Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

When it is Time to Leave a Church
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

I detest church hopping. Yet I accept the fact that there are times when Christians transfer church membership. But there is a proper time and way to leave a church.

What are the legitimate reasons for leaving a church? When is the right time to leave a church? How should one leave a church to join another?

Red Lights: Wrong Reasons for Leaving a Church

Here are seven wrongs reasons for leaving a church. 

Sin. Someone has sinned. Maybe it was a leader. Is this a good reason to leave? No. It is not promote holiness to leave because of sin. There was gross sin in the church of Corinth. But Paul commanded the church to deal with the sinning member, not leave the church (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). When Paul bids the saints to “come out from among them,” he was talking about the world, not the church (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). We should respond to sinning brothers with restoration, not amputation (Galatians 6:1-5).

Disagreements over secondary doctrinal issues. Biblical convictions matter. But don’t be willing to die on every hill. Contend earnestly for the faith (Jude). But don’t break fellowship over every disagreement about scripture. Paul advised Timothy, “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness…” (2 Timothy 2:14-16)

Disunity. God hates those who sow discord among brothers (Proverbs 6:16-19). But evidence of salvation is love for your brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 3:14). And this love is demonstrated by preserving the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3). Don’t jump ship because you can’t get along with others. You will only have the same problem at the next church. “Do nothing from selfish ambition of conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself” (Philippians 2:3).

Personal offenses. There will be times when Christians sin against one another. What then? Leaving is not the answer. Moving every time you are (or feel) wronged will only lead multiple church transitions. Or you will remain at the fringes of the church, which is just as bad. Jesus gives the answer: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother” (Matthew 18:15). These simple instructions could jumpstart revival in many churches. But what if he doesn’t listen? Turn up the pressure (18:16-20).

Unwillingness to submit to authority. Aaron was more spiritual than Moses. And Joshua was a better leader. But the rod was in Moses’ hand. Don’t fight those the Lord puts in leadership over you. Of course, you should not sit under unbiblical, immoral, or abusive leadership. But there is a way to deal with disqualified leaders (1 Timothy 5:19-20). Without a doubt, you should hold your pastors accountable. But don’t handcuff the spiritual leaders of the church to personal preferences, empty traditions, or unbiblical priorities. Let the leaders lead. And be willing to follow (Hebrews 13:7, 17).

A low view of the church. There is no chapter and verse that commands you to be a church member. But scripture teaches by what it assumes, just as much as it teaches by what is commands. There is no biblical category for an “unchurched Christian.” The apostles would have asked, “Why are you calling her a Christian if he is not a part of the church? Christ is the head of the church. And he does not have out-of-body experiences. You cannot be connected to the head and disconnected from the body. Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25-27). And to love Christ is to love what he loves.

Disregard for truth. Paul charged Timothy to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:2). He then warned that faithfulness to the charge would cause some to flee: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) Faithful preaching will drive some away from the church. But they will not go home. They will find a church where the preacher will tickle their ears. Don’t let that be you. If you are under sound teaching and faithful preaching, for God’s sake, stay put!

Green Lights: When it’s Time to Leave a Church

Here are three basic and acceptable reasons for leaving a church.

A gospel reason. If the church you are a member of does not believe or teach the biblical gospel, you need to leave. Now. Sinners are saved by grace through faith in Christ, plus or minus nothing. Nothing we do saves us. Salvation is God’s free gift to those who trust in the righteousness of Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead for our justification. Anyone who teaches any other “gospel” is accursed (Galatians 1:6-9). And any church that embraces a false gospel is not a Christian church. Run for your life!

A doctrinal reason. Here’s the bottom line: You must leave a church when a church requires you to deny what you believe or believe what you deny. You have three responsibilities when it comes to faith: (1) the duty to live by faith (Romans 14:23); (2) the guarding of your conscience against sin (James 4:17); and (3) the command to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21-21). Don’t treat doctrinal matters lightly. Truth and peace must be protected. But to ignore truth in the name of people only produces a pseudo-peace.

A personal reason. There are many personal reasons for leaving a church. The most common is relocation. If you have moved to a different city, you need put yourself under the authority of a local church where you live. That was Phoebe’s situation (Romans 16:1-2). Or your church can be so far from your where you live in the city that skipping church becomes a convenient excuse. These and other similar personal reasons are acceptable, sometimes necessary, reasons for leaving a church.

Yellow Lights: How to Leave a Church

How can you leave a local church in a Christ-honoring way?

Pray. Important decisions should only be made after diligent prayer. Leaving a church is one such decision. Pray about your motives, duty, and relationships. Pray to guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Pray for wisdom (James 1:5). Pray for submissiveness to God’s will (Colossians 1:9). Pray quietly. That is, pray about it. Don’t talk about it. Loose talk about your unprocessed thoughts and feelings can sow discord.

Examine your motives. Why do you want to leave? I am not talking about the politically correct reasons you tell others. I’m talking about the true motivations of your heart. Do you even know them? Ask God to search you (Psalms 139:23-24). Then be honest with yourself. And be honest with God. Be careful not to move for the wrong reasons.

Review the commitments you have made to serve. Do you serve in the church? Are you a leader? Will your move disrupt the ministry? Answer these questions prayerfully before you leave. If you have made commitments, do everything within your power to honor them. Put the honor of Christ ahead of yours. Push past unworthy quitting points (1 Corinthians 15:58). You do not want to be found AWOL from an assignment God has given you.

Make sure you have no unresolved interpersonal conflicts. Don’t leave a church because you are mad about something. Don’t leave because someone has offended you. Be ready to forgive and eager for reconciliation. Jesus said, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Broken fellowship suspends true worship.

Consider how your transfer will affect others. Christianity is not about you. It’s about Christ and others. If your heart is right, you will feel the weight of how your potential move will injure or influence others. If you can leave without affecting anyone, you were not a good member. If your presence matters, consider how your absence will move others. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests,” instructs Paul, “but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

Determine where you will transfer your membership before you leave. It’s not the Father’s will for his children to be spiritually homeless. Paul says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). The Lord typically leads to a place, not just away from a place. You should be able to leave a spiritual forwarding address when you leave a church. And you should be able to go to your new church with a recommendation from your old church.

Have an exit-interview with your pastor. It is right for you to talk to your pastor before you leave a church. Is he the reason you want to leave? That is all the more reason why you should schedule a conversation. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

What do you think? What is the right time to leave a church? What is the right way to leave a church?

United Nations: Most Gaza Casualties Were Warned By Idf to Leave Targeted Buildings in Advance
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsAlgemeiner
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israel Air Force planes. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

A new United Nations document says that in most cases where Palestinians have been killed or injured during Israel’s ongoing Gaza campaign, the Israeli army alerted civilians ahead of time who were occupying buildings, that they planned to bomb in Gaza, to leave the premises.

“At least 35 residential buildings were reportedly targeted and destroyed, resulting in the majority of the civilian casualties recorded so far, including an attack on 8 July in Khan Younis that killed seven civilians, including three children, and injured another 25,” according to the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Hostilities in Gaza and Israel Situation Report. “In most cases, prior to the attacks, residents have been warned to leave, either via phone calls by the Israel military or by the firing of warning missiles.”

The document was released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) at 15:00 on July, 9, 2014.

Hamas, however, has officially urged residents to ignore the Israeli warnings to evacuate prior to Air Force air strikes, and, instead, called on them to serve as human shields.

The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Interior and National Security said in a statement released on Wednesday, that “(sic) the ministry calling all our people not to deal or pay attention to the psychological warfare carried out by the occupation through rumors that broadcast across his media and delivering publications and communications on the phones of citizens, and the lack of response for each of these means, which aims to weaken the domestic front in light of great steadfastness of our people to face the aggression.”

In an interview on July 8, Hamas Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri justified using residents as human shields. Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a statement released at the conclusion of a crucial security cabinet meeting Thursday evening on the third day of Operation Protective Edge, emphasized that the IDF was “making every effort to avoid hitting civilians and innocents.”

The PM noted that the casualties so far were because Hamas officials were “maliciously hiding behind Palestinian civilians.”

Israeli Air Force (IAF) GOC Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel said at the same meeting that Israel dropped “hundreds of tons of ordnance and bombs on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, in a very complicated environment in which civilians are being used as human shields and we are trying to avoid hitting civilians as much as possible.”

Palestinians report that close to 90 Gazans have been killed and some 630 wounded in IAF strikes across the 40-kilometer-long coastal enclave since the start of Operation Protective Edge.

Israel contends that many of the casualties are members of Hamas and other terror groups. “When houses are used for military purposes, they may become legitimate military targets under international law,” the army additionally said in a statement released Thursday.

However, “Even when a house is considered a lawful military target, the IDF makes great efforts to minimize potential harm to the surrounding civilian population,” the army said.

“The IDF may use real-time visual coverage in order to assess the civilian presence at a target,” the statement said. “The IDF also carefully chooses weaponry and ammunition that will help to minimize any harm to civilians. In certain instances, the IDF also provides advance warning before striking a target,” according to the statement.

“Many of the IDF’s efforts in this regard go beyond its legal obligations and the accepted practice of other militaries operating in urban areas,” the statement read.

Putin Suggests to Create International Information Security System Against Wiretapping
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Times of Russia
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

© Photo: RIA Novosti/Michael Klimentyev

President Vladimir Putin calls cyber espionage a blatant hypocrisy to partners, a direct encroachment upon state sovereignty and a violation of human rights. He said Russia was ready, together with other countries, to start developing an international information security system, reports ITAR-TASS.

"As for the facts of cyber espionage …, it not only amounts of overt hypocrisy in relationships between allies and partners, but also a direct violation of the state's sovereignty, a violation of human rights and an invasion of privacy," Putin told ITAR-TASS ahead of his Latin American tour beginning on Friday, July 11.

"We are looking forward to jointly develope an international information security system," he said.

He believes it is "especially important to consolidate the international community's efforts to ensure equal and indivisible security, as well as to resolve disputes trough the application of international law and with the central coordinating role of the UN".

"The 21st century world is globalised and interdependent. Therefore, no state or a group of countries can unilaterally tackle major international problems and any attempts to build a separate 'oasis of stability and security' are doomed to failure," Putin stressed.

"In order to meet numerous challenges and threats we have to stop trying to impose development models on other countries. This approach has repeatedly proven its ineffectiveness. It does not just fail to facilitate conflict resolution, but leads to instability and chaos in international affairs," he said.

Putin to spend one week in Latin America, visiting Cuba, Argentina and Brazil

Today, after a regular late evening meeting with government officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin will leave for his major trip since the beginning of his third term. As was reported by the Kremlin, the president will visit three countries of the South American continent: Cuba, Argentina and Brazil.

The Head of State is used for distant and difficult trips. One of his biggest tours was around Russia in 2010. Back then, within ten days the president visited Tiksi, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Khabarovsk, Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk. He was traveling for four days from Khabarovsk to Chita on the yellow "Lada-Kalina".

The current overseas trip, which will last exactly a week, is comparable in its duration to the Russian tour. Putin will have to spend about two days in the air, more precisely 46 hours.

For Putin, it is not the first visit to Latin America. On November 22, 2004, the Russian President has first visited Brazil at the invitation of the head of the country Luiz Inacio da Silva. He also met with the leaders of Cuba and Argentina not once. Due to the rising tensions with the United States and the European Union, these contacts are very important to the Kremlin. Russia is interested in deepening the traditionally friendly relations with South America. Dozens of documents on cooperation in various areas prove that, starting from the energy field to culture and health. These documents are prepared to be signed during the forthcoming visit.

PA Distributes Cease - Fire Resolution At the UN
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Palestinian Authority representatives at the United Nations distributed a proposal for a cease-fire declaration for Gaza among ambassadors of the Arab bloc, Thursday evening, according to Kol Yisrael government radio. A Western diplomat said the proposal was based on a declaration during the Cast Lead campaign of 2008 and 2009.

The proposal was expected to be distributed to members of the Security Council. Western diplomats expected a United States veto.

Obama Calls Netanyahu, Upholds Israels Right to Self - Defense
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Nicolas Cage Makes Rapture Bigger Than Ever
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

“I just want you to be ready,” a pleading mom states in the first teaser trailer for the upcoming movie “Left Behind.”

“Ready for what?” her daughter asks.

Fans of the “Left Behind” book series, which to date has sold more than 63 million copies, know the answer to the daughter’s question is the Rapture, a great and terrifying day prophesied in the Bible when millions of Christians around the world will be taken from earth to meet with Christ. It’s a day some imagine as people simply vanishing, leaving their families, cars and even airplanes suddenly empty.

The consequent chaos of millions of people disappearing is the launching pad for a reboot of the “Left Behind” movie franchise coming to theaters Oct. 3.

If the idea of a “Left Behind” movie sounds familiar, it’s because a trio of films based on the book phenomenon was made for home video more than 10 years ago.

But this time around, “Left Behind” scriptwriter and producer Paul Lalonde tells WND, the rebooted story is aiming for a much bigger splash with bigger stars, a bigger budget and a much bigger ambition.

“We did three movies back in the early 2000s starring Kirk Cameron,” Lalonde said in an exclusive interview. “They were extremely successful but didn’t really fulfill my dream as a filmmaker.

“I’ve found Bible prophecy to be a great way to reach out to people who may not necessarily be open to evangelism, so we were excited about [the first] ‘Left Behind’ and how it did, but ever since then I wanted to do something bigger,” he continued. “I wanted to put Bible prophecy on the big screen rather than just on videos, to put the message of Bible prophecy in front of a much broader audience, and not just church-goers. That’s something we’ve tried to do with this new ‘Left Behind’ movie and this new approach of a bigger film with A-list actors.”

Among the A-list actors are the Oscar-winning Nicolas Cage, Lea Thompson of “Back to the Future,” “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks and Chad Michael Murray of “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill” fame.

Lalonde also told WND not to expect this “Left Behind” to be a rehash of the previous film series – a bigger scale means a bigger vision.

“This is a very different script,” he said. “The first movie covered the entire first book in the ‘Left Behind,’ a lot of events taking place, dozens of plot points. In the first movie, we didn’t really have time to focus or to really get to know the characters because of the pace of the events. This movie, on the other hand, the entire movie, is about the day of the Rapture, so really only the first chapter of the first book. This really doesn’t bear any resemblance to the first movie.”

But as more mainstream actors find their way into the film, WND asked, did the biblical content get pushed out?

“This movie focuses on the day of the Rapture, so there really isn’t any huge opportunity for anyone to do evangelizing, but the Christian worldview is there,” Lalonde said. “The message is there. Everybody who is watching knows it was the Rapture; they know where those people went; they know why those people left and why those who were left behind were left behind, so there is no attempt to hide the biblical theme of the movie.

“Yet it’s not in-your-face evangelism, because that’s specifically something I was trying to temper for a more mainstream audience,” he continued. “We wanted to hold true to the source material of the ‘Left Behind’ books, ultimately to hold true to the Scriptures and make sure we didn’t change any of the biblical realities.

“We didn’t do a ‘Noah’ on the script,” he insisted. “What I want is when people walk out of the theater, they’re asking, ‘Is that really in the Bible?’ And unlike ‘Noah,’ the answer is yes.”

For Lalonde, the ultimate goal is to reveal how imminent and relevant biblical prophecy is to all audiences, regardless of their religious background.

“What I like about ‘Left Behind’ is that is a Bible-based movie, it’s a biblical story, it’s a true story – it just hasn’t happened yet,” Lalonde told WND. “It is a biblical movie like ‘Noah’ or ‘Son of God’ or ‘Exodus,’ but nobody’s in sandals. This is the modern world. This is today. And the great thing about the Rapture and about the immanency of the Rapture is this could literally happen this afternoon.

“So that’s a great takeaway for people,” he concluded. “We’re not talking about something that happened 4,000 years ago or 2,000 years ago; this is very relevant to today. Plus, you’ve got sort of a ‘Twilight Zone’ theme going on here with people disappearing – I think it will be very eye-opening to people who are outside of that core Christian audience to see that this is something prophesied in the Bible and worth looking into.”

Created as an action thriller with a budget of $16 million, “Left Behind” is planned as a major, nation-wide release in over 1,800 theaters Oct. 3.

Making the Case Against Abortion
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Sometimes I know what I believe about a moral issue, but I find my position difficult to explain or defend. It’s not that I don’t have convictions, but that I have difficulty explaining those convictions. I would imagine you sometimes struggle in the same way. Over the next while I want to enlist the help of some experts to help me look at some of these issues to see how I, as a Christian, can make the case. And I’d like to start with abortion. How can Christians convince others that abortion is wrong? I asked my friend André Schutten for help. André is Legal Counsel and Ontario Director at the Association for Reformed Political Action here in Canada.

Arguments against abortion that are based on the Bible are important and simple to make, but ultimately require assent to the authority of God through his Word. Because most people deny such authority, we will leave aside the Biblical arguments and show how you can convince others through science, logic, history and human rights.

We begin with logic.

In his excellent little booklet, Pro-Life 101, Scott Klusendorf summarizes the pro-life argument this way: “Elective abortion unjustly takes the life of a defenseless human being. The rationale for that argument is clear and to the point:

Intentionally killing an innocent human being is a moral wrong.
Elective abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent human being.
Therefore, elective abortion is a moral wrong.”

The issue is not nearly as complex as you might think. All it requires is proving the second premise. If the pre-born child is an innocent human being (premise #2), then elective abortion is always a moral wrong. 

This means that the only real issue to resolve in the abortion debate is: What is the pre-born? 

To quote Gregory Koukl, “If the unborn are not human, no justification for elective abortion is necessary. But if the unborn are human, no justification for elective abortion is adequate.” 

Always bring the discussion back to this question: What is the pre-born?

What does science say about the pre-born entity? (As an aside, some Christians say we should just rely the Bible to tell others that abortion is wrong. They fail to see science for what it is: the law and revelation of God. The laws of gravity are God’s laws of gravity.)

Science tells us conclusively that there are four characteristics common to all pre-born children. (These are worth memorizing!)

Complete. From the moment of fertilization the pre-born child is complete. All the information that needs to be there is there. It simply needs time to grow.
Unique. The scientific evidence of DNA proves that the pre-born child is unique and genetically distinct from his or her mother. The pre-born child is not a part of the mother (like an appendix), but a unique entity inside his or her mother.
Living. The laws of biology tell us that the pre-born child is alive because it is growing, developing, and undergoing metabolism and responding to stimuli.
Human. The scientific law of biogenesis states that living things reproduce after their own kind. So, dogs beget dogs, cats beget cats, goldfish beget goldfish and humans beget humans. Not parasites or blogs of cells, but humans—complete and unique living human beings.

Science tells us unequivocally that the pre-born child is a complete and a unique living human being.

So, you’ve looked to science and made the case for the humanity of the pre-born child. But your opponent says, “But the pre-born are different than the rest of us and so they don’t deserve the same protections that you or I do.” While the pre-born are, indeed, different, none of the differences are morally relevant.

Klusendorf has helpfully crafted a mnemonic to remember the differences between born humans and pre-born humans: SLED.

Size. The pre-born are smaller than born humans, but size doesn’t determine our humanity. Infants are smaller than toddlers, and toddlers smaller than teenagers, but all are human and all are deserving of the law’s protection.
Level of Development. The pre-born are less developed than born humans, but our level of development doesn’t determine our humanity. Toddlers are less developed than adults, but both are human and both are deserving of protection under the law.

Environment. The pre-born are certainly in a different place than born humans, but where we are doesn’t determine who we are. If we are human, we deserve the law’s protection no matter where we are.

Degree of Dependency. The pre-born are more dependent on their mothers than most born humans, but infants are just as dependent. Our dependency doesn’t determine our humanity.

Once we have demonstrated that the pre-born child is morally no different from born humans, we see that any alleged justification to kill a pre-born could only be right if the justification also works for killing a toddler.

 If you ever get stuck with a tough scenario (say, questions about poverty, privacy, or even conception through rape), “trot out the toddler.” That is, apply whatever justification your opponent has for abortion to the termination of a toddler. If it isn’t justified for the toddler, it shouldn’t be justified for the pre-born child. 

So, let’s recap: You’ve demonstrated to your opponent that the pre-born child is a complete and unique living human being, despite four differences that are morally irrelevant. What happens if your opponent then says, “Yeah, maybe the pre-born child is a ‘human’, but it isn’t a person.” What then?

If someone ever suggests to you that some human beings are not “persons”, challenge them immediately. History is your ally here, because history repeatedly demonstrates that the law will only separate personhood from humanity for nefarious ends. Consider these historical examples:

1858, Viriginia Supreme Court: “In the eyes of the law… the slave is not a person.”
1881, American Law Review: “An Indian is not a person within the meaning of the Constitution.”
1928, Supreme Court of Canada: “The meaning of ‘qualified persons’ does not include women.”
1936, German Supreme Court: “The Reichgericht itself refused to recognize Jews… as ‘persons’ in the legal sense.”
1997, Supreme Court of Canada: “The law of Canada does not recognize the unborn child as a legal person possessing rights.”

In every case, with the slave, the Indian, the woman, the Jew and the unborn child, science and common sense tells us that they are human. Only the law had the chilling audacity to strip these groups of personhood. If someone is a living human being, then they are a person. A separation between these two can only ever lead to evil.

Quite simply, if you believe in human rights, then you must believe that human rights belong to all humans. And for human rights to have any meaning at all, those rights should begin when the human begins: at fertilization.

The law in Canada (and in certain American states) offers absolutely no protections for the pre-born child. 

From conception to birth (and sometimes even immediately after birth), a pre-born child can be killed for any reason or for no reason at all. This is a gross violation of human rights. Because Christians recognize pre-born children as our neighbors, made in the image of God, we must be at the forefront of defending their lives. God calls us to nothing less. 

As Bonhoeffer once said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Ebola deaths surge in Sierra Leone and Liberia: WHO
Ebola continues to spread in Sierra Leone, Liberia and to a lesser extent in Guinea, with a combined 44 new cases and 21 deaths between July 6-8, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This brought the total in West Africa's first outbreak of the deadly viral disease to 888 cases including 539 deaths since February, the United Nations agency said.  

WHO warns HIV 'exploding' among gay men, urges preventive drugs
"We are seeing exploding epidemics," warned Gottfried Hirnschall, who heads WHO's HIV department. Infection rates are rising again among men who have sex with men -- the group at the epicentre of AIDS pandemic when it first emerged 33 years ago, he told reporters in Geneva.  

Greece Earthquake 2014 Today Strikes North of Athens
A Greece earthquake 2014 today has struck north of Athens. The Greece earthquake today July 11, 2014 began in the afternoon hours. Damage assessment is pending.  

Senators Propose Bill to Reverse Hobby Lobby Decision and Reinstate Abortion Pill Mandate
Two Democratic senators introduced a bill yesterday that would reverse last week’s historic Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision and force all corporations to provide abortion-inducing drugs to their employees.  

GOP Congressman: ‘We Just Filed a Resolution Directing the Sergeant-at-Arms to Arrest Lois Lerner for Contempt’
Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) announced on Thursday that he has filed a resolution directing the House sergeant-at-arms to “arrest Lois Lerner for contempt of Congress” over the IRS targeting scandal.  

Nicolas Cage makes Rapture 'bigger' than ever
“I just want you to be ready,” a pleading mom states in the first teaser trailer for the upcoming movie “Left Behind.” “Ready for what?” her daughter asks.  

5.1 magnitude quake jolts parts of KPK
PESHAWAR (Web Desk) – A moderate earthquake measuring a 5.1 magnitude on Richter scale jolted different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dunya News reported on Friday.  

'Sonic Boom' Earthquake Shatters Expectations
Only six supersonic (or supershear) earthquakes have ever been identified, all in the last 15 years. Until now, they all showed similar features, occurring relatively near the Earth's surface and on the same kind of fault. But last year, a remarkably super-fast and super-deep earthquake hit below Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, breaking the pattern.  

Sources: Iran calling for mass casualties
Iran is attempting to use jihadist surrogates in the Gaza Strip to cause a mass casualty event in Israel that would provoke an Israeli ground operation, according to informed Middle Eastern security officials.  

Obama: US willing to negotiate Israel cease-fire
President Barack Obama is telling Israel's leader that the United States is willing to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, as Israel was intensifying an bombardment of the Gaza Strip in an attempt to thwart rocket fire targeting Israel.  

'Heavy Ukrainian losses' as rebels fire rockets in east
Pro-Russian separatists have fired a big barrage of Grad rockets at Ukrainian troops in the eastern region of Luhansk, killing as many as 30, Ukrainian officials say. Russian Grad rockets are classed as heavy artillery weapons, fired in batches from trucks. Unconfirmed reports put the Ukrainian death toll as high as 30, with dozens more wounded, near Zelenopillya.  

Chinese hackers 'broke into US personnel network'
Chinese hackers broke into a US government network in an attempt to gain personal information on thousands of employees, US media report. First reported by the New York Times, the hackers in March allegedly targeted those applying for high-level security clearance positions. Secretary of State John Kerry called the incident an "attempted intrusion" that was still under investigation.  

Rocket from Lebanon lands in Upper Galilee, sirens blare in Haifa earlier
One rocket was fired from Lebanon on Friday morning on a village in the Upper Galilee. There were no injuries in the attack. Artillery fire was directed at the area from which the rocket was fired, a senior army source said. The rocket was not fired by Hezbollah but by a small radical organization in Lebanon...  

Hamas: Ben-Gurion Airport target of rocket attacks
Hamas's armed wing has warned...it intends to target Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport with its rockets...Gaza... "In the light of Israel's ... attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip ... The armed wing of Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben-Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," the statement said.  

Geophysicists Concerned as Oklahoma's Earthquake Total Surpasses California's
Frequent, rumbling tremors beneath the earth may be a common occurrence in California, but Oklahoma has now surpassed the state in the number of earthquakes felt this year-a trend that is surprising geophysicists and raising concern. "It is actually very surprising to us as well," Pasadena, California-based U.S. Geological Survey Geophysicist Elizabeth Cochran said.  

Virus detected in baby 'cured' of HIV
A Mississippi baby scientists said was "functionally cured" of HIV now has detectable levels of the virus in her blood, 27 months after being taken off antiretroviral drugs, her doctors say.  

U.S. border crisis is draining the immigration budget
IMmigration officials and Border Patrol agents will run out of money if Congress doesn't approve emergency funds to deal with the flood of young migrants at the southwest border, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told senators Thursday.  

Ukraine readies plan against rebels; Germany, France press Putin
Ukrainian forces regained more ground but sustained further casualties on Thursday in clashes with separatists, while two Western allies urged Russia's Vladimir Putin to exert more pressure on the rebels to find a negotiated end to the conflict.  

Earth's Magnetic Field Is Weakening 10 Times Faster Now
Earth's magnetic field, which protects the planet from huge blasts of deadly solar radiation, has been weakening over the past six months, according to data collected by a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite array called Swarm.  

Islamic militants on offensive against Kurds
Islamic militants using weapons they recently seized in neighboring Iraq intensified an offensive against Kurdish areas in northern Syria as they fight to expand the territory under their control, activists said Thursday.  

Remote-Controlled Chip Implanted Under Woman’s Skin Could Deliver Birth Control For Up To 16 Years
The term “wearable technology” is about to get a little deeper; skin deep. According to CNET, a chip has been developed that is capable of being used as a contraceptive or for other drug administration purposes once placed under the skin.  

Katyusha Rocket Fired on Northern Israel from Lebanon
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Katyusha rocket on Israel from Lebanon (file)

Flash 90

As the rocket fire from Gaza terrorists continues to pelt southern and central Israel, a new front appears to have opened Friday morning as a Katyusha rocket was fired on the northern tip of Israel, north of Kiryat Shmona.

The rocket landed in open territory in the upper Galillee. Apparently the IDF estimates it was fired by local terror groups supporting Hamas, and not by the Iran-proxy Hezbollah terror group, reports Walla!.

Residents of the region report having heard explosions, although no injuries or damage was reported from the rocket. IDF forces are searching the area to locate the point of contact and rule out further rocket attacks.

"One projectile hit an open space near Kfar Yuval, between Metula and Kiryat Shmona," a military spokeswoman told AFP, listing two towns near Israel's northern border.

The IDF returned artillery fire later in the morning, targeting locations in Lebanon suspected of being the source of the rocket fire, reports Yedioth Aharonoth.

On the Gaza front, the rockets continued to pummel Israel, extending their reach ever farther north as rocket sirens were heard in Haifa over Thursday night, making it the first time since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Terrorists in Gaza have fired 407 mortars and rockets that hit Israel, with another 118 rockets being shot down by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system since the start of Operation Protective Edge on Monday, an IDF spokesperson told AFP.

The rocket fire overnight was particularly intense on Israel's south, and the IDF struck several hundred more terror sites in Gaza, bringing the total number of sites hit by the IDF since the start of the operation to 1,100.

A senior IDF source on Thursday morning said the rate of striking terror sites in Gaza has been one strike every four and a half minutes, and that the IDF intends to continue that pace in coming days.

"We see a picture in which Hamas is trying to create a surprise by any means possible," said the source. "The moment Hamas and Gaza residents see the great damage to the Strip, they will understand that all the troubles they took in recent years collapsed and were destroyed, and that will speak for itself."

Israel PM: World Pressure Won't Stop Us 'Striking Terrorists'
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he would not bow to world entreaties to stop a ferocious
military campaign against rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

"No international pressure will prevent us from striking the terrorists who are attacking us," he told a news conference at the defence ministry in Tel
Aviv.

Israel Has 'Full U.S. Backing' for Ground Assault
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Dan Shapiro

Flash 90

US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro spoke to Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio) on Friday morning, and committed America's firm support for Israel if it decides to launch a ground offensive on the Hamas stronghold of Gaza.

The statement comes after the IDF on Thursday afternoon sent telephone warnings to 100,000 residents of Gaza, telling them to evacuate the area near the security border in an indication of an imminent ground entry.

"No one wants a ground operation, and we want that Hamas would stop sending the missiles and rockets. But in any case, Israel has full American backing," said Shapiro on the "Good Morning Israel" radio show.

Just before Shapiro's talk of full backing for a ground assault, US President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday night and offered to broker a ceasefire with the terrorist organization Hamas.

"The president expressed concern about the risk of further escalation and emphasized the need for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians and restore calm," the White House said in a statement. "The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement."

While the 2012 deal, brokered by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egypt, ended the counter-terror Operation Pillar of Defense, Hamas did not keep to the ceasefire.

As of June, before the recent escalation, Gaza terrorists had already fired over 450 rockets at Israel since the start of 2014 according to the IDF.

Since Operation Protective Edge began on Monday, Gaza terrorists have fired well over 500 rockets and mortars, and the IDF has hit over 1,100 terror sites.

America has given mixed messages during the course of the operation, supporting Israel's right to defend itself, even as US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday night called Netanyahu after Gaza terrorists fired 80 rockets, and asked him to "show restraint."

ISIS Seizes Nuclear Materials in Iraq
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

ISIS fighters parade in Raqqa, Syria

Reuters

Iraq warned the United Nations (UN) on Thursday that in capturing large portions of the country last month, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) also seized nuclear materials used in research at a university in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

Iraqi Ambassador to the UN Mohammed Ali Alhakim wrote in a letter to the UN, which was seen by Reuters, that roughly 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of uranium compounds were captured by the radical Jihadist group.

"These nuclear materials, despite the limited amounts mentioned, can enable terrorist groups, with the availability of the required expertise, to use it separately or in combination with other materials in its terrorist acts," said Alhakim.

Citing fears of a "dirty bomb" or "pocket nuke," in which nuclear materials are combined with conventional explosives, Alhakim asked for international aid to "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad."

However, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) brushed off the plea, claiming the material was "low grade" and was not a significant threat.

IAEA spokesperson Gil Tudor said Thursday the nuclear material "would not present a significant safety, security or nuclear proliferation risk," reports BBC. At the same time, Tudor added that "any loss of regulatory control over nuclear and other radioactive materials is a cause for concern."

Meanwhile US officials also reportedly have dismissed the threat, saying the uranium was not thought to be enriched and that it would be difficult to weaponize the materials.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces at odds against ISIS

Iraqi forces have been largely unprepared to confront the sudden ISIS threat.

A falling out occurred between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday, after al-Maliki claimed the Kurds were protecting ISIS fighters in the Kudish city of Erbil.

Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani's spokesperson struck back, saying Maliki is "hysterical" and urging him to retire.

"You have destroyed the country and someone who has destroyed the country cannot save the country from crises," the spokesperson said addressing Maliki.

ISIS has rapidly expanded its strength since launching a blitz offensive in Iraq last month. It has captured numerous weapons there, including a long-range Scud missile which it transferred to Syria, and which a member of the group threatened is "heading towards Israel."

The Jihadists group has captured several Syrian oil fields, including the largest oil field in the country. In Iraq, it has seized the country's largest oil refinery, a chemical weapons facility, and became the "world's richest terrorist organization" by looting 500 billion Iraqi dinars ($425 million) from banks in Mosul.

A video uploaded by the group revealed Thursday that ISIS terrorists are active in Gaza as well, firing rockets on Israeli civilian centers.

Iraq Invaders Threaten Nuke Attack on Israel
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The well-organized army of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, claims it has access to nuclear weapons and a will to use them to “liberate” Palestine from Israel as part of its “Islamic Spring,” according to a WND source in the region.

Franklin Lamb, an international lawyer based in Beirut and Damascus, said the move is part of the ISIS aim of creating a caliphate under strict Islamic law, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to Iraq.

Lamb, who has access to ISIS fighters and sympathizers, said ISIS has been working with a “new specialized” unit organized at the beginning of 2013 to focus “exclusively on destroying the Zionist regime occupying Palestine.”

Lamb added that the ISIS “Al-Quds Unit” is working to broaden its influence in more than 60 Palestinian camps and gatherings from Gaza, across “Occupied Palestine,” or Israel, to Jordan and from Lebanon up to the north of Syria “seeking to enlist support as it prepares to liberate Palestine.”

ISIS is also know as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. “Sham,” or “Greater Syria,” refers to Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and southern Turkey.

The Sunni militant group, which has taken over much of the Sunni region of Iraq, could leave the Shiite-dominated region of the country and head toward Jordan and Turkey.

Lamb said that in Iraq alone, some 6 million Iraqi Sunnis recently have become supportive of the ISIS lightning strikes in the Sunni portion of the country.

Some of the Sunni supporters are secular, such as the Naqshbandia Army of former top officials of executed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. As WND reported, the Sunni group may have given ISIS access to its ongoing sarin production facility in northwestern Iraq.

WND also reported ISIS already has captured towns bordering Iraq and Turkey.

The militant group also has steamrolled through the Iraqi desert in the west and taken over the major al-Walid crossing with Syria and the Turaibil crossing into Jordan.

Lamb said ISIS has established a capital for its caliphate in the Syrian city of Raqqa.

“The Islamist organization believes it currently has massive regional support for its rapidly expanding ‘revolution of the oppressed,’” Lamb said.

ISIS estimates it will take 72 months to “liberate” “Occupied Palestine,” or Israel, according to Lamb.

Lamb quoted an ISIS member as saying: “Zionists call us masked, sociopathic murderers, but we are much more complicated and representative of those seeking justice than they portray us.

“Are we more barbaric than the Zionist terrorists who massacred at Dier Yassin, Shatila, twice at Qana, and committed dozens of other massacres? History will judge us after we free Palestine.”

Lamb said ISIS can do what no other Arab, Muslim or Western backers of resistance have been able to accomplish.

He quoted the ISIS member as saying: “All countries in this region are playing the sectarian card just as they have long played the Palestinian card, but the difference with ISIS is that we are serious about Palestine and they are not. Tel Aviv will fall as fast as Mosul when the time is right.”

The WND source said ISIS appears “eager” to fight Israeli armed forces “in the near future despite expectation that the regime will use nuclear weapons.”

“Do you think that we do not have access to nuclear devices?” Lamb quoted the ISIS member as saying. “The Zionists know that we do, and if we ever believe they are about to use theirs, we will not hesitate. After the Zionists are gone, Palestine will have to be decontaminated and rebuilt just like areas where there has been radiation released.”

ISIS access to nuclear weapons could come from Sunni Pakistan, which is home to more than 30 terrorist groups. Pakistan possibly has transferred nuclear weapons to the chief bankroller of its nuclear development program, Sunni Saudi Arabia, as WND previously has reported.

The Saudis, who also have provided billions of dollars to ISIS, have threatened to acquire nuclear weapons if Iran were to develop its own.

The WND source said ISIS denies any interest in training and directing foreign fighters to attack Europe, claiming its goals are to establish the al-Sham caliphate and “liberate Palestine.”

The source said the West, and especially the Israelis, may already be aware of ISIS plans and tactics to take over “Palestine.” He said Western intelligence sources were in possession of an “encyclopedia of information” obtained by Iraqi intelligence less than 48 hours before Mosul fell two weeks ago.

He said an ISIS messenger who was captured and “under Iraqi torture” turned over more than 160 computer flash sticks with the detailed information.

“The U.S. intelligence community is still decrypting and analyzing the flash sticks,” Lamb said.

He indicated that the information already has been handed over to members of Congress, some of whom are sharing it with the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

“The current sense on Capitol Hill is reported to be that the Obama administration is not in the mood to share anything with Israel these days and certainly not with the Netanyahu regime which it loathes,” he said.

Lamb said only time will tell whether or not ISIS reaches both of its objectives. He added that if the “Zionist regime” can be ejected from Palestine, it will set in motion “historic currents” that will be “rather different from the Ehud Olmert-Condoleezza Rice fantasy of ‘a New Middle East.’

IDF Preps for Ground Strike, Military Source Says
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Times of Israel
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israeli soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade take part in a training exercise where they practice door-to-door combat in inhabited areas in Tze'elim, southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2014. (photo credit: Flash90)

IDF Official: 'Significant' Progress in Operation
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The IDF has successfully hit at least 7 Hamas targets since Friday morning, a senior official stated to IDF Radio Friday evening, after over 75 rockets have been fired on Israeli soil since the early morning hours. 

The official stressed that Operation Protective Edge has shown some success so far, with over 2,000 rockets estimated to have been destroyed in IAF airstrikes this week.

"Presumably the day after [the operation ends], Hamas will ask themselves why they should have this conflict [at all]," the official added.

IDF Chief of Staff Says Hamas 'Made a Big Mistake'
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Benny Gantz, Southern Commander Sami Turgeman

Flash 90

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz visited an IDF paratrooper base in the south on Friday, and outlined to journalists the next steps planned by the IDF as part of Operation Protective Edge.

"We will widen the operation as required, to the required intensity," remarked Gantz according to Walla!.

The Chief of Staff spoke about the condition of the over 40,000 reserve soldiers who were called up for the operation, noting "everywhere I see fighters...I see the readiness of people, firmness and consideration. A second thing I see, and am happy for, is the public in Israel. The conduct of the public is correct."

"They made a mistake in Gaza in deciding to exert force against us. They understand that it was a great mistake. At this stage we are using all of our offensive means. On the other hand, we know there are civilians (in Gaza), Hamas has turned them into hostages," said Gantz.

The IDF has documented how Hamas has ordered Gaza residents to act as human shields, a fact that one senior IDF source on Thursday said harmed the IDF's ability to conduct airstrikes, and made a ground offensive inevitable.

When asked about the possibility of a ground assault, Gantz said "we are harming Hamas's capabilities, and we have a lot more to do. Hour by hour, day by day, we will expand our abilities as much as we deem necessary."

Warnings were issued by the IDF to 100,000 Gaza residents to evacuate the security border area on Thursday, indicating that a ground offensive may be imminent.

"We will continue attacking until they stop," added Gantz. "The Gaza Strip needs to choose where it's going - to calmness or catastrophe. We won't go into the methods, but we will return the quiet."

Hamas to Foreign Airlines: Don't Fly to Israel
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas's "military wing" on Friday called on foreign airlines to stop their flights to Israel, Army Radio reported. 

In an official statement issued, the companies were warned of the danger of flying to Israel, as missiles are being directed at airports. The statement came after Hamas claimed on Friday morning that its members had fired four missiles at Ben Gurion Airport.

Hamas - Gaza Appeals to West Bank Palestinians for Support
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas 'Hopes' for An IDF Ground Assault
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas terrorist in Gaza (file)

Reuters

A spokesperson for Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video statement on Thursday, in which he said Hamas is "hoping" that IDF forces will launch a ground offensive on Gaza.

The statement, made by Abu Obeida, came the same day that the IDF sent telephone warnings to 100,000 residents of Gaza, telling them to evacuate the area near the security border, in an indication of an imminent ground entry.

Abu Obeida said in the statement, which was broadcast on Hamas's TV channel, that the "enemy" started the war, despite Operation Protective Edge being launched in response to intense and incessant rocket fire from Gaza.

The Hamas spokesperson did not give an endpoint or conditions for a ceasefire, saying "Hamas is ready for a long battle that will last very long weeks."

Noting on Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's comments indicating a forthcoming ground operation, Abu Obeida said Hamas "hopes for it." In fact, the IDF reports the ground operation is almost inevitable due to Hamas's usage of human shields.

Abu Obeida said Hamas has been escalating the rocket attacks on Israel, from Haifa to Dimona, where Israel's nuclear reactor is stored, a reactor the Hamas spokesperson called "the symbol of Israeli boastfulness."

Hamas has only used a small portion of the means at its disposal to attack Israel until now claimed Abu Obeida, adding that he was certain the "revolutionary wave" in Gaza, Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and "within Israel" will continue to rise.

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction similarly called for a violent "revolution" in Jerusalem last week, after an Arab youth was found murdered in Jerusalem, after which massive violent Arab riots sparked throughout Israel.

While the murder has been claimed to be a "revenge" attack for the murder of three Israeli teens by Hamas terrorists last month, a father of one of the suspects who was released said the main suspect has psychological problems, saying "if he did do something like this, it's because of his sickness."

Gen. Gantz: No Government Directive for Ground Action in Gaza
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Gaza Leader: We're Ready to Fight for Months
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Mahmoud Az-Zahar, a member of the Hamas leadership in Gaza, told Hamas television, Friday, that the terror organization is ready to fight for months and that the current action will stop when what he called all of Israel's violations are resolved, including the siege on Gaza and the re-arrest of security prisoners who had been released in exchange for Israeli soldier Gil'ad Schalit.

Deputy Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh issued a statement that the organization is not afraid of what it called the enemy's threats. It said the enemy's aggressiveness would fail.

Erdogan Slams Israeli 'Lies' Over Hamas Aggression
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Reuters

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of a policy "based on lies" on Friday, as he fumed over Operation Protective Edge, in his latest vehement criticism of the Jewish state.

"They are not honest... We cannot take the side of the cruel," Erdogan told supporters in Istanbul, noting that 100 Palestinians had now been killed while no lives had been lost in Israel. "   

"They say (Hamas) is firing rockets. But is there anybody who died?" he asked. "The number of Palestinians that you (Israel) killed is now 100. Their (Israel's) life is based on lies." 

Hours earlier, Erdogan threatened to sever the normalization process with Israel over the operation, which aims to protect the 3.5 million Israeli citizens now estimated to be in the line of Hamas's rocket fire, 

"You will first stop this oppression. If not, it is not possible to realize normalization between Turkey and Israel," Erdogan said. 

The statement surfaces despite efforts to ease strain between Israel and Turkey, in light of the Mavi Marmara incident of 2010.

The Mavi Marmara, which claimed to international media to be providing "humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza," was the largest ship in the flotilla aimed at breaking Israel's Gaza blockade on May 31, 2010.

The ship defied orders to turn around and dock at the Ashdod port. After it ignored repeated warnings to change course, the IDF boarded the vessel - only to be attacked by Islamist extremists on board.

The soldiers had no choice but to open fire, resulting in the deaths of nine of the activists on board.

After an investigation, Israeli authorities discovered the vessel to be carrying no humanitarian aid - in fact, no aid supplies at all - whatsoever. 

When Israel refused Turkey’s demands to apologize for raiding the Marmara,Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Israel and expelled the Israeli ambassador in Ankara.

Erdogan himself has also had a long public record of anti-Semitic statements, including several recently despite efforts to normalize relations.

Several months ago, Erdogan kicked and beat a protestor who approached the premier over the May 2014 Soma mine disaster. 

"Why are you running away from me - Israeli sperm!" he shrieked, slapping the protester, in video footage uploaded to Sozcu TV. The word "sperm" is seen as a particularly offensive insult in Turkish. The footage later shows security forces beating the man.

In 1998, prior to his stint as PM, Erdogan - then mayor of Istanbul - infamously declared that "the Jews have begun to crush the Muslims in Palestine, in the name of Zionism. Today, the image of the Jews is no different than that of the Nazis."

More recently, Erdogan accused Israel of being behind the ouster of Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi.

Chase Bank Has Pattern of Partisanship on LGBT Issues
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsBreitbart
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The recent exposé of the employee survey that asked probing questions about employee support for the “LGBT community” has focused attention on something that the typical depositor might not be aware of, and that is the massive time and attention JP Morgan Chase lavishes on the LGBT issue.

Four years ago JP Morgan Chase told a local businessman that he had to remove a Christmas tree he donated to the lobby of a branch bank in Southlake, Texas. The reason given was that some found the Christmas decoration offensive. The order to remove was not made locally. It came from higher ups at Chase. 

It is difficult to imagine that anyone offended to find an LGBT rainbow flag displayed at a Chase bank branch or executive office would be afforded the same relief. 

Besides being among the biggest companies in the world, JP Morgan Chase is also one of the most LGBT-friendly. Meanwhile, some employees say the company is indifferent, bordering on chilly, to religious believers.

According to the annual report of the Human Rights Campaign, JP Morgan Chase scores 100% on gay friendliness. The ranking is developed from a survey the bank completed, and scores were tallied based on non-discrimination but also on “non-discrimination based on gender identity and expression” and health programs geared specifically to transgenders.

JP Morgan Chase takes a very assertive role in finding prospective employees who are LGBT. An internal group of LGBT employees formed something called GLEAM that has a top goal of actively recruiting on college campuses. And the bank regularly holds recruitment events for LGBTs in the US and Europe.

When an LGBT person joins JP Morgan Chase he is greeted by an enormous, internal “firm-wide” network called PRIDE that has 25 chapters globally and promises, “No matter what business you are part of or which region you sit in, members of PRIDE are here to help guide, advise and enrich your career.”

Several internal bank sources have said the PRIDE network is given a free hand in sending out messages through company intranet to all employees, especially during “pride week.” The original whistle blower said one message was about how an employee felt “he was always in the wrong body” and another employee said he was nervous about being gay at Chase until he saw one of his managers at a gay bar.

The public face of JP Morgan Chase also endorses LGBT causes. The bank sponsors floats in gay pride parades all over the world and has for years. It puts up LGBT rainbow signage in branches and on ATM machines, often using the slogan “Just be You.”

Image: GAY CITY NEWS

Image: NowTheEndBegins.com

The LGBT push at Chase is not new. A story in The Economist from more than ten years ago reported that JP Morgan had the “oldest gay and lesbian network” with, at that time, 400 members.

The push comes from the very top. JP Morgan Chase’s top spokesman Joe Evangelisti told the American Banker magazine last year that fully 10% of the top 50 executive positions at the bank are occupied by people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Five positions does not sound like a lot, but if you compare it to the general population where no more than 2% are LGBT, then the number would be just one.

The employees who have reached out to Professor Robert George of Princeton and those Breitbart has interviewed are not against diversity. However, in the words of one of them, “diversity only means uniformity of opinion.” Moreover, they suggest that "diversity" does not include them. For instance, there are 18 company-wide employee networks for those of African descent, several for women, Native Americans, Asians, Latinos, the disabled, and what appears to be two for LGBTs.

There are no employee networks for religious believers. One Chase source told Professor George that she has asked for one more than once and hasn’t even gotten a response.

Now comes the employee survey that has asked the intrusive question about employee support for the “LGBT community.” It appears to at least some employees that they are not only unsupported, but they are not allowed to voice their views without threat of harming their careers.

There is one thing that may make believing Christians happy with Chase Bank. It was reported a few weeks ago that the bank has sent letters cancelling the accounts of anyone involved in the porn industry – though the reports are not clear whether that included gay porn stars.

Brics to Open Alternatives to World Bank, IMF
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsEU Observer
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

BRUSSELS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (the so-called Brics) are to establish alternatives to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which they find too biased towards Europe and the US.

Baptist Church Ordains Transgender Woman
Jul 11th, 2014
Daily NewsABP News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

In what is likely a first, Calvary Baptist Church in Washington ordained Allyson Robinson, who was previously ordained as a man, to the gospel ministry.

A transgender woman who attended George W. Truett Theological Seminary and pastored a church in Central Texas as a man has returned to the pulpit.

Allyson Robinson began June 23 as transitions pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington. The calling is temporary — helping with preaching, mentoring and pastoral care duties along with the deacons until the church names a longer-term intentional interim pastor — probably this fall.

Calvary Baptist reaffirmed Robinson’s ordination June 15, prior to Pastor Amy Butler’s departure to become senior minister of the historic and progressive Riverside Church in New York City.

Allyson Robinson“Allyson Dylan Robinson is a minister of the gospel, trained for the task, and ordained to the gospel ministry by another community in which she has served as pastor,” Butler said in an ordination litany later posted on her blog. 

“Over the course of her journey, God has invited her to step into the faithful witness of a new identity, a true identity, and a new name,” she continued. “While we have always known her as Allyson, she was ordained with a different name.”

Robinson, an LGBT-rights activist who has worked in the past for the Human Rights Campaign and as executive director of OutServe, a network for gays in the military, has previous experience in pastoral ministry including five years at Azorean Baptist Church in Portugal and as pastor of Meadow Oaks Baptist Church in Temple, Texas, while studying for her M.Div. at Truett Seminary between 2005 and 2007.

A 1994 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Robinson was commissioned as an officer in the Army. Then known as Daniel Robinson, she commanded PATRIOT missile units in Europe and the Middle East, served as a senior trainer/evaluator for NATO and was an adviser to the armed forces of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

She resigned her commission in 1999 to pursue a calling to Christian ministry. She enrolled at Truett intending to continue in ministry as a Christian man, but her first few semesters turned into soul searching about gender-identity issues that had haunted her since childhood.

“I prayed for 25 years of my life, since I was old enough to know how to pray, that God would fix me,” Robinson told the Waco Tribune-Herald in 2011. “I did everything I thought God wanted me to do, that a good Christian man should do.”

When things got to the point where she contemplated suicide, Robinson went into therapy. About halfway through her M.Div. studies she told loved ones about her desire to live as a woman. Danyelle Robinson, who married Daniel Robinson in 1994 and is the mother of their four children, stood by her spouse.

Robinson postponed her “coming out” until her graduation from Truett in December 2007, because of Baylor University policies regarding homosexuality and gender identity. She resigned from the pulpit before her final semester.

Today Robinson runs Warrior Poet Strategies, a consulting firm that advises clients on organizational design, change strategy, diversity management and social and civic entrepreneurship.

“Calvary’s affirmation of my ordination is certainly very meaningful to my family and me,” Robinson said in an email July 9. “Prior to my ‘coming out,’ we lamented that soon we would never be welcome in a church of our tradition again. To our great joy the Calvary family proved us wrong, just as it has so many others who have felt similar fears.”

“They have embraced Danyelle, our children, and I wholeheartedly and unreservedly,” she said. “They've ministered to us in our times of need and offered us the opportunity to minister to others in theirs. Calvary has been a catalyst for real healing in our lives — the kind that has empowered us to serve with our whole selves and demands that we do no less.”

Eva Powell, chair of Calvary’s personnel committee, said the church is grateful for Robinson’s leadership and her willingness to serve.

“As an active member of our congregation, Allyson has preached for us on many occasions, served in various lay leadership positions and ministered to fellow Calvary members,” Powell said. “We have all had the chance to witness the many ways God has blessed her with a talent for ministry.” 

“When it came time to find someone to help lead us until an interim is in place, Allyson was an obvious and natural choice, as someone already within our congregation who is gifted to serve in this capacity,” Powell said.  

Robinson’s ordination service came just weeks after a Time cover story headlined “The Transgender Tipping Point” forecasting the next big social movement to challenge prevailing cultural beliefs.

Meeting June 10-11 just up the road from Calvary in Baltimore, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution opposing both attempts to alter “bodily identity” through cross-sex hormone therapy or gender-reassignment surgery and “all efforts by any governing official or body to validate transgender identity as morally praiseworthy.”

Powell said the decision by Calvary’s leadership board to select Robinson as transitions pastor was unanimous and indicative of the congregation’s long tradition of striving “to open ourselves to the movement of God's Spirit in our individual lives and the life of our community.”

“Quite simply, this is who we — Calvary Baptist Church, specifically, and Christians more generally — are called to be,” Powell said, “a place that reflects God’s love and recognizes, affirms and nurtures God’s call in each of our lives.”