JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
N. Korea says test no threat, then threatens to wipe out US-AFP-JAN 11,16-YAHOONEWS
Seoul (AFP) - North Korea said Tuesday its nuclear test was not intended to be a provocation or threat, as it laid out plans for a weapons system capable of obliterating the entire United States.A lengthy commentary by the official KCNA news agency underlined the North's claim that last Wednesday's test was of a powerful miniaturised hydrogen bomb which marked a "new high stage" in the country's search for a credible nuclear deterrent.Experts have largely dismissed the claim, saying the test yield was far too low for a full-fledged thermonuclear device and was similar to the simple fission implosion devices it has tested three times in the past.The KCNA commentary said the test was an indispensable stage on the "normal course" which other countries have taken to the development of a two-stage fission-fusion H-bomb."The test was neither to 'threaten' anyone, nor to 'provoke' someone for a certain purpose," KCNA said, insisting that the main focus was on providing a "sure guarantee" of the North's immunity from attack by hostile forces.Prime among those forces was the United States it said, offering an apocalyptic vision of how it would respond to US aggression.North Korean scientists and technicians "are in high spirit to detonate H-bombs of hundreds of kilotons and megatons, capable of wiping out the whole territory of the US all at once," it said.Outside experts say the yield from Wednesday's test was around six kilotons, while an H-bomb would have been at least 100 times more powerful.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Poland rebukes ‘left-wing’ EU commissioner By Andrew Rettman-jan 12,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 15:58-Poland has accused the Dutch EU commissioner, Frans Timmermans, of "left-wing" bias and "astonishing" ignorance in trying to “exert pressure” on constitutional reform.If Timmermans had expected a conciliatory reply, on technical issues, after he asked the Polish justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, in December to explain the reforms, then he would have been surprised on Monday evening (11 January).Ziobro said in his letter that he’s “astonished” by Timmermans’ “lack of knowledge about the factual developments”.“I deplore your … unjustified accusations and unfair conclusions,” he said.“May I ask you to exercise more restraint in instructing and cautioning the parliament and government of a sovereign and democratic state in the future, despite the ideological differences that may exist between us, with you being of a left-wing persuasion,” he added, referring to Timmermans’ past in the centre-left Labour Party.The exchange of letters comes after the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which won the Polish elections in October, hurried through changes to the country’s constitutional tribunal.It removed five judges nominated during the former, Civic Platform (PO) party-led government and installed its own people.It also raised the threshold and quorum for the tribunal to issue verdicts, making it harder to vet future legislation. Ziobro said the changes are needed because the PO, in its term in office, had “tried to monopolise the court” with its loyalists.He said the PO “hurriedly” appointed five new judges just before the October elections, depriving the new parliament of the chance to do so.“These disgraceful activities … regrettably failed to attract your attention at that time,” he told Timmermans.He said PiS’ actions are designed to “reinstate pluralism” in the constiutional tribunal.He added that the head of the top court, Andrzej Rzeplinski, who is meant to be neutral, openly “declares himself to be a supporter of the Civic Platform” and “acts as a politician” due to his “political ambitions”.Ziobro’s letter arrived shortly before the commission holds a debate on Poland on Wednesday.A commission spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, said on Tuesday that Timmermans is “analysing” what Ziobro said, as well as a previous Polish letter on overhaul of state media. Some commissioners, such as Germany’s Guenther Oettinger, have said Poland should be placed under a supervisory mechanism, which could lead to EU sanctions.But Schinas hit a softer note, saying Poland has, "exactly as requested by vice-president Timmermans", entered into a dialogue with the Venice Commission, a constitutional advisory body in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.For its part, Rzeplisnki’s tribunal will, on Tuesday, issue its own verdict on the legality of the PiS reforms.It will do so under its old composition and quorum.But the government has said it won’t recognise its decision or print it in the country’s official gazette.The situation means that Poland, a country of 40 million people, could, the same day, enter into judicial limbo: It’s top court won’t be able to issue binding verdicts, while refusing to make changes to go back to business as usual.MEPs will also hold a debate on Poland in Strasbourg next week, with Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo saying on Tuesday that she’ll attend.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
SUNNIS VS SHIITES FOR CONTROL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS-ueM04WNg
Iran to sell heavy water to US under nuclear deal-AFP-JAN 12,16-YAHOONEWS
Tehran (AFP) - Iran will sell part of its stock of heavy water to the United States under its nuclear deal with world powers, its deputy atomic chief said Tuesday.Ali Asghar Zarean also denied reports Iran had dismantled the core of its Arak nuclear reactor, a key step in the deal that is to see sanctions lifted in exchange for limits on Tehran's nuclear programme."Iran will sell 40 tonnes of its excess heavy water to the United States through a third country," Zarean, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency."Six tonnes of the exported heavy water will be used in nuclear facilities and the rest in American research centres," he said.Iran has a heavy water production plant in its Arak nuclear site, which has been operating for several years.Under its July deal with the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- Iran has agreed to replace the core of the Arak heavy water reactor and take other steps to ensure it cannot be used to make nuclear weapons. Reports emerged on Monday that Iran had removed the core at Arak, but Zarean said this was not the case and that Tehran was still working on an agreement for a replacement being redesigned with the help of China and the United States."We must have a solid agreement with the foreign side, including China... The documents of the agreement will be officially exchanged at the end of next week or this week," Zarean said."As long as the agreement is not finalised, we will not take any physical measures to remove the core of the Arak reactor."Under the deal Tehran has reduced the number of its centrifuges and transferred the bulk of its low-enriched uranium stockpile to Russia.The International Atomic Energy Agency must verify that Iran has fulfilled all of its obligations before sanctions can be lifted.The spokesman for Iran's atomic agency Behrouz Kamalvandi later said that "several" IAEA inspectors were present in Iran "and we hope to finalise things in the next few days""It is a matter of days, not weeks," he added, declining to give a specific date.
Danes mull bill on confiscating asylum seeker valuables-By EUOBSERVER-jan 12,16
Today, 17:52-Denmark's parliament on Wednesday will discuss a controversial bill that would allow police to confiscate some of the valuables carried by asylum seekers to help pay for their stay, reports AFP. Defenders of the bill say Danes seeking welfare also have to sell off their valuables before receiving benefits.
French migrant camps to get upgrade By Eric Maurice-jan 12,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 10:54-Migrants living in squalid conditions near Dunkirk, in northern France, will soon get water, electricity and heated tents, local authorities announced on Monday (11 January).Under a deal with the French government, the humanitarian NGO Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) will be in charge of the construction of the new camp that should open within four weeks.The facilities will be built 1.5 km from where migrants, including children, are currently living in the mud in non-heated tents. The majority are Kurds coming from Syria, Iran and Iraq."You wouldn’t believe what it’s like here. People are living surrounded by mud and puddles of water. They are sleeping in ultra-thin tents in the middle of all this filth," an MSF official said in December when the NGO started to call for the creation of a proper camp for the migrants.The camp population went from around 100 people at the end of the summer to between 2,500 and 3,000.But the French government is reluctant to let people settle only 30 km from the "jungle" in Calais, where more than 4,000 people also live, in dreadful conditions, waiting to cross into the UK.The central government would also not allow the MSF and the mayor of Grande-Synthe to improve conditions on the ground.Last week, the leader of the liberal ALDE group in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, said that volunteers were denied access to the camp."The French state's refusal to allow humanitarian aid is an absolute and clear violation of international humanitarian law," Verhofstadt said in a message posted on Facebook. He added that he had written to the French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, to "call upon him to rectify this situation immediately".Contacted by EUobserver, Cazeneuve's cabinet did not return a request for a reaction to Verhofstadt's accusations of a violation of international law.-Pushed to act-The announcement of a deal between the government, Grande-Synthe's mayor and MSF came as the first heated containers were delivered by authorities to migrants in Calais.By the end of January, 1,500 people should benefit from the new accommodation under a plan agreed by the government last August when an increased number of migrants tried to force their way to Britain and clashed with the police.More than 10 years after the closure of a camp in Sangatte, near Calais, in 2002, France is still trying to avoid the creation of large permanent migrant settlements. But the migration crisis since last summer has made the situation difficult to handle.The French justice system has also pushed the government to act. Last November, the Council of State, France's main administrative judicial body, obliged authorities to improve sanitary conditions in the Calais jungle.The lack of official action exposed migrants to "inhumane or degrading treatment", the judges said.
Revenge attacks in Cologne, alleged cover-ups in Sweden By Eszter Zalan-jan 12,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 11:07-Gangs attacked groups of foreigners in Cologne on Sunday (10 January), in what looks like revenge for New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, police in Sweden are accused of covering up sexual assaults by mostly migrant youths at a festival.On Monday (11 January), Cologne police said that the victims were a group of Pakistanis, two Syrians and a group of Africans in four separate incidents. Two were taken to hospital.A group of around 20 attacked Pakistani people near the Cologne railway station, and, later, a group of five assaulted a Syrian man.No arrests have been made, according to Reuters.The attacks came after dozens of complaints of sexual assault during the city's New Year's Eve celebrations, perpetrated, reportedly, mostly by men of north African or Arab origin.The revenge attackers were members of gangs who arranged on Facebook to meet in downtown Cologne to start a “manhunt” for foreigners, the local Express newspaper says.Vigilante groups are also being organised on social media in Duesseldorf and Stuttgart to patrol the streets. The groups say they are coordinating with police.But the police have expressed concern, with a police spokeswoman saying “the monopoly of power clearly lies with the state”. At an extraordinary meeting on Monday of the internal affairs committee of North Rhine-Westphalia's state parliament, where Cologne lies, the ministry said 516 criminal complaints relating to New Year’s Eve had been registered, 237 of which were of a sexual nature.A total of 19 suspects have been identified, all foreigners.Interior minister Ralf Jaeger spoke of “serious failures” by the police, who were significantly outnumbered.He also criticised them for refusing to communicate that the majority of the perpetrators had a migrant background, blaming this on misguided “political correctness”.“Those people who make a direct link between immigration and violence are playing into the hands of right-wing extremists,” he said, according to Reuters.-Swedish case-The attacks in Germany came as police in Stockholm launched an investigation into allegations they covered up sexual assaults on women by mostly migrant attackers at a music festival in 2014 and 2015.In a case from 2015, a group of men reportedly groped girls at the We Are Sthlm event, but police failed to mention the assaults.The patterns were reportedly the same as in Cologne, with large groups of young men surrounding girls and molesting them.Police ejected a total of 200 people from the event in August, which was attended by more than 170,000 people.According to Roger Ticoalu, head of events at the Stockholm city administration, there were 20 reports of assault or harassment at the festival in 2015.The incident came to light in an internal police memo leaked to Dagens Nyheter newspaper, which has also been accused of trying to cover up the attacks.Its editor denied the cover-up, saying in a blog post that they got a tip-off but could not confirm it.-Bad PR-Peter Agren, in charge of police operations at the festival, told the paper that the controversy over welcoming refugees and migrants to the country may have contributed to a reluctance to publicise the issue.“Sometimes we do not really say how things are because we believe it may play into the hands of the Sweden Democrats,” he said, referring to Sweden's far-right anti-immigration party.Stefan Lofven, Sweden's centre-left prime minister, called the incident "a double betrayal" for the women assaulted.The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, warned that politicians should not use the “shocking” attacks on women in Cologne and other German cities on New Year's Eve to push their own agendas.She said violence against women was not brought to Europe by migrants and that there "are good people and bad people, no matter what nationality, what background they have,” she said in Prague.
Interview-Rotterdam mayor: Muslim migrants must respect EU laws By Andrew Rettman-jan 12,16-euobserver
ROTTERDAM, Today, 09:28-Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Moroccan mayor of Rotterdam, has a simple message for migrants in the wake of the Cologne sex attacks and the Paris murders: respect the law in your host state, or go home.Speaking to press in the Dutch port city last Friday (8 January), he said: “If you want to pick up a Dutch passport just to travel without a visa then give it up. I’m not giving you a passport. I’m giving you an identity.”He drew a distinction between personal values, based, for instance, on Islam, his own religion, and between respect for Dutch law.Values are a “complex” issue, he noted.“If we meet in the street and I refuse to shake your hand, according to my religion, is it because I think you are worth less than me, or is it, in fact, a gesture of respect?” he said.“To what extent I’m a Muslim in my private space - that’s personal. I’m also a human being and I have the right to have my own truth.”But respect for the law is simple, he added: “People think they might have the truth in the teaching of their religion. But outside, in a public space, in my city, I’m the boss. I represent the law and in this space there’s only one truth and that’s the law."He said people can’t cherry-pick articles from the Dutch charter - claiming equality on the one hand, for example, while not respecting other people’s right to free speech.“The law and the constitution are non-negotiable,” Aboutaleb noted.Born in 1961 in the Rif region of Morocco - an area which is, today, associated with lawlessness and radical Islam - the 54-year old 's popularity is so high, there's talk he might one day run for national office.But Europe’s refugee crisis has split Dutch society, with the anti-immigrant PVV party of Geert Wilders, who chants for “fewer!” Moroccans at rallies, also coming top in polls. Referring to the Cologne New Year’s Eve sex assaults, Aboutaleb criticised “shouting in the media” before there was hard evidence the attacks were carried out by Muslim migrants.He also warned against “mixing up” refugees and terrorists in loose talk.But he said it’s unhealthy for the EU debate to skirt round taboos. “What makes a city more resilient, what makes you become stronger, is if you dare to open a debate about really sensitive issues,” he said.Last year, following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, he was even more outspoken.“If you don’t like it here because of humourists you don’t like make a newspaper, may I then say: 'You can bugger off',” he told Dutch TV.The mayor jokes he’s a “mini-Ban Ki Moon”, referring to the UN chief, because Rotterdam, a city of some 620,000 people, contains 174 nationalities, including some 100,000 Moroccan and Turkish Muslims.-Foreign fighters-It’s doing better than Brussels on integration.Rif-region Moroccans in the EU capital are the principal group among the hundreds of Belgians who went to join Islamic State.But "foreign fighters" from Rotterdam can be counted “on the fingers of one hand,” according to Aboutaleb’s office.The Netherlands is to take in 9,261 people under EU migrant relocation schemes, with 600 due in Rotterdam as the initiative gets off the ground.According to the SER, a Dutch consultative body of employers, trade unions, and academics, the situation isn't ideal.Bart van Riel, an SER economist, said in The Hague last week that 10 years after coming to The Netherlands, the majority of Iraqi and Sudanese refugees are still on welfare.He cited language barriers and delays with asylum paperwork as issues, noting “the problem, in the past, wasn’t pressing enough” for Dutch authorities to reform the system.For Aboutaleb the “basic condition of integration is participation” - in schools and the workplace.-History and memory-SER studies, like others in Europe, say migrant workers are good for the Dutch economy. But for the mayor of Rotterdam, history and morality are also part of the story.He said Rotterdam people are welcoming because they remember World War II and because they live six metres below sea level, at risk of flooding.“Poles, Russians, Canadians came to liberate this city. Thousands of Canadians died to liberate this country. This city knows what it is to be at war, to get the support of other people, who don’t have a Dutch identity,” he said.“People are fleeing because they’re insecure, in the same way that we’d have to flee if one of the [North Sea] dykes breaks.”“This city, from its own history, knows its obligations,” he added.
Citing Fears that Nuclear Deal Would Collapse, Obama Vows to Veto Bill Restricting Iran-By Abra Forman January 12, 2016 , 1:30 pm-BREAKINGISRAELNEWS
“And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day.” (Genesis 47:26)-The White House said on Monday that if a current bill forcing more restrictions on Iran is passed through Congress, President Barack Obama will veto it.The bill, called the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, or H.R. 3662, would “provide more Congressional oversight over US economic and trade sanctions” with Iran by prohibiting the president from lifting certain sanctions unless specific certifications are provided to Congress. According to the Obama Administration, the bill will prevent the US from meeting the conditions of the Iran nuclear deal, which is due to be implemented in coming days. Under the terms of the deal, if Iran dismantles certain elements of its nuclear program, the US and other world powers will lift heavy sanctions on the country, enabling millions of dollars to flow into Iran’s economy.The bill, which was authored by Republican Congressman Steve Russell and passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week, would prevent the president from lifting sanctions on specific Iranian individuals and entities unless the Administration can prove that the entity is not a “terror financier, human rights abuser, or involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”However, Washington says that the bill would “prevent the United States from implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by tying the Administration’s ability to fulfill US commitments under the deal to unrelated, non-nuclear issues.”The White House warned that if the bill passes, it could result in the collapse of the nuclear deal, which the Obama administration fought hard to push through Congress despite strong opposition. Israel also campaigned fiercely against the deal, which it said would be far too lenient on Iran.As Implementation Day approaches, the administration has shown signs of nervousness, backing off from several threats to impose special sanctions following several instances of Iran violating the terms of a UN agreement by testing ballistic missiles. Ostensibly, the US’s reluctance is due to fears that extra sanctions could lead to a breakdown of the deal.-Iranium: Iran's Quest to Go Nuclear-In the event of such a failure, the White House said in Monday’s statement, all of Iran’s obligations would be considered void, and constraints against its nuclear program removed. A breakdown of the deal would also lead to “the unraveling of the international sanctions regime against Iran” and “deal a devastating blow to America’s credibility as a leader of international diplomacy.” Apart from the Iran deal, the administration’s perceived weakness in the face of Iran’s brazen missile violations has been sharply criticized by American lawmakers. Last week, a group of House Democrats sent Obama a letter demanding that Obama respond to the weapons tests.“Inaction from the United States would send the misguided message that, in the wake of the JCPOA, the international community has lost the willingness to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its support for terrorism and other offensive actions throughout the region,” the letter read.Even Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who initially helped Obama secure the passing of the nuclear deal in Congress, expressed concerns over the administration’s hesitation to impose sanctions as a result of the missile tests. “We should take action, and I think that’s critical to our demonstrating a determination to hold Iran accountable for its acts,” he said on Monday.However, the administration is determined to knock down any obstacles blocking the path to Implementation Day.“The President has made it clear that he will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of the JCPOA,” read Monday’s statement.
Istanbul bomber identified as 28-year-old Syrian national-Majority of 10 killed in blast are foreigners, official says; at least 6 Germans, a Norwegian and Peruvian among wounded-By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS and Suzan Fraser January 12, 2016, 4:08 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
ISTANBUL (AP) — A Syrian suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.Erdogan said in televised remarks that both Turks and foreigners were among the dead in the explosion in the Sultanahmet district.“I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber,” Erdogan said.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national. He said most of the people who died were foreigners. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber.The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque.Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seoul’s Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that one South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway’s news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State group was suspected. Kurdish militants and left-wing groups are active in Turkey.Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the US-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to US aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself.It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants.The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey’s security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in the country’s mostly-Kurdish southeast.The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe.Germany warned its citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul, saying on a government website that further violent clashes and “terrorist attacks” are expected across Turkey. It also urged travelers to stay away from demonstrations and gatherings, particularly in large cities.Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead.The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul’s main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the Haghia Sophia museum.Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast.“It was difficult to say who was alive or dead,” Koroglu said. “Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion.”Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country’s interior minister and other officials.As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation.Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey’s border with Syria, in July.Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara’s main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey’s deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutor’s office said that attack was carried out by a local Islamic State cell.Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected Islamic State militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year’s celebrations in the capital Ankara.
Suicide bomber kills 10 people, mainly Germans, in Istanbul-Reuters By Ayla Jean Yackley-JAN 12,16-YAHOONEWS
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber thought to have crossed recently from Syria killed at least 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart on Tuesday, in an attack Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed on Islamic State.All of those killed in Sultanahmet square, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia - major tourist sites in the center of one of the world's most visited cities - were foreigners, Davutoglu said. A senior Turkish official said nine were German, while Peru's foreign ministry said a Peruvian man also died.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was believed to have recently entered Turkey from Syria but was not on Turkey's watch list of suspected militants. He said earlier that the bomber had been identified from body parts at the scene and was thought to be a Syrian born in 1988. Davutoglu said he had spoken by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to offer condolences and vowed Turkey's fight against Islamic State, at home and as part of the U.S.-led coalition, would continue." Until we wipe out Daesh, Turkey will continue its fight at home and with coalition forces," he said in comments broadcast live on television, using an Arabic name for Islamic State. He vowed to hunt down and punish those linked to the bomber.Several bodies lay on the ground in the square, also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, in the immediate aftermath of the blast. It was not densely packed at the time of the explosion, according to a police officer working there, but small groups of tourists had been wandering around."This incident has once again shown that as a nation we should act as one heart, one body in the fight against terror. Turkey's determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism will continue to the end," President Tayyip Erdogan told a lunch for Turkish ambassadors in Ankara.Norway's foreign ministry said one Norwegian man was injured and was being treated in hospital.Turkey, a NATO member and candidate for accession to the European Union, is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State fighters who have seized territory in neighboring Syria and Iraq, some of it directly abutting Turkey.There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamist, leftist and Kurdish militants, who are battling Ankara in southeast Turkey, have all carried out attacks in the past."We heard a loud sound and I looked at the sky to see if it was raining because I thought it was thunder but the sky was clear," said Kuwaiti tourist Farah Zamani, 24, who was shopping at one of the covered bazaars with her father and sister." UNIMAGI NABLE" SCENE-The dull thud of the blast was heard in districts of Istanbul several kilometers away, residents said. Television footage showed a police car which appeared to have been overturned by the force of the blast.Tourist sites including the Hagia Sophia and nearby Basilica Cistern were closed on the governor's orders, officials said."At first we thought it was percussion bomb, it was so loud. They attacked Sultanahmet to grab attention because this is what the world thinks of when it thinks of Turkey," said Kursat Yilmaz, who has operated tours for 25 years from an office by the square."We're not surprised this happened here, this has always been a possible target," he said.Ambulances ferried away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. The sound of the call to prayer rang out from the Blue Mosque as forensic police officers worked at the scene."It was unimaginable," the police officer who had been working on the square said, describing an amateur video he had seen of the immediate aftermath, with six or seven bodies lying on the ground and other people seriously wounded.Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, the DHKP-C, but officials later said it had been carried out by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links."Ambulances started rushing in and I knew it was a bomb right away because the same thing happened here last year," said Ali Ibrahim Peltek, 40, who operates a kiosk selling snacks and drinks on the square. "This is not good for Turkey but everyone was expecting a terrorist attack."TURKEY A TARGET-Turkey has become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people.Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy.The PKK has however generally avoided attacking civilian targets in urban centers outside the southeast in recent years.Turkey also sees a threat from the PYD and YPG, Kurdish groups in Syria which are fighting Islamic State with U.S. backing, but which Ankara says have close links to the PKK."For us, there is no difference between the PKK, PYD, YPG, DHKP-C ... or whatever their abbreviation may be. One terrorist organization is no different than the other," Erdogan said, vowing that Turkey's military campaign against Kurdish militants in the southeast would continue.Davutoglu's office imposed a broadcasting ban on the blast, invoking a law which allows for such steps when there is the potential for serious harm to national security or public order.The attack raised fears of further damage to Turkey's vital tourism industry, already hit by a diplomatic row with Moscow which has seen Russian tour operators cancel trips.But Yilmaz, the tour operator, said he had sold a package to a tourist from Colombia just an hour after the blast."The reality is the world has grown accustomed to terrorism. It's unfortunate, and I wish it weren't true, but terrorism now happens everywhere," he said."The agenda changes quickly in this age. If tourism is affected by this, it will be temporary. These things pass, but the Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet mosque are eternal."(Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun and Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Humeyra Pamuk, Daren Butler and Melih Aslan in Istanbul, Madeline Chambers in Berlin and Joachim Dagenborg in Oslo; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and David Stamp)
Palestinians raise NIS 250,000 to rebuild terrorist’s home-Muhannad Halabi, 19, murdered two Israelis in Jerusalem in October and wounded a 2-year-old; his house was destroyed by IDF on Friday-By Sue Surkes January 12, 2016, 12:05 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Palestinians have raised some NIS 250,000 ($63,500) to rebuild the family home of Muhannad Halabi, the terrorist who stabbed Rabbi Nehemia Lavi and Aharon Banita to death in Jerusalem’s Old City in October and injured Banita’s wife and their two-year-old son.Halabi, 19, a law student at East Jerusalem’s al-Quds University, and one of the first Palestinian stabbers in the current wave of violence, was shot dead by police on site. His house in the West Bank village of Surda, near Ramallah, was bulldozed by Israeli forces four days ago, Israel Radio reported Tuesday.Earlier this week, the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions reportedly announced that they would deduct one per cent from the salaries of each employee and donate the money to the Halabi rebuilding effort.Similar fundraising drives have been held over recent months to help other families of terrorists to rebuild homes destroyed by Israel.Halabi, 19, wrote on Facebook a day before his attack: “According to what I see, the Third Intifada has erupted. What is happening to al-Aqsa [mosque] is what is happening to our holy sites, and what is happening to the women of al-Aqsa is what is happening to our mothers and women. I don’t believe that our people will succumb to humiliation. The people will indeed rise up.”Shortly after Halabi’s stabbing attack, a Palestinian family in Gaza named its newborn baby after the terrorist. News of the baby-naming was reported by the official Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa, and by the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, with both describing the terrorist as a “hero of our people” who was “murdered by the occupation army,” the watchdog Palestinian Media Watch revealed.In late October, the municipality of Surda-Abu Qash announced that it would name a street for Halabi, PMW said, citing an article by Donia Al-Watan, a Palestinian news agency.In October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked with setting up a mechanism that would expedite the demolition of homes of Palestinian terrorists.The measure was one of several approved by the security cabinet to crack down on the recent wave of Palestinian terror.
CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
N. Korea says test no threat, then threatens to wipe out US-AFP-JAN 11,16-YAHOONEWS
Seoul (AFP) - North Korea said Tuesday its nuclear test was not intended to be a provocation or threat, as it laid out plans for a weapons system capable of obliterating the entire United States.A lengthy commentary by the official KCNA news agency underlined the North's claim that last Wednesday's test was of a powerful miniaturised hydrogen bomb which marked a "new high stage" in the country's search for a credible nuclear deterrent.Experts have largely dismissed the claim, saying the test yield was far too low for a full-fledged thermonuclear device and was similar to the simple fission implosion devices it has tested three times in the past.The KCNA commentary said the test was an indispensable stage on the "normal course" which other countries have taken to the development of a two-stage fission-fusion H-bomb."The test was neither to 'threaten' anyone, nor to 'provoke' someone for a certain purpose," KCNA said, insisting that the main focus was on providing a "sure guarantee" of the North's immunity from attack by hostile forces.Prime among those forces was the United States it said, offering an apocalyptic vision of how it would respond to US aggression.North Korean scientists and technicians "are in high spirit to detonate H-bombs of hundreds of kilotons and megatons, capable of wiping out the whole territory of the US all at once," it said.Outside experts say the yield from Wednesday's test was around six kilotons, while an H-bomb would have been at least 100 times more powerful.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Poland rebukes ‘left-wing’ EU commissioner By Andrew Rettman-jan 12,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 15:58-Poland has accused the Dutch EU commissioner, Frans Timmermans, of "left-wing" bias and "astonishing" ignorance in trying to “exert pressure” on constitutional reform.If Timmermans had expected a conciliatory reply, on technical issues, after he asked the Polish justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, in December to explain the reforms, then he would have been surprised on Monday evening (11 January).Ziobro said in his letter that he’s “astonished” by Timmermans’ “lack of knowledge about the factual developments”.“I deplore your … unjustified accusations and unfair conclusions,” he said.“May I ask you to exercise more restraint in instructing and cautioning the parliament and government of a sovereign and democratic state in the future, despite the ideological differences that may exist between us, with you being of a left-wing persuasion,” he added, referring to Timmermans’ past in the centre-left Labour Party.The exchange of letters comes after the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which won the Polish elections in October, hurried through changes to the country’s constitutional tribunal.It removed five judges nominated during the former, Civic Platform (PO) party-led government and installed its own people.It also raised the threshold and quorum for the tribunal to issue verdicts, making it harder to vet future legislation. Ziobro said the changes are needed because the PO, in its term in office, had “tried to monopolise the court” with its loyalists.He said the PO “hurriedly” appointed five new judges just before the October elections, depriving the new parliament of the chance to do so.“These disgraceful activities … regrettably failed to attract your attention at that time,” he told Timmermans.He said PiS’ actions are designed to “reinstate pluralism” in the constiutional tribunal.He added that the head of the top court, Andrzej Rzeplinski, who is meant to be neutral, openly “declares himself to be a supporter of the Civic Platform” and “acts as a politician” due to his “political ambitions”.Ziobro’s letter arrived shortly before the commission holds a debate on Poland on Wednesday.A commission spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, said on Tuesday that Timmermans is “analysing” what Ziobro said, as well as a previous Polish letter on overhaul of state media. Some commissioners, such as Germany’s Guenther Oettinger, have said Poland should be placed under a supervisory mechanism, which could lead to EU sanctions.But Schinas hit a softer note, saying Poland has, "exactly as requested by vice-president Timmermans", entered into a dialogue with the Venice Commission, a constitutional advisory body in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.For its part, Rzeplisnki’s tribunal will, on Tuesday, issue its own verdict on the legality of the PiS reforms.It will do so under its old composition and quorum.But the government has said it won’t recognise its decision or print it in the country’s official gazette.The situation means that Poland, a country of 40 million people, could, the same day, enter into judicial limbo: It’s top court won’t be able to issue binding verdicts, while refusing to make changes to go back to business as usual.MEPs will also hold a debate on Poland in Strasbourg next week, with Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo saying on Tuesday that she’ll attend.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
SUNNIS VS SHIITES FOR CONTROL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS-ueM04WNg
Iran to sell heavy water to US under nuclear deal-AFP-JAN 12,16-YAHOONEWS
Tehran (AFP) - Iran will sell part of its stock of heavy water to the United States under its nuclear deal with world powers, its deputy atomic chief said Tuesday.Ali Asghar Zarean also denied reports Iran had dismantled the core of its Arak nuclear reactor, a key step in the deal that is to see sanctions lifted in exchange for limits on Tehran's nuclear programme."Iran will sell 40 tonnes of its excess heavy water to the United States through a third country," Zarean, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency."Six tonnes of the exported heavy water will be used in nuclear facilities and the rest in American research centres," he said.Iran has a heavy water production plant in its Arak nuclear site, which has been operating for several years.Under its July deal with the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- Iran has agreed to replace the core of the Arak heavy water reactor and take other steps to ensure it cannot be used to make nuclear weapons. Reports emerged on Monday that Iran had removed the core at Arak, but Zarean said this was not the case and that Tehran was still working on an agreement for a replacement being redesigned with the help of China and the United States."We must have a solid agreement with the foreign side, including China... The documents of the agreement will be officially exchanged at the end of next week or this week," Zarean said."As long as the agreement is not finalised, we will not take any physical measures to remove the core of the Arak reactor."Under the deal Tehran has reduced the number of its centrifuges and transferred the bulk of its low-enriched uranium stockpile to Russia.The International Atomic Energy Agency must verify that Iran has fulfilled all of its obligations before sanctions can be lifted.The spokesman for Iran's atomic agency Behrouz Kamalvandi later said that "several" IAEA inspectors were present in Iran "and we hope to finalise things in the next few days""It is a matter of days, not weeks," he added, declining to give a specific date.
Danes mull bill on confiscating asylum seeker valuables-By EUOBSERVER-jan 12,16
Today, 17:52-Denmark's parliament on Wednesday will discuss a controversial bill that would allow police to confiscate some of the valuables carried by asylum seekers to help pay for their stay, reports AFP. Defenders of the bill say Danes seeking welfare also have to sell off their valuables before receiving benefits.
French migrant camps to get upgrade By Eric Maurice-jan 12,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 10:54-Migrants living in squalid conditions near Dunkirk, in northern France, will soon get water, electricity and heated tents, local authorities announced on Monday (11 January).Under a deal with the French government, the humanitarian NGO Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) will be in charge of the construction of the new camp that should open within four weeks.The facilities will be built 1.5 km from where migrants, including children, are currently living in the mud in non-heated tents. The majority are Kurds coming from Syria, Iran and Iraq."You wouldn’t believe what it’s like here. People are living surrounded by mud and puddles of water. They are sleeping in ultra-thin tents in the middle of all this filth," an MSF official said in December when the NGO started to call for the creation of a proper camp for the migrants.The camp population went from around 100 people at the end of the summer to between 2,500 and 3,000.But the French government is reluctant to let people settle only 30 km from the "jungle" in Calais, where more than 4,000 people also live, in dreadful conditions, waiting to cross into the UK.The central government would also not allow the MSF and the mayor of Grande-Synthe to improve conditions on the ground.Last week, the leader of the liberal ALDE group in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, said that volunteers were denied access to the camp."The French state's refusal to allow humanitarian aid is an absolute and clear violation of international humanitarian law," Verhofstadt said in a message posted on Facebook. He added that he had written to the French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, to "call upon him to rectify this situation immediately".Contacted by EUobserver, Cazeneuve's cabinet did not return a request for a reaction to Verhofstadt's accusations of a violation of international law.-Pushed to act-The announcement of a deal between the government, Grande-Synthe's mayor and MSF came as the first heated containers were delivered by authorities to migrants in Calais.By the end of January, 1,500 people should benefit from the new accommodation under a plan agreed by the government last August when an increased number of migrants tried to force their way to Britain and clashed with the police.More than 10 years after the closure of a camp in Sangatte, near Calais, in 2002, France is still trying to avoid the creation of large permanent migrant settlements. But the migration crisis since last summer has made the situation difficult to handle.The French justice system has also pushed the government to act. Last November, the Council of State, France's main administrative judicial body, obliged authorities to improve sanitary conditions in the Calais jungle.The lack of official action exposed migrants to "inhumane or degrading treatment", the judges said.
Revenge attacks in Cologne, alleged cover-ups in Sweden By Eszter Zalan-jan 12,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 11:07-Gangs attacked groups of foreigners in Cologne on Sunday (10 January), in what looks like revenge for New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, police in Sweden are accused of covering up sexual assaults by mostly migrant youths at a festival.On Monday (11 January), Cologne police said that the victims were a group of Pakistanis, two Syrians and a group of Africans in four separate incidents. Two were taken to hospital.A group of around 20 attacked Pakistani people near the Cologne railway station, and, later, a group of five assaulted a Syrian man.No arrests have been made, according to Reuters.The attacks came after dozens of complaints of sexual assault during the city's New Year's Eve celebrations, perpetrated, reportedly, mostly by men of north African or Arab origin.The revenge attackers were members of gangs who arranged on Facebook to meet in downtown Cologne to start a “manhunt” for foreigners, the local Express newspaper says.Vigilante groups are also being organised on social media in Duesseldorf and Stuttgart to patrol the streets. The groups say they are coordinating with police.But the police have expressed concern, with a police spokeswoman saying “the monopoly of power clearly lies with the state”. At an extraordinary meeting on Monday of the internal affairs committee of North Rhine-Westphalia's state parliament, where Cologne lies, the ministry said 516 criminal complaints relating to New Year’s Eve had been registered, 237 of which were of a sexual nature.A total of 19 suspects have been identified, all foreigners.Interior minister Ralf Jaeger spoke of “serious failures” by the police, who were significantly outnumbered.He also criticised them for refusing to communicate that the majority of the perpetrators had a migrant background, blaming this on misguided “political correctness”.“Those people who make a direct link between immigration and violence are playing into the hands of right-wing extremists,” he said, according to Reuters.-Swedish case-The attacks in Germany came as police in Stockholm launched an investigation into allegations they covered up sexual assaults on women by mostly migrant attackers at a music festival in 2014 and 2015.In a case from 2015, a group of men reportedly groped girls at the We Are Sthlm event, but police failed to mention the assaults.The patterns were reportedly the same as in Cologne, with large groups of young men surrounding girls and molesting them.Police ejected a total of 200 people from the event in August, which was attended by more than 170,000 people.According to Roger Ticoalu, head of events at the Stockholm city administration, there were 20 reports of assault or harassment at the festival in 2015.The incident came to light in an internal police memo leaked to Dagens Nyheter newspaper, which has also been accused of trying to cover up the attacks.Its editor denied the cover-up, saying in a blog post that they got a tip-off but could not confirm it.-Bad PR-Peter Agren, in charge of police operations at the festival, told the paper that the controversy over welcoming refugees and migrants to the country may have contributed to a reluctance to publicise the issue.“Sometimes we do not really say how things are because we believe it may play into the hands of the Sweden Democrats,” he said, referring to Sweden's far-right anti-immigration party.Stefan Lofven, Sweden's centre-left prime minister, called the incident "a double betrayal" for the women assaulted.The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, warned that politicians should not use the “shocking” attacks on women in Cologne and other German cities on New Year's Eve to push their own agendas.She said violence against women was not brought to Europe by migrants and that there "are good people and bad people, no matter what nationality, what background they have,” she said in Prague.
Interview-Rotterdam mayor: Muslim migrants must respect EU laws By Andrew Rettman-jan 12,16-euobserver
ROTTERDAM, Today, 09:28-Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Moroccan mayor of Rotterdam, has a simple message for migrants in the wake of the Cologne sex attacks and the Paris murders: respect the law in your host state, or go home.Speaking to press in the Dutch port city last Friday (8 January), he said: “If you want to pick up a Dutch passport just to travel without a visa then give it up. I’m not giving you a passport. I’m giving you an identity.”He drew a distinction between personal values, based, for instance, on Islam, his own religion, and between respect for Dutch law.Values are a “complex” issue, he noted.“If we meet in the street and I refuse to shake your hand, according to my religion, is it because I think you are worth less than me, or is it, in fact, a gesture of respect?” he said.“To what extent I’m a Muslim in my private space - that’s personal. I’m also a human being and I have the right to have my own truth.”But respect for the law is simple, he added: “People think they might have the truth in the teaching of their religion. But outside, in a public space, in my city, I’m the boss. I represent the law and in this space there’s only one truth and that’s the law."He said people can’t cherry-pick articles from the Dutch charter - claiming equality on the one hand, for example, while not respecting other people’s right to free speech.“The law and the constitution are non-negotiable,” Aboutaleb noted.Born in 1961 in the Rif region of Morocco - an area which is, today, associated with lawlessness and radical Islam - the 54-year old 's popularity is so high, there's talk he might one day run for national office.But Europe’s refugee crisis has split Dutch society, with the anti-immigrant PVV party of Geert Wilders, who chants for “fewer!” Moroccans at rallies, also coming top in polls. Referring to the Cologne New Year’s Eve sex assaults, Aboutaleb criticised “shouting in the media” before there was hard evidence the attacks were carried out by Muslim migrants.He also warned against “mixing up” refugees and terrorists in loose talk.But he said it’s unhealthy for the EU debate to skirt round taboos. “What makes a city more resilient, what makes you become stronger, is if you dare to open a debate about really sensitive issues,” he said.Last year, following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, he was even more outspoken.“If you don’t like it here because of humourists you don’t like make a newspaper, may I then say: 'You can bugger off',” he told Dutch TV.The mayor jokes he’s a “mini-Ban Ki Moon”, referring to the UN chief, because Rotterdam, a city of some 620,000 people, contains 174 nationalities, including some 100,000 Moroccan and Turkish Muslims.-Foreign fighters-It’s doing better than Brussels on integration.Rif-region Moroccans in the EU capital are the principal group among the hundreds of Belgians who went to join Islamic State.But "foreign fighters" from Rotterdam can be counted “on the fingers of one hand,” according to Aboutaleb’s office.The Netherlands is to take in 9,261 people under EU migrant relocation schemes, with 600 due in Rotterdam as the initiative gets off the ground.According to the SER, a Dutch consultative body of employers, trade unions, and academics, the situation isn't ideal.Bart van Riel, an SER economist, said in The Hague last week that 10 years after coming to The Netherlands, the majority of Iraqi and Sudanese refugees are still on welfare.He cited language barriers and delays with asylum paperwork as issues, noting “the problem, in the past, wasn’t pressing enough” for Dutch authorities to reform the system.For Aboutaleb the “basic condition of integration is participation” - in schools and the workplace.-History and memory-SER studies, like others in Europe, say migrant workers are good for the Dutch economy. But for the mayor of Rotterdam, history and morality are also part of the story.He said Rotterdam people are welcoming because they remember World War II and because they live six metres below sea level, at risk of flooding.“Poles, Russians, Canadians came to liberate this city. Thousands of Canadians died to liberate this country. This city knows what it is to be at war, to get the support of other people, who don’t have a Dutch identity,” he said.“People are fleeing because they’re insecure, in the same way that we’d have to flee if one of the [North Sea] dykes breaks.”“This city, from its own history, knows its obligations,” he added.
Citing Fears that Nuclear Deal Would Collapse, Obama Vows to Veto Bill Restricting Iran-By Abra Forman January 12, 2016 , 1:30 pm-BREAKINGISRAELNEWS
“And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day.” (Genesis 47:26)-The White House said on Monday that if a current bill forcing more restrictions on Iran is passed through Congress, President Barack Obama will veto it.The bill, called the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, or H.R. 3662, would “provide more Congressional oversight over US economic and trade sanctions” with Iran by prohibiting the president from lifting certain sanctions unless specific certifications are provided to Congress. According to the Obama Administration, the bill will prevent the US from meeting the conditions of the Iran nuclear deal, which is due to be implemented in coming days. Under the terms of the deal, if Iran dismantles certain elements of its nuclear program, the US and other world powers will lift heavy sanctions on the country, enabling millions of dollars to flow into Iran’s economy.The bill, which was authored by Republican Congressman Steve Russell and passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week, would prevent the president from lifting sanctions on specific Iranian individuals and entities unless the Administration can prove that the entity is not a “terror financier, human rights abuser, or involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”However, Washington says that the bill would “prevent the United States from implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by tying the Administration’s ability to fulfill US commitments under the deal to unrelated, non-nuclear issues.”The White House warned that if the bill passes, it could result in the collapse of the nuclear deal, which the Obama administration fought hard to push through Congress despite strong opposition. Israel also campaigned fiercely against the deal, which it said would be far too lenient on Iran.As Implementation Day approaches, the administration has shown signs of nervousness, backing off from several threats to impose special sanctions following several instances of Iran violating the terms of a UN agreement by testing ballistic missiles. Ostensibly, the US’s reluctance is due to fears that extra sanctions could lead to a breakdown of the deal.-Iranium: Iran's Quest to Go Nuclear-In the event of such a failure, the White House said in Monday’s statement, all of Iran’s obligations would be considered void, and constraints against its nuclear program removed. A breakdown of the deal would also lead to “the unraveling of the international sanctions regime against Iran” and “deal a devastating blow to America’s credibility as a leader of international diplomacy.” Apart from the Iran deal, the administration’s perceived weakness in the face of Iran’s brazen missile violations has been sharply criticized by American lawmakers. Last week, a group of House Democrats sent Obama a letter demanding that Obama respond to the weapons tests.“Inaction from the United States would send the misguided message that, in the wake of the JCPOA, the international community has lost the willingness to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its support for terrorism and other offensive actions throughout the region,” the letter read.Even Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who initially helped Obama secure the passing of the nuclear deal in Congress, expressed concerns over the administration’s hesitation to impose sanctions as a result of the missile tests. “We should take action, and I think that’s critical to our demonstrating a determination to hold Iran accountable for its acts,” he said on Monday.However, the administration is determined to knock down any obstacles blocking the path to Implementation Day.“The President has made it clear that he will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of the JCPOA,” read Monday’s statement.
Istanbul bomber identified as 28-year-old Syrian national-Majority of 10 killed in blast are foreigners, official says; at least 6 Germans, a Norwegian and Peruvian among wounded-By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS and Suzan Fraser January 12, 2016, 4:08 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
ISTANBUL (AP) — A Syrian suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.Erdogan said in televised remarks that both Turks and foreigners were among the dead in the explosion in the Sultanahmet district.“I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber,” Erdogan said.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national. He said most of the people who died were foreigners. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber.The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque.Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seoul’s Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that one South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Norway’s news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State group was suspected. Kurdish militants and left-wing groups are active in Turkey.Last year, Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the US-led battle against the IS group. Turkey opened its bases to US aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself.It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants.The attack comes at a time of heightened violence between Turkey’s security forces and militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in the country’s mostly-Kurdish southeast.The country is also dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe.Germany warned its citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul, saying on a government website that further violent clashes and “terrorist attacks” are expected across Turkey. It also urged travelers to stay away from demonstrations and gatherings, particularly in large cities.Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion, and a police helicopter hovered overhead.The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul’s main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the Haghia Sophia museum.Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office, told NTV television he saw several people on the ground following the blast.“It was difficult to say who was alive or dead,” Koroglu said. “Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion.”Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country’s interior minister and other officials.As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation.Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year, both blamed on the Islamic State group. More than 30 people were killed in a suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey’s border with Syria, in July.Two suicide bombs exploded in October outside Ankara’s main train station as people gathered for a peace rally, killing more than 100 in Turkey’s deadliest-ever attack. The prosecutor’s office said that attack was carried out by a local Islamic State cell.Last month, Turkish authorities arrested two suspected Islamic State militants they said were planning suicide bombings during New Year’s celebrations in the capital Ankara.
Suicide bomber kills 10 people, mainly Germans, in Istanbul-Reuters By Ayla Jean Yackley-JAN 12,16-YAHOONEWS
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber thought to have crossed recently from Syria killed at least 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart on Tuesday, in an attack Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed on Islamic State.All of those killed in Sultanahmet square, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia - major tourist sites in the center of one of the world's most visited cities - were foreigners, Davutoglu said. A senior Turkish official said nine were German, while Peru's foreign ministry said a Peruvian man also died.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was believed to have recently entered Turkey from Syria but was not on Turkey's watch list of suspected militants. He said earlier that the bomber had been identified from body parts at the scene and was thought to be a Syrian born in 1988. Davutoglu said he had spoken by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to offer condolences and vowed Turkey's fight against Islamic State, at home and as part of the U.S.-led coalition, would continue." Until we wipe out Daesh, Turkey will continue its fight at home and with coalition forces," he said in comments broadcast live on television, using an Arabic name for Islamic State. He vowed to hunt down and punish those linked to the bomber.Several bodies lay on the ground in the square, also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, in the immediate aftermath of the blast. It was not densely packed at the time of the explosion, according to a police officer working there, but small groups of tourists had been wandering around."This incident has once again shown that as a nation we should act as one heart, one body in the fight against terror. Turkey's determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism will continue to the end," President Tayyip Erdogan told a lunch for Turkish ambassadors in Ankara.Norway's foreign ministry said one Norwegian man was injured and was being treated in hospital.Turkey, a NATO member and candidate for accession to the European Union, is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State fighters who have seized territory in neighboring Syria and Iraq, some of it directly abutting Turkey.There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamist, leftist and Kurdish militants, who are battling Ankara in southeast Turkey, have all carried out attacks in the past."We heard a loud sound and I looked at the sky to see if it was raining because I thought it was thunder but the sky was clear," said Kuwaiti tourist Farah Zamani, 24, who was shopping at one of the covered bazaars with her father and sister." UNIMAGI NABLE" SCENE-The dull thud of the blast was heard in districts of Istanbul several kilometers away, residents said. Television footage showed a police car which appeared to have been overturned by the force of the blast.Tourist sites including the Hagia Sophia and nearby Basilica Cistern were closed on the governor's orders, officials said."At first we thought it was percussion bomb, it was so loud. They attacked Sultanahmet to grab attention because this is what the world thinks of when it thinks of Turkey," said Kursat Yilmaz, who has operated tours for 25 years from an office by the square."We're not surprised this happened here, this has always been a possible target," he said.Ambulances ferried away the wounded as police cordoned off streets. The sound of the call to prayer rang out from the Blue Mosque as forensic police officers worked at the scene."It was unimaginable," the police officer who had been working on the square said, describing an amateur video he had seen of the immediate aftermath, with six or seven bodies lying on the ground and other people seriously wounded.Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer. That attack was initially claimed by a far-left group, the DHKP-C, but officials later said it had been carried out by a woman with suspected Islamist militant links."Ambulances started rushing in and I knew it was a bomb right away because the same thing happened here last year," said Ali Ibrahim Peltek, 40, who operates a kiosk selling snacks and drinks on the square. "This is not good for Turkey but everyone was expecting a terrorist attack."TURKEY A TARGET-Turkey has become a target for Islamic State, with two bombings last year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group, in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people.Violence has also escalated in the mainly Kurdish southeast since a two-year ceasefire collapsed in July between the state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been fighting for three decades for Kurdish autonomy.The PKK has however generally avoided attacking civilian targets in urban centers outside the southeast in recent years.Turkey also sees a threat from the PYD and YPG, Kurdish groups in Syria which are fighting Islamic State with U.S. backing, but which Ankara says have close links to the PKK."For us, there is no difference between the PKK, PYD, YPG, DHKP-C ... or whatever their abbreviation may be. One terrorist organization is no different than the other," Erdogan said, vowing that Turkey's military campaign against Kurdish militants in the southeast would continue.Davutoglu's office imposed a broadcasting ban on the blast, invoking a law which allows for such steps when there is the potential for serious harm to national security or public order.The attack raised fears of further damage to Turkey's vital tourism industry, already hit by a diplomatic row with Moscow which has seen Russian tour operators cancel trips.But Yilmaz, the tour operator, said he had sold a package to a tourist from Colombia just an hour after the blast."The reality is the world has grown accustomed to terrorism. It's unfortunate, and I wish it weren't true, but terrorism now happens everywhere," he said."The agenda changes quickly in this age. If tourism is affected by this, it will be temporary. These things pass, but the Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet mosque are eternal."(Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun and Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Humeyra Pamuk, Daren Butler and Melih Aslan in Istanbul, Madeline Chambers in Berlin and Joachim Dagenborg in Oslo; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and David Stamp)
Palestinians raise NIS 250,000 to rebuild terrorist’s home-Muhannad Halabi, 19, murdered two Israelis in Jerusalem in October and wounded a 2-year-old; his house was destroyed by IDF on Friday-By Sue Surkes January 12, 2016, 12:05 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Palestinians have raised some NIS 250,000 ($63,500) to rebuild the family home of Muhannad Halabi, the terrorist who stabbed Rabbi Nehemia Lavi and Aharon Banita to death in Jerusalem’s Old City in October and injured Banita’s wife and their two-year-old son.Halabi, 19, a law student at East Jerusalem’s al-Quds University, and one of the first Palestinian stabbers in the current wave of violence, was shot dead by police on site. His house in the West Bank village of Surda, near Ramallah, was bulldozed by Israeli forces four days ago, Israel Radio reported Tuesday.Earlier this week, the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions reportedly announced that they would deduct one per cent from the salaries of each employee and donate the money to the Halabi rebuilding effort.Similar fundraising drives have been held over recent months to help other families of terrorists to rebuild homes destroyed by Israel.Halabi, 19, wrote on Facebook a day before his attack: “According to what I see, the Third Intifada has erupted. What is happening to al-Aqsa [mosque] is what is happening to our holy sites, and what is happening to the women of al-Aqsa is what is happening to our mothers and women. I don’t believe that our people will succumb to humiliation. The people will indeed rise up.”Shortly after Halabi’s stabbing attack, a Palestinian family in Gaza named its newborn baby after the terrorist. News of the baby-naming was reported by the official Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa, and by the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, with both describing the terrorist as a “hero of our people” who was “murdered by the occupation army,” the watchdog Palestinian Media Watch revealed.In late October, the municipality of Surda-Abu Qash announced that it would name a street for Halabi, PMW said, citing an article by Donia Al-Watan, a Palestinian news agency.In October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked with setting up a mechanism that would expedite the demolition of homes of Palestinian terrorists.The measure was one of several approved by the security cabinet to crack down on the recent wave of Palestinian terror.
