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)
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.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
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.
EU approves rescue of Italian banks By Eric Maurice-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:07-The European Commission on Sunday (25 June) approved a €17-billion plan by the Italian government to save two failing banks.The Italian government had decided a few hours before to cut both the Banca Popolare di Vicenza (BPVI) and Veneto Banca into two, to keep their good assets in a "good bank" and the toxic assets in a "bad bank".The banks, which were weakened by a lack of capital and massive debts due to non-performing (non-repaid) loans, were taken over by the Intesa Sanpaolo bank, for one symbolic euro.The Italian state injected €4.785 billion to keep both the financial institutions alive. The government also offered a guarantee up to €12-billion, to cover the cost of Intesa liquidating the banks' bad assets.The commission said that the plan was "in line with EU state aid rules", because "existing shareholders and subordinated debt holders have fully contributed to the costs" and the two failing banks "will be wound up in an orderly fashion and exit the market".The EU executive also said that Intesa was chosen in an "open, fair and transparent sales process".Because financial markets open on Monday, the process was completed over the weekend. It was triggered after the European Central Bank (ECB) said on Friday that BPVI and Veneto Banca had failed to present credible recapitalisation plans and were "failing or likely to fail".The banks, both located in the Veneto region in Italy, were being monitored by the ECB since 2014, after one of its evaluations had shown capital shortfalls.Despite a €3.5 billion cash injection last year by Atlante, an Italian fund, the banks' situation had worsened this year."Italy considers that state aid is necessary to avoid an economic disturbance in the Veneto region," EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager noted in a statement on Sunday.She also said that BPVI and Veneto Banca's rescue will remove €18 billion in non-performing loans from the Italian banking sector and "contribute to its consolidation".It is the second time this month that the EU executive has approved a plan to save Italian banks.On 1 June, it agreed "in principle" to the Italian state's rescue of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the country's fourth largest bank, which had also been worn down by massive debts and required around €9 billion."The government has utilised European rules in the best possible way," said Italian finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan on Sunday.He insisted that the plan to save BPVI and Veneto Banca was "burden-sharing, not a bail-in" and that it would use public money that was already provisioned.
Focus-China's slow foray into Central and Eastern Europe By Eric Maurice-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
Prague, Today, 13:27-Half a decade after it was launched, the network of cooperation between China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries has brought uneven economical and political fruits so far.The so-called 16+1 was established in 2012 as Beijing's initiative to cover various issues such as investment, trade, but also culture or education.The group includes 11 EU countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia; and five non-EU countries from the Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.It fits into China's global strategy to engage new partners in political and economic ties in different formats.Despite having a permanent secretariat, the Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries - the initiative's official name - is more a series of bilateral relationships with no overall coherence, as experts pointed out in discussions at the Prague European Summit conference earlier this month."It's not really a multilateral format," Petr Kratochvil, the director of Prague's Institute of International Relations, told EUobserver."It's more a group of countries that China took to have bilateral ties with. It's mainly Poland and Hungary in terms of investment, and Romania and Serbia for building projects."China's interest in the 16+1 countries is different from one country to another.In the Czech Republic, Kratochvil noted, the Chinese have mainly invested in real estate, a football club - Slavia Prague, which just won the Czech championship - or the media."It's not really the kind of investment the country wants, because it doesn't produce anything," he said.In Budapest, meanwhile, the government announced last week that Hungary and China would soon start to cooperate in the healthcare industry – from making medical equipment to developing biotechnologies.Kratochvil noted that the amount of Chinese investments in the region had remained limited and was concentrated on a few high profile infrastructure projects, such as the Budapest-Belgrade high-speed railway that Chinese companies plan to build.The focus on infrastructure shows that China considers Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) a full part of the One Belt-One Road initiative – an investment and infrastructure plan, spanning from China to the Middle-East and Africa through to Central Asia."Southern and Eastern Europe are a testing ground for the Belt and Road," Anastas Vangeli, from the Polish Academy of Sciences, told EUobserver.He said that 16+1 was more an "experiment" than a "Chinese plan", and that Beijing tries "to see whether this type of diplomacy can help them boost economic relations.""To put it very simply, the whole idea is to find ways to boost the economy outside China, to generate demand for Chinese goods," Vangeli said, adding: "And these are not cheap goods: high speed railways, satellites systems or nuclear technology."Agatha Kratz, from the European Council on Foreign Relations, a London-based think-tank, told EUobserver that: "The first idea was to treat CEE as Asia and Africa.""That was a big shock, they explained that loans for projects that China would build were not going to happen."For Kratz, the success of the 16+1 initiative is to be found on the political side than in the economic side.She pointed out that annual summits between the 17 leaders, usually in Europe, constitute a "formal channel of communication".-A pragmatic question-After five years, the 16+1 format "has shown its limits, but it will continue," Kratz added.For China, the forum is "high-level enough and it helps to understand how best to promote what it can do in Europe".For CEE countries, the summits are "one more bilateral forum, one more way to have meetings with China and explain what they [CEE countries] need from it."For countries that are either part of the EU or willing to join it in the future, the Chinese partnership is "a pragmatic question", Kratochvil insisted.Although some leaders, such as Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban or Czech president Milos Zeman, are supportive of certain Chinese positions – for instance Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea – the region is not going to become a Chinese "ally"."The idea of a strategic shift is nonsense," Kratochvil said.
UK previews offer on EU nationals' rights By Andrew Rettman-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:26-EU nationals in the UK could get almost the same rights as British people after Brexit, but an EU deal might not happen, the British government has said.“They [EU nationals] get the same residents rights, the same employment rights, the same health rights, the same welfare rights, the same pension rights and so on”, David Davis, the UK’s Brexit negotiator, told the BBC on Sunday (25 June).He added, in a preview of a UK proposal on citizens’ rights due out later on Monday: “The only thing they don’t get is the right to vote and they can get that if they become a citizen.”He said that a new arbitration tribunal, but not the European Court of Justice (ECJ), should oversee those rights.“It may well be we have an arbitration arrangement over this, but it’s not going to be the Court of Justice”, he said.He said some EU nationals could, in future, be deported if “they’ve committed a crime or [posed] some sort of security problem”.He also said all EU nationals who had arrived in the UK prior to March this year would definitely be covered by the deal.The rights of 3.2 million EU citizens living in Britain and 0.9 million UK nationals in the EU, as well as Britain’s membership of the single market and customs union would dissolve if Brexit ends badly.But Davis said he could not guarantee a positive outcome.“I am pretty sure, I am not 100 percent sure [there will be a deal], it's a negotiation”, he told the BBC.“We cannot have a circumstance where the other side says that they are going to punish you. So if that happens then there is a walkaway, and we have to plan for that,” he said.Britain’s proposal on citizens’ rights comes after EU leaders voiced scepticism on its initial ideas at a summit in Brussels last week.“The British offer is below expectations, and risks worsening the situation of citizens”, European Council head Donald Tusk said after hearing from British leader Theresa May at the event.Malta, which currently holds the six-month EU presidency, said May was vague on the rights of EU nationals’ relatives.-Very French-ECJ jurisdiction is also a red line for the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, French politician Michel Barnier.Davis said in the BBC interview that Barnier, whom he met last week, was “very French, very logical … very grand [and] … very elegant”.He said the Brexit process was “not an ideological thing - it is a practical thing.”“It is not a macho clashing of antlers, it is about finding a place that suits both sides”, he said.He added that the UK wanted a quick deal on citizens and on Northern Ireland before moving on to trade talks.He said Northern Ireland and Ireland should have an "invisible border” after Brexit, but that this involved a lot of “technical” issues, such as car number plate recognition.The Brexit process comes in parallel to May’s talks with Northern Ireland’s unionist DUP party on a post-election accord.May, who lost her parliamentary majority in recent elections, needs DUP support to enable her Conservative Party to stay in power.Davis played down speculation that he might challenge May for the party leadership in the wake of her election losses.“Our job is to support the prime minister and make Brexit work, not anything else,” he told the BBC in a message to other Tory MPs.“I want a stable backdrop to this Brexit negotiation,” he said.-Repeal Bill-He also warned the opposition Labour Party and the Scottish National Party (SNP) not to vote against any future Brexit pact when it is transferred into British law in a so called Repeal Bill.“The point about the great repeal bill is that it takes European law and puts it into British law so there’s no black hole at the other end,” he said.He said “the British statute book, British law” would become “unworkable” if the Repeal Bill fell when the UK exited the EU.The Labour Party’s shadow minister on Brexit and the opposition Liberal Party’s Brexit spokesman criticised Davis’ comments.Labour’s Keith Stramer said Davis appeared to be “preparing for failure” on Brexit and that lack of a British-EU deal “would be catastrophic for British trade, jobs and security”.The Liberal Party’s Tom Brake said Davis “inspires about as much confidence as a drunken trapeze artist”.Hannah Bardell, an SNP deputy, said the no-deal scenario would be “disastrous” for Scotland, which could lose up to 800,000 jobs as a result.
Opinion-Cohesion policy for a stronger Europe By Daniel Termont-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:03-The EU has struggled to deliver solutions to some of its main challenges in recent years, including high unemployment, low levels of growth, migration flows, as well as environmental issues. These problems have given rise to euroscepticism and a lack of trust in the EU.Brexit has also been a wake-up call, carrying with it a loud and clear message for change.This is the background for the debate on the future of the EU’s cohesion policy.We must change the narrative and recognise the added value of cohesion policy as a strong expression of European solidarity.There is huge potential to deliver visible results that matter to people: from better access to schools, health and social care, cleaner air and water to improved and more sustainable mobility.Cohesion policy is also one of the most important investment policies of the EU, vital to ensuring the competitiveness of the EU globally, through its cities and regions.A strong cohesion policy for the future will be an essential tool to deliver the results the EU badly needs, and to safeguard what already works well.In my own city – Ghent, in Belgium – the European Regional Development Fund (part of the cohesion policy funds) has made it possible to invest in both high-tech and low-tech solutions.We have invested €5 million to create a new business district, known as "het eilandje" (the island). A state-of-the-art building will re-use natural resources and stimulate research, innovation and entrepreneurship.Ghent, together with our neighbouring communities and Terneuzen in the Netherlands, is also a partner in the cross-border project "socio-economic development". This puts into practice the idea of the European/Benelux grouping of territorial cooperation.The project focuses on the creation of a future fit skills agenda, sub-regional branding, an accessible network of public transport, capitalising on the announced merger between the two harbour companies (Dutch Seaports and Ghent Harbour), and a revitalisation of the rural area.Across Europe, hundreds of cities are improving the lives of their citizens in similar ways. To continue to do so, we need cohesion policy to remain the EU’s main public investment policy.-Cities as partners-City authorities need a much stronger role in shaping decisions on policy and investment priorities in their metropolitan areas, to maximise the potential of cohesion policy.As mayor, I know every corner of my city. Together with my administration, we have daily contact with our citizens.We play a pivotal role – connecting citizens, companies and knowledge institutions. We stimulate cooperation and leave room for experimentation. We can connect EU investments with local needs and we play a central role in implementing EU policy goals.But when it comes to decisions on longer-term investments through EU cohesion policy funding, our role – as for many other cities - is marginal.This undermines the shared ownership and targeted investments that cohesion policy should be based on.The urban agenda for the EU has recognised the added value of bringing cities and other levels of government together, on matters that concern us and our citizens.Let’s bring the way we deal with cohesion policy in line with this partnership approach, to strengthen the policy and position it closer to citizens.-Urban ownership-A stronger cohesion policy will come with solid local ownership.The area and place-based approach is unique to cohesion policy. It makes sense for cities, where challenges affect several sectors of the overall local economy.We must continue to develop the options we have at EU level to address this, through joined up policy and investment instruments.One of our EU-funded projects in Ghent (REFILL) focuses on social innovation: We exchange knowledge with colleagues from other European cities and work together with citizens on how to provide temporary uses for derelict places and unused buildings in the city.The cohesion policy funds invested in this project were essential for us to experiment with new forms of decision-making and social innovation, ecological use of buildings, and for involving our citizens in the process.Similar examples from other cities demonstrate a strong commitment and capacity to engage in both European and local partnerships.Through local expertise, city solutions can be scaled to the EU level or duplicated in other cities, contributing to more effective solutions for everyone.-Cities leading in a globalised world-Sustainable cities have been internationally recognised as one of the goals in the UN’s sustainable development agenda. This highlights the growing importance of cities globally, and at the EU level.Cohesion policy post-2020, a topic of conversation at this week’s Cohesion Forum in Brussels on 26-27 June, must reflect this global recognition of the role of cities – enhancing the tools and mechanisms to empower and support cities directly.As president of EUROCITIES, the network of more than 140 large European cities, I can testify to the commitment of my fellow city mayors to building a stronger and fairer Europe.We do this through local leadership, and in partnership with regional and national governments and the EU.Together, we can ensure that cohesion policy delivers results for citizens and contributes to a stronger Europe.Daniel Termont is the mayor of Ghent in Belgium, and is the president of EUROCITIES
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
River swelling from snowmelt forces evacuation of 90 homes-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
FRESNO, Calif. — Authorities say 90 homes remain under mandatory evacuation orders following levee breaches along a river in California, the result of the state's huge springtime snowpack melting in the summer heat.The Tulare County Sheriff's Office posted aerial photos Sunday showing several submerged houses at the Kings River Golf and Country Club. Deputies went door to door asking residents to leave after a 15-foot-wide breach opened along the river Friday.A total of 300 people had to evacuate, and floodwaters have damaged seven structures and 18 RVs in the area east of Kingsburg, the Fresno Bee reported (http://bit.ly/2u3TewA). Crews are bringing in sandbags to fill the breaches.The Kings River began to flood Wednesday about 25 miles (40 kilometres ) north of Fresno as temperatures soared, melting snow in the Sierra Nevada and sending it downstream."It was like a war zone out here," country club resident Doreen Dalbey told the Bee. "At one point it (the water) got scary high. I thought the whole house would flood. We thought the water was going a different direction but it started making its way to us. I knew when I saw the water filling up a sand trap and how fast it filled up that we were in trouble and we need to run."In May, state water managers said California's springtime snowpack was nearly double its normal levels following five years of historic drought, including two of the driest in the state's recorded history..A flood warning will be in place for the Kings River area until Monday.The Associated Press.
Dutch scientists fete rare meteorite find-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
The Hague (AFP) - Dutch scientists on Monday celebrated the rare discovery of meteorite in The Netherlands, which at 4.5-billion years old may hold clues to the birth of our solar system."Meteorites are very special because we do not have rocks of this age on earth," said geologist Leo Kriegsman from the Naturalis biodiversity centre in Leiden in a YouTube video marking the occasion.The fist-sized meteorite, weighing about 500 grammes (one pound), crashed through the roof of a shed in the small town of Broek in Waterland, just north of Amsterdam, in January probably travelling at the speed of a high-velocity train.It was discovered the next morning by the residents under a broken pile of wood from the roof, but despite an extensive search, no other fragments have been found in the area.Even though meteor showers probably reach the northern European country every three to four years, the small space rocks are very hard to find as they can often end up in water, or peat-bogs or strewn on forest floors where they are hard to distinguish.- 'Very exciting' -This is only the sixth meteorite found in the past 200 years in The Netherlands, and the last such find dates back to 1990. So Kriegsman said it was "very exciting" when the home-owners contacted them about their find."We can learn from it what happened in the very beginning of the solar system when you had a stellar cloud that collapsed and minerals started to form, when planetoids started to form for the very first time," said Kriegsman."So it gives us information on what happened at the very beginning when the Earth was formed."He estimated that the meteorite probably came from the region between Mars and Jupiter where there is a large asteroid belt with "a lot of rocks and small planets" flying around which sometimes fall out of their orbit.The Leiden centre unveiled the meteorite on Monday, after carrying out extensive tests."We wanted to be 100 percent sure of what kind of meteorite it was, so we needed to carry out some research first," Kriegsman told AFP. This one has been identified as a type L6 chrondite, which is a fairly common kind.But Kriegsman said all meteorites add to the scientific body of knowledge, and places like Antarctica and the Sahara desert where many have been found have boosted the science in recent years."There are many different types of meteorites, and it's always useful to have more meteorites even if they confirm the theory that we already have," he told AFP.He now plans to carry out further research on the space rock, with the help of a masters student, to try to determine from what depth of an earlier planet it may have come.
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
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
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)
U.S. Supreme Court revives Trump travel ban order-[Reuters]-By Lawrence Hurley-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his temporary bans on travelers from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees to go into effect for people with no connection to the United States while agreeing to hear his appeals in the closely watched legal fight.The court, which narrowed the scope of lower court rulings that had completely blocked his March 6 executive order, said it would hear arguments on the legality of one of Trump's signature policies in his first months as president in the court's next term, which starts in October.The justices granted parts of his administration's emergency request to put the order into effect immediately while the legal battle continues.The court said that the travel ban will go into effect "with respect to foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."The Supreme Court left the lower-court injunctions against the ban in place, but only with respect to the challengers to the ban themselves and others in similar circumstances, meaning they involve people in the United States who have relationships with foreign nationals abroad and whose rights might be affected if those foreigners were excluded from entry.But the court said the injunctions were too broad to also include barring enforcement of the ban against foreigners who have no connection to the United States at all. "Denying entry to such a foreign national does not burden any American party by reason of that party's relationship with the foreign national," the court said.The court also said it would allow a 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States to go into effect on the same grounds, allowing the government to exclude from the United States refugee claimants who do not have any "bona fide relationship" with an American individual or entity.Three of the court's conservatives said they would have granted Trump's request in full, including Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch.The case is Trump's first major challenge at the Supreme Court, where he restored a 5-4 conservative majority with the appointment of Gorsuch, who joined the bench in April. There are five Republican appointees on the court and four Democratic appointees.The March 6 order called for a 90-day ban on travelers from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States to enable the government to implement stronger vetting procedures. It was blocked by federal judges before going into effect on March 16 as planned.Trump issued the order amid rising international concern about attacks carried out by Islamist militants like those in Paris, London, Brussels, Berlin and other cities. But critics have called the order a mean-spirited, intolerant and un-American "Muslim ban."The state of Hawaii and a group of plaintiffs in Maryland represented by the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the order violated federal immigration law and the Constitution's First Amendment prohibition on the government favoring or disfavoring any particular religion. Regional federal appeals courts in Virginia and California both upheld district judge injunctions blocking the order.Trump signed the order as a replacement for a Jan. 27 order issued a week after he became president that also was blocked by federal courts. The revised order was intended to overcome the legal issues posed by the original ban, which also included Iraq among the nations targeted and a full ban on refugees from Syria. The revised order also jettisoned language that gave preferential status to persecuted religious minorities, which critics said could be taken as favoring Christians and other religious groups over Muslims.Trump has called the March order a "watered down, politically correct" version of the January one. But the order still embodied his "America First" nationalist message and reflected his views of the dangers posed to the United States by certain immigrants and visitors.The administration has said the travel ban is needed to allow time to implement stronger vetting measures, although it has already rolled out some new requirements not blocked by courts, including additional questions for visa applicants.(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley. Additional reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)
Donald Trump Becomes First President In Two Decades To Not Host A Ramadan Dinner-[HuffPost]-Hayley Miller-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
Breaking with tradition, the White House under President Donald Trump did not host an iftar dinner, the meal Muslims eat to break their daily fast during Ramadan.The dinner, which has been often attended by prominent members of the U.S. Muslim community, began in 1996 during former President Bill Clinton’s White House tenure and continued through the subsequent Bush and Obama administrations.But Trump and first lady Melania simply issued a brief statement Saturday that offered “warm greetings” to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the close of Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting.On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eidal-Fitr.Muslims in the United States joined those around the world during the holy month of Ramadan to focus on acts of faith and charity. Now, as they commemorate Eid with family and friends, they carry on the tradition of helping neighbors and breaking bread with people from all walks of life.During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill. With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honor these values.Eid Mubarak.Trump’s decision to skip hosting the dinner comes after he released a controversial statement meant to mark the beginning of Ramadan. Many members of the Muslim community condemned the message, which largely focused on terrorism.“This year, the holiday begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramadan,” read a White House statement issued in May. “Such acts only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology.”Trump’s remarks starkly contrast with those by then-President Barack Obama during Ramadan last year. In June 2016, Obama and then-first lady Michelle announced plans to host an Eid celebration in the White House and praised American Muslims for their contributions to the U.S.“Muslim Americans have been part of our American family since its founding,” the Obamas wrote in a statement roughly five times longer than Trump’s Ramadan message. “We look forward to welcoming Americans from around the country to celebrate the holiday.”Secretary of states have also traditionally hosted Iftar dinners since 1999 ― but not this year. Trump’s top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, declined an invitation this year from the State Department’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs to host an Eid al-Fitr celebration, according to CNN.With its break from precedent, the Trump administration shunned an opportunity to reach out to the U.S. Muslim community whose leaders have said has been ostracized by the president’s rhetoric and his policies, including his proposed travel ban.Imam Talib Shareef, president of the Nation’s Mosque in Washington, D.C., called Trump’s decision “disappointing.”“To stop it doesn’t send a good message” Shareef told Newsweek.Referring to one of Trump’s main pastimes, he added: “You get the chance to go golfing and all this other kind of stuff. How come you don’t have time for a population of your society that needs some assistance?”
Anti-Islam rally in Calgary meets with counter-protest but remains peaceful-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
The event billed on social media as a "Patriotic Unity Mega Festival" in front of Calgary's city hall on Sunday was met by an opposing group rallying against what they saw as a message of intolerance.Gathered on one side of the municipal plaza were members of the Worldwide Coalition Against Islam (WCAI), which was denied a special event permit for the rally by the city.Officials said in a written response to the group the decision was "on the basis that your organization, and messages it espouses, are hateful."Across the plaza were members of Calgary Anti-Fascist Action (AFA), who say they wanted to show unity against what they called messages of intolerance and hate.Standing between the two groups were Calgary police officers, ensuring things remained peaceful.Insults, slurs and chants were hurled back and forth. However, no arrests were made.Among the few dozen people watching the two sides rally was Lifetime Adventure Travel guide Judi Sommerville, who was leading a two-hour tour of the downtown."It's totally embarrassing," she said. "And it does not represent our city in the least. This is where we start the tour and talk about city hall and some artifacts, and it's not a very good way to begin a tour of our beautiful, interesting city."-Weekend of rallies-Sunday's rallies culminated three days of protests and counter-protests in the city.On Friday, about 100 people chanted and listened to speeches to mark the annual International Day of al-Quds. Nearby, about 50 pro-Israel demonstrators chanted, sang and danced.A heavy police presence also kept those two groups apart.Then on Saturday, an event called We Stand United in One Love Canada was held as a protest against the WCAI event, which was originally planned for Saturday.Later in the day, another rally organized by Calgary Anti-Oppression Network was held, also in opposition to the WCAI event.
Occupation is a crime': Regina Muslims protest international oppression-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
A small group with a strong message gathered at Victoria Park on Saturday to mark al-Quds Day in Regina.Every year at the end of Ramadan, people of the Muslim faith use the day to voice their support for people who are oppressed. Events are held around the world as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people and other groups.About 25 people chanted and listened to speeches to mark the day in Regina."We want to show our support for the oppressed people and stand against the oppressors, those who are unjust and tyrant people," Imam Syed Sha told the CBC.Sha came from Halifax to celebrate the month of Ramadan with people in the city and to deliver a lecture about the holy month of fasting. He led the rally on Saturday, with chants including: "Occupation is a crime. Free, free Palestine."He said as Muslims, they want to stand up for people in Canada and elsewhere who are being oppressed, regardless of their religion."Our religion teaches us wherever there is someone that's oppressed... if he has no religion or faith that is fine, because he is a human being," said Sha. "We believe in humanity. If he is a human being, he is my brother."In Calgary, people took part in opposing but peaceful rallies at city hall on Friday night.Along with about 100 people who were there to mark al-Quds Day, about 50 pro-Israel demonstrators on the other side of the municipal plaza chanted, sang and danced.There were no pro-Israel supporters at the al-Quds rally in Regina.
HOMOSEXUALS.(SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS)(TRANSGENDER MIXED BAG ALSO)
LEVITICUS 20:13
13 If a man also lie with mankind,(ANOTHER MAN) as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
LEVITICUS 18:22
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind,(ANOTHER MAN) as with womankind: it is abomination.
2 TIMOTHY 3:3
3 Without natural affection,(HOMOSEXUALS) trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
1 CORINTHIANS 6:9,
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,(HARDENED SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERRS) nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
PSALMS 14:1
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
ROMANS 1:18-32
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:(HOMOSEXUALITY,AND ALL SEX SINS)
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:(LESBIENS)
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly,(SODOMITES) and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.(AIDS ETC)
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
GOD CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE IN MARRIAGE
GENESIS 1:27-28
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,(HAVE LOTS OF CHILDREN) and replenish the earth,(HOMOSEXUALS CAN NOT REPLENISH THE EARTH WITH CHILDREN)(BY HAVING SEX WITH EACH OTHER) and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
GENESIS 2:21-24
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
MATTHEW 19:4-6
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Happy Pride!": Trudeau attends Toronto parade absent of police floats-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
TORONTO — Thousands cheered on Toronto's annual Pride parade Sunday and waved rainbow flags, though continued debate over the exclusion of the city's police force swirled amid the colourful procession that weaved its way through the downtown core.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne were among the dignitaries who were marching in the procession. Trudeau was casually dressed in a blue blazer and pink shirt, with a temporary tattoo of a rainbow-coloured maple leaf on his left cheek. He waved at the thousands of people who lined both sides of the parade route down Yonge Street, frequently yelling out, "Happy Pride!""It's all about how we celebrate the multiple layers of identities that make Canada extraordinary and strong," Trudeau told reporters before the parade started.Sophie Gregoire Trudeau waved a rainbow flag, one of the symbols of the LGBTQ community. Two of the Trudeaus' children were marching along with their parents. Multi-coloured streamers and Canadian flags hung from some balconies along the parade route, and many people watched from rooftops along Yonge Street as the parade went by below. The event started under cloudy skies and sporadic rain, but the sun came out toward the end of the event.Police officers were still present as security guards, but there was continued talk Sunday over the decision by organizers to keep the Toronto police float and uniformed officers out of this year's parade.Toronto pastor and prominent gay activist Brent Hawkes touched on the issue when he opened Toronto Pride with his final service, emphasizing the importance of making everyone feel welcome."Inclusion is the core value in our community and as long as a group or a company supports LGBT equality, then in my opinion, welcome aboard," he said.Organizers should not be able to tell people what to wear at Pride, Hawkes added."Because I probably wear a uniform that represents the group that has done the most damage to the LGBT community — the Christian Church," he said. "So I would say don't ban what's offensive to some, reform it to the benefit of everyone."In January, organizers agreed to a list of demands issued by the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter, which included the police ban.The issue first came to widespread public attention during last year's parade, when members of the anti-racism group staged a sit-in that halted the march until Pride organizers agreed to a list of conditions.Black Lives Matter has argued that allowing uniformed officers at the parade could discourage marginalized communities from attending.Barry Trenthan, who marched in this year's Toronto Pride with Rainbow Railroad, a group that helps LGBT people living in countries with anti-gay laws, has attended Pride for the last 30 years. He said he has mixed feelings about the decision to bar the police. "I remember when there was no way police would be a part of it publicly," he said, adding that it felt like a "coup" to get their approval. But police support isn't meaningful "if not all of us are supported," he said.Toronto Mayor John Tory, who was also taking part in the parade, expressed hope a solution would be found well before next year's event."Any time anybody is excluded it can't be a good thing," Tory told reporters. "We've got to get it resolved, we'll resolve it in the Toronto way, which is by talking about it and I'm very optimistic that it will be resolved in time for next year."In response to the ban on police floats and uniformed officers, a group from Toronto police took part in the pride parade in New York City.Last month, the Gay Officers Action League of New York extended the invitation for Toronto officers to join uniformed members of the New York Police Department in the pride events Sunday.For many attendees, the parade itself was the central focus of the day. Lucky Vincent Bersales, who grew up in the Philippines, marched for the first time in this year's parade, wearing a floor-length blue dress with diamond accents. "I love Toronto," said Bersales, who describes himself as a cross-dresser. "They accept me for who I am and what I am, and that's what I'm proud of. This is the first time I love myself."Black Lives Matter didn't hold up the Toronto parade this year, but did stage a protest down the parade route after Pride had wound down. Members of the group also held a similar demonstration in downtown Vancouver.Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations also took part in this year's event, making him the first National Chief to participate in a Pride event.Maija Kappler, The Canadian Press.
Supreme Court takes on new clash of gay rights, religion-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is taking on a new clash between gay rights and religion in a case about a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in Colorado.The justices said Monday they will consider whether a baker who objects to same-sex marriage on religious grounds can refuse to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.The case asks the high court to balance the religious rights of the baker against the couple's right to equal treatment under the law. Similar disputes have popped up across the United States.The decision to take on the case reflects renewed energy among the court's conservative justices, whose ranks have recently been bolstered by the addition of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the high court.The court will review a Colorado court decision that found baker Jack Phillips and his Masterpiece Cakeshop discriminated against the gay couple under Colorado law.Phillips told the Supreme Court he has free speech and religious rights under the First Amendment that should protect him. He said he should not be compelled to bake a cake specifically to honour a same-sex marriage.Colorado's anti-discrimination law protects people on the basis of their sexual orientation. Charlie Craig and David Mullins filed a complaint against Phillips and his suburban Denver shop after Phillips said he would not create and decorate a cake in honour of their marriage.Colorado did not permit same-sex couples to marry until 2014. Two years earlier, Craig and Mullin were planning to fly to Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage was legal, and host a reception in Denver upon their return to Colorado. They wanted the cake for the occasion.The Associated Press.
AP: Authorities delayed investigating gay 'demons' case-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
SPINDALE, N.C. — For two years, Matthew Fenner said he pleaded with authorities to investigate his allegations that a group of fellow congregants at the Word of Faith Fellowship church had punched, slapped and choked him to expel his "homosexual demons."An Associated Press investigation found that Rutherford County investigators and then-District Attorney Brad Greenway delayed investigating and told Fenner his only option was to pursue misdemeanour charges against the church members he said assaulted him for nearly two hours in the evangelical church's sanctuary.The AP's conclusions are based on more than a dozen interviews and court documents, along with a series of secretly made recordings that were provided of Fenner's meetings with law enforcement authorities, including Rutherford County Sheriff Chris Francis.In February, the AP detailed how many Word of Faith Fellowship congregants were regularly attacked both physically and verbally in an attempt to "purify" sinners by beating out devils.The church has come under scrutiny by law enforcement and social services authorities on numerous occasions with little effect, mostly because followers refused to co-operate . But Fenner's relentless pursuit eventually led to the indictment of five congregants, who were charged with kidnapping and assault."The whole investigation should have taken a month," said Michael Davis, who spent 15 years as a Rutherford County sheriff's investigator before retiring last year, and was not involved in Fenner's case. "They should have interviewed witnesses. They should have gone to the church. They should have written up a report and sent it over to the sheriff, then to the DA. But that didn't happen. None of that happened."Greenway said he couldn't recall details of the Fenner case, but initially believed it wasn't a "big deal" based on what the sheriff told him. Francis said Greenway made the decision not to pursue charges early on.In May, more than four years after Fenner said he was assaulted, longtime minister Brooke Covington became the first of the five church members to go on trial in proceedings that attracted national attention due to AP's investigation.Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus declared a mistrial when the jury foreman shared three unauthorized documents during deliberations, and a retrial is scheduled for Sept. 11.The judge also issued a gag order that is being challenged by the AP preventing witnesses, prosecutors and jurors from discussing the case. The witnesses interviewed for this story talked to AP before that order was issued.During the trial, Fenner, now 24, testified that he didn't call police the night of the Jan. 27, 2013, attack because he was afraid he would be beaten again. At the time, Fenner said he and nearly 20 other people were living in Covington's house.When Fenner fled to his grandparents two days later, they called authorities. But Fenner told the jury that law enforcement — ranging from the Rutherford County sheriff's office to the Federal Bureau of Investigation — didn't take his allegations seriously.The AP found that Fenner not only told law enforcement agencies about what happened to him, but also warned of ongoing abuse in the church."Over the last two decades, it appears that different politicians or leaders in the community have had a certain fear of the Word of Faith and for whatever reason that sort of encapsulated them and made them untouchable," said Jerry Wease, chairman of the Rutherford County Democratic Party and a licensed counsellor who has worked with people who left the church.He added: "If no one is going to stand up and say choking, beating, violence and abuse is illegal and morally wrong, I have one question: Why? Why is every elected official not standing up and saying this?"The sect was founded in 1979 by Jane Whaley, a former math teacher, and her husband, Sam, a former used car salesman. Under Jane Whaley's leadership, Word of Faith Fellowship grew from a handful of followers to a congregation of about 750 in North Carolina and nearly 2,000 members in churches in Brazil, Ghana and affiliations in Sweden, Scotland and other countries.Allegations of abuse at Word of Faith Fellowship date back years, but church leaders have dodged any serious consequences. In another previous story, the AP outlined how congregants were ordered by church leaders to lie to authorities looking into reports of abuse and coached on what to say by two assistant district attorneys and a veteran social worker who are members of the church.After that report, the prosecutors left their jobs and the social worker resigned. All three had worked in nearby counties.Fenner was a teenager when he joined the church with his mother and brothers in 2010. During his years at Word of Faith, he testified that he saw congregants, including children, subjected to violent deliverance and a practice called blasting — an ear-piercing verbal onslaught often conducted in hours-long sessions meant to cast out devils.He said he experienced both himself, but nothing like what happened in January 2013, when he was surrounded by nearly two dozen people while leaving a service.Danielle Cordes, one of four former church members who told AP they witnessed the attack, said, "They just kept hitting him over and over. It was horrible. ... I thought that he was going to be the first person they killed."Several witnesses told the AP that when Fenner initially talked to a Rutherford County sheriff's deputy the day after fleeing the church, he wasn't ready to press charges."I was still confused and hurt. I needed time to think," he told the AP.On Jan. 31, 2013, he met with FBI agent Fred Molina, who was investigating a complaint from another congregant who said he was beaten because he was gay. Fenner detailed what happened to him, along with the abuse of other congregants, six people told the AP.A month later, Fenner called the FBI to check on the progress of the agency's inquiry and was told a new agent was on the case because Molina was about to retire. That agent never called him back, Fenner said. When he received a letter months after that saying the FBI wasn't going to investigate, he inquired why and said he was told it was because the other church member who reported being attacked had recanted.Molina declined to talk to the AP, saying he was told by his former bosses not to discuss the case. But Nancy Burnette, who became familiar with the church through her court work with foster children and who helped some congregants flee, said Molina told her that he was pulled from the investigation. He urged her to "keep fighting" to get the "truth out," she said.The FBI referred questions to the Charlotte office of U.S. Attorney Jill Rose, who said Fenner's allegations did not rise to the level of a federal crime.Fenner said he talked to sheriff's detective Joey Sisk about the assault on June 7, 2013, and that he and other former church members pressed Sisk for updates for months.On an October 2013 recording obtained by the AP, Sisk told Fenner that Greenway, then the district attorney, read Fenner's statement about the attack and said no criminal charges would be pursued.Sisk said Fenner's only recourse was trying to file misdemeanour charges with the local magistrate, which is allowed under North Carolina law, though experts say magistrates rarely issue warrants."Ok, so let me get this straight," Fenner said on the recording. "He's willing to look at assault by strangulation, slapping, holding me against my will and say, 'That's just a misdemeanour ?'""That's what he's telling me," Sisk responded. Sisk could not answer questions from the AP because he is barred from speaking under the gag order.The AP found that Fenner kept pushing the issue, telling the directors of two local child-welfare agencies that ministers were abusing children in the church's K-12 school."During my time, I watched a lot of bad things happen to a lot of people," Fenner told the director of the Rutherford County Department of Social Services in a December 2013 meeting that was secretly taped.The director, John Carroll, declined to comment to the AP about the meeting.Fenner also met in January 2014 with Rose, who was then an assistant U.S. attorney in Charlotte, hoping to get help under a federal law governing hate crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation, gender and race.On a tape obtained by the AP, Fenner, two former church members and two advocates told Rose about widespread abuse at Word of Faith. Rose responded that she was familiar with the church because she was an assistant prosecutor in a North Carolina district that included Spindale in the 1990s."We had a horrible time trying to make cases against them," she said on the recording. "For whatever reason, it was always something."At the end of the meeting, Rose said she would think about her next step and promised to stay in touch. But Fenner said she did not return any follow-up calls.Rose told the AP that she decided Fenner's allegations did not fully meet the requirements of the federal hate crimes statute for religion or sexual orientation because they contained no element of interstate commerce, involving movement across state lines.All the while, Fenner had been trying to set up meetings with Greenway and Francis, the sheriff. He finally succeeded in landing a meeting with Francis in August 2014 as he was preparing to start classes at the University of North Carolina."I have not looked at one thing in your case file," the sheriff said in a recording of the meeting obtained by the AP, adding that Greenway "personally reviewed" the allegations and decided not to prosecute.Then Francis suggested that Fenner file misdemeanour charges with the magistrate. "I'll walk you over there right now," he said.When Fenner returned to Spindale on his fall break in October, he camped outside Greenway's office with five family members and friends. Within an hour, they said, Greenway met with them.The AP talked to three people who attended the meeting, who said they told Greenway that both Francis and Sisk earmarked the district attorney as the one who declined to prosecute.Although Sisk had told Fenner a year earlier that Greenway had read Fenner's statement, Greenway told them he didn't know details of the case because he hadn't seen an incident report. Fenner said he soon discovered that either no one at the sheriff's office had created a report or it couldn't be located."Greenway refused to do anything until he got one," said Fenner's aunt, Lynn Rape. So Fenner and his family walked across the street to the sheriff's office and found a "sympathetic" deputy who took his statement, Rape said.In an interview with the AP this February, Greenway said he could not recall many details about the Fenner case."The sheriff told me early on it was not a felony kidnapping case," he said. When asked how he came to that conclusion, Greenway responded: "I don't know."Francis disputed that characterization. He told the AP that the protocol is for his department to present information to the district attorney's office for a determination on whether to file charges. The sheriff also said he had limited involvement in the investigation.As for Greenway, he told the AP that the church was influential and that its accusers weren't always reliable. The church "would make sure they would bring in all these well-dressed congregants to tell a different story. Don't take this the wrong way — and I knew people were being abused down there — but you just got tired going against them," he said.In December 2014, a month after Greenway lost his re-election bid, a grand jury indicted the five Word of Faith Fellowship members."If it wasn't for our pressure," Rape said, "nothing would have happened."Added Davis, the former sheriff's investigator: "They just wanted the case to go away. They never expected Fenner to push so hard."___Mohr reported from Jackson, Mississippi.___Read more of AP's investigation of the Word of Faith Fellowship here: http://apne.ws/2lmuzDA___The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate@ap.org-Mitch Weiss And Holbrook Mohr, The Associated Press.
Toll from oil tanker fire in Pakistan climbs to 157-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
MULTAN, Pakistan — Pakistan's prime minister cut short a trip abroad to rush to the side of victims of a massive fuel tanker fire as authorities on Monday raised the death toll to 157.The truck, carrying some 25,000 litres (6,600 gallons) of gasoline, was travelling from the southern port city of Karachi to Lahore when the driver lost control and crashed on a highway outside the town of Bahawalpur early on Sunday.Alerted by an announcement over a loudspeaker at a local mosque, scores of villagers rushed to the scene to collect the spilled fuel. When the fire broke out, the villagers were engulfed in flames, many burned beyond recognition.Dr. Nahid Ahmed at the Nishter Hospital in Multan, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) away, said four of the victims that were brought from Bahawalpur had died overnight, bringing the death toll to 157. Ahmed said 50 more severely burned victims were being treated at his hospital.Rescue official Mohammad Baqar at the Bahawalpur hospital said 20 more victims were transported on Monday by a military C-130 plane to Lahore for better medical care.Prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who visited the Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur on Monday, ordered that more of those most critically hurt be transferred to bigger hospitals in the area, Baqar said.Sharif cut short his trip abroad and rushed back home, reaching Bahawalpur on Monday to visit the victims and console the affected families. Sharif also announced 2 million rupees — almost $20,000 — as financial assistance for each family that lost someone in the highway inferno. Sharif also handed over checks of 1 million rupees ($10,000) for each burn victim being treated at the hospital in Bahawalpur."This is not compensation, no compensation is possible for precious human life, but it is to help the affected families in distress," Sharif said.Many of the bodies will have to be identified through DNA testing, said Baqar."I have never seen anything like it in my life. Victims trapped in the fireball. They were screaming for help," said Abdul Malik, a police officer who was among the first to arrive at the scene.When the flames subsided, he said, "we saw bodies everywhere. So many were just skeletons. The people who were alive were in really bad shape."The dead included men, women and children.The disaster struck on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that follows the holy month of Ramadan. While Saudi Arabia and most other Muslim countries started celebrating the holiday Sunday, Pakistanis are marking it on Monday.___Associated Press Writer Zarar Khan in Islamabad contributed to this report.Irum Asim, The Associated Press.
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.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
REVELATION 17:9-13
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-7 YEARS.THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
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.
EU approves rescue of Italian banks By Eric Maurice-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:07-The European Commission on Sunday (25 June) approved a €17-billion plan by the Italian government to save two failing banks.The Italian government had decided a few hours before to cut both the Banca Popolare di Vicenza (BPVI) and Veneto Banca into two, to keep their good assets in a "good bank" and the toxic assets in a "bad bank".The banks, which were weakened by a lack of capital and massive debts due to non-performing (non-repaid) loans, were taken over by the Intesa Sanpaolo bank, for one symbolic euro.The Italian state injected €4.785 billion to keep both the financial institutions alive. The government also offered a guarantee up to €12-billion, to cover the cost of Intesa liquidating the banks' bad assets.The commission said that the plan was "in line with EU state aid rules", because "existing shareholders and subordinated debt holders have fully contributed to the costs" and the two failing banks "will be wound up in an orderly fashion and exit the market".The EU executive also said that Intesa was chosen in an "open, fair and transparent sales process".Because financial markets open on Monday, the process was completed over the weekend. It was triggered after the European Central Bank (ECB) said on Friday that BPVI and Veneto Banca had failed to present credible recapitalisation plans and were "failing or likely to fail".The banks, both located in the Veneto region in Italy, were being monitored by the ECB since 2014, after one of its evaluations had shown capital shortfalls.Despite a €3.5 billion cash injection last year by Atlante, an Italian fund, the banks' situation had worsened this year."Italy considers that state aid is necessary to avoid an economic disturbance in the Veneto region," EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager noted in a statement on Sunday.She also said that BPVI and Veneto Banca's rescue will remove €18 billion in non-performing loans from the Italian banking sector and "contribute to its consolidation".It is the second time this month that the EU executive has approved a plan to save Italian banks.On 1 June, it agreed "in principle" to the Italian state's rescue of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the country's fourth largest bank, which had also been worn down by massive debts and required around €9 billion."The government has utilised European rules in the best possible way," said Italian finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan on Sunday.He insisted that the plan to save BPVI and Veneto Banca was "burden-sharing, not a bail-in" and that it would use public money that was already provisioned.
Focus-China's slow foray into Central and Eastern Europe By Eric Maurice-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
Prague, Today, 13:27-Half a decade after it was launched, the network of cooperation between China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries has brought uneven economical and political fruits so far.The so-called 16+1 was established in 2012 as Beijing's initiative to cover various issues such as investment, trade, but also culture or education.The group includes 11 EU countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia; and five non-EU countries from the Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.It fits into China's global strategy to engage new partners in political and economic ties in different formats.Despite having a permanent secretariat, the Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries - the initiative's official name - is more a series of bilateral relationships with no overall coherence, as experts pointed out in discussions at the Prague European Summit conference earlier this month."It's not really a multilateral format," Petr Kratochvil, the director of Prague's Institute of International Relations, told EUobserver."It's more a group of countries that China took to have bilateral ties with. It's mainly Poland and Hungary in terms of investment, and Romania and Serbia for building projects."China's interest in the 16+1 countries is different from one country to another.In the Czech Republic, Kratochvil noted, the Chinese have mainly invested in real estate, a football club - Slavia Prague, which just won the Czech championship - or the media."It's not really the kind of investment the country wants, because it doesn't produce anything," he said.In Budapest, meanwhile, the government announced last week that Hungary and China would soon start to cooperate in the healthcare industry – from making medical equipment to developing biotechnologies.Kratochvil noted that the amount of Chinese investments in the region had remained limited and was concentrated on a few high profile infrastructure projects, such as the Budapest-Belgrade high-speed railway that Chinese companies plan to build.The focus on infrastructure shows that China considers Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) a full part of the One Belt-One Road initiative – an investment and infrastructure plan, spanning from China to the Middle-East and Africa through to Central Asia."Southern and Eastern Europe are a testing ground for the Belt and Road," Anastas Vangeli, from the Polish Academy of Sciences, told EUobserver.He said that 16+1 was more an "experiment" than a "Chinese plan", and that Beijing tries "to see whether this type of diplomacy can help them boost economic relations.""To put it very simply, the whole idea is to find ways to boost the economy outside China, to generate demand for Chinese goods," Vangeli said, adding: "And these are not cheap goods: high speed railways, satellites systems or nuclear technology."Agatha Kratz, from the European Council on Foreign Relations, a London-based think-tank, told EUobserver that: "The first idea was to treat CEE as Asia and Africa.""That was a big shock, they explained that loans for projects that China would build were not going to happen."For Kratz, the success of the 16+1 initiative is to be found on the political side than in the economic side.She pointed out that annual summits between the 17 leaders, usually in Europe, constitute a "formal channel of communication".-A pragmatic question-After five years, the 16+1 format "has shown its limits, but it will continue," Kratz added.For China, the forum is "high-level enough and it helps to understand how best to promote what it can do in Europe".For CEE countries, the summits are "one more bilateral forum, one more way to have meetings with China and explain what they [CEE countries] need from it."For countries that are either part of the EU or willing to join it in the future, the Chinese partnership is "a pragmatic question", Kratochvil insisted.Although some leaders, such as Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban or Czech president Milos Zeman, are supportive of certain Chinese positions – for instance Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea – the region is not going to become a Chinese "ally"."The idea of a strategic shift is nonsense," Kratochvil said.
UK previews offer on EU nationals' rights By Andrew Rettman-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:26-EU nationals in the UK could get almost the same rights as British people after Brexit, but an EU deal might not happen, the British government has said.“They [EU nationals] get the same residents rights, the same employment rights, the same health rights, the same welfare rights, the same pension rights and so on”, David Davis, the UK’s Brexit negotiator, told the BBC on Sunday (25 June).He added, in a preview of a UK proposal on citizens’ rights due out later on Monday: “The only thing they don’t get is the right to vote and they can get that if they become a citizen.”He said that a new arbitration tribunal, but not the European Court of Justice (ECJ), should oversee those rights.“It may well be we have an arbitration arrangement over this, but it’s not going to be the Court of Justice”, he said.He said some EU nationals could, in future, be deported if “they’ve committed a crime or [posed] some sort of security problem”.He also said all EU nationals who had arrived in the UK prior to March this year would definitely be covered by the deal.The rights of 3.2 million EU citizens living in Britain and 0.9 million UK nationals in the EU, as well as Britain’s membership of the single market and customs union would dissolve if Brexit ends badly.But Davis said he could not guarantee a positive outcome.“I am pretty sure, I am not 100 percent sure [there will be a deal], it's a negotiation”, he told the BBC.“We cannot have a circumstance where the other side says that they are going to punish you. So if that happens then there is a walkaway, and we have to plan for that,” he said.Britain’s proposal on citizens’ rights comes after EU leaders voiced scepticism on its initial ideas at a summit in Brussels last week.“The British offer is below expectations, and risks worsening the situation of citizens”, European Council head Donald Tusk said after hearing from British leader Theresa May at the event.Malta, which currently holds the six-month EU presidency, said May was vague on the rights of EU nationals’ relatives.-Very French-ECJ jurisdiction is also a red line for the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, French politician Michel Barnier.Davis said in the BBC interview that Barnier, whom he met last week, was “very French, very logical … very grand [and] … very elegant”.He said the Brexit process was “not an ideological thing - it is a practical thing.”“It is not a macho clashing of antlers, it is about finding a place that suits both sides”, he said.He added that the UK wanted a quick deal on citizens and on Northern Ireland before moving on to trade talks.He said Northern Ireland and Ireland should have an "invisible border” after Brexit, but that this involved a lot of “technical” issues, such as car number plate recognition.The Brexit process comes in parallel to May’s talks with Northern Ireland’s unionist DUP party on a post-election accord.May, who lost her parliamentary majority in recent elections, needs DUP support to enable her Conservative Party to stay in power.Davis played down speculation that he might challenge May for the party leadership in the wake of her election losses.“Our job is to support the prime minister and make Brexit work, not anything else,” he told the BBC in a message to other Tory MPs.“I want a stable backdrop to this Brexit negotiation,” he said.-Repeal Bill-He also warned the opposition Labour Party and the Scottish National Party (SNP) not to vote against any future Brexit pact when it is transferred into British law in a so called Repeal Bill.“The point about the great repeal bill is that it takes European law and puts it into British law so there’s no black hole at the other end,” he said.He said “the British statute book, British law” would become “unworkable” if the Repeal Bill fell when the UK exited the EU.The Labour Party’s shadow minister on Brexit and the opposition Liberal Party’s Brexit spokesman criticised Davis’ comments.Labour’s Keith Stramer said Davis appeared to be “preparing for failure” on Brexit and that lack of a British-EU deal “would be catastrophic for British trade, jobs and security”.The Liberal Party’s Tom Brake said Davis “inspires about as much confidence as a drunken trapeze artist”.Hannah Bardell, an SNP deputy, said the no-deal scenario would be “disastrous” for Scotland, which could lose up to 800,000 jobs as a result.
Opinion-Cohesion policy for a stronger Europe By Daniel Termont-JUNE 26,17-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 09:03-The EU has struggled to deliver solutions to some of its main challenges in recent years, including high unemployment, low levels of growth, migration flows, as well as environmental issues. These problems have given rise to euroscepticism and a lack of trust in the EU.Brexit has also been a wake-up call, carrying with it a loud and clear message for change.This is the background for the debate on the future of the EU’s cohesion policy.We must change the narrative and recognise the added value of cohesion policy as a strong expression of European solidarity.There is huge potential to deliver visible results that matter to people: from better access to schools, health and social care, cleaner air and water to improved and more sustainable mobility.Cohesion policy is also one of the most important investment policies of the EU, vital to ensuring the competitiveness of the EU globally, through its cities and regions.A strong cohesion policy for the future will be an essential tool to deliver the results the EU badly needs, and to safeguard what already works well.In my own city – Ghent, in Belgium – the European Regional Development Fund (part of the cohesion policy funds) has made it possible to invest in both high-tech and low-tech solutions.We have invested €5 million to create a new business district, known as "het eilandje" (the island). A state-of-the-art building will re-use natural resources and stimulate research, innovation and entrepreneurship.Ghent, together with our neighbouring communities and Terneuzen in the Netherlands, is also a partner in the cross-border project "socio-economic development". This puts into practice the idea of the European/Benelux grouping of territorial cooperation.The project focuses on the creation of a future fit skills agenda, sub-regional branding, an accessible network of public transport, capitalising on the announced merger between the two harbour companies (Dutch Seaports and Ghent Harbour), and a revitalisation of the rural area.Across Europe, hundreds of cities are improving the lives of their citizens in similar ways. To continue to do so, we need cohesion policy to remain the EU’s main public investment policy.-Cities as partners-City authorities need a much stronger role in shaping decisions on policy and investment priorities in their metropolitan areas, to maximise the potential of cohesion policy.As mayor, I know every corner of my city. Together with my administration, we have daily contact with our citizens.We play a pivotal role – connecting citizens, companies and knowledge institutions. We stimulate cooperation and leave room for experimentation. We can connect EU investments with local needs and we play a central role in implementing EU policy goals.But when it comes to decisions on longer-term investments through EU cohesion policy funding, our role – as for many other cities - is marginal.This undermines the shared ownership and targeted investments that cohesion policy should be based on.The urban agenda for the EU has recognised the added value of bringing cities and other levels of government together, on matters that concern us and our citizens.Let’s bring the way we deal with cohesion policy in line with this partnership approach, to strengthen the policy and position it closer to citizens.-Urban ownership-A stronger cohesion policy will come with solid local ownership.The area and place-based approach is unique to cohesion policy. It makes sense for cities, where challenges affect several sectors of the overall local economy.We must continue to develop the options we have at EU level to address this, through joined up policy and investment instruments.One of our EU-funded projects in Ghent (REFILL) focuses on social innovation: We exchange knowledge with colleagues from other European cities and work together with citizens on how to provide temporary uses for derelict places and unused buildings in the city.The cohesion policy funds invested in this project were essential for us to experiment with new forms of decision-making and social innovation, ecological use of buildings, and for involving our citizens in the process.Similar examples from other cities demonstrate a strong commitment and capacity to engage in both European and local partnerships.Through local expertise, city solutions can be scaled to the EU level or duplicated in other cities, contributing to more effective solutions for everyone.-Cities leading in a globalised world-Sustainable cities have been internationally recognised as one of the goals in the UN’s sustainable development agenda. This highlights the growing importance of cities globally, and at the EU level.Cohesion policy post-2020, a topic of conversation at this week’s Cohesion Forum in Brussels on 26-27 June, must reflect this global recognition of the role of cities – enhancing the tools and mechanisms to empower and support cities directly.As president of EUROCITIES, the network of more than 140 large European cities, I can testify to the commitment of my fellow city mayors to building a stronger and fairer Europe.We do this through local leadership, and in partnership with regional and national governments and the EU.Together, we can ensure that cohesion policy delivers results for citizens and contributes to a stronger Europe.Daniel Termont is the mayor of Ghent in Belgium, and is the president of EUROCITIES
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
River swelling from snowmelt forces evacuation of 90 homes-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
FRESNO, Calif. — Authorities say 90 homes remain under mandatory evacuation orders following levee breaches along a river in California, the result of the state's huge springtime snowpack melting in the summer heat.The Tulare County Sheriff's Office posted aerial photos Sunday showing several submerged houses at the Kings River Golf and Country Club. Deputies went door to door asking residents to leave after a 15-foot-wide breach opened along the river Friday.A total of 300 people had to evacuate, and floodwaters have damaged seven structures and 18 RVs in the area east of Kingsburg, the Fresno Bee reported (http://bit.ly/2u3TewA). Crews are bringing in sandbags to fill the breaches.The Kings River began to flood Wednesday about 25 miles (40 kilometres ) north of Fresno as temperatures soared, melting snow in the Sierra Nevada and sending it downstream."It was like a war zone out here," country club resident Doreen Dalbey told the Bee. "At one point it (the water) got scary high. I thought the whole house would flood. We thought the water was going a different direction but it started making its way to us. I knew when I saw the water filling up a sand trap and how fast it filled up that we were in trouble and we need to run."In May, state water managers said California's springtime snowpack was nearly double its normal levels following five years of historic drought, including two of the driest in the state's recorded history..A flood warning will be in place for the Kings River area until Monday.The Associated Press.
Dutch scientists fete rare meteorite find-Agence France-Presse-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
The Hague (AFP) - Dutch scientists on Monday celebrated the rare discovery of meteorite in The Netherlands, which at 4.5-billion years old may hold clues to the birth of our solar system."Meteorites are very special because we do not have rocks of this age on earth," said geologist Leo Kriegsman from the Naturalis biodiversity centre in Leiden in a YouTube video marking the occasion.The fist-sized meteorite, weighing about 500 grammes (one pound), crashed through the roof of a shed in the small town of Broek in Waterland, just north of Amsterdam, in January probably travelling at the speed of a high-velocity train.It was discovered the next morning by the residents under a broken pile of wood from the roof, but despite an extensive search, no other fragments have been found in the area.Even though meteor showers probably reach the northern European country every three to four years, the small space rocks are very hard to find as they can often end up in water, or peat-bogs or strewn on forest floors where they are hard to distinguish.- 'Very exciting' -This is only the sixth meteorite found in the past 200 years in The Netherlands, and the last such find dates back to 1990. So Kriegsman said it was "very exciting" when the home-owners contacted them about their find."We can learn from it what happened in the very beginning of the solar system when you had a stellar cloud that collapsed and minerals started to form, when planetoids started to form for the very first time," said Kriegsman."So it gives us information on what happened at the very beginning when the Earth was formed."He estimated that the meteorite probably came from the region between Mars and Jupiter where there is a large asteroid belt with "a lot of rocks and small planets" flying around which sometimes fall out of their orbit.The Leiden centre unveiled the meteorite on Monday, after carrying out extensive tests."We wanted to be 100 percent sure of what kind of meteorite it was, so we needed to carry out some research first," Kriegsman told AFP. This one has been identified as a type L6 chrondite, which is a fairly common kind.But Kriegsman said all meteorites add to the scientific body of knowledge, and places like Antarctica and the Sahara desert where many have been found have boosted the science in recent years."There are many different types of meteorites, and it's always useful to have more meteorites even if they confirm the theory that we already have," he told AFP.He now plans to carry out further research on the space rock, with the help of a masters student, to try to determine from what depth of an earlier planet it may have come.
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
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
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)
U.S. Supreme Court revives Trump travel ban order-[Reuters]-By Lawrence Hurley-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his temporary bans on travelers from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees to go into effect for people with no connection to the United States while agreeing to hear his appeals in the closely watched legal fight.The court, which narrowed the scope of lower court rulings that had completely blocked his March 6 executive order, said it would hear arguments on the legality of one of Trump's signature policies in his first months as president in the court's next term, which starts in October.The justices granted parts of his administration's emergency request to put the order into effect immediately while the legal battle continues.The court said that the travel ban will go into effect "with respect to foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."The Supreme Court left the lower-court injunctions against the ban in place, but only with respect to the challengers to the ban themselves and others in similar circumstances, meaning they involve people in the United States who have relationships with foreign nationals abroad and whose rights might be affected if those foreigners were excluded from entry.But the court said the injunctions were too broad to also include barring enforcement of the ban against foreigners who have no connection to the United States at all. "Denying entry to such a foreign national does not burden any American party by reason of that party's relationship with the foreign national," the court said.The court also said it would allow a 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States to go into effect on the same grounds, allowing the government to exclude from the United States refugee claimants who do not have any "bona fide relationship" with an American individual or entity.Three of the court's conservatives said they would have granted Trump's request in full, including Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch.The case is Trump's first major challenge at the Supreme Court, where he restored a 5-4 conservative majority with the appointment of Gorsuch, who joined the bench in April. There are five Republican appointees on the court and four Democratic appointees.The March 6 order called for a 90-day ban on travelers from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States to enable the government to implement stronger vetting procedures. It was blocked by federal judges before going into effect on March 16 as planned.Trump issued the order amid rising international concern about attacks carried out by Islamist militants like those in Paris, London, Brussels, Berlin and other cities. But critics have called the order a mean-spirited, intolerant and un-American "Muslim ban."The state of Hawaii and a group of plaintiffs in Maryland represented by the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the order violated federal immigration law and the Constitution's First Amendment prohibition on the government favoring or disfavoring any particular religion. Regional federal appeals courts in Virginia and California both upheld district judge injunctions blocking the order.Trump signed the order as a replacement for a Jan. 27 order issued a week after he became president that also was blocked by federal courts. The revised order was intended to overcome the legal issues posed by the original ban, which also included Iraq among the nations targeted and a full ban on refugees from Syria. The revised order also jettisoned language that gave preferential status to persecuted religious minorities, which critics said could be taken as favoring Christians and other religious groups over Muslims.Trump has called the March order a "watered down, politically correct" version of the January one. But the order still embodied his "America First" nationalist message and reflected his views of the dangers posed to the United States by certain immigrants and visitors.The administration has said the travel ban is needed to allow time to implement stronger vetting measures, although it has already rolled out some new requirements not blocked by courts, including additional questions for visa applicants.(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley. Additional reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)
Donald Trump Becomes First President In Two Decades To Not Host A Ramadan Dinner-[HuffPost]-Hayley Miller-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
Breaking with tradition, the White House under President Donald Trump did not host an iftar dinner, the meal Muslims eat to break their daily fast during Ramadan.The dinner, which has been often attended by prominent members of the U.S. Muslim community, began in 1996 during former President Bill Clinton’s White House tenure and continued through the subsequent Bush and Obama administrations.But Trump and first lady Melania simply issued a brief statement Saturday that offered “warm greetings” to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the close of Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting.On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eidal-Fitr.Muslims in the United States joined those around the world during the holy month of Ramadan to focus on acts of faith and charity. Now, as they commemorate Eid with family and friends, they carry on the tradition of helping neighbors and breaking bread with people from all walks of life.During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill. With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honor these values.Eid Mubarak.Trump’s decision to skip hosting the dinner comes after he released a controversial statement meant to mark the beginning of Ramadan. Many members of the Muslim community condemned the message, which largely focused on terrorism.“This year, the holiday begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramadan,” read a White House statement issued in May. “Such acts only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology.”Trump’s remarks starkly contrast with those by then-President Barack Obama during Ramadan last year. In June 2016, Obama and then-first lady Michelle announced plans to host an Eid celebration in the White House and praised American Muslims for their contributions to the U.S.“Muslim Americans have been part of our American family since its founding,” the Obamas wrote in a statement roughly five times longer than Trump’s Ramadan message. “We look forward to welcoming Americans from around the country to celebrate the holiday.”Secretary of states have also traditionally hosted Iftar dinners since 1999 ― but not this year. Trump’s top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, declined an invitation this year from the State Department’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs to host an Eid al-Fitr celebration, according to CNN.With its break from precedent, the Trump administration shunned an opportunity to reach out to the U.S. Muslim community whose leaders have said has been ostracized by the president’s rhetoric and his policies, including his proposed travel ban.Imam Talib Shareef, president of the Nation’s Mosque in Washington, D.C., called Trump’s decision “disappointing.”“To stop it doesn’t send a good message” Shareef told Newsweek.Referring to one of Trump’s main pastimes, he added: “You get the chance to go golfing and all this other kind of stuff. How come you don’t have time for a population of your society that needs some assistance?”
Anti-Islam rally in Calgary meets with counter-protest but remains peaceful-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
The event billed on social media as a "Patriotic Unity Mega Festival" in front of Calgary's city hall on Sunday was met by an opposing group rallying against what they saw as a message of intolerance.Gathered on one side of the municipal plaza were members of the Worldwide Coalition Against Islam (WCAI), which was denied a special event permit for the rally by the city.Officials said in a written response to the group the decision was "on the basis that your organization, and messages it espouses, are hateful."Across the plaza were members of Calgary Anti-Fascist Action (AFA), who say they wanted to show unity against what they called messages of intolerance and hate.Standing between the two groups were Calgary police officers, ensuring things remained peaceful.Insults, slurs and chants were hurled back and forth. However, no arrests were made.Among the few dozen people watching the two sides rally was Lifetime Adventure Travel guide Judi Sommerville, who was leading a two-hour tour of the downtown."It's totally embarrassing," she said. "And it does not represent our city in the least. This is where we start the tour and talk about city hall and some artifacts, and it's not a very good way to begin a tour of our beautiful, interesting city."-Weekend of rallies-Sunday's rallies culminated three days of protests and counter-protests in the city.On Friday, about 100 people chanted and listened to speeches to mark the annual International Day of al-Quds. Nearby, about 50 pro-Israel demonstrators chanted, sang and danced.A heavy police presence also kept those two groups apart.Then on Saturday, an event called We Stand United in One Love Canada was held as a protest against the WCAI event, which was originally planned for Saturday.Later in the day, another rally organized by Calgary Anti-Oppression Network was held, also in opposition to the WCAI event.
Occupation is a crime': Regina Muslims protest international oppression-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
A small group with a strong message gathered at Victoria Park on Saturday to mark al-Quds Day in Regina.Every year at the end of Ramadan, people of the Muslim faith use the day to voice their support for people who are oppressed. Events are held around the world as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people and other groups.About 25 people chanted and listened to speeches to mark the day in Regina."We want to show our support for the oppressed people and stand against the oppressors, those who are unjust and tyrant people," Imam Syed Sha told the CBC.Sha came from Halifax to celebrate the month of Ramadan with people in the city and to deliver a lecture about the holy month of fasting. He led the rally on Saturday, with chants including: "Occupation is a crime. Free, free Palestine."He said as Muslims, they want to stand up for people in Canada and elsewhere who are being oppressed, regardless of their religion."Our religion teaches us wherever there is someone that's oppressed... if he has no religion or faith that is fine, because he is a human being," said Sha. "We believe in humanity. If he is a human being, he is my brother."In Calgary, people took part in opposing but peaceful rallies at city hall on Friday night.Along with about 100 people who were there to mark al-Quds Day, about 50 pro-Israel demonstrators on the other side of the municipal plaza chanted, sang and danced.There were no pro-Israel supporters at the al-Quds rally in Regina.
HOMOSEXUALS.(SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERS)(TRANSGENDER MIXED BAG ALSO)
LEVITICUS 20:13
13 If a man also lie with mankind,(ANOTHER MAN) as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
LEVITICUS 18:22
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind,(ANOTHER MAN) as with womankind: it is abomination.
2 TIMOTHY 3:3
3 Without natural affection,(HOMOSEXUALS) trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
1 CORINTHIANS 6:9,
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,(HARDENED SODOMITE RAINBOW GROUPERRS) nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
PSALMS 14:1
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
ROMANS 1:18-32
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:(HOMOSEXUALITY,AND ALL SEX SINS)
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:(LESBIENS)
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly,(SODOMITES) and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.(AIDS ETC)
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
GOD CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE IN MARRIAGE
GENESIS 1:27-28
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,(HAVE LOTS OF CHILDREN) and replenish the earth,(HOMOSEXUALS CAN NOT REPLENISH THE EARTH WITH CHILDREN)(BY HAVING SEX WITH EACH OTHER) and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
GENESIS 2:21-24
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
MATTHEW 19:4-6
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Happy Pride!": Trudeau attends Toronto parade absent of police floats-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 25, 2017
TORONTO — Thousands cheered on Toronto's annual Pride parade Sunday and waved rainbow flags, though continued debate over the exclusion of the city's police force swirled amid the colourful procession that weaved its way through the downtown core.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne were among the dignitaries who were marching in the procession. Trudeau was casually dressed in a blue blazer and pink shirt, with a temporary tattoo of a rainbow-coloured maple leaf on his left cheek. He waved at the thousands of people who lined both sides of the parade route down Yonge Street, frequently yelling out, "Happy Pride!""It's all about how we celebrate the multiple layers of identities that make Canada extraordinary and strong," Trudeau told reporters before the parade started.Sophie Gregoire Trudeau waved a rainbow flag, one of the symbols of the LGBTQ community. Two of the Trudeaus' children were marching along with their parents. Multi-coloured streamers and Canadian flags hung from some balconies along the parade route, and many people watched from rooftops along Yonge Street as the parade went by below. The event started under cloudy skies and sporadic rain, but the sun came out toward the end of the event.Police officers were still present as security guards, but there was continued talk Sunday over the decision by organizers to keep the Toronto police float and uniformed officers out of this year's parade.Toronto pastor and prominent gay activist Brent Hawkes touched on the issue when he opened Toronto Pride with his final service, emphasizing the importance of making everyone feel welcome."Inclusion is the core value in our community and as long as a group or a company supports LGBT equality, then in my opinion, welcome aboard," he said.Organizers should not be able to tell people what to wear at Pride, Hawkes added."Because I probably wear a uniform that represents the group that has done the most damage to the LGBT community — the Christian Church," he said. "So I would say don't ban what's offensive to some, reform it to the benefit of everyone."In January, organizers agreed to a list of demands issued by the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter, which included the police ban.The issue first came to widespread public attention during last year's parade, when members of the anti-racism group staged a sit-in that halted the march until Pride organizers agreed to a list of conditions.Black Lives Matter has argued that allowing uniformed officers at the parade could discourage marginalized communities from attending.Barry Trenthan, who marched in this year's Toronto Pride with Rainbow Railroad, a group that helps LGBT people living in countries with anti-gay laws, has attended Pride for the last 30 years. He said he has mixed feelings about the decision to bar the police. "I remember when there was no way police would be a part of it publicly," he said, adding that it felt like a "coup" to get their approval. But police support isn't meaningful "if not all of us are supported," he said.Toronto Mayor John Tory, who was also taking part in the parade, expressed hope a solution would be found well before next year's event."Any time anybody is excluded it can't be a good thing," Tory told reporters. "We've got to get it resolved, we'll resolve it in the Toronto way, which is by talking about it and I'm very optimistic that it will be resolved in time for next year."In response to the ban on police floats and uniformed officers, a group from Toronto police took part in the pride parade in New York City.Last month, the Gay Officers Action League of New York extended the invitation for Toronto officers to join uniformed members of the New York Police Department in the pride events Sunday.For many attendees, the parade itself was the central focus of the day. Lucky Vincent Bersales, who grew up in the Philippines, marched for the first time in this year's parade, wearing a floor-length blue dress with diamond accents. "I love Toronto," said Bersales, who describes himself as a cross-dresser. "They accept me for who I am and what I am, and that's what I'm proud of. This is the first time I love myself."Black Lives Matter didn't hold up the Toronto parade this year, but did stage a protest down the parade route after Pride had wound down. Members of the group also held a similar demonstration in downtown Vancouver.Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations also took part in this year's event, making him the first National Chief to participate in a Pride event.Maija Kappler, The Canadian Press.
Supreme Court takes on new clash of gay rights, religion-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is taking on a new clash between gay rights and religion in a case about a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in Colorado.The justices said Monday they will consider whether a baker who objects to same-sex marriage on religious grounds can refuse to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.The case asks the high court to balance the religious rights of the baker against the couple's right to equal treatment under the law. Similar disputes have popped up across the United States.The decision to take on the case reflects renewed energy among the court's conservative justices, whose ranks have recently been bolstered by the addition of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the high court.The court will review a Colorado court decision that found baker Jack Phillips and his Masterpiece Cakeshop discriminated against the gay couple under Colorado law.Phillips told the Supreme Court he has free speech and religious rights under the First Amendment that should protect him. He said he should not be compelled to bake a cake specifically to honour a same-sex marriage.Colorado's anti-discrimination law protects people on the basis of their sexual orientation. Charlie Craig and David Mullins filed a complaint against Phillips and his suburban Denver shop after Phillips said he would not create and decorate a cake in honour of their marriage.Colorado did not permit same-sex couples to marry until 2014. Two years earlier, Craig and Mullin were planning to fly to Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage was legal, and host a reception in Denver upon their return to Colorado. They wanted the cake for the occasion.The Associated Press.
AP: Authorities delayed investigating gay 'demons' case-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
SPINDALE, N.C. — For two years, Matthew Fenner said he pleaded with authorities to investigate his allegations that a group of fellow congregants at the Word of Faith Fellowship church had punched, slapped and choked him to expel his "homosexual demons."An Associated Press investigation found that Rutherford County investigators and then-District Attorney Brad Greenway delayed investigating and told Fenner his only option was to pursue misdemeanour charges against the church members he said assaulted him for nearly two hours in the evangelical church's sanctuary.The AP's conclusions are based on more than a dozen interviews and court documents, along with a series of secretly made recordings that were provided of Fenner's meetings with law enforcement authorities, including Rutherford County Sheriff Chris Francis.In February, the AP detailed how many Word of Faith Fellowship congregants were regularly attacked both physically and verbally in an attempt to "purify" sinners by beating out devils.The church has come under scrutiny by law enforcement and social services authorities on numerous occasions with little effect, mostly because followers refused to co-operate . But Fenner's relentless pursuit eventually led to the indictment of five congregants, who were charged with kidnapping and assault."The whole investigation should have taken a month," said Michael Davis, who spent 15 years as a Rutherford County sheriff's investigator before retiring last year, and was not involved in Fenner's case. "They should have interviewed witnesses. They should have gone to the church. They should have written up a report and sent it over to the sheriff, then to the DA. But that didn't happen. None of that happened."Greenway said he couldn't recall details of the Fenner case, but initially believed it wasn't a "big deal" based on what the sheriff told him. Francis said Greenway made the decision not to pursue charges early on.In May, more than four years after Fenner said he was assaulted, longtime minister Brooke Covington became the first of the five church members to go on trial in proceedings that attracted national attention due to AP's investigation.Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus declared a mistrial when the jury foreman shared three unauthorized documents during deliberations, and a retrial is scheduled for Sept. 11.The judge also issued a gag order that is being challenged by the AP preventing witnesses, prosecutors and jurors from discussing the case. The witnesses interviewed for this story talked to AP before that order was issued.During the trial, Fenner, now 24, testified that he didn't call police the night of the Jan. 27, 2013, attack because he was afraid he would be beaten again. At the time, Fenner said he and nearly 20 other people were living in Covington's house.When Fenner fled to his grandparents two days later, they called authorities. But Fenner told the jury that law enforcement — ranging from the Rutherford County sheriff's office to the Federal Bureau of Investigation — didn't take his allegations seriously.The AP found that Fenner not only told law enforcement agencies about what happened to him, but also warned of ongoing abuse in the church."Over the last two decades, it appears that different politicians or leaders in the community have had a certain fear of the Word of Faith and for whatever reason that sort of encapsulated them and made them untouchable," said Jerry Wease, chairman of the Rutherford County Democratic Party and a licensed counsellor who has worked with people who left the church.He added: "If no one is going to stand up and say choking, beating, violence and abuse is illegal and morally wrong, I have one question: Why? Why is every elected official not standing up and saying this?"The sect was founded in 1979 by Jane Whaley, a former math teacher, and her husband, Sam, a former used car salesman. Under Jane Whaley's leadership, Word of Faith Fellowship grew from a handful of followers to a congregation of about 750 in North Carolina and nearly 2,000 members in churches in Brazil, Ghana and affiliations in Sweden, Scotland and other countries.Allegations of abuse at Word of Faith Fellowship date back years, but church leaders have dodged any serious consequences. In another previous story, the AP outlined how congregants were ordered by church leaders to lie to authorities looking into reports of abuse and coached on what to say by two assistant district attorneys and a veteran social worker who are members of the church.After that report, the prosecutors left their jobs and the social worker resigned. All three had worked in nearby counties.Fenner was a teenager when he joined the church with his mother and brothers in 2010. During his years at Word of Faith, he testified that he saw congregants, including children, subjected to violent deliverance and a practice called blasting — an ear-piercing verbal onslaught often conducted in hours-long sessions meant to cast out devils.He said he experienced both himself, but nothing like what happened in January 2013, when he was surrounded by nearly two dozen people while leaving a service.Danielle Cordes, one of four former church members who told AP they witnessed the attack, said, "They just kept hitting him over and over. It was horrible. ... I thought that he was going to be the first person they killed."Several witnesses told the AP that when Fenner initially talked to a Rutherford County sheriff's deputy the day after fleeing the church, he wasn't ready to press charges."I was still confused and hurt. I needed time to think," he told the AP.On Jan. 31, 2013, he met with FBI agent Fred Molina, who was investigating a complaint from another congregant who said he was beaten because he was gay. Fenner detailed what happened to him, along with the abuse of other congregants, six people told the AP.A month later, Fenner called the FBI to check on the progress of the agency's inquiry and was told a new agent was on the case because Molina was about to retire. That agent never called him back, Fenner said. When he received a letter months after that saying the FBI wasn't going to investigate, he inquired why and said he was told it was because the other church member who reported being attacked had recanted.Molina declined to talk to the AP, saying he was told by his former bosses not to discuss the case. But Nancy Burnette, who became familiar with the church through her court work with foster children and who helped some congregants flee, said Molina told her that he was pulled from the investigation. He urged her to "keep fighting" to get the "truth out," she said.The FBI referred questions to the Charlotte office of U.S. Attorney Jill Rose, who said Fenner's allegations did not rise to the level of a federal crime.Fenner said he talked to sheriff's detective Joey Sisk about the assault on June 7, 2013, and that he and other former church members pressed Sisk for updates for months.On an October 2013 recording obtained by the AP, Sisk told Fenner that Greenway, then the district attorney, read Fenner's statement about the attack and said no criminal charges would be pursued.Sisk said Fenner's only recourse was trying to file misdemeanour charges with the local magistrate, which is allowed under North Carolina law, though experts say magistrates rarely issue warrants."Ok, so let me get this straight," Fenner said on the recording. "He's willing to look at assault by strangulation, slapping, holding me against my will and say, 'That's just a misdemeanour ?'""That's what he's telling me," Sisk responded. Sisk could not answer questions from the AP because he is barred from speaking under the gag order.The AP found that Fenner kept pushing the issue, telling the directors of two local child-welfare agencies that ministers were abusing children in the church's K-12 school."During my time, I watched a lot of bad things happen to a lot of people," Fenner told the director of the Rutherford County Department of Social Services in a December 2013 meeting that was secretly taped.The director, John Carroll, declined to comment to the AP about the meeting.Fenner also met in January 2014 with Rose, who was then an assistant U.S. attorney in Charlotte, hoping to get help under a federal law governing hate crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation, gender and race.On a tape obtained by the AP, Fenner, two former church members and two advocates told Rose about widespread abuse at Word of Faith. Rose responded that she was familiar with the church because she was an assistant prosecutor in a North Carolina district that included Spindale in the 1990s."We had a horrible time trying to make cases against them," she said on the recording. "For whatever reason, it was always something."At the end of the meeting, Rose said she would think about her next step and promised to stay in touch. But Fenner said she did not return any follow-up calls.Rose told the AP that she decided Fenner's allegations did not fully meet the requirements of the federal hate crimes statute for religion or sexual orientation because they contained no element of interstate commerce, involving movement across state lines.All the while, Fenner had been trying to set up meetings with Greenway and Francis, the sheriff. He finally succeeded in landing a meeting with Francis in August 2014 as he was preparing to start classes at the University of North Carolina."I have not looked at one thing in your case file," the sheriff said in a recording of the meeting obtained by the AP, adding that Greenway "personally reviewed" the allegations and decided not to prosecute.Then Francis suggested that Fenner file misdemeanour charges with the magistrate. "I'll walk you over there right now," he said.When Fenner returned to Spindale on his fall break in October, he camped outside Greenway's office with five family members and friends. Within an hour, they said, Greenway met with them.The AP talked to three people who attended the meeting, who said they told Greenway that both Francis and Sisk earmarked the district attorney as the one who declined to prosecute.Although Sisk had told Fenner a year earlier that Greenway had read Fenner's statement, Greenway told them he didn't know details of the case because he hadn't seen an incident report. Fenner said he soon discovered that either no one at the sheriff's office had created a report or it couldn't be located."Greenway refused to do anything until he got one," said Fenner's aunt, Lynn Rape. So Fenner and his family walked across the street to the sheriff's office and found a "sympathetic" deputy who took his statement, Rape said.In an interview with the AP this February, Greenway said he could not recall many details about the Fenner case."The sheriff told me early on it was not a felony kidnapping case," he said. When asked how he came to that conclusion, Greenway responded: "I don't know."Francis disputed that characterization. He told the AP that the protocol is for his department to present information to the district attorney's office for a determination on whether to file charges. The sheriff also said he had limited involvement in the investigation.As for Greenway, he told the AP that the church was influential and that its accusers weren't always reliable. The church "would make sure they would bring in all these well-dressed congregants to tell a different story. Don't take this the wrong way — and I knew people were being abused down there — but you just got tired going against them," he said.In December 2014, a month after Greenway lost his re-election bid, a grand jury indicted the five Word of Faith Fellowship members."If it wasn't for our pressure," Rape said, "nothing would have happened."Added Davis, the former sheriff's investigator: "They just wanted the case to go away. They never expected Fenner to push so hard."___Mohr reported from Jackson, Mississippi.___Read more of AP's investigation of the Word of Faith Fellowship here: http://apne.ws/2lmuzDA___The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate@ap.org-Mitch Weiss And Holbrook Mohr, The Associated Press.
Toll from oil tanker fire in Pakistan climbs to 157-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-June 26, 2017
MULTAN, Pakistan — Pakistan's prime minister cut short a trip abroad to rush to the side of victims of a massive fuel tanker fire as authorities on Monday raised the death toll to 157.The truck, carrying some 25,000 litres (6,600 gallons) of gasoline, was travelling from the southern port city of Karachi to Lahore when the driver lost control and crashed on a highway outside the town of Bahawalpur early on Sunday.Alerted by an announcement over a loudspeaker at a local mosque, scores of villagers rushed to the scene to collect the spilled fuel. When the fire broke out, the villagers were engulfed in flames, many burned beyond recognition.Dr. Nahid Ahmed at the Nishter Hospital in Multan, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) away, said four of the victims that were brought from Bahawalpur had died overnight, bringing the death toll to 157. Ahmed said 50 more severely burned victims were being treated at his hospital.Rescue official Mohammad Baqar at the Bahawalpur hospital said 20 more victims were transported on Monday by a military C-130 plane to Lahore for better medical care.Prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who visited the Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur on Monday, ordered that more of those most critically hurt be transferred to bigger hospitals in the area, Baqar said.Sharif cut short his trip abroad and rushed back home, reaching Bahawalpur on Monday to visit the victims and console the affected families. Sharif also announced 2 million rupees — almost $20,000 — as financial assistance for each family that lost someone in the highway inferno. Sharif also handed over checks of 1 million rupees ($10,000) for each burn victim being treated at the hospital in Bahawalpur."This is not compensation, no compensation is possible for precious human life, but it is to help the affected families in distress," Sharif said.Many of the bodies will have to be identified through DNA testing, said Baqar."I have never seen anything like it in my life. Victims trapped in the fireball. They were screaming for help," said Abdul Malik, a police officer who was among the first to arrive at the scene.When the flames subsided, he said, "we saw bodies everywhere. So many were just skeletons. The people who were alive were in really bad shape."The dead included men, women and children.The disaster struck on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that follows the holy month of Ramadan. While Saudi Arabia and most other Muslim countries started celebrating the holiday Sunday, Pakistanis are marking it on Monday.___Associated Press Writer Zarar Khan in Islamabad contributed to this report.Irum Asim, The Associated Press.
