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)
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
EU may fine countries for rejecting refugees By Eszter Zalan-may 3,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:30-The EU Commission plans to impose fines on countries that refuse to take refugees under revised EU asylum laws to be put forward on Wednesday (4 May).The commission will propose a sanction of €250,000 per refugee, according to the Financial Times.The commission's proposal will maintain the guiding principle of the current system that the country where migrants first step into the EU must deal with asylum applications.But it proposes that when a country at the EU’s external border is overwhelmed, asylum seekers should be distributed across the continent.The commission has been trying to encourage reluctant countries, particularly in central and eastern Europe, to take part in the redistribution system.Slovakia and Hungary have already brought a court case to challenge an earlier EU decision to redistribute migrants based on a mandatory quota.But commission officials say the outcome of the court’s decision will not affect their plans to overhaul the asylum system, known as the Dublin regulation.EU countries last year agreed to redistribute 160,000 asylum seekers across Europe in two years, but have so far actually redistributed only a small portion.Central European politicians have been vocal about an earlier version of the proposal for mandatory redistribution that was released last month.At the time, Czech European affairs minister Tomas Prouza tweeted: “Permanent quotas once again? How long will the EU commission keep riding this dead horse instead of working on things that really help?”Diplomats from eastern EU states have told this website that they are not “heartless people” and they are willing to help refugees in other ways, but they believe a redistribution system will simply lead to more immigrants arrive in the EU.-Turkey falling short-Along with the revised Dublin regulation, the commission is expected to recommend visa-free travel for people from Turkey and Kosovo on Wednesday, even if Ankara is not able to fulfil all the 72 benchmarks that the EU set as conditions.Sources suggest Turkey is falling short on a handful of the demands – for example issuing biometric passports, and granting visa-free travel to Turkey for EU countries including Cyprus, which Turkey does not recognise.Other outstanding issues include data protection, fighting corruption, effective cooperation with Europol and state-level law enforcement agencies, and a revision of anti-terror laws so that they cannot be used against journalists or opposition figures.However, the commission will suggest visa-free travel with the condition that these criteria are met by the end of June, when Turkey is expecting visa requirements to be lifted.
Islamic State kills U.S. Navy SEAL in northern Iraq-[Reuters]-By Phil Stewart and Andrea Shalal-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Islamic State militants killed a U.S. serviceman in northern Iraq on Tuesday after blasting through Kurdish defences and overrunning a town in the biggest offensive in the area for months, officials said.The dead man was the third American to be killed in direct combat since a U.S.-led coalition launched a campaign in 2014 to "degrade and destroy" the jihadist group, and is a measure of its deepening involvement in the conflict."It is a combat death, of course, and a very sad loss," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters during a trip to Germany.A U.S. defense official said the dead man was a Navy SEAL. The SEALs are considered to be among the most able U.S. special operations forces and capable of taking on dangerous missions.A senior official within the Kurdish peshmerga forces facing Islamic State in northern Iraq said the man had been killed near the town of Tel Asqof, around 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the militant stronghold of Mosul.The Islamic State insurgents occupied the town at dawn on Tuesday but were driven out later in the day by the peshmerga. A U.S. military official said the coalition had helped the peshmerga with air support from F-15 jets and drones.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man was killed "by direct fire" from Islamic State.Carter's spokesman, Peter Cook, said the incident took place during an Islamic State attack on a peshmerga position some 3-5 km behind the forward line.-SNIPERS AND SUICIDE BOMBERS-Such Islamic State incursions are rare in northern Iraq, where the Kurdish peshmerga have pushed the militants back with the help of coalition air strikes and set up defensive lines that the militants are rarely able to breach.The leader of a Christian militia deployed alongside peshmerga in Tel Asqof said the insurgents had used multiple suicide bombers, some driving vehicles laden with explosives, to penetrate peshmerga lines.The Kurdistan Region Security Council said at least 25 Islamic State vehicles had been destroyed on Tuesday and more than 80 militants killed. At least 10 peshmerga also died in the fighting, according to a Kurdish official who posted pictures of the victims on Twitter.The peshmerga also deflected Islamic State attacks on the Bashiqa front and in the Khazer area, about 40 km west of the Kurdish regional capital Erbil, Kurdish military sources said.In mid-April the United States announced plans to send an additional 200 troops to Iraq, and put them closer to the front lines of battle to advise Iraqi forces in the war against Islamic State.Last month, an Islamic State attack on a U.S. base killed Marine Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin and wounded eight other Americans providing force protection fire to Iraqi army troops.The Islamist militants have been broadly retreating since December, when the Iraqi army recaptured Ramadi, the largest city in the western region. Last month, the Iraqi army retook the nearby region of Hit, pushing the militants further north along the Euphrates valley.But U.S. officials acknowledge that the military gains against Islamic State are not enough.Iraq is beset by political infighting, corruption, a growing fiscal crisis and the Shi'ite Muslim-led government's fitful efforts to seek reconciliation with aggrieved minority Sunnis, the bedrock of Islamic State support.(Additional reporting by Isabel Coles in Erbil; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Moscow hopes for truce 'within hours' as fighting rocks Aleppo-[AFP]-Anna Smolchenko with Rim Haddad in Damascus-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
Moscow (AFP) - Russia said Tuesday it hoped a new ceasefire could be announced within hours for Syria's battered city of Aleppo, where fresh fighting left at least 16 dead including in rocket fire on a maternity hospital.As the city was struck by some of its heaviest reported clashes in recent days, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said efforts were underway to agree a freeze in the fighting."I am hoping that in the near future, maybe even in the next few hours, such a decision will be announced," Lavrov told reporters after talks with the UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in Moscow.World powers have been making a concerted push this week to stop the fighting in Aleppo and salvage a landmark ceasefire agreed in late February.The truce between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and non-jihadist rebel forces raised hopes for efforts to finally resolve Syria's five-year conflict. But it has all but collapsed amid renewed fighting, especially in Aleppo.A surge of violence that erupted on April 22 has left more than 270 people dead in the divided northern city and undermined efforts to revive peace negotiations.After a relative lull in clashes on Monday and early Tuesday, rebels in eastern Aleppo fired a barrage of at least 65 rockets into government-controlled neighbourhoods, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.At least three women were killed when the rockets crashed into a maternity hospital, the agency and state television said, and another 11 killed in fire on other government-held neighbourhoods.- Fresh talks set for Berlin -The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said it had counted at least 19 dead and 80 wounded from the attacks on government neighbourhoods.An AFP correspondent in the city saw the heavily damaged hospital building towering over the charred remains of a parked car.Fierce fighting was also raging on the city's western edges after rebel groups detonated explosives in an underground tunnel, the correspondent said.He described it as the most violent day for the city's regime-held west since clashes resumed 11 days ago.Fresh regime air strikes also hit rebel-held eastern areas in the afternoon, another AFP correspondent reported.Rescue workers in the area said at least two people were killed in the strikes.In Moscow after seeing US Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva on Monday, De Mistura said it was crucial for the ceasefire to be "brought back on track", hailing the February truce agreement as a "remarkable achievement".Diplomatic efforts were set to continue with De Mistura joining the foreign ministers of Germany and France for talks with Syria's main opposition leader in Berlin on Wednesday.Discussions will focus on "how the conditions for a continuation of the peace talks in Geneva can be met, as well as how a reduction of violence and an improvement in the humanitarian situation in Syria can be achieved", the German foreign ministry said in a statement.On Monday Kerry said the situation in Syria was "in many ways out of control and deeply disturbing."Washington and Moscow are working together to include Aleppo province in a so-called "regime of silence" -- a freeze in fighting.- 'As fast as possible' -The freeze is meant to bolster the broader February 27 truce also brokered by the two world powers.The two countries have agreed to boost the number of Geneva-based truce monitors to track violations "24 hours a day, seven days a week," Kerry told reporters."We're trying to press this as fast as possible but I don't want to make any promises that can't be kept," Kerry told reporters after meeting de Mistura and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir -- whose government has influence with key rebel groups.In a nod to Moscow's demands, Kerry said Washington would press moderate rebels to separate themselves from Al-Nusra Front's jihadists in Aleppo.Russia and Assad's regime have used the presence of Al-Nusra, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda which was not party to the February ceasefire deal, as an excuse to press their offensive.The Observatory says more than 270 civilians -- including at least 49 children -- have been killed on both sides of divided Aleppo since April 22.Aleppo city was initially left out of a new deal announced last week to "freeze" fighting along two major fronts in Syria's northwest and in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 after anti-government protests were put down, escalating into a multi-faceted war that has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
Details of N. Korea party congress secret, but goals clear-[Associated Press]-ERIC TALMADGE-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
TOKYO (AP) — North Korea, the world's last great master of Cold War-era spectacle, is likely to deliver a big one when its ruling party holds its first congress in 36 years later this week.What exactly is in store during the congress, which opens Friday and will be presided over by leader Kim Jong Un, remains a well-kept secret. But North Korea's advances toward becoming a truly credible nuclear power are sure to be touted along with claims of economic advances in the face of the toughest global sanctions it has been hit with in decades.Also not in doubt: Pyongyang wants the event to grab headlines around the world.The normally well-sealed country has invited a horde of journalists from around the world to give the congress an international spotlight. The North has been promoting it relentlessly for months in its own state media and is vowing to make it a showcase of socialist success — both on the military and economic fronts.The Rodong Sinmun, mouthpiece of the ruling Workers Party of Korea, said in an editorial Saturday that since the last congress in 1980, North Korea "proudly joined the ranks of advanced nuclear and space powers while demonstrating the might of the invincible politico-ideological, military and youth power and is now dashing ahead toward to a socialist economic power and highly civilized nation."But while the congress promises to be a big moment in front of foreign cameras for Kim, who has yet to venture abroad or meet with any world leaders, its larger significance may be domestic.Delegates for the congress will be brought in from all over the country for the political theater aspect of the event. They will likely generate a seemingly endless series of speeches hailing the party and its accomplishments, and will be tasked with formally appointing members of some key leadership committees. That will provide Kim the chance to get their formal stamp of approval on the lineup of lieutenants he has almost certainly already decided upon.The North has worked hard over the past several months to keep the event foremost in the minds of the nation.Even more so than usual, Pyongyang has been decked out with new posters, placards and decorations along its streets paying homage to the "motherly party" and the "party of victors."A 70-day "loyalty campaign" was held in which North Koreans from all walks of life were called on to demonstrate their devotion to the regime by boosting productivity and joining in ideologically charged group events.The campaign ended on Monday, but masses of Pyongyang citizens are still practicing in squares across the city for rallies to mark the congress, another typical way for the government to mobilize carefully orchestrated and highly photogenic shows of popular support and national unity.Internationally, Kim has already gotten a lot of coverage lately as the North's propaganda machine churned out a heightened barrage of bluster and threats as the U.S. and South Korea massed for annual joint military exercises just south of the Demilitarized Zone. The war games, the biggest ever, followed North Korea's latest nuclear test in January and a consequent new round of U.N. sanctions.Much of the North's verbal attacks were what Pyongyang watchers have come to expect every spring when the exercises are underway. But some of the propaganda, including photo ops with Kim standing beside a small nuclear warhead mock-up and gleefully watching missiles being launched from submarines, has prompted foreign military analysts to wonder if the North has made more progress with its nuclear and missile capabilities than previously thought.South Korea, meanwhile, has warned another nuclear test may be in the offing, though open-source satellite imagery is inconclusive and Seoul's predictions are often wrong.Details about the congress, the seventh in North Korean history, are frustratingly few.The last congress in 1980 lasted four days and was held in the ornate February 8 House of Culture, now called the April 25 House of Culture, both dates referring to North Korean military anniversaries.More than 3,000 delegates attended. Representatives from friendly parties abroad were also invited.The House of Culture now appears to be under construction, suggesting it is either being prepared for the convention or that the venue might be moved elsewhere this year.The last congress opened with a speech by North Korea's founder an "eternal president," Kim Il Sung, and was used primarily to install his son, Kim Jong Il, as the next in line to rule. That succession didn't actually take place until the elder Kim's death in 1994, though Kim Jong Il had a primary position under his father in running the country.Unlike his famously reticent father — Kim Jong Il almost never spoke in public — Kim Jong Un is expected to address the congress as his grandfather did.While nothing as monumental as the 1980 succession announcement is expected at this congress, North Korean officials have told The Associated Press that a key issue will be improving the living standards of the nation, a promise Kim Jong Un has made repeatedly since he took power upon the death of Kim Jong Il in 2011."The real source of power in our country isn't nuclear weapons or any other military means, but the single-minded unity of the people and the leader," Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong told the AP in an interview last week. "And this power of unity we have is the real source of power that leads our country into victory."
Hungary to hold migrant quota referendum by October-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 15:43-Hungary will hold a referendum in September or early October on whether to accept an EU quota system for resettling migrants, cabinet chief Antal Rogan said on Tuesday. He added: "Only the Hungarians can decide whom they want to live together with, not Brussels."
Nato gives details of new Baltic force-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 09:37-Nato is considering to post a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland, US defense secretary Ash Carter said Monday. The 4,000 troops would be in addition to a recently announced unilateral American decision to send an armoured brigade of 4,200 troops to eastern Europe next February.
Chinese police to patrol Italian streets-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 09:23-Four Chinese police officers will join Italian colleagues patrolling the streets of Rome and Milan for two weeks in an experiment to help Chinese tourists feel safe, Italy’s interior ministry has announced. They will wear their usual uniforms to make them easily recognisable.
New commander takes charge of US forces in Europe-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 13:10-US general Curtis Scaparrotti has replaced Philip Breedlove as commander of the roughly 65,000-strong US military force in Europe, and will also succeed him on Wednesday as Nato military chief. Scaparrotti previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Breedlove was a leading critic of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Opinion-Empty Gazpromises By Sijbren de Jong-euobserver
The Hague, 2. May, 14:38-Much of the debate concerning the Nord Stream II pipeline centres on whether the project should be seen as a commercial undertaking, or as an effort to lock in Gazprom’s dominance in Europe and deal a blow to Ukraine.The semantics of this discussion are interesting insofar as they touch at the heart of the Kremlin’s “divide and rule” strategy towards the EU.Over the years, Gazprom has perfected a strategy whereby it whets the appetite of Europe’s political and business elite with potentially lucrative pipeline deals, even though the prospects of realising these projects are often unclear.How does Gazprom do it? By tempting different countries with promises of turning each of them into a “gas hub”, which creates confusion and division between those who expect billions in transit fees and those who see contradictions between the pipeline project and the policies agreed at EU level.Crucially, such a strategy impedes the development of a common European energy policy since every country will throw its weight behind this or the other pipeline. The fact that the majority of these projects will never be built becomes a moot point.-How South Stream went south-The best known example of this strategy was South Stream, a pipeline that would ship Russian gas via the Black Sea to Bulgaria and through Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia to Austria.At the time of its inception the project was seen as a rival to the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline that aimed to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.Although Nabucco ultimately failed due to a lack of available gas supplies in the region, the fact that Russia managed to sign up several EU states to South Stream surely did not help in gathering the necessary political backing for Nabucco.South Stream was controversial given that it would cement Gazprom’s dominance in south-eastern Europe even though EU leaders had agreed to try to reduce dependence on Russian gas.However, this did not deter several European countries and companies from backing the project. Austria, for example, was keen to see another pipeline flow to its gas hub at Baumgarten. Bulgaria had its eyes fixed on possible transit revenues and Italy saw a potentially lucrative project for its energy firm ENI.A crucial problem however was that the bilateral agreements struck between Russia and the countries along the pipeline’s route were all in breach of EU competition and energy legislation.Given that it was public knowledge that Gazprom never had the slightest intention of allowing different producers to operate on South Stream, the countries involved had to have been fully aware that the pipeline was never legal in its proposed form, yet still they persisted.Unsurprisingly, Russian president Vladimir Putin cancelled South Stream in December 2014 leaving many EU countries and companies chasing a pipe dream.-From Russia with gas-Soon afterwards, Putin launched an alternative project called Turkish Stream. The pipeline would transport Russian gas across the Black Sea to Turkey, and from there to a hub at the Turkish-Greek border, thus circumventing the EU’s competition legislation.In June 2015, at the height of the Greek debt crisis, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras travelled to St Petersburg to meet Vladimir Putin.Desperate for cash and leverage, Tsipras signed a memorandum of understanding with Gazprom on the construction of an extension to Turkish Stream that would carry Russian gas further into Europe.Under the agreement, Russia would commit to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in transit fees. However, Tsipras should have known that Gazprom would never build a pipeline into Europe where it would be forced to share capacity in accordance with EU law.Moreover, Greece was in no position to provide funding for the project itself and the case for private financing was weak. Essentially, Putin knew he could use Tsipras to drive a wedge between Brussels and Greece at a time that the Union was buckling under the weight of the Greek crisis.Tsipras happily obliged. And the pipeline? That was never built. With Turkey driving a hard bargain, negotiations were protracted from the outset and the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey in November 2015 proved to be the nail in Turkish Stream’s coffin.Memorandum of not understanding-On 24 February this year, Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian energy company Edison and Greek public gas corporation DEPA for the delivery of Russian gas via the Black Sea, and unnamed third countries, to Italy and Greece.The agreement revived the old Italy-Turkey-Greece Interconnector (ITGI), a small gas pipeline that was scrapped in 2012 after it failed to win a bid for Azeri gas.Why revive this project? At this point it should be mentioned that Italian energy company ENI was a major shareholder in South Stream. Matteo Renzi, Italy’s prime minister, has criticised German support for Nord Stream II explaining that he views it as a double standard having to support sanctions against Russia at a time when Berlin has few qualms about backing a pipeline deal involving Gazprom.Renzi of course has a point when he claims that EU law should apply equally to all pipeline projects. The revived version of ITGI, although much smaller and easier to build than Nord Stream II, should therefore be seen as compensation to neutralise Italian criticism.But again it is unclear how the pipeline will actually bring Russian gas to this part of Europe. Interesting also is the claim by Italian government officials that they were not consulted about the memorandum. By not informing Rome, Gazprom deliberately created the impression that the Italian government was behind the plans.Lastly, by not specifying which countries serve as transit countries, this opens up competition between Turkey and Bulgaria – two other nations that saw earlier pipeline projects fail – to vie for the final shape of the pipeline route; precisely the kind of competition that keeps European elites busy and away from a concerted effort at forging an actual Energy Union.The Kremlin knows that the best strategy to undermine EU attempts to rein in Gazprom’s dominance is to let member states do Russia’s bidding.As long as Europe’s political and business elites continue to believe Gazprom’s empty promises, thwarting the Energy Union will be all too easy for Vladimir Putin.The Crude World monthly column on Eurasian (energy) security and power politics in Europe’s eastern neighbourhood is written by Sijbren de Jong, a strategic analyst with The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), specialised in Eurasian (energy) security and the EU’s relations with Russia and the former Soviet Union.
Six funerals on Tuesday for those killed in Ohio family massacre-[Reuters]-By Kyle Grillot-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
WEST PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Reuters) - More than a week after eight family members were found shot to death at four separate homes in rural Ohio's Appalachian foothills, funerals for six of the victims were scheduled for Tuesday as investigators continue to comb through evidence.The victims, all members of the Rhoden family ranging in age from 16 to 44, were executed on April 22 in a planned, "sophisticated operation," officials said. Federal and state officials found three marijuana cultivation sites at one of the homes, but have declined to say whether they are linked to the deaths.Officials have also declined to reveal details of the investigation to avoid tipping off suspects. They have sent more than 100 items to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's crime lab for DNA, ballistics and fingerprint analysis.The Ohio Attorney General's office declined to comment further on the case on Tuesday.Investigators have said they are not assuming the killings in Pike County, about 95 miles (150 km) east of Cincinnati, were committed by one person. Local media have quoted unidentified law enforcement officials as saying many theories are being considered, including a family feud or even the involvement of Mexican drug cartels.The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency are involved in the investigation.Many of the victims were shot in the head as they slept, authorities said. Three children were found alive.The first of the funerals was held last Thursday in northern Kentucky for Gary Rhoden, 38.Six family members, including Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40; his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37; their three children Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20, Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; as well as Christopher Sr's brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44, were scheduled to be buried on Tuesday, starting at 12 p.m. local time in West Portsmouth, Ohio.Hannah Gilley, 20, Clarence Rhoden's girlfriend and mother of a 6-month-old boy who survived, will be buried Saturday in Waverly, Ohio, according to a funeral home. Clarence Rhoden's 3-year-old son and Hannah Rhoden's 5-day-old daughter, who was sleeping with her mother, also survived.(Reporting by Kyle Grillot and Kim Palmer, Writing by Ben Klayman; Editing by Dan Grebler)
LAST NIGHT DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED THE NOMINEE FOR THE REPUBLICANS BY THE RNC CHAIRMAN.AND ALSO TED CRUZ DROPS OUT OF THE RACE.SO ELITEST JOHN KASICH IS THE ONLY COMPETITION FOR TRUMP. AND HE ONLY HAD 7% OF LAST NIGHTS VOTES. SO TRUMP WILL EASILY GET THE 1.237 DELEGATES IN THE LAST 9 STATES TO GO AGAINST HITLARY 2ND ROTTEN LIAR CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT OF AMERICA 2016.
A confident Trump looks past Indiana-Holly Bailey-National Correspondent-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
CARMEL, Ind.—Indiana was supposed to be the state that could potentially derail Donald Trump’s insurgent bid for the Republican presidential nomination. But on Monday afternoon, the New York real estate mogul bounded on stage at a concert hall here in the Indianapolis suburbs, looking like a man on the brink of yet another major victory.Speaking to a capacity crowd of nearly 1,800 people, Trump, with his characteristic bravado, touted his six straight primary wins — and predicted he would easily claim yet another, pointing to polls that show him with a wide lead in Indiana heading into Tuesday’s vote. He unabashedly bragged to voters about how a guy like him — someone, he said, who had been in politics for under a year — had easily vanquished some of the Republican Party’s best and brightest.“Boom, boom, boom — we’re knocking them out like corn flakes,” Trump declared.And he was about to do it again, Trump confidently predicted, suggesting if Texas Sen. Ted Cruz comes up short in Indiana, the race is effectively finished. “If we win in Indiana, it’s over,” the real estate mogul declared. “They’re gone,” he added, referring to Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, his final two rivals in the race.While Indiana’s 57 delegates still won’t give Trump the 1,237 he needs to clinch the GOP nomination, the Republican frontrunner has already started to move on, looking toward November and his likely Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. In recent days, Trump has focused his off-the-cuff stump speech as much on Clinton as he has Cruz and Kasich, signaling a readiness to move past the primary.Trump has already branded Clinton with a taunting nickname: “Crooked Hillary.” But on Monday, he added another line to his succinct line of attack, repeatedly describing the former secretary of state as someone with “bad judgment.”“Emails, bad judgment. Iraq, voted yes, bad judgment. Libya, bad judgment. All bad judgment,“ the Republican frontrunner declared, adding that he wasn’t the first person to say so. He pointedly credited the attack to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s Democratic primary rival, whom he’s praised in recent days.“Bad judgment. I didn’t say it,” Trump said. “A lot of people said it. … It was said by Bernie. I can’t take any heat if it was said by Bernie.”But Trump wasn’t just trying out new lines of attack against Clinton. Just before he kicked off his final hours of campaigning in the Hoosier state, Trump and two of his top aides — campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and social media director Dan Scavino — made an unannounced stop at a local deli in Indianapolis, where they had lunch with Edward Klein, the author of several books that have reported on salacious rumors about Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.The Trump campaign invited a small pool of reporters to cover the Republican candidate’s visit to the deli — allowing them to photograph Trump and his aides with Klein. It was unclear what the foursome discussed, but Trump told reporters he was starting to focus more on Clinton, a line he later repeated to supporters at his rally in Carmel.“Folks, I haven’t even started yet,” Trump said of going after Clinton. “It’s going to be so easy. It’s going to be so great.”On Sunday, Trump also dangled a carrot in front of Republicans who have hesitated about backing his bid for the nomination, insisting he wants the primary to be over so that he can start raising money for the party — including House and Senate races. That’s big commitment from Trump, who is primarily funding his campaign with his own money and who has repeatedly trashed the GOP as being too beholden to political donors and other special interests.But even as Trump signaled more of a focus on November, the GOP frontrunner couldn’t resist getting in a last few digs at Cruz in the final hours of the Indiana campaign. On Monday, the real estate mogul repeated virtually every attack he’s ever launched at Cruz, including the suggestion that because the Texas senator was born in Canada he can’t be president and the nickname of “Lyin’ Ted” Trump gave Cruz for launching dishonest attacks.Trump even brought up an unusual incident on Sunday, after Carly Fiorina, Cruz’s running mate, fell off a stage while campaigning. The video of the incident went viral on Monday.“She fell off the stage the other day. Did anybody see that?” Trump said. “And Cruz didn’t help her.” Hinting at his complicated history with Fiorina, an ex-rival with whom he repeatedly sparred before she ended her bid for the nomination, Trump added, “Even I would’ve helped her. … She went down right in front of him, and he just kept talking.”
Ted Cruz desperately seeks to stop Donald Trump in Indiana-[Associated Press]-JULIE PACE and SCOTT BAUER-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican Ted Cruz faces a high-stakes test for his slumping presidential campaign in Tuesday's Indiana primary, one of the last opportunities for the Texas senator to halt Donald Trump's stunning march toward the GOP nomination.Cruz has spent the past week camped out in Indiana, securing the support of the state's governor and announcing retired technology executive Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Yet his aides were pessimistic heading into Tuesday's voting and were prepared for Cruz to fall short. With polls predicting a loss, campaign officials were bracing for immediate staffing cuts "at a minimum," according to one aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions.The aide said the campaign was preparing for "a very somber" address Tuesday night in Indianapolis.Publicly, however, the senator has vowed to stay in the race, regardless of the results."I am in for the distance, as long as we have a viable path to victory," Cruz told reporters on Monday during a campaign stop.Trump devoted more time to campaigning in Indiana than he has to most other states, underscoring his eagerness to put his Republican rival away and shift his attention toward Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. While Trump cannot clinch the nomination with a big win in Indiana, his path would get easier and he would have more room for error in the campaign's final contests."Indiana is very important, because if I win that's the end of it. It would be over," Trump said during a lunch stop Monday in Indianapolis.Republican leaders spent months dismissing Trump as little more than an entertainer who would fade once voting started. But Republican primary voters have stuck with the billionaire businessman, handing him victories in every region of the country, including a string of six straight wins on the East Coast.Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also faced off in Indiana's Democratic primary on Tuesday, though the stakes were lower than in the Republican race. Clinton holds a commanding lead over Sanders — she's secured 91 percent of the delegates she needs to win the nomination. That means she can still win the nomination even if she loses every remaining contest.Sanders has conceded that he faces a difficult path to overtake Clinton, one that hinges on convincing superdelegates to back him over the former secretary of state. Superdelegates are Democratic Party insiders who can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of how their states vote. And they favor Clinton by a nearly 18-1 margin.Neither Clinton nor Sanders planned to spend Tuesday in Indiana. Sanders was making stops in Kentucky, which holds a primary in mid-May, while Clinton moved on to Ohio, a key general election battleground.Clinton's team has started deploying staff to states that will be crucial in November and is also raising money for the fall campaign. Even as Trump hires more staff to round out his slim team, he already lags far behind Clinton in general election preparations.A showdown between Clinton and Trump would pit one of Democrats' most popular and highly-regarded figures against a first-time political candidate who is deeply divisive within his own party. Cruz and other Republicans have argued that Trump would be roundly defeated in the general election, denying their party the White House for a third straight term.But Trump is the only Republican left in the race who can secure the 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination through regular primary voting. Cruz — as well as Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who trails significantly in the delegate count — must try to block Trump in Indiana and the handful of other remaining states to push the race toward a contested convention.In an abrupt strategy shift, Cruz and Kasich announced an alliance of sorts in Indiana. The Ohio governor agreed to stop spending money in Indiana to give Cruz a chance to compete head-to-head with Trump. Cruz has pledged to do the same for Kasich in Oregon and New Mexico, which vote in the coming weeks.But that strategy, which appeared to unravel even as it was announced, may have backfired. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll found that nearly 6 in 10 Indiana primary voters disapproved of the Cruz-Kasich alliance."After they made the alliance, their numbers tanked," Trump said Monday. "That's what happens when politicians make deals."___Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Steve Peoples and Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report from Washington.___Follow Julie Pace and Scott Bauer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and http://twitter.com/sbauerAP
Teachers' 'sickout' shuts Detroit public schools again-[Reuters]-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
(Reuters) - Nearly all of Detroit's public schools were closed for a second straight day on Tuesday as teachers called in sick in a protest prompted by the disclosure that the cash-strapped school system will run out of money to pay employees at the end of June.Ninety-four of the city's 97 public schools were closed as a result of the "sickout" on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman for Michigan's largest public school system. The spokeswoman said the schools are expected to be open on Wednesday.The teachers' union, the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said in a statement on its website that it is seeking a guarantee that teachers will get paid for their work."Their failure to give us that guarantee is tantamount to a lock-out," the statement said, referring to school system officials.The city's public school system, with nearly 46,000 students, has been under state control since 2009 because it was deemed to be in a financial emergency.Detroit Public Schools will run out of money to pay employees after the current fiscal year ends on June 30, the school system's emergency manager, former federal bankruptcy judge Steven Rhodes, said on Saturday.The union's statement said it planned a rally and membership meeting on Tuesday."We're tired of being sick and tired. It's time for Lansing to act," the teachers' union said on Facebook, referring to the state legislature.Lawmakers in the Michigan House of Representatives were taking up a seven-bill package on Tuesday that would provide a mix of income tax revenue and a state loan to aid the school district, which would be split into two entities under the proposal."Teachers, you are going to get paid," said State Representative Al Pscholka, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which is considering the bills.Michigan legislators have approved $48.7 million in supplemental funding but that will allow the district to meet payroll only through the end of June, Rhodes said on Saturday.He urged state lawmakers to approve a $715 million rescue plan that would create a new Detroit Education Commission, with broad authority to control new school openings for the next five years.Without that extra money, teachers on an annual 26-paycheck cycle will go unpaid and there will be no funds available for summer school or year-round special education services, Rhodes added.(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales and Karen Pierog; Editing by Will Dunham)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
EU may fine countries for rejecting refugees By Eszter Zalan-may 3,16-euobserver
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:30-The EU Commission plans to impose fines on countries that refuse to take refugees under revised EU asylum laws to be put forward on Wednesday (4 May).The commission will propose a sanction of €250,000 per refugee, according to the Financial Times.The commission's proposal will maintain the guiding principle of the current system that the country where migrants first step into the EU must deal with asylum applications.But it proposes that when a country at the EU’s external border is overwhelmed, asylum seekers should be distributed across the continent.The commission has been trying to encourage reluctant countries, particularly in central and eastern Europe, to take part in the redistribution system.Slovakia and Hungary have already brought a court case to challenge an earlier EU decision to redistribute migrants based on a mandatory quota.But commission officials say the outcome of the court’s decision will not affect their plans to overhaul the asylum system, known as the Dublin regulation.EU countries last year agreed to redistribute 160,000 asylum seekers across Europe in two years, but have so far actually redistributed only a small portion.Central European politicians have been vocal about an earlier version of the proposal for mandatory redistribution that was released last month.At the time, Czech European affairs minister Tomas Prouza tweeted: “Permanent quotas once again? How long will the EU commission keep riding this dead horse instead of working on things that really help?”Diplomats from eastern EU states have told this website that they are not “heartless people” and they are willing to help refugees in other ways, but they believe a redistribution system will simply lead to more immigrants arrive in the EU.-Turkey falling short-Along with the revised Dublin regulation, the commission is expected to recommend visa-free travel for people from Turkey and Kosovo on Wednesday, even if Ankara is not able to fulfil all the 72 benchmarks that the EU set as conditions.Sources suggest Turkey is falling short on a handful of the demands – for example issuing biometric passports, and granting visa-free travel to Turkey for EU countries including Cyprus, which Turkey does not recognise.Other outstanding issues include data protection, fighting corruption, effective cooperation with Europol and state-level law enforcement agencies, and a revision of anti-terror laws so that they cannot be used against journalists or opposition figures.However, the commission will suggest visa-free travel with the condition that these criteria are met by the end of June, when Turkey is expecting visa requirements to be lifted.
Islamic State kills U.S. Navy SEAL in northern Iraq-[Reuters]-By Phil Stewart and Andrea Shalal-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Islamic State militants killed a U.S. serviceman in northern Iraq on Tuesday after blasting through Kurdish defences and overrunning a town in the biggest offensive in the area for months, officials said.The dead man was the third American to be killed in direct combat since a U.S.-led coalition launched a campaign in 2014 to "degrade and destroy" the jihadist group, and is a measure of its deepening involvement in the conflict."It is a combat death, of course, and a very sad loss," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters during a trip to Germany.A U.S. defense official said the dead man was a Navy SEAL. The SEALs are considered to be among the most able U.S. special operations forces and capable of taking on dangerous missions.A senior official within the Kurdish peshmerga forces facing Islamic State in northern Iraq said the man had been killed near the town of Tel Asqof, around 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the militant stronghold of Mosul.The Islamic State insurgents occupied the town at dawn on Tuesday but were driven out later in the day by the peshmerga. A U.S. military official said the coalition had helped the peshmerga with air support from F-15 jets and drones.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man was killed "by direct fire" from Islamic State.Carter's spokesman, Peter Cook, said the incident took place during an Islamic State attack on a peshmerga position some 3-5 km behind the forward line.-SNIPERS AND SUICIDE BOMBERS-Such Islamic State incursions are rare in northern Iraq, where the Kurdish peshmerga have pushed the militants back with the help of coalition air strikes and set up defensive lines that the militants are rarely able to breach.The leader of a Christian militia deployed alongside peshmerga in Tel Asqof said the insurgents had used multiple suicide bombers, some driving vehicles laden with explosives, to penetrate peshmerga lines.The Kurdistan Region Security Council said at least 25 Islamic State vehicles had been destroyed on Tuesday and more than 80 militants killed. At least 10 peshmerga also died in the fighting, according to a Kurdish official who posted pictures of the victims on Twitter.The peshmerga also deflected Islamic State attacks on the Bashiqa front and in the Khazer area, about 40 km west of the Kurdish regional capital Erbil, Kurdish military sources said.In mid-April the United States announced plans to send an additional 200 troops to Iraq, and put them closer to the front lines of battle to advise Iraqi forces in the war against Islamic State.Last month, an Islamic State attack on a U.S. base killed Marine Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin and wounded eight other Americans providing force protection fire to Iraqi army troops.The Islamist militants have been broadly retreating since December, when the Iraqi army recaptured Ramadi, the largest city in the western region. Last month, the Iraqi army retook the nearby region of Hit, pushing the militants further north along the Euphrates valley.But U.S. officials acknowledge that the military gains against Islamic State are not enough.Iraq is beset by political infighting, corruption, a growing fiscal crisis and the Shi'ite Muslim-led government's fitful efforts to seek reconciliation with aggrieved minority Sunnis, the bedrock of Islamic State support.(Additional reporting by Isabel Coles in Erbil; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Moscow hopes for truce 'within hours' as fighting rocks Aleppo-[AFP]-Anna Smolchenko with Rim Haddad in Damascus-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
Moscow (AFP) - Russia said Tuesday it hoped a new ceasefire could be announced within hours for Syria's battered city of Aleppo, where fresh fighting left at least 16 dead including in rocket fire on a maternity hospital.As the city was struck by some of its heaviest reported clashes in recent days, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said efforts were underway to agree a freeze in the fighting."I am hoping that in the near future, maybe even in the next few hours, such a decision will be announced," Lavrov told reporters after talks with the UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in Moscow.World powers have been making a concerted push this week to stop the fighting in Aleppo and salvage a landmark ceasefire agreed in late February.The truce between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and non-jihadist rebel forces raised hopes for efforts to finally resolve Syria's five-year conflict. But it has all but collapsed amid renewed fighting, especially in Aleppo.A surge of violence that erupted on April 22 has left more than 270 people dead in the divided northern city and undermined efforts to revive peace negotiations.After a relative lull in clashes on Monday and early Tuesday, rebels in eastern Aleppo fired a barrage of at least 65 rockets into government-controlled neighbourhoods, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.At least three women were killed when the rockets crashed into a maternity hospital, the agency and state television said, and another 11 killed in fire on other government-held neighbourhoods.- Fresh talks set for Berlin -The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said it had counted at least 19 dead and 80 wounded from the attacks on government neighbourhoods.An AFP correspondent in the city saw the heavily damaged hospital building towering over the charred remains of a parked car.Fierce fighting was also raging on the city's western edges after rebel groups detonated explosives in an underground tunnel, the correspondent said.He described it as the most violent day for the city's regime-held west since clashes resumed 11 days ago.Fresh regime air strikes also hit rebel-held eastern areas in the afternoon, another AFP correspondent reported.Rescue workers in the area said at least two people were killed in the strikes.In Moscow after seeing US Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva on Monday, De Mistura said it was crucial for the ceasefire to be "brought back on track", hailing the February truce agreement as a "remarkable achievement".Diplomatic efforts were set to continue with De Mistura joining the foreign ministers of Germany and France for talks with Syria's main opposition leader in Berlin on Wednesday.Discussions will focus on "how the conditions for a continuation of the peace talks in Geneva can be met, as well as how a reduction of violence and an improvement in the humanitarian situation in Syria can be achieved", the German foreign ministry said in a statement.On Monday Kerry said the situation in Syria was "in many ways out of control and deeply disturbing."Washington and Moscow are working together to include Aleppo province in a so-called "regime of silence" -- a freeze in fighting.- 'As fast as possible' -The freeze is meant to bolster the broader February 27 truce also brokered by the two world powers.The two countries have agreed to boost the number of Geneva-based truce monitors to track violations "24 hours a day, seven days a week," Kerry told reporters."We're trying to press this as fast as possible but I don't want to make any promises that can't be kept," Kerry told reporters after meeting de Mistura and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir -- whose government has influence with key rebel groups.In a nod to Moscow's demands, Kerry said Washington would press moderate rebels to separate themselves from Al-Nusra Front's jihadists in Aleppo.Russia and Assad's regime have used the presence of Al-Nusra, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda which was not party to the February ceasefire deal, as an excuse to press their offensive.The Observatory says more than 270 civilians -- including at least 49 children -- have been killed on both sides of divided Aleppo since April 22.Aleppo city was initially left out of a new deal announced last week to "freeze" fighting along two major fronts in Syria's northwest and in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 after anti-government protests were put down, escalating into a multi-faceted war that has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
Details of N. Korea party congress secret, but goals clear-[Associated Press]-ERIC TALMADGE-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
TOKYO (AP) — North Korea, the world's last great master of Cold War-era spectacle, is likely to deliver a big one when its ruling party holds its first congress in 36 years later this week.What exactly is in store during the congress, which opens Friday and will be presided over by leader Kim Jong Un, remains a well-kept secret. But North Korea's advances toward becoming a truly credible nuclear power are sure to be touted along with claims of economic advances in the face of the toughest global sanctions it has been hit with in decades.Also not in doubt: Pyongyang wants the event to grab headlines around the world.The normally well-sealed country has invited a horde of journalists from around the world to give the congress an international spotlight. The North has been promoting it relentlessly for months in its own state media and is vowing to make it a showcase of socialist success — both on the military and economic fronts.The Rodong Sinmun, mouthpiece of the ruling Workers Party of Korea, said in an editorial Saturday that since the last congress in 1980, North Korea "proudly joined the ranks of advanced nuclear and space powers while demonstrating the might of the invincible politico-ideological, military and youth power and is now dashing ahead toward to a socialist economic power and highly civilized nation."But while the congress promises to be a big moment in front of foreign cameras for Kim, who has yet to venture abroad or meet with any world leaders, its larger significance may be domestic.Delegates for the congress will be brought in from all over the country for the political theater aspect of the event. They will likely generate a seemingly endless series of speeches hailing the party and its accomplishments, and will be tasked with formally appointing members of some key leadership committees. That will provide Kim the chance to get their formal stamp of approval on the lineup of lieutenants he has almost certainly already decided upon.The North has worked hard over the past several months to keep the event foremost in the minds of the nation.Even more so than usual, Pyongyang has been decked out with new posters, placards and decorations along its streets paying homage to the "motherly party" and the "party of victors."A 70-day "loyalty campaign" was held in which North Koreans from all walks of life were called on to demonstrate their devotion to the regime by boosting productivity and joining in ideologically charged group events.The campaign ended on Monday, but masses of Pyongyang citizens are still practicing in squares across the city for rallies to mark the congress, another typical way for the government to mobilize carefully orchestrated and highly photogenic shows of popular support and national unity.Internationally, Kim has already gotten a lot of coverage lately as the North's propaganda machine churned out a heightened barrage of bluster and threats as the U.S. and South Korea massed for annual joint military exercises just south of the Demilitarized Zone. The war games, the biggest ever, followed North Korea's latest nuclear test in January and a consequent new round of U.N. sanctions.Much of the North's verbal attacks were what Pyongyang watchers have come to expect every spring when the exercises are underway. But some of the propaganda, including photo ops with Kim standing beside a small nuclear warhead mock-up and gleefully watching missiles being launched from submarines, has prompted foreign military analysts to wonder if the North has made more progress with its nuclear and missile capabilities than previously thought.South Korea, meanwhile, has warned another nuclear test may be in the offing, though open-source satellite imagery is inconclusive and Seoul's predictions are often wrong.Details about the congress, the seventh in North Korean history, are frustratingly few.The last congress in 1980 lasted four days and was held in the ornate February 8 House of Culture, now called the April 25 House of Culture, both dates referring to North Korean military anniversaries.More than 3,000 delegates attended. Representatives from friendly parties abroad were also invited.The House of Culture now appears to be under construction, suggesting it is either being prepared for the convention or that the venue might be moved elsewhere this year.The last congress opened with a speech by North Korea's founder an "eternal president," Kim Il Sung, and was used primarily to install his son, Kim Jong Il, as the next in line to rule. That succession didn't actually take place until the elder Kim's death in 1994, though Kim Jong Il had a primary position under his father in running the country.Unlike his famously reticent father — Kim Jong Il almost never spoke in public — Kim Jong Un is expected to address the congress as his grandfather did.While nothing as monumental as the 1980 succession announcement is expected at this congress, North Korean officials have told The Associated Press that a key issue will be improving the living standards of the nation, a promise Kim Jong Un has made repeatedly since he took power upon the death of Kim Jong Il in 2011."The real source of power in our country isn't nuclear weapons or any other military means, but the single-minded unity of the people and the leader," Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong told the AP in an interview last week. "And this power of unity we have is the real source of power that leads our country into victory."
Hungary to hold migrant quota referendum by October-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 15:43-Hungary will hold a referendum in September or early October on whether to accept an EU quota system for resettling migrants, cabinet chief Antal Rogan said on Tuesday. He added: "Only the Hungarians can decide whom they want to live together with, not Brussels."
Nato gives details of new Baltic force-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 09:37-Nato is considering to post a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland, US defense secretary Ash Carter said Monday. The 4,000 troops would be in addition to a recently announced unilateral American decision to send an armoured brigade of 4,200 troops to eastern Europe next February.
Chinese police to patrol Italian streets-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 09:23-Four Chinese police officers will join Italian colleagues patrolling the streets of Rome and Milan for two weeks in an experiment to help Chinese tourists feel safe, Italy’s interior ministry has announced. They will wear their usual uniforms to make them easily recognisable.
New commander takes charge of US forces in Europe-By EUOBSERVER-may 3,16
Today, 13:10-US general Curtis Scaparrotti has replaced Philip Breedlove as commander of the roughly 65,000-strong US military force in Europe, and will also succeed him on Wednesday as Nato military chief. Scaparrotti previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Breedlove was a leading critic of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Opinion-Empty Gazpromises By Sijbren de Jong-euobserver
The Hague, 2. May, 14:38-Much of the debate concerning the Nord Stream II pipeline centres on whether the project should be seen as a commercial undertaking, or as an effort to lock in Gazprom’s dominance in Europe and deal a blow to Ukraine.The semantics of this discussion are interesting insofar as they touch at the heart of the Kremlin’s “divide and rule” strategy towards the EU.Over the years, Gazprom has perfected a strategy whereby it whets the appetite of Europe’s political and business elite with potentially lucrative pipeline deals, even though the prospects of realising these projects are often unclear.How does Gazprom do it? By tempting different countries with promises of turning each of them into a “gas hub”, which creates confusion and division between those who expect billions in transit fees and those who see contradictions between the pipeline project and the policies agreed at EU level.Crucially, such a strategy impedes the development of a common European energy policy since every country will throw its weight behind this or the other pipeline. The fact that the majority of these projects will never be built becomes a moot point.-How South Stream went south-The best known example of this strategy was South Stream, a pipeline that would ship Russian gas via the Black Sea to Bulgaria and through Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia to Austria.At the time of its inception the project was seen as a rival to the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline that aimed to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.Although Nabucco ultimately failed due to a lack of available gas supplies in the region, the fact that Russia managed to sign up several EU states to South Stream surely did not help in gathering the necessary political backing for Nabucco.South Stream was controversial given that it would cement Gazprom’s dominance in south-eastern Europe even though EU leaders had agreed to try to reduce dependence on Russian gas.However, this did not deter several European countries and companies from backing the project. Austria, for example, was keen to see another pipeline flow to its gas hub at Baumgarten. Bulgaria had its eyes fixed on possible transit revenues and Italy saw a potentially lucrative project for its energy firm ENI.A crucial problem however was that the bilateral agreements struck between Russia and the countries along the pipeline’s route were all in breach of EU competition and energy legislation.Given that it was public knowledge that Gazprom never had the slightest intention of allowing different producers to operate on South Stream, the countries involved had to have been fully aware that the pipeline was never legal in its proposed form, yet still they persisted.Unsurprisingly, Russian president Vladimir Putin cancelled South Stream in December 2014 leaving many EU countries and companies chasing a pipe dream.-From Russia with gas-Soon afterwards, Putin launched an alternative project called Turkish Stream. The pipeline would transport Russian gas across the Black Sea to Turkey, and from there to a hub at the Turkish-Greek border, thus circumventing the EU’s competition legislation.In June 2015, at the height of the Greek debt crisis, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras travelled to St Petersburg to meet Vladimir Putin.Desperate for cash and leverage, Tsipras signed a memorandum of understanding with Gazprom on the construction of an extension to Turkish Stream that would carry Russian gas further into Europe.Under the agreement, Russia would commit to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in transit fees. However, Tsipras should have known that Gazprom would never build a pipeline into Europe where it would be forced to share capacity in accordance with EU law.Moreover, Greece was in no position to provide funding for the project itself and the case for private financing was weak. Essentially, Putin knew he could use Tsipras to drive a wedge between Brussels and Greece at a time that the Union was buckling under the weight of the Greek crisis.Tsipras happily obliged. And the pipeline? That was never built. With Turkey driving a hard bargain, negotiations were protracted from the outset and the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey in November 2015 proved to be the nail in Turkish Stream’s coffin.Memorandum of not understanding-On 24 February this year, Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian energy company Edison and Greek public gas corporation DEPA for the delivery of Russian gas via the Black Sea, and unnamed third countries, to Italy and Greece.The agreement revived the old Italy-Turkey-Greece Interconnector (ITGI), a small gas pipeline that was scrapped in 2012 after it failed to win a bid for Azeri gas.Why revive this project? At this point it should be mentioned that Italian energy company ENI was a major shareholder in South Stream. Matteo Renzi, Italy’s prime minister, has criticised German support for Nord Stream II explaining that he views it as a double standard having to support sanctions against Russia at a time when Berlin has few qualms about backing a pipeline deal involving Gazprom.Renzi of course has a point when he claims that EU law should apply equally to all pipeline projects. The revived version of ITGI, although much smaller and easier to build than Nord Stream II, should therefore be seen as compensation to neutralise Italian criticism.But again it is unclear how the pipeline will actually bring Russian gas to this part of Europe. Interesting also is the claim by Italian government officials that they were not consulted about the memorandum. By not informing Rome, Gazprom deliberately created the impression that the Italian government was behind the plans.Lastly, by not specifying which countries serve as transit countries, this opens up competition between Turkey and Bulgaria – two other nations that saw earlier pipeline projects fail – to vie for the final shape of the pipeline route; precisely the kind of competition that keeps European elites busy and away from a concerted effort at forging an actual Energy Union.The Kremlin knows that the best strategy to undermine EU attempts to rein in Gazprom’s dominance is to let member states do Russia’s bidding.As long as Europe’s political and business elites continue to believe Gazprom’s empty promises, thwarting the Energy Union will be all too easy for Vladimir Putin.The Crude World monthly column on Eurasian (energy) security and power politics in Europe’s eastern neighbourhood is written by Sijbren de Jong, a strategic analyst with The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), specialised in Eurasian (energy) security and the EU’s relations with Russia and the former Soviet Union.
Six funerals on Tuesday for those killed in Ohio family massacre-[Reuters]-By Kyle Grillot-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
WEST PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Reuters) - More than a week after eight family members were found shot to death at four separate homes in rural Ohio's Appalachian foothills, funerals for six of the victims were scheduled for Tuesday as investigators continue to comb through evidence.The victims, all members of the Rhoden family ranging in age from 16 to 44, were executed on April 22 in a planned, "sophisticated operation," officials said. Federal and state officials found three marijuana cultivation sites at one of the homes, but have declined to say whether they are linked to the deaths.Officials have also declined to reveal details of the investigation to avoid tipping off suspects. They have sent more than 100 items to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's crime lab for DNA, ballistics and fingerprint analysis.The Ohio Attorney General's office declined to comment further on the case on Tuesday.Investigators have said they are not assuming the killings in Pike County, about 95 miles (150 km) east of Cincinnati, were committed by one person. Local media have quoted unidentified law enforcement officials as saying many theories are being considered, including a family feud or even the involvement of Mexican drug cartels.The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency are involved in the investigation.Many of the victims were shot in the head as they slept, authorities said. Three children were found alive.The first of the funerals was held last Thursday in northern Kentucky for Gary Rhoden, 38.Six family members, including Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40; his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37; their three children Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20, Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; as well as Christopher Sr's brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44, were scheduled to be buried on Tuesday, starting at 12 p.m. local time in West Portsmouth, Ohio.Hannah Gilley, 20, Clarence Rhoden's girlfriend and mother of a 6-month-old boy who survived, will be buried Saturday in Waverly, Ohio, according to a funeral home. Clarence Rhoden's 3-year-old son and Hannah Rhoden's 5-day-old daughter, who was sleeping with her mother, also survived.(Reporting by Kyle Grillot and Kim Palmer, Writing by Ben Klayman; Editing by Dan Grebler)
LAST NIGHT DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED THE NOMINEE FOR THE REPUBLICANS BY THE RNC CHAIRMAN.AND ALSO TED CRUZ DROPS OUT OF THE RACE.SO ELITEST JOHN KASICH IS THE ONLY COMPETITION FOR TRUMP. AND HE ONLY HAD 7% OF LAST NIGHTS VOTES. SO TRUMP WILL EASILY GET THE 1.237 DELEGATES IN THE LAST 9 STATES TO GO AGAINST HITLARY 2ND ROTTEN LIAR CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT OF AMERICA 2016.
A confident Trump looks past Indiana-Holly Bailey-National Correspondent-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
CARMEL, Ind.—Indiana was supposed to be the state that could potentially derail Donald Trump’s insurgent bid for the Republican presidential nomination. But on Monday afternoon, the New York real estate mogul bounded on stage at a concert hall here in the Indianapolis suburbs, looking like a man on the brink of yet another major victory.Speaking to a capacity crowd of nearly 1,800 people, Trump, with his characteristic bravado, touted his six straight primary wins — and predicted he would easily claim yet another, pointing to polls that show him with a wide lead in Indiana heading into Tuesday’s vote. He unabashedly bragged to voters about how a guy like him — someone, he said, who had been in politics for under a year — had easily vanquished some of the Republican Party’s best and brightest.“Boom, boom, boom — we’re knocking them out like corn flakes,” Trump declared.And he was about to do it again, Trump confidently predicted, suggesting if Texas Sen. Ted Cruz comes up short in Indiana, the race is effectively finished. “If we win in Indiana, it’s over,” the real estate mogul declared. “They’re gone,” he added, referring to Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, his final two rivals in the race.While Indiana’s 57 delegates still won’t give Trump the 1,237 he needs to clinch the GOP nomination, the Republican frontrunner has already started to move on, looking toward November and his likely Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. In recent days, Trump has focused his off-the-cuff stump speech as much on Clinton as he has Cruz and Kasich, signaling a readiness to move past the primary.Trump has already branded Clinton with a taunting nickname: “Crooked Hillary.” But on Monday, he added another line to his succinct line of attack, repeatedly describing the former secretary of state as someone with “bad judgment.”“Emails, bad judgment. Iraq, voted yes, bad judgment. Libya, bad judgment. All bad judgment,“ the Republican frontrunner declared, adding that he wasn’t the first person to say so. He pointedly credited the attack to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s Democratic primary rival, whom he’s praised in recent days.“Bad judgment. I didn’t say it,” Trump said. “A lot of people said it. … It was said by Bernie. I can’t take any heat if it was said by Bernie.”But Trump wasn’t just trying out new lines of attack against Clinton. Just before he kicked off his final hours of campaigning in the Hoosier state, Trump and two of his top aides — campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and social media director Dan Scavino — made an unannounced stop at a local deli in Indianapolis, where they had lunch with Edward Klein, the author of several books that have reported on salacious rumors about Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.The Trump campaign invited a small pool of reporters to cover the Republican candidate’s visit to the deli — allowing them to photograph Trump and his aides with Klein. It was unclear what the foursome discussed, but Trump told reporters he was starting to focus more on Clinton, a line he later repeated to supporters at his rally in Carmel.“Folks, I haven’t even started yet,” Trump said of going after Clinton. “It’s going to be so easy. It’s going to be so great.”On Sunday, Trump also dangled a carrot in front of Republicans who have hesitated about backing his bid for the nomination, insisting he wants the primary to be over so that he can start raising money for the party — including House and Senate races. That’s big commitment from Trump, who is primarily funding his campaign with his own money and who has repeatedly trashed the GOP as being too beholden to political donors and other special interests.But even as Trump signaled more of a focus on November, the GOP frontrunner couldn’t resist getting in a last few digs at Cruz in the final hours of the Indiana campaign. On Monday, the real estate mogul repeated virtually every attack he’s ever launched at Cruz, including the suggestion that because the Texas senator was born in Canada he can’t be president and the nickname of “Lyin’ Ted” Trump gave Cruz for launching dishonest attacks.Trump even brought up an unusual incident on Sunday, after Carly Fiorina, Cruz’s running mate, fell off a stage while campaigning. The video of the incident went viral on Monday.“She fell off the stage the other day. Did anybody see that?” Trump said. “And Cruz didn’t help her.” Hinting at his complicated history with Fiorina, an ex-rival with whom he repeatedly sparred before she ended her bid for the nomination, Trump added, “Even I would’ve helped her. … She went down right in front of him, and he just kept talking.”
Ted Cruz desperately seeks to stop Donald Trump in Indiana-[Associated Press]-JULIE PACE and SCOTT BAUER-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican Ted Cruz faces a high-stakes test for his slumping presidential campaign in Tuesday's Indiana primary, one of the last opportunities for the Texas senator to halt Donald Trump's stunning march toward the GOP nomination.Cruz has spent the past week camped out in Indiana, securing the support of the state's governor and announcing retired technology executive Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Yet his aides were pessimistic heading into Tuesday's voting and were prepared for Cruz to fall short. With polls predicting a loss, campaign officials were bracing for immediate staffing cuts "at a minimum," according to one aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions.The aide said the campaign was preparing for "a very somber" address Tuesday night in Indianapolis.Publicly, however, the senator has vowed to stay in the race, regardless of the results."I am in for the distance, as long as we have a viable path to victory," Cruz told reporters on Monday during a campaign stop.Trump devoted more time to campaigning in Indiana than he has to most other states, underscoring his eagerness to put his Republican rival away and shift his attention toward Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. While Trump cannot clinch the nomination with a big win in Indiana, his path would get easier and he would have more room for error in the campaign's final contests."Indiana is very important, because if I win that's the end of it. It would be over," Trump said during a lunch stop Monday in Indianapolis.Republican leaders spent months dismissing Trump as little more than an entertainer who would fade once voting started. But Republican primary voters have stuck with the billionaire businessman, handing him victories in every region of the country, including a string of six straight wins on the East Coast.Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also faced off in Indiana's Democratic primary on Tuesday, though the stakes were lower than in the Republican race. Clinton holds a commanding lead over Sanders — she's secured 91 percent of the delegates she needs to win the nomination. That means she can still win the nomination even if she loses every remaining contest.Sanders has conceded that he faces a difficult path to overtake Clinton, one that hinges on convincing superdelegates to back him over the former secretary of state. Superdelegates are Democratic Party insiders who can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of how their states vote. And they favor Clinton by a nearly 18-1 margin.Neither Clinton nor Sanders planned to spend Tuesday in Indiana. Sanders was making stops in Kentucky, which holds a primary in mid-May, while Clinton moved on to Ohio, a key general election battleground.Clinton's team has started deploying staff to states that will be crucial in November and is also raising money for the fall campaign. Even as Trump hires more staff to round out his slim team, he already lags far behind Clinton in general election preparations.A showdown between Clinton and Trump would pit one of Democrats' most popular and highly-regarded figures against a first-time political candidate who is deeply divisive within his own party. Cruz and other Republicans have argued that Trump would be roundly defeated in the general election, denying their party the White House for a third straight term.But Trump is the only Republican left in the race who can secure the 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination through regular primary voting. Cruz — as well as Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who trails significantly in the delegate count — must try to block Trump in Indiana and the handful of other remaining states to push the race toward a contested convention.In an abrupt strategy shift, Cruz and Kasich announced an alliance of sorts in Indiana. The Ohio governor agreed to stop spending money in Indiana to give Cruz a chance to compete head-to-head with Trump. Cruz has pledged to do the same for Kasich in Oregon and New Mexico, which vote in the coming weeks.But that strategy, which appeared to unravel even as it was announced, may have backfired. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll found that nearly 6 in 10 Indiana primary voters disapproved of the Cruz-Kasich alliance."After they made the alliance, their numbers tanked," Trump said Monday. "That's what happens when politicians make deals."___Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Steve Peoples and Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report from Washington.___Follow Julie Pace and Scott Bauer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and http://twitter.com/sbauerAP
Teachers' 'sickout' shuts Detroit public schools again-[Reuters]-May 3, 2016-yahoonews
(Reuters) - Nearly all of Detroit's public schools were closed for a second straight day on Tuesday as teachers called in sick in a protest prompted by the disclosure that the cash-strapped school system will run out of money to pay employees at the end of June.Ninety-four of the city's 97 public schools were closed as a result of the "sickout" on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman for Michigan's largest public school system. The spokeswoman said the schools are expected to be open on Wednesday.The teachers' union, the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said in a statement on its website that it is seeking a guarantee that teachers will get paid for their work."Their failure to give us that guarantee is tantamount to a lock-out," the statement said, referring to school system officials.The city's public school system, with nearly 46,000 students, has been under state control since 2009 because it was deemed to be in a financial emergency.Detroit Public Schools will run out of money to pay employees after the current fiscal year ends on June 30, the school system's emergency manager, former federal bankruptcy judge Steven Rhodes, said on Saturday.The union's statement said it planned a rally and membership meeting on Tuesday."We're tired of being sick and tired. It's time for Lansing to act," the teachers' union said on Facebook, referring to the state legislature.Lawmakers in the Michigan House of Representatives were taking up a seven-bill package on Tuesday that would provide a mix of income tax revenue and a state loan to aid the school district, which would be split into two entities under the proposal."Teachers, you are going to get paid," said State Representative Al Pscholka, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which is considering the bills.Michigan legislators have approved $48.7 million in supplemental funding but that will allow the district to meet payroll only through the end of June, Rhodes said on Saturday.He urged state lawmakers to approve a $715 million rescue plan that would create a new Detroit Education Commission, with broad authority to control new school openings for the next five years.Without that extra money, teachers on an annual 26-paycheck cycle will go unpaid and there will be no funds available for summer school or year-round special education services, Rhodes added.(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales and Karen Pierog; Editing by Will Dunham)
