Rolf Harris convicted of indecent assault in Britain

Yahoo – AFP, 30 June 2014

Veteran Australian artist and entertainer Rolf Harris arrives at Southwark

Crown Court in central London, on June 27, 2014 (AFP Photo/Justin Tallis)

Veteran Australian artist and entertainer Rolf Harris arrives at Southwark Crown Court in central London, on June 27, 2014

London (AFP) - Veteran entertainer Rolf Harris was warned he could face jail after being found guilty of all 12 counts of indecently assaulting girls and young women by a London court Monday.

Australian-born Harris, 84 -- an artist, TV presenter and performer of songs like "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" -- was convicted at Southwark Crown Court after a six-week trial.

He was released on bail until Friday when he will be sentenced. Judge Nigel Sweeney warned him that it was "inevitable" that he could face a jail term.

Prosecutors claimed the star was a "Jekyll and Hyde" character who had a dark side to his personality and used his fame to abuse under-age girls with impunity.

He had denied 12 counts of indecent assault against four female complainants, aged from seven or eight to 19, between 1968 and 1986.

Before his conviction, Harris was seen as a national treasure in Britain, painting public figures including Queen Elizabeth II and appearing on a range of BBC shows.

Veteran Australian artist and entertainer Rolf Harris arrives with his wife Alwen

 Hughes (R) and daughter Bindi (L) at Southwark Crown Court in central London

on June 30, 2014 (AFP Photo/Niklas Halle'en)

Related Articles:

London judge gives BBC star Rolf Harris nearly six years for sexual assault
Senior Australian bishop charged with child sex abuse

Nestlé agrees to pay all employees living wage

Company to pay entire UK workforce – including agency and contract staff – minimum of £8.80 in London or £7.65 elsewhere

theguardian.com, Press Association, Monday 30 June 2014

Nestle becomes the largest manufacturer to sign up to the living
wage in the UK. Photograph: Laurent Gillieron/EPA

Food giant Nestlé has become the first leading manufacturer to commit to paying the living wage.

The firm already pays at least the living wage to its 8,000 staff but the move will benefit contract employees and agency workers. About 800 contractors working with Nestlé will implement it by December 2017.

The announcement was described by campaigners as a significant milestone in the drive to persuade employers to pay the living wage, which is currently set at £8.80 an hour in London and £7.65 elsewhere, compared to the national minimum wage of £6.31.

Nestlé UK & Ireland's chief executive, Fiona Kendrick, said: "We are proud to be the first mainstream manufacturer in the UK to become a living wage employer and see this as an opportunity to be a positive influence in our sector.

"As a major UK employer, we know that this is the right thing to do. Not only does it benefit our employees but also the communities they live and work in."

Living Wage Foundation director Rhys Moore said: "The accreditation of Nestlé as a living wage employer marks a significant milestone in the campaign to tackle in-work poverty. We hope that the leadership they have shown will encourage others in this industry to follow suit and improve conditions for those at the lowest end of the pay scale and sub-contracted staff.

"We are aware that Nestlé is going above and beyond the basic requirements of becoming an accredited employer, and is extending their commitment to graduate, internship and school leaver programmes."

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said: "With in-work poverty on the rise, many employers are simply ignoring their responsibility to pay staff a decent wage. They should take note from Nestlé's positive stance which shows that paying a living wage is not just good for communities but makes good business sense too."

Tim Roache, of the GMB union, said: "Nestlé have always recognised their greatest asset is their workforce and are demonstrating this with action, not just words. This shows once and for all that if one leading manufacturer can pay a living wage to all employees including young workers and those contracted out, then many more are able to do so."

The business secretary, Vince Cable, said: "I welcome Nestlé's decision and encourage all businesses to pay their staff above the minimum wage when it is affordable and not at the expense of jobs."

The shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, said: "It is fantastic news that Nestlé is announcing its accreditation as a living wage employer, having worked in collaboration with Unite, GMB and the Living Wage Foundation to achieve this.

"We want to see as many businesses as possible take the decision to become living wage employers, so I hope other firms will follow the strong example which Nestlé is setting."

Tens of thousands turn out for Istanbul Gay Pride parade

Yahoo – AFP, 29 June 2014

Masked women face each other during a gay pride parade on Istiklal Street,

Istanbul's main shopping corridor, on June 29, 2014 (AFP Photo/Ozan Kose)

Istanbul (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul on Sunday for the city's Gay Pride parade, an event that has taken on added political significance a year on from massive anti-government protests.

The crowd marched with a show of brightly coloured flags along Istiklal Avenue, a main pedestrian street in the city, under the watchful eye of a large number of police.

While Turkey's lesbian, gay, bi and transgender (LGBT) community enjoy better rights than in most Muslim countries, many see the event as a chance to be themselves without fear of reproach.

Masked women face each other 

during a gay pride parade on Istiklal 

Street, Istanbul's main shopping corridor,

 on June 29, 2014 (AFP Photo/Ozan Kose)

"I have not 'come out' yet to my father, my mother or my friends," protester Senef Cakmak told AFP. "Today is the only time of year that I am myself. I don't have to hide from anyone."

Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but homophobia is widespread and often accompanied by violence.

One person who knows that more than most is Michelle Demishevich, a transgender journalist who recently saw through the conviction of a woman who assaulted her - a first for Turkey.

"We have to constantly fight against the lifestyle and the rules that are imposed on us and teach tolerance in our society," she said.

But intolerance is commonplace even among the country's leaders.

In 2010, Selma Aliye Kavaf, a member of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party and then the Minister for Family and Women, sparked outcry in the gay community when she called homosexuality a "disease" that "needs to be treated."

The fight for LGBT rights was not the only thing that brought crowds out on Sunday. Many were also there to voice their opposition to Erdogan.

LGBT organisations played a key role in the 2013 Gezi Park protests against Erdogan's rule, a movement that took issue with the perceived authoritarian nature of his administration.

"In Turkey, we all have difficulty exercising our rights," said Aykut Yanak, a participant in the march. "This is why we must fight and why we all walk together today."

Related Articles:

Singapore gay rally draws thousands amid controversy

Civil partnerships can be converted to marriages from December in the UK

India top court recognises transgenders as 'third gender'
Australia’s Top Court Recognizes ‘Gender Neutral’ Sex Category
Germany to allow third gender option at birth


"The Akashic Circle" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  - (Text version)

“… Gender Switching

Old souls, let me tell you something. If you are old enough, and many of you are, you have been everything. Do you hear me? All of you. You have been both genders. All of you have been what I will call between genders, and that means that all of you have had gender switches. Do you know what happens when it's time for you to switch a gender? We have discussed it before. You'll have dozens of lifetimes as the same gender. You're used to it. It's comfortable. You cannot conceive of being anything else, yet now it's time to change. It takes approximately three lifetimes for you to get used to it, and in those three lifetimes, you will have what I call "gender confusion."

It isn't confusion at all. It's absolutely normal, yet society often will see it as abnormal. I'm sitting here telling you you've all been through it. All of you. That's what old souls do. It's part of the system. …”

Germany NSA's main target, claims ex-staffer

Germany became the NSA's "number one" spying zone after the 2001 attacks by al Qaeda on New York, says a former NSA staffer. Thomas Drake told the news magazine Spiegel that the US saw it could no longer rely on Germany.

Deutsche Welle, 29 June 2014

Drake, an NSA executive turned whistleblower, said the US National Security Agency (NSA) wanted to punish Germany to a "certain extent" for failing to notice that an al-Qaeda terrorist cell had planned the attack series from Hamburg.

The cell led by Mohammed Atta and recruited by the late al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan rammed airliners into New York's twin towers and the Pentagon near Washington on September 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Drake, who is to testify next Thursday to the German parliament's NSA inquiry committee, said the NSA decided it could "no longer" trust Germany because the cell had "lived, trained and communicated" unnoticed by the German intelligence authorities.

Ironically, afterwards, the NSA intensified its liaison with Germany's BND foreign intelligence service "because the NSA wanted to have more control over what your boys are doing here," Drake told Spiegel.

Ties 'unusally close'

Those became "unusually close," said the former NSA executive, adding that the liaison hardly differed from official exchanges under the decades-old " between the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

While US President Barack Obama had reassured German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the NSA no longer eavesdropped on her mobile phone, "all other Germans are apparently regarded by the NSA as suspects," the 57-year-old said.

Drake said Germany's ties dated back to the Cold War, with the NSA remaining the "master" in "this unequal relationship" that often resembled a one-way street.

"One of the elephants in the room - that no-one apparently sees - is Germany with its engineering expertise. It is extremely tempting to look at all of that; new products, new methods, new technologies," he said.

The NSA's "densely knit" network used electronic listening posts in Germany, Drake said.

"All of Europe's important, also economically important, data flows through Germany," he added.

Prosecute NSA, says lawyer

US lawyer Jesselyn Radack, who represents whistleblowers, also told Spiegel that Germany's federal prosecutions service should summon NSA officials responsible for surveillance in Germany.

"And, if they don't respond, then it should become more difficult for them to make a nice, small family trip to Europe, because they would then be sought under warrant," she said.

Radack claimed the true intention of the NSA's mass data gathering was to exercise broad control, not principly to avert terrorist attacks by finding the "needle in the haystack."

"It's about control over the population and economic espionage," she said.

Used official channels

After 2001, Drake used official channels within the NSA to air his disquiet about capabilities to breach citizens' privacy before going public from 2005. Serious charges later were dropped, but in 2011 he was convicted for a misdemeanor.

Drake was part of a 1990s data-collection development team. In January, he was among former NSA staffers who wrote to Obama recommending dramatic curbs on government surveillance of Americans' phone and internet usage.

ipj/tj (AP, AFP)

EU exit will harm UK, says leading British industry group

Employers' leader John Cridland makes case for continued European Union membership after Cameron's Juncker defeat

The Guardian, The Observer, Toby Helm, Saturday 28 June 2014

John Cridland, director general of the CBI, has warned against Britain's
departure from the EU. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian

The leader of Britain's biggest business group has said that the country's economic success depends on it remaining a full member of the EU, after senior Tories revealed that more than 150 of the party's MPs would campaign to leave the union in a referendum.

The warning, from CBI director general John Cridland, came after David Cameron admitted on Friday that he now faced an uphill struggle to convince the British people to remain inside the EU, in the runup to an in/out referendum which he has promised to hold by the end of 2017.

Cridland told the Observer that full membership of the EU boosted British jobs, growth and investment. "The EU is our biggest export market and remains fundamental to our economic future," he said. "Our membership supports jobs, drives growth and boosts our international competitiveness."

He dismissed the idea that the UK economy could be just as successful outside the EU with some form of associate membership status, which some Conservatives advocate. "Alternatives to full membership of the EU simply wouldn't work, leaving us beholden to its rules without being able to influence them. We will continue to press the case for the UK remaining in a reformed European Union."

After a two-day EU summit last week, Cameron was left isolated and defeated when his attempt to block Jean-Claude Juncker, the federalist former prime minister of Luxembourg, from becoming the new president of the European commission ended in failure.

Cameron, who will make a statement to the House of Commons on the summit on Monday, said Juncker's appointment and Europe' s refusal to change had made his task of renegotiating the UK's terms of membership before the referendum much harder.

Labour leader Ed Miliband also highlighted the economic danger of an exit from the EU, saying Cameron was putting future success at risk. "David Cameron and the Conservative party now pose a clear and present danger to our economy," he said. "The choice is between Labour, which would win the argument and build alliances for reform, or David Cameron, who by his own admission is taking the country towards the EU exit door, threatening 3m jobs across the UK.

It is understood that Tory MPs have been given private assurances by Cameron that they will be able to campaign to get the UK out of the EU – even if the prime minister has secured what he regards as satisfactory new terms of membership by 2017, and backs staying in himself.

Many Tory MPs now believe that ministers, including those in the cabinet, should also be given the right to campaign as they wish in the planned referendum. Charles Walker, a vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, said more than half of the 305 Tory MPs would back leaving the EU, and would campaign to do so in a referendum.

He said it was right to give MPs freedom to campaign as they wished. "I would hope that that would be the case for all MPs, including ministers," he said. "I don't want to see any MP shoehorned into supporting a position in public that they don't back in private."

Another senior Tory said Cameron would have to allow his ministers to campaign as they wished "or else he will lose half his cabinet as a result". Downing Street said it was confident Cameron would succeed in his renegotiations and refused to comment further.

Former European commissioner and Labour cabinet minister Peter Mandelson said: "As ever on Europe, it's not that Cameron is necessarily wrong on the issues, but he has no workable strategy to achieve his ends.

"When he made his about-turn on a UK referendum he thought that he could close down disagreement within his party and force other member states to give in to Britain's point of view. Instead, the chasm inside the Tory party is as wide as ever and others in Europe are refusing to have a pistol put to their heads."

He added: "Britain's approach needs completely rethinking. Cameron is unable to do this because he is a prisoner of his party but while this remains the case, Britain's national interest in Europe will continue to suffer. It is a crying shame that at a time when so many in the EU share a strong reform agenda, the current British government is shooting itself in the foot and disqualifying itself from leading this agenda."

Civil partnerships can be converted to marriages from December

Married transgender people will also be able to change legal gender without ending marriage, provided partner agrees

theguardian.com, Rowena Mason, political correspondent,  Thursday 26 June 2014

Same-sex couples can convert their civil partnerships into marriages by attending
 a registry office and signing a declaration that they wish to be married in front of
a registrar. Photograph: Jupiterimages/Getty Images/Comstock Images

Same-sex couples will be able to convert their civil partnerships to marriages from December this year, the culture secretary has said.

Sajid Javid added that married transgender people will be able to change their legal gender without ending their marriage, provided their partner agrees.

He made the announcements after a consultation on what should happen to civil partnerships now same-sex couples have been allowed to marry since March.

It concluded that civil partnerships will continue to be available to gay couples but will remain barred for opposite-sex couples.

To convert a civil partnership into marriage, a couple will have to attend a registry office and sign a declaration that they wish to be married in front of a registrar.

Writing for PinkNews, Javid, who is also an equalities minister, said the change would take place from 10 December.

"This is something that many, many people have been clamouring for since the first equal marriages took place in March, and the final preparations are well underway.

"You don't have to have a big party to celebrate with all your friends and family, but I certainly won't try and stop you if you do."

Peter Tatchell, the equal rights campaigner, said it was great that same-sex couples in civil partnerships will be able to convert. But he accused David Cameron of "betraying the principle of equality" by refusing to allow opposite-sex couples to have a civil partnership.

"Same-sex couples now have a legal advantage over straight couples. They have two options: civil marriage and civil partnership. In contrast, opposite-sex couples have only one option: marriage. This is unjust and unfair," he said.

"The government's decision to retain civil partnerships is welcome. Not everyone wants to get married, given that marriage has a long sexist and homophobic history. It is right that all couples should have a choice."

Related Articles:

India top court recognises transgenders as 'third gender'
Australia’s Top Court Recognizes ‘Gender Neutral’ Sex Category
Germany to allow third gender option at birth

"The Akashic Circle" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  - (Text version)

“… Gender Switching

Old souls, let me tell you something. If you are old enough, and many of you are, you have been everything. Do you hear me? All of you. You have been both genders. All of you have been what I will call between genders, and that means that all of you have had gender switches. Do you know what happens when it's time for you to switch a gender? We have discussed it before. You'll have dozens of lifetimes as the same gender. You're used to it. It's comfortable. You cannot conceive of being anything else, yet now it's time to change. It takes approximately three lifetimes for you to get used to it, and in those three lifetimes, you will have what I call "gender confusion."

It isn't confusion at all. It's absolutely normal, yet society often will see it as abnormal. I'm sitting here telling you you've all been through it. All of you. That's what old souls do. It's part of the system. …”

Blatter: UEFA to introduce goal-line technology at Euro 2016

Sepp Blatter has said goal-line technology will be introduced for the 2016 European Championship. The FIFA President said that the technical aid has been a resounding success thus far at the World Cup in Brazil.

Deutsche Welle, 28 June 2014

"I spoke with the UEFA president, Michel Platini, who said he would introduce it for the European Championships 2016 in France," said Blatter.

However, Europe's ruling football body UEFA said that a final decision had not yet been made.

"The president has said on the record that UEFA will look at introducing GLT at Euro 2016," UEFA spokesman Pedro Pinto said in an emailed statement. "It is not a case of snapping his fingers and making it happen. It will be discussed at the referees committee and then still has to be approved by the executive committee."

Platini has been strongly against goal-line technology in his seven years at the helm of UEFA. However, he said in an interview in December that it could be an option for the Euros. UEFA currently uses additional referees for competitions including the European Championship, Champions League and Europa League.

"It helps the referee and the public and now there is no more discussion about whether a goal was scored or not scored, and ultimately scoring goals is the objective of football," said Blatter. "I am sure that professional leagues will follow.

World Cup debut

The technology is making its World Cup debut this year in Brazil. During the group stage of the tournament, it helped determine a French goal in a game with Honduras.

Goal-line technology was approved by FIFA in 2012 and first put to the test at a major international tournament during last year's Confederations Cup. It has been used by the English Premier League since last season.

Germany's Bundesliga rejected adopting the technology several months ago, but a new vote is expected in the near future.

Blatter also reiterated his call, made during the recent FIFA congress in Sao Paulo, that he'd like to "go one step further" and introduce video evidence to aid referees. He said coaches should be given the opportunity to make two challenges per half during a game, where play is interrupted. The referee would determine the situation via a sideline monitor. Blatter said such a policy would create "a little more justice" in the game.

dr/av (dpa, Reuters, AP)

Related Articles:

Goal-line technology tweak after France-Honduras confusion

German company revels in World Cup controversy

UEFA leaders tell Blatter to quit FIFA presidency

Pope has most clout on Twitter: study

Cent News - AFP, Jonatham Fower, 2014-06-25

Photo Credit: Alain Jocard/AFP

Switzerland - Pope Francis has by far the most clout of any world leader on Twitter because he is so widely retweeted, a study of political use of the social network showed on Wednesday.

With 14 million followers for the nine different language versions of his @Pontifex account, the cyber-savvy pontiff boasts just a third of those notched up by US President Barack Obama.

But that it not the key measure, said Matthias Luefkens, who steers the annual Twiplomacy survey.

"It's not the number of followers which is really important, but the reach, the engagement," he said.

The real benchmark is tweets retweeted by followers to their own network.

Pope Francis wins hands down, with his Spanish-language tweets retweeted more than 10,000 times on average, and his English-language tweets, over 6,400 times.

Obama's 2012 election victory tweet -- a photograph of him embracing First Lady Michelle Obama and the words "Four more years" -- was retweeted a massive 806,066 times.

But on average, @BarackObama gets 1,400 retweets.

Obama's use of social media is credited as a key factor in his landmark 2008 election.

The @BarackObama account, created in 2007, has 43.7 million followers, but is not a US presidential feed and is run by his political campaign staff.

The official @WhiteHouse account has over 4.9 million followers, putting it fifth in the global pecking order, just behind the account of India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has five million.

@White House was narrowly overtaken on Wednesday by @narendramodi.

"Modi's seen a stratospheric rise," said Luefkens.

Modi, the 63-year-old son of a low-caste tea seller, distances himself from the Delhi elite.

But he is notably tech-aware and has won plaudits from Twitter-watchers for his strategic deployment of it.

Indian officialdom's social media use is a hot topic, as Modi seeks to promote Hindi as the government's official language online, sparking stiff opposition.

While he speaks mostly in Hindi, used by some 40 percent of Indians, Modi's tweets are always in English, preferred for business in a nation with 22 official languages.

Modi, elected in May in a landslide vote, scored 24,000 retweets for his own "India has won!" victory message.

Otherwise, he averages 557.

Huge impact

Luefkens is a social media expert at communications firm Burson-Marsteller, which produces the Twiplomacy study.

He said that while television remains the key channel to hit the widest audience, Twitter is an increasingly-powerful tool.

"It helps you to broadcast, and if you broadcast to the right audience, that has huge impact," he said.

The social network enables politicians to create a sense of intimacy and even to interact with one another in public -- sometimes in an undiplomatic manner, seen in a Ukraine-themed tweet fight between the Russian foreign ministry and leaders from Estonia and Sweden.

Twitter is also a tool for leaders to follow one another mutually -- a statement in itself.

France's foreign minister follows 91 peers and world leaders who return the favour via his @LaurentFabius account, putting him at the top of the Twiplomacy table.

Next was the EU's foreign service account @eu_eeas, with 71 mutual connections, and the Swedish foreign minister, with 68 via his @CarlBildt account.

The @WhiteHouse and @BarackObama only follow three peers: the prime ministers of Russia and Norway, and the British government.

Despite taking to Twitter with gusto, politicians are light years behind celebrities.

Top-ranked stars' accounts include @justinbieber with 52.5 million followers, beaten by @katyperry, who has 54 million.

jwf/nl/lc

Pope Francis poses with young people in the Church of Saint Augustine in Rome
on August 28, 2013 (Osservatore Romano/AFP/File, Francesco Sforza)

Related Articles:

Vatican official: Pope's Twitter account teaches us about authority

First papal 'selfie' goes viral on social media

‘The internet is a gift from God’ - Pope Francis

Philippine priests swap sermons for 'selfies'

The Internet  - The first Worldwide Tool of Unification ("The End of History")

" ... Now I give you something that few think about: What do you think the Internet is all about, historically? Citizens of all the countries on Earth can talk to one another without electronic borders. The young people of those nations can all see each other, talk to each other, and express opinions. No matter what the country does to suppress it, they're doing it anyway. They are putting together a network of consciousness, of oneness, a multicultural consciousness. It's here to stay. It's part of the new energy. The young people know it and are leading the way.... "

" ... I gave you a prophecy more than 10 years ago. I told you there would come a day when everyone could talk to everyone and, therefore, there could be no conspiracy. For conspiracy depends on separation and secrecy - something hiding in the dark that only a few know about. Seen the news lately? What is happening? Could it be that there is a new paradigm happening that seems to go against history?... " Read More …. "The End of History"- Nov 20,2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  1 - Spirituality (Religions)

Number one: Spirituality. The systems of spiritual design on your planet are starting to change. This is not telling you that certain ones are going to go away. They're simply going to change. Some of the largest spiritual systems, which you would call organized religion on the planet, are shifting. They're going to shift away from that which is authority on the outside to authority on the inside. It will eventually be a different way of worship, slowly changing the rules while keeping the basic doctrine the same.

The doctrine of the Christ has always been to find the God inside. The teachings were clear. The examples of the miracles were given as an example of what humans could do, not to set a man up for worship as a God. So when that has been absorbed, the teaching of the Christ can remain the teaching of the Christ. It simply changes the interpretation.

The teachings of the great prophets of the Middle East (all related to each other) are about unity and love. So once the holy words are redefined with new wisdom, the Human changes, not the words of the prophets. In fact, the prophets become even more divinely inspired and their wisdom becomes even more profound.

You're going to lose a pope soon. I have no clock. Soon to us can mean anything to you. The one who replaces him may surprise you, for his particular organization will be in survival mode at that point in time. That is to say that fewer and fewer are interested in starting the priesthood. Fewer and fewer young people are interested in the organization, and the new pope must make changes to keep his church alive. That means that his organization will remain, but with a more modern look at what truly is before all of you in a new energy. It is not the fall of the church. It is instead the recalibration of the divinity inside that would match the worship that goes on. It's a win-win situation. The new pope will have a difficult time, since the old guard will still be there. There could even be an assassination attempt, such is the way the old energy dies hard. That is number one. Watch for it. It's a change in the way spiritual systems work. It's a realignment of spiritual systems that resound to a stronger truth that is Human driven, rather than prophet driven. …”

Germany cancels Verizon contract over snooping fear

BBC News, 26 June 2014

German Chancellor Angela Merkel types on a smartphone

Related Stories

• Germany opens Merkel bugging probe

The German government has cancelled a contract with Verizon over concern that US firms may be giving data to US authorities.

Verizon has provided internet services to a number of German government departments and the current contract was due to run out in 2015.

The firm did not comment on the move.

There was anger in Germany over allegations that a US agency bugged Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone.

Earlier this month Germany announced an investigation into those allegations which were made by a former contractor of the US National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden.

There is no suggestion that Verizon was involved, but the controversy has put pressure on US technology firms doing business in Germany.

High level security

German Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said: "There are indications that Verizon is legally required to provide certain things to the NSA, and that's one of the reasons the cooperation with Verizon won't continue".

"Furthermore, the ties revealed between foreign intelligence agencies and firms in the wake of the US National Security Agency affair, show that the German government needs a very high level of security for its critical networks," he said.

Verizon is the second biggest US telecoms company after AT&T.

Related Articles:

Germany NSA's main target, claims ex-staffer

Steinmeier urges clearer regulations in NSA-inspired US-German 'cyber dialogue'

Germany opens inquiry into claims NSA tapped Angela Merkel's phone

US to extend privacy protection rights to EU citizens

China Said to Push Banks to Remove IBM Servers for Security

Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova sign deals strengthening political, trade ties to EU

The leaders of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have signed deals with the EU designed to strengthen political and trade ties with the bloc. Russia's reaction was almost instant, and it wasn't a message of congratulation.

Deutsche Welle, 27 June 2014

Ukrainian President Petro Poroschenko (pictured above, center) signed the association agreement with the European Union on the second day of a summit of the bloc's 28 leaders in Brussels on Thursday.

"I think this is one of the most historic days for my country after getting independence," Poroshenko told reporters as he arrived for the signing ceremony. "It's an absolutely new perspective for my country."

It was a decision by Kremlin-friendly former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych late last year to balk at signing the agreements, that in part sparked the country's ongoing crisis.

The two other eastern European leaders who signed deals on behalf of their respective countries expressed similar sentiments to those of the new Ukrainian president.

"Moldova has made a choice and that choice is definitive: It is that of European integration," Moldova's Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said.

"Becoming a full member of the unified European family is Georgia's unwavering will," Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said, adding that it marked "the beginning of a great journey."

The president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy described the signings as making Friday "a great day for Europe... the European Union stands by your side today more than ever before."

He also said that the accords contained "nothing that might harm Russia in any way" and that they offered all involved the opportunity "to chart together a safer future."

Russian rage

However, Russia, which has seen its influence in decline in much of eastern Europe through the expansion of the EU and the Western military alliance NATO in recent years, quickly expressed its disapproval of the agreements signed on Friday.

"The consequences of the signing by Ukraine and Moldova will certainly be serious," Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency. He added however that "the signing of such a serious document is, of course, a sovereign right of any state."

With the signings completed, the 28 European heads of state and government were expected to get down to the business of trying to reach a consensus on who should be the next head of the European Commission.

By Friday morning it was looking increasingly like Jean-Claude Juncker would win their approval, with just British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban on the record as opposing the candidacy of the former premier of Luxembourg.

pfd/ipj (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)

Germany’s Thomas Müller secures win but beaten USA reach last 16 too

The Guardian, Paul Wilson at the Arena Pernambuco,  Thursday 26 June 2014

Germany's Thomas Müller jumps in celebration between team-mate Mats
 Hummels and the USA's Jermaine Jones after his goal. Photograph:
Tony Gentile/Reuters

Both Germany and the United States reached the last 16 as a result of this scoreline and the one in Brasilia, with a goal by Thomas Müller doing enough to allay suspicions that the Germans in charge of the two sides had colluded to produce a mutually satisfactory result.

A dreary draw looked on the cards for a while and both sides ended the first half appearing content just to see out time, but Germany woke up and began to look a bit more like their old selves after the interval. Not to the extent of trashing the USA’s goal difference – which might have given Portugal the encouragement they needed – but Müller’s goal reflected German superiority and enabled them to finish top of Group G with seven points.

Pharrell Williams’ song Happy played out at the end, as it has at all World Cup stadiums, but on this occasion everyone present was happy, especially when the giants screens confirmed – though naturally the participants knew already – the Portugal result and the final group table.

“We were aware on the bench of the score in the other game,” the USA coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, said. “We were still going in the 90th minute, you could see we had a very strong commitment to trying to get a point, but we are through anyway. To come through that group is a huge achievement.”

Initially Germany did most of the attacking, with Jérôme Boateng having more fun in Brazil than his brother and enjoying a rampaging role down the right wing. His first cross almost produced a goal in the second minute, Müller attempting an acrobatic volley but not quite pulling it off, then his next was missed completely by Omar Gonzalez with a wild swipe in front of his own goal that had it connected could have gone anywhere. Gonzalez made amends shortly afterwards with a good block to prevent Müller reaching another Boateng cross, but it was clear that DaMarcus Beasley and Graham Zusi on the USA left were in danger of being overrun.

That led to a little complacency in the Germany defence, for when the USA shifted the ball to the left midway through the first half Boateng was caught out of position, and Zusi had more time than he expected to shoot from just inside the area. He should have at least managed a shot on target, rather than one that cleared the bar, though like Beasley’s delightful dribble down the left moments later it was a sign that the USA were growing in confidence.

After quite a promising start the game had slowed down by the half-hour mark, becoming a tame midfield struggle with neither side showing much attacking adventure. One Mesut Özil shot apart, routinely saved by Tim Howard, Germany had barely managed a direct threat to the USA goal and their opponents also appeared to have run out of surprises.

While that was no more than anyone had been predicting, with a draw enabling both sides to progress, it was poor fare to set before spectators who had braved floods, inadequate public transport and traffic gridlock in Recife city centre to reach the Arena Pernambuco.

The sight of so many Uncle Sams, Statues of Liberty and Captain Americas traipsing the last few miles of dual-carriageway hard-shoulder like bedraggled refugees should make Fifa question their criteria for stadium allocation (it won’t). The World Cup organisers cannot be blamed for the pouring rain, but if a venue with a stadium an inconvenient 30km from the city centre has to be selected then decent transport links and ease of access are surely the minimum 21st-century requirement. Even on dry, non-match days some journeys between city centre and stadium were taking more than two hours.

Germany sent on Miroslav Klose for the second half to try and liven things up only to see the next chance, from another Boateng cross, fall to Özil. The Arsenal player was in a good position in front of goal but heading is not his strongest suit and though Gonzalez could not reach the ball his challenge was enough to put the midfielder off. Klose would have liked that chance.

While he did find himself free from Bastian Schweinsteiger’s cross moments later he could not quite climb quite high enough to direct his header downwards.

At least Germany had begun the second half more urgently, with the USA struggling to get beyond halfway for the first 10 minutes, and they deservedly made pressure count at a corner just before the hour. Per Mertesacker produced a header from Özil’s cross that Howard did extremely well to reach, let alone beat out, only for his clearance to find an unmarked Müller waiting on the edge of the area to thump a shot unstoppably past the goalkeeper for his fourth goal of the tournament.

He is already only one goal short of the total that won him the Golden Boot in South Africa, and he could become the first player to retain it. Klose, the winner in 2006, is still waiting for the goal he needs to become the World Cup’s record scorer, and although this was the type of game where he must have fancied his chances of getting it, there were no further heroics, except in defence. While the last 20 minutes were as low key as World Cup games get, Klose was responsible for a fantastic block to deny Alejandro Bedoya an equaliser in stoppage time.

“That was the USA’s first real chance of the game,” Joachim Löw said. “It shows how much we dominated the match when we didn’t give the opponent a chance to score until the very last moment.”

Fans celebrate qualification to the round of 16 at a WorldCup viewing

party in Hermosa Beach, California (Twitter)

Related Articles:

Americans can't even stop working to watch their team play in the World Cup

Obama watches the game on Air Force One. Kind of his office. Photograph: 

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images