Bank of America’s Questionable Conduct

The Kansas City Star wrote on July 27:

“Josh Collins and wife Jessica Salazar Collins were mystified: Why would the Bank of America, where they’ve banked since the early 2000s, suddenly ask questions about Josh’s citizenship? He was born in Wichita. So this thoroughly American couple from Roeland Park ignored a form that the bank mailed them about a month ago asking, among other things, whether Josh Collins was a citizen or could claim dual citizenship with another country. Jessica said she tossed the letter because she and Josh ‘thought it was a scam.’

“Until the bank on Tuesday cut off access to their money. Bank of America said it was standard practice to ask about citizen status when opening a new account or updating customer information on an existing one.. ‘Like all financial institutions, we’re required by law to maintain complete and accurate records for all of our customers and may periodically request information, such as country of citizenship and proof of U.S. residency. This type of outreach is nothing new,’ Bank of America said in a statement Friday. ‘This information must be up to date and therefore we periodically reach out to customers, which is what we did in this case.’

“But according to the California Bankers Association, the largest state affiliate of the national association, questions of citizenship are not federally required… She said federal law requires banks must obtain and verify only four things about account holders: name, date of birth, residential address and Social Security number. Other federally chartered banks, including Wells Fargo, ask citizenship questions when some new deposit accounts are opened. The U.S. Department of the Treasury increasingly is urging financial institutions to collect as much information on customers as possible, including citizenship status, and to update often in part to ward against the laundering of money that may flow through foreign countries…

“… when they showed up in person at a Bank of America branch in Mission, a bank worker’s computer screen showed a little red flag near Josh’s name and the word ‘citizenship’ beside the flag. The bank asked Josh for his driver’s license and unfroze the account on Wednesday. Bank of America spokeswoman Diane Wagner said it was unfortunate that the Collinses didn’t respond to the request for updated information. ‘If we don’t hear from a customer in response to our outreach,’ she said, ‘as a last resort, we may restrict the account until we can confirm it is in compliance with regulatory requirements’ and safe from identity thieves.

“Josh Collins wasn’t chosen for any particular reason, Wagner said, adding that all Bank of America customers eventually will receive update notices that will ask about citizenship and dual citizenship. Nonetheless, Josh puzzles over why no such notice went to his wife, if all customers were being contacted… Jessica… added that they’ll be changing banks…”

Inside Edition added on July 30:

“… Then last Tuesday, the family found they couldn’t access their money… Collins said he called the bank and was told the account was frozen because he hadn’t responded to their inquiry about his citizenship status. When the account remained frozen the next day, Salazar Collins called and was told the card had been stolen. ‘So, at that point, we decide[d] to go into the physical bank and it took about 15 minutes, but the first question they asked me was, “Are you a citizen?”’ he said. ‘Again? “Yes.” And then they wanted to know if I had dual citizenship.’

“Collins showed the bank his driver’s license, and his account was ultimately unfrozen, but his automatic bill payments had been deleted, he said… The Salazar Collins family said it plans to move its business to another bank.”

Bank of America’s conduct has become increasingly questionable. They have also made phone calls to customers, especially nonprofit entities, to ask some very intrusive questions which might violate the customer’s or donors’ right of privacy, threatening to “restrict” or even “close” the account if the questions are not being answered.

The Real Dangers of a Cashless Society

The Guardian wrote on July 19:

“Banks are closing ATMs and branches in an attempt to ‘nudge’ users towards digital services – and it’s all for their own benefit… All over the western world banks are shutting down cash machines and branches. They are trying to push you into using their digital payments and digital banking infrastructure… financial institutions want everyone to access and navigate the broader economy through their systems…

“Financial institutions… are trying to nudge us towards a cashless society and digital banking. The true motive is corporate profit. Payments companies such as Visa and Mastercard want to increase the volume of digital payments services they sell, while banks want to cut costs. The nudge requires two parts. First, they must increase the inconvenience of cash, ATMs and branches. Second, they must vigorously promote the alternative…

“We can learn from the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci in this regard. His concept of hegemony referred to the way in which powerful parties condition the cultural and economic environment in such a way that their interests begin to be perceived as natural and inevitable by the general public. Nobody was on the streets shouting for digital payment 20 years ago, but increasingly it seems obvious and ‘natural’ that it should take over. That belief does not come from nowhere. It is the direct result of a hegemonic project on the part of financial institutions [and, we might add, the governments supporting them].

“We can also learn from Louis Althusser’s concept of interpellation. The basic idea is that you can get people to internalise beliefs by addressing them as if they already had those beliefs. Twenty years ago nobody believed that cash was ‘inconvenient’, but every time I walk into London Underground I see adverts that address me as if I was a person who finds cash inconvenient…  But a cashless society is not in your interest. It is in the interest of banks and payments companies. Their job is to make you believe that it is in your interest too…

“[During the] recent Visa chaos… millions of people who have become dependent on digital payment suddenly found themselves stranded when the monopolistic payment network crashed… Cash, on the other hand, does not crash. It does not rely on external data centres, and is not subject to remote control or remote monitoring… This is also the reason why financial institutions and financial technology companies want to get rid of it. Cash transactions are outside the net that such institutions cast to harvest fees and data.

“A cashless society brings dangers… There are also poorly understood psychological implications about cash encouraging self-control while paying by card or a mobile phone can encourage spending. And a cashless society has major surveillance implications… we see an alignment between government and financial institutions…”

On July 30, Bild Online reported that the desired move towards a cashless society (i.e., no cash transactions) was another step towards creating total governmental “Big Brother” control of the countries’ citizens.

Recently, when “panels of experts” were debating the implications of “taped conversations” between Donald Trump and his former attorney, discussing a potential cash transaction by Trump to a female accuser (which transaction never took place), it was stated on CNN that cash transactions are only engaged in by criminals such as drug dealers or those who are guilty of money laundering. Such irresponsible, completely false and utterly foolish statements are of course geared, among other “political reasons,” towards the furtherance of a cashless society.

Warning! Get Ready When US Economy Goes Bust

The Week wrote on July 30:

“The government’s latest numbers showed a whopping 4.1 percent rate [of GDP growth] in the second quarter. It was a big increase over the first quarter, which saw mere 2.2 percent growth… But economic statistics are also full of noise. Were Friday’s numbers a blip or a sign of a new trend?…

“Job growth remains modest but steady. Nominal wage growth is there, but it’s mediocre. And this has literally been the story for years and years, well before the arrival of Trump or the current Congress. Paradoxically, the recovery from the Great Recession has been one of the most anemic-yet-dogged in American history.

“This is especially noteworthy when it comes to the Republicans’ tax cut. Their theory was that by making investments more profitable, the tax law would encourage more investment and thus boost growth. This never made much sense: Investment in the U.S. economy has been crumbling for decades even as corporate profits soared to new heights… there’s no sign of a pickup in investment. In fact, the same Friday report that showed high economic growth also revealed the slowest growth for equipment investments since late 2016. Whatever boosted GDP in the second quarter, it wasn’t that.

“A more likely culprit is in fact Trump’s trade war. But not in the way the president would want. America’s trading partners, particularly China, are gearing up to retaliate against Trump with tariffs of their own. Like shoppers stripping grocery shelves bare in anticipation of a hurricane, it looks like foreign buyers cranked up their purchases of American exports in the second quarter to get them in before the crackdown arrived. For instance, U.S. soybean exports — which are now getting hit hard by the trade war — were up over 50 percent. All told, the sudden surge in American exports accounted for half of the 4.1 percent GDP growth rate.

“Analysts at Morgan Stanley said it was ‘likely a reflection of stockpiling ahead of the implementation of trade tariffs, and so they are likely to subtract from growth in the following quarters.’ In other words, Trump’s policies didn’t drive that growth so much as inspire a foreign freakout that injected more demand into our economy from abroad. And because it happened in anticipation of a trade war that’s now here, the temporary boom will almost certainly be followed by a bust.

“It turns out federal spending also grew by 3.4 percent in the second quarter…”

Whether the American economy will experience a bust now or a little bit later, it is prophesied that ultimately, America’s economic growth, prosperity and wealth will sharply decline. At one time, God blessed America, due to the obedience of Abraham (Abraham was the grandfather of Jacob or Israel. Modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel can be found today in America and Britain, among other English-speaking nations.) But God also warned that He would withdraw His blessings and curse this country if America would not repent of their many sins. There is little evidence of genuine repentance.

EU-US-Trade War—Disagreement on What Was Agreed

The Huffington Post wrote on July 27:

“President Donald Trump said… that he just opened up the European market to U.S. farmers… The European Union’s take was very different. ‘On agriculture, I think we’ve been very clear on that — that agriculture is out of the scope of these discussions,’ European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters in Brussels on Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported. Other than what is ‘explicitly mentioned’ in the agreement, ‘we are not negotiating about agricultural products,’ she said. ‘When you read the joint statement … you will see no mention of agriculture as such; you will see a mention of farmers and a mention of soybeans, which are part of the discussions, and we will follow up [on] that,’ Andreeva added…

“The U.S. ‘heavily insisted to insert the whole field of agricultural products’ in the negotiations, Juncker later told reporters, according to the Journal. ‘We refused that because I don’t have a mandate and that’s a very sensitive issue in Europe.’”

Focus wrote on July 29: “In the trade war [between Europe and the USA], there is no reason for ‘all-clear!'”

The EUObserver wrote on July 26: “Did Juncker trick Trump? The EU commission chief agreed to trade talks even if the US president did not lift tariffs on steel and aluminium [sic]. But he avoided tariffs on cars and obtained a commitment to refrain from new unilateral moves.”

Germany’s Anti-Trump Strategy

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 27:

“On the day European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reached a surprise deal on trade with Donald Trump, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas… presented the Japanese leader with his idea for a new alliance between states. It could fill the geopolitical vacuum created by Trump. In the coming months, a network of globally oriented states is to be created that closely coordinates its foreign, trade and climate policies…  [This] is to say, an alliance that stands for the global rules and structures of the postwar order that Trump rejects…

“The outlines of the German government’s new anti-Trump strategy are currently being sketched out. The German Foreign Ministry has been doing preliminary work on it for some time now… But now a clear goal has emerged. If that hadn’t been the case before, the Brussels NATO summit — where the U.S. president threatened to withdraw from the Western defense alliance — and his later description of the European Union as a ‘foe,’ cemented the conviction in Berlin, Brussels and Paris that alliances mean nothing to Trump. The U.S. has transformed from a ‘source of order’ into a ‘destroyer of order,’ according to sources within the German government…

“The strategy won’t likely be fully formed until the end of the year, but the allies have already been determined. In addition to Japan, they are likely to also include South Korea… Both countries would like to sign wide-ranging free trade agreements with the EU. Maas is also considering South Africa, Australia and Argentina as strategic partners, as well as, of course, the U.S.’s two neighbors, Mexico and Canada…

“Maas plans to float the first trial balloon during the General Assembly of the United Nations in late September. Together with India, Brazil and Japan, the German foreign minister is planning a proposal for a reform of the Security Council. Germany will serve on the Security Council for two years starting in 2019. If Berlin is assigned to chair the council, that would be the point at which the new alliance would appear together for the first time. Maas wants to define the new seat as ‘European,’ in ‘radical alliance’ with France.

“That won’t be easy, because Paris and Berlin aren’t just pursuing contradictory goals when it comes to trade. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to found an ‘interventions initiative’ in which other non-EU states can also participate. Germany, for its part, supports a European defense union, or Pesco for short, that is focused on the EU. Meanwhile, with a ‘new policy for Eastern Europe,’ Maas wants to, above all, overcome the rifts with Eastern European countries like Poland and the Baltic States in order to create a Europe that is ‘sovereign and strong.’

“Now, much as they succeeded in doing during the trade war with the U.S., the French and the Germans need to find a compromise. The conflict over tariffs, Maas argues, shows ‘that our words carry weight when Europe acts together.’”

German Defense Minister Attacks Trump

The Local wrote on July 27:

“Germany’s defence minister Ursula von der Leyen has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, saying that the US president is a man without a plan. ‘There is no recognizable strategy in the president’s approach to Russia,’ said von der Leyen in an interview… While Russian president Vladimir Putin’s strategy was to position himself as a global player, thereby distracting from Russia’s economic weaknesses, Trump appeared to have no clear aims, said von der Leyen… ‘The problem with Helsinki is that nobody knows what was discussed or even agreed,’ she said…

“Von der Leyen also suggested that Trump’s hostility to Chancellor Angela Merkel was down to the fact that she didn’t fit into his perceptions of women. ‘A woman like Angela Merkel, a globally admired head of government with many years of experience has probably not featured in his world view before,’ said von der Leyen. ‘At the beginning, he didn’t even want to shake her hand. Now he is much more respectful.’”

Die Welt wrote on July 29: “One cannot rely anymore on America’s protection in light of Trump’s politics. Berlin has no other choice: Germany must become a nuclear power.”

These are strong words. The handwriting is on the wall!

Joschka Fischer: Europe Must Unite

On July 31, Handelsblatt Global published the following article by Joschka Fischer, Germany’s former vice-chancellor and foreign minister:

“After US President Donald Trump’s recent European tour… there can no longer be any doubt that he and his supporters want to destroy the American-led international order and global trade system… Trump [is the most] powerful man in the world… By seeking to disrupt virtually all that has defined the West since the end of World War II, Trump has brought the world to a historical turning point…

“For Europe, the stakes could not be higher… Europeans should not count on existing alliances and rules…

“For Europeans, the 19th century was shaped by the aftermath of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, whereas the 20th century was driven by two world wars, the Cold War and the development of nuclear weapons. At the end of WWII, two non-European powers on either side of the old European state system — the US and the Soviet Union – asserted themselves, and Europe became just another square on the chess board. Up to that time, Europe had ruled the world… But with the end of WWII, its dominance came to an end…

“The question now is whether the EU will reclaim its full sovereignty and assert itself as a power on the global stage or let itself fall behind for good. This is the moment of truth. There will be no second chances. Only the EU can win back European sovereignty for the 21st century… Reclaiming sovereignty will require… a new understanding of the relationship between the EU and its member states. The European project… must now also enshrine joint sovereignty.

“If the EU succeeds in this task, Trump will have inadvertently done it a big favor. History sometimes proceeds in strange ways. The key is to take it as it comes, and not hesitate when the moment for decisive action arrives.”

The Bible has prophesied that after Rome’s fall, the ancient Roman Empire would be resurrected ten times in Europe. The ninth resurrection occurred under Mussolini and Hitler and ended with the end of World War II. Europe’s power was gone, and Europe returned to the abyss. But, as Joschka Fischer suggests, it could rise again as the proverbial phoenix from the ashes, or, as the Bible puts it, as the beast coming out of the abyss one more time. And THAT is exactly what will happen.

Does Trump Have to Fear “Fear”?

CNN reported on July 30:

“Donald Trump is about to get the Bob Woodward treatment. The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author will release ‘Fear’ — his first book on the Trump administration — on September 11, 2018, just weeks before the midterm elections that could deliver a strong verdict on the President’s first two years in office…

“‘Fear’ is based on hundreds of hours of taped interviews with first-hand sources and provides an in-depth, probing account of Trump’s thoughts and decisions on everything from national security to the Russia investigation to the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In addition to interviewing dozens of administration officials… Woodward was given memos, documents, diaries and notes, including some handwritten by the President…

“Woodward, famed for his coverage of the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation, has written or co-authored 18 books including penetrating looks at George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s presidencies. These books, including ‘Obama’s Wars’ about the President’s handling of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and ‘State of Denial: Bush at War’ about the waning years of Bush’s administration, have been controversial, partly because they have relied on [confidential and sensitive information]…

“[Michael] Wolff, [who wrote “Fire and Fury” and] who is known for taking some creative liberty, is far different than Woodward, who is known as a meticulous note-taker and fact-checker… Woodward — who spent the last eight months reporting and writing ‘Fear’ — primarily used first-hand sources for the book, relying on people who were in the room with the President when the decisions were made…”

Whatever the outcome, Donald Trump was placed in power to fulfill biblical prophecy–accelerating the downfall of the United States and the worldwide antagonism against America… and he will stay in office until that “task” has been accomplished.

Britain at Brink of Political Anarchy

The Sun wrote on July 30:

“How does this great nation find itself on the brink of political anarchy, paralysis and a Channel blockade on food and medicine? The answer is appalling leadership, dithering diplomacy . . . and a quite incredible failure to speak to the people… The mood in Britain has hardened dramatically against Brussels…

“It is now too late for the traditional EU stitch-up, with Brussels giving an inch and taking a mile. Forget about a second referendum…

“We will NOT sink back into the Dark Ages, cut off from the world, adrift in the North Sea with no friends…”

But sadly, this is EXACTLY what the Bible prophesies to happen.

Move from England to Spain and France

The EUObserver wrote on July 30:

“EU states have decided to move the HQ of their Atalanta anti-piracy mission from the UK to Spain and France due to Brexit. The mission, which has fought piracy off the Horn of Africa for the past decade, will see its command moved from Northwood, in south-east England, to Rota, in south-west Spain, and to Brest, in western France, on 29 March next year, EU diplomats meeting in Brussels on 30 July agreed.”

Orban’s View of a New Europe

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 28:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban decried the ‘undemocratic’ governments of Western Europe…, as he laid out his vision for the continent ahead of European elections next year. He also called on right-wing parties across the European Union to band together…

“He called on a new model for Europe based on ‘Christian democracy,’ which he said is ‘anti-immigrant, anti-multicultural and stands for the Christian family model.’’

Not Enough Evidence of Discrimination in Italy???

The EUObserver wrote on July 27:

“The European Commission has not seen enough evidence of discrimination against the Roma in Italy to launch legal action, despite years of documented abuse. The admission follows the forced eviction on Thursday (26 July) of some 300 Roma in a government-run camp in the outskirts of the Italian capital – in direct violation of an injunction order by the European Court of Human Rights.”

Failed US Middle East Plans

The Algemeiner wrote on July 27:

“Over the years, the various US initiatives for the Middle East… have always failed… American peace plans are bound for failure because they tend to discount the complexities of the violent Arab-Muslim reality and because they are wedded to oversimplified solutions, wishful thinking and quick fixes…

“The plans have been undone by the volcanic eruptions in the Arab-Muslim world since the seventh century: a violent tribal-religious-ideological fragmentation, intolerance, a lack of regional and local coexistence, minority-led regimes that deny human rights, unstable governments and flawed agreements…

“US peace plans have always tried to make Israel make far-reaching concessions that undermine its very existence… They have always drawn an immoral equivalency between the Arab/Palestinian aggressor and the Israeli victim; between Islamic terrorism and the Israeli counterterrorism measures; between America’s most reliable ally and the Palestinians, who have consistently allied themselves with America’s enemies and adversaries (Nazi Germany, the Soviet bloc, Iran, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela)…

“William Rogers, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as others, all tried and failed…”

Dramatic 2018 Global Wildfire and Drought Season

The Huffington Post wrote on July 28:

“… the northern hemisphere fire season now extends from June until October, and more death and destruction is inevitable as one of the strongest, longest-lasting global heatwaves in decades continues to envelop countries from Siberia to the Mediterranean, from North America to East Asia. Temperature records keep getting surpassed, and there’s little rain in the forecast for many regions.

“People have had to be evacuated from Yosemite National Park, Sweden has lost an estimated 30,000 hectares of forest and large areas of bone-dry Latvia, Italy, Finland and Norway have all been blanketed in smoke.

“The 2018 wildfire season has been dramatic, prompting headlines about the world being on fire…

“In the United States, nearly 4 million acres across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and Oregon have burned so far this year… [A] 2016 report by the European Environment Agency suggests Mediterranean countries are seeing more heat extremes and reduced rainfall, resulting in more forest fires. The number of fires this year across Europe is up 40 percent on average…

“The vast majority of fires are caused not by lightning or natural events, but by human error or vandalism… As much as 90 percent are the result of things like campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, negligently discarded cigarettes or arson. Because humans can start fires so easily, there is no simple way to prevent them, short of drastic and likely unfeasible solutions like removing people permanently from susceptible areas or redesigning landscapes to remove trees completely…”

Breitbart wrote on July 29:

“A wildfire in Northern California [near Redding] that has killed [eight] people [as of July 30] and burned hundreds of structures grew to nearly 90,000 acres Sunday…‘Extreme fire conditions continue to challenge firefighters last night,’ Cal Fire said. ‘Erratic winds and hot dry conditions resulted in greater growth and increased fire behavior during night operations.’…

“Several other wildfires burned throughout the state on Sunday [at least 17 as of Monday], including the River Fire in Mendocino County, which has burned 11,028 acres and destroyed four residences and one outbuilding since it began on Friday. The Ranch Fire, which also started in Mendocino County on Friday, grew to 13,242 acres and was at five percent containment Sunday, Cal Fire said.”

The Local wrote on July 29:

“Withered sunflowers, scorched wheat fields, stunted cornstalks — the farmlands of northern Germany have borne the brunt of this year’s extreme heat and record-low rainfall, triggering an epochal drought…

“The grain crop alone has shrunk by up to eight million tonnes or around 18 percent this year, stripping 1.4 billion euros from revenues so far… the knock-on effects of the grain shortage have already been dramatic, depriving farmers of animal feed and sending prices soaring.

“Many dairy farmers have responded by selling their livestock. The number of slaughtered cows and heifers surged 10 percent in the first two weeks of July…”

Turkey’s Dictatorship, Religious Persecution and Threats

Newsmax wrote on July 29:

“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the US in comments published Sunday that sanctions would not force Ankara to ‘step back’ after Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey [with large sanctions] if a US pastor was not freed… ‘The US should not forget that it could lose a strong and sincere partner like Turkey if it does not change its attitude,’ he was quoted as saying…

“Relations between the NATO allies have worsened over the jailing of Brunson, who ran a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir. He was held in a Turkish jail for almost two years on terror charges but was placed under house arrest on Wednesday…”

But where is the outrage towards Putin’s illegal persecution and imprisonment of hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia?

Religious Persecution in Rwanda

World Watch Monitor wrote on July 27:

“The Rwanda Governance Board continues to close churches it says fail to meet requirements laid down at the beginning of the year. New requirements set in place for those congregations that want to continue ministry are also complicating efforts to comply. Many see the closures as part of an effort by the government to make its aggressive secular stance clear… more than 8,000 churches have now been closed, and the number keeps growing…

“World Watch Monitor learned that in one village the church was closed while a wedding was ongoing. The couple and all the guests were simply told to leave the church during the service, and the church was closed. Another church was stopped from having services and other meetings (such as home groups) in a school hall as an alternative after all the churches in that parish had been closed. The church had timber instead of a metal door and window frames, and was told the roof also needed to be elevated ‘just a little’… One congregation now meets in a church building in another neighbourhood. Another congregation’s members walk 20km to attend church in a neighbouring community after their church was closed.

“Many new requirements not originally included in the directive have now been added, including:… All pastors now need to have a theological degree. This was already communicated as a requirement, but now the degree needs to be from an accredited institute. Another new law states that only institutions that also teach science and technology can teach theology, meaning that few of the many (often highly regarded) theological institutions or Bible schools are regarded as valid…

“On paper, the same rules apply to Muslims as to Christians, but in practice this is not the case… There is a high level of fear among church leaders. Shortly after the new requirements began to be implemented, officials arrested six pastors accused of plotting to defy the government orders. Although the pastors have since been released, a senior church leader explained that the arrest served as a stern warning to others to not resist the move.”

Religious Persecution in China

World Watch Monitor wrote on July 26:

“The government is especially wary of ‘high profile’ churches that have access to international networks… Churches that hold meetings in commercial buildings are targeted… The authorities close church venues and more landlords refuse to continue rental contracts with churches. Hence, these local churches are forced to return to house meetings…

“Two weeks ago, the Bible Reformed Church in Guangzhou was forced to stop its meeting for a third time in a month following a police raid, during which a number of Christians were arrested for questioning… That same day local authorities had sent a notice ordering the church to stop its activities, having already issued previous notices to ‘stop illegal education’. The church was also fined 50,000 yuan (US $7,500) by the local religious affairs bureau…

“Many churches in China are reluctant to register as they are afraid the government will use the information they provide to control them… The coming years are likely to be very difficult for Christians throughout China, with even more oppressive laws on the agenda… the underlying dark spirits of atheistic Marxism have not disappeared…”

After all, it is Satan and his demonic dark spirits who rule this entire world.

Concentration Camps in China

World Watch Monitor wrote on July 20:

“… ongoing Chinese government crackdown on its Uyghur-people in Xinjiang province is tearing both Muslim and Christian families and communities apart… Hundreds of thousands – reports say it might be over a million – Uyghur and Kazakh men have been rounded up and taken to ‘re-education Centres’… where they are detained for weeks or even months… Although most of those detained have a Muslim background, those who have converted to Christianity have also been caught up in the crackdown.

“Many are arrested during surprise raids and taken to an unknown location, leaving wives and children in uncertainty and often without any income… children, whose parents or guardians have been taken to the camps, end up in orphanages until their parents are released… The Chinese government has denied the existence of the camps…”

Of course, the Chinese government would deny their existence.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Brits Oppose May’s Plan as to HOW to Leave the EU

Reuters wrote on July 22:

“Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to leave the European Union are overwhelmingly opposed by the British public… May’s political vulnerability was exposed by the survey which found voters would prefer Boris Johnson, who quit as her foreign minister two weeks ago, to negotiate with the EU and lead the Conservative Party into the next election.

“Only 16 percent of voters say May is handling the Brexit negotiations well, compared with 34 percent who say that Johnson would do a better job… With a little more than eight months to go before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, May’s government, parliament, the public and businesses remain deeply divided over what form Brexit should take. May’s plans to keep a close trading relationship with the EU on goods thrust her government into crisis this month… Only one in 10 voters would pick the government’s proposed Brexit plans if there were a second referendum… Almost half think it would be bad for Britain.

“The new Brexit minister Dominic Raab… refused to deny reports the government is planning to stockpile food or use a section of motorway in England as a lorry park to deal with increased border checks if Britain leaves the EU without a deal…

“Thirty-eight percent of people would vote for a new right-wing party that is committed to Brexit, while almost a quarter would support an explicitly far-right anti-immigrant, anti-Islam party… Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage and U.S. President Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon are in discussions about forming a new right-wing movement…”

Regarding Steve Bannon’s controversial plans, notice articles below.

The Blame Game Has Begun…

EUObserver wrote on July 23:

“Britain’s new foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt warned on Monday in Berlin that there is a clear risk of the UK leaving the EU next March without a deal and that the bloc will be blamed for it by stalling the talks – as the blame-game starts for a possible ‘no-deal’ scenario.

“Speaking on his first trip after being appointed following the resignation of Boris Johnson earlier in July, Hunt told his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, that ‘there is now a very [real] threat of a Brexit no deal accident, and this is because many in the EU are thinking that they just have to wait long enough and Britain will blink.’”

EU and China Take Control of Internet

Politico wrote on July 19:

“The United States is losing ground as the internet’s standard-bearer in the face of aggressive European privacy standards and China’s draconian vision for a tightly controlled web. The weakening of the American position comes after years of U.S. lawmakers and presidents, including both Donald Trump and Barack Obama, backing the tech industry’s aversion to new regulations. The EU has stepped in to fill part of that gap, setting privacy standards that companies like Facebook and Google must follow.

“At the same time, China is dictating companies’ security practices and demanding to see their products’ source code — developments that experts say will undermine global cybersecurity. And while the global tech industry is adapting to these new realities, no one in the Trump administration has devised a clear plan to rebut either of these agendas.

“The result: Beijing and Brussels are effectively writing the rules that may determine the future of the global internet…

“The implications extend beyond pure cybersecurity issues. China’s law raises concerns about internet freedom, censorship and surveillance…”

What a U.S.-China/EU Trade War Could Do to the Global Economy 

Market Watch wrote on July 23:

“… neither Washington nor Beijing are set to back down, opening the door to a tit-for-tat spiral. On the U.S. side, the Trump administration appears to be abiding by the president’s assertion that trade wars are ‘easy’ to win… China… sees its technology and industrial policies as non-negotiable and doesn’t want to be seen as being bullied by the U.S…

“… signs of momentum for the U.S. economy are encouraging Trump to push hard on trade… the U.S. economy isn’t geared to produce the types of goods currently imported from China… For China, the tensions come as trade is already slowing… The U.S.-China trade war could escalate quickly, ultimately affecting over $600 billion in trade…”

Handelsblatt Global wrote on July 24:

“Last week brought a foretaste of the stock market turmoil that could be looming… Shares in aluminum giant Alcoa [in Pittsburgh] tumbled by 16 percent on Wall Street on Thursday and Friday after the increased price of metal imports forced it to issue a profit warning… many analysts are warning that many more companies could follow suit. ‘A trade war would be a worst-case scenario, especially for stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic,’ said the chief economist of German bank IKB, Klaus Bauknecht.

“Right now, that is where Mr. Trump is heading. He told CNBC last Friday he was prepared to impose tariffs on up to half a trillion dollars-worth of Chinese goods. He’s repeatedly threatened to impose duties on car imports from Europe, on top of tariffs on steel and aluminum. The EU, which has already taken steps to curb steel imports, said it would retaliate further if necessary… Michael Cembalest, the chief strategist at JP Morgan, said that if Mr. Trump carries out his threats, the US would be imposing the biggest tariff hikes since the 1930s…

“Analysts at UBS said US and European stock markets stand to lose at least 20 percent in a trade war… US consumers are currently buying foreign goods by the bucket loads: America’s gigantic trade deficit reached an all-time high of $566 billion in 2017… The price of washing machines has jumped by 20 percent since March because of new US tariffs…”

Trump Offers $12 Billion in Aid to Farmers Hurt by Tariffs

The Week wrote on July 24:

“The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers who have been negatively impacted by President Trump’s escalating trade war. The plan comes as retaliatory tariffs from China and other countries have slashed profits for farmers who grow soybeans, rice, beef, pork, and other products. Farm groups have criticized Trump for implementing tariffs, saying the fallout could cost them billions of dollars.

“The Agriculture Department plans to fund the bailout with direct assistance, trade promotion, and a food purchase and distribution program… Trump on Tuesday said that his tariffs are the ‘greatest.’”

He also said that American citizens ought to be “patient,” as the great positive effect for the USA regarding his tariffs on foreign countries would materialize in time.

Newsmax added on July 24:

“Some farm-state Republicans… quickly dismissed the Trump farm plan, declaring that farmers want markets for their crops, not payoffs for lost sales and lower prices… With congressional elections coming soon, the government action underscored administration concern about damage to U.S. farmers from Trump’s trade tariffs and the potential for losing House and Senate seats in the Midwest and elsewhere.

“The administration said the program was just temporary. ‘This is a short-term solution that will give President Trump and his administration the time to work on long-term trade deals,’ said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as administration officials argued that the plan was not a ‘bailout’ of the nation’s farmers. But that provided little solace to rank-and-file Republicans, who said the tariffs are simply taxes and warned the action would open a Pandora’s box for other sectors of the economy.”

EU vs. USA

Express wrote on July 24:

“European Commission President Mr Juncker travels to Washington in the hope he can put an end to a feud with the US President, a meeting that has been in the making since the pair exchanged views at the G7 summit in Quebec, Canada. During their last encounter, Mr Trump branded the EU’s most senior official a ‘brutal killer’ and has since branded the EU a ‘foe’, citing their trading strategy as the reason for his wariness of the Brussels bloc.

“Despite hoping for Mr Juncker to end the US-EU trade dispute, [Dieter Kempf, president of the Federation of German industry] believes Brussels should use its position in the world and ‘not allow itself to be blackmailed’. The German business chief is keen to stress the importance of his country’s automotive industry for US jobs… Berlin’s automotive industry employs more than 118,000 people in the US with 60 percent of its production in the States being exported to other countries…”

President Trump stated in a speech to veterans on July 24 that the Europeans (represented by President Juncker) were coming to the White House to beg him to change his mind on imposing further tariffs, including on German cars like Mercedes and BMW, but that he won’t do so. If this will be the end result of the discussions for now, then the EU has already announced that they will retaliate with heavy tariffs worth 20 billion dollars on US products, which, if enacted, would result in terrible economic consequences for all countries and citizens involved.

The Washington Post wrote on July 25:

“Several of President Trump’s senior economic advisers believe he plans to push forward with 25 percent tariffs on close to $200 billion in foreign-made automobiles later this year… despite numerous warnings from GOP leaders and business executives who have argued that such a move could damage the economy and lead to political mutiny. But Trump has become increasingly defiant in his trade strategy, following his own instincts and intuition and eschewing advice from his inner circle. He has told advisers and Republicans to simply trust his business acumen, a point he tried to reinforce Wednesday morning in a Twitter post: ‘Every time I see a weak politician asking to stop Trade talks or the use of Tariffs to counter unfair Tariffs, I wonder, what can they be thinking… Are we just going to continue and let our farmers and country get ripped off?’”

Subsequently, as the following articles point out, Junker and Trump agreed that they would work on reducing the trade tensions between the two power blocs. Many concluded that the concerns raised in the articles above are therefore no longer valid. But is this a correct assessment of the situation?

“Deal” Reached Between Trump and Juncker… How Good Is It?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 25:

“US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker met at the White House on Wednesday, where they announced that the US and the European Union would work to reduce trade tensions that have arisen over the past few months out of Trump’s confrontational trade policy. The meeting comes after weeks of acrimony between the US and EU — which account for 50 percent of global trade — as both sides slapped tariffs on one another.

“In an unexpected press announcement in the Rose Garden, Trump and Juncker laid out the major goals that they had agreed upon in their meeting:

“The US and the EU would work towards ‘zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods,’ Trump said. The EU would buy significant amounts of liquid natural gas from the US to help diversify the bloc’s energy sources, as well as increase its imports of US-grown soybeans. Both sides will hold off from imposing any further tariffs, and the EU will reassess existing tariffs on US steel and aluminum as long as trade talks remain ongoing…

“Trump said that the US and the EU had launched ‘a new phase of close friendship and strong trade relations in which both of us will win.’… If trade barriers between the US and the EU are eventually reduced following future talks, the result would be a significant U-turn from the US president’s protectionist policies towards Europe…

“While both he and Juncker said no new tariffs would be imposed as long as trade talks remained ongoing, it was unclear whether or not Trump had backed away from eventually slapping import fees on foreign cars, given the ‘non-auto industrial goods’ exception he pointed out…

“Juncker’s willingness to reform the WTO with Trump lines up the EU with the US against China…”

Much of the conservative US press hailed the “deal” as a victory for Donald Trump. The article in Deutsche Welle, quoted above, hailed it as a success for the EU. However, reviewing the “terms” of the deal, there were very few substantive provisions which were “agreed” upon. The new era of “close friendship” might be short-lived. Note the next article.

“Deal” Could Fall Apart on a Moment’s Notice

The Washington Post wrote on July 25:

“Trump did not definitively agree to suspend steel and aluminum tariffs against E.U. countries… There was not a specific agreement on existing tariffs on automobiles, which had been Trump’s primary source of frustration with European leaders since at least last year. And while Juncker is an important figure in European politics, any final deal must be seen as acceptable to a range of leaders of E.U. nations, any one of whom could issue a statement that offends Trump and upends the entire process…

“The White House has touted half-step trade agreements before, only to see them crumble and lead to increased acrimony. In May, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin returned from a trip to Beijing and said that the trade war with China had been put on hold and that both sides had agreed to halt new tariffs. The detente lasted only days before talks broke down, leading to an escalation of protectionist trade measures by the world’s two largest economies…

“Before Trump could impose tariffs on auto imports, the Commerce Department would have to issue a finding that they pose a national security threat. Several Republican lawmakers have said such a finding would be laughable, but the Commerce Department has flexibility to make a determination on its own… Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Wednesday evening that his investigation into auto imports remained ongoing despite the White House agreement, a sign that tensions between Trump and European leaders could reignite on a moment’s notice…”

In addition, as recent events have shown, nobody seems to be able to recall exactly after a while as to what actually was “agreed” upon.

“Germany Reacts to Juncker-Trump Trade Deal with Cautious Relief”

Deutsche Welle reported on July 26:

“German politicians and business leaders reacted with relief, surprise, and some skepticism…

“German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was among the first to express his approval, tweeting that the new deal would ‘avoid trade war & save millions of jobs!’ Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also took to Twitter to declare Juncker’s negotiations a triumph for European solidarity… The optimism was echoed through Angela Merkel’s official channel’s, with the chancellor’s deputy spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer saying that the government welcomed the agreement, and that the ‘EU Commission could continue to rely on our support.’…

“But Germany’s business chiefs were a little more cautious. ‘The solutions that have been presented are moving in the right direction, but a proper portion of skepticism remains,’ said Eric Schweitzer, president of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK). ‘We’re still some distance away from equal negotiations. The unjustified car tariffs are not completely off the table.’

“Dieter Kempf, the president of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), made similar noises, telling the DPA news agency: ‘The spiral of tariffs in transatlantic trade has been stopped for now. Now these words have to be followed with actions.’

“Holger Schmieding, chief economist at the Berenberg Bank, offered perhaps the pithiest comment: ‘It’s not a proper deal, but it’s a step away from the abyss.’

“Meanwhile, opposition political parties pointed out that Trump had developed a reputation for reversing his decisions, or even denying his own statements. Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, deputy leader of the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP), would only say that ‘it remains to be seen,’ whether the agreement would be work out. The US president ‘has often shown himself to be unpredictable,’ he told DW…

“Katharina Dröge, trade policy spokeswoman for the Green party, also argued that the deal included unpleasant concessions to the US, which, she said, contains ‘the most problematic parts’ of the old free trade agreement TTIP. ‘So the EU has entered into a game on Trump’s terms. Juncker hasn’t produced a solution, just medium-term conflicts within the EU,’ she told DW.

“Other politicians were more scathing. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) EU trade specialist Bernd Lange said bluntly, ‘That wasn’t a success, what Mr Juncker negotiated over there.’ Speaking to public radio station Deutschlandfunk, Lange said Juncker had barely won any gains from Trump, and criticized the fact that US steel and aluminum tariffs were still in place.”

Steve Bannon Plans to Attack the EU

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 23:

“Steve Bannon plans to build a right-wing populist think tank in Europe. German lawmakers called the plans by the former adviser to the US president to influence the 2019 European elections ‘a frontal attack on the EU’…

“Bannon has become a controversial figure, known for his ties to the campaigns for the UK to leave the European Union and the election of US President Donald Trump…

“Bannon has worked with many of Europe’s far-right parties, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the only party in the country to express optimism over Bannon’s project. Although the AfD has declined help from Bannon’s foundation for its electoral campaigns, party co-chair Alice Weidel recently sought his advice when both were in Switzerland in March for a conference. Weidel described Bannon’s strategy as ‘exciting and ambitious.’”

Politico added on July 25:

“Out of favor at the White House and out of a job at Breitbart, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon is looking for new paying clients by making waves in Europe… at its root, this Bannon bombshell is a threat to European democracy… It should come as no surprise that he was invited to the fray by the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally party has been bankrolled by Russian loans…

“Bannon believes he can bring U.S. dollars to Brussels, exploit issues like migration and manipulate social media algorithms to determine the election outcome. His goal is to create a far-right super-bloc that would bring together parties with a xenophobic, anti-EU and authoritarian bent, from Italy to Poland. He’s declared that they should wear accusations of racism ‘like a medal.’…

“We can’t know if Bannon’s latest desperate gasp for relevancy poses a real threat, or if this is another grand delusion. Breitbart failed to make inroads into Europe… But we do know that the EU can’t afford to sleep-walk into another political crisis and that the European Parliament has a key role to play…”

Most Germans Feel They Don’t Need the USA

Handelsblatt Global reported on July 23:

“Fifty-six percent of Germans said Europe can guarantee its own safety without US support, according to a survey [by RTL].”

Putin and Trump Discussed Ukraine in Secret

Bild Online wrote on July 20:

“Putin proposed a referendum in Eastern Ukraine – currently occupied by pro-Russian forces – to Trump. Two NATO sources who are familiar with the issue have confirmed this on Friday. Previously, only ‘Bloomberg,’ referring to Russian diplomats, had reported that Putin had proposed such a deal… US Ambassador to Moscow, Jon Huntsman, has informed several NATO ambassadors about the Russian President’s suggestion. This allegedly occurred in the middle of the week, after Huntsman flew directly from Helsinki to Brussels. He allegedly said that the US ‘is looking into the suggestions’.

“Germany’s and France’s NATO ambassadors allegedly declared that such a referendum would only be possible if a United Nations peace mission were to gain access to all occupied areas of Eastern Ukraine first… The character of such a referendum is still unclear. Are the eastern Ukrainians supposed to decide on their independence, or on whether to become part of Russia? The referendum in Crimea in 2014… could be the model for the suggested referendum. The 2014 referendum served as Russia’s justification for the annexation of Crimea…

“Kiev has harshly criticized a possible referendum against Ukraine’s will. The political director of the Ukrainian Foreign Office, Oleksii Makeiev, tweeted: ‘We reject this crazy idea of a referendum at Russian gunpoint in the occupied areas’. The referendum is ‘absolutely unacceptable’ to Ukraine and its partners. Jakub Janda, Director of the Czech think tank ‘European Values’, is also outraged: ‘The fact that Putin has proposed a referendum on occupied Ukrainian territory is outrageous and merely shows that Russia is not interested in leaving the Ukrainian territory that it has forcefully occupied’.

“A referendum under foreign occupation would not legitimize the occupation, Janda told BILD: ‘That’s why the Russian referendum on Crimea was viewed as invalid by the entire civilized world’. According to Janda, Trump should have rejected Putin’s suggestion immediately.

“Approximately 30 minutes after the German version of this article was published on Friday evening (German time), the US State Department’s spokeswoman Heather Nauert declared that ‘the Administration is not considering supporting a referendum in E Ukraine. A “referendum” would have no legitimacy. We continue to support Minsk agreements for solving the conflict in Donbas.’ This comes after four days of the US administration neither admitting that Mr. Putin offered such a deal nor telling the public that the US was elaborating the circumstances of a possible implementation.”

In spite of the White House’s belated “denials,” Bible prophecy shows that ultimately, Ukraine and Russia will be collaborating forces against Europe.

Racism or Failed Integration in Germany?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 23:

“After weeks of silence, [German National Soccer Player Mesut] Özil announced in a series of three extended tweets that he would no longer suit up for the German national team because he didn’t feel welcome. He specifically blamed DFB [German Soccer Configuration] President Reinhard Grindel, a former conservative politician, for encouraging a xenophobic atmosphere in the team. Grindel and DFB team manager Oliver Bierhoff had linked Özil’s Erdogan meeting with Germany’s disastrous performance at the 2018 World Cup… In a statement on its website, the DFB rejected the charge of racism…

“No one in political Germany is happy about Özil’s cordial meet-and-greet with [President] Erdogan [when Özil and another German-Turkish national soccer player posed for a photograph with Turkey’s dictator], who has been accused of trying to undermine Turkish democracy and of ignoring the human rights of his political opponents. At the same time, leaders from nearly all Germany’s major parties said that Grindel and Bierhoff’s attacks on Özil encouraged a split in public attitudes toward national team players with or without foreign roots…

“The Özil case is deeply unsettling to German society because the country’s national team has been previously held up as a model of successful integration of people with foreign roots into mainstream society. That image has now been shaken… Representatives of Germany’s large Muslim community agreed that the affair had damaged the cause of integration and said latent racism inspired some of the criticism of Özil… That view was confirmed, if indirectly, by the far-right populist, anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which interpreted the affair as evidence that multiculturalism had failed in Germany…

“But [German Foreign Minister Heiko] Maas cautioned against drawing too many conclusions based on the story of a highly atypical individual. ‘I don’t think the case of a multimillionaire living and working in England tells you much about Germany’s capacity for integration,’ Maas said.

“Turkish MPs, including one senior minister, commended Özil’s move. ‘I congratulate Mesut Özil who by leaving the national team has scored the most beautiful goal against the virus of fascism,’ Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul posted on Twitter…”

These questionable reactions by Turkish and Arab officials won’t make most Germans very happy. In all fairness, it must be said that Özil’s performance at the latest World Cup was substandard… as this is true for just about EVERY German player and their coach. And it must be allowed to say that Özil’s refusal to sing during the national anthem and his habit to publicly pray on his knees to Allah on the soccer field in front of the cameras prior to the start of an international soccer game did not look too good in the eyes of many Germans. Many, but by far not all Germans, do accept when Catholic national soccer players make the sign of the cross when they score a goal or fail to do so, but for a German national soccer player to pray publicly to Allah might have been, rightly or wrongly, “a bridge too far.”

Turkey Before the Crash?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 23:

“The Turkish lira is falling, prices are rising. Experts warn that the Turkish economy is close to collapse…

“The Turkish economy has recently grown by 7.4 percent… But at the same time… inflation is at a record level of 15 percent. The economic situation has not been this bad in years…

“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan… is promising his country a glorious future… Investors are worried about the independence of the Turkish central bank… Erdogan’s tendency to seize all decision-making power has deeply unsettled markets.

“Now it is up to 40-year-old Berat Albayrak to regain the business world’s confidence… He studied business administration in Istanbul and the US, and was energy minister in the last cabinet. Nevertheless, he is considered a relatively inexperienced politician who has simply been given a key position by his father-in-law. Up to this point the chief economic advisor had been former Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, an ex-Merrill Lynch economist who was considered investor-friendly and someone who even dared to contradict Erdogan. Now since the office of prime minister has been abolished, he will no longer be in the cabinet…

“Albayrak must now deliver… otherwise Turkey will face a financial crash… This scenario would not only impact Turkey itself but also have consequences for Europe, because many Turkish companies are highly indebted to European financial institutions.”

Turkey Opposes the USA

The Washington Examiner wrote on July 24:

“Turkey plans to keep purchasing Iranian oil in defiance of American sanctions on the rogue regime… ‘We buy oil from Iran and we purchase it in proper conditions,’ Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday. ‘What is the other option?’

“Cavusoglu’s comments raise the specter of yet another clash between the U.S. and Turkey, which is also in the final stages of an arms deal with Russia that could trigger American sanctions. Turkish officials, in both cases, have dismissed the U.S.’ threat of sanctions to constrain the choices of other countries…”

War of Words between Turkey and Israel

The Daily Star wrote on July 24:

“President Erdogan of Turkey has launched an astonishing attack on Israel – saying the ‘spirit of Hitler has re-emerged’ among administrators. The Ankara chief’s words were in response to Israel’s new ‘nation-state’ law, with Erdogan branding Israel the ‘most Zionist, racist and fascist country’… The ‘nation-state’ law has been criticised for effectively ruling out a two-state solution to the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict…

“Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has hit back, saying Turkey has become a ‘dark dictatorship’ under Erdogan. In a war of words, he accused the Turkish president of ‘massacring Syrians and Kurds’.”

Erdogan is someone to talk about the spirit of Hitler!

The Fight for the Golan Heights

Reuters wrote on July 24:

“Israel said it shot down a Syrian warplane that crossed into the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, but Damascus said the jet was fired on as it took part in sorties against rebels within Syria. The incident added new fuel to weeks of tensions over the Golan, a strategic plateau between the two old enemies and where Israel has been on high alert as Syrian government forces, supported by Russia, close in to regain rebel-held ground.

“For the second time in as many days, Israeli sirens sounded on the Golan and witnesses saw the contrails of two missiles flying skyward… On Monday, Reuters witnesses on the southern edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan spotted numerous warplanes and helicopters in the skies over Syrian territory, some of them dropping bombs. Anti-aircraft return fire could also be seen.”

Did 15^th Century Christians Expect Building of a Third Temple?

The National Library of Israel wrote on July 19, 2018:

“In commemoration of the Ninth of Av, the day of mourning and fasting marking the destruction of [the] Temple, the National Library of Israel presents [an] ancient map printed in Hartmann Schedel’s large world chronical. The chronical…, published in 1493 in the German city of Nuremberg, was an ambitious undertaking. It contained an overview of world history from the creation of the world until that time. The book boasts a mass of illustrations drawn by the leading artists of the time…

“The map illustrated the destruction of Jerusalem and depicts the Temple going up in flames. However, this is not an illustration of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period and a description of the Jews who lived there. It is rather the printing of an engraving depicting Jerusalem’s Christian sites alongside the Temple, typical to the 14th-15th centuries.

“It is fascinating though, that the text accompanying the map describes the history of the destructions of Jerusalem – first, the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, the destruction of the Second Temple by Titus, the Temple vessels being looted, the execution of Shimon bar Giora in Rome, and finally, Jerusalem being turned into Aelia Capitolina, the Roman colony built upon the ruins of the holy city. The author of the text relates that the city was later held for short periods of time by other Western and Crusader kings (Charlemagne of France, Conrad III of Germany and Louis XI, also of France) – but they did not manage to hold it for long against armies of Islam. According to the author, in [1493] the city was under the control of Mohammed’s battalions, which Schedel refers to as ‘a nation of sin.’”

Since the illustration does not depict the destruction of the First and the Second Temple, it is clear that the belief existed already in 1493 that a Third Temple would be built and subsequently occupied by “Christianity.”

Mourning for the Destruction of Two Temples

The Allgemeiner wrote on July 24:

“Some 2,000 people took part in the Women in Green organization’s 24th annual ‘Walk Around the Old City’ in honor of the Tisha B’Av holiday on Sunday… Tisha B’Av is an annual holiday mourning the destruction of two Holy Temples inside the Old City and is marked with fasting, reading from the book of Lamentations and restrictions on activities that might evoke joy or pleasure.

“Despite the fact that Tisha B’Av is a 25-hour fast day, Jews gathered for a march circumnavigating the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, which included speeches from Minister for Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ze’ev Elkin, Deputy Minister of Defense MK Rav Eli Ben Dahan, Deputy Mayor of the City of Jerusalem Dov Kalmanovich, chairman of the Republican Party in Israel Marc Zell and popular Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick.

“The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the march, calling it ‘provocative.’ ‘The Ministry confirmed that this march is an extension of the state of extremism that dominates the political arena in Israel and the settlers since Trump’s ominous declaration on Jerusalem, and the transfer of the embassy and the continuous Judaization of the Holy City and its separation from its Palestinian surroundings,’ they said in a press release issued prior to the march. The Palestinian ministry called upon foreign countries to intervene against Women in Green… The march went off without a hitch, however…”

Of course, foreign countries would not intervene to prevent a march like this. But it is interesting that foreign countries are being asked to take a stance against Israel. The Bible shows that in the future, that is exactly what will happen, and that European powers will invade the Holy Land and occupy Jerusalem.

This will in turn provoke a military response from Far Eastern nations, including Russia and China.

Return of Islamic State?

Reuters wrote on July 24:

“Months after Iraq declared victory over Islamic State, its fighters are making a comeback with a scatter-gun campaign of kidnap and killing. With its dream of a Caliphate in the Middle East now dead, Islamic State has switched to hit-and-run attacks aimed at undermining the government in Baghdad…

“Islamic State was reinventing itself months before Baghdad announced in December that it had defeated the group… Iraq has now seen an increase in kidnappings and killings, mainly in the provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahuddin, since it held an election in May, indicating the government will come under renewed pressure from a group that once occupied a third of the country during a three-year reign of terror.

“Last month saw at least 83 cases of kidnap, murder or both in the three provinces. Most occurred on a highway connecting Baghdad to Kirkuk province… In one incident on June 17, three Shi’ite men were kidnapped by Islamic State militants disguised as policemen at a checkpoint on the highway. Ten days later their mutilated corpses were discovered, rigged with explosives to kill anyone who found them… a relative of the men… said security forces were uncooperative. He had implored the soldiers who found the men’s bullet-ridden car to pursue the kidnappers but was refused…

“Numerous attempts to track down and kill Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi have failed, and his fighters are still active in other Arab states. In Syria, Islamic State still holds some territory but has suffered militarily. In Egypt, it is concentrated in the sparsely populated northern Sinai desert. It holds no territory but conducts hit-and-run attacks. Islamic State has tried to rebuild in Libya through mobile units in the desert and sleeper cells in northern cities.

“The group has exploited the ethnic and sectarian divide in Iraq. Iraqi and Kurdish forces fought together against Islamic State. Now ties are strained over a Kurdish bid for independence last year which Baghdad stifled. Lack of coordination has caused a security vacuum in disputed territories, from which Iraqi forces dislodged the Kurds, creating opportunities for Islamic State…”

Vatican Attacks America’s TV Evangelists and Biblical Teaching

Christian Today wrote on July 19:

“A Vatican approved journal has launched a stinging attack on ‘prosperity gospel’ evangelicals with a broadside against the theology that teaches God wants Christians to be rich. The article in La Civilta Cattolica… was written by Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest, and Marcelo Figueroa, a Protestant pastor from Argentina. It is the second time the two authors have collaborated. Last year they criticised the ‘ecumenism of conflict’ that saw US Protestant and Catholic fundamentalists join forces to promote ‘division and hatred’…

“While born in the US, [the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’] has spread around the world through Africa, Asia, China and Latin America, the authors say. They trace its origins to the Word of Faith movement of Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003), and reference modern-day exponents such as Kenneth Copeland, Norman Vincent Peale, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, Robert Tilton, Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer.

“They criticise prosperity preaching for elevating the ‘word of faith’ above the Bible… The result, they say, is that: ‘There can be no compassion for those who are not prosperous, for clearly they have not followed the rules and thus live in failure and are not loved by God.’

“Furthermore, they say, the dominance of this teaching has political consequences: ‘It leads to the conclusion that the United States has grown as a nation under the blessing of the providential God of the Evangelical movement’…”

The above-quoted article in the Vatican-approved Journal displays shocking biblical ignorance in that it denies the FACT that God WILL bless us, including financially, when we obey Him. It is also extremely dangerous and a direct attack, which was perhaps prompted by willful ignorance, on the biblical teaching that America WAS blessed by God because of the unconditional obedience of Abraham—but that due to America’s ongoing disobedience, God has begun to withdraw those blessings in many different ways. 

Vaccine Scandal in China—May the West Wake Up!

Reuters wrote on July 23:

“A vaccine scandal in China, which has prompted angry reactions from citizens fed up with safety scares, is sending ripples across the local drug market and threatening Chinese ambitions to play a larger role in the global pharmaceutical space…

“Changsheng has been found to have faked production documents related to a rabies vaccine that is given to babies as young as three months…

“The Changsheng case is the latest in a slew of scandals that has plagued China’s pharmaceutical industry in recent years. A regulator in the northeastern province of Jilin, where Changsheng is based, revealed on Friday that the company had last year sold 252,600 substandard DPT vaccines to inoculate children against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus…”

Planet Ablaze

The Sun wrote on July 25:

“Deadly wildfires and killer heatwaves are ripping through the planet from Athens and Sweden to Los Angeles and Japan…

“The planet is ablaze as it was gripped by a mammoth killer heatwave which has left hundreds dead. Across Europe, North America and Japan, searing heat and devastating wildfires have also left tens of thousands in hospital(s)…

“The worldwide trail of extreme heat, death and destruction has seen at least 79 dead around the Greek capital Athens in the country’s worst wildfire in a decade. Temperatures of 41C (106F) in Japan [were] killing 65, with more than 22,000 in hospital(s) with heat stroke(s)… Forest fires [broke out] in Sweden and Norway which have left one dead and dozens injured. The heatwave hit cities across Canada and led to at least 70 deaths in Quebec province alone. Record-breaking temperatures [are measured] in parts of southern California, including 49C (120F) in Chino, outside of Los Angeles.

“Reports from Algeria say the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Africa was in the northern city of Ouargla on July 5 which suffered a scorching 51.3C (124.3F) heatwave…

“A wildfire which erupted near the Teide volcano in central Tenerife yesterday was brought under control by emergency workers. The Spanish island has been blighted by sporadic infernos since last month… The Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, said a state of emergency had been declared in the Attica region, which includes Athens, and ordered three days of national mourning. Greece’s interior minister Panos Skourletis described the fires as a ‘national tragedy’ and a ‘biblical disaster with human losses.’”

It was also reported that during a UK heatwave, Britain “soars towards [the] hottest day ever” (The Telegraph, dated July 25). In Germany, “The heat wave has shut down [the] Hanover airport, damaged roads and devastated crops, with higher temperatures still to come” (Deutsche Welle, dated July 25).

These are unfortunate, but in comparison very minor forerunners of a biblically-prophesied unparalleled worldwide destruction through hot temperatures and fire.

Dinosaurs together with Humans?

The Daily Star wrote on July 8:

“From Australia to Peru, ancient etchings on the walls of caves show humans alongside great beasts resembling dinosaurs. A painting from the Amazon rainforest basin shows dinosaurs surrounded by human beings. Sculptures found in the El Toro Mountain depict dinosaurs seemingly reaching up to eat foliage from the upper branches of trees.

“But scientists are skeptical over claims humans painted dinosaurs seen first hand.

“The Protoceratops – one of the most heavily replicated dinosaurs – has been incorporated into sculptures in hundreds of countries. Hongshan carvings dating back 4,000 years were also unearthed recently in China…

“Herodotus, a historian from the 5th century BC,… wrote: ‘There is a place in Arabia, situated very near the city of Buto, to which I went, on hearing of some winged serpents; and when I arrived there, I saw bones and spines of serpents, in such quantities as it would be impossible to describe. The form of the serpent is like that of the water-snake; but he has wings without feathers…’

“… scientists are looking into the possibility of potentially bringing back ancient creatures using DNA. The wooly mammoth is the most heavily-discussed candidate – with pristine DNA have been preserved in ice.”

What are the answers to the questions raised above? Please read our free booklet, “Heavens and Earth… before and after the First Man.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

The Controversial Putin-Trump “Summit”

Daily Mail wrote on July 16:

“[Putin] denied meddling in the 2016 presidential election but admitted he had hoped Trump would defeat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton… Trump backed up Putin’s denials, saying he thought Russia had no reason to interfere in the election and contradicting his country’s own FBI which believes Moscow was responsible for hacking during the campaign.

“He said that ‘we’ve all been foolish… we’ve both made mistakes’…

“Putin said Moscow and Washington could jointly conduct criminal investigations into Russian intelligence officials accused of hacking during the campaign. In what Trump described as an ‘incredible offer’ Putin said Washington could use a 1999 agreement to request that Russian authorities interrogate the 12 suspects, adding that U.S. officials could ask to be present in such interrogations.

[As Newsmax reported on July 15, “A U.S. grand jury issued an indictment against the agents on Friday, charging them with hacking into email accounts controlled by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The charges stem from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the election and any involvement by Trump’s campaign, a probe the president has repeatedly derided as a ‘witch hunt.’…”]

“Trump had said in a CBS interview that he had given no thought to asking Putin to extradite the dozen Russian military intelligence officers… Extradition is unlikely as the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Moscow and can’t force the Russians to hand over citizens. Russia’s constitution also prohibits turning over citizens to foreign governments…

“… at least in his public remarks at the outset, [Trump] mentioned none of the issues that have lately brought US-Russian relations to the lowest point since the Cold War: Moscow’s annexation of territory from Ukraine, its support for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, as well as Western accusations that it poisoned a spy in England…”

Many additional important issues were not addressed during the news conference, including Russia’s abominable persecution of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 16:

“… Putin spoke frankly on the topic of Crimea, saying that the US delegation had expressed its view that the invasion was illegal. The Russian president disagreed with Trump on the issue and concluded that ‘the Crimea question is closed for Russia…’”

Trump in League with Putin?

The Week wrote on July 16:

“… it is simply beyond question that Trump is really deferential to the Russian president… This is a terrible development for many reasons. First and most importantly is that it’s bad for the hugely powerful American executive branch to be even partially in league with a man like Putin…”

Trump Strongly Criticized by Republicans

The Huffington Post wrote on July 16:

“President Donald Trump’s performance during a press conference after a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday left critics of all stripes howling… Trump’s comments drew fierce criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike…

“On Fox News Business, several guests reacted by saying that Putin outmaneuvered Trump during the summit. On the channel, the network’s Neil Cavuto termed Trump’s performance ‘disgusting.’ George W. Bush’s press secretary Ari Fleischer… said he can understand why some Democrats believe Putin must have compromising information on Trump… Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, a Republican, said Trump ‘failed America today’…

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell… said succinctly: ‘The Russians are not our friends. I’ve said that repeatedly, I say it again today. And I have complete confidence in our intelligence community and the findings that they have announced.’…”

The Guardian wrote on July 16:

“House speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said: ‘… There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals. The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.’

Deutsche Welle added on July 16:

“Top Republican Senator John McCain called Trump’s summit in Helsinki a ‘tragic mistake,’ lamenting that the US president was ‘unable’ to stand up to Putin. ‘Coming close on the heels of President Trump’s bombastic and erratic conduct towards our closest friends and allies in Brussels and Britain, today’s press conference marks a recent low point in the history of the American Presidency,’ McCain’s statement read. ‘No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant,’ McCain said…”

Newt Gingrich and Bret Baier Strongly Criticize Trump

Newsmax wrote on July 16:

“President Donald Trump choosing not to endorse the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election is ‘the most serious mistake of his presidency,’ former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tweeted Monday: ‘President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin… [It] must be corrected—-immediately.’”

Fox News (Bret Baier) wrote on July 16:

“President Trump left many deeply disappointed in his approach to his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin… For a sitting U.S. president to say publicly that he believes a foreign leader over his own intelligence team is shocking and admonishable. At a time when our democracy faces grave threats, it is deeply troubling that the president would side with the very country who attacked us… Crucially, there were no concessions from Russia on any of the issues that needed to be addressed…

“Despite each nation backing different sides in the Syrian conflict, Trump suggested he and Putin would begin working in conjunction to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Syria, regardless of the fact that the need for humanitarian aid largely stems from Putin’s unabashed support for Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad. Additionally, Trump also failed to address the concerns of our NATO allies Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the Baltics regarding the territorial threats they persistently face. Trump, throughout the entire press conference, failed to condemn or even acknowledge the illegality of Putin’s actions in Crimea and Ukraine…”

When Trump supporter Newt Gingrich and moderators on Fox News disapprove of Mr. Trump’s conduct, then this is worthwhile contemplating.

BBC News wrote on July 16:

“Washington’s Nato allies and many seasoned observers on Capitol Hill must have been watching in horror…”

While many Russian papers approved the summit, most German papers overwhelmingly condemned Mr. Trump’s behavior.

Trump’s Attempted “Damage Control”

Huffington Post wrote on July 17:

“President Donald Trump on Tuesday responded to the widespread condemnation of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that he believes the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. His words came a day after he sided with Putin in an extraordinary press conference. ‘I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place,’ he said Tuesday, appearing to read from prepared remarks, before suggesting that it ‘could be other people also. A lot of people out there.’

“During Monday’s press conference with Putin, he refused to condemn Russia’s interference, saying that he accepted the Russian president’s denial and took Putin’s word over the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies, which he has continually attacked during his presidency. ‘President Putin just said it’s not Russia,’ Trump said. ‘I don’t see any reason why it would be.’

“But on Tuesday, Trump claimed that he misspoke, explaining that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not be Russia. ‘I would like to clarify, in a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word “would” instead of “wouldn’t.” The sentence should have been: “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,”’ he said.”

Fox News added: 

“It’s unclear whether the clarification will calm the backlash in Washington, as Trump also said following his meeting with Putin that the Russian leader gave a ‘strong and powerful’ denial.”

Whether this “clarification” will satisfy most of the Republican critics will indeed have to be seen. After all, here is the exact quote:  “They (the US intelligent agencies) said they think it’s Russia. President Putin just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. I have great confidence in my intelligence people but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.” (Compare The Daily Mail, July 17.)

No One Is Buying

nzherald.co.nz wrote on July 18:

“In a shocking revelation, no one is buying Donald Trump’s latest backflip… Trump said it was ‘sort of a double negative,’ adding, ‘I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself.’ That didn’t go down too well online.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 18:

“Maas criticized the US president once again on Wednesday…  Asked to assess Trump’s reversal of remarks, Maas was quoted as saying: ‘This is apparently an attempt at damage limitation. It doesn’t appear particularly convincing.’

“Germany’s foreign minister went on to say he regretted that Trump didn’t backtrack on his most recent criticisms of the European Union — which he described as a foe — shortly before setting off for Helsinki…”

Another Viewpoint by Pat Buchanan

On July 17, Newsmax published the following commentary by Pat Buchanan who has been an adviser to three presidents and a two-time candidate for the Republican presidential nomination:

“Beginning his joint press conference with Vladimir Putin, President Trump declared that U.S. relations with Russia have ‘never been worse.’ He then added pointedly, that just changed ‘about four hours ago.’ It certainly did. With his remarks in Helsinki and at the NATO summit in Brussels, Trump has signaled a historic shift in U.S. foreign policy that may determine the future of this nation…

“He has rejected the fundamental premises of American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War and blamed our wretched relations with Russia, not on Vladimir Putin, but squarely on the U.S. establishment. Looking back over the week, from Brussels to Britain to Helsinki, Trump’s message has been clear, consistent and startling.

“NATO is obsolete. European allies have freeloaded off U.S. defense while rolling up huge trade surpluses at our expense. Those days are over. Europeans are going to stop stealing our markets and start paying for their own defense… We are not going to let Putin’s annexation of Crimea or aid to pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine prevent us from working on a rapprochement and a partnership with him, Trump is saying…

“America is coming home from foreign wars and will be shedding foreign commitments…

“When Trump spoke of the ‘foolishness and stupidity’ of the U.S. foreign policy establishment that contributed to this era of animosity in U.S.-Russia relations, what might he have had in mind?

“Was it the U.S. provocatively moving NATO into Russia’s front yard after the collapse of the USSR? Was it the U.S. invasion of Iraq to strip Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction he did not have that plunged us into endless wars of the Middle East? Was it U.S. support of Syrian rebels determined to oust Bashar Assad, leading to ISIS intervention and a seven-year civil war with half a million dead, a war which Putin eventually entered to save his Syrian ally?

“Was it George W. Bush’s abrogation of Richard Nixon’s ABM treaty and drive for a missile defense that caused Putin to break out of the Reagan INF treaty and start deploying cruise missiles to counter it? Was it U.S. complicity in the Kiev coup that ousted the elected pro-Russian regime that caused Putin to seize Crimea to hold onto Russia’s Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol?… Russia annexed Crimea bloodlessly. But did not the U.S. bomb Serbia for 78 days to force Belgrade to surrender her cradle province of Kosovo? How was that more moral than what Putin did in Crimea?”

May: “My Deal [Soft Brexit] Is the Only Brexit Deal”

Theresa May Prime wrote the following on July 14 for The Mail On Sunday:

“Our Brexit deal for Britain seizes the moment to deliver the democratic decision of the British people and secure a bright new future for our country outside the European Union… If we don’t [accept it], we risk ending up with no Brexit at all. This is a time to be practical and pragmatic – backing our plan to get Britain out of the European Union on March 29 next year and delivering for the British people…

“… we can get a good deal and that is what is best for Britain. But we should also prepare for no deal… Our Brexit deal is… a complete plan with a set of outcomes that are non-negotiable.

“People voted to end free movement. So free movement will end. People voted to end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in our country; and we are going to deliver that too. We will leave the Single Market and customs union, and get out of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. We will have that independent trade policy and a new UK-EU free trade area with a common rulebook for industrial goods and agricultural products. And we will maintain close co-operation with the EU on security to keep our people safe while ensuring we have our own independent foreign and trade policy. None of these things is up for debate…”

May Compromises on Brexit Deal

Deutsche Welle reported on July 16:

“British Prime Minister Theresa May gave in to demands from her party’s hardliners on Monday, accepting four amendments that would limit the government’s ability to set up customs arrangements with the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019… Monday’s vote once again exposed deep divisions within the Conservative Party over Brexit…”

May’s Soft Brexit Gives Germany What It Wants

Handelsblatt Global wrote on July 13:

“Theresa May’s long-awaited White Paper aims to keep manufacturing in Britain, and is willing to surrender London’s financial access to the EU in return… Berlin would surely prefer that Britain simply stay in the European Union. But as alternatives go, London’s latest proposal for the post-Brexit relationship suits Germany just fine…

“The paper aims to jump start the process of reaching an ‘association agreement’ with the European Union to govern relations after Brexit. With Britain formally leaving the European Union in March 2019, time for a deal between London and Brussels is quickly running out…

“That deal would effectively keep Britain’s rules and regulations aligned with those of the European Union, allowing trade in goods to flow freely and the Irish border with Northern Ireland to remain open. It’s almost like still being in the EU’s single market and customs union, which is what has Brexit supporters so outraged…”

It does not appear that this will be the deal to which all sides agree.

“EU Urges No-Deal Brexit Preparation”

The EUObserver wrote on July 19:

“Four million UK and EU citizens stuck in a legal limbo, border checks re-installed, transportation severely disrupted, trade and supply chains breaking down… This gloomy scenario would kick in the day after Brexit, if no divorce deal is agreed by the EU and the UK, the EU Commission warned on Thursday…

“The commission urged citizens, businesses and member states to take action on preparing for 30 March 2019 now, highlighting the rising concerns of a no-deal exit in European capitals…”

Trump Wants to Run Again; Reveals Details of Conversation with the Queen on Brexit

Newsmax republished the following article by Reuters on July 14:

“President Donald Trump said in an interview that he intends to run for re-election in the 2020 election, the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported. When asked by Piers Morgan in an interview given on Friday in Britain whether he was going to run, Trump said: ‘Well I fully intend to. It seems like everybody wants me to,’ the newspaper said. Trump said he did not see any Democrat who could beat him…

“In the interview with Morgan, Trump took the unusual step of disclosing details about his conversation with British Queen Elizabeth. When asked if he had discussed Brexit with the monarch, Trump said: ‘I did. She said it’s a very – and she’s right – it’s a very complex problem, I think nobody had any idea how complex that was going to be… Everyone thought it was going to be “Oh it’s simple, we join or don’t join, or let’s see what happens.”’…

“When asked about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said: ‘… Sure he is, he’s ruthless, but so are others.’”

As we have announced for a long time, in case of elections in 2020, Donald Trump will be re-elected.

Charles and William Refused to Meet with Trump

The Hill wrote on July 15:

“Prince Charles and Prince William refused to meet with President Trump during his visit to the United Kingdom, according to London newspaper The Sunday Times… It’s a very, very unusual thing for the queen to be there on her own. Usually she is accompanied by somebody. Prince Charles has been substituting for Philip a lot recently.’ Prince Philip, who, at 97, has officially retired from royal duties, ‘goes to what he wants to go to,’ the source said, adding that ‘if he had wanted to be there he could have been.’…

“Charles reportedly attended a board meeting for his company and an event with Gloucestershire police, while William participated in a charity polo match and Prince Harry attended other private engagements, according to the Times.”

NATO Dying or Dead?

Euractiv wrote on July 13:

“‘There is no longer confidence in NATO,’ a diplomat told EURACTIV. Fewer and fewer European countries trust that the US would defend them if they were invaded by Russia. Under Trump, NATO will soon be as dead as the proverbial dodo. The EU needs to overcome its internal divisions fast and make sure NATO is replaced by a real European defence alliance.”

And that is exactly what will happen.

The Washington Post wrote on July 12:

“Trump has been calling NATO a waste of money for decades. ‘America has no vital interest’ in Europe, he wrote in 2000: ‘Their conflicts are not worth American lives. Pulling back from Europe would save this country millions of dollars annually. The cost of stationing NATO troops in Europe is enormous. And these are clearly funds that can be put to better use.’ During his election campaign, he refused to reaffirm any commitment to NATO’s Article 5 security guarantee. During his first NATO summit last year, he again refused to reaffirm Article 5, though an administration official had promised he would…” 

NATO–Defending Others?

The Huffington Post wrote on July 18:

“President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again threw cold water on NATO… Trump expressed skepticism over the decades-old defense pact, which obligates member countries to defend any other member country that comes under attack, during an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.

“When Carlson asked why the U.S. should protect a country like Montenegro, which joined NATO last year, Trump said he has asked himself the same question. ‘Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people,’ Trump said. ‘They’re very aggressive people, and they may get aggressive, and congratulations, you’re in World War III. But that’s the way it was set up.’”

NATO Hits Back at Trump’s Montenegro World War III Remarks

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 18:

“NATO officials on Wednesday scrambled to reassert the alliance’s collective defense clause— commonly referred to as Article 5 — after US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest NATO’s newest member Montenegro could instigate World War III. A NATO official told Germany’s DPA news agency that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty was ‘unconditional and iron-clad,’ reaffirming that ‘an attack on one is an attack on all.’…

“According to reports in Montenegro, Russia… attempted to organize a coup in a bid to derail Montenegrin accession. Fourteen people are on trial for attempting to assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovicduring the 2016 election…”

Buchanan Coming to Trump’s Defense

On July 13, Newsmax published the following commentary by Patrick Buchanan:

“Of President Donald Trump’s explosion at Angela Merkel’s Germany during the NATO summit, it needs to be said: It is long past time we raised our voices. America pays more for NATO, an alliance created 69 years ago to defend Europe, than do the Europeans. And as Europe free-rides off our defense effort, the EU runs trade surpluses at our expense that exceed $100 billion a year. To Trump, and not only to him, we are being used, gouged, by rich nations we defend, while they skimp on their own defense.

“At Brussels, Trump had a new beef with the Germans, though similar problems date back to the Reagan era. Now we see the Germans, Trump raged, whom we are protecting from Russia, collaborating with Russia and deepening their dependence on Russian natural gas by jointly building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea. When completed, this pipeline will leave Germany and Europe even more deeply reliant on Russia for their energy needs…

“Germany spends 1.2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, while the U.S. spends 3.5 percent. Why? Why — nearly three decades after the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the crackup of the Soviet Union and the overthrow of the Communist dictatorship in Moscow — are we still defending European nations that collectively have 10 times the GDP of Vladimir Putin’s Russia?… Trump is not bluffing. He is visibly losing patience.

“… it could be the beginning of the end for NATO. And not only NATO. South Korea, with an economy 40 times that of North Korea, spends 2.6 percent of its GDP on defense, while, by one estimate, North Korea spends 22 percent, the highest share on earth. Japan, with the world’s third-largest economy, spends an even smaller share of its GDP on defense than Germany, 0.9 percent. Thus, though Seoul and Tokyo are far more menaced by a nuclear-armed North Korea and a rising China, like the Europeans, both continue to rely upon us as they continue to run large trade surpluses with us.

“… We are giving the world a lesson in how great powers decline. America’s situation is unsustainable economically and politically, and it’s transparently intolerable to Trump…”

And so, the final break between America and Europe will occur very soon.

EU Bad for USA and America’s Foe?

The Sun wrote on July 15:

“Theresa May has finally revealed the explosive Brexit advice Donald Trump gave to her… The Prime Minister said the US President told her not to even enter into a negotiation with Brussels at all, and just to start a legal war instead. She made the startling revelation while speaking to the BBC this morning, but said she did not take Mr Trump’s ‘brutal’ suggestion on board.”

The Sun wrote on July 13:

“[Mr. Trump] suggested Mrs May’s plans for a soft Brexit was a hostile move towards the US because ‘the European Union is very bad to the United States on trade’…”

CBS News reported on July 15:

“In an interview with ‘CBS Evening News’ anchor Jeff Glor in Scotland on Saturday, President Trump named the European Union… when asked to identify his ‘biggest foe globally right now.’ ‘Well, I think we have a lot of foes. I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now, you wouldn’t think of the European Union, but they’re a foe. Russia is [a] foe in certain respects. China is a foe economically, certainly they are a foe…

“I respect the leaders of those countries. But, in a trade sense, they’ve really taken advantage of us and many of those countries are in NATO and they weren’t paying their bills… EU is very difficult… Maybe the thing that is most difficult — don’t forget both my parents were born in EU sectors okay? I mean my mother was Scotland, my father was Germany. And — you know I love those countries. I respect the leaders of those countries. But — in a trade sense, they’ve really taken advantage of us and many of those countries are in NATO and they weren’t paying their bills and, you know, as an example a big problem with Germany…”

The EUObserver wrote on July 16:

“Trump… designated the EU as an enemy while talking about a trade war with Europe… To add insult to injury, the state department said that it would impose sanctions on EU firms doing business with Iran, the NBC network also reported… The refusal to exempt EU firms comes despite the fact Russia is to invest $50bn in Iran’s energy sector. Russia also sold Iran high-tech anti-aircraft systems, with no Trump objections. That US messaging turned the world upside down for the European Union.”

Wars begin with words. To call an ally one’s foe is a further step. So are Germany’s responses. Note the next article.

Germany on the Attack Against Trump

The Local wrote on July 13:

“Berlin was still reeling on Friday from US President Donald Trump’s attacks on the NATO military alliance, with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warning that the US President was willfully damaging western security. ‘Europe can’t accept that which has been built up over many decades being damaged willfully out of a desire to provoke,’ Minister Maas wrote in a Tweet on Friday…

“Meanwhile, Minister Maas’ predecessor had stronger words for the US President. Former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Europe should stand up to Trump, warning that the US President is pushing for ‘regime change’ in Germany… ‘We must no longer have any illusions,’ added the Social Democrat (SPD) politician. ‘Donald Trump only understands strength. So we have to show him that we are strong. If he demands billions back from us for the USA’s military spending, then we should demand billions back from him for the refugees produced by failed US military interventions, for example, in Iraq.’”

Bloomberg wrote on July 16:

“Germany’s foreign minister urged the European Union to ‘readjust’ its relationship with the U.S. and said the bloc can no longer fully rely on the White House after President Donald Trump identified America’s long-term ally as a ‘foe.’… ‘If the American president identifies the European Union as a “foe,” this unfortunately shows once more how wide the Atlantic has become in political terms since Donald Trump has been in office,’ German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Funke newspaper group in an interview.

“The comments reflect those of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has reinforced her statement from May 2017 that Europe’s full reliance on relations with the U.S. since World War II is ‘to some extent over’ — and that the bloc must take its destiny more into its own hands…

“Maas, a member of Germany’s Social Democrats, the junior partner in Merkel’s ruling coalition, said that nations must stand together ‘in a self-confident and sovereign Europe.’ EU member states mustn’t allow themselves to be divided, ‘no matter how harsh the verbal attacks and how absurd the tweets may be.’”

Due to current developments, Europe feels that it must unite militarily… and it will.

Europeans Seeking Their Own Interest

Handelsblatt Global wrote on July 17:

“We saw a new world order loom like an iceberg at the meeting of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The Russian leader emerged victorious at a press conference which was historic for all the wrong reasons…

“Trump also ignored Europe… Mystifyingly, Trump elevated Russia, an enemy, to an equal, despite the major disparity in their economies and powers. That insistent support will have done lasting damage to trans-Atlantic relations… eastern European countries close to Russia… have to wonder whether they [can] count on support from Washington in the future…

“Meanwhile European leaders are busy defending their countries’ interests. Today they sign JEFTA, the trade pact between the EU and Japan… It’s the biggest deal negotiated by the bloc so far and creates the world’s largest open area for trade.

“And in Beijing, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk found a new rapport as both blocs fend off US tariff disputes. The two sides said they are seeking to uphold a ‘free trade and multilateral order.’ That embrace is all the more surprising given that, at last year’s summit, the EU and China had so little in common they didn’t even issue a joint statement. How much has changed in a year.”

Soon, America will become totally irrelevant on the world scene in just about every respect.

Trump Defends Google Against EU

The Telegraph reported on July 19:

“Donald Trump hinted that he may block trade routes with Europe after its lawmakers hit Google with a record £3.9bn fine over its smartphone business.

“The US president took to Twitter to lash out at the European Union, which handed the penalty to the search giant over its Android operating system. ‘I told you so! The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the US, but not for long!,’ he wrote on the social network.”

The Week published an article on July 19, with the headline: “Europe’s Idiotic War on Google.”

Most Germans Fear Trump More than Putin, but Don’t Trust Either…

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 15:

“… two-thirds of Germans think that the US president is more dangerous than his Russian counterpart… When asked which world leader was the greater threat to world security, 64 percent of respondents chose US President Donald Trump over his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin… And the German antipathy for Trump doesn’t end there: 56 percent of respondents thought that Putin was more competent than Trump, with only 5 percent preferring the latter on that score. Thirty-six percent of Germans find Putin more likable than Trump, while 6 percent say the opposite — although most respondents refused to indicate a preference on that question.

“And, perhaps most surprisingly, 44 percent said Putin was more powerful than Trump, compared with only 29 percent who thought the US president has more power… German… conservative voters were slightly more likely (66 percent) to class Trump as the bigger threat than people overall in the poll…

“‘The world’s two most powerful men have one thing in common,’ Bild’s lead story on Sunday reads. ‘They want to weaken Europe.’ That’s a widespread view around Germany, where many people fear that Trump’s occasional hostility to NATO, for instance, plays into Putin’s strategic aim of dividing the West and increasing Russia’s influence in the world…

“The distrust of Trump’s motivations and leadership capabilities is apparent in how Germans see the United States as a whole. In a YouGov poll published earlier in July, Germans were asked whether they had a generally positive or negative view of the United States. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they viewed the US negatively, compared with only 29 percent who chose positively…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 13:

“Germans are under no doubts that Putin, for his part, is pursuing… a long-term aggressive, anti-European policy… and is trying to drive a wedge between the US and its European allies… [Moscow] has an interest in America withdrawing from Europe…”

The Bible indicates that this is exactly what America will do.

FBI Trustworthy?

CBN wrote on July 12:

“Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing featuring testimony from embattled FBI agent Peter Strzok erupted into absolute chaos shortly after opening statements. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) was the first to question the agent, asking Strzok how many people had been interviewed in the Russia probe from July 31-Aug. 8. Strzok declined to answer, saying that FBI counsel instructed him not to answer questions about an ongoing investigation. This set off pandemonium, as lawmakers exchanged heated barbs and bickered over hearing rules…

“Strzok’s anti-Trump text messages took center stage and caused congressional leaders to question Strzok on his partisan bias over the course of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and Hillary Clinton’s use of her email server. Strzok exchanged troubling text messages with FBI attorney, Lisa Page. Page and Strzok both worked on the FBI investigation into Clinton’s emails and, later, on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation…

“Strzok said that while the texts reflected his personal beliefs at the time, they did not ‘ever enter into the realm of any action I took.’ Strzok noted that there are numerous procedures and guidelines in place at the FBI to stop such instances of agents who are acting in any way other than an official capacity…

“Strzok says a text message suggesting that he would stop then-candidate Trump from being president was written late at night, and ‘in no way suggested that I or the FBI would take any action’ to intervene in Trump’s election…”

However, there can be no doubt that such bias may very well influence decisions being made in the course of official business.

China’s Challenge to US Naval Supremacy

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote on July 14:

“China’s biggest challenge to the supremacy of the US Navy will come within the year, a well regarded Australian strategic analyst predicted in Washington this week. It will come in the form of the announcement that China’s armed forces will hold exercises in the international waters of the South China Sea and that, to protect public safety, it will close the air and sea space in the area, he said. Even though this would be presented as a temporary measure – a few days, perhaps a week – it would be the end of freedom of navigation and overflight if it went unchallenged.

“Seventy years of American dominance would be over. The US Navy effectively would have been pushed back from China’s coastline by more than 1000 kilometres, right out to the limit of China’s nine-dash line marking its disputed claim to the South China Sea. Beijing would have asserted de facto control of the world’s most valuable commercial artery and 3.6 million square kilometres of ocean. The other six countries with claims to parts of the South China Sea would have been sidelined. Other countries would be permitted to use it only with China’s consent. ‘The question is, what are we going to do about it?’ posed the director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Peter Jennings, a former head of strategy for the Defence Department…

“The question was an uncomfortable one for many in the audience, which included senior officials, politicians and others from both countries… Australian and American representatives… agreed that the Jennings scenario was plausible; some said it was likely. None thought it implausible.

“What would Donald Trump do? Would Trump’s America be steadfast in a crisis? Or would the administration be too distracted, too confused, or too compromised by its other negotiations with China to stand its ground?… While the US has dithered, China’s President Xi Jinping has been clear and purposeful. ‘Like clockwork,’ says Jennings, ‘every three to four months they take another step to consolidate their gains in the South China Sea’, where Beijing has constructed man-made islands in contested waters and equipped them with runways, reinforced hangars, and batteries of anti-ship and anti-air missiles. A Chinese heavy bomber recently touched down on one of the islands for the first time…

“If China presses its case and the US fails to act, does the Royal Australian Navy have the option of trying to crash through any new Chinese exclusion zone? Australian and American experts were unanimous on this, best summed up by a former US official: ‘Try that without us, you’re screwed.’… Australia needs to be more active, more robust and more assertive than it has ever been. It has the advantage that its main political parties are so far united in confronting the dawning reality of frontline responsibility. If Jennings is right, there’s no time to waste.”

Watch China’s Desire of World Dominion

Project-Syndicate wrote on July 13:

“The contrast between the disarray in the West, on open display at the NATO summit and at last month’s G7 meeting in Canada, and China’s mounting international self-confidence is growing clearer by the day…

“Since 2014, China has expanded and consolidated its military position in the South China Sea. It took the idea of the New Silk Road and turned it into a multi-trillion-dollar trade, investment, infrastructure, and wider geopolitical/geo-economic initiative, engaging 73 different countries across much of Eurasia, Africa and beyond. And China signed up most of the developed world to the first large-scale non-Bretton Woods multilateral development bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

“China has also launched diplomatic initiatives beyond its immediate sphere of strategic interest in East Asia, as well as actively participating in initiatives such as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. It has developed naval bases in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Djibouti, and participates in naval exercises with Russia as far away as the Mediterranean and the Baltic…”

Israel Strikes Hamas During Gaza Ceasefire

The Times of Israel, July 15:

“The strike came hours after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, following the most severe exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas since the 2014 war. Over the weekend, Palestinian terrorists fired some 200 rockets and missiles at Israeli communities near the Gaza border…

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated that Israel would not tolerate the continued kite and balloon arson attacks that have burned thousands of dunams of forests and agricultural land adjacent to the Gaza border in recent months, including fresh fires started on Sunday… Netanyahu denied reports that said the ceasefire brokered by Egypt did not include the cessation of the arson attacks… Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman also warned Hamas they would ‘pay a heavy price’ if it did not cease hostilities…

“Domestic pressure on the military to halt the burning flying objects has intensified, leading to Israel carrying out warning airstrikes and increasing the possibility that violence could escalate.”

JTA wrote on July 16:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Sderot, where at least two rockets from Gaza caused serious damage and injured a family of four… [He said:] ‘There is an exchange of blows here. It is not over in one go… and I cannot comfort those who have taken the most difficult losses. This is very hard to take, but we know that we are in a prolonged Zionist struggle.’

“In a warning to the terrorist organization that runs Gaza, Netanyahu said: ‘It is important that Hamas understand that it faces an iron wall and this wall is comprised, first of all, of a determined government, of strong local leadership and Zionist settlement, and that we will continue to strengthen it… I do not want to tell anybody that it is over.’”

New Legislation: Israel the Nation-State of the Jewish People

JTA wrote on July 19:

“The Knesset passed controversial legislation making Israel the ‘nation-state of the Jewish people’ … It passed early Thursday morning after hours of contentious debate by a vote of 62-55, with two abstentions.

“Much of the bill, sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, deals with obvious signs that Israel is a Jewish state, such as affirming the symbols on the flag and shield, setting the Hebrew calendar as the country’s official calendar, recognizing Jewish holidays and days of remembrance, the national anthem and naming Jerusalem as the capital.

“Other parts of the law, however, have raised the hackles of segments of Israeli society and the Jewish Diaspora. These include clauses relegating Arabic to a ‘special’ status instead of an official language [declaring Hebrew as Israel’s only official language], promoting the establishment of Jewish communities throughout Israel and addressing the state’s relationship with Diaspora Jewry.

“Netanyahu called the passing of the law ‘a defining moment… This is our state — the Jewish state’…

“The chairman of the Arab Joint List party, Ayman Odeh, said in a statement that Israel has ‘declared it does not want us here,’ meaning its Arab citizens, and that ‘we will always be second-class citizens.’”

Canada’s Troubling Journey Towards Ungodliness

LifeSitenews.com wrote on July 13:

“Last month the Supreme Court of Canada decided in the Trinity Western University case that the right to freedom of religion, entrenched in Section 2 of the Charter, can be infringed by the rights of the LGBTQ community… This was the most recent example of a troubling situation that has developed since the Charter came into effect in 1982.

“The Court in the Trinity case concluded that the Law Societies of British Columbia and Ontario had the right to decide on the admission policies of a private religious university in British Columbia that wanted to obtain accreditation for a law school. The law societies objected because of the university’s Covenant that, among other matters, upheld that sexual relationships be only within marriage between a man and woman. The Court concluded that the law societies were permitted to raise objections based on vague and undefined concepts of ‘public interest’ and Charter ‘values’.

“This decision confirms that judges are making decisions… based on their own policy preferences. Examples of other such decisions include the legalizing of prostitution; the striking down of the abortion law; the prohibitions against physician-assisted suicide; the right to strike granted to essential services such as firemen, policemen, ambulance workers (which puts public safety at risk); legalization of drug injection sites; the redefinition, and narrowing of the interpretation of pornography; and that sex clubs for couples and single individuals meeting each other for group sex are not illegal nor indecent. There have been many other decisions as well that have profoundly changed Canadian society.

“Whether one agrees with any or all of these decisions is not the point. There is a much deeper and more profound aspect to these decisions. It is whether nine appointed, unaccountable judges should be making such decisions isolated from the public – the latter having no input into the formation of such public policy decisions… There is no longer any doubt that the Supreme Court of Canada decisions are not impartial and objective, but are based not on law or precedent, but rather on the personal policy preferences of the judges.”

Shroud of Turin NOT Burial Cloth of Jesus

Express wrote on July 16:

“For centuries, Christians had believed the Shroud of Turin was used to wrap Jesus Christ’s deceased body in after he had died. Many even thought you could still see the imprint of his face. However, new evidence has emerged which would suggest the Shroud of Turin is fraudulent.

“Forensic evidence revealed the blood stains on the cloth came from a vertical position as if someone were standing over it. This would mean the stains are not consistent with someone who had just been crucified.

“John Moores University, Liverpool, forensic expert Matteo Borrini and his team had been hoping to see if the blood stains were consistent with someone who had been executed on a T-shaped or Y-shaped cross. Instead, the research found the blood splatter came from neither.

“The study says: ‘The two short rivulets on the back of the left hand of the Shroud are only consistent with a standing subject with arms at a ca 45 degree angle… The BPA of blood visible on the frontal side of the chest (the lance wound) shows that the Shroud represents the bleeding in a realistic manner for a standing position while the stains at the back — of a supposed post-mortem bleeding from the same wound for a supine corpse — are totally unrealistic.’

“… Previous research also suggests the Turin Shroud is a fake. If it were the real burial cloth of Jesus, it would date back to around 2,000 years ago. However, carbon dating shows that the Turin Shroud also only goes back to the Middle Ages…”

Please read chapter 8 of our free booklet, “Do you know the Jesus of the Bible?”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

“Brace Yourselves—Donald Trump Is Coming”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 8:

“On Wednesday, the US president will be in Brussels for the NATO summit, where he will likely continue to ruffle feathers… And then, on July 16, Trump will travel to Finland to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin…

“There is great anxiety at NATO about how the meeting will go… At a recent speech in the state of Indiana ahead of the US midterm elections in November, Trump made clear his anger about Germany… He directly attacked Chancellor Angela Merkel, claiming that the United States pays for Germany’s security but receives little in return. And then he accused Germany of prioritizing energy deals with Russia and leaving the United States to foot the bill. Trump… has already indirectly threatened to pull US troops from Germany if the country does not increase its defense spending.

“In the worst-case scenario… the United States could demand that European members directly pay for US troops to be stationed on the continent…”

Die Welt wrote on July 9:

“When more money needs to be spent [by the Europeans] for their own defense, then it must be done as efficiently… as possible… Nothing but a unified European army would fulfil those demands—not as replacement, but as a compliment to NATO which becomes less and less interesting for the USA.“

It may be interesting to note that “Donald” is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic name, Domhanll, which means world-ruler. As the above-quoted articles predicted, President Trump did indeed ruffle feathers after arriving in Europe. Note the next articles.

Trump Attacks Germany—Merkel Counters

The EUObserver wrote on July 11:

“US leader Donald Trump, backed by Poland, has begun the Nato summit with a tirade against Germany’s plan to build a pipeline with Russia [The president appeared to be referring to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would bring gas from Russia to Germany’s northeastern Baltic coast, bypassing Eastern European nations like Poland and Ukraine and doubling the amount of gas Russia can send directly to Germany]… ‘Germany is a captive of Russia,’ Trump said after meeting Nato head Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Wednesday (11 July). ‘Germany’s totally controlled by Russia because they’ll be getting from 60 to 70% of their energy from Russia, and a new pipeline … and I think it’s a very bad thing for Nato,’ he said. ‘We [the US] are supposed to protect you [Europe] from Russia, but Germany is making pipeline deals with Russia … explain that’, he added. ‘We’re supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,’ he said.

“Trump… was loose with the facts, given that Russian oil and gas account for just 20 percent of Germany’s energy mix and that NS2 is being financed by private firms from Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, rather than by German public money. His comment on Berlin being Moscow’s ‘captive’ also overlooked Germany’s leadership on EU economic sanctions against Russia.

“The remarks… met with a swift rebuttal by German chancellor Angela Merkel. ‘I experienced first hand that a part of Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union. It’s good that we can now make our own decisions,’ she said…

“Trump’s assault on NS2 pleased Poland, which sees the pipeline as a strategic threat… ‘NS1 helped Russia to modernise its army, then attack Georgia and Ukraine and violate international law. NS2 would also help Russia to pursue revisionist policy. The question is what we are going to do about that?,’ Polish foreign minister Jacek Czaputowicz said… he also repeated calls for the US to create a permanent military base in Poland, despite German concern that this could mean moving out tens of thousands of US troops from Germany…

“[NATO-chief] Stoltenberg indicated that other allies, as well as Germany, were increasingly confused by US foreign policy.”

The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline–Trump Has a Point!

The Telegraph wrote on July 11:

“Donald Trump was right to criticise Germany for its billion dollar energy deals with Russia at the Nato summit in Brussels on Wednesday morning. He hit the nail on the head – and Angela Merkel where it hurts –  when he took aim at the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project… The lead Russian company is the state-owned Gazprom, which has former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder on its staff roster and a controlling 51 per cent share in the project, which will cost at least $15 billion.”

The Guardian wrote on July 11:

“Trump is not only one to ask questions.

“… the US president’s view that this will make Europe particularly dependent on Russian gas is widely shared by European politicians, thinktanks and energy specialists, including some in Berlin. No country is more angry about the pipeline than Ukraine [which] stands to lose billions of much needed dollars if Russia can transfer its gas transmissions to Europe across the Baltic Sea, away from a pipeline running across Ukrainian territory…

“Sweden, Denmark and Finland have expressed ecological reservations about a second natural gas pipeline at the bottom of the Baltic… The UK has also been objecting, albeit less stridently… The biggest fear is that the pipeline allows Russia a boot on the throat of Europe. It had not been afraid to cut off supplies faced by price disputes with Ukraine.”

The Gloves Are Off

The Guardian wrote on July 11:

“[Merkel] also hit back at Trump’s criticism that Germany contributed too little to European defence. ‘Germany does a lot for Nato,’ she said. ‘Germany is the second largest provider of troops, the largest part of our military capacity is offered to Nato and until today we have a strong engagement towards Afghanistan. In that we also defend the interests of the United States.’…

“This summit is shaping up to be the most divisive in Nato’s 69-year history…

“Trump [seems to be] keen to see Merkel replaced as chancellor. His outburst could be part of a strategy to try to undermine her at a time when she is domestically vulnerable. Merkel has been one of the most outspoken critics of Trump among European leaders… Trump’s antagonism towards Merkel is partly personal, a reaction to a senior European politician standing up to him and her very evident dislike of him, which she makes little attempt to hide…”

Merkel has been known to be very timid in her criticism of Donald Trump. When she is described as “one of the most outspoken critics of Trump,” then imagine what would happen if a leader were to come to power in Germany who would be REALLY outspoken, and whose words would be followed by actions. The Bible prophesies that this is exactly what will happen soon.

Handelsblatt Global commented: “‘Germany is totally controlled by Russia.’ Donald Trump, US President. Quote of the Day. Always the diplomat.”

On July 11, Newsmax re-published the following article by The Associated Press:

“Trump predicted as he departed Washington that the ‘easiest’ leg of his journey would be his scheduled sit-down [with] Putin — a comment that did little to reassure allies fretting over his potential embrace of a Russian leader… European Council President Donald Tusk pushed back against Trump’s constant criticism of European allies and urged him to remember who his friends are when he meets with Putin in Helsinki. ‘Dear America, appreciate your allies, after all you don’t have all that many,’ he said.”

America will soon lose even those few remaining allies…

Now Up to 4%?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on July 11:

“President Donald Trump pressured allies to double their military spending target to 4% of GDP, while questioning NATO’s value… Following the 4% proposal, Mr. Trump and NATO’s 28 other leaders agreed to a joint summit declaration that recommitted them to moving toward the 2% target by 2024… Then, after leaving the summit, Mr. Trump called for allies to raise their military spending to 2% ‘IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025’—misstating the year and avoiding mention of his 4% proposal…”

The Week wrote on July 12:

“President Trump told NATO leaders in person and on Twitter that he wants member nations to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense spending more quickly than the 2024 deadline agreed to in 2014, and maybe raise it to 4 percent, prompting an emergency session of NATO leaders Thursday morning.

“Trump also reportedly threatened to break with NATO and go it alone if other members don’t raise defense spending quickly. In a news conference afterward, Trump said he believes he can withdraw the U.S. from NATO without Congress but sees no need to after the other countries, he said, made ‘a real commitment’ to raise spending to 2 percent of GDP in a ‘relatively short period of years.’…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 12:

“French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters the alliance had not agreed to anything new during the meeting. ‘There is a communique that was published yesterday,’ he said, adding, ‘It confirms the goal of 2 percent by 2024. That’s all.’ A German government spokesman also said the meeting had merely reaffirmed the 2 percent goal by 2024.”

BBC News wrote on July 12:

“… no other country has confirmed any increased commitments as yet… French President Emmanuel Macron meanwhile said that no country had signed up to anything more than what was agreed four years ago.”

Will America Withdraw Its Troops from Europe?

McClatchydc.com wrote on July 6:

“European leaders… fear the United States may… begin to bring American troops home from the continent…  Some worry… Trump, at the U.S.-Russia summit, could agree to take the first steps to embolden Russia, such as halting military exercises or agreeing that Crimea, a region of Ukraine annexed by Russia in 2014, belongs to Russia…

“A third of active-duty U.S. military troops overseas – more than 60,000 – are stationed in Europe, including 35,000 in Germany, 12,000 in Italy, 8,500 in the United Kingdom and 3,300 in Spain… Thousands more rotate into other European countries temporarily…”

At this point, the White House has denied that plans are being discussed to withdraw troops from Europe, and it is alleged that Congress would have to agree to such withdrawal. If so, one cannot take it for granted that Congress would necessarily oppose such withdrawal, given the tremendous amount of expenses necessary for stationing US troops in Europe.

Many Germans for US Troops Withdrawal

The Local wrote on July 11:

“A survey… has revealed that close to one in two Germans want all the US troops still stationed on German soil to leave… 42 percent of Germans would be happy if the US pulled its troops out of the Bundesrepublik. At the same time 37 percent said they want the US soldiers to stay, while 21 percent gave no answer.

“In particular, voters for the far-left Die Linke and far-right Alternative for Germany [AfD] wanted an end to US army bases, with 67 percent and 55 percent, respectively, saying the Amis should go. On the other hand, only 35 percent of voters for Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) support this.

“… Germany… still hosts more US soldiers than any other country except Japan.”

Germany Must Step Up and Lead

Handelsblatt Global wrote on July 12:

“The consequences for security and German identity are vast. Angela Merkel understands this. That’s why she is worried. She knows that the German domestic debate lags far behind these geopolitical realities.

“The question is not when exactly Germany reaches the NATO goal of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. It is how to explain to Germans that their country must start leading Europe to create… a European substitute for American power, as America increasingly turns its gaze from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Ready or not, Germany must step ‘up’.”

Europe’s Key Problem

The Project Syndicate wrote on July 5:

“Europeans are more worried about the future than they were a decade ago, not least because they are not convinced that their political leaders can respond effectively to current challenges…

“A key problem lies in the intricacy of the EU, which is poorly equipped to function amid chaos… The world of 2018 is one of chaotic play… Europe has too many moving parts. The EU is deliberately complex… That complexity is fine in normal times, but it is problematic at exceptional moments, when the play is frenetic. At those moments, the EU looks more like the Habsburg empire…

“The Habsburg empire had its own potential grand deal… but it was never concluded. Instead, the political elite began to believe that only an external political challenge – in the event, a brief war – could solve the problem. But World War I was no brief war, and far from rescuing the empire, it destroyed it. After 1918, nostalgia for the old empire surged. It looked better, more tolerant, and even more capable than the group of competing nation-states that succeeded it…”

In other words, what is being advocated, but missing at the moment, is a unifying authority with more or less swift and dictatorial powers. The Bible predicts that this is exactly what Europe will get very soon, at a time when, to reiterate a statement from the article, “the political elite began to believe that only an external political challenge – in the event, a brief war – could solve the problem.”

“Merkel Must Go”

The New York Times wrote on July 5:

“Admirers still speak of Merkel as if she is Europe’s last lion, the only leader with the vision and capacity to save the E.U… the longer she’s in office, the more the forces of reaction will gain strength…

“Europe needs a real security policy, backed by credible military power and less dependence on Russian energy… The stakes are too high for a muddler like Merkel to stick around.”

Half of the Germans agree.

The Circus of the Immigration Fight Continues…

News Channel 5 wrote on July 10:

“Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer presented his migration ‘master plan’ Tuesday in another jab at Chancellor Angela Merkel and her asylum policies. Seehofer has been pushing for more hard-line immigration and asylum policies and even threatened to quit over Merkel’s open-door policies. A recent agreement within Merkel’s governing coalition strengthened Germany’s asylum laws slightly.

“But Seehofer wants to take it a step further. Notably, his plan includes the establishment of ‘transit centers’ along Germany’s border, where migrants would be held during asylum proceedings. That term had been removed from the coalition’s agreement, in part because the Social Democratic Party feared the centers might be compared to World War II-era internment camps…”

Seehofer Asked to Resign

The Local wrote on July 11:

“An Afghan man deported from Germany has been found dead in a hotel room in Kabul after committing suicide, officials said Wednesday. The 23-year-old man… was forcibly returned to the Afghan capital on July 4th along with 68 other failed Afghan asylum seekers. He had been staying at a hotel used by the International Organization for Migration as temporary accommodation for returnees while he waited to go to the western city of Herat…

“According to Spiegel, he lived in Hamburg where he had been convicted of theft and assault. He came to Germany in 2011 and applied for asylum but his case was rejected. The apparent suicide is set to heap pressure on Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who had already faced criticism for a comment made on Tuesday in which he joked that the 69 deportations to Afghanistan had coincided with his 69th birthday.

“Kevin Kühnert, leader of the youth wing of the Social Democrats responded to the news of the suicide by calling for Seehofer to resign… ‘Horst Seehofer is a reprehensible cynic whose character doesn’t befit his office. His resignation is overdue.’…

“Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the bloody conflict that has been raging since 2001, making the issue of deportations from Germany and other European countries highly controversial. Germany itself is deeply divided over the issue… Some of the deportees have spent most of their lives living outside of Afghanistan before being deported. More Afghans are likely to be deported after Merkel’s shaky three-party coalition agreed last week on a tougher migration policy that will reduce the number of asylum-seekers in the country…”

Seehofer’s popularity has sharply declined in Germany, and the call for his resignation gets louder, while the right-wing AfD party—Germany’s biggest opposition party– has gained further support.

How Martin Schulz Sees It

El Pais wrote on July 6:

“Martin Schultz’s story is right out of a Greek tragedy. President of the European Parliament from 2012 to 2017, he did not seek re-election… [He gave the following] joint interview with EL PAÍS, La Repubblica and Le Figaro:

“It is almost fascist for the interior minister [of Italy] to want to register the Roma people. What we are experiencing is a brutalization of language in politics… this means the end of democracy… the right has been organizing itself for a long time now… In this case, ‘the right’ means anti-democratic, anti-European and populist forces. It is disgraceful the way they attack minorities…

“This will take us to the abyss… Matteo Salvini in Italy, Heinz-Christian Strache and Sebastian Kurz in Austria, Viktor Orban in Hungary and other right-wing populists are determined to liquidate the EU…

“It’s understandable that people want more security and simple things. Those who paint the world in black and white, like Trump or Salvini, propagate their simple ideas and that’s very attractive. You need to have the courage to say that the world is complicated…

“The domestic chaos [in Germany] caused by the Christian Social Union (CSU) is dramatic for Europe. At a time when we are experiencing American unilateralism and Russian authoritarian expansion, Europe cannot engage in regressive politics… I want to be a deputy who will defend the European chapter of [Germany’s] coalition agreement. This coalition must wage the battle for the European Union.”

Schulz’s assessment that Kurz is willing to liquidate the EU, is overblown. Kurz supports the EU, as the next article shows, but not that kind of EU which Schulz would like to see.

Sebastian Kurz—Europe’s New Leader?

Bloomberg wrote on July 6:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has often been called the European Union’s real leader… A different chancellor seems positioned for leadership now: Austria’s Sebastian Kurz…

“Few people care much about the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Austria assumed on July 1. It’s usually just a public relations opportunity for member states that otherwise get little time in the limelight. It’s different with Kurz, though. In the six months since he became chancellor at the head of a coalition between his center-right People’s Party and the far-right Freedom Party, he has positioned himself as a go-to figure for European politicians as well as for powerful outside forces…

“Kurz has said that he’d like to be a ‘bridge-builder’ between the Visegrad Four (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) and the rest of the EU.

“… Russian President Vladimir Putin, who rarely travels to Europe, has visited Kurz in Vienna and asked for his help in arranging a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump… The Austrian chancellor is one of the Trump administration’s favorite European politicians. ‘Look, I think Sebastian Kurz is a rock star,’ Richard Grenell, Trump’s unloved ambassador to Germany, told Breitbart News in a recent interview. ‘I’m a big fan.’

“… Kurz is at the center of events, hated by no one, blamed for nothing… a poll in May showed that if he led a party in Germany, it would have won more votes than Merkel’s center-right bloc, the country’s most popular political force…”

England’s Brexit Disaster

Breitbart wrote on July 9:

“Prominent Brexiteer and senior government minister Boris Johnson resigned his cabinet post Monday afternoon, following his colleague David Davis who departed as Brexit Secretary Sunday evening. The development will leave Theresa May looking increasingly vulnerable, as a growing Brexit rebellion attempts to face off her move to lead Britain into a so-called Brexit in name only [so-called “soft Brexit”], where Britain will remain mostly tied to the European Union…”

The Project Syndicate wrote on July 9:

“May now has a full-blown political crisis on her hands – and all the while, the massive economic and social costs of crashing out of the bloc are beginning to sink in.”

Newsmax added on July 9:

“If Davis’s resignation rattled May, Johnson’s shook the foundations of her government… Johnson is one of Britain’s best-known politicians, and one of the most prominent advocates for Brexit… With Britain due to leave the currently 28-nation bloc on March 29, 2019, EU officials have warned Britain repeatedly that time is running out to seal a deal spelling out the terms of the divorce and a post-split relationship…

“Britain and the EU hope to reach broad agreement by October so the national parliaments of the remaining countries can ratify a deal before Britain leaves. The timetable increasingly looks overly optimistic, and EU frustration with British division and chaos is growing. European Council President Donald Tusk said Monday that ‘the mess caused by Brexit is the biggest problem in the history of EU-UK relations and it is still very far from being resolved.’

“Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the government was incapable of delivering Brexit… The fear among May’s allies is that more resignations may follow…”

The Huffington Post wrote on July 9:

“May promised to deliver a ‘hard’ Brexit when she came to power, but has since dialed back those aspirations… ‘Theresa May’s Government is in meltdown,’ deputy leader of the Labour Party Tom Watson said. ‘This is complete and utter chaos. The country is at a standstill with a divided and shambolic government. The Prime Minister can’t deliver Brexit and has zero authority left.’”

Coming—a Disorderly No Deal?

Politico wrote on July 11:

“May herself conceded to MPs that unless the EU changes its negotiating position, ‘there is serious risk it could lead to no deal.’ She said this would be a ‘disorderly no deal’ as well because neither side would be able to countenance signing a withdrawal treaty under this scenario. Despite the chaos in the British Cabinet Monday, Brussels showed no sign of changing track…

“But if the EU’s red lines do not change, May will be back facing another crisis by the end of the year. Only this time, she may not be able to survive.”

Trump Backs Johnson

Breitbart wrote on July 10:

“President Trump has poured petrol onto the flames of UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit crisis by coming out for her chief opponent Boris Johnson…

“To his numerous enemies – in which the UK media abounds: even in the conservative press, Trump coverage is almost uniformly negative – this will [be] seen as yet further evidence that Trump is entirely unsuited to any political office, let alone the leadership of the free world. To his admirers, though… this is precisely the kind of behaviour that makes Trump one of the most… winning presidents ever…

“At the weekend, Britain was effectively hijacked by a Remainer coup… Trump does not want that coup to be successful for a number of obvious reasons, from his friendship with ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage… and his instinctive loathing of the EU project to his sense that the Brexit vote in the UK was the precursor to his own victory in the presidential elections.”

Turkey’s Dictatorship Increases

The Week wrote on July 8:

“The Turkish government on Sunday fired and canceled the passports of some 18,000 civil servants, about half of them police officers, alleging ties to terrorist organizations. Another 6,000 are members of the military, and many of the remaining 3,000 are teachers and professors.

“The move comes shortly before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to lift the two-year national state of emergency imposed following a failed coup in 2016. About 160,000 Turkish civil servants have been similarly purged since the coup attempt, and 50,000 of them have been charged and jailed.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 9:

“Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to hold greater powers than any other Turkish leader has seen in decades… Turkey’s transition from a parliamentary democracy to a system featuring an all-powerful executive president marks the country’s largest shift in governance since the Turkish republic was founded out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire almost a century ago.

“Several foreign leaders were set to attend Monday’s inauguration. They included leaders from Ankara’s allies in Africa, the Middle East and Soviet Union, although relatively few EU figures. The only sitting EU leaders expected were Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Hungary’s hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

“Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was set to attend on behalf of the German government. According to a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, it was usual for the government to send to a former leader to such an inauguration ceremony.”

Schröder was invited by Erdogan as a special friend. This fact, combined with Schröder’s special friendship with Putin, has led to much consternation in Germany.

Ethiopia and Eritrea End War

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 9:

“Ethiopia and Eritrea officially declared an end to a two-decades-old war on Monday, a day after their leaders held a historic summit in the Eritrean capital Asmara. The two neighbors also agreed to resume flights, open embassies and develop ports together… The rapprochement is a result of the peace talks… in a bid to end 20 years of enmity. Eritrea was part of Ethiopia until 1993, when it declared its independence in a referendum.

“The two neighbors started a frontier war in 1998 that killed an estimated 80,000 people. Full-blown fighting ended in 2000, but their troops have faced off across their disputed border ever since…”

The united country of Ethiopia/Eritrea fulfilled an end-time prophecy in Daniel 11, when it, as the “king of the South”, pushed against the king of the North (the emperor of Italy) who then responded via an attack under Mussolini. It will have to be seen whether the prophecy was dual and will find a further fulfillment in the days ahead through a modern king of the North and a king of the South.

Trade War Escalates

Politico wrote on July 10:

“The Trump administration escalated a mounting trade war with China on Tuesday by publishing a list of $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that it proposes to hit with an additional 10 percent tariff. ‘Rather than address our legitimate concerns, China has begun to retaliate against U.S. products,’ U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said… ‘There is no justification for such action.’

“The new tariff list broadens the types of goods caught up in the trade war by targeting items like seafood, minerals, chemicals, and personal care items, such as shampoo and soap. It also includes a number of consumer products such as handbags, luggage, gloves and paper. The new U.S. move came after China retaliated in kind against tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed last week. Other Chinese-made goods [are] slated to face the new 10 percent tariff. The list include[s] building supplies, such as plywood and floor panels; certain wool products, cotton yarns and threads; woven cotton fabrics; and certain automobile parts, including tires…”

JTA wrote on July 11:

“Israel will not be exempt from steel and aluminum tariffs recently imposed by the Trump administration. The 25 percent tariff on steel and the 10 percent tariff on aluminum has the potential to seriously harm the Israeli metal industry… The United States is Israel’s largest goods export market…

“The lack of an exemption was announced Monday… Canada, Mexico and the European Union also did not receive exemptions. Australia, Argentina, Brazil and South Korea have received permanent exemptions.”

Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh as Supreme Court Justice

The Associated Press reported on July 9:

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says that Judge Brett Kavanaugh [a practicing Roman Catholic] is a ‘superb’ Supreme Court pick and that senators should ‘put partisanship aside’ in considering him… Democrats are already lining up against Kavanaugh as too conservative. But McConnell says senators should give him ‘the fairness, respect, and seriousness that a Supreme Court nomination ought to command.’…

“Republicans hold a mere 50-49 Senate majority, with the prolonged absence of the ailing Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain. The defection of one Republican would kill the nomination unless at least one Democrat votes yes.”

Kavanaugh first faces a bipartisan Senate committee, which will issue a recommendation to the full Senate following their hearing. That is followed by a debate and vote by the full Senate. Kavanaugh will need at least 51 votes to receive confirmation. Vice President Mike Pence can cast a vote to break a tie.

The Huffington Post wrote on July 9:

“If confirmed, the 53-year-old U.S. circuit judge could tilt the balance of the court in a solidly conservative direction for decades to come, likely affecting decisions on abortion… gay rights and capital punishment…

“Kavanaugh’s most prominent opinion on abortion rights came in 2017 when he wrote in dissent not to allow an undocumented teenager to seek an abortion while in federal custody at the U.S. border in Texas… Kavanaugh also dissented with the majority in Priests for Life v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, arguing that the Obama administration had imposed a “substantial burden” on the rights of religious groups by requiring them to include birth control coverage in their health insurance plans…”

JTA wrote on July 9:

“Kavanaugh… is well respected by the Republican establishment, although some on the right have said he is not conservative enough. Trump reportedly was wary of Kavanaugh’s close ties to George W. Bush, who nominated him to his current position in 2003… He helped draft the Starr Report, which called for President Bill Clinton to be impeached because he lied about having had a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky… He fought on the legal team urging Florida not to have a recount in the 2000 presidential election between Bush and Al Gore, Clinton’s vice president. The Supreme Court decision not to do so led to Bush becoming the president…

“… the Jewish establishment tends to take progressive stances on domestic issues such as reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, gun control and separation of church and state…

“Orthodox groups are likely to welcome a court that protects public religious expression over strict separation, as it did in recent rulings confirming a baker’s right to refuse to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding…”

Jehovah’s Witnesses Bound by EU Data Protection Law

Reuters reported on July 10:

“Jehovah’s Witnesses must obtain consent from people before they take down their personal details during door-to-door preaching in order to comply with EU data privacy rules, Europe’s top court ruled on Tuesday. The case arose after Finland in 2013 banned Jehovah’s Witnesses from collecting personal data during door-to-door visits.

“The U.S.-based Christian denomination… challenged the decision, saying that its preaching should be considered a personal religious activity and as such the notes taken down during such visits are also personal. A Finnish court subsequently asked the Luxembourg-based Court of the Justice of the European Union (ECJ) for advice, which said on Tuesday that such religious activity is not covered by exemptions granted to personal activity…

“Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from mainstream Christianity in a number of their beliefs, including rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity and opposing blood transfusions and military conscription.”

Newsweek elaborated on July 10:

“‘The Court concludes that EU law on the protection of personal data supports a finding that a religious community is a controller, jointly with its members who engage in preaching, of the processing of personal data carried out by the latter in the context of door-to-door preaching organised, coordinated and encouraged by that community, without it being necessary that the community has access to those data…’

“The group’s tenets significantly differ from other mainstream sects of Christianity and forbid participating in military service, giving blood and celebrating holidays, including religious feasts [the reference here is to “religious feasts” such as Christmas, Easter or New Year’s] and birthdays…

“As a result, the EU court found that ‘the concept of a “filing system” covers a set of personal data collected in the course of door-to-door preaching, consisting of the names and addresses and other information concerning the persons contacted, if those data are structured according to specific criteria which, in practice, enable them to be easily retrieved for subsequent use…

“The Jehovah’s Witnesses have run into trouble elsewhere, too. Russia has arrested a number of the group’s followers in the country after declaring the religious community to be an ‘extremist organization’ in 2017 and utilizing other methods to crack down on their activities.

“Like Russia, South Korea has mandatory military service and has so far denied offering Jehovah’s Witnesses a pass. Seoul’s constitutional court ruled last week that such a strict stance was unconstitutional and that the government must present an alternative option, but the group’s representatives told Newsweek that over 2,000 of its followers remained imprisoned in South Korea for refusing military service.”

Jimmy Carter: Jesus Would Approve of Gay Marriage and Certain Abortions

Breitbart wrote on July 9:

“Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Sunday that Jesus would approve of gay marriage and certain abortions… Asked about gay marriage, he replied that it is ‘no problem with me. I think everybody should have a right to get married regardless of their sex.’

“Regarding whether he thinks Jesus would approve of gay marriage, Carter replied ‘I don’t have any verse in Scripture,’ but added, ‘I believe that Jesus would approve of gay marriage.’ ‘I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else and I don’t see that gay marriage damages anyone else,’ he said… ‘The only thing I would draw a line on,’ he said, is ‘I wouldn’t be in favor of the government being able to force a local church congregation to perform gay marriages if they didn’t want to. But those two partners should be able to go to a local courthouse or to a different church and get married.’

“Mr. Carter said that abortion has always been a struggle for him, because he does not believe Jesus would be in favor of most abortions… ‘I have a hard time believing that Jesus would approve abortions unless it was because of rape or incest or if the mother’s life was in danger’… he said.”

Well, the Jesus Mr. Carter believes in is most certainly not the Jesus of the Bible who taught marriage between a man and a woman and who condemned homosexuality and the killing of innocent life (abortion) for any reason.

US Delegation Opposed to Breastfeeding?

Ars Technica added on July 9:

“In May, a US delegation to the World Health Organization issued stunning trade and military threats in its opposition to a well-established and otherwise uncontroversial resolution encouraging breastfeeding… The resolution simply put forth that mother’s milk is the healthiest option for infants and that countries should work to limit any misleading or inaccurate advertising by makers of breast-milk substitutes. It affirms a long-held position by the WHO and is backed by decades of research.

“But more than a dozen participants from several countries—most requesting anonymity out of fear of US retaliation—told the Times that the American officials surprised health experts and fellow delegates alike by fiercely opposing the resolution. At first, the US delegates attempted to simply dilute the pro-breastmilk message, voiding language that called for governments to ‘protect, promote, and support breastfeeding’ and limit promotion of competing baby food products that experts warn can be harmful. But when that failed, the US reportedly put the squeeze on countries backing the resolution by making aggressive trade and military threats—a move that further stunned the assembly.

“The Ecuadorian delegation, for instance, was expected to introduce the resolution but was weaned off the idea after the US threatened to impose harmful trade measures and withdraw military assistance—which the US is providing in the northern part of the country to help address violence spilling over the border from Colombia. Officials from the US, Uruguay, and Mexico said that at least a dozen other countries—many of which are poor countries in Africa and Latin America—dropped the resolution…

“The Times notes a 2016 series in the Lancet in which researchers estimated that universal breastfeeding could spare the lives of 823,000 children each year and save $302 billion in economic losses. The WHO has long said that breastfeeding is the optimal feeding method for infants and recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life and continued feeding with introduction of other foods up to two years of age.

“In the end, the US’s effort to dash the WHO resolution encouraging breastfeeding was largely unsuccessful. Russia ultimately sponsored the resolution and the American delegation did not issue any threats to the country.”

We wonder why the US delegation opposed encouragement of breastfeeding. It is indeed well-established and beyond any reasonable dispute that it is the most preferable feeding method for infants.  

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

What Would Jesus Do?

Fox News published the following article on the occasion of America’s 4^th of July Celebrations:

“What does it mean to be a patriotic American in today’s divisive climate? What are our values as a nation? How should we treat each other and those outside – or at – our borders? It’s an understatement to say we don’t all agree. The only way I can cut through the confusion is to cling to my identity in Christ. I love this country and have always felt blessed to live here. But I’ve seen enough of the rest of the world – more than 60 countries – to know that people outside of America face hardships we can’t even imagine. And I wonder just what God expects from us when so many are suffering…

“My true citizenship is in heaven. I’m a Christian first and an American second… there’s no better way to think through the hotly debated issues of our day than to ask, ‘What would Jesus do?’… Jesus was one of the least politically correct people of his day… Jesus didn’t care about politics; he cared about people. His love for little children is clear. His regard for women is well-documented. When he saw someone in need, he stopped what he was doing and responded with compassion. He treated everyone with dignity, no matter their choices or circumstances.

“… Jesus was clear about priorities. When religious leaders tried to trap him with questions about the law, he boiled it down for them – and for us: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments’ (Matthew 22:36-40).

“Let’s not forget, the ‘neighbor’ Jesus commands us to love doesn’t only apply to citizens of our country. The parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ timeless lesson on who our neighbor is: anyone in need. So what would Jesus do with unborn children? With immigrant families arriving at our border or refugees seeking safe haven? With people of different races and religions? With disadvantaged children in the U.S. lacking basic necessities?…

“As citizens of God’s kingdom, we’re called to stand apart and resist cultural and political influence… When we wield spiritual power rather than political power, Christians become a force for good – in any country… This can happen here in America, if we choose biblical correctness over political correctness; if we follow Christ, not the platform of either political party…”

Europe’s Nightmare

The following articles on the topic of European immigration are selected to show the reader the hopeless attempts to deal with migrants, while resorting to controversial means and playing into the hands of far right voices, leaders and movements. We do not only quote these articles to show the way in which Satan rules this present evil world, but also, how these developments in a divided Europe pertaining to the migrant crisis will contribute to the biblically prophesied formation of a strong CORE Europe under the leadership of a powerful charismatic political and military leader. Present developments do not appear to give reason for much hope in a future peaceful and humane European power bloc.

European Immigration Deal because of Blackmail?

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 29:

“After 12 hours of negotiations, exhausted EU leaders presented an agreement on migration. It is above all a shift to the right of the political spectrum toward making it harder to cross into the EU. The populists have prevailed.

“The problem is supposed to be moved outside of Europe’s borders where screening centers will be set up. They’re supposed to scare off Libya and other North African countries, so that African migrants don’t even try to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe in the first place… The EU wants to strengthen its partnership with Libya of all places, where migrants face exploitation and torture. The Libyan coast guard, already receiving EU support, will in future be responsible for fishing migrants out of a much larger area of the Mediterranean…

“Lots of money will cloak this strategy, as will the praise for EU-African cooperation… This is, of course, much too tedious for the current political problem. It’s unfortunate that Italy’s new government of right-wing populists, with its ruthless rejection of people stranded at sea, came out on top: Reception centers in the bloc will be closed. So, Italy got its wish, at least on paper. Blackmail, as it turns out, was effective…

“Hungary’s prime minister, Victor Orban, can now rightly point to the fact that his idea – fences, fear and forcing people back to the border – won in the end… The number of migrants heading for Europe has dropped by 95 percent compared to 2015, according to the summit agreement. The question is how to prevent the remaining 5 percent from entering the EU.”

EU Plan Immigration “a Farce”

Daily Mail wrote on June 29:

“A Brussels plan to build EU migrant detention centres descended into [a] farce last night as European leaders lined up to refuse to host them… French president Emmanuel Macron said he would not host one of the ‘controlled centres’ and Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz mocked the prospect of one being built in his country… Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte rejected Mr Macron’s suggestion that the asylum centres would be hosted in countries such as Italy.”

Egypt Refuses EU Call for Migrant Reception Centers

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 1:

“Egypt… will refuse to host migrants aiming for the European Union… Egypt… will not build refugee camps for migrants deported from the European Union if asked. The announcement came after details of a new EU-wide migration deal revealed that bloc leaders will seek to build centers for asylum seekers in ‘partner countries’ in the Middle East and Africa.

“The leaders of Albania, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have also said they will refuse to build reception centers for migrants attempting to reach the EU…”

Hungary’s New Anti-Immigration Measures

Herald Net wrote on June 29:

“… lawyers risk jail time if they so much as help a client fill out a complicated Hungarian-language form. Hungary’s parliament last week approved a legislative package aimed not only at barring the gates to almost any outsider — but also decreeing punishment for those who try to aid would-be migrants…

“Even before the latest stringent measures, Hungary earned a reputation for hostility toward migrants who surged through Europe three years ago… Hungary erected a barrier on its border with Serbia and Croatia…”

In the Arms of the Extreme Right?

The Daily Mail wrote on June 29:

“From Greece to Germany, from Sicily to Scandinavia, people are unhappy about mass migration, are punishing the politicians they blame for it and are increasingly drifting into the arms of the extremist Right.

“In Austria, the 31-year-old Right-wing Chancellor Sebastian Kurz sent hundreds of troops to the border to prepare for a possible migration surge this summer. In Hungary, the authoritarian leader Viktor Orban recently announced plans for a special 25 per cent tax on organisations that support migration…”

Core Europe–Merkel’s Deal with EU Nations

Express wrote on July 1:

“[The] German Chancellor secured ‘rapid return’ migrant return deals with 16 countries at an EU summit on Friday. At the EU summit, Germany, Spain and Greece reached a trilateral migration deal of ‘reciprocal cooperation’, along with a wider EU migration agreement. Mrs Merkel struck the deals with countries including Hungary, Belgium, France, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia and Luxembourg…

“The wider EU migration agreement aims to minimise the ‘secondary movements’ of migrants, who register in one EU country and then cross into another. Asylum seekers whose ‘first entry into the European Union was Spain’ will be returned by Germany to Spain, the Spanish government said in a written statement. Germany will also pay for the cost of their return… In return, Mrs Merkel will give the go ahead for family reunification to take place in Germany. The move will see 2,900 people who presently live in Greece, reunited with their families in Germany…”

Even though some of the above-mentioned countries subsequently denied that such a deal was struck, it still shows that a core Europe or a Europe with two speeds is bound to develop. Some don’t seem to understand that a core Europe IS prophesied in the Bible. God’s Holy Word speaks of TEN European nations and groups of nations… not of 28 European member states. By no stretch of the imagination can 28 member states constitute 10 nations.

Merkel Safe for Now by Agreeing to “Transit Centers”?

Deutsche Welle reported in July 2:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bavarian conservative leader Horst Seehofer have reached a deal on migrant policy that could save the governing coalition [if the] Social Democrats accept the deal…

“Merkel said Germany would be putting in place national ‘transit centers’ [on the Austrian border] to ‘order and steer secondary migration’ — the movement of migrants within the EU… In order to retain its absolute majority, the CSU is anxious to present a hard line on migrants and head off competition from the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party…”

Newsmax republished the following article by AFP, dated July 2:

“The deal… drew immediate fire from critics, such as Bernd Riexinger of the opposition far-left Die Linke party, who on Twitter slammed the plan for what he labelled ‘mass internment camps…’”

Breitbart London added on July 2:

“While Seehofer’s comparatively strong stance has caused this clash with Merkel, the Bavarian leader remains a centre-right figure fundamentally unopposed to mass migration, and the new compromise will do nothing to undo the effects of decades of mass migration to Germany…”

Germany’s Junior Coalition Party SPD May Have to “Compromise”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 3:

“Anyone hoping for quick approval by Social Democrats [CDU’s junior coalition party] was sorely disappointed… one of the biggest problems is that the party [SPD] already resoundingly rejected transit centers back in 2015 during Germany’s previous grand coalition government.

“In late 2015, SPD leaders including now-Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Ex-Foreign Minister and former Party Chairman Sigmar Gabriel and Secretary-General Lars Klingbeil took to social media to portray the zones as ‘gigantic prisons’ and ‘mass camps in no man’s land.’ ‘The SPD has won the day,’ Gabriel wrote on Twitter back then. ‘Transit zones are off the table. No house arrest, no fences.’

“With that in mind, the SPD is almost certain to insist at least upon a change in name for the facilities proposed by the CDU and CSU… That choice of phrase leaves enough wiggle room for Social Democrats to reach some sort of agreement with conservatives on new migrant processing facilities, provided they’re called something else. But whether the SPD’s own grass roots will allow the leadership to exploit that leeway is another matter…

“It’s in the SPD’s best interest to facilitate a reconciliation between Germany’s two conservative parties. A divorce between the CDU and CSU would almost certainly prompt a fresh national election. That’s something that the SPD, currently mired in historic lows of 16 to 18 percent in public opinion polls, can ill afford.”

And in fact, they did compromise.

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 5:

“The leaders of Germany’s three-way governing coalition [CDU, CSU and SPD] agreed on a deal concerning migration and asylum policy after German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a deal with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to introduce tougher controls at Germany’s border with Austria…

“The leaders agreed on ditching so-called transit centers to process incoming asylum-seekers, rather there will now be ‘transit processes in police centers,’ CSU leader Seehofer told reporters.”

The fact is that the “transit centers” are to remain, only with a different name. Seehofer now speaks of “transfer centers.”

What political dishonesty and despicable maneuvering.

Merkel Under Fire

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 4:

“Addressing parliament for the first time since her clash with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, the German chancellor sought to stress a common way forward. But things remain tense both inside and outside her coalition… if Merkel was trying to sell peace and prosperity, the largest opposition party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), wasn’t buying. Before Merkel’s speech, AfD joint parliamentary leader Alice Weidel, took direct aim at the chancellor. [Weidel] called the deal on migrants a ‘Pyrrhic victory’ and prophesied that the governmental crisis over the issue would continue. She added that the conflict was symptomatic of a general failure on the part of the government… The far-right populist concluded by calling upon Merkel to resign…

“[The SPD] insisted that the foundation of government policy remained the coalition agreement signed by the CDU-CSU and the SPD in March and not any deals struck between conservatives alone… ‘You lost sight of the basics,’ the co-leader of the Green party’s parliamentary group, Toni Hofreiter, said [to Merkel]. ‘What you’ve created is chaos.’”

“Merkel Hangs on by Selling Out”

Handelsblatt Global wrote on July 3:

“If you believe their spin, Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and Horst Seehofer’s Christian Social Union last night snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. One moment Seehofer was still heard jibing that ‘I won’t let myself be sacked by a chancellor whom I made chancellor in the first place.’ A few hours later, besotted by the thought of clinging to his office a bit longer, he was gloating that the deal they had struck contains everything he had demanded and ‘allows’ him to remain interior minister.

“There is nothing good about this deal. Neither for this governing coalition… nor for Germany, which will keep teetering on the brink of a governmental crisis; nor for Europe, which now lacks a reliable partner in its largest member state; nor for refugees, who will be caught in a legal and humanitarian limbo as Europe keeps fighting about them…

“For Merkel, this amounts to 99 percent capitulation. Since the fall of 2015, and with renewed vigor in recent weeks, she had insisted that Germany’s nine borders (which all lie within the Schengen area) remain open, and that no asylum seekers will be turned back before their case is heard. Now they will be turned back: into camps that mustn’t be called by that name (lest they remind people of concentration camps). Any reverse flow from the camps to Austria or Italy will cause those countries to close their borders, which amounts to precisely the ‘nationalist’ and ‘un-European’ solution Merkel had claimed to oppose…

“Merkel has sold out. The deal… will not restore peace to the relationship between CDU and CSU. There is no more trust among them. The sparring parties will stumble from fight to fight, all the way up to the regional election in Bavaria in October. It remains hard to imagine that both Merkel and Seehofer can stay in office. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats are fed up with both of them…”

The Chicago Tribune wrote on July 2:

“Relations between Merkel’s CDU and its Bavarian sister have been badly strained, and the CSU itself is now riven by competing factions… ‘How often have… Merkel and… Seehofer said they’ve found a “good compromise” that then resulted in an escalation just a few hours / days / weeks later?’, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, the leader of the Green Party, tweeted after the compromise was announced. ‘It’s exhausting. It doesn’t solve any problems, it just creates new ones.’”

“Transit Zones” Already Exist in Hungary

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 3:

“The transit zones… already exist in Hungary.

“In the transit zone, which Hungary has declared a no man’s land, officials… check whether the asylum-seeker has been registered in another European Union country or whether the asylum application is obviously unfounded for other reasons…

“Rejected asylum seekers are returned to Serbia from the transit zone. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg condemned this practice back in March 2017… The court called their internment illegal. The deportation to Serbia was also criticized because there was a risk of a ‘chain deportation’ to Greece. Hungary has appealed this judgment. A final verdict is still pending…

“For transit zones to work, it is imperative to seal off the border with a fence or very tight border controls… In the case of Germany, this would mean that the border with Austria would have to be closed off and controlled along its entire length of 817 kilometers. But this wouldn’t comply with the rules of free movement within the Schengen area…”

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz: The EU’s New Power Broker?

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 30:

“Austria takes over the EU Council presidency on July 1. Its conservative new leader Sebastian Kurz sees himself above all as a gatekeeper, with migration at the top of the agenda for his country’s mandate… With a right-wing populist chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, at its helm, the bloc is about to be led by a country whose policies on migration in recent years have shown little willingness to compromise…

“Austria’s EU presidency coincides with the final stretch of the Brexit negotiations, set to be finalized this year in order to pave the way for the UK’s exit from the bloc in early 2019. Whether such deadlines can be met remains to be seen…”

It also remains to be seen what else Austria will do while “in charge” of the EU.

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 3:

“Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz… said that a migration deal that ended a bitter dispute between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, would force Austria to ‘protect’ its southern border…

“Analysts have warned that other EU countries may mimic Austria’s reaction…”

“US Considering Troop Withdrawal from Germany, Report Says”

Deutsche Welle reported on June 30:

“The US Department of Defense is examining options for withdrawing US forces stationed in Germany after President Donald Trump expressed interest in such a move, The Washington Post reported on Friday. The newspaper… said officials were analyzing the cost and consequences of shifting either some or all 35,000 US troops to the US or Poland…

“The US Department of Defense rejected The Washington Post‘s report on Friday evening. A Pentagon spokesman told German news agency DPA that the National Security Council had not received any cost analysis from the Ministry of Defense for relocating US troops stationed in Germany. Trump had reportedly showed interest in shifting US forces during a White House meeting earlier in the year after he had voiced shock at how many US troops were in Germany, the largest contingent of US forces in Europe…

“European officials have learned about the analysis, according to the newspaper, and are trying to ascertain whether it reflects Trump’s intentions or is part of a negotiating ploy ahead of a July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels…”

“Trump Warns NATO Allies to Spend More on Defense, or Else”

The New York Times reported on July 2:

“President Trump has written sharply worded letters to the leaders of several NATO allies – including Germany, Belgium, Norway and Canada – taking them to task for spending too little on their own defense and warning that the United States is losing patience with what he said was their failure to meet security obligations shared by the alliance… In his letters, the president hinted that after more than a year of public and private complaints that allies have not done enough to share the burden of collective defense, he may be considering a response, including adjusting the United States’ military presence around the world.

“‘As we discussed during your visit in April, there is growing frustration in the United States that some allies have not stepped up as promised,’ Mr. Trump wrote to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in a particularly pointed letter… ‘The United States continues to devote more resources to the defense of Europe when the Continent’s economy, including Germany’s, are doing well and security challenges abound. This is no longer sustainable for us… Continued German underspending on defense undermines the security of the alliance and provides validation for other allies that also do not plan to meet their military spending commitments, because others see you as a role model.’”

Handelsblatt Global wrote on July 3:

“Trump actually has half a point. At another NATO summit in Wales in 2014, the allies had agreed to a long-term goal of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Germany currently spends only 1.3 percent… The budget for 2019 does include more money for the army: €42.9 billion, or €4 billion more than this year. But that only sounds good until you realize that Germany should in theory be spending more like €72 billion a year… In a nightmare scenario, Trump starts drawing down the US military presence in Europe, or makes other gestures that cast doubt on NATO’s ability and will to defend itself…”

Ultimately, Europe will have their own powerful army, as the Bible clearly prophesies.

Trade War Between USA and its Allies and Foes

AFP wrote on June 29:

“Canada hit back at the United States Friday with retaliatory tariffs on $12.6 billion in American goods, including summer barbecue essentials such as orange juice, ketchup and bourbon. The 25 percent tariffs on steel products and 10 percent on consumer goods take effect on July 1 in the opening salvo in a trade war with President Donald Trump.

“Ottawa also announced Can$2 billion (US$1.5 billion) in aid for Canadian steel and aluminum industries and workers hurt by US metals tariffs.”

AFP wrote on July 4:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday warned US President Donald Trump against unleashing an all-out trade war after he threatened to impose steep tariffs on cars from the European Union. In a speech to the Bundestag federal parliament, Merkel said both sides were effectively locked in a ‘trade conflict’ since Trump’s decision to slap punitive tariffs on steel and aluminium [sic] imports. ‘It is worthwhile to prevent this conflict from becoming a real war’… Trump on Sunday charged that Europe is ‘possibly as bad as China’ on trade, as he reiterated that he is mulling import taxes of 20 percent on EU cars.

“The EU has slapped tariffs on iconic US products including bourbon, jeans and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as a symbolic tit-for-tat response to the metals duties. Taking aim at Trump over his complaint that the EU, and in particular economic powerhouse Germany, is running a massive trade surplus against the US, Merkel said that his calculation is skewed as it is based only on goods, not services.”

Fortune wrote on July 2:

“The European Union is reportedly preparing to slap tariffs on up to $300 billion of U.S. products, if the White House goes ahead with its threatened tariffs on auto imports from the EU. This is based on a letter, reported by the Financial Times, from the European Commission to the U.S. Commerce Department.

“The threatened figure is enormous, dwarfing the levels of tariffs that have been lobbed at the U.S. in the early stages of what may turn out to be a fully-fledged trade war. It’s around the same as the value of U.S. imports of foreign cars and parts…”

Newsmax wrote on July 3:

“Major U.S. trading partners including the European Union, China and Japan voiced deep concern at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday about possible U.S. measures imposing additional duties on imported autos and parts… Over 40 WTO members, including the 28 countries of the European Union – warned that the U.S. action could seriously disrupt the world market and threaten the WTO system, given the importance of cars to world trade… A Russian official told the WTO meeting that the issue of U.S. investigations had been raised over the past year in different WTO meetings, only to see things change for the worse. The United States was losing its reputation as a trusted trade partner, the Russian delegate told the meeting…

“China, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Singapore, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Qatar, Thailand and India all echoed the same concerns and said they doubted the U.S. tariffs were in line with WTO rules…”

AFP wrote on July 5:

“Steep American tariffs on Chinese goods worth tens of billions of dollars are due to take effect at midnight Thursday, as US President Donald Trump fires the decisive salvo in a trade war between the world’s top two economies.

“Beijing has vowed to retaliate dollar-for-dollar, ‘immediately’ imposing counter-tariffs on American exports despite warnings the burgeoning conflict will send shockwaves around the global economy and strike at the heart of the world trading system…”

“Horribly Intolerant Behavior” by Democrats in Opposition to Trump’s “Disgraceful Policy”

Piers Morgan wrote on June 25 in the Daily Mail:

“Last week was a very bad week for President Trump. His disgraceful new policy of separating migrant children from their parents rightly blew up in flames of hellish vitriol and scorn. There was no defence for such a vile, heartless action and Trump fully deserves all the criticism that has since rained down on his head – including from his own wife and daughter, and senior Republicans. You can tell just how bad it was by the way he performed an almost unprecedented, panicky U-turn within days of the scandal being exposed.

“Yet America’s liberals… still conspired to get it horribly wrong and allow Trump to regain the high moral ground. First, actor Peter Fonda tweeted: ‘We should rip Barron Trump from his mother’s arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles and see if mother will stand up against the massive giant [real bad language] she is married to.’ I read this disgusting post with a mixture of shock, horror and head-scratching bemusement. What on earth possessed Fonda to write such a thing about an innocent young 12-year-old boy who must already be suffering considerable angst from being the son of such a divisive president?

“… the owner of a Red Hen restaurant in Virginia threw out Trump’s press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the weekend – simply because she works for Trump… This incident came a few days after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was interrupted by protestors in a Mexican restaurant in Washington DC, and after Trump adviser Stephen Miller was branded a ‘fascist’ while dining in another Mexican restaurant…

“Regardless of what you think of Trump, it’s absolutely pathetic that a White House employee like Sarah Sanders cannot eat with her family in an American restaurant without being humiliated in such a way. It’s even more pathetic that U.S. politicians are now demanding more of this kind of nonsense…

“Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters openly called for more Trump staffers to be targeted in public… This is a member of Congress actively encouraging crowd disorder against anyone in the Trump administration, regardless of whether they are out in a private capacity, perhaps with young family. It’s hard to think of a more intolerant, or dangerous, command from someone who professes to want more tolerance.

“… This kind of horribly intolerant behaviour only serves to further strengthen Trump’s support, especially amongst those who voted for him, and thus further increases his chances of winning another term in 2020. So ironically, and inexplicably, liberals are currently doing everything in their power to help get Trump re-elected.”

This shows how terribly divided the USA is today.

How the Post-War German Government Used Nazis for their Services

Fox News reported on June 29:

“The daughter of Heinrich Himmler [Gudrun Burwitz-Himmler], who led Adolf Hitler’s ruthless SS, worked as a secretary for West Germany’s [foreign intelligence] spy agency [BND] in the 1960s [from 1961 until 1963] in Munich under a different name despite never renouncing Nazism and remaining active in far-right extremism for decades…

“Burwitz-Himmler, who was famously photographed with her father at various Nazi events when she was a child, was a notorious postwar supporter of the extreme right and remained active in those circles into her old age. She died last month in Munich at 88… She worked at the BND at a time when it was led by Reinhard Gehlen, a controversial ex-WWII German general who also worked for U.S. intelligence postwar and employed many former military officers and Nazis as spies. Gehlen ran the then-West Germany spy agency until 1968.

“After the war, Burwitz-Himmler was arrested and made to testify at the Nuremberg trials and repeatedly sought to justify her father’s actions. She married journalist Wulf Dieter Burwitz, who later became a party official in the Bavarian section of the far-right NPD. She was also affiliated with Stille Hilfe, or “Silent Assistance,” which helped accused Nazi war criminals find refuge and avoid extradition. It is believed the group was first created by a group of SS officers and right-wing German clergy. She remained a committed Holocaust denier until her death.

“… the BND has come under criticism in recent years for failing to root out right-wing extremists in the post-war era. Critical historians have said ex-Nazis and far right sympathizers working inside security agencies after World War II may have protected others. Himmler, who as commander of the SS was a principal architect to the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust, killed himself while in British custody in 1945.”

Prince William’s Controversial Trip to the State of Israel

Breitbart wrote on June 28:

“Prince William reportedly refused a request to meet with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in the capital out of concern that it would come across as a political statement. Barkat in turn refused to meet with the British royal outside the capital. According to Israel’s Channel 2, Barkat asked to meet with the British royal in the capital but was told that meeting in that location would imply British recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. Instead the prince was told that he could meet with Barkat at a reception at the British ambassador’s residence in Ramat Gan. Barkat refused, saying he would rather not meet at all ‘out of respect for Jerusalem.’…

“The prince’s trip was the first official visit by a member of the royal family since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The visit sparked a minor controversy even before it took place when Kensington Palace used the term ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ to describe his upcoming visit to Jerusalem’s Old City. UK Ambassador to Israel David Quarrey defended the decision, saying that all ‘the terminology that was used in the program was consistent with years of practice by British governments. It’s consistent with British government policy.’

“The prince also drew criticism for referring to ‘our two countries’ during his meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas… Britain’s Foreign Office said… that ‘the UK government supports the creation of a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian state… The UK will recognize a Palestinian state at a time when it can best help to bring about peace.’…

“William had a poignant last day on Thursday, with visits to the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and the [Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene to visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice] on the Mount of Olives… The prince also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and received special dispensation to enter the Dome of the Rock, despite the fact that he is not Muslim.”

The Times of Israel wrote on June 27:

“Although prince visited PM and president, a mayoral meet in the capital was apparently a step too far, given UK stance on [the] disputed city… Apparently a meeting by the prince with the mayor in Jerusalem, however, would have implied an unacceptable degree of British recognition of Israeli rights in the city.”

The Bible shows that ultimately, Israel will find no support from either Britain or America, let alone from Europe or other nations.

France to Reintroduce Compulsory National Service for all 16-Year-Olds

The Independent wrote on June 28:

“The French government has begun putting into action its promise to reintroduce national service for all 16-year-olds. During his election campaign Emmanuel Macron, France’s prime minister, said restoring national service would inspire patriotism and social cohesion. Both girls and boys will serve in the two-stage programme.

“The first stage will be a compulsory month-long placement with a focus on civic culture… The options being looked at include voluntary teaching and working with charities, alongside traditional military training with the army, police or fire service. This would largely take place during France’s school holidays.

“A second, voluntary stage of at least three months and up to a year would also be available. In this phase, young people would be encouraged to serve… in an area linked to defence and security… However, they would also be able to volunteer for work in social care, culture or the environment…

“The plan represents a watered-down version of the ‘direct experience of military life’ Mr Macron promised during his election campaign. Between 600,000 and 800,000 young people would have faced military training and spent at least a month with the armed forces…

“Mr Macron is the first French president not to have done military service, as he came of age after the practice was scrapped. National service ended in Britain in 1957, though military service remains compulsory in Greece, Russia and Finland.”

This crazy but dangerous idea reminds us of the type of compulsory national services in communist countries and in Nazi Germany. The fruits of such indoctrination have always been terrible. Furthermore, we feel strongly that France will, in due time, introduce compulsory military service, and other European nations will do likewise.

North Korea INCREASES Production of Enriched Uranium for Nuclear Weapons

The Huffington Post reported on June 30:

“North Korea has been secretly increasing production of enriched uranium for nuclear weapons at clandestine sites, several U.S. intelligence sources have told NBC News.

The information, based on the latest U.S. intelligence assessment, follows CNN’s publication of satellite photos earlier this week showing expanding work on a nuclear research site in North Korea.

“The news also comes just weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with President Donald Trump in a historic summit in Singapore. The leaders said they would ‘work toward’ denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but they didn’t settle on specific details or deadlines…

“The North Koreans have stopped nuclear tests, but ‘there’s no evidence that they are decreasing stockpiles, or that they have stopped their production,’ said one U.S. official, the network reported Friday. ‘There is absolutely unequivocal evidence that they are trying to deceive the U.S.’ Another senior intelligence official told NBC: ‘Work is ongoing to deceive us on the number of facilities, the number of weapons, the number of missiles’…

“Satellite images from June 21, which CNN revealed Wednesday, appear to show upgrades to a major nuclear research facility in North Korea. Analysts at 38 North, which tracks North Korean activity, said the images revealed that ‘improvements to the infrastructure at North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center are continuing at a rapid pace.’”

Was it really believable that one could trust the North Korean dictator’s “promises” to denuclearize his country?

China and Russia to Collaborate Militarily

MSN wrote on July 3:

“China’s defense minister has pledged his country’s support to the Russian army in the latest in a series of high-level contacts between the top U.S. military rivals… [It was] emphasized that the military leaders expand and deepen cooperation in all areas… [and that] the friendly cooperation between Chinese and Russian militaries has maintained a sound momentum of high-level development, and the two armies have yielded great results in such fields as personnel training, joint training and exercises, and military competitions…

“China and Russia… both expand their military power and enhance their political clout abroad. They have pursued a number of joint military exercises, enhanced bilateral economic relations and have vowed to support one another in the face of what they see as U.S. Cold War-era aggression toward their rise.

“… China and Russia also have unique relationships with their mutual neighbor, North Korea… China and Russia attempted to persuade the United Nations Security Council last week to introduce measures that would gradually remove tough sanctions against North Korea amid a thawing in its relationship with the U.S., but Washington refused, citing a lack of progress in Pyongyang’s denuclearization.”

Upcoming Trump-Putin Summit on July 15 in Helsinki

Breitbart wrote on June 29:

“President Donald Trump will demand Russian leader Vladimir Putin force Iran to pull out their military presence from Syria, an unnamed source told the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat. ‘If the Putin-Trump summit is held on July 15, its core will be to negotiate Washington’s insistence on Iran’s withdrawal from Syria,’ a Western diplomat told the newspaper in anticipation of the meeting between the two men next month. Iran, alongside Russia, has been providing military assistance to Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian Arab Army in its civil war against the government rebels…

“The Kremlin has since confirmed that preparations are underway for the meeting, with the Finnish capital of Helsinki as the chosen location… this meeting will be the first official one solely between the two leaders. Their relationship has been subject to much speculation from the media, as Trump remains under investigation by the FBI for alleged collusion that occurred during the 2016 election with the Russian government…”

Invading Venezuela?

On July 4, Newsmax re-published the following article of The Associated Press:

“As a meeting last August in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions on Venezuela was concluding, President Donald Trump turned to his top aides and asked an unsettling question: With a fast unraveling Venezuela threatening regional security, why can’t the U.S. just simply invade the troubled country? The suggestion stunned those present at the meeting, including U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, both of whom have since left the administration…

“In an exchange that lasted around five minutes, McMaster and others took turns explaining to Trump how military action could backfire and risk losing hard-won support among Latin American governments to punish President Nicolas Maduro for taking Venezuela down the path of dictatorship… But Trump pushed back. Although he gave no indication he was about to order up military plans, he pointed to what he considered past cases of successful gunboat diplomacy in the region, according to the official, like the invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s.

“The idea, despite his aides’ best attempts to shoot it down, would nonetheless persist in the president’s head. The next day, Aug. 11, Trump alarmed friends and foes alike with talk of a ‘military option’ to remove Maduro from power… shortly afterward, he raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos…

“Then in September, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Trump discussed it again, this time at greater length, in a private dinner with leaders from four Latin American allies that included Santos… Trump… went around asking each leader if they were sure they didn’t want a military solution [and] each leader told Trump in clear terms they were sure.

“… a National Security Council spokesman reiterated that the U.S. will consider all options at its disposal to help restore Venezuela’s democracy and bring stability. Under Trump’s leadership, the U.S., Canada and [the] European Union have levied sanctions on dozens of top Venezuelan officials, including Maduro himself, over allegations of corruption, drug trafficking and human rights abuses. The U.S. has also distributed more than $30 million to help Venezuela’s neighbors absorb an influx of more than 1 million migrants who have fled the country.

“Within days of the president’s talk of a military option, Maduro filled the streets of Caracas with loyalists to condemn ‘Emperor’ Trump’s belligerence, ordered up nationwide military exercises and threatened with arrest opponents he said were plotting his overthrow with the U.S….”

Mexico’s New Leadership

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 2:

“Mexico’s new left-wing president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (“AMLO”), has all the political means he needs to reinvent the country, for better or for worse… [He] will have an enormous amount of political power. Not only did he and his Morena party make history by capturing more than half the presidential vote for the first time in modern Mexico in a competitive election, they also won several state governorships, the influential post of Mexico City mayor and… the majority of both chambers of congress…

“Lopez Obrador… is regarded as a messiah. He has made many promises, too. He wants to put a stop to organized crime’s rising influence, curb Mafia-like government bureaucracy, end impunity, be an advocate for the poor, fight for justice, commit himself to democracy and national sovereignty and, of course, be tough in the face of US President Donald Trump.

“AMLO will have to unite Mexico’s various political groups if he wants to make good on his promises, in particular to reduce the huge gap between rich and poor… Every single day, 70 percent of Mexican exports go to the US… to prevent a further deterioration in US-Mexico relations, continued cooperation in important areas like immigration and cross-border crime is vital.

“Mexico needs peace. These days, the universities are empty because young people prefer to make easy money in organized crime. Last year alone, more than 26,000 people were murdered in the country. AMLO must change that if he wants to show that millions of Mexicans were right in supporting him. There will not be a run-off ballot, so the dye is cast. There is no second chance — Mexico has reached a crucial turning point in its history…”

Tarot Cards an Ancient Evil

Breaking Israel News wrote on June 25:

“Sales of tarot cards have risen sharply in the last year as self-proclaimed witches claim that divination and dark-magic are effective…

“The BBC published an article last week noting a 30-percent increase in sales in tarot cards last year, citing data collected by US Games Systems, a publisher of tarot games. Tarot may be a modern trend but its roots are ancient, with some sources claiming the deck has its origins in the Book of Thoth, a legendary tome of Egyptian occult and idolatry. Based on four suits, tarot cards are similar to common playing cards but with some significant differences that serve its primary purpose: divination.

“The Latin root of the word ‘divination’ means “to foresee, to be inspired by a god,” but the Torah expressly forbids the practice. ‘Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer’ Deuteronomy 18:10.

“Rabbi Daniel Asore, a member of the Sanhedrin, noted that the anti-divine aspect of divination is precisely the reason why the practice is proscribed and considered one of the more egregious forms of evil…”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Erdogan Declares Victory in Turkey

Reuters reported on June 25:

“Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party claimed victory in Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary polls on Sunday… [it] ushers in a powerful new executive presidency long sought by Erdogan… Critics say it will further erode democracy in the NATO member state and entrench one-man rule… Under the new constitution, he could serve a further term from 2023, taking him to 2028…

“Turkey held Sunday’s elections under a state of emergency declared after a failed military coup in July 2016 that Erdogan blamed on… U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen… Since the coup attempt, Erdogan has waged a sweeping crackdown on Gulen’s followers in Turkey, detaining some 160,000 people…”

Breitbart wrote on June 26:

“Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh phoned Erdogan Sunday evening… Haniyeh congratulated Erdogan and said he would dispatch a delegation to Turkey in the coming days, and indicated a willingness to deepen ties with Ankara, the statement said.

“…Erdogan has been among Hamas’s strongest supporters on the world stage, and Turkey under him has been accused of harboring leaders of the terror group and allowing it to launder money for militant activities.”

Hamas has been declared by the US as a terrorist organization with the goal to eradicate the state of Israel.

Erdogan More Successful in Germany Than in Turkey

Deutsche Welle reported on June 25:

“Nearly two-thirds of the Turkish community in Germany cast votes for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sunday’s election, far more than the support he averaged in Turkey…

“In Berlin… calls of ‘Recep Erdogan, our leader’ could be heard… In Dortmund… Erdogan supporters with Turkish flags shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) and slogans against the Kurdish militant group PKK. Marco Bülow, a member of the Bundestag for Dortmund with the Social Democrats, wrote on Twitter: ‘Sorry, but that makes me sick.’”

Erdogan’s Autocratic Powers

Deutsche Welle reported on June 25:

“Turkey no longer has a prime minister. The president… is now chief executive. [He] is responsible for appointing and dismissing vice-presidents, ministers and senior officials… parliament has no say in these matters… The president can issue decrees that become legally binding once they are published in the government’s official bulletin. Parliamentary approval is not needed. If parliament does adopt a related law, the decree then becomes invalid…

“… the president effectively controls parliament… [He] appoints six of the 13 members of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, which in turn appoints judges and prosecutors. Parliament, where the president is majority leader, chooses the council’s other members… Turkey’s military courts have already been abolished.”

Washington’s Chilly Reaction

AFP wrote on June 26:

“Washington’s chilly reaction to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s election victory and consolidation of his presidential powers reflect expectations that no thaw in US-Turkish ties is imminent. Erdogan’s position as Turkey’s leader remains strong, but his parliamentary majority now depends not just on his own AKP party but also on the nationalist MHP — no friend to America… And in particular, Erdogan is now even less likely to bend on his key beef with Washington: Turkey’s determined opposition to the Pentagon’s continued support for Kurdish militia inside Syria…

“Despite being a leading NATO ally, Turkey has entered into an understanding to buy Russia’s advanced S-400 air defense system, in defiance of US sanctions on Moscow.”

Turkey—biblical Edom—is prophesied to take a very hostile stance against “Israel”—both the Jewish people and the USA, the UK and other English-speaking nations which are modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel.

The New European Military Force

The Guardian wrote on June 25:

“Nine EU member states have agreed to establish a European military force for rapid deployment in times of crisis… Spearheaded by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the joint enterprise will allow national armed forces across Europe to coordinate and react swiftly together.

“Ministers from France, Germany, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Spain and Portugal signed a letter of intent in Luxembourg on Monday. Since the election of its new government, Italy has backtracked on its initial support, but Rome has not ruled out the country’s future involvement…

“The development has caused some anxiety within Nato, where officials are concerned about any duplication of roles and distancing by European nations from the US… The European Intervention Initiative is outside the EU’s structures, so will allow for full UK involvement after Brexit…”

Back to Core Europe?

The Independent wrote on June 25:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will seek direct deals with separate EU states on migration … ‘There will be bilateral and trilateral agreements… not always wait for all 28 members,’ she said… French President Emmanuel Macron offered his backing for Ms Merkel’s proposal, saying the solution should be ‘European’ but it could just be several states together.

“Rome has started turning away ships with migrants rescued at sea… Hungary and Poland have refused to host any arrivals. Now backed by Austria, they want to end any further discussion on rules for sharing them out across the bloc…

“A poll published in Germany on Sunday showed the dispute was weakening support for Merkel’s coalition and pushed the AfD to its highest ratings…”

Euractiv wrote on June 25:

“The recent EU mini-summit on migration held on 24 June has reaffirmed more openly than ever before the fundamental dissensions and schism among member states, if not among EU institutions themselves, in the field of migration and asylum policy. A two-speed EU migration policy would be the best solution to keep EU unity…

“… What is often overlooked by most commentators today is that old-time member states such as Denmark and the United Kingdom, in particular, have consistently opted out of a range of provisions in the area of EU home affairs, the Schengen acquis and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, not to mention several other EU instruments in the fields of justice, employment and social policy, over the past two decades…”

A core Europe or a two-speed Europe is clearly prophesied to occur in the not-too-distant future.

A Humanitarian Tragedy

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 27:

“A rescue boat stranded for days in the Mediterranean carrying over 200 migrants was finally allowed to dock in the capital of Malta… The Lifeline, a vessel for German NGO Mission Lifeline, had been waiting to be allocated a port for six days after rescuing 234 migrants off the coast of Libya last Thursday…

“[Maltese Prime Minister Joseph] Muscat said that once in port, the ship would be impounded and the crew placed under investigation for allegedly operating illegally – including violating rescue protocols and operating without the correct registration…

“Lifeline is run by a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Dresden called Mission Lifeline. The ship has been stranded at sea since June 21… The refusal by Italy and Malta to open their ports to the ship – and the haggling among EU states over how to distribute the migrants – showed a hardening of positions [of] EU leaders…  Earlier this month, Italy and Malta both refused to let a French humanitarian ship dock, which forced some 630 migrants to travel an additional 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) to Spain…”

AFP wrote on June 27:

“German migrant rescue group Mission Lifeline Wednesday denied breaking the law…

“Italy and France have accused the charity of acting illegally by refusing to hand the shipwrecked migrants over to the [Libyan] coastguard during the June 21 rescue, arguing that such operations play into the hands of human traffickers. But Lifeline argued that the migrants would not be safe in Libya, where they have faced abuse and rape in holding centres…

“Lifeline said it followed the principle of non-refoulement under international law that forbids returning asylum seekers to a country where they likely face persecution…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 26:

“Mediterranean countries are all in the same boat: they don’t want ships carrying rescued refugees to dock at their ports. That approach poses a big problem for aid organizations…

“Repeated cases of refugee rescue boats being turned away from European ports have sparked anger among aid workers and religious authorities…

“Prior to their upcoming summit, EU leaders have held intense discussions with respect to a unified European migration policy… Migrants are to be deterred from embarking on the hazardous passage across the Mediterranean in the first place… Someone who has slim prospects of being rescued from their inflatable dinghy may not embark on the journey at all – that’s the ministers’ reasoning, in a nutshell…

“The number of refugees who completed the passage across the Mediterranean to Italy has decreased to 16,400 during the first half of 2018, compared to 73,000 during the first half of 2017. At the same time, the number of people from Africa who cross over to Spain has increased sharply. At least 635 people are known to have drowned this year on the route between Libya and Italy…”

This is a terrible humanitarian tragedy, and beyond the ability of man to solve. The conflict between the hardening of the European governmental position and the effort of aid organizations to rescue those in need is bound to escalate. It seems that migrants are always losing. Note the next article.

Worldwide Migrants Problem

Daily Mail wrote von June 25:

“Algeria has denied mistreating migrants amid claims it has abandoned more than 13,000 in the Sahara Desert over the past 14 months – including pregnant women and children. The country has been accused of expelling the migrants without food or water and forcing them to walk, sometimes at gunpoint, under a blistering sun before being left to die. Officials from the International Organisation for Migration have warned of a looming ‘catastrophe’…

“Migrants from across sub-Saharan Africa – Mali, the Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger and more – are part of the mass migration toward Europe, some fleeing violence, others just hoping to make a living. Many then attempt perilous attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Italy or Spain… Untold numbers die [or they] simply vanished in the Sahara.

“A European Union spokesman said the EU was aware of what Algeria was doing, but that ‘sovereign countries’ can expel migrants as long as they comply with international law…

“Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has called for processing centres to be set up south of Libya’s borders as a way to block attempts by migrants to cross the Mediterranean… Salvini… bluntly told foreign charities to stop rescuing migrants off the North African coast…”

These are appallingly inhuman proposals and actions.

Nazis Abducted about 400,000 “Aryan”-Looking Children

Handelsblatt Global wrote on June 22:

“A trial by a victim of Nazi Germany’s policy of abducting ‘Aryan’-looking children in occupied Eastern Europe shows the lasting pain suffered by families torn apart by cruel governments… The plaintiff, Hermann Lüdeking, is suing the German government for a crime committed in the early 1940s. As Nazi Germany occupied much of Europe, the SS kidnapped hundreds of thousands of blond-haired, blue-eyed children who fit the regime’s racist ideals. The children were brought into ‘assimilation camps’ where they were ‘Germanized,’ robbed of their identities and eventually given up for adoption to loyal Nazi couples… Many of those children never saw their real families again. Estimates vary, but it is usually stated that up to 400,000 ‘Aryan’-looking children were taken from their families in Eastern Europe and Nazi-occupied Norway. Half of all the abductions took place in Poland.

“Mr. Lüdeking… was 6 years old when the Germans abducted him. He still remembers the day when, months later, ‘an elegant woman with a hat’ turned up at his Nazi-run orphanage and chose him. From then on, Maria Lüdeking, a senior member of a Nazi women’s organization, was his ‘mother.’ Some 76 years later, her ‘son’ is still fighting for justice… He found his Nazi adoption paperwork, which referred to him as Roman Roszantowski, born in Poland in 1936. But even that birth name probably is fake. The Nazis were good at covering their tracks, and post-war Germany was all too eager to sweep war crimes under the carpet…”

A lesson from history! The Bible shows that in the future, slavery and abductions will become wide-spread among many “civilized” countries.

Hostility Towards Christians Accelerating Worldwide

One News Now wrote on June 22:

“… more and more nations are targeting believers in Christ than any other faith… Across the globe, peacefully practicing one’s faith as a Christian is becoming more and more scarce… Some of the biggest suppressors of religious freedom were found to come at the hands of state officials governing over tens or hundreds of millions of citizens.

“Laws prohibiting the freedom to practice one’s faith continue to rise for more than half of the nations of the world.”

Scripture tells us that a worldwide martyrdom of true Christians will occur in the future. The hostility against “Christianity” in general will of course include antagonism against true Christians who will be considered as sects or cults—being unworthy of protection.

Watch China

Former German Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor Joschka Fischer wrote on June 22 in Project Syndicate:

“It is now clear that the twenty-first century is ushering in a new world order…

“Europe and the North Atlantic dominated the global economy for four centuries… Though the US remains the world’s leading superpower, China has emerged as both a new and ancient geopolitical force. With a population of 1.4 billion people and an enormous domestic market, China is already challenging the US as the world’s economic, political, and technological leader…

“Anyone who has ever visited the corridors of power in Beijing knows that Chinese leaders have their own map of the world. On it, China – the ‘Middle Kingdom’ – lies at the center, while Europe and the US drop off the left and right sides, respectively. In other words, the US and Europe… are already… consigned to the margins…”

The Bible predicts that many Far Eastern nations, including China and Russia, will form a union in competition to the West. They are called in Scripture the “kings of the East.”

“The End of Global Britain”

Project Syndicate wrote on June 25:

“In the two years since the Brexit referendum, the United Kingdom’s global influence has been significantly diminished…

“Since the June 2016 Brexit referendum, British foreign policy seems to have all but collapsed…

“Since World War II, Britain’s close relationships with continental Europe and the US have served as the two anchors of its foreign policy. But now, both lines have essentially been severed… a Europe without Britain’s traditional leadership, judgment, and diplomacy will be a lesser Europe. And Britain, by its own hand, risks being reduced to a footnote.”

Major Financial Crunch on the Horizon?

Business Insider wrote von June 27:

“A major financial crunch on contracts worth almost £30 trillion ($39.7 trillion) could be on the horizon in March next year, the Bank of England warned on Wednesday. The UK’s central bank used its latest Financial Stability Report… to warn that Britain’s impending exit from the European Union could have a huge impact on over-the-counter derivative markets…

“The Bank of England’s warning comes amid growing tensions between UK and EU financial authorities… ‘Firms cannot take for granted that they continue to operate as at present nor can they rely on as yet unrealised political agreements or public policy interventions,’ Andrea Enria, the EBA’s chair said, warning that banks need to ‘speed up’ their preparations for a cliff-edge EU exit.”

Iranians Protest Against their Regime

CBN wrote on June 26:

“… thousands of Iranians take part in a second day of protests against the Islamic regime… Iran’s currency, the rial, has plummetted in recent days against the US dollar prompting thousands of Iranians to protest in front of Parliament and on the streets of Tehran…

“‘This protest in Iran is significant,’ said Dr. Mike Ansari… ‘It is the traders of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar that have taken to the streets protesting the rising prices and the plummeting value of Iran’s currency.’ Ansari… said traders at the sprawling Grand Bazaar have historically played a significant role in the political affairs of the Islamic republic. ‘Remember, it was this group of traders who were extremely influential in Iranian politics in 1979 when they economically backed the uprising, the revolution against the Shah, and brought Ayatollah Khoemeni to power,’ Ansari noted.

“Iranians chanting ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America’ are a common occurrence. Monday’s protests were different… thousands of angry protesters [were] chanting, ‘Death to Palestine’ and ‘Death to Syria,’ an apparent reference to Iran’s military engagement in Syria and funding of the terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. ‘Most Iranian families are facing grave economic hardship,’ Ansari said. ‘The prices of milk, eggs, meat, bread have skyrocketed, yet Iranian people are witnessing their government investing millions of dollars in expensive regional disputes in Iraq, Syria, Yemen to increase its regional influence, while [Iranian people] go hungry,’ Ansari added…”

Supreme Court Upholds Trump’s Travel Ban

ABC reported on June 26:

“The Supreme Court has upheld President Donald Trump’s travel ban in one of the most highly anticipated decisions of this year, saying the ban is ‘squarely within’ the president’s authority. The Court’s 5-4 ruling that the third iteration of Trump’s controversial proposal… is constitutional comes after two previous attempts by the administration to bar immigration to the United States from certain foreign countries.

“That newest iteration of the travel ban is a presidential proclamation signed on Sept. 24, 2017, that indefinitely restricted most travel from the countries of Chad, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen—linking the restrictions to those countries’ purported vetting deficiencies. In April, The U.S. lifted travel restrictions on Chad… Trump said in a statement the ruling is a ‘tremendous victory’ for the American people…

“The court ruled in favor of the administration, Chief Justice John Roberts writing ‘…the Government has set forth a sufficient national security justification to survive rational basis review. We express no view on the soundness of the policy. We simply hold today that plaintiffs have not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their constitutional claim…

“‘The Proclamation is expressly premised on legitimate purposes: preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices. The text says nothing about religion,’ Roberts said. ‘Plaintiffs and the dissent nonetheless emphasize that five of the seven nations currently included in the Proclamation have Muslim-majority populations. Yet that fact alone does not support an inference of religious hostility, given that the policy covers just 8% of the world’s Muslim population.’”

Newsmax wrote on June 26:

“Alan Dershowitz said Tuesday the Supreme Court’s decision upholding President Donald Trump’s travel ban ‘is right to the Constitution’…  ‘This is about people who want to come into the country and have no rights under the American Constitution,’ the Harvard Law School professor emeritus [said]… Dershowitz also slammed Democratic attacks on the Trump administration, citing the call by California Rep. Maxine Waters for Americans to ‘absolutely harass’ White House officials while they are off duty or out in public spaces…

“‘We’ve become a very divided country. Anything that Trump does, whether it be recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or negotiating with North Korea, he can do no right when it comes to extremists on partisan grounds — and for some extremists on the other side, President Trump could do no wrong…”

The Week wrote on June 26:

“The Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s travel ban Tuesday, but in the process it quietly overturned its 1944 ruling that the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was constitutional. The case, Korematsu v. United States, was invoked in the dissent, but ‘whatever rhetorical advantage the dissent may see in doing so, Korematsu has nothing to do with this case,’ the majority opinion said.

“The majority went on to argue that the ‘forcible relocation of U.S. citizens to concentration camps, solely and explicitly on the basis of race, is objectively unlawful and outside the scope of presidential authority,’ adding: ‘Korematsu was gravely wrong the day it was decided, has been overruled in the court of history, and — to be clear — has no place in law under the Constitution.'”

Tax Reform Requires Churches to Pay Huge Tax for Some Fringe Benefits

Newsmax wrote on June 26:

“The Republican tax reform passed in December is requiring churches, hospitals, colleges and other historically tax-exempt organizations to begin paying a 21 percent tax on some types of fringe benefits they give their employees…

“Many non-profit organizations are stunned to learn of the tax, which has been little noticed and could cost them tens of thousands of dollars. Many of the groups say it will be a significant financial burden, as well as an administrative one, as they previously did not have to deal with the IRS… Even though many are still unaware of the change, more than 600 churches and other groups have already signed a petition demanding the change be repealed…

“The main benefits affected are transportation-related, like free parking in a garage and subway and bus passes, as well as targeting meals provided to workers… Many nonprofits say they are confused over how exactly the tax works, with churches, for example, asking how they are supposed to calculate the value of parking spaces for employees… The Treasury is now working on regulations detailing how the tax will work, even though the groups are supposed to have already been paying the tax every quarter since it went into effect on Jan. 1…”

As many churches and other nonprofit organizations would be affected by these rules, which Congress was reportedly not even aware of when they passed the law, it is hoped that they will be rescinded as soon as possible.

Trump Germany’s Enemy?

Der Spiegel wrote on June 20:

“Vladimir Putin operates in the shadows. The Russian president controls a clever disinformation campaign with the aim of upsetting the populations of Western countries, discrediting their institutions, dividing society, influencing elections and ultimately causing the collapse of liberal democracy. Nevertheless, there are still many people who continue to believe that Putin is innocent and that the claims are merely the malicious fabrications of Western intelligence agencies. Is it all just a conspiracy theory?

“Regarding Donald Trump’s intentions, by contrast, there can no longer be any doubt… Trump acts quite openly. And now, the American president has turned his attentions toward launching a disinformation campaign against Germany. He is doing so as a way of justifying his morally repugnant refugee policies to the American people…

“In an unprecedented step into German domestic affairs, the U.S. president seized on the current disagreements within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition about refugee policy. The German people were ‘turning against their leadership,’ he tweeted gleefully, and followed that up with a blatant lie, saying ‘crime in Germany is way up.’ Europe, he intimated, had made the big mistake of letting in millions of people who had ‘violently’ changed the culture.

“Apart from the fact that this is all lies, the author is a man who bears more responsibility than any other for the ongoing, brutal attempts to rip down all that has been laboriously built up since World War II. In a second tweet, Trump then repeated his lie about rising crime rates in Germany and said that ‘officials do not want to report these crimes.’ It reads like a speech that could be held at a right-wing extremist rally in Dresden… The claim – leveled without a shred of proof – that the German government and its officials would deliberately keep the true extent of criminality from the citizens of Germany should not go without consequences. His open support for German right-wing populists is nothing less than a blatant attack by a foreign power on this country’s government. It is a direct attempt by the White House to destabilize the Federal Republic of Germany.

“Angela Merkel has been far too restrained in her reaction to this threat. The chancellor simply responded that the crime figures recently presented by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer speak for themselves. Those statistics show that crime has in fact gone down slightly. And if there is one person in German politics who could never be accused of whitewashing crime statistics, it is Seefhofer, who is currently looking for any excuse possible to take an even harder line on migration.

“No, this U.S. president was never a partner. He is a hostile opponent. We should finally start to treat him as such and act accordingly… relations to this U.S. government should be reduced to a bare minimum. It is also no longer necessary to pretend to be on friendly terms. Germany and the European Union should abandon polite self-restraint when dealing publicly with Trump and his government… We have long known that we could no longer rely on the United States under Donald Trump. Now, though, it has become clear that we have to protect ourselves from him.”

Some may claim that we publish this article because we want to support Europe and reject Trump. This would be untrue. We do NOT take any political side nor do we speak for or against a political candidate or a political party or the policy of a particular country; in fact, we could not care less about politics. The reason why this article is highly explosive is the fact that it represents the view point of the majority of Germans and Europeans. And this shows that—and why—it is no longer inconceivable that—and why—open hostilities will break out between the USA and Europe, under German leadership. The Bible has long ago prophesied that in the end times, a NUCLEAR WAR will be fought between those two power blocs… and that Europe will attack the USA militarily. The following articles give further credence to this conclusion.

Trade War Escalating—Harley-Davidson Announces Production Outside USA

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 25:

“In a regulatory filing on Monday, Harley-Davidson said each of its motorcycle[s] shipped to the European Union would cost about $2,200 (€1,880) more after the bloc raised its levies on imported US bikes to 31 percent from 6 percent on June 22. This would cost the company about $90 million to $100 million annually, the manufacturer said and added that it was striving to absorb rather than pass extra costs on to customers in the medium-term.

“In order to avoid the impact of higher EU tariffs on its sales, the company also announced that it would be ‘implementing a plan to shift production of motorcycles for EU destinations from the US to its international facilities.’… The Milwaukee-based company sold almost 40,000 motorcycles in the EU last year, generating revenue second only to the United States…

“Harley-Davidson is the first American manufacturer to detail the financial impact of the escalating trade tensions between Washington and its allies… Daimler, which also produces its premium Mercedes cars in the US, said its 2018 profits were expected to be hit by higher Chinese tariffs on imports of American-made cars.”

In response, President Trump tweeted the following on June 26:

“Early this year Harley-Davidson said they would move much of their plant operations in Kansas City to Thailand. That was long before Tariffs were announced. Hence, they were just using Tariffs/Trade War as an excuse… A Harley-Davidson should never be built in another country-never! Their employees and customers are already very angry at them. If they move, watch, it will be the beginning of the end – they surrendered, they quit! The Aura will be gone and they will be taxed like never before!… Harley must know that they won’t be able to sell back into U.S. without paying a big tax!”

The concern is that other American firms may follow Harley-Davidson’s example.

“US President Insists EU Will Drop Its Retaliatory Tariffs. Brussels Has No Plans to Do So.”

Politico wrote in June 26:

“In the escalating trade war with the U.S., Brussels has a clear message for Donald Trump: It’s not backing down… French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Europe was ready for Round Two if Trump really wanted it. ‘If the United States hits us again with a 20 percent increase on cars, we will respond again…

“Even in Berlin… the view is now that there can’t be any offer to Trump… If Trump does impose tariffs on European cars — which he threatened to do if Brussels doesn’t remove certain tariffs and trade barriers — the EU would likely debate further countermeasures…”

The Associated Press wrote on June 27:

“European Council President Donald Tusk says the European Union must prepare for the worst due to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, as a trade war looms between Washington and Brussels. In a letter to EU leaders Wednesday, Tusk wrote that ‘trans-Atlantic relations are under immense pressure due to the policies of President Trump.’ Tusk… said that ‘unfortunately, the divisions go beyond trade.’ He wrote: ‘It is my belief that, while hoping for the best, we must be ready to prepare our Union for worst-case scenarios.’”

One must ask the question as to what is meant with a “worst-case scenario.” Again, we are NOT publishing these articles about the trade conflict to take political sides but rather to show how biblical prophecy is being fulfilled, predicting the growing antagonism of Europeans towards the USA; the total isolation of the USA in the world; and the increasingly deteriorating relationship between the USA and its allies. One might say, “You have said it often enough, so we do not need to hear it again and again.” However, we are quick to forget and need to be constantly reminded as to what is happening, showing that it is in fulfillment of God’s faithful Word.

The UN Has Failed

On June 20, Bild Online published the following interview with “Carla del Ponte (71) [who] was the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia from 1999 to 2007. For four years, she was also responsible for investigating war crimes in Rwanda. Following several years as Ambassador to Argentina, she became member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria… the Swiss native explains how the UN’s inactivity in the face of the atrocities in Syria, which have even amounted to genocide, drove her to despair”:

“When you’ve been investigating horrible crimes like those in Syria, there has to be a tribunal at the end, an international court of justice… However, the international community – the UN Security Council, to be more precise – does not want this tribunal. Syria is a member of this committee. The ambassador is allowed to spread his stupid ideas there. The UN, who likes to consider itself the world’s conscience, prefers to watch and do nothing…

“Russia and China with their right to veto [prevented al-Assad and his henchmen from being brought to court]. Russia used to support al-Assad’s father. Now they are standing by a war criminal. Don’t forget that Russia is selling weapons. In seven years of war, you need a lot of weapons… the UN has failed. It has failed completely when it comes to the protection of human rights… Human rights violations are happening everywhere in the world. In Africa, in Yemen. Half of the states who are members of the Human Rights Council violate human rights themselves. We urgently need a reform. Countries that violate human rights every day must be kicked out of the UNHRC. The right to veto must go…”

When asked whether it is correct to say that “there is only a thin, cracked layer of civilization that covers the darkness that’s slumbering in every human being,” she answered:

“I tend to agree. Take Rwanda as an example. Neighbours who lived and even ate together all the time suddenly killed each other with machetes. This hatred was the consequence of brainwashing. The same thing that Milosevic did in Yugoslavia. Although I very much hope that something like this is not possible in my home country, I cannot exclude the possibility…”

The assessment of the UN’s failure is very true. No human attempt to bring peace has ever succeeded. It will require the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom and the Government of God to usher in lasting peace on earth.

FDA Approves First Drug Derived from Marijuana

The Website of statnews.com reported on June 25:

“The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the country’s first drug derived from marijuana, a medication that treats two rare and devastating forms of epilepsy. The drug, GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex, is made of cannabidiol, or CBD, a component of marijuana that does not give users a high. It is given as an oil, and in clinical trials, it was shown to reduce the number of seizures by about 40 percent in patients with Dravet or Lennox-Gastaut syndromes…

“Before GW can market Epidiolex, though, the Drug Enforcement Administration will have to reclassify CBD, which in this case, because it comes from marijuana, is considered a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no medical value and a high risk of abuse. The agency is expected to do so within 90 days…

“Many families have moved to states where marijuana is legal medically or recreationally so they could treat their children with CBD on their own…”

It is hoped that medical marijuana will be reclassified so that the present unnecessary controversy between the Federal government and the states on this issue will cease once and for all.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

America’s Immigration Policy Condemned

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 15:

“Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their families at the US-Mexico border in six-weeks. Despite wide condemnation, the Trump administration defended the policy, saying it was just enforcing the law. Due to an increasing number of migrant children in government custody, officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration confirmed on Friday that a temporary encampment near the US-Mexico border in Texas had been built…

“The startling figure is a result of a new directive from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who on April 6 announced a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on immigration that would refer all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. Cases that involved families were typically sent for civil deportation proceedings. These allow children to remain with their parents. The new directive eliminates that option and has led to the separation and internment of the children in temporary shelters.

“The Trump administration has come under fire for both the criminalization of all immigration cases and the family separations… House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans distanced themselves from the White House, saying they were not comfortable with family separations…”

Current and Former First Ladies Condemn Sessions’ “Zero Tolerance” Policy

The Huffington Post wrote on June 18:

“Former first lady Laura Bush issued a rare castigation of the Trump administration on Sunday, calling family separations at the U.S. border with Mexico ‘immoral’ and drawing parallels to World War II internment camps. Bush’s editorial in The Washington Post mirrored growing criticism of the Justice Department’s new policy to prosecute as many people as possible who cross the border illegally. The move, announced last month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has already resulted in a massive spike in children being separated from their parents. Last week, DHS announced that nearly 2,000 kids had been separated from their parents during a six-week period ending last month. Many are currently being held in juvenile detention centers.

“Bush wrote: ‘I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history… it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents — and to stop separating parents and children in the first place. People on all sides agree that our immigration system isn’t working, but the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer.’

“First lady Melania Trump appeared to offer her own criticism of the policy on Sunday, telling CNN through a spokeswoman that she ‘hates to see children separated from their families’ by immigration authorities… ‘She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.’”

Europe Condemns…

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 20:

“In Europe, Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy has been met with fierce criticism. British Prime Minister Theresa May said images of migrant children held in cage-like units were ‘deeply disturbing.’ ‘A person’s dignity does not depend on them being a citizen, a migrant or a refugee,’ Pope Francis, a staunch supporter of migrant rights, said in a tweet. ‘Saving the life of someone fleeing war and poverty is an act of humanity.’”

The Telegraph added on June 19:

“Asked if Theresa May thought it was acceptable to cage children, the prime minister’s spokesman said: ‘The welfare and safeguarding of children is at the heart of our immigration policy. We do not separate child refugees or asylum seekers from their families.’”

Trump Administration to Be Blamed for the Refugee Debacle

Business Insider wrote on June 18:

“The Trump administration has repeatedly denied that its policy is to separate children from their parents when families cross the US border illegally. But its own internal documents contradict that… President Donald Trump had previously tried to blame the policy on the Democrats, but over the weekend his secretary of homeland security, Kirstjen Nielsen, flat-out denied that such a policy existed.

“‘We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period,’ Nielsen tweeted. But the Department of Homeland Security does separate children from their parents at the border, and it just put out a press release about it on Friday, explaining its new ‘zero tolerance’ policy for border crosses…

“Nielsen continued: ‘For those seeking asylum at ports of entry, we have continued the policy from previous Administrations and will only separate if the child is in danger, there is no custodial relationship between “family” members, or if the adult has broken a law.’”

According to the Trump Administration’s new policy of “zero tolerance,” every adult who is illegally entering the USA has broken the law and is now being treated as a criminal (as mentioned above, this was NOT the case before). Therefore, the statement by Nielsen is patently misleading.

Also, the Week wrote on June 18:

“The policy… sees an average of two children separated from their families at the border every hour.”

Trump Unrepentant?

Newsmax wrote on June 18:

“Facing rising outrage from some Republicans as well as Democrats over the forced separation of migrant children and parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump dug in Monday, again blaming Democrats and declaring he would keep the U.S. from becoming ‘a migrant camp.’…

“‘The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility,’ he added. ‘Not on my watch.’”

The Week wrote on June 19:

“President Trump on Tuesday defended his administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy against growing outrage over the separation of nearly 2,000 migrant children from their parents… ‘When you prosecute the parents for coming in illegally, which should happen, you have to take the children away,’ he said. ‘People that come in violate the law, they endanger their children in the process, and frankly, they endanger all of our children.’”

“Trump Team Keeps Misrepresenting”

 Deutsche Welle wrote on June 19:

“Thrice in two days has the administration of US President Donald Trump made misleading claims about Germany. Just a few hours after the president falsely stated that the crime rate in Germany had risen and that Germans were scared of immigrants, Attorney General Jeff Sessions mistakenly told an interviewer that the camps for migrant children at the US-Mexico border should not be compared to Nazi concentration camps because the Nazis  ‘were keeping the Jews from leaving the country.’

“The fact notwithstanding that many Germans detest any comparison to the Holocaust… the reaction in Germany is sure to be one of swift condemnation, just as it was to Trump’s tweet about crime on Monday…

“Despite Sessions’ claims, as has been well-documented, in late 1941 the Nazis began deporting millions of Jews from across Europe to death and concentration camps they had constructed across the continent. Even Fox News later [reported] that Sessions was immediately criticized as being tone-deaf in his response…”

However, the Trump-friendly Fox News network has come under increasing attack for its “coverage” of the immigration disaster. Ingraham said on Monday evening’s The Ingraham Angle that the child detention centers are “essentially summer camps [or] boarding schools.” And Ann Coulter called the migrant children “actors.” These comments are indeed horrible and disgusting.

Christian Leaders Condemn Sessions’ Interpretation of the Bible

The Huffington Post wrote on June 15:

“Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems to think Jesus would love his policy of separating immigrant families at the border. Christian leaders say otherwise.

“‘While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety,’ Cardinal Daniel Nicholas DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement. ‘Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral.’ ‘Disgraceful,’… Franklin Graham, son of the late and influential Rev. Billy Graham and a supporter of President Donald Trump, said in a Tuesday interview. ‘It’s terrible to see families ripped apart, and I don’t support that one bit.’

“Even Sessions’ own church, the United Methodist Church, is rejecting what he is doing. ‘Tearing children away from parents who have made a dangerous journey to provide a safe and sufficient life for them is unnecessarily cruel and detrimental to the well-being of parents and children,’ reads a statement signed by Bishop Kenneth Carter, president of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church.

“… the attorney general hit another nerve Thursday when he claimed the Bible justifies his actions. ‘Concerns raised by our church friends about separating families’ are not ‘not fair or logical,’ he said in a speech in Fort Wayne, Indiana. ‘I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.’

“White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders backed up Sessions’ claims later that day, calling it ‘very biblical to enforce the law.’

“HuffPost asked some Bible scholars what they make of Trump administration officials invoking Scripture to defend their immigration policy. ‘It makes my blood boil,’ said Matthew Schlimm, a professor of the Old Testament at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Iowa. ‘Sessions has taken the passage from Romans 13 completely out of context… Anyone with half an ounce of moral conviction knows that tearing children away from parents has nothing to do with love.’…

“James Martin, a Jesuit priest and the editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine America, said Sessions’ actions are in fact the opposite of the Bible’s teachings about caring for the poor and being compassionate. ‘I cannot imagine anyone in his or her right mind thinking Jesus would approve of ripping children from their parents,’ Martin said in a Friday interview on MSNBC. ‘It goes against pretty much the entire Bible in the ethos of Jesus, and it’s deeply un-Christian.’”

The Washington Post wrote on June 15:

“Here, whether deliberately or unknowingly, Sessions and Sanders radically depart from the Christian religion, inventing a faith that makes order itself the highest good and authorizes secular governments to achieve it. In Christianity as billions of faithful have known it, order and lawful procedures are not ‘good in themselves’ and it is not ‘very biblical’ to ‘enforce the law’ whatever it might be… meaning Christians are sometimes morally obligated to follow civil laws and are sometimes morally obligated not to…

“As Sessions himself observed quoting James Madison in a lengthy October 2017 memorandum on federal protections concerning religious liberty, ‘the duty owed to one’s Creator is “precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.”’ Sessions can either believe that or believe what he and Sanders said Thursday, but he can’t believe both…

“Any number of scriptural passages are available here, though less useful for Sessions’s purposes. From Deuteronomy 10: ‘For the Lord your God . . . loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ Or from Jeremiah 7: ‘If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place . . . then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever’…

“If you had all the power in the world, maybe you would also hear a serpent dipping its smooth body down from some shadowy bough to say: God wants you to do whatever you like with your power, and whatever you do with it is good.”

Orthodox Jews Condemn Sessions’ Interpretation of the Bible

JTA wrote on June 14:

“The Orthodox Union released a statement criticizing the Trump administration’s policy of separating the families of illegal immigrants after they cross the U.S. border… ‘As an Orthodox Jewish organization whose values are anchored in those of the Torah and Jewish history, we are deeply concerned about any steps taken that affect families and the parent/child relationship,’ read the statement by O.U. President Moishe Bane.

“Because children cannot be prosecuted with adults, they are reclassified as unaccompanied minors and taken away, either to mass children’s shelters or foster homes… Religious groups across the spectrum, Jewish and not, have opposed the policy…

“On Thursday, 26 Jewish groups, including the three other major Jewish religious movements, signed a letter opposing the family separation policy. The statement was organized by the Anti-Defamation League. ‘This policy undermines the values of our nation and jeopardizes the safety and well-being of thousands of people,’ the letter says. ‘As Jews, we understand the plight of being an immigrant fleeing violence and oppression. We believe that the United States is a nation of immigrants and how we treat the stranger reflects on the moral values and ideals of this nation.’”

JTA added on June 20:

“A group representing children hidden during the Holocaust slammed the U.S. border policy of separating families seeking asylum. ‘Separation of the family for us is probably the worst thing that ever happened to us,’ said Rachelle Goldstein, who was separated from her parents in Belgium when she wasn’t even 3 years old…

“‘When you take a child away from the parents, from the home, from everything that they know, they are never the same,’ Goldstein said…, adding that many children separated from their parents during the Holocaust had still not overcome the trauma.”

75 Former U.S. Attorneys Condemn Sessions’ Policy

The Huffington Post wrote on June 19:

“A bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys has penned an open letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, calling on him to end the Trump administration’s highly controversial family separation policy at the border. The 75 former U.S. attorneys condemned the zero tolerance policy, announced by Sessions in May, under which children are put into shelters while parents facing prosecution for illegally crossing the border into the United States are jailed. ‘Your Zero Tolerance policy has resulted in the unnecessary trauma and suffering of innocent children,’ they wrote in a letter published Monday on Medium. ‘We also emphasize that the Zero Tolerance policy is a radical departure from previous Justice Department policy, and that it is dangerous, expensive, and inconsistent with the values of the institution in which we served,’ they continued…

“Although President Donald Trump and several members of his administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, have repeatedly claimed the family separation policy must be enforced, legal experts, including this group of attorneys, have challenged such an assertion. ‘As former U.S. Attorneys, we know that none of these consequences  ― nor the policy itself  ―  is required by law,’ they wrote in their letter to Sessions. ‘Rather, its implementation and its execution are taking place solely at your direction, and the unfolding tragedy falls squarely on your shoulders.’…

“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Trump could ‘stop the policy with one phone call’ during an appearance Friday on CNN. ‘If you don’t like families being separated, you can tell [the Department of Homeland Security] to stop doing it,’ Graham said. Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), whose district includes a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border, also criticized the policy… ‘This is clearly something that the administration can change,’ he added. ‘They don’t need legislation to change it.’”

Trump Signs Order that He Says Will Keep Migrant Families Together

After all the condemnation, as quoted above, President Trump gave in for political reasons and signed an executive order, which he originally said he would not and could not do. Trump’s reverse position (some call it, Trump’s defeat) must be viewed in light of the midterm election which Republicans were concerned of losing if Trump’s and Sessions’ controversial policy of separating children from their parents and incarcerating the children in detention camps would not be changed. We need to point out, however, that in spite of all the hype and claims about ruling with a heart, the “zero tolerance” policy itself was NOT changed. And as it will be shown, the executive order might make matters worse, not better.

CNBC wrote on June 20:

“President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday that he says will keep migrant families together during detention on the U.S.-Mexico border. The president backed down from his administration’s policy of splitting migrant families, which for days the White House insisted could only end through congressional action. Facing a nationwide uproar and bipartisan calls to at least temporarily end the practice, the president said he ‘didn’t like the sight or feeling of families being separated.’ [It was admitted by Republicans that the “sight” of the disturbing images hurt them deeply politically.]

“Trump said he will not end the administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy of criminally prosecuting every adult who crosses U.S. borders illegally, including those seeking asylum. The White House also will keep pressure on Congress to pass legislation that meets Trump’s goals of halting the separation practice, funding his proposed border wall and limiting legal immigration… The order did not appear to address how the government would go about reuniting families.

“Here’s what the executive order would do, according to text circulated by the White House:

“It orders Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen ‘to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations’ to keep families together during criminal proceedings. The measure says the administration does not have to keep families together ‘when there is a concern’ that detaining a child with a parent ‘would pose a risk to the child’s welfare.’ It directs Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a request with a federal district court in California to change a legal settlement that curbs the government’s ability to keep children in detention. It orders Sessions to prioritize criminal proceedings for cases involving families.”

There are surely very many loopholes and uncertainties contained in that order. And as the next article shows, it’s highly improbable that it will be successful—in fact, it might make matters worse.

Trump’s Executive Order Highly Suspect

The Huffington Post elaborated on the new Executive Order, as follows:

“President Donald Trump’s plan to stop his administration’s policy of separating immigrant children from their families seems simple: Lock up immigrant parents and their children together, indefinitely.

“But there’s no evidence that Trump has the legal authority to make his wish reality. His plan, issued in an executive order on Wednesday, conflicts with a 2015 court ruling that required the government to release child migrants from detention after 20 days. Trump can’t dismiss federal judges’ rulings by decree. So his executive order will trigger a massive showdown between his administration and human rights activists in court…

“Trump administration officials have insisted that they enacted the family separation policy in part because of a 2015 court order over a 1997 court settlement called the Flores agreement. The Flores agreement and the ensuing 2015 ruling limit the length of time that children can be detained, including with their parents. Most detained immigrant children must be released within about 20 days to continue their deportation proceedings outside of detention. In the past, the federal government has generally released the children’s mothers from family detention along with them rather than splitting them up [which is known as the “catch and release” policy. It has been wrongly claimed by the Trump administration that most of those who were released disappeared and never showed up in court. However, about 75 % did appear in court.]…

“… according to his order, parents being prosecuted will be locked up with their kids in most circumstances while criminal proceedings go forward ― and even after, while they pursue immigration cases. Those proceedings can take years.

“The order conscripts the entirety of the federal government into mass immigrant family detention…

“It’s hard to predict how the courts might rule… U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee, who presides over the case, repeatedly hammered the Obama administration with harshly worded rulings in the years that it tried to expand family detention to deal with an influx of Central Americans seeking asylum.”

Too Little Too Late

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 21:

“Trump’s migrant family separations reversal too little, too late… Trump bowing to pressure does nothing for the children already taken from their families. The likelihood that they’ll be reunited with their parents swiftly – if at all – looks grim. US administration officials said on Wednesday that they had no plan on how to bring them back together…”

Are Republicans Intentionally Blinding Themselves?

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 21:

“A poll published on Monday… showed that two-thirds of Americans were against separating children from their parents, but a majority of Republican voters supported the idea…

“… no one in this administration and only a few of the Republicans who control Congress are prepared to stand up to Trump… Trump’s policy of separating children from their parents served as a litmus test for conservatives who traditionally viewed themselves as the defenders of family unity…

“There was no huge outcry from the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan about the fact that a Republican government instituted a policy that mandates taking children away from their parents.

“Instead, many defended the policy while others obfuscated or tried to rationalize the issue for themselves… Together, the episode was just the latest sign that the GOP is now fully the party of Trump.

“That does not bode well for the future of the country. If taking away children from their parents is not enough for Republicans to break with… [President Trump]. What is? It’s a troubling prospect to consider.”

Indeed it is!

USA Withdraws From UN Human Rights Council

JTA wrote on June 19:

“The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Council because of its bias against Israel. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, jointly announced the pullout on Tuesday evening. ‘The Human Rights Council is an exercise in shameless hypocrisy,’ Pompeo told the media…

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the departure ‘courageous.’…

“The George W. Bush administration refused to join the council when it was established in 2006 as a successor to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights… The Obama administration joined the council, arguing that its presence was a more effective means of defending Israel on the council and of addressing human rights abuses elsewhere…”

Kim Jong Un in China Again

The Week wrote on June 19:

“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China on Tuesday for a two-day visit, his third trip since March. Kim briefed Chinese President Xi Jinping on his recent summit with President Trump, and Xi said he was ‘very pleased’ with Kim’s performance at the meeting, CNN wrote. Kim and Trump agreed to work together toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump also offered to guarantee the security of the North Korean regime and promised to end ‘war games’ with South Korea, which both North Korea and China have criticized as provocative.”

China Announces Retaliatory Tariffs

CNBC wrote on June 15:

“The Chinese State Council’s commission on tariffs and customs said in an online statement that a 25 percent tariff will take effect July 6 on agriculture products, automobiles and ‘aquatic products.’

“The tariffs counter the United States Trade Representative’s announcement earlier on Friday that the U.S. will initially impose an additional 25 percent tariff on 818 Chinese imports worth about $34 billion on July 6.”

Trump’s Tariffs Could Bite Americans and the Rest of the World

The New York Times wrote on June 16:

“As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on allies and rivals alike, provoking broad retaliation, global commerce is suffering disruption… As the conflict broadens, shipments are slowing at ports and airfreight terminals around the world. Prices for crucial raw materials are rising. At factories from Germany to Mexico, orders are being cut and investments delayed. American farmers are losing sales as trading partners hit back with duties of their own.

“Workers in a Canadian steel mill scrambled to recall rail cars headed to the United States border after Mr. Trump this month slapped tariffs on imported metals.

“… history has proved that trade wars are costly while escalating risks of broader hostilities. Fears are deepening that the current outbreak of antagonism could drag down the rest of the world…

“The United States last year imported more than $600 billion in goods and services from Canada and Mexico, the two other nations in the North American Free Trade Agreement — a deal Mr. Trump has threatened to blow up. Americans bought more than $500 billion in wares from China, and another $450 billion from the European Union. Collectively, that amounts to nearly two-thirds of all American imports…

“Sixteen years ago, when President George W. Bush put tariffs on steel, imports fell substantially. Such memories now stoke modern-day fears… economists and business leaders note that many imports are components that are used to manufacture goods at American factories.”

EU Retaliates with Tariffs

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 20:

“A raft of retaliatory tariffs from the European Union on US products will come into effect on June 22. The EU’s list of targets reads like a summary of emblematic American exports, including motorbikes and jeans.

“The retaliatory measure comes in response to US tariff hikes on steel and aluminum that were imposed on EU member countries on June 1, with the White House citing grounds of national security… The agreed EU countermeasures will initially target a list of US goods worth $3.2 billion (€2.8 billion), most of which will be hit with import duties of 25 percent.

“The products affected by the move range from agricultural produce such as rice and orange juice to jeans, bourbon, motorbikes and various steel products…

“Canada and Mexico have also announced their own similar countermeasures just as an even greater trade spat pits the US against China. Together, the current battles have raised the specter of a global trade war, spooking financial markets that fear major consequences for the world economy.”

Turkey Retaliates with Tariffs

Newsweek wrote on June 21:

“Turkey implemented $266.5 million in tariffs against the United States on Thursday… The Turkish tariffs affect American imports of coal, paper, walnuts, almonds, tobacco, unprocessed rice, whiskey, automobiles, cosmetics, machinery equipment and petrochemical products.

“Bloomberg reported that the tariffs impact 19 percent of the $9.4 billion in products the U.S. sends to Turkey.”

CNN Money added on June 21:

“Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said in a statement: ‘We cannot and will not allow Turkey to be wrongly blamed for America’s economic challenges.’

“… India said this month that it plans to move ahead with retaliatory tariffs, too.

“Turkey is the world’s eighth largest steel exporter… The United States was Turkey’s top market for steel in 2017.”

Will President Trump wake up to reality before it is too late for America?

Sit Up at Attention and Listen to Trump

Politico wrote on June 16:

“President Donald Trump… likes the way dictators do business. ‘He speaks, and his people sit up at attention,’ Trump said on Friday morning of North Korean despot Kim Jong Un… ‘I want my people to do the same.’…

“Fox’s Bret Baier reminded the president of Kim’s record earlier this week… that Kim is ‘clearly executing people.’ But the president blew Baier off. ‘He’s a tough guy. Hey, when you take over a country, tough country, tough people, and you take it over from your father I don’t care who you are, what you are, how much of an advantage you have. If you could do that at 27 years old, I mean, that’s one in 10,000 that could do that,’ Trump explained…”

So did Adolf Hitler.

Germany’s New US Ambassador Must Navigate Trump-Merkel Divide

“Amid deeply strained ties between Washington and Berlin, Emily Haber, Germany’s new US ambassador, has her work cut out for herself… Haber… will be Germany’s first female envoy to Washington when she officially starts her post later this month…

“Haber, who earlier in her career was posted in Russia and Turkey, also served for several years as deputy minister in the foreign ministry, where she played a key role representing Germany in the negotiations that lead to the Iran nuclear accord — another thorny topic that necessitated working closely with Washington…”

Trump Gets Involved in German Immigration Battle, Angers Germany and Misrepresents the Facts

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 18:

“The US president has waded into the ongoing standoff between Chancellor Angela Merkel and her interior minister over migration. But his claim that crime in Germany ‘is way up’ doesn’t tally with official statistics…

“US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that Germany’s leaders were losing the support of the public over the migration issue. His untimely comments come amid a deepening split between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leader of her coalition ally, Horst Seehofer, over asylum policy and border controls.

“Trump told his Twitter followers: ‘The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition.’ The US leader went on to say that ‘Crime in Germany is way up’ before adding that there had been a ‘big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!’ In a warning to the American electorate, Trump warned: ‘We don’t want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!’

“Trump’s comments are certain to irk German ministers, especially as Europe’s largest economy recently reported the lowest crime figures in more than 25 years. The number of crimes fell almost 10 percent in 2017 over the previous year. A 22 percent reduction in non-German suspects was also noted. Separate studies suggest that Iraqi and Syrian refugees in Germany are less likely to commit crimes, as they don’t want to spoil their chances of obtaining asylum…

“Rolf Mützenich, foreign affairs expert for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), cautioned Trump against interfering in German politics. ‘As the American ambassador has done previously, Trump is trying to sway the domestic political debate in favor of right-wing conservatives and populist elements in Germany,’ he told DW. ‘We will not change our constitutional principles and precepts of European cooperation learnt from history to align with the “America First” policy in Washington.’”

President Trump has a unique talent to meddle when he should keep out of it; thereby making more and more enemies out of former friends.

Merkel Has Two Weeks

Handelsblatt Global wrote on June 18:

“With the migrant crisis stoking tensions in the EU and within her government, Angela Merkel has two weeks to broker complicated compromises. Without a deal, her days as chancellor could be numbered.

“Angela Merkel’s rebellious interior minister appears to have given her more time to work out a European solution to the refugee crisis, and possibly to save her disunited government. Writing in a German Sunday newspaper, Horst Seehofer said that tough decisions on migration must be taken at the European Union summit at the end of this month, but stressed that his CSU party had no desire to see the governing coalition fall apart.

“Such are the tensions within Ms. Merkel’s government that this was regarded as a conciliatory statement, giving the green light to the German chancellor to plunge into bilateral negotiations with other EU leaders ahead of the summit… The one thing everyone can agree on is that this is a daunting diplomatic challenge, even for Ms. Merkel, the virtuoso of fudge and compromise…

“Mr. Seehofer is a senior figure in the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU). On migration, he has long been a thorn in the chancellor’s side, including through his informal alliances with right-wing leaders in Austria, Hungary and Poland… The party faces Bavarian regional elections in October. With its polling numbers weak, it wants to combat the threat of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD). The CSU has ruled Germany’s second most-populous state since the Second World War, but could lose its absolute majority this time around.”

Deutsche Welle added on June 18:

“The German constitution guarantees the right to asylum to anyone persecuted for political reasons, while the Dublin convention stipulates that everyone’s application be checked on a case-by-case basis. That means migrants have a right to be heard if they claim asylum, even if they don’t have valid travel documents…

“Critics and political pundits, including former Interior Minister Gerhart Baum, have described Seehofer’s proposal as illegal, not to mention a reckless destabilization of Merkel’s new government… If Seehofer were to impose border controls unilaterally using his authority as interior minister, Merkel could overrule him using her constitutional power as chancellor. But that scenario would likely lead to Seehofer’s resignation, a collapse of the government coalition, and new elections…

“Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder, a rival of Seehofer in the CSU, has questioned the efficacy of the upcoming EU summit, because, he claimed, no European agreement had been reached in the last three years…”

First Planned Biological Bomb Attack on Germany Confirmed

Handelsblatt Global wrote on June 20:

“German authorities have now confirmed what many feared: The 29-year-old Tunisian man arrested last week in Cologne was creating a deadly biological weapon he intended to use for a terrorist attack somewhere in the country…

“Various Islamist groups… have published instructions on the internet on how to make biological weapons from the deadly toxin ricin…

“The substance kills the body’s cells by preventing them from creating vital protein. It is far deadlier than cyanide, with no antidote; just a few milligrams are enough to kill a person when injected, inhaled or swallowed.

“As early as World War I, the United States tested ricin as a potential weapon, mixed together with ammunition or spread as a dust, but never deployed it. The substance is still subject to global biological and chemical weapons conventions…

“The Bild newspaper… claims American security officials tipped off German investigators…

“A father of four with a wife who converted to Islam, Sief Allah H. came to Germany in 2016. Media has reported that he has sympathies with the Islamic State…

“Currently, Germany has 770 people classified as a threat. Many of them are believed to have entered the country during the refugee influx in 2015 and 2016.”

This new shocking development is not going to help Angela Merkel.

Has Europe Lost Its Soul in the Refugee Crisis?

Handelsblatt Global wrote on June 18:

“How convenient it would have been if the 629 migrants rescued by SOS Méditerranée on the MS Aquarius had drowned instead. Sure, it would have been awful. But the deaths would quickly have been a mere statistic of the kind we have got used to. The media would have churned out a few chilling headlines, and then moved on. This or that European politician would have uttered the usual platitudes. Most wouldn’t have bothered at all. And everybody would have just gone on with their lives, once again oblivious to the corpses at the bottom of the sea, anonymous and faceless like dust under a rug.

“But the migrants aboard the Aquarius did not drown. Unlike the 10,000 women, men and children who went missing while attempting to reach European shores in the past three years, they got lucky. A French NGO patrolling the Mediterranean had plucked them out of their overcrowded dinghies, where they were facing certain death. Among the migrants are seven pregnant women and over 100 children or minors. Most of them are from sub-Saharan Africa.

“The case of the Aquarius has since cascaded through the politics of the European Union. Italy’s new populist government closed its ports to the ship, international obligations and human decency be damned. Malta didn’t let the Aquarius dock either. Fortunately, Spain’s new prime minister finally stepped in and offered the Aquarius a safe harbor in Valencia. The Africans got there on Sunday, after a week-long odyssey in precarious conditions.

“All the while, the French president cast aspersions rather than lifting a finger. Emmanuel Macron criticized Italy’s ‘cynicism and irresponsibility’ for not taking in the boat people. Never mind that several French ports were much closer than Valencia. In fact, Paris quashed an offer by Corsican regional authorities for the Aquarius to dock there. Italy was furious at Macron’s hypocrisy.

“This is the same Emmanuel Macron who, in January of last year, praised Angela Merkel because she had ‘saved our collective dignity’ by allowing Germany to take in hundreds of thousands of migrants during the refugee crisis of 2015… Since he took power, Mr. Macron has done little to end the asylum stalemate in the EU… Paris has taken in less than 10 percent of the 9,816 refugees from Italy it had agreed on under an EU resettlement scheme from 2015. It has closed its long border with Italy to migrants headed north, leaving hundreds stranded outside of the resort town of Ventimiglia. Untold numbers have died in the Alps, trying to make the perilous crossing that’s off the well-trodden paths in order to avoid being caught.

“It gets worse. The French government has prosecuted law-abiding citizens for the crime of assisting immigrants after they entered the country on foot… France is not alone in its appalling behavior. Belgium, too, is prosecuting citizens under the controversial ‘crime of solidarity’ towards illegal migrants. Denmark confiscates the valuables of anybody who has the temerity to apply for asylum there. Last month, a center-right minister in Copenhagen suggested that Muslims in certain jobs should be banned from working during Ramadan. It won’t be long until someone suggests barring them from certain professions altogether.

“And Germany… The country that saved the continent’s dignity three years ago is now so transfixed by its own xenophobic far right that the question of whether to allow in a few thousands of relatives from the refugees’ home countries caused coalition talks to fail last year. And now the government is on the verge of collapse because right-wingers want to crack down even harder on immigration. In neighboring Austria, a young and ambitious chancellor who governs with the far right has called for an ‘axis of the willing’ with Italy and Germany to combat illegal immigration. A right-wing axis from Berlin to Rome — that sure has a ring to it.

“So maybe the Axis should live up to its name and bring in warships to sink the migrants’ dinghies. Nothing short of this will stop desperate people with nothing to lose from attempting to come to Europe. No one embarks on a dangerous journey across the Sahara and then on unseaworthy boats without a truly compelling reason.

“Or perhaps EU politicians should instead grow a conscience and stop selling their souls for a few far-right votes. Pedro Sánchez of Spain has put Mr. Macron, Ms. Merkel and Italy’s Matteo Salvini to shame. Spain is a troubled country — it has high unemployment, a struggling economy and is mired in its worst political crisis in decades as Catalonia tries to secede. And with the Moroccan coast clearly visible from its southernmost region, it is also on the front line of the refugee crisis. More than 10,000 migrants arrived there by sea this year alone. Yet most Spaniards don’t blame immigrants for all their ills or vote for far-right parties to keep them out. The Spanish prime minister didn’t think twice about doing the right thing.

“So if Spain can do it, why not the rest of the EU?… Europe is the richest continent in the world and certainly can handle a few thousand migrants in a dignified manner… If France and other EU countries had respected their pledges to support Italy instead of bickering, the far right probably wouldn’t be in power in Rome now…”

The hypocrisy of some European leaders is indeed appalling.

“Italian Jews Recall Holocaust-Era Law in Condemning Plan to Register Country’s Roma”

JTA wrote on June 19:

“Italy’s Jewish community condemned a call by the country’s hardline interior minister to take a census of Italy’s Roma, or Gypsy, population. The Union of Italian Jewish Communities, or UCEI, said in a statement issued Tuesday that the call by Matteo Salvini to create a ‘registry’ of Roma in Italy recalled the anti-Semitic legislation introduced by Italy’s fascist government on the eve of the Holocaust in 1938…

“Salvini’s ‘announcement of a possible, specific census of the Roma population in Italy worries us and reawakens memories of the racist measures taken just 80 years ago and, sadly, increasingly forgotten,’ the UCEI statement said… The UCEI statement said there was no ‘search for consensus, no anxiety about public order that justifies the disturbing proposal to single out specific social categories of citizens, to censor them and subject them to special security policies reserved only for them.’”

Strong Earthquake Hits Japan

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 18:

“A 6.1 magnitude quake hit the western city [of Osaka] during the morning commute. It was the largest since records began in 1923… the earthquake struck at 8.a.m. local time… at a depth of about 13 kilometers (8.1 miles)…

“The train and subway service in and around Osaka, including the bullet train to Tokyo, was suspended while checks were made… About 80 flights from and to Osaka were canceled… It is expected to take eight to 12 days to resume piped gas supplies to more than 110,000 residents in the Osaka region…

“A major manufacturing center, Osaka is the headquarters for companies including Panasonic and Sharp. Production at the Honda, Mitsubishi and Toyota car plants was temporarily suspended when the quake hit. Osaka is due to hold the G20 meeting in June 2019.”

A foretaste of worse things to come.

Scientist Searches for Loch Ness Monster DNA

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 17:

“A New Zealand scientist has traveled to Loch Ness in Scotland with a team to collect water samples from the lake that may give clues as to what creatures are lurking in its waters — including the legendary monster that has allegedly been sighted more than 1,000 times in the past 1,500 years… ‘Maybe there is something extraordinary out there,’ geneticist Neil Gemmell of the University of Otago told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

“Professor Gemmell said the water samples he had taken would be assessed for ‘monster DNA’… The first sighting of a strange creature in Loch Ness, a lake in northern Scotland, is attributed to Saint Columba, who brought Christianity to Scotland in the sixth century. But the most recent was on March 26 this year by a US couple.

“Many people who claim to have seen the creature describe it as a long-necked reptilian being, which has led to theories that Nessie, as the monster has affectionately been named, could be a plesiosaur left over from the age of dinosaurs. The animal is thought otherwise to have been extinct for at least 66 million years. Other theories say Nessie could be a sturgeon or a Wels catfish, though none have ever been caught in the lake.”

For more information on the Loch Ness creature, please read our free booklet, “Heavens and Earth—Before and After the First Man.”

Koko Dies

The New York Post wrote on June 21:

“Koko, the thoughtful gorilla who captivated the world through her ability to use sign language and revealed an empathetic side to great apes, has died. She was 46… Koko… could sign more than 1,000 words…

“Her remarkable ability to sign landed her on the cover of National Geographic twice – in 1978, in a photo she took of herself in a mirror, and again in 1985, with an image of her mourning the death of one of her pet kittens.

“Throughout her life, Koko adopted several felines, using sign language to give them names like All Ball, Lipstick and Smoky…

“In 2012, she stunned scientists by playing wind instruments, including the recorder, harmonica and party-favor whistles – an ability that showed primates can learn to control their breathing…”

Pope Francis Defines Family and Equates Abortion to Nazi-Era Race Purification

The Wall Street Journal wrote on June 17:

“Pope Francis likened abortion to Nazi eugenics practiced ‘with white gloves,’ and said the only real families are those based on marriage between a man and a woman, using uncharacteristically blunt language on two controversial moral issues.

“Addressing an Italian family association on Saturday, the pope equated the contemporary termination of pregnancies in response to fetal maladies or defects discovered through prenatal testing to the policies of Hitler’s Germany. ‘Children should be welcomed the way they come, the way God sends them to us, the way God allows, even if sometimes they are ill. I’ve heard that it’s fashionable—or at least habitual—to perform certain exams in the early months of pregnancy, to see if the baby is unwell or comes with a certain problem,’ the pope said. ‘And to have an easy life, one does away with an innocent,’ he added.

“The pope also rejected the concept of nontraditional families not based on heterosexual marriage. ‘Today—it hurts to say it—one speaks of “diversified” families: different types of family …but the human family as the image of God, man and woman, is only one. Only one,’ the pope said…

“Pope Francis’ remarks were consistent with traditional Catholic teaching yet unusually strong for a pope who has generally played down medical and sexual ethics and taken a strikingly conciliatory approach to gay people…”

Pink News added on June 17:

“It had been hoped that the Pope was in the process of softening the Catholic Church’s position on LGBT rights, particularly as it was just last month that he told Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay survivor of sexual abuse by a prominent Chilean priest: ‘God made you like this and loves you like this and I don’t care.’… The Pope also praised spouses who stay with unfaithful partners, hoping for them to stop cheating on them instead of asking for a divorce. ‘Many women – but even men sometimes do it [with wives] – wait in silence, looking the other way, waiting for their husband to become faithful again,’ he said. This, he added, was ‘the sanctity that forgives all out of love.’

“Conspiracy theorist and alt-right host Alex Jones, whose InfoWars YouTube channel has 2.3 million subscribers, went on an alarming rant after the Pope’s more accepting comments last month… Jones then told his followers that the pontiff was ‘as close as you’re gonna get to Satan in the flesh.’…

“But the Pope gave notice that he wasn’t upturning thousands of years of Church doctrine just days after speaking to Cruz, when he reportedly used a private meeting to warn bishops in Italy that they should reject any applicants to the priesthood who they suspect might be gay…”

The double-talk of Pope Francis is mind-boggling.

Compulsively Playing Video Games a Mental Health Condition?

Medical Press wrote on June 18:

“… the U.N. health agency [WHO] said Monday that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a mental health condition…

“WHO said classifying ‘gaming disorder’ as a separate addiction will help governments, families and health care workers be more vigilant and prepared to identify the risks. The agency and other experts were quick to note that cases of the condition are still very rare, with no more than up to 3 percent of all gamers believed to be affected…

“Dr. Joan Harvey, a spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society, warned that the new designation might cause unnecessary concern among parents. ‘People need to understand this doesn’t mean every child who spends hours in their room playing games is an addict, otherwise medics are going to be flooded with requests for help,’ she said…

“The American Psychiatric Association has not yet deemed gaming disorder to be a new mental health problem…

“Dr. Mark Griffiths… guessed that the percentage of video game players with a compulsive problem was likely to be extremely small—much less than 1 percent—and that many such people would likely have other underlying problems, like depression, bipolar disorder or autism… Griffiths said playing video games, for the vast majority of people, is more about entertainment and novelty…”

It seems WHO has nothing better to do than to waste their time with such ridiculous research and misleading conclusions.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

North Korean Summit

The Japan Times wrote on June 12:

“In a vaguely worded agreement signed at their unprecedented summit Tuesday in Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inked what Trump said was a ‘comprehensive document’ declaring that Kim’s regime would ‘work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula’ while committing to a ‘lasting and stable peace.’

“In exchange, Trump committed to provide ‘security guarantees’ to Kim — including a halt to joint military exercises… But the agreement… offered few specifics about how the two sides would reach these goals, while also leaving ‘complete denuclearization’ undefined…

“Trump, however, did note that the U.S. would be halting its war games… adding that this would save the U.S. ‘a tremendous amount of money.’ He also suggested that South Korea had failed to contribute enough money and said the drills would be ‘inappropriate’ as the U.S. and North Korea negotiate a new relationship.”

Newsmax added on June 12:

“President Donald Trump rocked the region with the stunning announcement Tuesday that he was halting annual U.S.-South Korean military drills — and wants to remove the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South… The remarks contradicted countless previous declarations by U.S. political and military officials over the years that the drills are routine, defensive and absolutely critical.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 12:

“North Korea’s abysmal human rights record, which previous US administrations have sharply criticized, was not even mentioned in the declaration. ‘We wish he [Trump] had covered detention facilities and prison camps [in North Korea],’ Arnold Fang, an expert at Amnesty International, told DW…”

Time will tell where this will lead. We should note, however, that in the not-too-distant future a power bloc of Far Eastern nations will form, consisting of countries such as China, Russia, Japan, India, Pakistan, and, in all likelihood, a united Korea. (In this context, note our quoted article below, titled, “A World without the USA.”)

These collaborating “kings of the East” will be hostile towards the West, and vice versa. The “success” of the summit in Singapore stands in blatant contrast to the failure of the G-7 summit in Canada, as the many articles, quoted below, will show.

How North Korea Describes the Summit with President Trump

ABC News June 13:

“All of the media, limited as it may be, in North Korea is controlled by the state…

“North Korea’s newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, featured a series of pictures of Trump and Kim Jong Un shaking hands and standing side by side on its front page Wednesday. The headline reads, ‘A summit meeting of the century that pioneered a new history in DPRK-US relations,’ with a subheadline of ‘A joint statement adopted.’ Overall, the paper reads as if complete denuclearization was not a major issue… The article mentions ‘denuclearization’ — without the word ‘complete’ — only once, in a paragraph buried in context… The article ran across four pages out of the six-page newspaper with 33 color photos from the summit.

“North Korean TV’s most famous newsreader Ri Chun Hee, also known as the ‘Pink Lady,’ announced the results of the Trump-Kim summit on Wednesday at 4 a.m. ET, specifically highlighting Trump’s ‘intention to halt the U.S.–South Korea joint military exercises … offer security guarantees to the DPRK and lift sanctions against it as mutual relations improve.’

“Details about sanctions being lifted is unclear, as Trump specifically said they would not be lifted in a press conference following the summit…”

Trump’s Tweets: North Korea No More Threat to the World and America’s Real Enemy is the Free Press such as CNN and NBC

Newsmax wrote on June 13:

“President Donald Trump declared that North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat, even though Kim Jong Un hasn’t committed to a timetable for giving up his weapons. ‘Everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office,’ Trump said on Twitter…

“Trump and Kim’s summit produced a historic handshake and a joint statement that committed North Korea to ‘complete denuclearization’ without providing any details about how that would happen. U.S. defense analysts have said Kim retains as many as 60 nuclear bombs and a range of missiles, including some he says can strike the U.S. ‘Before taking office people were assuming that we were going to War with North Korea,’ Trump said in another tweet. ‘President Obama said that North Korea was our biggest and most dangerous problem. No longer – sleep well tonight!’”

CNS wrote on June 13:

“Criticizing some of the liberal media’s coverage of the U.S-North Korea summit on denuclearization, President Donald Trump said ‘Fake News’ outlets NBC and CNN are trying to ‘downplay’ the summit… and added that America’s ‘biggest enemy is Fake News’ which is ‘so easily promulgated by fools!’”

When they say, “Peace, Peace”, there is NO PEACE!

 The G-7 Summit

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 8, 2018 [prior to the beginning of the G-7 summit]:

“The Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, the EU and Mexico due to ‘national security’ concerns has enraged US allies and threatens to unleash a trade war… The scale of the crisis between the United States and the other G7 members was highlighted early, when, in off-the-cuff remarks, Trump suggested Russia be allowed to rejoin the elite club of rich nations after it was expelled from the G8 following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea… European members of the G7 agreed that conditions were not ripe for Russia to be readmitted as long as the Ukraine crisis was not resolved.”

Newsmax wrote on June 9, 2018 [during the G-7 summit]:

“U.S. trading partners have been furious over President Donald Trump’s decision last week to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, the European Union and Mexico as part of his ‘America First’ agenda. Some countries have retaliated with their own levies on U.S. imports…

“While G7 leaders confronted Trump with a slew of data on imports and exports in a bid to sway his thinking, Trump countered (with) his own numbers and held his position that the United States was at a disadvantage on international trade…

“Trump’s ‘America First’ message to allies has hardened since he brought hardline national security adviser John Bolton on to his team…”

Trump in Warrior Form

The Associated Press reported on June 10:

“Insulting the host, alienating allies and threatening to suspend business with other countries: President Donald Trump was in full trade-warrior form for the weekend summit of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies in Canada.

“The president’s acrimony raised the risk of a trade war that could spook financial markets, inflate prices of goods hit by tariffs, slow commerce, disrupt corporations that rely on global supply chains and jeopardize the healthiest expansion the world economy has enjoyed in a decade.

“Leaving the conclave in Quebec on Saturday, Trump threatened to ‘stop trading’ with America’s allies if they defied his demands to lower trade barriers. And he shrugged off the risk that his combative stance would ignite escalating tariffs and counter-tariffs between the United States and its friends — the European Union, Canada, Japan and Mexico…”

Total Blowup—Trump Refuses to Sign Joint Statement of G7

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 9:

“The summit between the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, Britain and Italy was one of the most fractious ever… a deep rift was highlighted as host Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ended the summit by saying he would move forward with retaliatory tariffs against the United States starting on July 1. He called US tariffs on its ally under the pretext of national security ‘kind of insulting’ and said Canada would not be ‘pushed around.’…

“Only hours later Trump took to Twitter to assault the Canadian prime minister’s ‘false statements’ and instructed US representatives to renege on the US endorsement of the joint communique. He also said he would be looking to impose tariffs on car imports into the United States.  Trudeau’s office responded later, saying they were focused on what was accomplished at the G7 summit and that the prime minister said nothing at the press conference that he hadn’t mentioned ‘before – both in public, and in private conversations with the President.’

“… the summit showed the United States was increasingly isolated…”

The New York Times wrote on June 9:

“With a petulant tweetstorm from Air Force One, Mr. Trump all but blew up the Group of 7 nations that the United States has led for more than four decades and essentially declared open political war on America’s closest neighbor… The blowup left the United States alienated from its allies even more than it had been entering into the summit meeting…

“Mr. Trump’s unvarnished post-summit Twitter insults aimed at Mr. Trudeau… left the Canadian-American relationship at its most overtly hostile since, perhaps, the War of 1812. Indeed, Mr. Trump had already clashed with Canada before the summit meeting by reportedly accusing it of burning down the White House during that war (it was really the British)…”

Wars Begin with Words—“Special Place in Hell for Trudeau”?

Fox News reported on June 10:

“There’s a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door,” [White House Director of Trade Policy Peter] Navarro said. “And that’s what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference. That’s what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did…’”

The New York Times wrote on June 12:

“Peter Navarro, one of President Trump’s top trade advisers, said on Tuesday that it was a mistake to suggest that ‘there is a special place in hell’ for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, offering a rare apology from a White House that almost never walks back heated rhetoric… While Mr. Navarro backed down from his attack, Mr. Trump did not, continuing on Tuesday to accuse Mr. Trudeau of acting in bad faith and trying to take advantage of the United States.”

European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted in response: “There is a special place in heaven for Justin Trudeau.”  British Prime Minister Theresa May “is fully supportive of Trudeau and his leadership,” a senior UK government source said.

Canada Condemns Trump

Reuters wrote on June 11:

“Canada’s House of Commons on Monday unanimously condemned the personal attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by U.S. President Donald Trump and his surrogates… Lawmakers… gave a standing ovation for the government’s response to the Trump administration’s verbal attacks on Trudeau… While the agreement of legislators who are normally opposed on most fronts was remarkable, the anger also spread to pundits, officials, celebrities and ordinary citizens as Canadians vowed consumer boycotts of American goods and brainstormed insults of Trump on social media.”

France and Germany Condemn Trump’s Angry Behavior

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 10:

“The French president’s office has said there is no place for anger and insults in international cooperation…

“[German] Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Sunday the US president’s tweets had destroyed trust and Europe should answer by staying even closer together…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 10:

“Germany’s Angela Merkel… told German broadcaster ARD that Trump’s ‘withdrawal via Twitter is of course sobering and a little depressing’…  Saturday’s events only reinforced the chancellor’s commitment to forging a stronger, more unified European Union. Europe must take its fate into its own hands and no longer ‘imprudently’ follow the US, Merkel said.

“The chancellor also announced during Sunday’s interview that, just like Canada, the EU was also preparing counter-measures to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. ‘We won’t let ourselves be ripped off again and again,’ Merkel said, taking on an unusually combative tone…’”

Trump’s Figures All Wrong?

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 12:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday struck back at President Donald Trump’s repeated complaints over the US’ trade deficit. Merkel pointed out the US actually runs a significant account surplus with Europe if one factors services into the equation.

“Several German economists have long made similar arguments. The chancellor also stressed that German direct investment into the US was significantly higher than the other way around.”

The Associated Press agreed, stating on June 10:

“Economists and trade analysts note that the rules of world trade rules aren’t as one-sided as the president argues. According to the World Bank, America’s average tariff is 1.6 percent, the same as the EU’s, only slightly higher than Japan’s 1.4 percent and double Canada’s 0.8 percent…”

So did Newsmax in an article, dated June 11:

“MarketWatch has pointed out that Trump has significantly overstated the U.S. trade deficit with the EU. And the web site of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative even refutes the main thrust of Trump’s argument, stating that ‘two-way U.S.-EU trade has been roughly balanced over time and the very high levels of foreign investment accounted for by each in the other’s markets means that the transatlantic economy is arguably the most integrated on Earth.’”

USA and Europe on Collision Course

Handelsblatt Global wrote on June 10:

“The failed G7 summit has made it more likely that a trade war between the US and other countries will escalate, a leading German economist, Ifo president Clemens Fuest, said.”…

“For the first time ever, Germany is developing a strategy on how to deal with the US, because Berlin has lost faith that its current policy of ‘damage control’ [no] longer works with Donald Trump’s administration. Currently, political strategies only exist for adversaries, such as Russia and China…

France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire urged Germany to support France in reforming the EU and euro zone, otherwise the region might become too weak to cope with Donald Trump’s administration and China.”

“Time for Europe to Fill US Vacuum, Says ex-Danish PM”

The EUObserver wrote on June 11:

“In the wake of a disastrous G7 summit where US president Donald Trump all but broke off the Western alliance, the EU should… prepare to take over global leadership. That is the message on Monday (11 June) by a former member of the EU leaders club… ‘If we don’t find solutions we will be irrelevant,’ warned Denmark’s Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a year ahead of the next European elections…”

Trump’s and White House’s Rhetoric “Worsened”

Newsmax wrote on June 11:

“President Donald Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron that the European Union is worse than China on trade during a meeting at the White House in April… The rhetoric has only worsened in the days since, with White House officials insulting G7 leaders and Trump himself doubling down on his threats.

“International officials have in response been highly critical of Trump, as have many in Congress, including Republican Sen. John McCain, who slammed the president in a tweet.”

In Trump, Some Fear the End of the World Order

The Washington Post wrote on June 9:

“As each day brings a new series of punches and counterpunches between President Trump and longtime U.S. partners, the question appears to be moving beyond the realm of the academic… ‘What worries me most . . . is the fact that the rules-based international order is being challenged,’ European Council President Donald Tusk said… What is surprising, Tusk said, is that the challenge is driven not by the ‘usual suspects, but by its main architect and guarantor, the U.S.’

“Trump’s actions, he said, ‘play into the hands of those who seek a new post-West order where liberal democracy and fundamental freedoms would cease to exist.’ Tusk’s usual suspects certainly include China and Russia…

“Trump… often describes countries that have been historically aligned with the United States, including Germany, France and Canada, as ‘so-called allies’ who take advantage of the nation…

“‘…where I’m wringing my hands is the 2020 presidential election,’ said Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the Eurasia Group, which advises investors about the impact of politics on risks and opportunities in foreign markets. ‘If President Trump is reelected… then during his second term, we have to worry about the end of the liberal world order,’ Kupchan said. ‘A second term would allow him enough time to do irreparable damage to liberal institutions, to the WTO [World Trade Organization] and Bretton Woods,’ the 1944 conference where the current international financial system was created, which was quickly followed by the establishment of the United Nations…

“Americans have long had a love-hate relationship with Europe and foreigners in general, along with a strong current of belief that others have taken advantage of U.S. beneficence, sentiments that Trump has been more than willing to exploit…”

Angela Merkel’s Dark View of the World

Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 5:

“The chancellor has made frequent excursions into history lately. Indeed, the Peace of Augsburg also came up four weeks ago during her visit to the residence of the German ambassador in Washington. The treaty initiated a 60-year phase of peace between Protestants and Catholics after the bloody turmoil of the Reformation and it initially seemed as though people had finally come to their senses. But that image turned out to be a deceptive one. In 1618, a war began unlike any the Continent had ever seen before. By the time the inferno ended 30 years later, large parts of Germany had been depopulated and many cities left in ruins.

“To Merkel, the Peace of Augsburg is much more than some distant historical date. Rather, it is a warning of just how thin the varnish covering civilization really is. Just as people in the late 16th century were erroneous in their belief that the Peace of Augsburg would be enduring, we could be just as mistaken today in the belief that the postwar order, with all its treaties and alliances, serves as a guarantee that the scourge of war will not return…

“For her, [Donald Trump] is a man who has turned back the historical clock to zero hour and casts doubt on everything that has united the West for decades: NATO, trade agreements and the United Nations. Many in the German government had hoped that Trump wouldn’t be so bad once he was actually sworn in. But Merkel is no longer under any illusions. Trump is implementing his campaign promises, no matter how asinine they might be, as if going down a checklist…

“She feels everything needs to move much faster, in Europe and in Germany, which can’t even manage to build an airport in its capital city — in stark contrast to a China that can build entire metropolises from scratch within just a few years. During her trips to China, there is always a hint of appreciations for the Chinese government… China is governed from the top down.

“Something has to happen, Merkel said with concern as she traveled back to Berlin, impressed by the drive of Beijing’s leaders. And then, in the same breath, she went on to explain why nothing could happen: because her hands are tied by German federalism…”

But this will change soon. A European power bloc will emerge which will NOT be a democracy.

A World Without the USA

The Website of lobelog wrote on June 8:

“Given the unpredictability of US policy, imagine a South Korea/China/North Korea/Japan agreement that leads to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, mutual security commitments, greater exchange between the two Koreas, increased economic support for North Korea, and South Korean request for the US to withdraw its troops. The US would be effectively marginalized…

“How might unhappy European allies respond, over time?… By strengthening, for the first real time, their security forces in the European Union, as opposed to the NATO framework…

“The world is in the midst of a power shift that is resetting roles and relationships in a fundamental way. The impact of the Trump doctrine may be to accelerate these changes, leading to the emergence of new actors, processes and institutions where the US does not lead, and a very different perspective on the US role…”

Amazing! All of this is what we have been saying for quite a long time, based on biblical prophecy, and this article, quoted above, was written BEFORE Mr. Trump announced his desire to withdraw American troops from South Korea. Also note the next article.

Russia, China and Other Allies Make Show of Unity

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 8:

“Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to Beijing on Friday, with both men hailing the importance of working together strategically… The meeting underscored a growing closeness at a time of prickly relations with the US for both countries…

“Putin said he and Xi had enjoyed fruitful talks… ‘Cooperation with China is one of Russia’s top priorities and it has reached an unprecedented level.’… Moscow is increasingly looking to China for investment after a sharp decline in relations with the West after the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. China is seeking allies amid growing criticism of its militarization of the South China Sea and continued accusations of human rights breaches and unfair trade practices.”

AFP wrote on June 9:

“Chinese President Xi Jinping will open late Saturday a two-day regional security summit attended by Russia, Iran and other allies confronting rising tensions with the US over trade and Washington’s withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal… world leaders arrived Friday for the 18th annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional security bloc led by China and Russia. Its member states also include four ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, Pakistan and India. Iran is an observer member.

“Though not officially on the agenda, analysts say that one key topic of discussion this year may focus on whether Iran will be allowed to ascend from its position as an SCO observer to become a full member state — a development it has sought since 2008 but has been unable to achieve while subject to UN sanctions…

On June 10, Bloomberg News ran an article with the following headline: “China, Russia Solidify Growing Eastern Bloc as Trump Rattles G-7.”

Trump To End Federal Ban on Marijuana?

Breitbart wrote on June 8:

“President Donald Trump told a gaggle of reporters Friday that he will ‘probably’ support efforts by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) to end the federal ban on marijuana in states that have legalized it. ‘I support Sen. Gardner… We’re looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes.’

“President Trump has taken a hard line against drugs. In March, he proposed that the death penalty be made available in prosecutions of drug traffickers. Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed an Obama-era policy of not enforcing the federal marijuana ban in states that had voted to legalize the drug for medicinal or recreational use, allowing federal prosecutors in each state to use their own discretion.

“In response to that decision, Garnder threatened to hold up future nominations for positions in the Department of Justice. He backed down after he said Trump had agreed not to intervene in states that had legalized the drug, and said privately that he would support Garnder’s legislation. Friday’s statement, however, was the first time Trump had made that support public…”

Newsmax added on June 9:

“President Donald Trump said Friday that he was inclined to support a bipartisan effort in Congress to ease the U.S. ban on marijuana, a proposal that would dramatically reshape the nation’s legal landscape for pot users and businesses. The federal ban that puts marijuana on the same level as LSD and heroin has created a conflict with about 30 states that have legalized pot in some form, creating a two-tiered enforcement system at the state and federal levels. The legislation would ensure states have the right to determine the best approach to marijuana within their borders, but some U.S. restrictions would remain, including sales of non-medical pot to people under 21…

“The president’s remarks place him in conflict with his own Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who staunchly opposes marijuana. He lifted an Obama administration policy and freed federal prosecutors to more aggressively pursue cases in states that have legalized marijuana. Asked about the measure in an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Sessions said, ‘We’ll see how far it goes and how much support there is. … My view is clear: The federal law remains in effect nationwide, just as it does for heroin and cocaine.’…

“The bill would change the definition of marijuana in federal drug law to exclude industrial hemp, which like marijuana is part of the cannabis plant family but doesn’t contain the THC that gives pot users the high. Hemp produces the non-intoxicating cannabinoids, or CBDs…”

Hopefully, these changes will be made soon, as it is ignorant and unconscionable to place MEDICAL marijuana in the same category as LSD and heroin.

Germany Elected to UN Security Council

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 8:

“The United Nations has voted to give Germany a two-year seat on the Security Council… Germany was voted onto the United Nations Security Council for the sixth time on Friday [since it became a UN member in 1973], after it secured a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly.

“Germany and Belgium will be joined by South Africa, the Dominican Republic and Indonesia as the new faces on the Security Council for 2019 and 2020. Sweden, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Bolivia and Kazakhstan are set to leave the council at the end of this year after completing their two-year term. The other five temporary seats not up for election this year are held by the Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Peru and Poland.

“The Security Council is made up of five permanent members with veto powers — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — and 10 temporary members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Every year, five countries are elected by secret ballot. A seat on the Security Council is viewed as the pinnacle of diplomatic achievement, as it gives countries a strong voice in matters concerning international peace and security. The council is also the only UN body with the power to impose sanctions and authorize the use of military force.”

Comeback of Martin Schulz?

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 6:

“Some Social Democrats want their ex-leader to take another turn as a candidate — this time for the 2019 European elections. He has the Brussels experience…

“Former party leader and chancellor candidate Martin Schulz had one of the most meteoric rises in recent German political history — and an equally steep and speedy fall. When Schulz handed over leadership of the center-left SPD to Andrea Nahles earlier this year, it seemed to be a safe assumption that Schulz’s time in the political spotlight was over.

“However, a suggestion last month from Berlin Mayor Michael Müller has set off a round of chatter that Schulz may yet have another turn as a candidate in front of him… Schulz [has] already built up a profile in Brussels through his two decades in the European Parliament: he served as the body’s president from 2012 to 2017. As a candidate and SPD leader in last year’s federal elections, Schulz frequently promoted greater European integration, calling for what he referred to as the ‘United States of Europe.’

“It wasn’t just Müller who backed the idea of Schulz as the center-left’s leading candidate and would-be European Commission president, a position currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker. The SPD’s Seeheimer Circle, known as the more centrist and pragmatic wing of the party, also ‘wholeheartedly’ endorsed the idea. ‘Europe is his topic,’ Johannes Kahrs, the group’s spokesman, told Der Spiegel. ‘Martin Schulz is known across Europe, esteemed, connected, and can and will advance Europe.’

“… German political experts acknowledge that Schulz is by far the SPD politician with the biggest profile on the European political stage… ‘Martin Schulz has obvious shortcomings, but also several advantages: he’s somebody who’s highly qualified, who knows everybody in Europe and everything about Europe, and feels at home in Brussels,’ Marcel Dirsus, a political scientist at the University of Kiel, told DW…”

We have said from the outset that we did not believe that Schulz’s political career was over.

 Are Merkel’s Days as German Chancellor Numbered?

Handelsblatt Global wrote on June 13:

“Angela Merkel faces fresh trouble from her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union, over her stance on the refugee question. This time around, though, the chancellor looks more isolated than ever, as more and more Christian Democrats side with the hardline Bavarians, abandoning their leader.

“As the dispute escalates, the stakes are growing and could eventually bring Ms. Merkel’s chancellorship to an end. The issue is already dividing Europe, a split that’s now being exacerbated by the Bavarian CSU leader, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, as he allies himself with other European leaders who oppose Ms. Merkel’s asylum policy…

“The ongoing feud between Ms. Merkel and Mr. Seehofer over immigration flared up again suddenly on Monday when the chancellor rejected the interior minister’s proposal to turn refugees away at the German border if they had already applied for asylum in another European country…

“On Tuesday, CDU lawmakers in the Bundestag overwhelmingly supported Mr. Seehofer’s plan during an internal debate within the party’s parliamentary group… In all, ‘75 percent of the group support Mr. Seehofer’s plan,’ said Andreas Mattfeldt, a CDU politician from Lower Saxony. He said in the nine years he has been in the Bundestag, ‘I have never seen so many politicians voice their disapproval of the chancellor’s position so clearly.’…

“On Tuesday, Mr. Seehofer invited Mr. Salvini, his hardline Italian counterpart, to Berlin next week to discuss a joint proposal to protect the EU’s external borders. Mr. Salvini is not just any interior minister. A member of the anti-immigration League party, Mr. Salvini was behind Italy’s decision to close its ports to a rescue ship carrying 629 migrants at the weekend. The far-right politician was sworn in last month with a pledge to deport 500,000 migrants from his country. According to Italian officials, Mr. Salvini and Mr. Seehofer are in ‘full agreement’ on security and immigration.

“On Wednesday, Mr. Seehofer… chose… to meet with another chancellor — from Austria. Sebastian Kurz is another long-standing Merkel critic and thus a natural ally for Mr. Seehofer. Although his proposal to reject migrants at Germany’s borders would cause Austria major problems, both politicians opted to ignore this difference, and emphasize instead their agreement on how to defend the EU’s borders…”

Deutsche Welle added on June 14:

“Germany’s conservative bloc may be coming apart at the seams, as its Bavarian wing lines up behind Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and against the chancellor. It’s the greatest challenge ever to Merkel’s authority.”

Austria’s Crackdown on Imams and Mosques

AFP wrote on June 8:

“Austria said Friday it could expel up to 60 Turkish-funded imams and their families and would shut down seven mosques as part of a crackdown on ‘political Islam’, triggering fury in Ankara… Even Austria’s opposition parties were broadly supportive of Friday’s announcement, with the centre-left Social Democrats calling it ‘the first sensible thing this government’s done’…

“Turkey’s relations with Austria have long been strained, most recently when Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said he would ban Turkish politicians from campaigning in Austria for upcoming elections. Around 360,000 people of Turkish origin live in Austria, including 117,000 Turkish nationals. Last week Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacked Kurz, saying: ‘This immoral chancellor has a problem with us’…”

Erdogan’s reference to Kurz’s immorality might have been in regard to the fact that Kurz has been living together for many years with his girlfriend, without being married.

Daily Mail wrote on June 8:

“… other European far-right leaders welcomed the announcement. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French Front National, said on Twitter: ‘Austria is taking things in hand and showing that “when you want to, you can!’”’ Matteo Salvini, head of Italy’s League and interior minister in the new government, also tweeted his approval, saying: ‘Those who exploit their faith to endanger a country’s security should be expelled!’

“… The government recently announced plans to ban girls in elementary schools and kindergartens from wearing headscarves, adding to existing restrictions on veils.”

Results of Germany’s New Data Protection Law

Bild Online reported on June 9:

“Because of fear of warning notices and fines because of the Data Protection Law, over 70 percent of small and medium size companies either limited their digital activities or abandoned them altogether.

“2,400 German companies were surveyed, and 40% did limit their Online activities to some extent, while 26 percent did so to a large extent. Almost 3 percent abandoned such activities completely.”

Intrusive European Copyright Law Next?

The New York Post wrote on June 8:

“The proposed [EU] regulation will force websites to filter out text, audio, photos and video shared by users against an ever-expanding database of copyrighted works… privacy advocates warn the rules… violate the fundamental rights of internet users and could be used to excessively censor the web… A campaign against the law says the proposals could ‘destroy the internet as we know it.’ ‘Should Article 13 of the Copyright Directive be adopted, it will impose widespread censorship of all the content you share online,’ it said…

“Meanwhile, non-profit The Electronic Frontier Foundation and 56 other rights organizations sent an open letter to European lawmakers in October highlighting their issues with Article 13. ‘Article 13 appears to provoke such legal uncertainty that online services will have no other option than to monitor, filter and block EU citizens’ communications if they are to have any chance of staying in business,’ it read.”

Europe becomes more and more an autocratic power bloc, as prophesied in the Bible.

More Censorship and Restrictions of Free Speech Coming in Germany?

The Guardian wrote on June 13:

“The head of Germany’s most powerful cultural body has called for the plug to be pulled on the nation’s multitude of political talkshows for a year… Olaf Zimmermann, who heads the German cultural council… said public broadcasters needed to step back and rethink a format that has helped cement gloom-ridden public attitudes towards refugees and Islam, and propelled the Alternative für Deutschland party into parliament at last September’s election…

“For their part, the AfD… have been deeply critical of the extent to which they are excluded from TV debates. Last week that impression was only intensified after Alexander Gauland, the party’s leader, had his invitation to appear on Hart Aber Fair withdrawn in protest at his description of the Nazi era… AfD supporters reacted to the ban with fury on social media, calling it part of a campaign to squeeze the party off the airwaves…”

Italy Commits to Euro

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 10:

“Italy’s new Finance Minister Giovanni Tria has said the government aims to stick with the euro and also cut debts levels. His words should help assuage fears of an Italian spending splurge and exit from the EU currency… ‘The position of the government is clear and unanimous. There is no question of leaving the euro,’ Tria said, adding that the government would work actively to prevent the likelihood of such an event…

“Tria’s words echoed those of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who earlier this week said a departure from the euro was ‘not up for discussion.’”

We have repeatedly announced dogmatically that Italy will not abandon the Euro.

Hypocritical UN Condemns Israel

Deutsche Welle reported in June 14:

“The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted by a sweeping majority a resolution condemning Israel for killing Palestinians in Gaza and rejected a US attempt to pin the blame on Hamas. The resolution put forward by Algeria, Turkey and the Palestinians secured 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with 8 votes against and 45 abstentions…

“The resolution deplores Israel’s use of ‘excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force’ against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza. Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo and the Solomon Islands joined the United States and Israel in voting against the resolution. Germany abstained…

“The resolution did condemn rockets fired from Gaza into Israel, but did not explicitly mention Hamas. About 70 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza on May 29, most of which were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system… Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the General Assembly before the vote that in supporting the Arab and Islamic backed resolution UN members were supporting a ‘terrorist organization’ and ‘empowering Hamas.’

“The United States sought to add an amendment to the resolution blaming Hamas for ‘inciting’ violence. The amendment received 62 votes in favor, with 58 against and 42 abstentions. However, it failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to be adopted. US Ambassador Nikki Haley called the resolution biased against Israel. ‘For some, attacking Israel is their favorite political sport…’

“General Assembly resolutions are non-binding and there is no veto, but they carry political weight…”

JTA wrote on June 13:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement thanked Haley for her defense of Israel. ‘The U.N.’s incessant focus on Israel not only brings shame to the organization, it also draws attention away from so many other pressing issues that demand the attention of the international community,’ he said…

“In a similar scenario in December, the General Assembly approved a resolution condemning the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv by a wide margin after the United States vetoed a similar resolution in the Security Council. Nine countries voted against [that] resolution, including Israel, the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Togo, and 35 abstained, including EU member states Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Latvia. The rest of the European Union was among the 128 nations that voted in favor.”

Tel Aviv’s 20^th Annual Pride Parade

JTA wrote on June 8:

“A crowd of 250,000 attended Tel Aviv’s 20th annual Pride Parade, which featured a performance by Israeli Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai. At least 30,000 foreign tourists attended the parade on Friday morning… The event, which topped last year’s overall attendance by some 50,000, according to estimates, is held in congruence with LGBTQ Pride Month. The parade also featured a tribute to longtime LGBTQ activists, as well as a performance by the Israeli-Arab diva Nasreen Qadri…

“‘I am proud of everyone who is marching in the #TLVPride Parade in support of… diversity and… equality,’ tweeted U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman (who was appointed to the post by Donald Trump). ‘Promoting, protecting and advancing human rights – including the rights of #LGBTI persons – has long been the policy of the United States.’”

Nothing to be proud of.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

NATO: No Help for Israel

WallStreet Online wrote on June 2:

“In light of growing tension in the Middle East due to Trump’s cancellation of the Iran deal, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg made clear that Israel could not rely on protection from NATO in case of an Iranian attack. ‘Israel is our partner, but not a member of NATO. The guarantee for protection of Article 5 does not apply to Israel,’ Stoltenberg said to Der Spiegel.”

The New Jerusalem Post added on June 2:

“In response to Stoltenberg’s announcement, Volker Beck – the German Green Party politician and former head of the German-Israel parliamentary group in the Bundestag – asked on Twitter: ‘That raises the question: What does this clarification mean for the security dialogue between NATO, EU, Germany and Israel?’”

Good question. NATO becomes more and more irrelevant for Israel and Europe, but would the EU intervene on behalf of Israel? View our new StandingWatch program, titled, “NATO: No Protection for Israel.”

Iran Vows Tenfold Response to Any Attack

The Times of Israel wrote on June 4:

“Iran’s top leader said Monday that anyone who fires one missile at his country ‘will be hit by 10’ in response… In a speech, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said he had ordered atomic authorities to increase the country’s nuclear enrichment capacity. The increase he detailed in his speech would not exceed limits set by the nuclear accord, which European countries have said they hope to salvage.

“In a series of tweets on Sunday, [he called] the Jewish state the ‘cancerous tumor’ of the region that must be ‘removed and eradicated.’”

According to some news outlets, Netanyahu responded to Iran’s announcement to increase nuclear enrichment activities that Israel was prepared to strike Iran. Further, news emerged this week that in 2011, Netanyahu had already ordered an attack on Iran within 15 days, but had later withdrawn the order.

Significant Differences between Germany and Israel

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 4:

“Israeli PM Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Germany comes at a politically turbulent time. Israel expert Peter Lintl sums up the divide between Europe and Israel: ‘Europeans have a hard time understanding Israelis… There are indeed significant differences. Germany believes that the nuclear agreement with Iran was a step in the right direction. Israel, on the other hand, says that the agreement offers Iran the opportunity to develop a nuclear bomb…

“‘Germany has rejected any suggestion of relocating embassies to Jerusalem based on the historical background that Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 declaring it the unified capital…’”

Deutsche Welle added on June 4:

“[In their meeting in Berlin on Monday, the] Israeli and German leaders may have stressed commonalities, but on Iran’s nuclear potential they’re miles apart… The two close allies are on diametrically opposite sides of this particular issue… Israel opposes the deal… It wants to see Germany cease doing business with Tehran…

“Fielding questions from reporters, Merkel said that Germany and Israel shared the goal of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons but disagreed on the means to that end. Merkel said that before the UN-sponsored deal Iran had been close to developing such weapons and that the deal would guarantee ‘more transparency.’ Netanyahu countered that the deal would give Iran permission to develop ‘unlimited’ amounts of enriched uranium in the future in return for not enriching uranium now. He said that was unacceptable.

“Netanyahu… was keen to stress that ‘radical Islam’ was the greatest danger faced by the world today and said that Iran continued to call for Israel’s destruction. He also claimed that Tehran intended to start a ‘religious war’ within the Islamic world, which he warned would lead to further masses of refugees who would try to flee to Europe — a pointed reference to the issue that is widely regarded as Merkel’s Achilles heel…”

Even though the article states that Germany and Israel are “close allies,” this manifests itself as a misconception when digging deeper. And the relationship between Israel and Germany, as well as Europe, will further deteriorate.

EU, Mexico and Canada Retaliate Against Trump’s Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

Reuters reported on June 1:

“Canada, Mexico and the European Union retaliated against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum with levies on billions of dollars of U.S. goods from orange juice and whiskey to blue jeans and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The EU took the United States to the World Trade Organization to challenge the legality of the new tariffs and the Trump administration’s national-security justification…

“President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Washington’s closest allies drew condemnation at home from Republican lawmakers and the country’s main business lobbying group and sent a chill through financial markets…

“Canada and Mexico, embroiled in talks with the United States to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), responded swiftly. Canada, the largest supplier of steel to the United States, will impose tariffs covering C$16.6 billion ($12.8 billion) on U.S. imports… ‘The American administration has made a decision today that we deplore, and obviously is going to lead to retaliatory measures, as it must,’ Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said…

“For the EU, a decision on just how far to push back will require agreement among the 28 member states that make up the world’s biggest trade bloc. Germany, by far the biggest exporter to the United States, is keen to avoid a wider trade war, especially as the Trump administration has floated the prospect of tariffs on cars. Other countries such as France favor more forceful retaliation against what they see as American bullying. EU members have so far given broad support to a European Commission plan to set duties on 2.8 billion euros ($3.4 billion) of U.S. exports. EU exports subject to U.S. duties are worth 6.4 billion euros ($7.5 billion)…

“French President Emmanuel Macron telephoned Trump to tell him he believed the tariffs were both a mistake and illegal, his office said. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue warned in a letter to the body’s board that current trade policies could threaten economic progress and cause the loss of more than 2 million jobs, mostly in states that voted for Trump.”

The EU and Canada filed complaints with the WTO. But as Deutsche Welle wrote on June 1: “The European Commission is hopping mad, and it’s ready to fight back… [But] US President Donald Trump has already signaled his country would withdraw from the World Trade Organization, should it side with the EU in its ruling [which might take months to be rendered anyhow]. In other words, Europeans shouldn’t pin too much hope on the WTO.”

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in an interview that he finds it “insulting and unacceptable” that Canada would be described by President Trump as a threat to or a security risk for the USA. “FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has launched a furious attack on Donald Trump, warning his decision to impose trade tariffs on the EU is illegal and could lead to war” (Express, dated May 31).

“Trump Refuses to Back Down as EU and Canada Hit Back”

The Independent wrote on June 1:

“The decision by the Trump administration to finally impose the 25 per cent tariffs on steel imports and 10 per cent on aluminum weeks after they were announced has sparked outrage among some of Washington’s staunchest allies with Theresa May saying: ‘The EU and UK should be permanently exempted from tariffs’ and she is ‘deeply disappointed at the unjustified decision by the US.’…

“Germany’s Volkswagen, Europe’s largest automaker, warned that the decision could start a trade war that no side would win… The European Union and China have already said they will deepen ties on trade and investment as a result of the move to impose steel and aluminum tariffs…”

USA Being Attacked by G7 Finance Leaders

Reuters reported on June 1:

“The United States’ closest allies attacked the Trump administration on Friday for imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and mounted challenges with the world’s top trade body, fouling the mood at a G7 finance leaders meeting…

“Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso… called the U.S. action ‘deeply deplorable.’… Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that the tariffs were ‘imposed under a false pretext of safeguarding U.S. national security.’…”

The media spoke about the G7 meeting as 6 vs. 1.

US Summit with North Korea Set Again for June 12

The Sun wrote on June 1:

“PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s historic summit with Kim Jong-un is back on after he met with a North Korean envoy at the White House [on Friday]. It comes after a letter from Kim Jong-un was today passed onto the US President, which he described as ‘very nice’ and ‘very interesting’ [even though he said later in the same press conference that he had not read the letter]…

“Despite the upbeat message in the US, Kim Jong-un, in a meeting with Russia’s foreign minister on Thursday, complained about the US trying to spread its influence in the region…

“Kim Yong Chol [was] the most senior North Korean visitor to the United States since Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok visited Washington in 2000 to meet President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. That was the last time the two sides, which are technically at war, attempted to arrange a leadership summit. It was an effort that ultimately failed…

“Kim Yong Chol, [former North Korean spy chief and currently the] vice chairman of the North Korean ruling party’s central committee, was allowed into the United States despite being on a US sanctions list. And North Korean officials are not normally allowed to travel outside the New York area.”

Further, according to President Trump, North Korea’s atrocious human rights violations were not raised during the meeting, either.

More Nonsense from Giuliani and Trump’s Legal Team: “Trump Can Probably Pardon Himself”

 ABC wrote on June 3:

“In an interview Sunday with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on ‘This Week,’ Rudy Giuliani discussed special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of whether the president may have tried to obstruct justice in the probe of Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. When Stephanopoulos asked if the president has the power to pardon himself, Giuliani said he ‘probably does.’ ‘He has no intention of pardoning himself,’ said Giuliani… But it is a ‘really interesting constitutional argument: “Can the president pardon himself?”’

“Giuliani added, ‘I think the political ramifications of that would be tough…’

“Giuliani’s comments come on the heels of the publication of a 20-page letter sent to Mueller from Trump’s legal team earlier this year… The letter, dated Jan. 29, argues that, as president, Trump cannot be indicted, cannot be subpoenaed and could not be guilty of obstruction of justice due to his position as ‘chief law enforcement officer’…”

The Washington Post added on June 3:

“… while arguing that the president has the theoretical ability to pardon himself, Giuliani and other Trump allies on Sunday nonetheless rejected the reality of such a brash move — in part because of the political backlash they said could lead to Trump’s impeachment…

“The reality, however, is more nebulous. The Republican Party… has so far failed to assert any clear red line over which Trump could walk that would prompt them to take action against their party’s leader. And Republican lawmakers have remained largely silent as Trump has repeatedly gone to war with his Justice Department and the FBI, intentionally and routinely degrading public trust in the institutions tasked with holding him accountable for misbehavior…

“The president and his allies have long privately played out the strategy that burst into public view this weekend. As early as last summer, for instance, as Mueller’s probe dragged on, the president began asking advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself. His lawyers at the time discussed his pardoning powers as well…”

The Huffington Post added on June 3:

“President Donald Trump’s lawyer says Trump could shoot the FBI director in the Oval Office and still not be prosecuted for it. ‘In no case can he be subpoenaed or indicted,’ Rudy Giuliani told HuffPost Sunday… Giuliani said impeachment was the initial remedy for a president’s illegal behavior ― even in the extreme hypothetical case of Trump having shot former FBI Director James Comey to end the Russia investigation rather than just firing him…”

CNN wrote on June 4:

“President Donald Trump asserted Monday that he has the right to pardon himself but suggested that he won’t use that power… ‘As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?…’ the President tweeted.”

IF the contentions of Giuliani’s and “numerous legal scholars” WERE even remotely correct, then we would have a totalitarian dictatorship in the USA unheard of and unparalleled in ANY democratic country.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

The Huffington Post wrote on June 2:

“Franklin Graham is on a crusade across California. But unlike his father [the late Billy Graham]… he’s looking for voters he can deliver to the Republican Party…

“Graham’s decision to focus on turning out evangelical voters in the Golden State… demonstrates how much today’s Religious Right has departed from its early history…

“… today’s Religious Right, led by [Franklin] Graham and other Trump supporters, takes a defensive position, angrily defending their sense of occupying a shrinking place in the nation as an oppressed minority. It’s that aggrieved identity that led evangelicals to abandon their formerly high character standards for politicians in order to embrace the thrice-married casino magnate Trump in the first place, a man who may not join them in the church pews on Sunday but promised to fight for them on America’s political battlefields… Graham has… distinguished himself from his father who, after an early flirtation, ultimately abandoned the political realm. Disgusted by his friend Richard Nixon’s vulgarity revealed in the White House tapes (plus embarrassed by how the recordings had also captured his own anti-Semitic statements), Billy Graham distanced himself from politics.

“In marked contrast, neither Trump’s own filthy language nor hateful rhetoric has diminished Franklin Graham’s support for the president. ‘I can’t think of anything mean he’s said,’ Graham told the Times in February. Even more tellingly, Graham has argued that Trump’s affair with the adult film actress Stormy Daniels was ‘nobody’s business.’ Such moral compromises for the sake of politics have long troubled some evangelical leaders, including Franklin’s father. Even in the heady days of the early Reagan years, Billy Graham refused to allow his evangelistic association to help the Religious Right…

“Manipulating religion in service of the Republican Party, and especially Trump, now appears to be exactly Franklin Graham’s project… white evangelicals’ support for Trump doesn’t expose their hypocrisy…”

True Christians are NOT to get involved in politics. And God most certainly requires a high moral standard of a leading politician. Please see our Q&A on this issue, asking and answering the question, “Does it matter what a political leader does in private as long as he does his ‘public’ job effectively?” We said: “The behavior of politicians really does matter. Sadly, in this world which is ruled by Satan, most politicians do not follow God’s Way of Life. Many citizens copy the bad behavior of their leaders.”

US Supreme Court Sides with Baker against Gay Couple

NBC News reported on June 4:

“The U.S. Supreme Court gave a boost to advocates of religious freedom on Monday, ruling that a Colorado baker cannot be forced to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, in a case that involved marriage equality and protection from discrimination.

“But the opinion was a narrow one, applying to the specific facts of this case only. It gave no hint as to how the court might decide future cases involving florists, bakers, photographers and other business owners who have cited religious and free-speech objections when refusing to serve gay and lesbian customers in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2015 same-sex marriage decision.”

Proud to Be Gay… Supported by Trump

Breitbart wrote on June 4:

“Ambassador Richard Grenell expressed nothing but praise for President Trump, Mike Pence, and John Bolton, during an interview with Breitbart London, describing what it is like to be the most prominent [and high-powered] openly gay diplomat in the history of the United States…  ‘I’m certainly proud of it…’ Grenell… thanked both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence…  ‘It’s never been an issue for President Trump. He communicated that very early’… Things were not the same before the coming of Trump, Grenell said, noting that he had been involved with the Republican Party since the re-election campaign of former President George H.W. Bush in 1992…

“In 2005, John Bolton spoke at the Log Cabin convention in San Diego as the U.S. ambassador to the UN…  He was for gay marriage. He was for gays serving in the military even back then, long before many of the Democrat politicians embraced it…

“President Trump has also been a supporter of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group which represents LGBT Republicans, recently issuing an official statement congratulating the group on its 40-year anniversary.”

We feel these statements, and many like them, speak for themselves.

US Ambassador to Germany Under Fire

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 4:

“The German Foreign Ministry says it wants clarity about controversial comments made by the new US ambassador, Richard Grenell. In an interview with Breitbart News… he said he was excited by the rising wave of conservatism within Europe, adding that he saw his task as ‘empowering’ Europe’s right-wing governments and budding leaders…

“Adding fuel to the fire regarding Germany’s perceived lack of defense spending, Grenell said that Germany is losing credibility…”

The EUObserver wrote on June 6:

“US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, rejected on Sunday as ‘ridiculous’ claims that he ‘endorses’ conservatives in Europe… he tweeted: ‘I stand by my comments that we are experiencing an awakening from the silent majority – those who reject the elites & their bubble. Led by Trump’.”

Even though Breitbart might have quoted Grenell incorrectly, his denial sounds more like a confirmation.

Expelling Grenell from Germany?

AFP wrote on June 5:

“Leading German politicians on Tuesday called for the US ambassador to be expelled, after the staunch ally of Donald Trump was accused of meddling in domestic politics and aggravating already tense ties. Richard Grenell had taken up his diplomatic posting in Berlin on May 8, and immediately irked Germany when he tweeted on the same day that German companies should stop doing business with Iran as Trump quit the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.

“He stoked further outrage over the weekend with reported comments to far-right website Breitbart of his ambition to ‘empower other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders’. Grenell also raised eyebrows with his plan to host Austria’s arch-conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz — who the US envoy describes as a ‘rock star’, for lunch on June 13.

“‘What this man is doing is unheard of in international diplomacy,’ Martin Schulz, former chief of the Social Democratic Party and an ex-European Parliament president, told national news agency DPA. ‘If a German ambassador were to say in Washington that he is there to empower the Democrats, he would have been kicked out immediately. I hope that Kurz’s visit will lead Mr Grenell’s tenure as ambassador in Germany to be short,’ added Schulz, playing on the German word for short ‘kurz’. Schulz had earlier tweeted that the US envoy did not behave like a diplomat but like a ‘far-right colonial officer’.

“… the opposition far-left Linke party’s chief Sahra Wagenknecht said Grenell had disqualified himself as ambassador. ‘Someone like US ambassador Richard Grenell, who thinks he can lord over Europe and determine who is governing here, can no longer stay in Germany as a diplomat,’ Wagenknecht told Die Welt daily…

“Although Merkel herself belongs to the conservative camp, commentators said it was clear that Grenell was not seeking to bolster the chancellor’s party base, but rather its opponents from the far-right. ‘It is bad enough if that’s what he is thinking, let alone saying it,’ said the daily Berliner Zeitung…”

And so, all German parties, except for the AfD, have been condemning Grenell’s statements.

Germany’s AfD Causes Further Outrage

Note: The following article includes a strongly-worded quote from a German politician which might be offensive to some. In order to report correctly as to what was said exactly and the (in some cases exaggerated) reactions to it, we decided not to omit the quote.

AFP wrote on June 2:

“One of the leaders of Germany’s far-right AfD party sparked outrage Saturday by downplaying the crimes of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, saying they were ‘just a speck of bird shit in over 1,000 years of successful German history.’ The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the biggest opposition party in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, with more than 90 deputies…

“Gauland (77) has repeatedly attacked Islam, and argued that Germany should be proud of its veterans of two world wars. In 2016, he took aim at star footballer Jerome Boateng, who was born in Berlin to a German mother and a Ghanaian father. ‘People find him good as a footballer, but they don’t want to have a Boateng as a neighbour,’ Gauland said.

“The head of Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrat Union party quickly hit out at Gauland’s latest remarks on Saturday, saying that the AfD was revealing its true face. ‘50 million war victims, the Holocaust and the total war are nothing more than “bird shit” for the AfD,’ she tweeted…

“Set up in 2013 as an anti-euro party, the AfD recorded a surge in support after it began capitalising on unease in Germany over the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers since 2015.”

Die Welt commented: “Gauland means exactly what he says. And that makes it so dangerous.”

Handelsblatt Global wrote on June 4: “Alexander Gauland, co-leader of the AfD party, said he never meant to “trivialize or deride the victims” of Nazi rule, and that he chose the word Vogelschiss or ‘bird poop’ out of contempt for Nazis.”

Deutsche Welle added on June 4:

“Moderates in the Alternative for Germany have rejected Alexander Gauland’s trivializing characterization of the Third Reich. But hardliners blame the media and say the party chairman’s words were taken out of context… most AfD members defended Gauland, claiming that he had merely misspoken… One of those who is defending Gauland is the AfD’s leader in the state of Thuringia, Björn Höcke. He accused the media of distorting Gauland’s words. ‘Alexander Gauland has once again been quoted out of context by journalists… Before the quote in question, Alexander Gauland spent four or five sentences explaining in detail how he as an AfD member and as AfD chairman accepted Germany’s historical responsibility for the Nazi era.’”

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 6:

“The co-chairman of Germany’s far-right AfD could face legal action for appearing to trivialize the Nazi era. A complaint has been filed with a public prosecutor, accusing Alexander Gauland of inciting hatred… [and describing] Gauland’s remarks as ‘scandalous’ and an ‘intolerable mockery of the victims of the Holocaust.’ Gülegen went on to accuse Gauland of seeking to ‘deliberately downplay’ the crimes committed during the Nazi era.”

In all fairness, it is hard to understand why Gauland’s comments received the kind of condemnation which they did, given the fact that he clearly condemned and distanced himself from Nazism. The terms he used (however one wants to translate them into English) do not in any way support or even belittle the atrocities by Nazi Germany. But such overreaction is typical for German politicians and the mainstream media.

The Future of Europe according to Merkel

Politico wrote on June 3:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday she supports the idea of a joint European defense force… Merkel’s French counterpart Emmanuel Macron has been pushing for the creation of a combined EU military force that could be deployed to trouble spots around the world…

“Merkel also called for the creation of an EU-wide asylum agency ‘that processes all asylum claims at the external borders, based on unified EU asylum law.’…

“Asked about her goals for the EU in the next five to ten years, Merkel said: ‘My goal is that the world knows: In foreign policy, Europe speaks with one voice.’”

Express added on June 3:

“ANGELA Merkel has backed key planks of Emmanuel Macron’s vision for an ever-closer European Union for the first time, including a joint EU army…”

The Telegraph added on June 3:

“The structural integration of the European Union’s armed forces has been a long-standing strategic ambition of the EU, with the latest initiative being based on the 2009 Lisbon Treaty… The United Kingdom, Europe’s pre-eminent military power, blocked this, fearing the creation of a Europe-wide army. However, [after] Brexit [the UK has] no say in the matter and the EU has pushed ahead with plans.

“A resurgent Russia and the election of Donald Trump, on a platform attacking Nato, may have lent a sense of urgency to the process. The Permanent Structured Cooperation (Pesco) was initiated in 2017… The UK is exempted, Denmark and Malta have opted out. All 25 other European Union members are committed. Initial plans envisaged countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland creating permanent military structures to act on behalf of the EU and for the deployment of the EU’s battle groups and 18 national battalions. It could also comprise an EU military planning and operations headquarters in Brussels that would parallel Nato.”

So, it should be clear that a European army IS coming very soon.

Time to Fight

Martin Schulz, former European Parliament president, wrote in Der Spiegel Online on June 5:

“It is time to fight…. We are in the middle of a global fight between systems… It is a matter of survival of a free democracy… With Donald Trump, we have a president who scoffs at Western values… In our immediate neighboring countries, the enemies of the free world grow… they all propagate the spirit of Trumpism… All these phenomena have also reached our own country…

“Those who want to destroy the EU attack a model which has guaranteed freedom and democracy for more than seven decades… We have to fight stronger and more passionately than ever before for this Europe… We have to make sure that Germany will take the leading role in the strengthening of Europe…”

Austria for Lifting of Russian Sanctions because of Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 3:

“[Heinz-Christian Strache, the] leader of Austria’s Freedom Party says he wants to end EU sanctions imposed on Russia in response to the Ukraine crisis. [He] says the measures have damaged the Austrian economy. ‘It is high time to put an end to these exasperating sanctions and normalize political and economic relations with Russia,’ he said. The EU sanctions against Russia were imposed in an effort to return Crimea to Ukraine and end an ongoing conflict in the east of Ukraine.

“The remarks by Strache, leader of Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ), come amid a European diplomatic push to resolve the situation in Ukraine. The vice chancellor is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vienna during the week…

“Strache, whose pro-Moscow Freedom Party (FPÖ) is junior partner to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s conservatives, has previously spoken out against the sanctions and warned against pushing Russia into the arms of China. Austria’s coalition government says it wants to act as a bridge between east and west, while Kurz has stressed its pro-EU stance is secure.

“Top-ranking FPÖ party members went to Moscow in 2016 to sign a five-year cooperation agreement with Putin’s United Russia party. According to press reports, one of the points described the ‘raising of younger generations in the spirit of patriotism and work enjoyment.’ Sergei Zheleznyak, deputy speaker of Russia’s lower house — who signed the agreement and who is on the EU sanctions list — praised the party for opposing the EU sanctions. “Austria will take over the EU’s rotating presidency for six months in July.”

In addition to Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has the reputation of a hardliner as well. He is very popular in Germany. The German magazine Focus published an article WARNING against the grave dangers stemming from Kurz’s politics.  

Italy’s New Government… For Now!

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 1:

“Giuseppe Conte… was sworn in as Italy’s 58th prime minister on Friday, ending weeks of political turmoil that rocked financial markets and prompted concerns from the country’s European Union partners. Italy has been without a government since elections on March 4 failed to produce a clear winner. The far-right Lega (League)… and the anti-establishment, populist Five Star Movement (M5S), despite being diametrically opposed on some issues, have been trying to cobble together a government…

“President Sergio Mattarella… initially refused to approve Conte’s government last weekend. He rejected the inclusion of the ardently anti-euro Paolo Savona as economy minister. With Savona replaced by Giovanni Tria, an economics professor who has never advocated leaving the eurozone, Mattarella finally gave his approval on Thursday…”

In a related article, Deutsche Welle wrote on June 1:

“It would be a miracle if the new prime minister… turned out to be anything more than a puppet controlled by the two party leaders. After all, this unknown law professor has no ties to either M5S or The League… Conte is destined to become a weak figure, a head of government who must call The League and M5S headquarters before making promises to foreign counterparts like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

“And that goes for the whole cabinet, which also consists of novices — few have ever done more than work at city hall… But inexperience can be problematic…”

Daily Mail added on June 1:

“Italy swears in its new PM at the head of anti-EU populist government that is set to launch an immigrant crackdown, cut taxes but STAY in the Euro.”

Spain’s New Government… for Now!

The Guardian wrote on June 1:

“Mariano Rajoy, once viewed as the great survivor of Spanish politics, has been ousted as prime minister in a vote of no confidence after several former members of his party were convicted of corruption in a case that proved a scandal too far. He will be replaced by Pedro Sánchez, the leader of Spain’s opposition socialist PSOE party…

“It cements a remarkable comeback for Sánchez, who regained his leadership a year ago after a PSOE coup saw him deposed over his steadfast refusal to let Rajoy back into office following two inconclusive general elections…

“Rajoy, who served as premier for seven years, had managed to weather a string of corruption scandals within his People’s party (PP) but was unable to withstand political anger after Spain’s highest criminal court found the party had benefited from an enormous and illegal kickbacks-for-contracts scheme, known as the Gürtel case. The 63-year-old’s fate was sealed on Thursday afternoon when the Basque Nationalist party (PNV) joined the anti-austerity Podemos party and the two biggest Catalan pro-independence parties in backing the PSOE motion.

“Sánchez, 46, has promised to call elections but has said his minority government will spend a few months focusing on social and educational reforms before taking Spain to the polls. His time in office is unlikely to yield profound changes and he will have to heed the demands of the parties who backed his motion… [He] also held out his hand to the Catalan independence parties, saying he was willing to engage in dialogue over the long-running territorial and political crisis.

“The leader of the centre-right Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, who had not voted to remove Rajoy, said his party would be ‘very attentive to the concessions’ made to Basque and Catalan nationalists. He also called for early elections…”

“Re-Elected” Egyptian President Sworn In

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 2:

“Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi (63) was sworn in for a second term on Saturday, little more than two months after winning an election that critics have widely regarded as a sham… El-Sissi was re-elected to a four-year term after winning 97 percent of the vote with voter turnout at 41 percent in a March election that featured no serious opposition… The top challenger was arrested and his campaign manager beaten up. Other legitimate contenders soon withdrew from the race, citing intimidation.

“El-Sissi, a former intelligence chief and defense minister, led the military coup in 2013 of Egypt’s first freely elected president, Islamist Mohammed Morsi, amid widespread protests against his divisive rule. Under el-Sissi, security forces have waged a widespread crackdown on dissent, jailing thousands of Islamists as well as secular activists.

“Unauthorized protests have been outlawed and hundreds of websites, including those of independent media and human rights groups, have been blocked.”

This sounds like a Hitler-type dictatorship, as we know it from Turkey as well.

Canada’s Supreme Court: Courts Cannot Second-Guess Church Decisions

LifeSiteNews wrote on June 1:

“Canada’s top court has affirmed the right of religious groups to govern their own affairs. It ruled yesterday that an Alberta court had no jurisdiction to review a decision by a Jehovah’s Witness congregation to expel a member for alleged drunkenness and domestic verbal abuse… all nine Supreme Court justices agreed the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench had no authority to rule on [a] civil action against Jehovah’s Witness brought by [a] former member [who] had argued that his expulsion from the church affected his property and civil rights.

“Courts have neither the ‘legitimacy nor institutional capacity to deal with contentious matters of religious doctrine,’ wrote Justice Malcolm Rowe. ‘In the end, religious groups are free to determine their own membership and rules,’ Rowe concluded…”

This has also been the law in the USA for many years, even though lower courts might try time and again to ignore or circumvent it.

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

US Summit with North Korea—Off and On?

ABC News wrote on May 29:

“President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday that a high level North Korean official [Kim Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea] is heading to the U.S. for meetings [including with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo] surrounding a potential revival of the June 12 Singapore summit with leader Kim Jong Un. The announcement comes a day after the White House described the summit as ‘expected’ in a readout of a call between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe… The White House said Tuesday that Trump will meet with Abe on June 7 at the White House.”

Breitbart wrote on May 29: “The White House also confirmed that National Security Adviser John Bolton continues to speak frequently with South Korean and Japanese officials about the proposed summit.”

It is very likely that North and South Korea will unite in the future, and that a united Korea will become part of a Far Eastern anti-European coalition, including countries such as China, Russia and Japan.

Tariff on $50 Billion Worth of Chinese Goods

The Week wrote on May 29:

“The White House confirmed Tuesday that it will be going forward with the implementation of heavy tariffs on Chinese imports next month following weeks of concern that doing so might spark a trade war. Some $50 billion in imported goods will be subject to the 25 percent tariff, with a finalized list of goods expected by June 15.

“The U.S. also plans to restrict China’s access to American technology, with the administration citing national security concerns. Trade negotiations between the nations are ongoing…”

This will make China very unhappy, and anti-American sentiments will rise.

Trade War Coming? US to Impose Steel, Aluminum Tariffs on EU, Canada, Mexico

 AFP wrote on May 31:

“The United States said Thursday it will impose harsh tariffs on steel and aluminum imports [25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum] from the European Union, Canada, Mexico at midnight—another move sure to anger Washington’s trading partners. [Commerce Secretary Wilbur] Ross said talks with the EU had failed…

“French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has warned before the announcement that the EU would take ‘all necessary measures’ if the US imposed the tariffs… German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU would respond in a ‘firm and united’ manner to the tariffs.”

Chancellor Merkel also said: ‘We consider this unilateral measure to be unlawful.” The EU has threatened to retaliate by imposing tariffs worth up to $3.3 billion on Harley-Davidson motorbikes, blue jeans, bourbon whiskey, orange juice and peanut butter. President Trump announced that he would “respond” to the EU if that was to happen.

The Associated Press wrote on May 31:

“Besides the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, the Trump administration is also investigating possible limits on foreign cars in the name of national security…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 31:

“Mexico was the first country hit by the tariffs to announce its response. The country’s Economy Ministry said that it would put penalties on US products including steel sheets, lamps, pork leg and shoulder, sausages, apples, grapes and different types of cheese…

“In a joint statement, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Japanese Economy Minister Hiroshige Seko said the tariffs would ‘cause serious turmoil in the global market and could lead to the demise of the multilateral trading system.’

“On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech at the OECD on the matter, where he warned about the consequences of a trade war…

“The imposition of tariffs comes at a time of high tension between Europe and the US…”

The Wall Street Journal wrote on May 31:

“President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from the European Union marks a new low in deteriorating trans-Atlantic relations… it offers another sign that the U.S. administration has broken with decades of American policy by playing down European ties.

“The tariffs are particularly painful for European leaders because the U.S. and EU together built the World Trade Organization three decades ago to promote and regulate free trade… the U.S. and EU had operated as peers on trade. Now the two camps could be headed for a trade war with unpredictable consequences, European officials warned…

“Trans-Atlantic relations are worsening as the EU faces financial pressure from political chaos in Italy, which has prompted fears of a renewed euro crisis…”

Ars Technica wrote on May 31:

“US President Donald Trump wants to escalate his trade war to include a total ban on German luxury cars, says a report in WirtschaftsWoche. According to the German publication, which says its report results from talking to several unnamed US and European diplomats, during French President Macron’s recent visit to Washington, Trump told him that he would ‘maintain his trade policy until no Mercedes models rolled on Fifth Avenue in New York.’

“WirtschaftsWoche’s article points out that just prior to his inauguration in 2017, Trump railed against the Mercedes-Benz vehicles he saw in New York.

“The US market is extremely important for luxury German automakers, and a ban on importing new vehicles would be devastating for brands like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz…”

Please view our new StandingWatch program, “Trade War Coming? US Imposes Tariffs on Europe.”

The Far Right vs. the Far Left in Berlin, Germany

The Associated Press wrote on May 27:

“Supporters of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party marched through central Berlin to protest against Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government Sunday, and were kept away from a raft of counter-demonstrations by a heavy police presence.

“Police said over 5,000 people turned out for the demonstration organized by the anti-migration Alternative for Germany, known by its German acronym AfD. A variety of counter-protests against the far right attracted well over 25,000 people in total, they said.

“The AfD event opened with German flags, placards such as ‘No Islam in Germany’ and chants of ‘Merkel must go’ outside Berlin’s central train station. The party’s supporters then marched to the landmark Brandenburg Gate. Opponents chanted ‘Nazis out’ from the other side of the monument… About 2,000 police officers were in place to prevent trouble, including reinforcements from other parts of Germany. The march concluded without significant trouble.

“AfD won 12.6 percent of the vote to enter Germany’s national parliament last year on anti-migrant and anti-establishment sentiment. It is now the largest of four opposition parties after the country’s two biggest parties finally agreed to continue a centrist ‘grand coalition’ under Merkel earlier this year.”

Even though the demonstrations were more or less peaceful at this time, they remind us of the violent demonstrations and counter-demonstrations of the right and the left before Hitler rose to power in Germany.

More Chaos in Italy

The New York Times wrote on May 29:

“Italy’s quiet, white-haired president, Sergio Mattarella, emerged as the most contentious figure in Italian and European politics. His refusal to confirm a euroskeptic economist as a government minister set off the collapse of a populist coalition hours before it was expected to take control of the European Union’s fourth largest economy.

“Mr. Mattarella’s defenders hailed him as the courageous protector of Italy’s democracy, institutions and financial health, while fuming populists sought to make the usually revered figure of the Italian head of state the country’s public enemy No. 1. They called for his impeachment…

“It was Mr. Mattarella’s loyalty to the euro that prompted the 11th-hour collapse of the nascent government of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the anti-immigrant League. He determined that the alliance’s proposed economy minister, Paolo Savona, the co-author of a guide to leaving the eurozone, could lead Italy to abandon the euro without sufficient public debate, being that the parties maintained vague and shifting positions on the issue during the campaign leading up to the March 4 elections.

“But in deliberately forcing a new election over the euro, which a majority of Italians say they support, the usually careful and measured Mr. Mattarella expressly put an explosive issue with the potential of transforming Europe front and center…

“Mr. Berlusconi, the former prime minister… also gave his support to Mr. Mattarella, saying the Five Star Movement was ‘irresponsible as always, talking about impeachment.’”

Coalition Agreement Reached?

The Telegraph wrote on May 31:

“Italy’s populist parties finally reached a deal to form a coalition government on Thursday evening after nearly three months of political deadlock… After days of intensive negotiations, the anti-immigrant, hard-Right League party and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement ironed out their differences.

“The prospect of Western Europe’s first populist, Eurosceptic government will unnerve Brussels and could lead to further turmoil on financial markets, not just in Europe but around the world. Both parties are deeply Eurosceptic and have flirted with the idea of ditching the euro as Italy’s currency, although in the 24 hours before the breakthrough they had been at pains to deny that that was one of their objectives…”

No matter what will happen next, Italy will not abandon the euro or leave the EU.

It’s All Germany’s Fault

Handelsblatt Global wrote on May 28:

“Italy’s populists, angry at being thwarted in their attempt to form a government, have been quick to assign the blame: It’s all the Germans’ fault. After President Sergio Mattarella vetoed their choice for finance minister and put the country on the path to new elections, the populist parties seemed certain to make Germany’s dominance in Europe a campaign issue…

“The caricature of the ugly German matched that of the lazy Italian, which ran through the German media in the past few days as the populists were on the verge of taking power with a plan to provide fiscal stimulus to Italy’s ailing economy. Newsweekly Der Spiegel ran a story titled ‘The moochers of Rome,’ casting Germany as the generous provider of funds to an ungrateful nation of deadbeats…

“Even a normally moderate commentator, Federico Fubini at Corriere della Sera, lit out against the Germans. ‘And this Germany, in the way it thrashes through Europe, is once again the de facto best ally and the greatest gift for the anti-Europeans of Italy.’ He proceeds to catalog once again Germany’s own infractions of EU rules, from its excessive current account surplus to its government aid for banks…

“Markets at first breathed a sigh of relief when the president rejected Mr. Savona. But the naming of Mr. Cottarelli, virtually a provocation in the current political environment, brought new agitation. The euro fell to a six-month low…

“Italy is in a political quandary with little hope of a quick resolution. In Brussels, too, the initial relief at dodging the bullet of a Euro-skeptic finance minister quickly gave way to concern that Mr. Mattarella’s move had fueled anti-European feeling in Italy. The perception is that pressure from Germany and France motivated the president’s rejection of Mr. Savona. But there is little evidence to back this claim…

“The growing worry in Brussels, as in Berlin, is that Italian voters would increase their support for the populist parties out of protest against perceived foreign interference.”

A comparison with the events in Germany and Italy under Hitler and Mussolini is compelling. Then, as now, Germany was the dominant force within the alliance.

Austria Wants to Fight Illegal Immigrants in Their Home Countries

The Associated Press reported on May 27:

“Austria’s chancellor says European border guards should be allowed to go to north Africa to prevent migrants from setting off across the Mediterranean Sea in rickety boats. Austria will take over the European Union’s rotating presidency in July. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s governing coalition took office in December after a campaign in which both partners talked tough on migration.

“Kurz told Sunday’s edition of German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that a new mandate for EU border protection agency Frontex should allow it ‘to act in third countries, with the permission of their governments, to end smugglers’ dirty business model and prevent smugglers’ boats setting off on the dangerous route across the Mediterranean.”

Austria Discriminates against Non-German Speaking Foreigners

The EUObserver wrote on May 29:

“Austria’s conservative led government announced on Monday plans to cap minimum welfare payments for non-German speaking immigrants, including refugees, at €563 a month, but with the perspective of reaching the Austrian normal level of €863, provided they passed a German test. The test itself costs €1,000.

“The move brings Austria into conflict with European Union rules requiring EU citizens to be treated equally.”

The controversial measures of Austria’s young chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, find more and more supporters inside and outside Austria.

Europe to Lead without the USA

The website of thecorner published the following interesting article on May 25, 2018.

The article was written by Israel Rafalovich, a “journalist based in Brussels who has over 50 years of experience in Tel Aviv, Brussels, Bonn and Washington, DC.”:

“Things have changed on the international political stage, and the European in particular, which gives the European Union an unprecedented opportunity to mould and shape its own military and foreign policy in a way that makes it possible for the EU to deal with crisis on the European continent and elsewhere without American interference. A key lesson is that the EU has to be the one to call the shots in matters of security, foreign policy as well as the economy…

“NATO is a relic of the past and no new ‘strategic concept’ can revive the irrelevance of NATO…  Today, more then ever before, the European Union must take responsibility for its security interests in a way that will result in defence integration and reinforce defence cooperation amongst EU member states.

“Is should be the EU’s assertion of sovereignty that its security is better assured by a dominating European Union and it should seek to become a serious counterpart for the United States.

“The unity among EU member states is a fundamental condition for the EU Security System to be successful… Mistrust of the United States runs deep in EU quarters and the European Union has to decide to what extent and what forum, if at all, the United States should remain politically and militarily engaged…

“EU member states should be working more forcefully for the creation of the new sovereign EU army under combined EU command and control, that will be a capable and powerful military force… They will also have to be ready to contribute to a EU military coalition in time of need according to their capabilities, and they will need to find ways to share resources or buy equipment together…

“If the ability to project force is now a sign of an independent EU foreign and security policy, then the EU has at last to get bolder and more resolute in its action. It is also an opportunity for the EU as well as a challenge to be able to walk alone on the international stage without American crutches. The EU is needed on the international stage and should play a decisive role in calming conflicts, and should become a counter balance to the United States on the world stage.”

The author expresses what many leaders in Europe think without perhaps expressing it in such drastic terms. But the Bible prophesies that this is exactly what is going to happen in Europe very soon.

EU Institutions Support Anti-Israeli Terrorists

Newsmax wrote on May 27:

“European Union institutions have given millions of euros annually to non-governmental organizations with ties to Palestinian terrorist groups and that support boycotts of Israel, according to Gilad Erdan, Israel’s minister for strategic affairs and public diplomacy.

“Examples include Norwegian People’s Aid, which received 1.76 million euros in EU aid in 2016, Erdan said in a 40-page report issued Friday. The group carried out a project with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is classified as a terrorist group by the EU and U.S. The Norwegian group also provided services to Iran’s energy sector, Erdan said. It was fined $2 million in April by the U.S. Department of Justice because of the links…

“More than a dozen organizations that promote anti-Israel boycotts have together received 5 million euros annually from the EU, the report says.”

Even though the EU gives lip service objecting to such support, and the accused organizations try to explain away their conduct, the facts speak for themselves, and they are very disturbing.

The European Data Protection Law—an Unprecedented Nightmare

Handelsblatt Global wrote on May 25, 2018:

“After thousands of amendments, the European project has finally become a law. And, wow, what a law: The General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. Yet instead of clarity, the four letters create a lot of question marks. Companies have been complaining that their IT departments have been clogged up for months in preparation for the new rules. Freelancers are considering closing semi-private blogs. And even wedding photographers wonder who they can still photograph without having to fear cease-and-desist letters.

“A hopeless mess with plenty to share the blame… we have a law where it’s unclear whether users need permission to store information from other people’s business cards in their mobile phones… How is a freight forwarder behaving when he stores travel times and movement data about his own vehicles on his computer – is he violating his employees’ privacy? What are accountants, who’ve always informed their clients about current developments via e-mail, now allowed to do? Even law firms are unclear about the law. And doctor’s offices: Will they also need a data protection officer because they deal with sensitive data? Unclear.

“The GDPR… will… become a huge burden for the small ones: for companies with a few dozen employees, a server in the basement, but without a compliance department. A Bitkom survey shows that only 9 percent of startups have successfully implemented the GDPR due to a lack of resources… The law is too bureaucratic and does not answer the important questions ahead…

“… even internet firms in America, Asia and elsewhere have to abide by the new rules if they have European customers, or risk huge fines… the lawmakers overshot disastrously…  this week they hit hundreds of thousands of small family firms. These are businesses with only a few employees that need to keep and manage some data about their customers…

“So here we are, like you, feeling confused and overwhelmed. We have given up reading the new privacy notices…”

This is a horrible indictment of harmful and incompetent conduct by European bureaucrats.

“No Need to Be Concerned…?”

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 25:

“The new EU data protection law taking effect May 25 has many small companies worried. But EU Commissioner Vera Jourova stresses that there is no need to panic – authorities will focus on watching the digital giants…

“‘If a company does not process data as its core business, if they do not sell the data and make money with the privacy of people, they will just have to make minimal changes. The data protection authorities will focus mostly on the most risky businesses… We have the law in place. We have the authorities with the power to sanction violations and we have companies and institutions which are aware of these rules…’”

On the surface, such “assurance” sounds good and comforting for smaller businesses (even though the statement that the EU will focus MOSTLY on digital giants and risky businesses should give pause for alarm), but the truth is altogether different anyhow. Note the next article.

A new EU Body Created Just to enforce the Data Protection Law

The EUObserver wrote on May 25:

“The European Data Protection Board is a new EU body tasked with enforcing the EU’s privacy laws with powers to impose massive fines. Its head Andrea Jelinek told reporters complaints against companies are expected to be immediate…

“Andrea Jelinek, a former Austrian police chief, will be in charge of coordinating enforcement of the EU’s general data protection rules as of Friday (25 May) – in a move that has rattled companies worldwide. Jelinek chairs a new EU body known as the European data protection board or EDPB which coordinates all the national data protection authorities in a bid to ensure European rights to privacy are uniformly respected throughout member states…”

This gives us a foretaste as to how it will be when the mark of the beast is enforced on all citizens of Europe… and elsewhere.

Ireland To Legalize Abortions

The Guardian wrote on May 26:

“Ireland has voted by a landslide to legalise abortion in a stunning outcome that marks a dramatic defeat for the Catholic church’s one-time domination of the Republic. The Irish electorate voted by 1,429,981 votes to 723,632 in favour of abolishing a controversial constitutional amendment that gave equal legal status to the lives of a foetus and the woman carrying it. The result was a two-thirds majority: 66.4% yes to 33.6% no.

“By voting yes in unexpectedly large numbers to abolish the eighth amendment to the Irish constitution, the country has enabled the government in Dublin to introduce abortion in Ireland’s health service up to 12 weeks into pregnancy… The eighth amendment – article 40.3.3 of the Irish constitution – which prohibited abortion, will be replaced with a clause stating: ‘Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.’

“… The prime minister, Leo Varadkar, said he wanted the new law to be enacted by the end of the year. Between 12 and 24 weeks, abortion will be available only in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, a risk to a woman’s life or a risk of serious harm to the health of the mother. After 24 weeks, termination will be possible in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. There will be provision for conscientious objection among medical practitioners, although doctors will be obliged to transfer care of the pregnant woman to another doctor…

“Victory for the yes side means that the only part of the United Kingdom and Ireland where abortion remains banned in almost all circumstances is Northern Ireland…”

Human life begins with conception. Abortion violates God’s sixth commandment against murder.

“Will Christianity Be Ditched When Prince Charles Becomes King?”

CBN News wrote on May 24:

“A new report from a leading UK think tank argues that Christianity should be reduced or purged from Prince Charles’ future Coronation Ceremony. Prince Charles is next in line to the throne and will be the first king in decades after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Before that happens, University College London’s Constitution Unit, says the coronation ceremony should cut back on its overtly Christian rituals for the sake of progress. ‘The UK is no longer a global or a colonial power. Celebration will therefore need to reflect what the UK has become rather than what it once was,’ the report said. ‘… a wholly Anglican coronation service is no longer capable of reflecting or responding to modern British society.’

“The ceremony is performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who anoints the Monarch with oil, administers communion, and leads them in pledging their obedience to God in a series of Oaths. In the Oaths the monarch affirms he or she is a ‘faithful Protestant,’ and will preserve the church. The Constitution Unit says this needs to change, noting that half of the UK’s population has ‘no religious affiliation.’ The report suggests that a separate non-Christian ceremony could take place at Westminster Hall to honor Britain’s religious diversity…

“It is yet to be seen how Prince Charles’ coronation ceremony will proceed, especially since it is the first one the country will see in more than 50 years. While Prince Charles has been quiet about his own personal relationship with God, he has been a strong advocate of the persecuted Church.”

Even though the current Coronation Ceremony does not reflect TRUE Christianity, it is still remarkable that voices propose to abandon any reference to Christianity because of Britain’s modern unchristian society.

The Pope’s Contradictory Messages on Homosexuality

Christianity Today wrote on May 25:

“Pope Francis has warned Italian bishops to be wary of priesthood applicants suspected of having homosexual tendencies… ‘Keep an eye on the admissions to seminaries, keep your eyes open,’ the pope said, according to the Vatican Insider service of Italian newspaper La Stampa. ‘If in doubt, better not let them enter.’

“The remarks were reportedly made at a closed-door gathering at the Vatican on Monday, opening the 71st general assembly of the Italian bishops’ conference. The pontiff reportedly called for ‘careful discernment’ of seminary applicants, including caution about those with ‘deep seated tendencies’ or who ‘practise homosexual acts’. These tendencies could lead to scandal, compromising both the priest and the Church, he said.

“The pope’s reported comments were confirmed by Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, in a press conference yesterday… They appear to affirm the traditional Catholic teaching that practising homosexuals should not be admitted to the priesthood.

“The remarks will be seen by some as an attempt by Pope Francis to appease conservatives agitated by widely publicised comments the pope has been reported as saying, such as when he told a gay Chilean man who had suffered clerical sex abuse that God loved him the way he had made him…

“In now-famous remarks on his first overseas trip in 2013… Pope Francis said: ‘If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?’ In 2016 he said that ‘when a person arrives before Jesus, Jesus certainly will not say: “Go away because you are homosexual.”‘

Pope Francis is always good for surprises, and one never knows what his position is on any given subject—or how long it will be maintained. His prior comments on homosexuality were controversial for sure, in light of the Catholic Church’s official teaching, but now it seems that he is backpedaling to appease the strong conservative fold in the Vatican. One wonders what his TRUE position is on the issue.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.