One of the most pondered questions following the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) has been - how will the EU Blocking Regulation fair in protecting the interests of EU businesses trading with ...

The Italian legislation on private antitrust enforcement (Legislative Decree no. 3 of 19 January 2017 - Decree) has implemented the EU Directive no. 2014/104. The Decree sets out the rules according to which any natural or legal person who has suffe...

On 11 March 2020 the European Commission (Commission) launched a public consultation on  possible reforms to the Generalised Scheme of Preference (GSP) Regulation (EU Regulation No. 978/2012 of 25 October 2012) (GSP Regulation). As the GSP Regu...

Introduction Financial services firms’ corporate governance and risk cultures is a ‘hot’ topic with financial regulators globally. Regulators have noted that serious corporate governance and conduct failings of financial services f...

Overview The Securitisation Regulation (Regulation) comes into force on 1 January 2019, establishes a general framework for securitisation and creates a specific framework for simple, transparent and standardised securitisation. The Regulation is a ...

Background The Procuring Authority has engaged the International Finance Corporation, acting through its Public Private Partnerships Transaction Advisory Services division, to act as lead transaction advisor in relation to the Project. The RFQ will ...

Ofgem:Amendments to Gas Transmission Charging regime-minded to decision and draft impact assessment (published on 23 December 2019) The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), the regulator for downstream natural gas markets, has published a ...

At the end of 2019, China dominated the world’s generation of installed capacity and consumption of renewable energy, with wind power capacity accounting for one third of the world’s total and PV power capacity accounting for one fo...

The Tunisian Government makes a huge step towards the deregulation of the renewable power market by amending the 2016 auto-consumption regime. The Decree 2020-105 has amended the 2016 auto-consumption regime legal framework. The 2016 regulation requ...

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Doha: With QFFD support, Qatar Charity is providing healthcare to pregnant Syrian refugees. The same place brought them toget... ......

(MENAFN) On Friday, Lebanese authorities affirmed the existence of 12 new coronavirus cases, increasing the overall number of people tested positive f... ......

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — The eastern European nation of Belarus held a full-fledged military parade Saturday to mark Victory Day, shrugging off safety concerns during the coronavirus pandemic that led Russia to curtail its own long-planned 75th anniversary observances. Tens of thousands of spectators lined the parade route as some 3,000 soldiers and 185 military vehicles passed by in the capital, Minsk. Some elderly veterans...

On 4 December 2018, Eversheds Sutherland’s Elizabeth Shepherd was on a panel providing oral evidence to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee at a one-off session to consider the impact of the proposed Brexit deal on Chemicals Reg...

In recent years there has been a marked change in attitude towards foreign investment screening. A range of jurisdictions globally have taken steps to strengthen their ability to review and actively intervene in transactions. Most recently, the EU p...

The below summarises some of the key chemical’s regulation related changes expected in 2020 or which industry should be preparing for during 2020. SCIP Database ECHA is expected to launch a prototype version of the Substances of Concern In art...

Introduction In this briefing we look at the regulatory framework applicable to remotely piloted aircrafts in Italy, as recently updated by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority. In particular, this Authority, in line with the Government’s deci...

...

DNB (the Dutch Central Bank) Banks: Micro prudential, less significant institutions (LSIs) - Banks can use their capital and liquidity buffer. Therefore, banks will be allowed to temporarily operate below the level of capital as defined by t...

The new regime One of the most significant changes to the academies and further education sectors in 2019 was the introduction of the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) which Ofsted implemented in September 2019. The stated aim of this change was ...

MULTI-Grammy Award-winning singer Michael Bublé honored his grandfather’s last wish by turning over his home in Vancouver, Canada, to his longtime Filipina caregiver Minette. In an episode of the HGTV show “Celebrity IOU,” the international star behind the hit songs “Feeling Good,” “Haven’t Met You” and “Home” said Minette took good care of his grandfather […]

The coronavirus pandemic has brought the role of universities in nurturing scientific inquiry and evidence-based policy-making to the fore

The post Covid-19: An opportunity for universities to regain public trust appeared first on The Mail & Guardian.

At least 200 people have been killed in Kenya and 10,000 people displaced.

All cargo destined for neighbouring countries will now be loaded onto the SGR.

The Bugwere cultural institution, the business community and different leaders, inculding MPs, have all donated to support vulnerable locals

[The Herald] Registrar-General Clement Masango yesterday denied any wrongdoing during his bail application before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Bianca Makwande.

In the lead-up to the Truth Matters conference in October, we will be focusing our attention on the sufficiency, authority, and clarity of Scripture. One of our previous blog series, Looking for Truth in All the Wrong Places, strongly emphasizes those doctrines. The following entry from that series originally appeared on June 21, 2017. -ed.

If God is still speaking to His people today—particularly through mental impressions and premonitions—how can believers exercise discernment when it comes to interpreting and applying these divine messages? Put simply, how is following the private, subjective “leading” of the Lord any more reliable than gazing into a crystal ball?

As we saw last time, biblical discernment runs contrary to the kind of subjective mysticism many promote in the church today. Without any objective criteria, there is no means for determining truth from error. Such blithe subjectivity leaves people at the mercy of whatever mystical “voice” they’re listening to.

Upper Abdominal Distress

It is therefore ironic that advocates of mysticism inevitably treat discernment itself as if it were some kind of subjective, mystical ability. One author speaks of discernment as “a spiritual function,” by which he evidently means that discernment does not involve the intellect. ^[1] William DeArteaga, Quenching the Spirit (Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 1992), 55. For a further discussion of DeArteaga’s work, see chapter 6 of Reckless Faith. In one of my earlier books I quoted Bill Hamon, one of the leading proponents of modern revelatory prophecy. Hamon’s recipe for discernment is a classic case of mystical anti-intellectualism. He believes prophecies can be properly evaluated only by people willing to set reason and logic aside:

I have sometimes heard people say, “I did not witness with that prophecy.” But after questioning them, I discovered that what they really meant was that the prophecy did not fit their theology, personal desires or goals, or their emotions reacted negatively to it. They failed to understand that we do not bear witness with the soul—the mind, emotions or will.

Our reasoning is in the mind, not the spirit. So our traditions, beliefs and strong opinions are not true witnesses to prophetic truth. The spirit reaction originates deep within our being. Many Christians describe the physical location of its corresponding sensation as the upper abdominal area.

A negative witness—with a message of “no,” “be careful” or “something’s not right”—usually manifests itself with a nervous, jumpy or uneasy feeling. There is a deep, almost unintelligible sensation that something is wrong. This sense can only be trusted when we are more in tune with our spirit than with our thoughts. If our thinking is causing these sensations, then it could be only a soulish reaction.

On the other hand, when God’s Spirit is bearing witness with our spirit that a prophetic word is right, is of God and is according to His will and purpose, then our spirit reacts with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We have a deep, unexplainable peace and joy, a warm, loving feeling—or even a sense of our spirit jumping up and down with excitement. This sensation lets us know that the Holy Spirit is bearing witness with our spirit that everything is in order, even though we may not understand everything that is being said, or our soul may not be able to adjust immediately to all the thoughts being presented. ^[2] Bill Hamon, “How to Receive a Personal Prophecy,” Charisma (April 1991), 68 (emphasis added).

Notice that Hamon’s emphasis is entirely on feeling, while he derides the intellect, theology, reason, understanding, and by implication, true biblical wisdom. A reaction in the upper abdominal region is supposed to be a more reliable gauge of truth than all those things.

But that is superstition, not discernment. How your upper abdomen feels about a thing is certainly no measure of truth or falsehood. Neither is “a nervous, jumpy, or uneasy feeling” apart from any rational cause. “A deep, unexplainable peace and joy, a warm, loving feeling—or even a sense of [your] spirit jumping up and down with excitement” is no proof that a supposed prophecy is reliable. Those who practice this sort of “discernment” epitomize reckless faith.

And those who seek truth by analyzing inner feelings are likely to wind up with nothing but confusion.

Dueling Prophets

My editor once attended a service at the Anaheim Vineyard where two “prophets” gave contradictory prophecies. It happened in a Sunday morning worship service. When the congregational singing was over, John Wimber stepped to the platform. Before he could say anything, a young man in the congregation stood and began loudly to prophesy judgment against the leaders of the church. “Jerusalem! Jerusalem!” he began, echoing Luke 13:34, “you persecute My prophets and stone My messengers. My displeasure burns hot toward the leadership of this church for the way you have scorned My prophets and ignored My prophecies. . . .” and so on. The man evidently was disgruntled at the treatment he had received at the hands of church leaders, and this “prophecy” seemed to be his way of striking back. He prophesied in that manner for five minutes or more, earnestly calling the elders of the church to repentance. His entire message was in first person as if from God.

Immediately when he finished, before John Wimber could respond, another “prophet” from the other side of the congregation popped up and began to prophesy exactly the opposite message. This prophet began with a loose paraphrase of Jeremiah 29:11: “Oh, pastors and leaders of this church, I know My thoughts toward you—thoughts of mercy, and not of judgment. I have loved you with an everlasting love and have laid up for you a crown in heaven, My beloved. You have done according to all My good pleasure, and henceforth all men will rise up and call you blessed. . . .” etcetera, etcetera.

When the second man finished, a woman stood and sang a song, another person spoke in tongues, and one or two others quoted Bible verses or shared something brief. Then the service continued with Wimber making announcements. No reference was made to the two contradictory prophecies. No attempt was made to explain the dilemma or interpret either prophecy. Members of the congregation were simply left to draw their own conclusions about which, if either, of the two prophecies was correct.

That illustrates the impossible situation that arises when people are encouraged to voice their own subjective impressions as if they were divine prophecy. And it also reveals the predicament we are placed in if we must allow a sensation in our upper abdominal area to determine the truth or falsehood of a prophetic message.

Notice that both prophets’ messages echoed biblical terminology. Both of them were delivered with great conviction. Both of them employed first-person pronouns, as if God Himself were doing the speaking. Yet they flatly contradicted each other. They might both be false prophecies, but there is no way they could both be true. How were the people in the congregation supposed to determine which, if either, was correct? If they followed the gut-feeling approach, all the disgruntled people in the church undoubtedly opted for the first prophecy, believing they now had a word from the Lord to confirm their displeasure with their leaders.

The obvious fact is that once we stray into the realm of subjectivity, we have no way to determine what is really true.

(Adapted from Reckless Faith.)

A US regulator on Thursday pulled approval for dozens of companies making industry-standard masks in China, citing substandard performance, and warned health care providers to reconsider using any of the now-blacklisted products.After the US Food and Drug Administration’s determination that many of the made-in-China N95-style masks filter out less than 95 per cent of particulate matter – the filtration level that gives the N95 mask its name – the approved number of manufacturers dropped to 14…

Prague Daily Monitor

Judges will no longer have to automatically pause or delay sentences for pregnant women, or women with a child under one year old, and release them from prison if the case includes particularly serious crimes. The judges will be able to make the decision according to factors including danger to those involved. The notion was passed at the first reading in the Lower House and drafted by politicians from almost every political party.

read more

The positions are for a non-renewable term of six years.

I was even planning on how I was going to break the news to my family.

The government said hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and women's shelters are in need of staff including custodial and maintenance workers. 

SUKKUR: As many as 10 children drowned in water ponds and canals on Friday. Reports said a 12-year-old boy Sajid, s/o Abdul Majeed Soomro, residing at a village Allah Dino Soomro in Badin district,...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Important changes are underway for Southeast Asia’s relationship with its biggest trading partner, the People’s Republic of China.

Actress Choi Ji-woo posted a handwritten letter with a photo of herself showing her "baby bump" on her fan site on Thursday. "I now have 15 days left before my baby's due date. I took a selfie in front of my house. As I got pregnant at a late age and am preparing for delivery amid the coronavirus ep...

Surrounded by the White River National Forest, the 11,600-acre Seven Lakes Ranch located in the Meeker Valley is up for sale three years removed from extensive renovations.

Environmental monitoring reports describe the environmental issues or mitigation measures of a project. This document dated May 2020 is provided for the ADB project 43319-022 in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Procurement plans describe and update the procurement of major goods, works and consulting services either ongoing or expected to take place related to a project or program. This document dated 15 November 2019 is provided for the ADB project 48118-002 in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Even though the central government issues strict regulation policies, it is the local governments’ discretion to adjust and enforce compliance.

ADBI, CCAF, and the JBSEEL are offering an 8-week Online Course on Fintech & Regulatory Innovation and related scholarships for select policy makers from Asian Development Bank developing member countries.

Microchip PCN Registration Process

CHANDIGARH/GURGAON: There is a ray of hope for real estate projects awaiting change of land use (CLU) licences from the state government. The department of town and country planning on Tuesday submitted a revised sub-regional plan to the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB). The builders, however, will have to wait till the board approves the revised plan. Last month, the Punjab and Haryana high court had barred the state government from issuing CLU licences to developers or government agencies in NCR because of the same reason. Earlier, the NCRPB had highlighted loopholes in Haryana’s draft of the sub-regional plan, but the government failed to incorporate the changes. After a rap from […]

"I felt that they listened to what I was trying to say, and it shows that they do value democracy here in Taiwan."

The Highlands Region Road Improvement Investment Program, a multitranche financing facility (MFF), aimed to ensure the maintenance of the Highlands Core Road Network, comprising 2,500 kilometers (km) of major national and provincial roads. The MFF is funded through three tranches. The first tranche (Project 1) had six components. The physical component was improvements to 211 km of national roads. Two components supported the Department of Works (DOW) and the National Roads Authority (NRA) in project implementation.

ONGOING EVALUATION. : This evaluation will assess the performance of the Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund (RCIF) against its establishment objectives and provide recommendations for its future directions.

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Senior Regional Cooperation Specialist in the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department. The deadline for submitting applications is on 18 May 2020.

The Roundtable on Financing Water, to be held on 26–28 November 2019 in Manila, Philippines, is jointly organized by OECD and ADB. This is the fifth meeting of the roundtable series and focuses on the Asia and Pacific region.

This brief presents methodologies, high-level technologies, and policies that can help the People’s Republic of China, particularly Beijing, accelerate and enhance water conservation planning.