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)
REVELATION 13:11-13
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he (FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADER) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
REVELATION 17:1-5,9,15-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
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-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.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(BOMB OR NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city,(VATICAN) which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Pope says it’s crazy to see his meeting with Bernie Sanders as political-[Reuters]-By Philip Pullella-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that his meeting with Bernie Sanders, contesting the Democratic candidacy for the U.S. Presidency, was not meddling in politics and that anyone who thought otherwise should “look for a psychiatrist”. Sanders and the pope met briefly on Saturday morning at the Vatican guest house where Francis lives and where Sanders and his wife spent the night after he addressed a Vatican conference on social justice. “When I came down, I greeted him, I shook his hand and nothing more. This is called good manners and it is not getting involved in politics,” the pope told reporters in answer to a question aboard the plane returning from the Greek island of Lesbos, where he visited a refugee camp. [L5N17J063]. “If anyone thinks that greeting someone is getting involved in politics, I recommend that he look for a psychiatrist,” he said, laughing. In an interview with ABC News after the meeting, Sanders called the pope “a beautiful man”, adding “I am not a Catholic, but there is a radiance that comes from him.” “I just conveyed to him my admiration for the extraordinary work he is doing raising some of the most important issues facing our planet and the billions of people on the planet and injecting the need for morality in the global economy,” Sanders, a Brooklyn-born son of Polish Jewish immigrants, told ABC. The Democratic hopeful from Vermont has campaigned on a promise to rein in corporate power and level the economic playing field for working and lower-income Americans who he says have been left behind, a message echoing that of the pope. The meeting came just days before Tuesday’s Democratic party primary in New York, where polls say he is trailing Hillary Clinton. After he won seven of the last eight state contests, a loss in Sanders’ home state would give front-runner Clinton a boost toward the party’s presidential nomination. Sanders has said the trip was not a pitch for the Catholic vote but a testament to his admiration for the pontiff. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Additional reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Has Pope Francis endorsed Bernie Sanders?-[Christian Science Monitor]-Lucy Schouten-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders interrupted his presidential campaign part-way through the primaries with a Roman holiday and answered an invite from Pope Francis. The Vatican might seem an odd campaign stop for a nominally Jewish presidential candidate, but it has earned Vermont's Sen. Sanders the closest thing to a papal endorsement that a US politician can receive. Although the Vatican has emphasized the pope's neutrality in the American election, the popular and media-savvy pope is at least expressing support for Sanders' signature positions."The optics are of a tacit papal endorsement of Sanders' views on social and economic justice," says R. Andrew Chesnut, the chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. "This, combined with Francis's recent rebuke of Donald Trump, leaves no question about whom the Latin American pope prefers in the American presidential contest."Sanders spoke Friday for 15 minutes at a Vatican conference on the dangers of an "unregulated globalization" that concentrates wealth among a few to the detriment of the middle class, CNN reported. Adding to the visit's significance, Pope Francis defied expectations by meeting privately with Sanders in what the senator called an "extraordinary moment.""Participation at the Vatican conference provides a global platform for Sanders to both increase his appeal to American Catholics and position himself alongside the Argentine pontiff as a global spokesman on matters of social justice," Dr. Chesnut says. "It's been patently clear for some time now that Bernie Sanders and Pope Francis are fellow travelers." What makes an Argentine pope and a Jewish senator effective "fellow travelers?"Sanders' pro-abortion views and support for same-sex marriage hardly complement those of Pope Francis, who reasserted both the church's commitment to traditional families and opposition to abortion just last week. Given that Sanders interrupted his campaign to visit Rome, and the pontiff made time before an early trip to Greece to greet him, however, the two appear willing to overlook family matters."It goes without saying that I have my strong disagreements with certain aspects what the church stands for but [Pope Francis] has been out there talking about the need for a moral economy," Sanders said at a campaign rally in New York City, where supporters cheering his announcement of the Vatican visit apparently thought the jaunt to Rome was a good use of campaign time, CNN reported.Pope Francis' clear focus since his papacy began has been for the poor, and many of his more overtly theological reforms have aimed to relieve struggling families. Sanders' speech on "the morality of our economic life" found "resonance" at the Vatican, Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, who was present for Sanders' papal meeting, told CNN. Climate policy is another area the two can agree upon, as Sanders is this US presidential race's most outspoken climate-change crusader. Pope Francis outlined his concerns about climate change in an encyclical and urged the United States to play a role in altering mankind's impact on the environment.The pope has also taken a strong position against the death penalty and advocated mercy inside the prison system, Chesnut wrote for the Huffington Post. There, too, Sanders has historically promoted alternative rehabilitation measures and opposed capital punishment.Apart from these specific views, the pope has not been averse to endorsing American socialists. When he visited the United States in September, Pope Francis structured his speech to Congress around the examples of four Americans who built "a better future" and "offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality," The Christian Science Monitor reported. One of these was Dorothy Day, a Catholic journalist and 20th-century socialist.The pope has also been asked on numerous occasions whether he, like Sanders, is a socialist. He has directly rejected Marxism, however, and said his concern for the poor is a Christian tenet that communists have "stolen," Catholic News Agency wrote."I must say that communists have stolen our flag," he told the Roman daily Il Messagero in 2015. "The flag of the poor is Christian. Poverty is the center of the Gospel. The poor are at the center of the Gospel.”
Pope brings 12 Syrian refugees to Italy in lesson for Europe-[Associated Press]-DEREK GATOPOULOS, NICOLE WINFIELD and ELENA BECATOROS-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
MORIA, Greece (AP) – Pope Francis gave Europe a concrete lesson Saturday in welcoming refugees by bringing 12 Syrian Muslims to Italy aboard his charter plane after an emotional visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, which has faced the brunt of Europe’s migration crisis.Refugees on the overwhelmed island fell to their knees and wept at his presence.The Vatican said Francis wanted to make a “gesture of welcome” at the end of his five-hour visit to Lesbos, where he implored Europe to respond to the migrant crisis on its shores “in a way that is worthy of our common humanity.” The Greek island just a few miles from the Turkish coast has seen hundreds of thousands of desperate people land on its beaches and rocks in the last year, fleeing war and poverty at home.“Today I renew my heartfelt plea for responsibility and solidarity in the face of this tragic situation,” Francis said.The pope visited Lesbos alongside the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians and the head of the Church of Greece to thank the Greek people for their welcome and highlight the plight of refugees as the European Union implements a controversial plan to deport them back to Turkey.Many refugees wept at Francis’ feet as he and the two Orthodox leaders approached them at the Moria refugee detention center, where they greeted 250 people individually. Others chanted “Freedom! Freedom!” as the religious leaders passed by.Francis bent down as one young girl knelt at his feet, sobbing uncontrollably. Clearly moved, the pope also blessed a man who wailed “Thank you, God. Thank you! Please Father, bless me!” A woman told Francis that her husband was in Germany but that she was stuck with her two sons in Lesbos.The Vatican said the three Syrian families, including six children, who were taken back with the pope will be supported by the Holy See and cared for initially by Italy’s Catholic Sant'Egidio Community, which has been active in providing assistance to refugees.Two of the families hail from Damascus and the third from Deir el-Zour, a city close to the Iraqi border that the Islamic State group has been besieging for months, leading to malnutrition among 200,000 people living in the area.“Their homes had been bombed,” the Vatican said of the three families.At a ceremony in the port of Lesbos to thank Greeks, Francis said he understood Europe’s concern about the recent migrant influx. But he said migrants are first of all human beings “who have faces, names and individual stories” and deserve to have their most basic human rights respected.“God will repay this generosity,” he promised.In his remarks to the refugees, Francis said they should know that they are not alone and shouldn’t lose hope. He said he wanted to visit them to hear their stories and to bring the world’s attention to their plight.“We hope that the world will heed these scenes of tragic and indeed desperate need, and respond in a way worthy of our common humanity,” he said. “May all our brothers and sisters on this continent, like the Good Samaritan, come to your aid in the spirit of fraternity, solidarity and respect for human dignity that has distinguished its long history.”Human rights groups have denounced the EU-Turkey deportation deal as an abdication of Europe’s obligation to grant protection to asylum-seekers.The March 18 deal stipulates that anyone arriving clandestinely on Greek islands on or after March 20 will be returned to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece. For every Syrian sent back, the EU will take another Syrian directly from Turkey for resettlement in Europe. In return, Turkey was granted billions of euros to deal with the more than 2.7 million Syrian refugees living there and promised that its stalled accession talks with the EU would speed up.Making sure not to violate the deal, the Vatican said the 12 Syrians coming to Italy with the pope had been in Lesbos prior to March 20, and thus were not subject to possible deportation.During the visit, Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the archbishop of Athens, Ieronymos II, signed a joint declaration calling on the international community to make the protection of human lives a priority and to extend temporary asylum to those in need.The declaration also called on political leaders to use all means to ensure that everyone, particularly Christians, can remain in their homelands and enjoy the “fundamental right to live in peace and security.”“The world will be judged by the way it has treated you,” Bartholomew told the refugees. “And we will all be accountable for the way we respond to the crisis and conflict in the regions that you come from.”Francis and the two Orthodox leaders, officially divided from Catholics over a 1,000-year schism, lunched with eight of the refugees to hear their stories of fleeing war, conflict and poverty and their hopes for a better life in Europe. They then went to the island’s main port to pray together and toss a floral wreath into the sea in memory of those who didn’t make the journey — hundreds of people this year alone.Upon his arrival in Greece, Francis met Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the airport and thanked him for the “generosity” shown by the Greek people in welcoming foreigners despite their own economic troubles.Tsipras said he was proud of Greece’s response “at a time when some of our partners — even in the name of Christian Europe — were erecting walls and fences to prevent defenseless people from seeking a better life.”Hours before Francis arrived, the European border patrol agency Frontex intercepted a dinghy carrying 41 Syrians and Iraqis off the coast of Lesbos. The refugees were detained and brought to shore in the main port of Mytilene.The son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, Francis has made the plight of refugees, the poor and downtrodden the focus of his ministry as pope, denouncing the “globalization of indifference” that the world shows the less fortunate.The wreath-tossing ceremony is a gesture Francis first made when he visited the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013, his first trip outside Rome as pope, after a dozen migrants died trying to reach the southern tip of Europe. He made a similar gesture at the U.S.-Mexican border, laying a bouquet of flowers next to a large crucifix at the Ciudad Juarez border crossing in memory of migrants who died trying to reach the U.S.___Winfield reported from Rome and Becatoros from Athens.___Follow Nicole Winfield at http://www.twitter.com/nwinfield and Derek Gatopoulos at http://www.twitter.com/dgatopoulos
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)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
Hundreds of flights canceled in Denver as blizzard hits Colorado-[Reuters]-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
(Reuters) - A powerful blizzard swept through Colorado on Saturday, dumping at least 2 feet (61 cm) of snow in some parts of the state and forcing the cancellation of most of the scheduled flights at the Denver airport, officials said.United Airlines [UALCO.UL] canceled all of its flights to and from Denver International Airport, the airport said in a statement.All told, more than 800 flights were grounded on Saturday, or more than 65 percent of all scheduled take-offs and landings at the airport, the FlightAware airline tracking website showed. Dozens of other flights were delayed.Denver International is the fourth-largest hub for United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, and the primary hub for Frontier Airlines, according to its website.A representative for the airport did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.The heavy snow began falling on Friday night and was expected to continue through Sunday, the National Weather Service said.By noon local time on Saturday, nearly 5 inches (13 cm) had fallen in Denver, Colorado's largest city, while the storm dumped up to 2 feet (61 cm) of snow in the mountains and foothills, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kalina.The utility Xcel Energy Colorado reported on its Facebook page that about 8,000 of its customers in the state lost power in the storm and that it had sent out extra crews to deal with problems.(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; editing by Grant McCool)
Uruguay storms kill seven, displace 2,000: authorities-[AFP]-April 17, 2016-yahoonews
Colonia Suiza (Uruguay) (AFP) - Storms and floods in Uruguay have killed seven people and driven 2,000 from their homes in recent days, authorities said Sunday.Four people were killed when a storm struck the western city of Dolores on Friday and three others were later found to have died when trying to cross flooded rivers in the region, according to a new government toll released Sunday.President Tabare Vazquez declared Sunday a day of national mourning."We are going to rebuild Dolores," he said, in comments broadcast on the radio.Countless buildings were destroyed in Dolores, an AFP reporter in the town saw.The National Emergency System said on Sunday that floods caused by heavy rain had forced more than 2,000 people to abandon their homes after rivers burst their banks.Flooding also forced the closure of the main national highway that links the capital Montevideo to the tourist town of Sacramento de Colonia and to the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, an AFP reporter saw.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
US Air Force plane intercepted by Russian jet in 'unsafe' manner-[AFP]-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Washington (AFP) - A US Air Force reconnaissance plane was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 jet in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner while flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, the Pentagon said."The US aircraft was operating in international airspace and at no time crossed into Russian territory," said Laura Seal, a Pentagon spokeswoman.The incident comes shortly after Russian aircraft repeatedly buzzed the USS Donald Cook this past week, including an incident Tuesday in which a Russian Su-24 flew 30 feet (nine meters) above the ship in a "simulated attack profile," according to the US military's European Command.Russia has denied the action was reckless or provocative."This unsafe and unprofessional air intercept has the potential to cause serious harm and injury to all aircrews involved," Seal said of Thursday's incident."More importantly, the unsafe and unprofessional actions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries."The US aircraft in question was an RC-135.
US transfers nine Yemenis from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia-[AFP]-Thomas Watkins-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Washington (AFP) - Nine Yemeni inmates have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Saturday, bringing the controversial military prison's remaining population down to 80.It is the largest transfer from the facility since 10 Yemenis were sent to Oman in January and the first time Saudi Arabia has taken any Guantanamo inmates.The men's release -- just ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to Saudia Arabia next week -- is the result of years of negotiations with the Saudi government and they will all participate in a Saudi rehabilitation and de-radicalization program.The United States has in recent months accelerated the rate at which detainees who have been approved for transfer are released from the facility, which Obama urgently wants to close before he leaves office at the start of next year.The Guantanamo prison has held about 780 inmates in all since it was opened shortly after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001."The United States is grateful to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the Pentagon said in a statement.The men arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier Saturday. Most had been recommended for release years ago, but faced delays owing in part to their home country sliding into civil war, meaning they could not be repatriated.The nine inmates are: Ahmed Umar Abdullah Al-Hikimi, Abdul Rahman Mohammed Saleh Nasir, Ali Yahya Mahdi Al-Raimi, Tariq Ali Abdullah Ahmed Ba Odah, Muhammed Abdullah Muhammed Al-Hamiri, Ahmed Yaslam Said Kuman, Abd al Rahman Al-Qyati, Mansour Muhammed Ali Al-Qatta, and Mashur Abdullah Muqbil Ahmed Al-Sabri.Ba Odah had been on hunger strike for years and was force-fed by the military.According to The New York Times, officials are still deliberating whether to release a 10th Yemeni who has been recommended for transfer.Of the 80 remaining inmates, 26 have been approved for transfer and are expected to be released later this year.Obama wants to send the rest, deemed to be the most dangerous, for incarceration in the United States but Republican lawmakers have steadfastly resisted any such move.- 'Playing politics' -Obama promised, on his second day in office in 2009, to close the Guantanamo jail within a year. His efforts floundered, however.In February, the president presented Congress with a new closure plan for Guantanamo, which he says serves only to stoke anti-US resentment and fuel jihadi recruitment.But the plan is likely doomed in the face of Republicans continuing to oppose the jail's shuttering.Amnesty International USA's Naureen Shah said the latest transfers add to momentum to close Guantanamo."Despite repeated attempts by some in Congress to keep Guantanamo open, President Obama's continued transfer of Guantanamo detainees signal that he does not buy into their fear-mongering," she said."Congress cannot continue playing politics with the lives of detainees who may die behind bars without ever facing trial."Guantanamo is a US naval base carved out of a remote chunk of land on the tip of southeastern Cuba. The administration of George W. Bush opened a prison there to hold terror suspects.Republican presidential candidates have vowed that if elected they would send more terror suspects to Guantanamo instead of closing it.
Belgian minister says many Muslims 'danced' after attacks-[AFP]-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Brussels (AFP) - Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said Saturday that a "significant" part of the Muslim population celebrated attacks, blaming the country's policies for failing to integrate migrants into society.He did not explicitly refer to last month's jihadist attacks on Brussels' airport and metro system that killed 32 people"A significant section of the Muslim community danced when attacks took place," Jambon said in an interview with the Flemish-language De Standaard newspaper.The Belgian minister also accused Muslim residents of Brussels' largely immigrant Molenbeek neighbourhood of attacking police during an operation last month to arrest a suspect in connection with the deadly attacks in Paris last November."They threw stones and bottles at police and press during the arrest of Salah Abdeslam. This is the real problem. Terrorists we can pick up, remove from society. But they are just a boil. Underneath is a cancer that is much more difficult to treat. We can do it, but it won't be overnight," he said.Jambon, whose New Flemish Alliance party has been a key part of Belgium's ruling centre-right coalition since 2014, previously offered to resign in the wake of the Brussels attacks.In Saturday's interview he said that the danger linked to the radicalisation of youth from third and fourth generation families is "too deeply rooted" in some areas because Belgium "have for many years ignored the warning signs".Following the November 13 attacks in neighbouring France, Jambon sparked controversy when he promised to "clean Molenbeek" when it emerged that several of the attackers had links to the impoverished district of the Belgian capital.
Iran and Turkey vow to cooperate on terrorism and trade-[AFP]-Fulya Ozerkan-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Ankara (AFP) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to boost trade between their two countries at talks Saturday following the lifting of most international sanctions on Tehran.They also agreed to cooperate in the fight against terrorism during their meeting at Erdogan's lavish palace near Ankara, just a day after Iran was accused of supporting extremists at a summit of Muslim heads of state in Istanbul.Rouhani boycotted the closing meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in protest at the rebuke.His meeting with Erdogan focussed on the Syrian conflict and trade between the two neighbours.In a joint press conference, Erdogan said he hoped bilateral trade would reach $30 billion (27 billion euros) annually. It currently stands at just $10 billion after years of sanctions.After being brought in from the cold following last year's nuclear deal with world powers, Iran is being courted by both Europe and Turkey as a potentially lucrative market for trade and investment.Rouhani called for banking and energy ties between the two nations to be enhanced as the two leaders inked several cooperation deals.Energy-hungry Turkey is dependent on Russia and Iran for its oil and natural gas but may turn more to Tehran after Ankara's relations with Moscow cooled after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane.Despite their rapprochement, Turkey and Iran remain on opposing sides of the five-year civil war in Syria.Tehran backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Ankara sees Assad's ouster as key to any resolution of the conflict and supports rebels fighting to overthrow his regime.Rouhani said stability in Syria, Yemen and Iraq would benefit the Islamic world.Erdogan said despite their differences on regional issues, Turkey and Iran agreed on the need to stop the bloodshed in the region.The war in Syria has pitted Shia-majority Iran against Turkey's ally, predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia, with both aiming to increase their influence in the region.Iran and Saudi Arabia have been embroiled in a diplomatic crisis since a mob set fire to Riyadh's missions in Tehran and Mashhad in January in protest at the execution by Saudi Arabia of a prominent Shiite cleric.The Turkish and Iranian leaders also agreed to seek to end sectarian divisions in the Islamic world and join forces to fight terror."What matters is the unity of the Islamic world. We must tell the world: our identity is Islam, not to be Sunni or Shiite, or from another sect," said Rouhani.
Iran seeks EU leverage to get financial concessions from U.S.[Reuters]-By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Julia Fioretti-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
DUBAI/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran, seeking European leverage to secure better terms from the United States following last year's nuclear deal, asked the European Union to put pressure on Washington to let it into the global financial system.In a visit to Tehran by a high-powered EU team in which both sides spoke of a significant expansion in economic and energy ties, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed EU support for its bid to join the World Trade Organization and spoke of a "new beginning" in relations with Europe.EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini, whose team of seven commissioners was the biggest to visit Tehran in more than a decade, said it was in Europe's interest to make sure European banks felt confident to do business in Iran.But she chided Tehran for holding ballistic missile tests despite last year's nuclear deal and said the EU would continue to stand firm on human rights violations in Iran.Following last year's nuclear deal, world powers led by the United States and the EU lifted most sanctions on the long-isolated Islamic Republic in January in return for curbs on its nuclear program.Despite the nuclear agreement, some U.S. sanctions remain and U.S. banks remain prohibited from doing business with Iran directly or indirectly because Washington still accuses Tehran of supporting terrorism and permitting human rights abuses.Some European banks like France bank BNP Paribas or Germany’s Commerzbank AG, once hit by huge U.S. fines for sanctions busting, fear falling foul of the many other restrictions imposed by Washington that remain in force.The White House said on Friday that the nuclear agreement did not include allowing it access to the global financial system."Iran and the EU will put pressure on the United States to facilitate the cooperation of non-American banks with Iran," Zarif said at a news conference in Tehran with Mogherini."It's essential that the other side, especially the United States, fulfill its commitments not on paper but in practice and removes the obstacles especially in banking sector."Zarif and Mogherini said in a joint statement that the EU and Iran were agreed on the expansion of economic relations, and "encouraging banking cooperation.""EU will support and assist Iran to become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," and will pursue opening a full EU diplomatic mission in Tehran, the statement said."Today is a new beginning in Iran and EU relations. We hope this cooperation between the Iranian nation and European Union brings about shared interests and global development," Zarif was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.Mogherini, who headed a team of seven EU commissioners, said cooperation on energy would also be important as Iranian oil and gas would again become a part of the European energy mix and help increase the bloc's energy security.-MISSILES AND RIGHTS-Iranian officials have complained their country is not getting the full economic fruits of the nuclear deal due to American "deceitfulness", but Washington believes it has been Iran's missile launches that have scared businesses off.Since July's nuclear deal, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has conducted four ballistic missile tests and the U.S. Treasury has in return put new sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the program.President Obama said this month that Iran had so far stuck to the nuclear agreement, but Tehran's launch of ballistic missiles "with slogans calling for the destruction of Israel" undermined the spirit of the deal.Mogherini said she did not see the missile tests as a breach of the accord between Iran and world powers, though she added it was a worrying step."This doesn't mean that we are not concerned," Mogherini said. "On the contrary, we see this as a worrying step ... and we are encouraging (Iran) to abstain from further steps."Despite the lifting of nuclear related sanctions, the EU extended some of its sanctions on Iran because of perceived violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic.The EU is troubled by the more than 1,000 executions in Iran last year. Mogherini said the EU would continue to be firm on issue of human rights while maintaining dialogue with Iran.(This story changes the number of Iran's ballistic missile tests from 2 to 4)-(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Julia Fioretti; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Grim new details of IS destruction in Syria's Palmyra museum-[Associated Press]-ZEINA KARAM-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The first foreign experts who visited the museum in Palmyra after it was taken over from Islamic State militants said they spent a week collecting fragments of priceless broken sculptures from the museum grounds and preparing them for transportation to Damascus in a rescue mission they hope will help salvage most of its contents.Back in the Syrian capital Saturday, they offered grim new details about the extent of the destruction caused by the extremists during their 10-month stay in the ancient town.The museum was trashed and some of its best-known artifacts and statues were smashed by the militants, who cut off the heads and hands of statues and demolished others before being driven out last month.Bartosz Markowski, from the Polish Archaeological Center at the University of Warsaw, told The Associated Press that most of the 200 objects which were exhibited on the ground floor of the Palmyra museum were destroyed, many of them apparently with hard tools like hammers. Many artifacts have been stolen, he added, thought it was not possible to know how many.He and his colleagues were the first specialists to visit Palmyra after it was taken over by the Syrian army, and spent a week working and assessing the damage."We collected everything we could. The fragments were spread around the whole museum among broken glass and furniture ... It is a catastrophe," he said, speaking to the AP in the garden of the National Museum in Damascus.During their rule of Palmyra, the extremists demolished some of the most famous Roman-era monuments that stand just outside the town, including two large temples dating back more than 1,800 years and a Roman triumphal archway, filming the destruction themselves for the world to see. The sprawling outdoor site, a UNESCO world heritage site, as well as the museum were among Syria's main tourist attractions before the civil war.Among the best-known statues destroyed was the famous Lion of Allat, a 2000-year-old statue which previously greeted visitors and tourists outside the Palmyra museum. The statue, which used to adorn the temple of Allat, a pre-Islamic goddess in Palmyra, was defaced by IS militants and knocked over by bulldozers.On a visit to Palmyra on Thursday, The Associated Press saw the statue lying outside the museum building with its face cut and some of its broken pieces lying next to it."Fortunately we collected most of the fragments and I hope it can be reconstructed very soon," said Markowski, who in 2005 took part in a Polish archaeological mission that did renovation work on the statue.His colleague, Robert Zukowski, said the limestone lion statue should be the first thing restored and "it should stay in Palmyra as a sign of resistance against the barbarians. "In addition to the damage inflicted by IS, Markowski said the museum building has suffered structural damage due to bombs falling."There's broken ceilings, broken walls, roofs, a lot of garbage and fragments of bricks everywhere, and among that there are fragments of sculptures," he said.He said the restoration will require a massive international effort and years to accomplish."I think most of the objects can be restored, but they will never look as they did before," he added.
Greek Talks at IMF Eyed as Analysts Say Deal May Take Months-Crunch time may be July, when Greece must repay €2.3 billion to the ECB.Deborah Hyde-April 15, 2016 — 9:30 AM EDT-BLOOMBERG
As a deal on a third bailout for Greece, initially due by December, remains elusive, risks are rising that talks may drag into summer when the nation faces a large debt payment.While analysts expect a solution will eventually be found, the discussion could take months and add to volatility in European assets as uncertainty over Greece comes amid a deadlock in Spanish politics and the run-up to the U.K.’s vote on its membership in the European Union.-What's the latest?-European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said Monday that if the Greek government takes a few steps on fiscal targets, an agreement may be only a few weeks away. At the same meeting, EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said the continuing role of the International Monetary Fund in the aid program for Greece is “decisive.”But the IMF has repeatedly said it won’t lend Greece more money unless the country’s liabilities become sustainable through debt relief and spending cuts. Germany is opposed to such a move, with Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble telling German TV that Greece needs to do more, while repeating his view there’s no need for debt forgiveness. European Stability Mechanism Chief Executive Klaus Regling has said reforms can help Greece reach debt sustainability without any recourse to haircuts, urging the nation to also deal with the refugee crisis.Greece, for its part, says the IMF is holding back an agreement by disputing savings forecasts and demanding further cuts. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said debt-relief talks are set to begin after the first program review.-What's Next?-Greece’s government plans to submit bills on tax and pension reform in parliament next week, even though they haven’t been approved by creditors who may consider the move to be a unilateral decision. The government is aiming to get the creditors to endorse changes to pensions, taxation and management of non-performing loans before euro-area finance ministers meet April 22, where it’s hoped a staff-level agreement will be reached.Talks with officials from the EC, the European Central Bank, the ESM and the IMF will resume after the fund’s spring meetings in Washington, which kick off today. Moscovici said he will seek progress on reducing Greece’s debt burden in Washington.Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem says he expects political agreement on the first review of Greek bailout at April 22 meeting or, if not, at the group’s next gathering on May 24. By then, pressure will be increasing to get a deal as Greece is due to repay the IMF about €650 million ($733 million) in June and about €2.3 billion to the ECB on July 20. The nation will have difficulty repaying Europe’s central bank if an agreement isn’t reached by then.The U.K. referendum on EU membership on June 23 is another factor that could bring the issue to a head, according to a leaked document purporting to be a transcript of a conversation between IMF officials.-What's the likely outcome?-The April 22 Eurogroup is probably too soon for a debt-relief agreement but an earnest political discussion will begin, followed by a deal in May, Eurasia analyst Mujtaba Rahman writes in a client note. He expects an eventual “fudge” with the Eurogroup granting more debt relief than the EC and ECB suggest is needed, but less than what the IMF wants -- with the government asked to deliver the rest in the form of additional reforms.Standard & Poor’s analysts see a compromise on pension reform by the end of April, leading to a conclusion of the review, and say a removal of capital controls is a critical step toward restoring confidence in the country’s banking sector.Athanasios Vamvakidis, strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, expects an accord before the July payment to the ECB falls due. RBS analysts say parties will be aware of the risk of Greece headlines interfering with the so-called “Brexit” vote, so any decision could be delayed until July.Citigroup analysts including Giada Giani say while Greece’s role in the EU-Turkey deal to stem refugee flows into the region could make the other parties more lenient, it could also stiffen the Greek government’s position. Even if a third bailout were agreed on, it would probably fail to restore fiscal sustainability and secure Greece’s future in the EU, they say.-What does all this mean for markets?-The Athens Stock Exchange is down 1.9 percent over the past month, underperforming the Stoxx 600 that has risen 0.5 percent. Greek government bonds are Europe’s worst performers over the same period.RBS analysts say last year’s events show the risk of contagion from Greece has eased but the Brexit vote, weaker regional growth and political fragility in a number of periphery countries means Greek developments could quickly become more relevant if spreads were to come under stress.Citigroup analysts say Greece represents a potential source of market turbulence in the coming months. An escalation of the Greek situation alongside the U.K. referendum could drive peripheral euro-area bond spreads wider, the euro lower and increase volatility in the single currency, according to Barclays analysts.Things can get worse in the very short term, but that would be a buying opportunity, BofAML’s Vamvakidis says. Any deal between Greece and its creditors would likely open up the way for Greek bond (GGB) eligibility for the ECB’s asset-purchase program, Citigroup and RBS analysts say. Greek bank stocks rose Friday after the ECB said their EFSF bonds are eligible for the program. Greylock Capital Management expects a deal and is adding to GGB positions amid the current volatility.
France's Hollande, in Beirut, vows to boost Lebanon military aid-[Reuters]-By John Davison-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande said on Saturday that France would provide immediate additional military aid to Lebanon, and urged politicians to end a long-running crisis by electing a president as soon as possible.Hollande also said he had decided to step up assistance for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, giving 50 million euros this year and 100 million euros over the next three years to cope with the crisis. Lebanon hosts more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees, a quarter of its population.Hollande's Beirut visit, the first stop on a Middle East tour, came weeks after Saudi Arabia cut $3 billion of military aid to Lebanon, where violence has repeatedly spilled over from the Syrian war since it began in 2011."We will work to provide immediate assistance to strengthen the military capability of Lebanon, specifically to combat terrorism but also to confront other threats," he said after meeting Prime Minister Tammam Salam.He said France's defense minister, who traveled with him, would assess the "material means that can be put at Lebanon's disposal to ensure its security", without giving further details.The Lebanese military has recently received additional support from both the United States and Britain as it seeks to defend the porous border with Syria. The army is carefully balanced among the country's sectarian groups and is widely seen as the backbone of the weak Lebanese state.Saudi Arabia decided to cut aid to the Lebanese army after the Beirut government failed to condemn an attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January which was prompted by the Saudi execution of a Shi'ite cleric.Riyadh is concerned at the influence wielded by Shi'ite Hezbollah over Lebanese government, and has questioned the Lebanese military's independence from the Iranian-backed group.Hezbollah is part of a government grouping all Lebanon's main political parties and headed by Prime Minister Salam. The government is struggling to take even basic decisions, including over rubbish disposal.Political rivalries exacerbated by tensions in the wider region have left Lebanon without a president for almost two years. The position is reserved for a Maronite Christian.Hollande urged politicians to elect a president as soon as possible, saying it was in the country's and the region's interests to ensure the post was filled. "The answer to that is not in my hands. It is up to you to," he said.(Reporting by John Davison)
Ted Cruz wins Wyoming Republican presidential nominating contest-[Reuters]-By Ginger Gibson-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
CASPER, Wyo. (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Ted Cruz won all 14 delegates at stake on Saturday in Wyoming, besting rival Donald Trump, who made little effort to win the rural state, and further narrowing the gap in the race for the party's nomination.Cruz is trying to prevent Trump from obtaining the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination at the July convention in Cleveland. By continuing to rack up small wins, Cruz is gaining ground on the New York real estate mogul, who has thus far failed to shift his focus on the local-level campaigning necessary to win delegates.Trump has been critical of the process, again on Saturday calling it "rigged" while speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York. He has repeatedly complained about Colorado, which awarded all 34 of its delegates to Cruz despite not holding a popular vote.Trump said his supporters are becoming increasingly angry with states such as Wyoming and Colorado.“They’re going nuts out there; they’re angry," Trump said in Syracuse. "The bosses took away their vote, and I wasn’t going to send big teams of people three, four months ago, have them out there."While Trump has won 21 state nominating contests to Cruz's 10, the billionaire leads the Texas senator by only 196 delegates (755-559). That means he must win nearly 60 percent of those remaining before the party's political convention in July.Wyoming does not hold a primary vote. Instead, 475 party activists convened in Casper on Saturday to hold a state convention and award 14 delegates.Previously, 12 other delegates had been designated at county-level conventions. Cruz won 10 of those, with one going to Trump and another being elected as "unbound."Cruz spoke at the convention, capping off a months-long effort to organize support in the state. Trump had originally planned to send former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who remains popular among conservatives, as a surrogate, but she canceled at the last minute.Cruz spoke about local issues in Wyoming, the largest coal-producing state. He discussed the Democratic "attack" on the fossil fuel, saying President Barack Obama has tried to put the coal industry out of business through government regulations targeting air pollution."America is the Saudi Arabia of coal, and we are going to develop our industry," Cruz said.At the same time, Trump was speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York, ahead of the state's Republican primary on Tuesday.(Reporting by Ginger Gibson and Alana Wise; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Grant McCool)
Trump on Zuckerberg’s comments: ‘He never mentioned me by name, so perhaps he’s talking about somebody else’-Dylan Stableford-Senior editor-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Donald Trump did something unusual when he was asked about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s recent criticism of his controversial plan to build a wall along the U.S. southern border — he didn’t fire back.“Well, I never met him, I never spoke to him, and he never mentioned me by name,” Trump said in a phone interview with “Fox & Friends” on Saturday. “So perhaps he’s talking about somebody else.”Not likely. Zuckerberg kicked off the social network’s F8 developer conference in San Francisco on Thursday with an uncharacteristically political speech that seemed to take dead aim at the Republican frontrunner.“As I look around and I travel around the world, I’m starting to see people and nations turning inward, against this idea of a connected world and a global community,” Zuckerberg said. “I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as ‘others.’”The billionaire real estate mogul, though, was unmoved by the billionaire tech entrepreneur.“We do have to have a wall, we need security, we need borders,” Trump said. “And if we don’t have borders, we don’t have a country.”But the former “Celebrity Apprentice” host was not ready to slam one of his most effective campaign messaging platforms, either.“I think Facebook is good, and I can’t imagine them doing anything,” Trump said. “I’m one of their great stars.”Indeed, Trump’s presidential bid has been propelled, in part, by his outsize presence on social media. He has more than 7.6 million followers on Twitter and just over 7 million on Facebook. (There’s even a website that allows Facebook users to quickly check which of their friends “like” Trump.)-On Friday, Gizmodo published an image of an internal poll that showed that Facebook employees had voted last month to ask Zuckerberg whether the company had a “responsibility” to “prevent President Trump in 2017.”Following Gizmodo’s report, the company worked quickly to avoid any appearance of electioneering.“We encourage any and all candidates, groups, and voters to use our platform to share their views on the election and debate the issues,” Facebook said in a statement. “We as a company are neutral — we have not and will not use our products in a way that attempts to influence how people vote.”
Clinton backer George Clooney condemns 'obscene' sums in White House race-[Reuters]-By Alana Wise-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Actor and director George Clooney, a supporter of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, broke ranks over campaign financing on Saturday to condemn the "obscene" sums of money in U.S. politics and praised Clinton's chief political rival in the process.Clooney made the remarks in an interview with NBC News' "Meet The Press" the day after he and his wife, Amal, hosted a fundraiser on Democratic Party hopeful Clinton's behalf Friday night with a price tag of up to $353,400 per couple."We had some protesters last night when we pulled up in San Francisco and they're right to protest. They're absolutely right. It is an obscene amount of money," Clooney said in excerpts released on Saturday. The interview will air on Sunday.Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont and Clinton's rival in the race for the Democratic nomination to run for the White House in the Nov. 8 election, has pounced on former secretary of state Clinton over the big-ticket event and for accepting large sums of money for her campaign."The Sanders campaign when they talk about it is absolutely right. It's ridiculous that we should have this kind of money in politics. I agree completely," Clooney said.In response to the dinner, the Sanders campaign on Friday evening sent out an email to supporters asking them to help reach their fundraising goals by chipping in $3.53 apiece, instead.(Reporting by Alana Wise; editing by Grant McCool)
Gay North Carolina waitress receives bible verse instead of tip-[Mashable]-Brian Koerber-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
A waitress from North Carolina claims she was left a bible verse instead of a tip earlier this week. Alexandra Judd was working at Zada Janes in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, when she claims that two patrons left her a bible verse on the tip line of their bill instead of cash — followed by a note at the bottom that says "praying for you." The customer wrote "Leviticus 20:13," which reads, "If a man also lie with mankind, 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."Judd, who is gay, posted a censored photo of the bill to Facebook, which blocked out the customer's name and credit card info."I don't care what anyone says," Judd wrote on Facebook, "this is the most disrespectful thing you can do. Don't pray for me darling, I have everything I could possibly want and need in my life."Judd explained to the NY Daily News that the two women at the table asked for their bill to be split, one of them left a tip, the other left the note."I never thought people would discriminate against my sexuality that way," Judd told the Daily News.Prior to the bill being dropped off, Judd also says that the women were being rude to her. "They just wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't answer my questions," she told to the Daily News. "They were really off, it was just rude."The incident comes just weeks after Gov. Pat McCrory signed a law that erases previous discrimination protections on LGBT residents and forces transgender people to use the bathroom designated by the sex on their birth certificate.The law has received a lot of backlash in recent weeks, especially from the entertainment world, as everyone from Ringo Starr to Cirque du Soleil have cancelled events in the state in protest.
Mississippi governor signs law allowing armed church members-[Associated Press]-NASSIM BENCHAABANE-April 15, 2016-YAHOONEWS
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A holstered gun sat on top of a Bible on Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant's desk Friday when he signed a law allowing guns in churches, which he said would help protect worshippers from potential attackers.The Church Protection Act allows places of worship to designate members to undergo firearms training so they can provide armed security for their congregations. It specifies that those designated can carry guns into church buildings and gives them legal protections.The law also loosens gun permit requirements by allowing people to carry holstered weapons without a permit, making Mississippi the ninth state with such a law, said NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter.The Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police says that part of the bill dismantles the state's licensing system and makes it harder to check if someone with a gun is a violent criminal. Other opponents say it endangers people by putting more guns in untrained hands.The law strikes a chord in this Bible Belt state where many hunt and shoot for sport.It's a difficult discussion that can get politicized and very emotional, flattening an issue with more nuance, said Pastor Pat Ward, who leads The Orchard Church in Oxford. People in his congregation see both sides; they are racially diverse, conservative and liberal, some older, some still University of Mississippi students. His church is guarded by a team of experienced law enforcement officials."I think in the South people have a certain familiarity with guns and are also strong in their religious beliefs," Ward said. "But we don't always think about the relationship between them. What does our familiarity with guns say about us as people who claim to be following God, who preach about peace and love?"At the Greater Bethlehem Temple in west Jackson, Pastor Ervin Ricks finds a bullet lodged in the walls about nine times a year. Many in his mostly black congregation of 1,200 have lost family members to gun violence.That's why worshippers at this church in a high-crime west Jackson neighborhood are told to leave any weapons at the door. Ricks said they leave security to the surveillance cameras and off-duty police officers scanning the grounds."I don't know that there's a more dangerous community in Mississippi to live in," said Ricks, whose church doesn't oppose gun ownership because many congregants hunt and shoot for sport. "But we want to help lift it up and show folks the right way to live. It's incumbent on us to say we're Christians and show what that looks like."The bill was authored by Baptist pastor and state Rep. Andy Gipson, who says it's necessary in light of the massacre of nine parishioners during a Bible study last year in Charleston, South Carolina. He said the law gives small congregations an option to defend themselves against attack.Only two states — Georgia and North Dakota — prohibit all guns from places of worship, said Taylor Maxwell, a spokeswoman for Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for gun safety laws. Eight states prohibit concealed carry permit holders from carrying guns into places of worship; other states leave it up to the place of worship.At Gipson's church in Braxton, about 40 minutes southeast of Jackson, the surrounding countryside is home to many gun owners and hunters. Neighbors can tell who's shooting by the sound the gunshot makes, Gipson says. It's here that the lawmaker leads a mostly white congregation of about 80 people.Melissa Sullivan, a member of Gipson's Gum Springs Baptist Church, was carrying a gun during service one Sunday in late March. Most of the congregation carries guns most of the time, including the women, she said. She said she feels safe but isn't naive enough to believe there isn't a threat."The bad guys are gonna have a way to get their point across," she said. "We have to have a right to defend our family."
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he (FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADER) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
REVELATION 17:1-5,9,15-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
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-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.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(BOMB OR NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city,(VATICAN) which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Pope says it’s crazy to see his meeting with Bernie Sanders as political-[Reuters]-By Philip Pullella-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that his meeting with Bernie Sanders, contesting the Democratic candidacy for the U.S. Presidency, was not meddling in politics and that anyone who thought otherwise should “look for a psychiatrist”. Sanders and the pope met briefly on Saturday morning at the Vatican guest house where Francis lives and where Sanders and his wife spent the night after he addressed a Vatican conference on social justice. “When I came down, I greeted him, I shook his hand and nothing more. This is called good manners and it is not getting involved in politics,” the pope told reporters in answer to a question aboard the plane returning from the Greek island of Lesbos, where he visited a refugee camp. [L5N17J063]. “If anyone thinks that greeting someone is getting involved in politics, I recommend that he look for a psychiatrist,” he said, laughing. In an interview with ABC News after the meeting, Sanders called the pope “a beautiful man”, adding “I am not a Catholic, but there is a radiance that comes from him.” “I just conveyed to him my admiration for the extraordinary work he is doing raising some of the most important issues facing our planet and the billions of people on the planet and injecting the need for morality in the global economy,” Sanders, a Brooklyn-born son of Polish Jewish immigrants, told ABC. The Democratic hopeful from Vermont has campaigned on a promise to rein in corporate power and level the economic playing field for working and lower-income Americans who he says have been left behind, a message echoing that of the pope. The meeting came just days before Tuesday’s Democratic party primary in New York, where polls say he is trailing Hillary Clinton. After he won seven of the last eight state contests, a loss in Sanders’ home state would give front-runner Clinton a boost toward the party’s presidential nomination. Sanders has said the trip was not a pitch for the Catholic vote but a testament to his admiration for the pontiff. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Additional reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Has Pope Francis endorsed Bernie Sanders?-[Christian Science Monitor]-Lucy Schouten-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders interrupted his presidential campaign part-way through the primaries with a Roman holiday and answered an invite from Pope Francis. The Vatican might seem an odd campaign stop for a nominally Jewish presidential candidate, but it has earned Vermont's Sen. Sanders the closest thing to a papal endorsement that a US politician can receive. Although the Vatican has emphasized the pope's neutrality in the American election, the popular and media-savvy pope is at least expressing support for Sanders' signature positions."The optics are of a tacit papal endorsement of Sanders' views on social and economic justice," says R. Andrew Chesnut, the chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. "This, combined with Francis's recent rebuke of Donald Trump, leaves no question about whom the Latin American pope prefers in the American presidential contest."Sanders spoke Friday for 15 minutes at a Vatican conference on the dangers of an "unregulated globalization" that concentrates wealth among a few to the detriment of the middle class, CNN reported. Adding to the visit's significance, Pope Francis defied expectations by meeting privately with Sanders in what the senator called an "extraordinary moment.""Participation at the Vatican conference provides a global platform for Sanders to both increase his appeal to American Catholics and position himself alongside the Argentine pontiff as a global spokesman on matters of social justice," Dr. Chesnut says. "It's been patently clear for some time now that Bernie Sanders and Pope Francis are fellow travelers." What makes an Argentine pope and a Jewish senator effective "fellow travelers?"Sanders' pro-abortion views and support for same-sex marriage hardly complement those of Pope Francis, who reasserted both the church's commitment to traditional families and opposition to abortion just last week. Given that Sanders interrupted his campaign to visit Rome, and the pontiff made time before an early trip to Greece to greet him, however, the two appear willing to overlook family matters."It goes without saying that I have my strong disagreements with certain aspects what the church stands for but [Pope Francis] has been out there talking about the need for a moral economy," Sanders said at a campaign rally in New York City, where supporters cheering his announcement of the Vatican visit apparently thought the jaunt to Rome was a good use of campaign time, CNN reported.Pope Francis' clear focus since his papacy began has been for the poor, and many of his more overtly theological reforms have aimed to relieve struggling families. Sanders' speech on "the morality of our economic life" found "resonance" at the Vatican, Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, who was present for Sanders' papal meeting, told CNN. Climate policy is another area the two can agree upon, as Sanders is this US presidential race's most outspoken climate-change crusader. Pope Francis outlined his concerns about climate change in an encyclical and urged the United States to play a role in altering mankind's impact on the environment.The pope has also taken a strong position against the death penalty and advocated mercy inside the prison system, Chesnut wrote for the Huffington Post. There, too, Sanders has historically promoted alternative rehabilitation measures and opposed capital punishment.Apart from these specific views, the pope has not been averse to endorsing American socialists. When he visited the United States in September, Pope Francis structured his speech to Congress around the examples of four Americans who built "a better future" and "offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality," The Christian Science Monitor reported. One of these was Dorothy Day, a Catholic journalist and 20th-century socialist.The pope has also been asked on numerous occasions whether he, like Sanders, is a socialist. He has directly rejected Marxism, however, and said his concern for the poor is a Christian tenet that communists have "stolen," Catholic News Agency wrote."I must say that communists have stolen our flag," he told the Roman daily Il Messagero in 2015. "The flag of the poor is Christian. Poverty is the center of the Gospel. The poor are at the center of the Gospel.”
Pope brings 12 Syrian refugees to Italy in lesson for Europe-[Associated Press]-DEREK GATOPOULOS, NICOLE WINFIELD and ELENA BECATOROS-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
MORIA, Greece (AP) – Pope Francis gave Europe a concrete lesson Saturday in welcoming refugees by bringing 12 Syrian Muslims to Italy aboard his charter plane after an emotional visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, which has faced the brunt of Europe’s migration crisis.Refugees on the overwhelmed island fell to their knees and wept at his presence.The Vatican said Francis wanted to make a “gesture of welcome” at the end of his five-hour visit to Lesbos, where he implored Europe to respond to the migrant crisis on its shores “in a way that is worthy of our common humanity.” The Greek island just a few miles from the Turkish coast has seen hundreds of thousands of desperate people land on its beaches and rocks in the last year, fleeing war and poverty at home.“Today I renew my heartfelt plea for responsibility and solidarity in the face of this tragic situation,” Francis said.The pope visited Lesbos alongside the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians and the head of the Church of Greece to thank the Greek people for their welcome and highlight the plight of refugees as the European Union implements a controversial plan to deport them back to Turkey.Many refugees wept at Francis’ feet as he and the two Orthodox leaders approached them at the Moria refugee detention center, where they greeted 250 people individually. Others chanted “Freedom! Freedom!” as the religious leaders passed by.Francis bent down as one young girl knelt at his feet, sobbing uncontrollably. Clearly moved, the pope also blessed a man who wailed “Thank you, God. Thank you! Please Father, bless me!” A woman told Francis that her husband was in Germany but that she was stuck with her two sons in Lesbos.The Vatican said the three Syrian families, including six children, who were taken back with the pope will be supported by the Holy See and cared for initially by Italy’s Catholic Sant'Egidio Community, which has been active in providing assistance to refugees.Two of the families hail from Damascus and the third from Deir el-Zour, a city close to the Iraqi border that the Islamic State group has been besieging for months, leading to malnutrition among 200,000 people living in the area.“Their homes had been bombed,” the Vatican said of the three families.At a ceremony in the port of Lesbos to thank Greeks, Francis said he understood Europe’s concern about the recent migrant influx. But he said migrants are first of all human beings “who have faces, names and individual stories” and deserve to have their most basic human rights respected.“God will repay this generosity,” he promised.In his remarks to the refugees, Francis said they should know that they are not alone and shouldn’t lose hope. He said he wanted to visit them to hear their stories and to bring the world’s attention to their plight.“We hope that the world will heed these scenes of tragic and indeed desperate need, and respond in a way worthy of our common humanity,” he said. “May all our brothers and sisters on this continent, like the Good Samaritan, come to your aid in the spirit of fraternity, solidarity and respect for human dignity that has distinguished its long history.”Human rights groups have denounced the EU-Turkey deportation deal as an abdication of Europe’s obligation to grant protection to asylum-seekers.The March 18 deal stipulates that anyone arriving clandestinely on Greek islands on or after March 20 will be returned to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece. For every Syrian sent back, the EU will take another Syrian directly from Turkey for resettlement in Europe. In return, Turkey was granted billions of euros to deal with the more than 2.7 million Syrian refugees living there and promised that its stalled accession talks with the EU would speed up.Making sure not to violate the deal, the Vatican said the 12 Syrians coming to Italy with the pope had been in Lesbos prior to March 20, and thus were not subject to possible deportation.During the visit, Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the archbishop of Athens, Ieronymos II, signed a joint declaration calling on the international community to make the protection of human lives a priority and to extend temporary asylum to those in need.The declaration also called on political leaders to use all means to ensure that everyone, particularly Christians, can remain in their homelands and enjoy the “fundamental right to live in peace and security.”“The world will be judged by the way it has treated you,” Bartholomew told the refugees. “And we will all be accountable for the way we respond to the crisis and conflict in the regions that you come from.”Francis and the two Orthodox leaders, officially divided from Catholics over a 1,000-year schism, lunched with eight of the refugees to hear their stories of fleeing war, conflict and poverty and their hopes for a better life in Europe. They then went to the island’s main port to pray together and toss a floral wreath into the sea in memory of those who didn’t make the journey — hundreds of people this year alone.Upon his arrival in Greece, Francis met Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the airport and thanked him for the “generosity” shown by the Greek people in welcoming foreigners despite their own economic troubles.Tsipras said he was proud of Greece’s response “at a time when some of our partners — even in the name of Christian Europe — were erecting walls and fences to prevent defenseless people from seeking a better life.”Hours before Francis arrived, the European border patrol agency Frontex intercepted a dinghy carrying 41 Syrians and Iraqis off the coast of Lesbos. The refugees were detained and brought to shore in the main port of Mytilene.The son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, Francis has made the plight of refugees, the poor and downtrodden the focus of his ministry as pope, denouncing the “globalization of indifference” that the world shows the less fortunate.The wreath-tossing ceremony is a gesture Francis first made when he visited the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013, his first trip outside Rome as pope, after a dozen migrants died trying to reach the southern tip of Europe. He made a similar gesture at the U.S.-Mexican border, laying a bouquet of flowers next to a large crucifix at the Ciudad Juarez border crossing in memory of migrants who died trying to reach the U.S.___Winfield reported from Rome and Becatoros from Athens.___Follow Nicole Winfield at http://www.twitter.com/nwinfield and Derek Gatopoulos at http://www.twitter.com/dgatopoulos
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)
THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.
Hundreds of flights canceled in Denver as blizzard hits Colorado-[Reuters]-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
(Reuters) - A powerful blizzard swept through Colorado on Saturday, dumping at least 2 feet (61 cm) of snow in some parts of the state and forcing the cancellation of most of the scheduled flights at the Denver airport, officials said.United Airlines [UALCO.UL] canceled all of its flights to and from Denver International Airport, the airport said in a statement.All told, more than 800 flights were grounded on Saturday, or more than 65 percent of all scheduled take-offs and landings at the airport, the FlightAware airline tracking website showed. Dozens of other flights were delayed.Denver International is the fourth-largest hub for United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, and the primary hub for Frontier Airlines, according to its website.A representative for the airport did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.The heavy snow began falling on Friday night and was expected to continue through Sunday, the National Weather Service said.By noon local time on Saturday, nearly 5 inches (13 cm) had fallen in Denver, Colorado's largest city, while the storm dumped up to 2 feet (61 cm) of snow in the mountains and foothills, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kalina.The utility Xcel Energy Colorado reported on its Facebook page that about 8,000 of its customers in the state lost power in the storm and that it had sent out extra crews to deal with problems.(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; editing by Grant McCool)
Uruguay storms kill seven, displace 2,000: authorities-[AFP]-April 17, 2016-yahoonews
Colonia Suiza (Uruguay) (AFP) - Storms and floods in Uruguay have killed seven people and driven 2,000 from their homes in recent days, authorities said Sunday.Four people were killed when a storm struck the western city of Dolores on Friday and three others were later found to have died when trying to cross flooded rivers in the region, according to a new government toll released Sunday.President Tabare Vazquez declared Sunday a day of national mourning."We are going to rebuild Dolores," he said, in comments broadcast on the radio.Countless buildings were destroyed in Dolores, an AFP reporter in the town saw.The National Emergency System said on Sunday that floods caused by heavy rain had forced more than 2,000 people to abandon their homes after rivers burst their banks.Flooding also forced the closure of the main national highway that links the capital Montevideo to the tourist town of Sacramento de Colonia and to the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, an AFP reporter saw.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
US Air Force plane intercepted by Russian jet in 'unsafe' manner-[AFP]-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Washington (AFP) - A US Air Force reconnaissance plane was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 jet in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner while flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, the Pentagon said."The US aircraft was operating in international airspace and at no time crossed into Russian territory," said Laura Seal, a Pentagon spokeswoman.The incident comes shortly after Russian aircraft repeatedly buzzed the USS Donald Cook this past week, including an incident Tuesday in which a Russian Su-24 flew 30 feet (nine meters) above the ship in a "simulated attack profile," according to the US military's European Command.Russia has denied the action was reckless or provocative."This unsafe and unprofessional air intercept has the potential to cause serious harm and injury to all aircrews involved," Seal said of Thursday's incident."More importantly, the unsafe and unprofessional actions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries."The US aircraft in question was an RC-135.
US transfers nine Yemenis from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia-[AFP]-Thomas Watkins-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Washington (AFP) - Nine Yemeni inmates have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Saturday, bringing the controversial military prison's remaining population down to 80.It is the largest transfer from the facility since 10 Yemenis were sent to Oman in January and the first time Saudi Arabia has taken any Guantanamo inmates.The men's release -- just ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to Saudia Arabia next week -- is the result of years of negotiations with the Saudi government and they will all participate in a Saudi rehabilitation and de-radicalization program.The United States has in recent months accelerated the rate at which detainees who have been approved for transfer are released from the facility, which Obama urgently wants to close before he leaves office at the start of next year.The Guantanamo prison has held about 780 inmates in all since it was opened shortly after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001."The United States is grateful to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the Pentagon said in a statement.The men arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier Saturday. Most had been recommended for release years ago, but faced delays owing in part to their home country sliding into civil war, meaning they could not be repatriated.The nine inmates are: Ahmed Umar Abdullah Al-Hikimi, Abdul Rahman Mohammed Saleh Nasir, Ali Yahya Mahdi Al-Raimi, Tariq Ali Abdullah Ahmed Ba Odah, Muhammed Abdullah Muhammed Al-Hamiri, Ahmed Yaslam Said Kuman, Abd al Rahman Al-Qyati, Mansour Muhammed Ali Al-Qatta, and Mashur Abdullah Muqbil Ahmed Al-Sabri.Ba Odah had been on hunger strike for years and was force-fed by the military.According to The New York Times, officials are still deliberating whether to release a 10th Yemeni who has been recommended for transfer.Of the 80 remaining inmates, 26 have been approved for transfer and are expected to be released later this year.Obama wants to send the rest, deemed to be the most dangerous, for incarceration in the United States but Republican lawmakers have steadfastly resisted any such move.- 'Playing politics' -Obama promised, on his second day in office in 2009, to close the Guantanamo jail within a year. His efforts floundered, however.In February, the president presented Congress with a new closure plan for Guantanamo, which he says serves only to stoke anti-US resentment and fuel jihadi recruitment.But the plan is likely doomed in the face of Republicans continuing to oppose the jail's shuttering.Amnesty International USA's Naureen Shah said the latest transfers add to momentum to close Guantanamo."Despite repeated attempts by some in Congress to keep Guantanamo open, President Obama's continued transfer of Guantanamo detainees signal that he does not buy into their fear-mongering," she said."Congress cannot continue playing politics with the lives of detainees who may die behind bars without ever facing trial."Guantanamo is a US naval base carved out of a remote chunk of land on the tip of southeastern Cuba. The administration of George W. Bush opened a prison there to hold terror suspects.Republican presidential candidates have vowed that if elected they would send more terror suspects to Guantanamo instead of closing it.
Belgian minister says many Muslims 'danced' after attacks-[AFP]-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Brussels (AFP) - Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said Saturday that a "significant" part of the Muslim population celebrated attacks, blaming the country's policies for failing to integrate migrants into society.He did not explicitly refer to last month's jihadist attacks on Brussels' airport and metro system that killed 32 people"A significant section of the Muslim community danced when attacks took place," Jambon said in an interview with the Flemish-language De Standaard newspaper.The Belgian minister also accused Muslim residents of Brussels' largely immigrant Molenbeek neighbourhood of attacking police during an operation last month to arrest a suspect in connection with the deadly attacks in Paris last November."They threw stones and bottles at police and press during the arrest of Salah Abdeslam. This is the real problem. Terrorists we can pick up, remove from society. But they are just a boil. Underneath is a cancer that is much more difficult to treat. We can do it, but it won't be overnight," he said.Jambon, whose New Flemish Alliance party has been a key part of Belgium's ruling centre-right coalition since 2014, previously offered to resign in the wake of the Brussels attacks.In Saturday's interview he said that the danger linked to the radicalisation of youth from third and fourth generation families is "too deeply rooted" in some areas because Belgium "have for many years ignored the warning signs".Following the November 13 attacks in neighbouring France, Jambon sparked controversy when he promised to "clean Molenbeek" when it emerged that several of the attackers had links to the impoverished district of the Belgian capital.
Iran and Turkey vow to cooperate on terrorism and trade-[AFP]-Fulya Ozerkan-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Ankara (AFP) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to boost trade between their two countries at talks Saturday following the lifting of most international sanctions on Tehran.They also agreed to cooperate in the fight against terrorism during their meeting at Erdogan's lavish palace near Ankara, just a day after Iran was accused of supporting extremists at a summit of Muslim heads of state in Istanbul.Rouhani boycotted the closing meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in protest at the rebuke.His meeting with Erdogan focussed on the Syrian conflict and trade between the two neighbours.In a joint press conference, Erdogan said he hoped bilateral trade would reach $30 billion (27 billion euros) annually. It currently stands at just $10 billion after years of sanctions.After being brought in from the cold following last year's nuclear deal with world powers, Iran is being courted by both Europe and Turkey as a potentially lucrative market for trade and investment.Rouhani called for banking and energy ties between the two nations to be enhanced as the two leaders inked several cooperation deals.Energy-hungry Turkey is dependent on Russia and Iran for its oil and natural gas but may turn more to Tehran after Ankara's relations with Moscow cooled after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane.Despite their rapprochement, Turkey and Iran remain on opposing sides of the five-year civil war in Syria.Tehran backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Ankara sees Assad's ouster as key to any resolution of the conflict and supports rebels fighting to overthrow his regime.Rouhani said stability in Syria, Yemen and Iraq would benefit the Islamic world.Erdogan said despite their differences on regional issues, Turkey and Iran agreed on the need to stop the bloodshed in the region.The war in Syria has pitted Shia-majority Iran against Turkey's ally, predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia, with both aiming to increase their influence in the region.Iran and Saudi Arabia have been embroiled in a diplomatic crisis since a mob set fire to Riyadh's missions in Tehran and Mashhad in January in protest at the execution by Saudi Arabia of a prominent Shiite cleric.The Turkish and Iranian leaders also agreed to seek to end sectarian divisions in the Islamic world and join forces to fight terror."What matters is the unity of the Islamic world. We must tell the world: our identity is Islam, not to be Sunni or Shiite, or from another sect," said Rouhani.
Iran seeks EU leverage to get financial concessions from U.S.[Reuters]-By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Julia Fioretti-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
DUBAI/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran, seeking European leverage to secure better terms from the United States following last year's nuclear deal, asked the European Union to put pressure on Washington to let it into the global financial system.In a visit to Tehran by a high-powered EU team in which both sides spoke of a significant expansion in economic and energy ties, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed EU support for its bid to join the World Trade Organization and spoke of a "new beginning" in relations with Europe.EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini, whose team of seven commissioners was the biggest to visit Tehran in more than a decade, said it was in Europe's interest to make sure European banks felt confident to do business in Iran.But she chided Tehran for holding ballistic missile tests despite last year's nuclear deal and said the EU would continue to stand firm on human rights violations in Iran.Following last year's nuclear deal, world powers led by the United States and the EU lifted most sanctions on the long-isolated Islamic Republic in January in return for curbs on its nuclear program.Despite the nuclear agreement, some U.S. sanctions remain and U.S. banks remain prohibited from doing business with Iran directly or indirectly because Washington still accuses Tehran of supporting terrorism and permitting human rights abuses.Some European banks like France bank BNP Paribas or Germany’s Commerzbank AG, once hit by huge U.S. fines for sanctions busting, fear falling foul of the many other restrictions imposed by Washington that remain in force.The White House said on Friday that the nuclear agreement did not include allowing it access to the global financial system."Iran and the EU will put pressure on the United States to facilitate the cooperation of non-American banks with Iran," Zarif said at a news conference in Tehran with Mogherini."It's essential that the other side, especially the United States, fulfill its commitments not on paper but in practice and removes the obstacles especially in banking sector."Zarif and Mogherini said in a joint statement that the EU and Iran were agreed on the expansion of economic relations, and "encouraging banking cooperation.""EU will support and assist Iran to become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," and will pursue opening a full EU diplomatic mission in Tehran, the statement said."Today is a new beginning in Iran and EU relations. We hope this cooperation between the Iranian nation and European Union brings about shared interests and global development," Zarif was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.Mogherini, who headed a team of seven EU commissioners, said cooperation on energy would also be important as Iranian oil and gas would again become a part of the European energy mix and help increase the bloc's energy security.-MISSILES AND RIGHTS-Iranian officials have complained their country is not getting the full economic fruits of the nuclear deal due to American "deceitfulness", but Washington believes it has been Iran's missile launches that have scared businesses off.Since July's nuclear deal, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has conducted four ballistic missile tests and the U.S. Treasury has in return put new sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the program.President Obama said this month that Iran had so far stuck to the nuclear agreement, but Tehran's launch of ballistic missiles "with slogans calling for the destruction of Israel" undermined the spirit of the deal.Mogherini said she did not see the missile tests as a breach of the accord between Iran and world powers, though she added it was a worrying step."This doesn't mean that we are not concerned," Mogherini said. "On the contrary, we see this as a worrying step ... and we are encouraging (Iran) to abstain from further steps."Despite the lifting of nuclear related sanctions, the EU extended some of its sanctions on Iran because of perceived violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic.The EU is troubled by the more than 1,000 executions in Iran last year. Mogherini said the EU would continue to be firm on issue of human rights while maintaining dialogue with Iran.(This story changes the number of Iran's ballistic missile tests from 2 to 4)-(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Julia Fioretti; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Grim new details of IS destruction in Syria's Palmyra museum-[Associated Press]-ZEINA KARAM-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The first foreign experts who visited the museum in Palmyra after it was taken over from Islamic State militants said they spent a week collecting fragments of priceless broken sculptures from the museum grounds and preparing them for transportation to Damascus in a rescue mission they hope will help salvage most of its contents.Back in the Syrian capital Saturday, they offered grim new details about the extent of the destruction caused by the extremists during their 10-month stay in the ancient town.The museum was trashed and some of its best-known artifacts and statues were smashed by the militants, who cut off the heads and hands of statues and demolished others before being driven out last month.Bartosz Markowski, from the Polish Archaeological Center at the University of Warsaw, told The Associated Press that most of the 200 objects which were exhibited on the ground floor of the Palmyra museum were destroyed, many of them apparently with hard tools like hammers. Many artifacts have been stolen, he added, thought it was not possible to know how many.He and his colleagues were the first specialists to visit Palmyra after it was taken over by the Syrian army, and spent a week working and assessing the damage."We collected everything we could. The fragments were spread around the whole museum among broken glass and furniture ... It is a catastrophe," he said, speaking to the AP in the garden of the National Museum in Damascus.During their rule of Palmyra, the extremists demolished some of the most famous Roman-era monuments that stand just outside the town, including two large temples dating back more than 1,800 years and a Roman triumphal archway, filming the destruction themselves for the world to see. The sprawling outdoor site, a UNESCO world heritage site, as well as the museum were among Syria's main tourist attractions before the civil war.Among the best-known statues destroyed was the famous Lion of Allat, a 2000-year-old statue which previously greeted visitors and tourists outside the Palmyra museum. The statue, which used to adorn the temple of Allat, a pre-Islamic goddess in Palmyra, was defaced by IS militants and knocked over by bulldozers.On a visit to Palmyra on Thursday, The Associated Press saw the statue lying outside the museum building with its face cut and some of its broken pieces lying next to it."Fortunately we collected most of the fragments and I hope it can be reconstructed very soon," said Markowski, who in 2005 took part in a Polish archaeological mission that did renovation work on the statue.His colleague, Robert Zukowski, said the limestone lion statue should be the first thing restored and "it should stay in Palmyra as a sign of resistance against the barbarians. "In addition to the damage inflicted by IS, Markowski said the museum building has suffered structural damage due to bombs falling."There's broken ceilings, broken walls, roofs, a lot of garbage and fragments of bricks everywhere, and among that there are fragments of sculptures," he said.He said the restoration will require a massive international effort and years to accomplish."I think most of the objects can be restored, but they will never look as they did before," he added.
Greek Talks at IMF Eyed as Analysts Say Deal May Take Months-Crunch time may be July, when Greece must repay €2.3 billion to the ECB.Deborah Hyde-April 15, 2016 — 9:30 AM EDT-BLOOMBERG
As a deal on a third bailout for Greece, initially due by December, remains elusive, risks are rising that talks may drag into summer when the nation faces a large debt payment.While analysts expect a solution will eventually be found, the discussion could take months and add to volatility in European assets as uncertainty over Greece comes amid a deadlock in Spanish politics and the run-up to the U.K.’s vote on its membership in the European Union.-What's the latest?-European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said Monday that if the Greek government takes a few steps on fiscal targets, an agreement may be only a few weeks away. At the same meeting, EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said the continuing role of the International Monetary Fund in the aid program for Greece is “decisive.”But the IMF has repeatedly said it won’t lend Greece more money unless the country’s liabilities become sustainable through debt relief and spending cuts. Germany is opposed to such a move, with Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble telling German TV that Greece needs to do more, while repeating his view there’s no need for debt forgiveness. European Stability Mechanism Chief Executive Klaus Regling has said reforms can help Greece reach debt sustainability without any recourse to haircuts, urging the nation to also deal with the refugee crisis.Greece, for its part, says the IMF is holding back an agreement by disputing savings forecasts and demanding further cuts. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said debt-relief talks are set to begin after the first program review.-What's Next?-Greece’s government plans to submit bills on tax and pension reform in parliament next week, even though they haven’t been approved by creditors who may consider the move to be a unilateral decision. The government is aiming to get the creditors to endorse changes to pensions, taxation and management of non-performing loans before euro-area finance ministers meet April 22, where it’s hoped a staff-level agreement will be reached.Talks with officials from the EC, the European Central Bank, the ESM and the IMF will resume after the fund’s spring meetings in Washington, which kick off today. Moscovici said he will seek progress on reducing Greece’s debt burden in Washington.Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem says he expects political agreement on the first review of Greek bailout at April 22 meeting or, if not, at the group’s next gathering on May 24. By then, pressure will be increasing to get a deal as Greece is due to repay the IMF about €650 million ($733 million) in June and about €2.3 billion to the ECB on July 20. The nation will have difficulty repaying Europe’s central bank if an agreement isn’t reached by then.The U.K. referendum on EU membership on June 23 is another factor that could bring the issue to a head, according to a leaked document purporting to be a transcript of a conversation between IMF officials.-What's the likely outcome?-The April 22 Eurogroup is probably too soon for a debt-relief agreement but an earnest political discussion will begin, followed by a deal in May, Eurasia analyst Mujtaba Rahman writes in a client note. He expects an eventual “fudge” with the Eurogroup granting more debt relief than the EC and ECB suggest is needed, but less than what the IMF wants -- with the government asked to deliver the rest in the form of additional reforms.Standard & Poor’s analysts see a compromise on pension reform by the end of April, leading to a conclusion of the review, and say a removal of capital controls is a critical step toward restoring confidence in the country’s banking sector.Athanasios Vamvakidis, strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, expects an accord before the July payment to the ECB falls due. RBS analysts say parties will be aware of the risk of Greece headlines interfering with the so-called “Brexit” vote, so any decision could be delayed until July.Citigroup analysts including Giada Giani say while Greece’s role in the EU-Turkey deal to stem refugee flows into the region could make the other parties more lenient, it could also stiffen the Greek government’s position. Even if a third bailout were agreed on, it would probably fail to restore fiscal sustainability and secure Greece’s future in the EU, they say.-What does all this mean for markets?-The Athens Stock Exchange is down 1.9 percent over the past month, underperforming the Stoxx 600 that has risen 0.5 percent. Greek government bonds are Europe’s worst performers over the same period.RBS analysts say last year’s events show the risk of contagion from Greece has eased but the Brexit vote, weaker regional growth and political fragility in a number of periphery countries means Greek developments could quickly become more relevant if spreads were to come under stress.Citigroup analysts say Greece represents a potential source of market turbulence in the coming months. An escalation of the Greek situation alongside the U.K. referendum could drive peripheral euro-area bond spreads wider, the euro lower and increase volatility in the single currency, according to Barclays analysts.Things can get worse in the very short term, but that would be a buying opportunity, BofAML’s Vamvakidis says. Any deal between Greece and its creditors would likely open up the way for Greek bond (GGB) eligibility for the ECB’s asset-purchase program, Citigroup and RBS analysts say. Greek bank stocks rose Friday after the ECB said their EFSF bonds are eligible for the program. Greylock Capital Management expects a deal and is adding to GGB positions amid the current volatility.
France's Hollande, in Beirut, vows to boost Lebanon military aid-[Reuters]-By John Davison-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande said on Saturday that France would provide immediate additional military aid to Lebanon, and urged politicians to end a long-running crisis by electing a president as soon as possible.Hollande also said he had decided to step up assistance for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, giving 50 million euros this year and 100 million euros over the next three years to cope with the crisis. Lebanon hosts more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees, a quarter of its population.Hollande's Beirut visit, the first stop on a Middle East tour, came weeks after Saudi Arabia cut $3 billion of military aid to Lebanon, where violence has repeatedly spilled over from the Syrian war since it began in 2011."We will work to provide immediate assistance to strengthen the military capability of Lebanon, specifically to combat terrorism but also to confront other threats," he said after meeting Prime Minister Tammam Salam.He said France's defense minister, who traveled with him, would assess the "material means that can be put at Lebanon's disposal to ensure its security", without giving further details.The Lebanese military has recently received additional support from both the United States and Britain as it seeks to defend the porous border with Syria. The army is carefully balanced among the country's sectarian groups and is widely seen as the backbone of the weak Lebanese state.Saudi Arabia decided to cut aid to the Lebanese army after the Beirut government failed to condemn an attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January which was prompted by the Saudi execution of a Shi'ite cleric.Riyadh is concerned at the influence wielded by Shi'ite Hezbollah over Lebanese government, and has questioned the Lebanese military's independence from the Iranian-backed group.Hezbollah is part of a government grouping all Lebanon's main political parties and headed by Prime Minister Salam. The government is struggling to take even basic decisions, including over rubbish disposal.Political rivalries exacerbated by tensions in the wider region have left Lebanon without a president for almost two years. The position is reserved for a Maronite Christian.Hollande urged politicians to elect a president as soon as possible, saying it was in the country's and the region's interests to ensure the post was filled. "The answer to that is not in my hands. It is up to you to," he said.(Reporting by John Davison)
Ted Cruz wins Wyoming Republican presidential nominating contest-[Reuters]-By Ginger Gibson-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
CASPER, Wyo. (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Ted Cruz won all 14 delegates at stake on Saturday in Wyoming, besting rival Donald Trump, who made little effort to win the rural state, and further narrowing the gap in the race for the party's nomination.Cruz is trying to prevent Trump from obtaining the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination at the July convention in Cleveland. By continuing to rack up small wins, Cruz is gaining ground on the New York real estate mogul, who has thus far failed to shift his focus on the local-level campaigning necessary to win delegates.Trump has been critical of the process, again on Saturday calling it "rigged" while speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York. He has repeatedly complained about Colorado, which awarded all 34 of its delegates to Cruz despite not holding a popular vote.Trump said his supporters are becoming increasingly angry with states such as Wyoming and Colorado.“They’re going nuts out there; they’re angry," Trump said in Syracuse. "The bosses took away their vote, and I wasn’t going to send big teams of people three, four months ago, have them out there."While Trump has won 21 state nominating contests to Cruz's 10, the billionaire leads the Texas senator by only 196 delegates (755-559). That means he must win nearly 60 percent of those remaining before the party's political convention in July.Wyoming does not hold a primary vote. Instead, 475 party activists convened in Casper on Saturday to hold a state convention and award 14 delegates.Previously, 12 other delegates had been designated at county-level conventions. Cruz won 10 of those, with one going to Trump and another being elected as "unbound."Cruz spoke at the convention, capping off a months-long effort to organize support in the state. Trump had originally planned to send former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who remains popular among conservatives, as a surrogate, but she canceled at the last minute.Cruz spoke about local issues in Wyoming, the largest coal-producing state. He discussed the Democratic "attack" on the fossil fuel, saying President Barack Obama has tried to put the coal industry out of business through government regulations targeting air pollution."America is the Saudi Arabia of coal, and we are going to develop our industry," Cruz said.At the same time, Trump was speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York, ahead of the state's Republican primary on Tuesday.(Reporting by Ginger Gibson and Alana Wise; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Grant McCool)
Trump on Zuckerberg’s comments: ‘He never mentioned me by name, so perhaps he’s talking about somebody else’-Dylan Stableford-Senior editor-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
Donald Trump did something unusual when he was asked about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s recent criticism of his controversial plan to build a wall along the U.S. southern border — he didn’t fire back.“Well, I never met him, I never spoke to him, and he never mentioned me by name,” Trump said in a phone interview with “Fox & Friends” on Saturday. “So perhaps he’s talking about somebody else.”Not likely. Zuckerberg kicked off the social network’s F8 developer conference in San Francisco on Thursday with an uncharacteristically political speech that seemed to take dead aim at the Republican frontrunner.“As I look around and I travel around the world, I’m starting to see people and nations turning inward, against this idea of a connected world and a global community,” Zuckerberg said. “I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as ‘others.’”The billionaire real estate mogul, though, was unmoved by the billionaire tech entrepreneur.“We do have to have a wall, we need security, we need borders,” Trump said. “And if we don’t have borders, we don’t have a country.”But the former “Celebrity Apprentice” host was not ready to slam one of his most effective campaign messaging platforms, either.“I think Facebook is good, and I can’t imagine them doing anything,” Trump said. “I’m one of their great stars.”Indeed, Trump’s presidential bid has been propelled, in part, by his outsize presence on social media. He has more than 7.6 million followers on Twitter and just over 7 million on Facebook. (There’s even a website that allows Facebook users to quickly check which of their friends “like” Trump.)-On Friday, Gizmodo published an image of an internal poll that showed that Facebook employees had voted last month to ask Zuckerberg whether the company had a “responsibility” to “prevent President Trump in 2017.”Following Gizmodo’s report, the company worked quickly to avoid any appearance of electioneering.“We encourage any and all candidates, groups, and voters to use our platform to share their views on the election and debate the issues,” Facebook said in a statement. “We as a company are neutral — we have not and will not use our products in a way that attempts to influence how people vote.”
Clinton backer George Clooney condemns 'obscene' sums in White House race-[Reuters]-By Alana Wise-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Actor and director George Clooney, a supporter of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, broke ranks over campaign financing on Saturday to condemn the "obscene" sums of money in U.S. politics and praised Clinton's chief political rival in the process.Clooney made the remarks in an interview with NBC News' "Meet The Press" the day after he and his wife, Amal, hosted a fundraiser on Democratic Party hopeful Clinton's behalf Friday night with a price tag of up to $353,400 per couple."We had some protesters last night when we pulled up in San Francisco and they're right to protest. They're absolutely right. It is an obscene amount of money," Clooney said in excerpts released on Saturday. The interview will air on Sunday.Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont and Clinton's rival in the race for the Democratic nomination to run for the White House in the Nov. 8 election, has pounced on former secretary of state Clinton over the big-ticket event and for accepting large sums of money for her campaign."The Sanders campaign when they talk about it is absolutely right. It's ridiculous that we should have this kind of money in politics. I agree completely," Clooney said.In response to the dinner, the Sanders campaign on Friday evening sent out an email to supporters asking them to help reach their fundraising goals by chipping in $3.53 apiece, instead.(Reporting by Alana Wise; editing by Grant McCool)
Gay North Carolina waitress receives bible verse instead of tip-[Mashable]-Brian Koerber-April 16, 2016-YAHOONEWS
A waitress from North Carolina claims she was left a bible verse instead of a tip earlier this week. Alexandra Judd was working at Zada Janes in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, when she claims that two patrons left her a bible verse on the tip line of their bill instead of cash — followed by a note at the bottom that says "praying for you." The customer wrote "Leviticus 20:13," which reads, "If a man also lie with mankind, 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."Judd, who is gay, posted a censored photo of the bill to Facebook, which blocked out the customer's name and credit card info."I don't care what anyone says," Judd wrote on Facebook, "this is the most disrespectful thing you can do. Don't pray for me darling, I have everything I could possibly want and need in my life."Judd explained to the NY Daily News that the two women at the table asked for their bill to be split, one of them left a tip, the other left the note."I never thought people would discriminate against my sexuality that way," Judd told the Daily News.Prior to the bill being dropped off, Judd also says that the women were being rude to her. "They just wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't answer my questions," she told to the Daily News. "They were really off, it was just rude."The incident comes just weeks after Gov. Pat McCrory signed a law that erases previous discrimination protections on LGBT residents and forces transgender people to use the bathroom designated by the sex on their birth certificate.The law has received a lot of backlash in recent weeks, especially from the entertainment world, as everyone from Ringo Starr to Cirque du Soleil have cancelled events in the state in protest.
Mississippi governor signs law allowing armed church members-[Associated Press]-NASSIM BENCHAABANE-April 15, 2016-YAHOONEWS
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A holstered gun sat on top of a Bible on Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant's desk Friday when he signed a law allowing guns in churches, which he said would help protect worshippers from potential attackers.The Church Protection Act allows places of worship to designate members to undergo firearms training so they can provide armed security for their congregations. It specifies that those designated can carry guns into church buildings and gives them legal protections.The law also loosens gun permit requirements by allowing people to carry holstered weapons without a permit, making Mississippi the ninth state with such a law, said NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter.The Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police says that part of the bill dismantles the state's licensing system and makes it harder to check if someone with a gun is a violent criminal. Other opponents say it endangers people by putting more guns in untrained hands.The law strikes a chord in this Bible Belt state where many hunt and shoot for sport.It's a difficult discussion that can get politicized and very emotional, flattening an issue with more nuance, said Pastor Pat Ward, who leads The Orchard Church in Oxford. People in his congregation see both sides; they are racially diverse, conservative and liberal, some older, some still University of Mississippi students. His church is guarded by a team of experienced law enforcement officials."I think in the South people have a certain familiarity with guns and are also strong in their religious beliefs," Ward said. "But we don't always think about the relationship between them. What does our familiarity with guns say about us as people who claim to be following God, who preach about peace and love?"At the Greater Bethlehem Temple in west Jackson, Pastor Ervin Ricks finds a bullet lodged in the walls about nine times a year. Many in his mostly black congregation of 1,200 have lost family members to gun violence.That's why worshippers at this church in a high-crime west Jackson neighborhood are told to leave any weapons at the door. Ricks said they leave security to the surveillance cameras and off-duty police officers scanning the grounds."I don't know that there's a more dangerous community in Mississippi to live in," said Ricks, whose church doesn't oppose gun ownership because many congregants hunt and shoot for sport. "But we want to help lift it up and show folks the right way to live. It's incumbent on us to say we're Christians and show what that looks like."The bill was authored by Baptist pastor and state Rep. Andy Gipson, who says it's necessary in light of the massacre of nine parishioners during a Bible study last year in Charleston, South Carolina. He said the law gives small congregations an option to defend themselves against attack.Only two states — Georgia and North Dakota — prohibit all guns from places of worship, said Taylor Maxwell, a spokeswoman for Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for gun safety laws. Eight states prohibit concealed carry permit holders from carrying guns into places of worship; other states leave it up to the place of worship.At Gipson's church in Braxton, about 40 minutes southeast of Jackson, the surrounding countryside is home to many gun owners and hunters. Neighbors can tell who's shooting by the sound the gunshot makes, Gipson says. It's here that the lawmaker leads a mostly white congregation of about 80 people.Melissa Sullivan, a member of Gipson's Gum Springs Baptist Church, was carrying a gun during service one Sunday in late March. Most of the congregation carries guns most of the time, including the women, she said. She said she feels safe but isn't naive enough to believe there isn't a threat."The bad guys are gonna have a way to get their point across," she said. "We have to have a right to defend our family."
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