JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
CETA: Canada-EU trade deal signed by Justin Trudeau, EU officials-By Mike Blanchfield The Canadian Press-0ct 30,16-globeandmail
BRUSSELS – Justin Trudeau and European leaders have signed Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union in Brussels.The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, was reached after seven years of negotiation.Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels days ago, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed the deal because of its opposition to the pact’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.Everybody say "CETA!" PM Trudeau poses for photo with EU leaders after signing free trade deal in Brussels. http://pic.twitter.com/jBySHD77H1— Jeff Semple (@JeffSempleGN) October 30, 2016-The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau spoke on Friday with European Council president Donald Tusk, who confirmed the texts of the deal, along with a side agreement known as the Strategic Partnership Agreement, had been approved for signature.The deal’s supporters say it will boost trade by billions through cuts in tariffs across a broad swath of sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the auto industry.The prime minister’s trip to Brussels got off to a bit of a bumpy start, with a mechanical problem forcing his flight to return to Ottawa about 30 minutes after it took off Saturday night. After more than an hour on the ground the flight left again and continued on to Belgium without further incident.The Canadian Press.
Trudeau finally signs CETA free trade deal with European Union, but admits work is ‘just beginning’-The Canadian Press | October 30, 2016 1:31 PM ET-nationalpost
BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revelled in a long-awaited moment Sunday — signing Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union, but not before recognizing the challenges ahead to bring it fully into force.Trudeau expressed hope that the so-called provisional application of the deal — approval only by the Canadian and European parliaments but not Europe’s 28 states and myriad regional governments — might happen within months.That, said Trudeau, would result in 98 per cent of the deal coming into force. That’s much higher than the 90-per cent estimate that most European and Canadian officials have said would accompany provisional application of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA.Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels days ago, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed it because its opposition to the pact’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism gave it a veto under Belgium’s complicated constitution.After seven arduous years of negotiation, Trudeau joined presidents of the European Council and European Commission, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, and signed the massive 1,600-page pact and its accompanying strategic partnership agreement.The road to full ratification remains long. After Trudeau and his EU counterparts took a moment Sunday to revel in the milestone, the prime minister was willing to acknowledge it would take more than ceremony to fully ratify the deal.“The work is only just beginning right now,” Trudeau said.“It’s not just signing the accords, as difficult and important as that is. It’s about the followup, that we continue to demonstrate and give tools to small and medium sized businesses.”Trudeau didn’t betray a hint of bitterness towards the socialist regional government of Wallonia, led by Paul Magnette, which picked up the anti-CETA baton that had flourished previously in France, Germany and Austria.The latest obstacle to CETA was removed Friday when Wallonia officially voted to withdraw its opposition to the deal, paving the way for Trudeau’s trip.“The fact that throughout people were asking tough questions of a deal that will have a significant impact on our economies, and giving us the opportunity to demonstrate that that impact will be positive, is a good thing,” Trudeau said.“That is what a democracy is: we need to have a whole chorus of different voices, able to share their concerns.”Trudeau also praised the support he received from the government of Quebec’s Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard, who was in Brussels along with one of his predecessors, Jean Charest, one of CETA’s early boosters.International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland called it a great day for Europe.More than a week ago, Freeland walked out of talks in Belgium, saying it appeared the EU was incapable of signing an agreement.“OK we did it!” she blurted out during a photo opportunity following the signing ceremony.The deal’s supporters say it will boost trade by billions through cuts in tariffs across a broad swath of sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the auto industry.But opposition among anti-trade activists and left-wing political parties in some European countries has been fierce and nearly blocked the deal. On a sleepy Sunday morning in the largely shuttered EU capital, Trudeau’s entourage was greeted by a small but vocal group of protesters at the European Council.Trudeau acknowledged the discontent but said political leaders had to work to overcome it.“That leadership that we were able to show between Canada and Europe is not just something that will reassure our own citizens but should be an example to the world of how we can move forward on trade deals that do genuinely benefit everyone,” Trudeau said.With the Liberals and Conservatives both favouring the deal, its approval will sail through Parliament.But Europe is another matter.The European Parliament must approve CETA. Before leaving Brussels, Trudeau met with its leader, Martin Schulz, the German social democrat.Trudeau thanked Schulz for his leadership on CETA and said he wanted to “thank him in advance” for the work he will do to get it “ratified quickly.”The European Parliament’s approval is expected by many to come in early 2017.But the deal must be ratified by the EU’s 28 countries and several more smaller regional governments such as Wallonia. That process could take years, and could be derailed.Gus Van Harten, an Osgoode Hall law professor who specializes in trade, said he believes the European Parliament will likely approve the deal, but the foreign investor protection mechanism will likely pose problems in the future. That’s because national and regional governments have the ability to block it, ending the provisional application of the deal.“The inclusion of the foreign investor protection system in the CETA was a dubious decision and political gamble from the start, and it has now blown up in a lot of faces,” said Van Harten. “CETA as a whole remains in jeopardy regardless of signature.”Sunday was not the first time Brussels witnessed the pomp and circumstance of a CETA signing ceremony.In October 2013, former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper flew to Brussels with great fanfare and signed an agreement in principle with European Commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso.In September 2014, Harper hosted Barroso and at another signing ceremony in Ottawa to mark the end of negotiations.But while they were celebrating in Ottawa, the seeds of discontent with the investor protection chapter were flowering in Germany. After the Liberals won power a year later, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel — a major opponent of that chapter — would find himself working with Freeland to strengthen that section of the agreement.
EU, U.S. trade deal not dead yet: EU's Malmstrom-[Reuters]-By Robert-Jan Bartunek-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A much-debated trade deal between the European Union and the United States is not dead and negotiations will continue with the new U.S. administration after November's elections, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Saturday.A similar agreement between the EU and Canada can finally be signed on Sunday after resistance from Belgian local governments led to a last-minute blockade of the agreement which was seven years in the making.Paul Magnette, the premier of Belgium's region of Wallonia who led opposition to the Canadian trade deal, told his parliament on Friday that with the concessions he managed to agree, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was "dead and buried".Malmstrom said she disagreed with that assessment and work would continue with the new U.S. administration."TTIP is not dead, but TTIP is not yet an agreement," she told reporters after a ceremony in Brussels, in which Belgium signed its addendum to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada."The U.S. election will naturally bring the negotiations to a pause and we will resume after with the new administration," she added.Both TTIP and CETA have sparked demonstrations by unions and protest groups who say the agreements will lead to a 'race to the bottom' in labor, environmental and public health standards and allow big business to challenge democratically elected governments across Europe.Washington and Brussels were committed to sealing TTIP before President Barack Obama leaves office in January, but both sides now recognize that this will not happen.Some European politicians have called for TTIP talks to be halted and relaunched after the U.S. presidential elections with greater transparency, clearer goals and a different name.Malmstrom said lessons from the Canadian negotiations would aid in making a deal with the United States."Some of the experiences, some of the procedures that we have experienced with CETA, will also be reflected in our work on TTIP," she said.(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Stephen Powell)
NATO 'Posing a Threat to the Whole World Like Hitler's Germany'AP-(updated 21:28 27.10.2016)
The North Atlantic Alliance has violated national freedom, sovereignty and democracy instead of promoting peace and stability, Croatian politician Ivan Pernar of the Zivi Zid coalition told Sputnik, comparing the bloc to Nazi Germany. "Brussels is nervous since there are people who question … fairytales of EU bureaucrats about a better life in the European Union, as well as so-called peace and stability ensured by NATO. In fact NATO has ensured the opposite. The alliance has violated and trampled down on national freedom and sovereignty instead of protecting them. NATO supports overthrowing legitimate governments through bombings instead of advocating democracy," Pernar said. US troops land with parachutes at the military compound near Torun, central Poland, on June 7, 2016, as part of the NATO Anaconda-16 military exercise © AFP 2016/ JANEK SKARZYNSKI NATO Buildup in Eastern Europe: 'We've Only Seen the Tip of the Iceberg' Ivan Pernar is a Croatian activist and politician, member of the Zivi Zid populist political party (literally translated as "Living Wall"). He is well-known in the country for organized demonstrations in February 2011 outside the Croatian government building aimed at forcing the resignation of then-Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor. Demonstrations turned into to mass protests and Pernar was arrested several times for disturbing public order. After the demostrations he founded the Alliance for Change party, which turned later into Zivi Zid political party. As its candidate Ivan Pernar was elected to the Croatian Parliament in 2016. The politician insisted that NATO is "posing a threat" to the whole world, "just like Germany under Hitler." The Croatian politician praised Moscow for its independent stance in the international arena. "If not for Russia, no one would have stood up to this. The United States would have been able to bomb and doom to destruction any country that does not want to serve [Washington's] interests," he said. Croatian politician Ivan Pernar Ivan Pernar Croatian politician Ivan Pernar Pernar was also convinced that Croatians have realized that NATO brings "only harm," pointing to the massive influx of refugees which the European Union has struggled to deal with. Armed men in uniform identified by Syrian Democratic forces as US special operations forces ride in the back of a pickup truck in the village of Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqa on May 25, 2016 © AFP 2016/ DELIL SOULEIMAN Washington Making 'Extremely Weird Mistakes' in Syria "The wave of refugees who we must take care of is a direct consequence of Washington's activities around the world. The US is playing stupid: at first they cause chaos and then they say that you should sort it out by yourself. It's impossible to imagine Russia do something like this," he said. The politician cited Moscow's limited military engagement in Syria as an example. The politician cited Moscow's limited military engagement in Syria as an example. "Russia's operation in Syria is based on international law. Moscow was invited by the legitimate Syrian government. At the same time Washington's intervention, like all its operations, does not have a legal basis. This is why the US has opposed the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague. No one can put US presidents and generals on trial. The United States does not punish itself and no one else is capable or dares to," he said.
France: London cannot remain EU banking hub By Andrew Rettman-OCT 29,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 18:57-French finance minister Michel Sapin has said London cannot still be the EU’s banking hub after the UK leaves the bloc.“The first marketplace for euro-exchanges is London. Almost all the important chambers are in London. Is this a sustainable position after Brexit? I don’t believe so”, he said at the Tatra congress in Bratislava on Friday (28 October).“Be it a hard Brexit or a soft Brexit, this cannot go on after Brexit. Those who think that after Brexit things can be just as before are making a major mistake”, he added.The UK aims to start talks with the EU on the terms of their divorce at the end of March.The British government has said it wants to retain full access to the single market, but also to curb EU immigration.EU leaders have said it cannot have both, with one potential casualty being the loss of “passporting rights” for London-based firms to do business in the rest of Europe.Dublin, Frankfurt, Milan, and Paris - the EU’s other financial hubs - stand to gain if there is a banking exodus from London.Sapin on Friday said he wants to cooperate with the City of London in future.“Are we going to go into a war with London? Of course not”, he said.Zdenek Turek, the CEO of Citibank Europe, a Dublin-based offshoot of a US bank with operations in 21 EU countries, said at the Tatra congress on Saturday that Brexit uncertainty is causing headaches in his sector.“Everybody is looking at the worst case scenario because there’s no lead from the politicians now on what’s going to happen”, he said.“Today, in every bank of a certain size, you have a department looking at what might happen if there’s a complete breakdown of passporting”, he added.He said UK banks’ loss of access to the EU would lead to higher costs for firms and their clients.He also said the idea that the Brexit talks would settle the issues in just two years, as planned, is unrealistic.“You need a transition period, at least in our industry … There’s a danger of cliff effect - the old agreement is gone and the new one is not in place yet,” he said.The Tatra event also saw a broader debate on the future of eurozone integration and related projects, such as the EU banking union, after the UK has left.-European house-German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday that “our European house” is “badly in need of repair”.He said the political climate is not right to rewrite the EU treaty to create a fiscal union, but he said eurozone integration should continue at a more pragmatic level.“We should continue with [integration of] the banking sector, push forward on capital markets union, to stick to the fiscal rules that we have agreed”, he said.Finance commissioner Pierre Moscovici said “I’m a federalist like him [Schaeuble], and, like him, a realist”, adding that fiscal union is “not for tomorrow”.Ivan Korcok, Slovakia’s EU affairs minister, said euro-integration is one of the few areas where there is support from both the political elites and the general public to go further.Citibank’s Turek said the business community would like to see further banking harmonisation, stricter EU budgetary discipline, and labour market reforms to make it easier to sack people for the sake of competitiveness.Recalling Schaeuble’s “European house”, Turek said: “We’ll all have to move and live and that house and give up our little houses where we love today … national sovereignty will have to be further surrendered”.
Germany wants EU fund to enforce fiscal rules By Andrew Rettman-OCT 29,16-EUOBSERVER
Bratislava, Today, 07:44-Germany has said that “neutral” bodies, such as the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), should take over from the European Commission on implementing fiscal rules.Speaking at the Tatra Summit, a conference in Bratislava, on Friday (28 October), German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that the commission was becoming too “political” to do the job right.“In some ways, the commission must move in the direction of becoming a European government, but when it’s a matter of implementing the rules we need some neutral institutions”, he said.He said that, as a federalist, he would prefer a full-blown fiscal union and joint eurozone government.He said that, since there is no appetite for EU treaty change, the bloc should instead use existing instruments, such as the ESM, its financial emergency fund, to “repair” the way it works.The commission has let France and Italy off the hook on budget deficits. It also decided last summer not to impose sanctions on Spain and Portugal.It did it in part because France was heading into elections with the anti-EU National Front party posing a threat.Italy was struggling with earthquake reconstruction and refugee costs, as well as a referendum that could catapult an anti-euro party, the 5 Star Movement, into power.Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker recently also said that France got flexibility “because it’s France” - a remark which indicated that big EU states could break rules with impunity.“That is a philosophy that doesn’t work for the European Union”, Schaeuble said on Friday.Citing a remark by European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, Schaeuble added: “If finance ministers don’t stick to the rules they’ve given themselves, where will trust come from in our currency?”.-Because it’s France-Pierre Moscovici, the EU finance commissioner and former French finance minister, defended Juncker’s comments at the Bratislava debate.“Our president [Juncker] loves France. What he said was maybe just a sign of sympathy”, Moscovici said.“There is no discrimination in the commission no matter what the colour of the country, its political family, or its size. We have just one compass - the rules”, he said.He said the commission is “political” to the extent that it takes into account the specific situation in member states when deciding whether to implement sanctions.He said events such as earthquakes, refugees, and national elections “should be taken into consideration”.“I’m not very enthusiastic about that”, he said on Schaeuble’s ESM idea.He said the ESM, or similar bodies, such as the European Systemic Risk Board, which were set up during the financial crisis, were “purely financial and technical” with “no democratic control over that”.“No. I think this [fiscal monitoring] should still be in the commission”, he said.He said the current set up works because, despite the commission’s flexibility, eurozone budget deficits fell from more than 6 percent in 2010 to some 2 percent today.One of Moscovici’s advisors told EUobserver that Schaeuble’s ESM idea did not amount to a serious proposal at this stage.“It’s not even an academic discussion. He [Schaeuble] just made a remark to press and the commissioner responded”, the aide said.-Jobs not concepts-The French and the Italian finance ministers, who also took part in Friday’s debate in the Slovak capital, backed the EU commissioner.France’s Michel Sapin said that if the commission threw the book at France it could give ammunition to the National Front.He said the ESM approach would only work if fiscal rules were a matter of red or green lights, but that, in reality, “we often talk about flexibilities when we are somewhere between the red and green”.Sapin added that the word “political” is all too often used negatively. “It is not [negative]. It’s about a very fine assessment of the situation and seeing how rules can be applied flexibly”, he said.Italy’s Pier Carlo Padoan said average people are more interested in jobs than in abstract financial concepts.“Most Europeans don’t know what 'banking union' or 'surplus product' are. They want jobs. They want to know if their kids will have jobs … We need more instruments that link financial stability and discipline to jobs and growth”, he said.He said Italy should be rewarded for “doing a service to Europe” by policing its southern border and by taking care of asylum seekers coming from Libya.“Of course the rules must be respected, but sometimes the rules are badly designed”, he said.
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)
Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite militias plan to fight with Assad in Syria-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi Shi'ite militia plans to cross the border into Syria to fight alongside President Bashar al-Assad after "clearing" Islamic State militants from Iraq, a militia spokesman said on Saturday.Iraqi Shi'ite militiamen are already fighting on Assad's side in the country's civil war, and the coalition is currently participating in an Iraqi government offensive to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State. The announcement by the coalition, known as Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization, would formalise its involvement in Syria."After clearing all our land from these terrorist gangs, we are fully ready to go to any place that contains a threat to Iraqi national security," Ahmed al-Asadi, a spokesman for the Shi'ite coalition, told a news conference in Baghdad.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed)
Air strike kills 17 in Yemen, exiled president rejects peace plan-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
SANAA (Reuters) - At least 17 civilians were killed in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz on Saturday by a Saudi-led coalition air strike that struck a house, local officials and residents said.The raid targeted a house in the al-Salw district, the sources said, an area of Taiz where Houthi rebels and government forces backed by the coalition are fighting for control. Taiz is Yemen's third largest city with an estimated pre-war population of 300,000.The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who hold much of the north of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, since March 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.The exiled Hadi on Saturday rejected a U.N. peace proposal to end the turmoil saying the deal would only be a path to more war and destruction.Speaking after meeting U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheickh Ahmed in Riyadh, Hadi said the agreement would "reward the rebels and penalise the Yemeni people and legitimacy," according to the government-controlled Saba news agency.According to a copy of the proposal seen by Reuters, the plan would sideline Hadi and set up a government of less divisive figures.The deal would involve removing Hadi's powerful vice president, Ali Mushin al-Ahmar Ahmar from power and Hadi agreeing to become little more than a figurehead after a Houthi withdrawal from the capital Sanaa.Hadi fled the armed advance of the Iranian-allied Houthi movement in March 2015 and has been a guest of neighbouring Saudi Arabia ever since.A U.N. Security Council resolution a month later recognised him as the legitimate head of state and called on the Houthis to disarm and quit Yemen's main cities. But the Houthis and their allies in Yemen's army have said he will never return.The conflict in Yemen has killed at least 10,000 people and unleashed one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Maha El Dahan; editing by Richard Balmforth)
Bomb-laden car explodes near central bank in Yemen's Aden: sources-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS
ADEN (Reuters) - A car laden with explosives blew up near the headquarters of Yemen's central bank in the southern city of Aden on Saturday and five people were injured, local security sources said.Security guards fired at the car as it moved at high speed toward the bank's building and it then blew up, they said.The blast caused minor damage to the building in a central district of Aden known as Crater and two cars nearby, one belonging to security guards and the other to a private citizen, caught fire and burned.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.It was believed to be the first attempt to target the central bank since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's decision in September to appoint a new governor and move its headquarters from the capital Sanaa, controlled by Houthi rebels, to the southern port city of Aden, where his government is based.Hadi is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been trying to roll back gains made by the Iran-aligned Houthis since 2014 and restore the president to power.(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf; writing by Maha El Dahan; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Roadside explosion in Egypt's North Sinai kills senior military officer-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS
CAIRO (Reuters) - A senior military officer and one soldier were killed on Saturday by a roadside explosion in Egypt's North Sinai where the government faces an Islamic State-led insurgency, security sources told Reuters.Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the insurgency and there have also been attacks in Cairo and other cities.Militant groups appear to be stepping up attacks with the emergence of a new group calling itself the Revolution Brigade which claimed responsibility for the killing of a brigadier general, a commander in North Sinai, outside his home on the outskirts of Cairo last week.That attack came just one week after Islamic State guerrillas ambushed a military checkpoint killing 12 Egyptian soldiers in the town of Bir al-Abd, the first major attack in the central Sinai area, which had so far escaped the militant Islamists' campaign.[8N1CL0GK]-Military and police sources who did not wish to be identified told Reuters that Saturday's explosion was a targeted attack on Colonel Rami Hassanein, who was killed while travelling in an armoured vehicle just outside North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid.One other soldier was killed and three others were injured in the attack, the sources said.Egypt's military has not released a statement on the incident and was not available for comment.An Islamist insurgency in the rugged and thinly populated Sinai Peninsula gained pace after the military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.The militant group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014 and adopted the name Sinai Province.(Reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Mohamed Abdellah; Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
German minister ups rhetoric against takeovers ahead of China trip-[Reuters]-By Michael Nienaber-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
BERLIN (Reuters) - China is strategically buying up key technologies in Germany while protecting its own companies against foreign takeovers with "discriminatory requirements", German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Saturday.Gabriel, also vice chancellor and leader of Germany's Social Democrats, heads to China next week after having ratcheted up tensions with Beijing by putting the brakes on the latest Chinese takeovers of German technology companies.In a guest column for Die Welt newspaper, Gabriel urged the European Union to ensure a level playing field and adopt a tougher approach with China."Nobody can expect Europe to accept such foul play of trade partners," Gabriel wrote, adding that Germany was one of the most open economies for foreign direct investments.In China, on the contrary, foreign direct investments by European companies are being hampered and takeovers are only approved under discriminatory requirements, he said."But China itself is going on a shopping tour here with a long list of interesting companies - with the clear intention of acquiring strategically important key technologies."Under German law, the government can block takeovers only if they jeopardise energy security, defence or financial stability.Gabriel is pushing for a Europe-wide safeguard clause which could stop foreign takeovers of firms whose technology is deemed strategic for the future economic success of the region.-WARNING ON WTO STATUS-The minister said China would not be granted the important status as a market economy under the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) if it did not change course."If China wants to get the market economy status, then it also has to act accordingly," Gabriel told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in an interview.The EU is debating whether to grant China "market economy status" from December, which Beijing says is its right 15 years after joining the WTO.Market economy status would make it harder for Europe to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese goods sold at knock-down prices because it would change the method for determining a fair price.Despite her deputy's tough words, Chancellor Angela Merkel views China as a strategically important partner, not only to do business with but also in foreign policy. It remains one of Germany's most important trading partners and 60 business executives will join Gabriel on his five-day trip.This year to date, Chinese investors have racked up 47 deals to buy German targets with a total volume of 10.3 billion euros ($11.3 billion), according to Thomson Reuters data, compared with 29 deals worth 263 million euros in the whole of 2015.Deputy Economy Minister Michael Machnig told the Financial Times that Berlin was worried about takeovers that seemed to be driven by the Chinese government or were about gaining access to German technology."We need to have the powers to really investigate deals when it is clear that they are driven by industrial policy or to enable technology transfers," he said. "When necessary, in exceptional cases, maybe even to say we're not going to allow (them)."Gabriel's visit comes a week after his ministry withdrew approval for Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC) to buy chip equipment maker Aixtron, citing security concerns.The government is also scrutinising the sale of Osram's general lighting lamps business Ledvance to a consortium of Chinese buyers.Gabriel has struck increasingly protectionist tones since Chinese home appliance maker Midea made overtures back in May for robot-maker Kuka - a national champion in Germany's push to hook up machinery to the Internet.(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Alison Williams and Stephen Powell)
Clinton email problem resurfaces as FBI announces review-[Reuters]-By Mark Hosenball and Jonathan Allen-October 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating more emails as part of a probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email system, it said on Friday, in a new twist that could damage the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential race.Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said in a letter to senior lawmakers that the agency would determine whether the additional emails contained classified information, adding that he did not know "how long it will take us to complete this additional work."The announcement came as Clinton and Republican opponent Donald Trump enter the final stretch of campaigning ahead of the Nov. 8 election.In a news conference late on Friday in Des Moines, Iowa, Clinton urged Comey to release more details about what the FBI was looking for in the newly discovered emails.She leads Trump in opinion polls after a bruising campaign in which she has struggled to convince voters that she is trustworthy and honest. Fresh revelations about her use of email are unlikely to assuage those concerns, and questions around the FBI investigation will now likely dog her in the coming days as she campaigns across battleground states.U.S. stocks immediately fell sharply on the news, but went on to partially recover.The FBI spent about a year investigating Clinton's use of the unauthorised server at her home in Chappaqua, New York, while she was U.S. secretary of state after classified government secrets were found in some of her emails.Comey said in July that while "there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."Although Comey recommended no criminal charges be brought against Clinton, Trump has repeatedly said her email practices are criminal and should disqualify her for office. He seized on Friday's development at rallies in Maine and New Hampshire."This is the biggest political scandal since Watergate, and I'm sure it will be properly handled from this point forward," Trump told a crowd in Lisbon, Maine."We hope that all, all justice will be fully served," he said. Supporters cheered his words and chanted, "Lock her up."Clinton said she had learned of the newly discovered emails from news reports."I'm confident whatever they are will not change the conclusion reached in July," she said. "That’s why it’s incumbent upon the FBI to tell us what’s going on."-WEINER-Two sources close to the investigation said the latest emails were discovered not during an investigation into Clinton, but rather as part of a separate probe into Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.The FBI has been investigating illicit text messages allegedly sent from Weiner to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina, and found the Clinton emails on a device related to that investigation, the sources said.Abedin told federal investigators in April that she used several email accounts for her work, including a Yahoo email, according to a summary of the interview released by the FBI in September. She said it was difficult to print from the State Department's email system so she routinely forwarded documents to her private accounts when she needed to print them out, according to the summary.Abedin announced her separation from Weiner in August after a sex scandal similar to an earlier incident that led him to resign from the U.S. Congress.Lawyers representing Abedin did not respond to questions sent by email on Friday. Weiner did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, and he did not respond to phone calls.Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist who had previously advised former President Bill Clinton but has no role with Hillary Clinton's campaign, said the linking of Clinton's email woes with Weiner's sex scandals made it harder for her campaign to distinguish itself from Trump's sex scandals."The whole campaign is now smeared with sex, corruption and scandal," he said. "Nobody remembers the beginning of something, they only remember the end. What are they going to remember? They're all the same: sex, scandal, corruption, emails. People are going to have trouble sorting out all this information."-"EXTRAORDINARY"-Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, said it was "extraordinary" for the FBI to release the letter so close to the end of a hotly contested election."The Director owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what he is now examining," Podesta said in a statement. "We are confident this will not produce any conclusions different from the one the FBI reached in July."Clinton has repeatedly apologized for using the private email server in her home instead of a government email account for her work as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. She has said she did not knowingly send or receive classified information.While the FBI probe of new emails will likely prove a distraction to Clinton in the coming days, it was unclear what impact it would have when Americans go to the polls. Election experts say about 20 percent of ballots have already been cast, as more Americans vote by mail or go to the polls early."A lot of concern about the emails has already been baked into this electoral cake I think," said Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College. "They know she did it, they know it was inappropriate and, failing some sensational revelation on Nov. 6, it's hard to see that it's going to make that big a difference."Still, Republican lawmakers, who are facing a difficult fight to keep their majorities in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, leaped to condemn Clinton.House Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated his call that the Democratic nominee be barred from briefings involving classified information until the investigation is over. Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee, said the FBI's decision to look into the emails shows "how serious this discovery must be."Clinton did not respond to reporters' shouted questions about the news when she left her plane for a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.U.S. stocks declined in a volatile session on Friday but partially recovered from the sharp drop spurred by the FBI announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> closed the day down about 9 points, or .05 percent, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was unchanged on the day. The dollar also fell against major currencies.(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Julia Harte and Andy Sullivan in Washington, Steve Holland in Manchester, New Hampshire, Jeff Mason in Des Moines, Iowa, and Sam Forgione and Nate Raymond in New York)
Clinton battles to quell resurgent email crisis days ahead of election-Democratic candidate says she wants ‘full facts’ out immediately; Trump accuses her of corruption ‘on scale never seen before’-By Julie Pace and KATHLEEN HENNESSEY October 29, 2016, 8:07 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — For more than a year, Hillary Clinton has been a reluctant participant in the email controversy that has dogged her campaign, responding defensively to inquiries — and often only when there’s a political imperative to do so.On Friday, the imperative was clear.The email issue flared up unexpectedly just over a week from Election Day, threatening Clinton’s lead over Republican Donald Trump. The FBI announced it was looking into whether there was classified information on a device belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced ex-congressman who is separated from longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin.Clinton stepped in swiftly, holding a brief, hastily arranged news conference in a high school choir room in Des Moines, Iowa. She challenged FBI Director James Comey to release the full details of the new investigation, citing the crucial phase of the White House race.“We are 11 days out from perhaps the most important national election of our lifetimes. Voting is already underway in our country,” Clinton said. “So the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately. The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not.”Clinton said neither she nor her advisers had been contacted by the FBI about the new inquiry.The news arrived with Clinton holding a solid advantage in the presidential race. Early voting has been underway for weeks, and she has a steady lead in preference polls, both nationally and in key battleground states.The development all but ensures that, even should she win the White House, the Democrat and several of her closest aides would celebrate a victory under a cloud of investigation.Trump leapt on the FBI’s disclosure, accusing Clinton of corruption “on a scale we have never seen before” and called it the biggest scandal “since Watergate.”“We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office,” Trump said during a rally in New Hampshire.Clinton’s campaign was enraged by Comey’s decision to disclose the existence of the fresh investigation in a vaguely worded letter to several congressional leaders. It wasn’t until hours later that word emerged that the source of the new emails was Weiner, who is under investigation for sending sexually explicit text messages to a teenage girl.“It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election,” said John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman.Congressional Republicans have already promised years of investigations into Clinton’s private email system. And that’s only one of the email-related controversies facing her in the campaign’s closing days. The tens of thousands of confidential emails from Clinton campaign insiders that were hacked — her campaign blames Russia — and then released by WikiLeaks have provided a steady stream of questions about her policy positions, personnel choices and ties with her husband’s sprawling charitable network and post-presidential pursuits.In his Friday letter to congressional leaders, Comey wrote only that new emails have emerged, prompting the agency to “take appropriate investigative steps” to review the information that may be pertinent to its previously closed investigation into Clinton private email system.The FBI ended that investigation in July without filing charges, although Comey said at the time that Clinton and her aides had been “extremely careless” in using the system for communications about government business.The agency, which did not respond to questions about Comey’s letter and did not lay out a timeline for the review, is also investigating the recent hacks of Podesta’s emails.The swirling controversies have clouded what had looked to be a strong finish for Clinton’s campaign. Moments before the FBI inquiry became public, her campaign announced plans to hold a rally in Arizona, a traditionally red state put in play by Trump’s deep unpopularity among minority voters, Mormons and business leaders.To the frustration of many in his party, Trump has struggled to consistently drive an attack against Clinton, often turning to personal denunciations of private citizens he feels have wronged him, like the Gold Star family of Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier killed in action.But he quickly pounced on the email news, seeing an opportunity to press the argument he’s long tried to make against Clinton: that she thinks she’s above the law and that she put U.S. security at risk by using her personal email.After weeks of declaring the race “rigged” in favor of his opponent, he declared Friday he has “great respect” for the FBI and the Justice Department, now that they are “willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made” in concluding the investigation earlier.As Clinton wrapped up her short comments to reporters Friday, she was asked whether she thought the new investigation would sink her campaign.She walked away, responding only with a hearty laugh.
Clinton campaign urges FBI to detail new developments in email case-[Reuters]-By Richard Cowan-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top aides to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Saturday insisted there is "no evidence of wrongdoing" following the FBI's notification to the U.S. Congress on Friday that it is again looking at Clinton's use of a private server for emails when she was secretary of state."There's no evidence of wrongdoing, no charge of wrongdoing," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told reporters by telephone.Podesta, following up on calls by Clinton late on Friday, urged FBI Director James Comey to make public the details of any new developments in the case.Podesta also complained that 24 hours after Comey's letter was transmitted to Congress, "We have no real explanation of why Director Comey" sent it.The Washington Post reported on Saturday that senior Justice Department officials told Comey his letter to Congress was inconsistent with FBI policy of not commenting on ongoing investigations.This latest controversy over Clinton emails has surfaced in the waning days of a bitter presidential campaign against Republican challenger Donald Trump. Election Day is on Nov. 8.In July, Comey said the FBI would not seek to prosecute Clinton after looking into whether she may have handled classified material improperly in emails.Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign worked to tamp down speculation of a voter backlash after Friday's letter by Comey surfaced in which he said the FBI was taking "appropriate investigative steps" after learning of emails "that appear to be pertinent" to the earlier investigation.Campaign manager Robby Mook said voters had already "factored" what they knew about the email investigation into their decision-making. "We don't see it changing the landscape" for undecided voters, Mook said.Sources close to the investigation on Friday said the latest emails were discovered as part of a separate probe into Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.Weiner, a former U.S. congressman from New York, is the target of an FBI investigation into illicit text messages he is alleged to have sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.Trump, in campaign appearances on Friday, called the new development part of "the biggest political scandal since Watergate" that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974.With less than two weeks before the elections, both Trump and Clinton were scheduled to hold multiple campaign rallies later on Saturday.In his remarks to reporters, Podesta complained that Comey's letter to Congress was "light on facts, heavy on innuendo" and urged him to "come forward and give those answers to the American public" about the exact nature of the FBI's latest review of emails.(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by James Dalgleish)
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(EITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR BOOTS 3 COUNTRIES FROM THE EU OR THE DICTATOR TAKES OVER THE WORLD ECONOMY BY CONTROLLING 3 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
CETA: Canada-EU trade deal signed by Justin Trudeau, EU officials-By Mike Blanchfield The Canadian Press-0ct 30,16-globeandmail
BRUSSELS – Justin Trudeau and European leaders have signed Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union in Brussels.The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, was reached after seven years of negotiation.Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels days ago, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed the deal because of its opposition to the pact’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.Everybody say "CETA!" PM Trudeau poses for photo with EU leaders after signing free trade deal in Brussels. http://pic.twitter.com/jBySHD77H1— Jeff Semple (@JeffSempleGN) October 30, 2016-The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau spoke on Friday with European Council president Donald Tusk, who confirmed the texts of the deal, along with a side agreement known as the Strategic Partnership Agreement, had been approved for signature.The deal’s supporters say it will boost trade by billions through cuts in tariffs across a broad swath of sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the auto industry.The prime minister’s trip to Brussels got off to a bit of a bumpy start, with a mechanical problem forcing his flight to return to Ottawa about 30 minutes after it took off Saturday night. After more than an hour on the ground the flight left again and continued on to Belgium without further incident.The Canadian Press.
Trudeau finally signs CETA free trade deal with European Union, but admits work is ‘just beginning’-The Canadian Press | October 30, 2016 1:31 PM ET-nationalpost
BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revelled in a long-awaited moment Sunday — signing Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union, but not before recognizing the challenges ahead to bring it fully into force.Trudeau expressed hope that the so-called provisional application of the deal — approval only by the Canadian and European parliaments but not Europe’s 28 states and myriad regional governments — might happen within months.That, said Trudeau, would result in 98 per cent of the deal coming into force. That’s much higher than the 90-per cent estimate that most European and Canadian officials have said would accompany provisional application of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA.Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels days ago, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed it because its opposition to the pact’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism gave it a veto under Belgium’s complicated constitution.After seven arduous years of negotiation, Trudeau joined presidents of the European Council and European Commission, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, and signed the massive 1,600-page pact and its accompanying strategic partnership agreement.The road to full ratification remains long. After Trudeau and his EU counterparts took a moment Sunday to revel in the milestone, the prime minister was willing to acknowledge it would take more than ceremony to fully ratify the deal.“The work is only just beginning right now,” Trudeau said.“It’s not just signing the accords, as difficult and important as that is. It’s about the followup, that we continue to demonstrate and give tools to small and medium sized businesses.”Trudeau didn’t betray a hint of bitterness towards the socialist regional government of Wallonia, led by Paul Magnette, which picked up the anti-CETA baton that had flourished previously in France, Germany and Austria.The latest obstacle to CETA was removed Friday when Wallonia officially voted to withdraw its opposition to the deal, paving the way for Trudeau’s trip.“The fact that throughout people were asking tough questions of a deal that will have a significant impact on our economies, and giving us the opportunity to demonstrate that that impact will be positive, is a good thing,” Trudeau said.“That is what a democracy is: we need to have a whole chorus of different voices, able to share their concerns.”Trudeau also praised the support he received from the government of Quebec’s Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard, who was in Brussels along with one of his predecessors, Jean Charest, one of CETA’s early boosters.International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland called it a great day for Europe.More than a week ago, Freeland walked out of talks in Belgium, saying it appeared the EU was incapable of signing an agreement.“OK we did it!” she blurted out during a photo opportunity following the signing ceremony.The deal’s supporters say it will boost trade by billions through cuts in tariffs across a broad swath of sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the auto industry.But opposition among anti-trade activists and left-wing political parties in some European countries has been fierce and nearly blocked the deal. On a sleepy Sunday morning in the largely shuttered EU capital, Trudeau’s entourage was greeted by a small but vocal group of protesters at the European Council.Trudeau acknowledged the discontent but said political leaders had to work to overcome it.“That leadership that we were able to show between Canada and Europe is not just something that will reassure our own citizens but should be an example to the world of how we can move forward on trade deals that do genuinely benefit everyone,” Trudeau said.With the Liberals and Conservatives both favouring the deal, its approval will sail through Parliament.But Europe is another matter.The European Parliament must approve CETA. Before leaving Brussels, Trudeau met with its leader, Martin Schulz, the German social democrat.Trudeau thanked Schulz for his leadership on CETA and said he wanted to “thank him in advance” for the work he will do to get it “ratified quickly.”The European Parliament’s approval is expected by many to come in early 2017.But the deal must be ratified by the EU’s 28 countries and several more smaller regional governments such as Wallonia. That process could take years, and could be derailed.Gus Van Harten, an Osgoode Hall law professor who specializes in trade, said he believes the European Parliament will likely approve the deal, but the foreign investor protection mechanism will likely pose problems in the future. That’s because national and regional governments have the ability to block it, ending the provisional application of the deal.“The inclusion of the foreign investor protection system in the CETA was a dubious decision and political gamble from the start, and it has now blown up in a lot of faces,” said Van Harten. “CETA as a whole remains in jeopardy regardless of signature.”Sunday was not the first time Brussels witnessed the pomp and circumstance of a CETA signing ceremony.In October 2013, former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper flew to Brussels with great fanfare and signed an agreement in principle with European Commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso.In September 2014, Harper hosted Barroso and at another signing ceremony in Ottawa to mark the end of negotiations.But while they were celebrating in Ottawa, the seeds of discontent with the investor protection chapter were flowering in Germany. After the Liberals won power a year later, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel — a major opponent of that chapter — would find himself working with Freeland to strengthen that section of the agreement.
EU, U.S. trade deal not dead yet: EU's Malmstrom-[Reuters]-By Robert-Jan Bartunek-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A much-debated trade deal between the European Union and the United States is not dead and negotiations will continue with the new U.S. administration after November's elections, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Saturday.A similar agreement between the EU and Canada can finally be signed on Sunday after resistance from Belgian local governments led to a last-minute blockade of the agreement which was seven years in the making.Paul Magnette, the premier of Belgium's region of Wallonia who led opposition to the Canadian trade deal, told his parliament on Friday that with the concessions he managed to agree, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was "dead and buried".Malmstrom said she disagreed with that assessment and work would continue with the new U.S. administration."TTIP is not dead, but TTIP is not yet an agreement," she told reporters after a ceremony in Brussels, in which Belgium signed its addendum to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada."The U.S. election will naturally bring the negotiations to a pause and we will resume after with the new administration," she added.Both TTIP and CETA have sparked demonstrations by unions and protest groups who say the agreements will lead to a 'race to the bottom' in labor, environmental and public health standards and allow big business to challenge democratically elected governments across Europe.Washington and Brussels were committed to sealing TTIP before President Barack Obama leaves office in January, but both sides now recognize that this will not happen.Some European politicians have called for TTIP talks to be halted and relaunched after the U.S. presidential elections with greater transparency, clearer goals and a different name.Malmstrom said lessons from the Canadian negotiations would aid in making a deal with the United States."Some of the experiences, some of the procedures that we have experienced with CETA, will also be reflected in our work on TTIP," she said.(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Stephen Powell)
NATO 'Posing a Threat to the Whole World Like Hitler's Germany'AP-(updated 21:28 27.10.2016)
The North Atlantic Alliance has violated national freedom, sovereignty and democracy instead of promoting peace and stability, Croatian politician Ivan Pernar of the Zivi Zid coalition told Sputnik, comparing the bloc to Nazi Germany. "Brussels is nervous since there are people who question … fairytales of EU bureaucrats about a better life in the European Union, as well as so-called peace and stability ensured by NATO. In fact NATO has ensured the opposite. The alliance has violated and trampled down on national freedom and sovereignty instead of protecting them. NATO supports overthrowing legitimate governments through bombings instead of advocating democracy," Pernar said. US troops land with parachutes at the military compound near Torun, central Poland, on June 7, 2016, as part of the NATO Anaconda-16 military exercise © AFP 2016/ JANEK SKARZYNSKI NATO Buildup in Eastern Europe: 'We've Only Seen the Tip of the Iceberg' Ivan Pernar is a Croatian activist and politician, member of the Zivi Zid populist political party (literally translated as "Living Wall"). He is well-known in the country for organized demonstrations in February 2011 outside the Croatian government building aimed at forcing the resignation of then-Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor. Demonstrations turned into to mass protests and Pernar was arrested several times for disturbing public order. After the demostrations he founded the Alliance for Change party, which turned later into Zivi Zid political party. As its candidate Ivan Pernar was elected to the Croatian Parliament in 2016. The politician insisted that NATO is "posing a threat" to the whole world, "just like Germany under Hitler." The Croatian politician praised Moscow for its independent stance in the international arena. "If not for Russia, no one would have stood up to this. The United States would have been able to bomb and doom to destruction any country that does not want to serve [Washington's] interests," he said. Croatian politician Ivan Pernar Ivan Pernar Croatian politician Ivan Pernar Pernar was also convinced that Croatians have realized that NATO brings "only harm," pointing to the massive influx of refugees which the European Union has struggled to deal with. Armed men in uniform identified by Syrian Democratic forces as US special operations forces ride in the back of a pickup truck in the village of Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqa on May 25, 2016 © AFP 2016/ DELIL SOULEIMAN Washington Making 'Extremely Weird Mistakes' in Syria "The wave of refugees who we must take care of is a direct consequence of Washington's activities around the world. The US is playing stupid: at first they cause chaos and then they say that you should sort it out by yourself. It's impossible to imagine Russia do something like this," he said. The politician cited Moscow's limited military engagement in Syria as an example. The politician cited Moscow's limited military engagement in Syria as an example. "Russia's operation in Syria is based on international law. Moscow was invited by the legitimate Syrian government. At the same time Washington's intervention, like all its operations, does not have a legal basis. This is why the US has opposed the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague. No one can put US presidents and generals on trial. The United States does not punish itself and no one else is capable or dares to," he said.
France: London cannot remain EU banking hub By Andrew Rettman-OCT 29,16-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, Today, 18:57-French finance minister Michel Sapin has said London cannot still be the EU’s banking hub after the UK leaves the bloc.“The first marketplace for euro-exchanges is London. Almost all the important chambers are in London. Is this a sustainable position after Brexit? I don’t believe so”, he said at the Tatra congress in Bratislava on Friday (28 October).“Be it a hard Brexit or a soft Brexit, this cannot go on after Brexit. Those who think that after Brexit things can be just as before are making a major mistake”, he added.The UK aims to start talks with the EU on the terms of their divorce at the end of March.The British government has said it wants to retain full access to the single market, but also to curb EU immigration.EU leaders have said it cannot have both, with one potential casualty being the loss of “passporting rights” for London-based firms to do business in the rest of Europe.Dublin, Frankfurt, Milan, and Paris - the EU’s other financial hubs - stand to gain if there is a banking exodus from London.Sapin on Friday said he wants to cooperate with the City of London in future.“Are we going to go into a war with London? Of course not”, he said.Zdenek Turek, the CEO of Citibank Europe, a Dublin-based offshoot of a US bank with operations in 21 EU countries, said at the Tatra congress on Saturday that Brexit uncertainty is causing headaches in his sector.“Everybody is looking at the worst case scenario because there’s no lead from the politicians now on what’s going to happen”, he said.“Today, in every bank of a certain size, you have a department looking at what might happen if there’s a complete breakdown of passporting”, he added.He said UK banks’ loss of access to the EU would lead to higher costs for firms and their clients.He also said the idea that the Brexit talks would settle the issues in just two years, as planned, is unrealistic.“You need a transition period, at least in our industry … There’s a danger of cliff effect - the old agreement is gone and the new one is not in place yet,” he said.The Tatra event also saw a broader debate on the future of eurozone integration and related projects, such as the EU banking union, after the UK has left.-European house-German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday that “our European house” is “badly in need of repair”.He said the political climate is not right to rewrite the EU treaty to create a fiscal union, but he said eurozone integration should continue at a more pragmatic level.“We should continue with [integration of] the banking sector, push forward on capital markets union, to stick to the fiscal rules that we have agreed”, he said.Finance commissioner Pierre Moscovici said “I’m a federalist like him [Schaeuble], and, like him, a realist”, adding that fiscal union is “not for tomorrow”.Ivan Korcok, Slovakia’s EU affairs minister, said euro-integration is one of the few areas where there is support from both the political elites and the general public to go further.Citibank’s Turek said the business community would like to see further banking harmonisation, stricter EU budgetary discipline, and labour market reforms to make it easier to sack people for the sake of competitiveness.Recalling Schaeuble’s “European house”, Turek said: “We’ll all have to move and live and that house and give up our little houses where we love today … national sovereignty will have to be further surrendered”.
Germany wants EU fund to enforce fiscal rules By Andrew Rettman-OCT 29,16-EUOBSERVER
Bratislava, Today, 07:44-Germany has said that “neutral” bodies, such as the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), should take over from the European Commission on implementing fiscal rules.Speaking at the Tatra Summit, a conference in Bratislava, on Friday (28 October), German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that the commission was becoming too “political” to do the job right.“In some ways, the commission must move in the direction of becoming a European government, but when it’s a matter of implementing the rules we need some neutral institutions”, he said.He said that, as a federalist, he would prefer a full-blown fiscal union and joint eurozone government.He said that, since there is no appetite for EU treaty change, the bloc should instead use existing instruments, such as the ESM, its financial emergency fund, to “repair” the way it works.The commission has let France and Italy off the hook on budget deficits. It also decided last summer not to impose sanctions on Spain and Portugal.It did it in part because France was heading into elections with the anti-EU National Front party posing a threat.Italy was struggling with earthquake reconstruction and refugee costs, as well as a referendum that could catapult an anti-euro party, the 5 Star Movement, into power.Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker recently also said that France got flexibility “because it’s France” - a remark which indicated that big EU states could break rules with impunity.“That is a philosophy that doesn’t work for the European Union”, Schaeuble said on Friday.Citing a remark by European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, Schaeuble added: “If finance ministers don’t stick to the rules they’ve given themselves, where will trust come from in our currency?”.-Because it’s France-Pierre Moscovici, the EU finance commissioner and former French finance minister, defended Juncker’s comments at the Bratislava debate.“Our president [Juncker] loves France. What he said was maybe just a sign of sympathy”, Moscovici said.“There is no discrimination in the commission no matter what the colour of the country, its political family, or its size. We have just one compass - the rules”, he said.He said the commission is “political” to the extent that it takes into account the specific situation in member states when deciding whether to implement sanctions.He said events such as earthquakes, refugees, and national elections “should be taken into consideration”.“I’m not very enthusiastic about that”, he said on Schaeuble’s ESM idea.He said the ESM, or similar bodies, such as the European Systemic Risk Board, which were set up during the financial crisis, were “purely financial and technical” with “no democratic control over that”.“No. I think this [fiscal monitoring] should still be in the commission”, he said.He said the current set up works because, despite the commission’s flexibility, eurozone budget deficits fell from more than 6 percent in 2010 to some 2 percent today.One of Moscovici’s advisors told EUobserver that Schaeuble’s ESM idea did not amount to a serious proposal at this stage.“It’s not even an academic discussion. He [Schaeuble] just made a remark to press and the commissioner responded”, the aide said.-Jobs not concepts-The French and the Italian finance ministers, who also took part in Friday’s debate in the Slovak capital, backed the EU commissioner.France’s Michel Sapin said that if the commission threw the book at France it could give ammunition to the National Front.He said the ESM approach would only work if fiscal rules were a matter of red or green lights, but that, in reality, “we often talk about flexibilities when we are somewhere between the red and green”.Sapin added that the word “political” is all too often used negatively. “It is not [negative]. It’s about a very fine assessment of the situation and seeing how rules can be applied flexibly”, he said.Italy’s Pier Carlo Padoan said average people are more interested in jobs than in abstract financial concepts.“Most Europeans don’t know what 'banking union' or 'surplus product' are. They want jobs. They want to know if their kids will have jobs … We need more instruments that link financial stability and discipline to jobs and growth”, he said.He said Italy should be rewarded for “doing a service to Europe” by policing its southern border and by taking care of asylum seekers coming from Libya.“Of course the rules must be respected, but sometimes the rules are badly designed”, he said.
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)
Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite militias plan to fight with Assad in Syria-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi Shi'ite militia plans to cross the border into Syria to fight alongside President Bashar al-Assad after "clearing" Islamic State militants from Iraq, a militia spokesman said on Saturday.Iraqi Shi'ite militiamen are already fighting on Assad's side in the country's civil war, and the coalition is currently participating in an Iraqi government offensive to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State. The announcement by the coalition, known as Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization, would formalise its involvement in Syria."After clearing all our land from these terrorist gangs, we are fully ready to go to any place that contains a threat to Iraqi national security," Ahmed al-Asadi, a spokesman for the Shi'ite coalition, told a news conference in Baghdad.(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed)
Air strike kills 17 in Yemen, exiled president rejects peace plan-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
SANAA (Reuters) - At least 17 civilians were killed in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz on Saturday by a Saudi-led coalition air strike that struck a house, local officials and residents said.The raid targeted a house in the al-Salw district, the sources said, an area of Taiz where Houthi rebels and government forces backed by the coalition are fighting for control. Taiz is Yemen's third largest city with an estimated pre-war population of 300,000.The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who hold much of the north of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, since March 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.The exiled Hadi on Saturday rejected a U.N. peace proposal to end the turmoil saying the deal would only be a path to more war and destruction.Speaking after meeting U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheickh Ahmed in Riyadh, Hadi said the agreement would "reward the rebels and penalise the Yemeni people and legitimacy," according to the government-controlled Saba news agency.According to a copy of the proposal seen by Reuters, the plan would sideline Hadi and set up a government of less divisive figures.The deal would involve removing Hadi's powerful vice president, Ali Mushin al-Ahmar Ahmar from power and Hadi agreeing to become little more than a figurehead after a Houthi withdrawal from the capital Sanaa.Hadi fled the armed advance of the Iranian-allied Houthi movement in March 2015 and has been a guest of neighbouring Saudi Arabia ever since.A U.N. Security Council resolution a month later recognised him as the legitimate head of state and called on the Houthis to disarm and quit Yemen's main cities. But the Houthis and their allies in Yemen's army have said he will never return.The conflict in Yemen has killed at least 10,000 people and unleashed one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Maha El Dahan; editing by Richard Balmforth)
Bomb-laden car explodes near central bank in Yemen's Aden: sources-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS
ADEN (Reuters) - A car laden with explosives blew up near the headquarters of Yemen's central bank in the southern city of Aden on Saturday and five people were injured, local security sources said.Security guards fired at the car as it moved at high speed toward the bank's building and it then blew up, they said.The blast caused minor damage to the building in a central district of Aden known as Crater and two cars nearby, one belonging to security guards and the other to a private citizen, caught fire and burned.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.It was believed to be the first attempt to target the central bank since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's decision in September to appoint a new governor and move its headquarters from the capital Sanaa, controlled by Houthi rebels, to the southern port city of Aden, where his government is based.Hadi is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been trying to roll back gains made by the Iran-aligned Houthis since 2014 and restore the president to power.(Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf; writing by Maha El Dahan; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Roadside explosion in Egypt's North Sinai kills senior military officer-[Reuters]-October 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS
CAIRO (Reuters) - A senior military officer and one soldier were killed on Saturday by a roadside explosion in Egypt's North Sinai where the government faces an Islamic State-led insurgency, security sources told Reuters.Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the insurgency and there have also been attacks in Cairo and other cities.Militant groups appear to be stepping up attacks with the emergence of a new group calling itself the Revolution Brigade which claimed responsibility for the killing of a brigadier general, a commander in North Sinai, outside his home on the outskirts of Cairo last week.That attack came just one week after Islamic State guerrillas ambushed a military checkpoint killing 12 Egyptian soldiers in the town of Bir al-Abd, the first major attack in the central Sinai area, which had so far escaped the militant Islamists' campaign.[8N1CL0GK]-Military and police sources who did not wish to be identified told Reuters that Saturday's explosion was a targeted attack on Colonel Rami Hassanein, who was killed while travelling in an armoured vehicle just outside North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid.One other soldier was killed and three others were injured in the attack, the sources said.Egypt's military has not released a statement on the incident and was not available for comment.An Islamist insurgency in the rugged and thinly populated Sinai Peninsula gained pace after the military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.The militant group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014 and adopted the name Sinai Province.(Reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Mohamed Abdellah; Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
German minister ups rhetoric against takeovers ahead of China trip-[Reuters]-By Michael Nienaber-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
BERLIN (Reuters) - China is strategically buying up key technologies in Germany while protecting its own companies against foreign takeovers with "discriminatory requirements", German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Saturday.Gabriel, also vice chancellor and leader of Germany's Social Democrats, heads to China next week after having ratcheted up tensions with Beijing by putting the brakes on the latest Chinese takeovers of German technology companies.In a guest column for Die Welt newspaper, Gabriel urged the European Union to ensure a level playing field and adopt a tougher approach with China."Nobody can expect Europe to accept such foul play of trade partners," Gabriel wrote, adding that Germany was one of the most open economies for foreign direct investments.In China, on the contrary, foreign direct investments by European companies are being hampered and takeovers are only approved under discriminatory requirements, he said."But China itself is going on a shopping tour here with a long list of interesting companies - with the clear intention of acquiring strategically important key technologies."Under German law, the government can block takeovers only if they jeopardise energy security, defence or financial stability.Gabriel is pushing for a Europe-wide safeguard clause which could stop foreign takeovers of firms whose technology is deemed strategic for the future economic success of the region.-WARNING ON WTO STATUS-The minister said China would not be granted the important status as a market economy under the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) if it did not change course."If China wants to get the market economy status, then it also has to act accordingly," Gabriel told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in an interview.The EU is debating whether to grant China "market economy status" from December, which Beijing says is its right 15 years after joining the WTO.Market economy status would make it harder for Europe to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese goods sold at knock-down prices because it would change the method for determining a fair price.Despite her deputy's tough words, Chancellor Angela Merkel views China as a strategically important partner, not only to do business with but also in foreign policy. It remains one of Germany's most important trading partners and 60 business executives will join Gabriel on his five-day trip.This year to date, Chinese investors have racked up 47 deals to buy German targets with a total volume of 10.3 billion euros ($11.3 billion), according to Thomson Reuters data, compared with 29 deals worth 263 million euros in the whole of 2015.Deputy Economy Minister Michael Machnig told the Financial Times that Berlin was worried about takeovers that seemed to be driven by the Chinese government or were about gaining access to German technology."We need to have the powers to really investigate deals when it is clear that they are driven by industrial policy or to enable technology transfers," he said. "When necessary, in exceptional cases, maybe even to say we're not going to allow (them)."Gabriel's visit comes a week after his ministry withdrew approval for Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC) to buy chip equipment maker Aixtron, citing security concerns.The government is also scrutinising the sale of Osram's general lighting lamps business Ledvance to a consortium of Chinese buyers.Gabriel has struck increasingly protectionist tones since Chinese home appliance maker Midea made overtures back in May for robot-maker Kuka - a national champion in Germany's push to hook up machinery to the Internet.(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Alison Williams and Stephen Powell)
Clinton email problem resurfaces as FBI announces review-[Reuters]-By Mark Hosenball and Jonathan Allen-October 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating more emails as part of a probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email system, it said on Friday, in a new twist that could damage the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential race.Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said in a letter to senior lawmakers that the agency would determine whether the additional emails contained classified information, adding that he did not know "how long it will take us to complete this additional work."The announcement came as Clinton and Republican opponent Donald Trump enter the final stretch of campaigning ahead of the Nov. 8 election.In a news conference late on Friday in Des Moines, Iowa, Clinton urged Comey to release more details about what the FBI was looking for in the newly discovered emails.She leads Trump in opinion polls after a bruising campaign in which she has struggled to convince voters that she is trustworthy and honest. Fresh revelations about her use of email are unlikely to assuage those concerns, and questions around the FBI investigation will now likely dog her in the coming days as she campaigns across battleground states.U.S. stocks immediately fell sharply on the news, but went on to partially recover.The FBI spent about a year investigating Clinton's use of the unauthorised server at her home in Chappaqua, New York, while she was U.S. secretary of state after classified government secrets were found in some of her emails.Comey said in July that while "there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."Although Comey recommended no criminal charges be brought against Clinton, Trump has repeatedly said her email practices are criminal and should disqualify her for office. He seized on Friday's development at rallies in Maine and New Hampshire."This is the biggest political scandal since Watergate, and I'm sure it will be properly handled from this point forward," Trump told a crowd in Lisbon, Maine."We hope that all, all justice will be fully served," he said. Supporters cheered his words and chanted, "Lock her up."Clinton said she had learned of the newly discovered emails from news reports."I'm confident whatever they are will not change the conclusion reached in July," she said. "That’s why it’s incumbent upon the FBI to tell us what’s going on."-WEINER-Two sources close to the investigation said the latest emails were discovered not during an investigation into Clinton, but rather as part of a separate probe into Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.The FBI has been investigating illicit text messages allegedly sent from Weiner to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina, and found the Clinton emails on a device related to that investigation, the sources said.Abedin told federal investigators in April that she used several email accounts for her work, including a Yahoo email, according to a summary of the interview released by the FBI in September. She said it was difficult to print from the State Department's email system so she routinely forwarded documents to her private accounts when she needed to print them out, according to the summary.Abedin announced her separation from Weiner in August after a sex scandal similar to an earlier incident that led him to resign from the U.S. Congress.Lawyers representing Abedin did not respond to questions sent by email on Friday. Weiner did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, and he did not respond to phone calls.Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist who had previously advised former President Bill Clinton but has no role with Hillary Clinton's campaign, said the linking of Clinton's email woes with Weiner's sex scandals made it harder for her campaign to distinguish itself from Trump's sex scandals."The whole campaign is now smeared with sex, corruption and scandal," he said. "Nobody remembers the beginning of something, they only remember the end. What are they going to remember? They're all the same: sex, scandal, corruption, emails. People are going to have trouble sorting out all this information."-"EXTRAORDINARY"-Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, said it was "extraordinary" for the FBI to release the letter so close to the end of a hotly contested election."The Director owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what he is now examining," Podesta said in a statement. "We are confident this will not produce any conclusions different from the one the FBI reached in July."Clinton has repeatedly apologized for using the private email server in her home instead of a government email account for her work as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. She has said she did not knowingly send or receive classified information.While the FBI probe of new emails will likely prove a distraction to Clinton in the coming days, it was unclear what impact it would have when Americans go to the polls. Election experts say about 20 percent of ballots have already been cast, as more Americans vote by mail or go to the polls early."A lot of concern about the emails has already been baked into this electoral cake I think," said Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College. "They know she did it, they know it was inappropriate and, failing some sensational revelation on Nov. 6, it's hard to see that it's going to make that big a difference."Still, Republican lawmakers, who are facing a difficult fight to keep their majorities in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, leaped to condemn Clinton.House Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated his call that the Democratic nominee be barred from briefings involving classified information until the investigation is over. Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee, said the FBI's decision to look into the emails shows "how serious this discovery must be."Clinton did not respond to reporters' shouted questions about the news when she left her plane for a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.U.S. stocks declined in a volatile session on Friday but partially recovered from the sharp drop spurred by the FBI announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> closed the day down about 9 points, or .05 percent, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was unchanged on the day. The dollar also fell against major currencies.(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Julia Harte and Andy Sullivan in Washington, Steve Holland in Manchester, New Hampshire, Jeff Mason in Des Moines, Iowa, and Sam Forgione and Nate Raymond in New York)
Clinton battles to quell resurgent email crisis days ahead of election-Democratic candidate says she wants ‘full facts’ out immediately; Trump accuses her of corruption ‘on scale never seen before’-By Julie Pace and KATHLEEN HENNESSEY October 29, 2016, 8:07 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — For more than a year, Hillary Clinton has been a reluctant participant in the email controversy that has dogged her campaign, responding defensively to inquiries — and often only when there’s a political imperative to do so.On Friday, the imperative was clear.The email issue flared up unexpectedly just over a week from Election Day, threatening Clinton’s lead over Republican Donald Trump. The FBI announced it was looking into whether there was classified information on a device belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced ex-congressman who is separated from longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin.Clinton stepped in swiftly, holding a brief, hastily arranged news conference in a high school choir room in Des Moines, Iowa. She challenged FBI Director James Comey to release the full details of the new investigation, citing the crucial phase of the White House race.“We are 11 days out from perhaps the most important national election of our lifetimes. Voting is already underway in our country,” Clinton said. “So the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately. The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not.”Clinton said neither she nor her advisers had been contacted by the FBI about the new inquiry.The news arrived with Clinton holding a solid advantage in the presidential race. Early voting has been underway for weeks, and she has a steady lead in preference polls, both nationally and in key battleground states.The development all but ensures that, even should she win the White House, the Democrat and several of her closest aides would celebrate a victory under a cloud of investigation.Trump leapt on the FBI’s disclosure, accusing Clinton of corruption “on a scale we have never seen before” and called it the biggest scandal “since Watergate.”“We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office,” Trump said during a rally in New Hampshire.Clinton’s campaign was enraged by Comey’s decision to disclose the existence of the fresh investigation in a vaguely worded letter to several congressional leaders. It wasn’t until hours later that word emerged that the source of the new emails was Weiner, who is under investigation for sending sexually explicit text messages to a teenage girl.“It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election,” said John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman.Congressional Republicans have already promised years of investigations into Clinton’s private email system. And that’s only one of the email-related controversies facing her in the campaign’s closing days. The tens of thousands of confidential emails from Clinton campaign insiders that were hacked — her campaign blames Russia — and then released by WikiLeaks have provided a steady stream of questions about her policy positions, personnel choices and ties with her husband’s sprawling charitable network and post-presidential pursuits.In his Friday letter to congressional leaders, Comey wrote only that new emails have emerged, prompting the agency to “take appropriate investigative steps” to review the information that may be pertinent to its previously closed investigation into Clinton private email system.The FBI ended that investigation in July without filing charges, although Comey said at the time that Clinton and her aides had been “extremely careless” in using the system for communications about government business.The agency, which did not respond to questions about Comey’s letter and did not lay out a timeline for the review, is also investigating the recent hacks of Podesta’s emails.The swirling controversies have clouded what had looked to be a strong finish for Clinton’s campaign. Moments before the FBI inquiry became public, her campaign announced plans to hold a rally in Arizona, a traditionally red state put in play by Trump’s deep unpopularity among minority voters, Mormons and business leaders.To the frustration of many in his party, Trump has struggled to consistently drive an attack against Clinton, often turning to personal denunciations of private citizens he feels have wronged him, like the Gold Star family of Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier killed in action.But he quickly pounced on the email news, seeing an opportunity to press the argument he’s long tried to make against Clinton: that she thinks she’s above the law and that she put U.S. security at risk by using her personal email.After weeks of declaring the race “rigged” in favor of his opponent, he declared Friday he has “great respect” for the FBI and the Justice Department, now that they are “willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made” in concluding the investigation earlier.As Clinton wrapped up her short comments to reporters Friday, she was asked whether she thought the new investigation would sink her campaign.She walked away, responding only with a hearty laugh.
Clinton campaign urges FBI to detail new developments in email case-[Reuters]-By Richard Cowan-October 29, 2016-yahoonews
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top aides to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Saturday insisted there is "no evidence of wrongdoing" following the FBI's notification to the U.S. Congress on Friday that it is again looking at Clinton's use of a private server for emails when she was secretary of state."There's no evidence of wrongdoing, no charge of wrongdoing," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told reporters by telephone.Podesta, following up on calls by Clinton late on Friday, urged FBI Director James Comey to make public the details of any new developments in the case.Podesta also complained that 24 hours after Comey's letter was transmitted to Congress, "We have no real explanation of why Director Comey" sent it.The Washington Post reported on Saturday that senior Justice Department officials told Comey his letter to Congress was inconsistent with FBI policy of not commenting on ongoing investigations.This latest controversy over Clinton emails has surfaced in the waning days of a bitter presidential campaign against Republican challenger Donald Trump. Election Day is on Nov. 8.In July, Comey said the FBI would not seek to prosecute Clinton after looking into whether she may have handled classified material improperly in emails.Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign worked to tamp down speculation of a voter backlash after Friday's letter by Comey surfaced in which he said the FBI was taking "appropriate investigative steps" after learning of emails "that appear to be pertinent" to the earlier investigation.Campaign manager Robby Mook said voters had already "factored" what they knew about the email investigation into their decision-making. "We don't see it changing the landscape" for undecided voters, Mook said.Sources close to the investigation on Friday said the latest emails were discovered as part of a separate probe into Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.Weiner, a former U.S. congressman from New York, is the target of an FBI investigation into illicit text messages he is alleged to have sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.Trump, in campaign appearances on Friday, called the new development part of "the biggest political scandal since Watergate" that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974.With less than two weeks before the elections, both Trump and Clinton were scheduled to hold multiple campaign rallies later on Saturday.In his remarks to reporters, Podesta complained that Comey's letter to Congress was "light on facts, heavy on innuendo" and urged him to "come forward and give those answers to the American public" about the exact nature of the FBI's latest review of emails.(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by James Dalgleish)
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