NETANYAHU TO STOP BUILDING ON ISRAEL TERRITORY

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

Austrian cardinal: a conservative open to reform

By GEORGE JAHN | Associated Press – 4 hrs ago MAR 2,13

VIENNA (AP) — Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn is a soft-spoken conservative who is ready to listen to those espousing reform. That profile that could appeal to fellow cardinals looking to elect a pontiff with widest-possible appeal to the world's 1 billion Catholics.His nationality may be his biggest disadvantage: Electors may be reluctant to choose another German speaker as a successor to Benedict XVI.A man of low tolerance for the child abuse scandals roiling the church, Schoenborn himself was elevated to the its upper echelons of the Catholic hierarchy after his predecessor resigned 18 years ago over accusations that he was a pedophile.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: As the Roman Catholic Church prepares to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, The Associated Press is profiling key cardinals seen as "papabili" — contenders to the throne. In the secretive world of the Vatican, there is no way to know who is in the running, and history has yielded plenty of surprises. But these are the names that have come up time and again in speculation. Today: Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn.

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Multilingual and respected by Jews, Muslims and Orthodox Christians, Benedict XVI's friend and former pupil was one of the cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave that chose the German as head of the Catholic church. A scholar who is at home in the pulpit, Schoenborn also is well connected in the Vatican — and appears willing to make it his home, if reluctantly.Asked if he would like to succeed Benedict on news of the pontiff's plan to step down, he said: "my heart is in Vienna, my heart is in Austria — but naturally with the whole Church as well.."Such reticence is not unusual for a prince of the church known for a quiet management style focused on steering the Austrian church around controversy.That has not always been possible. The austere Schoenborn owed his own elevation to the scandal involving his predecessor, Hans Groer, who was accused of abusing young boys.Appointed Vienna's archbishop in 1995, Schoenborn initially stayed silent. But he showed courage three years later, personally apologizing "for everything that my predecessors and other holders of church office committed against people in their trust."In a measure of his dislike of confrontation, he fired his reform-minded vicar, Helmut Schueller, in 1998 by shoving a dismissal letter under Schueller's door.Yet, while grappling with the pornography scandal roiling the church in 2005, he took on the Vatican."It's sad that it took so long to act," he said of Rome's reluctance to investigate the wrongdoing, saying later of the scandal: "The church is greater than its human weaknesses."He went further than that as cases of sexual abuse continued rocking the church, calling for a re-examination of priestly celibacy in 2010 — only to roll back in typical style shortly after, by having his spokesman issue a denial that he was questioning the rule on priests not marrying.While accepting the possibility of evolution, Schoenborn criticized certain "neo-Darwinian" theories as incompatible with Catholic teaching, writing in a 2005 New York Times editorial, that "any system of thought that denies or seeks to explain away the overwhelming evidence for design in biology is ideology, not science."Ideologically, his tenure has been marked by a turn away from inner-church reform. Instead he has focused toward respect for Catholic dogma — while understanding those who fall by the wayside."It is not easy for the church to find the right path between the ... protection of marriage and family on the one hand and ... compassion with human failings," he said in 2004, alluding to church opposition to — but his personal understanding of — divorce. His audience, at a funeral Mass for Austrian President Thomas Klestil, included both his widow and his divorced wife.Later, however, he made clear that he backed the sanctity of marriage, telling an Austrian weekly shortly after Benedict's resignation that its indissolubility "can be traced back to the instructions of Jesus" and thus could not be changed.He spoke out about bending church dogma in response to pressure in the same interview, saying: "If Christ communicated a teaching that we believe is true and brings salvation to humanity, then nobody gains if that teaching is falsified, even if he were to gain in popularity by doing so."Born Jan. 22, 1945, into an aristocratic Bohemian family, Schoenborn's destiny appeared to have been influenced by his heritage — 19 of his ancestors were priests, bishops or archbishops.After joining the Dominican order in 1963, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1970 by Cardinal Franz Koenig. Like most Austrians, Schoenborn idolized Koenig for his social engagement and courage to speak out on controversial issues — but was initially eclipsed by Koenig's overwhelming personality.In the late 1960s, when Koenig played tennis in Schoenborn's hometown of Schrunns, Schoenborn "always fought to be Koenig's ball-boy," said Schoenborn confidant Heinz Nussbaumer in a telling reflection of the later relationship between the two churchmen.Because of Koenig's strong persona, Schoenborn "had a difficult start," said Nussbaumer, publisher of a Catholic weekly. "But later he was able to develop his own personality."His reputation as a scholar — and bridge-builder to Orthodox Christians — began with a dissertation on icons even before he became a theology professor at the Catholic University of Fribourg, Switzerland in 1975. Fluent in French and Italian, proficient in English and Spanish, he is well-connected in the Vatican, as reflected by his role as a cardinal elector for Benedict.He built on his image as an ecumenist with visits to the patriarchs of Russia and Romania and met with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 11 years ago, on the first trip of a Catholic church leader to the Islamic republic since the 1979 revolution.Normally above the fray of international politics, he spoke out sharply in 2002 about President George W. Bush's inclusion of Iran with prewar Iraq and North Korea as part of the "the axis of evil.""In the best case it's naive," he said, contending such comments could "alienate Iran's moderate factions."

Benedict's obedience to new pope part of tradition

By NICOLE WINFIELD | Associated Press – 2 hrs 15 mins ago MAR 2,13

VATICAN CITY (AP) — He slipped it in at the end of his speech, and said it so quickly and softly it almost sounded like an afterthought.But in pledging his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to the next pope, Benedict XVI took a critical step toward ensuring that his decision to break with 600 years of tradition and retire as pope doesn't create a schism within the church.It was also a very personal expression of one of the tenets of Christian tradition that dates back to Jesus' crucifixion: obedience to a higher authority.In the two weeks since Benedict announced he would resign, questions have mounted about how much influence he would still wield and exert over the new pope.Benedict will continue to live inside the Vatican, wear the white cassock of the papacy, call himself "emeritus pope" and "Your Holiness" and even have his trusted aide continue living with him while keeping his day job as head of the new pope's household.The Vatican has insisted there should be no problem with a reigning and a retired pope living side-by-side, that Benedict has no plans to interfere and that as of 8 p.m. Thursday, Benedict was no longer pope.But the real concern isn't so much about Benedict's intentions as it is about how others might use him to undermine the new pope's agenda or authority."There is the risk that Benedict is aware of that some people could claim in the future that they want allegiance to Benedict and not the next pope," said the Rev. Robert Gahl, a moral theologian at Rome's Pontifical Holy Cross University. "He wants to preclude any division in the church."One needs only to look at the last time a pope abdicated to understand how real that risk was, at least in history: Pope Gregory XII stepped down in 1415 as part of a deal to end the Great Western Schism, when dueling papal claimants split the church.Gregory and all the cardinals who elected him pope in 1406 had pledged to abdicate if the rival Pope Benedict XIII in Avignon, France, did the same. While the endgame didn't work out exactly as planned, Gregory did step down and the split was eventually healed.The "shock" of that schism "certainly influenced the collective mentality of the church of Rome" and contributed to the tradition of popes reigning until death, church historian Giovanni Maria Vian, editor of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, said.Today, the Catholic Church already has fringe groups not in full communion with Rome, such as the ultra-traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, with whom Benedict took extraordinary measures to reconcile during his eight years as pope.If the next pope were to roll back some of Benedict's overtures toward the group, which included allowing greater use of the pre-Vatican II Mass in Latin, some of its members could try to pressure the new pope by saying "'We want to be in full communion, but only if Benedict accepts us,'" noted Gahl.By pledging his own obedience to the new pope, Benedict has undercut any such scenario.Benedict also took measures to ensure that the election of his successor was free of any possible claims of illegitimacy, in another bid to thwart those who might still claim him as pope. He issued a final legal document giving the College of Cardinals the right to move up the start date of the conclave.
The cardinals could have interpreted the previous rules as giving them that right, but Benedict made it crystal clear to avoid any suggestion that the election itself wasn't valid.In that same document, Benedict also moved to ensure that his successor is viewed as the only legitimate pope by requiring the cardinals who elected him to make a public pledge of obedience to him during one of his first Masses as pope. Under previous rules, the cardinals only make that pledge in the privacy of the Sistine Chapel immediately after the election.
"They represent the whole church, the universal church," Gahl said of the cardinals, adding that such a public show of deference to the new pope's authority was a powerful message to all believers.But while his primary aim may have been to ensure a smooth transition to the next pope, Benedict was also voicing his own expression of submission to authority that that underlies Christian tradition dating from Jesus' act of obedience to God in dying on the cross.Christians believe that Jesus died to save them from their sins.
"Christ's obedience isn't just the most sublime example of obedience, it's the fundamental one," the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, Benedict's personal preacher, wrote in his 1986 book "Obedience." ''It's not so much the death of Jesus that saved us, but his obedience up until death."Technically speaking, however, none of these pledges of obedience were necessary, said the Rev. Ladislas Orsy, law professor at Georgetown University of Law School."When Ratzinger was elected pope, he became the bishop of the diocese of Rome. When he resigned, he ceased to be bishop of the same diocese but he continued to belong to it," Orsy said. "As such, he is under the jurisdiction of the new bishop" — the new pope.Orsy, a Jesuit, also noted that obedience is far less important a virtue in the church than its three main virtues of faith, hope and charity. And there are several layers of obedience, as within the military, he added."A drill sergeant's authority extends as far as the drill goes — it demands a mechanical unthinking obedience — and that is all. Intelligence is exiled," he said. "When the general sends a major with a battalion into combat, the major owes thinking obedience to the general who is not on the battlefield. Intelligent interpretation of the command is required.""The church believes that supreme authority is vested in the Gospel and in the tradition that communicates it. This is the framework within which all authorities in the church must function, and all must obey."But he said the church is also a human organization where some social order is necessary. Priests and bishops make vows of obedience. Other members of the church obey to lesser degrees.But lest anyone be concerned that Benedict's pledge of obedience is blind or open to abuse, Orsy noted that "There have been always situations when for the sake of faith, hope, and love, obedience to overreaching authority may — or must — be denied."___Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)

Spain to fight Catalonia sovereignty declaration

Associated Press – Fri, Mar 1, 2013

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish government says it will challenge a recent declaration by lawmakers in Catalonia that the region is a sovereign entity.Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria says Friday that the appeal to the Constitutional Court is based on the opinion of the Council of State consultative body, which says the declaration is unconstitutional.Though the January declaration is largely symbolic it potentially paves the way for a proposed referendum on Catalonia's right to decide its relationship with Spain.Catalonia is the wealthiest region of Spain and in Barcelona has one of Europe's most high-profile cities. The regional government's president Artur Mas accused the government of being anti-democratic.
Polls show Catalans are evenly divided over independence, though a majority oppose it if it means exiting the European Union.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. 

Report: Netanyahu Planning New Construction Freeze

PM Netanyahu, upset with residents of Judea & Samaria for not voting Likud, is reportedly planning to impose a new construction freeze.

By Elad Benari, Canada First Publish: 3/1/2013, 11:34 PM-Israelnationalnews

Netanyahu speaks after elections-Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu intends to “punish” the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria by freezing all new construction in the region, Channel 2 News reported on Friday.According to the report, the members of the Likud’s coalition negotiation team have made it clear to MK Uri Ariel, who heads the coalition talks on behalf of the Bayit Yehudi party, that the new the government, when formed, will immediately freeze construction in all areas of Judea and Samaria outside the so-called “settlement blocs.”
The Channel 2 report explained that Netanyahu has a bone to pick with the residents of Judea and Samaria because of their tendency in recent years to become members of the Likud even though they do not intend to actually vote for the Likud in the election.Netanyahu is reportedly upset because these residents participate in large numbers in the party’s primaries so they can bring in candidates that are considered more right-wing to high-ranking spots on the party's Knesset list. When election day comes, however, they do not vote for the Likud.Channel 2 presented statistics from the last election, according to which only a third of the people who are registered Likud members in some communities of Judea and Samaria actually voted for the party on election day. In Beit El, according to the numbers, 576 residents joined Likud but only 212 voted for the party. In Shilo, 321 joined Likud but only 127 voted for it. In Yitzhar, 100 residents joined Likud, with only 21 voting for the party.According to the report, MK Ariel was told of the impending construction freeze in a way that does not leave much room for doubt as to the seriousness of the Likud’s intentions. Netanyahu's associates reportedly clarified explicitly that there will be serious and practical implications to what Netanyahu views as the “betrayal” on the part of the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.As a concession to restart final status talks with the Palestinian Authority,  Netanyahu froze construction for a 10-month period in all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria – at considerable political cost to his party and government – at the behest of U.S. President Barack Obama in 2010.Nevertheless, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas reneged on his side of the agreement, grudgingly arriving towards the end of the freeze as a guest in the White House after having been dragged there by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Three meetings later, the “talks” were over, ended by a new demand by Abbas for an additional Israeli construction freeze in order to proceed further.The latest report of an impending construction freeze may simply be Netanyahu’s way to make a gesture towards Obama, who is planning a visit to the region later this month.While the White House has indicated that Obama will not come to Israel and the PA with a new peace initiative, Netanyahu may be trying to appease the U.S. President who had expressed concern over parties such as the Bayit Yehudi, which is against a Palestinian state, taking part in the new coalition.The residents of Judea and Samaria’s anger towards Netanyahu is not a secret. While he has expressed support for the settlement enterprise, in the last term Netanyahu also supported demolitions in communities such as Beit El and Migron. He also failed to adopt the conclusions of the Levy Report which stated unequivocally that there is no “Israeli occupation” in Judea and Samaria, despite pressure on him to do so.Before the election in January, a spokesperson for the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El, which was evicted during the term of the last government, slammed the heads of local councils in Judea and Samaria for endorsing Netanyahu for Prime Minister.The spokesperson, Harel Cohen, said that the Council had no business endorsing Netanyahu, because his policies have been anything but pro-Yesha.“The public has not forgotten how the Likud and the Prime Minister imposed the building freeze on Judea and Samaria, how they destroyed Migron and the Ulpana neighborhood, and acted to prevent the imposition of Israeli law on Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria," said Cohen.(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

Kerry to stress need for Egypt consensus for IMF deal

By Arshad Mohammed | Reuters – 1 hr 0 mins ago MAR 2,13

CAIRO (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry will stress the importance Egypt achieves political consensus for painful economic reforms needed to secure an IMF loan, a senior U.S. official said on Saturday.Kerry arrived in Egypt on his first visit to the Arab world since taking office for talks with the leaders of a country mired in political and economic crisis two years after the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.With Egypt's pound and foreign currency reserves sliding, the official said that if Cairo could agree on a $4.8 billion loan from the IMF, this would bring in other funds from the United States, European Union and Arab countries.However, the official said the United States believed Egypt needed to increase tax revenues and reduce energy subsidies - measures likely to prove highly unpopular."His basic message is it's very important to the new Egypt for there to be a firm economic foundation," the official told reporters as Kerry flew to Cairo."In order for there to be agreement on doing the kinds of economic reforms that would be required under an IMF deal there has to be a basic political ... agreement among all of the various players in Egypt," the official said on condition of anonymity.Egypt said on Thursday it would invite a team from the International Monetary Fund to reopen talks on the loan and the investment minister expressed hope that a deal could be done by the end of April.The loan was agreed in principle last November but put on hold at Cairo's request during street violence the following month that flared in protest at a planned rise in taxes.
While the tax rise was withdrawn, Islamist President Mohamed Mursi is likely to face violent protests as any cuts in subsidies demanded by the IMF will push up living costs in a country where poverty is rife.Energy subsidies soak up about 20 percent of the government budget, bloating a deficit set to soar to 12.3 percent of annual economic output this financial year.
CLASHES IN MANSOURA, PORT SAID
Early on Saturday, young protesters fought interior ministry police in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, where one protester was killed and dozens injured. In the Suez Canal city of Port Said, protesters torched a police station, security sources said.While the protests were unrelated to Kerry's visit, they were examples of the frequent outbreaks of unrest faced by Egypt's government.Clashes are commonplace, with young people and Egyptians demanding Mursi reform the interior ministry's police force. The president is accused of not taking police reform, a key demand of the uprising that toppled Mubarak, seriously.Kerry will stress the need for agreement across the political spectrum on reforms and winning approval in the Shura Council, Egypt's upper house of parliament."What they need to do is ... things like increasing tax revenues, reducing energy subsidies, making clear what the approval process will be to the Shura Council for an IMF agreement, that kind of thing," said the official.Hopes for consensus between the ruling Islamists and opposition parties seem slim. Liberal and leftist opposition parties have announced a boycott of parliamentary elections, scheduled for April to June, over a new constitution produced by an Islamist-dominated assembly and other grievances.
Kerry meets opposition leaders on Saturday but many senior figures were not on the list of expected participants, including Hamdeen Sabahy, who came a close third in presidential elections last year and former U.N. nuclear agency head Mohamed ElBaradei.Kerry does not wish to be seen as lecturing Egyptians and will not explicitly tell opposition parties to renounce their boycott of the lower house polls, the U.S. official said.However, he will make the case for them to take part."If they want to ensure that their views are taken account, the only way to do that is to participate. That they can't sit aside and just assume that somehow by magic that all of this is going to happen," the official said. "They've got to participate."(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; editing by Jason Webb)

Likud Negotiator: Bayit Yehudi Also Rejected Hareidim

After saying that Yesh Atid refuses to enter a coalition with hareidi parties, the Likud team said the same about the Bayit Yehudi.

By Elad Benari, Canada First Publish: 3/1/2013, 10:11 PM-Israelnationalnews

Netanyahu / Bennett-Israel news photo: Flash 90

After saying on Thursday that Yesh Atid refuses to enter a coalition with hareidi-religious parties, the Likud Beytenu’s coalition negotiation team said the same on Friday about the Bayit Yehudi.Speaking Friday afternoon following a meeting between the negotiation teams of the Likud Beytenu and the Bayit Yehudi, Likud representative Attorney David Shimron attacked the Bayit Yehudi’s team and said, “Bayit Yehudi told us that they are boycotting the hareidim just like Yesh Atid, as a result of their pact which still exists.”
Shimron said that, as far as he was concerned, Bayit Yehudi was “invalidating an entire community and we do not accept boycotts. We'll see how we can advance from here and form a government as a result of this situation.”Shimron made similar remarks after a meeting on Thursday with Yesh Atid, saying that “that as far as Yesh Atid is concerned, there is no room for hareidim in the government.”Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid have made a pact, agreeing to enter the coalition together or not at all, so they can guarantee a coalition ally with similar goals.Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has tried hard to break the alliance between the two parties but has been unsuccessful.The reports in two major news sources Friday that Netanyahu's representatives offered Yesh Atid a policy of destroying Jewish communities in return for their entry into the coalition without Bayit Yehudi, vindicate Bayit Yehudi's decision to enter into a tactical alliance with Yesh Atid. Together with reports that Likud made contradictory overtures to Bayit Yehudi, they portray Netanyahu in an unflattering light and are no cause for pride, for supporters of Likud/Yisrael Beytenu.
Bayit Yehudi, while agreeing with Lapid’s intention to enlist hareidi-religious yeshiva students into the army, has never said it would refuse to sit in a coalition with the hareidim and indicated that it would be willing to negotiate with them on this issue.In fact, Bayit Yehudi MK Ayelet Shaked reiterated once again on her Facebook page Friday that her party “has no problem entering into a coalition with the hareidim. But we will not be in the coalition without Yesh Atid.”Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid criticized the Likud’s negotiators on Friday over the fact that they made sure to publicize the fact that his party had rejected the hareidim.
“So what we did talk about during the coalition negotiations?" wrote Lapid on his Facebook page. "We spoke about the need for a housing revolution to bring down prices, about education, about the cost of living, about our commitment to make things easier for the middle class.”“In other words,” he added, “we talked about all the things that are not spins, and do not make headlines, and do not deal with trying to get people to hate and be angry with each other. Then why is it that the only thing that came out is the Likud’s message that we reject the hareidim? That’s a great question.”(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

ISAIAH 17:1,12-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

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

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

Gaza Terrorists Open Fire at Southern Israel

For the first since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense, Gaza-based terrorists opened fire the Shaar Hanegev region in southern Israel.

By Elad Benari, Canada First Publish: 3/1/2013, 8:32 PM-Israelnationalnews

'Guardium' unmanned ground vehicle patrols Gaza border-Israel news photo: IDF

For the first since the end of the IDF’s Pillar of Defense counterterrorism operation, Gaza-based terrorists opened fire on Friday afternoon towards the Shaar Hanegev region in southern Israel.No one was hurt but a military vehicle belonging to a commander of the IDF’s Gaza Division sustained damage.While Friday’s incident was the first time since November that shots were fired from Gaza towards Israel, it marks the second time in less than a week that Gaza terrorists have violated the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel that was reached at the end of Operation Pillar of Defense.On Tuesday morning, Gaza terrorists fired rockets towards southern Israel. One rocket hit the city of Ashkelon, but did not cause injury. A second rocket apparently hit an open field near the city.Residents said they had no warning of the impending strike.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is affiliated with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the attack.The rocket fired was an upgraded M-75.Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, sent an urgent letter to the UN Security Council and to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday night, hours after the rockets were fired, asking that they condemn the incident."Israel considers Hamas as being responsible for all attacks coming from Gaza,” Prosor wrote. "No country would allow to play Russian roulette with the lives of its citizens. You must condemn this blatant violation of the ceasefire, which could lead to escalation.”(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.) 

Syria, Iran accuse US of double standards

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI | Associated Press – 2 hrs 42 mins ago MAR 2,13

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers on Saturday accused the United States of double standards over the Obama administration's decision to provide aid to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad, saying this will only prolong the conflict.The remarks were the first official statements from Iran and Syria following U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's announcement this week that Washington will provide, for the first time, non-lethal aid directly to Syria's rebels, in addition to $60 million in assistance to Syria's political opposition.Speaking at a joint press conference in Tehran, Syria's Walid al-Moallem and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, stressed that whether Assad stays or goes will be decided in presidential elections scheduled for next year."Assad is Syria's legal president until the next elections. Individuals have the freedom to run as candidates. Until that time, Assad is Syria's president," Salehi said.Iran is a staunch ally of the Syrian regime and has stood by the embattled Assad throughout the country's nearly 2-year-old conflict.Kerry announced the aid at an international conference on Syria in Rome on Thursday. In the coming days, several European nations are expected to take similar steps in working with the military wing of the opposition to increase pressure on Assad to step down and pave the way for a democratic transition.Al-Moallem said Syria is facing a crisis in which "most of the universe" is taking part.
He directly accused Turkey and Qatar and other countries he did not name of supporting and funding "armed terrorist groups" operating in Syria, using the terminology employed by the Damascus regime to refer to the rebels fighting to topple Assad.Al-Moallem said it was it's inconceivable that Washington allocates $60 million in assistance to Syrian opposition groups while it continues to "kill the Syrian people" through economic sanctions imposed against the country."If they truly wanted a political settlement they wouldn't punish the Syrian people and finance (opposition) groups with so-called non-lethal aid," he said. "Who are they kidding?"The Damascus official stressed that Syria's sovereignty is a "red line.""No one is allowed to infringe on Syrian national sovereignty," he said, adding that that the Syrian people will decide their own leaders through the ballot box. "We refuse to be a piece of chess in the hands of the international community."

His Iranian host, Salehi, said "double standards were being applied by certain countries that serve to prolong and deepen the Syrian crisis" and lead to more bloodshed.___Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.

Magnitsky relatives: Russian diplomat lied to EU parliament

01.03.13 @ 11:04 By Andrew Rettman

BRUSSELS - The mother and widow of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian anti-corruption activist who died in prison, have accused a Russian diplomat of lying about him to the European Parliament.The women - Natalia Magnitskaya and Natalia Zharikova - spoke out in a letter on 25 February to the parliament's subcommittee on human rights.They said Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian foreign ministry's special envoy on human rights, misled MEPs at a hearing in Brussels on 20 February when he told them Magnitsky's relatives want him to be tried posthumously in order to clear his name.According to a transcript of the hearing, Dolgov said: "The court cannot close the case unless the relatives, or people who represent the interests of the deceased, make it clear that they are not against the closing of the case. The relatives of Mr Magnitsky made it absolutely clear that they are against closing the case without his acquittal."Russian authorities accused Magnitsky, an accountant, of fraud after he exposed a scam by tax officials to embezzle hundreds of millions of euros from the Russian treasury.He died in pre-trial detention in 2009.But prosecutors are now re-opening the fraud case against him in what his family sees as a smear campaign and a form of intimidation to keep them quiet.
"[Dolgov's] statements are hard to characterise other than [as] a lie and hypocrisy," Magnitskaya and Zharikova said."We suddenly learned from the media that a criminal case was resumed posthumously … The initiative to resume the criminal case belongs to deputy general prosecutor Victor Grin, though he is not a 'close relative'," they noted."Our position about the unlawfulness of this proceeding has been stated in over 25 formal complaints," they added.Dolgov is not the first Russian diplomat to claim the dead man's family want him to be tried.Russia's EU ambassador, Vladimir Chizhov, in an interview with EUobserver on 28 June last year, also said: "If the immediate relatives of the deceased declare officially that they want the case closed, then it is closed. None of Magnitsky's relatives have said a word about that."The Magnitsky affair has become a cause celebre in EU-Russia and US-Russia relations.For their part, 10 French MPs and senators, including senior figures from President Francois Hollande's Socialist Party, in a joint letter on Thursday (28 February) urged him to raise the issue on his visit to Moscow.They compared Magnitsky's prison diaries - which detail the abuses that led to his death - to the writings of Soviet-era dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.They said the posthumous trial is a form of "repression" and a "sinister comedy … which must be stopped." They added: "This affair, both tragic and touching, stands as a symbol of human rights violations in Russia."Hollande did not refer to Magnitsky in public remarks in Moscow on Thursday, however.He told a press conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin: "We have not come here to judge, but to observe and to seek progress [on human rights]."

Assad forces take Aleppo village, reopening supply line

By Dominic Evans | Reuters – 15 hrs ago MAR 2,13

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces seized a village southeast of the city of Aleppo on Friday, reopening a supply line to the country's biggest city where they have been battling rebels for eight months, a monitoring group said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the capture of Tel Shghaib marked the last step to creating a land supply route north into Aleppo from Hama province, crucial for Assad's forces who have lost control of part of the main north-south highway.Rebels say they hold most of the city itself and nearly all the rural hinterland. But they have been unable to achieve a decisive victory and complain that they are outgunned and vulnerable to Assad's air force, artillery and ballistic missiles, which killed dozens of people in Aleppo last week.The United States pledged direct but non-lethal aid to the rebels at a meeting in Rome on Thursday, disappointing Assad's opponents who had hoped for more tangible military support to tip the balance of forces on the ground.Activists reported another day of fierce fighting around Aleppo, including the military airport at Nairab, three miles north of Tel Shghaib which Assad's forces retook."It's a significant gain for the regime," the British-based Observatory's director Rami Abdelrahman said of the army's push north, which reversed many rebel advances when they moved south into Hama from Aleppo province at the end of last year.Further east, on the Iraqi frontier, government troops also managed to wrest back control of the Yarubiyah border crossing after insurgents seized it 24 hours earlier, he said.
SYRIA COULD FALL APART
The revolt against Assad, which erupted in March 2011 with mainly peaceful protests, has escalated into civil war between mainly Sunni Muslim forces and troops and militias loyal to Assad, from the minority Alawite community whose faith derives from Shi'ite Islam.The United Nations says 70,000 people have been killed, nearly a million have fled the country and millions more have been displaced or need aid.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday that Syria, a major Arab state on the fault lines of broader Middle East conflict, would fall apart if the government and rebels keep fighting instead of seeking a negotiated peace.
"This is a very small window of opportunity which we strongly support and encourage them to use that. The opportunity may close soon," Ban said in Geneva.The government and opposition have both edged away in recent weeks from their previous rejection of dialogue. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday the government would even talk to armed rebels and opposition coalition leader Moaz Alkhatib has said he is ready to meet Assad's representatives.But Syrian officials say any serious talks must be on Syrian soil under state control, and have shown no readiness to discuss Assad's departure - the central demand of the opposition. For rebel fighters, who do not answer to exiled civilian opposition leaders, Assad's exit is a precondition for any negotiations."I continue to urge the Syrian parties to find their way to the negotiating table. The horrors of the last months and years prove beyond doubt: the military solution in Syria is leading to the dissolution of Syria," Ban said.He also called on the U.N. Security Council, paralyzed by a standoff between the United States and European allies on one side, pushing for U.N. action against Assad, and Russia and China, who have backed Assad, to unite and address the crisis.Moscow criticized Thursday's meeting in Rome of largely anti-Assad Western and Arab states for taking positions and steps which "directly encourage extremists" to topple the government by force.But the Kremlin also said presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama had told their foreign ministers to keep in close touch and seek new initiatives to end Syria's civil war.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday Washington would provide non-lethal aid including medical supplies and food to rebel fighters, as well as $60 million to help the civilian opposition provide services including security, education and sanitation.The European Union said it had amended sanctions on Syria to allow the supply of armored vehicles, non-lethal military equipment and technical aid.
The steps still fell well short of what rebels are looking for - more arms, and prompted the opposition to postpone a Saturday meeting where they had been due to choose a prime minister to head the administration of rebel-held territory.Alkhatib said he was tired of hearing Western concerns over the growing role of Islamists in the Syrian rebel ranks - one of the main obstacles to greater military support, saying it paled into insignificance alongside the prolonged civilian suffering."Many sides...focus (more) on the length of the rebel fighter's beard than they do on the blood of the children being killed," he said, standing next to Kerry after their meeting.(Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Alissa de Carbonnel in Moscow; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

OFFICIAL TIMELINE OF LAST DAY OF POPE

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

TODAY I WAS LISTENING TO A SHOW.AND A PHONE CALLER PHONED IN AND SAID.I FORGET WHAT TOWN THIS WAS.BUT THE PERSON ON THE PHONE SAID.HER TAYLOR TOLD HER THAT HE WAS MAKING CLOTHES FOR THE NEXT POPE.AND THEIR ARE 3 POSSSIBLE CONTENDERS.HE TOLD HER THE 3 POSSIBLE POPES ARE FROM EUROPE.HE NEVER GAVE HER NAMES.BUT THIS BY THE BIBLE IS RIGHT ON.AS THE NEXT POPE MUST BE FROM ROME AND I BELIEVE A MUSLIM SYMPOTHIZER.SINCE BEHEADING WILL BE COMMON AT THE VATICAN IN THE FUTURE.AND SCOLA IS A SYMPOTHIZER.AND BERTONE IS EUROPEAN-BOTH FROM ITALY.AND THE 3RD EUROPEAN,WHO KNOWS.BUT MY 2 I PREDICTED TO BE THE NEXT POPE HERE ARE EUROPEAN AND ONE FOR SURE IS A ISLAM SYMPOTHISER.SO I KNOW MY HUNCH ABOUT THE NEXT POPE IS RIGHT ON BY THE BIBLE AND BY THIS TAYLOR THAT SAYS THE 3 MAIN CONTENDERS ARE EUROPEANS.WE WILL SEE IN A WEEK OR SO.

Pope's first hours as retiree: Prayer, TV, books

Associated Press – 1 hr 2 mins ago MAR 1,13

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican says Benedict XVI has spent his first few hours as a retiree praying, watching TV and taking walks.The Vatican on Friday released details of Benedict's life inside Castel Gandolfo, the vacation retreat where at 8 p.m. Thursday he became the first pope in 600 years to retire.

Benedict's secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, reported to the Vatican that after Benedict said his final public farewell, he ate dinner, took his typical constitutional walk in the palace and watched TV news of his last day as pope. Gaenswein reported he slept well, celebrated Mass as usual and had breakfast, according to the Vatican spokesman.Gaenswein reported Benedict was relaxed — as evidenced by the fact that he had in recent days resumed playing piano.

With no pope, Catholic Church leaderless for now

By NICOLE WINFIELD | Associated Press – 1 hr 45 mins ago MAR 1,13

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Catholic Church awoke Friday with no leader following the resignation of Benedict XVI, who pledged obedience to his successor and described himself as "simply a pilgrim" starting the final journey of his life.Now begins a period known as the "sede vacante" or "vacant see" — the transition between the end of one papacy and the start of another.During this limited time, several key players take charge of running the Holy See, guiding the College of Cardinals in their deliberations and organizing the conclave of cardinals whose votes elect Benedict's successor.With the 8 p.m. Thursday end of Benedict's papacy, every department head in the Vatican lost his job — except for those whose offices are considered crucial for the smooth running of the transition period.On Monday, the cardinals begin meetings to set the conclave date and discuss problems facing the Catholic church.Here are the top figures who will run the church in the coming days:
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THE CAMERLENGO: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
The camerlengo, or chamberlain, takes over the day-to-day running the Holy See as soon as the papacy ends. He places the seal on the pope's study and bedroom and takes possession of the Apostolic Palace, "safeguarding and administering the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See" until a new pope is elected. On Thursday night, Bertone sealed the papal apartment, which will not be reopened until a new pope is elected.Benedict in 2007 gave the camerlengo job to Bertone, 78, a natural choice given that Bertone is currently the Vatican No. 2 as secretary of state and runs the Vatican bureaucracy anyway. A priest of the Salesian order, Bertone was trained as a canon lawyer and taught in various Roman universities for several years before coming to work for the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the Vatican's doctrine office in 1995.As secretary of state, Bertone has had Benedict's unwavering trust, but his legacy has been mixed. He had no diplomatic training coming into the Holy See's most important diplomatic and administrative post, and critics blame the gaffes of Benedict's papacy and current state of the Vatican's dysfunction on Bertone's managerial shortcomings. The 2012 leaks of papal documents appeared aimed at undermining his authority further, by exposing the power struggles and turf battles that festered under his watch. In his last speech as pope, however, Benedict singled Bertone out for thanks.
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THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS: Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
The dean is the senior member of the College of Cardinals, the so-called "princes" of the church whose main task is to elect a pope. In one of his first official acts as dean, Sodano on Friday officially summoned cardinals to Rome to participate in the pre-conclave meetings, a formality given that most were already here. The first starts Monday at 9:30 a.m.The dean oversees these meetings, at which the problems of the church are discussed, and has duties inside the conclave itself, including asking the newly elected pontiff if he accepts the job. But Sodano is 85 and cannot vote, so some of those duties shift to the sub-dean.Burly and sociable, the Italian Sodano was Pope John Paul II's longtime secretary of state. As dean, he spoke on behalf of all the cardinals in giving a final farewell to Benedict on Thursday, thanking him for his "selfless service."
Still, Sodano and Benedict were known to have clashed when Benedict was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, particularly over the scandal-plagued Legion of Christ religious order. Sodano was a chief backer and protector of the Legion's late founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, even though the Vatican had known for years of solid allegations that he was sexually molesting his seminarians. Within Benedict's first year in office, Maciel was sentenced by the Vatican to a lifetime of penance and prayers for his crimes. That same year Benedict named Bertone to replace the retiring Sodano as secretary of state.
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THE MASTER OF LITURGICAL CEREMONIES: Monsignor Guido Marini.
The master of liturgical ceremonies runs the religious side of the conclave and the installation Mass for the new pope, all of them carefully choreographed rituals. He is by the side of the dean when the newly elected pope is asked if he accepts the election. And as the main witness and notary, he draws up the formal document certifying that the new pope's name and that he has accepted the job.Benedict appointed Marini to the job in 2007, replacing Monsignor Piero Marini who for two decades was Pope John Paul II's right-hand man for all things liturgical. The shift was intentional. Under Guido Marini, papal Masses became far more reverent, with more Latin, Gregorian chants and the use of heavy silk-brocaded vestments of the pre-Vatican II church.In changes introduced just before he resigned, Benedict made clear he wanted this more traditional vision of his papacy carried forward for the installation of a new pope. He called for the rites of installation to be separate from the liturgy itself and for the cardinals to make a public pledge of obedience to the new pope during the Mass. Previously, their pledge of obedience was done in private in the Sistine Chapel immediately after the election.In keeping with Benedict's classical musical tastes, the new rites also allow for more flexibility in musical choices rather than the modern selections previously in favor. The aim, Marini recently told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, was to make "the most of the rich musical repertoire of church history."
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THE PROTO-DEACON: Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.
The proto-deacon's main task is to announce to the world that a pope has been elected. He shouts "Habemus Papam!" ("We have a pope!") from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square after the white smoke has snaked up from the Sistine Chapel chimney. He then introduces the new pope — in Latin — along with the name the pope has chosen.The French-born Tauran is a veteran Vatican diplomat who served in the Dominican Republic and Lebanon. He currently heads the Vatican's office for interreligious dialogue — in other words the Vatican's primary point man for Catholic-Muslim relations. Benedict appointed him proto-deacon in 2011.___Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield.

Vatican summons cardinals for conclave

Eric J. Lyman, Special for USA TODAY8:17a.m. EST March 1, 2013

(Photo: Giorgio Cosulich, Getty)

ROME -- The Vatican is moving quickly to start the process of selecting the next pope, announcing Friday that the official invitation had gone out to the 115 eligible cardinals who will take part in selecting the next pope.The Vatican said that "congregations" leading up to the actual conclave will start Monday.The short announcement from the Vatican press office Friday said that cardinals would join the congregations as they arrived in Rome and that once the full contingent of cardinals arrived they would decide together on the start date for the conclave.Benedict XVI, now known as pontiff emeritus, sent shockwaves around the world when he announced Feb. 11 he would resign, effective Thursday at 8 p.m. local time. Friday will be his first full day in his new temporary home in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, where he will live for several months until a new residence being prepared for him is ready inside the Vatican.This process to select the next pope is already in stark contrast to previous modern conclaves, when a specific date for the start of conclave was announced, usually within about 15 days of the death of the pope. This one is different because Benedict XVI resigned, meaning work on the conclave could start behind the scenes while Benedict was still pontiff. In fact, in his final days Benedict changed the rules to allow the conclave to start sooner than it would otherwise.Thursday evening at a press conference, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, a past president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and an elector in the 2005 conclave that picked Benedict, said the cardinals will spend the days before the conclave in "smaller, more intimate conversations."According to Catholic News Service, these private talks are "where the cardinals ask each other about specific cardinals they know or want to know more about. He said they ask questions like, 'What do you know about this candidate? And could you tell me how he would react to this? And what sort of person is he, what's his personality?'"Once the conclave starts it will also be the first conclave in 719 years to take place with the previous pope still alive, when Celestine V, who, like Benedict, resigned voluntarily, witnessed the installation of Boniface VII in 1294.Gregory XII was the last pope to resign, when he was forced to abdicate in 1415. But he died before the election of his successor Martin V.

Cardinals begin long process of picking new pope

By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor

VATICAN CITY | Fri Mar 1, 2013 3:03am EST

(Reuters) - With Pope Benedict XVI now officially in retirement, Catholic cardinals from around the world begin on Friday the complex, cryptic and uncertain process of picking the next leader of the world's largest church.Some details are still unclear, owing to Benedict's break with the tradition that papacies end with a pope's death, so these "princes of the Church" will first hold an informal session before traditional rounds of talks begin on Monday.No front-runner stands out among the 115 cardinal electors - those aged under 80 - due to enter the Sistine Chapel for the conclave that picks the new pope, so discreetly sizing up potential candidates will be high on the cardinals' agenda.They will also use the general congregations, the closed-door consultations preceding a conclave, to discuss future challenges such as better Vatican management, the need for improved communication and the continuing sexual abuse crisis.Benedict ended his difficult eight-year reign on Thursday pledging unconditional obedience to whoever succeeds him to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics at one of the most problematic periods in the Church's 2,000-year history."The discussion we have in the congregations will be most important for the intellectual preparation" for choosing a pope, said Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley, adding the electors were already preparing spiritually for the vote by intense prayer."I would imagine each of us has some kind of list of primary candidates, and others secondary," said Cardinal Francis George of Chicago at a media briefing with O'Malley and another American cardinal, Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.MOST SECRETIVE ELECTION
Conclaves are among the world's most secretive elections, with no declared candidates, no open campaigning and electors who often do not know more than a few dozen men in the room. Electors are sworn to secrecy about the actual voting itself.George said cardinals consulted other electors before the conclave to learn more about possible choices, asking "what do you know about this candidate?" or "what kind of person is he?"O'Malley, at his first conclave and already being mentioned in Italian media as a potential candidate, said he had been "using the Internet a lot" to read up on other cardinals.Conclaves traditionally begin 15 days after the seat of St. Peter, as the papal office is called, becomes vacant. But that includes time for mourning and funeral ceremonies for a dead pope, so Benedict issued a decree allowing an earlier start.From Monday, the cardinals will discuss how long they want to hold general congregations before going into the conclave; its name comes from the Latin term "cum clave" - with a key - to show they are locked away until a pope is chosen.Cardinals over 80 cannot join them in the voting, but they are allowed to attend the general congregations and discuss the challenges to the Church with the electors.
Nothing is set yet, but the Vatican seems to be aiming for an election by mid-March so the new pope can be installed in office before Palm Sunday on March 24 and lead Holy Week services culminating in Easter the following Sunday.
HELICOPTER INTO HISTORY
The cardinals will not see a top secret report prepared for Pope Benedict on mismanagement and infighting in the Curia, the Church's bureaucracy. But its three cardinal authors will be in the general congregations to advise electors on its findings."Since we don't really know what's in the report, I think we'll depend on the cardinals in the congregations to share with us what they think will be valuable for us to know to make the right decision for the future," O'Malley said.In an emotional farewell to cardinals on Thursday morning in the Vatican's frescoed Sala Clementina, Benedict appeared to send a strong message to the cardinals and the faithful to unite behind his successor, whoever he turns out to be.The appeal was significant because for the first time in history, there will be a reigning pope in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace and his retired predecessor living in a small monastery in the Vatican Gardens not far away.Benedict left the Vatican by helicopter for the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo south of Rome to be far from the conclave and not influence it. He will move into the monastery when refurbishing is finished in about two months.(Editing by Alastair Macdonald)
THE OFFICIAL POPE 16TH LAST DAY HAPPENINGS.

LAST DAY HAPPENINGS AT THE VATICAN-POPES LIFE BEFORE RETIREMENT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ixAZy6bl0&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ&index=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_pIgRQxis8&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGITO7327ZA&list=UUxshhzR907v2w6DjICyAgLQ

02/28/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Benedict XVI’s last day as Pope

Ratzinger's farewell

28 February 2013: Minute by minute coverage of Benedict XVI's historic last day

vatican insider staff Rome Live broadcast: Vatican Television and Vatican Radio coverage of Benedict XVI's last day as Pope
An historic day in pictures
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The Pope's final words to the crowds gathered in front of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo:

“Thank you, thank you from my heart. I am happy to be here with you surrounded by the beauty of Creation and your friendship that warms me, you know that today is different from others, as of eight pm I will no longer be the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Roman Church. I am a pilgrim who is begining the last part of his pilgrimage on earth. But with all my interior strength, with all my heart, with all my love I will work for the good of the Church and all humanity." (Vatican Radio)

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20:02 Sede Vacante period officially begins

20:01 Gates to Castel Gandolfo shut

19.56 The gates to Castel Gandolfo will be drawn shut in a few minutes

18:23 John Kerry sends America’s wishes to Benedict XVI
“President Obama and I would like to extend out best wishes to Benedict XVI and thank him for his leadership and everything he has done. Today is a very special moment because after 600 years the Pope has left the Vatican and flown to Castel Gandolfo.” This was the message sent by John Kerry who is in Rome visiting Italian prime minister Mario Monti.

17.41 Benedict XVI sends out his final blessing
I am no longer Pope, I am just a pilgrim, but I still wish to do my bit for the good of the Church. Let us move forth alongside the Lord for the good of the Church and of the world. Thank you and goodnight.

17.38 Pope grreets and gives thanks to the crowd for the last time, from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo

17:35 Piazza della Libertà, the square in front of the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo is packed with faithful who have gathered to greet the Pope, minutes after his arrival from Rome. Church bells ring across Castel Gandolfo. 

17:23 The Pope has landed in Castel Gandolfo
Benedict XVI has arrived in Castel Gandolfo. The helicopter which Benedict XVI boarded landed at the heliport in the town of Colli Albani, justa  short distance from the papal Palace where the outgoing Pope will be staying for the next two months.

17:07 The toll of St. Peter's bells can be heard as the Pope leaves the Holy See by helicopter
Pope Benedict XVI has left the Vatican. The helicopter that is taking him to Castel Gandolfo took off just before 17:05. At the heliport, Benedict XVI said his goodbyes to Dean Angelo Sodano and Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo. The Pope waved a final goodbye to those who greeted him from a distance. He will be landing in Castel Gandolfo in a few minutes. The Pope is travelling in an Italian Airforce helicopter. He is accompanied by his personal secretary, Mgr. Georg Gaenswein and Mgr. Leonardo Sapienza. The Vatican Television Centre is broadcasting the Pope's arrival live.

17:05 The Pope's message on Twitter: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."

17:00 The Pope leaves the Courtyard of San Damaso

16.56 Benedict XVI bids farewell to Vallini and Comastri
As he left the papal apartment, just before leaving the Vatican for Castel Gandolfo, Benedict XVI was greeted by the Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini and the Vicar Genearl for the Vatican City, Cardinal Angelo Comastri.

16:40 The Pope is about to leave the Apostolic Palace

San Damaso Courtyard inside the Apostolic Palace is packed with cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns and all the Vatican’s staff. The Swiss Guard is about to perform the ceremonial honour guard. The blue car that will take Benedict XVI to the Vatican heliport, five minutes away from the Apostolic Palace, in on standby. The Pope will leave the Apostolic Palace at 16:55 as scheduled, after bidding Tarcisio Bertone and the rest of the Curia his final farewell. At the heliport he will be greeted by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano. The helicopter will depart at 17:00 and will reach Castel Gandolfo an hour later. There, he will be met by the President of the Vatican Governorate, Giuseppe Bertello, the Secretary of the Governatorate of Vatican City State, Giuseppe Sciacca, the Bishop of the Italian town of Albano Semeraro, the General Director of the Pontifical Villas, Saverio Petrillo and the mayor and parish priest of Castel Gandolfo.

14:05 Benedict XVI is due to arrive in Castel Gandolfo at 17:30 (CET). It is still not known exactly how many cardinals will be present at the Conclave, especially as some are ill.

13.50 Benedict will send his last tweet at 17:00 (CET). During the sede vacante period, Benedict XVI’s Twitter account will be frozen until a successor is chosen.

13:49 CTV and Telepace will give live coverage of the Pope’s departure  
When Benedict XVI’s papacy comes to a formal end this evening at 20:00 (CET), “the gates to Castel Gandolfo will be drawn shut” and in the Vatican “the papal apartment and the lift that leads directly to the apartment will be sealed off, that is all as far as I know,” the director of the Vatican Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi said during this morning’s press conference. He also said the closing of the gates at Castel Gandolfo will be broadcast live by CTV.


Media statistics
There are 3641 journalists accredited by the Holy See Press Office, representing 968 newspapers of 61 nations, in 24 different languages. 336 journalists – 156 photographers – 2470 television networks – 231 radio stations and 115 websites. Fr. Lombardi has confirmed a visit to the Sistine Chapel before the Conclave, the news about the general congregations which will be held in the New Synod Hall and the Mass pro eligendo.

02/28/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Benedict XVI: “The Church is not an institution devised and built at table, but a living reality”

Cardinals listen carefully to Benedict XVI's words

Pope Benedict XVI’s farewell speech to the College of Cardinals. Emotions ran high as the Pope embraced and greeted the 144 cardinals present in the Clementine Hall

Alessandro Speciale vatican city Benedict XVI was greeted by a long applause from the College of Cardinals when he arrived in the Clementine Hall this morning, just a few minutes late. Benedict XVI attended what is likely to be his last event as Pope: a farewell audience with the “Princes of the Church”. The cardinals will shortly be called to elect his successor, to whom Ratzinger pledges “obedience” as of today.Today’s ceremony was a simple one and was introduced by the Dean of the Sacred College, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who expressed the cardinals’ gratitude once again for the eight-year journey they accompanied him on. It is not known exactly how many cardinals were present but definitely more than there were at Benedict XVI’s last General Audience in St. Peter’s Square yesterday.Ratzinger made a last-minute appeal to cardinals to ensure unity in the Church. He asked them to remain united so that the College that will elect his successor resembles “an orchestra, where diversity, an expression of the universal Church, always contributes to a superior harmony of concord.”To add force to his call for unity, the Pope quoted one of his favourite theologians, Romano Guardini: "The Church is not an institution devised and built at table, but a living reality. She lives along the course of time by transforming Herself, like any living being, yet Her nature remains the same. At Her heart is Christ. "Benedict XVI promised to pray for the Conclave over the next few days, adding: “among you, among the College of Cardinals, there is also the future Pope, to whom, here to today, I already promise my unconditional reverence and obedience.”Just before this, the Pope refererd back to some points he made during yesterday’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square – a meeting which proved the fact that the Church is “a living body, animated by the Holy Spirit, and truly lives by the power of God.”“Your closeness, your advice, have been a great help to me in my ministry – Benedict XVI said -. In these 8 years we have experienced in faith beautiful moments of radiant light in the Churches’ journey along with times when clouds have darkened the sky.At the end of the Pope’s speech, cardinals filed past him to kiss the papal ring and extend their brieg greetings. They were followed by non-cardinal heads of the Vatican dicasteries such as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and other Curia monsignors. After this, the Pope turned and took the first steps towards the new life he will be leading away from the world spotlight.

02/27/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Benedict XVI's parting gift: First ostension of Holy Shroud since 1975 to take place this March

Benedict XVI venerates the Holy Shroud on his visit to Turin in 2010

This coming 30 March the Holy Shroud will be broadcast live on television for the first time since 1973

vatican insider staff Rome At 11 am on Friday 1 March the Archbishop of Turin, Mgr. Cesare Nosiglia, who is Pontifical Custodian of the Shroud, will give a presentation of the televised Ostension of the Shroud on 30 March, the day before Easter. Nosiglia’s presentation will be given at the Metropolitan Seminary of Turin (on Via XX Settembre, 83), Italy.


Two million pilgrims from all across the world walked past the Shroud at the 2010 Ostension in Turin Cathedral. Forty years after the first televised Ostension of the Shroud on 23 November 1973 in the Hall of the Swiss in the Royal Palace of Turin. On that occasion, the Shroud was displayed vertically and not horizontally as is customary. On 1 March, Italian state television RAI will be broadcasting images of the Shroud which will be shown on television channels worldwide.The Ostension will take place the day before Easter, echoing the meaning attributed to the Shroud by Benedict XVI during his visit to Turin on 2 May 2010, when he defined it as “the Icon of Holy Saturday”. This year’s televised Ostension of the Shroud is part of a series of initiatives to mark Benedict XVI’s Year of Faith.

USA SENATE TO BACK ISRAEL IF IRAN ATTACKS

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

New Senate Resolution: Back Israel if it Attacks Iran

A group of senators introduces a new resolution which says that the U.S. would back Israel militarily if it were to attack Iran.

By Elad Benari First Publish: 3/1/2013, 4:44 AM-Israelnationalnews

The Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran-AFP/Mehr News/File

A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday introduced a new resolution which says that the United States would back Israel militarily if the Jewish State were to attack Iran in self-defense.The resolution was introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and is co-sponsored by 15 Senators, including Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chuck Schumer (D-New York).The resolution declares that the United States has a vital national interest in and unbreakable commitment to, ensuring the existence, survival, and security of the State of Israel; reaffirms the United States support for Israel’s right to self-defense; and urges that if Israel is compelled to take military action in self-defense, the United States will stand with Israel and provide diplomatic, military, and economic support in its defense of its territory, people, and existence.
Speaking during a press conference on Capitol Hill Thursday, Graham said the resolution is necessary to show Israel that the U.S. will support it if it decides to use military force against the Iranian regime.
“We have no better friends in that part of the world than Israel,” said Graham. “Last year President Obama told the people of Israel, ‘We have your back.’ Our resolution builds upon that statement and makes it clear that if Israel is one day forced to protect themselves we will stand with Israel.”President Obama is scheduled to arrive in Israel for his first visit as President next month, and the group said it hopes to pass the resolution before the trip.The issue of a nuclear Iran is expected to be a top priority during Obama’s meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.“This is not a green light to Israel to do anything other than defend itself. ... We will be there,” Graham said.This week, Iran held another round of negotiations with Western powers over its nuclear program. There was no sign of a major breakthrough in the Kazakh city of Almaty, but the sides agreed to hold new meetings, suggesting potential for progress.As the negotiations took place, Britain's Daily Telegraph published satellite images which show that Iran's Arak heavy-water plan is operational, raising fears that it is trying to produce plutonium for a nuclear bomb.The images appear to show steam rising from forced air coolers, suggesting heavy-water production at the plant, which has been closed to international inspectors for 18 months.Heavy water is required in plutonium-producing reactors and that raises alarms that Tehran is seeking a second path to obtain the bomb.A report released last week by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that Iran has begun installing next-generation equipment at one of its main nuclear plants in Natanz.In the wake of the reports, Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Iran “is continuing to defy the international community,” calling on the international community to intensify the sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Bennett Vindicated as Coalition Crafting Enters Overtime

Analysis: Likud's behavior shows the reasoning behind Naftali Bennett's decision to enter into a pact with Yesh Atid was sound.

By Gil Ronen First Publish: 3/1/2013, 12:19 PM-Israelnationalnews

Naftali Bennett-Israel news photo: Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet President Shimon Peres Saturday evening and ask him for a two-week extension in which to put together a coalition of parties and form a new government.Peres will grant Netanyahu the two-week extension.If Netanyahu fails to cobble together a coalition within a fortnight, however, he will be in serious trouble. Peres could decide to task someone else with creating a coalition, or new elections could be called.
We are, therefore, entering the "money time" of coalition crafting.The reports in two major news sources Friday that Netanyahu's representatives offered Yesh Atid a policy of destroying Jewish communities in return for their entry into the coalition without Bayit Yehudi, vindicate Bayit Yehudi's decision to enter into a tactical alliance with Yesh Atid. Together with reports that Likud made contradictory overtures to Bayit Yehudi, they portray Netanyahu in an unflattering light and are no cause for pride, for supporters of Likud / Yisrael Beytenu.Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett wrote on his Facebook page Friday: "While the Likud was explaining to us how important it is to abandon the connection with Lapid in order to strengthen the settlement enterprise, it was explaining to Lapid how important it is to abandon Bayit Yehudi in order to tear down the settlement enterprise."If readers sense some bitterness and disappointment between the lines, their senses are probably not misleading them.Likud's offers to Yesh Atid, if they indeed were made, vindicate Bennett's tactical move, to enter into a gentlemen's agreement with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid. The two promised each other not to enter the coalition without each other.Yesh Atid is a center-left, largely secularist party, which placed the matter of hareidi men's enlistment to the military as a central plank in its agenda. The party contains a strong ultra-leftist contingent, but its leader, Lapid, is less of an ideologue and more mainstream than his more radical MKs.The hareidi enlistment issue is a favorite wedge issue of the Israeli left wing, because it splits the nationalist camp between hareidim and non-hareidim. The issue has, for decades, been seen as largely unsolvable, and governments have preferred to manage it rather than confront it head-on.What Naftali Bennett did was to make Lapid an offer he couldn't refuse. He would enable him to square the circle and force a true change as regards hareidi enlistment. For this, Bennett would be willing to weather the storm of accusations that he was "selling out" his hareidi brethren and joining a secularist to do so.In return, what Bennett has apparently received is a guarantee that the next coalition will not only include Bayit Yehudi but will also have to respect Bayit Yehudi's core principles, especially regarding the political and strategic issues that surround the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria.Bennett has been warning for months that Netanyahu is planning a leftist, defeatist government, based upon a coalition with hareidim and leftist parties, including Yesh Atid. Likud's reported overtures to Yesh Atid confirm that he was right. What Bennett appears to have achieved through his pact with Lapid is a realignment of Israeli politics: essentially, the center will stop leaning to the left on Judea and Samaria, while the religious Zionists side with the secular Zionists on key issues regarding the power and privileges of the non-Zionist hareidi stream.If the Bennett-Lapid pact holds up, this revolution will come close to turning into reality in a fortnight's time.
There is much gnashing of teeth on both sides of the political spectrum, meanwhile. Many in hareidi circles are understandably aghast at the developments. Some nationalists see Lapid as a sell-out just by virtue of the fact that he is letting Yesh Atid into the coalition. They do not trust Lapid and think he will bolt the coalition at the first opportunity, leaving the nationalist bloc splintered, perhaps permanently.On the left-wing, too, there is much apprehension. Channel 2's Rina Matzliach, whose leftist views are no secret, has incongruously become a great fan of the hareidi-Zionist Tekuma stream within Bayit Yehudi in the last week. She apparently hopes that MK Uri Ariel and other Tekuma MKs will split off from Bennett and prevent the Yesh Atid – Bayit Yehudi plan from being implemented. At this point, however, the pact between Bennett and Lapid appears strong.

Report: Obama Won't Come if There's No New Coalition

U.S. officials have reportedly told Israel that if there is no new government in place by March 16, Obama will not arrive for his visit.

By Elad Benari First Publish: 3/1/2013, 5:45 AM-Israelnationalnews

Netanyahu, Obama-Israel news photo: Flash 90

United States officials have told Israel that if there is no new government in place by March 16, President Barack Obama will not arrive for his scheduled visit four days later, Channel 10 News reported on Thursday.According to the report, if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fails to form a coalition by the aforementioned date, the Americans will say that Obama’s visit is being postponed, but in essence the visit will be cancelled. The U.S. ambassador to Israel has been making phone calls and holding conversations with Israeli officials in recent days, trying to figure out how the coalition talks are advancing, said the report.
The negotiations continued on Thursday, with Likud meeting Yesh Atid after several weeks during which the sides had not met, but no real progress was made that would enable Yesh Atid to join the coalition.
After the meeting, the Likud’s negotiator said that Yesh Atid had been adamant in its refusal to join a coalition with the hareidi-religious parties.“As far as Yesh Atid is concerned, there is no room for hareidim in the government,” the negotiator, David Shimron, said, adding the Likud planned to meet on Friday with the Bayit Yehudi to determine their stance on the issue.Yesh Atid and its head, Yair Lapid, are pushing for a radical program that will enlist all hareidi yeshiva students into the army. Lapid announced two weeks ago that when pictures of the new government are taken he does not plan to be photographed alongside Shas ministers, essentially rejecting joining a coalition with hareidi parties.Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid have made a pact, agreeing to enter the coalition together or not at all, in an apparent attempt by both parties to guarantee a coalition ally with similar goals. Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett, while also wishing to enlist hareidim, has expressed a willingness to negotiate with them on the issue.Meanwhile, according to Thursday’s Channel 10 report, U.S. officials have indicated that they would be very interested in seeing Lapid being appointed to the position of Foreign Minister in the new government.The officials said that such a move will balance their concerns over a few other elements that are likely to be a part of the next government. While these elements were not named, this may have been a reference to Bennett, over whom the U.S. had expressed concern during the elections because of his stand against a Palestinian state.However, all reports have indicated that Netanyahu is planning to save the position of Foreign Minister to his number two, Avigdor Lieberman, until the end of his trial.

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

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

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

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

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(THE FALSE POPE WHO DEFECTED FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH) causeth all,(IN THE WORLD ) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(MICROCHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast,(WORLD DICTATORS NAME INGRAVED ON YOUR SKIN OR TATTOOED ON YOU OR IN THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the number of his name.(THE NUMBERS OF HIS NAME INGRAVED IN THE MICROCHIP IMLPLANT)-(ALL THESE WILL TELL THE WORLD DICTATOR THAT YOUR WITH HIM AND AGAINST KING JESUS-GOD)
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:(WORLD LEADER) for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)OR(60020202006)(SOME KIND OF NUMBER IMPLANTED IN THE MICROCHIP THAT TELLS THE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TOTAL ALLIGIENCE TO HIM AND NOT JESUS)(ITS AN ETERNAL DECISION YOU MAKE)(YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY)(YOU TAKE THE DICTATORS NAME OR NUMBER UNDER YOUR SKIN,YOUR DOOMED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND TORMENTS FOREVER,NEVER ENDING MEANT ONLY FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS,NOT HUMAN BEINGS).OR YOU REFUSE THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT AND GO ON THE SIDE OF KING JESUS AND RULE FOREVER WITH HIM ON EARTH.YOU CHOOSE,ITS YOUR DECISION.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYUgVL9PdxM&list=UU4SH8rh0OjYV3zwqnIfqNbA&index=1&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PX-vW4VccY&feature=player_embedded#!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/markets/indexes/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfPX59y4KxE&feature=related

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS FRI MARCH 01,2013

09:30 AM -2.43
10:00 AM -71.92
10:30 AM -52.38
11:00 AM +21.34
11:30 AM +15.32
12:00 PM +20.61
12:30 PM +40.88
01:00 PM +40.25
01:30 PM +28.70
02:00 PM +27.14
02:30 PM +40.43
03:00 PM +36.34
03:30 PM +24.24
04:00 PM +35.17 14,089.66

S&P 500 1518.20 +3.52

NASDAQ 3169.74 +9.55

GOLD 1,575.10 -3.10

OIL 90.84 -1.21

TSE 300 12,773.12 -48.71

CDNX 1120.09 -13.27

S&P/TSX/60 735.52 -3.03

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -52 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -89 points at low today.
Dow +42 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,581.00.OIL opens at $90.59 today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -89 points at low today so far.
Dow +42 points at high today so far.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -89 points at low today.
Dow +42 points at high today.

GOLD ALLTIME HIGH $1,902.60 (NOT AT CLOSE)

Britain to oppose EU bank bonus rules

Today @ 09:29 MARCH 1,13 By Benjamin Fox

BRUSSELS - Britain is to oppose new EU bank bonus rules when finance ministers meet in Brussels next week.The measures, which would cap the majority of bonuses at the same level as salaries, form part of EU legislation increasing the level of core capital banks must hold on their balance sheets.Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesperson said on Thursday (28 February) that EU rules should allow flexibility at national level, claiming that Britain "has some of the toughest remuneration requirements in the world."The warning came just hours after MEPs agreed to a deal brokered by the Irish presidency.London Mayor Boris Johnson, seen as a potential rival to Cameron for the Conservative party leadership, described the bonus cap as "deluded" ad "self-defeating".Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Austrian conservative MEP, Othmar Karas, confirmed that the bonus rules would apply to all employees of European banks whether they are based in or outside the EU.The Irish EU presidency will present the deal struck with MEPs in the early hours of Thursday morning to EU finance ministers next Tuesday (5 March).The legislation will be adopted by a qualified majority vote, leaving Britain no opportunity to veto.The divisions raises the prospect of Britain being outvoted on major financial sector regulation for the first time.An EU source confirmed that Britain had raised its concerns on the bonus rules at ambassador level on Thursday."It is not a foregone conclusion what will happen next," an EU official told EUobserver..The UK government is anxious to defend the City of London, Europe's largest financial sector hub.In December 2011 Cameron lobbied unsuccessfully for exemptions from EU financial regulation in return for supporting the fiscal compact treaty.Earlier, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn, warned Britain not to isolate itself from the rest of Europe.But Philippe Lamberts, who led negotiations on the bank law on behalf of the Green group, said it would be "wrong to portray this as Europe vs Britain."For their part, British MEPs representing the two sides of Britain's Conservative/Liberal coalition endorsed the deal.Sharon Bowles, a UK Liberal Democrat, and the chair of parliament's economic committee, said that parliament was "leading the world" in the field of financial sector regulation.Bowles sought to shift attention away from the new bonus rules to other aspects of the bill.A combination of over leveraging by banks combined with a collapse in liquidity when the money markets seized up are widely seen as major causes of the 2007-9 financial crisis.In addition to the bonus and capital rules, the legislation also includes provisions to increase banking transparency.Country-by-country reporting would require banks to publish its profits, turnover and tax payment on an individual country basis. The reporting could start as soon as 2015 unless the Commission deems that it would undermine the competitiveness of EU banks.Commission officials have indicated that the regime would be similar to the reporting standards for the extractive and oil industries included in the draft accounting directive, which is currently being negotiated by MEPs and ministers.There are also additional capital requirements for the so-called "too big to fail" banks.The rules on capital, leverage, liquidity are in the regulation, with no flexibility regarding the implementation at national level.The EU's 8,000 banks would be required to hold at last 8 percent of top rated capital on their balance sheets.Meanwhile, the Brussels-based NGO Finance Watch gave a mixed reaction to the agreement.Speaking with this website, analyst Frederic Hache described it as "one of the key pieces of the jigsaw" of financial regulation.However, he added that the failure to agree on a leverage cap was "a significant setback" and that the implementation of capital rules gave "too much discretion to be credible to shareholders and to restore trust in banks' solvency."

EU proposes tighter border control bill

28.02.13 @ 21:29 By Nikolaj Nielsen

BRUSSELS - People travelling into Europe who overstay their visa, even for legitimate reasons such as unforeseen hospital stays or transport delays, could face automatic sanctions and fines, under new rules unveiled on Thursday (28 February).The proposal is part of a larger "smart borders" package presented by the European Commission designed to make foreign travel into the Union’s borderless zone easier, increase border security and prevent irregular migration.“There are of course legitimate reasons for an overstay and it is not for me or the commission to judge about that. The system will give an alert to the Dutch or the Slovene or the Polish authorities and then it will be up to them to follow up,” EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters in Brussels.EU sources say the person will need to inform national authorities in advance in case of an unforeseen visa-breach.They can also make their case directly to border guards at any one of the EU's 1,800 external border crossing points.Each member state will determine the amount of the fine or the severity of the sanction.German Green MEP Ska Keller told this website that the commission’s proposal focuses on irregular migrants as overstayers and neglects those who may have legitimate reasons.
“It does not at all take into account the different circumstances, we just might have another Iceland volcano and a lot of people will be overstaying involuntarily,” said Keller.Malmstrom’s system is a centralised database that will be designed and managed by the Strasbourg-based agency for large-scale IT systems, EU-Lisa, to the tune of €1.1 billion. The system should be up and running by 2018 at the latest.Some experts believe the real amount will be far greater.The database will hold the same personal details and visa information as passports, such as names, type and number of travel documents, and date and time of entry.
Once launched, the database will three years later register biometric data like fingerprints. The three-year delay is to give all member states sufficient time to install systems to process fingerprints.Access is, for the moment, limited to border control and immigration purposes to prevent irregular migration.But Mathias Vermeulen, a research fellow at the European University Institute in Italy, who drafted a 2012 report on EU border surveillance with the London-based civil liberties group Statewatch, noted that most irregular migrants do not cross into the EU by legitimate means.“Most of the people who enter the EU illegally do so without formally crossing any form of border point and without presenting any papers in the first place,” said Vermeulen.The EU-border patrol agency Frontex may use anonymised data for research purposes.
Access by the EU police agency Europol is off-limits but the commission said it plans on revising the limitation in the future.“Access for other purposes like fighting crime at this time is excluded but we will come back to that at a later date,” said an EU source.

The package

The "smart borders" package includes two proposals.People who make frequent trips to the EU, for business, research, or pleasure will have an option to voluntarily sign up to a registered travellers programme (RTP).The RTP gives the traveller a token that will allow him or her to walk through automatic gates with less hold up. The system removes the border control agent and his or her passport will no longer be stamped.
To sign up, an individual will need to apply, as usual, for a multiple-entry visa at the member state consulate in his or her home country. He may also, at the same time, request an RTP for a €20 fee.If accepted, he will need to hand over the standard ID checks and documents as well as four fingerprints. The consulate administrator then feeds the data into the Strasbourg database. The RTP token is valid for five years.
When the person arrives at an automatic gate at an EU-based airport, he will need to swipe his passport, scan his visa, his token and his fingertips. If everything checks out, the gates open.EU sources say they expect up to 5 million RTP applications per year.The second proposal is the entry-exit system (EES) regulation.Anyone who does not opt for the RTP procedure will be processed under the EES.
Unlike the RTP, the EES requires 10 fingerprints to ensure they give positive hits years later should the individual decide to never leave the Union.The data is stored up to six months in ordinary cases and up to five years for overstayers.“All non-EU travellers would be effectively treated as suspected criminals, with their fingerprints to be collected not just every time they enter and exit the EU, but also when they cross identity controls by police within the EU,” said Keller.

IDF: Stop Announcing 'Intifada'

IDF Spokesman calls upon those declaring an "intifada" is at hand to show "responsibility and caution."

By Gil Ronen First Publish: 3/1/2013, 10:24 AM-Israelnationalnews

Yoav Mordechai-Flash 90

The IDF Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, rejected on Friday statements about an "intifada" that has supposedly broken out in Judea and Samaria."For the past few weeks, I have been hearing declarations about an intifada that has supposedly broken out in Judea and Samaria," he wrote in a Facebook status."The power of prophesy was given to fools, and I do not know what the new day will bring," he added. "But aren't some responsibility and caution required when making premature declarations of an intifada?"IDF Chief of Staff. Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, also called Thursday "to put things into proportion," as regards the violence in Judea and Samaria.

China defense spending seen rising as territorial rows deepen

By David Lague and Terril Yue Jones | Reuters – 1 hr 35 mins ago MAR 1,13

(Reuters) - A series of territorial disputes with its neighbors will ensure China boosts defense spending when it reveals this year's military budget ahead of the annual parliamentary sitting next week, security experts say.

After almost three decades of sharply increased military outlays, an increasingly assertive China now has the firepower to challenge rivals claiming strategically important and resource-rich territory in the East China and South China seas.The Chinese navy, now second in size only to the U.S. fleet in terms of raw numbers, has become a genuine blue-water force and is conducting almost continuous patrols and exercises in these contested waters.Over the past six months, China's stand-off with Japan over a series of rocky islands in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China has become more acrimonious.

Beijing is also in dispute with the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia, over territory in the South China Sea.To pay for these deployments and new hardware in the pipeline, most analysts expect that this year's budget will continue the long-term trend of double-digit percentage increases in annual spending."Estimates are still for steady growth," said Ni Lexiong, a military expert at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law."With China's current attitude, it's not going to let itself get bullied by anyone."Alongside missions to assert sovereignty over disputed territory, the Chinese navy is also deploying naval flotillas to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia as part of its contribution to UN-authorized anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean.Beijing last month announced the departure of the 14th of these missions since December 2008.These high-tempo operations are a sharp departure for a military that was largely confined to exercises and training within China's land borders and coastal waters until recent years.
But they impose a new burden on a budget that had largely been devoted to the rapid modernization of military hardware including big orders for new warships, submarines, strike aircraft and missiles.
Beijing last year announced a 11.2 per cent increase in military spending to $106 billion.However foreign military analysts say much of China's military spending is not included in the published budget.
The Pentagon last year estimated that Beijing's real outlays for 2012 would be between $120 billion and $180 billion.China's spending is now second only to the United States although the Pentagon is bracing for a sharp drop in outlays as part of government-wide budget cuts, known as a sequester, starting from March 1.
However, China has its own budget woes as senior political and military officials complain of rampant corruption and waste in its 2.3 billion-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA).The PLA headquarters has issued new rules to tighten spending across a range of areas including construction, procurement, conferences and receptions in a bid to curb waste and corruption, the official Xinhua news agency reported this week.The new rules, approved by Xi Jinping, China's Communist party leader and chairman of the Central Military Commission, were also intended to redirect spending toward combat readiness, high-technology weaponry and training, Xinhua said.(Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

EARTHQUAKES

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

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

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

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

REVELATION 11:11-14
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they(ELIJSH-MOSES) heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither.(REV 4:1 WE KNOW IS THE RAPTURE FOR SURE) And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.(RAPTURED)
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

REVELATION 16:18-20
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city (JERUSALEM) was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Update time = Fri Mar 1 13:35:17 UTC 2013

	MAG	UTC DATE-TIME y/m/d h:m:s	LAT deg	LON deg	DEPTH km	Region
MAP	2.6	2013/03/01 13:25:03	32.684	-115.834	7.6	SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP	2.6	2013/03/01 13:24:36	32.684	-115.815	7.8	SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP	6.7	2013/03/01 13:20:51	50.945	157.476	31.7	KURIL ISLANDS
MAP	6.5	2013/03/01 12:53:52	50.938	157.511	40.9	KURIL ISLANDS
MAP	3.2	2013/03/01 12:44:08	32.687	-115.838	8.8	SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP	4.1	2013/03/01 12:22:09	40.412	142.098	62.6	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	3.1	2013/03/01 11:13:54	58.942	-154.914	101.8	ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP	3.5	2013/03/01 11:08:57	57.886	-156.561	156.3	ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP	2.9	2013/03/01 10:56:25	38.823	-122.806	3.2	NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP	4.0	2013/03/01 07:50:23	42.561	-111.087	4.7	SOUTHERN IDAHO
MAP	2.5	2013/03/01 06:14:40	32.291	-115.348	27.9	BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP	3.1	2013/03/01 05:43:21	59.865	-153.159	116.5	SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP	3.2	2013/03/01 05:41:01	19.132	-64.077	47.0	VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP	4.6	2013/03/01 04:11:19	6.130	-82.625	10.2	SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP	5.5	2013/03/01 03:29:48	21.765	144.036	161.9	MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP	3.0	2013/03/01 01:37:39	60.380	-152.429	109.0	SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP	3.3	2013/03/01 01:26:31	19.592	-64.390	50.0	VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP	3.5	2013/03/01 01:00:40	50.042	177.808	31.1	RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP	4.9	2013/03/01 00:34:35	-55.624	-27.470	39.2	SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION