People of the Keys!

“For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence come knowledge and understanding.”
(Proverbs 2:6)
Knowledge And Understanding

Dear Friends,

Greetings!

"May you live in interesting times" is an English expression purported to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse. While seemingly a blessing, the expression is normally used ironically, with the clear implication that 'uninteresting times' of peace and tranquillity are more life-enhancing than interesting ones, which from historical perspective usually include disorder and conflict.

Despite being so common in English as to be known as the "Chinese curse", the saying is apocryphal, and no actual Chinese source has ever been produced.” Wikipedia

The events we are presently witnessing in Syria and the Middle East would with out a doubt qualify these as “interesting times”, however you may want to interpret the meaning.

Jesus told his disciples and the generations of Christians to follow: “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”.

As has been said by others, “the worse things get the closer the return of Jesus”.

From our understanding of Bible prophecy it is very unlikely World War lll and the destruction of all humanity is about to take place, too many things must happen before the Second Coming of Jesus in the clouds of heaven. It will not be this month as some web sites are predicting.

But with fear now pervading the peoples of the world it may be an ideal time for a “man” to appear who can offer and confirm a solution that will bring some type of so called peace to the world and the Middle East and specifically to Israel and Jerusalem.

We shall see. We expect to be back next week.

WND

HEAVEN ISN'T FOR 'GOOD' PEOPLE

Exclusive: Greg Laurie notes, 'I don't want to become a religious person'

April 7, 2018

A retail chain commissioned a survey by a team of psychologists to try and crack a key demographic: millennials. Their research revealed something so startling that they tested 800 more people because they thought they had made a mistake.

The same answers came back, however, and researchers found an alarming picture of an increasingly lonely and lost generation. The average social media use for millennials is six-and-a half hours a day. The researchers concluded that people in this demographic have a large number of friends but an increasing sense of loneliness.

Loneliness can drive you to despondency. When the lead singer of a well-known rock band committed suicide, he left a suicide note that said, “I am a lonely soul.”

Not only are we empty and not only are we lonely, but we are afraid to die. The Bible speaks of those who are held in slavery by their fear of death. Of course, death is the fear of the unknown. It has been said there are two things that are true of every person: Everyone wants to be happy, and everyone is going to die.

We are all going to die one day, but I want to tell you that when you leave this earth, whenever that may be, there is a way you can know with absolute certainty that you will go to heaven.

The gospel of John, chapter 4, tells us about a woman from Samaria. We do know this much about her: She had been married and divorced five times, and she was living with a guy as well. She was trying to fill the hole in her heart with relationships with men and even with sex. She had no faith to speak of, but she had her life changed by Jesus Christ.

So when Jesus saw her one day sitting by a well at noon, he looked at her with great love and compassion. She would go there to draw water at that time of day because none of the other women wanted to have anything to do with her. She would come alone to the well, and little did she know that she had an appointment with Jesus that day.

He was waiting there for her, and he asked her for a drink of water.

The woman said, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” (verse 9 NLT).

Jesus answered, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water” (verse 10 NLT).

Jesus was using the well using as a metaphor, saying, “If you drink of this water, you will thirst again.”

You could write that over many things in life. If you drink of the well of materialism, you will thirst again.

Maybe you’ve thought, “When I get this one car, I’m going to be happy.” Then you got that car. You were so excited about it. It had the new car smell. You promised yourself, “I will never eat in this car, ever.” But then you were late for work one day. You went through a drive-thru and got a burrito. While you were eating it, you dropped it. You found it three weeks later, in the process of becoming a new life-form. Then you got your first dent in the mall parking lot.

Everything that is new is cool at first, including cars. But then they get older. They get dented or something else happens. That is the way it is with things.

If you drink of the well of so-called experiences, you will thirst again. The Bible says, “But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives” (1 Timothy 5:6 NKJV).

Some people think, “If I could just be famous, I know I would be happy.” Would they? I read an article that pointed out there have been 21 suicides over the last decade by people who have been on reality shows. One reality show contestant said, “You go off the show and back to your job at Target or bartending, and all of a sudden you’re depressed. It’s just inevitable.”

Of course. That’s because fame isn’t going to satisfy us. As comedian and actor Jim Carey said in a Sept. 10, 2017, tweet, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

If you drink of the well of religion, you will thirst again. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. Even reading the Bible doesn’t make you a Christian. There has to be a moment when you believe in Jesus.

I am not a religious person. I don’t want to become a religious person. Religion, simplified, is man’s attempt to reach God. Religion effectively says, “If you do this, you will reach God one day. … If you do that, you will find inner peace. … If you do this other thing, you will find satisfaction.” It is do, do, do.

Christianity, on the other hand, is God’s attempt to reach man through Jesus Christ. It is not what we do for God. It is what God has done for us in sending his son, Jesus, to die on the cross. It is done. It is finished. And it is a gift – a gift you can reach out and accept as your own.

Conventional wisdom says that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell. But here’s something that may surprise you. There are going to be some “good” people who will not make it to heaven, because no one is good enough to get there on their own. And there are some “bad” people who will be in heaven because they realized they were bad, and they called out to God for forgiveness.

Heaven isn’t for good people; heaven is for forgiven people. You must say, “God I’m sorry for my sin,” and turn from it. Your life can be changed by Jesus Christ. He is alive. He is standing at the door of your life and knocking. And he is saying that if you will hear his voice and open the door, he will come in.

No matter what you have done, don’t despair. God will forgive you of any sin you have committed – if you will ask him for his forgiveness.

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WND

SO MANY DRAGONS, SO LITTLE TIME

Exclusive: Marisa Martin wonders if entire world is submitting to hunky evil

Marisa Martin

April 10, 2018

A Russian film about dragon lovers was a domestic dud, but has quietly gained the hearts of millions of Chinese. “On-Drakon” (or “He is a Dragon”) withstood fierce criticism from Russian critics when it came out in early 2016. Most of their complaints focused on digital art and special effects, but not on the spiritual dilemma of a princess with a crush on a foul-mannered dragon-man who spreads terror and death – and who submits entirely to his will.

As striking as the film is, with its poignant soundtrack and authentic-looking scenery, it was too conspicuously pagan for Russian audiences. I’m guessing the Orthodox are aware the winged serpent has never been on their side.

“He is a Dragon” appeals to youth who are idealistic enough to believe that true love for a satanic 200-foot Pterosaur sort of thing can be transforming (literally), even for an enraged dragon. It’s the old Heathcliff effect.

Producers didn’t expect the film to take off in China, where dragons are popular and prized – but not this kind of dragon. Spokeswoman Valeriya Dobrolyubova assumed Chinese wouldn’t identify with a dragon “portrayed as a negative character who brings evil,” contradicting the national image of the creature. Chinese dragons may look ferocious, but they’ve learned to co-exist with them. They are heavily embodied in the arts, religion and lore of China. Dragons there are domesticated signs of luck and success, making great decorations. They are close to becoming their national pets.

Russia’s “Drakon” harks back to pre-Christian legends and is set in the far past of Siberia. The movie is surprisingly Gothic and pagan. Arman, the male love interest, is darkly brooding and anguished – nothing new there. But he first appears as a dragon, dragging Princess Miroslava off in his talons. Seducing the captive princess with burning bouquets and other metaphorical symbols, she submits to his dragon/beast nature, gaining safety while selling her soul. This would remain a private affair except for the troubling scene where it becomes evident the entire kingdom has submitted to the dragon prince.

Arman, at his worst – hunting for princesses. Still scene from “He’s a Dragon.” Photo thanks to ria.ru

Miroslava is a sappy little thing with no common sense nor sympathy for the sacrificial virgins burnt alive by her lover. The terrifically handsome prince she was about to marry is left behind, wailing for her as well. The silly princess defiantly returns to her dragon and seals her fate. She seems impressed by the dragon man’s pad, his Satanic rages, and she pities his horrible character. Of course they fall in love.

None of this was very interesting, but a scene toward the end of the film was riveting. The producers hired British artist Simon Beck to make an enormous “snow dragon” on a frozen river in Siberia. A smoking smudge pot was placed in his “nostril,” and the 130-meter design was impressive. In the film, this was a sign of submission by the people to honor their new dragon ruler.

Snow dragon created by Simon beck for the movie “He is a dragon” in Siberia
From promotional photos in SiberianTimes.com

It turns out when Miroslava relents to the dragon and grants him her whole heart, everything changes. The dragon remains human, he no longer decimates the region of virgins, and they have nice little hybrid babies or something.

Viewers, especially younger ones, found the film fabulously romantic. What they didn’t notice (judging by their comments) were the jarring implications of submitting to evil or to superior strength, fear and fatalism, not to mention dumping a perfectly lovely fiancé for a big lizard, and rejecting God, family and country.

In Western lore, dragons were always associated with skullduggery or with Satan himself – from Genesis to St. George and the Dragon, Beowulf, and the Arthurian Legends. The nasty creatures were battled by pre-Christian Greeks as well in “Jason and the Argonauts.”

“He’s a Dragon” is only a one film, but its popularity in China and dragons popping up like poison mushrooms can’t be just a coincidence. For no apparent reason, dragons have scored a huge public relations coup over the last few decades. They’ve morphed into something cute and cuddly, or magnificent, or in the case of “On-Drakon” something to be revered and worshiped.

Children brought up with Disney’s barnyard of fire-breathers are on speaking terms with the likes of “Elliot,” “Mushu” and “The Reluctant Dragon.” Why, they’re absolutely adorable! Poke them and they’ll squeak. So loving dragons is a “thing” now – but why?

Noble prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro featured a dragon in his 2015 fantasy novel, “The Buried Giant.” One of his themes was “collective memory” or how civilizations deal with unpleasant events – by forgetting in this case. Collective memory can be called other things, but it’s an explanation of how things may occur all at once (such as dragons on every street corner) without plots or vast conspiracies.

The Bible calls such things the movements of powers and principalities, and they are attributed to supernatural clashes of good and evil, or to God’s will. Even Karl Jung agreed with the supernatural element in this, via something he called “synchronicity,” or when things happened on all sides, making meaningful patterns. This was evidence for his theory of the Collective Unconscious. Germans have a phrase that incorporates the idea as well: “zeitgeist” or spirt of the age or times.

Only one reviewer saw a little more than special effects in “He’s a Dragon.” Beach Gray of the University of Pittsburgh claims the film foreshadows the end of a dark period. “Its double transformation … suggests that what was terrible and frightening will one day cease to exist and, in fact, lead the way to something better.” Christians believe that as well, but our transformation comes through Christ, while this one is looking conspicuously like the other side.

“He’s a Dragon” become the second most popular movie in China on its opening day, which is quite a feat. A sequel is planned between joint Chinese and Russian producers, and it will be filmed entirely in China. Will this one show the entire world submitting? We’ll have to wait and see.

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PRESSTV

Nasrallah: US offered Hezbollah money to cede resistance

April 9, 2018

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says the US offered money to Hezbollah to forgo resistance following the failure of several attempts to destroy the resistance movement.

Nasrallah said Sunday the United States, Israel and their regional allies have been conspiring against the resistance movement since the 2000 liberation of southern Lebanon from the Israeli occupation.

The Hezbollah chief made the remarks during an electoral rally in the town of Nabatiyeh, calling for a high turnout in Lebanon’s upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on May 6.

“Following the 2000 victory, the Israeli enemy, along with the US, had realized that Lebanon’s real power lies within its resistance, which has managed to force the Israeli occupation out of Lebanon without any condition,” he said.

Former US Vice President Dick Cheney assigned the US-Lebanese journalist George Nader to offer Hezbollah anything at that time in return for stopping resistance, Nasrallah said.

“We were offered money and to be part of the authority in Lebanon on condition that we cede resistance,” he said, noting that “My fault at that time was that I didn’t accept to take his paper, so that it would be a proof now.”

Nasrallah stressed that the US offer was repeated after the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in 2005. The Hezbollah chief said some European countries also made such offers.

Nasrallah touched on other conspiracies against the resistance movement, including attempts to stir up a conflict between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah.

He said that Washington, Tel Aviv and some Persian Gulf Arab states are still seeking to create such a rift, stressing that the Lebanese Army is the guarantor of the resistance.

The Hezbollah chief also said the main goal of the war on Syria is to undermine the resistance axis in the region.

Nasrallah further said the first challenge which faces people in southern Lebanon and western Bekaa is the Israeli enemy.

Israel continues to construct Lebanon border wall

On Sunday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that Israel continues the construction of a controversial wall on the border with Lebanon.

According to the state-run National News Agency, UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Michael Beary and UNIFIL’s eastern sector commander Gen. Fransisco observed Israeli forces working on the wall on Sunday morning.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti confirmed that the Israeli troops were building a portion of the wall along the eastern section of Lebanon’s southern border.

Tenenti said Israel has continued construction of the controversial wall throughout February and March.

Lebanon’s Defense Minister Yaacoub Sarraf, in statement, “condemned” the wall and Israel’s violations of Lebanese airspace in recent days, calling on the international community to “stand by Lebanon to curb Israeli arrogance ... which undermines [Lebanese] security and stability.”

Lebanon says the wall violates its sovereignty by passing through territory that belongs to the country but is located on the other side of a UN-designated Blue Line, which sets the limits for Israel's 2000 withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Israel waged two all-out wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006 but fell short of its military objectives in both cases in the face of strong resistance by Hezbollah and the Lebanese army.

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WND

INSPECTORS BULLY JEWISH SCHOOL GIRLS

Government agency enforces required teaching on sexuality

April 10, 2018

Bob Unruh

The U.K. government’s requirement that schools teach “British values,” including “toleration” of homosexuality and transgenderism, has provoked opposition.

But a recent inspection of school curricula by the government agency Ofsted that left girls at a Jewish school “severely shaken” prompted stinging rebukes from a former London Guardian columnist and a writer for the London Times, reported the U.K.’s Christian Institute.

It was an inspection of the Yesodev Hatorah school in London that triggered the reaction.

Rev. Giles Fraser, writing for the Unherd website, said the school regulator, Ofsted, has “failed to understand the most basic feature of their own values: respect and toleration.” Phillips, in the Jewish Chronicle, said the government was being “profoundly intolerant” in its effort to “eradicate” religious differences.

Fraser noted the Jewish school’s values are distinct from the establishment secular view, “not least when it comes to sex education.”

Ofsted inspectors, however, he said, “obviously came with a fixed agenda, they wanted to talk to the girls about sex.”

The Christian Institute noted the students said the process felt “like an attack,” and one parent said their daughters “came home severely shaken” after the Ofsted visit.

Phillips accused the government of trying to eliminate religious differences.

“A policy ostensibly against intolerance is therefore itself profoundly intolerant,” she said.

And Jews are “paying the price” of efforts to target the threat from Islamic terrorists.

“To the secular mind, all cultures that reject liberal assumptions are an equal threat,” Phillips wrote.

Three years ago, elementary students at a Christian school in Sunderland, England, were asked questions by the government about homosexual practices. Another school, the Durham Free School, was closed by the government over its demands for such teaching.

Phillips said the government should have no problem with Yesodev Hatorah, a girls’ school with excellent academics.

The school doesn’t provide sex education because “this is contrary to the Charedi value of extreme modesty.”

She quoted one student saying that “under no circumstances did we want to discuss things that we were brought up our entire lives not to discuss.”

The government agency claims: “Faith schools are entirely at liberty to teach the tenets of their faith on social issues. However, they must also comply with the law and ensure that pupils are properly prepared for life in modern Britain.”

Government inspectors already have given a number of orthodox Jewish schools bad reports because they don’t teaching homosexuality to young children.

Phillips wrote: “The mistake made by [government] has been their refusal to accept that the extremist religious threat lies within the Islamic world alone. Instead, they have defined the problem as one of general cultural differences. Wrong. The problem has arisen where children are taught to hate Western society and to aspire to replace it.”

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DublinLive

Dublin City Council vote in favour of economic sanctions against Israel amid Palestine border protests

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign chief welcomes move and hits out at Israeli Embassy for trying to block the vote from taking place

By Gavin O'Callaghan

April 11, 2018

Dublin City Hall (Image: Mayall/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Dublin City Council has voted to support a boycott and economic sanctions against Israel in light of their response to the latest Palestinian protests.

The move has come in response to the 'Great March of Return' demonstrations on the Gaza-Israeli border which has seen at least 16 Palestinians killed, according to officials.

The council also voted to support cutting ties with IT company Hewlett Packard (HP) with the motion against them claiming their technology is being used to support the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

Chairperson of The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) Fatin Al Tamimi welcomed the council's decision and blasted the Israeli Embassy for trying to block the vote from taking place.

She said: “Speaking as a Palestinian and a Dubliner I’m so proud that the local government of my adoptive the city has voted to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom, justice and equality.

"It is wonderful that Dublin City Council will now become part of the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for by Palestinian civil society.

"It is particularly welcome that the council chose to focus on Hewlett-Packard and its spin-off DXC."

Ms Al Tamimi continued: “It is concerning that, once again, officials of the Israeli Embassy sought to attempt to interfere in Irish democracy by writing to the Lord Mayor demanding he block the motion from even being discussed.

"I, therefore, thank the Lord Mayor for of Dublin for his support for the motion and refusing to accede to the demands of the Israeli Ambassador.

"I also thank the councillors who moved and voted for the motion supporting the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador – showing that the majority of Dublin’s councillors do not welcome this professional apologist for war crimes and human rights violations.”

HP has said that any allegations of human rights violations on their part are untrue and have issued a statement to Dublin Live in response to the vote saying:

"Allegations that HP is complicit in human rights violations are untrue.

"The technology services described have never been offered by HP Inc.

"HP is committed to socially responsible business practices and abides by stringent policies that respect human rights in every market in which we operate."

Dublin Lord Mayor Micheal Mac Donnacha travelled to Palestine last night to attend a conference on the future of Jerusalem.

Speaking on Monday he said: "We really need a message of peace, but also justice in Palestine.

"I also think it's appropriate that I travel out on today, the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement."

Health officials at the border say that at least 400 people have been wounded while one of the dead was a 16-year-old boy.

The protest, which is set to last six weeks in total, has seen about 17,000 Palestinians pitch five camps along the border as they demand that refugees be allowed to return to their homes in Israel.

Israel has said that all those who were killed were "main instigators" who were trying to damage border fences.

The UN has called for civilians not to be targetted saying: "Israel must uphold its responsibilities under international human rights and humanitarian law,

"Lethal force should only be used as a last resort with any resulting fatalities properly investigated by the authorities."

The demonstration isn't scheduled to end until the 15th May.

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AMMC

Bloomberg

Trump Tells Russia to ‘Get Ready’ for Missiles Coming at Syria

By Daniel Flatley Gregory Viscusi, and Donna Abu-Nasr

Updated on April 11, 2018President Donald Trump said relations with Russia are worse than they have ever been and warned the country to "get ready" because a volley of U.S. missiles would soon be sent into Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack.“Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

A strike that hits Russian assets in Syria -- even if unintentionally -- could result in a dangerous game of one-upmanship, potentially dragging the U.S. further into a conflict the president wants to leave. Russia has strengthened Syria’s air-defense capabilities, deploying S-400 missile batteries after U.S. strikes a year ago hit a Syrian base.

“The most important thing about a U.S. strike is the potential for Russian casualties as a result of any military activity there,” said Ayham Kamel, head of Middle East and North Africa research at Eurasia Group. “That is where there’s a risk of an escalatory cycle that would be much more meaningful than attacking Assad’s forces.”

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Any US missiles fired at Syria will be shot down, launch sites targeted – Russian envoy to Lebanon

April 11, 2018

FILE PHOTO: An S-400 air defence missile system. © Dmitriy Vinogradov / Sputnik

The Russian military reserves the right to shoot down missiles and destroy launch sites in the event of US aggression against Syria, Moscow's envoy to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin has warned.

Zasypkin stressed that “the Russian forces will confront any US aggression on Syria, by intercepting the missiles and striking their launch pads,” al-Manar TV website reported, citing the envoy.

Speaking to the channel, the ambassador also said that the allegations of a chemical attack were being used to justify “offensive acts” in Syria, while “the US and Western escalation against Syria will lead to a major crisis.”

The statement comes after Washington threatened a "forceful response" against Syria after an alleged chemical attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma on Saturday. The US was quick to pin the blame on the Syrian government, basing its accusations on unverified data and images, including reports from the infamous, rebel-linked White Helmets ‘civil defense’ group.

On Tuesday, the UN Security Council failed to pass three consecutive resolutions calling for an investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. A Russian-sponsored draft backing a fact-finding mission at the site by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is the latest to have been rejected by the body.

As the initiative was voted down by the US, the UK, France and Poland; Russia's UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia once again called for the West to "refrain from the plans which you might be harboring with regards to Syria.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the OPCW announced that is preparing deploy its team to Douma “shortly” to investigate the reports of an attack there. Earlier, Russian specialists at the site had found no traces of chemical weapons or any victims treated for chemical poisoning.

While US President Donald Trump is weighing up options, reports emerged signaling that Washington is beefing up its forces in the Middle East. On Monday, the guided-missile destroyer ‘Donald Cook’ departed the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, reportedly heading towards Syria. Meanwhile on Wednesday, the USS ‘Harry S. Truman’ aircraft carrier, accompanied by strike groups, is scheduled to set sail for a “regular” mission to the Middle East and Europe.

Meanwhile, Eurocontrol – an EU body tasked with handling air traffic over the continent – issued a Rapid Alert Notification, warning flight operators in the Eastern Mediterranean about “the possible launch of airstrikes into Syria with air-to-ground and/or cruise missiles within the next 72 hours.”

While the West is poised for a military response to the alleged chemical incident in Syria, Moscow is warning against further destabilization of the region. Russia hopes that all the sides will “avoid any steps which are not provoked by anything in reality and can substantially destabilize the already fragile situation in the region,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Wednesday.

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‘Mutant fish in murky waters’: US brings chaos to the world & has no real friends – Russia UN envoy

April 10, 2018

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya. © Brendan McDermid / Reuters

Russia has warned the US and its allies against “fishing in murky waters” of the Middle East, causing further chaos there. The US shouldn’t assume it has friends, only countries unable to disagree, UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia said.

The US and its allies have failed to understand the warning of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s words at the 2015 UN General Assembly, ambassador Nebenzia told the Security Council on Monday.

“Do you now understand what you have done?” Nebenzia repeated Putin’s question about the West’s reckless geopolitical games in the Middle East. “No, you do not.”

“Everywhere you go, everything you touch, you leave behind only chaos. You try to fish in those murky waters, but the only thing you catch is mutants,” Nebenzia went on to say.

After challenging the narrative of a chemical attack in the suburban Damascus city of Douma as “fake news” – as no evidence was found of the alleged attack or the victims, after Syrian and Russian troops inspected the area liberated from Army of Islam militants – Nebenzia turned to the remarks made earlier by his US counterpart, Nikki Haley, who said that US and Russia “will never be friends.”

“We’re not particularly keen to be friends with you,” the Russian envoy replied. “We’re not begging you for friendship. We want normal, civilized relations – which you arrogantly refuse, disregarding basic courtesy.”

“You are misguided to think you have friends,” Nebenzia cautioned. “Your so-called friends are just those who can’t say no to you. This is your only criteria for friendship.”

The Russian envoy closed his address to the Security Council with a warning that an unauthorized military attack on Syria, where Russian troops are legally deployed, would have “grave consequences.”

“What [the] military misadventures of the West bring about is well known, as shown by the examples of Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya. Nobody has vested you with the power to act like the world’s policeman, or to act like the prosecutor, judge, and executioner either,” he said.

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'Orbanization' of Europe? Western media alarmed over Hungary PM's decisive victory

April 9, 2018

Viktor Orban © Leonhard Foeger / Reuters

Not everyone in the West is happy about Viktor Orban's victory, in which he secured a third straight term as Hungarian prime minister. Some Western media call the result a serious warning and a problem for the EU and its values.

Orban's Fidesz party, with its strong anti-immigration agenda, won a large majority – 133 of the 199 seats in parliament – as it gained over 66.8 percent of the votes in Sunday's parliamentary election. It is the Hungarian Euroskeptic's third consecutive term and fourth overall, but these elections gained much attention in the wake of rising right-wing sentiments in Europe.

Some politicians welcomed the results, including Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, as well as Christian Social Union (CSU) member Manfred Weber. However, the latter's support for Orban was lambasted by Washington Post columnist Brian Klaas, who called Orban an "anti-Semitic, racist demagogue and an authoritarian… destroying" Hungarian democracy.

One of the EU member states, Luxembourg, also took a rather aggressive stance and called for its allies in the bloc, namely Germany and France, to stand against the elected Hungarian prime minister. Luxembourg's foreign minister warned that Hungary may even trigger a trend of "undermining values and scaremongering" across the EU.

"It is up to Germany and France, along with all member states that aren't counting on indifference, to weigh in unambiguously on the basis of the European treaties to neutralize this tumor of values,''Jean Asselborn said, as quoted by Die Welt.

Those fears were echoed in a Die Welt opinion piece headlined "Now threatening Orbanization of Europe." The article links Orban's success with "Hungarian inferiority complex" and warns that the country is on the brink of sinking "into political coma" as it says that democratic change of power would hardly happen now. At the same time, the author raises alarm that the "Orban model" of democracy could be picked up by other European states, while Poland is constantly following Hungary's path.

"They have a deja vu in Brussels: Orban has done all of that before and the Poles are following in, although they are coming to this in a much more awkward way," the article reads. "Viktor Orban is preparing to become the EU's gravedigger."

French newspaper Le Monde was also generous in attaching labels to the Hungarian prime minister, as its editorial called him "populist" and the "troublemaker" of Europe. The newspaper argues that the scale of Orban's party success is "a serious warning for Brussels" that can be interpreted "as a strong encouragement for populist parties" in the bloc.

The article also urges the transnational European People's Party (EPP), which includes major European center-right parties and of which Orban's Fidesz party is a member, to condemn "the xenophobic discourse and the authoritarian drift of its Hungarian partner."

Maarten Rabaey, in his article for Belgian De Morgen, also cautioned Orban's European allies to take a tougher stance against him for "undermining European values."

"It's time Juncker and his party friends in the European People's Party called a halt to the way in which their 'party friend' Orban is undermining European values under the banner of the EU and the EPP," Rabaey wrote. "It is their duty to warn Orban that he won't be able to implement his xenophobic and anti-Semitic election program without serious consequences."

Meanwhile, it may be that not Orban, but the EU, has to change its position and face discussion over European values and basic principles, Konrad Krammar wrote for Austrian daily Kurier.

"But that also means not summarily dismissing Orban's ideas as undemocratic or anti-European but giving them serious consideration. Europe, whose credibility is already faltering, needs this debate about values," Krammar stated in an opinion piece.

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SPUTNIK

Poland Hails Orban's Victory as Sign of Central Europe's 'Emancipation'

April 9, 2018

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban who is well-known for his tough stance on the migration issue has secured his Fidesz party some two-thirds of the seats in the country's parliament and won Sunday's elections.

The outcome of the recent parliamentary elections in Hungary is a sign that Central European countries are increasingly pursuing an independent policy within the EU, Konrad Szymanski, Poland's deputy foreign minister and envoy to the European Union, stated on Monday.

"It's a confirmation of Central Europe's emancipation policy," the diplomat told the TVN-24 broadcaster, commenting on potential consequences of Orban's victory for the European bloc.

"Emancipation not directed at fighting anybody but at making Central Europe visible as a very constructive European and European Union partner," he added.

READ MORE: Migrants Go Home & EU Rebel: Top 5 Points of Viktor Orban's Political Agenda

Most recently, Viktor Orban has voiced solidarity with Poland on the migrant issue amid a row with Brussels.

"We believe Poles and Hungarians have a common path, a common fight and common goal: to build and defend our homeland in the form that we like it… Christian and with national values," Orban said, adding that Warsaw can count on Budapest in its row with EU authorities.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday won a third term, with his party securing a strong majority in the country's parliament and gaining some two-thirds of the seats.

Viktor Orban is known for his tough stance toward migrants since the refugee crisis broke out in Europe in 2015. After hundreds of thousands of refugees entered Hungary, he ordered to build a border fence along its southern frontier to stop the inflow and continues to advocate harsher measures toward newcomers.

RT

'Time for warnings has passed': EU committee demands sanctions against Viktor Orban's Hungary

April 13, 2018

Viktor Orban during a press conference in Budapest on April 10. / Reuters

The European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee will ask MEPs to vote for Hungary to be sanctioned over alleged violations of the rule of law, just days after Viktor Orban's decisive re-election.

"Time and time again, Viktor Orbán's government has undermined the independence of the judiciary, freedom of the press and the fundamental rights of its citizens," said the motion, authored by Dutch Green Party MEP Judith Sargentini, who has led an investigation on whether Budapest is in breach of "EU values."

With Orban set for a third consecutive term, after the Eurosceptic, anti-immigrant Fidesz party took the vast majority of parliament seats on April 8, the EU committee proposed invoking Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union. The statute would force Hungarian officials to defend their country before the European Council, and could eventually see Budapest's voting rights in the EU suspended.

"This is not something we call for lightly. But the EU has an obligation to protect the rights of every single one of its citizens. With no sign that the Hungarian government will change course, the Council must initiate proceedings now," wrote Sargentini.

Approval of the initial stage of Article 7 would require votes from two-thirds of the European Parliament's 750 members. The European People's Party (EPP) – the largest in the EU Parliament – that contains members of Fidesz, says that it will not back any moves to punish Hungary. Article 7 has only been invoked once in EU history, against Poland in 2015, though no significant sanctions have come of it so far.

Orban's government, which has been in power since 2010, is being incriminated for restricting the operation of foreign-funded universities and NGOs, which affected the George Soros-backed Central European University in Budapest and his foundations, restricting the rights of migrants, religious and ethnic minorities. The EU is also concerned about "the functioning of the constitutional system," as well as "the independence of the judiciary and of other institutions" and corruption.

Fidesz says that the attacks on Hungary are a politically-motivated punishment for refusing to bend to EU rules on accepting migrants.

"My problem with this committee, this debate and the rapporteur is that they don't want to accept the unquestionable decision of the Hungarian citizens who overwhelmingly voted in favour of the Hungarians government's path," Kinga Gal, an MEP from Fidesz, told the media in Brussels. "We are being punished because we have stood up against mandatory relocation of migrants into Hungary."

Indeed, a lot of the support for Orban's party in the recent election is thought to come from his tough stance against accepting migrants. With Hungary located on the main land route for Middle Eastern refugees into the EU, Orban has made it a point to make sure his country isn't forced to bear the brunt of the migration crisis. Since the start of the massive influx of asylum seekers in 2015, he has built border walls and pushed back against EU-inforced quotas on accepting migrants.

Orban's sworn nemesis in this is American-Hungarian billionaire George Soros, who Orban accuses of "organizing illegal immigration" through a network of NGOs. This enmity has given a name to the landmark 'Stop Soros Act,' soon to be introduced by Fidesz, which aims to severely tax the work of foreign-funded NGOs in Hungary.

PRESSTV

Saudi Arabia plans maritime border to turn Qatar into island: Report

April 7, 2018

The photo taken on June 23, 2017 shows a general view of the Qatari side of the Abu Samra border crossing with Saudi Arabia. (By AFP

Amid its bitter diplomatic standoff with Doha, Saudi Arabia is reportedly working on a project to construct a maritime channel along the border with Qatar, practically turning the peninsula into an island.

Saudi daily Sabq reported on Thursday that the Saudi plan is yet to receive official approval.

A consortium of nine local firms is involved in the construction of the waterway that extends from Saudi Arabia’s Salwa region to Qatar’s Khawr Al-Udayd inlet, the report said.

The channel, which is capable of handling all kinds of vessels, is 60 kilometers long, 200 meters wide and between 15-20 meters deep, it added.

The preliminary cost of the maritime channel is projected as nearly 2.8 billion Saudi riyals ($750m). Its construction is also expected to take 12 months.

Meanwhile, a one kilometer stretch of land in the Saudi territory north of the channel would become a “military zone,” according to the report.

It further claimed that the project is meant to activate tourism in the region, with the construction of five hotels and two new harbors along the waterway.

However, observers say it is part of the Riyadh regime’s attempts to further isolate Qatar.

Social media users took to Twitter to criticize the Saudi plan, with the Arabic hashtag #SalwaMaritimeChannel being the number-one trending topic in both Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Last June, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE imposed a land, naval and air blockade on import-dependent Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, an allegation strongly denied by Doha.

The Saudi-led quartet presented Qatar with a list of demands and gave it an ultimatum to comply with them or face consequences.

Doha, however, refused to meet the demands and stressed that it would not abandon its independent foreign policy.

US, UAE ‘pushing for Persian Gulf unity’

The controversial Saudi plan comes amid claims by the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that they are working on a rapprochement between the Persian Gulf Arab countries.

The White House said in a statement that US President Donald Trump and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed had agreed on regional unity during a phone conversation.

The two leaders agreed that members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) “can and should do more to increase coordination with each other and with the United States,” the statement read.

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Jon Rappoport's Blog

Astonishing California bill would shut down free speech, require fact-checkers

by Jon Rappoport

April 9, 2018

California used to be trumpeted as the cutting edge of American culture.

It still is, except the culture is now all about censoring free speech.

California Senator Richard Pan, who was behind the infamous 2015 law mandating vaccinations for schoolchildren (SB277), has stepped up to the plate and introduced another bill.

This one would clamp down on criticism of ANY Official Story.

The bill is titled “SB1424 Internet: social media: false information: strategic plan.”

It targets social media based in California. But as you read the bill, you see it appears to define social media as any Internet blog, website, or communication.

SB1424 is brief. Read it:

This bill would require any person who operates a social media, as defined, Internet Web site with a physical presence in California to develop a strategic plan to verify news stories shared on its Web site. The bill would require the plan to include, among other things, a plan to mitigate the spread of false information through news stories, the utilization of fact-checkers to verify news stories, providing outreach to social media users, and placing a warning on a news story containing false information.

(a) Any person who operates a social media Internet Web site with physical presence in California shall develop a strategic plan to verify news stories shared on its Internet Web site.

(b) The strategic plan shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1) A plan to mitigate the spread of false information through news stories.

(2) The utilization of fact-checkers to verify news stories.

(3) Providing outreach to social media users regarding news stories containing false information.

(4) Placing a warning on a news story containing false information.

(c) As used in this section, “social media” means an electronic service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos, still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, instant and text messages, email, online services or accounts, or Internet Web site profiles or locations.

Getting the picture?

It’s a free speech killer.

If it passes, agencies of the California government will develop numerous regulations for enforcement, including penalties for “speech criminals.”

Saying this bill violates the 1st Amendment of the Constitution is a vast understatement. The last time I looked, the Founders mentioned nothing about fact checkers or warnings attached to speech.

“Open borders and a flood of immigration into California are destructive to—wait. My statement has been precluded by warnings and fact-checker overrides…”

Or: “VACCINES ARE DANGEROUS. Ahem, I am making a debatable assertion and I must warn you that official experts strenuously disagree with me, and furthermore, the California Fact Checkers United, a division of Merck-Snopes Thought Police, has determined that my assertion is groundless and harmful to children’s health…”

There needs to be a relentless tsunami of protest in California over this Orwellian bill. I know of a number of Internet news operations in the state. They must jump in and lead the way.

In case you believe there are too many websites and blogs based in California to enforce a new draconian law, let me explain how the game works. Behind closed doors, the state government would decide to focus on a few big issues. For example, gun control, vaccines, and immigration. Enforcement agencies would go after the biggest Internet operations expressing politically unacceptable points of view on those subjects. At first. A spread of smaller operations would feel the heat later.

So-called fact checkers would come from government supported groups who agree with Official Positions. In other words, they wouldn’t be fact checkers at all. They would be prime news fakers.

When it comes to the issue of vaccines, for example, they would cite the notoriously biased “experts” at the Centers for Disease Control, never mentioning that the CDC buys and sells $4 billion of vaccines a year.

If, 10 or 15 years ago, someone told you a bill like SB1424 was going to come before a state legislature for a vote, you would have thought you were listening to a Hollywood pitch for a sci-fi movie script.

But now it’s real. It’s here. Believe it.

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BREITBART

Mexican Senate Threatens to Stop Helping U.S. Against Drug Cartels If Trump Deploys Troops to Border

REUTERS/Eliana Aponte

by ILDEFONSO ORTIZ AND BRANDON DARBY 5 Apr 2018

The Mexican Senate passed a resolution seeking an end to bilateral cooperation with the U.S. against drug cartels and immigration problems after President Trump ordered National Guard troops to the border.

The resolution was passed in a unanimous fashion and sent to the White House, Members of the U.S. Congress, and Mexico’s Foreign Relations Officer, El Universal reported.

“Despite everything that is at stake in the relationship between our two countries, the way in which President Donald Trump has behaved is, for the Mexican people, unacceptable and intolerable,” El Universal quoted from the document.

The resolution demands that President Trump respect the people of Mexico, and notes the Senate “condemns the unfounded and offensive expressions about Mexico and Mexicans and the treatment that is needed for a relationship between neighboring countries, partners, and allies.”

Other portions of the resolution reject efforts to “militarize the border with Mexico” and considered the measure offensive. In the third portion of the resolution, the Senate calls for Mexico to stop any binational cooperation with the U.S. in dealing with immigration matters and fighting transnational organized crime (cartels) until Trump “acts with civility and respect.”

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NEWSPAGE.C0.ZA

‘Before whites came to SA, land was simply occupied and the black majority who now claim the land as theirs were not even the original inhabitants”. Lekota.

By Shaun Kingsley

April 7, 2018

Mosiuoa Lekota, leader of COPE states that a more sensible approach towards South Africa’s land claim issue from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to take land from white people without compensation, endorsed by president Jacob Zuma should be taken.

According to Lekota, land ownership was not even a concept until white colonists arrived in the Cape and Natal, when they introduced title deeds. Land ownership started here, and has ultimately made it possible for anyone to acquire land today.

Before title deeds, land was simply occupied, Lekota said, and the black majority who now claim the land as theirs were not even the original inhabitants, having come from the “great lakes” to the north.

“We, the so-called Bantu speaking South Africans, came from the North, from the Great Lakes, we over ran territory here which was occupied by the Khoi and the San. There was no title, we just occupied that land. We were not even the original residents here. The people we call Baroa, the People of the South – Ba boroa, the People of the South, it’s the Khoi, the people we found here,” he said.

He added that title deeds make it easier to identify who owns which piece of land, adding that if land is simply taken, there is no system in place to determine who the rightful owner is.

He also said that black people should rid themselves of the view that all white people walking around, own land – and those that do, bought it. The government can take the land back from them – but only if it shows a title deed saying “this is my land”.

The EFF has found itself on the wrong side of the law with physical land occupations in the country, while party leader Julius Malema has sparked outrage on more than one occasion, calling for land grabs and threatening white people in the country.

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News Irish News

WATCH: 'They feel like they're in the barber shop when they were young' - meet the barber catering for men with dementia

Kyle Ewald

March 29, 2018

A barber who specialises in giving haircuts to people with dementia has said that his services help his clients to feel young again.

Belfast-based Lenny White organises pop-up shops in nursing homes for those living with Dementia, and most recently brought his service to Swords Nursing Home in Dublin.

Mr White told RTE News: “When they come into the room, they feel like they are in the barber shop when they were young.

“We talk about things gone by, what they used to do, what they used to work at and their childhood.”

Mr White said he changed his career in the past two years to follow his passion, which is working with those living with Dementia. He has received special training on how to best communicate with people living with the condition.

“I just do it because I really have a passion to work with those living with Dementia. I changed my career in the past two years to do something I really enjoy,” said Mr White.

“He’s good-looking,” smiled Colm McCann, one of Mr White’s patrons at Swords Nursing Home, while looking in the mirror following a fresh haircut.

“I find [Colm] likes days like today because it changes his routine from week to week and he enjoys the company and the craic and that,” said Mr McCann’s brother Dermot.

There are 55,000 people living with Dementia in Ireland, it is progressive and there is currently no cure.

“The majority of people that were involved with Lenny today have a diagnosis of Dementia and they had a marvellous time,” said Irene O’Hanlon, the Director of Nursing at Swords Nursing Home.

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