Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Ukraines New Leader Stands Up to Moscow Over Crimea and Europe
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's new president Petro Poroshenko said his country would never give up Crimea and would not compromise on its path towards closer ties with Europe, spelling out a defiant message to Russia in his inaugural speech on Saturday.

The 48-year-old billionaire took the oath of office before parliament, buoyed by Western support but facing a crisis in relations with Russia as a separatist uprising seethes in the east of his country.

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in March, weeks after street protests ousted Poroshenko's pro-Moscow predecessor Viktor Yanukovich, in a move that has provoked the deepest crisis in relations with the West since the Cold War.

"Citizens of Ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle our relations with Russia. Russia occupied Crimea, which was, is, and will be, Ukrainian soil," Poroshenko said in a speech that drew a standing ovation.

U.S. Says Active, Aggressive Diplomacy Needed With Iran
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

NEW YORK - The United States believes that it needs to pursue active and aggressive diplomacy with Iran to determine whether a diplomatic solution on Tehran's nuclear program is achievable, a senior US administration official said on Saturday.

"In order to really seriously test whether we can reach a diplomatic solution with Iran on its nuclear program, we believe we need to engage in very active and very aggressive diplomacy," said the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official, who was speaking ahead of bilateral talks between senior US and Iranian officials in Geneva set for June 9-10, said Washington had not yet seen "the kind of realism on the Iranian side that we need to see."

Treason: Obamas Gitmo Five
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsWorld Net Daily
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

600,000 Brazilian Evangelicals Participate in 'March for Jesus' Event Ahead of FIFA World Cup
Over half a million Christians gathered throughout Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last week to partake in "March for Jesus," an annual event intended to showcase the country's growing evangelical population. The march was held under the slogan "I belong to Jesus. I am a champion," in honor of the participants' faith and the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, which Brazil is hosting beginning June 12.  

Rising red tide: China’s navy, air force rapidly expanding its size and reach
Away from the Chinese military’s expanding capabilities in cyberspace and electronic warfare, Beijing is growing the size and reach of its naval fleet, advancing its air force and testing a host of new missiles... An annual report to Congress... concluded that the modernization was being driven in part by growing territorial disputes...as well as by Beijing’s desire to expand its presence and influence abroad.  

Anti-American sentiment growing in Russia
Anti-American sentiment here is growing as Russia responds to Western sanctions over Ukraine, and that is worrying expats and foreigners in this country. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a controversial law this week making it a criminal offense to fail to report dual citizenship. It's a bid to keep track of potential foreign agents.  

Hostages seized as Iraq militants storm Ramadi university
Militants in Iraq have stormed a university campus in the western city of Ramadi, taking dozens of students and staff hostage. One student at the Anbar University campus said "everybody is in panic". One report said some guards had died and that the militants were from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.  

Afghanistan flash flood 'kills 65' in Baghlan province
Flash flooding in the remote northern Afghan province of Baghlan has killed at least 65 people and forced thousands to abandon their homes, police say. The flooding has been deadliest in the Guzargah-e-Nur district of the province 140km (87 miles) north of the provincial capital Puli Khumri. Police say the dead include women and children. About 200 people are missing.  

Iranian president visiting Turkey, will sign agreements strengthening ties
Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran are set to sign six new agreements to strengthen political and economic cooperation during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Turkey on Monday, reported Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News on Saturday. The visit will be Iran's first presidential trip to Turkey since 1996.

Hezbollah to the US: Accept Assad has won
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has called on the United States to admit that President Bashar al-Assad has won the war in Syria and to accept its terms for a political settlement to the crisis.  

Wary US unlikely to restore full Egypt aid soon
As Egypt prepares to swear in its fourth leader since 2011, a huge slice of $1.5 billion in US aid remains in deep-freeze amid fears the nation is sliding back into authoritarianism. Former general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be crowned as the next president on Sunday after three years of political turmoil since the ousting of long-time iron-fisted leader Hosni Mubarak.  

Netanyahu ‘loathes’ Obama, Israel’s opposition leader charges
PM’s hostility to president is ‘endangering Israel’s security,’ claims Labor’s Isaac Herzog, in rare confirmation of long-rumored strained ties between ‘Bibi’ and ‘Barack’  

Susan Rice Hints U.S. Providing Weapons to Syrian Rebels
President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, hinted on Friday that the United States was sending weapons to the Syrian rebels, when she said Washington was taking important steps in Syria by offering both "lethal and non-lethal" aid to the moderate opposition.  

Here's Putin's Latest Savvy Chess Move On Ukraine
Ukraine President-elect Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a meeting Friday that Russia would send an envoy to Ukraine in to resolve points of conflict between the two nations. And Russia is sending its ambassador to Ukraine, Mikhail Zurabov, to Poroshenko's inauguration this weekend.  

600,000 Brazilian Evangelicals Participate in 'March for Jesus' Event Ahead of FIFA World Cup
Over half a million Christians gathered throughout Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last week to partake in "March for Jesus," an annual event intended to showcase the country's growing evangelical population.  

No tsunami threat following earthquake off Molokai
An earthquake has shaken parts of Hawaii, but it was not strong enough to generate a tsunami threat to the state. The quake was measured at a preliminary magnitude 3.8, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was centered just north of the coast of Molokai. The earthquake happened at 4:42 p.m. HST.  

Spain approves ‘law of return’ for Jews
The Spanish government has approved a draft bill that proposes to grant citizenship to descendants of Spanish Jews who were forced into exile 500 years ago.  

Israels President and PM Congratulate Egyptian President
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made separate phone calls Friday to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to congratulate him on his election victory and wish Egypt prosperity, stability and peace under his rule. They all agreed on the importance of working hard to strengthen the peace pact between the two countries.

Is Israel Planning a Unilateral Withdrawal in the West Bank?
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (L) and Deputy Minister Ze'ev Elkin attend the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting on Monday. Photo: REUTERS

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu left Knesset members in shock this past Monday by suggesting that Israel would have to "separate" from the Palestinians, according to a report which appears in Friday editions of the nationalist-religious newspaper Makor Rishon.

According to the report, which was written by the newspaper's political commentator, Ze'ev Kam, Netanyahu told lawmakers serving on the prestigious Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that for Israel to maintain its Jewish character, it would have to reach "a separation from the Palestinians."

Kam quotes unnamed members of Knesset who were present at the meeting as saying that Netanyahu left some of them "stunned," since they could not recall the premier ever using the word "separation."

Recently, Netanyahu has indicated a willingness to consider unilateral steps in the wake of aborted peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, which led some lawmakers to speculate that the prime minister may be considering a unilateral withdrawal.

Knesset members from both the Right and the Left sought clarifications from Netanyahu regarding what he meant by "separation," though none was forthcoming, Makor Rishon reported.

Indeed, during his session before the committee, Netanyahu ruled out discussions with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas.

"We will not talk to a government in which Hamas is taking part," the premier told the panel.

It was after Netanyahu was asked about the government's intentions in the wake of the breakdown of negotiations that he dropped a bombshell, according to Makor Rishon.

"I don't want one state from the Jordan [River] to the [Mediterranean] Sea," the premier is quoted as saying. "Even if the demographic balance doesn't change to our detriment and there is a Jewish majority, it is still obvious that we need to have a Jewish majority that is overwhelming and for that state to be democratic."

"And that is why we need to come to a separation," Netanyahu said.

The prime minister then began to spell out the diplomatic dividends that Israel would reap in such a scenario. "That way, we would be ensured of a Jewish majority and we would also have some wiggle room with some of the Arab countries for a certain period of time."

At the conclusion of the session, some lawmakers came away quite confused.

"Netanyahu spoke of the need for separation just after he made clear that there will be no negotiations with the Palestinians in light of the latest circumstances," said one MK who was present at the session. "It is impossible not to wonder whether this was Netanyahu's opening salvo [of a campaign for] unilateral separation from the Palestinians, especially when he made these comments after MKs asked him explicitly about unilateral measures."

"Notice something else," the MK told Makor Rishon. "That is the exact same terminology used by Ariel Sharon when he began to move toward the disengagement plan in Gaza."

EU and Israel to Sign Controversial Horizon 2020 Project
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

President Peres with Jose Manuel Barroso

Flash 90

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso is to formally sign a controversial EU-Israel research program with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during a visit starting Sunday.

The outgoing head of the European Union executive will hold talks with Netanyahu on Sunday before taking part in a signing ceremony the next day allowing Israel to become the only non-European country to benefit from the EU's Horizon 2020 scientific research program.

After months of dispute, the two sides finally agreed a compromise in November enabling hi-tech companies and research institutes in the Jewish state to join the 77-billion-euro program.

Israel had objected to EU guidelines published in July banning funding and financial dealings with Jewish businesses and communities in Judea, Samaria and parts of Jerusalem from January this year. The EU was accused of hypocrisy over the guidelines, with some Israeli officials and commentators pointing out that no such guidelines exist in relation to other disputed regions such as Turkish-occupied Cyprus and Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

The guidelines would have forced Israel to recognize in writing that those communities are not part of the Jewish state in any future EU agreements.

But after sticky negotiations, it was agreed the EU would appendix an agreement to stop research funds serving institutions in Judea and Samaria, while Israel would add its own appendix stating non-recognition of the new guidelines.

EU-Israel relations have long been difficult, notably over the question of the existence of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Brussels on Thursday said it was "deeply disappointed" after Israel unveiled plans to build another 3,200 homes for local Jews, and called for the decision to be reversed.

"This move is unhelpful to peace efforts," the EU said in a statement.

Americans Literal Interpretation of the Bible is on the Wane: Poll
Jun 7th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Washington Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

More than one-quarter of Americans believe the Bible is the verbatim word of God and should be taken literally, according to a new Gallup poll.

A survey of more than 1,000 people showed that 28 percent believe “the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word,” and 47 percent believe the Bible is inspired by God but open to interpretation.

A similar poll in 2012 found that 30 percent believed in the literal interpretation of the Bible.

Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who believe the Bible is “ancient fables, legends, history, and precepts written by man” has risen from 17 percent to 21 percent since 2012.

“Despite some evidence that Americans are becoming more detached from formal religion, the vast majority of Christians, and therefore of Americans, still view the Bible as God’s word,” the survey stated.

About 75 percent of the people taking the survey were Christian and about one-quarter were non-Christian.

Gallup split the survey takers into two groups, offering the second group a fourth optional answer when asked about their perception of the Bible. Of the 500 people who were able to choose “the Bible is the actual word of God, but multiple interpretations are possible,” 28 percent took that option.

“The new question indicates that the percentage of Americans taking the Bible literally is even lower, at 22 percent, when respondents are offered more alternatives,” the survey stated.

But the nearly 78 percent who agreed with one of the three options that relate God’s word to the Bible shows that “three in four Americans consider the Bible holy to some degree.”

The survey was conducted via phone between May 8 and May 11. The results of both survey groups have a margin of error of plus-or-minus 5 percentage points.

Al Qaeda Storms Iraqi University, Takes Many Hostages
Jun 7th, 2014
DailyDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

According to first reports, Al Qaeda gunmen stormed the campus of Anbar University in the provincial capital of Ramadi northwestern Iraq Saturday and are holding dozens of Iraqi students hostage inside the university dormitories. Some reports suggest that up to 1,000 students and teaching staff may be held. The situation is still unclear. Parts of Ramadi and Anbar province have been held by Al Qaeda's Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIS) and other Islamist militants for months against the Iraqi army.