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NATO Leader Expresses Concern Over Turkey’s Tense Relations With Cyprus and Israel
NATO’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, expressed disquiet on Friday about Turkey’s more assertive foreign policy in the Mediterranean, saying that tensions over natural-gas exploration between Turkey and Cyprus as well as relations with Israel were “a matter of concern.” Mr. Rasmussen said he did not foresee the tension turning into conflict in the Mediterranean, and he praised Turkey as a indispensable member of NATO that could help serve “as a bridge” between the West and the Arab countries now engaged in revolts and revolutions.

Tony Blair's multiple jobs in the spotlight
Since stepping down as Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair has built up a formidable work portfolio: He's an international peacemaker, a consultant for investment bank JP Morgan, a pricey public speaker and a philanthropist.

World opinion swings back against Israel
Even when the Palestinian regime openly identifies itself as an impossible peace partner, it never takes long before the international community finds an excuse to again blame Israel for the lack of a peace agreement.

Assessing California Earthquake Forecasts
Earthquake prediction remains an imperfect science, but the best forecasts are about 10 times more accurate than a random prediction, according to a study published Sept. 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Palestinians: Quartet peace plan contains 'encouraging elements'
"The Quartet statement contains encouraging elements and we call on Israel to announce its commitment to the principles and points of reference it identifies," Yasser Abed Rabbo, the secretary general of the PLO, told reporters after the meeting.

U.S.-born al-Qaida cleric killed in Yemen
Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born cleric linked to al Qaida's Yemen-based wing, has been killed, Yemen's Defense Ministry said on Friday. "The terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed along with some of his companions," it said in a statement sent by text message to journalists, but gave no details.

Israel scrambles IAF warplanes toward Turkish ship
Israel Defense Forces jet fighters were scrambled toward a Turkish seismic research ship in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish media reported on Friday, in what seemed to be a further escalation in the already fraying ties between the once longtime allies.

Mount Etna Erupts For Fifteenth Time This Year
Throughout 2011, activity at Sicily’s Mount Etna has been characterised by paroxysms: short, violent bursts of activity. Each event has included volcanic tremors, ash emissions, and lava flows centered around the New Southeast Crater, just below the summit.

World Volcanic Activity Update – El Hierro, Shiveluch, Kilauea, Mount Cleveland
This.... update features information on Hierro in the Canary Islands which is showing signs of increased activity. Other volcanoes featured this week are Shiveluch in Russia, Popocatépetl in México, and Batu Tara in Indonesia.

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Israel formally accepts Quartet formula for resuming talks
Israel on Sunday formally accepted the Quartet's proposal for re-starting negotiations with the Palestinians, following a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his senior ministers. "Israel welcomes the Quartet's call for direct negotiations without pre-conditions with the Palestinian Authority, which was already suggested by US president Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, even though Israel has a number of reservations which it will bring up in the negotiations."

World population nears the 7 billion mark
The population of the earth could grow to seven billion this month, up from just three billion fifty years ago, and may reach ten billion by 2100, the UN’s population department says. There is no precise information about when the world’s population will reach this symbolic figure. The UN world population fund declared Oct 31 as the symbolic date to mark the event and is to hold a number of events to mark it.

Afghan leader gives up trying to talk to Taliban
President Hamid Karzai has given up trying to talk to the Taliban, saying in a newly-released video that Pakistan holds the only key to making peace with insurgents and must do more to support a political resolution to the war.

U.S. Hikers Are Free but Lawyer Prevented From Leaving Iran
The lawyer who represented the now-free U.S. hikers held for two years in Iran on espionage and illegal entry charges was barred from leaving the country Sunday, according to a source close to the case. "This [Sunday] morning at around six o'clock [local time], after getting his passport stamped and as he was boarding the plane, his passport was confiscated by order of the judiciary," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Syria warns US ambassador against meddling
U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford should stop meddling in Syrian affairs if he wants to avoid more 'rotten eggs' attacks in the future, a state-run Syrian newspaper warned on Sunday. The Al Baath newspaper, a mouthpiece of the Syrian regime, accused Ford of supporting armed anti-government groups in Syria and said his meddling will not be tolerated.

Libya conflict: Hundreds of residents flee Sirte
Streams of civilians are fleeing the besieged Libyan city of Sirte amid fierce fighting over the home town of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi. Hundreds of residents, in vehicles packed with belongings, are queuing at checkpoints leading out of the city.

Cameron warns eurozone break-up would harm the UK
Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that it would be "very bad" for the UK if the eurozone was to break up. Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he said the debt crisis in the eurozone was "a threat not just to itself, but also a threat to the UK economy, and a threat to the world economy".

Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested
More than 700 people from the Occupy Wall Street protest movement have been arrested on New York's City's Brooklyn Bridge, police say. They were part of a larger group crossing the bridge from Manhattan, where they have been camped out near Wall Street for two weeks.

Homeland Security: Attacks on U.S. Infrastructure on the Rise
It‘s only natural for our country’s power grids, water systems and other infrastructure to start hooking up to the Internet, but this is making them increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks. Attacks that the Homeland Security Department says are increasing. According to the Homeland Security Department, Control System Security Program cyber experts responded to 116 requests for assistance in 2010, and have been called in for nearly triple that (342) so far this year.

Report: Tehran to host Intifada conference
Hundreds of Iranian and foreign politicians are due to participate in an international conference in support of the Palestinian Intifada in Tehran on Saturday, the Iranian Fars news agency reported. "Over 50 parliamentary delegations and political figures, elites and intellectuals and many state officials from Muslim and non-Muslim countries are due to attend the conference," Fars quoted conference organizer Hossein Sheikholeslam as saying.

US to provide Turkey with attack helicopters
US Ambassador to Ankara Francis Ricciardone announced Friday that the US will provide Turkey with three new attack helicopters, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported. According to the report, which quotes Turkey's TGRT news network, Ankara asked Washington for SuperCobra attack helicopters to replace those it lost in the campaign against Kurdish rebels.

Jordan's King Abdullah approves constitutional reforms
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Friday issued a decree approving a series of constitutional amendments in the wake of large-scale protests. Demonstrators had called for the downfall of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit's cabinet and the dissolution of both houses of parliament.

Over 10,000 soldiers have deserted Syria army, says high-ranking defector
Colonel Riad Assaad, a high-ranking defector from the Syrian military, told Reuters on Friday that more than 10,000 soldiers have deserted the Syrian army and defectors are attacking security police who enforce loyalty to President Bashar Assad. ..."Morale in the army is low and defections are mounting all over Syria, although many soldiers are waiting because the regime will kill them or kill their families if they leave," Asaad said.

Report: U.S. blocks $200 million in aid to Palestinian Authority
The United States Congress has blocked nearly $200m in aid to the Palestinians, the U.K’s Independent newspaper reported on Saturday. The aid, which was destined for projects related to food aid, health care, and state building efforts, was to have been transferred to the Palestinian Authority during the U.S. fiscal year that ends today, according to the report.

ANOTHER satellite to crash land soon, and the odds of it hitting someone are even higher
The world was gripped by the Nasa UARS satellite that fell back to Earth last Saturday – and now there’s another that’s plummeting back from orbit. In late October or early November a Germany astronomy satellite – called ROSAT- will plunge uncontrolled back to Earth. While slightly smaller than UARS, the German satellite is expected to have more pieces survive re-entry.

No Rise in Home Prices Until 2020: Bankers
Home prices are unlikely to recover before 2020 and mortgage defaults will persist for years, says a survey of bank risk managers out Friday. The survey conducted by the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association for FICO, found that 49 percent of respondents do not expect housing prices to rise back to 2007 levels for another nine years. Only 21 percent of respondents said they would.

Recent flooding spawns new wave of aggressive mosquitoes in Vermont
Flooding from Tropical Storm Irene appears to have spawned a new wave of particularly aggressive mosquitoes in Vermont, keeping the threat of a potentially fatal disease alive well into the fall, according to the state Health Department. “The flooding seems to have caused another hatch,” Erica Berl, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Vermont Department of Health, said Friday.

Afghanistan Haqqani militant Haji Mali Khan captured
A senior leader of the militant Haqqani network, Haji Mali Khan, has been captured in Afghanistan, the Nato-led international force Isaf has said. He was detained during an operation by Afghan and coalition forces in Paktia province on Tuesday, Isaf said. He was heavily armed but did not resist, it added.

Typhoon Nalgae batters flood-hit Philippines
The second typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than a week is battering the north of the country, with ferocious winds and heavy rain. Typhoon Nalgae has hit regions still waterlogged by the earlier storm, Nesat, and authorities have warned of flash floods and landslides. The BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila says many residents are still on rooftops awaiting rescue from the first storm.

Mexico court upholds Baja California abortion stance
Mexico's Supreme Court has upheld an amendment to Baja California's state constitution that stipulates life begins at conception, in a move hailed by anti-abortion campaigners. Although seven of the 11 justices deemed the measure unconstitutional, eight votes were needed to overturn it. More than half Mexico's 31 states have enacted right-to-life amendments that severely restrict abortions.

Khamenei slams two-state solution at 'Intifada Conference'
Iran's supreme ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came out against a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Saturday, speaking at Iran's fifth International Conference on Palestinian Intifada. Khamenei said that the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel amounts to a renouncement of the Palestinian rights, asserting that any solution to the conflict must be based on a principle of "the whole Palestine for all Palestinians," PressTV reported.

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U.S. Defense Secretary: Israel increasingly isolated in Middle East
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned on Sunday that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated in the Middle East and said U.S. security commitments should enable it to take "risks for peace."

Are Aliens Part of God's Plan, Too? Finding E.T. Could Change Religion Forever
Christians, in particular, might take the news hardest, because the Christian belief system does not easily allow for other intelligent beings in the universe, Christian thinkers said at the 100 Year Starship Symposium, a meeting sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to discuss issues surrounding traveling to other stars.

Canary Island Evacuated Amid Volcano Fears
Worries of a potential volcanic eruption have prompted Spanish authorities to evacuate residents and tourists on one of the Canary Islands. Thousands of tiny tremors have recently intensified, with the biggest one reaching a magnitude of 3.4, they said. The seismic activity indicates magma on the move.

Millions of Bees Mysteriously Die in Florida
Florida officials are abuzz as to how millions of honey bees were killed in Brevard County. Several beekeepers in the county have reported lost colonies this week. Charles Smith of Smith Family Honey Company told Stuart News Thursday he lost 400 beehives. He says the bees appeared to have been poisoned.

Israel officially accepts Quartet proposal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accepted the Quartet's proposal for the resumption of peace negotiations and a final status agreement within one year. Netanyahu made the decision after meeting with the eight-minister forum.

Protectionism beckons as leaders push world into Depression
The world savings rate has surpassed its modern-era high of 24pc. This is the killer in the global system. It is why we are at imminent risk of tipping into a second, deeper leg of intractable depression.

No Rise in Home Prices Until 2020: Bankers
Home prices are unlikely to recover before 2020 and mortgage defaults will persist for years, says a survey of bank risk managers out Friday.

Heavy rain triggers deadly Algeria floods
Flooding in Algeria has killed at least 10 people and destroyed hundreds of homes, officials have said. Eight people were killed in the town of el-Bayadh, 700km (435 miles) south of the capital Algiers, reports say. The dead include three children swept away by an overflowing river. A mother and her infant child are missing.

Alma telescope begins study of cosmic dawn
One of the 21st Century's grand scientific undertakings has begun its quest to view the "Cosmic Dawn". The Atacama large milllimetre/submillimetre array (Alma) in Chile is the largest, most complex telescope ever built. Alma's purpose is to study processes occurring a few hundred million years after the formation of the Universe when the first stars began to shine.

Banking crisis set to trigger new credit crunch
Credit default swaps on lenders as far afield as China and Australia, countries that until recently seemed immune to the chaos, have doubled in the last two months to levels not seen since the financial crisis.

Israel risks Middle East isolation, warns US official
Israel is becoming increasingly isolated in the Middle East, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned. He said Israel should restart peace talks with the Palestinians and restore good relations with Turkey and Egypt. Mr Panetta spoke while travelling to the region for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Israel Formally Accepts Quartet Plan to Restart Talks with PA
The State of Israel on Sunday officially accepted a plan by the Quartet of peacekeeping nations to restart final status talks with the Palestinian Authority.

Greece to miss deficit targets for 2011-2012
Greece won't meet 2011-2012 deficit targets imposed by international lenders as part of the country's bailout, the Finance Ministry said Sunday. The country's deficit this year is expected to reach 8.5 percent of gross domestic product, or euro18.69 billion ($25.2 billion) -- higher than the targeted euro17.1 billion ($23.1 billion), which would have been 7.8 percent of GDP, the ministry said.

California's debt burden soars to nearly 8 percent
California will devote nearly 8 percent of its general fund budget to paying off debt this fiscal year, more than twice the share of eight years ago, according to a new report from Treasurer Bill Lockyer. The state has long borrowed for massive public works projects intended to last across generations.

Arctic ozone loss at record level
Ozone loss over the Arctic this year was so severe that for the first time it could be called an "ozone hole" like the Antarctic one, scientists report. About 20km (13 miles) above the ground, 80% of the ozone was lost, they say. The cause was an unusually long spell of cold weather at altitude. In cold conditions, the chlorine chemicals that destroy ozone are at their most active.

Vatican’s pact with Islam
It has been five years since gave his controversial lectio about Islam at the German University of Regensburg. On September 12th, 2006, Joseph Ratzinger claimed that the god of the Muslims is both transcendental and unreasonable and he severely condemned jihad and the use of violence in the name of Koran. It was the only public event in which a Pope told the truth about some aspects of Islamic religion.



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Hairy, crazy ants invade from Texas to Miss.
And they're on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. In Texas, they've invaded homes and industrial complexes, urban areas and rural areas. They travel in cargo containers, hay bales, potted plants, motorcycles and moving vans. They overwhelm beehives — one Texas beekeeper was losing 100 a year in 2009. They short out industrial equipment.

China or the US? Make your choice
The defining geopolitical drama of the next century will be the battle for power and influence between China and America. That emerging struggle is already posing awkward choices for Asian countries, caught between the two global giants.

Ashton Vows Aid for PA Amid US Cuts
“Ashton informed Abbas that the EU projects to the PA and the Palestinians which are carried out in the Palestinian Territories, won’t be frozen due to the PA Leader move at the UN,” the Arabic-language Al-Quds newspaper reported, citing sources close to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

In Words and on Paper, Palestinian Officials Are Wiping Israel Off the Map
Last week, The Blaze reported that in his bid to the United Nations, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state based on the 1947 UN Partition Plan – an area much larger than that designated by the 1967 borders – stripping Israel of its only major international airport and its entire capital, Jerusalem. The 1967 borders had until now been the publicly stated demand of the Palestinians and their supporters in Europe and the United States, even as Israel has held 1967 lines leave the country nine miles wide and thus indefensible.

Measuring Global Photosynthesis Rate: Earth's Plant Life 'Recycles' Carbon Dioxide Faster Than Previously Estimated
What we have done is to use a naturally occurring marker in atmospheric CO2 that let us track how often it ended up inside a plant leaf, and from that we estimated the mean global rate of photosynthesis over the last few decades."

Israel Police on high alert as clashes ensue following mosque arson
Several dozen youths clashed with police overnight in a Bedouin village in northern Israel, hours after a local mosque was vandalized allegedly by Jewish extremists, officials said Tuesday.

Vatican’s pact with Islam
After Regensburg, the Vatican adopted an appeasement agenda. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who is known for having a pro-Islam position, was appointed by the Pope as the head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

China threatens trade war over U.S. law on currency manipulation
A bill on the reform of the exchange rates monitoring system approved on Monday by the U.S. Senate will complicate the resolution of economic problems between China and the United States and could spark a trade war, the People's Bank of China said in a statement.

Greece Falls Into 'Death Spiral': Rising Debt, No Growth
Drowning in red ink, Greece has nowhere to turn to revive the economic growth that might put its debt on a sustainable trajectory, reassure angry foreign creditors and offer hope to its recession-weary citizens. Instead, the country finds itself in a vicious circle—a death spiral, some would say—in which it is borrowing ever more to keep up on its existing debts, crushing growth in the process and thereby worsening its all-important ratio of debt-to-gross domestic product.

Russia's Putin says wants to build "Eurasian Union"
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he wants to bring ex-Soviet states into a "Eurasian Union" in an article which outlined his first foreign policy initiative as he prepares to return to the Kremlin as the country's next president. Putin said the new union would build on an existing Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan which from next year will remove all barriers to trade, capital and labor movement between the three countries.

Customs union, common economic space to underlie Eurasian union - Putin
The customs union and the common economic space being established by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will underlie a future Eurasian union, Russia's prime minister wrote in an article for the Izvestiya daily. The prospective union will not be a new U.S.S.R. or a replacement for the CIS, but an effective link between Europe and the Asia Pacific region

US Senate backs debate on currency law amid yuan row
The US Senate has voted in favour of debating laws which could pressure China to let its currency rise in value. The bill would give the US government the power to add tariffs to goods imported from countries deemed to be undervaluing their currencies to boost exports. Some politicians and trade groups say China uses its currency in such a way.

Greek crisis close to claiming first victim in EU banking sector
Franco-Belgian bank Dexia has said it might "restructure" its operations in response to a run on shares caused by exposure to bad Greek debt. The bank in a statement issued after an emergency meeting in the small hours of Tuesday (3 October) said "the board has asked the CEO to prepare ... the necessay measures to solve structural problems which hamper its operational activities", citing "the size of the portfolio of non-strategic assets [which] structurally weighs down on the group."

US scrambles to keep Palestinian Authority aid flowing
The Obama administration is lobbying Congress to unblock $200 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority that was frozen due to its bid for UN recognition of statehood over US and Israeli objections. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Monday the administration was in "intensive" discussions with key lawmakers who had put holds on the money, a financial lifeline for the fledgling Palestinian government-in-waiting.

Complaint filed against Ahmadinejad over embezzlement
Eleven Iranian deputies filed a complaint against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani over an embezzlement scandal of $2.6 billion in the country's seven banks, pan-Arab daily Al Hayat reported Tuesday. The complaint reportedly urged Iran's Supreme Leader to "cut off the hands" of those involved in the crime, Al Hayat said, as per Iranian law.

Egypt to markedly raise gas prices in new deal with Israel
Egypt will soon finish drafting a new contract for gas exports to its neighbor Israel that includes a big increase in prices, a newspaper cited the petroleum minister as saying on Tuesday. Gas supplies to Israel have been disrupted by a series of attacks on the pipeline in the Sinai border region by assailants believed to oppose the sale of gas to the Jewish state.

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Obama’s Lawyers Seek to Remove Employment Exceptions for Religious Organizations
The United States Department of Justice is about to create a great deal of controversy. Officials are planning to ask the Supreme Court to throw out long-standing legal precedent that protects religious organizations from governmental regulations and intrusions.

Russia and China Veto UN Resolution on Syria
Russia and China joined forces on Tuesday and vetoed a European-drafted UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria and hinting it could face sanctions if its bloody crackdown on protesters continues.

Lawmaker calls for international pressure to stop China’s cyber-espionage
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee spoke in unusually sharp terms Tuesday about China’s alleged efforts to steal American commercial data online, saying Beijing’s cyber-espionage campaign has “reached an intolerable level”.

Putin Calls for New ‘Euroasian Union’ of Former Soviet Countries
Tipping his hand on his foreign policy priorities if re-elected president next year, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called for the creation of a "Eurasian Union" of former Soviet countries that could serve as "a bridge" between Europe and Asia.

Early Season Snow Storm Hits Northern California
Three inches of snow fell in the mountains of northeastern California early on Wednesday, the U.S. National Weather Service has confirmed. The snowfall associated with an unusually early seasonal storm which could see up to 20 inches of snow accumulating above 7,000 feet.

Earthquake Swarm Continues On El Hierro, Canary Islands
The number of earthquakes recorded since July 17 on the smallest of The Canary Islands exceeded 9250 on Tuesday morning. IGN confirmed on Monday that 1172 earthquakes were recorded last week, the majority of which were located in the sea to the SW of the 280-sqkm island.

Palestinians to request UNESCO membership
Palestinian officials are set to seek membership in the U.N. cultural agency Wednesday, diplomats say, as they expand and accelerate their push for international recognition despite opposition from the United States and Israel. ...The Palestinians are also seeking a foothold in the World Trade Organization and won partnership status this week in the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights body.

Ahmadinejad: 'NATO radar won't stop Zionist regime's fall'
"We have told our Turkish friends that it was not right to give this permission and that it was not in their benefit to do this... But such radar system will not stop the fall of the Zionist regime."

Assad: Syria will shower Tel Aviv with rockets if attacked by foreign powers
Syria will strike Israel and "set fire" to the Middle East if foreign forces choose to launch a military strike on the protest-ridden country, the Iranian news agency Fars quoted Syrian President Bashar Assad as saying on Tuesday, referring to remarks made by the Syrian leader during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu last August.

Saudi police open fire on civilians as protests gain momentum
Pro-democracy protests which swept the Arab world earlier in the year have erupted in eastern Saudi Arabia over the past three days, with police opening fire with live rounds and many people injured, opposition activists say. ...Ahmad Al-Rayah, a spokesman for the Society for Development and Change, which is based in the area, said that most of the civilians hit were wounded in heavy firing by the security forces after 8pm on Monday.

Report: Assad threatens to attack Tel Aviv in case of NATO strike
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday threatened to set fire to the Middle East, and especially to Israel, if NATO attacks Syria, the Iranian Fars news agency reported. In a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Assad said: "If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv."

Russia reveals arrest of Chinese man for espionage
A Chinese man faces a charge in Russia of attempted spying for allegedly trying to gain details of a missile system through bribery. The man, identified as Tun Sheniyun, was arrested in Moscow on 28 October last year while working as an interpreter. However, his arrest was kept secret from the media until now.

Somali famine: Red Cross aid push in Islamist areas
The International Red Cross has begun a huge distribution of aid to one million people in famine zones in Somalia controlled by Islamist militants. A continuous operation will transport the food in lorries from the coast deep into areas controlled by al-Shabab. The Red Cross says it is its biggest such operation anywhere in the world.

EU to put higher pollution price on tar sands
The European Commission on Tuesday (4 October) proposed that oil derived from tar sands be given a higher greenhouse-gas emission value, a move slammed as "unjustified" and "discriminatory" by Canada, the world's largest producer of this fossil fuel. ..The draft bill still needs approval of the EU legislature and member states and will require suppliers to reduce transport-fuel carbon emissions.

Ahmadinejad: 'NATO radar won't stop Zionist regime's fall'
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized Turkey on Tuesday for hosting a NATO early-warning radar system, saying it was aimed at protecting Israel but warning it would "not stop the fall of the Zionist regime." The Turkish and US governments said last month the radar system would help spot missile threats coming from outside Europe, including potentially from Iran. The system, provided by the United States, is to become operational later this year.

Greece hit by new 24-hour general strike over austerity
A 24-hour general strike has begun in Greece in protest at the country's austerity measures. Schools will be closed, ferry services and flights cancelled and hospitals will be working with reduced staff.

Italy credit rating slashed by Moody's from Aa2 to A2
The Italian government's credit rating has been slashed by Moody's from Aa2 to A2 with a negative outlook. The ratings agency blamed a "material increase in long-term funding risks for the euro area", due to lost confidence in eurozone government debts.

Calif wife who killed, cooked husband seeks parole
A woman who killed her newlywed husband and chopped and cooked his body parts over Thanksgiving weekend in 1991 is seeking release from a California prison. Omaima Nelson, an Egyptian-born former model and nanny, is set to appear before parole commissioners Wednesday at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla where she has been serving a life sentence.

Russia vetoes UN resolution against Syria
Russia and China vetoed a European-backed U.N. Security Council resolution Tuesday that threatened sanctions against Syria if it didn't immediately halt its military crackdown against civilians.

Bank of America’s Countrywide May Face Fraud Suit After U.S. Housing Audit
Bank of America Corp. (BAC), the biggest U.S. lender, should face fraud claims after its Countrywide unit submitted faulty borrower data for federally insured mortgages, according to an audit by a U.S. watchdog.


Barak: Israel-Palestinians must find path to talks
Israel must find a way to resume negotiations with the Palestinians and has a responsibility to try to ease tensions with its neighbors in the region, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday amid prodding from the United States to return to peace talks.

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U.S. stocks' massive "melt-up" fans investor fears
NEW YORK (Reuters) - In less than one hour on Tuesday, the U.S. stock market surged by 4 percent -- for no apparent reason. The last hour of trading was the most volatile final hour in two months -- and it occurred at a speed that frightens many, from experienced hedge-fund managers to mom-and-pop investors.

After criticism, Palestinians say will cooperate with Quartet envoy Tony Blair
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman said on Wednesday that despite criticisms of Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair in senior Palestinian political circles, the Palestinians would continue to work with him.

Earthquake Swarm Keeps Iceland’s Katla Rocking
...the volcano has been showing signs that magma is moving under the ice-capped edifice. There have been frequent seismic swarms around and within the caldera that is currently filled with the Mýrdalsjökull (glacier) and on at least two occasions...

Middle East unrest spreads to Saudi Arabia
Saudi police sealed off the village of al-Awamiya in the east of the country on Monday night after using live fire to disperse Shia protesters, according to exiled Saudi dissidents.

More than 2,000 Evangelical, Orthodox Chaplains Join Catholics in Opposing Pentagon Directive on Same-Sex Marriage
A national group representing more than 2,000 military chaplains from evangelical Christian and Orthodox backgrounds said on Wednesday that the Pentagon has launched a “direct assault” on marriage, and the chaplains they endorse will not be allowed to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies under any circumstances.

Nearly Half of U.S. Lives in Household Receiving Government Benefit
Families were more dependent on government programs than ever last year. Nearly half, 48.5%, of the population lived in a household that received some type of government benefit in the first quarter of 2010, according to Census data. Those numbers have risen since the middle of the recession when 44.4% lived households receiving benefits in the third quarter of 2008.

Secret U.S. panel can put citizens on ‘kill list’
There is no public record of the operations or decisions of the panel, which is a subset of the White House’s National Security Council, several current and former officials said. Neither is there any law establishing its existence or setting out the rules by which it is supposed to operate.

EU calls for global tax, Canada says can block it
The European Commission said on Wednesday it would push next month's G20 summit to agree on a global financial transaction tax, but Canada said it may have enough support to block such a move.

Egyptian candidates call for earlier presidential poll
Six candidates for Egypt's presidential elections have called on the country's military rulers to hold presidential elections by the end of April. Under the current timetable the ruling military council may not hand over power until late 2012 at the earliest. The candidates also appealed for parliamentary polls to be shortened.

Bank of England injects further £75bn into economy
The Bank of England has said it will inject a further £75bn into the economy through quantitative easing (QE). The Bank has already pumped £200bn into the economy by buying assets such as government bonds, in an attempt to boost lending by commercial banks. But this is the first time it has added to its QE programme since 2009. There have been recent calls for it to step in again to aid the fragile recovery.

Israel may increase PA control in goodwill gesture
The government is considering a Palestinian request to transfer security control of additional territory in the West Bank to PA security forces as a goodwill gesture to President Mahmoud Abbas. The initiative may be linked to efforts to get Abbas to agree to renew negotiations.


World stocks slide on economy and debt fears
The euro zone faces a week packed with political and legal risks, beginning with the German Federal Constitutional court ruling on Wednesday on claims that Berlin is breaking German law and European treaties by contributing to bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

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Reykjanes Ridge Earthquakes Coincide With Rise In Seismic Activity At Katla Volcano
The Reykjanes Ridge, the part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises up to the ocean surface to the southwest of Iceland, has been hit by a series of earthquakes during the past 48 hours. The quakes have coincided with a surge in seismic activity in the vicinity of the Katla volcano in the south of Iceland.

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Close To New Zealand’s North Island
A powerful subsea earthquake struck to the northeast of New Zealand’s North Island on Friday. No tsunami alert was issued. The 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit in New Zealand’s Kermadec Islands region at 08:58:29 PM local time (09:58:29 GMT).

Housing bust worst since Great Depression
The American dream of homeownership has felt its biggest drop since the Great Depression, according to new 2010 census figures released Thursday.

Holder may have had fingers in 'Fast and Furious' for years
One member of Congress has started using the word "accessory" in talking about members of the Obama administration who had their fingers on the pulse of the Operation Gunrunner Fast and Furious stunt under which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ordered gun dealers to sell weapons to unqualified buyers, who then dumped them into the Mexican drug cartel civil war.

Gallup: 'Recent Surge' of Young Adults Want Gov’t to ‘Promote Traditional Values’
Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 are now more likely than Americans in older age brackets to say government should promote traditional values. This reverses the historical pattern in Gallup’s polling on this question.

Medical-pot users fuming over ATF’s gun-sale ban
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is in the crosshairs for a recent memo prohibiting gun merchants from selling firearms to anyone who uses marijuana, including those with state-issued medical-marijuana cards.

World facing worst financial crisis in history, Bank of England Governor says
The world is facing the worst financial crisis since at least the 1930s “if not ever”, the Governor of the Bank of England said last night.

IMF Advisor: Could See Eurozone 'Meltdown' in 2 Or 3 Weeks
"If they can not address [the financial crisis] in a credible way I believe within perhaps 2 to 3 weeks we will have a meltdown in sovereign debt which will produce a meltdown across the European banking system".

Reid triggers ‘nuclear option’ to change Senate rules, end repeat filibusters
In a shocking development Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered a rarely used procedural option informally called the “nuclear option” to change the Senate rules. Reid and 50 members of his caucus voted to change Senate rules unilaterally to prevent Republicans from forcing votes on uncomfortable amendments after the chamber has voted to move to final passage of a bill.

Secret panel can put Americans on "kill list'
American militants like Anwar al-Awlaki are placed on a kill or capture list by a secretive panel of senior government officials, which then informs the president of its decisions, according to officials. There is no public record of the operations or decisions of the panel, which is a subset of the White House's National Security Council, several current and former officials said.

Yom Kippur drill: IDF simulates war call-up
The IDF is taking no chances on the eve of Yom Kippur. In an unusual and rare step, The IDF's General Staff alerted two reserve divisions as part of an emergency drill in army bases in central and northern Israel. The purpose of the exercise was to test the soldiers' level of response and readiness for war. On Wednesday evening, at 6 pm, reserve soldiers received a phone call ordering them to report to their units immediately. The drill ended on Thursday at 4 pm.

Feds to design health insurance for the masses
The federal government is taking on a crucial new role in the nation's health care, designing a basic benefits package for millions of privately insured Americans. A framework for the Obama administration was released Friday. The report by independent experts from the Institute of Medicine lays out guidelines for deciding what to include in the new "essential benefits package," and how to keep it affordable for small businesses and taxpayers, as well as scientifically up to date.

UK financial firms downgraded by Moody's rating agency
Moody's has downgraded the credit rating of 12 UK financial firms including Lloyds TSB, RBS, Nationwide and Santander UK. Moody's said it now believed the UK government was less likely to support some firms if they got into trouble. However, the firm emphasised that the downgrades did not "reflect a deterioration in the financial strength of the banking system".

US warns against European ‘gridlock’
In the latest round of public pressure mounted on European leaders to move swiftly to contain the worsening debt crisis, Washington has again demanded the EU “act fast”. US President Barack Obama on Thursday (6 October) in his first press conference since the middle of the summer said that the American economy was flagging and warned against European “gridlock”.

Magnitude-6.2 earthquake hits Argentina
A magnitude-6.2 earthquake hit at a relatively shallow depth in northwestern Argentina Thursday, emptying schools and houses as people sought safety outside. In the provinces of Jujuy and Salta, people tweeted that it was the strongest quake they'd felt in years, cracking windows and toppling furniture. But there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injury.

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Settlers vow to resist future evictions
The second disengagement? The State is gearing to launch a series of West Bank settlements and outpost evictions after the High Holidays, but the settlers have vowed Friday to resist the move with all their might. The State will follow through on its pledge to the High Court of Justice and will raze some 85 permanent housing units in Migron, Givat Assaf and Beit-El's Ulpana neighborhood, evicting close to 1,000 people in the process.

FBI to launch nationwide facial recognition service
The FBI by mid-January will activate a nationwide facial recognition service in select states that will allow local police to identify unknown subjects in photos, bureau officials told Nextgov. The federal government is embarking on a multiyear, $1 billion dollar overhaul of the FBI's existing fingerprint database to more quickly and accurately identify suspects, partly through applying other biometric markers, such as iris scans and voice recordings.

Sarkozy discussing EU debt crisis with IMF's Lagarde
IMF chief Christine Lagarde has gone into talks in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the eurozone debt crisis. The meeting is part of a flurry of weekend activity which will also see Mr Sarkozy visit Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They will discuss how to help banks over-exposed to sovereign debt.

Japan grounds fighter jet fleet
Japan has grounded more than 200 F-15 fighter jets after a fuel tank fell off one of the war planes during a training mission. Flames were seen under the wing and fallen parts were scattered at sites near the western city of Komatsu. No-one was injured in the incident and the plane landed safely.

Dutch to reclassify high-strength cannabis
The famous cannabis-selling coffee shops of the Netherlands are facing new tighter restrictions. The Dutch government is reclassifying high-strength cannabis to put it in the same category as hard drugs.

NATO says 25 killed in coordinated assault on US bases
NATO said that at least 25 insurgents were killed during the largest coordinated insurgent attack on military bases in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika since 2009. The attacks targeted US-led troops near the border with Pakistan on Friday as Afghanistan and the United States marked the 10th anniversary of the US bombing campaign that forced the Taliban from power in late 2001.

Syrian Kurdish activist Mishaal al-Tammo shot dead
Gunmen have shot dead prominent Syrian Kurdish opposition figure Mishaal al-Tammo in his home in Qamishli, north-eastern Syria, activists say. Anti-regime activists said four men entered his home and opened fire

Italy and Spain debt downgraded by Fitch
Italian and Spanish government debt have both been downgraded by the Fitch credit rating agency. Fitch cut Italy's rating by one notch, from AA- to A+, following fellow agency Moody's downgrade earlier this week.

Libya NTC forces surround pro-Gaddafi fighters in Sirte
The BBC's Jonathan Head in the centre of Sirte: "Those Gaddafi remnants are proving very tough to beat" The forces of Libya's transitional government have fought their way into the centre of Sirte, one of the last cities loyal to ex-leader Col Gaddafi.

Arab uprisings' women celebrate Nobel recognition
As demonstrations first swelled in Yemen, regime supporters distributed a photo showing Tawakkul Karman at a protest with a male colleague — cutting out others around them — to taint her for being alone with a man.

Mexican drug gangs competing for 'cartel cred'
Masked gunmen dump the bodies of 35 slaying victims during rush hour as terrified motorists watch and tweet friends to avoid the avenue in a Gulf coast city. A couple of weeks later, 32 more corpses are found nearby in three houses.

Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet
A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.

Video Feature: "Ancient" Prophecies or Present Reality?
Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel ("Tuesday Night Live", a project that originated on Arutz Sheva ) are back. Ari and Jeremy present the following video which provides a captivating historical Biblical context through which to filter the events of our times. "We wanted to offer a critical framework," they say. "A framework with which we can decide where the truth lies and where we should place our faith with regards to the modern State of Israel."

Security forces on high alert as Israelis mark Yom Kippur
Security and rescue forces were on high alert and deployed in large numbers in Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank for Yom Kippur, which begins Friday afternoon and ends Saturday at dusk. Security crossings into Israel from the West Bank were temporarily closed Thursday night and will open again at midnight on Saturday in accordance with security assessments adopted by the IDF.

Video: Jews Shout Out to G-d at the Western Wall
A special prayer service was at the Wall held this week, advertised in posters throughout the city of Jerusalem, attended by people from all over the country. It was led by the Rabbi of the city of Tzfat, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, the son of the late Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu. The sound of the shofar was not heard during this particular service; rather, Rav Eliyahu asked the participants to cry out together to G-d instead because of the many difficulties besetting the Jewish people and the state of Israel at the start of this new year.

New And Ongoing World Volcanic Activity – El Hierro, Anak Krakatau, Shiveluch, Mount Etna
Other active volcanoes featured this week include Krakatau in Indonesia, Puyehue-Cordón Caulle in Chile, Nabro in Eritrea, Shiveluch in Russia, Mount Etna in Italy, Santa Maria in Guatemala, and Rincón de la Vieja in Costa Rica.



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Volcanic eruption alert on Spanish Canary Island
The regional government of the Spanish Canary Island of El Hierro has issued a volcanic eruption alert following almost 10,000 small tremors recorded in the past three months. The government posted a yellow alert — second level in a scale of four — Sunday and closed some hillside roads and a tunnel to avoid possible injury by falling rocks.

Church of Hate to Picket Steve Jobs's Funeral
The passing of Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs has garnered a lot of attention, with most talking about how he inspired many and changed the world with his technological inventions. Unfortunately, the attention has also brought out some of the bad, and that includes those starving for media attention, like the Westboro Baptist Church.

Palestinian official reiterates call to replace Tony Blair as Quartet Mideast envoy
Comments by Abbas aide come after recent PA announcement, according to which the Palestinians were willing to work with Blair despite criticism of his alleged impartiality; Blair: My focus is on activating the Quartet statement's call for a return to direct peace talks.

Pope denounces "inhuman" mafia in southern Italy
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday denounced the "inhuman" mafia that plagues southern Italy and urged residents there to respond to the region's suffering by caring for one another and the common good. Benedict made the comments while celebrating an open-air Mass in Lamezia Terme, in Calabria in the "toe" of boot-shaped Italy.

China's Hu urges unification with rival Taiwan
China's president on Sunday used the centennial of a revolution that ended imperial rule to make an appeal to further relations with Taiwan, saying they should move beyond the history that divides them and focus on common economic and cultural interests.

Christians fear Islamist pressure in Egypt
On her first day to school, 15-year-old Christian student Ferial Habib was stopped at the doorstep of her new high school with clear instructions: either put on a headscarf or no school this year. Habib refused. While most Muslim women in Egypt wear the headscarf, Christians do not, and the move by administrators to force a Christian student to don it was unprecedented.

Iran says may accept Russian deal to end nuclear standoff with West
Iran tentatively accepts a Russian "step-by-step" deal to end Tehran's nuclear standoff with the West, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Saturday, reiterating what he called Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy.

Iran: Turkey must rethink stance on Syria, NATO missile shield or face 'trouble'
A key aide to Iran's supreme leader said on Saturday Turkey must radically rethink its policies on Syria, the NATO missile shield and promoting Muslim secularism in the Arab world -- or face trouble from its own people and neighbors.

2011 Sets New Record for Federal Disaster Declarations
The year 2011 will go down as a record-setting year when it comes to federal disaster declarations, industry analysts say. With another three months left in 2011, and hurricane season continues until November 30, the number of federal disaster declarations already exceeds 2010′s record, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

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NKorea notches up cult around 'Illustrious' son
The Illustrious General has had a busy year. Since making his international debut a year ago Monday, Kim Jong Un has been serving as military strategist, political statesman and trusted deputy to his father, leader Kim Jong Il.

Israel ready to strike Syria, Lebanon, Gaza
Israeli officials have reportedly warned Syrian dictator Bashar Assad that if he uses the downfall of his regime as an excuse to launch missiles at Tel Aviv, Israel will respond with a massive assault against Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.

House Committee to Subpoena Holder in 'Fast and Furious' Probe
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is planning to subpoena Attorney General Eric Holder this week to determine who in the Justice Department knew about "Operation Fast and Furious" -- the plan to let thousands of guns sold in the U.S. get into Mexican drug cartel hands -- and when they knew it.

U.S. Government Obtains Secret Court Order for Email Data of WikiLeaks Volunteer
The U.S. government obtained a controversial type of secret court order to force Google Inc. and small internet provider Sonic.net Inc. to turn over information from the email accounts of a WikiLeaks volunteer.

Hurricane Jova Becomes a Major Storm in Pacific
Hurricane Jova has strengthened to a major storm in the Pacific as it heads toward Mexico's coast. Jova's maximum sustained winds have increased early Monday to near 120 mph with some additional strengthening forecast in the next day or so.

China warns U.S. arms sale to Taiwan to hurt ties
China reiterated Monday that the United States' arms sales to Taiwan seriously undermines its core interests and would harm ties between Washington and Beijing.

Syria forces kill 31 across country as clashes continue
At least 31 people were killed across Syria on Sunday in a series of shootings, including fighting between gunmen believed to be army deserters and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad, a Syrian activist group said on Monday.

Japan quake: ********* children receive thyroid tests
Japanese health workers have begun checking more than 300,000 children living near the ********* nuclear plant for thyroid abnormalities. Parents have expressed concern about a link between thyroid abnormalities and radiation, citing reports of a rise after Chernobyl in 1986. The ********* plant was crippled by the earthquake and tsunami in March which killed 20,000 people.

********* survives huge aftershock
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake has hit Japan's ********* area, but officials say the region's crippled nuclear plant remains stable. The offshore quake struck today at 11.45am (1345 AEDT) off ********* prefecture in the country's north, at a depth of 30.2km, the US Geological Survey said. A tsunami was not expected, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, while there were no reports of damage.

Egypt PM Essam Sharaf urges calm after Cairo clashes
Egypt's PM has appealed for calm after 24 people were killed as clashes between Coptic Christians and security forces escalated into full-scale riots. The violence broke out after a protest in Cairo against an attack on a church in Aswan province last week. Some Muslims joined the Copts in protesting against military rule while others responded to government calls to help preserve stability.

Eurozone crisis: Merkel and Sarkozy 'agree key changes'
The German and French leaders will propose "important changes" to the way the eurozone operates after talks on controlling the bloc's debt crisis. Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy said the aim was closer and more binding economic and financial cooperation between eurozone countries. The leaders said they would give further details by the end of October.

ABC Enters Full Cheerleading Mode for Leftist Protests ‘Growing in Size and Diversity’
ABC stepped up its promotion Sunday night on behalf of the far-left protesters, which they failed to label, making a special effort to explain and frame their grievances – a service they never provided to the Tea Party.

Volcanic Alert In Effect On El Hierro As 4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits
The IGN also confirmed surface deformations exceeding 35mm on the 280-sqkm island, where residents have been put on alert for a possible volcanic eruption. However, seismologists have moved to reassure the local population that a volcanic eruption is not imminent.

Christchurch Rattled By Moderate Earthquake
The 5.5-magnitude earthquake at 8.34 p.m. local time (0734 GMT) was centered about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) neast of Diamond Harbour, a small settlement on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, or 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) east-southeast of Christchurch. It struck about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GeoNet), the country’s seismological agency.

PA minister: Palestinians to push world heritage agenda
The Palestinians will seek World Heritage status for Bethlehem and its Church of the Nativity if the UN cultural agency admits them as a full member, and will then nominate other sites on Israeli-occupied land for the same standing, a Palestinian Authority minister said on Monday. Hamdan Taha, a PA minister who deals with antiquities and culture, said UNESCO membership was the Palestinians' natural right. He described as "regrettable" the objections of some governments including the United States.

European bank bill well over £86 billion - Ireland
There is general agreement that European banks will need fresh capital well in excess of 100 billion euros (£86 billion) and it will likely come from a variety of sources, including the euro zone rescue fund, Ireland's finance minister said on Saturday.

Secret Memo Reveals Legal Justification for Killing Al-Awlaki
The memo, written last year, followed months of extensive interagency deliberations and offers a glimpse into the legal debate that led to one of the most significant decisions made by President Obama — to move ahead with the killing of an American citizen without a trial. The secret document provided the justification for acting despite an executive order banning assassinations, a federal law against murder, protections in the Bill of Rights and various strictures of the international laws of war, according to people familiar with the analysis.

Hurricane Jova grows in Pacific, threatens Mexico
Hurricane Jova was strengthening as it headed for the southwestern Mexican coast, US meteorologists said Sunday, warning the system would likely grow further in the coming days. The category one hurricane was at 0900 GMT packing maximum sustained winds of up to 85 miles per hour (140 kilometers per hour), said the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Report: Top Israeli defense official arrives in Egypt to discuss border security
A top Israeli security official is visiting Cairo, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Sunday, amid recent tensions between Israel and Egypt over security arrangements in the Sinai. Relations between Israel and Egypt took a turn to the worse in August, when eight Israelis were killed on a desert border road by gunmen who Israel has said infiltrated from the Gaza Strip via Egypt's Sinai desert.

Syria warns against recognising new opposition council
Syria has warned it will take "tough measures" against any country that recognises the newly-formed opposition Syrian National Council (SNC). Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem did not give details but said the council was not legitimate. Earlier this week, seven Syrian opposition factions announced they were joining forces to form a coalition.

Jerry Brown signs 'California Dream Act' into law
The governor of California, Jerry Brown, has signed into law legislation allowing illegal immigrants to receive state aid to attend college. Supporters of the California Dream Act, as it is called, say it will benefit the state economically. However, critics argue that it condones entry into the US without proper documentation.

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ACORN: Puppet Master of Occupy Wall Street
The Working Families Party , an infamous ACORN front group notorious for corruption, was instrumental in organizing the Occupy Wall Street protests, according to radical journalist Laura Flanders of Free Speech TV. The protests, which have spread to several other large U.S. cities, are part of what ACORN’s neo-communist founder Wade Rathke calls an “anti-banking jihad.”

German push for Greek default risks EMU-wide 'snowball'
Germany is pushing behind the scenes for a "hard" default in Greece with losses of up to 60pc for banks and pension funds, risking a chain-reaction across southern Europe unless credible defences are established first.

Israeli prime minister accepts EU invitation to meet Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accepted a European Union invitation to meet Palestinian leaders in an effort to restart peace talks, his office said in a statement. Netanyahu told EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in a telephone conversation that he “is happy to meet (Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas at any time,” said the statement.

Electronic Surveillance Scandal Hits Germany
It sounds like something out of George Orwell's novel "1984" -- a computer program that can remotely control someone's computer without their knowledge, search its complete contents and use it to conduct audio-visual surveillance via the microphone or webcam.

Subsea Volcanic Eruption Underway Near El Hierro (The Canary Islands)
A submarine volcanic eruption is taking place approximately 5 kilometres off the southern coast of El Hierro, the smallest of The Canary Islands. The Mayor of La Frontera (El Hierro), David Cabrera, confirmed in an interview on Radio iron Garoé that ‘underwater eruption’ is taking place about 900 metres beneath the sea surface five kilometres south of La Restinga. The eruption has been ongoing for four hours, the Mayor said.

Congress still may be unprepared for a terrorist strike
Two weeks ago, the FBI arrested Rezwan Ferdaus and accused the 26-year-old Massachusetts man of planning to fly an explosives-laden model airplane into the U.S. Capitol. The plot’s revelation sparked debate over the FBI’s tactics in investigating Muslims and drew attention to the possibility that someone could use remote-controlled aircraft to carry out a terrorist attack.

Russian PM Putin in China seeking closer ties
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Chinese leaders opened two days of meetings Tuesday aimed at boosting relations amid strains over declining military sales and stalled talks over energy deals. Putin said after meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao that political relations between the countries were good, but hinted that tough negotiations over a massive natural gas deal still had a distance to go.

Syria clergyman threatens West with suicide attacks
Syria's highest Sunni Muslim clergyman, Mufti Ahmed Badereddine Hassoun, threatened Monday to order suicide attacks in the United States and Europe if his country is attacked. "I am telling this to Europe and the United States: We will set up suicide attackers who now live on your land in case you bomb Syria or Lebanon," Hasson said in a video posted on the website of the Al Arabiya television network.

Israel ready to strike Syria, Lebanon, Gaza
Israeli officials have reportedly warned Syrian dictator Bashar Assad that if he uses the downfall of his regime as an excuse to launch missiles at Tel Aviv, Israel will respond with a massive assault against Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.

China currency bill set to clear US Senate
Defying Chinese anger and White House warnings, the US Senate was set Tuesday to approve legislation to punish China for alleged currency manipulation widely blamed here for costing American jobs. The proposal, powered by a tide of US voter frustration at a sour economy and high unemployment ahead of November 2012 elections, envisions retaliatory duties on Chinese exports if the yuan's value is unfairly "misaligned."

Christians under siege in post-revolution Egypt
Egypt's Coptic Christians have long felt like second-class citizens in their own country. Now many fear that the power vacuum left after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak is giving Muslim extremists free rein to torch churches and attack Coptic homes in the worst violence against the community in decades.

Calif. Governor Veto Allows Warrantless Cellphone Searches
California Gov. Jerry Brown is vetoing legislation requiring police to obtain a court warrant to search the mobile phones of suspects at the time of any arrest. The Sunday veto means that when police arrest anybody in the Golden State, they may search that person’s mobile phone — which in the digital age likely means the contents of persons’ e-mail, call records, text messages, photos, banking activity, cloud-storage services, and even where the phone has traveled.

US crime predicting technology tests draw Minority Report comparisons
Using cameras and sensors the "pre-crime" system measures and tracks changes in a person's body movements, the pitch of their voice and the rhythm of their speech. It also monitors breathing patterns, eye movements, blink rate and alterations in body heat, which are used to assess an individual's likelihood to commit a crime.

UK doctors advised gonorrhoea has turned drug resistant
UK doctors are being told the antibiotic normally used to treat gonorrhoea is no longer effective because the sexually transmitted disease is now largely resistant to it. The Health Protection Agency says we may be heading to a point when the disease is incurable unless new treatments can be found.

EU welcomes Syria opposition council as 'positive step'
The EU has welcomed the formation of the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) as "a positive step forward". The statement, agreed by EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg, called on other countries to do the same. It comes a day after Syria warned it would take "tough measures" against any country that recognised the SNC.

Germany spyware: Minister calls for probe of state use
Germany's justice minister has called for a national and state level probe into the use of controversial computer software to spy on people. The German state of Bavaria has admitted using the spyware, but claimed it had acted within the law. Three other states have also confirmed they have used spyware in order to investigate serious criminal offences, a German newspaper reports.

Thailand races to defend Bangkok from floods
Workers in Thailand are racing to complete floodwalls of sandbags on the outskirts of Bangkok to stop the country's worst floods in years from inundating parts of the capital. Further north, Thailand's plains are also severely flooded. In the province of Ayutthaya - one of the worst-affected areas - people have been moving to evacuation shelters.

EU summit delayed as France, Germany tussle
European Council President Herman van Rompuy has delayed by a week a planned summit of the bloc’s leaders in order to give more time for behind-the-scenes negotiations on plans to bring an end to the eurozone crisis. ...The announcement comes in the wake of an inconclusive meeting between the EU’s two economic powerhouses, France and Germany, on Sunday.

In Putin’s return, Russian Jews see stability
Most Russian Jews, it seems, say that Putin's return after a four-year stint as prime minister is good news for stability, and that's good for the country’s Jewish community. Critics, however, say it’s a sign of Russia’s stagnation. Echoing traditional Jewish sensibilities, Yevgeniy Satanovsky, head of the Institute for Israel and Near Eastern Studies, a think tank in Moscow, says that Jews do not have to worry about Putin.

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Volcanic Red Alert Issued As Residents Are Evacuated From El Hierro Town
A Red Alert has since been issued by local authorities for the town. A notice posted on the Emergencia El Hierro website on Tuesday evening stated: “Phase pre-eruptive. It involves the initiation of a preventive evacuation. Make yourself available to the authorities.”

Papua Earthquake Strongest To Hit Region in 2011
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit Papua in Indonesia late on Tuesday, according to Geoscience Australia. The quake struck at 10:05 p.m. local time (2:05 p.m. GMT) at an estimated depth of 20.3 km (12.6 miles).

Solar sleuths may have solved British cold case
NEW satellite data suggests recent cold winters in Britain and northern Europe may be linked to changes in the sun's activity. If the findings - reported in the journal Nature Geoscience - hold up, they would lend weight to the argument that Europe's "Little Ice Age" was triggered or worsened by a reduction in solar intensity.

Tens of thousands rally in support of Assad in Syria capital
Tens of thousands of Syrians demonstrated in central Damascus on Wednesday in show of support for President Bashar Assad, who is battling a six-month uprising against his rule in which the United Nations says 2,900 people have been killed.

Not a Single Christian Church Left in Afghanistan, Says State Department
“There is no longer a public Christian church; the courts have not upheld the church's claim to its 99-year lease, and the landowner destroyed the building in March [2010],” reads the State Department report on religious freedom. “[Private] chapels and churches for the international community of various faiths are located on several military bases, PRTs [Provincial Reconstruction Teams], and at the Italian embassy. Some citizens who converted to Christianity as refugees have returned.”

Tens of thousands rally to support Assad in Damascus
Tens of thousands of Syrians demonstrated in central Damascus on Wednesday in show of support for President Bashar al-Assad, who is battling a six-month uprising against his rule in which the United Nations says 2,900 people have been killed. "America, out, out, Syria will stay free," chanted the crowd, many of them carrying pictures of Assad and Syrian flags. They also shouted slogans warning the European Union not to intervene in their country.

Congressional Investigators to Subpoena Holder in Fast and Furious Probe
Congressional investigators probing the failed anti-gunrunning operation Fast and Furious are sending a new subpoena to Attorney General Eric Holder -- seeking communications from about a dozen top Justice Department officials, including Holder; his chief of staff, Gary Grindler; and the head of the department's criminal division,

Iran calls Saudi ambassador assassination allegations an 'evil plot'
Iran's US ambassador accused Israel of carrying out the murders of Iranian nuclear scientists with US support, in a letter sent to UN leader Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council. "Iran categorically and in the strongest terms condemns this shameful allegation by the United States authorities and deplores it as a well-thought evil plot in line with their anti-Iranian policy," Mohammad Khazaee said in the letter.

U.S. Ties Iran to Assassination Plot Against Saudi Diplomat on U.S. Soil
Authorities foiled a plot that was directed by factions of the Iranian government to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday at a press conference.

Not a Single Christian Church Left in Afghanistan, Says State Department
There is not a single, public Christian church left in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. State Department. This reflects the state of religious freedom in that country ten years after the United States first invaded it and overthrew its Islamist Taliban regime.

India: Children killed in India encephalitis outbreak
More than 400 people, mainly children, have died in an outbreak of viral encephalitis in northern India, health officials say. So far 2,300 patients have been admitted to a hospital in the affected Gorakhpur area of Uttar Pradesh state. A doctor told the BBC that it was a "tragedy beyond imagination" with children dying every day.

Egypt minister Hazem el-Beblawi quits over Coptic rally
Egypt's Finance Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, who was appointed by the ruling military council after popular protests earlier this year, has resigned, officials and media say. Mr Beblawi, who was also deputy PM, quit over the government's handling of a Christian Coptic protest on Sunday, they said. It ended in clashes between the army and protesters in which 25 were killed.

US Senate passes bill to pressure China on yuan
The US Senate has voted through a bill that aims to aims to put pressure on China to increase the value of its currency, the yuan. Some lawmakers argue that the Chinese yuan has been kept artificially undervalued, giving the country an unfair advantage and hitting US jobs. The legislation passed the Democrat-led Senate 63-35, putting it through to the House of Representatives.

UK unemployment total reaches 17-year high
UK unemployment rose by 114,000 between June and August to 2.57 million, a 17-year high, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate also increased to 8.1%. The unemployment total for 16-24 year olds hit a record high of 991,000 in the quarter, a jobless rate of 21.3%.

Republicans block Obama jobs bill
Republicans in the US Senate have blocked President Barack Obama's jobs bill in a procedural vote. Forty-six Republican senators joined with two Democrats to filibuster the $447bn (£287bn) package. Reacting to the vote, Mr Obama said: "Tonight's vote is by no means the end of this fight."

US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'
The US secretary of state has called for a "very strong message" to be sent to Iran, after allegations of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US. Hillary Clinton said Washington was preparing new penalties against Iran, which is already subject to a variety of international sanctions. Two Iranians were charged over the plot which US officials said implicated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

EU starts collecting fingerprints for visa applications
The EU on Tuesday (11 October) started collecting fingerprints of visa applicants in north African countries, as part of a new data base connecting all 25 countries that are part of the border-free Schengen zone. The system should be rolled out in all EU consulates around the world by 2014, but is already two years behind schedule.

Slovak government collapses over euro-bailout fund
The Slovak parliament on Tuesday (11 October) brought down the government in a no-confidence vote linked to the eurozone bail-out fund, a move putting in doubt a second rescue package for Greece as agreed by EU leaders in July. The vote count showed 55 MPs in favour of extending the powers of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and nine against out of a chamber of 150 members.

Jewish communities hail thwarting of Iran terror plot
Jewish communities in the US and Argentina on Wednesday congratulated law enforcement officials in Washington D.C. who earlier announced the foiling of a terror plot targeting the Israeli embassies in their respective countries. Jewish groups in the US said the suspected conspiracy by two Iranian men to kill the Saudi ambassador and blow up the Israeli embassy in Washington was consistent with the violence espoused by the Islamic Republic.

Shin Bet chief: Schalit swap 'is the best deal possible'
The prisoner swap approved by the cabinet to release Gilad Schalit "is the best deal possible," Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yoram Cohen said Wednesday while noting that the release of 1,000 prisoners would likely increase Hamas's motivation to attack Israel and try to abduct more soldiers. "If there had been a better deal or viable military operation we would have chosen it," Cohen told reporters during a briefing at Shin Bet headquarters.

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Libya’s missing missiles find their way to Sinai’s black market in Egypt
The black market in the Sinai Peninsula is being flooded with weapons that were thought to be missing in Libya, The Washington Post cited current and former Egyptian military officials and arms traders as saying. One military official in Cairo told the paper that Egyptian security “officials have intercepted surface-to-air missiles, most of them shoulder-launched, on the road to Sinai and in the smuggling tunnels connecting Egypt to the Gaza Strip” since the fall of Tripoli in August.

UN Security Council discusses Yemen as thousands march
Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the Yemeni capital Wednesday, calling on the UN Security Council to draft a firm resolution in support of change in the country. The protest in Sanaa was mirrored in cities across the country, with protests held in 12 provinces nationwide.

Egypt: Planes patrol Sinai without Israel's consent
Egypt's air force chief said on Thursday that Egyptian warplanes are patrolling Sinai without Israel's consent, despite a 1979 peace treaty limiting Egypt's military presence in the peninsula. "Sinai is our land, and we do not need permission to increase our forces on our land," General Reda Hafiz told the official MENA news agency.

Obama’s bomb deal with Israel raises the spectre of war
Obama may be widely regarded at home as the least pro-Israeli president in decades, but he has secretly okayed giving the Jewish state a bunch of special bunker-busting bombs – ideal for destroying Tehran’s ruling mullahs’ nuclear ambitions and so powerful that George W. Bush blocked handing them over.

'Ghostwriting' the Torah? New Algorithm Distinguishes Contributors to the Old Testament With High Accuracy
...researchers have developed an algorithm that could help to unravel the different sources that contributed to individual books of the Bible. Prof. Nachum Dershowitz of Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science, who worked in collaboration with his son, Bible scholar Idan Dershowitz of Hebrew University, and Prof. Moshe Koppel and Ph.D. student Navot Akiva of Bar-Ilan University, says that their computer algorithm recognizes linguistic cues, such as word preference, to divide texts into probable author groupings

Geological agency says 6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia's resort island of Bali
earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Bali Thursday, causing panic in tourist areas as people fled buildings that cracked as they shook violently in the tremor.

European banks may need to raise 200bn euros
European banks may have to raise a collective 200bn euros ($276bn; £175bn) to boost their capital reserves. The proposal is being made by the European Banking Authority (EBA), which wants the banks to have more funds in reserve to help protect them from any future shocks in the financial markets. BBC business editor Robert Peston said banks may struggle to raise the money.

Floods and landslides leave 18 dead in Central America
A tropical depression storm pounding Central America has triggered floods and landslides that have left at least 18 people dead, officials say. In Guatemala, at least 13 people were reported killed with four victims in Nicaragua and one in El Salvador. Guatemala issued a "red alert" and reported at least a dozen landslides on roads and eight badly damaged bridges.

USGS Reports Record Number Of Strong Earthquakes In 2011
By analysing data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), IWO was able to determine that earthquake activity (6.0-9.9 magnitude) during the period 01 January to 12 October 2011 reached its highest level in 20 years. The 2011 data was compared with data for the corresponding period in each of the 19 previous years since 1992

Blunt warning on Europe’s banks from EC president Jose Manuel Barroso
Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has warned European governments that unless they agree to a full recapitalisation of the region’s banks the crisis afflicting lenders risks becoming “systemic”.

'Schalit arrives in Cairo along with Hamas delegation'
The prisoner-swap deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit was beginning to materialize, according to media reports on Thursday. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was reportedly in Cairo with a small delegation in order to finalize the deal as Schalit's family left their protest tent in Jerusalem to return to their Mitzpe Hila home in the Upper Galilee.

N.Korea Moves Arms Closer to Border
North Korea has recently moved fighter jets near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border, and ground-to-air missiles close to Baeknyeong Island. There is speculation that it plans a minor provocation while South Korean president Lee Myung-bak visits the U.S. since any show of unity between the two allies tends to incense the North.

Egypt says it received formal apology from Barak's office
Egypt confirmed on Wednesday that it had received an official letter of apology from Israel on the deaths of six Egyptian security forces near the southern border with Sinai. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed it had received an apology for the deaths from the Foreign Minister Ehud Barak's office just hours after the announcement that Israel and Hamas had approved a prisoner-exchange agreement for the release of kidnapped tank gunner Gilad Schalit, Egyptian daily Al Ahram reported.


Europe, U.S. alarmed by Christian clashes in Egypt
Europe and the United States on Monday expressed alarm and deep concern at sectarian clashes which killed 25 people, mostly Coptic Christians, in Egypt and called for minorities to be protected. European nations, the White House and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an investigation into violence which sparked fears of widespread sectarian unrest and stressed the need to defend all faiths in Egypt.British Foreign Secretary William Hague: “It is very important that the Egyptian authorities reaffirm the freedom of worship”

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EU considering massive cuts to food aid for poor
The European Union is considering a nearly 75 percent cut in funding for a program that helps feed 18 million of its poorest citizens.

Dozens Injured In Bali Earthquake
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake at 11.16 a.m. local time (0316 GMT) was centered about 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Denpasar, the capital city of Bali. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to Indonesia’s seismological agency.

Moderate Subsea Earthquake Strikes Near Oregon Coastline
A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon on early Wednesday evening, seismologists said, but there were no reports of damage or casualties and no tsunami warning was issued. The 5.3-magnitude earthquake at 8.13 p.m. local time (0413 GMT Thursday) was centered about 144 miles (233 kilometers) west of Coos Bay.

Experts warn over Iceland volcano
...an eruption could be imminent at an even more powerful Icelandic volcano than the one that paralysed air traffic last year.

Obama Spoke About "Fast & Furious" Before Holder Claimed He Knew
CNN compares Holder's testimony to what President Obama said in MARCH to CNN Espanol about the operation. "I heard on the news about this story that -- Fast and Furious, where allegedly guns were being run into Mexico, and ATF knew about it, but didn't apprehend those who had sent it." Transcript of the segment that aired on "John King USA"

G20 finance ministers gather as time runs out
As the G20 finance ministers and central bankers gather in Paris this Friday and Saturday, a collective sense of failure will loom large.

Obama: No options off the table over Iran assassination plot
Obama said Thursday there was "no dispute" that Iran was involved in an alleged terrorist plot against the Saudi ambassador in Washington that was uncovered this week.

Applications for unemployment aid barely changed
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, a sign the job market isn't getting much better. Applications ticked down by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 404,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Senate Republican jobs bill urges tax reform and cuts
Senate Republicans, having rejected President Barack Obama's jobs bill, offered a sweeping and largely repackaged plan of their own on Thursday. Their "Jobs Through Growth Act" features a fresh call for tax reform and cuts as well as a number of components previously proposed, but stalled in the Democratic-led Senate.

"Unusual" meeting between US, Iran over plot
President Barack Obama said Thursday that officials at the "highest levels" of the Iranian government must be held accountable for a brazen and bizarre plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States on American soil, insisting leaders of the world will believe the U.S. case without dispute once they absorb the details. U.S. officials, meanwhile, confirmed the Obama administration has had direct contact with Iran over the allegations.

S&P downgrades Spain on weak growth outlook
Standard & Poor's (S&P) has cut Spain's long-term credit rating by one notch, from AA to AA-, because of weak growth and high levels of private sector debt. The ratings agency added that the country's high unemployment would remain a drag on the economy. Last week, the Fitch agency also cut Spain's rating, a process that can raise a country's borrowing costs.

'Egypt intercepts Libyan surface-to-air missiles in Sinai'
Egypt security officers said they intercepted surface-to-air missiles smuggled from Libya through the Sinai peninsula, the Washington Post reported, a day after Egypt reportedly flew fighter jets over certain areas of Sinai without requisite permission from Israel. According to the Washington Post report, an Egyptian source said that Palestinians in Gaza had likely struck a deal over the weapons with contacts in Libya.

'Hamas refuses to abandon policy of IDF kidnappings'
Hamas did not agree to an Israeli request to abolish plans for any future kidnappings as part of the prisoner-swap agreement signed between Israel and the Islamist group, a Palestinian source told the London-based Al Hayat on Friday. According to the source, Israel - which will release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for kidnapped tank gunner Gilad Schalit - agreed not to target any of the releasees once they have been freed.


Our World: The forgotten Christians of the East
On Sunday night, Egyptian Copts staged what was supposed to be a peaceful vigil at Egypt’s state television headquarters in Cairo. The 1,000 Christians represented the ancient Christian community of some 8 million whose presence in Egypt predates the establishment of Islam by several centuries. They gathered in Cairo to protest the recent burning of two churches by Islamic mobs and the rapid escalation of state-supported violent attacks on Christians by Muslim groups since the overthrow of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in February. According to Coptic sources, the protesters Sunday night were beset by Islamic attackers who were rapidly backed up by military forces. Between 19 and 40 Copts were killed by soldiers and Muslim attackers. They were run over by military vehicles, beaten, shot and dragged through the streets of Cairo.

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Flood barriers will determine Thai capital's fate
Somjai Tapientong lives on one side of a wall of white sandbags, her apartment perched precariously on the front line of an epic battle to stop the deadliest floods in decades from engulfing Bangkok. On the other side, a foaming brown river gushes through a canal diverting water around the Thai capital, just to the south. Whether floodwaters breach fortified barriers like these this weekend will determine whether Bangkok will be swamped or spared.

Barack Obama deploys US special forces to central Africa
In a letter to Congress, Mr Obama said: "These forces will act as advisers to partner forces that have the goal of removing from the battlefield Joseph Kony and other senior leadership of the LRA." In an attempt to head off criticism from his war-weary country, Mr Obama stressed that the American troops would not act independently and would only fire on LRA forces "in self-defence".

UN fears Syria killings might drive country into 'full-blown civil war'
Syrian forces shot dead at least six people protesting against President Bashar al-Assad on Friday, activists said, and the United Nations called for international protection for civilians from a crackdown it said could lead to civil war. Friday's shootings, near Aleppo and in suburbs of Damascus, occurred as protesters took to the streets after weekly Muslim prayers, as they have done many times since Syria's uprising began in March, inspired by popular revolts that have ousted three Arab leaders this year.

US worries over China's underground nuclear network
A leading US lawmaker who fears budget cuts could delay modernizing the US nuclear arsenal voiced concern Friday about an extensive tunnel complex designed to house Chinese nuclear missiles. "This network of tunnels could be in excess of 5,000 kilometers (3,110 miles), and is used to transport nuclear weapons and forces," said Michael Turner, who chairs a House Armed Services Committee panel focusing on strategic weapons and other security programs.

Gov't cameras in your car? E-toll patent hints at Big Brotherish future
Imagine that you couldn't drive on major highways without agreeing to put a camera in your car -- one that could film either the occupants or the vehicle’s surroundings and transmit the images back to a central office for inspection. You don't have to read George Orwell to conjure up such an ominous surveillance state. You just have to skim through filings at the U.S. Patent Office.

US to Play 'Very Major Role' In Helping Europe: Geithner
The U.S. plans on being an active partner as efforts intensify to get Europe get back on its feet financially, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CNBC Friday. With global leaders preparing for next month's Group of 20 nations (G20) summit in Cannes, France, the International Monetary Fund — of which the U.S. is the greatest contributor — is being relied on to help underwrite whatever efforts are needed to backstop toxic European sovereign debt.

Health overhaul law suffers first major casualty
The Obama administration's signature health overhaul law, under relentless assault by Republicans, has suffered its first major casualty - a long-term care insurance plan. The program, expected to launch in 2012, had been dogged from the beginning by doubts over its financial solvency.

Deadly protests erupt in Yemen capital Sanaa
Violent protests against Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh have again erupted in the capital Sanaa, with at least nine demonstrators killed and dozens hurt, doctors and officials say. Tens of thousands marching to the city centre were met with live rounds, tear gas and water canon. President Saleh has been battling eight months of street protests.

China communists hold key annual meeting
The Chinese Communist Party is holding its most important meeting of the year over the next four days. The gathering of the party's central committee is the last big meeting before leadership changes next year. President Hu Jintao will leave office after the 2012 party congress, while Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and his government will end their terms the following year.

Floods and landslides leave 40 dead in Central America
Two storms have hit Central America, triggering floods and landslides that have left about 40 people dead, officials said. In Guatemala alone, at least 21 people were reported killed; six died in Nicaragua, and three in El Salvador. As rains drenched Central America, Hurricane Jova hit Mexico's Pacific coast, leaving at least eight dead.

UN to reduce Haiti peacekeeping force
The United Nations Security Council has agreed to withdraw about 3,000 troops and police from its mission in Haiti. This brings the force's size close to 10,500 - what it was before the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January 2010. The UN believes numbers can be cut because of the improved political situation since a new president and prime minister took office.

US bishop accused of not reporting child abuse images
A Catholic bishop in the US has been charged with covering up suspected child abuse in his diocese, in the first case of its kind in the country. Bishop Robert Finn, of Kansas City in Missouri, is accused of failing to alert police to a priest who allegedly kept graphic computer images of minors. Church officials are alleged to have conspired to destroy the evidence.

UN chief: New east J'lem neighborhood 'unacceptable'
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned Israeli plans to build more than 2,500 apartments in the new Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Hamatos, over the 1967 Green Line as "unacceptable." "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at continued efforts to advance planning for new Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem," Ban's press office said in a statement.

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Pilgrims gather for Feast of Tabernacles
Thousands of Evangelical Christians have arrived in Israel from all over the world for the 32 annual Feast of Tabernacles Succot celebrations. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has brought over more than 6,000 Christian pilgrims from over 80 countries and five continents – including Brazil, China, Finland, Gabon and the US, and will be in the country for six days of festivities and touring activities.

Saudi Arabia takes Iran to UN over alleged plot
Saudi Arabia has taken a first step to have Iran reported to the United Nations Security Council, a move that could lead to new sanctions, over an alleged plot to assassinate its ambassador in Washington, Saudi-owned newspapers reported on Sunday. "Saudi Arabia's permanent mission to the United Nations... formally requested the United Nations Secretary General notify the Security Council of the heinous conspiracy," the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported, citing a statement from the kingdom's UN mission.

Protests go global; riots in Rome
Anti-greed protesters rallied globally on Saturday, denouncing bankers and politicians over the international economic crisis, with violence rocking Rome where cars were torched and bank windows smashed.

Iranian radicals look for a limited armed clash with the US
....a super-radical faction at the top of the Iranian regime to draw the United States into a limited military clash. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved the plot when his son and heir Mojtaba, 42, and the Al Qods Brigades commander Gen. Qassem Soleimanipresented him with their "grand plan."

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Iran Sends New Ambassador to Syria
Upon arrival at Damascus Airport, Sheibani who formerly served as Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon, said he would do whatever within his capabilities and possibilities to reinvigorate the ties between the two Muslim allies. "Relations between the two countries have always been special, and they grew stronger after the Islamic Revolution in Iran… My mission in Syria aims to strengthen the good bilateral ties, and we shall work with officials in both Iran and Syria to overcome the difficulties and challenges that Syria faces," the Iranian envoy said.

Iran to dispatch ships to Atlantic Ocean
The Iranian Naval Forces will dispatch ships to the Atlantic Ocean, Fars News Agency quoted Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying on Monday. Vahidi made the remarks at the assumption of office ceremony by a new commander of the Naval Forces North Fleet. He stressed that the Iranian vessels are currently deployed in the Caspian and Oman Seas, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

Turkey plans new border gates with Iran, Iraq, Georgia
Turkey is planning to open a total of nine new border crossings with Iran, Iraq and Georgia over the next two years to facilitate booming trade with its neighbors.The new crossing with Iran, expected to become operational in 2013 as the fourth between the two countries, will be at Dilucu in Iğdır province. Turkish and Iranian officials are planning a joint field visit soon to choose the exact location for the gate.

Iran launches uranium yellowcake production
Iran has manufactured the first batch of uranium yellowcake, the raw material used for nuclear fuel production, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday. He spoke at a ceremony to mark the shipment of the first batch to Isfahan's Uranium Conversion Facility, the Fars news agency reported.

Communist Party U.S.A. Spokesman Gets Overwhelming Applause from Occupy Chicago
John Bachtell, a spokesperson from the national board of the Communist Party U.S.A., addressed the angry mob of nearly 3000. He claimed to “bring greetings and support” from the party, to the occupy movement. Bachtell received a very warm welcome and overwhelming applause form the “occupiers.”

Scope of ‘Occupy’ Violence Stuns Italians
Horrified residents watched Rome burn Saturday after an off-shoot of Rome’s “Occupy Wall Street” protest turned violent. Italian riot police fired tear gas and water cannons after a group of violent protesters hijacked the demonstration against corporate greed. Rioters smashed bank windows, torched cars and hurled bottles. The European ‘occupy’-ers called themselves “the indigent.”

Iran warns West of 'strong confrontation' to any 'inappropriate measures'
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Sunday that Tehran would respond robustly to any "inappropriate measure" by Western powers linked to an alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington, state television reported.

China makes 'secret eurozone commitment'
China has made a "secret commitment" to prop up the crisis-hit eurozone in return for budget reforms and public sector cuts, the Sunday Times reported, amid ongoing turmoil over the region's debt crisis.

10-Km-High Ash Column Rises From Russia’s Shiveluch Volcano
Ash plumes have risen to 34,500 ft (10.5 km) while seismic activity is ongoing. The official Itar-Tass news agency reported on Monday that the highest-level warning has been issued for aviation.

US 'to announce full withdrawal of troops from Iraq'
Despite ongoing concerns about the ability of Iraq's security forces to prevent renewed instability and violence, the Obama administration has according to reports in the US decided that all but 150 to 200 US troops of the remaining 40,000 will go home under the terms of a 2008 agreement. The key issue has been the failure of the Iraqi parliament to provide a guarantee of immunity from prosecution to US troops that stay.

Ayatollah Khameinei: Iran could scrap directly elected president
Iran could do away with the post of a directly elected president, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday, in what might be a warning to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and possible successors not to overstep the executive's limited powers. Khamenei's comment came with Ahmadinejad battling constant criticism from hardline conservatives accusing him of being in the thrall of "deviant" advisers who want to undermine the role of the Islamic clergy, including the office of supreme leader.

Global economic outlook has worsened, says International Monetary Fund chief
Head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said on Saturday that the global economic outlook "is more likely to have worsened than improved in the last three weeks" and that emerging markets feared "contagion from advanced economies."

Iran calls U.S. assassination charges 'Nazi propaganda'
Iran said Monday that it has asked the United States to provide information about the two people arrested in a plot that Washington linked to Tehran and said was aimed at assassinating the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Iran would investigate the case as well while at the same time accusing the U.S. of using propoganda methods similar to those employed by Nazi Germany.

Arab League calls for Syria dialogue within 15 days
The Arab League has called for talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces to take place within 15 days, following months of unrest. At an emergency meeting in Egypt, Arab foreign ministers decided not to suspend Syria from the organisation. Damascus expressed reservations about the plan, which proposes the two sides meet for talks at the League's headquarters in Cairo.

Thai flooding: Key business park Navanakorn evacuated
One of Thailand's oldest and largest industrial estates has been evacuated after flood waters breached its recently-fortified defences. It comes as officials say most of Bangkok appears to have escaped the flooding, although some parts of the capital are still under threat. Water began seeping into Navanakorn industrial estate in Pathum Thani, 45km (30 miles) from Bangkok, on Monday.

Central America floods and landslides 'leave 80 dead'
The number of people killed by a week of torrential rains, triggering floods and landslides across Central America, has reached at least 80, officials say. El Salvador is the worst-affected, with 32 people killed, mostly buried in their houses by mudslides. The number of dead in Guatemala has risen to 28, while the total rose to 13 in Honduras, and eight people have died in Nicaragua.

FBI’s DNA database upgrade plans come under fire
A major upgrade of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) DNA database system has come under fire from members of the forensic science community. The Codis system is used to generate the genetic profiles stored in the US national DNA database. The FBI wants to expand the number of genetic markers used by Codis to classify individual DNA profiles.

Trichet: EU treaty change needed to 'impose decisions' on states
The outgoing head of the European Central Bank (ECB) has called for a change to the European Union treaty to allow for the outside imposition of economic policy on a member state. ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet told French broadcasters on Sunday (16 October) following a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Paris that such a step is necessary in the wake of the eurozone crisis to guard against any one member state endangering the single currency area.

US on High Alert, Conducts Drill in Israel and Saudi Arabia
The United States is conducting a week-long large-scale aerial exercise in Israel and Saudi Arabia as a navy fleet sails to the Mediterranean in preparation for any surprise flare-ups in the Middle East as Israel and frees 1,027 terrorists and security prisoners in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Intelligence officials have said that terrorist groups, particularly Hizbullah and those based in Gaza, will try to stage attacks on American and Israel targets in the Middle East while the exchange takes place.

Bangkok bunkers down for floodwaters
WORKERS and volunteers have piled sandbags outside buildings in central Bangkok and erected barriers in its subway to ward off possible weekend flooding as high water that devastated parts of central Thailand flowed toward the low-lying metropolis. While the government sought to reassure Bangkok's 9 million people that the capital would be spared, it also sent sometimes confusing messages that raised anxieties and sent residents on shopping sprees to stockpile food, medicine and other essentials.

Non-discrimination policy for Christians announced in Egypt
Egypt’s military rulers have said they will punish anyone who perpetrates violence against Christian minorities. Aftet clashes between Muslims and Christians, Egypt’s ruling military has approved a law which punishes discrimination. The new law states a punishment a $5,000 fine for discrimination based on gender, origin, language, religion or beliefs.

Clashes in Syria kill 19 as crackdown continues
Activist in Syria say at least 19 people have been killed in the country as the government’s crackdown on demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad continues. Ten people were killed in the northern town of Banash, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while in the southern town of Haara, armed men killed at least nine soldiers.

Anti-Semitism tainting Occupy Wall Street protests
Several anti-Semitic incidents have been reported during "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations in New York as Jews were blamed for the turmoil in America's financial markets. In addition, anti-Israel signs were raised against "Israel's occupation of Gaza". The "Emergency Committee for Israel" has published a hard-to-watch clip in which Jews are attacked and blamed for the financial crisis and assistance to Israel.

Exodus from the Arab Spring
Egypt’s Arab Spring is leading to a mass exodus of its Coptic Christian community, with Canada a preferred destination – we’ve received about a sixth of the 100,000 who have fled Egypt in the past six months amid persecution by Islamic fundamentalists. If history repeats itself, those numbers could become much larger – Egypt has 10 million to 18 million Copts and other Christians, the largest remaining Christian population in the Middle East by far. Should their persecution continue, the great majority could well flee in what would amount to one of history’s greatest forced emigrations.

G20 tells euro zone to fix debt crisis in eight days
The world's leading economies pressed Europe on Saturday to act decisively within eight days to resolve the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis which is endangering the world economy. In unusually direct language, finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of 20 major economies said they expected an October 23 European Union summit to "decisively address the current challenges through a comprehensive plan".

To Isolate Iran, U.S. Presses Inspectors on Nuclear Data
President Obama is pressing United Nations nuclear inspectors to release classified intelligence information showing that Iran is designing and experimenting with nuclear weapons technology. The president’s push is part of a larger American effort to further isolate and increase pressure on Iran after accusing it of a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States.

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6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles New Britain Island (PNG)
Papua New Guinea has been shaken by a strong earthquake, the country’s second in four days.

Texas youth targeted by Mexican drug cartels
Mexican drug cartels appear to be expanding their presence and activities in the United States, even targeting ‘expendable’ US teens in a concerning new trend, say Texas officials. The United States is the primary market for Mexico’s drug cartels, feeding the cycle of violence in the country as the state tries to suppress the violent gangs, but now Mexico’s war on the drug cartels may be spilling over into the United States.

US: Quartet to meet Israelis, Palestinians
Envoys of the Middle East Quartet will meet separately in Jerusalem on October 26 with Israeli and Palestinian representatives, the State Department said Monday. "Quartet envoys will be meeting with the parties in Jerusalem on October 26," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, adding that separate meetings would be held.

Putin to ‘consolidate political system’ as Russia’s new president
Putin said on Monday he is determined to return to the Kremlin to consolidate the foundations of the country’s political system and facilitate economic diversification.

IRS: Budget cuts would hurt service, raise deficit
Legislation that would trim hundreds of millions of dollars from the Internal Revenue Service budget would force significant cuts in the services it provides taxpayers and cost the government $4 billion annually in lost revenue, the agency warned Congress on Monday. In a letter to lawmakers, IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said the budget cuts "would lead to noticeable degradation of both service and enforcement and would have a serious detrimental impact on voluntary compliance for years to come."

Berlin experts fear euro break-up from bail-out escalation
Berlin’s DIW institute, one of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s five official advisers, said attempts to boost the €440bn (£384bn) EFSF bail-out fund – possibly to €2 trillion – with guarantees to shore up southern Europe would be “poisonous” for France’s credit worthiness.

Quartet to hold meetings with Israel, PA officials in Jerusalem in late October
According to Toner's statement, the "Quartet envoys will be meeting with the parties in Jerusalem on October 26th and with the aim to begin preparations and develop an agenda for proceeding in the negotiations."

Dust storm magnitude startles even long-time residents
My wife and I have lived in Lubbock for 49 years and in West Texas for 52 years, and I have never seen a dust storm like this,” City Councilman Paul Beane said. “I have seen pictures from the Dust Bowl Days in the 1930s, but I never thought I would see anything like this. “It looked like the end of the world.”

Reid: Dems will ‘pursue’ $35 billion stimulus in Obama jobs bill
Despite the failure of President Obama’s jobs bill in the Senate last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday that Senate Democrats will continue to “pursue” $30 billion in education stimulus spending included in the bill, along with $5 billion to “retain” police, firefighters and first responders.

Underwater Volcano Eruption of El Hierro
Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) confirmed on Tuesday that an underwater eruption has occurred five kilometres off the southern coastline of El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Island. The eruption is Spain's first since the eruption in 1971 of the Teneguía volcano on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands). RapidEye has made available a satellite image of this eruption.

Libya: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Tripoli
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Libya on an unannounced visit aimed at showing support for the Libyan people and building ties. Mrs Clinton is expected to be in the capital, Tripoli, for only a few hours. She is the first US cabinet-level official to visit the country. Her visit was kept secret due safety concerns and heavy security measures were in place ahead of her arrival.

Markets plunge as Germany dampens EU summit expectations
Stocks and the euro plunged on Monday (17 October) after German officials dampened expectations for a comprehensive solution to the sovereign debt crisis at an upcoming EU summit. German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble said EU leaders will adopt a five-point plan at the Sunday meeting, but "we won't have a definitive solution this weekend."

West Bank residents celebrate Schalit prisoner releases
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank on Tuesday morning to celebrate the impending release of prisoners in the first stage of the Gilad Schalit deal, Channel 2 news reported. Chants of "The people want a new Schalit," could be heard as Hamas and Fatah supporters waved flags together as part of large scale celebrations.

Gilad Shalit freed in Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap
Hamas has handed over Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit to Egyptian mediators after five years' captivity, as part of a prisoner swap deal with Israel, Hamas officials have told the BBC. More than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners are due to be freed. The first 477 are being released on Tuesday.

Philippine police seek witnesses in priest killing
A Philippine police official says a special unit has been created to investigate the killing of an Italian missionary priest in the country's south. Investigators are seeking possible eyewitnesses.

Strong earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea
A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami alert has been issued. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-6.3 quake struck Tuesday about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the town of Kandrian on the island of New Britain. The quake struck at a depth of 6 miles (9 kilometers).

America must manage its decline
Recently I met a retired British diplomat who claimed with some pride that he was the man who had invented the phrase, “the management of decline”, to describe the central task of British foreign policy after 1945. “I got criticised,” he said, “but I think it was an accurate description of our task and I think we did it pretty well.”


Iran, Russia call for stronger ties
During a Saturday meeting between the two officials, Salehi called on Iranian and Russian authorities to work together on common interests, saying Tehran can be a reliable ally of Moscow. Iranian and Russian officials have a resolve to utilize opportunities with the purpose of expanding mutual relations, Salehi said.

Russia calls on Israel to abandon East Jerusalem building plans
Israel should abandon housing construction plans in East Jerusalem and end settlement activities in the occupied territories, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday. Israel plans to build more than 2,600 apartments in the Jewish neighborhood of Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem and later increase the number to 4,200.

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19 Oct 11

Moscow Welcomes Hizbullah
Moscow has invited Hizbullah for its first official visit to the Kremlin in what some say is a strategic move to bolster allies in Tehran.A Hizbullah delegation was welcomed by officials in Moscow on Wednesday for the terror group’s first official visit to the Kremlin. The three-man delegation, headed by Hizbollah MP Mohammad Raad, is scheduled to meet Russian officials for talks on developments in Lebanon and the region.  

Hezbollah delegation visits Moscow
A delegation from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement arrived in Moscow for a three day visit on Wednesday at the invitation of the State Duma, Lebanese website Al Manar reports. The delegation will be headed by the leader of the Loyalty to the Resistance group, Mohamed Raad, and will include the leader of the parliamentary information committee Hassan Fadlallah and the deputy of the ruling council Nawar As-Sakhili.  

Iran secretly executing hundreds of prisoners: UN
Iran's authoritarian regime has secretly executed hundreds of prisoners, according to a new UN report detailing growing rights abuses in the Islamic republic. The mysterious executions at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad in eastern Iran were highlighted in a report compiled by Ahmed Shaheed, the new UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran.  

U.S. intelligence on alert for Israeli strike on Iran
The Pentagon is watching for the possibility that Israel could use the occasion of an alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States as a pretext for launching a long-anticipated attack on Iran's nuclear sites, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The source, who is in a position to monitor Israeli defense activities, said the U.S. is watching "an indicator and warning matrix" in which the U.S. can "go so far as to plot the illumination tables to pick out what nights would be best" for such an attack.  

5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits North Of Tristan da Cunha
The quake was centred 544 km northwest of Edinburgh (pop 271) on Tristan da Cunha, often referred to as the world’s most remote inhabited island. The earthquake was measured at a depth of 2 kilometres, according to the EMSC. The USGS put the depth of the quake at 9.8 km (6.1 miles).  

Fake Signatures May Mean Obama Didn’t Actually Qualify to Run for President in Indiana
A candidacy scandal is growing in Indiana as evidence surfaces that President Obama may not have qualified to be on the Presidential ballot. So far a Democrat County chairman has been forced to resign and the former Democratic Governor Joe Kernan has confirmed that his signature was forged on the petition for candidacy.  

Turkey Reportedly Launches Incursion Into Iraq
Turkish soldiers, air force bombers and helicopter gunships reportedly launched an incursion into Iraq on Wednesday, hours after Kurdish rebels killed 26 soldiers and wounded 22 others in multiple attacks along the border.  

Geithner Plan for Europe is last chance to avoid global catastrophe
Europe, the G20, and the global authorities have one last chance to contain the EMU debt crisis with a nuclear solution or abdicate responsibility and watch as the world slides into depression, endangering the benign but fragile order that has taken shape over the last three decades.  

Rick Perry: Time to consider defunding United Nations
Republican presidential candidate and Texas governor Rick Perry said Tuesday that "it's time for us to have a serious discussion about defunding the United Nations."  

Standard and Poors leads China to sell US debt holdings
China has reduced its holdings of US debt following a downgrade by Standard and Poor’s. The world’s second-largest economy and greatest foreign reserves holder has reduced its US debt holdings by around US $36.5 billion to US $1.137 trillion, according to the US Treasury’s August data.  

They predict a riot: U.S. intelligence agency to 'foresee the news' before it happens using Twitter
a U.S. government agency is to use the social network to attempt to predict revolutions. Iarpa - the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity - hopes to be able to predict 'unexpected' events such as revolutions using a wide range of data. Iarpa is to spend three years analysing data taken from 'open' sources such as Wikipedia edits, Twitter posts and even publicly available data from traffic systems and webcams. The data will be taken from 21 countries in mainland Latin America, chosen because they offer a wide variety of data, and a wide variety of reported events. The goal is to allow Iarpa to 'predict' news before it happens  

Stuxnet Clone Found Possibly Preparing Power Plant Attacks
Security researchers have detected a new Trojan, scarily similar to the infamous Stuxnet worm, which could disrupt computers controlling power plants, oil refineries and other critical infrastructure networks. The Trojan, dubbed "Duqu" by the security firm Symantec, appears, based on its code, to have been written by the same authors as the Stuxnet worm,  

Thousands flee after troops, rebels clash in Philippines
Deadly fighting between Philippine soldiers and a group of Muslim separatists on a southern island has forced thousands of people to flee their homes and created a new problem for stalled peace talks to end the long-running insurgency. Nearly 30 people were killed when army commandos clashed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters near al-Barka town on Basilan island on Tuesday, and both sides accused each other of breaking a seven-year truce.  

New virus may herald Stuxnet-style attack on Iran nuclear program, experts say
First there was the Stuxnet computer virus that wreaked havoc on Iran's nuclear program. Now comes "Duqu," which researchers on Tuesday said appears to be quite similar. Iranian officials have confirmed earlier this year that the Stuxnet virus hit staff computers at the Bushehr plant but said it had not affected major systems.  

U.S. invites Russia to measure missile-defense test
The United States has invited Russia to use its own radars and other sensors to size up one or more U.S. missile-defense flight tests as part of a new push to persuade Moscow that the system poses it no threat, a Pentagon official said on Tuesday. The idea is to let Russia measure for itself the performance of U.S. interceptor missiles being deployed in and around Europe in what Washington says is a layered shield against missiles that could be fired by countries like Iran.  

US forces 'massing on Afghanistan-Pakistan border'
US forces are massing on the Pakistan border in eastern Afghanistan amid reports of an imminent drone missile offensive against fighters from the feared Haqqani Network, a Taliban faction which operates from safe havens in Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency, Pakistan Army sources have confirmed.  

Greece general strike begins over spending cuts
A general strike is under way in Greece, grounding flights, halting most public services and shutting offices and shops. The 48-hour strike comes as parliament prepares to vote on the latest round of austerity measures, including more tax hikes, pay cuts and job losses. Tens of thousands have gathered in Athens to protest, amid tight security.  

Pakistan warns US over unilateral military action
Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Kayani has warned the US that it will have to think "10 times" before taking any unilateral action in North Waziristan. He said that the US should focus on stabilising Afghanistan instead of pushing Pakistan to attack militant groups in the crucial border region.  

More downgrades, mass strike as EU counts days to summit
Ratings agencies have downgraded Spanish debt and a raft of Italian banks, while Greece on Wednesday (19 October) expects a massive strike ahead of an EU summit on new anti-crisis measures. Moody's on Tuesday pulled Spanish debt down two notches from A1 to Aa2, putting the eurozone country in a similar bracket to Italy and non-euro states such as Botswana, Japan and Poland.  

26 Turkish soldiers killed in attack by Kurdish rebels
Kurdish militants killed 26 Turkish soldiers near the border with Iraq on Wednesday, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks since the rebels took up arms against the Turkish state three decades ago. Turkish commandos crossed 3-4 km (1.9 to 2.5 miles) into northern Iraq in pursuit of the rebels following the attacks in Cukurca and Yuksekova districts of Hakkari province, military sources said.  

18 Oct 11

6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles New Britain Island (PNG)
Papua New Guinea has been shaken by a strong earthquake, the country’s second in four days.  

Texas youth targeted by Mexican drug cartels
Mexican drug cartels appear to be expanding their presence and activities in the United States, even targeting ‘expendable’ US teens in a concerning new trend, say Texas officials. The United States is the primary market for Mexico’s drug cartels, feeding the cycle of violence in the country as the state tries to suppress the violent gangs, but now Mexico’s war on the drug cartels may be spilling over into the United States.  

US: Quartet to meet Israelis, Palestinians
Envoys of the Middle East Quartet will meet separately in Jerusalem on October 26 with Israeli and Palestinian representatives, the State Department said Monday. "Quartet envoys will be meeting with the parties in Jerusalem on October 26," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, adding that separate meetings would be held.  

Putin to ‘consolidate political system’ as Russia’s new president
Putin said on Monday he is determined to return to the Kremlin to consolidate the foundations of the country’s political system and facilitate economic diversification.  

IRS: Budget cuts would hurt service, raise deficit
Legislation that would trim hundreds of millions of dollars from the Internal Revenue Service budget would force significant cuts in the services it provides taxpayers and cost the government $4 billion annually in lost revenue, the agency warned Congress on Monday. In a letter to lawmakers, IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said the budget cuts "would lead to noticeable degradation of both service and enforcement and would have a serious detrimental impact on voluntary compliance for years to come."  

Berlin experts fear euro break-up from bail-out escalation
Berlin’s DIW institute, one of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s five official advisers, said attempts to boost the €440bn (£384bn) EFSF bail-out fund – possibly to €2 trillion – with guarantees to shore up southern Europe would be “poisonous” for France’s credit worthiness.  

Quartet to hold meetings with Israel, PA officials in Jerusalem in late October
According to Toner's statement, the "Quartet envoys will be meeting with the parties in Jerusalem on October 26th and with the aim to begin preparations and develop an agenda for proceeding in the negotiations."  

Dust storm magnitude startles even long-time residents
My wife and I have lived in Lubbock for 49 years and in West Texas for 52 years, and I have never seen a dust storm like this,” City Councilman Paul Beane said. “I have seen pictures from the Dust Bowl Days in the 1930s, but I never thought I would see anything like this. “It looked like the end of the world.”  

Reid: Dems will ‘pursue’ $35 billion stimulus in Obama jobs bill
Despite the failure of President Obama’s jobs bill in the Senate last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday that Senate Democrats will continue to “pursue” $30 billion in education stimulus spending included in the bill, along with $5 billion to “retain” police, firefighters and first responders.  

Underwater Volcano Eruption of El Hierro
Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) confirmed on Tuesday that an underwater eruption has occurred five kilometres off the southern coastline of El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Island. The eruption is Spain's first since the eruption in 1971 of the Teneguía volcano on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands). RapidEye has made available a satellite image of this eruption.  


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UN calls on Syria to cease ‘violent’ incursions into Lebanon
The United Nations has called on Damascus to end its incursions into Lebanon, which have left three Syrians dead in recent weeks, warning the raids could ignite tensions in the region.-"These incursions and the ongoing crisis in Syria carry the potential of igniting further tensions inside Lebanon and beyond." Syrian tanks in recent weeks have crossed into disputed border areas and Lebanese territory, shooting dead three Syrian citizens. The incursions have raised fears of the revolt against the regime in Damascus spilling over into Lebanon.

UN: NKorea holds up to 200,000 political prisoners
A United Nations envoy says North Korea is estimated to hold up to 200,000 people in political prisons, a sharp increase from a decade ago. Special U.N. rapporteur on North Korean human rights Marzuki Darusman gave the estimate in his report to the U.N. General Assembly. He cited a comparison of satellite images published by human rights groups.

Earthquake Shakes San Antonio Area
A rare earthquake shook the San Antonio area Thursday morning. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake registered at 4.6 on the Richter scale at about 7:24 a.m. The epicenter of the quake was located about 50 miles southeast of San Antonio between Pleasanton and Karnes City.

Libya live: Muammar Gaddafi 'killed' as Sirte falls
Live rolling coverage from Libya as rebels claim to have killed ousted dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, following the fall of his stronghold Sirte.

GOP Lawmakers Challenge White House on 'Scientific Misconduct'
Several Republican lawmakers are challenging the Obama administration's science czar over what they claim are repeat incidents of "scientific misconduct" among agencies, questioning whether officials who deal with everything from endangered species to nuclear waste are using "sound science."

World Volcanic Activity Report – Katla, El Hierro, Tambora, Shiveluch
This week’s update features information on the ongoing volcanic activity at the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex in Chile and the increase in seismic activity at the Katla volcano in southern Iceland. Other active volcanoes featured this week include El Hierro in the Canary Islands (Spain), Marapi and Tambora in Indonesia, Fuego in Guatemala, Sakura-Jima in Japan, Shiveluch and Kizimen in Russia, Manam in New Guinea, and Mount Cleveland and Kilauea in the United States (U.S.A.).

Series Of Earthquakes Recorded Near Genoa In Italy
At least ten earthquakes were recorded in northwestern Italy on Thursday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC

Russia fears U.N.’s report on Iran will hurt nuclear diplomacy
Russia fears a planned U.N. report which is expected to heighten suspicions about Iran’s atomic aims will undermine Moscow’s initiative to resolve the major powers’ nuclear dispute with Tehran, diplomats said on Wednesday. Russia’s concern about the timing of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s report, due next month, contrasts with the hopes of Western states that it will strengthen their case to step up pressure on the Islamic state over its nuclear activities.

Another Unusual Storm Leads to More Extremes
Stronger than average earthquakes are occurring literally every day and scores of volcanoes are stewing waiting to blow its top. Combine all this with a quieter than average sun with the occasional strong solar flare, the effects it is having on our local weather is astonishing. To say that I know what is going to happen would be incorrect but what I can confidently say is that extremes in weather will be quite common for the foreseeable future.

Series of earthquakes strike Big Island of Hawaii
The first quake struck 13 miles southeast of Waimea at about 2 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered at a depth of 11.7 miles. About two dozen smaller quakes ranging in magnitude from 1.7 to 3.6 followed within two hours.

Stuxnet Clone 'Duqu': The Hydrogen Bomb of Cyberwarfare?
If the Stuxnet virus was the atom bomb of cyberwarfare, then the discovery this week of the "Duqu" virus is the hydrogen bomb, security experts are warning.

Vladimir Putin pushes for closer ex-Soviet Union
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was due on Wednesday to push for closer ex-Soviet integration after the surprise announcement of a free-trade zone being created in the former communist bloc.

Michelle Obama: Gov’t Should Shape Kids
First Lady Michelle Obama said yesterday that the government can affect who kids “will be forever” if it can shape their "habits and preferences" during the large part of the day they are at school. Mrs. Obama was speaking on the South Lawn of the White House at a reception to honor schools that met the goals of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC).

Does one 'super-corporation' run the global economy? Study claims it could be terrifyingly unstable
Research found that 147 companies formed a 'super entity' within group, controlling 40 per cent of its wealth

Turkey launches incursion into Iraq
Turkish soldiers, air force bombers and helicopter gunships launched an incursion into northern Iraq on Wednesday, hours after Kurdish rebels killed 24 soldiers and wounded 18 in attacks along the border. ...Turkey's chief of the military and the interior and defense ministers rushed to the border area to oversee the anti-rebel attacks, and the United States and NATO both issued statements supporting the offensive, the largest in more than three years.

China rare earths supplier suspends production
China's biggest producer of rare earths is suspending production for one month in hopes of boosting slumping prices of the exotic minerals used in mobile phones and other high-tech products. This week's move by Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth (Group) Hi-Tech might fuel tensions with the United States and Europe.

Libya: capture of Gaddafi's home town of Sirte 'complete'
In the early hours of the morning, at least five cars carrying loyalist fighters attempted to escape the city, but most were rounded up and killed by revolutionaries. Libyan rebels then moved into the city's Number Two residential neighbourhood, which was the last pocket of pro-Gaddafi resistance left in the war-torn country.

Clinton warns Taliban of 'continuing assault'
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged the Taliban to be part of a peaceful future in Afghanistan or "face continuing assault". She also kept up the pressure on Pakistan to deny militants sanctuary in tribal areas near the Afghan border. Mrs Clinton was speaking in Kabul after talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. She is due to travel on to Pakistan.

British embassy in Kuwait suspends services over threat
The British embassy in Kuwait has temporarily suspended its services because of a terror threat, the Foreign Office has said. It advised British organisations and businesses to review their security measures, although it said the threat was targeted at the embassy itself. Threats against other UK interests in Kuwait could not be ruled out, it said.

Thailand floods: Bangkok 'impossible to protect'
The Thai government says it will be impossible to protect all of the capital from flooding because of a build-up of water to the north. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said sluice gates would be opened to allow a controlled release of water through parts of Bangkok. Describing the flooding as a "national crisis", she said officials were doing all they could to solve the problem.

US and N Korea to discuss nuclear issue in Geneva
US and North Korean officials are to meet next week in Geneva to try to revive stalled international talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear programme. A state department spokesman in Washington said the talks in Switzerland would be "a continuation of the exploratory meetings".

US fears more plots from Iran's Quds Force
The United States believes Iran's shadowy Quds Force is becoming increasingly aggressive overseas and may be working on other international plots beyond the alleged plan to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington, three US officials told Reuters. US allegations last week of a foiled plot in Washington have escalated tensions between the United States and Iran.

'UNSC may vote on PA statehood bid in early November'
The Palestinian quest for UN membership is likely to come to a head on or around Nov. 11, when Security Council ambassadors plan a final meeting to decide their response, diplomats said on Wednesday. ...The Nov. 11 meeting could result in a vote by the divided council, diplomats said. The United States, which supports its ally Israel in strongly opposing the membership bid, is considered certain to veto it but the Palestinians may seek a vote anyway if they can show majority support in the council.


Israel mulls new ships to guard gas fields
The Israeli government, which has just slashed the defense budget, is considering a $100 million plan to buy new patrol boats to protect the Jewish state's rich offshore gas fields. The Jerusalem Post reports that given the planned cuts in the 2012 defense budget, which many believe will be carried over for several years, the government may ask companies developing the gas fields to contribute to the cost of acquiring new warships.

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Syria forces kill two civilians in Homs
Assad has been faced with a popular revolt since March 15, which has been harshly repressed, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the United Nations.

Unmasked! 'Occupy' protests sending sharp anti-Jew message
The dark scourge of anti-Semitism has reared up at many "Occupy" protests across the country, and the subject could well become a campaign 2012 issue as Republicans have been quick to point out to voters that many Democrats, including the president, are aligning themselves with the protests.

Earthquake Rattles Northern Japan
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the north Japanese island of Hokkaido on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Texas Hit By Its Strongest Earthquake In 45 Years
The 4.8 magnitude quake, upgraded from 4.6mb, occured at 07:25 AM local time (13:25 PM GMT) and was recorded at an extremely shallow depth of 3km (1.9 miles). It struck below Fashing, but was felt as far as Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Austin.

Tennessee Becomes First State To Fight Terrorism Statewide
"Where is a terrorist more apt to be found? Not these days on an airplane more likely on the interstate," said Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons.

Obama hails death of Muammar Gaddafi as foreign policy success
President warns other Middle Eastern dictators, particularly Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, that they could be next...

Gaddafi: Barakeh Obama is friend
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi considers the US president a blessing to the Muslim world. In a speech published in London-based al-Hayat newspaper on Saturday, Gaddafi praised Barack Obama, called him a "friend" and said there is no longer any dispute between his country and the US.

Gaddafi's killing fuels Syria's Friday protests
The killing of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi fueled demonstrations across Syria after Friday prayers that called for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, braving a heavier than normal security presence, activists and residents said.

Hezbollah chief Nasrallah: Next war with Israel will start in Tel Aviv
The next war with Israel will start in Tel Aviv, not on the northern border, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned on Friday, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

US state of California adopts an emissions trading scheme
CALIFORNIA formally has adopted the nation's most comprehensive so-called "cap-and-trade" system, an experiment by the world's eighth-largest economy designed to provide financial incentives for polluters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. State officials said they hoped other states and Washington, DC, would follow suit, calling the plan a "capstone" among the suite of tools California can use to reduce the pollution linked to climate change and cut dependence on foreign oil.

Congressional Investigators Target FBI Over Fast and Furious
Congressional investigators probing the botched federal gun-trafficking program known as Fast and Furious are now setting their sights on the FBI.

Gaddafi killed in gruesome mob attack
cell-phone footage appeared to show the fugitive strongman being dragged through the streets of his hometown while still alive, as throngs of Libyans beat the bloodied 69-year-old until he died.

Greece crisis: a second day of riots in Athens
Greek protesters rampaged for a second day outside parliament with firebombs and stones, leaving one construction worker dead and at least 74 injured.

European debt crisis talks plunged into chaos as leaders announce another summit
Plans to "decisively address" the debt crisis this weekend were plunged into chaos on Thursday night as European leaders were forced to announce another "summit" next week amid political deadlock between France and Germany.

'Iran to move nuclear material underground in near future'
Iran plans to soon start moving nuclear material to an underground site for the pursuit of sensitive atomic activities, diplomatic sources say, a move likely to add to Western fears about Tehran's intentions. They said a first batch of uranium hexafluoride gas (UF6) -- material which is fed into machines used to refine uranium -- would be transferred to the Fordow site near the holy city of Qom in preparation for launching enrichment work there.

Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland
With the approval of the Obama administration, an electric car company that received a $529 million federal government loan guarantee is assembling its first line of cars in Finland, saying it could not find a facility in the United States capable of doing the work. Henrik Fisker said the U.S. money so far has been spent on engineering and design work that stayed in the U.S., not on the 500 manufacturing jobs that went to a rural Finnish firm, Valmet Automotive.

MIT Develops New Radar Technology: Military Could See Through Walls
Looking through walls is no longer something we read about in comic books or watch in Superman movies. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory has presented new radar technology that would allow humans to see through a solid wall.

Tennessee Becomes First State To Fight Terrorism Statewide
You're probably used to seeing TSA's signature blue uniforms at the airport, but now agents are hitting the interstates to fight terrorism with Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR). "Where is a terrorist more apt to be found? Not these days on an airplane more likely on the interstate," said Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons.

US jobs plan: Senate blocks key proposal
The US Senate has failed to pass a key piece of President Barack Obama's jobs bill that would have seen higher taxes on the rich help create jobs for teachers, police and emergency workers. Senators voted 50-50 on the legislation, 10 short of the 60 votes needed to pass the plan.

EU to hold second summit next week
European leaders are to have a second summit on the eurozone crisis, most likely on Wednesday (26 October), amid Franco-German discord on a series of key issues to do with solving the single currency's problems. A joint statement by Paris and Berlin, released late Thursday evening, said that all the elements of the planned "global and ambitious response" to the eurozone crisis would be examined in a "profound manner" on Sunday.

Nasrallah: 'Next time, we'll begin with attack on Tel Aviv'
Should Israel enter into another war with Lebanon, Hezbollah will start by attacking Tel Aviv and not north of the country, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened on Friday, according to Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar. The Hezbollah strongman also addressed recent reports of foreign agents operating within the Lebanese terror organization.

Clinton urges Pakistan to take action against militants
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Pakistan to take "strong steps" to deny Afghan insurgents sanctuary on its soil. Speaking in Islamabad after talks with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, she also urged Pakistan to encourage the Taliban to enter talks "in good faith".

Libya plans secret burial for Muammar Gaddafi
Libyan authorities are planning a secret burial within the next few hours for ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi following his capture and death. The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Tripoli says officials early on Friday were still undecided as to where and how it should take place.

Fed official says more bond purchases may needed
A voting member of the Federal Reserve's policy-making committee on Thursday called for the central bank to consider buying mortgage bonds again as a way to spur economic growth. Daniel Tarullo, a Fed governor, said Thursday that another round of purchases of mortgage-backed securities by the Fed could help the economy by further lowering interest rates, including mortgage rates.

Car explodes in northern Mexico as soldiers pass
Drug violence escalated Thursday in two Mexican regions when a vehicle exploded during a car chase in the northern city of Monterrey and later eight bodies were dumped in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

Gadhafi goes from 'strongman' to 'madman' in China
China moved to embrace Libya's new government Friday after Moammar Gadhafi's death, updating its references to the former leader in state media — from the "strongman" who defied the West to the "madman" whose time ran out.

Pakistani PM Vows to Further Cement Ties with Iran
Pakistan's Prime Ministry Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in a meeting with the outgoing Iranian Ambassador to Islamabad said his country aims to further strengthen ties and cooperation with Tehran in a large number of fields.

Secretary General SCO lauds Pakistan role in terror war
The Secretary General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Muratbek Imanaliev Wednesday lauded Pakistan important role in war against terrorism.Pakistan has been playing a leading role in the war against terrorism Imanaliev said and expressed the hope that Pakistan would be included in the SCO fold as a full member in the foreseeable future.

Libya's Qaddafi Haunted Down
Officials in Libya's Transitional Government announced that Libyan Dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi, the former Libyan strongman who fled into hiding after rebels toppled his regime two months ago in the Islamic Awakening's most tumultuous uprising, was killed Thursday. -Qaddafi's hometown of Surt fell today as the last vestige of control for the man once hailed as the "king of kings of Africa" came to an end.

UN calls on Syria to cease ‘violent’ incursions into Lebanon
The United Nations has called on Damascus to end its incursions into Lebanon, which have left three Syrians dead in recent weeks, warning the raids could ignite tensions in the region.-"These incursions and the ongoing crisis in Syria carry the potential of igniting further tensions inside Lebanon and beyond." Syrian tanks in recent weeks have crossed into disputed border areas and Lebanese territory, shooting dead three Syrian citizens. The incursions have raised fears of the revolt against the regime in Damascus spilling over into Lebanon.


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Jordanians celebrate departure of sacked prime minister
Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets Friday to express their joy at the sacking of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit's government, which they had accused of blocking political reform. About 2,000 activists, mainly belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood movement, demonstrated outside the Grand Husseini Mosque in central Amman after Friday prayers, saying "Good Bye to Bakhit, Welcome to the Reformer."

NATO plans to end Libya mission by Oct. 31
NATO plans to end its seven-month air and sea campaign in Libya at the end of October, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday, the day after the death of Muammar Gadhafi. Rasmussen said that a meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels set October 31 as a provisional date to end the mission and a formal decision would be made next week.

Israeli official: Cyprus military drills not meant to 'send message' to Turkey
An Israeli official said on Saturday that there was no political agenda behind its decision to hold a military drill in Cyprus airspace, denying allegations it way trying to “send a message” to Turkey, Cyprus’s longtime enemy, the Cyprus Mail reported. Tensions have been high between Israel and Turkey after Israel refused to apologize for a deadly flotilla raid last year, in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish citizens.

Doomed German Satellite to Fall to Earth This Weekend
A defunct German satellite is expected to fall to Earth this weekend, with experts predicting that up to 30 big pieces of the junked spacecraft could hit the planet. But exactly when and where the satellite will fall remains a mystery. The 2.7-ton Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, will likely plummet to Earth on Saturday or Sunday (Oct. 22 or 23), according to the latest update from the German Aerospace Center.

Thailand floods: Crisis 'to last four to six weeks'
Thailand's worst flooding in decades is set to last another four to six weeks, the country's prime minister has said. Yingluck Shinawatra warned people in Bangkok to be prepared for flooding there, describing the situation as "extremely serious". Three months of heavy monsoon rain have left swathes of the country flooded and led to the deaths of some 350 people.

George Osborne: Eurozone crisis threatens all Europe
UK Chancellor George Osborne has said the eurozone debt crisis is a "real danger" to all of Europe as he arrived for a summit in Brussels. All of Europe's finance ministers are meeting to try to find a solution to the bloc's ongoing economic problems. The eurozone has already approved the next tranche of Greek bailout loans, potentially saving the country from a disastrous default.

Obama: US will pull troops out of Iraq by year-end
US President Barack Obama said on Friday the United States will fulfill its pledge to pull troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. "As promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," Obama told reporters.

'UNSC replacements might hurt Palestinian statehood bid'
The Palestinian campaign for statehood at the United Nations might suffer as a result of Security Council replacements set to take place in January, according to a report published in Businessweek on Friday night. Pakistan, Morocco, Togo and Guatemala were elected on Friday to the 15-nation UN Security Council to replace members Lebanon, Nigeria, Gabon and Brazil for the years 2012 and 2013.

Ashton: Nuclear talks with Iran could resume soon
Major powers are willing to meet with Iran within weeks if Tehran is prepared to "engage seriously in meaningful discussions" on its disputed nuclear program, the European Union's foreign policy chief said in a letter to Tehran on Friday. "When moving to continuation of our talks, it is crucial to look for concrete results," Catherine Ashton said in the letter addressed to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

'US becoming weaker and weaker, hated in the region'
"The United States has become weaker and weaker. Now they are hated in the region," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with CNN on Saturday. Slamming foreign intervention in both Libya and Syria, Ahmadinejad explained that "It was the will of the people that should work. ... justice, freedom and respect - this is the right of all nations."

Gaddafi's death breached the law, says Russia
As politicians in Western capitals were taking quiet pleasure in the capture and killing of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi yesterday, opinions elsewhere were divided. In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Geneva Conventions had been breached with the killing of Colonel Gaddafi.




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Iraq rejects US request to maintain bases after troop withdrawal
The US suffered a major diplomatic and military rebuff on Friday when Iraq finally rejected its pleas to maintain bases in the country beyond this year. Barack Obama announced at a White House press conference that all American troops will leave Iraq by the end of December, a decision forced by the final collapse of lengthy talks between the US and the Iraqi government on the issue.

Monster Prediction From BofA: Another US Debt Downgrade Is Coming In Just A Few Weeks
...The credit rating agencies have strongly suggested that further rating cuts are likely if Congress does not come up with a credible long-run plan. Hence, we expect at least one credit downgrade in late November or early December when the super Committee crashes. This is quite a stunning prediction, mainly because nobody is talking about this.

Indian military helicopter 'breaches Pakistan airspace'
Pakistan's military have forced an Indian military helicopter down after it crossed into Pakistani territory, a spokesman in Islamabad says. The four Indian army officers on board were taken into detention after the helicopter landed in the Skardu region of northern Pakistan. There has been no word on the incident so far from the Indian side.

Cameron joins EU financial crisis talks in Brussels
European leaders have begun a day of talks aimed at resolving the region's debt crisis and keeping another recession at bay. UK Prime Minister David Cameron has joined 26 leaders in Brussels amid fears that problems in Greece threaten to spread to Italy and Spain. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she believed the leaders will devise a plan by Wednesday to protect the euro.

Eastern Turkey hit by 7.2 magnitude quake
Buildings have collapsed and casualties are reported after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey. The province of Van, on the border with Iran, appeared to be particularly badly hit with officials warning of damage to buildings and infrastructure. The quake struck at 13:41 (10:41 GMT), some 17 km (10 miles) north-east Van city, the US Geological Survey said.

Black magic widespread in Middle East
Belief in witchcraft, spells, the occult and protective charms runs deep, despite religious and governmental bans against using magic. ...Saudi religious police arrested popular Lebanese television personality and fortuneteller Ali Sabat in May 2008 on charges of witchcraft while he was on a pilgrimage. A Saudi court sentenced him to death.

Israel considering relocating embassy in Cairo
Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Yitzhak Levanon on Sunday said Israel is considering moving its embassy in Cairo to another location in the city, Israel Radio reported. "Israel is considering moving the embassy building in Egypt to another location over concerns for the safety of its diplomats," said Levanon, according to the report.

U.S. Embassy warns of imminent terror threat in Kenya
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya warned it has credible information of an imminent terror attack, days after the east African nation announced it is sending troops to Somalia to battle Islamist militants. The attack is likely to target places that foreigners congregate in Kenya, including malls and night clubs, the embassy said.

Libya leaders to declare end of war, liberation
With dictator Moammar Gadhafi dead, Libya's new rulers were to declare liberation Sunday, formally ending an eight-month-old civil war and ushering in a two-year transition to democracy fraught with uncertainty.

European leaders keep expectations low at summit
Greece's prime minister pleaded Sunday for a comprehensive solution to the European debt crisis that has swallowed his country and is threatening to suck in larger economies, but European leaders said the world may have to wait a few more days.

Police break up "Occupy Sydney" protest in morning raid
Police broke up a Sydney protest camp inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in an early morning raid on Sunday, making dozens of arrests, police and protesters said.

Afghanistan to back Pakistan if wars with U.S.: Karzai
Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.

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EU leaders threaten Iran and Syria with further sanctions
European leaders warned Iran on Sunday it would face tougher sanctions if it failed to address concerns about its nuclear program and said they would tighten restrictions on Syria if it continued to repress its population.

Libya's liberation: interim ruler unveils more radical than expected plans for Islamic law
Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council and de fact president, had already declared that Libyan laws in future would have Sharia, the Islamic code, as its "basic source".

New euro 'empire' plot by Brussels
The proposal, put forward by Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council president, would be the clearest sign yet of a new “United States of Europe” — with Britain left on the sidelines.

What's the Largest Earthquake that Could Strike the United States?
Geophysicists estimate that the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an intersection of tectonic plates just off the northwestern coast that stretches from the northern tip of California up to Canada, is capable of generating an earthquake with a magnitude as high as a 9.0.

Texas Could See More Dust Storms as Record Drought Continues
Meteorologists say people living on Texas' parched plains could see more dust storms as a record drought tightens its grip across the Southwest. At least six sandstorms hit Phoenix this summer, with the most powerful striking on July 5 and measuring a mile high. But experts say another Dust Bowl is unlikely thanks to modern irrigation and farming techniques aimed at holding soil in place.

UAE, China to enhance trade, tourism, investment ties
The UAE and China have stressed on the importance of boosting their trade, tourism and investment ties. The affirmation came during a meeting held between Abdullah Ahmed Saleh, undersecretary of the UAE foreign trade ministry and Chinese Foreign Trade Minister Luo Jiang on the sidelines of the Canton Fair 2011 that opened here Sunday.

Row erupts in east Lebanon over Hezbollah telecommunication network
A row has erupted in eastern Lebanon between Christians and followers of the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement over the installation of a private Hezbollah telecommunication network, Lebanon's MTV reported Monday. Christian residents of the village of Tarshish, 57 kilometres east of Beirut and near the Syrian border, said Hezbollah followers threatened them after the municipality stopped the Shiite movement from installing a private telecommunication network in the area.

UPDATE 10-Huge turnout in Tunisia's Arab Spring election
Tunisians turned out in huge numbers to vote in the country's first free election on Sunday, 10 months after Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in a protest that started the Arab Spring uprisings. The leader of an Islamist party predicted to win the biggest share of the vote was heckled outside a polling station by people shouting "terrorist", highlighting tensions between Islamists and secularists being felt across the Arab world.

UH Researcher Predicts Tsunami Debris Coming Sooner To Hawaii
It could be the first official report of tsunami debris from Japan nearing Hawaii. A new report coming from a Russian ship have UH researchers changing their predictions. Since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, researchers have been predicting it would take about two years for the debris from Japan to hit Hawaii's west-facing beaches.

McCain raises prospect of military option in Syria
US Senator John McCain raised the prospect Sunday of possible armed intervention to protect civilians in Syria where a crackdown on pro-democracy protests has killed more than 3,000 people. "Now that military operations in Libya are ending, there will be renewed focus on what practical military operations might be considered to protect civilian lives in Syria," McCain told a World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan.

Libya's liberation: interim ruler unveils more radical than expected plans for Islamic law
Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council and de fact president, had already declared that Libyan laws in future would have Sharia, the Islamic code, as its "basic source". But that formulation can be interpreted in many ways - it was also the basis of Egypt's largely secular constitution under President Hosni Mubarak, and remains so after his fall.

David Cameron clashes with France's Sarkozy over euro
Prime Minister David Cameron has clashed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy over the UK's involvement in discussions about the eurozone crisis. Mr Sarkozy believes the final talks on Wednesday should be limited to nations which actually use the euro. Mr Cameron said all EU leaders should be present to debate issues which could affect them in one way or another.

US Iraqi police funding condemned
A US government watchdog has criticised a programme to train Iraqi police, saying it could become a "bottomless pit" for American money. The report said only some 12% of the money spent in 2011 would be spent directly helping Iraq's police. It also pointed out that the programme had yet to gain the support of the Iraqi government.

Erdogan visits quake disaster, says he fears for villages
More than 200 people were killed and hundreds more feared dead on Monday after an earthquake struck parts of southeast Turkey, where rescue teams worked through the night to try to free survivors crying for help from under rubble. Survivors and emergency service workers searched frantically through mounds of smashed concrete and other debris with shovels and their bare hands after the 7.2 magnitude quake toppled buildings and some roads on Sunday.

US pulls Ambassador Robert Ford out of Syria
The United States has pulled its ambassador out of Syria over security concerns that have arisen during a seven-month-old popular uprising against President Bashar Assad, Western diplomats said on Monday. Robert Ford left Syria over the weekend, they told Reuters.


INTERVIEW-Arab Spring may endanger Mideast peace - Blair
Blair will sit down separately with Israeli and Palestinian officials this week in Jerusalem to try to revive a peace process that broke down more than a year ago because of a dispute over Jewish settlement expansion. "We need strong, clear commitments that both parties will produce comprehensive proposals on borders and security within 90 days," he said.

The Man Who Won’t Apologize
No sooner had he formally opened the meeting, however, than it became clear he was not chairing it unaided. To his left, in the gloaming, was a man staring straight at the crowd like a secret serviceman looking for assassins. Before long it was this shadowy figure who was not only telling shareholders their time was up but, in one extraordinary outburst, telling “Rupert,” as he called him, to stop talking.

World peace? Don't laugh: It's closer than ever
Yet, historically, we've never had it this peaceful.

Jordan: Peace deal must ensure Israel's safety, acceptance
Jordan's King Abdullah II said on Saturday that a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians would have to ensure Israel's security and acceptance and enable the creation of a Palestinian state. Speaking at the world economic forum in Jordan, Abdullah went on to criticize "short-sighted leaders, who think they can close the door to peace."

New Euro 'Empire' plot by Brussels
'European Union chiefs are drawing up plans for a single “Treasury” to oversee tax and spending across the 17 eurozone nations. -The proposal, put forward by Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council president, would be the clearest sign yet of a new “United States of Europe"

Fatah and Hamas said moving toward finalizing Palestinian reconciliation deal
A meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshal is due to take place in November, a Hamas official was quoted as saying on Sunday, as part of an effort to form a Fatah-Hamas unity government. The rival Palestinian factions have been attempting to put into action a reconciliation agreement brokered by Egypt and signed earlier this year in Cairo.

Libya prime minister says plans to step down in wake of Gadhafi's death
Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said he expected to step down on Saturday, a move he had planned to make once his government took full control of the country. Ousted dictator Muammar Gadhafi was killed on Thursday when government forces overran his last stronghold Sirte. The government was expected to formally declare the country "liberated" on Sunday.

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Vatican Calls for New World Economic Order
The Vatican called Monday for radical reform of the world's financial systems, including the creation of a global political authority to manage the economy. A proposal by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace calls for a new world economic order based on ethics and the "achievement of a universal common good."

Pope to promote peace in talks with world religious leaders
Pope Benedict XVI has invited 300 religious leaders to a meeting in Assisi in Italy to repudiate “violence in the name of God” amid growing tensions fuelled by fundamentalists across the world.Over 50 Islamic representatives are expected to attend the talks from several countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran. They will be joined by Rabbis, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, a Zoroastrian, a Bahai and representatives of Taoism and Confucianism as well as of other traditional religions from Africa and America. For the first time, four atheists will also attend the meeting.

Murdoch Sons Drew Opposition in Votes
The Murdoch family and Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal together control nearly half of the voting shares of News Corp. The prince expressed support for Rupert and James Murdoch as recently as July. Excluding their stakes, the vote against James Murdoch represented about 75% of the votes cast. On the same basis, the votes against Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch represented about 30% and 72%, respectively, of the votes cast.

Senators Outraged U.S. Borrowing Big From China While Also Giving It Aid
China is one of the biggest economies in the world and grew at more than 9 percent over the last year. It also has loaned more than $1 trillion to the U.S. to fund its deficit-spending. But at the same time, the U.S. sends foreign aid to China, which lawmakers of all stripes say is just plain nuts

Japanese University Detects Atmospheric Precursor To 2011 Megaquake
Analysing data from the Japanese GPS network the team, Kosuke Heki from the University’s Department of Natural History Sciences has detected an increase in the total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere above the focal region of the earthquake beginning about 40 minutes before the quake.

Rapidly Inflating Volcano Creates Growing Mystery
Uturuncu is a nearly 20,000-foot-high (6,000 meters) volcano in southwest Bolivia. Scientists recently discovered the volcano is inflating with astonishing speed.

Shootings Skyrocket in NYC…and Cops Blame Occupy Wall Street
While the Occupiers hit bongo drums and have sing-alongs about crashing the American economic system, the rest of New York City is becoming a more dangerous place to live. The crime statistics are in, and they are disturbing. In one week this month, there was an over 150% spike in New Yorkers shot, a jump from 22 to 56 over the same period last year.

Etna volcano spews smoke and lava
The volcano Etna on the Italian island Sicily is active again. Due to the recent outbreak, Catania airport was temporarily closed.

Syria recalls its envoy to US
Tensions between Damascus and Washington are on the rise: Syria's ambassador to the United States has been recalled to Damascus, a spokesman for the Syrian embassy said on Monday, amid an escalating spat that has seen Washington call home its envoy to Syria.

Perry proposes 20 percent flat tax
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry unveiled a sweeping economic agenda Monday highlighted by a plan to level a voluntary 20 percent "flat tax" on all taxpayers who will accept it in place of what they're paying now.

China paper warns of "sound of cannons" in sea disputes
One of China's most popular newspapers warned on Tuesday that nations involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea should "mentally prepare for the sounds of cannons" if they remain at loggerheads with Beijing. The Global Times is published by Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily, but unlike that newspaper it is not a platform for official policy and tends to take a stridently nationalist tone which pleases it readers.

US States Are Facing Total Debt of Over $4 Trillion
The nonprofit State Budget Solutions combined states' major debt and future liabilities, primarily for pensions and employee healthcare, unemployment insurance loans, outstanding bonds and projected fiscal 2011 budget gaps. It found that in total, states are in debt for $4.2 trillion.

US's most powerful nuclear bomb being dismantled
The last of the nation's most powerful nuclear bombs - a weapon hundreds of times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima - is being disassembled nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War. The final components of the B53 bomb will be broken down Tuesday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, the nation's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility.

Hezbollah chief accuses U.S. of 'exploiting' Arab Spring uprisings
Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday accused the United States of trying to exploit the Arab Spring revolts that took place in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. "The Americans want to polish their image in the Arab and Islamic worlds, which have voiced rejection of the criminal US administration's policies," Nasrallah said in an interview with Al Manar television, which is run by the Lebanese Shiite movement.

Peres: Netanyahu and Abbas are serious leaders who want peace
Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Tuesday that "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu are serious leaders who want peace and are working to prevent violence and extremism in our area." Speaking in a meeting with American actor Jason Alexander, Peres added that peace negotiations "must be continued in order to achieve a peace agreement that will put an end to the long conflict."

Mandatory Sex Ed Details May Be Too Racy for Parents: Report
Details about the new sex education curriculum in New York City public schools are out -- and some are concerned the lessons are too racy. ...The workbooks for older students direct them to a website run by Columbia University, which explores topics such as sexual positions, porn stars, and bestiality. The lessons explain risky sexual behavior and suggest students go to stores to jot condom brands and prices.

Possible study of anthrax vaccine’s effectiveness in children stirs debate
The Obama administration is wrestling with the thorny question of whether scientists should inject healthy children with the anthrax vaccine to see whether the shots would safely protect them against a bioterrorism attack. The other option is to wait until an attack happens and then try to gather data from children whose parents agree to inoculate them in the face of an actual threat.

House votes to reject EU emissions control plan
The House voted Monday to exclude U.S. airlines from an emissions cap-and-trade program that the European Union plans to impose on all airlines flying to and from the continent beginning next year. With the legislation, which passed by voice vote, lawmakers joined the airline industry and the Obama administration in opposing the EU Emissions Trading Scheme scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1.

Thai floods: Bangkok Don Muang airport suspends flights
Bangkok's second airport has suspended all flights after floodwaters breached its northern perimeter. Don Muang airport, used mainly for domestic flights, is in northern Bangkok - the area of the capital worst hit by the flooding. The international airport, in another part of the city, is still operating.

Islamists claim win in Tunisia’s Arab Spring vote
Moderate Islamists claimed victory on Monday in Tunisia’s first democratic election, sending a message to other states in the region that long-sidelined Islamists are challenging for power after the “Arab Spring.” Official results have not been announced, but the Ennahda party said its workers had tallied the results posted at polling stations after Sunday’s vote – the first since the uprisings that began in Tunisia and spread through the region.


Vatican Calls For Radical Economic Reform Of World's Financial Systems
The Vatican called Monday for radical reform of the world's financial systems, including the creation of a global political authority to manage the economy. A proposal by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace calls for a new world economic order based on ethics and the "achievement of a universal common good."

Rapidly Inflating Volcano Creates Growing Mystery
Uturuncu is a nearly 20,000-foot-high (6,000 meters) volcano in southwest Bolivia. Scientists recently discovered the volcano is inflating with astonishing speed.

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Barack Obama vows to bypass congress over economy
BARACK Obama has vowed to issue executive orders from the White House bypassing congress wherever possible as he tries to kick-start the ailing US economy. The US President's threat yesterday marks a new phase in his stand-off with Republican opponents in the Senate, who have so far blocked his $US447 billion ($427bn) jobs revival plan.

4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Southern Spain
A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit close to the southern Spanish cities of Almeria and Cartagena on Tuesday morning, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

Thai floods may cause global rice shortage
Thailand’s flooding has wiped out as much as 14% of paddy fields, drastically reducing the export capacity of the world’s biggest rice exporter and potentially increasing global food prices. The worst flooding in the country in 60 years has destroyed 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) and as much as 7 million tons of crops, the government says.

Earthquake Strikes Japan's ********* Prefecture
The 5.2-magnitude temblor was felt just after 2:00 a.m. local time Wednesday, and was followed later in the day by a second quake of similar strength, 5.3 on the Richter scale...

Human Rights Group Warns: Egypt May Cover-Up Coptic Christian Killings
A leading international rights group has warned of a cover-up by the Egyptian military in the investigation of the killing of more than two dozen mostly Coptic Christian demonstrators in the deadliest single incident since the February overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. The New-York based Human Rights Watch called Tuesday for the independent investigation of the October 9 deaths of 27 people, mostly Christian, in front of Cairo’s state TV building in the Maspero district along the Nile.

France FM: Fall of Assad government in Syria 'unavoidable'
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says pressure of protests and sanctions will eventually oust Bashar Assad from power but process will take time due to complexity of internal and regional politics.

2.5 Million Iranian Students to Celebrate 1979 U.S. Hostage Crisis by Marching in Support of Occupy Wall Street
Some 2.5 million Iranian students are commemorating what they call a “National Day Against Global Arrogance” on November 4th by rallying in solidarity with the “oppressed and deprived” members of Occupy Wall Street. The day signifies the 1979 takeover of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran by Muslim students, who held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The Iran hostage crisis occurred during Jimmy Carter‘s presidency and ended with the hostages’ release just moments after newly elected President Ronald Reagan delivered his inaugural address in 1981.

Palestinian negotiator: Israel must agree to our terms, or no peace talks
Middle East Quartet representatives set to hold separate meetings on Wednesday with Israeli, Palestinian officials in Jerusalem.

Israel may lose German sub deal
Germany is "reconsidering" its decision to sell Israel a sixth Dolphin class submarine, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the move was prompted by the tensions between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Merkel's frustration over the new housing plans approved in east Jerusalem.

Iranian official visits Germany despite Israel's protest
Iran's Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Dr. Mohammad Reza Farzin is slated to be the keynote speaker at a Wednesday forum organized by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). Farzin's address was scheduled despite official protests by Israel and Opposition groups in Iran.

EU rescue plans hostage to raw politics
Europe's debt crisis has taken a deeply political turn as parliamentary battles rock Italy and Greece and once again cause simmering dissent in Germany, vastly complicating the search for a workable solution.

Villages all but wiped out as storms batter Italy's 'Cinque Terre'
The worst affected region was Liguria, with at least two of the five World Heritage-listed 'Cinque Terre' coastal villages cut off as a result of roads being washed away. The walking trails and picturesque fishing villages of the Cinque Terre attract hundreds of thousands of international tourists, but two of them – Vernazza and Monterosso – were severely affected as rivers of mud poured down from the hills behind them.

Palestinian negotiator: Israel must agree to our terms, or no peace talks
Palestinian officials expressed pessimism on Wednesday that scheduled meetings with representatives of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators would see Israeli-Palestinian direct peace talks get underway. ...Palestinians have said they will not return to the talks until Israel stops all settlement activities in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, and recognizes the lines which existed before the Six Day War in 1967 as the borders of the future Palestinian state.

Saudi cleric: Kidnap soldier - get $100,000
A week after the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, top Saudi cleric Dr. Awad al-Qarni is offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who kidnaps Israeli soldiers. He is responding to an ad published by the Libman family offering a similar reward for anyone who catches the person who murdered their relative Shlomo Libman. Libman was killed by terrorists near the settlement of Yitzhar in 1998.

Euro crisis: EU leaders hope to reach debt plan
European Union leaders are gathering for an emergency summit in Brussels to try to finalise details of a plan to tackle the eurozone debt crisis. There is disagreement on how to boost the firepower of the EU's bailout fund for highly indebted countries. There are fears that the Greek debt crisis could spread to Italy and Spain.

Turkey earthquake: Government will accept foreign aid
Turkey will accept offers of aid from foreign countries to cope with the aftermath of the Van earthquake, after initially declining offers of help. Officials said that, with more than 2,000 buildings destroyed, there was an urgent need for accommodation. The death toll from the disaster stood at 461 but aid agencies warned of "hundreds, possibly thousands" of people trapped under rubble.

CDC panel recommends HPV shot for boys
A US government medical committee has recommended the human papillomavirus vaccine for boys, to tackle the spread of the sexually-transmitted virus. While the vaccine has been available to boys before, the vote means that injections are now likely to be covered under medical insurance. Officials said a lower than expected rate of vaccination in girls encouraged them to reconsider the policy.

EU and US heading towards trade war over airplane emissions
The US is heading towards a trade war with the EU over greenhouse gas charges for airlines flying into Europe, after the House of Representatives rejected the obligation for American carriers to comply with EU law. On Monday evening, the lower house passed a bill allowing airlines to disregard an EU law obliging all airlines, from 1 January on, to buy carbon permits when they fly in and out of Europe.

US's most powerful nuclear bomb being dismantled
The last of the nation's most powerful nuclear bombs — a weapon hundreds of times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima — is being disassembled nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War.

Gaffney: Rise of Sharia Law Will Bring War to the Middle East
“I’m afraid there’s a war coming, a very serious, perhaps cataclysmic regional war,” he said. “It will be presumably over, at least in part, the future existence of the state of Israel. It may involve all of its neighbors, as they have in the past, attacking Israel to try, as they say, to drive the Jews into the sea

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27 Oct 11

NASA Issues Image Of El Hierro Volcanic Eruption
“It looks like the main fissure might be 2-3 kilometers in length and is close to on strike with the rift axis for the main El Hierro edifice. Ramon Ortiz, coordinator of a government scientific team, said that if/when the eruption reaches shallower water, we should expect to see the surface water start to steam, followed by explosions of steam and magma and finally the emergence of an island.”

EU Sets 50% Greek Writedown, $1.4T in Rescue Fund
European leaders cajoled bondholders into accepting 50 percent writedowns on Greek debt and boosted their rescue fund’s capacity to 1 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion) in a crisis-fighting package intended to shield the euro area.

Jordan's king: Israel-Egypt peace treaty in danger
The Israel- Egypt peace treaty has never been in greater danger, as the post-Mubarak regime in Cairo may choose to revoke it altogether, King Abdullah II of Jordan somberly predicted in an interview with the Washington Post. The king had previously expressed his concern over the volatile situation caused on the region in the wake of the Arab Spring, and has urged both Israel and the Palestinians to find a way to overcome the stalemate in the peace process.

Latest Freemason Conspiracy: Recruiting Younger Bros
Faced with a choice between going extinct and going public, the Masons went public. The order has no central authority, but Grand Lodges in several states put up billboards, ran TV commercials and staged mass rituals, initiating hundreds of men at a time.

Pope to promote peace in talks with world religious leaders
Pope Benedict XVI has invited 300 religious leaders to a meeting in Assisi in Italy to repudiate “violence in the name of God” amid growing tensions fuelled by fundamentalists across the world. The day of interreligious council, which will be held on Thursday in St. Francis of Assisi’s birthplace, is intended to be a “journey of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world,” the Vatican said.

Ex-ACORN operatives playing role in 'Occupy Wall Street' movement
The former New York office for ACORN, the disbanded community activist group, is playing a key role in the self-proclaimed "leaderless" "Occupy Wall Street" movement, organizing "guerrilla" protest events and hiring door-to-door canvassers to collect money under the banner of various causes while spending it on protest-related activities.

Collapse of euro could pose threat to peace, says Angela Merkel
As European leaders struggled to reach a deal over a bail-out package, Mrs Merkel said “the world is watching” and that “if the euro collapses, then Europe collapses”.

Tunisia's secular women fret erosion of freedoms with rise of Islamism
When hundreds of Tunisians drove through the capital sounding their horns and waving scarves this week to celebrate the election victory of an Islamist party, there was little jubilation in the Ennasr neighbosrhood. With its chic boutiques and upmarket cafes, this suburb is a bastion of a segment of Tunisian society left feeling marginalized and even a little fearful by the election result.

Sheriff Joe predicts Obama investigation to be a 'shock'
The results of a formal law-enforcement investigation into whether Barack Obama is eligible to be president of the United States could come as a "shock," according to Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Hamas boosting anti-aircraft arsenal with looted Libyan missiles
...Hamas recently managed to smuggle relatively advanced Russian missiles, which were looted from Libyan military warehouses, into the Gaza Strip. Israel is worried about the presence of the missiles, both because they curb the air force's almost unlimited freedom of movement over Gaza today, and because of their possible use against civil aviation in Eilat.

IDF strikes three Gaza sites after rocket lands in Israel
In response to the firing of a rocket that hit an open territory near the city of Ashdod on Wednesday night, the Israel Defense Forces targeted four sites in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday. The Israel Air Force targeted three terror activity sites in the central Gaza Strip and an additional weapons storage facility in the southern Gaza Strip, and direct hits were confirmed, the IDF spokesperson said.

U.S. border agent jailed for improper arrest of suspected drug smuggler
A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been sentenced to two years in prison for improperly lifting the arms of a 15-year-old drug smuggling suspect while handcuffed — in what the Justice Department called a deprivation of the teenager’s constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force.

'Rogue websites' bill introduced in US House
US lawmakers introduced a bill on Wednesday that would give US authorities more tools to crack down on websites accused of piracy of movies, television shows and music and the sale of counterfeit goods. The Stop Online Piracy Act has received bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and is the House version of a bill introduced in the Senate in May known as the Theft of Intellectual Property Act or Protect IP Act.

Obama Taps Taxpayers For Student Stimulus
In keeping with his new campaign theme of “we can’t wait,” President Obama today will roll out a plan to put more money in the pockets of some of the nation’s 36 million student loan recipients. Obama has broad latitude in this area – certainly broader than the first two parts of his western campaign trip, underwater mortgages and subsidies for hiring veterans – because one of his early legislative initiatives was to have the federal government take over the student lending business in America.

Clinton: US confused by 'power struggle' in Iran
US efforts to reach out to Iran have been hurt by confusion over who is running the country, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told BBC Persian. "We're not quite sure who makes decisions anymore inside of Iran," she said. Mrs Clinton said that she believes the country is morphing into a military dictatorship.

Germany makes Greece pay with sovereignty for new bail-out
Greek sovereignty was further undermined by eurozone leaders on Thursday (27 October), as Germany demanded a "durable" supervision on the ground of its economic policy-making under the terms of a second €130 billion bail-out. ...German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for the permanent presence instead of the current set-up, which sees the troika "coming and going every three months," she told journalists after the meeting.

Eurozone chiefs reach deal with bank bosses on Greek haircut
Eurozone leaders have reached a deal with the world’s major banks under which they will accept a haircut of 50 percent on their holdings of Greek sovereign debt. ...“It was agreed tonight there will be a nominal discount of 50 percent of notional Greek debt,” a weary Van Rompuy told reporters just after 4am in the European capital.

J'lem sends aid as Turkey calls for pressure on Israel
The first of what is expected to be several civilian planes full of Israeli earthquake relief aid set off for Turkey on Wednesday, even as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu kept up his tough rhetoric against Israel. ...But even as the plane was being loaded, Davutoglu – on a visit to Jordan –called for forceful pressure on Israel, saying that only such pressure would force Jerusalem into giving up on a number of principles and making it easier to establish a Palestinian state.

'US to give Egypt F-16 fighter jet in Grapel deal'
The United States is set to give Egypt an F-16 fighter jet as part of the deal to release dual US-Israeli citizen Ilan Grapel, Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported Thursday. Ma'an quoted Egyptian military expert General Sameh Sayf al-Yazal as saying that the United States was called into the negotiations to help Egypt exact the best possible deal for Grapel's release.

Israel denies US request for settlement freeze
Israel denied a request by the United States on Thursday to temporarily freeze settlement construction in order to promote peace talks with the Palestinians. In a meeting with Interior Minister Eli Yishai, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro requested the freeze - a repeated Palestinian precondition for negotiations - in order to bolster political goodwill as the US tries to counter Palestinian efforts to seek full UN membership.


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Teacher‘s Union Offered Grant to Create ’Activists’ Out Of 1st & 2nd Graders
The National Education Association (NEA), the largest labor union in the country, offered a $5,000 Learning and Leadership Grant to two Wisconsin teachers who intended to use the funds to “help first and second grade students” become “activists.” ...The grant description is no longer available on the NEA Foundation website as Muskego-Norway Superintendent declined to accept the grant given its dubious language and intent.

76 Percent Dissatisfied With Direction of Country
Three-quarters of American voters -- 76 percent -- are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. That’s up from 69 percent who felt that way in April, and 61 percent at the beginning of the year

China suspect in US satellite interference: report
NASA satellites were interfered with four separate times in 2007 and 2008, possibly by the Chinese military, according to a draft of an upcoming report for the US Congress. The latest draft of the report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said the computer hackers behind the interference gained the ability to issue commands to one of the satellites on two occasions.

Turkish quake toll reaches 570: official
The death toll from a devastating earthquake that hit eastern Turkey has risen to 570, the government's emergency unit said Friday. More than 2,500 people were injured in last Sunday's 7.2 magnitude quake, while 187 people have been pulled out alive from the debris, it added in a statement on its website. The latest figure represents a rise of 20 on the last toll issued on Thursday night.

Indonesia’s Mount Lokon Volcano Erupts
Mount Lokon, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, is now spewing incandescent materials up to a height of 1,200 meters (3,930 feet),

Moderate Earthquake Rattles California And Nevada
Berkeley was rattled by a magnitude 3.6 earthquake early Thursday, exactly one week after two earthquakes were recorded near the Californian city.

Chile volcano spews vapour and ash into the air
Chilean authorities were still evacuating residents living near a volcano in the country's far south after a volcano spewed a jet of steam 3,200 feet into the air and seismic activity triggered an avalanche. Government officials flew over the Hudson volcano, which lies around 1,000 miles south of the Chilean capital Santiago.

Help us out, Europe begs China: Desperate Euro chiefs look East to fund huge bailout gamble
Europe is holding out the begging bowl to China in an effort to keep the rescue package for the single currency alive. In a clear sign of how the balance of world power has tipped towards the East, EU leaders hope China can be persuaded to hand over huge sums to help bail out the eurozone.

Rainbow of Religious Leaders Join Pope for Peace
Pope Benedict XVI joined Buddhist monks, Islamic scholars, Yoruba leaders and a handful of agnostics in making a communal call for peace Thursday, insisting that religion must never be used as a pretext for war or terrorism.

Eurozone seeks bailout funds from China
The head of the eurozone's bailout fund is beginning attempts to persuade China to invest in a scheme to help rescue member countries facing debt crises. After meeting Chinese leaders, Klaus Regling said there were no formal negotiations and would be no deal now. It is thought China may pay about 70bn euros ($100bn) into the fund, which is expected to be boosted to 1tn euros.

Kenyans in first al-Shabab battle in Somalia
Kenyan troops have clashed with Islamist militants inside Somalia for the first time since crossing the border nearly two weeks ago. Kenya army spokesman Maj Emmanuel Chirchir told the BBC a convoy came under attack between the southern towns of Tabda and Bilis Qoqani. Each side said the other had suffered casualties.

Solar Maximum on its way
Activity on the Sun is due to reach its peak around early 2014, so expect more flares, eruptions and ejections for the next few years. Early predictions say the estimated Sun activity between 2020-2030 may not be nearly as intense as the 2000-teens.

US flies drones from Ethiopia to fight Somali militants
The US military has begun flying drone aircraft from a base in Ethiopia, as part of its fight against Islamist militants in neighbouring Somalia. US officials have confirmed to the BBC that the base, in the southern city of Arba Minch, is now operational. But they stressed that the remotely-piloted drones were being used only for surveillance, and not for air strikes.

US shares join world markets in eurozone deal rally
US markets have joined Europe's rally after eurozone leaders agreed a deal to help resolve the debt crisis. The eurozone agreed a deal on expanding the bailout fund and banks taking losses on Greek debt in exchange for recapitalisation. The biggest gainers were banks, led by French institutions, which are the most exposed to Greek debt, with some up by 20%.

Huge Asteroid to Creep Near Earth on Nov. 8
Mark Nov. 8 on your calendar. A huge asteroid that could potentially threaten Earth in the far future will pass close by as astronomers around the world watch and measure. This space rock is asteroid 2005 YU55, a veritable mini-world roughly 1,300 feet (400 meters) wide — nearly four football fields across — that will zoom by Earth inside the orbit of the moon.

First doubts emerge over eurozone deal
Markets sky-rocketed on Thursday (27 October) in reaction to the eurozone deal sealed by EU leaders earlier that morning, but economists are starting to question the fine print, which Polish Prime Minister presciently dubbed as "hell" hidden in the details.

EU trip to Iran canceled amid international criticism
A slated European Union lawmakers’ five-day trip to Iran in late October and early November was canceled on Wednesday. The controversial trip – which was organized by five lawmakers, including two German European members of parliament (EMP), Barbara Lochbieler and Kurt Lechner – faced intense criticism from fellow EMPs and Iranian dissidents.

US considers unusual attack helicopter deal for Turkey
The Obama administration is consulting Congress on an unusual proposal to transfer US Marine Corps attack helicopters to Turkey, US officials said on Thursday, as Ankara tries to exact revenge for a major attack by Kurdish separatists. Turkey, a NATO ally, has been seeking AH-1 SuperCobra helicopters to replace those lost in its long struggle against separatist rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

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Major quake hits coast of Peru
A major 6.9-magnitude quake struck Friday along the coast of central Peru, the US Geological Survey reported, sending thousands of panic-stricken residents of Lima and other cities into the streets. Peruvian officials said they had no immediate reports of damage of casualties, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a widespread tsunami warning. The quake struck at 1854 GMT on the Pacific coast about 288 kilometers (175 miles) southeast of Lima, the USGS said in an updated advisory.

Russia Opposes Iran Report
The Foreign Ministry has warned the United Nations against publishing a report that is expected to heighten suspicion over Iran's nuclear program, saying to do so will strain diplomatic efforts to resolve the major powers' dispute with Tehran. The ministry said the timing of the UN nuclear watchdog's report, due next month, could block any chance of serious talks.

Amos Gilad: Iran is massive threat that must be dealt with
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are extremely concerned by the Iranian threat, and Defense Ministry Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs Amos Gilad believes the matter must be a top priority. "You need to know what issues to prioritize. In my opinion – it's the Iranian front"

EXPOSE: The Vatican is Cozyng Up to Iran's Ahmadinejad
The Vatican is building a strong friendship with Iranian authorities and clergy. The Holy See’s course with Iran’s Ahmadinejad began in 2009 at the United Nations, when at the first day of the “Durban II” Conference, the Iranian president, the only head of state to attend, made a speech blasting Israel as “totally racist” and referred to the Holocaust as an “ambiguous and dubious question”. When Ahmadinejad began his rant against the Jews, all the European delegates left the conference room. The Catholic delegation didn’t say a word.

30 killed in Syria as activists call for 'no-fly' zone
Syrian security forces killed at least 30 people on Friday as they pursued a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters after activists called for a no-fly zone to protect civilians and soldiers deserting the army, a rights group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said all the fatalities, except for one, were in Hama, in the north, and Homs in the centre, and that security forces encircled mosques to prevent protesters from flooding the streets after weekly Muslim prayers.

Thai floods hits Toyota Motor production
Toyota Motor is cutting production in Japan, North America and South Africa due to the floods in Thailand interrupting parts supplies. Toyota Motor Thailand Co produces vehicles at its Samrong, Gateway, and Ban Pho plants. The recent flooding has had no direct impact on the three plants or their employees but due to delays in parts-supply, a production halt at TMT's three plants in Thailand will remain in place on Saturday (29 October) and next week.

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Ex-Gays? Study Claims it May Be Possible to Change One’s Sexual Orientation
When it comes to homosexuality, it seems everyone has an opinion. From policy discussions about whether gay marriage should be legalized to debates over religious freedom and the right to speak out against gay marriage and adoption, the issue remains contentious. Now, a study published in a peer-reviewed journal is alleging that some gays and lesbians may be able change their sexual orientation.

Israeli government policy is 'both stupid and dangerous', says top negotiator
In a withering broadside against the administration of the Israeli prime minister, Dov Weissglas predicted that the determination of Mr Netanyahu's cabinet to punish the Palestinian Authority (PA) for seeking membership of the United Nations would harm Israel's security. "I believe the policy of the present government of weakening the PA, if adopted, is both stupid and dangerous," he said in an interview. "I would not punish the Palestinians for approaching the UN.

Hundreds of Palestinians clash with Israeli forces in West Bank
Hundreds of Palestinians clashed on Friday with the IDF and security forces in a number of locations in the West Bank. Around 250 Palestinians demonstrated in the Beit Omar region, throwing stones at security forces. Soldiers and police responded with riot dispersal means, including stun grenades and teargas.

15 arrested after U.S. embassy attacked in Serbia
Police say 15 people suspected of belonging to an extremist Islamic sect have been detained in southern Serbia. The arrests in Sandzak early Saturday were made after a man from the Muslim-dominated region of Serbia fired with an automatic weapon outside the U.S. Embassy in neighboring Bosnia Friday in what authorities called a terrorist attack.

Syria forces shell city of Homs day after deadly crackdown
Syrian troops shelled a restive district on Saturday and conducted sweeping raids, one day after security forces killed about 40 people in one of the deadliest crackdowns in months in the country's uprising, activists said. The Syrian opposition's two main activist groups, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordinating Committees, said shells slammed into the Baba Amr district of Homs. Raids and arrests also were reported around the eastern city of Deir el-Zour.

Dollar Decline in Full Swing in Risk-On Environment
The U.S. dollar's thrashing on Thursday after a last-minute European deal to contain the debt crisis may have sealed the currency's fate. And it is all downhill from here. The European agreement, which involves a 50 percent write-down of Greek debt and boosting the euro zone's bailout fund to as much as 1 trillion euros, has averted a collapse in Europe and spurred a rush to risky currencies and assets once again at the expense of the dollar.

Israeli prisoner swap may be prelude to attack on Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to execute a 1,000-for-1 prisoner exchange last week despite his frequently voiced opposition to such lopsided deals is seen by several Israeli military commentators as an effort to “clear the deck” before possibly undertaking an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Early snowstorm to hit US East Coast this weekend
An unseasonable snowstorm may bring up to 10 inches (25 cm) of early snowfall to the US East Coast this weekend. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter storm warning from Saturday morning into Sunday and says travel conditions may be hazardous. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has warned some residents could lose power, while NWS meteorologist Bill Simpson said the snowfall could break records.

US Congressmen want freed Palestinians on terror list
Thirty-three US Congressmen on Friday petitioned US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and FBI Director Robert Mueller to put the Palestinian terrorists freed by Israel last week in exchange for Gilad Schalit on the terrorist watch-list, the American political journal Politico reported. In the petition they wrote, "Each of these released Palestinian prisoners has been convicted of a terrorism-related offense and should be treated as such," according to the report.

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Israel ready to submit borders proposal to Quartet
In a departure from previous policy, the government has agreed to put forward a comprehensive proposal on borders within three months, according to a Quartet communiqué issued on Thursday.

Is Ahmadinejad’s team planning a military coup in Iran?
The fundamentalist movement in Iran close to the supreme leader of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has criticized president Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his close circle, referring to it as “the perverted team,” of planning a military coup in a bid to take full control of the country. Newspapers in Iran have spilled a lot of ink about what is going on in the country, especially after Daoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president’s brother, declared that the so-called perverted team might resort to the military option soon.

Powerful earthquake hits off northeastern Taiwan
A powerful earthquake has struck off northeastern Taiwan, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau says the quake registered magnitude 6.5, while the U.S. Geological Survey puts it at 5.5. The earthquake struck Sunday morning at sea, about 88 miles (141 kilometers) east of the Taiwanese county of Keelung.

World's most powerful laser to tear apart the vacuum of space
Due to follow in the footsteps of the Large Hadron Collider, the latest "big science" experiment being proposed by physicists will see the world's most powerful laser being constructed. Capable of producing a beam of light so intense that it would be equivalent to the power received by the Earth from the sun focused onto a speck smaller than a tip of a pin, scientists claim it could allow them boil the very fabric of space – the vacuum.

EU debt woes to last 'two or three years'
The head of the European bailout fund Klaus Regling said Saturday he expects the eurozone's economic problems will last two to three years, and long-term issues will remain. Regling's remarks suggest Europe still faces a long road to recovery from its sovereign-debt crisis, even after a summit of European Union leaders this week set a new course to address the debacle, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

Israeli Drone Strike Kills Militants in Southern Gaza
Israeli airstrikes killed seven Palestinian members of Islamic Jihad’s armed wing in southern Gaza on Saturday, according to the militant group, and Gaza militants fired salvos of rockets at cities in southern Israel, killing one Israeli man and wounding at least two others in a sudden escalation of cross-border violence.

Power outages from East Coast snowstorm top 2.3M
The unusually early snowstorm bringing heavy, wet snow to the East Coast has knocked out power to more than 2.3 million homes and businesses. More than 665,000 people are without power in New Jersey,...Utilities in Connecticut are reporting more than 700,000 without power,...In Massachusetts, more than 485,000 are without electricity. In New York, more than 260,000 have lost power. Western Maryland has more than 26,000 outages.

Google's Maps Street View service pilots indoor photos
Google has started a pilot project allowing the public to look inside shops and other businesses found on its maps. The feature is an extension of the firm's Street View technology, which already lets users view 360-degree exterior images. The existing service prompted some privacy complaints from people who claimed the technology was intrusive.

Syria's Assad warns of 'earthquake' if West intervenes
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned of an "earthquake" if the West intervenes in his country. In a rare interview with the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Mr Assad said involvement risked transforming Syria into "another Afghanistan". His comments came after the UN secretary-general made a new call for the repression to end.

Cameron threat to withhold UK aid to anti-gay nations
David Cameron has threatened to withhold UK aid from countries that do not reform legislation banning homosexuality. The UK prime minister said he raised the issue with some of the states involved at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia. Human rights reform in the Commonwealth was one issue that leaders failed to reach agreement on at the summit.

'Saudi prince backs cleric's bounty offer for IDF soldier'
A member of the Saudi royal family has pledged $900,000 to a bounty offered by a prominent cleric to any Palestinian who kidnaps an IDF soldier, according to comments aired on a private TV station on Saturday. Prince Khaled bin Talal, a brother of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, told Daleel television over the phone that he decided to contribute to Awad al-Qarni's bounty after the Saudi cleric received death threats for offering $100,000 to capture an IDF soldier.

PM, Barak warn Hamas over rocket fire: Don't test us
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated the Israeli government's policy of strict retaliation against those that harm Israelis, warning both Islamic Jihad and Hamas not to test Israel. His comments came the day after an Israeli man was killed by shrapnel when a Grad rocket hit Ashdod, and nine Palestinians were reported dead in IAF strikes on terror targets in the Strip.

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Ugh, here is another one to add, Valerie.
Come back Lord.

Link to new theology school story