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)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE
PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads;
for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30
When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that
summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT
COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A
fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES
AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the
garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea,
and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12
And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the
people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume
away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and
their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)
and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM
ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD
PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that
day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they
shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand
shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN
WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say
to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour
every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall
not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be
burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath;
but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for
he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC
BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here
are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through
war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only
Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land
in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half
of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18,
Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY
OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND
IN THE FUTURE
German far-right MP pushes recognition of
Jerusalem as Israel’s capital-Though boycotted by Israel, Alternative
for Germany lawmaker Petr Bystron says he's planning to visit later this
year with a Bundestag delegation-By Raphael Ahren-APR 18,18-TOI
A
lawmaker from the far-right Alternative for Germany party has been
urging the government in Berlin to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital.In a press release, Petr Bystron, one of the party’s chief
foreign policy spokespeople, explained that his faction is strongly
supportive of the State of Israel and US President Donald Trump’s
December 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.“What is
the capital of Israel? (Please only respond with the name of a
location). Please answer this question in writing,” Bystron asked in a
written query filed with the federal government on Tuesday.The German
government has a week to reply to his query.Official Israel boycotts the
populist opposition party, known by its German acronym AfD, due to its
nationalist and xenophobic policies.Similar to other far-right parties
in Europe, the AfD formally rejects anti-Semitism and professes to
strongly support Israel, seeing a common enemy in radical Islamism.
However, the party is largely rejected by the local Jewish community,
which argues that it promotes xenophobia and fails to adequately
distance itself from anti-Semites within its ranks.In his press release,
issued last week, Bystron noted that the AfD in December criticized the
German government for voting in favor of a United Nations General
Assembly resolution that called Trump’s Jerusalem recognition null and
void. Rather, his party “voiced its support for a strong and free Israel
with Jerusalem as its capital,” he recalled.Bystron, a Czech-born MP
from Munich, noted that last month, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
met in Jerusalem with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.“Since the new foreign minister was just in Israel,
which I hope to visit in summer with a Bundestag delegation, I’m sure
Mr. Maas will be able to answer this simple question,” said Bystron.
“What is the capital of Israel?”The “mainstream media” likes to portray
the AfD as right-wing or even anti-Semitic, “but sees itself as a
staunch supporter of Israel and President Trump,” the press release
concluded.-MP Petr Bystron’s query asking the Federal Government about
Israel’s capital-In response to a Times of Israel query on the
government’s position on Jerusalem, a spokesperson for the German
Embassy in Tel Aviv referred to the coalition agreement that serves as
the foundation for Berlin’s policies.“The status of Jerusalem, as well
as other final status issues, will only be settled in the course of
negotiations in order to be permanently accepted and durable,” reads the
agreement between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Conservatives and the
Social Democrats.Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
reiterated that Berlin will not accept any changes to Jerusalem’s status
in the absence of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. “That means
that the government does not share a position that creates facts prior
to that,” he said during a visit to Jordan.Israel’s Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon declined to comment on Bystron’s comments
and his plan to visit to Israel, but stressed that “our policy is no
contacts with the AfD.”A spokesperson for Bystron, Collin McMahon, told
The Times of Israel on Tuesday that the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs
Committee is planning a trip to Israel this year “in conjunction with
the Israeli government,” though he said that no date had been
set.Bystron is the spokesperson of the AfD delegation in the Foreign
Affairs Committee.Before the September 24 election, Bystron was
surveilled by the Verfassungsschutz, Germany’s domestic intelligence
service, due to his praise for the white nationalist so-called
Identitarian movement.As opposed to the Austrian Freedom Party, which
has deep Nazi roots, Israel never formally announced a “no contact”
policy with the AfD, though the Israeli ambassador in Berlin, Jeremy
Issacharoff, said the party’s strong showing in last year’s election was
of “great concern” to Jerusalem.“In the AfD, you have a party that is
now the third-largest force in parliament and from whose ranks came a
series of anti-Semitic remarks,” Issacharoff said.For instance, AfD
leader Alexander Gauland said that Germans could be “proud” of their
soldiers who fought in World War II, Issacharoff noted. “This doesn’t
jibe with the long way the Federal Republic of Germany has come since it
assumed responsibility for the Holocaust and for the special relations
with Israel.”Prime Minister Netanyahu has never publicly commented on
the AfD, but in September called on the next German government to assume
“historic responsibility.”“Israel is worried about the rise of
anti-Semitism in recent years among political elements on the right and
on the left, as well as among Islamist elements,” he said, according to
his office.Felix Klein, the German government’s newly installed special
envoy for Jewish life and combatting anti-Semitism, this week lamented
that the AfD condones its members’ anti-Semitic sentiments.“As a whole
it is not anti-Semitic,” Klein told the Bild daily in an interview, “but
it tolerates that important representatives make anti-Semitic
statements. That’s unacceptable.”
Analysis-Arab ire at US
Jerusalem move looks unlikely to spark action-Saudi Arabia and Gulf
states seem unwilling to jeopardize ties with Trump as they seek to
counter Iranian threat to region-By Mohamad Ali Harissi-TOI-APR 18,18
DUBAI,
United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Arab leaders at a summit in Saudi Arabia
have slammed Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital and move its embassy there, but analysts say their words are
unlikely to lead to action.Welcomed by Israel, the shift by US President
Donald Trump has sparked deep anger across the Arab world, particularly
among Palestinians, who see East Jerusalem as the capital of their
future state.But it seemed clear at the Arab League summit, held in the
eastern city of Dhahran on Sunday, that regional rulers, particularly in
the Gulf, are unwilling to jeopardize close ties with Trump as they
seek to counter Iran.“Generally, Arab League summits produce more
rhetoric than action,” said Denis Bauchard, an expert from the French
Institute on International Relations. “I don’t think this will go beyond
declarations.”For Riyadh, he said, “what is essential is the
relationship with Washington.”Israel captured mainly Arab East Jerusalem
and the surrounding region in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed
it, declaring it part of its capital.Neither move was recognized by the
international community — but the United States is now set to shift its
embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May.That breaks with decades of US
policy and international consensus that the status of the city should
be settled in negotiations.Nour Odeh, a Palestinian political analyst,
said Palestinians had low expectations for any Arab response.“Ordinary
people and politicians alike understand the dismal state of Arab
affairs, and no Arab government is going to confront Trump,” she
said.Saudi King Salman dubbed the Dhahran conference the “Jerusalem
summit” and used his opening speech to denounce Washington’s decision
and announce a $150 million donation for the maintenance of Islamic
heritage in the eastern part of the holy city.Other leaders queued up to
add their criticism, and the summit’s final statement also slammed
Trump’s move.But an Arab diplomat, who asked not to be named, said that
“even Washington’s allies (Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Cairo) know very well
that they don’t have many diplomatic options.”“Their aim is to improve
the situation of the Palestinians as much as possible, but they won’t go
as far as confronting” the Trump administration, the diplomat
said.Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian academic and former minister, said
they were “not capable” of doing so, “especially with all the problems
in the Arab world.”He said Arab governments were “not willing to risk
their relationships with the United States.”-‘Concerned with Iran’-The
American decision on Jerusalem comes as ties warm between the US and key
allies in the region — Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab
Emirates.That follows years of tension under former president Barack
Obama as Washington improved ties with Iran, culminating in a historic
2015 deal to lift sanctions in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear
program.Saudi Arabia and Iran have spent years fighting proxy wars
across the region, from Syria to Yemen.Trump has openly sided with
Riyadh and threatened to back out of the Iran nuclear accord — possibly
also in May.“Saudi Arabia and the UAE… have felt since the nuclear deal
with Iran that Washington was not taking into account their concerns
about Iran’s strong presence in the region,” said Khalil Harb, editor of
Journal, an Arabic-language website focusing on Gulf affairs.The two
countries are now trying “to push the Trump administration… to review
the American position on the nuclear deal. At a political moment like
this, Riyadh doesn’t want to embarrass or anger America,” he said.Karim
Bitar, from the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic
Affairs, said those states are “so concerned with the Iranian threat
that they realize that they might have to coordinate the anti-Iranian
effort with the US and Israel.”-Peace with Israel? Amid the controversy
surrounding Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, observers have said the move
could spark renewed violence in the region.But there have been growing
signs of a diplomatic opening between Saudi Arabia and Israel.Saudi
Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old son
of the king and heir to the region’s most powerful throne, said during a
US tour days before the summit that Israel also had a right to its own
land.King Salman called Trump hours later to reaffirm the kingdom’s
support for “the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to
establish their own independent state with its capital in
Jerusalem.”Shortly before the summit, Saudi daily newspaper Al-Riyadh
published an editorial entitled “Dhahran summit: peace with Israel and
confrontation with Iran.”It argued that “the Arabs must realize that
Iran is more dangerous to them than Israel.”In an unprecedented
statement for Saudi newspaper, it said: “The Arabs have no other option
than reconciliation with Israel, signing a comprehensive peace agreement
and freeing themselves up to tackle the Iranian project in the region.”
Druze
in Israel’s Golan Heights rally in support of Syria’s Assad-Some 500
residents of Ein Qiniye march to mark Syrian Independence Day and to
protest Western airstrikes against alleged chemical weapons sites-By
AFP-TOI-APR 18,18
EIN QINIYE — Hundreds of Druze in the
Israeli Golan Heights marched Tuesday — Syrian Independence Day — in
support of Syrian President Bashar Assad and in protest over Western
airstrikes against suspected chemical weapons sites.An AFP journalist
said that more than 500 people waving Syrian flags and carrying
portraits of Assad took part in the rally in the village of Ein Qiniye,
about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Syrian-controlled part of the
heights.They chanted “Bashar defeated the terrorists” and “Bashar beat
the American bombers,” referring to US-led strikes over the weekend in
which British and French forces participated.Israeli officials say there
are about 20,000 Druze on the 1,200 square kilometer (460 square mile)
strategic plateau which Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six
Day War and formally annexed in 1981 in a move not recognized by the
international community.Israel and Syria are still officially in a state
of war.Living alongside some 20,000 Israelis, the vast majority of the
Golan Druze retain Syrian nationality and have family ties to Druze in
Syrian government-controlled territory.Another 110,000 Druze live in the
Galilee district of northern Israel, where most have Israeli
nationality and perform compulsory military service, unlike other Arab
citizens.
US city bars police from training in Israel after
pro-Palestinian protest-Activists in Durham, North Carolina, start
petition against 'military-style' exchanges with Jewish state; council
says such programs do not support 'the kind of policing we want'-By
Stuart Winer-TOI-APR 18,18
A North Carolina city council
has issued a statement against local police participating in
international exchange programs that offer “military-style” training,
after pro-Palestinian activists launched a petition against the force
sending delegates to Israel, which it accused of “using tactics of
extrajudicial killing.”After a two-hour debate Monday night the Durham
City Council put out the statement, which opened by citing a memo from
Police Chief Cerelyn C. J. Davis that said: “There has been no effort
while I have served as chief of police to initiate or participate in any
exchange to Israel, nor do I have any intention to do so.”A former
police chief did participate in such an exchange program.The statement
declared the “council opposes international exchanges with any country
in which Durham officers receive military-style training since such
exchanges do not support the kind of policing we want here in the City
of Durham.”The council statement was in response to a petition by the
Demilitarize from Durham2Palestine group of organizations which called
for ending cooperation with Israel. Among those included in the umbrella
group are Jewish Voice for Peace — Triangle, Durham for All,
Inside-Outside Alliance, and Black Youth Project 100.Former Durham
police chief Jose Lopez, who traveled to Israel on an exchange visit in
the past, told local WRAL television that the petition misrepresents
what happens on the programs.“The training that I got had all to do with
managing major crisis situations where bombings had occurred,
shootings, things of that nature. Things that really a lot of Americans
need to concern themselves with now,” Lopez said. “Nothing of the
training had anything to do with militarization.”During the debate,
Mayor Steve Schewel, who is Jewish, said that “so many people are being
given completely false information that our police are training with the
Israeli army and would be again … it’s so damaging to police-community
relations,” the Heraled Sun reported.“If you want to make change in the
American Jewish community’s response to what’s happening in Israel and
Palestine, then you have to be truthful,” Schewel continued. “Remember
who we are as Jews. I’m 67. Six years before I was born … the Holocaust
wiped out half of us on earth.”The mayor further warned that it was lies
about Jews that made the Holocaust possible, the report said.In its
online petition, Durham2Palestine wrote: “The Israeli Defense Forces and
the Israel Police have a long history of violence and harm against
Palestinian people and Jews of Color. They persist in using tactics of
extrajudicial killing, excessive force, racial profiling, and repression
of social justice movements. Such tactics have been condemned by
international human rights organizations for violating the human rights
of Palestinians.”“These tactics further militarize US police forces that
train in Israel, and this training helps the police terrorize Black and
Brown communities here in the US.”Seven rabbis from the so-called
Triangle — a group of three university cities — signed a notification to
the council against the petition.Doron Ezickson, Washington DC regional
director of the Anti-Defamation league, also sent a letter to the
council. The ADL helps organize counter-terrorism and police training
for US law enforcers in Israel.“Far from training that ‘helps the police
terrorize black and brown communities,’ ADL’s law enforcement programs,
including those in Israel, are designed to equip officers with the
knowledge, understanding, and sense of accountability necessary to help
safeguard all of our communities and ensure that our civil rights and
liberties are rigorously protected,” Ezickson wrote, according to the
Herald.Eran Efrati, who is on the board of directors for Jewish Voice
for Peace, wrote a message of congratulations on his Facebook page and
said Durham had become the first US city to ban training with Israel’s
police force.“The incredible coalition who came together to say: We
believe in a different idea of what security is and what it could be in
our city, through community investment and not through militarized
policing. A historic resolution and victory, the first of many for the
Deadly Exchange campaign.”
NYU: Students’ pledge to boycott
pro-Israel groups is ‘at odds with our values’-Statement comes after 51
campus organizations vow not to co-sponsor events with groups including
Birthright and AIPAC-By JTA-TOI-APR 18,18
NEW YORK — New
York University said it opposes boycotts of student groups after 51
campus organizations pledged to boycott pro-Israel groups.“The
University opposes any kind of boycott or official refusal by some
student groups to interact with other student groups because of
differing points of view. It is at odds with our traditions and values,
especially our core belief in the free exchange of ideas,” university
spokesman John Beckman said in a statement on Monday.Last week, 51
student organizations signed a resolution in which they pledged not to
co-sponsor any events with two Israel advocacy campus groups — Realize
Israel and TorchPAC — as well as eight off-campus groups, including
Birthright-Taglit, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee and the
Anti-Defamation League. The groups also promised to boycott Israel and
expressed support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement
against the Jewish state.NYU’s chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and
Students for Justice in Palestine organized the resolution, and its
signatories included groups such as the African Student Union, the Black
Students Union, College Libertarians, the Mexican Student Association
and the Muslim Students Association.In its Monday statement, Beckman
said NYU encourages conversations between groups with opposing
opinions.“We would suggest that student groups proposing the boycott to
find a pathway forward to engage in constructive dialogue. The
University, as always, stands ready to facilitate this,” he said.On
Friday, leaders of the two pro-Israel groups singled out in the
resolution told JTA that they were surprised by the momentum it had
gained.Realize Israel President Adela Cojab, 21, described the climate
surrounding Israel at NYU as “one of animosity.”
After
French mayor barred from W. Bank, Paris asks Israel to allow officials
in-French foreign affairs ministry request follows Israel's refusal to
permit entry to head of Paris suburb, due to his pro-Palestinian views,
support for BDS-By TOI staff-APR 18,18
France has asked
Israel not to bar its elected officials from entering Israel, the West
Bank, and Gaza in the wake of Israel’s refusal Monday to permit a Paris
suburban mayor to pass from Jordan into the Jewish state because of his
pro-Palestinian views.The request came from the French Ministry of
Foreign Affairs which said Patrice Leclerc’s intended visit was aimed at
helping international projects in the Palestinian territories, the
Haaretz newspaper reported Tuesday. The ministry expressed “regret” over
the Israeli decision.Leclerc, who serves as the French Communist Party
mayor of the Gennevilliers city council on the outskirts of Paris, was
turned away as he tried to cross the Allenby Bridge border crossing from
Jordan to Israel.Interior Minister Aryeh Deri refused entry to Israel
for Leclerc and his wife, citing his support for the Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel and recognition of
Palestinian statehood, as well as for honoring Marwan Barghouti — a
Palestinian terrorist and member of the PLO who is serving multiple life
sentences in Israel for the murder of Israeli victims in attacks he
helped plan.After his entry was refused, Leclerc posted on Facebook
that, “This situation marks a hardening of the state of Israel’s
position regarding those who act for the right of the Palestinians to
have a free and independent state.”Leclerc had also been scheduled to
visit Israel in November 2017 as part of a 20-member French delegation
to Israel and the West Bank, but he withdrew after being denied entry on
that occasion also.Leclerc’s office recognized the state of Palestine
on January 21, but nullified the policy on February 14, under pressure
from local government.The recognition move was symbolic and has no
bearing on French foreign policy.Last week, Deri announced that he would
bar Dublin’s first lord mayor, MÃcheál Mac Donncha, from entering
Israel. Mac Donncha, a member of the leftists Sinn Féin party, was
planning to attend a conference on the status of Jerusalem in Ramallah,
at the invitation of the Palestinian Authority.
Fake
views-Egypt’s mufti issues fatwa against buying Facebook ‘likes’-Sunni
cleric Shawki Allam says inflating page subscription numbers is a form
of fraud and 'he who deceives is not of us'-By AP-APR 18,18
CAIRO,
Egypt — Egypt’s top mufti has issued a fatwa, or a religious decree,
saying that buying Facebook “likes” is prohibited under Islam because
it’s a form of fraud and deception.Grand Mufti Shawki Allam regularly
issues all sorts of fatwas, usually in response to questions by Muslims
seeking religious guidance in matters related to even the most trivial
issues.The questions are asked of the Dar al-Ifa, the Sunni Muslim
institution in charge of religious rulings, mainly based on the Muslim
holy book of Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.The mufti
posted on the institution’s Facebook page earlier this week that it is
“religiously prohibited” to pay someone to click a “like” on a
promotion.Allam says “it’s deceptive,” citing Muhammad’s saying, “He who
deceives is not of us.”
U.S. suggests Russia, Syria may
tamper with Douma evidence, Moscow denies it-[Reuters]-By Laila Bassam
and Anthony Deutsch-YAHOONEWS-April 17, 2018
DAMASCUS/THE
HAGUE (Reuters) - The United States accused Russia on Monday of
blocking international inspectors from reaching the site of a suspected
poison gas attack in Syria and said Russians or Syrians may have
tampered with evidence on the ground.Moscow denied the charge and blamed
delays on retaliatory U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria on
Saturday.British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President
Emmanuel Macron faced criticism from political opponents over their
decisions to take part in the air strikes.Syria and Russia deny
unleashing poison gas on April 7 during their offensive on Douma, which
ended with the recapture of the town that had been the last rebel
stronghold near the capital, Damascus.Relief organizations say dozens of
men, women and children were killed. Footage of young victims foaming
at the mouth and weeping in agony has thrust Syria's civil war - in
which half a million people have been killed in the past seven years -
to the forefront of world concern again.Inspectors from the Organisation
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) traveled to Syria last
week to inspect the site, but have yet to gain access to Douma, which is
now under government control after the rebels withdrew."It is our
understanding the Russians may have visited the attack site," U.S.
Ambassador Kenneth Ward said at an OPCW meeting in The Hague on
Monday."It is our concern that they may have tampered with it with the
intent of thwarting the efforts of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission to
conduct an effective investigation," he said. His comments at the
closed-door meeting were obtained by Reuters.Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov denied Moscow had interfered with any evidence. "I can
guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site," he told the
BBC.Increasing regional jitters, Syrian anti-aircraft defenses shot down
missiles fired at the Syrian air base of Shayrat in Homs province,
Syrian state television said.The Pentagon said there was no U.S.
military activity in that area "at this time".Separately, the
pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia said Syrian air defenses intercepted three
missiles aimed at Dumair military airport northeast of Damascus.An
Israeli military spokesman said: "We don't comment on such
reports".-TRUMP WANTS U.S. TROOPS HOME-Two days after the missile
strikes that he hailed as a well-executed military operation, President
Donald Trump still wants to bring the small number of U.S. troops in
northern Syria home, the White House said.But spokeswoman Sarah Sanders
said he had not set a timeline for a pullout. Trump was also willing to
meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, she added, while indicating that
no such encounter was imminent.Britain's delegation to the OPCW accused
Russia and the Assad government of stopping inspectors from reaching
Douma. "Unfettered access is essential," it said in a statement. "Russia
and Syria must cooperate."The team aims to collect samples, interview
witnesses and document evidence to determine whether banned toxic
munitions were used, although it is not permitted to assign blame for
the attack.British Ambassador Peter Wilson said in The Hague that the
United Nations had cleared the inspectors to go but they had been unable
to reach Douma because Syria and Russia had been unable to guarantee
their safety.Moscow blamed the delay on the air strikes, in which the
United States, France and Britain targeted what the Pentagon said were
three chemical weapons facilities."We called for an objective
investigation. This was at the very beginning after this information (of
the attack) appeared. Therefore allegations of this toward Russia are
groundless," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.A Russian defense
ministry official said later the OPCW experts would travel to Douma on
Wednesday.Russia's defense ministry said the United States and its
allies had hit military targets and not just research facilities,
Interfax news agency reported.The RIA news agency quoted the ministry as
saying the Syrian military destroyed 71 out of 103 cruise missiles
detected in Syrian airspace.The inspectors met Syrian Deputy Foreign
Minister Faisal Mekdad in the presence of Russian officers and a senior
Syrian security official in Damascus for about three hours on
Sunday.OPCW inspectors have been attacked on two previous missions to
the sites of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.Syrian flags flew in
Douma on Monday, security forces stood on street corners and Russian
military police patrolled the streets. State aid trucks handed out
bread, rice and pasta to people who had lived under siege for years.A
government-organized media tour did not include the building where,
according to rescue workers and medics who were in town at the time,
dozens of people were killed by poison gas.Doctors at the hospital where
suspected victims were treated told reporters on the tour that none of
the patients that night had suffered chemical weapons injuries - they
were asphyxiated by dust and smoke in a bombardment.Medical aid groups
and the White Helmets rescue organization have said such statements -
already aired on state television in recent days - were made under
duress.-'RIGHT THING TO DO'-The U.S.-led strikes did nothing to alter
the strategic balance or dent Assad's supremacy, and the Western allies
have said the aim was to prevent the further use of chemical weapons,
not to intervene in the civil war or topple Assad.At a meeting in
Luxembourg, the 28 EU foreign ministers endorsed the missile strikes and
considered steps to deepen Assad's isolation.Britain's May told
parliament the decision to conduct air strikes against Syria was in the
British national interest and not as a result of pressure from Trump."We
have not done this because President Trump asked us to, we have done it
because we believed it was the right thing to do, and we are not alone.
There is broad-based international support for the action we have
taken," May said.May has said she did not seek a green light from
parliament for the attacks, citing the need to act quickly.(Additional
reporting by Jack Stubbs and Andrey Ostroukh in Moscow, Jeff Mason,
Susan Cornwell, Leslie Wroughton, Yara Bayoumy and Steve Holland in
Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York, Samia Nakhoul, Tom Perry,
Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall in Beirut, Kinda Makieh in Barzeh,
Syria, Elizabeth Piper, Michael Holden and Guy Faulconbridge in London,
Laurence Frost, Michel Rose and Ingrid Melander in Paris and Suleiman
Al-Khalidi in Amman; Writing by Angus MacSwan and Richard Balmforth;
Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
Defence cross of Cosby accuser reflects change in strategy-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 18, 2018
NORRISTOWN,
Pa. — Bill Cosby's lawyers have changed the way they talk about his
chief accuser and her relationship with him.At Cosby's first
sexual-assault trial, the defence argued that Andrea Constand, a former
Temple University women's basketball administrator, and the 80-year-old
married comedian were lovers having an affair. A mistrial was declared
when jurors couldn't reach a verdict after six days of deliberations.At
the retrial, Cosby's new lawyer, Tom Mesereau, has called Constand a
"con artist" who baited Cosby by feigning romantic interest in him and
wound up with a $3.4 million civil settlement after she levelled a false
claim of sexual molestation.Mesereau's cross-examination of Constand,
which ended Monday, reflected this change in strategy.Like last time,
though, the defence team hit a brick wall when it asked Constand about a
key figure in the case, Marguerite Jackson, who says Constand spoke
about fabricating sexual-assault allegations against a celebrity to file
suit. After Constand denied knowing Jackson at the first trial, a judge
barred her from testifying for the defence . The judge has tentatively
ruled that Jackson can take the stand at the retrial, but that could
change because Constand, for a second time, has denied knowing
her.Here's a glimpse at each defence team's cross-examination of
Constand.ON CONSTAND'S DINNER WITH COSBY-First trial: Cosby lawyer
Angela Agrusa suggested Constand once enjoyed a romantic dinner at
Cosby's home."And the room was dark and there was a nice mood in the
room, correct?" Agrusa asked."I don't know what that means," Constand
replied."The lights were dimmed, and the fire was going, right?" the
lawyer continued."I don't really remember how dim the lights were, but I
did have to eat my dinner," Constand said.Second trial: Mesereau didn't
ask about the dinner.ON THE 'PONZI SCHEME'-First trial: The defence
didn't ask Constand about emails she had sent that promised big returns
for a risk-free $65 investment — what the defence at the second trial
has called a "Ponzi scheme."Second trial: Mesereau asked Constand about
the emails, seeking to bolster his claim that she's a con artist. During
cross-examination, Constand struggled to remember why she'd sent them
but said she was only trying to help out a friend.ON MARGUERITE
JACKSON-First trial: Agrusa asked Constand, "When you travelled to the
away games while you were director of basketball operations, did you
know or work with a woman named Margo Jackson?"Constand replied, "Her
name sounds familiar, but I don't really remember her. ... I don't know
her."Second trial: Constand testified she doesn't "recall ever having a
conversation with" Jackson.ON CONSTAND'S CIVIL SETTLEMENT-First trial:
Agrusa ran through a list of personal-injury lawyers whom Constand
called after the alleged assault and referred to her police statement in
which she said she had contacted an attorney who "specializes in sexual
assault lawsuits." Constand said a lawsuit "was not my intention."
Agrusa's ability to question Constand about her $3.4 million civil
settlement with Cosby was limited due to a ruling from the judge.Second
trial: This time, the defence was allowed to ask her about the 2006
settlement.Mesereau suggested Constand violated a confidentiality
provision of the settlement by co-operating with prosecutors when they
reopened the criminal investigation in 2015. He asked if she offered to
give the money back and wondered, "Didn't you think when Mr. Cosby paid
you this large sum of money he was hoping it would all go away?"Constand
agreed, saying he she wanted it to go away, too. "I was glad it was
over," she said.___Rubinkam contributed to this story from northeastern
Pennsylvania.___This story has been corrected to show jurors at the
first trial deliberated for six days, not five.Michael R. Sisak And
Michael Rubinkam, The Associated Press.
The Latest: Police sergeant says DA shut down Cosby probe-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 18, 2018
NORRISTOWN,
Pa. — The Latest on the Bill Cosby's sexual-assault retrial (all times
local):12:05 p.m.A police sergeant has told jurors that a suburban
Philadelphia prosecutor abruptly shut down an initial investigation into
allegations that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted a woman.Cheltenham
Township Police Sgt. Richard Schaffer testified Tuesday that
then-Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor announced he was
closing the 2005 probe just hours after investigators met to discuss
leads that needed to be followed up.Castor ended the investigation into
Cosby four weeks after Andrea Constand told police the comedian had
drugged and molested her about a year earlier. The prosecutor has said
the evidence showed both parties "could be held in less than a
flattering light."His successors reopened the criminal case in 2015
after Cosby's testimony from Constand's civil suit was unsealed.Cosby
says his encounter with Constand was consensual.The Associated Press
doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual
assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.___9:30
a.m.The judge in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial says jurors can
hear the comedian's prior testimony about giving quaaludes to women
before sex.Judge Steven O'Neill ruled Tuesday that prosecutors can read
the testimony into the record at Cosby's retrial on charges he drugged
and molested Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in
2004.Cosby testified at a deposition related to Constand's lawsuit
against him that he had gotten quaaludes from his doctor in Los Angeles
in the 1970s. He said he was given seven prescriptions for the
now-banned sedative, ostensibly for a sore back.Cosby said he never took
the drug, instead giving it to women he wanted to have sex with.Cosby's
lawyers argued the testimony is irrelevant to his retrial because
there's no evidence he gave Constand the drug.The Associated Press
doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual
assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.___8:30
a.m.Bill Cosby has arrived for his sexual assault retrial, where
prosecutors are building to a close in their case.A spokeswoman for the
80-year-old comedian blasted his chief accuser and her mother as they
arrived at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse Tuesday morning.Ebonee
Benson says that Andrea and her mother Gianna Constand's testimony
"seemed to be more colorful and more embellished" than during last
year's trial that ended with a hung jury.Constand on Monday denied
making up her story to set up a big pay day, and her mother testified
that Cosby apologized.Cosby is on trial over charges he drugged and
molested Constand in 2004. He says the encounter was
consensual.Investigators and a pharmaceutical expert are expected to
take the stand on the seventh day of the proceedings.The Associated
Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of
sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has
done.___12:30 a.m.Prosecutors are building to the conclusion of their
case against comedian Bill Cosby in his sexual assault
retrial.Investigators and a pharmaceutical expert are expected to take
the stand beginning Tuesday.Prosecutors on Monday delivered a one-two
punch as chief accuser Andrea Constand rejected defence allegations that
she concocted her story to score a big payday, and her mother testified
that Cosby apologized.Andrea and Gianna Constand's testimony followed
that of five additional accusers who told jurors that Cosby had drugged
and assaulted them two decades earlier.Andrea Constand has accused Cosby
of drugging and molesting her at his suburban Philadelphia home in
2004. Cosby has denied the allegations.The Associated Press doesn't
typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault
unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.The Associated
Press.
Order of nuns opposed to location of Summerside cannabis store-[CBC]-YAHOONEWS-April 18, 2018
An
order of nuns in Summerside, P.E.I., is opposed to the location of a
new cannabis retail store opening down the street from where they want
to have a daycare."It is too close to our location here where we plan to
have the daycare," said Sister Margherita Ianni, of the Sisters of
Sacred Heart of Jesus of Ragusa convent in Summerside.The sisters are
just starting to move in, but eventually there will be seven of them,
and they plan to open a daycare centre in their building. They've
already received permission from the city to do so."That's the reason
why, one of the main reasons why, we came here was to open a faith-based
daycare in Summerside," Ianni said. "We've always worked with young
children and we know the impact that early years have on children."1 of 4
government-owned retail stores-The former Starbucks on Granville Street
will be one of four provincially-owned retail locations scheduled to
open sometime this year.Summerside councillor Tyler Desroches said he
doesn't like the location of the cannabis store either. He said he would
have preferred to see the province locate its cannabis store
downtown.He also doesn't like the store's proximity to Athena
Consolidated, although the school is more than 300 metres away."Any new
business is great, we're always looking to grow Summerside," he
said."It's just, I would have liked to seen it in a different
spot."Councillor unhappy with location-He added that he approached some
business owners to see if they were interested in bidding on the tender
for the retail store."I really didn't want to see it in a school
district or with Sacred Heart Parish going up right beside us.There were
a couple of places in the downtown core that I thought would have been
ideal for it."The cannabis store is located less than 200 metres from
the convent, according to the city.Summerside's current zoning bylaw
does not require a specific distance between pot stores and daycares.In
an email statement to CBC News, a spokesperson from the Finance
Department said it took proximity to schools into consideration when
looking at possible locations for a retail cannabis store."We will
continue to work closely with the Summerside City Council as we move
towards federal legalization of cannabis," the province told CBC.No one
from the department could be reached Monday to clarify whether it was
aware a daycare was planned down the road from the store.Ianni says her
group is continuing with its plans to open a daycare, although they do
not have a firm opening date.
Facebook must face class action over facial recognition: U.S. judge-[Reuters]-By David Ingram-YAHOONEWS-April 18, 2018
SAN
FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge ruled on Monday that
Facebook Inc must face a class action lawsuit alleging that the social
network unlawfully used a facial recognition process on photos without
user permission.The ruling adds to the privacy woes that have been
mounting against Facebook for weeks, since it was disclosed that the
personal information of millions of users was harvested by the political
consultancy Cambridge Analytica.U.S. District Judge James Donato ruled
in San Francisco federal court that a class action was the most
efficient way to resolve the dispute over facial templates.Facebook said
it was reviewing the ruling. "We continue to believe the case has no
merit and will defend ourselves vigorously," the company said in a
statement.Lawyers for the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached
for comment.Facebook users sued in 2015, alleging violations of an
Illinois state law about the privacy of biometric information.The class
will consist of Facebook users in Illinois for whom Facebook created and
stored facial recognition algorithms after June 7, 2011, Donato ruled.
That is the date when Facebook launched "Tag Suggestions," a feature
that suggests people to tag after a Facebook user uploads a photo.In the
U.S. court system, certification of a class is typically a major hurdle
that plaintiffs in proposed class actions need to overcome before
reaching a possible settlement or trial.(Reporting by David Ingram;
Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman)
Quebec City mosque gunman wished he had killed more people: report-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-April 18, 2018
QUEBEC
— The man who murdered six Muslim men in 2017 told a social worker
several months after the killings that he wished there had been more
victims, evidence tabled in court Monday indicated.In her report tabled
by the Crown, social worker Guylaine Cayouette said Alexandre
Bissonnette told her he had idolized serial killers since his
adolescence and he wanted to make a splash of his own."I regret not
having killed more people," Bissonnette reportedly said in September
2017, eight months after he entered a Quebec City mosque and shot dead
six men following evening prayers. "The victims are in the sky and I'm
living in hell."Cayouette's report was entered as evidence during
sentencing arguments for Bissonnette, who pleaded guilty last month to
six charges of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder in the
shooting.She had met Bissonnette on the request of a nurse, who said he
had not been feeling well. Cayouette noted that as soon as the
28-year-old entered her office in the Quebec City prison, he began to
cry.The social worker added that Bissonnette also told her, "I wanted
glory."Also Monday, Aymen Derbali, who lost the use of his legs in the
shooting, testified in court.He was the first of Bissonnette's victims
to take the stand.Derbali, who is confined to a wheelchair, said he was
configuring his son's television on Jan. 29, 2017, when he realized he
was likely going to be late for 7:30 p.m. prayers.He said he hesitated a
bit, and then decided to go to the mosque.Derbali, a father of three,
had just entered the mosque when he heard gunshots."I was the closest
one," he told the court.He said he was hit in the leg and fell to the
floor.Derbali, 41, said he tried to crawl and stop the shooter, but then
Bissonnette blasted him.Bissonnette fired seven bullets into Derbali's
body, including one that remains lodged in his spinal cord.Derbali was
asked by reporters what it was like to be in the courtroom along with
Bissonnette."I didn't look at him at all," Derbali said. "He was just — I
didn't look at him at all."Earlier in the day, a report of
Bissonnette's internet search history on his laptop indicated he visited
websites about guns, U.S. President Donald Trump, feminism, Islam and
the terrorist group ISIL in the weeks preceding the murders.On the
actual day of the killings, Bissonnette visited the mosque's website 12
times, a report compiled by the RCMP said.Bissonnette allegedly visited
the Facebook page belonging to the Muslim student association at his
university on 10 different days in January 2017 and was a frequent
visitor to the websites of two women's groups, including one also based
at his school.He also allegedly made multiple searches on Trump as well
as on firearms.It's unclear what percentage these topics represented of
Bissonnette's total internet search history.Also in January 2017,
Bissonnette is said to have looked up videos of shootings and
information on guns and ammunition. Shortly before he entered the
mosque, he allegedly searched for videos on the Glock pistol, the same
type of firearm he used to kill six men.The RCMP report said Bissonnette
searched the web for information on mass killers, including white
supremacist Dylan Roof as well as Marc Lepine, the shooter in Montreal's
1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre.Bissonnette told police during his
interrogation in the hours after the shooting that he approved of
Trump's attempt to limit immigration to the U.S. because terrorists
could sneak into the country.On the day of the killings, Bissonnette
also allegedly looked up a Twitter message written the previous day by
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who used the social platform to welcome
refugees to Canada.Bissonnette can receive consecutive sentences, which
would mean up to 150 years in prison, but his legal team is hoping he
receives concurrent sentences, which would see him eligible to apply for
parole after 25 years.Stephanie Marin, The Canadian Press.
