gulenist forces.-Gulen and Nato theories-In Russia, some officials blamed Nato, of which Turkey is a member.Frantz Klintsevich, a deputy chairman of the Russian senate defence committee, said it was “highly likely that representatives of foreign Nato secret service are behind” the killing.Another senator from Putin's party, Alexei Pushkov, said that the assassination was “a result of the political and media hysteria whipped up around Aleppo by Russia’s opponents”.Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg condemned the killing of ambassador Karlov and said that their was "no justification for such a heinous act".A few hours before, Stoltenberg had chaired a meeting of the Nato-Russia Council where he said that "in times of tension, dialogue is more important than ever."In Washington, president-elect Donald Trump said that "the murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilised order and must be universally condemned".During the night, a gunman fired several shots outside the US embassy in Ankara. No one was harmed but the building was closed.
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)
Islamic state claims responsibility for Berlin truck attack-[Reuters]-yahoonews-December 20, 2016
CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in which a truck ploughed into crowds in a Christmas market and killed 12 people."The executor of the operation.. in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic state and he executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries," the militant group's AMAQ news agency said on Tuesday.(The story was refiled to add the dropped word "for" in the headline)(Reporting by Ali Abdelaty, Writing by Amina Ismail, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
German minister - Investigators following several leads in Berlin attack-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 20, 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Tuesday that investigators are following several leads on the Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 12 people."We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster."There are several leads that investigators are following now," the minister added.De Maiziere added that "nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught".(Reporting by Michael Nienaber,; Editing by Michelle Martin)
Germany frees suspect in market attack, says perpetrator maybe still at large-[Reuters]-By Michelle Martin and Sabine Siebold-yahoonews-December 20, 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities on Tuesday released a Pakistani asylum-seeker suspected of driving a truck into a Berlin Christmas market and killing 12 people due to a lack of evidence and the interior minister said the real perpetrator may still be on the run.The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages on Monday evening at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of west Berlin's most famous landmarks. Forty-five people were injured, 30 severely.Islamic State claimed responsibility the attack, saying the perpetrator was a "soldier" of the militant group."He executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries," its AMAQ news agency said.But Germany's interior minister said that despite the claim, investigators were following various leads."We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster. "There are several leads that investigators are following now."The Chief Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement it had been unable to prove that the suspect had been in the cabin of the truck at the time of the attack and said he had denied any involvement.Earlier, Die Welt newspaper quoted an unnamed police chief as saying: "We have the wrong man. And therefore a new situation. The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage."Commenting on the suspect's release, de Maiziere told ZDF television: "That's why it is true that one cannot rule out that the perpetrator is still at large."He said there was no doubt the Berlin incident had been an attack but the motive remained unclear. He also said it was not yet known how many foreigners were among the victims of the attack but no children had been among the dead.News of the arrest of the 23-year-old Pakistani had led politicians in Germany and beyond to demand a crackdown on immigration, but Chancellor Angela Merkel urged caution."There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack," she told reporters earlier on Tuesday."I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum," she said.-POLISH CONNECTION-The truck belonged to a Polish freight company and its rightful driver was found shot dead in the vehicle. The Polish truck driver had arrived hours earlier in the German capital and spoken to his wife about 3 p.m., according to his cousin.When she called again an hour later, there was no answer."At 3.45 p.m. you can see the movement on the GPS (Global Positioning System). The car moved forward and back. As if someone was learning to drive it," said the cousin, Ariel Zurawski, who was also the boss of the trucking company."I knew something was wrong."Merkel joined hundreds of mourners on Tuesday evening at a memorial service at the church near the attack site. Her spokesman said she had spoken with the leaders of seven European countries and also with U.S. President Barack Obama, who all assured her of their support for Germany.Security officials in Germany and Europe have warned for years that Christmas markets could present an easy target for militant attacks. In 2000, an al-Qaeda plan to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market on New Year's Eve was foiled.There were no concrete barricades at the Berlin Christmas market, as have been installed at a similar venue in Britain.The attack fuelled immediate demands for a change to Merkel's immigration policies, under which more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany this year and last."We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this," said Klaus Bouillon, interior minister of the state of Saarland and a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).Horst Seehofer, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, said: "We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy and to change it."-"FEAR OF EVIL"-The record influx has hit Merkel's ratings as she prepares to run for a fourth term next year and has boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).AfD leader Frauke Petry said Germany was no longer safe and "radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany".The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State.The influx of migrants to the European Union has deeply divided its 28 members and fuelled the rise of populist anti-immigration movements that hope to capitalise on public concerns next year in elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands.On Tuesday morning, investigators removed the black truck from the site for forensic examination. People left flowers at the scene and notes, one of which read: "Keep on living, Berliners!" One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers.Merkel said Germans must not be cowed by the attack: "We do not want to live paralysed by the fear of evil.""Even if it is difficult in these hours, we will find the strength for the life we want to live in Germany - free, together and open."Other European countries said they were reviewing security.Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route used by many migrants arriving in Europe in order to better control foreign jihadist fighters' movements.London police said they were reviewing their plans for protecting public events over the festive period.(Reporting by Michelle Martin, Caroline Copley, Joseph Nasr, Emma Thomasson, Paul Carrel, Michael Nienaber, Madeline Chambers in Berlin; additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla in Vienna; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)
Security tightens up at Christmas markets across Europe-A day after deadly Berlin rampage, with perpetrator still on the run, authorities fear more attacks in coming days-By Lori Hinnant December 20, 2016, 9:17 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
PARIS (AP) — Security was tightened at Christmas markets across Europe on Tuesday after a deadly truck attack on a market in Berlin — and pointed questions arose over why the German capital was vulnerable despite months of warnings.Monday night’s truck rampage in Berlin left 12 people dead and nearly 50 wounded. One man is in custody but German officials say it’s not clear that he was involved in the attack and he denies any involvement. German officials, however, say it was clearly a terror attack.Christmas markets are a popular tradition throughout Europe for both residents and tourists, and feature stalls with local food, mulled wine, warm chestnuts, scarves and tree ornaments.With no concrete information available about the driver, security officials around Europe were left to draw their own conclusions about an attack with strong parallels to the Bastille Day rampage in France that killed 86 people and was claimed by the Islamic State group.The US State Department on Tuesday reissued its warning about Christmas markets and other holiday gatherings in Europe.French Christmas markets were already under heightened security. Paris’ Champs Elysees was lined with barriers and large concrete blocks straddled each entrance. Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux said he was briefed last week on measures to prevent exactly the kind of attack that struck in Berlin.Concrete bollards — upright posts used to block entrances to streets — are increasingly common in France, which not only has been struck by deadly extremist attacks in the past two years, but also endured a series of street bombings in the 1990s. Heavy barriers are relatively rare in Germany.Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt told reporters that the capital has many Christmas markets as well as other areas where crowds gather.“There are an almost unlimited number of soft targets, that’s simply the fact, so there are many possibilities to kill people with a truck,” he said.Germany’s interior minister left it up to local authorities whether to raise security after Monday night’s attack. In the eastern state of Thuringia and Potsdam, armed police patrolled around the markets and in the eastern city of Dresden, officers put up massive concrete blocks — and said they were planned ahead of the attack.“There is a certain fear that I feel but business has to go on,” said Gabriele Hartstang, a vendor in Dresden.Italy and the Czech Republic promised heightened security to come, while Danish, Norwegian and British police increased their presence at Christmas markets.Le Roux emphasized that France had already learned from the Nice attack, when the government came under criticism for the lightly protected Bastille Day festivities that allowed a truck to plow through revelers, killing 86.“All the means in terms of security have been evaluated and put in place when it was needed, that is to say several weeks or even several months ago,” he said from the eastern city of Strasbourg, also famed for its Christmas market. “I wanted to get across a message to our fellow citizens that, at the time when there is a threat — it exists on our country, it exists in all democracies — we must continue to go out, to have fun.”In Dresden, at least one visitor agreed.“It is important to continue going to the Christmas markets,” said Alexandra Reisebery. “No one should scare us off.”
Merkel faces backlash over Berlin attack-By Eszter Zalan-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 15:44-German chancellor Angela Merkel has called Monday's crash at a busy Berlin Christmas market a "terrorist attack", but she faces criticism from political rivals who are blaming her welcoming refugee policy for the incident.In her first comments after the attack, in which 12 people died and dozens were wounded, Merkel said she was "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened".But she warned that Germany should not be paralysed by fear."I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said in a TV address on Tuesday (20 December)."This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."In a press conference shortly after, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the authorities were questioning a suspect who denied any involvement in the attack.De Maiziere said the suspect was an asylum seeker from Pakistan who came to Germany in December 2015, and arrived in Berlin in February.He said no group had taken responsibility for the incident.Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said his officers had not yet been able to confirm whether the suspect was the driver of the lorry.Merkel warned that a lot of details about the attack were still not known."Even if it's difficult at this hour, we will find the strength to live life the way we want to live it in Germany. Free, together and openly," she said.As well as the 12 people killed, 48 others were hurt when the lorry crashed into the popular Christmas market outside near Berlin's Zoo station late on Monday.A Polish man was found dead in the lorry. Unconfirmed reports suggest he was the original driver of the lorry, which had a Polish license plate, though he is not thought to have been driving at the time of the incident. The police earlier said the lorry had been stolen from a building site.The incident comes months after a truck ploughed into a crowd in the French city of Nice in an attack claimed by the Islamic State militant group.-Political backlash-Critics of Merkel's welcoming refugee policy and far-right parties wasted no time in blaming the chancellor for what happened."Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," said Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.Horst Seehofer, who leads the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats, said: “We owe it to the victims and the whole public to rethink and readjust our entire immigration and security policy.”Seehofer, a long-standing critic of Merkel's refugee policy, had already threatened last week to run as the opposition if Merkel did not agree to cap the number of migrants.Merkel, who announced recently she would run for a fourth term in office next September, is under growing pressure to change her welcoming attitude toward asylum seekers, almost a million of whom arrived to Germany last year mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.The attack has emboldened her political opponents in Germany and abroad.French far-right leader Marine Le Pen expressed her solidarity with families of victims in Berlin, but she asked: "How many massacres and dead people will it take before our governments stop allowing so many migrants into our borderless countries?"Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders has also called for a “political revolution” and posted on Twitter a photo-montage of Merkel with blood on her hands.Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage tweeted that such events would be "the Merkel legacy”.His message on Twitter prompted a reply from the widower if Jo Cox, a British MP killed in June by a man shouting "Britain first.""Blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? That's a slippery slope, Nigel," wrote Brendan Cox.Cup of patience-Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, also blamed Merkel's policy."The facts are simple: a migrant who arrived in Germany and got refugee status is now interrogated as a suspect responsible for this heinous, repugnant crime," Fico told a televised news conference, according to Reuters."I think that the cup of patience is beginning to spill over and Europe's public will rightfully expect rather stronger [anti-immigration] measures."Germany has so far experienced only smaller attacks by Islamic extremists, but two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group.Five people were wounded in an rampage with an axe on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 people were wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria, the home of Seehofer's CSU party.
Search warrant materials used in Clinton email probe unsealed-[Reuters]-By Nate Raymond-YAHOONEWS-December 20, 2016
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Search warrant documents released on Tuesday related to the probe of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email setup provided new details about the FBI's decision to revive the investigation days before the Nov. 8 election.The materials, which related to a search warrant issued after Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on Oct. 28 informed Congress of the emails, were ordered released on Monday by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan.Comey's letter drew new attention to Clinton's use of the server while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and roiled the campaign 11 days before the election, which Republican Donald Trump won.In an affidavit, an FBI agent said there was "probable cause" to believe emails between Clinton and a person whose name was redacted were among "thousands" found on a laptop that contained U.S. State Department correspondence.But the filings gave no indication that any emails involving Clinton containing classified information had been found on the laptop at the time the warrant was issued on Oct. 30.The laptop belonged to former Democratic U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin who was the subject of an investigation after a report about cellphone and online messages he sent a 15-year-old girl.The search warrant materials' release was sought by Randol Schoenberg, a Los Angeles-based lawyer, who in court papers said transparency was crucial given the potential influence the probe had on the election's outcome.In a statement, Schoenberg said he saw "nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her longtime aide Huma Abedin."Lawyers for Clinton and Weiner did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the FBI. Abedin's lawyer declined comment.In July, Comey recommended no charges be brought over Clinton's handing of classified information in the emails, although he said she and her colleagues were "extremely careless" in handling such information.That determination followed what the search warrant materials called a "criminal investigation concerning the improper transmission and storage of classified info on unclassified email systems and servers."In his Oct. 28 letter to Congress, Comey said emails potentially related to the investigation had been discovered in an "unrelated case."Federal investigators obtained the warrant to examine the emails on Oct. 30. Two days before the election, Comey disclosed the emails did nothing to change his earlier recommendation.(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York, additional reporting by Scot Paltrow and Mark Hosenball in Washington; editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Tom Brown)
Republican Donald Trump prevailed in U.S. Electoral College voting on Monday to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House.Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen U.S. electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state’s directives, the largest number of “faithless electors” seen in more than a century.The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious Nov. 8 election.Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin's Electoral College balloting. In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting: “Dump Trump” and waving signs reading: “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You” gathered at the state capitol trying to sway electors.In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump.With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country."I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans," Trump said in a statement responding to the results.The Electoral College assigns each state electors equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. The votes will be officially counted during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.When voters go to the polls to cast a ballot for president, they are actually choosing a presidential candidate's preferred slate of electors for their state.-'FAITHLESS ELECTORS'-The "faithless electors" as they are known represent a rare break from the tradition of casting an Electoral College ballot as directed by the outcome of that state's popular election.The most recent instance of a "faithless elector" was in 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The practice has been very rare in modern times, with only eight such electors since 1900, each in a different election.The two Republican breaks on Monday came from Texas, where the voting is by secret ballot. One Republican elector voted for Ron Paul, a favorite among Libertarians and former Republican congressman, and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who challenged Trump in the race for the Republican nomination.Republican elector Christopher Suprun from Texas had said he would not vote for Trump, explaining in an op-ed in the New York Times that he had concerns about Trump's foreign policy experience and business conflicts.On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide.Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas.Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump.The founding fathers "said the electoral college was not to elect a demagogue, was not to elect someone influenced by foreign powers, was not to elect someone who is unfit for office. Trump fails on all three counts, unlike any candidate we’ve ever seen in American history," Chiafalo said in an interview.-'GREAT ANGST'-Washington's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, said after the vote that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "This was a very difficult decision made this year. There is great angst abroad in the land,” Inslee said.Twenty-four states have laws trying to prevent electors - most of whom have close ties to their parties - from breaking ranks.In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot.In Hawaii, one of the state’s four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the state’s Election Day outcome, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspapers.In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector.In Minnesota, one of the state’s 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the state’s electoral votes were then cast for her.(Additional reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del., Keith Coffman and Rick Wilking in Denver, and Roberta Rampton, David Morgan and Julia Harte in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
Electoral College Vote Seals Trump White House Victory-Andrew Rafferty-DEC 19,16-CNBC-NBC NEWS
The Electoral College formalized Donald Trump's election victory on Monday despite protests around the country to encourage GOP electors to abandon the Republican.The president-elect easily racked up the 270 electoral votes needed to send him to the White House. Interest in the normally mundane voting process spiked this year as opposition to Trump continues to fester, fueled by Clinton's success in capturing over 2.6 million more votes than her Republican opponent."Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy," Trump said in a statement. "I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States."He added, "this election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans."Anti-Trump protesters descended on state capitols throughout the U.S. in a last-ditch effort to persuade so-called "faithless electors" in states Trump won to change their vote. Many of the Republicans casting ballots said they were inundated with calls and emails urging them to dump Trump.And some electors did break with how their state voted, albeit in unexpected ways. In Washington, a state Clinton won by 16 points, the former secretary of state received just eight of the state's 12 electoral votes. Colin Powell received three votes and Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle received one as part of an effort to promote a candidate other than Trump.An elector in both Maine and Minnesota attempted to cast a ballot for Bernie Sanders, who unsuccessfully challenged Clinton in the Democratic primary. However state laws requiring electors to follow the statewide vote invalidated both efforts.Only one Republican elector, Christopher Suprun of Texas, publicly pledged not to vote for Trump despite his state heavily favoring the president-elect last month. One other Texas elector also abandoned Trump in the final vote.An Associated Press survey of the electoral college's 538 members found there was little interest from members in breaking from voting how their states did. Thirty-seven electors would have needed to defect from Trump to endanger him from winning.The Electoral College met in all fifty states and Washington, D.C. on Monday. Congress will certify the results on Jan. 6 and the president will be inaugurated Jan. 20.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI5_pMvLZd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 DIVSION REGION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
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-How the EU cosied up to the defence lobby By Crina Boros-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 16:06-A faceless building at Number 10 Rue Montoyer in Brussels hosts two tenants with an influential grip on the European Union security policy. Situated in the heart of “the European Quarter”, Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) shares its address with the European Organisation for Security (EOS).Both lobby bodies represent defence and security companies that win EU-funded contracts and appear very successful in winning tenders and setting the EU's security agenda.They are among the estimated 30,000 lobbyists who try to influence EU lawmakers in Brussels, often raising concerns about conflict of interest in the depths of EU policy making.Things changed in the security sector when the EU set up a security research programme in 2005. The programme aimed to develop a European security industry, according to J Peter Burgess, an expert in the geopolitics of risk at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris.Its focus shifted towards immigration and cybersecurity, on the back of an internationally bruising economic crisis, the rise of right-wing political parties, chronic unemployment, and the refugee crisis.Part of EU’s strategy was to consult industry actors on related policies, programmes and their implementation in shaping projects for tender, so the Commission set up advisory groups.From 2007 to 2013, the Security Advisory Group (SAG) served a programme called Security under EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7). Over the seven years, FP7 had a budget of over €50 billion, of which €1.4 billion was set aside for its Security programme.In 2014, FP7 was rebranded as Horizon 2020 (H2020) and €1.6 billion was earmarked to be spent on a programme called Secure Societies between 2014 and 2020.-Lobby fraternities-The industry has gained significant influence in shaping security policies, not the least through EOS and ASD.Initially in 2007, five out of 20 SAG experts were working for organisations affiliated to the EOS.In 2010, when the SAG group updated its memberships, about a third of the committee’s advisers (seven out of 22) were affiliated to an EOS member.The security advisory group (SAG) serving the FP7 changed its name to Protection And Security Advisory Group (PASAG) under the new framework H2020.Seven out of 30 PASAG members work with EOS-affiliated companies and even more have worked for or in partnerships with one.Investigate Europe has carried out in-depth research into the backgrounds of consultants and the firms that win EU tenders, and revealing how industry stakeholders advise the commission, and then profit from their decisions.The European Organisation for Security (EOS) lobby group has become a stable presence in the security advisory committees.Out of 39 SAG consultants hired for their expertise, at least 15 had ties with companies that won FP7 security research contracts.EOS chief Luigi Rebuffi has been both a SAG and PASAG consultant. He also works for defence and security giant Thales, another EOS-affiliated EU contracts winner.PASAG member Cristina Leone is an employee of Finmeccanica, an Italian multinational defence and security company that has won tenders for EU-funded security research. Finmeccanica is part of the EOS family, and Leone works for ASD.EU contractor and EOS member Airbus, one of the world’s largest defence companies, is linked to PASAG consultant Brigitte Serreault.From the same lobby family, the Fraunhofer Institute, a German research organisation, is linked to two PASAG members. Fraunhofer won security contracts under the Secure Societies programme.Additionally, five academic institutions that hire PASAG members receive EU funding for security research: the University of Athens, the University of Oxford, the University of Brighton, the University of Salford and the University of Birmingham.-Blurring transparency-The commission used to be transparent about its consultants’ industry affiliation. But under Horizon 2020, it blurred their employment ties.Experts can now join EU advisory groups in a “personal capacity”, meaning “acting independently and expressing their own personal views” according to the commission.Since May 2016, they have to sign a declaration of acceptance when they join, declaring “any conflict of interest that they could have,” to be filed by December 30, a commission spokesperson said.“When an advisory group expert knowingly conceals a conflict of interest and this is discovered once a member, the commission will exclude the expert in question from the group,” said the spokesperson.Other members - who may be appointed to represent an interest, a stakeholder, a company, government department or authorities from non-EU states, an NGO or an institution of some sort - are not required to file a declaration of interest.Under present regulations, companies that employ European Commission consultants have no restrictions bidding for EU-funded projects.All security consultants and their employers contacted have rebuffed allegations of wrongdoing.“Members of advisory groups are chosen for their expertise and frequently have connections with organisations bidding for research,” ex-FP7 consultant Andrew Sleigh said. “This is one of the reasons advisory groups are never involved in any way in assessment, selection or procurement decisions.”Not every PASAG consultant has filed a declaration of interest in spite of the commission’s current regulations. Anne Lambert, a British civil servant, left without submitting hers.Lambert worked for NATS, an air traffic control services provider, until March 2014. She joined the commission’s expert group in December 2015 and resigned less than a year later.She told Investigative Europe that she did not complete a declaration of interest because "the deadline for members of the commission’s expert groups… was after [she] had resigned from PASAG.”"There seems to be a very incomplete understanding among some people of what a conflict of interest looks like,” EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly told Investigate Europe.She pointed out that a conflict of interest must be declared even if not exercised, and that filling in a declaration of interest is mandatory. The ombudsman called for the commission to take action against potential conflicts of interest.-A lobby backstage-Official documents from the commission show that industry lobbyists are a vital part in shaping the European policy.A memo obtained by Dutch news website De Correspondent through an Access to Documents request mentions a meeting in November 2015 between the EU commission’s director general for Migration and Home Affairs Matthias Ruete and three lobbyists.Among them were Burkard Schmitt, a former EU official versed in all aspects of security and defence, now working for ASD; and Alberto de Benedictis, a former manager of the Italian arms company Finmeccanica, who served as ADS chairman until early 2016.The meeting was to discuss a research programme called Security for Europe and its Citizens.The memo, written for EU officials ahead of the meeting, noted that ASD “had actively taken part in discussions to shape our strategic documents”.Under a reform of SAG, it said, “representatives from industry, or with a strong industrial background, will be more numerous than in the past”.“We have six more names from industry on the list for 2016, 2017 or 2018 replacements. This will lead to a slight overall increase of industry representation in the SAG,” the memo reads.Officials concluded that the Call for Proposals attracted more industry applicants in 2015 than in the previous year “because topics are more of interest to the industry”.A 2014 assessment of security measures under the FP7 framework by the EU Parliament's citizens’ rights and constitutional affairs policy department was broadly critical of the influence of lobbyists.“This closed community in the making, interested in the development of huge margins of profits for the industry, has successfully framed the parameters and rationale of EU-funded security research, in which the main stakeholders have increasingly played a role of gatekeepers,” the study said.Following a complaint by anti-lobby organisation Corporate Europe Observatory, Ombudsman O'Reilly conducted her own investigation into the EU commission’s advisory bodies.She concluded in her 2015 report that there was “the perceived imbalance in favour of corporate interests in certain groups and potential conflicts of interest of experts who participate in their personal capacity”.In addition to Crina Boros, journalists Wojciech Ciesla, Ingeborg Eliassen, Christophe Garach, Nikolas Leontopoulos, Maria Maggiore, Paulo Pena, Harald Schumann, Elisa Simantke also contributed to this investigation for Investigate Europe.Investigate Europe is supported by Germany's Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Rudolf-Augstein-Stiftung and Stiftung Hübner&Kennedy, the Norwegian foundation Fritt Ord and the Open Society Initiative for Europe.
EU states set to oppose tax transparency bid By Nikolaj Nielsen-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:22-EU states are moving to oppose an EU commission tax transparency plan despite public backlash against wealthy people hiding their money in secret offshore accounts.Diplomats on Tuesday (20 December) plan to drop proposals to grant public access to registers that reveal the true owners of businesses and trusts.The registers are part of a larger transparency drive to shed light on tax dodging schemes that cost national coffers in the EU an estimated €70 billion a year.But a compromise text from the Slovak EU presidency now restricts access to such registers to people who can demonstrate a "legitimate interest", or those who work with the police.The "legitimate interest" criterion is likely to make it more difficult for journalists, civil society, and the general public to access the information."No-one seems to agree on what legitimate interest means," the Financial Transparency Coalition, an NGO, wrote in a blog ahead of the meeting.-Further loopholes-The latest amendment is part of the EU commission's reform of the anti-money laundering directive. The directive was adopted in 2015 but revised in the wake of the Panama Papers leak earlier this year to make registers fully public.The Panama cache of 11.5 million records had revealed how some 140 politicians and public officials from around the world, with the help of major banks, hid assets by setting up front companies.But Bloomberg BNA news website earlier this month reported that EU states are now using data protection rules to quash setting up the public registers.EU states can still make the registers public if they so choose but must "respect the protection of fundamental rights of individuals in particular the right to privacy and protection of personal data", notes the Slovak paper.Not every member state supports the plan.Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Slovenia and the UK have already decided to make their registers public.Another issue is that the EU commission wanted to make sure that anyone who had at least a 10 percent stake must be revealed, but EU states are pushing to increase the threshold to 25 percent.Despite the EU commission efforts, tax transparency campaigners say it contains loopholes.Family trusts, for example, can still be used to hide money because the commission makes a distinction between commercial and non-commercial trusts.
MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL EATS HUMANS FLESH FOR COMING AGAINST ISRAEL-JERUSALEM
EZEKIEL 39:17-21
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF RUSSIAN/ISLAMIC HORDES AGAINST ISRAEL)
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
REVELATION 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;(AGAINST ALL NATIONS ARMIES THAT COME AGAINST JERUSALEM AND ISRAEL)
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
EZEKIEL 38:1-7
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
Russia says new U.S. sanctions are hostile acts, promises response-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 20, 2016
MOSCOW (Reuters) - New U.S. sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict are hostile acts by the outgoing Obama administration and Russia will expand its sanctions lists against the United States in response, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency."We retain the right to choose the time, place and form pf our responsive actions in a way that suits us," Ryabkov told TASS.(Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Fighter jet deal showcases Russia-Serbia ties By Eszter Zalan-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:25-Serbia will sign a deal this week with Russia that includes six MiG-29 fighter jets, highlighting Moscow's efforts to boost its influence in the Balkans.Serbia's prime minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday (19 December) that he would travel to Moscow later this week to sign the deal, adding that the jets were needed "to protect our freedom and sovereignty", according to the Associated Press news agency.Serbia will receive the fighter jets from Russia, decommissioned by the Russian air force, and will only have to pay for their modernisation, Serbian media reported earlier."If we want to save our Serbia, we have to be strong ... and pay whatever we have to," Vucic said.He added that he would also negotiate the purchase of Russian air defence systems.The deal comes as Russia intensifies efforts to prevent the Balkans aligning further with the West and amid growing tensions between Serbia and neighbouring Croatia, which is already a Nato and EU member.Croatia earlier this month opposed opening a new accession chapter in EU membership talks with Serbia.At the time, Serbian foreign minister Ivica Dacic told journalists that if "Croatia is the one to decide about whether Serbia will enter the EU", then his interest in EU membership had waned.He also warned that Croatia could one day use Nato weapons against Serbia or Republika Srpska, the ethnic Serb entity in Bosnia.Dacic said Serbia would not seek to join Nato and would never support sanctions on Russia.Croatia and Serbia fought a bloody war after the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.The Associated Press quoted Serbian officials saying the military upgrade is to protect Serbia from an alleged threat from Croatia.Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that Moscow was keen to help Serbia boost its defence capabilities and to discuss a free trade deal with the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-led bloc of ex-Soviet states.Russia has been keen to keep close ties with Serbia, where people tend to be hostile towards Nato because of the bombing of Serbia in 1999.They also tend to view Western efforts to help create an independent Kosovo, a republic that broke away from Serbia in 2008, with distrust.Regional tensions have been on the rise following an alleged election-day coup attempt in October by Serbian and Russian nationalists against Montenegro's pro-Western government.The attempt came as Montenegro prepares to join Nato next year.Serbia has been an EU candidate country since 2011 and has opened four chapters out of the 35 needed to join the bloc.
Diplomat murder is provocation, say Russia and Turkey By Eric Maurice-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:10-Russia and Turkey both sought to limit the diplomatic fallout after Russia's envoy to Ankara was shot dead on Monday (19 December).Russian president Vladimir Putin said the killing of ambassador Andrei Karlov at an exhibition opening was "clearly a provocation".He said in a statement that the act was "aimed at undermining the improvement and normalisation of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria".The killer, a Turkish riot police officer, shouted after shooting: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria."Aleppo has been for months under Russian and Syrian bombs where many civilians have been trapped, waiting for humanitarian aid and to be evacuated. Russia has been accused of war crimes for targeting civilians."We have to know who organized this killing and gave orders to the assassin," Putin said, adding that the "only response" would be to "step up the fight against terrorism".The Russian leader had been called earlier by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also said the killing was a "provocation"."Our relations with Russia are significant," Erdogan told the Turkish press agency Anadolu. "I am calling on those who aim to destroy our relations: You are waiting in vain. You will never reach your goals."In a statement, the Turkish foreign ministry added that Turkey would "not allow this attack to overshadow Turkish-Russian friendship".In November 2015, tensions had flared between Ankara and Moscow after a Russian jet had been downed by Turkish air force at the limit of Turkish and Syrian fly zones. But the incident had not stopped Putin and Erdogan getting diplomatically closer.Karlov's assassination happened a day before a meeting in Moscow of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defence ministers about the future of Syria.Russia and Iran support the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad while Turkey has long called for Assad to quit power, but the three countries have engaged in a rapprochement that keeps western powers away from discussions."We hope to speak in detail and concrete terms with those who can really bring about an improvement in the situation on the ground, while our Western partners are busier with rhetoric and propaganda and aren’t influencing those who listen to them," Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday before the Ankara killing.The meeting was not cancelled despite the diplomat's assassination.Turkish authorities linked Karlov's killer to the US-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan's arch-enemy whose alleged supporters have been arrested en masse since a failed coup last July that was attributed to Gulenist forces.-Gulen and Nato theories-In Russia, some officials blamed Nato, of which Turkey is a member.Frantz Klintsevich, a deputy chairman of the Russian senate defence committee, said it was “highly likely that representatives of foreign Nato secret service are behind” the killing.Another senator from Putin's party, Alexei Pushkov, said that the assassination was “a result of the political and media hysteria whipped up around Aleppo by Russia’s opponents”.Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg condemned the killing of ambassador Karlov and said that their was "no justification for such a heinous act".A few hours before, Stoltenberg had chaired a meeting of the Nato-Russia Council where he said that "in times of tension, dialogue is more important than ever."In Washington, president-elect Donald Trump said that "the murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilised order and must be universally condemned".During the night, a gunman fired several shots outside the US embassy in Ankara. No one was harmed but the building was closed.
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)
Islamic state claims responsibility for Berlin truck attack-[Reuters]-yahoonews-December 20, 2016
CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in which a truck ploughed into crowds in a Christmas market and killed 12 people."The executor of the operation.. in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic state and he executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries," the militant group's AMAQ news agency said on Tuesday.(The story was refiled to add the dropped word "for" in the headline)(Reporting by Ali Abdelaty, Writing by Amina Ismail, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
German minister - Investigators following several leads in Berlin attack-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-December 20, 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Tuesday that investigators are following several leads on the Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 12 people."We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster."There are several leads that investigators are following now," the minister added.De Maiziere added that "nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught".(Reporting by Michael Nienaber,; Editing by Michelle Martin)
Germany frees suspect in market attack, says perpetrator maybe still at large-[Reuters]-By Michelle Martin and Sabine Siebold-yahoonews-December 20, 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities on Tuesday released a Pakistani asylum-seeker suspected of driving a truck into a Berlin Christmas market and killing 12 people due to a lack of evidence and the interior minister said the real perpetrator may still be on the run.The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages on Monday evening at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of west Berlin's most famous landmarks. Forty-five people were injured, 30 severely.Islamic State claimed responsibility the attack, saying the perpetrator was a "soldier" of the militant group."He executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries," its AMAQ news agency said.But Germany's interior minister said that despite the claim, investigators were following various leads."We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster. "There are several leads that investigators are following now."The Chief Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement it had been unable to prove that the suspect had been in the cabin of the truck at the time of the attack and said he had denied any involvement.Earlier, Die Welt newspaper quoted an unnamed police chief as saying: "We have the wrong man. And therefore a new situation. The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage."Commenting on the suspect's release, de Maiziere told ZDF television: "That's why it is true that one cannot rule out that the perpetrator is still at large."He said there was no doubt the Berlin incident had been an attack but the motive remained unclear. He also said it was not yet known how many foreigners were among the victims of the attack but no children had been among the dead.News of the arrest of the 23-year-old Pakistani had led politicians in Germany and beyond to demand a crackdown on immigration, but Chancellor Angela Merkel urged caution."There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack," she told reporters earlier on Tuesday."I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum," she said.-POLISH CONNECTION-The truck belonged to a Polish freight company and its rightful driver was found shot dead in the vehicle. The Polish truck driver had arrived hours earlier in the German capital and spoken to his wife about 3 p.m., according to his cousin.When she called again an hour later, there was no answer."At 3.45 p.m. you can see the movement on the GPS (Global Positioning System). The car moved forward and back. As if someone was learning to drive it," said the cousin, Ariel Zurawski, who was also the boss of the trucking company."I knew something was wrong."Merkel joined hundreds of mourners on Tuesday evening at a memorial service at the church near the attack site. Her spokesman said she had spoken with the leaders of seven European countries and also with U.S. President Barack Obama, who all assured her of their support for Germany.Security officials in Germany and Europe have warned for years that Christmas markets could present an easy target for militant attacks. In 2000, an al-Qaeda plan to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market on New Year's Eve was foiled.There were no concrete barricades at the Berlin Christmas market, as have been installed at a similar venue in Britain.The attack fuelled immediate demands for a change to Merkel's immigration policies, under which more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany this year and last."We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this," said Klaus Bouillon, interior minister of the state of Saarland and a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).Horst Seehofer, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, said: "We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy and to change it."-"FEAR OF EVIL"-The record influx has hit Merkel's ratings as she prepares to run for a fourth term next year and has boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).AfD leader Frauke Petry said Germany was no longer safe and "radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany".The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State.The influx of migrants to the European Union has deeply divided its 28 members and fuelled the rise of populist anti-immigration movements that hope to capitalise on public concerns next year in elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands.On Tuesday morning, investigators removed the black truck from the site for forensic examination. People left flowers at the scene and notes, one of which read: "Keep on living, Berliners!" One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers.Merkel said Germans must not be cowed by the attack: "We do not want to live paralysed by the fear of evil.""Even if it is difficult in these hours, we will find the strength for the life we want to live in Germany - free, together and open."Other European countries said they were reviewing security.Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route used by many migrants arriving in Europe in order to better control foreign jihadist fighters' movements.London police said they were reviewing their plans for protecting public events over the festive period.(Reporting by Michelle Martin, Caroline Copley, Joseph Nasr, Emma Thomasson, Paul Carrel, Michael Nienaber, Madeline Chambers in Berlin; additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla in Vienna; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)
Security tightens up at Christmas markets across Europe-A day after deadly Berlin rampage, with perpetrator still on the run, authorities fear more attacks in coming days-By Lori Hinnant December 20, 2016, 9:17 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
PARIS (AP) — Security was tightened at Christmas markets across Europe on Tuesday after a deadly truck attack on a market in Berlin — and pointed questions arose over why the German capital was vulnerable despite months of warnings.Monday night’s truck rampage in Berlin left 12 people dead and nearly 50 wounded. One man is in custody but German officials say it’s not clear that he was involved in the attack and he denies any involvement. German officials, however, say it was clearly a terror attack.Christmas markets are a popular tradition throughout Europe for both residents and tourists, and feature stalls with local food, mulled wine, warm chestnuts, scarves and tree ornaments.With no concrete information available about the driver, security officials around Europe were left to draw their own conclusions about an attack with strong parallels to the Bastille Day rampage in France that killed 86 people and was claimed by the Islamic State group.The US State Department on Tuesday reissued its warning about Christmas markets and other holiday gatherings in Europe.French Christmas markets were already under heightened security. Paris’ Champs Elysees was lined with barriers and large concrete blocks straddled each entrance. Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux said he was briefed last week on measures to prevent exactly the kind of attack that struck in Berlin.Concrete bollards — upright posts used to block entrances to streets — are increasingly common in France, which not only has been struck by deadly extremist attacks in the past two years, but also endured a series of street bombings in the 1990s. Heavy barriers are relatively rare in Germany.Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt told reporters that the capital has many Christmas markets as well as other areas where crowds gather.“There are an almost unlimited number of soft targets, that’s simply the fact, so there are many possibilities to kill people with a truck,” he said.Germany’s interior minister left it up to local authorities whether to raise security after Monday night’s attack. In the eastern state of Thuringia and Potsdam, armed police patrolled around the markets and in the eastern city of Dresden, officers put up massive concrete blocks — and said they were planned ahead of the attack.“There is a certain fear that I feel but business has to go on,” said Gabriele Hartstang, a vendor in Dresden.Italy and the Czech Republic promised heightened security to come, while Danish, Norwegian and British police increased their presence at Christmas markets.Le Roux emphasized that France had already learned from the Nice attack, when the government came under criticism for the lightly protected Bastille Day festivities that allowed a truck to plow through revelers, killing 86.“All the means in terms of security have been evaluated and put in place when it was needed, that is to say several weeks or even several months ago,” he said from the eastern city of Strasbourg, also famed for its Christmas market. “I wanted to get across a message to our fellow citizens that, at the time when there is a threat — it exists on our country, it exists in all democracies — we must continue to go out, to have fun.”In Dresden, at least one visitor agreed.“It is important to continue going to the Christmas markets,” said Alexandra Reisebery. “No one should scare us off.”
Merkel faces backlash over Berlin attack-By Eszter Zalan-dec 20,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 15:44-German chancellor Angela Merkel has called Monday's crash at a busy Berlin Christmas market a "terrorist attack", but she faces criticism from political rivals who are blaming her welcoming refugee policy for the incident.In her first comments after the attack, in which 12 people died and dozens were wounded, Merkel said she was "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened".But she warned that Germany should not be paralysed by fear."I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said in a TV address on Tuesday (20 December)."This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."In a press conference shortly after, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the authorities were questioning a suspect who denied any involvement in the attack.De Maiziere said the suspect was an asylum seeker from Pakistan who came to Germany in December 2015, and arrived in Berlin in February.He said no group had taken responsibility for the incident.Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said his officers had not yet been able to confirm whether the suspect was the driver of the lorry.Merkel warned that a lot of details about the attack were still not known."Even if it's difficult at this hour, we will find the strength to live life the way we want to live it in Germany. Free, together and openly," she said.As well as the 12 people killed, 48 others were hurt when the lorry crashed into the popular Christmas market outside near Berlin's Zoo station late on Monday.A Polish man was found dead in the lorry. Unconfirmed reports suggest he was the original driver of the lorry, which had a Polish license plate, though he is not thought to have been driving at the time of the incident. The police earlier said the lorry had been stolen from a building site.The incident comes months after a truck ploughed into a crowd in the French city of Nice in an attack claimed by the Islamic State militant group.-Political backlash-Critics of Merkel's welcoming refugee policy and far-right parties wasted no time in blaming the chancellor for what happened."Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," said Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.Horst Seehofer, who leads the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats, said: “We owe it to the victims and the whole public to rethink and readjust our entire immigration and security policy.”Seehofer, a long-standing critic of Merkel's refugee policy, had already threatened last week to run as the opposition if Merkel did not agree to cap the number of migrants.Merkel, who announced recently she would run for a fourth term in office next September, is under growing pressure to change her welcoming attitude toward asylum seekers, almost a million of whom arrived to Germany last year mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.The attack has emboldened her political opponents in Germany and abroad.French far-right leader Marine Le Pen expressed her solidarity with families of victims in Berlin, but she asked: "How many massacres and dead people will it take before our governments stop allowing so many migrants into our borderless countries?"Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders has also called for a “political revolution” and posted on Twitter a photo-montage of Merkel with blood on her hands.Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage tweeted that such events would be "the Merkel legacy”.His message on Twitter prompted a reply from the widower if Jo Cox, a British MP killed in June by a man shouting "Britain first.""Blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? That's a slippery slope, Nigel," wrote Brendan Cox.Cup of patience-Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, also blamed Merkel's policy."The facts are simple: a migrant who arrived in Germany and got refugee status is now interrogated as a suspect responsible for this heinous, repugnant crime," Fico told a televised news conference, according to Reuters."I think that the cup of patience is beginning to spill over and Europe's public will rightfully expect rather stronger [anti-immigration] measures."Germany has so far experienced only smaller attacks by Islamic extremists, but two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group.Five people were wounded in an rampage with an axe on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 people were wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria, the home of Seehofer's CSU party.
Search warrant materials used in Clinton email probe unsealed-[Reuters]-By Nate Raymond-YAHOONEWS-December 20, 2016
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Search warrant documents released on Tuesday related to the probe of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email setup provided new details about the FBI's decision to revive the investigation days before the Nov. 8 election.The materials, which related to a search warrant issued after Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on Oct. 28 informed Congress of the emails, were ordered released on Monday by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan.Comey's letter drew new attention to Clinton's use of the server while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and roiled the campaign 11 days before the election, which Republican Donald Trump won.In an affidavit, an FBI agent said there was "probable cause" to believe emails between Clinton and a person whose name was redacted were among "thousands" found on a laptop that contained U.S. State Department correspondence.But the filings gave no indication that any emails involving Clinton containing classified information had been found on the laptop at the time the warrant was issued on Oct. 30.The laptop belonged to former Democratic U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin who was the subject of an investigation after a report about cellphone and online messages he sent a 15-year-old girl.The search warrant materials' release was sought by Randol Schoenberg, a Los Angeles-based lawyer, who in court papers said transparency was crucial given the potential influence the probe had on the election's outcome.In a statement, Schoenberg said he saw "nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her longtime aide Huma Abedin."Lawyers for Clinton and Weiner did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the FBI. Abedin's lawyer declined comment.In July, Comey recommended no charges be brought over Clinton's handing of classified information in the emails, although he said she and her colleagues were "extremely careless" in handling such information.That determination followed what the search warrant materials called a "criminal investigation concerning the improper transmission and storage of classified info on unclassified email systems and servers."In his Oct. 28 letter to Congress, Comey said emails potentially related to the investigation had been discovered in an "unrelated case."Federal investigators obtained the warrant to examine the emails on Oct. 30. Two days before the election, Comey disclosed the emails did nothing to change his earlier recommendation.(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York, additional reporting by Scot Paltrow and Mark Hosenball in Washington; editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Tom Brown)
