Go
to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall
come upon [you. ] Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are
motheaten.
(James 5:1-2)
Riches Are Corrupted
“And the seventy
returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject
unto us through thy name.
” (Luke 10:17)
Many of you
will be familiar with the story of King Saul, Israel's first king.
Saul ended up a failure as a king because he did not obey the words
of God through His prophet Samuel.
As a consequence of this, Samuel, pronounced a judgement against Saul in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 15.
Samuel told Saul:
“Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also shall reject thee from being king over Israel.”
And immediately following, in chapter 16, of 1 Samuel, we read:
“And the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from the Lord torments thee. 16 Let now thy servants speak before thee, and let them seek for our lord a man skilled to play on the harp; and it shall come to pass when an evil spirit comes upon thee and he shall play on his harp, that thou shalt be well, and he shall refresh thee.” 1 Samuel 16:14:16
It shouldn't seem too unusual that the Lord was the one that sent the evil spirit as we read in Luke 10:17 that “…even the devils are subject unto us through thy name (Jesus).”
Now, where do these evil spirit demons come from and where did they originate.
If most people were to even think about this question, most would say the fallen angels spoken of in Genesis, chapter six.
“And it came to pass when men began to be numerous upon the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God having seen the daughters of men that they were beautiful, took to themselves wives of all whom they chose. And the Lord God said, My Spirit shall certainly not remain among these men for ever, because they are flesh, but their days shall be an hundred and twenty years. Now the giants were upon the earth in those days; and after that when the sons of God were wont to go in to the daughters of men, they bore children to them, those were the giants of old, the men of renown.” Genesis 6:2-5
However, we wanted to look more closely and see if that conclusion is actually correct.
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There are certain books called pseudepigraphical which “dictionary.com” describes as “certain writings (other than the canonical books and the Apocrypha) professing to be Biblical in character”.
Probably the best known of these books is the book of Enoch. Jude makes reference to Enoch when mentioning the fallen angels.
“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 1:6,14,15
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the book of Enoch.
“The Book of Enoch (also 1 Enoch; Ge'ez: mätṣḥäfä henok) is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, although modern scholars estimate the older sections (mainly in the Book of the Watchers) to date from about 300 BC, and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably to the first century BC.
It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel. Most Christian denominations and traditions may accept the Books of Enoch as having some historical or theological interest or significance, but they generally regard the Books of Enoch as non-canonical or non-inspired. It is regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, but not by any other Christian group.
It is wholly extant only in the Ge'ez language, with Aramaic fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls and a few Greek and Latin fragments. For this and other reasons, the traditional Ethiopian belief is that the original language of the work was Ge'ez, whereas non-Ethiopian scholars tend to assert that it was first written in either Aramaic or Hebrew; Ephraim Isaac suggests that the Book of Enoch, like the Book of Daniel, was composed partially in Aramaic and partially in Hebrew. No Hebrew version is known to have survived. It is asserted in the book itself that its author was Enoch, before the Biblical Flood.
The authors of the New Testament were familiar with the content of the story and influenced by it: a short section of 1 Enoch (1 En 1:9 or 1 En 2:1 depending on the translation) is quoted in the New Testament, Epistle of Jude, Jude 1:14–15, and is attributed there to "Enoch the Seventh from Adam" (1 En 60:8). The text was also utilised by the community that originally collected the Dead Sea Scrolls.”
Another pseudepigraphical book not quite as well known as the Book of Enoch is the Book of Jubilees. This is what Wikipedia has to say about the Book of Jubilees.
“The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis (Leptogenesis), is an ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters, considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as well as Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews), where it is known as the Book of Division (Ge'ez: Mets'hafe Kufale). Jubilees is considered one of the pseudepigrapha by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
It was well known to Early Christians, as evidenced by the writings of Epiphanius, Justin Martyr, Origen, Diodorus of Tarsus, Isidore of Alexandria, Isidore of Seville, Eutychius of Alexandria, John Malalas, George Syncellus, and George Kedrenos. The text was also utilized by the community that originally collected the Dead Sea Scrolls. No complete Hebrew, Greek or Latin version is known to have survived.”
These two books, Enoch and Jubilees, tell us the origins of the evil spirits of demons as you will read below.
1 Enoch Chapter XV
6. But you (fallen angels) were formerly spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world.
7. And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling.
8. And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling.
1 Enoch CHAPTER XVI
1. From the days of the slaughter and destruction and death of the giants , from the souls of whose flesh the spirits, having gone forth, shall destroy without incurring judgement--thus shall they destroy until the day of the consummation, the great judgement in which the age shall be consummated, over the Watchers and the godless, yea, shall be wholly consummated."
2. And now as to the Watchers who have sent thee to intercede for them, who had been aforetime in heaven, (say to them): "You have been in heaven, but all the mysteries had not yet been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth."
4. Say to them therefore: "You have no peace."'
Jubilees Chapter 10
1 And in the third week of this jubilee the unclean demons began to lead astray the children of
2 the sons of Noah, and to make to err and destroy them. And the sons of Noah came to Noah their father, and they told him concerning the demons which were leading astray and blinding and
3 slaying his sons' sons. And he prayed before the Lord his God, and said: 'God of the spirits of all flesh, who hast shown mercy unto me And hast saved me and my sons from the waters of the flood, And hast not caused me to perish as Thou didst the sons of perdition; For Thy grace has been great towards me, And great has been Thy mercy to my soul; Let Thy grace be lift up upon my sons, And let not wicked spirits rule over them Lest they should destroy them from the earth.
4 But do Thou bless me and my sons, that we may increase and Multiply and replenish the earth.
5 And Thou knowest how Thy Watchers, the fathers of these spirits, acted in my day: and as for these spirits which are living, imprison them and hold them fast in the place of condemnation, and let them not bring destruction on the sons of thy servant, my God; for these are malignant, and
6 created in order to destroy. And let them not rule over the spirits of the living; for Thou alone canst exercise dominion over them. And let them not have power over the sons of the righteous
7,8 from henceforth and for evermore.' And the Lord our God bade us to bind all. And the chief of the spirits, Mastema, came and said: 'Lord, Creator, let some of them remain before me, and let them harken to my voice, and do all that I shall say unto them; for if some of them are not left to me, I shall not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men; for these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men.'
9 And He said: Let the tenth part of them remain before him, and let nine parts descend into the
10 place of condemnation.' And one of us He commanded that we should teach Noah all their 11 medicines; for He knew that they would not walk in uprightness, nor strive in righteousness. And we did according to all His words: all the malignant evil ones we bound in the place of condemna-
12 tion and a tenth part of them we left that they might be subject before Satan on the earth. And we explained to Noah all the medicines of their diseases, together with their seductions, how he
13 might heal them with herbs of the earth. And Noah wrote down all things in a book as we instructed him concerning every kind of medicine. Thus the evil spirits were precluded from
14 (hurting) the sons of Noah.
1 Enoch 10:11-15 And the Lord said unto Michael: ‘Go, bind Semyaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all generations.
To summarize the above quotes from the books of Enoch and Jubilees the evil spirits or demons are ten percent of the spirits of the offspring of the fallen angels, Watchers, and human women.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:
“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
As we have already pointed out above, one of the prominent things happening in Genesis chapter 6, just before Noah entered the Ark was the presence of giants, Nephilim.
Could this also happen just before the return of Jesus? George H. Pember believed this would be the case in his book published in 1880, “Earth's Earliest Ages.”
“George Hawkins Pember (1836 - 1910), was an English theologian and author affiliated with the Plymouth Brethren. His works included The Antichrist, Babylon and the Coming Kingdom, The Great Prophecies of the centuries concerning Israel and the Gentiles, Mystery Babylon the Great, and others. Earth's Earliest Ages is considered by many his Magnum Opus and has been touted worldwide as a classical masterpiece.”
Here is an excerpt from page 180 of “Earth's Earliest Ages”.
“AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH”
Retrospect.
We have thus endeavoured to trace the flow of history from its source to the great catastrophe which swept corruption and violence from the earth. We have seen its clear spring proceeding from the throne of the Everlasting God, and have then lost sight of it as it wound its way through vast regions that may not be trodden by mortal foot. Once or twice we have climbed an accessible height, and from the far distance gazed with strained eyes upon something which sparkled in the rays of God’s Word, and which we supposed to be the waters of the river we were seeking; but we could obtain no certain knowledge of the mysterious stream, until we saw its turbid and foaming torrent emerging in fearful cataract from between the dark mountains which concealed its previous course.
We have followed it into a land of delight, in which it gradually calmed and brightened again, while its banks teemed with all that is beautiful and lovely: we have traced it as it passed the limits of that joyous realm, and hurried through dry and barren tracts, with ever increasing volume and rapidity, till at length its agitated waters were violently engulphed in the great ocean of the flood.
The warning of Christ. Does it apply to our times?
We must not, however, dismiss the story of doom which we have just been considering without some reflections on the solemn warning drawn from it by the Saviour. “But as the days of Noah were,” is His awful declaration, “so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” Thus the closing scenes of this present age will be a reproduction of the days of Noah: the same intense worldliness, and at last positive inability to care for the things of God, which was displayed by the antediluvians, will also be characteristic of our world when Christ begins the judgments that will quickly culminate in the glory of His appearing.
It seems fair, then, to infer that this second manifestation of the spirit that worked in them which were disobedient before the flood will be effected by a conjunction of causes similar to that which formerly produced it. And hence, as we have already remarked, it becomes a matter of the greatest practical importance to comprehend those causes: for whenever they are again found to be simultaneously affecting the masses of the world’s population, the fact will afford a strong presumption that we are drifting rapidly to the great consummation of wickedness; that the avenging glory of the Lord is about to be revealed, so that all flesh shall see it together.
For us, therefore, the great question is, Are these fatal influences now in operation? Are they more universally characteristic of this epoch than of any other? Mature consideration has impelled many to return an affirmative answer: let us see whether facts warrant us in holding the same view. It is impossible to exaggerate our interest in the investigation. If the present times are only beginning to take the complexion of those of Noah, they send forth a piercing cry of warning, admonishing us to stand with our loins girded about and our lamps burning, waiting for the summons of the Lord. For He will remove His Church, as He removed Enoch, before the wickedness of man has come to its worst. He will take away that which He Himself has called the salt of the earth, and then the corruption of all flesh will go on unchecked, and the world speedily ripen for its doom.
The seven causes of antediluvian corruption. Are they all in present operation?
The seven great causes of the antediluvian apostacy have been already noticed, and may be summed up as follows.
I. A tendency to worship God as Elohim, that is, merely as the Creator and Benefactor, and not as Jehovah the covenant God of mercy, dealing with transgressors who are appointed to destruction, and finding a ransom for them.
II. An undue prominence of the female sex, and a disregard of the primal law of marriage.
III. A rapid progress in the mechanical arts, and the consequent invention of many devices whereby the hardships of the curse were mitigated, and life was rendered more easy and indulgent. Also a proficiency in the fine arts, which captivated the minds of men, and helped to induce an entire oblivion of God.
IV. An alliance between the nominal Church and the World, which speedily resulted in a complete amalgamation.
V. A vast increase of population.
VI. The rejection of the preaching of Enoch, whose warnings thus became a saviour of death unto the world, and hardened men beyond recovery.
VII. The appearance upon earth of beings from the Principality of the Air, and their unlawful intercourse with the human race.
These causes concurred to envelope the world in a sensuous mist which no ray of truth could penetrate. They brought about a total forgetfulness of God and disregard of His will; and thus, by removing the great Centre Who alone is able to attract men from them- selves, rendered the dwellers upon earth so selfish and unscrupulous that the world was presently filled with lewdness, injustice, oppression, and bloodshed. It remains, therefore, for us to consider whether similar influences are now acting upon society.”
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"The influences of the Spirit of God are even now in process of withdrawal, as He prepares for that departure from earth which will leave it open for Nephilim, seven fold worse than those who formerly dwelt in it, to enter, and for a short season to work their will upon the human race… Then will all the Nephilim, who are yet at liberty, be among men, and will quickly make them feel the meaning of that awful utterance, 'Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.'" ~ G.H. Pember
Remember Luke 21:26: “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” The key words here being “coming on the earth”.
Where have the giants and these spirits been confined? In the earth? There are many Bible scholars and teachers that believe this to be the case, that the Nephilim will walk the earth once again as they did in the days of Noah.
Isaiah 13:2-3 would also seem to bear this out when the gates are opened.
“Lift up a standard on the mountain of the plain, exalt the voice to them, beckon with the hand, open the gates, ye rulers. I give command, and I bring them: giants are coming to fulfil my wrath, rejoicing at the same time and insulting.”
An interesting verse out of Revelation 12:10 comes to mind considering all of the above. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
This verse of course takes place at the beginning of the Tribulation. When Satan is cast out of heaven and the giants return, will their demonic spirits no longer be able to attack us spiritually? What do you think?
2016.05.20
THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL
George Soros Claims New Global Financial Crisis Coming, ‘The European Union is in an existential crisis’
May 29, 2018
The infamous George Soros warned on Tuesday that a new global financial crisis is brewing. The Billionaire continued that the European Union is facing an imminent existential threat. Stating that; ‘Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.’
Citing the Iranian Nuclear deal termination and the collapse of the transatlantic alliance between the European Union and the United States, Soros stated that the effects are “bound to have a negative effect on the European economy and cause other dislocations.” Furthering, Soros stated that; “We may be heading for another major financial crisis.”
Soros continued with the narrative that “everything that could go wrong has gone wrong,” blaming the new potential crisis on the ‘territorial disintegration’ exemplified by Brexit. “It is no longer a figure of speech to say that Europe is in existential danger; it is the harsh reality,” he said.
“The euro has many unresolved problems, and they must not be allowed to destroy the European Union,” he said.
George Soros, the globalist, has determined that a financial crisis may be on the horizon because the world is walking back from regional integration, in other words, it appears as though that the billionaire investor is stating that Economic Nationalism is posing an existential threat to their view of the global economy.
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BREITBART
Trans People Urged to Become Priests in Church of England Drive ‘to Honour LGBT+ People’
By Virginia Hale May 28, 2018
Claiming young people are put off by “the perception that the Church is homophobic and transphobic”, church leaders said it is vital to challenge this with celebration of the “great contribution” sexual minorities have made to church life, and for outreach “within the LGBT+ community more broadly”.
Guidance from bishops in Lichfield, a diocese covering almost 600 churches in an area populated by more than 2 million people, reminds parishioners and clergy that homosexuals and people who identify as transgender “can be called to roles of leadership and service in the local church”.
“We very much hope that they, like everyone else, feel encouraged to serve on PCCs, or as churchwardens and worship leaders, for instance, and are supported in exploring vocations to licensed lay and ordained ministries.
“Nobody should be told that their sexual or gender identity in itself makes them an unsuitable candidate for leadership in the Church,” states the advice, which is entitled ‘Welcoming and honouring LGBT+ people’.
The group, led by diocesan bishop The Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave, highlight the call for “radical Christian inclusion” based on a “proper 21st century understanding of being human and of being sexual” made by Archbishop Justin Welby last year.
The “practical consequences” of this, according to the guidance, include warning “intrusive questioning about someone’s sexual practices or desires, or their experience of gender” is “almost always inappropriate”, and telling clergy to “be alert to power relations … and the possibility of spiritual and emotional abuse” if approached by an individual who is unhappy about their sexuality.
Parishioners and clergy are also instructed that they must not “tell or insinuate to people that sexual orientation or gender identity will be changed by faith or that homosexuality or gender difference is a sign of immaturity or a lack of faith.”
It adds: “As Archbishop Justin has made clear, the perception that the Church is homophobic and transphobic is harming our mission, especially to young people.
“We need to challenge this perception by reaching out to LGBT+ people with the good news of God’s love, modelling God’s welcome and care for all people.”
But the belief that churches must promote homosexuality, “alternative” sexual lifestyles, and a liberal political agenda in order to engage people, especially the young, does not seem to be borne out by data on church attendance.
Study after study looking at thousands of churches across the U.S. and globally, show that so-called ‘progressive’ churches are in steep decline, while those which hold to conservative sexual ethics and traditional church teachings and Scripture are growing and thriving.
The Church of Sweden, which has seen a particularly dramatic collapse in membership, is set to lose well over a million members in the next ten years, according to a report which warned that the liberal institution will have to start selling its real estate in order to make ends meet.
The Swedish church is perceived to have become increasingly politicised in recent years, in November voting to drop masculine references to God such as “He” and “Lord” so as to be more “inclusive”, while Stockholm Bishop Eva Brunne — the world’s first openly lesbian bishop — has previously proposed that churches remove crucifixes and install prayer space for Muslims.
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CBNNEWS.COM
'The Simpsons' Mocks Christianity Calling It A 'Dopey Religion'
Kayla Root
May 21, 2018
Photo Credit: mrctv.org
In it's latest mockery of religion, The Simpsons TV show makes a quick jab at Christianity when one of the characters calls it 'dopey.'
Bart Simpson is struck by lightning in the episode and experiences nightmares that he has died and is being haunted by ghosts.
During the episode, Bart decorates his tree house in crucifixes to ward off spirits, even though he isn't a Christian.
Meanwhile, the character of Millhouse, who is a Christian, gets excited when he sees it and asks, "What's going on, Bart? Are you into God now? I always was. Look at those abs. The secret is less loaves, more fishes."
Bart then replies, "I don't believe in some dopey religion. This is to keep out ghosts."
Religion is a reoccurring theme at the show, and this isn't the first time it's targeted Christianity.
***
RT
‘Deliberate war crime’: Palestinians decry murder of 21yo female paramedic at Gaza border
June 2, 2018
Colleagues of Palestinian nurse Razan Al-Najar react to her death © Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters
The killing of a 21-year-old female medical worker during the Great March of Return at the Gaza border is nothing short of a war crime, Palestinian officials said, calling on the international community to hold Israel responsible.
The murder of 21-year-old medical volunteer, Razan Al-Najar, is a direct violation of all “international treaties and conventions” that ensure the protection of the medical staff in the conflict zones, Palestinian Minister of Health, Jawad Awwad, said late Friday, noting that the shooting of the paramedic must have been “deliberate” and amounted to a “war crime.”
The volunteer was shot in the chest by the Israeli Defense Forces on Friday near the border fence east of Khan Younes, in the southern Gaza Strip, while she was helping wounded Palestinians.
While the Israeli military has yet to comment on Najar's death, an anonymous witness told Reuters that, at the time of the tragedy, the medical worker wore a white uniform, which clearly distinguished her from the rest of the Palestinian crowd taking part in the 10th weekly Great March of Return protests.
Furthermore, the medical volunteer “raised her hands high in a clear way, but Israeli soldiers fired and she was hit in the chest,”the witness told Reuters.
Najar became the latest victim of the Israeli crackdown on protesting Palestinians at the Gazan border. More than 100 protesters were injured by Israeli fire, including 40 by live bullets, directed at them by the IDF during the 10th Great March of Return rally. Another four paramedics were among those wounded while helping the injured.
The shooting of a medical worker is a “heinous crime committed by the occupation forces,” the Palestinian Minister of Justice, Ali Abu Diak, said in a statement, calling on the International Criminal Court to document Israeli brutality and to “try leaders, officials, officers, soldiers” and all those who committed “crimes against humanity.”
International humanitarian law affords special protection to medical personnel whose mission is to save lives in conflicts, under four Geneva Conventions of 1949. Article 24 was especially adopted to protect “medical personnel exclusively engaged in the search for, or the collection, transport or treatment of the wounded or sick.”
The West Bank’s ruling Fatah party also condemned the murder of the 21-year-old medic. “This crime...reflects a terrorist fascist mentality that deliberately kills, destroys and persecutes [Palestinians],” spokesman Osama al-Qawasmi said in a statement.
Fatah also condemned Washington's move on Friday to veto an Arab-backed UN draft resolution which called calling for protective measures for the Palestinians. Qawasmi stressed that the “veto” used by the United States encourages the Jewish State to continue its crimes against the Palestinians.
Over 120 Palestinians have so far been killed since the beginning of the Great March of Return, mainly by live Israeli fire amid the raging protests at the Gaza-Israel border, which began on March 30. Thousands of others have been injured as Israel maintains its right to protect the border by all means necessary.
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INQUIRER.NET
Carl Jung’s fascination with the occult
By Jaime T. Licauco
May 15, 2018
Unknown to many people, including, perhaps, some of his followers in the Philippines, the great Swiss psychologist and psychotherapist Carl Jung had a life-long fascination with the occult and paranormal phenomena, and wrote scientific treatises on the subject.
The founder of analytical and depth psychology, Jung is best known for his theories of the “collective unconscious,” including the concept of the “archetypes” and the use of “synchronicity” (or meaningful coincidence) in psychotherapy.
Jung was a contemporary and close colleague of Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, but they later parted ways because of irreconcilable differences in their theories of psychology. Jung was bothered by Freud’s “pansexualism” in the interpretation of dreams and human behavior. Jung felt dreams also contain nonphysical and spiritual meanings.
RT
Ex-IMF head made Italy's interim PM amid rage over ‘unconstitutional’ blocking of Euroskeptic govt
May 29, 2018
Ex-IMF director Carlo Cottarelli’s appointment as Italy’s interim prime minister was spurred by President Mattarella’s “obligation” to safeguard the euro and block the new Euroskeptic coalition from taking power, analysts told RT.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella announced the appointment on Monday, following his controversial decision to withdraw his support for the new government. Mattarella had objected to the Euroskeptic coalition’s choice for economy minister, Paolo Savona, insisting that the post must be reserved for someone who would not risk Italy’s exit from the euro. Savona, a respected economist, professor and former government minister, has been a vocal critic of the euro and advocated preparing “Plan B” for Italy on quitting the Eurozone.
In remarks given shortly after, Cottarelli vowed to establish a new government “very quickly” and tackle pressing issues ahead of fresh elections to be held in the fall or early next year.
"I'll present myself to parliament with a program which – if it wins the backing of parliament – would include the approval of the 2019 budget. Then parliament would be dissolved with elections at the beginning of 2019," Cottarelli said.
However, Italian journalist Marcello Foa told RT that Cottarelli’s chances of forming a new government are “non-existent,”noting that the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and its rightist coalition ally Lega Nord are unlikely to support Cottarelli’s efforts because they would then “lose all credibility with the voters.” The two parties were the top performers in March’s parliamentary elections and have spent the last two months negotiating the formation of a coalition government.
It’s still unclear how the electorate will receive Cottarelli’s appointment. However, according to Foa, Italians are already “disgusted” by Mattarella’s refusal to allow the new government to take the reins. “There is no constitutional reason and no constitutional power to block a government that has a majority in parliament,” Foa said, adding that Italy now faces a “very serious crisis because the president is apparently violating the constitution that he is supposed to respect fully.”
John Laughland, a British academic and author on international affairs, said that Mattarella’s recent political maneuverings were the symptom of a larger, European trend. “I don’t think it’s a constitutional crisis in Italy, I think it’s a constitutional crisis in the whole of Europe,”Laughland told RT. “We’ve seen now systematically how members of the European elite, of which President Mattarella is an excellent example, use every method they can to prevent parties wielding power if that power is to be wielded against the euro or against the European Union.”
Laughland observed that the president – who is not elected by the Italian people – had stonewalled the formation of a government that “would have been supported by the parliamentary majority which has just been elected. In other words, it has an impeccable democratic mandate.”
According to Foa, Mattarella’s recent political posturing has been motivated by a desire – perhaps even an “obligation” – to protect “the markets” and Italy’s status quo with the European Union.
Lorenzo Pregliasco, professor of political science at the University of Bologna, believes the president was quite clear about the reasoning behind his recent decisions. Mattarella had “basically said we cannot afford to have a minister of finance who is such a vocal critic of the euro currency,” Pregliasco told RT.
Italians have been theorizing as to why Mattarella, who himself said he feared Savona would quit eurozone and that he must “protect Italians’ savings,” was so insistent on blocking Savona's appointment
“What’s being said is that there are some mysterious powers behind the scene that are taking over,” Foa noted, adding that many Italians believe that Mattarella was somehow “obliged” to sabotage the formation of the new Euroskeptic government.
“I don’t know if he was pressured by Brussels, but what we can see is, since the beginning of the crisis, [Mattarella] had a major concern: Italy should not divert from the direction that it has been following in the last years.”
To make matters worse, the media’s one-sided reporting has exacerbated the political crisis, Foa noted. Italy’s media were “totally against the [new] government. Totally. I mean, there was no real diversity – just a few newspapers [supported the coalition]. The others were all giving Mattarella’s version of the crisis. The Italian press has not been an example of freedom of pluralism,” Foa said.
DailyMail.com
The arrogant EU elite is playing with fire: STEPHEN GLOVER says Italy's pain could be Britain's gain as Brussels struggles to contain an even bigger problem than Brexit
By Stephen Glover for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 17:04 EDT, 28 May 2018 | UPDATED: 19:44 EDT, 28 May 2018
British Eurosceptics sometimes overestimate the likelihood of the EU and the euro falling apart under the weight of their in-built contradictions.
Many were convinced a few years ago that the huge debt problems of Greece would force it to crash out of the euro. In the event, the country has so far remained part of the single currency, though at a terrible cost to its economy.
But dramatic developments in Italy over the past 48 hours entitle one to say that the trouble brewing in that country is likely to dwarf anything that has happened in Greece.
This is a full-blown crisis in the Eurozone's third largest economy, nearly ten times the size of Greece's.
President Sergio Mattarella has asked Carlo Cottarelli (pictured), a pro-EU stooge who has worked for the International Monetary Fund, to lead an interim administration
What is taking place is a stand-off between the increasingly unpopular Italian Europhile class represented by President Sergio Mattarella on the one hand and, on the other, two populist parties, both critical of the EU, which together won half the vote in March's general election.
Mattarella has vetoed the appointment of Paolo Savona, a distinguished veteran Eurosceptic put forward by the anti-Establishment Left-leaning Five Star Movement and the hard-Right League as their finance minister in a prospective populist coalition.
As a result, both parties have given up their attempt to form a government, and are calling for President Mattarella's impeachment. Meanwhile Mattarella has asked Carlo Cottarelli, a pro-EU stooge who has worked for the International Monetary Fund, to lead an interim administration.
It is certain this won't last more than a few months since Cottarelli only enjoys the support of a minority in parliament. There will soon be another election in which, it can be confidently predicted, Five Star and the League will do even better than they did in March.
The truth is that, by rejecting the Eurosceptic Savona in such a high-handed way, Mattarella (who has no democratic mandate) has behaved as the Europhile ruling class usually does in most EU countries, including our own. The democratically expressed view of the electorate is ignored.
Whether the insufferable Jean-Claude Juncker or Germany's Angela Merkel actually picked up the telephone to tell Mattarella what to do we don't yet know. But both Brussels and Berlin have swiftly welcomed Mattarella's actions. The Italian President was doing what was expected of him.
Paolo Savona is a hate figure in Europhile circles because of his intelligent appraisal of the disastrous effect membership of the euro has had on Italy. A euro exchange rate that suits Berlin is throttling the sclerotic Italian economy, which has scarcely grown since the country joined the single currency 19 years ago.
Savona has even blamed Germany for Italy's plight. He has written of the 'German cage' and criticised Berlin in forthright (and to my mind accurate) terms: 'Germany didn't change its idea on its role in Europe after the end of Nazism, even if it abandoned the idea of imposing itself militarily.'
In fact, there is nothing to suggest that the 81-year-old Savona would have taken Italy out of the euro had he been allowed to assume his position as finance minister. But he would undoubtedly have been less friendly to the EU than his pliant, Brussels-approved predecessors.
Mattarella's behaviour is almost certain to increase suspicion of the EU in Italy. Many Italians believe Brussels has ignored its serious migrant problem, and there is little doubt that the plan of the Five Star/League alliance to deport 500,000 illegal immigrants carries widespread popularity.
Five Star and the League certainly have some wacky policies – not least lower tax rates combined with a grant of about £690 a month for those deemed at risk of poverty. The bill could run into billions, and boost Italy's already stratospheric national debt.
But Mattarella's EU-backed policy of undermining the two populist parties seems certain to backfire in a country where, according to a poll last week, 61 per cent of Italians believe their voice isn't being heard by Brussels.
In the short term, there is very likely to be mounting political and economic chaos in Italy, which is sad for that wonderful country. In the longer term, though, the chances of Italy escaping the stranglehold of the euro must have improved.
Meanwhile, Italy's pain could be Britain's gain as Brussels struggles to contain an even bigger problem than Brexit – a problem which really does threaten the disintegration of Jean-Claude Juncker's tottering, and increasingly unloved, empire.
RT
Spain’s PM Rajoy steps down after losing no-confidence vote over corruption scandal
June 1, 2018
Spain's former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy © Sergio Perez / Reuters
Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose People’s Party has been embroiled in a scandal over kickbacks, is stepping down after losing a no-confidence vote. Socialist Party leader Pedro Sanchez will replace him.
The no-confidence motion was initiated by the opposition Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) on Thursday and supported by Catalan parties and the leftist Podemos. With the centrist party Ciudadanos abstaining, Rajoy’s People’s Party (PP) and its allies was left at the mercy of the Basque Nationalist Party and its five crucial votes. The vote, which required a simple majority, ended with 180 in favor of ousting Rajoy, 169 against and one abstention.
Earlier on Friday, Rajoy conceded defeat to PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez, who will now become prime minister.
Rajoy had refused to step down before the no-confidence vote, and has defended his party in the corruption scandal that has now proven to be his downfall. Last week, dozens of former PP officials were jailed for money laundering and fraud, and the party fined €240,000 over a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme they ran between 1999 and 2006.
The corruption scandal, known as the Gurtel case after the German translation of one of the main suspects’ name, came to prominence in January 2013 when El Pais published documents alleged to show secret donations and payments to PP members.
While Rajoy's name comes up several times in the leaked papers, he has denied receiving any payments, and remained defiant in the face of an investigation which ultimately convicted 29 officials and businessman. PP's former treasurer, for example, was sentenced to 33 years in jail.
Rajoy himself is not accused of any wrongdoing, but the scandal has been eroding his support with voters. In the 2015 general election, PP lost a third of its seats compared to the landslide win of 2011.
Further adding to the frustration, and securing pro-Catalan parties' support for the no-confidence vote, was the brutal crackdown on the independence movement of Catalonia in the autumn of 2017. In October, the wealthy region held a referendum which showed an overwhelming backing for breaking away from Spain, albeit at a below-50-percent turnout. Madrid sent police to forcibly remove voters from polling stations, injuring at least 400 people and arresting a number of pro-independence leaders. After the local parliament honored the result and declared independence, it was dissolved by the central government’s decree, and a snap election was called. While human rights groups, including HRW and Amnesty International, condemned the crackdown, central EU leadership preferred to remain neutral, saying it was Spain’s “internal matter.”
Ultimately, this cost PP its comfortable parliamentary majority, enabling Friday’s no-confidence vote, something that had been untenable back when the corruption case first came to public light.
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PRESSTV
India will not follow US sanctions on Iran: FM Swaraj
May 28, 2018
India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj says New Delhi will keep trading with Iran and will only follow sanctions imposed by the United Nations and not those imposed by any other country, such as the United States, against the Islamic Republic.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Swaraj added that her country's position was "independent" of any other country and would not make foreign policy "under pressure."
"India follows only UN sanctions and not unilateral sanctions by any country," she said when asked about New Delhi's response to the US decision to withdraw from a 2015 key nuclear agreement and re-impose sanctions against Tehran.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany.
Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran suspended under the nuclear accord and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.
However, Swaraj emphasized that India rejects "reactionary" policies and will not be dictated to by other countries.
"We don't make our foreign policy under pressure from other countries. We believe in UN sanctions but not in country-specific sanctions," she pointed out.
Iran and India enjoy deep relations in political and economic sectors. Tehran is one of New Delhi's top oil suppliers.
Swaraj is scheduled to hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later on Monday.
The top Iranian diplomat is in India as part of international consultations aimed at discussing continued mutual cooperation with world countries following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA.
In a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in February, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed readiness to expand mutual relations in all areas.
During Rouhani's visit, Iran awarded a much-awaited agreement to India over the management of part of its strategic Chabahar port – a move that could enable India to dodge Pakistan and reach markets in Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond.
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RT
India & Iran drop dollar in oil trade to bypass US sanctions – report
June 1, 2018
© Thomas White / Reuters
India will reportedly pay for Iranian oil in rupees as the two countries seek to bypass the US economic pressure on Tehran, industry officials have told the Sputnik news agency.
Under the deal, the payments for oil will be made through India’s state-run UCO Bank, which has no US exposure. The countries are also discussing the barter-like system to avoid US sanctions, Sputnik reports.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is on a visit to India this week, where he has met with Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. "During the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on a further expansion of ties in banking, energy, trade, insurance, shipping, use of national currencies, Chabahar projects and Chabahar-Zahedan railway," Zarif said in a statement.
India’s Swaraj said the country would ignore the US trade sanctions against Iran. “India will comply with UN sanctions and not any country-specific sanctions,” Swaraj said. Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier. India bought a record 27.2 million tons of oil from Tehran during the last financial year, which ended in March 2018. It represents a 114 percent increase on the previous year.
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HEALTH
Fukushima Has Now Contaminated 1/3 of the World’s Oceans
By Daisy Magnum
May 30, 2018
Government scientists have officially confirmed our worst fears; that Fukushima has now contaminated 1/3 of the world’s oceans.
Aside from the devastation already inflicted on our planet’s sea life, officials confirm that the contamination is still spreading.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seeks to promote the tranquil usage of Nuclear Power.
In 2011, IAEA developed, along with the Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA) Member States, a joint IAEA Technical Cooperation (TC) job in the area of the Pacific Ocean.
It was established after the Fukushima catastrophe when a tsunami triggered was by a significant earthquake on 11 March 2011.
The nuclear meltdown occurred when the power supply of the powerplant failed and disabled cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors.
Fukushima has now Contaminated one-third of all sea life
As an outcome, a huge amount of radioactive waste was dumped into the Pacific Ocean.
Of no surprise, this triggered great issue to countries based around the Pacific Ocean due to the possible economic and ecological ramifications.
After leaking into the Pacific Ocean and spreading, scientists say that Fukushima has now contaminated one-third of Earths oceans.
The TC project’s aim was for that reason, to monitor the existence of radioactive compounds in the marine environment.
The very first annual evaluation conference held in August 2012 demonstrated predictive hydrodynamic models.
They predicted that the strong current in the sea, referred to as the Kuroshio Current and its extension, had the ability to transport the radioactive compounds throughout the Pacific Ocean in an easterly direction.
Nevertheless, the concentration of radioactivity was not as high as originally believed.
A field research study discovered that 2 filter cartridges were coated, which revealed aspects of cesium, a radioactive substance.
The TC is due to conclude this year.
A few outcomes have actually triggered concern.
A field study they carried out on 2 July 2014, revealed from two sets of seawater samples, found that 2 filter cartridges were covered, which revealed aspects of cesium, a radioactive compound.
Then just recently, trace quantities of cesium-134 and cesium-137 showed up in samples gathered near Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
The samples gathered were different from the tracking job established by IAEA however it is thought the only possible source of these radioactive elements is Fukushima, according to the Integrated Fukushima Ocean Radionuclide Monitoring(InFORM) Network.
This is the very first time that traces of cesium-134 had actually been detected near North America.
While these are trace quantities, scientists warn that the risk of radioactive material in any amount cannot be ignored.
However, government officials say that these levels found aren’t yet deadly.
The traces found are currently still lower than those we might be exposed to from an oral x-ray for instance.
Having said that, every possible exposure, in any small quantity, accumulates over time.
The issue with atomic energy and fallout, the radiation and radioactive products can take a trip everywhere with the wind and with the sea.
For that reason, we ought to aim to cooperate on an international level to keep these levels at zero.
In any event, the constant tracking of oceans will be required, in accordance with Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
What Buesseler states ought to be taken on board beyond 2018, particularly because the advice from the IAEA is to discard a lot more contaminated water into the sea.
This is apparently more desirable than holding it in tanks.
Any discharge will have to be controlled and continuous monitoring would be required, in particular near the plant to improve data dependability.
This is triggering issue and not just to state authorities.
Think about the anglers.
Every time they catch fish in the ocean, the fish need to be evaluated for radioactivity.
Before any additional discarding is done, the IAEA and Tokyo Electric Power Co., who control the plant, have to consider not just the environmental impact however socio-economic impact as well.
Fukushima has now contaminated the environment on a global scale.
Livelihoods will be affected in addition to the long-lasting health of the area and, eventually, the entire international community…
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Until
next week...keep on believing.
Almondtree Productions
“And
the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward
unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear
thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy
the earth. “
(Revelation 11:18)