Many Dutch MEPs are ‘vague’ about what they do with their expenses

DutchNews, May 31, 2017

MPS from the VVD, the anti-EU PVV and the orthodox Christian SGP have declined to participate in research to find out what MEPs do with their monthly tax-free €4,300 expenses allowance, broadcaster NOS said on Wednesday. 

The EU forks out nearly €40m a year to fund the allowances of the 751 MEPs but last month, the European parliament again voted not to publish details about expenses claims, despite growing calls for more transparency. 

The research was carried out by an alliance of EU journalists called TheMepsProject. NOS was part of the investigating team. 

Ostensibly, the allowance enables MEPs to maintain an office back home and employ staff, but the investigation reveals that only 491 of the 751 MEPs actually maintain an office in their constituencies. 

Four of the 26 Dutch MEPs said they maintained an office in the Netherlands as well as in Brussels. Most others said they worked from home as their offices in Brussels were so close by. 

Receipts

Members of the anti-EU PVV and orthodox Protestant SGP parties declined to answer the investigators’ survey, NOS said. VVD MPs did not take part, but the party did say its members follow the EU rules and that the allowance is treated as a lump sum which does not require receipts.

Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International has long called on MEPs to come clean about their spending. 

‘Most MEPs refuse to show what they are doing with the taxpayers cash they are given,’ director Anne Scheltema Beduin told NOS radio. ‘This clearly damages trust in European institutions.’ 

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Dutch senators approve compromise on EU-Ukraine pact

Yahoo – AFP, Jan HENNOP, May 30, 2017

An anti-government opposition activist places European Union and Ukrainian flags
side by side at a barricade in Kiev on February 2, 2014 (AFP Photo/SERGEI SUPINSKY)

The Hague (AFP) - Dutch senators backed a hard-won compromise Tuesday to ratify an amended EU-Ukraine pact, clearing one of the final hurdles for approval of the deal to help nudge Kiev closer to the West.

The draft bill was approved by a vote of 50 to 25 in the upper house of parliament in the Netherlands, the only EU state yet to ratify the pact aimed at steering Ukraine away from its former Soviet masters in Moscow.

"This is the last parliamentary step," for the amended deal to be approved, senate spokesman Gert Riphagen said.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose liberal VVD party won a general election in March, sought a compromise after Dutch voters rejected the initial pact in an April 2016 referendum.

Rutte is now expected to return to Brussels with the Dutch go-ahead once the measure is signed into law which could happen as early as Thursday.

In Brussels, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said, "Our Association Agreement... is now one step closer to being ratified."

The vote sent "an important signal from the Netherlands and the entire European Union to our Ukrainian friends: Ukraine's place is in Europe. Ukraine's future lies with Europe," Juncker said in a statement.

He added that he would like to see the process finalized in time for the EU-Ukraine summit in July.

Dutch officials said European bodies expected the accord to enter into force around September 1.

In Kiev, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko thanked Rutte and his country for their support.

"The path to this point was long and much more complicated than Ukraine imagined at the start of the process," Poroshenko said on his Facebook page.

But he hailed the treaty as "a guarantee of our freedom, independence and territorial integrity. Europe is our civilizational choice."

Moscow however angrily retorted that the ratification "of this famous accord will give the authorities in Kiev a bit more time to cultivate the fable of a 'radiant European future'."

"Kiev will continue to pretend not to foresee the rapid transformation of Ukraine from a developed industrial state into an agrarian appendage and a source of raw materials for the EU," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russia's TASS news agency.

The rejection of the original EU-Ukraine treaty by eurosceptic groups had dealt a 

blow to Netherlands prime minister Mark Rutte (pictured) and his coalition 

government (AFP Photo/Bart Maat)

Treaty rejected

The original treaty deal was opposed by eurosceptic groups in the Netherlands who forced the issue to a referendum.

About 60 percent of voters rejected the treaty, though turnout was barely above the 30 percent needed for the results to be validated.

The rejection dealt a blow to Rutte and his coalition government at a time when the Netherlands was at the helm of the EU's rotating presidency.

Rutte managed to work out a compromise deal that limits the EU's defence commitments to Ukraine and does not provide any guarantees to Kiev of full EU membership in the future.

The lower house of parliament had approved the amended pact by a large majority in February.

Rutte, however, has caught flack from opposition politicians and the organisers of the referendum, who accused the Dutch leader of ignoring the voice of voters by not rejecting the agreement out of hand.

Macron, Putin hold 'frank' talks on Syria, Ukraine

Yahoo – AFP, Hervé ASQUIN, Clare BYRNE, May 29, 2017

French President French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with 

Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting at the Versailles 

Palace, near Paris. (AFP Photo/CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT)

Versailles (France) (AFP) - France's President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin attempted to improve their countries' strained ties on Monday during talks at Versailles palace described by Macron as "extremely frank".

Their first meeting since Macron took office provided another test of the Frenchman's diplomatic skills after his memorable vice-grip handshake last week with US President Donald Trump.

This time the handshake was warmer but the tone guarded after an hour of talks on the 300th anniversary of a visit to Versailles by tsar Peter the Great.

Putin admitted to some differences of opinion in the talks which covered issues including the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, but insisted that Franco-Russian ties withstood "all points of friction".

"We disagree on a number of things but at least we discussed them," Macron said.

"Our absolute priority is the fight against terrorism and the eradication of terrorist groups and Daesh in particular," he said, using an alternate name for the Islamic State group that has claimed several deadly attacks in France.

'Organs of propaganda'

The newly elected French leader said he wanted to work more closely with Russia to try resolve the six-year war in Syria, one of the sticking points in relations between the West and Moscow which backs the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Moscow he will not make

 "a single concession" over Ukraine, with France and her G7 partners saying

 at last week's summit they are prepared to strengthen sanctions against 

Moscow (AFP Photo/GIOVANNI ISOLINO)

Calling for "a democratic transition that preserves the Syrian state", he warned that "failed states" in the Middle East emboldened terror groups and posed a threat to the West.

But in an apparent warning to Assad and Russia, he said the use of chemical weapons was a "red line" that would draw an "immediate response" from France.

The pair also discussed the Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its encroachment on neighbouring Ukraine as well as allegations of Russian meddling in France's presidential campaign.

The Russian strongman defended hosting Macron's far-right rival Marine Le Pen -- seen as the Kremlin's favourite -- for a visit during the race, saying he had no cause to deny her request for an audience.

He also shrugged off allegations that Russian hackers infiltrated Macron's campaign.

"Maybe they were Russian hackers, maybe they were not," he said.

A more candid Macron let fly when questioned about two pro-Kremlin media outlets that were barred from his campaign headquarters after being accused of a smear campaign.

Russia Today broadcaster and Sputnik agency are "organs of influence and untruthful propaganda, nothing more, nothing less", he declared.

Macron also took the bull by the horns on human rights, saying Putin had promised him "the whole truth" about an alleged crackdown on gay men in Russian-controlled Chechnya and warning he would be "vigilant" on the issue.

'No concessions'

France's youngest ever president made a successful debut on the world stage last week, holding his own against Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels and winning plaudits from his peers at a G7 summit in Italy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was quick to congratulate the new French 

leader Emmanuel Macron on his election victory, urging him to "overcome mutual 

distrust" and "join forces to ensure international stability and security". (AFP

 Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Ahead of Putin's visit, the 39-year-old centrist told a French weekly that he was not "bothered" by leaders who "think in terms of power dynamics".

He said he would make "not a single concession" to Russia on the three-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine, with he and his G7 counterparts saying they were prepared to strengthen sanctions against Moscow.

Macron said he, Putin and the leaders of Germany and Ukraine would meet soon for talks, "which will allow us to make a complete evaluation of the situation".

Modernising tsar

Western powers charge Russia with failing to honour its commitments under the Minsk accords framework for ending the violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed rebels in Ukraine's east.

Putin said the sanctions imposed on Russia, which have seriously hurt trade with the EU, had "in no way" advanced the prospects of a lasting peace.

Directly after the French election he moved quickly to try reset relations with France, congratulating Macron and urging him to work to overcome their countries' "mutual distrust".

Monday's visit comes seven months after the Russian leader cancelled a trip to Paris amid a row over Syria with Macron's predecessor Francois Hollande, who had said Russia's bombing of Aleppo could amount to war crimes.

In Versailles, he and Macron inaugurated an exhibition marking the visit of Russia's modernising tsar Peter the Great to Versailles in 1717.

The fervently pro-Europe Macron said his invitation to Putin aimed to showcase "a Russia which is open to Europe".

Putin later visited a new Orthodox cathedral complex in central Paris.

Merkel warns US, Britain no longer reliable partners

Yahoo – AFP, May 28, 2017

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe must fight for its own destiny
in a western alliance divided by Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump,
with whom she did not see eye to eye at the "six against one" G7 summit

Europe "must take its fate into its own hands" faced with a western alliance divided by Brexit and Donald Trump's presidency, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday.

"The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I've experienced that in the last few days," Merkel told a crowd at an election rally in Munich, southern Germany.

"We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands," she added.

While Germany and Europe would strive to remain on good terms with America and Britain, "we have to fight for our own destiny", Merkel went on.

Special emphasis was needed on warm relations between Berlin and newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron, she said.

The chancellor had just returned from a G7 summit which wound up Saturday without a deal between the US and the other six major advanced nations on upholding the 2015 Paris climate accords.

Merkel on Saturday labelled the result of the "six against one" discussion "very difficult, not to say very unsatisfactory".

Trump offered a more positive assessment on Twitter Sunday, writing: "Just returned from Europe. Trip was a great success for America. Hard work but big results!"

The US president had earlier tweeted that he would reveal whether or not the US would stick to the global emissions deal -- which he pledged to jettison on the campaign trail -- only next week.

On a previous leg of his first trip abroad as president, Trump had repeated past criticism of NATO allies for failing to meet the defensive alliance's military spending commitment of two percent of GDP.

Observers noted that he neglected to publicly endorse the pact's Article Five, which guarantees that member countries will aid the others they are attacked.

The omission was especially striking as he unveiled a memorial to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the US, the only time the mutual defence clause has been triggered.

Trump also reportedly described German trade practices as "bad, very bad," in Brussels talks last week, complaining that Europe's largest economy sells too many cars to the US.

Sunday's event saw Merkel renew bonds with the Christian Social Union (CSU), Bavarian sister party to her own centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), ahead of a parliamentary vote in September.

Polls show the chancellor, in power since 2005, on course to be re-elected for a fourth term.

Related Article:

Trump's 'home run' tour leaves allies bewildered

Macron, Trudeau 'bromance' fires up internet

Yahoo – AFP, Marianne BARRIAUX, Angus MACKINNON, May 26, 2017

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) and French President Emmanuel
Macron chatted against the backdrop of a sparkling blue Mediterranean sea
 (AFP Photo/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN)

Taormina (Italy) (AFP) - "A liberal fantasy dream sequence", "a bromance," "insanely romantic".

The Internet was abuzz Friday with pictures of French President Emmanuel Macron and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau schmoozing at the G7 summit in Sicily, strolling through flowered walkways and chatting against the backdrop of a sparkling blue Mediterranean sea.

"Apparently Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron flew to Sicily for their wedding photoshoot," netizen @sherlockify joked on Twitter.

The reaction to the telegenic pair's encounter in the picturesque, hillside town of Taormina, immortalised by Macron himself who tweeted a video of their meeting, provided some light relief from a summit otherwise devoted to thorny issues such as climate change and the threat of extremism.

"The Franco-Canadian friendship has a new face," Macron tweeted after sitting down for talks with Trudeau and taking the now famous stroll.

"@JustinTrudeau, it's up to us to take on the challenges of our generation!"

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) and French President Emmanuel 

Macron meet at the G7 summit (AFP Photo/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN)

"Sitting down with @EmmanuelMacron for the first time, talking jobs, security & climate -– looking forward to more conversations, my friend," Trudeau responded on Twitter, posting pictures of both smiling, shaking hands, and looking out over the Mediterranean, their dapper suit jackets billowing in the breeze.

Trudeau, 45, is popular with liberals worldwide for his commitment to fighting climate change and easing the refugee crisis -- in stark contrast to the United States, Canada's powerful neighbour.

Macron, 39, has only been in power for 12 days but enjoys similar kudos, particularly abroad where he has been compared to Trudeau.

"This image of Trudeau and Macron in Sicily is right out of a liberal fantasy dream sequence," tweeted Dhruva Jaishankar, an expert on foreign policy at the India section of the Brookings Institution think tank.

Others were even more explicit.

"Le swoon, le sigh," tweeted netizen MissMary, above a photo of both leaders in apparent earnest chat.

"Is there a budding bromance between Macron and Trudeau? Two hunks!" added @MaureenRamsden.

Related Articles:

Emmanuel Macron: a 39-year-old political prodigy

G7 leaders find common cause on combatting terrorism but fail to bridge gulf with Trump on trade and climate change https://t.co/tm2TCjLsEU pic.twitter.com/bXwcXUExnz

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 26, 2017

AFP Graphic showing US President Donald Trump's famous handshakes with world leaders pic.twitter.com/GEMpaywrNN

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 26, 2017

'Don't look back in anger': Manchester's musical message to the world

Yahoo – AFP, Rosie SCAMMELL, May 25, 2017

The crowd broke out into spontaneous song after the minute's silence
 (AFP Photo/Ben STANSALL)

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - "Don't look back in anger".

The now poignant words of legendary Manchester Britpop band Oasis rang out in a flower-filled square on Thursday, as a grieving crowd broke out in song after a minute's silence to remember the 22 people killed in Monday's suicide bombing.

In a city with a proud musical heritage, this was a spontaneous message of defiance from people trying to come to terms with the heartbreaking massacre of innocent young victims who were themselves enjoying a pop concert.

A woman clutching a bouquet of flowers among the crowd of hundreds started the refrain as others urged people to "sing up" to send a loud message to the attackers.

Earlier the bells of St Ann's Church rang out as silence fell over the packed square. The minute's silence ended with applause which then melted into song.

One man's cry of "We love Manchester!" marked the end of the musical tribute, followed by further applause as emotions ran high in the square.

As the song ended, people broke into a round of applause (AFP Photo/Oli SCARFF)

St Ann's has become the focal point for a city in mourning since the attack at the nearby Manchester Arena, where 22 people including children were killed after a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande on Monday.

With so many children caught up in the attack, teddy bears, candles and heart-shaped balloons piled up in the square, along with notes of mourning and many messages stressing the need for unity within the city.

"MCR stronger than hate, unwilling to fear" read one. "The City of Manchester stands united" said another.

"It's a bereavement for all of us. It's like your own family just passed away, it's just so, so sad," said 69-year-old Carmel McLaughlan, standing next to a sea of thousands of flowers.

"There's just sadness hanging over Manchester at the moment. It's terrible, it's hard to believe it."

Thursday's event followed a vigil on Tuesday in the city's Albert Square, attended by thousands, where a respectful silence was ended with cheers and a chants of "Manchester! Manchester! Manchester!"

Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday visited some of the children wounded in the attack, telling them it had been "very wicked".

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II made a rare visit to see some of the wounded

 children, describing the attack as "very wicked" (AFP Photo/Peter Byrne)

Twenty-three people remain in critical care while scores more remain in hospital with injuries sustained when 22-year-old bomber Salman Abedi detonated his explosive device.

A forensics team dressed in white suits could be seen combing the steps leading to the Arena on Thursday, as police guarded a large cordon in place around the site.

Inside the venue car park, vehicles still stood off-limits to their owners, while outside more bunches of flowers and cuddly toys lined the pavement.

The wall has been lined with creations by young children at a local primary school, including paper flowers, doves and Manchester's worker bee symbol.

"Sorry about the bomb that had happen and sorry if your family got hurt," wrote a child, one of many to share their thoughts neatly on a huge paper heart.

"The unity of Manchester is as bright as a million lights. As One. Thought is with everybody," wrote a boy called Umar, on a note attached to violet paper flowers.

Related Article:

Suspected Manchester bomber had 'desire for revenge'

Berlin, Paris vow to speed up eurozone integration

Yahoo – AFP, Hui Min NEO, 22 May 2017

Berlin, Paris vow to speed up eurozone integration

Core EU powers France and Germany vowed Monday to accelerate eurozone integration, with a new bilateral panel to work out ways to kickstart the reform process.

"We've been talking about progress in eurozone integration for years, but things are not moving fast enough," said France's new Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire in Berlin after talks with his German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble.

"We have now decided to get things going more quickly and further in a very concrete manner," he said.

Schaeuble agreed that "we are convinced that Germany and France must take a leading role" in strengthening the European Union in challenging times.

The new working group will look at how the currency bloc can better coordinate economic policies, harmonise its tax regime and find potential Franco-German investment projects, according to a joint statement.

"Not only our compatriots in France and Germany but also others in the eurozone are expecting concrete proposals and concrete investments that can generate economic activity and jobs," said Le Maire.

The bilateral panel will report to a joint ministerial meeting of the eurozone's two biggest players in July.

Le Maire and Schaeuble's meeting came a week after German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted France's new President Emmanuel Macron and the two leaders vowed to give a new impetus to Europe.

Anti-EU sentiment has been rising in the bloc which has also suffered from the body blow of Britain's decision to quit the union.

Efforts towards further integration or modernisation of the EU and eurozone have been hampered for years by the rejection of new treaties by French, Dutch and Irish voters, although governments could negotiate and adopt reforms via negotiations between themselves.

Underlining the need to improve the EU's relevance to Europeans, Le Maire pointed to France's bitterly fought presidential election in which both the far-right and the far-left scored their highest margins since the end of World War II.

"If we don't succeed, then it will be those in the extremes who will succeed us," warned Le Maire, adding that "our compatriots will only judge us by our results."

Separately, Le Maire's colleague, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, was also in Berlin Monday for talks with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel -- with both ministers also affirming the need for reforms.

"Europe is in a difficult situation, we need new initiatives... and we will push for this together," said Gabriel, adding that "we want to use this historic window opened in France to do this."

Brexit 'an opportunity'

Merkel and her government have pledged their support to help Macron succeed, mindful that any election outcome in France would not only affect Europe's second biggest economy but also have a profound impact on the EU.

At a talk in Berlin, Merkel reiterated her backing for Macron's "Republique En Marche" movement with an eye on legislative elections on June 11 and 18 in France.

"We know that there are many disappointed people who are on an anti-European track and that's why we need to help him and ensure that he really succeeds," said Merkel.

Le Maire said France and Germany will now work towards getting the EU members on the same page in building a "big strong economy" that stands up to competition against China or the United States.

This means improving competitiveness, lowering costs for companies, financing innovation, as well as improving capacity to better defend the eurozone's economic interest, he said.

The French minister also urged the financial sector to seize the opportunity of Brexit to improve their attractiveness vis-a-vis their British counterparts.

"With Brexit, we see the possibility for our financial companies to become more attractive than they were before," said Le Maire, adding that this meant "jobs and wealth for our countries".

Many financial sector firms based in London are now looking to move operations to cities in the eurozone as Brexit could see London banks lose their "passporting rights" to sell services to clients on the continent.

#UPDATE France and Germany vowed to accelerate eurozone integration with the help of a new bilateral panel. https://t.co/35vmCj4wyh pic.twitter.com/qRPKzGfgPd

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 22, 2017

Swiss vote in referendum on gradual nuclear phaseout

Swiss voters have gone to the polls in a referendum on the government's plan to move from nuclear power to renewables. Preliminary results suggest that a majority favors the plan, which critics claim is too expensive.

Deutsche Welle, 21 May 2017

Switzerland held a referendum on Sunday on the government's planned transition from the nuclear power provided by the country's aging reactors to renewable energy sources.

Provisional results suggested that a majority of voters supported the shift, with 58 percent voting in favor of the referendum. Final results are expected to be published by late afternoon.

 Most voters had already cast their ballots by post over the past weeks.

The Swiss government decided to gradually phase out nuclear power after the disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, where there were three nuclear meltdowns at a plant after a tsunami caused by an earthquake. Berlin took a similar step after the disaster by announcing the phaseout of nuclear power in Germany.

Switzerland's so-called Energy Strategy 2050, spearheaded by Energy Minister Doris Leuthard, who is also the current Swiss president, involves decommissioning Switzerland's five reactors as they reach the end of their safe operational lifespan. Currently, they produce around a third of the country's electricity.

The Fukushima disaster caused several countries, including Germany,
to rethink nuclear energy

More renewables, more efficiency

Although the plan does not lay down a clear timetable for phasing out the plants, it does envisage increasing reliance on hydraulic power and solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy sources, as well as reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.

Its targets are ambitious, with the aim being to cut the average energy consumption per person per year by 43 percent by 2035 as compared with levels in 2000.

Last year, Swiss voters rejected a call to accelerate the decommissioning of the plants, a move that would have seen three of the five reactors closing this year.

'Cold shower' claim

The government's energy strategy is supported by the Swiss parliament, with the exception of the country's largest political party, the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP), which called for Sunday's referendum.

The government says more insulation
will cut costs

The SVP has criticized the plan, saying it would cost up to 3,200 Swiss francs (2,934 euros, $3,288) per four-person household per year in additional energy costs and taxes. The government rejects the claim, estimating the additional cost per household will be at 40 Swiss francs more per year.

SVP politicians also maintain that the plan will threaten the country's energy supply, with campaign posters claiming that Swiss citizens would have to have "cold showers" despite paying more.

They have also voiced concerns that additional solar panels and wind turbines could "disfigure" the country's famous natural landscape.

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Japan prepares to mark three years since devastating quake


"Fast-Tracking" - Feb 8, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Reference to Fukushima / H-bomb nuclear pollution and a warning about nuclear  (> 20 Min)

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“... Japan

Let us talk for a moment about Japan, and then I'll close the day of messages. There are thousands of souls on my side of the veil and they're just fine, more than fine. We have spoken so often of what happens at the Wind of Birth. I told you, before they even came in, they saw the potential. I looked in their eyes. "You may not last long. You know that, don't you? You're coming into this planet and you may not be here very long. And the passing that you will have with your family will not be pleasant, if any ever are. Why would you come in anyway?" I want to tell you what they said. When a soul has the mind of God, it understands fully what generates peace and what generates energy shift. You can clearly see what generates what the planet needs the most when you are about to arrive. So they said, "We're going to be part of one of the biggest compassion events the planet has ever seen." One earthquake, one tsunami. All of those who left that day will change the earth forever. And it already has. It was the same for the last tsunami as well.

Every single one of them on my side of the veil is getting ready to come back. Many old souls were involved, and just for a moment, if they could give you any information, if they could talk to you right now, if they could speak your language and look into your eyes, they would thank you for your compassion for them and those who are left. And they would say, "Be with those family members who are still alive. Enter their hearts every day and give them peace and keep them from crying, because we're OK."

Nuclear Power Revealed

So let me tell you what else they did. They just showed you what's wrong with nuclear power. "Safe to the maximum," they said. "Our devices are strong and cannot fail." But they did. They are no match for Gaia.

It seems that for more than 20 years, every single time we sit in the chair and speak of electric power, we tell you that hundreds of thousands of tons of push/pull energy on a regular schedule is available to you. It is moon-driven, forever. It can make all of the electricity for all of the cities on your planet, no matter how much you use. There's no environmental impact at all. Use the power of the tides, the oceans, the waves in clever ways. Use them in a bigger way than any designer has ever put together yet, to power your cities. The largest cities on your planet are on the coasts, and that's where the power source is. Hydro is the answer. It's not dangerous. You've ignored it because it seems harder to engineer and it's not in a controlled environment. Yet, you've chosen to build one of the most complex and dangerous steam engines on Earth - nuclear power.

We also have indicated that all you have to do is dig down deep enough and the planet will give you heat. It's right below the surface, not too far away all the time. You'll have a Gaia steam engine that way, too. There's no danger at all and you don't have to dig that far. All you have to do is heat fluid, and there are some fluids that boil far faster than water. So we say it again and again. Maybe this will show you what's wrong with what you've been doing, and this will turn the attitudes of your science to create something so beautiful and so powerful for your grandchildren. Why do you think you were given the moon? Now you know.

This benevolent Universe gave you an astral body that allows the waters in your ocean to push and pull and push on the most regular schedule of anything you know of. Yet there you sit enjoying just looking at it instead of using it. It could be enormous, free energy forever, ready to be converted when you design the methods of capturing it. It's time.

So in closing, do you understand what you're seeing? You're seeing intelligent design, quantum energy and high consciousness. You are seeing changes in Human nature. You're seeing countries putting things together instead of separating. You are seeing those who don't want war and instead want peace, good schools for their children, safety in their streets and a say in their government. We told you it was going to happen this way. I want my partner to teach these things that I have said in his 3D lectures for awhile. Many won't be able to know these things otherwise.  …”

Assange claims victory after Sweden drops rape probe

Yahoo – AFP, May 19, 2017

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks on the balcony of the Embassy of
Ecuador in London on May 19, 2017 (AFP Photo/Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS)

London (AFP) - Julian Assange claimed victory Friday after Swedish prosecutors dropped a seven-year rape allegation against the WikiLeaks founder, but insisted the "proper war" over his future was only just beginning.

Assange gave a clenched fist salute as he stepped into the daylight on the balcony of Ecuador's London embassy, where he has been holed up since 2012.

But the 45-year-old Australian said the road was "far from over" and declined to reveal whether he would leave the embassy after five years cooped up inside.

British police would arrest him immediately for breaching earlier bail conditions if he left the embassy, while US authorities have warned they regard WikiLeaks as a "hostile intelligence service".

"Today is an important victory," Assange told reporters and a small band of supporters crowded around the tiny balcony, after emerging wearing a black shirt and jacket.

"But it by no means erases seven years of detention without charge. In prison, under house arrest and almost five years here in this embassy without sunlight.

"That is not something that I can forgive. It is not something that I can forget."

Uncertain future

Earlier in Stockholm, Marianne Ny, Sweden's director of public prosecutions, said the rape investigation had been dropped because there was "no reason to believe that the decision to surrender him to Sweden can be executed in the foreseeable future".

"It is no longer proportionate to maintain the arrest of Julian Assange in his absence," she said.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange raises his fist prior to addressing the media on

 the balcony of the Embassy of Ecuador in London on May 19, 2017 (AFP Photo/

Justin TALLIS)

Despite the probe in Sweden being dropped, Assange would still face arrest if he set foot outside the embassy, a flat located just behind the plush Harrods emporium.

Assange jumped British bail by entering the embassy and claiming asylum, saying he feared he would eventually be extradited to the United States.

US justice authorities have never confirmed that they have Assange under investigation or are seeking his extradition.

But US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last month that "we will seek to put some people in jail", when asked if arresting Assange was a "priority" for Washington.

US prosecutors have been drafting a memo that looks at charges against Assange and WikiLeaks members that possibly include conspiracy, theft of government property and violations of the Espionage Act, according to The Washington Post.

US President Donald Trump's administration has put heat on WikiLeaks after it embarrassed the Central Intelligence Agency in March by releasing files and computer code from the spy agency's top-secret hacking operations.

"While today was an important victory and an important vindication, the road is far from over. The war, the proper war is just commencing," Assange said.

He said his lawyers were in touch with the British authorities and hoped to begin a dialogue about the "best way forward".

And the former computer hacker said that despite the "extremely threatening remarks" emanating from Washington, he was "always ready to engage with the Department of Justice".

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks on the balcony of the Embassy 

of Ecuador in London on May 19, 2017 (AFP Photo/Adrian DENNIS)

The department said Friday it had no comment "at this point" on Assange.

Asked if London would now support a request to extradite Assange to the United States, British Prime Minister Theresa May said: "We look at extradition requests on a case-by-case basis."

Assange's Swedish lawyer, Per Samuelsson, said his client plans to move to Ecuador because "it's the only nation where he is safe".

Decision a 'scandal'

In Sweden, Assange's accuser was left stunned by the prosecutors' decision.

"It is a scandal that a suspected rapist can escape justice and thereby avoid the courts," her lawyer, Elisabeth Fritz, told AFP in an email.

"My client is shocked and no decision to (end the case) can make her change (her mind) that Assange exposed her to rape," she said.

The accusation against Assange dates from August 2010 when the alleged victim, who says she met him at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm a few days earlier, filed a complaint.

She accused him of having sex with her -- as she slept -- without using a condom despite repeatedly having denied him unprotected sex.

Assange always denied the allegations, which he feared would lead to him being extradited to the United States and facing trial over the leak of hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic documents in 2010, which brought WikiLeaks to prominence.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange addresses the media holding a printed report

of the judgement of the UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on his case

 from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in central London on February 5,

2016 (AFP Photo/Niklas Halle'n)

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